Category Archives: Dance/drama

Easy day

we thought we might relax a bit!!

Lots of sindy/barbie playing. some cutting out and colouring paper angels. SB read to me bouncy ben [or from heart!]. i read quite a lot of books. Some cbeebies games. A game of shops – we made the money with different denominations and did lots of sneaky addition and subtraction.

Last stagecoach – SB got a glowing report. She now says she really wants to go back. I think we will put on hold for a bit. We are organising swimming lessons and ? gym instead.

the fruit trees have arrived and have been heeled in.
washing has been sort of done.
I think I may have deleted finally all the spam comments
i have started albumising last years piccies – on June!

Post camp always feels like a bit of a deflationary exercise. I think we have all enjoyed the more relaxed day today. I might try a gentle swim – or at least pootle in the water – tomorrow.

Must look at my diary for visits
MUST do tax return!
MUST do babybond – has anyone any recommendations for stakeholder/shares based ones?

calming down

chris much better. i’m not, but really expected!
we are hoping to set off tomorrow – and i have packed [very slowly!] the clothes.
will text if we don’t.
i have loads of ebay bids on dressing up clothes, and will see if i have won any on return – chris laughingly thinks i will win the lot, but not wiht my max bid!! prob none.
BB well and jolly, and SB hasn’t caught anything

Actually done a fair bit of home ed stuff – lots of reading, story books, books on engines – plus ad hoc experimenting!] Hama beads, mental maths. lots of role play, sindy playing, lego playing. Some christmas cards – not too glittery actually!

Mistakenly looked at finances after an im with Jax – so back into depressed mode! But decided to ignore until after Xmas, and just be prudent until then – apart from an increase [dramatic] in the alcohol budget.

We unfortunately missed SB’s last stagecoach show, as I broke my arm the week before, we weren’t told, hadn’t been the week before that as Nic visiting, so this week she was taken by grandparents, who stayed to watch it. I’m less upset than I thought I would be – prob because the grand scheme of things problems are a bit large at the moment. SB did us at least 6 ballet shows to make up!

BB a treasure also, very happy laughing and cruising around. [shouting!] only the odd unaided step though. May bring her walker toy with us. Sh’es got great dimples.

Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Ballet Day

Well, The usual night [sigh] but with much less screaming, since as I wasn’t working today, I was quite happy to do endless amounts of feeding [?] Got a lie in though.

Went downstairs and immediately was pressganged into cuisinaire rod patterns. Thankyou Merry for showing me new ways to spend money, so have looked at icthus website. Not actually parted with money, as waiting until next paycheck.

I then read some of my least favourite books – the Mr men series. Argh – Mr chatterbox is even dense text [I paraphrased!]. The we looked at crusades in the DK History really interesting bits, as SB really likes the bloody bits in history.

from there we moved on to Hama, and did another star, and a face – Nanna and grandad F had arrived by then, so did the face with SB, and thought it was a great idea. Chris – in his infinite wisdom – mentioned some of the shaped boards SB has for Xmas – sigh. What do you do with men like that?

Lunch and then we went into cambridge for the Moscow City Ballet. We parked and road, and neither of has been in central cambridge before – looks really nice, and as the park and ride so easy, am tempted to do it again. BB left with Chris’ parents. Lots of little girls in their angelina finest – SB insisted on the bridesmaids dress, and I thought great, another outing for it!! She looked gorgeous [biased mother alert!], and lots of people thought so too, and asked her if she was a ballerina, so she did the wooing thing [rofl]. The ballet was good. [heresy, but its not really my thing, and I never did the wanting to be one phase] A bit long really – Tchaikovsky Sleeping beauty. Interest was maintained for 2/3 of the time, which I actually thought was rather good. I did encourage though with whispered explanations, questions and what do you think when her prefidget signs showed up, and also allowed her a bit more wriggle latitude – it was a matinee, and the seat behind me was empty, and I had told the lady next to me and behind where SB should have been to indicate if she was getting to much! They didn’t seem to mind when she occasionnaly popped up to do a few of the ballet moves [I think I may have heard a giggle!]. Whens she was really flagging, she decided to do sums – I kid you not, there in the ballet we are doing whispered sums using fingers and toes!! She is variably correct when going over the 10, but enjoys trying to keep all the numbers in order. We rode back to the car on the top of the bus at the front – which she loved.

Back at home we went to the chippie for tea, and SB then played with her Europe Jigsaw, getting very good at the more obvious countries, and making chris’ parents guess which ones they were. We then played with the alphabet bingo we had from sonlight. i read a few more books, and that was our day done and dusted.

Although i haven’t mentioned BB much, we had a good play in the morning and again in the evening, and she was a good girl for nanna and grandad. Lets hope she sleeps!

Meal Swapping

In a blogring way, we cooked Sarahs aubergine and chickpea casserole for tea – very nice, and now see she is planning beetroot rissoto.

