Stringbean

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

well, this weekend I have mostly been eating potatoes. no, this isn’t some new years faddy diet [though heaven knows that I need to shift a fair bit of weight and get fitter this year - I may have said something similar last year. in fact, o the subject of new years resolutions, I made 3 last year, and I'll try with them again this year], instead this is the try to chase migraine away diet. my job goes through cycles of stressful and majorly and exorbitantly stressful. We are in the latter phase… This tends to increase frequency of migraines, and also seems to reduce the success of any medication. Everything taken thus far has been totally pointless. A bullet in the left temporal region would be far more effective. Anyway, I am blogging, thus the potatoes would seem to have finally won [and plenty of fluids]

However, it being typical that my migraine occurs when off work, I have tried to great levels to still have some interaction with my lovely offspring. ooh, btw, there seems to have been a great reduction in baggy poo poos since normal service has resumed. A low level of them is tolerable!

Yesterday we all went to the panto [may I state for the record that pantos are not ideal with a migraine, but the one hour journey each way was the major stupidity!] I actually enjoyed the panto [yep, even with a migraine, s must have been good]. The cast were enthusiastic, the audience keen and participatory, the story near negligible, just enough to run the gags and music. SB and BB loved it. Their faces shone with excitement, SB in particular loved all the shouting and clapping, BB also got into it. It was so worth it. Arranged by the rainbows - thankyou! I have to say that the look on SB’s face of sheer thrills and enjoyment was worth the hideous journey for me each way. She really loved it.
on return home, to be honest, I just died and went to bed. No idea what chris and the girls did , he thinks they played a game. I got up just before they were going to bed, and delayed things a it. but it felt better to play a game with them and read a story before chris took them up.

Today, still feeling in need of trepaning, i thought I would do better, so got up, read some history to SB, and we did french and latin conversation, times tables and read some barefoot stories all snuggled on the sofa. She then did some violin practice - now we have lost the other blasted book! Anyway, it was lovely to have such a snuggly time with SB. I get to have less snuggles with her now as she gets older they are only on her terms! She is such a lovely girl to snuggle and cuddle.
ermm, oh yes, SB did some webland. BB and I did jigsaws, read books, snuggled and did counting practice. BB amazed me by spelling today. she was spelling zoo lane and said zz oh is zoo!!! She also did some plasticining.

The final decs came down today, and the girls had a joint final present of a jousting papo set to go with the castle stuff. they were ecstatic and had great fun playing. we decided that we all loved christmas, but that the house needs lots of people in it to actually be christmas [BB's wisdom!] . Actually, BB has gone round being ‘wise’ on all sorts of topics recently. She is mostly seriously adorable.

we watched various natury things on tv, SB practiced various dance steps, we all played a few games all together, and generally had an enjoyable day.

my migraine has decreased somewhat this eve, but I have the usual worky nerves. Bah. i hope this is just a phase! Will look forward instead to centreparcs hols - not far away now!

SB seems to have given up on the salmon cheese and chelsea version and that reminds me, she can now roll her eyes perfectly - a key life skill in this family, and one that HE particularly is suitable for imparting!!

So today has been crazy and noisy. we needed a bit of a rest day after yesterdays multi-jauntings, and BB was ‘wired’ throughout - always restful! SB - bless her - has been an angel [well nearly].

We started with making boxes for the sweeties we made last night - papier mache with tissue paper and PVA around margarine tubs. They are looking fab. Both girls had great fun doing them, and I drank lots of fluids to try and chase away a migraine. We then did a bit of a tidy up - just in time as Sainsbury’s delivered a huge order [all bar veg, bread and milk]. We were also massively organised to put all away, and our pantry looks like a dream come true. I love a pantry that can see us through a month in case of avian flu, snow drifts etc etc!! SB played shops for a bitm, and both girls helped.

