Got an phone call later from the second place, their order system had had some kid of fit and missed out sizes on some things and mixed up others (a pair of 36″ waist boots anyone)  :-)

Managed to get children breakfasted and dressed in 45 minutes, and SB managed a bit of piano preactice, so we got out in time to get into City 1 for a Home Ed group trip to a Pizza Express restaurant. They talked a little about the pizza making process, (for some reason I was a bit disappointed to find they don’t make the dough and tomato sauce on site - I doubt making a big batch in a factory is much different to making a big bacth in the kitchen, nor is it likley to be any different in any other big pizza chain), showed us how to make the dough into a base - SB was pretty good at that.

Then we got to make up pizzas which they then took and cooked. They had a system of numbered hats so they could number the returned pizza boxes. It mostly worked, though a couple were mixed up. Had a little look rouind the kitchen area (pretty small as they basically just make up the pizzas in there)  - 4 minutes to cook a pizza in their ovens.

Kids seemed to find the big walkin fridge and freezer most interesting.

Then it was back to collect the pizzas. Not sure there was a massive educational value to the trip (making pizzas isn’t exactly something new to them) but I guess they got to see behind the scenes a bit and  have a bit of fun with their friends. And it was free (a bit of a promo for them I guess), so we got free pizza for lunch Then headed off into town for a bit of real, in a proper shop, shopping

Ambled down the road a found a bench to munch pizza on. They are apparently looking cheerful :-) 

Finally found SB a new hat that she liked (another bargain as it turned out when we paid that it was much reduced as was aold stock from a couple of years ago) Though it was an adult hat, that only just fitted SB, so maybe that’s why it didn’t sell. But BB a fleece like the one I got SB last weekin a different pattern it’s just a fleece really, but for some reason it seems especially nice according to SB (BTW, any YHA members you get 10% off in Millets). BB doesn’t get that many clothes bought for her as we have so many from SB,  so when she gets something she gets so excited about it. I finally found some slipper-boot things that I liked, and we looked at various gloves, but none where waht SB wanted.

Went through the market and found gloves (she wanted some thin alternatives to her thick gloves) as did BB - fit her perfectly, which is unusal for a littlie like her (more excitement). A quick hit on M&S, and then it was time for a coffee break (SB had spied a Costa, and she knows they do nice cakes…) I’d said we could have a snack in a cafe if they were good whilst going round the shops. Quite surprsingly !! they were on the whole (a bit restless in M&S), probably becuase we were on the hunt for particular things, and tried not to faff around too much. And I had the buggy, which I can stick BB in.

A pop into Lakeland  on the way back to the carpark, where a bit tired children meant I wasn’ tempted to buy anything unnecessary (it’s an odd mix really I think of decent quality kitchen stuff, and all sorts of useless tat and gadgets).

As an aside, wondering what is the best rolling pin. I used to have a marble ones, which was good, though heavy and coould be too heavy for rolling somethings, but the weiht meant it rolled things out without a lot of effort.Have been using one we bought for SB to use and it’s really not big enough and is hard work rolling out things, I’ve bought a plain simple cyclindrical wooden one for now, but I’m tempted by one of the silicone ones like the Sil-Pin. The kids one is cute

Just about got back to the carpek before it rolled into the next hour, and toolted home.

Kids where much more a of a pain at home (why is the default seemingly into argue about something, even when there is no need?). SB found a white board lurking, so wanted to draw on that, I didn’t feel like going and finding any suitable pens, but SB went and found some, so theyns  drew cats and things and argued over pens (plenty of them) cloths (how often do you need the cloth?)  and who knows waht else. I sat a read a few random books to them when I got fed up with it and had revived myself a bit with tea. But before we knew it it was time to head off for SB’sswimming lesson.

Out, back, Helen was home from work , chips for tea, watched Merlin, children in bed.

Flop.

in the morning i think she had done piano practice, ballet practice and book reading, and when i got home, after a blow by blow ballet re-enactment, we also did a quick piano review, and then BB and i did piano practice. bB was v keen to do ‘home ed’ with me, so we did a couple of pages of earlibird 1B and before the code 1. [before the code 1 does annoy me a bit, as it has k for kitten - but of course it looks like a cat! and also on a pick of a boy playing football and kicking a ball, bb was supposed to choose the letter k for kick. she chose f for football, so i was happy with that, but the 3 choices were k,f and b!]

