IT

Thursday was Tots and Nots.  Bit late getting going in the morning, but SB managed to get a piano pratice in before we left just a little late. Once we got there SB was straight into Philosophy Club - apparently this week it was about the difference beteen hearing and listening. Me and BB sat and made a cardboard cutout digger  that Gina had provided the materials for. Sat and read with BB, played with Megablocks and playdough, had snacks, some playing etc., SB did a poem activity with Katy and some of the other kids. Recorders all round with Gina. Had intended to leave early enough to get home for a bit for SB to do a bit more preperation for her presentation for the next days HE group. But she wanted to do French as well so we ende up staying on for that.

Went straight onto gym via Pets a Home for cat food and Monster nibbles. Had the traditional ‘whats the best deal on catfood this time ‘  activity since they always seem to have a couple of  brands or another on a BOGOF or somesuch. This time, one of ou preferred brands was on a BOGOF that menat that buying multiple small packets was cheaper than buying a big sack. So me and SB pondered those for a bit.

Then we looked at fish, ahhh-ed over hamsters and other small furry things, found suitable treats/nibbles for Monster, put BB off from trying to buy uneccessary rabbit tat. Off to drop SB at gym and then me and SB headed off into town for a little bit of shopping (went into Millets for boot laces, BB came out with a fluffy fleece jacket….)  Sainsburys and then to the playground.

They are extending the gym, and the upstairs viewing balcony is mostly closed off. So me and BB have stopped staying at gym and watching SB as there isn’t much space. But it will soon be too dark to be going to the park and things so not sure what we will do if they haven’t reopened it soon.

Home for a boring dinner of pasta (not organised enough in the mornign to have anything else) and me and SB sat and sorted out final things for her presentation - some photos for a slideshow and questions for a quiz she wanted to do.

Viking and Saxon History

Another HE group, in another town. They have been doing monthly history session, where any kids that want to present something on the theme of the session. They started earlier in the year, but last month was the first one we got to and this was the first one that we have presented at. SB was inspired by a Making Viking Bread’ article in the latest issue of the Young Archgeologists Club magazine, so we used that as the focus. Though we couldn’t find the magazine last weeend and had to look up a recipe on the web.

H made the bread and butter with the girls last weekend. So we took that.  We took photos which SB wanted to display whilst she talked about how she made the bread.

She did very well at explaining what she did I thought, thought had to be reminded to speak up enough so people could hear. After that her and BB did a True or False quiz with soem questions relating to the food viking ate. BB was being the ‘glamorous assistant’ and showing the answers.

Though it was a bit of a comedy moment really as they hadn’t practised this. SB had coloured coded the True and False cards for BB green and purple, but BB didn’t quite have the hang of it

We handed round the bread and butter which all went down well

Other presentations included a Story and soup,  models of viking longhouses, about the battle of Hastings, the tale of Beowulf.

After the presentations was lunch and playing outside/chatting before hometime.

Home for a bit of playing and pottering about. They both got into a good Bob the Builder lego game so I left to quietly too it.

Then it was off out to BB’s football skills session and home to get dinner ready,  followed by a bit of flopping in the sitting room. Me and SB did a bit of her Meccano remote controled car before bedtime.

Tune in next month for the next thrilling instalment of ‘Daddybean does Blogging’

A couple of weeks ago, Stringbean did some animation stuff with some other HE children at another families house.

One of the things they did was some Lego animation. We have the raw images here, but they were burnt on CD with a MAC and Windows can’t read them , and I’ve not got round to installing utility to read them, so that we could convert them into a movie

But the host family have and  here are the results:

Which is pretty much what the kids did today.

Up, a bit of screen time (Pingu and Magic school bus) before getting dressed so we could go across the road to buy bread, milk and marg to have breakie with a bit of Hama beading on the side.  After breakfast SB went off without the smallest reminder and did some maths (subtracting things like £6.13 - £4.85) and piano practise - though had to be reminded a bit how to borrow when subtracting. BB moslty played with the Geomags - she is really into them at the mo, we finally need to get some more I think. That and random 3 yo games with random objects, checked on the mushrooms in the mushroom kit - does;’t like to eat them, but fascinated by growing them.

Then SB started on some more Hama-beading, with BB also doing a bit. Whilst all this was going i was assisting in various ways, and being domestic - washing up, and cleaning out the fridge, cooking chickpeas etc. Sb then moved onto finishing off her T shirt that she was decorating for Amelie (late birthday present) . finished off the design on the front. Decided to write on the back - i wrote it down on paper for her, she spaced it out ok and then finished it off by writing Birthbag instead of birthday ! - it was funny, but I tried not to laugh as she was really upset by it. Helen laughed even more when she got home which didn’t go down well. Will try to rescue it - it hasn’t been ironed to fix it yet. Helen was trying to convinve SB that Ams wouldn’t mind, SB not convinced. all the morning passed without too many arguments
They both went off and did some bits on the Starfall website until lunch was ready.

