well, chris is blogging weekend – allegedly – so I have to blog something.
rather liked this political one, as has a scatter graph
my results
Crime and punishment, internationalism
Your position on this axis is -3.9
You are likely to be fairly internationalist and rehabilitationist.
Economics, etc
Your position on this axis is -0.7
You are likely to be slightly socialist and anti-war.
lots of intersting blah, and prob green best match
oh, and on this site, it is lib dem!
Posted in General, Ponderings
Liberal Democrat
Labour -20  |
|
| Conservative -28 |
|
 Liberal Democrat 55 |
|
| UK Independence Party 0 |
|
| Green 35 |
You should vote: Liberal Democrat
The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.
Take the test at Who Should You Vote For
not really a surprise
However, I actually feel quite disenfranchised. If the labour government had stuck to the proportional representation idea, I might be more enthusiastic, but the governmental system seems to be a monolith with the express purpose of maintaining status quo. After all, parties only get in if they are the same as last time, if last times one have cocked up so badly that they no longer seem the party that were voted for, or if the other party comes to mirror them such that people can’t tel who is who. [i know what i mean! ie new labour is old conservative, and new conservative is a shambles.] Also the fact that so many of us are disenfranchised by voting in constituencies where monkeys with the correct badge will get voted in.
Posted in General
SB trying to see if she can express milk! obviously not. We’re trying out avariety of tops for BB today, to see how we get on. SB also had some renewed interest in birds and bees stuff. is it mummy laid an egg that is supposed to be good? [so far we are on eggs the size of a glitter, love from daddy making it grow, and no it doesn't come out of belly button - the follow up question didn't come]
Posted in General
Mmmm, Apricots look like good weaning food, I’m gonna get them……. 
Posted in Butterbean, General, photos
maths 5, literacy 5, science 3, history 3, Geography 5, PE 3, Socialisation 3, Arts/crafts 6, Languages 3, Domestic science 4
These are the number of mentions these topics have had in the last week. We have been pretty much child led [ie things offered only when SB at a loss until she decideds on one - usually read a book as well], and since there were 2 nursery days, which must count as socialisation, so add 2 there, I’m quite impressed by how balanced it looks without trying. Obviously, different amounts of actual time are involved, and I have little evidence of actual learning!! [as not tested!]
She has had a specific interest in volcanos this week – def not sparked off by me at all. Also has spontaneously been coming out with litle snippets of information – ie at the grand canyon thing when they mentioned 4000 years ago, she asked if that was far enough ago for dinosaurs, where although it isn’, it did actually show to me a grasp of the concept of a v long time ago, which hasn’t always been evident.
So, which way we will eventually jump?? Certainly not leaning towards the full homeschooled with rigorous timetables. Also not completely autonomous, as with the shared [hopefully] pattern, we will need to have a story arc as it were to the education, but the infilling on an autonomous front, so that we can get resources ready for the week, and see what we get through. May get stuff together for small projects, to get us all into the swing, and have ideas for family/home centered ones, and a few others that we can have ready, as well as reacting in a lets find way to whatever takes her fancy. Hopefully our style will evolve to gel with SB’s natural learning patterns.
I think the nice thing about thinking about it and starting so early, is there really isn’t any pressure on us to show results as yet. So we get to develop first. [though there is an emphasis on reading at this age, prob as you can see that they're nearly there, grasping at it, and you just want to give it to them]
Wondering what the difference will be with Chris in the driving seat??
Posted in General, Ponderings, Stringbean's HE
SB is really happy about this latest skill, its a bit erratic, but there is no doubt that she can whistle. We have been practising on and off all day.
Thought I’d have a play day today, so we started off by reading in bed together – umpteen stories! [literacy] and playing with BB, who was waggling nappy free [always a gamble!][childcare and development – lol]. This is paying off, as SB really getting the hang of entertaining BB without being dangerous, and loves the smiles and giggles she gets back. Def fostering closeness I think. This actually took us to nearly 10 0 clock, so a quick breakfast and we then played with the marble run bedore heading out. It has taken SB longer than I anticipated to grasp that the marbles will only run downwards, not jump back up again!
We then headed off to National museum of photograpy etc. in Bradford for a home-ed group imax venture – a 2D grand canyon. We failed to find a parking space so had to run like the clappers uphill pushing buggy [god, how I hate running!] SB found this hilarious. We missed the first 10 or so mins, but they still let us in, and we enjoyed it. the cinematography was at times breathtaking – well the subject is partic telegenic! SB decided we wouldn’t go down in a boat, but fancied the micralite! I fancied the whitewater rafting – but not with SB! [geography]. At one point in the filming I had SB on one knee, and BB was bf lying on other knee rugby hold, and I had 2 of the stewards behind. I wonder what they made of it! Both girls were transfixed though. SB gave me a running commentary [luckily remebering to be sotto voce a lot of the time!] When we left, we managed to go a diff way to everyone else, so didn’t get to meet up – though a brief hello to Sarah in the auditorium.
[aside, SB just down from her bath, and still has rice crispies in her hair! she’s sitting in my whiskey hole [ie where the cat likes sitting] and is watching ‘what the victorians did for us’ [history]]
Anyway, we then had a pootle through the museum. We particularly enjoyed the animation bit, and the studio bit – SB thought the ‘magic carpet’ was particularly good, and seeing herself on telly. We didn’t look at the museum in any kind of structured or ed way, but just let whatever caught SB’s imagination lead us – wierd at times, partic amongst the old cameras. We treated ourselves to a cafe pitstop before going home.
At home we were going to do a bit of a collage of grand canyon images [we'd been discussing it in the car], but I went up to change the poopiest bot in the universe and when I came down, there were cards and sparkly bits everywhere[craft]. Not quite as everywhere ]as when BB of the now clean bot launched herself at a pot of sparkly stars and strew them imaginatively everywhere in the kitchen! the people who move into our house are going to wonder just how glitter and sparkles got into so many nooks and crannies.
