Category Archives: art and crafts

Simple Sunday

Had contemplated going to Norfolk today, but instead we are going next Wed.

got up – reluctantly! And immediately had to build specific lego house – the client was a particularly demanding one! Some relief came when we went swimming. SB still doing the drowning dog stroke – but I am working on confidence to try other things! She is very confident at launching of the side – nearly a sitting dive to be honest, and then carrying on swimming. She also likes to do dolphin ducks under and over. BB also loves the water, and kicks and splashes wildly, with careful preparation she can float on her back – but for a few seconds only, as she then tries to turn over and sinks.

On the way home we picked up some more fresh plums, sweetcorn and runner beans from various stalls on the road. Talked with the somewhere in 80′s no doubt plum lady about the village and changes, and my desire for an orchard. She says I can walk the children round it whenever I like [5 acres]. I know, and orchard and chickens – must have watched the good life once too often. [partic if you look at our veg bed photos on flikr - oops, but has been productive, despite the weeds]

More lego, and then we decided to read the castle flip book and make our own – which we did. A minor contretemps as SB had spotted a roman house kit from DK which i will put aside for a couple of years, and really wanted to build that instead. Anyway, a lovely castle from loo rolls was made and painted [crafts]. I was pleased to have done it, as going through old photos, we seemed to do a lot of arts and crafts, and this really has slowed down a lot – due to lack of planning by me I suspect.

Some story reading – including Ulysses by Usborne, and the she helped me make pasta bake for tea – so some to freeze again for little Nanny. SB has got over courgettes now, as it contained those and fennel, red peppers alll chopped but visible. Still whizzed the mushrooms and onions though. Also pine nuts and olives. yummy!

Chris putting SB to bed, as I’ve got to do this major talk for work [still!], and BB burbling at my feet. Chris has done some slashing to the overgrowth in the veg beds this afternoon – good man.

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Ah, lovely day.

We didn’t try and do a lot, but had a great time together – it is just so nice to relax with my girls.

Lots of ebay stuff came this morning, and I am trying to send some of it back – a trouser suit for work – with a skirt?? and a pair of trousers whose zipper is missing?? Not received a reply yet. Also some DK stuff for SB – pyramids, and an oxford children’s middle ages history book [preparing ahead]. The postie said she specially came to ours first this morning!

This must have got SB in the mood, as we started by letterland reading, and when she went downstairs and I tried on clothes, she got out various match and sort books – miquon maths, singapore earlibird 2A and my pals are here primary 1a, the jigsaw sticker books and some ladybird work books, and flitted betweent htem. HOWEVER, THE THING THAT ABSOLUTELY FIXATED HER TODAY WAS THE CUISINAIRE RODS. SHe made pattern after pattern with them, totally grasps there relationship with each other. In total hours must have been spent in absorbed fascination with square patterning. [have put some of them on flikr]. We also did some playing with the globe – and she is very taken with the word antipodean!

She was very good helping me to make dinner, including going outside and helping dig up some potatoes. The sweetcorn are really coming on – ? ripe enough to eat next week. She insisted that we pick some more elderberries to make some more juice for the jelly – so will set some more off whilst awaiting jamjars. The dinner is one of the simplest yet very yummy – 2 packets of lindamcartney sausages, 2 tins chilli beans and some onion, with layered potato on top with mustard. In oven for 1 hour roughly. SB likes the onion whizzled up, and I pop in some whizzled mushrooms as well. Spare for little nanny.

BB has been walking/shuffling sideways alot, doing that magic movement thing across rooms, and pulling herself up. She is really practising waving, and enjoys SB’s musical percussion set. She definiately is more keen on finger foods that the feeding her things. Today is her 9 month milestone!

Finally, after tea, a bit of magic. SB noticed a hot air balloon out of the window, so we looked and thought there may be 2, so we went into the garden – there were 14! Have taken some piccies of them over the church – sish I had a good camera with a good zoom though, as ours not good enough for this! We enjoyed scooting about garden and house to get the best view, and watching them going up and down.

