Category Archives: Stringbean

Lots to do

Posted on November 4, 2005 by | 4 comments

We have done a fair amount of life and discussion home ed, but not a lot of bloggable! SB been interested in the history behind fireworks night – particularly as it follows on from Elizabethan stuff. She has been writing lots of things – with me or chris spelling the words for her, and is very excited that she has some ringbinder files – for the photocopy for writing, latin and ‘things’ as she put it. She’s also making up lots of stories and songs – both for herself and for me and BB. She has been to ballet – and continues to enjoy it.

We have been lighting our fire in the evening – SB very much enjoys our ‘ancient fire’ and is now keen to tell everyone how to make it and keep it going. i’m sitting here with candlelight and the fire in a very warm room. have just watched the gunpowder plot [whilst blogging] – very enjoyable. The light is on in the conservatory – so it looks quite magical. the vine leaves are loosing the chlorophyll, but back to the veins – so very pretty. must photo.

BB can now stand up unaided, and today did her first step – woohoo!!! crash landed against Chris’s leg. I am so happy to have seen it rather than be told about it. She is an armful of delight. I think her and SB are enjoying playing together – which is nice.

Tonight, seeing both my daughters laugh, giggle, cuddle and tickle [ok and strop!] i just wanted to blog again how lucky we are, and the joy they bring to Chris and I, who just over 5 years ago thought we may never have children. I think its something in those trusting, happy eyes that does it.

We have lots to do this weekend – not sure how we will get through. The dafodil bulbs, garlic and shallots need planting, and ideally the broad beans need to be sown. We should make the xmas cake and the grape jam, and possibly the onion chutney. i’d like to go swimming as well.

At some point, I would like to repaint SB’s bedroom [since we've got the paint] and put up new bunk. Also Mum bought paint to cover the lurid bathroom – so would like to do that too. the rest of the Ivy and the wisteria need trimming. We need to write wills, put BB’s baby bond somewhere [can't believe we haven't done either of those]. And at some point to some Home Ed!! Where shall I find the time?

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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, Dance/drama, DIY/ house renovation, General, history, language, literacy, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

And then there was one.

Posted on October 31, 2005 by | 2 comments

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.

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Posted in Out and About, Stringbean

Mayhem and Madness

Posted on October 26, 2005 by | 6 comments

Encapsulates my life. I think as a family we are a very good example of chaos theory, and the workings of entropy. however hard we strive for some order, it gets wooshed away.

good news
1.My sister and parents decided the bunks were a good christmas present and bought them [so I see some reasoning for my sister, who will get to sleep on them rather than blow up bed!]
2. Hooking and crooking we are going to halloween party [though I see Alvin shaking his head and sighing at me!]. Haven’t got a costume as such – may go as myself [though only Merry finds that scary, and although I wouldn't want to scare Merry anyway, she won't be there]. thought chris could go as an animal rights chappie, to be the anti-Chris (P) [who I believe is going as himself?] And as for children???

Bad news
1. Pay has dropped
2. Totted up likely cost for christmas for 16 at ours [shriek!] and staying 3-4 days.

Anyway, to the day. BB gave us another totally abysmal night. I was on call as well. In the end Chris took BB to the spare room as I just couldn’t feed her again, and I am supposed to be reasonably alert if called in! SO both of us starting with a small camel to begin with.

SB woke up really early, had me making up stories in bed at 7 – she now has to help with the plot, so getting good at this – , and then up at 8 – no rest for the wicked! So we came downstairs. Now I knew i should have made a list!! Hmmm, well the second thing we did was the maths joining cubes and some singapore 1A on add/takeaway/number bonds. however, we spent far more time just making realtionships between things, thinking about going up and down 0-10 in 2′s. and then doing clumps of 3′s. Preliminary tables really, and some odd and even stuff.

