Category Archives: socialisation

The Weekend

Some additions by Chris – 12.50 am

Friday was mudpud. Chris may add a bit, but it was maps and things. I think they had a good time!

Yep we had a good time, though my activity with symbols etc. didn’t get used much, but the jigsaws got done. Unusally for MP there was no gluing and sticking, which must be a first. SB did Merry’s co-ordinates thing, played with Amelie, Fran and Maddy loads with the playdough. They were making some wonderful playdough biscuits which kept increasing in price, to somethign like a zillion squillions or something. she didn’t do Tammy’s comapss making as Fran was goign to show her she said but they didn’t get around to it. so of course once in the car we had a big fuss about this :roll:

Stopped of at Tesco’s on the way home for so food, and looked for some cheap games, but nothign much left . Looked also for soem tops for SB, but unimpressed, found a couple of cheap fleece tops and a long ans short sleeved top she liked – but most were horrible – these funny things which look like you got about three layers on, with all sorts of various straps over the shoulders – and other fashionable (I suppose) sorts of styles. It’s just not the sort of thing we would like to dress SB in anyway – somehow it just doesn’t seem appropriate, and anyway, I think she’d fidn them annoying, and we’d have arms through all sorts of holes.

Bit of late to bed as SB wanted to wait up for Helen to come home, but she was home much too late (past 11pm) so once we got back She painted a card for Sam and couple of pictures. took me ages before I could convince her to have her dinner. By the time I had them both in bed it was about all I could do to flop out in a heap.

Saturday was Sam’s party. SB had a lovely time, and particularly enjoyed the snakes and lizards, though not so impressed by the spiders. She would like to see them again. would we dare do it for a mudpud friday??

She was late mostly due to me, [Chris – :roll: – they didn’t come back until about 5 minutes before my ‘very last minute to leave – SB did comment on how short the party was..] as I took a bunch of flowers to ‘homedad’ and wife [though he isn't homedad any more!] as they had had a rather unexpected and rapid homebirth! Fantastic says I – she is not quite so sure!! Anyway, baby fit and well, but diff to prise SB away. Earlier still she had looked at the new webland, and done some education city science. We also redid the Bicarb volcano experiment, this time with blue colouring

Me ‘n BB went to have a lovely afternoon with a work colleague [my boss!] and her family, and also another work colleague and wife. It was really nice. BB was a charm, pootling about and smiling at everyone. When SB arrive after Sam’s party she went straight to the park with 2 of Suzanne’s children, and they had a blast. We didn’t actually get that long at the playground as they carried on walking up to then rivertalked about locks Her princess party dress not quite what was best for the park! Indeed not it was very cold she only had socks on and no hat and gloves, but she managed ok – got hat and scarf donated by another grownup. Suzanne had cooked a lovely meal for both parents and children – so fantastic for all. Her youngest introduced SB to the concept of a happy meal, after she had misidentified nearly everything – to his complete bewilderment!

When we got back, SB and I played snakes and ladders, and I read her 3 Brittannia stories. We did skip a saints one, as she is bored of saints! [actually, they are rather saint heavy at this historical moment!]

Sunday. I had thought we would look at some snakes/lizard books, but we didn’t! Trying to get memory in order here! Failed. Anyway, we did a lot of tidying up, as the house looked like an utter bombiste. organised one of the bookshelves and the games cupboard as well. So not soooo awful!

We did some face painting. I painted SB as a piggy [her request] and she painted me as a princess [mine!] BB was forcibly painted by SB as a clown – but only red cheeks and a yellow line on forehead. Moved onto doing the coloured water/white flower science experiment. SB did some explode the code 1 – nearly at the end! i played with BB, reading her her most favourite book – thats not my monster!

Most of the afternoon was spent in the garden. We are very late getting inour fruit trees, and hope they will be ok. Anyway, clearing the bed and playing with the girls – hopefully got some nice snaps too! SB wanted to help, but the forking over was a bit difficult. when we plant should be better. Otherwise she mostly played imaginative games on the climbing frame and hide and seek [with me]. BB is very good now at that little tykes cube frame/slide. She also showed enthusiasm for getting up onto the TP one – argh! She was quite happy on the little rocking horse too. Both BB and SB played football!!!

we did some singapore maths 1A on ordinal numbers and the ‘teens’ Although SB proficient at counting in the teens, we haven’t really looked at the hundreds and tens thing for a bit, so I think this was a section that could do with some practice.