Sb has also done some more piano practice, and is concert ready for good king wenceslas - even BB and I singing didn’t put her off! And she has done some maths, and BB some ‘match and sort‘ - some wipe clean books we got ages and ages ago from the book people, she was practicing writing - v cute. i have read 3 different versions of the nativity story - while the bear sleeps, usborne first nativity and a ladybird version. Obviously with added carols. The girls have spent ages playing with the farm and Bob the Builder duplo - the farm is obviously now part of the set! Shame I haven’t managed to get a duplo muck. Never mind - something to get at a later date. Both girls were also playing with a cheap not quite spirograph set. i have played scrabulous - Tim is pretty much unbeatable i think!!

We also did some fimo-ing, to make coasters as Christmas presents. SB’s got more and more elaborate. BB’s is much simpler. I am sure they will be well received. Both girls now having bath, and Chris doing it as I had reached my BB tolerance limit. Baggy poo poo being her favourite saying for anything she doesn’t like or want to do - charming!

As mentioned below, am at a bit of a loss as no room to put more baking or food in the freezer, and still have some to do. A wack of it will have come out by sun, so will prob do some baking then. Def getting excited, but can’t imagine where the time has gone?

yesterday we met up with Michelle and family for a woodland walk and hopefully some bird viewing. It was a bit chilly, so we were all well wrapped, and arrived with not a huge difference between us - so not bad!

both girls were laden with cameras as part of the idea is that they are going to record what interests them on the walk, and be able to see some seasonal changes.

We did go in the bird hide briefly - but BB’s gentle rendition of away in a manger was annoying the other chap there [though not the birds!] , so we decided to mostly walk. It was a lovely walk, and we had a good terrain change with a disused quarry to walk down and up as well. Somewhere near the bottom it was apparent that the sun was likely to set before we made it back to the car, so we did less photography and more walking!

It was indeed quite dark by the time we got back to the car, but the dark walking had been on an easy path rather than quarry steps, so OK there, and we were alll set for food cooked by Marcus.

It was delicious - as always. And a lovely evening at their house before getting home far too late! The girls did great HE box ticking, by reading loads of Michelles interesting maths books, looking at Chloes tornado and twister facts, and drawing! BB was mostly adorable, but has left orange lizard behind. In the car she was making up songs for it ’snakes aren’t interesting but lizards is’, and we did lots of carol singing. BB really does have a lovely singing voice and can hold a tune beautifully. Both girls enjoy singing and making up tunes and words. SB and I did latin in the car on the way home - car ed at its best!!
Thanks to our hosts!

I think I will add my photos to this blogpost, and at some point see if SB wants to do her own!!!

we have been here.

It was not one of our more trouble free trips. those that twitter may have noticed that on my first attempt, I was aware the seat of the car seemed wobbly. It seemed wobbly from when I first got in - the girls put it down to chrs always leaning back to pick things off the floor for BB [i hope not when driving!] By the time I had gone 20 mins down the road, pulled into a laybye to give it a wiggle, I was quite clear I wasn’t dong a 4 hour drive in that car!.

A return, and apparently some plate thingy is cracked. so got all gear accross to my v old but mostly trusty work car! Mentioned the heating been a bit dodgy - chris thinks thermostat, but is going to try coolant top up - aargh! we have spent a fortune on these cars this autumn.

oh, btw, the first drive out was fab with all these heavilly frosted arable fields and low sunlight!

Had lunch [which we should have been having in magna!] and tried again. This time straight to Kirsty’s, delaying magna for next day. Despite work car having no entertainment of any sort, both girls were fab on the journey up, the traffic OK, and we got there without a hitch. Te children ran off to ds and multiplay ds for most of the time, BB was a bit fish out of water, so snuggeld, read, cbeebied and corrected my drawings [hard taskmaster] whilst Kirsty and I managed a chat between interruptions and mediations [not that many actually]. M was particularly nice to BB, and also gave me a violin demonstration. i was relieved that my tuning agreed with kirsty’s dooberry thingummy whatsit!. SB wathced her inaueral simpsons - rofl!

