Petits Haricots

Monday, other than hospital not much seemed to happen. spent ages on the phone getting a hosp appt. for that day as they had given us one for next week. Then phoned various people to tell them SB wouldn’t be attending her various classes because of her foot. hospital appt ended up not being until afternoon, which was good as it meant Helen could make it as well. I think SB finished off some hama beading she’d started off about 5 times.
My parents came round in the morning as they were going to look after BB when we went into hospital. Chatted, girls played games, read etc. with them.

I took SB into hospital, consultant happy with her progress, should be no need for skin graft on the heel, healing up nicely. Removed the back slab. Heel injury still painful but getting there. she is now able to place her front part of foot on the ground. Can’t think what else we did when we got back home.

Tuesday we went off for a HE group event on Romans at a local museum. Almost didn’t go, I felt like staying home, but SB keen to go so I made the effort. Interestingly, rather than taking longer as might be expected, we got out quicker than normal with SB partly out of action. In 35 minutes they were dressed, washed, hair brushed etc., we’d also gone over the road and bought stuff from the bakers for lunch and got them in the car ready to go. Obviously should not leave SB to get herself sorted. She said it’s because she and BB go and play….
First session was good, it was done by a chap who does talks etc. with kids about Romans.

He was dressed in a Centurions outfit, was mostly about life as a roman soldier, their clothing/armour, their weapons etc.

The local Roman legions’ standard.

How they used the different javelins.

Sb was a hopping Legionnaire

some others formed a Testudo and we all threw stones at them (well foam balls….)

Demonstrated the Scorpion.

Demonstrated the various bits of personal kit they would have carried. He was a bit coy about saying what the big T shaped nails were for (crucifixion) - i reckon it’s those gory bits that kids like best - SB wasn’t fazed by it hen I told her - BB would probably want to try it out on someone… (it’s already come up before, and it’s a pretty fundamental bit of Christianity)
Had a pleasant lunch outside in the sun. followed by a session making roman pots using coil or thumb/pinching as the romans might have done. Enjoyed by the kids but would have been better I think if we had a bit more time and could have looked at the sorts of pots the Romans made/used.

We then had a litle look at the musuem, particularly the Roman bits and the fossil bits. tried on a roman helmet and did some rubbings.

Afterwards I considered going to find WH Smiths so SB could spend her voucher, but decided I didn’t want to push her around in the big buggy whilst dragging a tired and grumpy BB with us. So went straight back to car and came home, Where we all flopped for a bit, do to warm car, being generally tired - it’s hard work for us all i think taking SB out in her current state. Did manage to play some chess and Uno with SB and look at some books with BB.

Finished up the day watching a bit more of Sound of Music with SB, finished just before the bit here the fighting starts, which is apparently her favorite bit

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?

Thursday.

Off to Tots and Nots groups in the morning. Just in time for SB to take part in a French game with Katy. I sat with BB and did a picture with her made from different shapes cut out of paper. Bit of general playing and snack eating. SB did a picture as well. Drew a portrait of Helen. Gina whose does various music teaching there brought along some flutes. so they got to have a go with those. BB was interested, but didn’t want to try. SB managed to get some sound out of it without to much effort. Bit of singing of songs, then SB had her first recorders session with Gina. said she enjoyed it and wants to do some more. It should be becoming a regular thing.

By now BB was pretty grumpy - she wanted to go and watch SB playing, said she was hungry but didn’t want to eat any of the things  I had in the bag. Didn’t want to do anything I suggested etc. - probably tired (had woke me up before 5 am, though went back to sleep later) and hungry (only had eaten half a slice of toast and a modicum of yoghurt ).

Headed off home via Tesco’s for a few things - which was a bad idea - it’s a big Tesco Extra store and buying just a few things seems to involve walking miles. BB was amusing by the bakery counter. I was with SB a bit further along whilst she chose her bread, BB was sat in the trolley shouting out ‘ I want Spooky Spoon bread’ !   Spooky spoon (from the character in Numberjacks) bread being her name for a French stick - ever since we had one that was vaguely spoon shaped at the end and they kids dubbed it Spooky Spoon.