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Catch up – Home ed

Well, its about time I wrote something a bit educational. Sb very good at reading and asking loads of quesitons – so no probs there. Also had an ebay frenzy and books and maps keeping us occupied [and bigly clothes for me]. The cheap globe from tesco a hit. I seem to be addicted to DK eyewitness books though. SB doing lots of drawing, and some maths workbooks regularly, reading lots of things together – with her spelling and saying the simple words. Lots of outdoors when the weather OK. I think we are mostly doing imaginative play though at the moment – dressing up and acting out. SB also very interested in family albums, and getting an idea of historical timeline through family. We didn’t get to finish the jelly, as some jamjars on order from Lakeland. MUST buy postcards this weekend!

BB is definitely into being bipedal. She can shuffle around – mostly backwards to her extreme annoyance. She has started waving her hands – which is v cute. SB adores her – also v cute. even if there is the odd greenish hue around.

My Dad visited on wed, which was very nice. Both he and Chris think I put too much up on flikr so can’t see wood for trees. I don’t care! it is my backup photos, and there is room. I will cut down for the albums. Antway, dad brought me lots of cousin Anne’s geneology things, as I am going to be the keeper. Haven’t looked, as i think I often try to pretend she is still alive, as we only saw each other a couple of times a year. Brief moment there. Anyway BB enjoyed eating Dad’s icecream. Sb shew him everything she can do!!

I am germinating a curriculum plan in freestyle mode for CHris and SB, so need laminator and time, and then they can do dip and dives, with things semi organised – SB not good if no instant gratification!

Anyway, think that is it. loads of piccies on flikr to back it up!

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A portrait.

I thought this was great.

Stringbean spent quite a while carefully doing this. It is portrait of Butterbean, I love the spidery feet. The greeny/yellow bit is here high chair, she evn went into the kitchen to check the colour. she asked me to do the toybox for her, shame it doesn’t look any better really…..

Turned out sunny – long

Thank goodness things improved. was still bluergh first thing, but some coffee and cakes from the bakery helped. I read inumerable books to SB whilst BB used me as a climbing frame and refused to feed properly. BB then played on the floor quite happily – she likes contingency toys, particularly if they are tuneful!

SB and i looked at the new webland [she had done some with Chris whilst I was still bleugh as well]. more singing of 12345, and dino tales. SB has quite got into the games extra sections. It certainly so far has been worth its subscription. We then played dr’s – SB takes it to new levels of realism by being on call and answering the phone from her bed, getting up and asking whether she needs to drive v quickly or not! I had floppy hand, closed eye and shut ear syndromes [seperately]. BB had scratchy nails!

To cut my blurginess short, I decamped to the garden and the MODHEU. I often find an abrupt change of venue, with limited resources suits me better, and gets me active.For SB I took out some jolly phonics workbooks that we haven’t done in ages, some singapore maths, usbourne story of hercules, DK why greeks built temples, a photo album of when she was BB’s age, her dough beads from friday’s puddlers group and some paints. BB had assorted toys and boardbooks – though mostly she wants to stand and bounce bottom!

had to come straight back in, as SB and I disagreed over the wind strength on the beaufort scale – she thought 6, me 4, and on reading the book = 5! Chris put up arbour seat that we had bought for old house to tempt buyers, but never actually put up. took him all day really. SB periodically helping did not really speed up the process.

We were having such a pleasant time that it was 3 o’clock before we remembered to have lunch. SB took a shine to the JP workbooks, and I was sent in to get the rest, and she drew round the letters very carefully – she is definitely getting interested in writing, so glad ordered getty and dubay. She also wrote my whole name out without letter guides [I did spell it letter by letter though] the H and N were the same and a mixture of capital and small, but i was really impressed, as 2 months ago this would have been unthinkable. Real step forward.