The children were all particularly awful at going to bed In the end we split them all up. BB a pest, but then…
So not the brightest and earliest of parental starts, though BB was up with the larks! we did go to Magna though and really enjoyed it. It was COLD in there - thank goodness we were all winter wrapped!! and dark and noisy, so at the time BB required a fair bit of ‘managing’ but in retrospect thinks it was fantastic and wants to go again! Sb also enjoyed it, and wants to see the river of fire next time [note they are both planning a repeat!] Most of the time, we had the place to ourselves by careful avoidance of the school group there. [i think i might have slightly annoyed one of the teachers by adopting their tone and suggesting my group be ready to come with me - and the children in my group were much more easy to manage!]

Thanks Kirsty for a lovely stay! Flickr to follow - halfway through but do need to go to bed!!!! must try some of these.

Both SB and I have felt under the weather today, and taken our relative doses of nurofen. Unfortunately it meant that she missed the local group Xmas party, which is usually fabulous, and certainly the thankyous on the list suggest it was again.

Instead we have had short bursts of activity and lots of cuddles. BB wanted to make fimo Xmas trees like SB made last year, so we sat and made some, and some stars, and they are now hanging on the girls tree. SB then cooured in a SOTW map about the saxons whilst BB and I played a number counting game with frogs [or ribbets]. Both got grumped at fr playing so hard with the xmas decs that they were breaking left right and centre - nothing that a bit of glue wont sort though.

SB and I read some of the saxon pages from out english history series, and discussed the pictures, what it must have been like to live in raiding times. Moving on to war in general, she couldn’t quite understand how it could still go on. I reassured her that we weren’t imminently likely to be raided here [noting how sensitive she has been of late - she hasn't played animal crossing again...]

erm. general milling about and playing! I read Sb and BB some read alouds. BB particularly likes anything with a duck or egg in it. We then made some more 6 point stargodseyes I played a bit of scrabulous - the only bit of facebook for me I think!! [Tim is about to finish totally thrashing me!! - at present 482:330!!]

erm, I went and had my annual appraisal at work - and so the process begins! Whilst I was there, SB went swimming, and came out of the pool early as not feeling well. Good on her for trying anyway. When I got back, BB was asleep, and CHris was reading SB a science book [the usborne lift the flap we bought from Joanna which she enjoys v much. BB had fallen asleep and has not woken up from that yet!
We then snuggled in front of the TV on a programme about the earths atmosphere - so riveting we both fell asleep! So SB in bed, and I am drinking lots of fluids to try and drive this lurgy feeling away - or at least not get a migraine on top.

Thanks Sarah - the books arrived today, and SB has had a look at the 2B already. oh. and in ne of my scrabulous games i have all vowels  humph!!

SB addicted I think. she thinks it is totally fab. I, however, have messed up. big time! I had no idea they could really read the letters. SB’s letters have been ‘experimental’ so she got back 4 letters today, all telling her she was mean and nasty because the animals couldn’t understand them - cue severe attack f wailing. I deleted their letters, and said the first ones were usually like that, and have written her some. sigh! Als she has Chow - who I also had, and he is a grumpy whatsit - again no good for SB! oh well. she’s still keen to play, and do a wireless visit to anyone that she knows that plays!

On Friday me and the girls went out for a walk in the afternoon. Not far, but with BB we don’t go fast It was lovely sunny and cold early winter/late autumn day.

We splashed through puddles, looked for berries (the Blackberries weren’t nice confirmed SB ), squelched around in a ditch, played pooh sticks, swung on branches, stroked horses, watched diggers and got home to a nice cup of tea/hot choc.

Had lots of discussions as well about things, Why railways often run on embankments, why it’s cold, even though the sun is out all day, why more clothes keep us warmer, why the digger was digging holes, how things like water and electricity get to houses, other stuff I’ve forgotten. Lovely bit of fresh air, and modicum of exercise, really need to make the effort to get out more.