After lunch I sat down for a ‘five minutes peace’ cuppa and to write an email in my role as Merry’s tech support ;-). BB wanted to do a craft kit she found floating about - making bugs out of pom poms or some such. I said I’d do it once i’d had my tea, but then SB said she would help, so they went off to the kitchen to do it. Not sure how much BB did and how much SB, but they were both happy when I went in to see how they were doing so left them too until they stopped.

They both did some skating about for a bit at some point, so maybe that was now, then Sb helped me start to cook dinner - cutting up the Paneer and onion until H came home.

They played a Dinosaur ludo game - Sb didn’t like getting sent back it seems. Before long it was Ballet, more cooking, home from ballet, playing in the garden, feeding birds, Swimming, home to eat the curry that H finished off  - a treat of cookies that SB bought from the shop (with her own money)  when we got home. Bb to bed, while Sb and h played a game I think. Then I weeded the fruit bed, then time for coffee, chocolate and the last episode of Heroes Series 2 (a bit odd as it was cut very short by the writers strike.

and I’ve even blogged !

I’ve still got to blog my photo meme day from Friday, maybe tomorrow?

Problem I have is that it just seems rather boring - but I did bold things
Morning started with Sb doing some of the music theory book she started the other day with Helen . BB got me to help her with the Ikea wooden construction toy thing making a helicopter. Then they both moved on to the polyhedrons for a - BB wanted a house for lizard and then some general playing about with things. We sorted out books for returning to the library and then had breakfast, SB catching up on a few of the library books, chased them up trying to speed up the getting dressed and sorted procedure which can take forever left to their own devices.

Off to the library in the rain and wind, BB pleased to be using her umbrella to keep her dry. Storytime, selecting new books, home again in the rain via the shops for lunch supplies.

Home, SB settled down with a Rainbow Fairies book, which she knocked of in the hour or so before lunch. I drank coffee and read books with BB and did boring household tasks. After lunch they both did a bit of stuff on various websites, SB piano practised and then entered some kind of educational limbo where she spent 2 - 21/2 hours doing maths and handwriting that should have taken a lot lot less, so we didn’t really get onto anything else much before it was time to cook dinner.

After dinner, I rapidly chased BB up to bed. In one of her Jekyll and Hyde moments, one minute she was sitting happily eating dinner, next minute she was being some sort of annoying mad dervish, out to annoy SB in as many ways as possible. When she chased after SB waving a pair of scissors a swift intervention and imposition of bedtime was deemed appropriate.

SB watched a Roar episode, and then we did the Roman city jigsaw whilst awaiting Helen’s too late return from work.

So she had late bedtime. Tonights excuse for coming down when she should really have been asleep was that she wasn’t warm enough (gloss over that it’s been much colder than tonight before) - told her to wear her fleecy bunny suit.

I wasn’t there for very long, but DSing was a prominent feature of camp. It didn’t impede playing, cooperativeness or socialisation for those worrying about it - as it was prominently as social event! [other similar photos from others on flickr]

We very greatfully received our ds from the monkey house a while back - and SB has made champion efforts with nintendogs and less so with shamu. i have tried out the animal crossing to see if she would get much from it. hmm to whether she could reallly play it without me yet, but she might get it for her birthday. However, in the 3 week tryout, I have obviously become an expert - so gave E a tutorial - rofl! Mind you, teaching E suggested that although SB can read fine, she would find ‘the point’ a bit too obtuse too [mind you, not sure if she would care?].

What other games are out there that are a bit animal crossingy but perhaps a bit more obvious in what you are supposed to actually DO! Any advice greatfully received! Something that they can wifi at camp perhaps as well?? theres a zoo tycoon ds - and I know Monster apparently likes whatever game console thingy he plays it on - would that be a good option?

Of the year, though a couple of evenings it would have been nice. As yet not had heating on except the occasional visitor - ie little Nanny!

Today wasn’t as planned, as I anticipated going to Flag Fen. however, both irls having a lot of fun together all morning playing imaginative games upstairs, so decided to let live. Of couse they couldn’t do the same at all pm! SB and BB read Merry’s catalogues, and ticked pretty much everything in it. Hmm! SB quite clued up that she will get v little of what ticked, so I pointed out, that she should tick her MOST favourites only else we will just choose - thats fine apparently.

She did education city whilst BB and I played with the lego and read books. SB then joined in, but her and BB were in a #not quite matching mode, so we all went outside to let off steam. SB and BB harvested all the pears [about 12 - should count!] apples and beans. Racing around duly done!

