writing

we have had a v busy day today, and i took a day off work to do it! we had a locally organised trip to the nene valley railway - not quite so close! We were going on a mail train, where we would stamp our own letters, pop them in the mailbags, onto the train, then see how mailbags were picked up and dropped off at speed, and then sort the mail. [oh, involving a train ride]. It was absolutely fabulous. we all enjoyed it, although both girls were suffering from tiredness with tired wingy wobbles from BB and tired no-one understands me from SB with tired unsympathetic parents but still… i loved meeting loads of group people i haven’t seen for ages - waves!! there were loads of spouses, some never seen before [by me, obviously other people had seen them before!] i was fascinated by the bag pick up thingy, and enjoyed the convivial atmosphere of the whole trip really. absolutely fab!! the weather even was with us, a lovely warm lunchtime picnic!

we returned home for a quick turnaround, SB did some galore park english [3.4] piano and a bit of science reading, whilst BB made herself sums in her books and used toes and fingers to answer them - bless [like 10+4] she didn’t want to use her real book obviously! then whilst SB went to ballet, myself and BB played oodles of traintracking. i love the way her trains are either chuggering or truckling round the lines - v cute!

And after tea we were out to the michaelmas fair. also fantastic. there was probably the most terrifying ride in fairgrounds in the world - called extreme. a big NO from me!! SB and chris did loads, bB did a few really baby ones, and instead one things hooking nemos and penguins! we spent more money that planned, as the fair was quite big, and through the town centre, making it more interesting and exciting!

SB has nearly finished her sugar and spice book and am wondering what to get next? a working towards grade one??

Sb has been v busy today, she has done her music theory, some of her schofield and simms book Animals and Plants (Understanding Science)
, read some box books - including where do babies come from, so all clued up there! she also did some piano practice and bond verbal reasoning. oh, and made up a story for her galore park english [we are currently doing a question a time - so 3.4 this time!]

In the afternoon she bought postcards for postcrossing - we have nabbed the idea from the babs as a gentle way to introduce some geography into our life! she also wrote one of the cards as the crossee is 9. and also did some sectret ’stuff’ which she has sent to cousin e as a birthday present. i think that took most of the afternoon before ballet.

together we read some french - a berthe and a lucy chat book [links in my books we read section], story of the world - isabella and ferdinand and i did some of her before the code c with BB.

BB also made some plaster of paris dinosaurs and other moulds whilst sb at ballet - lets see how they turn out! [hopefully they will turn out!] She watched the walking with beasts first one [her favourite] and also played with the science magnet kit.

tea early enough that bb could go to bed afterwards and sb and i had time to play ticket to ride. we drew! we both really enjoyed it, and need to get back into the games playing habit together. in our roman mystery, jonathan has survived being executed - as sb predicted!

today i have had another sofa day. am feeling better, but has we should have gone on hols this eve and pushed it back to thurs, didn’t want to push my luck!!

the girls have mostly played with baby dolls today. bb devastated cos she can’t find her baby sling, so rustled up one with a fleece scarf. sb adapted my hugababy. would like to say this was accomplished with out wails,tears and gnashing of teeth… but compromises made, peace restored and game continued on and off for most of day. at some point the girls might realise we never interfere or interupt a good game…

in between this lovely sibling play were peppered some HE moments. BB did some real and unreal maths, SB did some galore park english and science [bitesize] and piano practice.