They both amused a mother at the veg bit. They were both begging me to buy a bag of Peas in their pods because they love eating them straight from the pods - but they were imported and rather expensive so I didn’t. Good to have kids who like consider buying bread and vegetables a treat though

Escaped  Tesco and got home to a late lunch of mostly Spooky spoon bread accompanied by a dose of Magic School Bus. SB did piano practice, and handwriting. BB got out her violin and played with that, couldn’t find her maths book which she wanted, so did some leap-padding. then they both got out the Geomags. BB got upset because they kept on sticking to each other and they bickered and argued over which Geomags they each had, could do with more really. I cooked some soup, which neither of the kids seem to like much - probably a tad too spicy for them. Helen came home and read some books with them - I caught one about Alexander Graham Bell.

Then off to bed.

i am going to ignore the fact that i have a migraine, and that we are behind on blogging to say that we had a really fab ban holiday camping.

weather was excellent, camp site fab - with sea views and no midges!. great company. we loved our new tent, and the porch addition worked really well. we had a porch inner for our proper tent bit, and i noticed although it was a khyam ridgipod classic porch, it also had motordome classic badging, so poss good for both - for anyone else with a khyam! BTW the porch addition isn’t made for our tent, so a wind vent space - pics to follow - but worked v well and easy to put up!

our neighbours seemed v happy with their new tent, and certainly the outwell brand in general but i’ll let them say all that when they return on their blog! my new sleeping bag was truly fab, i never felt cold, and was in fact too warm on the last night ad de-layered!

we got there fri eve, and managed to pitch v quickly. SB placed and pegged out the groundsheet, put poles together and cliped them in, and was generally v helpful. bB handed out pegs and poles, and was potentially v helpful, though not quite if we didn’t actually immediately take them and use them! anyway, 30 mins saw tent up, and sleeping stuff allready, and since it was nearly 9pm… quick pasta tea then bed. next morning saw us adjust a few bits in the light…

we went to east runton beach. sunny but v blowy. SB got herself drenched in the sea after saying she wouldn’t so no need to swap skirt for sunsuit… chris made numerous runs across the pebbly/stony bit and up cliff on toilet runs. and we finally went back to campsite for lunch and arrival of the manor borns. As said, we were impressed with their new tent, it looks great. girls all played, including an ‘extra’ girl from a tent a space or 2 away [that is what i like about camping!]. BB is getting v proficient at like-a-biking. and the campsite had a handy concrete track bit on the nearly flat for her to whizz along just by our tent. also appreciated by the 3 bigger girls who all had scooters. the dynamics needed some tweaking, and unfortunately we hadn’t packed craft stuff for me to do with BB, and she wouldn’t be interested in any of the games, but the older ones were pretty good at including her, and i tried to give them breaks as well!

SB has restarted animal crossing - we wiped the last town!

nice curry tea and chatting till late. girls all dropped off successfully. perfect camping

next day weather was more variable. we got v blown about at the beach and abandoned. then went to cromer in pm, which the girls all loved as they got to go on some fairground rides. BB in particular was ecstatic by both bouncy castle and teacup rides. SB got far more bouncy castle opportunities when that age - must do better!! SB waited for ages for bb to stop bouncy castling so that they could both teacup together - aw what a fab big sis!

we goy blown around the pier, saw the crabbers and went back for another fab meal.

final day for us, and we went into sheringham for lunch out [at a v quaint local restaurant stuck in basil fawlty timewarp, but good food!] and then a ride on the steam train. scorching weather, so we should really have done the days the other way round, but we were sort of going with the fact that bbc and metcheck might be vaguely right weather wise! we all got hot and bothered. i in particular, as taking tent down in heat does not suit my constitution! final meal chez manorborn tent - yummy stirfry, and home.

i love camping. looking forward to festival of history, and must organise another weekend jaunt to norfolk coast - well, maybe more than one! other attendees more than welcome!

i have been making up a story for SB after the book is read for, well at least 4 years! ANd for most of them it has been M,H and FB. caan you imagine how many of them there are? we had an alternative universe for them, 2 cats [spots and jet] with a caterskelter to play in. a resident fairy -maisy the maize fairy who builds an amazing maize maze every year. they had their house built for them, they grow their own fruit and veg, and i know their favourite colours, icecream flavours, what they would choose to do at crafts. they have been to various historical re-enactments, out to space, had angelina ballerina as a guest. well, at least 1000 diff stories i guess! in the last year i have sometimes been asked to do robin hood instead [which is much harder!!]. tonight she said she would always prefer an extra chapter of a book rather than a made up. SOB! i hadn’t realised quite how much i loved M, H and FB!

this growing up thing is hard on parents

While i was at Rainbows, H was at home with BB making her birthday cake (me and the girls were going to make it this morning, but it didn’t happen) we were going to make a marble cake, which after BB saying she wanted to make two cakes, they ended up doing.