All 3 of us sat in a huddle and read out book of opposites in french, and the SB came up with a game of me saying the french word, and her finding something that suited it ‘leger’ ‘grand’ ‘pousser’ etc. SO we had fun doing that. She still remembers her a droit and a gauche from saturday, and sunday we did french converstions in the car - including de quelle couleur est les arbres etc etc. so i am feeling french virtuous!

when SB went for ballet and brownies, bB requested fimo. She had an idea in mind [she does tend to the bossy...] and she wanted to make a christmas tree shaped christmas tree decoration, like SB made in the past. we didn’t have an exact match fimo green but she did settle eventually on one of the 3 [!] other fimo greens, and we each made a tree. she didn’t want a hole through it, so we will have to stick string on the back somehow. Then, sorting through our cookie cutter collection, she did a gingerbread boy, and i did a gingerbread girl, and we ‘branded’ them in mary and joseph wear. I think BB’s joseph might be more of the technicolour dreamcoat variety… i am always impressed by the care and detail that BB puts into crafts and arts. she spent some time getting it how she wanted to, and looking at mine and deciding what she liked in it, and doing something similar with hers.

fimo cooking, we read a couple of big picture books together, and then a red red nose reader for her to show me she can read [still keen on a ds] unfortunately, although she was convincing with the 3 big pigs, she forgot it was a wolf not a fox…

SB came back from ballet and brownies, and read some of this book Cracking Up: The Story of Erosion (Science Works): The Story of Erosion (Science Works)
, which she said was good, and now both are in bed.

Unfortunately my strings haven’t arrived yet. so i haven’t done any violin prac, and i have just realised i need to blog yesterday, and do some fiddling with time stamps! AND do a musical monday post - all go here!!

i am getting ahead, we fitted in HE on the sly! we did a v short piano practice - for each girl, and did some french conversation for at least 30 mins in the car and french games. And, when we were at M and M’s SB did ballet practice.

AHA! i did nearly forget to blog that bB and SB had a delightful conversation about greenhouse gases in the car. currently, when sb grows up she is going to be a research scientist and sort out the problem with greenhouse gases. mms says bb, because they are naughty - yes says sb and does a bit of greenhouse gas talk and melting things. mm says bb, so it is good it has snowed because that sucks up the greenhouse gases, eerrrr, well not quite! v cute together anyway. bb is going to be a dinodoor bone finder btw! later bb decided the problem with greenhouse gases were that they were smelly! err, well, i guess some of them!

So we had a lovely fresh walk, with some coffee to warm up on the way. SB and C climbed trees - something they are rather keen on! well, one tree in particular, and then ran about a bit before going back to the car.

we went to M and M’s house for dinner, chat, world righting and the kids played well together, and lots of games. very nice evening, thanks v much!

now i just need to get flickring!!

the latinetc group arrived and we kicked off with science. i thought a fun session of dropping and consolidating the things we had learnt was in order, so we dropped crumpled vs tightly packed paper, and then made parachutes with different size and weight material squares. the children are getting better at making a hypothesis and thinking why they chose that, even if wrong! they certainly enjoyed all the dropping, and were confident with the concepts. then we made paper aeroplanes, which stretched me some, as the origami instructions were complicated! at this point merry arrived, so hers also had aeroplanes which whizzed about a bit. SLight mayhem and chaos later, and a latin session. i was v giggly to here amo amas amat [amamus, amatis amant] from the living room!

finally the ravening children were fed - we had missed out snack time - oops! and fully satiated went on to head shed loads of cake. though my pingu cake looked good, most children ate icing only. i tasted it and thought it was a lovely sponge! BB v keen on the full dark room and lit candeld cake being brought in and all, so we duly did this.

so mostly an afternoon of playing for children - inside and out - and chatting for adults. thankyou to Anne and A who also attended, and chris’s parents. we had a lovely chilled day. BB fell asleep pretty much as guests left, SB did some maths and the judo. BB is awake and playing again

Afterwards we went to green park to let of steam and have a runaround, meet up with chris and bB, and have lunch. the children had loads of fun with the leaves, throwing them all over the place, burying themselves in them and climbing trees [getting told off by a couple in the process, that we then speculated about as they tried to eat their lunch!], and eventually said goodbyes and went our separate ways.

we went to the british museum. we only had a bout an hours museum time, so we wanted something to just dip into, and neither of the girls had been there before. It is, of course, an old haunt of mine! I lived in london for 7 years, and part of that time was doing a psychology degree at ULU - we went past the psychology building, the ULU building [i remember the bar and orchestra practice!] and told SB all about it - eyes agog at the thought of the enormous ULU library!

