Category Archives: socialisation

Sunday walking in the WARM

It was really warm for our monthly RSPB walk with chloe, michelle and marcus, and it was lovely! lovely to be out in the sun, lovely to have a nice walk, lovely being severely bossed by BB! She particularly wanted to be first, and to run up and down the quarry steps, so thats what we did alot of! She took her ‘noculars and SB took some real ones, so they could both look at the birds. SB and Chloe also did a finding things all the way round, which they enjoyed. i loved the fact that SB thinks of the R in plRnt and grRs rather than an a – would help if we were northern!
[lots of photos to come on flickr]

back to their house for the usual sumptuous feast – yummy – and lots of game playing. i particularly liked the fire and ice game. girls all got on very well, BB was only intermittantly ‘three’. we adult had plenty of nattering time.

on the way home, SB and i sang together, and its the first time she has ever held the tune with someone else singing with her as well. so i am v happy [BB has always been able to do it]

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I'm waiting for EVER IMG_3629 IMG_3644 IMG_3666 IMG_3696

car keys and divers

well, after 3 hours of ‘system’ i am cleared of health scares, and need only a biennial mammo [unfortunately not avail on NHS but def worth paying for for peace of mind!] being in a scatty frame of mind, i took all the car keys with me. oops. this meant that chris couldn’t go to group for latin. however, after latin, group came to us for science, which was lovely, as i got to see them when i returned from hospital. science experiments are always enjoyed when water is involved. our floor got a good wash too!

Latinetc water 2: making divers

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ANd yes, it did work, the divers did dive with pressure [mostly!].

Sb went off to rainbows, where she cried because she was teased. I think all the undercurrents are getting to her. I know all mothers prob project personalities on their children a bit, and i am prob guilty of seeing her as ‘sensitive’ and maybe that encourages it, dunno.

whilst SB was at rainbows, BB and i watched ‘dinodors‘ and had a nice snuggle, and looked at pictures. poor babe was missing out on the trip yesterday and then i was out this morning. She does like to know what is happening. she is gloriously cuddly though. She did – for once- demonstrate her demanding behaviour with others around. thing is, i think i need to focus on both girls for different reasons, and don’t feel i am doing either justice. parenting is just such an enormous responsibility.
SB returned and we watched the Australopithecus episode of walking with beasts, with SB cuddling me and BB on ‘fishy on a dishy [known elsewhere as poisson rouge!]. we talked about a few issues thrown up by the film. they do seem keen on recurrently showing mating don’t they? I can feel SB edging herself towards asking the mating question, so perhaps more sensitive to it! As an aside, one of the car bits was about having babies if you weren’t married, and did people have ‘to do the kiss and dance to fertilise eggs’. I very gently queried what on earth she meant, and she pointed out that in fairy tales and real life, all weddings have dancing [which she had realised had some significance] and was this the trigger to tell an egg to grow. SO i said no [and didn't giggle!], and the ‘special hug’ bit, but… [bit odd actually, as she knows the daddy provides half the DNA, so how an dance could do that? may be the kiss?]. mind you, BB with her thing about birds and eggs, is sure she was in an egg in my tummy and hatched there.

BB then fell asleep cuddling me, so has missed tea. SB, chris and i talked more about pressure, atoms and molecules, liquids and gasses, based on the earlier experiment, and then heated up our closed system with ebts on diver staying afloat or sinking – of course he sank, so we had a discussion about that too.

SB wandered off to read a book – and the read me salient facts from why is the sea salty. She has really loved that series of books. we then read together a bit more about anglo saxons then bedtime.