SB then did some piano practice - very nicely. she particularly enjoys the piano. After that, we played at being housemaids, and beeswaxed the wood panelling on the stairs. Well, SB helped put it on, but removing was a bit like hard graft, so I did that - looks better for it though.

Much general play - mostly with the castle, then watched really wild show downloaded whilst eating cinnamon toasts - mmm lovely! SB and I looked at a maps book [briefly!] before we went to bake cakes - banana choc and cinnamon loaf. Hasn’t risen as much as normal, so no doubt missed something or other out. tastes fine though! SB drooled over the fimo we bought from Merry - particularly the translucent orange one for doing pumpkins!

Hmm, just been looking at earthships [thanks Dani and Gill] . What a fantastic idea. Up for that really - and so much better in a village/community setting. Anyway, back to blogging

ermm. oh, yes, we then watched some mama mirabelle, BB got her numberjacks fix, SB and I had a very long cuddle and snuggle, I read apple tree farm books to BB, Sb practiced ballet moves. Oh, and nearly forgot, she did some violin practice too. in the end I had to be fairly insistent that we finish it, as she had done half an hour, and was getting stressed out by accidentally playing 2 strings at once occasionally. I am wondering if she is too much of a perfectionist for the violin?
After tea, we played continuo. A rather great thinking game, and SB won! She has read me some magic tree house, and is now reading a felicity wishes book in bed.

No, we  haven’t suddenly turned carnivorous, this has been Butterbean’s saying of the week, they got it from the eponymously named book that we had from the library recently. So she has been running around shouting this a lot

Last couple of days they have been staying at my Mum and Dads, while I attacked a bit more of the arched window. Thursday they went to Mount Fitchet Castle, which was rather drier than when we were there last year.

Friday I think they just pottered about at their house. SB never had the chance for this at BB’s age, as they were all to far away. They do both enjoy going to stay there.
Rest of week, Tuesday is library day, so much reading of old books before we go. Made masks at Storytime:

Then home to read the new stash of books:

followed by a  bit of tandem Starfalling:

After lunch, and bit of playing in the garden, Maths and Getty Dubay and then time to get going for swimming lesson, with a short play at the park in between.

Wednesday, umm….  There was some Maths and Getty Dubay, and Education city and maybe some other computery things in the morning, we did something else as well, which eludes me right now - I read something to SB. Afternoon seems to have disappeared. More reading though:

- Helen was back home from work by then. Until I took SB out for her Rainbows boat trip. She had a good time, hooked up with another girl there, R and they were getting on like a house on fire according to her mum who had gone on the boat as well. They had a bit more of a run around while we chatted until SB hit her head on a wall :roll: and we left wailing…. We will hopefully arrange a playdate soon. While we were out BB and Helen made another Chocolate Spread Cake:

A couple of snippets from Monday:

BB helped make scrambled egg:

They made this construction from chairs in the kitchen. It is apparently some sort of cot/bed/desk/sofa thing, with built in drinks thing for the baby:

…if i don’t blog But I do have photos as well in mitigation.

So today, SB has read loads. Usborne Book of Ledgends before breakfast (Hercules I think), as  well as a bit of Little hippo DVD (in German) which is one BB’s favourites  -she can get it playing now, and select an episode sometimes. And if the folder of downloaded kiddy programs is open she can pick one of those and start that, though she hasn’t worked out how to make it full screen yet (”bigger! bigger!”). She is scarily competent at working the mouse for a not yet 3 yo. Thats’ what having an elder sister does I think.

We had a good sort out of the playroom, clearing up all sorts of detritus from the floor, under and behind sofas etc. SB did a great job at vacuuming it. I rather like the room when not carpeted with crap, just wish we could keep the table even sort of clearish for more than 3 seconds.

Put away  more  clothes in the girls room.  I think that all their clothes that are washed and dried are now put away, a rare event indeed. SB tidied the floor again and made beds as she is on tidy room hit at the moment, then I vacuumed it for her. Did the bathroom as well while I was at it. 3 rooms, that’s plenty for one day .

More reading, she is very keen on  the My little Treasury of Stories and Rhymes  that she got from the library the other day. She spent an hour or so, before and over lunch reading it. By this point BB had decided to have  napped, so it was all rather peaceful.

After lunch is was bit of maths - measuring from Singapore 2A, so pretty simple stuff really. A bit of Getty and Dubay, then they both went off into the garden to play for a bit whilst I started on dinner. Playing seemed to involve most jumping in the paddling pool, getting wet, and then running around like loons shouting ‘I’m bare , I’m bare”  Had to make an impromptu run up to the potato farm for potatoes for dinner, where they managed to get a free apple each, by dint of being  cute really I think..

Dinner made  and in oven, SB had a go at some secret/magic writing, as H had brought home some Tincture of iodine which we had needed. Basically, write/paint of the paper with lemon juice, dip it in water with a bit of TOI in. Paper goes a darkish blue colour due to the starch. THE bit where the juice was stays lighter so you can read it, as there is a different chemical reaction between the acid in the juice and the TOI solution.