Aha!! first thing was numerous jigsaws!! Then – and how can I forget, we started a papier mache monster head. So that means the maths was the third thing. It was SB’s idea – of course, and I am in TCS mode [or was until desperate need for some quiet!] SHe was very careful tearing up the strips of newspaper and applying to the balloon [flour and water paste], and also helped tidy up. In fact SB has been really considerate all day, and helped with lots of tidying, and not done much grumping or weeping over inconsequential mundanities – really lovely! She is a really gorgeous daughter, and I don’t say it often enough in this blog. Everyone, I have 2 gorgeous daughters.

BB joined us so we had to put away the cubes and jigsaw pieces, so that led to a really good old tidy up. I was going to let Chris have a lie in, but he was downstairs before I had heard BB. breakfast next and getting dressed. SB and I made the first of the days halloween sweets - orange and black coconut ice hmm!!

Then some playing with BB time. She has just got the hang of walking with the walker – though a bit perturbed if it goes too fast! She is such an investigator as well – getting into cupboards, boxes etc. She’s quite good at furniture walking. She chatters and claps, and was having great fun with a pair of toy glasses. I put them on her a few times – immediately whipped off, anf then asked her to put them on – at which point she tried to balance them on her head – very cute! She talks to things as she goes round as well. She also likes posting things in holes, so tidying up suits her! SB also did some playing with BB in a reasonably succesful kind of way. She is also really proud and pleased when BB can do something that Josie can already do!!!!

edited – at this point she also did some drawing and colouring. She has cut out the free archaeolog postcards she got and made a collage – all by herself, finding glue and scissors. She has also had a look at the learn to draw things that go – and done a really good hot air ballon and submarine.

While BB preparing to sleep, SB read some red letterland books to me. She is reading the known stories rather than the words, but I do make her read out some letters and turn them into words. Not too much as sometimes this really annoys her. I then read some of the Usborne farmyard books [she has to sound out/read the title]. i’m mainly trying to show her that guessing the word is sometimes made easier if you sound it out a bit first.

With BB asleep, we did a lot with the marble run. We joined it up in different ways, sometimes steep or curvey or shallow or straight, and guessed how fast the marbles might go, and where they might come off. We had 12 marbles, so 6 each, and SB now good at 6 number bonds, but was easily seeing if we had enough by doing 2 lots of 3, and seeing what was missing or extra. SO more easy maths. Also picked up that the steeper the slope, the faster it went, but curves slowed things down, and curves on a steep slope were more likely to cause the marble to come off – must be science! [oh and we had lunch, and I actually read one of the 3 journals I must read today as getting behind!]

Finally we did the last 2 sweets for halloween – orange flavoured pumpkins and mint flavoured bat droppings and snails – yum! Don’t worry though, we kept our hands and bowls scrupulously clean, as others are going to share in the joy of eating these sweets. Whats more, as Chris looking frazzled, i had a rather good stab at keeping the kitchen tidy.

our next activity totally foiled this – making pumpkin and ginger chutney. What is it about pumpkin seeds – pinging off everywhere! Also so slimy. instant kitchen disaster. We haven’t finished it – SB whizzled the carrots, onions chillis and ginger up, i choopped the pumplkins, and we have added the spice and the vinegar. Chris in trouble, as I had made excess perfumed vinegar for the pickled shallots, so was going to use it, as popped in a jar, but he has thrown it away!! SO mixture of what we have got. CHillies and ginger tend to be predom flavour though. I think today i have earned a prairie muffin award for my kitchen endeavours!

SB now doing some leappad in the kitchen as I said I needed 5 minutes peace, and BB is pootling behind me [with plastic glasses in hand]. Since I have had 30, I had better go and rejoin the family. not many photos as the battery on the camera ran out, and we have lost our alternate rechargeable – a bit of a bugger. I’m sure I will find something to flickr later on – well, if I have time when finished chutney, and potentially thought of a 5 second costume for SB. realised Mum has sewing machine too. bugger! Oh, SB ran in really excited as she has completed one of the phonics books all herself with the games, and CHris [also in kitchen cooking tea] has given her the star for their chart. Very sweet! Back to life, back to reality…………………..

edited to add -OK, so the non-whinge disappeared over dinner, but prob cos she was tired! We then read Ulysses from Usborne’s heros, and for bed the magic faraway tree.

