Category Archives: Out and About

Well…

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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More home comings

Been away in Okehampton with some other HE friends, just releaxing after the journey home, which was rather more tedious than the outward one. We left a bit later for homeward journey and hit the busier roads at the homeward end. In particular road works + heavy evening traffic = long queues which meant the last 30-40 miles took about an hour longer than it should have.

We had a great time, maybe blog bit more later, big highlight of the week though was Butterbean really getting a grasp of walking and showing it off to all and sundry, time to find the camera and upload the piccies and sort out some dinner. Stringbean slept in the last bit of the journey so don’t expect an early night

Ballet Day

Well, The usual night [sigh] but with much less screaming, since as I wasn’t working today, I was quite happy to do endless amounts of feeding [?] Got a lie in though.

Went downstairs and immediately was pressganged into cuisinaire rod patterns. Thankyou Merry for showing me new ways to spend money, so have looked at icthus website. Not actually parted with money, as waiting until next paycheck.

I then read some of my least favourite books – the Mr men series. Argh – Mr chatterbox is even dense text [I paraphrased!]. The we looked at crusades in the DK History really interesting bits, as SB really likes the bloody bits in history.

from there we moved on to Hama, and did another star, and a face – Nanna and grandad F had arrived by then, so did the face with SB, and thought it was a great idea. Chris – in his infinite wisdom – mentioned some of the shaped boards SB has for Xmas – sigh. What do you do with men like that?

Lunch and then we went into cambridge for the Moscow City Ballet. We parked and road, and neither of has been in central cambridge before – looks really nice, and as the park and ride so easy, am tempted to do it again. BB left with Chris’ parents. Lots of little girls in their angelina finest – SB insisted on the bridesmaids dress, and I thought great, another outing for it!! She looked gorgeous [biased mother alert!], and lots of people thought so too, and asked her if she was a ballerina, so she did the wooing thing [rofl]. The ballet was good. [heresy, but its not really my thing, and I never did the wanting to be one phase] A bit long really – Tchaikovsky Sleeping beauty. Interest was maintained for 2/3 of the time, which I actually thought was rather good. I did encourage though with whispered explanations, questions and what do you think when her prefidget signs showed up, and also allowed her a bit more wriggle latitude – it was a matinee, and the seat behind me was empty, and I had told the lady next to me and behind where SB should have been to indicate if she was getting to much! They didn’t seem to mind when she occasionnaly popped up to do a few of the ballet moves [I think I may have heard a giggle!]. Whens she was really flagging, she decided to do sums – I kid you not, there in the ballet we are doing whispered sums using fingers and toes!! She is variably correct when going over the 10, but enjoys trying to keep all the numbers in order. We rode back to the car on the top of the bus at the front – which she loved.

Back at home we went to the chippie for tea, and SB then played with her Europe Jigsaw, getting very good at the more obvious countries, and making chris’ parents guess which ones they were. We then played with the alphabet bingo we had from sonlight. i read a few more books, and that was our day done and dusted.

Although i haven’t mentioned BB much, we had a good play in the morning and again in the evening, and she was a good girl for nanna and grandad. Lets hope she sleeps!

Baby-blogbumping

Highlight of the day was a ‘Mudlepuddle Triplets’ get together at Patch of Puddles as Trying our Best made a visit there. As Merry commented, it’s fascinating how different they are.

All the kids had great time with much raucousness -there was a big session of playing party games such as musical statues, musical chairs, sleeping lions etc. Ended the day watching Barbie and the Magical Pegasus or whatever it is called. Quite cute, they all sat around on the floor in part circle in front of the TV witht he lights off – looked like a cinema.

Proper Flickring of the photos will have to wait until tomorrow (Drive home late enouhg for children to sleep didn’t entirley work, SB woke, but did go off to bed ok, BB still not in bed at 11pm….), but here is a taster:

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What cute threesome :-)

A nice time, thanks Merry : -)

What else happened here then?

Breakfast, organised and out to the doctors, home where BB had nap and me and SB read her ‘Barbie’ mag we bought in the shop. Then we made a little jewellery box out of the mag and then also some braclets so much gluing and sticking fun was had.

Then time for lunch, she had been going on about ‘Barbie and the magical Pegasus’ or somesuch video which she had seen part of before at The Puddles and was advertised in the mag, so got out the books and looked at who/what Pegasus was, then browsed the book. SB was taken by soemsort of Aztec mask, so we looked at where the Aztecs came from on the globe. She mentioned about the globe and night and day and summer winter, but was a bit jumbled about it (fair enough – she’s not 5 yet, I find 15 year olds who can’t grasp it….). so BB in her highchair became an impromtu Sun and we moved the globe around it talking about what a year is, what a day/night is, how the tilt of the earth affects the length of day, the seasons etc.