Finally SB painted her ladybird flying thingy from her party bag – rather cool Tammy! and BB, shattered by the fresh air had a long munch and a nap – bang in the wrong place for teatime etc etc. Both girls have been asleep so far, so lets hope they stay that way. Lat 2 nights BB has been in bed with us, so snack-attack city, and SB also joining us. Could do with a good night!

SO a good day al round – and I am on annual leave next week. A lot to fit in – Chris parents want him to move furniture, so a visit there. SB’s birthday money bruning a hole in her pocket – so need to shop. I would like to visit little nanny if poss. And I actually would like to have a relaxing time for some of it!!

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Getting back into the swing.

Short and sweet here I think.

Other than breakfast etc. don’t think anything much happened before heading out to the library. As ever? handing the books is wasn’t straight forward. Some of the books om SB’s card that we took out last week weren’t appearing on her list of books out – though they were down as being on loan.? We have another book which has gone AWOL in the house and we’ve run out of renewal-ability. So that had to be marked down as ‘lost’ except it isn’t they call it something else and we get another 3 months to find it without fines racking up. Sigh….

A bit of story time, a bit of colourign and sticking, making a pancake in a frying pan, as ever we were the last to finish as SB can’t be dragged away from? bit of sticking easily. Then again she is the oldest by? a long way now of course, all her same age? compatriots are in school I assume.

Home, followed by putting coats on again to go back as we left the craft work behind…… luckilly it is about a minutes walk away.

Home, rapidly gave BB some food, otherwise she tends to want/need? a sleep around 12, falls asleep and misses lunch. So she had? nibble of bread and cheese and then fell asleep in her highchair. So me and SB lunched and I read the aforesaid Mr Men books, with pauses for? quick gander at the Grauniad ‘I’ve read two, i’m just having? little rest and drink of coffee….’

Rough order of play for rest of day was some Maths ‘Match and Sort’. I wonder how long we will keep referring to it as that ? – ‘Match and Sort was the first ‘workbooky’ thing she did many moons ago (and loved). It was easy stuff for her really, just addition within 10? – tiem to move her one a bit, her subtraction is ok, might try a bit of simple multiplication seeing as she was sort of thingking about that in the car the other day. SB watching a DVD for a bit a German cartoon series called ‘Little Hippo’ – in German, BB coming into the garden with me for she pottering around, me ditto a bit, taking some piccies of her. Finshed pruning the Wisteria. Sat in the conservatory for ,little bit once we got cold, thinking that vine must be pruned pronto before it starts into growth again – maybe tomorrow. A bit more ‘work’ from SB – Expode the Code. did one of her simople crafty things from her birthday A pre-swim snack time, swmming lesson for SB, home, chips for tea, ready for bed, BB asleep, Helen home just in time before SB due to go, so she got? bit longer up.

Helen on call, had? very long day and home late, so off to bed at? sensible time. Me not so sensible….

I liked this photo though – even though it’s not quite focussed on the right place.

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Funky Monday

Well, as previously reported, they were all a bit lax in the getting up stakes today – good job we weren’t going anywhere this morning. I did have some plans to get into? few things, but that went by the board. By thetime breakfasting/brunching/dressing/packing bag was done it was time to be going out pretty much.

Off again to another CHEF? thing – this time get together at a local (as if anything HEdders do is local to us, except visiting us…) soft play centre.? Pretty standard climbing about soft play sort of place really – nice spiral tube slide though. But a nice enough place, a lot more space for parents to sit around, and babies to poddle about in though than most, which was nice, they even have? a few sofas. Reasonable food a drinks as well. THe groups gets a decent discount and a few tea/coffee thrown in
Of course you need to know who the HE children are so you can play with them. Once I managed to get SB introduced to a few then she was much happier charging about, though didn’t really liek the footbal bit much (there is a small football area, with soft ball. but she isn’t really much of? football girl, and the others were moslty bigger than her bya? few years) but as ever really hard to drag her away from the place while others were still there.