Looks rather like a volcano to me.

Anyway, after dinner me and the girls were doing the candles etc. on the cake. we were going to make the digits 39, but BB was helping, so we decided just to put as many candles as we had on.

I lit them, it all looked good:

and then the of half the candles which we had lit first had ot so hot from all the candles being together they were melting and collapsing, which ten set fie to the ruff round the cake all rather entertaining.

So, we had cake with added wax decorations

Someone pass me a handy wall.

Butterbean’s replacement Leappad arrived (seller just sent a whole replacement one in the end, works fine), so get that sorted out, SB get’s out hers, offers to use the starter book on hers as well so that they can do the same one together. But BB doesn’t seem interested in that and just faffs about, so SB, get’s out other ones to do.

At which point of course BB wants the book SB has and then just spends time annoying SB (BB has plenty of books for hers, SB gave her some of old er simpler ones).

Move onto baking cakes, as SB needs to take cake/biscuits/fruit etc. to share at Rainbows camp. She wanted to make the Choc Spread Cake. decide we’ll make two, so BB gets one of her own to make and we have one here to eat. Does not of course stop the bickering or BB doing things deliberately to annoy SB or (things I’ve asked her not to do (dip finger in choc spread, lick, repeat. or brush all the spilt flour, sugar etc. onto the floor)
Just about made it to the end of baking without banishing them both from the kitchen . Licking of bowls and spoons was only allowed on pain of death if there was arguing.

I’ve made coffee and sent them upstairs to get dressed (or at least quiet). I need five minutes peace

Well, seems almost as likley.

R, Stringbean’s Rainbows friend is round for a playdate. She didn’t want to go and play in the garden becuase she was worried that a volcano would erupt in the garden
SB, ever the pragmatist, response was :” Welll, even if we stay in the house we would still all die”

Rainbows leader rung tonight just as SB was going to bed to say another girl had decided she didn’t want to go and so their was a place and did SB want to go.

Cue much excited jumping up and down from Stringbean, and much excited chattering about the sleepover when putting her to bed She is so pleased to be going

musical mondays was written on sat and the timestamp editied so it posted today!

i certainly didn’t have time to blog yesterday - leaving the house at 9:30 and returning at midnight! it was a wildlife walk day with the people over at the manor born. we went specially early this time, as last time the carpark was full, and it was busy when we got there. needn’t have worried, the blustery rain had put off all but the hardy and foolish…

So we all met up, and set out. Marcus and I doing that couple thing of wearing the same [and it is!] waterproofs, and michelle and chris looked v fetching in their matching trews!! [yep, michelle went a la daddybean!] . girls togged in their muddypuddles [fab waterproofs!] and i need some new wellies.

both girls decided sensibly that they didn’t want to take pictures in the rain, so marcus and I took a minimal number for the seasonal changes thing we plan to do at the end of the year, Jaffa cakes and choc bikkies helped keep the sprits going - but actually it was v enjoyable, i like blustery, and the drizzle cleared. Marcus won the choc bikkie race - which he was v happy with.

the girls played and raced and generally very happy with the 0 birdwatching. i did insist that they look at the daffodils and the cherry blossom - rofl, and we were all a bit deflated by the plantation pond. BB thought it a puddle. these walks are such a fab idea - thanks michelle.

back to there house for yummy lunch [thankyou v much!], and lots of games, the girls, the adults , everyone with a board game and other game fun filled afternoon and evening - finishing at 10.30 when it became apparent that the children were officially tired, so we went home! before tht, numerous games of blokus, yahtzee [which chloe won! - SB and I enjoyed, and we made the girls tot up and multiply themselves - so education too!], really enjoyed carcassonne, cluedo for the kids.

i’ve taken so long to blog, that michelle has beaten me to it, so she has a great pic of BB on blog!

well, no, but certainly more peaceful than the last 2!

quick catchup for chris

Mon - Sports group [SB considering trying the older group now], Nana and grandad dropped off SB’s present - a HUGE tub of k’nex [SB v happy!] ballet and swimming. SB has conquered her fear of the deep, so the inline skates are hers!