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edit 2 – have done chutney [lovely vinegar aroma!] and journals, but no costume for SB!

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Posted in art and crafts, Blogging, Butterbean, Cooking, General, literacy, numeracy, photos, science, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

A weeks beginning.

Posted on October 26, 2005 by | Leave a comment

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….. :-)

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, Dance/drama, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, photos, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

A Family Weekend

Posted on October 24, 2005 by | 4 comments

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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Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, General, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About, photos, socialisation, Stringbean

Weekend

Posted on October 17, 2005 by | 2 comments

Quick bit of catch up before I get over takne by events. Bit of a downer as Helen was on call all weekend (home on Sat at about 5 or so, but not until after 9pm on Sunday) Upside of that though is that she is off all this week.

So Saturday, for us not at work was a pleasant day. Stagecoach in the morning, the time before passed with breakfast, playing, a bit of reading, finding various things to put in the car. Dropped Stringbean off at Stagecoach, me and Butterbean poopped into town for bit of shopping for lunch and further unsuccessful look for nice kiddies wellies (why is that so hard?) – problem is I know I’m not going to be able to trump her current stripey wellies, which are just so good :-) Back to pick up SB and then off to meet Helen at work for lunch and a BB refill. Had a nice lunch there and SB did a little bit of the Gettay and dubay handwriting stuff (Helen blogged that bit below) .

Headed off after lunch into the country park so SB could ride her bike – lovely sunny afternoon. Plan was to take off her stabilisers, but she changed her mind, so we just rode/walked around the country park for bit which was good, though SB disappointed we couldn’t find any trees to climb. Also disappointed that all the bits that there were to play with in the education room the other week with the ‘Roman Britian’ thing weren’t there any more :-)

Stopped off at the cafe for coffee/cake/ice cream then headed off again. Stopped off due to popular request at the playground on the way home for swings, climbing, more bike riding along the river etc. Eventually prised SB away from the playground and got home not that long before H got home from work. Tea for beans, then SB seemd to spend most of the pre bedtime on Barney Bear and such like websites. not in bed as early as expected given the late night the night before (Not sure when she went to sleep, but was stil awake when I went to bed at about 1 am.)

Sunday – we had an ill Bean. SB complained of a bit of tummy ache in the night. In the morning she was seemingly ok at first, but then was little bit sick and didn’t want any breakfast. A bit later she had glass of milk and was promptly sick about five minutes later – though the good girl did make it to the toilet each time. Said she still wanted to go swimming, so we got organised and did that Spent about half an hour there. BB as ever enjoyed bobbing about, splashing, almost floating and is starting to hang on the side all by herself. SB didn’t actually do that much swimming, but lots of jumping in, ‘Dolphin dives’ as she calls them – a sort of duckign unde the water move. Think she found it bit tiring though as normally we have to prise her out of the water. Once we got home she collapsed on the sofa under a duvet and watched various videos. BB was out like light as fter swimmign as usual. Spent some time pottering about doing few jobs, sitting with SB, and doing bit of reading to her as well. by the time BB woke up, SB was dropping off. Wouldn’t normally let her sleep in the afternoon, but she had a mildy rasied temp and hadn’t eaten anything and had been a bit sick again so I let her rest whilst I fed BB and played with her.

Don’t really know exactly waht happened for the early evening. SB did eventually eat couple of slices of toast and did by then seem to be perking up. Was hoping to try and get them both into bed before Helen came home, but SB had had a sleep and now felt bit better, she was going now where for bit . And BB was being very resistant to sleep as well, even though she obviously was ready for it. Was just about to try and get Sb into bed when H camwe home so she stayed up for bit longer. Still didn’t get to sleep until about 11 pm turned again though….