BB poddle about a fair bit, she did go in the toddler bit? couple of times, though I think she preferred the bigger kids place, managed after? bit of effort to clamber up the sort of solpey-step thing to the top of the little slide. I played with BB? and sat and drunk coffee and chatted with other HE parents so good to get to knew? a few more new faces. Shame I can never remember their names to start with.

Eventually dragged SB away to go home to find Helen resting with? a migraine. There was a present for SB form her godmother in the post, so she opened that. A rather nice Roman jigsaw. A bit on the hard side for her at the moment, but she did a lot of the edge and some of the middle before she subcontracted the rest out to me. BB wakign up part the way through didn’t help much with a jigsaw on the floor (must get the old table we ahve been offered from my parents to put in the playroom for a BB free zone.)? Plenty to look at talk about in the jigsaw though
Cooked tea for them – tofu and veg stir fry and noodles, at SB’s request – what a good girl :-) !, a bit of play and then bed. SB took a little time to get to sleep, but probably not surprising.? Must hit sack soon as well.

A Drama Day

SB ‘mummy, don’t sing, I’m allergic to it’ [tough!]

Anyway, day started with total inability to get SB out of the house – I can’t remeber how much wailing went on! Daddy didn’t let her walk on the bath edge, I didn’t put her tights on [in the shower!], Daddy mustn’t help as I had said do it herself etc etc! So finally – way late – got in car and trotted off to Merry’s. we did, however [AVERT EYES CHRIS] do Daddy’s birthday card – and very nicely too.

I’d better say this early – Merry made a fantastic lunch, and all plates cleared! It was home edders Pasta Special – yummy yummy! Girls all played together, though SB not the only drama queen of the day. Probably Melrose come down syndrome! luckilly Merry had a plan B and we did PVA/tissue paper suncatchers and bowls. They’re still all wet so cluttering Merry’s house – rofl!

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We did manage to have a good gossip though in between wailing children, and also used the new-to-us camera. So a really nice day, in spite of probable overtired children! BB and Josie had fun playing with, beside and arguing over various toys. What also made me laugh was at the end with the shiny ball, Fran was quite determined josie should be the winner, and popped it out of BB’s hand for Josie to get, and SB was equally determined that BB should have it, so did the same to Josie. Luckilly it seemed more of a game than a fight to the death!

on the way back, SB started counting in the back of the car, and we gradually realised she was working out the 2 times table. She did it very well [apart from 2×7=13! So I dotted about the 2 and 3 times table for her. Some she was obviously counting up, and some she just came out with the answer. She also said with a voice of wonder that six could be 2 lots of 3, or 3 lots of 2. And we worked out that as 2 lots of 6 were 12 [one of those she could just do] and 2 lots of 3 were 6, then 4 lots of 3 should be…12! So a full scale mental maths lesson on the way home of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. She was surprisingly agile.

At home, SB was in full crash and burn mode, so read 4 of the usborne stories from around the world, and then settled her with cbeebies, a quick tea, and the a soooo protracted going to sleep, as she was a night owl again, so got cuddled to sleep. By this time BB woken up, so thats our evening sorted. [Chris has got her again].

I did watch the apprentice – someone give that girl a tranquiliser! haven’t started tagging the Melrose pics, and can’t put todays up out of sync [rofl at my listmaking tendencies!] Will start now, though actually should be sorting a number of more urgent work related tasks instead.

‘Ahh, cute baby’

Which was a couple of 11-12 yo girls at the HE group exclaimed when Butterbean was being her best cute self – of course they were right and we know that? – but it’s nice to hear others say it :-)