Though surely over her head at times, she seems to like to be given good explainations of things, so it’s always interesting to see what sticks. I over heard her this evening telling Helen about some of it at least.

After lunch SB played with Cindy/Barbie upstairs, while me a BB pottered about until Helen came home and we headed off to the Puddles

A wooing we shall go.

Well Stringbean anyway, though of course Butterbean does her ‘Smiley chuckle-y baby’ thing to anyone who looks at her for more than a few microseconds :-) On Monday it was the lady in the farm shop, yesterday it was various people – the ‘library ladies’, the lady in the dance shop, in Woolies, in the cafe, in Waitrose…… I think its’ the confident way that she starts up chatting to people, and telling them something in that ‘well it’s important to me so you must be interested’ kind of 4 year old way, and she si always really polite whenever she asks for anything when we are out and about.

So the lady in the dance shop was regaled with tales as soon as we walked in about how Daddy (? !) lost her ballet sock, bemoaning how she had got cold legs in the wind to the assistant in Mackays when we went in to buy some emergency tights, the checkout girl in Superdrug got run down on BB’s teeth as we got toothbrush for her in there. The woman in Wololies got all sorts of things, mostly about her new wellies and how they matched her umbrella, how she wanted a ‘Princess dress’ she saw the various dressing up dresses and has always coveted the Patch of Puddles gilrs for theirs :-). In the cafe she really politly asked for a cake and glass of milk, as well as regaling them with tales of new wellies, toothbrushes, SB being asleep ( ‘ she likes to wake up at night’…)

Ah well it makes out and abouting entertaining.

So what else happened in the last couple of days. Mornings at the moment seem to start for SB with a bit of Cindy/Barbie and dolls house playing, really is into hat at the moment. Need to relocate the Cindy box somewhere else in the room as it is near the door and the entrance just gets littered with Cindy bits. Looked at couple of her science books and made a ‘tin can telephone’, talkeda bit about how the sound travels from one to the other. She had the idea that the sound would travel down the middle of the sting like pipe, but said that wouldn’t work as there was no hole. So we played about a bit and talked about sounds being made / transmitted by vibrations. Sat a read a few of the Usborne Farmyard Tales books, where she made a good stab at quite a few of the words. She doesn’t seem that bothered heself about reading stuff, but if you ask her to do bit she normally likes to have a go. She seems to be in that ‘on the cusp’ of it point at the moment. Did some easy stuff and some writing in one of her workbooky things

After lunch we made a trip out to a local ‘Farm shop’. It’s not really a farm shop – it’s located at local plant nursery. The greenbrocers in the village shut earlier in the summer and then this place opened -possibly in response – they seem to have aqquired the old till from the GG. So far seem ok, I did get some dodgy chestnuts from there last week so she knocked a bit of the bill yesterday.

So we hit the road in the ‘Bean mobile’ – the tandem with trailer attached for BB out the village one way for the Fruit stall at the orchard, where they have good variety of apples, quite a few old ones, that you don’t see often and if you do tend to be expensive, then back through the village to the aforsaid farm shop. Where SB chatted to the lady about BB, insisted we buy things like parsnips and green apples (made a change from today when she kept on about sweets at every turn) and generally did the charming thing. Cycled back home, a tad cold by then, but just enough pedalling to blow out the cobwebs, and SB absolutley loves going out on the tandem.

Home for tea, warming up, a few books and then SB hit the CBeebies website until Helen came back from work (and a rather horrible ‘quick’ visit to Tescos on the way home)

Helen made a nice Beetroot Rissoto for tea (she had it in a restaurant once), SB turned nose up at first, but then ate it all once she was fed it :rolls:

Tuesday

‘Library day’, which somehow, after we have breakfasted, dressed, located all the books, faffed about etc. always seems to take up the morning until it’s time to go out. SB did the aforesaid wooing, listened to story time (much the biggest there now as all the others her age are now in school). BB sat and watched/listened for quite a bit as well, had to be prised, along with couple of other girls from the sticking and colouring afterwards :-)

Home, BB to nap, reading library books with SB, lunch out for the above shopping and wooing which took up the rest of the day. Noticed that SB can spend ages looking at books etc. by herself, I do wonder if she is trying to read some of the words to herself? but probably not :-) Had mean to make the Christmas cake but didn’t get round to it. It takes about 4 hours to cook so one for the morning I think.

Yesterday was a play day.

Great fun playing with girls. They went first thing to have their photos taken at nursery – so much sorting out clothes to wear.

We then all played together for a bit doing stacking cups with SB and BB, SB dancing round the room to make BB giggle. I read a few story books.