Tues - piano practice, maths 2A [multiplying] library visit am [crafts and book reading], BB in playgroup pm [chris and SB tend to stay for first 30 mins and then she’s happy] SB did a fairy craft kit whilst she was there. SB also did some education city - apparently it is now all to easy for her. i am humming about paying to upgrade as she hasn’t done it for ages, but she might do at the right level. guess a side order trial on the cards!

Today - well, part of the peace came from dividing and conquering! SB went with chris to a drama group - its a 4 session taster for the younger HE’ers in the area. [from the communication, I think the older group is at times ‘a little uncontrolled’ so not something that SB would enjoy!] The younger group is full of friends. She really enjoyed it.

BB’s morning was spent with me. we started making shapes with geomags, and the twizzlers - which she really liked. She then got out the pattern blocks and pages, so we spent a while there. She is really good at seeing which shapes will fit. painting next - lots of hand art too - as always! we then started to make olive and cheese scones for lunch, and SB and chris got back.

both girls did some webland - SB is going through a making music phase. BB also did some poisson rouge, and was very excited that a new bit - an art gallery. We had scones and fruit for lunch - sb had 6!!!! [they were very yummy - and i use past tense advisedly!]. SB did a piano practice, and i haven’t done one with her for ages, but she has regularly played older pieces in the book. it seems to have done her confidence good, and now she is much more confident at reading the notes, and so moving the hads around on the keyboard. She then decided BB could have her skates. ‘if we wait until BB has been good, then she will have grown out of them’ fair enough! Though BB did say thankyou beautifully for us ‘boughting’ them. I do love language acquisition, and the variable past tense we get. SO a lot of wild skating ensued, no broken arms.

SB did a violin practice - very good, and then BB did one too. SB went off to find a craft kit to do, and came back with the cambridge electronics kit. so we made circuits, played tunes and then did the flying disk - always a favourite. some more mad skating - getting wilder and wilder, and finally a calming down infront of pingu before tea and bed for bB, SB and i had a games session, including landlock, where she managed to put 4 gnomes together! i read her a chapter of ballet shoes - coming to the end - and she read me some of the fairy books.

Chris went out to a meet and greet with LEA. said it was interesting, friendly and useful. doing those channels of communication thing, set up by 1 of our 2 not local groups!

Tuesday was melrose music morning. i have to admit to have been slightly worried about this. My aim was to be as inclusive as possible, have something that should still sound good, and that it should be entirely fun with no pressure. i think the music choice was good, as there were lots of A and D players, but enough people carrying the tune [especially with me singing it too!] i hurriedly wrote a part for a cello - didn’t quite work in all places, but pretty good considering lack of anything except humming to work it out! with tuning up and setting out, we did about an hour, everyone was smiling, we got faster and faster! yep, the rhythm of the a/d group was not right - and i planned to pay that a bit of attention with the next rehearsal that never happened. but i think it did achieve what i set out for it to do, and yes, i would do it again. I did have able assistant parents encouraging me, and also then did a quick hold and check for a few would be violinists. Always good to spread the love of string around…

in the afternoon, i prepared tea [camp curry - recipe on camps page] and the children did a fab computer games workshop with Matt. SB’s had an underwater theme, and she got to see it demonstrated. BB drew a ‘cattie’.

Wed we went swimming and then a wander around the abbey. unfortunately that eve SB was sick, and our hol finished effectively then. but we had had a fab time as always.

other things of note - it was a great melrose for board games. gradually melrose evenings have become gamier for the adults, i particularly liked playing blokus and settlers of catan. [actually i love playng the games and chatting - though blokus is a surprisingly unchatty game!] the board games spilled over into kids time as well, with alot of blokus playing - both sb and bb enjoyed it, so perhaps a purchase for me to make. suggested to play merrily they should increase their games line!! i saw hare and tortoise, draughts and chess played too. i love the co-operation and friendliness if the group. there were lots of clusters of children, with different group members dependent on interest in what was going on rather than fixed friendship groups. i like that, and it was all angst free. Also the ready skill sharing - thanks to anni for showing me how to cast on, and jax for doing the sheep thing! And the ready helpfulness and friendliness. i heart Melrose! the littlies did lots of cooperative happy streeting, and BB was seen intermittently with a variety of littlies and bigger kids having fun. did i say i like the easy inclusivity of this group of kids - must be lack of hierarchical schooling that lets them still be age indiscriminate so well.

