Category Archives: art and crafts

owning up ;?0

my late bedtime was due to doing an aboriginal art style hama picture!!

shhh, BB asleep

at last!
she does seem to have a very low sleep requirement. She had a good day playing today, and had fun bashing keys on baby toy to make a tune the hit herself with it!

chris took the girls swimming, which they enjoyed.will try and go reg on a sun early morn as well. SB keen on idea of lessons, but as monthly we seem to be spending more than i got for a full year as a student I think we may have to pass. [just done budget, and we are def on that trendy asset rich cash poor thing. ho hum!]. they both enjoyed it. SB also had fun with the baby toys and investigated new webland issue

When I escaped home, me ‘n SB hama’d a bit, read some phonics, podded beans ate tea and cuddled up with bedtime stories [ i fell asleep first]. since then i have budgeted [where is gorgeous alvin when you need him?], whizzed around blog ring, and played with BB – as she last slept pre teatime]. She has finally zedded out.

chris has put shelving in what will be craft cupboard, so hopefully can make headway in creating order out of chaos.

sunny day

And so it needed to be, as first opportunity to play with SB for me since I left Kessie. only got home from work at half 10 and ravenous, but after that went for quality SB time, as get more interaction with BB in the evenings.

Started with playing all together, with me n SB stacking up cups for BB to knock down, and putting toys in them for her to find. BB is such a sweetheart, and her face is all aglow with excitement in these combined games with SB, who it is quite clear she hero worships. [what a long sentence]

BB carried on while SB and I started doing some hama aboriginal dreamtime style piccies. Actually SB not bad, though attention span compromised, so moved on to playing copy each others patterns and sorting out the colours. Particularly including counting, adding and spatial relationship skills. Kept us both happy!

we spent alot of the afternoon playing in the sandpit, burying our dinosaur fossil and then hiding it around the garden.
Sb also put on shows for us to watch. We then dug up potatoes and picked broad beans for tea, but actually had pasta – LOL. Oh well, there for tomorrow. Unfortunately the potato tops have blight, and the whole veg patch weed city. Not done a good job.

Actually whilst on house update, roof leaking, bath taps dodgy, showers not working, 100 year old grapevine dying etc etc. sigh massively!

After tea we read the 10p book from the hospital friends stall on rivers and water. very nice. It also had a picture off newt eggs on oxygenator plants. we of course know that now from last years experiment of what are these eggs, and what will they become [well 2 goldfish and 2 newts].

BB hasn’t been ignored, and has been doing lots of standing practice and manipulating objects. also some tummy shuffling. She is such a bundle of happiness. 3rd tooth nearly through.

little nanny walking with special zimmer, and the girls visited her for a long time yesterday – did nanny the power of good I think. the other ladies also cooed over my girls. SB took in the usbourne pocket science book of why we are ill for little nanny, so she would understand 0 bless. other ed moment sith chris [in case he doesn't blog] were stagecoach yesterday final rehearsal, and my fav, SB asking if the world slowed down spinning in summer so the days were longer. we need a globe I think!

I really would like to organise and arrange our home ed better again [still autonomous, but with the ideas etc ready] however, with the house in chaos and me always at work, I am worried that we are never going to do it as we would like. Early days yet I guess.

oh, and Chris P, 2 ways to my heart, food and calling my child gorgeous! Thankyou.

Kessie tomorrow!!!

Today at work noticeable for the massive thunderstorm, and my introduction to the NHS IT chaos in the making which is choose and book!

got home just before the beans returned from nursery. I had my dig it out dinosaur fossil from ebay arrive and a book today – SB thought it was great, and with very little finesse, it is done! SHe was most impressed though, so worth the ?3. I have found somewhere that sells them not on ebay for a little bit less [must check postage], so may buy a few and get them out periodically. also does some egyptian ones too. WIll buy one for nephews birthday to go with jigsaw.

We then went out in the garden to play catch – SB getting better at catching a ball [not one of the family's great skills] Then we picked loads of broad beans for tea – yummy. Whilst waiting for tea [mum cooking] we did some of the puzzle bits on webland. oh, and the fairy garden has germinated, so very happy.

SO although i was at work, I think today I still mnanged to touch base with SB in a good way. SHe had fun at nursery with her friends, and they did ‘PE, playing and eating’!!!!

BB definitely getting more determined to get own way – so yet another strong willed girl in the family. She is quite surprised when she shunts herself backwards, but think she’s getting better at it. SHe’s eating more, and feeding less, and nearly sleeping through! I am finding expressing hard going, but really want to keep the BF going. Life is going to calm down a bit, and I need to keep going until then.

Little Nanny starting to walk. The physios doing a good job, but still way off actually walking, and she is getting fed up. She is a bit confused and a bit depressed, but when she gets back to her won home I think a lot will improve.

ANyway, stagecoach tomorrow, and we will set off at 2 ish, so arrive perhaps 5 ish?? save a big khyam space for us. [don't know our number, but we are pretending to be the clarke's] Look forward to sharing a chat with all those going, meeting old and new faces. I’m not as nervous as I was for Melrose, so actually enthusiastic rather than resigned!