Today they are so far iostly playing with Helen whilst I try and knock this house into some sort of domestic order. Back to the grindstone :-0

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Posted in Butterbean, Dance/drama, language, Out and About, photos, SB-PE, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

Sleep…? how quaint an idea

Posted on October 15, 2005 by | 4 comments

Edit – Ahh, like buses, two blogs have come along at once – my take and Helen’s take below :-) Ah well leave as they are I think

11 pm, SB still awake upstairs – and she’d had bit of late night last night as well. Fell asleep on the way back from the puddlers group and when we got back I just couldn’t get her to wake up. Ah well, means that she was full of energy for when Helen came back from work.

Morning disappeared soon enough, with a trip to Tesco’s, Staples, sorting out an activity for the puddlers group (and then leaving the materials behind…..Grrrr…..), a few house chores. Group was good, as Merry has blogged elsewhere, it’s turning into nice little group (or even not so little), Shame we don’t live little bit nearer when it comes to travelling to it. SB always enjoys it, she spent ages today cutting colouring etc. to make T-Rex stand up model. She took great care in carefully cutting it all out. Taken by Tammy’s comments re recent evidence that some dinosaurs had some sort of feathery covering rather than scales she stuck feathers on it -Fluffy T-Rex any one :-)

She also enjoyed the ‘make a skeleton in the ground thing with bits of pasta’ activity, as well as making, and more importantly, noisly throwing around paper Pterosaur. I’ll get some piccies of them tomorrow, (forgot the camera again, but Merry has some nice ones)

Once home whilst SB snoozed, BB woke up, so me and here played for bit without interupption, she is getting gradually better at standing, and is happier about holding onto things other than people, and almost lost the lopsided crawl she had. Just starting to cruise the furniture a little bit. She had dinner while I had a cuppa, and then Helen came home just as I was starting dinner. Work seems to have been a crap last couple of days, and she is on call all weekend :-( Does have next week off though, and no plans for us to go away anywhere until the weekend)

SB seems to have got into Story of the World, I was looking at it last night and she wanted me to read her a bit, so we did the first chapter, and I heard them reading the next bit about the Ancient Egyptians earlier. She’s been resistant to books with lots of words and not many pictures until now, so maybe we’ve reached another little milestone, she even let Helen read her a bit of the Faraway Tree at bed tiome last night. Might get hold of Winnie the Pooh and try that now, before she get’s too corrupted by Disneys efforts ;-) anyway, been looking at the SOTW Activity book and itching to ahve ago at some of those things – by the time we’ve finished hacking the garden some more should be plenty of long wooden bits and stuff – just right for building a nomads hut . What say you Merry and Tammy – maybe next week?

Chose a little Usbourne Pocket Science book about how cars work or somesuch as her bedtime reading – fascinates me how she loves to sit and listen to this sort of thing, even though some of it must go over her head. didn’t blog it on Tuesday, but we sat and I read her a Ladybird book about Aeroplanes. It was not at all simple stuff, and I didn’t read the text verbatim, but we did look at the diagrams and pictures whilst I talked about Aeroplanes, the shape of wings, lift and other forces on the plane, different types of engines, controls etc.

SB bedtime update 00.22 – still awake……….. Time for our bedtime though

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Posted in art and crafts, Books, Butterbean, history, Out and About, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE

bump – what’s that big red thing doing there…? [edited to add photos]

Posted on October 11, 2005 by | 1 comment

Walking along the road today with Stringbean, there was a wail from behind, and turned to see her holding her head. There was a nice big red easy to spot letterbox and she had walked right into it……. Cue parent trying to be/seem sympathetic whilst keeping straight face :-)