The maths wasn’t for her today, but we read the hercules, and the DK greek book. discussed Greek gods a bit – and the one we have in the garden [Bacchus = parties] and what other ones we should have statues of – demeter, hera as for crops and women and children and a dryad. This was not done in any religious way [to stop palpitations and fainting] as we also discussed the Greeks religion of the time, and that no-one practices any more, and that the gods/goddesses were used as a way of focusing the mind on what was important to a person at that time, and also as a way of trying to explain why things happen. Quite philosophical! We decided that although our house needed a clean, we perhaps wouldn’t divert a river through it, as SB was worried our carpets would be ruined. [she can be very practical when I have a flight of fancy]

Thinking of Demeter we went to the overgrown veg patch and harvested some potatoes and onions. in fact all the onions could do with harvesting and drying, and ditto potatoes [well not drying], or they will get slug damaged. When you next visit, Merry, ask and you shall receive! I dig, and SB rummages for them – a good team effort. lots of bugs spotted – favourite is always ladybird. our elderberries also nearly ready for harvesting and jelly making. [ edit 2 – Actually, while we were there, we could hear the hymns of a wedding – very nice, and then enjoyed the pealing bells afterwards.]

oh yes, we painted some of the dough beads [yes, chris did bake them yesterday] BB attempted to eat one, but foiled. [an aside – just loading photos from today and I took 123 – can’t imagine how – so pruning required before flikr!] In fact BB, although dreadful at milk today, has been one eating machine. Top 2 teeth are nearly through, and certainl noticeable to me after a feed – but not like Isabelle yet.

losing thread now, but we returned to each thing a few times – particularly the JP, and SB was sounding out the 3 letter words [whatever they are called] quite confidently. SHe also drew some lovely pictures in the workbooks, i think my favourite was the r for raspberry, which she painstakingly drew the seperate circles for. Her concentration and detail in art really is accelerating. She ‘read’ to BB, made up songs, princess story re-enactments, lots of climbing frame gymnastics [must sort gym out] and general malarkeying about. Unfortunately photo album a casualty, though photos not.

By teatime she was noticeably worn out, so bath first and then tea. While waiting for the quiche to cook we started cutting out for a mudpud recognisable fabric pennant to put on buggy – not sure what with at moment! SB confident at scissors, and cut oval of pond, and some of the spikes, as well as the easier bits of the duck, and the reeds [well, they were going to be beans, but not really identifiable as such, so reeds they are now!] She did nearly all of the butterfly, but was so big compared to duckling, we decided I should trim it down – a shame really. More sounding out and spelling at teatime, then Mog and shirley hughes stories at bed. She and BB flaked out rather quickly.

When i have reduced photos to a number that are not going to use up ther rest of our allowance, will be on flikr!

edit 1- looking at photos, i forgot to say that we ‘decorated’ BB

briefly………..

…got a cold and knackered, so today didn’t go too well, and eventually gave up and went to bed – so much for spending time with the beans. She got a parcel from my sister, so dressed up as a pirate, and used the painting set to paint flowers and shells – rather nicely.

Did do loads of reading library books before bailed out though, and when got up we did lots of lego games and stories.

SB went to a party at nursery thrown for the school leavers! I went to bed again. When she got back we did more lego, played outside – nice photos of her in bridesmaids dress [as this is now party dress] in the garden.

on coming in we did about 6 pages of primary 1a singapore maths weekly revision, including her actually spelling out and reading the word ten!! she is making a stab at writing the numbers, but I’m not pushing it. Also a bit of phonics cards.

She showed a fair bit of interest in the family geneology today, so we will sort out photos etc to do a family tree. Maybe I will buy katy’s timeline programme as well, and do a timeline family book. Have been thinking quite a bit about home ed and how to go on. I’m v happy with our dipping in and about approach in the main, but would like to build up a routine of normals, and also music regularly and the muzzy – which we forget now the telly in another room.

Also having looked at dottyspots blog, am interested in going to here probably on the sunday as sounds fun. [festival of History in English Heritage place in Northamptonshire of M1

BB certainly now really enjoying standing. Also musical toys, and those where you can press buttons. She is also drinking milk well from a bottle at last. of course this now gives us the problem that I’m not sure I can express enough, so may have to use formula partly on working days. Not that happy about that really.

Maybe I’m just knackerd and viral, but really feel my life just isn’t where I want it to be, and fairly powerless to change it. I’m going to have a good try though.

