Category Archives: SB-PE

Open Ballet lesson

just got back from work in time to take S to her open ballet lesson. I really enjoyed watching it. SB puts her heart and soul into it and really loves it.  A bit of left and right awareness would prob be helpful!Their teacher appears to really enjoy teaching too.

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Daddy and BB made some yummy scones whilst we were there, and when we got back we all ate one before SB rushed off to swimming.

potentially of interest to all those following the timetable saga, today Sb chose to do ‘happy street’ as SB’s choice – rofl!! She also finished her singapore maths 2A book – woohoo, and did some handwriting practice and piano practice. Since daddy’s doing bedtime, that means no MTH or mummy’s book, so I guess that is 6 boxes today. [ i will get bored of this too!! ]
BB and I got to have a lovely cuddle and snuggle and I put her to bed today. she is currently going through a bit of a winnie the witch phase.

monday just gets busier

during the day, SB did maths and piano practice, and the girls had their room re jigged. SB in particlar made lots of icosohedrons with the polyhedrons . I think I might have to print off the various platonic solids so that I can remember their names, and SB learn for the first time!! BB made houses and tunnels and tents – not bad![chris might expand on day, but doubt it!]

When I got back, we did some more polyhedrons. BB and i read apple tree farm, and she did lots of counting. Then – drum roll please – SB and I FINISHED SOTW!!! well, the first book anyway. The roman empire has declined and fallen! SHe wanted to do some more latin, have no idea where the minimus book is, so found the usborne first latin [or whatever its called too lazy to check!] and said hello, how are you. Chris liked being the domine – ahem!!!

SB went to ballet, returned briefly and then went on to swimming – how chaotically busy. its the new class, and there were only 4 in it today, right down at the deep end, so lots of attention each. Chris said she was excellent. BB and I played with the jigsaws and counting games, and then some more traintracking whilst I made a thai thing for tea – which i cooled down for the girls with some left over leek and potato soup from yesterday- worked well. oh, I must say at this point, SB says Marcus makes better leek and potato soup as Chris’s was to leeky!!!

BB off to bed after a numberjack hit, and SB and I then wrapped up her presents for BB, and finished her card. [OK, I have just finished it, as SB got ‘worn out with cross stitching‘ , but the design was all hers, and she did do it valiantly.] So she decided to make chocolate [dairy free] truffles to put in the party bags for wed. SO we had fun doing that, and agreed we made a very good team!

SB is reading to me the next magic tree house now at bedtime – lunchtime with lions, and I read another chapter of 21 balloons, which we both giggled over. [and yes, a maggie , hamilton and the ferocious beast]

SO now wondering whether to do a BB blogpost or read new book!!!

The Longest Day

Which is what Tuesdays have turned into, esp. so for Helen who should be out the door by about 730 am and often not back until 7pm + (about 7.30pm today) :-( and lucky if she gets a drink, let alone anything to eat during the day.
But also SB’s swimming lesson has moved  (since she moved up a class) to 5.30pm – which means us leaving the house just at the time everyone is starting to flag, you are thinking about feeding children etc. and we get back at about 6.30, needing to eat dinner, all feeling tired, getting crochety, children seemingly extra noisy etc. It’s be ok just taking SB out, but dragging an almost 3yo out of the house for an 1 1/2 just to go to someone else swimming lesson isn’t a great plan. Last time she fell asleep on the way home, today she stayed awake, but didn’t eat any tea anyway and was running on that need to sleep speed fuel that toddlers have.
Have talked to the leisure centre about moving classes, but it’s complicated by people waiting to move up from other classes as well, avoiding other clashes, fit in with other things we are doing etc.

Other than that, this morning went in baths,  bickering and books, SB had only been up about 2 minutes and they were bickering about something that BB had done to annoy her (BB does plenty at the moment), then they argued about each not having enough space in the bath…. :roll:

eventually we got children, books, bottles etc together and headed to the library, via the bottle banks, BB looking very silly wearing a sou’wester hat backwards, looked like a big red headed duck.

I day dreamed in the library while someone read them Mr Men stories, they cut and stuck and coloured. Oddly a pair of scissors disappeared – did a toddler pinch them to threaten other kids with at playgroup, or maybe they went off to join the knife that disappeared through a  rift in the space time continuum at Kessingland last year? they got more books, we came home. SB slipped over coming in the door, so went back outside, twirled around on the drive and slipped over harder, hurting herself….. :roll: – cue wails.

Much reading of books, before lunch. Afterwards, SB  had found a  colouring competition in magazine, so spent a fair while colouring that in, she wrote out the address on the envelope, wrote her name and address on  a piece of paper and we posted that off. BB didn’t want to be left out, she scribbled on some paper, put in an envelope and scribbled on that, so we posted that as well (too ourselves).

Also did some more maths this pm as well. And they played some complicated game with finger puppet animals and the Operation travel game whilst I got dinner cooked. Until it was time to go out to the aforesaid swimming lesson.

