Blog 2 ? late 12/12/05
Aarrgh, what shall I panic about the most?
No internet access??
No tax return??
Maybe back to work next week??
Not planned Xmas ? yep, that?s the one!! 17 people coming [Mark can?t make it] and only just done the meal planner ? aarrrghhh. To do list priority = xmas shopping!!! [well, chris or a home delivery, as broken arm means no carrying 
but yippee, yippee, connection is back!!
Posted in General
Hmm, well I really do need some sleep ? the combination [boring though it is getting] of these broken bits means I just don?t get a decent sleep for love nor money. When combined with SB having nightmares about being made into mushroom stew by a witch ? that girl has too much imagination, and BB feeding non stop?..
Anyway, we actually have had a good day, so I shouldn?t moan, even if adult tempers frayed significantly as the beanies bathtime approached.
We started with cards ? as sooooo far behind on both the early years list, and those for friends and family. How did Xmas get so close?? Then a fair bit of just playing followed by tidying up. I read to SB the why we eat usborne science book, so we did a few of the experiments out of that as well. Lunch was disregarded by both the little beans as neither fully chipper. SB did feel well enough for an icecream though?.
After lunch we had a group play session, which BB thoroughly enjoyed. Then we painfully did 4 pages of explode the code 1. SB great at the reading and ringing bits, but finds writing dreadful. Must sort the getty and dubay. She then did lots of sprinklies over the house picture, rather than more xmas cards. Her next book for me was all about magnets. We had quite a long chat about them. BB asleep fitfully in lap, so didn?t do experiments, but discussed the brio trains and the fridge magnets as reference, and we bought a magnet and iron filings set from brightminds as xmas pressie ? so will use that later. When the book got to electromagnets we thought we would have a break.
At this point BB vomited rather impressively all over me. Lovely. SB cheered her up by gentle stroking [read manic mauling] and was then persuaded to put on a music and dance show ? something she needs only minimal encouragement for!
Over tea with did a lot of counting in German and some mental maths ? adding and subtracting. SB also through the day has being coming to me with one liner queries regarding the concept of tens and units, so something percolating there!
Internet connection down, so done this as a word document. Hope it springs back soon!
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Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Dance/drama, General, language, literacy, numeracy, photos, science, writing
well, she tends to get lost in the other posts!
She is a lovely happy child with lots of giggles. She does have a firm idea of what she wants, and isn’t averse to shrieking and heel drumming if she thinks that will help!
She has 7 teeth, and another coming though. She can walk [hooray!], gurgle and burble, and say ta, possibly mummum and daddad. She points to things, but doesn’t yet follow my pointing. She does know her name and SB’s. She is still breastfed – voraciously so, so I guess that means i have succeeded there, though I did stop expressing about 6 weeks before she was one, so she did have formula while I was at work- I just couldn’t face it. She eats but not brilliantly – better than SB ever did though! She canput a loaded spoon into her mouth. She is good at picking up tiny things.
For toys, she likes investigating things – so real mobiles and laptops are irresistable! She is keen on musical toys, and can get the drawer out and find the castenets, tambourine and recorder to play wiht. She adores her electronic musical toys too. Often jiggling along to them, or possibly singing?? She can stack some of her cups – and enjoys small tower building – 2-3 at most. She also likes the shape sorter, and can put in the round one. All the others she just tries to ram through. She hasn’t fully grasped that they need to come out of the side drawer, and that her little fist gets stuck when she tries to pull them back through the whole [very cute!]
Attention is like a ray of sunlight, and she loves it when SB plays with her, recently chase has become a good game, as well as singing action games.
Negatives? well, she doesn’t yet sleep through the night – sigh, and has a good line in scratching and biting.
Aaargh, SB has just uncovered loads of felttip matrks on new sofas – off to rage – they aren’t allowed on sofas, and should always have lids on.
Posted in Butterbean, General
BB gave us a dreadful night last night, so we have felt a bit zombified.
SB drew a lovely piccie of our house and all the expected Christmas guests in it. She also put the pub next door in as well for GrandadF. Surprisingly, she also drew a route to the seaside [hmm, artistic license?]She then has done a sparkly [very] red Xmas decoration for the tree.
We did go swimming, and I pootled about. It was still rather painful though – possibly due to the 2 children, rather than the actual pootling in the water. SB investigating swimming backwards and dolphin dives. BB just chuckles around the pool.
on the return we did some hama – another glow in the dark star, 2 pages singapore maths 1A, SB read a red nose reader to BB, and I read a variety of books. We never did get to the explode the code. SB then looked at the new webland.
Lots of sindy and barbie playing. WHilst i was otherwise busy [snoozing if I;m honest, with BB asleep on my lap] SB got some blu tack, and is now fully understanding on the reason why you don’t squidge blu tack into a barbies hair – yuk! Any remedies??