Other than that, this morning there was more maths (almost the end of Singapore Maths 2A - she can do it easily, but likes to finish things) Has said she prefers the My Pals Are Here ones, with the Aliens, so we’ll have to see, we’ve only got up to 2B in stock. Keep meaning to mix it up with the ‘Exeter Maths’ MEP stuff, but tend to forget. Did find the other day that they are starting to put some of it up online - the Year 3 practice books (as in you can do it online) which saves printing stuff out, and having yet more paper around the place. Some handwriting, reading of library books and some tidying of the girls room.

Much playing as well with BB’s Bob the Builder Duplo/Lego which she loves, even though she isn’t so much into BTB on tV.

Once Helen was home, we’d had dinner, we retired to the sitting room, to roast Chestnuts on the fire and watch Earth: Power of the Planets

Thursday was mostly a recover from BB’s party day - the parents were knackered anyway., with much tidying up to be done, a few bits of maths etc. SB’s Rainbows friend R came round after school and except for one standoff over where to play what they had fun. Playing something upstairs, some Fimo-ing, watched an awful My Little Ponies video, I cooked something she didn’t want to eat much of again H was staying over at this training thing so I got the girls into bed as promptly as I could after they’d gone home so i could collpse in a heap and watch TV moslty - even went to bed at sensible time.

piccies of the card and envelope SB has done for BB. SHe has really tried to do something wonderful, including the number 3 numberjack over the envelope. Its this amount of care and attention for what she thinks someone will love [ie BB] that is one of the reasons I adore her. SHe has a big heart, and wears it on her sleeve.

Went to a local Home Ed group meet up at a local museum on the theme of toys and forces.

Just about got there in time. Even though we seemed to be doing ok (why did I waste time making them lunch? - BB ate a packet of crisps and 3 Clementines, SB 1/4 of sandwich and crsips) to start with, but then realised I had to get out some cash from the PO as we didn’t have enough to pay for session, then he car was low on petrol and the little light came on, pulled into a garage which had all pumps locked - could have put a sign up. So carried on up the A1 and had done 20 miles on the light by the time I bought petrol - (wonder how mcuh it will do once the low petrol light comes on, think I’ve done about 20 before).

Bought £10 of petrol as in a hurry - depressing how little petrol that is nowadays - the little light came back on again on the way home.

Then there was the stuck in a queue geting into town , and the going wrong etc. Did just make it in time though.

Girls enjoyed the session. A couple of little explanatory bits from one of the museums staff - first on Issac Newton the tale of the apple and gravity and his three laws of motion. She demonstrated the Newtons Cradle, SB got the wrong answer when asked about what would happen when one ball dropped, but got the principle once she saw it and got another harder question right (what happens if you release three balls to hit the two remaining balls), which I was impressed with.

There was also a good demo of the one with a small and large ball - how to make the small ball bounce higher than on it’s own. You hold a small ball and a large ball so the small ball is on top of the large one. Drop them together. The large ball hits the ground , bounces back and of course hits against the smaller balls. The small ball bounces back up much higher than when dropped by itself, the large ball doesn’t bounce back up so much. She also gave an excellent explanation (the energy from the large ball gets transferred to the small ball ) when we were talking about this at the dinner table later. Well I do tend to fall into scool teacher questioning/ explaining mode when in such situations
There was also a demo of spinning aback up water around so that the water doesn’t fall out - how to tip up the bucket and not have the water fall out was the question.

But mostly we played with the various exhibits about different aspects of forces - pushing , pulling, pressure, levers, magnetism, pulleys, friction etc. Not really anything new as such to SB - but she enjoyed it as she was hoping there would be some levers (she means hands on exhibit type things) And good reminders about things she already knows such as using pulleys to make lifting things easier
So we played with levers

Explored friction

Floating and upthrust

Pulled pulleys

Pulled and pushed and squeezed and stretched

Mass and Gravity

What metals are magnetic
And explored Newtons Cradle.

Didn’t manage to quite do everything before we went off for the second part of the session where we made a cardboard version of push pull toy. We me and SB did, BB cut up the card board into lots of bits (not all just random, she did cut out a chick, and cut nicely along some of the straight lines).

We had packed lunch there - chatted with a mum about a going to school conundrum (glad we don’t have those), a bit more of play then headed off. I got lost going through the shopping centre back to the car, came out the wrong exit and had to walk ages round it to the car park.