BB had been playing and pottering, but noticed she’d put on more Little Hippo This took us pretty much up to dinner time really.

After bath, (H was home by now) there was playing with the wooden train track, with the customary wailing from both children , a bit more Little Hippo. A bit of Education City (apparently i hadn’t let her earlier….???) and then bed. EVen BB who had napped for an hour was asleep by 9.

Started watching Regenesis last night, watched another tonight, quite enjoying them. Makes a change from the normal ‘policy’ type things. Though it is a  bit like a microbiological Numb3rs when they launch of into an explanation of some aspect. Been also flipping between Eureka, which is enjoyable and lighthearted - reminds me a bit of Northern Exposure with it’s collection of slightly kooky characters, and Space Above and Beyond, which is mildly diverting, but a bit rubbish overall really. It’s getting  bit repetitive now. It has an excellent collection of corny lines though, which is fun

i was going to go to the inland waterways festival, as that looked fun, but it was hot, and BB needs a bit more attention. SO we stayed in, and tried to get a working pattern that incorporates 2-ness.The girls watched some edutainment DVD’d whilst i napped - chris’ll know what! [edits to add - gorillas, and also read why are people different]

When I got up, SB migrated to the ‘puter to do jump ahead, which she enjoys, and I read and cuddled BB, hoping some one 2 one would set the tone for a happy day ahead - rofl.

BB and SB both wanted to make ice lollies, so we managed to find enough bits to do that, and I also got SB to make up a tray of ice colours [paint mixed in water]. bemused, she did it, and all went in the freezer.

Since it was a nice day, I got out the cheap tent that i had got from the tesco sale a while back, and BB and I put it up. She was very impressed with it, and happily pottered inside doing some happy maize, whilst i went between her and SB trouble shooting.

SB joined her, and they were playing so happily that i took the opportunity of digging up some potatoes. Got very stung by the nettles, and fingers still twitching a bit from that. obviously when I was at very grubbiest there was a wail about tent ownership, so we all read books together taking turns. mostly apple tree farm for BB, and stories from around the world for SB.

Decided that it was obviously lunchtime! SB and BB agreed on Muzzy German as an acceptable compromise on video, and watched the complete second level while I made home grown spuds, beans and carrots with sausages for them, and chris and i home grown spuds, beans aubergines and onion fritatta for us. yummy. SB ate hers whilst finishing watching the programme.

Both had had a mood boost at this point, and SB did some more jump ahead and BB pottered in the tent. the paints were frozen, and both girls liked the idea of cool painting in the sun, so we did that very pleasantly and co-operatively - hooray.

the girls then had some sweetie letters [from little nanny] that then kept them engaged for ages longer as they had made games out of them, families of colours, letters and then shops. I fed our fish, BB cycled and then SB read me the why were the pyramids built. She then harvested loads of beans and tomatoes, which I must do something with once this blog written.

I cooked a bean [surprise!] pea, sweetcorn and lentil curry for tea, with an additional home grown aubergine and paneer curry for us - yummy. The girls watched a magic school bus episode while i did this, as CHris showering, and it seemed they might settle- they did.

BB fell asleep after tea, SB watched tots tv, read some magic tree house, and is now in bed - maybe asleep?

chris has spent all day hard at work cleaning the big arch window and getting some of the paint off it. it needs new putty and repainting with linseed based paint. will hopefully be then watertight. some bricks also need the lime mortar repointed - we know someone for advice there ;¬)

Me and Stringbean have been trying to play with ?Scratch, but Butterbean has been trying to ‘help’, so we’ve abandoned it for now, we will try it again by ourselves.

If you haven’t come across it yet, It’s basically a drag and drop programming language for doing creating interactive stories, animations, games etc. Looks fun.

Because the meeting I am supposed to be having I’m not [this afternoon in birmingham] though i do need to be there for the evening!

SO having a realxed morning at home, catching a later train.

Joanna and girls here. Merry expected. All the girls [bar BB!!] had a VERY late night. they have poisson rouged a lot, and I think BB has shown Jade zoombinis.

Joanna brought with her the usbourne science book [will find a link] and its fab, and SB loves it - it was bedtime book last night.