I am also seeing SB become more confident socially, and since i am so angst ridden on that front it is such a relief. It probably is because this is a fairly ‘forgiving’ group of children who seem happy to take people as they are and are prepared to like and be friendly. but this time in particular she seemed to be happy in her skin and play and have fun, with no needing to refer to me. grin.

so we were sad to miss the last day and the talent show eve [hoping the orchestra was fab] and guilty that we didn’t help with the grand clear up. thanks to all there that made the week so fab.

and yes, i am flickring!! Em is there before me, and Sarah
edited to add [no doubt first of a few addings!] we were given our sonlight order [thanks t-bird!] and BB was desperately excited and started doing her before the code and singapore earlybird with great glee. indeed she insisted on doing it every day! SB enjoyed the brain academy with aprilia and also ds-ing at other times [she specificaly wanted me to add that!] and she is very thankful for her presents. Also we all would like to thank the dinner cookers.

we had a pre-melrose weekend at hadrians wall, staying in once brewed youth hostel with the deep enders. we all had a bit of a problem finding it, so arrived pretty much simultaneously after texting to and fro from laybys and pub carparks! children joyously and noisily enthusuastic to be on hols, a lovely hostel with nice wardens. in fact especially nice wardens considering i set off the fire alarm cooking pasta [oops!]. i think we will use it as a base again for a holiday.

early nights for all, as i was very very migrainous.

next day we upped and breakfasted [and i took bucketfuls of tablets and my new nasal things which seemed no better]. The Babs texted an ETA so we went to Hadrians wall whilst waiting - a rather bracing walk given the windiness! the children did scampering, katy and i chatted ans handed out restorative chocs as we walked back. Obviously we were out of signal, as the Babs had already got to vindolanda [and lost husband en route] so we quickly piled there.

gloriously sunny so we all said hello, children again joyous and enthusiastic to see each other, and a packed lunch eaten. As soon as we paid and got in it tipped it down! so we looked at the covered courtyard and watched the introductory video whilst rain settled.

children scampered about - and since it was muddy itwas not a positive experience for all… lots of pointing out and imagining. the hypocaust for the baths and the mock fort towers were ‘the best’ and also the recreated rooms. SB had a very thorough look at the museum with Beth and then me, and we saw the tiny ‘postcards’.

copybooks blotted by some raucous child behaviour from SB amongst others engendering a telling off from one of the staff. [and then SB got a very full telling off from me too, so was crying and sulking - great]

off to melrose, noticed our front number plate had half fallen of so fixed that. then after about 20 mins stopped for a weird tapping noise on roof - the camera!!!

otherwise a very straightforward drive to melrose . both girls disappeared with friends v quickly.

to be continued…

or so said BB, and she is right, we have.

we went to my parents today to have a nice day and drop SB off until thurs - which seems v odd! much game playing [including bingo], drawing and lots of chatting. I am sure they will have a great time, but i already miss her!!

interesting q on way down, is a hot air balloon easier to get aloft, more difficult or the same when it is freezing cold compared to a nice sunny day. i thought it should be no different [except the practicalities of cold fingers! as its the temp differential that mattered. SB thought it would be harder as lots of the heat would quickly be lost to the cold air [i was impressed she remembered all about this tBH] , chris thinks a bit harder, but doubts much in it. this was car ed so no googling, what do you think? or do you know?? [sparked by seeing a rather lovely hot air balloon]

well, i had a lovely lie in [thanks love] and when i got up both girls were about to start some k’nex models. so BB and i made a dinodor/bird [4 legs plus wings, so a bit unorthodox!] with kids k’nex, and then we all helped make a ferris wheel with SB’s k’nex. I was really proud of how SB managed BB and found her a role and help. we all enjoyed doing it, and it worked! SB the project manager! SB then put various things on the ferris wheel in different places, saw how they slowed the motor or made the wheel wobbly - good hypothesis testing going on! BB played alot with an alphabet bus with me, looking for letters and numbers.