I think Chris and I are too tired. Work is very full on – and I guess will always be so, so I feel that I am full on in every aspect of my life, with little opportunity to catch my breath and just waste time! BB not sleeping, and my dreadfulness at going to be early combine to make me permanently sleep deprived as well. I notice that Chris and I get short with SB at times when we wouldn’t have done before. I shouted today, and have felt dreadful since, as it was just about putting her coat on – not life shattering at all. She had refused, I said fine, we got to the car and she was complaining she was cold, so I shouted. Sigh.

Chris and I need to work on this, as SB doesn’t respond well to being shouted at, and it is usually entirely unneccesary, just a release of our frustration. With my working, she is always keen to stay up as late as she can push it to play with me, and I can’t help but want to play with her. This, though, is also not helping, as I think she is sleep deprived too, and much more likely to wail at the slightest thing, therby setting mine/Chris’s teeth on edge, etc etc – you see how this goes. I think, as soon as I’ve got the things at work vaguely running, I can try not to stay late – I’m often back at 7ish on Tues and Thurs, so that we avoid those being late nights, and potentially try and leave a bit earlier on the Mon and Fri to be back by 4:30 – 5ish if i can.

Anyway, to today. I got up late – another poor night, not helped by SB going to bed so late, that i stayed up unneccessarily later etc etc! We went to stagecoach [and I shouted about coats]. SB always reluctant to go, though enjoys it whilst there, and we haven’t renewed to go next term. We might try it or something similar again when she is older. I am not totally happy with stagecoach anyway, as I think they teach the children bad singing techniques – ie louder and false american with smiles, rather than concentrating on tunefullness. However, thought she would love it – how wrong! While SB there, me and BB had a nice walk around the nearby country park – good for my cobwebs, and giving BB her own time.

the weather was so lovely I promised SB we could eat outdoors for lunch – so we did, warmly wrapped. Chris had made potato and leek soup – yummy.

I the afternoon, I read SB a magazine and a story whilst BB fed and then dozed and she did spiral drawing. We then spent quite a long time painting and did blow painting and stamp painting. a rather imaginative under the sea picture with handprints as seaweed and the fish/shell stamps. she even drew a safe path for divers.

She then coloured in a picture for a present for me. BB woke up so we had a fair bit of playing all together. Mostly with the stacking cups and the moving tortoise, with SB also using the spacehopper to bounce up and down the hall – to BB’s bemusement.

Later I read most of the Roman Usborne time traveller to SB, and we had a look for Italy and Rome on the globe, discussed empires vs kingdoms, capital cities, slaves and the rather horrible roman games! We did a page of thinking skills in maths 1a. I am feeling guilty about the lack of formal maths at the moment, so will try and gradually creep it in. Yep, I know not autonomous, but then I don’t pretend to be autonomous, just generally child led, but would feel more comfortable with a ‘normals’ set up in addition.

Tea was the well received aubergine and chickpea casserole, and then some story reading and general looking at our globe before bed, and the magic faraway tree at bed.

To tell the truth, I am wondering whether we are a bit slack to be home educators, as SB such a bright spark that part of me thinks we should really be managing to do normals, and let the rest be child led. Somehow, we don’t. its not a worry so much now, as she isn’t even compulsary ed age, and I do think formal education is pushed far too early, and yet….. [everything we did today bar stagecoach was truly autonomous]

flowers

what I forgot to blog, is on tues SB inisted that they buy some flowers for me!! Lovely. Isn’t it great to have someone who will buy you flowers.

full on day at work [so drinking last of limoncino] however, have come home, ate Chris’s yummy tea [must try Sarahs aubergine and chickpea recipe], read 2 chapters of story of the world, played ta with BB and tickle games, SB has read a red nose reader to me. SB has been to nursery and ballet today and has proudly shown off some of her nursery artwork. they are now in bath. I should be helping, but have used up the last of my energy with that short burst on getting home.

We are going with SB to bolshoi ballet next Wed to see sleeping beauty – so thats great. Have had to turn down an invitation to meet the Princess royal – tough call [??].

feel sad over the denmise of Muddlepuddle lists, however the early years should arise like a phoenix. Also, as Merry says, the camps and friendships go on. Thanks Muddlepuddle for setting us on the path of home edding.

Did some of the things!

We actually had a nearly decent night sleep – wonders will never cease! BB not so fidgetty, though I can’t actually do a feed count, as all nights merge into one!

SB went to Stagecoach this am, for lets go and fly a kite and chim chimeny. She now agrees it is about sweeps not sweets as they had a sweep prop!! [And we had been discussing sweeping chimneys with our fire - including the fact that children used to have to do it, but not that the boys got testicular cancer and died].

Whilst she was engaged, BB and I had fun. we played peekaboo, chair climbing and stair climbing practice. Standing practice and Ta games. Cuddling, tickling and lots of giggling. I do like this age! BB good at standing unaided, and several times took one tentative step as well.