BTW I am really loving the american primaries. i wish i was voting there rather than here. i would obviously be a democrat. And what a fantastic choice on many levels – its as good as the west wing!

oh, and chris has spent a fortune on a bike for SB’s birthday. Michelle, not sure when chloe due her next bike, but maybe not having marcus and chris chat might be to your advantage… Before chris raises eyebrows, we did plan to buy a good bike, as for bb too in her time, and apparently they have good resale value. we had better buy a good lock!!

busy busy

we had an out and about day today. HE sports session, which SB loves. we adults and bb chatted and socialised in the corridor. we then popped into the shopping centre to spend some xmas vouchers. we did well! SB and BB had fun in the ELC and Waterstones. SB and BB were impressed with buying a book in the bookstore rather than internet! We had lunch out at a place recommended by Bob before – good recommendation thanks! whilst at lunch bb refused to put on her shoes as they hurt. so we went to clarks and spent a huge amount reshodding the girls. ho humm.

so back, and SB ballet and swimming, and bB tiptapping on her hammer in pins toy. i am not totally convinced that giving bb a hammer and tacks is wise, but she has loved the toy. we also did some baking together. All watched the start of walking with beasts.

A day of 2 halves

We had one child each for most of the day. Not my ideal, but seemed a good idea at the time. Chris took SB off for a drama taster session. She really enjoyed it. they celebrated a friends birthday there too before coming back.

BB and i meanwhile, played with the k’nex building aeroplanes, did some painting – actually most impressed by her use of colour, read books and went outside to play in the sun for a bit. We got cold as scantily dressed, so leappadded indoors and had lunch as she was too hungry to wait for chris and SB.

when SB came home they had lunch. SB then did a fair amount of reading, BB and i played with a traintrack, then did SB’s violin practice. I took SB to rainbows and was helper for the session, whilst BB stayed with chris. i enjoyed the helpering actually. they did a great puppet colouring in craft, and i was rather bossy in enabling the girls to share the pens [oops] but 4 of them had piggies, and there were 2 pinks, and initially the all wanted all pink – so we thought of other ways to do things!! Chris and bB were out in the garden.
back home, and we had a watch of some magic school bus, but something went wrong with the server connection, so instead have had a walking with dinosaurs fest! [AKA a nice snuggle on the sofa!] i have started readign SB ballet shoes as a bedtime story
Sis has surgery tomorrow, so fingers crossed.

centreparcs

we had a lovely time at centreparcs, sharing an 8 person villa with making it up residents! both families were not at peak due to outside stresses and strains, but we had a fabulous time anyway. I have never been to centreparcs before, and would now thoroughly recommend it as a winter break – particularly with friends. We not only shared a villa with some, but were happily surprised to find another family there which we know, who’s daughter and ours has great fun playing together, and i enjoyed having other adults to tallk to as well.

We obviously spent a LOT of time in the pool complex, for 3 days we did a late morning across lunch and late afternoon swim [going for the least busy times] and on the middle and last days went for the long swim and lunch there option. i guess we pooled for about 4-5 hours a day. BB was absolutely ecstatic about her ‘swimming holiday’ it [I think] was absolutely what she had hoped for. She loved the swimming, progressed from wanting to hold on a bit, to wildly throwing herself into deep water [the salt pool shelf] and swimming back with her ring on. She has got faster and faster with her swimming, using a ring and doggy paddle. Just so confident in the water. she was very happy to dunk under the water, get absolutely soaked, pop under to pick up diving rings [within standing depth]. it was lovely to see. Sb also had a ball. She is a water baby anyway, far more comfortable swimming under the water than on top [though her stroke there improving] and fearless. she enjoyed the rapids, shoots and slides, waves and diving for rings, and just generally loved being in the water. She loved having friends there to play with as well. i liked the tubes and the hot salt pool best, though the ‘river nile’ [named by SB] was good beacuse we all pootled round that together. the rapids at night were good – in fact swimming outdoors at night was generally good, as something i haven’t had much opportunity to do. chris thought they should have some wilder shoots and rapids!

Other things – well, SB went to the roller disco, except there wasn’t any disco to it at all. however, she did get to try out inline skates and fall over a lot. She def wants some. Good, as i have bought her these for when she finishes her swimming term [i find it hard to believe my wildly confident girl of the last week needs a bribe for swimming bravery mind you!] Must get some padding for her! All children had fun at the playpark. SB was daring, and BB and I had fun. BB did lots of scootering everywhere, which she enjoyed, and SB cycled. we were actually one of the closest chalets to the complex [by luck] so I think SB was disappointed not a longer bike ride. However, it was much easier for the little ones coming back at nearly 8 after evening swim!

