Category Archives: General

the girls are baking

SB picked up 2 books from the ilbrary. I suggested they decided what to make and see if we have ingedients. i can hear them – rofl! might need to go in now to make sure kitchen remains vaguely habitable!!

argh, eek, aahhhh

or words to that effec. feeling a bit blog stuck, so will perhaps just type!

Rainbows – i really, really hate it mucking up my wednesdays. especially when i now go in occassionally in the morning to earn a bit more. humph. positives though, are the playdates she has had with R. They have got on like a house on fire, and she lives in the village.

IMG_9899-1

Just what we had hoped for from rainbows to be honest. Also, that BB and I spend time together without SB feeling jealous, or me feeling i am juggling things. thats nice as well. So I forgive rainbows, but only just!

Teeth – what a total palaver that has been! mon Sb got herself really worked up by the tooth hanging on by a thread, so we had a really long bedtime settle down, lots of hugs and chats. No good, it was to thread like and she couldn’t sleep, so in the end I pulled it out. Fabtastic, tooth gone. the next night loads of wails and tears that losing her baby teeth. I wonder whether she is worried about getting older? Something other than just the teeth must e at he bottom of this. Again as massively long reassuring bedtime. tooth replaced. I want to smooth out her life and protect her from all upsets. But teeth trauma? what is that about.

numberjacks. BB is totally besotted and adores them. she knows all the characters and makes up her own stories. She would also like to just watch back to back, but can be ditracted!

BB is just such an adorable pickle. If we say no, and she goes with it, she has this sad head down walk she does – often! and I love all her phrases ‘sorry ’bout that’ etc. SHe is very good at sorting shapes, and very careful with her painting and makings. SHe loves to be loved.

So yes, I feel, as always , blessed by my children.

eek – I was speaking to someone at work who was considering having a hysterectomy [for fibroids], as now she was 40 she had no real need for ‘those bits’. I think its the first time that I have been so acutely aware of time ticking and the biological clock. I am nearly 39! How did that happen? If I want to think of a third child and all the fertility nightmare, then I need to do it sooner than later. argh

But we did a lot today. Whilst I was at work. SB rattled through some maths and writing, and we did a violin practise together. We watched Nina and the neurons and some mr maker or something programme, and he made a string painting tree. Both girls desperate to do that, so I got string and paints and patted myself on shoulder at following through. SB proceeded to paint her ‘rainbow box’ and BB insisted on having one too. So they did that. both exceptionally careful with their design.

IMG_9932-1 writing

IMG_9921-1 violin practice

We then decided to do some games. BB chose SB’s fiendishly difficult fish puzzle from E and R. Both girls made a stab of it, and S did rather well. It degenerated into some non-sharing [BB] so we changed tack and played Hisss . I read both the romulus and remus story. SB also did some first language lessons – we are jumping forwards skipping out chunks!< /p>

get the game! Mega ocean game

Rainbows [SB fetchingly dressed in asda skirt [thanks t-bird] looking v schooly], and Chris helped out to a visit to the library and SB v excited. BB and I fed the fish, cuddled, played snap, made ice lollies and were making choc oat muffins when Sb and Chris returned.

Rainbows uniform  IMG_9946

SB did some cbbc complicated games (Edit – link added by Chris – it’s the BBC Bitesize KS2 bit) math based with means/medians and modes, making pictographs, looking at probaility. all sorts of things we haven’t covered but she soon grasped. BB watched muzzy[her choice] but when sleep seemed to catch her both were whisked upstairs for a bath efore tea. [ken hom and noodles, yummy]

SB and I played some more games before her bedtme. I started to mindmap a whole day of interactve postgrad teaching/lecturing that i foolishly vounteered for, thinking that I could persuade others to help out – nope! ny 6 hours to fill [aargh]. So the computer has been playing up! SO now chilling, blogging and watching regenesis – ahhh.

notes

Mon: group sports then play in park; quick shopping trip; ballet; wildly succesful playdate [woohoo!]. Tooth falling out palaver
Tues:  library read and craft; maths; ????; swimming; more tooth palaver

PAC Jelly

Is made and jarred and tastes FANTASTIC! Chris moaning about washing up the pan, but he can have the lickings!!

Back to work tomorrow, sad as my office mate and friend has moved on to new job – waves if she is looking!