SB started another crystal experiment with me before i went to work yesterday. At this rate need to buy in bulk.

Two Wheels on My Wagon.

I did start a blog last night, then closed the window and lost the post :-( Couldn’t be bothered to do it again.

Anyway, recovered from the weekends festivities and the house is mostly back to it’s normal (dis)order. We did get the curtain put up in the front room though by Helen’s parents. They were supposed to go and play golf, but her mum didn’t want to go as it was raining, so cancelled it, and then of course it stopped raining a little while longer…..

Pleased, as fitting the bit along the pelmet thing required sewing Velcro to the back of the ‘dangly bit’, dunno how long that would have taken us to get round to doing (never is probably a good first approximation) all looks good now. They match with the covers on some chairs and cushions, which is all a bit grown up for us.

It was good to catch up with various bits of the family I don’t see so often, though as we now live a lot nearer to many of them I guess we will see them more often. shame a few members weren’t able to make it. Shame also that it rained on Sunday, but we did get to use the inside of the house and the conservatory. It certainly is good gathering/party house :-) It was even the incentive for me to clear the boxes out of the dinning room so we can actually get in and use the room now.

So, yesterday Stringbean started off the day with bit of crafts with Nanny French, making a cut and stick fish. And errrr…. after that I’m not sure. There was breakfast, Butterbean didn’t get up until turned nine, so then that stretched breakfast out a bit longer. Oh yes, making marble runs and some reading mostly I think, plus some computer advice for Grandad. And eating cakes from the rather nice bakery for elevenses ;-)

Afternoon, H was home so she did stuff with the girls, including finishing the clock kit that SB won at Melrose and started ages ago.while I mostly did boring domestic stuff.

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Today we started off with ‘Tool Girl’ as SB perused a power tool catalogue (that’s my girl) that came in the post this morning, discussed why there are lots of different ones and why an SDS drill is the dogs danglies for drilling holes in walls. Did expect her to comment on the lack of pink ones though.

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She got a treat? of a Cheesestring from the shop this morning and had it for breakfast. I do have a prejudice against this sort of thing, but TBH, not sure why. It’s seems to be just fairly mild cheese, with smattering of Annatto for colouring, just been processed a bit to be able to pull into strings. Anyway she enjoyed it.

I do love the way SB thinks/cares so much about BB, this morning she got out some clothes for BB, not just not set but a ‘summery’ outfit, one for if it’s colder, and one for tomorrow as well :-) So we pottered through the orning, bit of reading of books, hanging up of washing, SB picked a load of flower petals and then tipped them all over herself.

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We fed the fish and then spent some time watching/talking about them when SB wondered how they can swim backwards.

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After the inevitable lunch of beaked beans on toast I boxed up the car roofbox to send it back for repairs. They sent me a very big empty box to put it in, the courier man was amused by having to deliver just a big box.. SB did assist for a bit , she tried a bit of baby bondage by strapping BB into a spare car seat with the luggage net from the roof box and spent ages in the hayloft reading all her old baby books. She also found a folder of her at work going back ages so she reminisced over that while covering the playroom floor in them.

We then tried out Butterbean in the bike trailer again. She sits much better now and has much better neck control, so we took it for a spin around the village and stopped off at the playground.. BB seemed happy, and SB enjoyed having her in there with here. Will be good to be out using that again. Went on the swings and the seesaw – her first time I think – at the playground and enjoyed them both.

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H is on call and had to go back in unfortunately tonight at about 9.30 :-(, I cuddled BB and fell asleep on the sofa, which was nice, but not really conducive to doing me chores, nor is then writing a blog entry. Of course she got back about 1 am, so we of course went off to bed like sensible people, but it’s past 2 am now, so we can go to bed happly now…..

H seems to have just uploaded piccies from our Italy holiday as well.

Manic Monday

Well, work was anyway, as a few colleagues short – again!
Got home and immediately relaxed. SB and I finally finished her Melrose clock. Played in the garden, watered toms, lots of simon says and ballet shows [again thank goodness not overlooked!] A bit of patterning with her cuisinaire rods and reading a book about the north and south poles.