I did then start the grape and lemon jam [which i have done on and off all day]. The recipe calls for seedless grapes, but our victorian vine is obviously seeded, so I spent ages deseeding 2kg of grapes. SB did not help, as said it was too messy [??!!??], but she did measure out the sugar in cups and do the stirring.

In the afternoon, we planted about 1/4 of the bulbs together, and played a very prolonged game of mummies and babies – I was the little girl of 13, and she was my 15 yr mother! She very sweetly called me darling all afternoon, which I rather liked. Looking at the veg beds [in desperate need of attention!] some of the Runner bean pods were big and dried enough to pick and shell. The plan is to save seed for next year. We imagined we were jack and the beanstalk though, so buried a few! After having a discussion about how they grow, we have repeated the beans and damp kitchen roll experiment.

While I finished off the jam – which actually is a sweet/sour type eastern marmalade really – SB and BB played beautifully together in the pantry – well SB I think might have been keeping her prisoner, but there was no wailing, and SB was being very attentive, so I was encouraging! I realised I had miossed a few seeds, and they came to the top in the initial boil, so next time wont seed at all!

Various neighbours have had fireworks. I really do miss living on the top of a hill in Leeds and seeing the city’s fireworks all around! SB and I were counting the time to the next firework – and she is reliable to 59, so not bad. we did a bit of playing with numbers – adding and subtracting while waiting too. Tea, bath and bed!

Now I am hungry – shall I forage or ask Chris???? Hmmm.

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Lots to do

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?

A weeks beginning.

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….. :-)

Archaeology Day

Oh what fun. Let me say now, before you all switch off, it was fantastic. I loved it, just my cup of tea. the children loved it, and it was great fun!!

The background was that we [Merry, Tammy and I] had enjoyed reading archaeologists dig for clues with our children, and the children of the families thought it a great book. On meeting up for the Roman re-enactment thing a few weeks back, the children enjoyed scrabbling in the sand being archaeologists, so we thought, well why not?? And Tammy being an archaeologist……

So Merry and Tammy and families came for the day to have fun. First we covered arts and crafts, as the children painted their pots using red yellow and black [OK, real paints rather than natural glazes and dyes, but they were garden centre terracotta pots. When they are teenagers, they can make the pots as well!] this done, they hared around playing with each other on the bikes, climbing frame and indoors whilst they dried. SB, Sam and Fran also went looking for flints in the veg beds – and found loads. The ceremonial pot breakage came next – Amelie took a few goes – bless.

At this point all the children were supposed to disappear whilst I buried the pots, but SB and Sam helped out. we all helped mark out the squares – 2 test plots each. I dug the holes and they put in the broken pots, plus some hama beads grave goods [these were pre-christian!]. Some competition between Sam and SB ensured that there was plentiful grave goods!!

Lunch time – phew. Minimal trauma as pasta with help yourself toppings, so all eaten up. Second sitting for adults [after Tammy had read copiously to thechildren, the archaeologists book and moved on to fairies - Merry and I did contemplate leaving the building surreptitiously at this point, but it seemed unfair!] I got the recording things and the glue ready for the afternoon fun. Cheesecakes from Tammy [yummy] set us up for the archaeology.

As this is arable land, luckilly, artefacts are usually near the surface, and our dig was no exception [it was bad enough digging filling up 10 test pits without going too deep!]. A handy field walker [LOL] had left a clue as to which pot was buried underneath, so the children all found their pots, and started digigng. less adult help was required, and they all had a go at recording on the chart the places they had found things. Fran was the first real find – some pottery not buried by me, and also Amelie had some extraneous pottery. When each child thought all was found, we had a quick over dig and brought up a few more pieces and went to the glueing.

Glueing the pots with 5 children is much more hard work than glueing with 1!! Especially since they were tricky things to glue. I think to anyone else contemplating this bit of fun, I would suggest terracotta saucers instead. Easy to paint, and much easier to glue! Bearing with me, Fran and SB nearly completed their 2 pots. I had to admit to Amelie that half her pot seemed to be missing – and we couldn’t find it in the hole either! Tammy and Sam nearly completed theirs. Sam went to do a bit of sieving – since I had found 3 garden sieves. The others gradually went off to play. They all played together really well. [usual minor sharing traumas, but nothing major] We decided that the incompleteness of our pots [due to missing pieces and glueing trauma] was very realistic.

During this time, Josie practised her escapology tricks [rofl], and interacted with BB. They did seem to be having a game of pass the item at one point. BB asleep on sofa, and I don’t think her nappy has been changed since before lunch – Aargh terrible mother! They have both seemingly enjoyed the whirlwind of activity around them, and the interaction between them is cute.

Some chilling out and then the parting of the ways. Sb is at Ballet – having cycled there with Chris on the tandem, and BB is asleep. Peace – how wonderful!

Yep, I am flickring – its getting its own set!!!!

oh, the village lights committee came round to confirm our willingness to buy a christmas tree for over the front door, and pay for the yearly decorations. OK i said, when should I get the tree – well by the end of the month – what??? Where do you get an Xmas tree from in October???

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Weekend

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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