Rainbows, celts and more craft!

SB watched cbeebies at unearthly hour this morning, as did BB, and I gradually came to! Breakfast was a protracted affair. We looked at our useless bio clock, and the zinc seems to have completely corroded away in the lime juice one. Since it ddin’t make much in the way of electricity, we all pondered our uselesness in successful experiments!

IMG_9850

SB wanted to do some wicker stuff, so I put some canes in to soak – which reminds me Merry, I have also a huge wodge of canes and bases for you from Jax from ages ago. If you weren’t going to use them for PB group any more, we could set up an alternative basket weaving day?? Whilst they were soaking, SB and I did lesson 14 of first language lessons for the well trained mind. I’m not sure on this book. It moves at a snails pace – perhaps because actually aimed at a much younger child? SB likes learning the poems anyway. I might do some ‘chapter jumping’. BB made patterns with cuisinaire rods – I remember SB in a similar phase. SB then carefully wrote out the poem, whilst BB and I did a jigsaw together.

IMG_9855 IMG_9853

BB got a picnic ready for all of us, including a picnic blanket, and SB made a ‘declamation’ about the picnic, so we all enjoyed that, and had a bash at saying the food items in german and french. BB put on one of the french songs cd’s as well.

IMG_9858

SB chose the Usborne book about the celts to read, and having enjoyed that, she then followed the quick links. Excellent self directed learning! BB had more fun making stories with her numberjacks. Unfortunately she has broken the number 3, so at numberjack hospital being glued together!

SB and Chris now at the scouts centennial church service in the village. SHe wants some school uniform trousers though to wear underneath. I had better see if some still in Tescos. BB is watching magic school bus about bees and giving me hugs. I have found the felting equipment as well, so when she returns, felting and weaving on the cards.

Chris as broken some more of the window panes in the arched window, so has the glass, and is going to look for some matches to replace with. It has obviously been done before, as there are some not brill matches there!

SB and I woven 2 willow coasters. BB has stropped alot about weaving a fish! For her safety, she is now helping Chris cook dinner!

IMG_9863

ANd once BB safely in the bath, SB and I have done some felting as well. She is felting a rainbow. She is much better at both weaving and felting than when done in Kessingland – I guess that was a year ago, but even so! While she did it, I read several mother and daughter barefoot stories and had a nice snuggle when BB returned from bath.

IMG_9869-1

Busy day tomorrow, so rousting her up and to bed! We are going to have a short break from magic treehouse at bedtime, and read some of her DK pompeii book.

A Crafty Day with a numberjack theme

The week has been somewhat laid back on the educational front. In fact, most weeks have been as we don’t seem to have got into much of a pattern, so I thought we might do a catch up today = I thought wrong!

i got up late, as my work schedule been punishing of late. The girls were both busy hama-ing in the kitchen quite happily – well, apart from B tipping SB’s crocodile on the floor… I did the usual hama on the floor dance to the table, and admired BB’s rabbit – the first thing she has ever done to be ironed, and SB’s hearts, from the bead merrily patterns.

IMG_9803

BB fairly immediately demanded to know where she had lost her foam numberjacks – errr?? So after a wail that she couldn’t possibly live without them, I negotiated with SB the use of ‘her’ fimo to make some replacements. BB in 7th heaven about using the forbidden fruit of SB fimo, In the end she made the 0 and all the eyes, and I made the other ones. It took a LONG time, as BB making the most of her fimo opportunity – ROFL. Actually Merry, we didn’t have exactly the right shade of all the colours :roll: so maybe you can start selling little numberjack kits for anyone else with fussy children – numberjacks make perfect fimo for beginners shapes!!

IMG_9801

SB carried on with hama hearts, but once BB’s fimo in the oven, took over and made a lovely fimo 20 year old lady [she was very specific] and then wanted to make a pot for the braided handles she had just made :smile: so I shew her a ‘make your own coil pot‘ and away she went. Beautiful.

IMG_9817 20 yr fimo lady

BB went back initially to hama at this point – making a shaperjaper? again a numberjacks reference. Once her numberjacks cooled though, she was mostly playing stories with them, diving into hama swimming pools [yes, it was messy] and I made an abstract hama honey ant thing – not v succesful. We did have lunch at this time too, and then carried on afterwards.