By the time the kids were in bed it was time to collapse in our respective heaps and watch a couple of episodes of Numb3rs, which does have some inventive, if sometimes a little implausible plot lines

Aargh Blogging

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!
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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!!]

going swimmingly

i got up early, we got going early. Played games, did jigsaws. Home ed – S singapore aths and handwriting, B counting and pattern making [rofl! both did the europe jigsaw, we looked for diff countries and discussed that it is SO old there are 2 germanys. SB has quick;y cver t cover read a fairy book. BB did a lovely hama butterfly. we watched numberjacks and roar.

the afternoon was mostly going swimming  – finding costumes, dong wees, finding corocs  you get the picture! we all had a lovely swim.

Back, and some violin practise -well 2 actually  from SB, games with BB, a picnic/cafe reenactment. loads of jump ahead level one and poisson rouge [SB,BB]. SB coloured in french colours, and we had our french conversation.

tea and bed. There, all done. total week from H*** at work next wee – just hoping to keep head above water.

Time and Motion.

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.
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BB couldn’t quite wait for lunch though :-) :

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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.

Titanic

bit out of sequence so am going to alter timestamp ;)

Anyway yesterday was home-ed trip to titanic display at a local museum, and I was very wobbly about it! Chris goes to the groups, and although I’ve been a couple of times to that groups events, not really enough to particularly feel that I ‘belong’, whereas I do with the other group – possibly becuase I see a number of the families there for other reasons too.

Anyway, wobbliness aside, we set off early, got there on time, and had a good look round. SB had told BB that they could buy something from the shop, so she was a bit like a stuck record – sorry. They enjoyed all the colouring, and looked cute dressed up. Perhaps BB looked more like oliver twist than titanic! SB really enjoyed the drama, and BB also joined in. Another family from the village was there [there are 3 that home-ed here!]

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Extras appearing in the titanic IMG_9378

Afterwards we had a bit of a debacle in the shop as they didn’t take cards, so winnowed the purchases! Both got a dinosaur to paint. We then nipped to the carpark, but i saw that clarks was empty so thought i might get some shoes. SB has the wrong size feet apparently for clarks shoes!! BB has some, but i am worried that they were fitted wrong/ hurriedly. SB was so disappointed we went to H and M to buy non-tarty leggings, and ended up with 2 legging outfits – which she was really happy with. I also bought some leggings from evans, so all set up we were back to car.

There we found T and her child in distress having been looking for their car all this time. We waited with them whilst a carpark attendant whizzed about and found it – thank goodness, as we were making ‘if it has been stolen’ arrangements. Popped into Merry’s to drop of Amelies doll, and home just in time to greet my Mum arriving, and send SB off to swimming.

BB enjoyed painting her dinosaur and making a carrot cake, and we all did some more tidying and chatting – looking up weird relatives to boot!

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Planning ahead

I love thinking about the Muddlepuddle Winter camp. SB and Chris will have their birthdays there this time, and apparently Babs is being inundated with forms [if the camps list of senders is to be believed!] I imagine at this rate it will be full in a fortnight!

SB went to sports session this morning, and I did some tidying, and set off some oven dried toms - they are STILL oven drying! Merry and girls arrived before chris back, but did at least feed them swiftly, even if the main attraction of SB was still missing.

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Lots of girls playing happily sounds, and then SB off to ballet, so Merry got to enjoy magic schoolbus for her girls. Jan/Jonathan – Chris can’t find many, where did you get yours from?? SB back, and a great clothes swap about. I find it offputting to see so many SB’s running about – as of course they wear SB’s clothes, and I usually see them and think SB before brain processes! Amelie is so like SB to cuddle as well.

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Merry and I had a good gossip, and a play with the pentomino based games. I love them! might buy one for my Nan for Xmas actually, I think she would enjoy the solitaire one. [so don’t sell out and not replace Merry! Can’t find it on your site yet Merry, otherwise would link. BB had great fun playing with a mouse in a corridor game – which I am sure Merry might supply the link to too!

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Girls wound down having a chippy tea watching magic school bus. SB now watching Nina and the neurons – arrgh we still haven’t done any SOTW, music practice or anything today!! But we have had fun. oh, and we have nearly finished that window mosaic now.

Blogging for Chris – updated by Chris :-)

Edited to add:

Pah! Gone back to Opera, forgot it doesn’t play ball with the editor in WordPress , does weired things to the formatting of the text. Don’t like it that much anyway, might go back to Livewriter. Though WP editor is better for adding photos with Joe Tan’s Flickr Photo Album Plugin

He can pad this out perhaps?

He can try…. Can’t much get into blogging lately – always seems a bit insubstantial, haven’t really read any or Twitter much either, I did add some bolding though. And capitalised – which bugs me.

Libraryfinished Wild Read. No certificates, medals, presentations or anything! nic, do you have any spare certificates??