Both girls at swimming lesson now.

edited to add - found babysling in airing cupboard, so today v happy

grump and grump. i have found myself exceptionally challenged by vertical, noise, physical contact and sibling squabbles today. i even resorted to hiding under the sofa duvet. i am not well!!

bb has been desperate to play with sb, having missed her loads and her being out and about a lot of last week and then an impromptu sleepover. so could they do it?? absolutely no. both being miserable and waily, not agreeing to any compromise, so got sent out. came back and have been toddler playing - ie beside each other rather than with. so i have hama-ed with both girls, fimo-ed with bb, read to sb. sb read a bit of her mediaeval project book [a few posts below] and also wrote a letter to a magazine - spontaneous writing!! wonders will never cease. well done sb!

i tried a change of position and went outside. managed to do a science kit with both girls. typically sb was the one to spill her solution, but easily sorted. we liked the kit, though tbh easily replicated with food dye and ice cube tray for those wanting to save money! SB in particular loved doing it, and was a good way of teaching pipette control, and drop counting. covered both colour mixing, something on light and wavelengths, and then a bit on dilution. we did like the little tray though!! was a charity shop [at work] find though so ok! the correct response to this link is … HOW MUCH!!!

edited to add: if you do want to buy it, buy this one from a mate of mine, much cheaper!

i painted bb’s face as a tiger, chris messed about with our new camping acquisition - see below and i realised vertical was not my thing. so i slumped big style, and still haven’t left the horizantal. girls watched a fair bit of oceans dvd and then robinson crusoe.

aah thank goodness for pills, diet coke and the evening, i hope to watch eureka and wake up tomorrow with a bit more patience. sb has tried v hard to be patient and loving to me, as has bb. the both of them together is just over my limit, and it is so unfair to them. chris well on the mend

i have just finished a v weepy phone call with my mum. i still miss little nanny like a raw wound. today was a little nanny day, as some of the inheritance money has arrived, so i bought things for the girls with it. i bought some sylvanian things, knowing they love them, and that my nanny loved to watch the play with the little itty bitty toys and the imaginative games that they make up. the girls knew they were ‘from’ little nanny, but that i had bought them. so they spent a lot of time playing with them, and i spent time thanking my nanny for all the love she spent on her family and wishing for one last hug. if i try hard i can still feel her hug and her cheek against mine. i think i am feeling emotionally a bit raw at the moment with ongoing issues as well. where is the chocolate!!

lets rewind and start the day. we got up, messed about and then piled BB in the car to watch her swimming lesson. i was WELL impressed! she behaved well, tried hard and has so obviously improved and is at the just about swimming stage! they were doing front crawl today, initially with a board float [bb had to have an especially small one for her arms to reach the end] then with noodles for arms and legs, and then with nothing! she did at least 6 wild kicks before having to stand. and she was putting her face in the water to go further. i am SO proud!! she did a creditable face down star float for a few seconds too. go BB makes it even better that she can carry on with swimming lessons next term. they are at the same time as SB’s.

so back home to find that SB had been working hard as well. she had done a bit of galore park Junior English Book 1. i have to say she is not that keen on this, as the only thing she really wants to do with english is read. but we are asking her to do little tiny chunks every so often [if poss 1ce a week!!] and so today she wrote a poem about wizards wee but she enjoyed it, it rhymed and scanned so we are all happy. she also did a section on vertebrates in the galore park Junior Science Book 1 - not such a prob! so she was congratulated!

BB took exception to this, so we did some singapore earlibird 2a, which is suddenly seeming to easy for her! SB read 2 science story books

and

then we had lunch

and then we played sylvanians for pretty much the whole afternoon. i played too, as i felt left out, and stroking monsterrabs wasn’t the same. did pick kilos of runner beans which i have just remembered i was going to blanch and freeze never mind! i ran a fossil museum and tea house for people to visit, so there was quite a bit of looking at fossils in this game [reminds me to purchase some liquid resin - hmm, looked at ebay and don't understand what i am after - anybody used? its a craft resin i want to tip into a mould to look like amber?]

at 5-ish, the decision was to do craft and science, bb got some fingerpainting kit out, and sb a chemistry set i got cheaply from ebay [john lewis chem set, and i really rate it!!] we started with the does it dissolve or not for some chemicals, and bb also wanted a turn, so she got to dissolve salt, sugar and pepper!! sb then went on to separate out copper sulphate and pepper [we have done something v similar at latinetc at merry's with sugar and sand] and we are now seeing if we can recrystalise the copper sulphate. loads more experiments to do though.