A fair bit of crafting was done in the tiny gaps of schedule! both Jax and I brought some craft kits to do, BB was mostly keen, making pompom things, and a pencil craft. Small painted his aeroplane, and SB and Big scoobied, drew and beaded. Big did some fantastic facepainting. [even if a nightmare to clean off!]. An assortment of games had been brought and were played. Sb and BB had broght lucie chat and the other french reading book, which we read a number of times, and big and small also seemed to like. SB had brought her music theory book – and even did some of it!! we adults fed, watered, read stories and provided intervention breaks as appropriate in the day, drank a modicum of wine at night whilst setting the world to rights, and also played scrabble [tim won twice, but it was a close thing. jax moaned about the lack of refreshing screens - rofl!]
So, last day, last swim and meal and home – to loads of yellow moon boxes – rofl. bought ‘a few things’ in the sale. oh and my new swimming costume!! [too late but never mind]. great break. real world submerged me now, but nice to breathe if only for a while.

notes

not-v-local tots group with crafts and latin for girls

Panis romanae

Some Stirring
SB been good at piano practice this week, also done some maths and handwriting. both girls watching muzzy german.
fun playsession with rainbowsR

all done by chris as i have had dreadful week of slog! SB been up late, and have played games together

Miserable monday

was somewhat hit by emotional and crap viral unwellness, feeling v sick and dizzy, stuffed up, and bleurgy. SO I didn’t go into work, and for once didn’t feel guilty [i am good at guilt] because i feel i have nothing left to give in botheredness, its already attributed. I read another lucie chat book to both girls, SB read to me about dinosaurs. they all then cycled off on a playdate and i collapsed in heap on sofa with duvet and tablets.

Much playing went on, and when they returned we had a violin practice. BB played katanimo and then then the ikea building things with screwdrivers etc- think it was bjgga or somesuch nonsense. SB made some shapes with polyhedrons – she was seeing how many she could do and we talked about their names. She found the theory made easy book one very easy, and enjoyed racing through until I said enough!
SB then has her ballet and swimming run. Very proud of her for doing all the swimming today, as she has been very worried. BB and i watched bob the builder, did bob the builder jigsaws and played mother and baby games. on SB’s return we read radius and the king of angleland all together, with BB doing actions with papo people- cute! SB then had a thought about angles.

lots of bedtime stories, but she is still frightened of aliens.

title averse!

Hmm, we had a lovely morning of latin and science with local home ed friends. it is certainly popular! the children do prob about 1/2 of latin and roman related talking, and about the same of science or craft. The group does aim to do both! then loads of rampaging. we were late [as usual] so it had [as usual] a late start. perhaps one of my new years resolutions should be to not be late!! The science was water based – thinking about liquids, how they seemed to work, and then what might sink or float, how we could change the shape and perhaps it would float, and then we added salt to see if it would then float. A very untechnical description of why this happened! [by me, so i can be rude] we also looked at surface tension and made a mess! This was all greatly enjoyed, prob due to mess, and pics on flickr! lots of playing children after whilst parents got to chat.
SB had rainbows, and BB has been asleep. I’ve been texting family, scrabulous, and our mondeo is now fixed – woohoo.