Anyway, we had a wander in and out of doors of the ground floor, just really getting a feel for the place, and stopping at things that caught their fancy. SB most taken by all the modern works of art / statues there - gold kate moss included. SHe particularly liked the piece of the man and woman and all the medicines they had taken rolled out, and pictures along the side [birth to grave stuff]. BB liked the african section best.

we spent a bit of time with the assyrians lion hunting, making sense of the frieze and counting dead lions. i was totally struck by how in the past UK and other ‘booty hunters’ had obviously gone round hacking enormous pieces off ancient cities, and couldn’t help but feel something was irretrievably lost. how much more majestic must the assyrian door entrance have been in situ etc. deed done and all, and maybe otherwise they would have been lost with ‘robbing out’ etc, but…

easy journey back on the train as we had a flask of coffee, books and nibbles to keep all happy. as we were getting off, one of my work colleagues got off too - having been in first class all that time!! irritatingly, BB fell asleep instantly on the way home and was unwakeable, but woke up at 9. grr, and SB didn’t have time to eat properly before judo, so by the time she had had dinner and got into bed it was nearly 10. after a going out day, you just need them to fall asleep quickly.

chris gone to bed, as the grumpy virus has reached him, and i am not sure they will make HE group tomorrow! both SB and BB said lots of funny things i would blog all day, and i have forgotten them all, sigh..

SO today i went to work, and found that for some unknown reason clinic was cancelled, so i decided to agree to a day off [well, sort of, because i am doing tonight!]. ANyway, i came home and surprised the family and we did a whirlwind of catching up with HE! infact, we did so much so that i am lost for starting points!! Well, i think we started with reading BORN WITH A BANG: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story (Sharing Nature With Children Book), having recommended it on the EYHE forum. And yes, it is totally fab, and it does have fab illustrations. we had a read of the scientific bits at the back. SB is developing an enquiring mind, as she wanted to know how people knew that was true, so we discussed physics and maths experiments that pointed to the likelihood, and rediscussed the particle accelerator at CERN, in particular the hadron collider. we then looked into a book about the sun and black holes, Space, Stars, Planets, and Spacecraft (See & Explore)
, and we both got quickly lost with considering string theory - well, it is a bit to advanced, but she liked the idea that it was called a string, and TBH we didn’t do much more than a brief skid across the surface of an idea [i am not sure i could go particularly deep in it!]

SB did a fab violin practice. She practiced slurring, and then saw how many notes she could slur and string cross, so in fact most of the violin practice was having fun with this new skill! the practice was more than double our usual because of it!

in this time BB was happily jigsawing away, with me giving her the odd hand, but after the violin practice was sure it was her HE time!! SO SB settled herself with singapore 2B [last few pages] and BB did earlibird 1B, and then did some before the code whilst SB did Magical Skills: Ages 7-8: Spelling: Ages 7-8 (Magic Skills)
. She is really enjoying this series, so we might buy her the odd one or two more on other subjects! bB then did some pattern blocks and playing with little things making stories, whilst i read SOTW to SB on the subject of knights.

And then we had lunch very late!

After lunch we thought we would do some art, BB was v keen to make a rocket, and SB to do sketch tuesday [though a bit late!]. SO SB and i first investigated watercolour washes. [i must buy some more nice watercolours for us to do this properly!] and then over the arctic colour she hummed and hawed deciding which icy creature she wanted, initially thinking plankton, and working her way up to penguins. it meant she read a fair bit of Polar Wildlife (Usborne World Wildlife)whilst her wash dried! She did 2 versions of her drawing, and we emailed her favourite version off to be added [hopefully] to the group! We did a short bit of french altogether Bonne Nuit a Tous: Goodnight Everyone (I Can Read French) showing that SB does actually know more vocab than i thought she might!!