Back to work tomorrow, so a bit of gloom - hence sherry! [ex christmas stock!]

i had a lie in today and breakfast in bed - lovely. The came down to the playzone! SB was roller skating, and BB using the xylophone as a skateboard [v quiet!] SB very excitedly said she could do a handstand, so we put cushions on the floor [well, she's bound to hurt herself otherwise] and SB and BB take turns to do tumbles, headover heels and something vaguely looking like a handstand. i remember crying in a gym lesson being made to do a handstand, so not the best person to demonstrate to SB. Should have asked at camp last week! I took out her ‘hair’ but was amazed by how wavy it is - we have been thinking she was someone else all day!
We then made cards for my dad - usual glueing pompoms, stickers, sparkles, feathers etc. I bet he’ll be pleased though! The girls then did an even messier gluing stuff picture with some bits and pieces merry left here before. SB finished varnishing the fimo, and BB and I have been wearing the thumb rings she made us.

BB helped me make Spanish omelette [I hep youuuuuuuu], and it seemed a lunch she could do - keeping all the ohter ingredients stirring while the potatoes cooked. It was yummy scrummy too. SB thinks she can make that for us in the future - I have promised to teach her to cook this Summer. [she had 3 helpings btw!]. We ate in the conservatory as the table was covered in gluey things.

We all went outside after lunch to enjoy the good weather. the girls raced about playing games, SB made a potion with flowers, and BB watered things. our fruit trees are coming into flower - the merryweather damson is covered in flowers. Our broad beans outside are getting going, as is the radish. no sign yet of carrots though.

SB did a violin lesson - of the pulling teeth variety! However, though she was slouchy, she did better bowing, and it didn’t sound quite so much like we were torturing the cats!

Seed sowing - cauliflower, autumn giant leek, mangetout and peas. [must reinstate gardening blog!] the aubergines, peppers and toms all have at least a few seedlings - unsure at present which are which as only seed leaves! The peas from before are coming up [1 week since sown]. Both girls ‘helped’ me - which is why there is a variable number of seeds in each module, and by the end I have no idea what is where! luckily, they become obvious as they grow.
The worm world has compacted down a bit, so need to add some more compost [task for this eve!] . We studied a dead bumble bee, which then buzzed briefly in BB’s hand - not so dead after all then. She didn’t like that, and called it a naughty bee, but we gave it some sugar water [and I think it has now expired in it!]. Oh well, we got to look at all its various anatomical features before it briefly recovered!

SB has done some more zoombinis - run through a whole level, but only ’saved’ 7 this time. Thanks Kirsty. BB watched Bob the Builder. BB fell asleep over dinner, and is now being unsettled, SB had a shower and Brittania and the pirate book for bed, and is now listening to 5 children and it - a firm favourite!

Thanks for the reading suggestions from below. Will save my pennies at the moment then!

Bead Merrily… [as in that pearl and dean thing or whatever!]

But anyway, a lovely relaxing day! SB, as mentioned before, tore into some new books and is romping through the last one [sigh!] in the set I have got. The morning was mostly playing and an eternity getting dressed [I think the 2 girls were mostly playing then too!]

After lunch we did some fimo, We were going to do Easter eggs, but SB saw the girly flower jewellery kit she had got for her birthday so we did that instead, but with different colours. She found cutting out the flowers slightly tricky - as she wanted them to look perfect - so we had a small flower cutter in the playdough box. BB mimicked all the cutting and rolling with her playdough. We both loved the rollup rainbow for the flower middle. [yes will flickr!]

After tidying that up and setting the oven going, she was then keen to do hama eggs - you’ve guessed it, another bead merrily kit [therefore the title! But obviously an old pattern as couldn't find it on the website]. She did a beautiful egg with butterfly, but decided we should put it on our hama window, so we filled in between the butterfly and egg a little bit with clear [worked out by SB]. BB was asleep at this point, having done lots of skipping about, making me food to eat, and playing with the castle.

I tried and failed to get the zoombini’s maths journey started, so while Chris did that, SB and I read up about the universe. [a DK one through the book people, so failure to find a link!]. SB does like the space topic, and we return a fair amount. We looked at our broad beans in jars - roots and the start of a shoot. Chris did get the zoombini’s to work, so she has been round it on its easiest setting, and realised it wasn’t impossible [she had read the age suggestion, so had to be persuaded it was possible!] Next time we will start putting it up! I enjoyed the bubble bit. Both girls did a violin lesson as well.
BB woke up very clingy, but moved onto Poisson Rouge and then watching The Snowman DVD [she has a rotten cold poor thing].

Curry for tea, with yummy lentils. SB finished the zoombinis, and we went to bed. More Britannia [we are at king Malcolm and Qeen margaret] She read me a chapter of an Usborne Young reader [pirates], and we discussed finances, salaries, saving for rainy days, and why I go out to work, even though I would like to stay at home, and why we don’t both work part time any more. Hopefully that won’t make her brain whizz too much to fall asleep!

Em’s hairstyle will have to come out tomorrow, as only just in place - I’m not sure I can replicate!

I’ll get the hang of bloggin every day…….

But as Michelle has been nagging me in Merry’s comments I’d better write something - can’t be doing with more extra women nagging me.