Anyway, yesterday, as part of our get out and meet more local home edders and try out some more group things me and the girls went to anothe CHEF group. This time one of the monthly group gatherings? – basically like Mudpud but slighty more organised, and some with bigger children. SB slept in like the proverbial log, I had to pretty much drag her out of bed at 9 am so as to have? chance of leaving on time. Just about managed it.Theme was on the heart, and so there were a number of heart related activities, which we did some of. Made heart biscuits, measured heart rate before and after exercise, some heart shaped little basket things, and of course? a fair bit of milling about by children. M, one of the girsl on or Botanic gardens trip recently who is almost exactly the same age as SB, and who? played together all the time pretty much? was there, so they did some more bonding. There was a bring and share lunch which was nice, and i managed to over some my normal reticence at such things and actually talk to a few grownups.? BB is? a little bit of hard work at times as she heads off in al directions, and has? habit of dashing through doors once they are opened, but moslty poddle about draggin one or two large hoops with her. There was a plan to go with M and coupleof others to the park afterwards, but it was rather cold and rainy, so we poped round M’s house. Within about 2 minutes they were in the princess/ballerina outfits – a kindred spirit here it seems. Grownups drank tea and chatted of course, BB poddled happily. Sadly due to some sort of problem with our mobile network me and Helen didn’t manage to snyc.

Can’t really remember much else after we headed home.Girls spent some time playing with Helen while I got tea etc. ISTR SB spent ages on a Jump Ahead CD on the ‘pute. Other than SB took ages to get to sleep (10.30 or later) – which she doesn’t actually seem to like.’ I don’t like being? nightowl’ she wailed at me at one point.

So of course, seeing as we had no hurry this morning, she was awake at 6 am, though managed to avoided getting up until almost the normal time (about 6.45) so instead of a little time to drink a cup of tea in peace, I was playing a game with SB. Been a bit of? strained day at times really, SB got tired later, I was very tired as well, so patches of grumpiness, and with helen not home until turned 6pm, a long day. Breakfast was a plaver – didn’t want an offred boiled egg until I had cooked BB one, when suddenly it was desirable. When i’d done here one, she picked up plate, egg cup is? bit wobbly, and egg end up splat on the floor. so by the time I’d done another one it seemed to have been boiling eggs all morning. Tiem between then and goign out to library disppeared in hanging up washing, sorting out? some clothes, getting dressed, finding books etc.? as ever, being round the corner we always get there just? a bit late… So story time, bit of colouring and sticking etc. then home for a slightly early lunch to catch BB before she fell asleep in her highchair. Much reading of library books, including SB doing some of it. Watched? bit of video she bought second hand from the library (costs the same as renting one and we don’t get fined when we forget it’s only? a weeks loan….) It was Paddington Bear, but not the TV series ones, something else, and not so good. Odd mix of characters with UK and US accents. Though it seemed to be? set in the UK.

Went outside in the garden for? bit even though bit cold and damp. BB bundled up in her waterproof suit seemed happy? pottering about- realised she was foraging bits of bread for the bits from the lawn and eating them. SB wasn’t really dressed warm enough and didn’t last so long. Once back inside she was flaggin and rather wailey. so we sat down with hot chocolate and biccies. both of us were a biot grumpy at this point and so wasn’t a warm and cuddly as it might have been. We did get out Explode the code and Miquon maths but it didn’t happen some how, what with one thing and another for some of the time we just snuggled up for a nice cuddle..

Then before we knew it was time to get ready for her swimming lesson. We can now watch them if we want. Which is good, but not as relaxing as it might be as BB needs attending – not the sort of area where she can poddle about so much, so I plied her with flapjack. But nice to SB doing her stuff.? Various exercises aimed at them learning breast stoke it would seem, or as SB calls it ‘Big’s Stroke’ (of Making it Up fame) from when she saw her doing it at Muddlepuddle Camp at Kessingland last year.

Came home to a chip supper, while I foraged at the local chip emporium SB turned into? pirate (though at one point in a bus???) . When we went up for the bath we had to leave the lights off and she peered into the distance with her cardboard roll telescope. SB went to sleep fine, but SB had been sleep in the car on the way back and so was resistant until past 10 pm.

I was goign to go bed early (as in before 11) but I haven’t? – surprise – but I am going now. A text from Merry is offering us the opportunity to get messing with some PVA tomorrow – intriguing :-)
Shutter fingers are getting twitchy here, but I’ve bought? secondhand one from Ebay, so normal service should be resumed soon

Melrose

after reading others blogs, it is difficult to know what to write!

We did have a lovely time, and I think between us talked to everyone. SB had a ball, and played with all age ranges. She was loving and kind to the littlies, and the oldies were loving and kind to her. I never heard Kennedy and Hannah’s placing for her, but think it might have been bossy…

It was much more comfortable this Melrose knowing most of the people.