We popped into Merry’s on the way back for a short stop - I returned back of bits that had been left in France, checked up on a toy farm she is getting in for my Mum and Dad for BB’s birthday and I had much needed cup of tea (first one since breakfast, I was gasping), I had a nice little natter with Merry while she shooed children back to play. Though SB said later, when asked if she had a good play ‘No, because they were all arguing about what to do’ :-8

I haven’t seen the Puddles for a while so that was nice

Timed leaving just right, got home just in time to drop of BB with Helen, and pick up ballet stuff to take SB to ballet. Whilst SB at ballet, BB and Helen baked a nice cake and did a jigsaw I think. I drank more tea.

Once SB home there was some ‘TV’ watching (is watching downloaded TV programs on the computer watching TV or watching the computer? ) - the obligatory Numberjacks and then followed by Roar. A quick Pasta dinner, with BB being awkward (no - TINY one when the forkful too big) about eating it, but still eating it all in the end. Not sure what SB and Helen did while I put BB to bed. But I dozed off on the sofa while Helen did the SB bed time ooops…

So should really be in bed now I guess.

Chris has loads of half written posts that need finishing!

I obviously worked a lot last week, but also tried to do as much as poss at home - playing games with SB after BB in bed a consistently good thing, and we have felted and hama-ed.

Errm, keeping going with violin, and she did some spontaneous piano practice tody - woohoo! musical instruments are gradually tuning in her brain too - she is much better at singing a tune, so hopefully wont be as tone deaf as Chris.
Maths and handwriting regularly done, we are nearing the end of first story of the world. DO I think she remembers it - not a lot, but hopefully setting the scene as it were! Quite a bit of crafting and arting. Read about pompeii -buried alive, and ring of fire from sonlight. and also the leap ahead volcano, and read through a volcano book. More playing with the ello and ds. Jump ahead and zoombinis on ‘puter, and watching various natural history progs. SB reading loads - fairy books, felicity ewishes, horrid henry and anything she can get her hands on.
girls and chris swimming at the weekend - we’re trying to get back into the habit of going on a sunday as BB loves it

Girls and chris went to see oliver twist yesterday - SB found it too scary, and had difficulty getting to sleep. we talked about our visit to gressenhall, and the rellies that were born there, but she was still unhappy - doesn’t want to learn about victorians! then playing with firends and shoe buying. SB eventually got some felicity wishes boots. they sparkle along the side!

SB is rather frighteningly gaining a waist and indefinably ‘older’. PANIC!!

BB is also getting small girlish. She counts and pretends to read alot. SHe is great at switiching on her ‘puter, finding the kids downloads and choosing one to watch - scary! Her drawing and painting is very careful,, often with a story to it, that she chats or sings along with. BB excellent at singing. I think she may well have inherited my perfect pitch. She is also getting careful with hama beading. Her vocab is excellent - prob due to having SB as an older sister. Still well into her numberjacks addiction!

My Mum seems to be OK post surgery - phew. Unfortunately found today that my godfather has been admitted to my local tertiary hospital neuro unit and not at all well. intubated and ventilated for th last 5 days - so I would appreciate any positive thoughts.

hmmm, there have been loads of things I thought I should blog from both girls - can’t remember them for toffee!! Hopefully chris will [subtle nudge!!]

we were supposed to meet up for a day in the woods, but the weather looked grim, i had had a not brill nigh and still have migraine, so visitors came to ours. they were laden with games, so a HUGE game fest went on and we had a great time. didn’t take many photos as chatting and playing!

prior to their arrival, SB was racing through her maths book, did some more decorating of Mum’s get well card. BB and I baked some cookies too. She has also read ring of fire, to go with our vaguely volcano vaguely roman feel to the week!

Monday we had a HE group trip to a local fruit farm, before we left Stringbean had a phone call from one of her friends who wanted to make sure they synchronized outfits They both have the same stripy purple outfit from H&M. I think it’s probably the first time she has ever had a phone call to herself from one of her friends. I was highly amused by it. didn’t manage to get a piccie of them together though
Anyway the trip was fun. kids enjoyed it and I learnt a few things as well.