Actually, i do love SB’s totally adoring attitude towards BB. She loves her totally unconditionally, always tries to excuse BB’s outrageous behaviour, and protect her from the consequences [mostly toys in cellar!] loves her, hugs her and incorporates her in loads of her activities. We had a tidy up and then a cafe game before lunch.

After lunch was swimming, would have gone better if chris hadn’t lost the back door keys. by the time he had found them, me and the girls had already gone swimming, the pool was full and wouldn’t let him in.

do you know i am fed up writing this, i have already written it once, for it not to get uploaded, followed chris instructions and lost the lot. so now grumpy. can’t be bothered to particulralry blog all the long swimming blog again. blah blah.

home, and the girls helped chris for a bit drag things to a bonfire and because it was cold both came in and did some painting, followed my watching raven [called raisin by BB] and magic school bus. BB did some numbers and colours match and sort with SB. Out to set fire to the bonfire and generally be pyromaniacs for a bit before coldness took over. we popped some jacket pots to cook as the fire was cooling down. they were yummy for tea!

After tea we packed SB’s bags, as she is going to stay with my mum and dad for 4 days [sob!] SB read her inventions book - which she likes, and then we read ballet shoes at bedtime, and i left her reading the mummies at morning magic tree house book.

It was really warm for our monthly RSPB walk with chloe, michelle and marcus, and it was lovely! lovely to be out in the sun, lovely to have a nice walk, lovely being severely bossed by BB! She particularly wanted to be first, and to run up and down the quarry steps, so thats what we did alot of! She took her ‘noculars and SB took some real ones, so they could both look at the birds. SB and Chloe also did a finding things all the way round, which they enjoyed. i loved the fact that SB thinks of the R in plRnt and grRs rather than an a - would help if we were northern!
[lots of photos to come on flickr]

back to their house for the usual sumptuous feast - yummy - and lots of game playing. i particularly liked the fire and ice game. girls all got on very well, BB was only intermittantly ‘three’. we adult had plenty of nattering time.

on the way home, SB and i sang together, and its the first time she has ever held the tune with someone else singing with her as well. so i am v happy [BB has always been able to do it]

Never seem to have the energy to get a blog out of my head to the ‘puter by the time I settle down of an evening.

Friday, a bit of Milkshake/CBeebies TV before breakie. Over breakie BB got me to help her make a ‘man’ with some wooden sticks. Then they have made cars (well SB’s was a trike) using their K’nex - Sb made one mostly herself following the plan in the booklet, I helped BB with her Kids K’nex - hers of course had to have eyes - she likes her creations to have eyes. SB’s car used the friction motor unit which is very good - the cars is quite speedy and goes a long way - good to have a nice long wooden floored hallway.

SB has done some Getty and Dubay handwriting, some Webland and reading and an online page of Exeter maths, I finally found the missing Singapore “B maths book - hiding underneath some other books. They went outside to run a around for a bit, and feed fish and birds - rather cold and windy - though sunny. In between times they have played with the wooden train track, that has been out on the playroom floor for the last few days (it has managed to move from one end of the room to the other whilst staying in the same layout) BB kept asking SB to play, but then wouldn’t let her have any trains - SB - “she wants me to play but only lets me have the turntable…”

This afternoon we cycled (it’s not far) up to the farm shop for veg, cold and windy. I did suggest the tandem, but SB wanted to take her bike. She was fed up with a headwind on the way home though - she’s learnt that lesson now though. Home to warming hot chocs and cups of tea. Watched a couple of episodes of Pods Mission - about food chains and temperature sitting on the hard drive. One of them had some character is wearing a space suit or something speaking in a funny voice saying they needed to go to the loo - BB thought this very funny and wanted to rewatch it a number of times. Me and SB read chapter of SOTW - on medieval India, looked at the gloe to find India, and where the Byzantine Empire has been. She then coloured a SOTW picture of a Roman soldier - complete with blood on his sword - he’d been in a battle and hadn’t cleaned it yet.