Gah, can’t get flickr pics to come here! will try again

BB meanwhile was doing some fab painting of her own, of a v colourful house, and then multicoloured butterfly prints. finally we made and painted her rocket whilst SB was at ballet [see below!] and then BB watched some 6 zoo lane whilst SB was at brownies, and we read books together, snuggled and tickled. oh, and she did a recorder practice - a couple of a’s and b’s!!

tea was curry in front of saturday’s merlin. A nice and full day i think! Keeping it so full, gave less chance for post weekend fallout day! 2 more chapters of pirates of pompeii to go!

Someone else did a little session showing how a tune can focus soundwaves so you can hear things better, and both girls did some recorders (SB did two sessions) with our tame HE-ing music teacher. Rest of time filled with random playing.

Headed off promptly but at what I thought would be slighty late time to head to Town 1 for gym. BB has started  pre-schoolers  gym session at the same place that. It’s just a free play type session - they have structured sessions as well, but not at a time we can do. They have various soft play type things out, ladders and benches to climb up, but they can also go and clamber on the gym equipment, jump in the big foam pit etc. Slighty odd to have all the littlies runniung aruound whilst Louis Smith or one of the others their in the British Squads does their stuff at the other end though.

While BB and me do this, SB sits on the side (though grumbles a bit) and reads, does something out of a workbook or whatever. Today she was moslty reading the Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess I think.

After that headed into town for a modicum of shopping - picking up a new phone from Argos (being able to check and reserve things online makes it all so easy) though of course BB wanted to ‘buy something’ and they both decided they liked the ideas of remote controlled cars. Treated the girls to a cake in Starbucks on the way back to the car as we had a bit of time spare.

Then back to the gym for SB’s gym session. This is much improved for me as they have found some volunteers to run the tea bar, so I can get a cup of tea whilst waiting. Buy the time it finished I was glad to be completing the last bit of the triangle to get home.

Chips for tea whilst catching up on the second series of Robin Hood. Before bed, SB wrote her letter to a child from a school in Kenya that one of the local Home ed groups is rasing money for.  One of the parents is from Kenya, the school was set up by the headteacher for children who cannot aford to pay for school, many of them are orphans and live at the school as well. At the session a couple of weeks ago, they reported back from a visit to the school earlier in the year and brough letters that some pupils had written, so we all took one to reply too. So SB has written a nice reply, Helen said she made a really good effort with it. Will take it with us when we go to the group to morrow (in City 2 for a change, though hope to get back to City 1 for a HE group Celidh in the evening)

i got up and went into work before meeting chris and the girls at latinetc. i was there before him by some considerable time!! but all 4 families were there and i took the biguns off for water resistance and uplift thoughts - sorry gina for not having upgraded the section in the sidebar page on forces = will do it! it was, predictably, messy! All children appeared to enjoy it, and hopefully learnt something. snack time, and then i did it, but differently for the middle ones. even MORE messy! still enjoyed though. photos in usual place! the bigger ones got to do some latin as well. A nice lunch and then we all piled out in different directions. michelle and I going north for a birthday party.

we have teasingly said that BB one of muddlepuddle triplets, the others being Shannon on going against the flow [happy birthday for 3rd] and Josie on HE the puddle girls, whose birthday it was today [BB's due date, but i won't hold that grudge forever, well, maybe i might!!]. So we went to Josies house for a bonfire night birthday party and all had a lovely time. SB elected to stay there rather than go to judo [slightly naughty, and appropriately reprimanded for lack of commitment ]they pretty much all got on like a house on fire for the whole session. we adults had a good natter [well apart from Max, who did a good job of making party tea and enabling fran to sort out the birthday cake].

Max also did some wizardry with fireworks, and all the girls found them brill, though Ams and BB snuck indoors in wuss mode [they were v gentle fireworks! though one was a bit more bangy than the others] also toasted marshmellows and roasted chestnuts. yumm. Fran played a beautiful happy birthday on the cello too.

an easy drive home. as we were driving up, the other side of the carriageway was closed and some workmen appeared to be digging something off the road. on the drive home, all but one lane was closed, and road repairs were being done.

so, lovely day. chris has done something electricky in the loft and cellar while we have been out.

ps, i loved BB’s B for Bitamin [this is what she calls vitamins] chris persuaded her it is a v for vitamin, and i think he has confused her forever, because she now happily says it is v for bitamin!