Rode around the farm in trailers towed by tractors

The farmer told us about the history of the orchards, the different fruits they grow (they are trying out Apricots), why the newer trees are much smaller than the old ones etc

Picked and munched on apples

Learnt about grafting different apples onto another tree

Had a look at how they grade the apples

And at the juice bottling

There were some enthusiatic helpers

Some went off to the playground afterwards, we headed home with the Deep Enders and plied Katy with tea whilst kids ran around and played.

Helen came home, then Deep Enders left, SB went to Ballet class, girls made get well cards for Nanny S, SB I think beat Helen at Landlock whilst I put BB to bed.

Tuesday - Library day, normal finding books, reading them, chasing up kids etc. Iyt was raining so they wanted to get kitted up in their full Muddypuddles outfits. BB quite comical as hers much too big for her (it’s meant to be a 2-3 but they are sized very big - SB still managed to wear it earlier this year - though a bit small for her by then…) so we probably took longer for them to get dressed up than walking round to the library

SB chose, for the first time to sit out the Storytime story bit and read by herself (but then the stories are aimed at 2-3 yo) - did the colouring though home via the shops.

A lovely bit of quiet whilst they sat on the floor in the playroom reading, and I hid in the kitchen for 20 minutes with a cup of coffee.

On the topic of SB’s reading, it really is zooming along. She got a Rainbows Fairies book out on Saturday, she wasn’t sure about it as she had found them a little bit hard when she had them before a month to two ago. She read the one on Saturday straight through in the afternoon. So we had a couple more of those, and i managed to convince her to try a few books from the Junior Fiction shelf, rather than the simpler ones.

Tuesday afternoon, was lunch, a bit of playing followed by maths and handwriting (it’s really easy multiplication and division but she likes to do it so leaving her be to finish it off), cook dinner for later, try and find out about some Gymnastics classes for SB and she got a book out about Gymnastics and was doing lots of moves out of there. There is a very good Gymnastics club nearby (-ish) but it’s popular and has a longish waiting list. Emailed about a couple of other possibilities as well.

Then the swimming lesson routine, followed by dinner and bedtime. BB didn’t want to go to sleep, and took ages, by which time I was feeling tired/rubbish as the cold/lurgy kicked in, so it was TV and then a (for me) early bed

We’ve had classic Stringbean wailing session tonight.

She lost another tooth yesterday. Toothfairy came last night and everyone was happy.

H put her to bed, and there has been a big wailing session because she has decided she wants her teeth back (all of the ones she has lost…) so she has left some moolah out for the Tooth Fairy.

Hope the TF is placated, do they do returns?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where does it go?  the time that is. OK i know I’m an expert at frittering it away, but I find it somewhat annoying when I’m not and it still goes and disappears on me. I think I need to do a  time and motion study to see where it has all gone during the day.

BTW, H pinched most of the piccies for her post below, So I’ll refer you there for illustration
Monday 

As soon as H was off to work, girls watched a couple of Numberjacks episodes - BB is a real addict for these at the moment. Then it was into the bath to clean up from the camping weekend - They’d been out for the count when we got back Sunday night.  Then it was off to the shop for bread and milk and home for breakfast.

After breakie the girls made cards for their cousin E’s birthday (a day late  - ooops…). We couldn’t find any colored card, so made a another trip out to the (relatively recently opened and quite useful) stationery shop for supplies. BB insisted we needed glitter, so we bought some probably expensive glitter from there as well.

Home for productive card making. SB had plan to make a Dorothy from the Wiggles from instructions in one of the kiddie magazines around here. She did really well, I showed her how to trace using some greaseproof paper and give her a bit of help with that and some cutting out. Other than that she sat  and did it all herself - spending ages working on it - basically the rest of the morning. Did some  lovely and careful small writing in it and addressed the envelope nicely as well. BB had fun with the glitter :-). and then spent ages organising things out of the camping food box. She is very much into organising and sorting things out at the moment.