SB has done a fair bit of ‘home ed’ with chris these last 2 days, with maths, handwriting and piano practice. Since back from rainbows we have read stories from the usborn stories of dragons, some SOTW2 [Christianity comes to Britain], thought about doing some calligraphy and found stuff for tomorrow for that, and read Lucie Chat en ville. such a good series from the book people that I have accidentally bought it twice!

quick catch up blog

well, this weekend I have mostly been eating potatoes. no, this isn’t some new years faddy diet [though heaven knows that I need to shift a fair bit of weight and get fitter this year – I may have said something similar last year. in fact, o the subject of new years resolutions, I made 3 last year, and I’ll try with them again this year], instead this is the try to chase migraine away diet. my job goes through cycles of stressful and majorly and exorbitantly stressful. We are in the latter phase… This tends to increase frequency of migraines, and also seems to reduce the success of any medication. Everything taken thus far has been totally pointless. A bullet in the left temporal region would be far more effective. Anyway, I am blogging, thus the potatoes would seem to have finally won [and plenty of fluids]

However, it being typical that my migraine occurs when off work, I have tried to great levels to still have some interaction with my lovely offspring. ooh, btw, there seems to have been a great reduction in baggy poo poos since normal service has resumed. A low level of them is tolerable!

Yesterday we all went to the panto [may I state for the record that pantos are not ideal with a migraine, but the one hour journey each way was the major stupidity!] I actually enjoyed the panto [yep, even with a migraine, s must have been good]. The cast were enthusiastic, the audience keen and participatory, the story near negligible, just enough to run the gags and music. SB and BB loved it. Their faces shone with excitement, SB in particular loved all the shouting and clapping, BB also got into it. It was so worth it. Arranged by the rainbows – thankyou! I have to say that the look on SB’s face of sheer thrills and enjoyment was worth the hideous journey for me each way. She really loved it.
on return home, to be honest, I just died and went to bed. No idea what chris and the girls did , he thinks they played a game. I got up just before they were going to bed, and delayed things a it. but it felt better to play a game with them and read a story before chris took them up.

Today, still feeling in need of trepaning, i thought I would do better, so got up, read some history to SB, and we did french and latin conversation, times tables and read some barefoot stories all snuggled on the sofa. She then did some violin practice – now we have lost the other blasted book! Anyway, it was lovely to have such a snuggly time with SB. I get to have less snuggles with her now as she gets older they are only on her terms! She is such a lovely girl to snuggle and cuddle.
ermm, oh yes, SB did some webland. BB and I did jigsaws, read books, snuggled and did counting practice. BB amazed me by spelling today. she was spelling zoo lane and said zz oh is zoo!!! She also did some plasticining.

The final decs came down today, and the girls had a joint final present of a jousting papo set to go with the castle stuff. they were ecstatic and had great fun playing. we decided that we all loved christmas, but that the house needs lots of people in it to actually be christmas [BB's wisdom!] . Actually, BB has gone round being ‘wise’ on all sorts of topics recently. She is mostly seriously adorable.

we watched various natury things on tv, SB practiced various dance steps, we all played a few games all together, and generally had an enjoyable day.

my migraine has decreased somewhat this eve, but I have the usual worky nerves. Bah. i hope this is just a phase! Will look forward instead to centreparcs hols – not far away now!

feels like last day of freedom

back properly at work tomorrow.

SO I got up relatively early, so I could go to # clinic with mum, to find that they had gone exceptionally early and were through and didn’t ring. I guess because it all seems OK. They are happy with the position and everything. Mum and Little Nanny have laryngitis though, and not too well, and their NYE spent worrying over my sisters breast lump – clinic for her on Mon, fingers firmly in crossed position.

So the girls and I carried on with a great wodge of crafts. BBhas now finished all the spoons, SB has painted all the fairies, and has now done the plaster of paris moulds that may get painted tomorrow [dependent on amounts of snow to play in]

We were prepared enough to put some tomato soup in a flask and whisk out for our monthly walk with Michelle and Chloe, which we had when we arrived. It was COLD. Michelle told me off for whinging!! SB and chloe are supposed to take pictures of whatever they were interested in. They did both take piccies, but SB gradually lost heart due to the coldness of her fingers. We did a dif walk this time to the formal gardens, and will flickr. Again BB was totally adorable – and has remained so at home. At present she is cooking for me [having slept in the car home she is beanying about!] A lovely time was had, and I am looking forward to these monthly walks. next time the quarry again.

We played with the RSPB welcome packs when we got home. lots of reading and discussion. we watched ballet shoes, which we all enjoyed.