Wel yesaterday, after dinner H went off, we played for bit – SB made a ‘castle’ out of the Jenga type bits, then we let ‘Butterbean the Destroyer’ loose on it. She was bit like a little wind up toy/robot. Put her down on the floor, she locates the target, makes a bee-line for it and then -GRAB! Evening ion genral was bit hard work. SB was fine, got her settled no probs, but BB was a bit of pain, wouldn’t settle to sleep properly, but didn’t just want to be up and scooting about the place. Took her until about 10pm to settle, and then there was abad night where she was awake for 1-2 hours or so in the middle – doersn’t drink enough milk from the bottle I think sometimes. did get to not wake up until about 8.30 though (only a parent could say that…)

Today we paid a visit to Nanna and Grandad, though soemhow the morning until 11 disappeared without trace, or the washing being put out before we went. SB didn’t want to come and have breakfast , she was playing in her room, by the time ashe was down of course me and BB had finished……

So departed with kitchen a disaster zone, absolutely lovely day, weather gorgeous, it could have been summer. Had a nice time at grandparents, BB was her cheerful exploring self, SB played a few games and read with Nanna. Then we went into the town and got some shoes for SB, looked for wellies but found none suitable/right size/ cheap enough, pottered around , getting a few other bits, and then ambled back – nice just being me and SB (BB stayed behind)

Back for lunch – BB had apparently been keeping grandad on his toes. And whiled away the afternoon. Sb spent ages playing with the farm animals etc. that she kept from when we were kids – so a little balst from the past for me. Nanna took SB out for a ride on her bike which she enjoyed, I did a few jobs for the GP’s, BB, eventually snoozed.

Before we came back, SB manged to make freinds with a little girls next door (she could hear kids palying, and kept going out side to see if she could see where they were.) managed to make contact I think through the fence, the the little girl came round for a little bit, then SB went round there. so that was nice. Though probably next time she will just be on about visiting the little girl .

Shame we don’t have any neighbours for her to pop and visit – it’s busy road through the village so not the sort of road to easily meet people on. We did wonder if we should have got a house on quieter nmore ‘estatey’ road – but you never can tell waht things are goign to be like, and anyway, didn’t find suitable enough house in such a location. But she did used to love popping next doors to visit or old neighbours in Leeds

so back home, timed it so SB at least would fall asleep and stay asleep – that worked. Sadly BB spent all evening again until almost 10 fussing. So I had a late dinner, emailed/blog-ringed etc., and now it’s time for the sack, with the kitchen in even more mess…..

Nighty night. :-)

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Posted in Butterbean, Daft Stuff, Out and About, photos, Stringbean

and relax

Posted on October 7, 2005 by | 3 comments

What a busy but fun week we’ve had!
Also a busy one at work, and due to bursts of creativity there, I now have lots of evening work to do for presentations/business plans.Also off on a union course on negotiation skills from sun in swindon, so weekend feels shortened.

got home late from work to an enthusiastic hello from SB. She then danced for me, talked to me and we made an elephant together. I then read her half the ‘my very first bible’ so all read out! She was excited by the egyptian bits, as told me they weren’t kings but pharoahs, and was happy discussing clothes/houses – so a bit of a detour. She had a later bedtime as it is so nice to snuggle and catch up.

A play also with BB – as well as a huge feed. She stood unsupported for very brief moment and was very excited. She loves investigating, and is showing awareness of language other than her name.

I feel despondent that I will ever return to a decent work life balance though. I just keep hitting brick walls.

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Posted in Butterbean, General, Stringbean

The Grandparents have landed

Posted on September 27, 2005 by | 11 comments

Well, half of the 2 sets anyway.

Main event of the day was the moving of my parents. They have moved house from over 200 miles away to less than 20 (not coincidence of course, it was to be nearer us – well grandchildren really I suspect) It’s been a longish term plan of theirs, they’ve just been waiting for us to settle on where we would be living.