BB couldn’t quite wait for lunch though :

After lunch and a bit of running around and playing nosily SB did some maths while BB spent ages making patterns with the Cuisenaire rods. And then Helen came home, then after bit it was time for Ballet. While  SB out at Ballet, H and BB made some biscuits.

After ballet, SB did violin lesson with H whilst I got dinner. After dinner, with BB off to bed H and SB played some maths card games 

Tuesday was basically a reading day. After breakfast, rereading the library books before we took them back. Off (early for once) to the library for storytime - SB did a fruity wordsearch and made a fruity picture. Eventually prised them out of the library, home to finish off some of the camping Bourbon biscuits and read the new books before we had lunch. After lunch I chased them out of the kitchen whilst I tidied up a bit. SB was going to come back and do maths, but she settled down with books again on the sofa - spent about another 1 /1/2 hours solidly working her way through the books.

BB played happily for ages with the dolls house and the ‘people’  - she is very much into playing these sorts of games as well at the moment. Somehow the rest of the afternoon disappeared in maths, cooking tea etc. before going out to swimming lessons.

After lesson and dinner, whilst I was putting BB to bed (H still marooned at work) SB (unasked) emptied the dishwasher and put it all away, and washed up the plated and cutlery from dinner. So I let her stay up a bit longer and watch some TV. By the time she was settled in bed H was on her way home and it was time ti flop into our various heaps.

Had my hospital appt about knee =bursitis . good.

Had a chat with SB about what to do today, so the plan was to do maths and writing quickly , some piano, baking, and experiment and paint her dinosaur. Not much then! We found the 2A workbook, and SB rampaged through the weights bit of that - nearly finished. Then did ‘S’ in getty and dubay B, and some extra writing while I got stuff ready for making banana loaf. She decided to do the writing inside a box - picture below - and had a wail as Daddy took a picture, and I collected beans with BB.

BB meanwhile had done her match and sort but us playing a rocket game, we counted down from ten, and then she had to go off and find the right numberjack. She also did some very careful painting, and put on a french song CD about animals for them both to listen to. we did a lot of jigsaws.
So we made up over banana and white choc drop loaf - an extra banana and it is truly squidgy and gorgeous. must make for Melrose. yummy. SB and BB mostly were able to share the task - today they have not been receptive to the aternate sibling receiving any attention - makes for fun. SB found the magimixer we have had for ages from brightminds and was having fun sorting it out.

Following that SB did piano practice, and BB did some afterwards - more randomly! both felt tired, so watched some Muzzy german cd 1 while I made cheese on toast for their lunch to refresh the parts…

Following lunch I put out some options for SB - facepainting, science experiment, dinosaur to paint or ’something else’. We did the bio clock - and no, we still haven’t made it work. I think SB thinks all experiments are doomed - its just like my Nuffield Physics course all over again.

SB chose to do some quick violin practice - she wants to finish the book, get a certificate and then learn some Christmas songs.

BB stayed asleep in my arms. SB also did a dancing show, the asked or face painting. I am not particularly skilled, but think this wasn’t bad.

SB painted her dinosaur - but for some reason, although I was sitting next to her trimming green beans, I didn’t take any photos. We did test the yummy cake - very difficult to resist eating it all. BB woke up, and we all did some of SB’s mosaic picture.

BB-isms. She does like to say ‘fantastic’ a lot. Also, when I want a kiss, she always says I ‘have to say something’ whether or not I have said please. Oh, and I love her ‘how about that then?’
We finished the day with bath, tea and a general chasing fun around the upstairs, ending in fits of giggles. our usual bed routine of taking it in turn to read, but with BB snuggled up to without being a scamp. A good end, because at several times, I was looking at BB and SB who had wound each other up into a shrieking and wailing frenzy thinking I could perhaps be at work. But only a couple of times. Mostly, I would rather be at home.

Oh, and we found BB’s lost croc. But we seem to have lost my camp socks!