BB cuddlable and adorable.

felt vaguely unsettled as had nigthmare after nightmare last night – all wierd and vaguely reminiscent of cube and hypercube scifi crap films. In fact parent 1 from the portico died with me in one of them swimming when the water became solid WTF?? Howeer, kept seeing the post thing in cartoon, with Chris looking after the beans, so wondered whether this was my subconscious grappling with the at work thing.

Oh well, chocolate tonight and an early bed

Stringbean the artist :-)

Stringbean did this a little while ago, well I was impressed :-)

It’s a Cat, Mouse and Dog, just incase you weren’t sure ;-)

Drawing of Cat, Mouse and Dog

Ahh, good day today.

though a surprise, considering I only managed to go to bed at -2:30!

SB got up and brought me some singapore primary maths 1a this am whilst I was still in bed [9-ish] sat on BB’s head so she woke up too! Since I have started being worried that we are letting things slide, I managed to prise open eyelids and we romped through the numberline pages. When SB then brought a spelling ‘match and sort’ book, i realised she was raiding the future presources box and got up. i fished out the DK eyewitness books [that were a book people special a while back] and some phonics cards and went down in search of breakfast.

SB was the teacher [as always] for the phonics cards, but I hope that she actually takes some note of my answers. I think it is going in, but no reading coming out yet. We then had a toss up between the shark and the volcano eyewitness book, and the volcano won out.

About half way through Chris reminded us that if we were going swimmin…. So a frantic getting ready and the usual SB exasperation with going out hurries. We did get there though – nice pool and reasonably quiet for the sat morning session. And [drumroll please] SB swam half a width unaided!!! Several times infact, floated on back and generally enjoyed water confidence. She is swimming like a drowning dog, but its a start! BB as always loved the water, kicking and waggling about.

Home to some joe the dragon addition and then fraction fireworks, plus the stackers. she finds numeracy easiest when she thinks in sweets, even if in her head!

Lunch was another SB palavar, as she really is driving me nuts with the not being bothered to feed, wanting to be fed rigmarole. I might not be so fazed, but she did actually starve herself between 9 and 15 months [92nd to 5th centile]

weather so good we put up mudpud camp gazebo – to find there is a piece missing! [is it with you layla??] BB had some toys on a mat, SB and I did part of a mosaic style banner until boredom set in. we the read the usbourne pocket science why people are different and 3 red nose readers. though i was reading, she is at least guessing words now. lots of general play/tickling messing about interspersed between the 3 of us. [chris mending the pond fountain]. SB has got much better at balancing, and was even scootering well. I wore different trousers today!

SB then put on a horseriding show while chris persuaded BB to nap, we also peeled and chopped veg for tea [my pretend south american dish – sweey pots, butternut squash, carrots broad beans and sweetcorn in a gingery chilli sauce. should be with couscous , but had run out, so rice and tortillas that SB makes into ‘sushi’]. The broad beans were own grown and about 5% were maggoty. We never really had pests in leeds as too far from any other veg growers i guess, and new made plot. What got me [and stopped SB helping] were that they pinged themselves all over the place – lovely! Anyway, you could pretty much tell the pods infected from the outside. When I find my veg growing books i will look it up. We ate outside again as such lovely weather. This was followed by looking at varoius seedpods – water and land iris, hellebore, sweet pea [everlasting] and a general scout around the garden. SB solemnly warned me not to eat any. I also introduced her to drosophilla – as there were manky cherries in the pantry!

While Chris did bedtime stories tonight, I have been having a kissy/raspberry giggle and ticklefest with BB – she has a great chuckle. She is now asleeo on lap, and chris coming down the stairs. What a lovely day!

general updates: littke nanny happy in convalescant/rehab cottage hosp. we will be visiting wed. My sister 34 tomorrow. not guiness [AKA Murphys] seems to have departed.

time for a limoncino and coffee!!

OH AND WHY DOESN’T MY GRAVATAR WORK??????