Guess a quick update in order!

so, to recap!…

well, a fair bit this week we have discussed the aboriginal art in our ‘home ed’ [!] room. So today SB and I made some dreamtime pictures. she was really enthusiastic, and as well as dots and footprints, we had lizards, barramundi and honey ants.
We looked up australia n the map, and some of my photos. ALso discussed different animals – AKA the ones in koala brothers! Her geography puzzle book has a dreamtime story about Uluru [ayers rock].

other ed type stuff was in discussing dinosaurs [a recurrent theme] and how the earth was formed. I am going to have to buy fantasia I think!

A lot of bouncing on the spacehopper, climbing, splashing in pool etc also carried out.

BB spent most of the time in the pool so as to keep cool – still blotch queen, but no longer worrying about it being rubella – phew. SHe also enjoyed playing with bead frame and some sponge balls. On lying on her tummy this evening, she managed to push herself backwards, so I think mobility phase commencing.

Mum and Dad staying as Little Nanny still n hospital, surgery seemed to go well, but she still can’t walk, and she and physio getting frustrated. And Little Nanny starting to loose hope a bit again. i am sure it is early days, but understandably there is some panic/consternation about what happens if she can’t walk.

I had a rough on call this week, but made it to the clinical governance meeting. I have to say I feel pulled in all directions in the moment, and it is difficult to retain focus and determination. Just keep breathing!!

i just want to be able to have more home-ed/family days and less stress days at the moment. I think my SB time is again suddering – though with the family around she seems OK with it.

Another home ed day captured

After the last day, I thought every so often I would capture a day in photos again, fairly randomly every once in a while to see what happens.

Today started with me making maggie and the ferocious beast stories up in our bed,, until my obvious sleepiness and halfheartedness persuaded SB to get up! She the started making her fairy garden with daddy – its an M and S kit, with marigolds and cornflowers, and some cut out fairies and a castle.

next was stage coach, where they are practising zippedeedoodah and summer holiday and sun has got its hat on for the end of term concert. SB has decided she definitely likes stagecoach, so thats good. Next sept she will go to ballet in the village as well.

On her return we finished the fairy garden, and put it in a heated propagator to get it off to a good start in the conservatory. While there we heard a live brass band, and remembered it was the float procession through the village today, so SB and I nipped out to the village centre to watch the floats and listen to the band.

Lunch was a pittapocket picnic on the lawn. very nice, and BB woke up, so had her puree on the lawn as well. Unfortunately, being nap free she also pooped on the lawn – sigh!

SB then played on her bike, my hammock and the climbing frame before settling down to pasticine and the monster stick in bits. however, when I brought a bowl of water and some plastic toys for BB to play with, this seemed much more fun, so she got her own bowl to do some more float/sink experiments. BB continued playing with the water all afternoon [with some snacking!]

When SB was starting to be a bit more adventurous with the water [over BB] I got out the paints and paper, and we cut out some stamps from sponges and did stamp picutres – very nice! even an alien world with two huge red suns. So I think we’ve caught up a bit on the craft front.

Before dinner she got out the cuisinaire rods and made patterns with them, and discussed with me the different steps you could make, and which ones to put together to make same lengths. She hasn’t assigned numbers to them. We then did some complicated game she made up, with looking at the phonics flashcard with her bouncing on the spacehopper, and me kicking a ball to her that she had to catch in a cup – a la mouse trap! She read out cat and knew it was cat. was really pleased when she red out fox and knew it was fox, until she admitted she had seen a flash of the back! She went off to teach daddy them with dinner.

After bath she got out her leappad and did the mother goose music one, and the richard scarry one. Both her and BB dancing to the music, with me and SB also singing. Bedtime stories, and the end of the day.

BB mostly investigated grass, a few toys, wriggling around and water today, with a bit of da teh and ra practice and lots of feeding. A bit of dancing, throwing about and general larking about~!

Weather was hot – luckilly a fair bit of shade in garden. We had a lovely day. I have got a box for chris for next week with some maths, some phonics and early readers, bit on the body, bit on people/religion, bit on garden wildlife and bugs so that should fit emergency ideas!

photos will be added to this a bit later.

Added by Chris

SB was having boiled egg for tea. ‘So what is egg yolk made from?’

‘Um, well…’ couldn’t think really of any sensible terms to use for 4 year old, so deflected the question by talking about what it is used for instead.

Gentle Day – Quick Blog

We have had a gentle day today as both of us at home. Another execrable nights sleep though! I think chris was going to blog about the mice – so I’ll leave that to him! Also the singing thing that he took both girls to while I sorted out various paperwork things and fiddled with photos.

Homedad and G came back to our house, and he looked suitabley ‘windtunnelled’ after listening to SB and reading her 3 books.