It’s all pretty low key at ours, then again it isn’t proper library and is run by volunteers, i’m not sure exactly how the whole thing is arranged anyway. Some of the local town libraries are having a presentation of some sorts. Anyway SB was excited with her magic bookmark :-) Girls sat down on the floor whilst having the ’1st of the month bikkies’ and sat reading books, so a good little advert for HE there :-)

SB done some maths and getty and dubay.Her writing is getting very neat know, when she wants to make is so. I was encouraging her to write smaller to fir the writing in the boxes in the maths book, which seemed to make it neater for some reason. Maths was measuring things and estimating measurements. One bit was about picking the right scale of units for things – so she got highly amused by the idea of very big and very small things for a while.
SHe is v proud bedroom now spotless.Yup, she has organised the wardrobe – he clothes (arranged of course) at one end, BB’s at the other, all the empty hangers in the middle – who does that remind you of… ;-). She was going on about tidying things away a few times a day, and I did hear myself saying one of those ‘OMG I said a parenty thing’ things ‘yes, if you put things away when you’ve finished it odoesn’t get so much of a mess’. Now if only this parent could apply that…..

random playing – some naked playing in the paddling pool, a bit too much screaming and shouting indoors. Some drawing/colouring etc. BB is very much into ‘cooking’ with the play cooker. Have to do something about storing all the food bits though. We’ve got more than we had with SB, and it all now seems to end up all over the floor, and then take ages to tidy up. BB is also very much into playing with various people/animals etc. characters and can sit for ages playing little games.

Swimming – has level 3 and nearly level 4 sign off.Shame dad didn’t have enough change (£2.50) to get the certificate and badge though (shame she didn’t get it to this term, they are included in the cost now). In some ways it’s good to get back to having some things to hang our week on and structure it around, but I do find trisping off to things later afternoon a bit of a pain.

lots of DS-ing, and has finally got her dog trained to some commands!she waited up until 9 for me to get home, and put her to bed, chatting all the while, proud of her swimming, tidying and DSing. we also chatted about rods and cones in eyes.

BTW, last week they stayed over with my parents, went to Hunstanton, for a summer seaside trip. SB likes the seafront fairground there, as was excitedly telling BB about what things she might like to go on BB stayed awake until about midnight it seems…. (sleeping on the way home)

re-edited by Helen – what on earth did you do to the length of the text lines Chris – a right old mess!!

Fido and Brutus

On and off during the day the girls are playing at being dogs, SB has been Fido, and BB Brutus. SB particularly has been a gorgeous child today. She is usually gorgeous, but some days i am reminded just how lovely she is more than others. today she has been so caring and loving to BB, trying to think of things to do with her that she will enjoy.

the taming of room of doom has again had benefits, with both girls hama-ing first thing in the morning. I didn’t know where the big hama beads were, but BB unerringly found them She is very good at just finding things – when she wants to. Has a better memory than me, thats for sure.

Actually, that reminds me of a game they were playing that chris overheard. SB was being mummy going to work, and Chris said she was very good at the intonation of ‘i can’t find my shoes, anyone seen them? I can’t go to work without them’. yes, I do tend to have shoe crisis on work days. Maybe i should have more than one pair, but they have lasted nearly 8 years now! Actually, maybe BB should be in charge of my shoes!

We started filling up the pool [its about 11 foot] and SB and i made a start on room of doom 2 – ie the playroom. It took for ages to get to the point of maximal mess, when you’re just about to logically put it away, when i was abandoned as the pool was ready!

SO we have all had much fun in the pool. i still need to give the playroom a sort out – will do that with both girls in bed. SB and I have also played a few games, and read a book about the rainforest – ties in with her magic tree house book, and she wanted to learn a bit more. i also have a DK search for eldorado book as a rainforest theme, so maybe will read some of that to her too. All these books she can read herself, but its nice to be read to, and I like reading aloud. We chatted about my time in borneo, and how it is like to be living [albeit temporarily] in the rainforest. Mostly whilst she mimicked sloths and monkeys on the swing and trapeze. she has rigged a rope to the 2 person swing, so that i can sit on a chair and read a book to her whilst pulling the rope and swinging her!!
The room of doom 1 has a new shelf for not finished art/craft projects, so she picked up a painting project present from big that we hadn’t done for a while, and happily painted together various insects. BB by then was fast asleep from so much playing in the pool. You know, I might even try to stay tidy [faints to the floor].

Sb and I then had fun picking french and runner beans, looking at the different flower colours of the different varieties. We have Blauhilde french beans so they are a nice purple – though green once cooked. I think beans are going to be a staple of our summer food this year.

SB did then a bit of diego on nick junior, and BB woke up with lots of books. both girls are now playing in the pool with chris looking on. past both bedtimes, though BB not going to sleep due to long sleep earlier, and it seems a shame to spoil SB’s fun as she has been such a blessing today.

this eve i must write a talk I am giving, as next week might be rather hectic.