OK, Monday was our mothly HE group sports session, so we went along to that and SB ran around and did sporting things, BB pottered and I drunk tea and chatted :-). Followed by a trip to the park with the Katy and the crew from In at the Deep End. After that the plan was to head off get some lunch and go show shopping, plus a few other things. Went to the shopping centre where there is a decent sized Clarks, only to find that it was shut for refitting or something and wasn’t going to be open for 3 more days - so waste of car parking there then. Since we were there we got lunch and a few things, got back to carpark - it’s one of those get a ticket on the way in, pay on foot places. Realised I had no cash and it didn’t take cards, so had to traipse off to find cash machine etc. which meant of course we were welll over the hour, so that cost even more…. sigh.

So eventually escaped from the car park, headed off to the independent shoe shop we got SB’s last ones from - it’s out of the city centre and easy to park by. Got SB some shoes - a bit boring as she is now well into school age shoes, though they had better options last time, but SB really likes them so that’s fine. BB didn’t need any, though did discover that she has had a sock stuck in the end of one of them for who knows how long - it was squashing back here toes a bit and made it seems as if one fooot had loads more toe room….

By now needed more tea - so took up an invite by Katy to pop round to theirs which is just down the road. Enjoyed Earl Grey (but no tea pot….. ) and admired the birthing pool masquerading as a family size birthing pool filling up the dining room.

home to, well not sure really - ISTR some computing stuff goign on with the girls.

Tuesday went round to my parents house for most of the day, did do bit of HE stuff here before we went - moslty more of the Singapore maths - still the money bit, and some reading.

Wednesday

Helen was doing job interviews today, so not at home as per usual. Helen got a Learning Resources book about using Cuisenaire rods to explore Area/Volume and Perimeter from Sonlight last week, so Sb wanted to have a go at that. She spent ages with it, not so much on the book activities as with all the pattern making and general playing around with them that ensues. also got to practice drawing straight lines with the ruler (in the right place…) . Funny how simple thing like that isn’t a simple as it looks - getting the pencil at the right angle, holding the ruler firmly, in the right place, lining it up etc.

We sat and read a couple of the Anholt Artists books - Picasso and Van Gogh ones, and then spent some time looking for different pictures of their on the internet. There was some more Webland-ing and a bit of Ed City.

We finaly got some new swings seats (Ebay) to go on the swings, so we put one of those on so SB was happy to be able to swing again and spent some time on there. and generally playing outside - harvested some of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli which we have lots of right now.

Never understood the whole ‘kids don’t like green veg ‘ thing, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, whatever it is out love them all.

Watched a bit of the Life of Plants DVD before bed.

Thursday

BB’s toddler gym thing, so that’s a 9.30 start. SB took her camera with her and snapped some photos, haven’t had a look at them yet and sat and moslty read some Letterland books she found in the cupboard this morning. She is such a good advertisment for a HE-ed childthere, sits quietly with her bag, reading, or drawing, or writing etc.

Went into town after to do some shopping of various sorts. Noticed the stationers shop in town is closing, which is a shame - it was always useful for various bits, and very helpful in there as well. It’s our nearest town, and has survived pretty well with a range of indpendent shops as well as the normal high street places. But gradually the independents seem to be going.

There is a shop which sells gists etc. that has lots of stuff from different parts of the world - they tend to have little changing displys of stuff in one window. It was Chinese stuff for chinese New year last time. This week they had some Native American stuff on display, so looked and talked about some of those things, the photos they had etc. bought a few things in a charity shop, including a kit to make a worm observatory thing, so will hopefully be putting that together soon.

Once home had lunch, together me and SB read through a set of Quentin Blake books she got for Xmas and then Hellen got home early from work. There was somejigsawing - BB really getting into them now, head over heels practise, Sb did soem more of the Area etc. book before ballet class.

we’re not really doing a good job of blogging in order are we?

I guess wed was really a game of 2 halves, but i didn’t balance them well. Sb def losing out to BB. Must do better really. we did get a fair bit of home ed done -sb mostly confident with the subtractions [54-28 type] now, and did a fair bit of maths on edu city - multiplying. Also her reading is nicely moving along. she is really enjoying reading, and a while back i bought a set of usborne young readers from the book people, and now she is racing through them, they are pretty much dead right for what she wants to read. must give back merry her ORT 8 as well as read well now.

She has done some more of the chinese books from enchanted learning, and liked the numbers. She is finding it particularly amusing that 2 looks like=. it is making the maths slightly tedious as we have ‘the joke’ about all the 2’s each time. But lets face it, its a good joke, and she is really happy saying it.

We read random pages out of an encyclopaedia - insects, industrial revolution, volcanos, and talked quite a lot about evolution.

BB and i did a lot of playing, cuddling and messing about. we built towers and boats out of blocks, and knocked them down again, read books, danced and messed about.