We did some more reading, and I used the letter dice from Boggle to write 3 letter words for her to guess – which went quite well. She wrote words for me, mostly in ‘alien’! We did some adding and subtracting with bricks, playing Bob the builder, and looking at her dressing up clothes.

In the afternoon, she had found a bag of wool, crochet hok and one of those cotton reels with pins in for tatting. Once I’d taken the 3 meters off it that i had done as a child, we had a go, but the crochet hook was too big really to be easy – even diff for me so we stopped. We also had a go at macrame with the wool, but she found the knots too fiddley, so we’ve put it aside for when she is older. in between showers we have pottered about outside. Otherwise we have been dancing, singing and make believing. We did however do the craft robot that she has been wanting to make, so that’s good. We’ve all in all had a very happy day, with no real fusses.

BB has been very noisy! [mostly shouting duhduhduh] she is getting good at pushing herself around on her tummy, and investigating things, Also eating more and more. hopefully this will lead to a reduction in night feeds?? At the moment, i think she is attempting to bf from a dolly’s head – so one track!

This eve a work colleague came roud, and we spent 5 hours sorting out how to best get the forms and appraisals to get a consultant ticket. Lets hope that it works. Oh, and I really miss not having a working shower!

La dolce vita

we have had a great holiday. the campsite is in a super league. pitches gorgeous, shady and sheltered – such that the night of high wind barely affected tent. we like our vango nightstop dome [venture 500 i think??]. Beach huge, sandy, dunes and shells. gently sloping into sea [warm] with a sandbar. Ideal, i think so! As if not enough, also 2 pool complexes, the nearest to us with a ring pool – with current to get you around it in the rings – SB v keen!] 2 round pools with jets and jacuzzi effect, large gentle sloping tots to toddler pool with slides and waterfall, and a lap pool for the straight swimmers! The further away one had landscaped sandy [read small gravel!] beaches, a samller ring pool, a jaccuzy like bit, and a water volcano, different depth areas in a big water complex joined with small slides, and a climbing frame with lots of water slides off it. A wooded area with swing/playpark etc.|Very nice too! 5 restaurants, 2 beach bar/grills, 3 other bar/grills, 2 supermarkets, baker,grocer, pizza takeaway, creperie, gelateria, hairdresser, numerous buying things shops so no real reason to leave – except venice! If you wanted it, there is kids activites in the days 2 hours am and pm, so you candrop them off, sports such as golf etc in complex across road, and a spa thing with thermal thises and thats.

my parents and sister and family were already there [hired caravan each] and we ad an easy journey out with SB and BB being well behaved on flights and transit. Having dad meet us at marco polo airport did make whole thing more civilised! Unfortunately, heavy hints on others putting up tent were disregarded, but they did save good pitch! SB and cousin M have great times together, and were off playing in sand and dirt immediately. my niece E had decided she didn’t like heat, sand or water, so sister Vivien rather stressed! Weather good, apart fro 2 days

the days activities: we ate croissants and rolls at breakfast fresh from bakers at tent, wandered over to the caravans to go to beach/pool, back for lunch – roll, cheese, salad and wine usually prepared by mum. then pool in the afternoon. a takeaway or restaurant usual for tea – though I cooked 3 times in a fortnight as did my mum. baby disco in the evening, and a night train ride. Baby disco was a bit of a hoot, with the under 12′s – on the whole much younger – dancing eurobop routines with the childrens camp people showing them how at the front. Very good for counting to 8 in german, as this was often done over the words! SB had some favourite bits. The night train wandered around the campsite in the evening with little ones on board shouting something untranslatable in german, and slapping hands of passers by.

bits that stand out -

me not gauging depth of one pool and stepping off side with B in arms, and holding her over head as I go under – she didn’t get wet, dad prepared to dive in hasselhof style, but relieved I didn’t need it. Jarred ankle badly, and scraped other foot [still painful] but BB unruffled!

BB learning to ROLL OVER!! fanfare for that one

SB asking for icecreams in italian and saying please and thankyou nicely.

SB just generally being happy and having fun. Playing with german girls in tent nearbye, even though minimal crossover of language, with no problems.

lazydays and evenings. I went to this campsite every other year for about 10 years, so it was actually quite a sentimental return for me!

venice was gorgeous – I have been lots before, but first for chrsi and girls. SB particularly wanted to go in the church, so duly done, where she was very impressed by it all. chris took her up to top, where she noticed the horses were boys! Gondolas, canals, bridges and the rialto ummed and ahhed over. icecreams consumed! SB was knackered by end, so good old bushbaby backpack!

HE on the hoof: We read usborne pocket science books, painted, dot the dotted, counted, and spoke italian and german. discussed weather, stars, vision [spontaneously SB came out with the fact that our eyes 'see' upside down]. lots of dinosaur hunting for fossils in the dirt and sand. A bit of ‘gunning’ as playing with a boy – hmm!! lots of singing and SB dancing. she even managed to swim some strokes before sinking by end of hols.

will prob add more including piccies given time. would recommend though!