Things: well, luckilly the Morrocan stew seemed to go OK, and it was all eaten up. So i think I might do that again. Perhaps with rice rather than couscous, as although the cous cous was far easier [once Alison and sorted it out from exploding out of the saucepans – it was a right PItA for sweeping up from the floor!! Good sous chefs and conversationalists in Alison and Karen for the veg chopping, and Jax was in charge of rice.

Trips:The little roman trimonutium museum in town is lovely. SB really got a lot out of it, and we were in there for some time. She particularly liked the roman game, the pictures, and getting dressed up with the clobber and sitting on the horse! Apologies to Jonathan and Jan for her inclusiveness when they were probably looking for some family time!

We went round the abbey this time, just before closing. the warden was great, and allowed SB to lock all the big doors. we talked about home-ed – which his sister is doing! It was a little bit chilly…

A hooray for leandra organising the Jed Forest outing. Yes, I know it was totally brass monkeys weather, but unless leandra really is a goddess, I can’t see how that could be avoided… SB loved being able to have the hawk land on her. She also asked some sensible questions!!!! The chicken moment was the best really. Its not often you get to really see how good they are as birds of prey! The chappie doing the demonstration was cute, and although the farmer not cute, he did talk to SB about the deer and ponies in the sheds.

We also managed to get to the swimming pool without getting lost – hooray! SB did some swimming, but mostly tried to cling onto Joanna [already laden with 2 of her own] or Jonathan, who also was dragging 2 around! BB loved the pool.

Other People: well, there were very noticeable changes in some of the children – ‘Little Chick’ who does indeed now talk, and talked to me for a bit. also Small, who in adding talking to his repertoire seems way older! Some of the older girls are definitely proto-teenagers – somewhat scary! Manny thanks to Violet for her organising SB, and allowing her to be in the play at the last minute. A born Head Prefect that girl! [maybe we should make some prefect badges for next year - give them the task of keeping the middle ones happy??] SB played with loads of different people, and had an absolute ball. Some predictable falling outs with equally strong-willed girls, but quickly resolved. i had lovely evenings of chatting, though didn’t actually drink much [shame!] with as many people as possible.

US: well, SB had a great time, playing with all sorts really. i thought all the children goit on really well. The age ranges of the people playing were fluid, and that is one of the things I erally like about home-ed. Port and Starboard seemed to be quite a favourite, and other wierd counting games involving the staircase that I never quite sorted out. I actually missed SB a lot, as in my hols i do like full-on parenting mode, but she had a riot! BB enjoyed poddlilng about. As predicted, she did have rather a thing for the saucepan lids… She did seem to play with rather than just alongside the other triplets and R, J and L. Chase was her favourit game. BB also seemed to love the disco – doing her groovy dance moves [rofl]

things I missed: well, actually the resource table to look at. Also everyone who went home early! I didn’t realise some where leaving, so never said goodbye.
Hmm, may add more to this blog later! Anyway, thankyou Merry for doing a great organisational job.

oh, and although all my photos already on flickr via Mery [as she kindly lent us her camera as I was going to suffer major withdrawal otherwise!], I will put them up again i our bit and then add them from there.

Our debut with CHEF

Well, one of my New Years resolutions was to integrate with both the home ed communities that we are roughly equidistant between [ie not near either!!]

So we went to the botanical gardens and met up with a number of other home families of under 8′s, SB immediately clicked with another nearly 5 year old, and ran about having great fun. We also investigated the glasshouses – I always love the tropical. there were coffee plants, banana, cotton, papaya and pineapple in a section – which SB thought was cool!! A nice cafe attatched too – very important! SO, lots of nice friendly people, not intimidating at all, and enjoyed by all of us. So even I should imagine I’ll go again!

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It was, unfortunately, very expenisve, as we picked up a parking ticket… Anyway, chris has also taken some lovely close up flower pics, and I’ll let him sort them out and flickr. I liked this one of the jade flower though. What a colour on a plant!

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SB has played quite a bit on BBC Jam since we got home, BB has poddled about. Chris now reading brer rabbit stories, which are going down a treat.