After dinner, while Helen put BB to bed I sat down with SB to read to her - i was reading Fairytale News - but I kept stopping and dozing off so she gave up and read it herself

Other bits of the week:

BB has had a couple of half day sessions at a local playgroup. She seems to be enjoying it - she especially likes the trikes that she gets to ride outside. First time we stayed for about 30 minutes, and then she was happy for me to go - though when i picked her up she said she had cried a few times - though she seemed to have done plenty as well, so I don’t imagine it was anything major. Second time she was not letting me go anywhere at first, but we sat playing, and after about 20-30 minutes she was happy for us to leave her. Seemed fine while we were away.

We’ve told her it’s ‘her group’, as we think she feels she misses out a bit with SB going to Rainbows, ballet, swimming etc. So she is pleased to have her own group to go to. They get given a playgroup t-shirt, which BB is very pleased with as now she has special shirt like Sb has for Rainbows - she had fun posing with it once we got home, and went to bed in Thursday and wore it most of Friday as well.

Other Thursday things, - having to get BB to playgroup for 9 am means we are up and at it nice and early. Was funny going to playgroup as it coincided with the school run for the local primary school so we wandered down the road pretending to join in - kids causing havoc madly scootering down the road.. SB glad we don’t have to up and down the road this time of the day every day.

On way home went into bakers. Most of them in their know that we home educate, but someone had obviously missed it, as they asked SB about not being in school, this wandered into a conversation about home ed, primarily about how we do it - tried to explain how we approach it, but i suspect that most people never really grasp it as we have the whole school model so ingrained  that it’s hard to imagine anything else. Back home (it’s so quiet when only one of them is in the house) helped SB do one of the reduced Science Museum kits - the magnetic calendar:

One tiny bit was missing, but not crucial, and i can make one if necessary - doesn’t seem worth contacting the makers. I think these Science Museum kits are good value as they do seem to do what they say on the tin, unlike some others.

Much fiddling and general playing about with magnets afterwards. Then it chucked it down with rain, so SB put on her waterproofs and went out to have a splash in the puddles:

Then it was time to get BB - luckily the rain had mostly stopped by then.

in the afternoon, Sb spent ages making a birthday card:

Me and BB wrapped the pressie, she put a few a stickers on the wrapping:

Posted these, then not sure what happened after that. There was some piano practice at some point.
On the topic of Science kits, we did a very cheap from Yellow Moon Horrible Science heart kit on Tuesday - which wasn’t so successful, though entertaining . It had round tubes which go into square holes so leaked a lot of ‘blood’ , and it has small valves, which unfortunately once they got wet stuck open due to the surface tension, so the blood didn’t really circulate.

Best bit was when SB first squeezed it and we had jets of blood squirting out all over the place.

SB is reading loads at the moment -forever has her nose in a  book. Been polishing off various Rainbow Fairy books lately from the library, and some other things about Unicorns, or magical ponies or some such. In the library at story time on Tuesday she was complimented by one of the other Mums on her reading (she’d been sitting reading something out the other week) - said she thought she must have been about 8.

Saturday morning - Nice and sunny, but I guess cold day, must get something done in the garden this weekend - no snow

I am having a problem with yesterday! SB did some violin practice and something else home-eddy [not sure what!] we read french books, looked at some barefoot stories together and we all did duplo. ermmmm….oh yes, BB and i had a go with some maize pictures. we are nearly out of happy maize and will have to look for something else. oh, some more leappadding and SB curled up with a book.
Mum and Dad arrived, as she went to # clinic for her plaster off today, so stopped overnight. cue much excitement from girls, running around having fun, being read too and lots of games! We also fed the fish, pottered outside, and did the RSPB birdwatch. Whiskey chasing a mouse around, SB crashing her binoculars against the window, and BB ‘popping out to scooter’ probably accounted for the poor show!

today i think chris has been quite busy! Sb practiced violin, did some handwriting, did the horrible science heart kit [which was fun although not a huge success! chris was impressed about how much SB remembered of the heart - 4 vessels, valves, lung thing etc. i have got a very accurate model heart that periodically she looks at, and she is always peering at one of the many body books we have. She also did some DK science cdrom [though a lot of cbeebies as well!] BB had obvously done a lot of duplo-ing! as well has watching nina and the neurons and magic school bus [obviously a science day].