After lunch we piled outside to enjoy the sunshine, sowed some carrots and make a makeshift cloche/polytunnel affair to put over the row. I did a fair bit of weeding, and the girls did lots of playhouse and climbing frame play as well. They did help chris with pruning the grapevine, and i popped the babyswing seat on the tri-swing [just as BB growing too big!] She did love it, and SB pushed her as she giggled. Lovely.

When we came in, all girls [including me] turned into grumpalumps for some unknown reason. BB screeching like a banshee over who knows what, SB wailing and me stroppy. so we divvied up, and SB had piano and violin lesson and Daddy kept BB occupied. The peace restored, we read, played games [spot the animal!] and the day back on track.

Every evening this week, SB and I have had an extra 30 mins of games or reading - whatever she wants - before her bed following the departure of BB. SB is really appreciating this.

Today I got home earlier to have a bit more time, and we mostly played and did some tidying up. We made a chocolate brownies - didn’t get the timing right - they were in and out of the oven like yoyo’s! more games and reading and a nice bedtime.

SB’s birthday this sunday. have the castle, no wrapping paper, and family arriving tomorrow to house of chaos!

oh, and i forgot to say, that BB is quite insistant she is a boy ladybird!

Stringbean has had this Jump Ahead Starting Maths CD-ROM for ages - 3 years? dunno, but she was doing it in our old house anyway. She’s done it on and off in spurts, probably redone it at least a couple of times, so? a little bit of a fan fare when she finally completed the last bit tonight tonight, had got the 100 candles and had the party

Chris, hopefully, is going to blog the science experiments and so forth going on here, so I am going to do a BB update.

She doesn’t want to wear nappies any more, and is potty training - at her insistance. On the whole she is quite good at it. She is naked, and clutches her bottom doing a funny wiggle saying she needs a wee. She is rather proud of this too. Her speech is coming on in leaps and bounds. I do like that she loves to emphasis things. ‘I like hadding bikbik, I dooo’ ‘I did ‘tar, i diiiiiid’ ‘ I like mugger doose, I doooooo’ etc. She really loves the apple tree farm books, and when she wins the lap battle outright [I usually try and have one on each knee], this is the guaranteed book choice. She does lots of cutie dances to music, and has special skips and jumps routines. Her and SB play together a lot, really well most of the time - though usually with great wildness. She loves joining up toys - doing things ie kid k’nex, gears, building etc and just getting into jigsaws. She is weaned, though periodically sees whether there is a milkie option - no. She really is quite babylicious.

I was late home from work today, as the registrar was a no show. for a while I thought I would have to stay forever, but we got a locum. I got home to the tree undecorating in the playroom, and the end of while the bear sleeps. I read to SB more usborne cut away roman book, and we finished her M and S body book too. She does read some of it too - and rather well. She is gradually stopping the happit of sounding out all words however easy [I was a bit bored with the t-h-e = the routine! She said she had read a yellow nose reader to Nana earlier. She told me all about her day, the new webland she has [the older magazine] and we looked at some of the puzzles.

Chris has set up a freecycled old ‘pute where the xmas tree was, so that SB can be on ours and BB on the new-old one. of course, they both battled for the new-old one!!! Mostly SB showed BB cbeebies. Also more kleine hippos watching - a firm favourite with BB. We are listening to German so often, I think we must restart Muzzy, as SB def picking up a few words and accents - mostly names and titles and politenesses - such as grossvater [no funny s on my keyboard] and es tut mir leid [no idea of spelling!].
more little house on the prairie - entailing SB’s request to know more around that time.

when they flick screens for some unknown reason and you lose your whole blog post! It will consequently be very short.

Edu - SB very into Education City, on a trial, but will finally convert to the realy think this time - if anyone has a code they wish us to use, let us know. she is level 1+ for the english as 2 is a bit hard, and level 2+ for the maths. at least this time you are allowed to have different levels as this has been something that has put me off in the past.

we have played with the nursery bit with BB too, though won’t be buying it as a lot for nursery rhymes.

BB has been desperately under the weather for past few days, and last night and today def ill - nurofen/calpol the works. I weaned her this weak - actually without much trauma in the end - so suffering pangs of my faultiness about it as she no longer has my antibodies.