I have packed SB’s stuff. realised have no clothes I like, and nothing to pack, and no money to buy any new ones. well, I have 2 pairs of trousers – one held together with a safety pin, and lots of tops that are too short for a rather over-endowed figure – please can thigh length tops come back into fashion!

Hmm, must finish packing as much as poss tonight, as very busy day tomorrow! Feeling vastly disorganised.

Tate Modern

Today, as advertised, me and the Beans went off on trip to the Tate Modern gallery with some other local-ish home edders. And ajolly good day it was too, though by the time we got back I was well tired.

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With only a modicum of geeing-up of Stringbean we managed to leave the house on time and got to the station nicely in time as well. Got found on the train by one of the group, and after a little while I went off to the loo to find on return that SB, being the sociable creature that she is, had settled her self in with some of the other girls and spent the rest of the journey happily with them. Whilst I chatted to other parents, and kept a rein on BB’s wanderings. So the train journey, and the bus at the end were quite painless really.

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is great, I love the building anyway, a great hulk of a building sitting across the Thames from St Paul’s catherdral with it’s great tall chimmney. You’d never build a power station in the middle of a city nowadays. And the conversion to art gallery has been very successfull, . To get to the main entrance you go down this big wide slope, – kids just can’t resist running down it., though the doors there is another great wide sloping concrete floor to the base of the hall, with the vast space of the turbine hall, going right up to the glass roof, it’s really breathtaking, SB was quite gobsmacked by it. I can see shy they say it’s such a challenge for artists who get to do something in there.

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Rachel Whitereads ‘ boxes’ (Ok, Embankment), which are there at the moment were interesting , in pictures looking nothing like some much as a child’s constuction frorm sugar cubes, it’s both vast and subtle, bland and complex. They are made from some sort of slightly translucent white plastic, so there is quite an interesting quality to the look of them and the way they respond to the light. And where you first just see blandness and repetition, as you wander amongst them you start to notice more the little details of the boxes, lines, shapes of hand holes etc. The organised arrangement of some and apparent randomness of other, I could have wandered around for ages. SB enjoyed it, mostly I guess for it’s maze like nature, and BB managed to almost get lost in it, until I heard her wailing around the corner.

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We also caught the last day of the Rousseau exhibition, which was good, though having a 4 yo and a 1yo in buggy meant I couldn’t really do it justice, and being the last day, and a Sunday meant that it was pretty packed so getting to view pictures easily was awkward at times, and it made it bit difficult to sit and talk with SB about them (or for her to see them). but she certainly did enjoy some of them, though did after while, say that she didn’t want to look at more pictures of animals :-) But by now she was moping a bit becuase we had lost contact for bit with the others, and she wanted to be going around with some of the other kids. She was struck by the Emmanuel Fr?miet sulpture of a Gorrilla abducting woman (as they do) at the beginning as well. Enjoyed it it anyway.

By now SB was wanting bit of break, and I fancied some coffee, so we got drinks (I spilt hot coffee on her ear which went down well…. ) and sat and read couple of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Ryhmes – I love the one about Cinderella where the Prince chops of the heads of the ugly sisters :-), went to the shop for mild amount of retail therapy, then bumped into some of the others so we sat down some more. Well actually, mostly I chased down BB or wandered around with her, as she just wanted to head off in all directions. While SB sat and ate/chatted/played with some of the other childrens so she was happy.

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Then off for some more browsing, SB’s favourite piece undoubtably was Anish Kapoor’s Ishi’s Light The inside of the ‘egg’ is dark reddy coloured and reflective. You walk into it and there is some weird optical effect which i’m still pondering which means the surfaceappears to be much closer to you than it is, so you reach out to touch it and it appears to not be there. From outside it can appear that the person sarm has almost gone into the surface. Very odd, not sure if it’s more interesting in it or outside watching others inside it. She was also taken by a piece whose artist/name I’ve forgotten, which had two birds, as if in flight attached to the wall with arrows through them above an almost sketched bit of city building/skyline. We spent bit of time going around with Holly and Steve who had organised the trip and SB quite took to Holly, who was good at getting her to think a bit about the works we were looking at. I found the room linking Monet and Absract Expressionism interesting The rest of the gallery was busy, but not crowded, so it was rather easier here.