We also did a lot of singing paractise – actually going up and down with ploacing our hands on feet, knees, tummies, head and up in the air. After discussions at Okehamton, I’ve decided to be pro active, and hopefully SB will sing better than her dad!
Finally vietnamese stew for tea, and Sudoku for SB and me – it does make it rather more challenging when you aren’t that sure what the numbers are! She has had her bath and is shining my pen torch through my cheek – sigh!
Other things – Chris planted out the garlic [at last] BB played with her musical toys, the tambourine was a real hit. She also had a great giggle at SB playing chase with her. She has enjoyed walking about – shut herself in the downstairs loo in the dark!!
I must see orthopod next week, as arm still really painful. Also, although they did views of my scaphoid, the base of my thumb is still hurting. I can’t think work is going to be that impressed if I need more time off.
Tomorow, Christmas tree.
May try and google child bonds tonuight. would like an ethically friendly one if ok – smile seem to do one through someone else. My dad alread has a babybond with the childrens mutual for each of them [i think] so i don’t think we can have another one?
Oh, and I finally won 2 ebay dressing up dresses for SB within the specified gift price from little Nanny- yippee! [helped by ebay postage coupon]
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Dance/drama, gardening, General, literacy, music, numeracy, Ponderings, SB-PE
we thought we might relax a bit!!
Lots of sindy/barbie playing. some cutting out and colouring paper angels. SB read to me bouncy ben [or from heart!]. i read quite a lot of books. Some cbeebies games. A game of shops – we made the money with different denominations and did lots of sneaky addition and subtraction.
Last stagecoach – SB got a glowing report. She now says she really wants to go back. I think we will put on hold for a bit. We are organising swimming lessons and ? gym instead.
the fruit trees have arrived and have been heeled in.
washing has been sort of done.
I think I may have deleted finally all the spam comments
i have started albumising last years piccies – on June!
Post camp always feels like a bit of a deflationary exercise. I think we have all enjoyed the more relaxed day today. I might try a gentle swim – or at least pootle in the water – tomorrow.
Must look at my diary for visits
MUST do tax return!
MUST do babybond – has anyone any recommendations for stakeholder/shares based ones?
Posted in art and crafts, Dance/drama, General, literacy, numeracy
Not sure if I’m going to write a huge amount! We had a great week in Okehampton – thanks Sarah for arranging it. Got to chill and chat with people i just don’t see enough. Slightly more tricky due to broken arm, but hey, amongst friends!
Highlights: has to be BB walking! SB picking up with her friends with great ease. Pennywell. Good food and drink. SB hugely excited to meet Father Christmas.
Lowlights: broken arm. long painful journey, SB being sick!
Credit due: Sarah – for alsorts. Alison and Sarah for being commis chefs, and Jax for being my sous chef for the curry! Ady – for lots of things! Kirsty for remembering my books – thankyou. [that map one is really good!] ‘Tilda for her creche idea!
home-ed moments: well apart from the socialisation, drama re-enactments, story telling, crafts etc, I have enjoyed SB’s determination to count to 100 [can get to 59 now], and managing to write I luv uu [sic] in a card for me.
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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, geography, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, photos, SB-PE, socialisation, writing
chris much better. i’m not, but really expected!
we are hoping to set off tomorrow – and i have packed [very slowly!] the clothes.
will text if we don’t.
i have loads of ebay bids on dressing up clothes, and will see if i have won any on return – chris laughingly thinks i will win the lot, but not wiht my max bid!! prob none.
BB well and jolly, and SB hasn’t caught anything
Actually done a fair bit of home ed stuff – lots of reading, story books, books on engines – plus ad hoc experimenting!] Hama beads, mental maths. lots of role play, sindy playing, lego playing. Some christmas cards – not too glittery actually!
Mistakenly looked at finances after an im with Jax – so back into depressed mode! But decided to ignore until after Xmas, and just be prudent until then – apart from an increase [dramatic] in the alcohol budget.
We unfortunately missed SB’s last stagecoach show, as I broke my arm the week before, we weren’t told, hadn’t been the week before that as Nic visiting, so this week she was taken by grandparents, who stayed to watch it. I’m less upset than I thought I would be – prob because the grand scheme of things problems are a bit large at the moment. SB did us at least 6 ballet shows to make up!
BB a treasure also, very happy laughing and cruising around. [shouting!] only the odd unaided step though. May bring her walker toy with us. Sh’es got great dimples.
Looking forward to seeing everyone.
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Dance/drama, General, language, literacy, numeracy, science, writing
[sung in full 'Creation' mode]
c’mon Merry, where is ‘our house is part of the village lights’ badge? Its not particularly tasteless, and went on last noght – or are you planning to come round for the evening to inspect?
Posted in General
Chris’s parents now with us, as Chris has had a relapse and can barely move. Will get doctor out tomorrow if not moving, as this really has been going on for a long time. Probably still flu/viral, but even so….
Posted in General