AArgh to christmas coming. why do i get so behind with christmas thoughts! pressies to get etc etc. its at our house again this year, we were going to have a break, but i’m working boxing day, so no point going to my parents to come back late on xmas day!

ANyway, I digress - well, i don’t really digress, as i haven’t started. I just am not feeling bloggable. I want the blog to just write itself, i like a record of what we do to look back on. i am barely using the camera either. obviously something is not quite right!

SB is more cheery these days [ or else i have got used to her wails and abrupt emotional changes/fragility] she is more stroppy as well. perhaps this is an age and growth thing. i do love having my mostly happier girl back again. She is talking ten to the dozen again, it is often like being in a wind tunnel! [and yes, I do know pressure of speech is a psychiatric term!] SHe tells me her ideas, what she has done, how tshe thinks the world works, and is alive again. phew. I am sure we are not out of the doldrums completely [as her wail about not going to the shop to buy a magazine shows, she is v quick to be desolate], but i no longer have her tell me she doesn’t see the point of being alive. BB is a squirmy armful of self confidence, bounciness, determination and joy. she is grasping the world around her and making it work her way! i love how she has such a clear way of describing things, and using her older sisters vocab to strengthen the emphasis on what she wants to say, and also the gestures and facial expressions! nearly 4! how time flies.

SO this weekend i have been working, but not too busily. The girls have done a fair bit of playing and also HE stuff. we are castle reading in our history at the mo - always a fun thing to play and recreate! SB is doing lots of spelling practice and maths - she hopes to finish her 2B book in time for when the MPAH 3A arrives [she prefers the MP as opposed to the primary maths which i prefer!]. She has also done music theory and 2 violin practices with me. BB is really grasping sounding out words as they are said. she doesn’t know the alphabet and scanty letters, but is good on the sounds and joining them together. we have done a fair bit of the before the code book 1, and today when we were going to do it together she told me she could do her home ed stuff by herself, and did!

thurs was a divali day at nots and tots, which they enjoyed. SB mostly played with L and E, and BB mostly did the crafts. they went on to a fun playdate afterwards, which both were v keen to tell me how much they had enjoyed it. So that was good.

fri was already blogged by chris - SB was v scary i think. she had been desperate to buy the mask, and I agreed as long as she made the costume to go with it out of an old sheet - she had the idea to bespatter it with blood. Was so excited to have the costume and rarred at lots of people in it, and was most impressed with the squeeze the heart thing. BB got fed up with her costume, so we tore the eye holes so that she could poke her whole head through, and then she was a much happier little ghost.

SB got this book from the library.The Magician of Samarkand
i would strongly recommend it [as would SB] and we will look for more books by that author. it is one of our favourites on junior jackanory, and the book itself is written beautifully. we love!!

we have done some french reading and conversation. following a recommendation on another blog, i purchased some more french resources, and we are doing the l’art de dire. I like it. i guess this bit could easily be made up and done with someone confident in french - which I am not! and there may be cheaper alternatives [luckilly i bought before all the currency turmoils through canadian relatives!] but actually i think it is deceptively simple, in that initially i wondered what i had spent my money on [ i bought the lire ones at the same time, and they are more obviously a good buy for that kind of thing] but as i use it to formalise our conversation, both SB and BB seem to be getting on well, and I have more confidence to extrapolate and experiment. you know, by the time i have finsihed home edding, i might be able to speak french! i did suggest to deepend Katy that she could prob write a home-ed conversational french package and have a market ready! I think she may be lacking in time though!! we are still using a various books and reading lots in french.

today we started making mincemeat using Delia Smith’s Christmas
. it worked well last year, and smells gorgeous! unfortunately with the nutmeg grating, there was a small amount of SB grating… never mind!!

what else? ermm, both girls have done lots of playing. BB loves her little things to play with, so will no doubt love her sylvanians - though still tempted by those rather glorious anamalz for her birthday! am thinking what to get other children for presents as well, and yes, christmas is coming!! [i think that may be where this blog started!]