Then it soon enough became time to head home , SB excited to be able to go up on the top deck of the bus with some of the others, whilst I was on the lower deck with BB On the train, kids all sat at one end of the carriage and tried to watch Madagascar on Steves laptop, well done that man :-) Most of the rest of the adults sat a little bit further away and had good natter. BB slept all the way pretty much, so I had a nice quiet time as well.

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And then we were home. Sadly SB woke up when put in her bed, but once we’d had some tea etc. they both zonked out again.

It was a great trip, though by the end of it I was kanckered, not helped by endlessy chasing after BB. SB had a great time, and as ever loved to make some new friends, she really is such a sociable soul. I too found it good to meet up with some new people, and as most of the kids were a bit older than the usual Muddlepuddle crowd we hang out with it was sort of interesting to see a slighty different dynamic going on, and to see maybe glimpse of SB in few years time. Special thanks I think go to the two older sisters (about 11 I think) who were really good with SB and took her under their wing a bit.
She’ll be wanting to meet them all again I think :-)

I thoroughly recommend the Tate Modern, We don’t really get round to visiting a lot of art galleries it must be said, but I do enjoy it when we do. And I do like the way modern/contemporary art challenges you and makes you think (well soem of it, like any other art, some is boring/rubbish/’waht is the point’ wetc.
A now, much later than intended, I’m off to bed, but I wanted to write this whilst fresh in my mind.

Didn’t take many piccies, but some will appear in the usual place of course in due course.

Pirates and Princesses

Which is what we have had here this weekend – well pirate singular I guess really.

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We of course have been ‘Rained on‘ – (sorry, or should that be Raine-ed?)) with a visit from Home Ed friends Barbara and the kids – sadly Chris wasn’t able to come as well. It was a lovely visit, Stringbean already had herself and Butterbean prepared, she insisted on the BB outfit :-)
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Her and E spent pretty much all weekend in the Princess outfits, they just swopped outfits the second day for a change. B spent most of his time in the pirate outfit. They all played beautifully, hardly any contretemps, much of the time we didn’t see them as they were playing upstairs, with those endlessly convoluted and ever changing kids games. SB did get sulk once because the others ‘were being horrible to her’ – or some such. It transpired that they weren’t doing what they were told :-) I did wonder how B would get on, but he was great and he and SB had good fun playing together. When we’ve been away together with them at HE camps they’ve not played together much as B has been off playing with other boys a lot, so it was nice to see them getting on so well. So apart from coming down to eat, read the odd book

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or play the odd game,

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Or just prance about,

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that was their weekend really, and a good time was had by all. There was even a bit of education when they used the stethoscope to listen to their heartbeats

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Meanwhile R and BB did some bonding , it was so cute to see them playing together.

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R showed great ability in the food scavenging stakes, appearing with oranges, apples etc. that she found in the fruit bowl, or just wandering into the kitchen to blag some more food with a hopeful look :-) she is very much at the ‘Cheeky chimp’ stage. So her and BB did the toddler poddle about to great effect.

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And the grownups sat and drank tea/coffee/wine as appropriate and chatted about HE and this and that, and that was about it. Barbara drooled over our Story of the World books. We would probably have gone out some where for bit today, but Helen wasn’t feeling up to much with a migraine, so we didn’t. And that was all jolly nice as well. The nice grown up evening in the sitting room, sans child clutter with wine and a nice log fire was a little spolit by BB waking up after 1/2 hour asleeep in bed and not wanting to go back to sleep until we went to bed. She did then sleep all night though.
It was lovely to have them stay, and everyone (adult and child) pretty much ate whatever they were offered, so that was probably a first as well :-)

Suppose I’d better go to bed before BB decides to wake up….

Ed over the weekend

i know, but it is a home ed blog, and I like to see what we have done!

B4 the randrops we did some explode the code, and also looked at the DK a street through time [fabulous book!]. SB read a red nose reader.

Whilst the raindrops were here, we read a book about the human body, and had a quiz on it, and used the steth to listen to heart and lungs. Did a bit on healthy eating as well.