IMG_9810_edited-1

Chris went out and did some window work. SB and BB went outside for a short time, and then back in to numberjack playing and fimo pot. I made the sausage and bean hotpot ready for tea, and started off the grape apple and plum jelly [henceforth known as plum and apple crumble jelly [PAC jelly], as that is what SB thinks it smells and tastes of].

starting grape, plum and apple jelly

For some reason, SB decided that she needed to start making halloween decorations, so she and BB had a very productive time cutting out ghosts pumpkins and witches hats ready for halloween. She said it was closer than Christmas – true!

IMG_9841  starting halloween prep
SB did a piano practice, and BB finally got to watch numberjacks! Sb watched some mama mirabelle and nina and the neurons with BB, tea and then bed. SB read me some stories beautifully. My jelly is dripping away, and I am under instruction to find the felting stiff for tomorrow.

Beading very Merrily

Hmm to work! I had to go in today. Got back however mid morning. Decided we would have a relaxed kind of day. SB, however, wanted to do the whole of one of the revision exercises in her 2A workbook [nearly finished] so did that, and BB and I started beading. We were threading some wooden beads onto scoobidou threads. BB wanted to make some bracelets after reading the yellow moon catalogue. So we did LOADS, she was really careful and happy. though periodically she pickeed up by the knotted end and lost them all… SB also joined in.
IMG_9777

We then did some violin practice – got to the G string, which is uncomfortable, so only a short practice. Sb wanted to read her library book about Australian animals. We had a look for Australia on the globe, and then with both girls piled on me we flicked through, talking about the ones they were interested in, which ones I had seen in Australia etc. The snakes interested them both, so naturally led onto a game of Hisss. This remains a great game to play altogether. It takes about the length of BB’s attention span without creating havoc, and both girls enjoy it.

Then, by popular request there was a short break watching numberjacks and something based in cartoons in african savannah. After this I got out the wacky wigglers/oogly googly gears, and both girls played happily. SB and I finally did some SOTW with a nice big cuddle. We have arrived at Emperor Constantine. BB and I read a BIG book about dinosaurs as well, and we went outside to pick veg and I got stung by a bee. humph.

Some more general playing around, and then SB and I looked at DK’s atlas of archaeology she picked from the library at the paleolithic section – ties in with our nearly finished magic tree house book. She the went on to read other library books, and I read some to BB.

All read out, SB off to rainbows and BB and I made pasta sauce with our own tomatoes, onions, aubergines, french beans and one chilli [though picked loads today], and added some spinach and red peppers- all whizzled up so nothing identifiable. Then olives, red lentils, chickpeas, peas and sweetcorn added to it when cooking – and the Hendersons relish. It was yummy. For me it had a slight appearance of bolognese – but I doubt regular meat eaters would agree.

We read some more and it was apparent BB falling asleep, so emergency bath. SB returned and joined in, so then messy pasta for tea – ermm, a bit of an oversight there! After tea an even longer beading fest, followed by a natural history DVD and bed. She is up there reading a Horrid Henry book at the mo. BB flaked out – yippee.

IMG_9799

IMG_9792

We had a good day today, with lots of cuddles and minimal wailing. Though SB and BB are not necessarily rubbing along all the time, which is stressful.

Oh, and so I don’t lose it, a link to an evolution ‘plan’ that goes with one of our books

ROFL ROFL ROFL

please read the warning on the envelope. Sly joke or PC gone mad??

ROFL ROFL ROFL

BB Baking

BB really enjoys baking. it is our secret treat when SB at ballet on Monday. this time she wanted to make biscuits

IMG_9773 IMG_9774

SB and I did piano and violin before we ate the yummy biscuits. Earlier in the day they both enjoyed the cuisinaire rods – SB doing areas, and BB patterns.

IMG_9768

IMG_9770

both also made fab cards for their cousin E’s 4th birthday.

IMG_9762 IMG_9766

no idea what they have done today as  was to late home.

weekend holiday

we had a great time away for prob the last camping of the year on the north norfolk coast. we camped beside the salt marshes at Stiffkey, visited wells, brancaster beach and a lovely steam train.

we had a lovely time together, the girls were lovely, we wore them out with long walks and merry play!!

I got bitten heaps by mosquitos.

will put photos on flickr