Other than that she has enjoyed playing with her birthday presents a lot, and playdough [which she does whilst SB fimos] SB fimo-ed today a lovely angel. i forgot to add any holes to hang on xmas tree so it may be a cake decoration

SB and i did lots of reading today with BB semi flaked on my lap [wanting to watch her bring me back on a loop - so we need to video her doing something else!], we story of the worlded the romans, read some ORT and usbourne farmyard books, she did lots of colouring and EC.
We were going to make a pegdoll fairy/angel, but BB wasn’t well enough to let us do it without her, and not sick enough to ignore us doing it with her IYSWIM

SB has enjoyed playing with my mum this weekend as well, and they enjoyed wathcing strictly come dancing together, amd planet earth. what a good mix! SB has been doing a lot of ‘interpretive dance’ about the place, and suddenly informed me their ballet uniform has changed to a lilac one with a ribbon belt? Why don’t the teachers let us know these things, as she saysd she is the only one still in the old uniform. and we need a character skirt as they no longer wear the blue polka dot one - sigh!

oh well, she has enjoyed some ‘trials of life’ as well today. SO although I feel I have mostly held a grumpy sick 2 year old, I guess we have done HE as well. SB has been very good at fetching things so i don’t have to jiggle bb too much. what a fantastic older sister she is.

Tabblo = Tableau (I guess), geddit? Helen thinks it’s a bit chav
I came across this site in the summer - probably when it launched properly, but never got into it. Was reminded about it again the other day, and have whiled away some time there today. Basically it’s a way to create collages of photos and text that tell a story or just look good, or whatever. Potentially a nice little adjunct to Flickr. You can get the finished products printed asprints and posters - unfortunately they ship from the US at the moment with rather high Fed-Ex shipping charges. Maybe it will change. Works prety well, and is all simple enough, but interface is sluggish at times and has some rough edges , but it integrates nicley with Flickr, though you need to give it a little time to pull in the photos.

I made a couple of simple ones to start with:

See my Flowers in the Garden Tabblo>

See my Faces of Butterbean Tabblo>

No we haven’t all suddenly turned into rabid carnivores. Been doing some Dinosaury stuff this afternoon and it finished off before bedtime with a lot of chasing around upstairs with everyone being Dinosaurs.? SB and BB were baby T-Rex, we had to go and get meat for them to eat :-). BB loves being chased so that was very noisy.

Morning was domestic stuff - washing and stuff. then once we were eventually organised off to do some shopping. Sb had been inspired by something on Smart - or whatever the older version of Smarteenies (SB was quite excited to see Kirsten O’Brien from the Little Toe Show on there) is called which reminded us we needed to buy some more tissue paper, so we went to the stationery/art shop. Got said tissue paper - though they had? miriad colours so getting SB to choose which ones, rather than just one of each was time consuming, until the lady showed us the mixed pack.? Bought a couple of packs of Berol felt tips. We have the nremains of various cheap and free felt tip packs around the house in various places, but of course half don’t work, have lost lids, can’t find the colour you want etc. , weedy colour when it does work, and generally just a waste of time.And BB is? total pain with felt tips at the moment. So have been meaning to get some decent ones for a while. I know from school use that Berol last ages, even with lids left off, and have decent colour etc. So found some at a reduced price, so got some. SB is charged with keeping them in their packs and away from BB.

Must now try to colect all the pens/pencils/crayons etc. together and to try and rationalise them a bit and remove anything not BB proof from the general pool.

Continued via the fair trade shop in a local church - where BB entertained the woman behind the counter by singing various songs to herself - such as Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush and Row, Row Row Your Boat - words not exactly intelliligible, but the tune is clear. BB seems amazingly good and picking up such tunes, I don’t remember SB being like that, -? their cafe for a snack stop - where I explained what Fair Trade was all about? and then went to see upstairs where there was an Art Exhibition by a local Art Group. Didn’t get to look at much as SB went to touch one of them, and the man who asked here not to (quite mildly) scared her apparently, so we left. She likes the stained glass windows though.

Next via the market stalls for some fruit and veg, where BB (again…) entertained the woman behind the stall by spotting the Strawberries and shouting ‘Strawb, Strawb, Strawb!’ (or somesuch) at the top of her voice :-), finished off with picking up some things in the supermarket.

Once home it was a lateish lunch with Little Toe Radio Show on listen again. Some Maths - Singapore Maths Weekly Revision book some bits about completeing number sequences. Then we looked a bit at some books/web pages about Dinosaurs as SB has been into them recently from watching the Walking With Dinosaurs series on DVD. Printed off a? few things from Enchanted Learning, while SB went off to draw a picture of a wobbly house made of Jelly with her new felt tips…… Then it was time for a bit of Explode the Code followed by colouring in a Dinosaur maths puzzle - T-Rex, her favourite, of course, which Helen joined in with as she got home about now.

BB’s milestone of the day was to ask for something on the TV. Doing her shouting, push/pull you thing she got me into the living room, pointed at the TV, pointed at the ‘on’ button, pointed at the DVD box :-). So I settled her down with the Clangers DVD. I went toff to get one with dinner, but she evidently wanted me in there becuase she kept coming after me shouting ‘Back, Back’. so in the end, I put it on the laptop in the kitchen. Which was ok until she started hitting keys and buttons…….

Which is where we came in really.