[BB now lying in whiskey hole, have had lovely long phone call with my friend S – hello if you’re reading!]
A bit of education city – french which was too advanced for now, but adaptable, and maths. [languages, maths] We wont be taking up the subscription, though I do like it due to the unnecessary expense at this stage. Mind you, SB also gets it worng on purpose to see what actions are going to happen. I think the frequent offer to print off a certificate annoying, as we got through loads of unnecessary paper – ah well, can write lists on the back! Sb whistled some more!
[ aside – In fact, my June list is likely to be a June next year list. A chance remark on an email back from my secretary [!!!] says that compensatory leave [as in day off after a night shift] has been cancelled for consultants due to increased registrars, so no longer resident. now although in the future I will be much happier being on call from home; at the moment I really prefer having the day off afterwards to spend with children, and this day off was half of the compressed hours scheme for a 4 day week – so screwed things up a bit. WHY DON’T PEOPLE TELL YOU when they are changing your job so massively?? So I can either continue on with the 4 day week thing with loss of pay and then not really be able to afford house, or stay at a 5 day week. I can’t now bear either option. So, have decided to blunder ahead and join Gill on the foraged food and beans on toast diet until things improve. If they don’t bugger about too much more, in 2 years we may return to even keel, and start paying off whatever further debts accrued. Ah well. And I budgeted so well!! Obviously this is assuming they actually accept my flexible working proposal!]
Just watched that evolution prog and quite enjoyed it. chris videoed it, as i am threatening withdrawal of tv and broadband – guess which will hit us the worst!
no thoughts again, mad budgeting panics! Comes from being a wanting it all woman. I’m sure it will all settle out. It really is the loss of those days that hits me though. Otherwise, we had a really fun day, and I managed to put it to back of mind. SB really enjoyed the museum, even though we managed not to socialise at all! The day in fact whizzed past.
Posted in General, moving house, Out and About, Stringbean's HE
But am perpetually amazed by things like this and property ladder where people seem to ahve been lent huge amounts of dosh by friends – in this case approx ?40,000. WHo are these people with such affluent friends? And then, having been lent all this money, they do a real design statement with the house, plus unnecesaries, such as a hidden bath under the bed – whats that all about? Where is their pride? they prob could have built framework and then had second hand furnishings and basic bathroom etc without borrowing the ?40000. then done it up as they got the money – isn’t that how most people do it? house did look good though. maybe I’m just ranty as in wibble mode.
Anyway, enough of rants. We had a nice day today – though still recovering from crap lack of sleep, and I’m going to bed any minute. Struggling to remember what we did though.
Oh yes, we did a lovely birthday card for Little Nanny [Mum's Mum] and Aunty Margaret – well in advance cos things are about to get interesting around here! [arts and crafts] I particularly liked the fact that she had such a strong idea of the design she wanted rather than random stickings – it was a window card with ladybirds and feathers.
Hm, oh yes we played memory game with her shape snap cards. pogoing, shops – and wrote a very squiggly shopping list. Also lots of joint playing with BB, so seem gradually to be getting that one sussed! We also did the education city reception level maths [maths]
For the afternoon we went to tots group – they were all very suprised that we hadn’t moved yet, and having said goodbye and got upset about it once, I’m annoyed that I will be doing it again. [socialisation]
Aunty Margaret came round, and SB proudly shew off the memory games of numbers and fractions on Joe the dragon, and did some more of the reception level education city english games. [literacy]. Also played hide and seek, and read a magazine. Also a fair bit of BB cuddling and playing going on. BB is getting close to that Eureka roll moment.
Aunty Margaret also brought me a lovely paperweight with a heart imprint. She is going to be as sad for us leaving, as I am to go. She’s just come back from a weekend at Little Nanny’s, and reported that my offer of welcome and home was well received, but although Nanny was overjoyed that we would think of her, she still isn’t going to do it!
A bit of vegging in front of nick jnr, dinner, bath – without dolly this time, though some fuss over whether she had ‘bath knickers and vest’ on. OK, I prob should have said yes, as no big deal, but lack of sleep makes me less flexible, and she wasn’t that bothered. She’s been more of a pickle tonight over sleep, and come down twice – so has actually watched half of the grand designs prog, and was v interested in the house building. she also was commenting how unlike it was to ancient egyptian house [so is taking things in!] and pointing out various differences and some similarities. [design, history]
Finally settled in bed, I’ve done a scout around the blogring, written this, and will retire!
no thoughts for the day, as lack of sleep monster has rendered me witless!
oh sod it, jsut realised done the whole lot as CHris – though I’m sure you know it sounds like Helen!
Posted in Butterbean, General, Ponderings, Stringbean's HE
Aarggh another night of crap. I have such a bad back from perching on edge of bed, If it happens another night, am going to consider an action plan!
Saw Jax’s global footprint thing, and came up with 1.8 planets required. [My family need 3.3 hectares, the world has 1.8 and the average for my country is 5.3, so at least some good!] however, I wasn’t sure on size of house or liters petrol per 100km?? Our food choices seemed to score OK [1 as opposed to 0.9, but we could reduce the packaged foods some more] personal mobility [0.3] was bang on OK – though will get much worse when re-start work, though Chris will balance that out a bit with his cycling! we fell down on shelter having just bought bloomin big house, which if it has any energy efficient systems in it at the moment I will keel over in shock. actually does have secondary glazing, and new boiler, but we will be rectifying this as and when money trickles through our hands – lightbulbs and loft insulation being first priorities. I would like to have as lower energy imprint as possible, which is why a vidtorian listed building prob not the ideal eco choice!
Posted in General