when I got home, we read some lucy chat - actually SB had a stab at reading the french - impressed, moi?? SB went off to ballet whilst BB and I played bob the builder duplo, and a sort of snakes and ladders! [i mostly do what i am told] and we started decorating a wooden spoon.

i took SB to swimming. She seems to have great confindence in the water, but often near drowns herself by huge movements! her rbeast stroke legs are the funniest i have seen, as she gets tangled up, and when it goes ok, she lifts her whole bottom out of the water somehow. SHe has powerful legs though, and however amazing the stroke looks, races through the water. I think we need to go swimming as a family more oten, and have some stroke practice. I think this is why she is worried about the deepend ocasionally. The swimming instructor [steve] has managed this really well, and she gets to swim the width by the edge of the deepend, but i only saw her reach for it 2ce [though she crashed into it going backwards a number of times…]

BB fell asleep nearly the instant we got back, so SB and i played games, including a lot of rounds of uno. BB has her first session at playgroup tomorrow afternoon. SHe waned me to go with her, but I will be at work. This working mum thing really does feel crap a lot of the time. I am with Joanna on the best for family vs me thing.

we had a lovely time at centreparcs, sharing an 8 person villa with making it up residents! both families were not at peak due to outside stresses and strains, but we had a fabulous time anyway. I have never been to centreparcs before, and would now thoroughly recommend it as a winter break - particularly with friends. We not only shared a villa with some, but were happily surprised to find another family there which we know, who’s daughter and ours has great fun playing together, and i enjoyed having other adults to tallk to as well.

We obviously spent a LOT of time in the pool complex, for 3 days we did a late morning across lunch and late afternoon swim [going for the least busy times] and on the middle and last days went for the long swim and lunch there option. i guess we pooled for about 4-5 hours a day. BB was absolutely ecstatic about her ’swimming holiday’ it [I think] was absolutely what she had hoped for. She loved the swimming, progressed from wanting to hold on a bit, to wildly throwing herself into deep water [the salt pool shelf] and swimming back with her ring on. She has got faster and faster with her swimming, using a ring and doggy paddle. Just so confident in the water. she was very happy to dunk under the water, get absolutely soaked, pop under to pick up diving rings [within standing depth]. it was lovely to see. Sb also had a ball. She is a water baby anyway, far more comfortable swimming under the water than on top [though her stroke there improving] and fearless. she enjoyed the rapids, shoots and slides, waves and diving for rings, and just generally loved being in the water. She loved having friends there to play with as well. i liked the tubes and the hot salt pool best, though the ‘river nile’ [named by SB] was good beacuse we all pootled round that together. the rapids at night were good - in fact swimming outdoors at night was generally good, as something i haven’t had much opportunity to do. chris thought they should have some wilder shoots and rapids!

Other things - well, SB went to the roller disco, except there wasn’t any disco to it at all. however, she did get to try out inline skates and fall over a lot. She def wants some. Good, as i have bought her these for when she finishes her swimming term [i find it hard to believe my wildly confident girl of the last week needs a bribe for swimming bravery mind you!] Must get some padding for her! All children had fun at the playpark. SB was daring, and BB and I had fun. BB did lots of scootering everywhere, which she enjoyed, and SB cycled. we were actually one of the closest chalets to the complex [by luck] so I think SB was disappointed not a longer bike ride. However, it was much easier for the little ones coming back at nearly 8 after evening swim!

A fair bit of crafting was done in the tiny gaps of schedule! both Jax and I brought some craft kits to do, BB was mostly keen, making pompom things, and a pencil craft. Small painted his aeroplane, and SB and Big scoobied, drew and beaded. Big did some fantastic facepainting. [even if a nightmare to clean off!]. An assortment of games had been brought and were played. Sb and BB had broght lucie chat and the other french reading book, which we read a number of times, and big and small also seemed to like. SB had brought her music theory book - and even did some of it!! we adults fed, watered, read stories and provided intervention breaks as appropriate in the day, drank a modicum of wine at night whilst setting the world to rights, and also played scrabble [tim won twice, but it was a close thing. jax moaned about the lack of refreshing screens - rofl!]
So, last day, last swim and meal and home - to loads of yellow moon boxes - rofl. bought ‘a few things’ in the sale. oh and my new swimming costume!! [too late but never mind]. great break. real world submerged me now, but nice to breathe if only for a while.