SB wanted to do some baking – she couldn’t decide between making lemon curd or scones, but eventuallly settled on scones. Yummy scrummy. She is getting really good at baking – mixed the flour and margarine to beautiful breadcrumby texture. I am gradually translating recipies into cups on the whole, as she can then do them without so much assistance, and feels very proud.

After lunch – and a short veg infront of a german 3 little piggies video, we finished by painting and decorating the papier mache halloween monster head – somewhat late, and its no longer a monster, though I’m not quite sure what it is instead.

A bit more general carousing, tickling etc etc and BB joining in too with lots of giggling. Read some greek legends again – SB really into these – and then it was time to go out. my friend Katrien is going back to belgium, so we went round for a meal. SB enjoyed playing with her 3 boys – well the older 2 anyway. they had some convoluted imagination game going by the end involving her being a baby princess whose parents had died, and they were her warriors protecting her!

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sussex – short edition.

A quick catchup. BB has been such an appalling sleeper that I just can’t concentrate. Made me a rather off colour guest too – sorry – as Nic and Ady good hosts.

Friday. puddlers. Chris and beans went, and must have nice time. No idea what we did that eve!!

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Saturday Nic had put a great deal of time and effort in, and it went really well. SB had a whale of a time getting on with children she has got on with before, and noticing new children as well. They just got on – great at socialising these home ed kids!!Ros did fantastic face painting. Nice to see a few new faces too.

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A lovely following day to Brighton – plenty of memories there for me and Chris – espec Chris as his Uni stamping ground.
When we got home, SB went off on a tangent re english dancing, so we spent the evening morris dancing, and she’s keen to see some. A local couple of groups have a plough day early jan, so if she’s still inerested, we will go.

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And then there was one.

Took SB to my Mum and Dads this morning, she is staying overnight. It’s her first night away from us. Will seem very odd this evening. BB napping right now – it’s so quiet….

She was so excited, went off with ‘her’ suitcase packed – clothes, cuddlies, books, a couple of workbooks :-) She has been wanting to do this since they moved up here.

I know she will be fine and everything, but….you know how it is.

A weeks beginning.

Suffering ‘Blogger’s brain’ again re yesterday.

Monday

Both Stringbean and Butterbean slept a bit longer after Helen went to work -Stringbean hadn?t got to sleep until gone 12 (or was it 1 am?) as she’d slept on the way home and unfortunately woke up when i put her to bed . She did spend a long time in bed but just didn’t get to sleep so she caught up a bit. Both woke up all perky soon enough though. BB is such a total wiggler when it comes to getting changed, as so a you let go she rolls over and is off across the bed. She loves it so much – she does this thing where she sort of flops her head down on the bed while sticking her bottom up and then chuckles away. That and making beeline for the end of the bed so she can stand up holding the top of the frame. So with her and SB generally messing about and ?helping? it can take a while to get her changed.

SB seemed a little out of sorts after the weekend, as she often is after seeing people, And didn?t want to settle down to anything that I suggested in the ?worky? nature so after her breakfast while I finished BB and mine she pottered about in the playroom. She found some more pens and pencils in a small draw in the cupboard so dragged them out and sat herself down with some paper quietly to do some drawing. She did a great picture of a rabbit. It is apparently jumping up into the sky so the grass isn?t too long. She spent a fair while on this so me and BB got a little while to play little peep-bo, hiding games, taking and passing games etc. Bit of a blank spot here, though I do remember some reading of stories, though I got SB to try reading some of the words out as well.

Did go outside after BB went down for her nap. We filled up the bird feeders ? talked about why we put different food in them, why some goes on the bird table or the ground, what different birds eat, why small ones need to eat often, why fat useful as a food for them in the winter, the names of some of the birds we see. And then spent ages poking around outside. Found a couple of big sticks and played a few ?big stick games? , balancing them on end. trying to find the point of balance (talked about why it is roughly in the middle), a bit of sword fighting. Various other things which I now forget came up as well.

After our lunch, BB then woke up, so SB settled down to play a few games, listen to stories etc. on the Cbeebies website while I fed BB. Tried to listen to a couple of the record BBC Schools Radio programs with her, she was half into it ? particularly the one where we had to act out a little drama ? making noises, being an elephant etc. but not really into it. A little bit later at some point Helen came home. Not sure exactly what was done there but they did some good lego Pyramid building at some point before dinner. There were plans to make some lemon curd, we even went and bought the eggs, but somehow didn?t get round to it.

Helen here – we actually did quite a bit, but can’t remeber so much either – oops. did do some explode the code, 3 pages, SB helped me write the numbers in the Kakuro game – she has grasped it is an adding game, so that made us do a bit of mental maths. I also read 3 or 4 stories from the usborne around the world, and therefore she had to read me a red nose reader [for every 3 I read, she has to read 1!!!] lots of squiggling about with BB as well. lego was fun though. We even put the characters in the pyramids with the lego animals to keep them company in the underworld.