Nearest I lived since leaving home is about 70 miles, but for the last 10 + years it’s been about 250, so a bit of change there, kind of weird really. Stringbean is of course excited. I’m sure that there will be time of adjustment, but I’m pleased that they are nearer. My Dad has found long drives incressingly difficult in recent years. Now as well as us they are much nearer other relatives, so much less travelling for them. And it’s quite likley that he may have to give up driving at some point , so they are much better situated for coping with that (my mum doesn’t drive, though she once rode an orange moped). So me and SB were waiting today to pop over and visit them, but it was bit later than planned.

SB not been entirely well today, complained of painful throat when eating and didn’t have much breakfast or lunch, though seemed ok otherwise, though not keen on normally ‘keen on things’ such as baking cakes, so didn’t do that. Did make card for Nanny and Grandad for their new house, and we remade the Happy Street track (yep, still there Jax) that ‘Butterbean the Marbeliser’ had demolished last night like a mini Godzilla, and read few books before trying to entice her into breakfast. Me and BB had breakfast whilst SB fiddled about and ate half a small Petits Filou. She disappeared off to ‘Happyland’ and played for a quite bit by herself, so me and BB grabed the opportunity to have bit of one to one time playing. Always fun, as she is such smiley chuckly girl. She also enjoys a bit of rootling about on the floor, so she did bit of that whilst I did few a domestic chores, her baby grow distubingly grubby afterwards though (I hate kitchen floors, they just get to dirty too quickly….).

SB moved onto a Muzzy CDROM on the computer, and then onto the CBeebies website, BB had some milk and went off to sleep, so then I sat and helped SB with the above. After a bit, we went outside and poked around in the garden, looking for beasties, talking about Autumn and winter, where the weeds come from, what we are going to grow where etc. She was now flagging bit, so inside for some lunch, of which she ate little. So dosed up on Calpol, she settled down under a duvet on the sofa for an afternoon of vids and DVD’s.

When Helen came home later, she had perked up a bit, esp. as mum came bearing gifts of magazines, and Playdough :-) (And Mmmmm, it was real Playdo, there is nothing like the smell of the real thing) Eventually my mum rang to say they were in their new house, so I got ready to go over (I had to collect some goldfish they had brouight up from their pond) SB had been goign to come, then said she was goign to stay, then decided at the last minute to come. She did a really good job of trying to stay a wake in the car in the way – just dozed off near the end. Saw the new house, sorted out a couple of simple things for them, had litle bit of chat etc. popped to the chippy for tea, SB ws trying to eat her chips, but was really tired by now, she was almost falling alseep over them – ‘can we go home now’…I think she fell asleep in the car in about 2 minutes.

House seems quite nice if you ignore the decor in some (most?) places. a bungalow would ahve been the sensible choice, but they could find one suitable in their price range. My dad has got his ‘bionic leg’ as we joke about it- nothign quite so grand really. He is paralysed down one side, and for many years now has had to wear a leg caliper to support his foot, but this is heavy and awkward. His been fitted with pretty new thing they are trying out, which basically stimulates the muslces in the duff leg to lift the front of the foot as he walks, which stops him tripping, and means he doesn’t need the caliper. He only got it this week, so early days but seems to be working well.

We are now getting to the stage where I am more likley to be popping to them to sort something out, rather than them helping us to do stuff, which feels a little poignant, though my Dad is disabled he was always active, and in my head is still the person who was up on the roof fixing it when I was teenager, or helping us fix rotten windows and build brickwalls in the garden in the old house. Though he’ll not be doing that now (though they did help us with the fixing up of the old one before we sold it). It’s Helen’s Aunty Peggy’s funeral tomorrow, what with this, and all the things happening for Little Nanny thisd year, there is a bit of a sense of the generational baton gradually being passed on here I feel.

BB looking very grown up today (though not as much as josie, not enough hair), pulled out a load of next size clothes to sort out for her. I put her in one of the favouritist pairs iof dungarees we had for SB, still looking cute :-) Bit of a tear in my eye though as I remembered SB wearing them, was she really so young not so long ago – less than 2 months to BB’s first birthday – excited, sad? I’m not sure.

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Posted in Butterbean, moving house, Out and About, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE