i am not convinced that going to work is actually worth it always. and this week is one of those times. actually, thinking about it, this whole month. not that i can even talk about it let alone blog. but there. i am sure i am not the only worker that feels this though…
anyway, chris is going to blog yesterday, which was rather fun i believe. it did mean we didn’t quite do what was planned today as he and the girls were still exhausted [i am always exhausted] but instead had a lazier day. SB did piano practice whilst i was in bed, and had her head in a book when i came down. when i am feeling a bit blue, amazon tends to benefit [ 
] and this time was no exception, and i have spent some of my birthday money on nice books and also Bohnanza
we did also do some hugging, cuddling read the next bit of SoTW, look at some other books with marco polo in them or explorers, The Picture History of Great Explorers
ANother birthday purchase for me was a Great Gizmos – Movie Motion Zoetrope
SB hasn’t done much maths for ages, so she took the book out to the pond, and some rubbed out ernests book as well. BB said she was ready for ‘plussing’ as she is now as good as SB 
and at the same time! actually she just about is ready for plussing, as long as each number is less than five so that she can stick her fingers up and see them together. SB needs to learn some times tables i think, to make the whole multiplication thing less laborious. she wanted to know how i knew 4 x 7 was 28 so quickly. i told her, like number bonds, you use it enough and you know it [unless you are a maths genius and just know it anyway]
BB had had enough plussing, and wanted her face painting, so found the paints and she chose a dalmation, except every spot had to be the same size, but a different colour and not black, so actually she was just spotty!! she painted my feet with cheaper face paints. i have this book Face Painting (Usborne Activity)
we then got out the paddling pool, filled it with water and had it comedown the climbing frame slide and into the pool. what fabulous fun. what a perfect way to spend a summery day hey! [oh to be that age again too] so we all giggled, laughed and enjoyed the day. SB went off to brownies [at the 'big house' this week to look at the lambs and various other animals] and then judo – which she loves. BB was ‘xhausted and watched my little pony video [argh] and magic school bus – not so bad – and then fell asleep. SB on return watched Little House On The Prairie – Series 2 [DVD] [1975]
, which i have really enjoyed [ although as reading 
to SB at the moment, i have felt a bit over-romaned at times!!]. [small break to get to part 
[
which we were evenly matched for as i was on treble, so finally coming to grips with what the notes actually are. She just had a few counting issues, but even the low D noticeably better, and we both decided that it had def been fun.
and enjoying it. [
[we are doing this in tiny bites so on 1.5! but we are at least considering things]. I suggested that for the galore park, that although i am unbothered by her spelling elsewhere, she might want to use the dictionary to spell things for this [cue wails as couldn't find circus]. bb and i did jigsaws and then a marble run and sb did some maths – see we have been productive! then we had lunch 
and 
and 
] and recordered [more a's and b's] SB wrote BB a recorder piece in a’s and b’s – lovely of her. we read some french alltogether, did a fair bit of playing and reading altogether. watched the second ood thing, read some SOTW [ages since we did that, are reading about gengis khan] and SB currently in bed listing to our island story vol 2. [23:28 - but interruptions from chris - also blogging same days - and SB - can't sleep as windy] 
i bet the author is laughing all the way to the bank, there’s loads of those books, a bit like those rainbow fairies, and SB and other of her friends love them], hmm!! but, proudly, i did then spend the afternoon being at least moderately cheerful, and def interactive!
], and then listened to the correct pronunciation on the CD! we finally finished with tea and the second part of the cybermen part 2. Oops, SB and I also played a lot of games today, blokus, castle keep and landlock.
Butterbean sat and listened a bit, pottered around with Lego, looked at some books of her own etc. Lots interesting discussion about sailing boats, navigation, time, clocks, fossils, variation, species, islands, evolution, scientific evidence (which is why we spent so long). SB can happily read such books, but often prefers you to read them to her.
and 
she is going to make a list [who does she get that from] of all the roald dahl books we have, and then spend her book vouchers on getting the ones we don’t. not that she has stuck with fiction, other nose in a book moments with 
and 
. but actually what she has mostly done this weekend [and this is a falling of perch moment plus extra drumrolls] is writing!!!!!!!! My daughter, the not keen on writing one, must have spent about 8 hours this weekend writing. SHe has written thankyou notes to all her friends who went to centreparcs [all of her own volition, and the one i caught site of was v effusive] as she wanted to let them all know how much she loved them – aaaah. please remember agape! those whose children receive them, will hopefully receive them more happily than the rainbow friend, who when SB told her she loved her, said that that was highly inappropriate [raised eyebrows emoticon!] lots of 2 way explanations involved which i thought rather saddened the whole thing. ANyway, proud of all her writing, we carried on with all the christmas thankyous. SB has also done some piano practice [last pieces in the gbdf book] and maths – spurred on by BB with her head in the clouds declaring that she was catching up!
which she is particularly keen on as there is a dinosaur on the front! we had done lots of reading together, including most of the quentin blake books we got from the book people, incl this one 
. 
and we played lots of games [
, 
, 
] we tcikled, giggled, sylvanianed – the girls doing good compromise and cooperation – phew! BB did some brianbox electronics, and was most pleased to get a circuit that could light [she wasn't following instructions]
[bah to all that text in the link!!].
, 
, 
]
stories and a rather lovely book 
proved too tempting. we set up, puzzle over the rules, and decided to just get on with it. it took 5 hours to play the first game 
. i think Em is raving about the 
game she got as a birthday present…
collection – so went ot bed with one of those, whilst E and SB ds-ed. cutely, when we adults went upstairs, E was asleep clutching open ds – obviously had just collapsed asleep mid play!
which she enjoys, and both girls did some writing. SB did a smidgen of singapore maths. BB practiced counting to 40 [as this is her new 'stair' target] and they both counted to 40 in french. we pretended this is SB’s stair target – not that she really ever gets sent to the stairs!! [we only introduced this as BB required different parenting, mainly because she is so strong willed and determined that sometimes we each need a short break to remember we are adults, so a count to 20 [now 40] on the stairs and return and both say sorry accomplishes this]
]. SB and chris set up the lap top and her new microscope [ link for kirsty: 
] in the kitchen. this was her main xmas pressie, and she was v delighted by it. she looked at salt, bicarb, hair, prev made crystals and their slide. it worked perfectly and easily so happiness all round. since at least one person out their is looking to buy something along that lines, 2 things really – at 200 the lighting isn’t quite bright enough. it is oK, but could be a bit brighter. and the clips to hold the slide aren’t brill – though OK. i could be being picky, as the only microscopes i have used in a long while are particularly top of range! i can’t remember altering a slide’s position by hand for example, so i may have a high bar here!! SB found it v easy and intuitive to use, and quickly started to use the computer interface too, so i think ideal for her for quite a while. we are certainly all pleased with the purchase! BB also wanted a go, but was firmly discouraged – at least for now – as this is SB’s present. she did enjoy looking at the pics though [ah donner and blitzen, migraine returned full force suddenly, will wrap this up.]
, and I had to get the french. only one wrong out of 10 – oops. she thinks i may need more practice… [it was fire engine as i guessed with lorry of firemen]