Tuesday

Well girls esp. SB awake early enough this morning BB had a pretty poor night ? she is doing this thing where she will wake up and have a feed, then when I try to take her, she will scream madly as she wants to go back to mum, so bad night.

After her breakie, SB went back to some more Lego. This time making a train and some ?sofa?s for all the people to sit on apparently. Once me a SB had finished up we got dressed etc. and sorted out the library books she wanted to take back and which she wanted to renew ? She uses hers and BB?s card and has various books taken out on different weeks, so we have fair pile of books to sort out, check etc. Still wondering what has happened to two Mr Men books that disappeared in the house ages ago. Did I hide them is despair and my dislike of then I wonder?

Got sorted, time to go out. First stop baby clinic. Have only been once since we moved here, no real need to go, but BB weighed and got HV to try and get the endless requests for SB to have jabs she has already had stopped (various people not doing/telling who they should it would seem) Missed SB 8 month check as GP does it ? but she seems ok ? Sb had an hearing test but don?t do that now, and we missed the birth one. But she seems to hear ok.

To library, where for once we managed not to cause delays and confusion as we normally seem to manage to do. Read few books ? found some Red Nose Readers, so we read those in the library. Got out some more books and headed home. BB to snooze, me and SB to eat toast, drink coffee and read all the books at least once. My Mum rang asking if we could go over to help sort out some problems with wiring the TV, video etc. so once we ?d finished and sorted out stuff to take we headed over there.

We played a bit of game that my parents got when I was around 10 called Hare and Tortoise . It?s a fairly cleaver race type game, but it?s not dice based, so there is much more strategy to it than chance. A bit to old for SB, but she saw it and wanted to try it .She got the hang of the general gist of the game – collecting and then ?spending? carrots to move around the board. And it gave us excuse to practice working out how to make up the right number of carrots from various denomination cards, talked about the idea of counting in tens again. Didn?t finish the game as I had to pop out and then she wanted to stop. Also impressed Nanna a bit later by slicing up the potatoes to make nice chips. Spent basically all afternoon there, not as planned. Was a nice afternoon and had had an idea to get out again and maybe do something like bark rubbings.

Managed to get home with out SB falling asleep. Tea, a bit of reading of library books again. SB made some pictures for me and Helen ? I liked the ?love to Babby? Bit on mine :-)

Butterbean note. She is so much into everything at the moment, put her down and she is off investigating, nosing about, getting stuck in places. She loves the dishwasher. As soon as it is open she is in there. Almost literally – I found her on the open door, head inide the machine….. :-)

A Family Weekend

we visited my parents for the weekend. Such a nice time. put the worlds to right, wailed over children growing so quickly. Hopefully allayed some fears about home ed. Felt loved.

Friday:That was the short version! We wet down on the Friday and had a hideous journey due to a major smash on the M25 which we were luckilly not involved in. SB so excited to be visiting my parents, and BB, well being BB. lots of reading books and investigating the toys went on, and a very late SB bedtime.

Saturday: The next day SB cycled with my Dad to the swings. She was very proud that grandad was taking her, and had begged for us to take her bike with us for this very reason. Grandad proud to be so wanted too. SB ‘read’ a book to Nanny – well, at least sounded out some of the words, did a bit of explode the code, and also Mum had bought a colour in book, so that done too.

In the afternoon we went for a wallk along the river at Marlow – always something I enjoy. I played many concerts at the church, and spent a lot of my childhood walking there! SB likes the rather nice childrens play area. there were loads of swans and geese to be fed – but Chris had not remembered the bread [my mum and I travelled in a diferent car as we went to homebase first. hummed and hawed about a fantastic deal bunkbeds – abit like Ernest and Buttercups, which I thought were a great idea when we visited. Sense prevailed. After all, if we are too broke for a halloween party, then I cant buy bunkbeds. mum bought us paint as an early Xmas present!] Anyway, back to Marlow. A nice walk along the river. Some georgeous houses – how many home eds would have to live together to club for them??? SB running along the bank spotting things.

Nice family evening [though Chris doing the computer guru thing with my Dad, it was me that saved the day with the laptop on trial!!]. Played scrabble – I love it, so sad!

Sunday SB did some explode the code, and told Mum about Elizabeth the first. good girl! We also did sweetie maths. My sister Vivien and her 2 children came over, so basically lots of fun and merriment. I love my family! SB and my nephew M play together realy well, and my niece E is now a happy thing – playing with both SB and BB. BB went into adorable baby mode. She needed to make up for the horrendous night we had had! lots of photos I need to put on Flickr

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