dinner out in the garden. i put bb to bed , falling asleep myself, and was awoken by sb wanting me to play recorder duets. so we did. i think that was a fairly full on day, and i am now exhausted of all desire to interact.

today we did a lot of splashing in and out of the pool. even i went in. it wasn’t as hot as yesterday, but by the time i had hoed the veg patch, i really needed to cool down! oh, and SB cooked poached eggs for breakfast - fantastic.

last weekend apparently cousin m told sb that when he does really well, he gets a mars bar. she wanted to know what the home-ed equivalent was. hmm, we said, what do you think? so she has got the timetable idea out again, and if she does 2/3 of what is on there, she gets her mars bar. some of the splashing today has therefore been the tears when we pointed out we could see she had ticked off things she hadn’t done. claims that someone else had done that were discarded. also tears of ‘completing’ her english [section 3.1 of galore park] when i opened to find it wasn’t. it took an hour to complete it. we aren;t autonomous, but we are child led and normally we don’t have battles over what to do, and especially with wailing thrown in. but fibbing about it to me changes the goal posts. once she was done, she was all happiness and light, so it obviously wasn’t so traumatic after all.

things that sb did happily were: singapore maths - giggle at it suddenly becoming newsworthy!; music theory - having finally found again the My First Theory Book! listening to me read The Story Of the World - the Middle Ages V 2 (Story of the World: History for the Classical Child (Paperback)): Middle Ages v. 2 about the taking of constantinople and some french words about animals.

BB has also been busy HE wise. although i was tempted to ‘give them stuff to do’ and the read a book, i felt i owed it to us all to actually interact, so grabbed a science kit for BB, and she LOVED it. it is now her kit, as too simple for sb. it is a first electric kit, and she followed the pictures rather than the written instructions, with a bit of help, and made a circuit with a light, and then a motor, which whizzed cards on it and blended the colours - more excitement. but what was so fab was her total thrill and enjoyment that she COULD do it!

both girls made very glittery cards for my sisters birthday at the end of the week. am a bit stalled over what to do as a present. what do you get? hmmm. flip camera? digital photo frame? john lewis vouchers [snort!] just dunno. the cards, however, will give a lasting impression - certainly to the carpets! sb in particularly spent ages getting it just how she wanted.

we did lots of messing in the pool though. bb is being v adventurous in that not quite swimming way. sb learnt to swim by drowning under water and then standing to breathe, and i think this is bb’s technique too. she jets under water and then stands up, breathes, and does some more. she is booked into a 2 week intensive swimming course this summer [my word!] and might be able to swim after that! i love the fact that she went on that they would have to have her somewhere shallow as she had v short legs - so she does. SB is quite the water wild child, and having great fun twisting, rolling and cavorting in the water. i also got lots of cuddles. good!!

i have tried v hard to shift it, but this day had a touch of the wrong about it. it didn’t help that yesterday at work stressful, or that dad woke me up at 7.30 well, actually bb had already woken me up, but i was dozing again, and then got a series of tasks and errands to try and achieve which i knew were actually unachievable. i’m having a poor sleeping phase anyway, oh, and john lewis messed up my flower order AGAIN. and, and, and!!!!

SO there is the wingeing. we should have gone to an RI lecture, but one of the other winges is that i had v bad migraine yesterday [under control today] and chris prefered a more contemplative day, and the girls have had a number of questions re death. So we didn’t go - though i wish we had, as it sounded fab.

ANyway, despite black dogs, i thought i should get going, and we chatted, tidied the playroom, openend some parcels [including my new bike that chris set up] and then got the fimo out. i thought SB would be finishing her fruit, but she has made a person, and BB made a fish. then we did some ‘work’ SB doing maths and handwriting, and BB before the code. SB really surprised me by telling me her weird and wonderful way of working out the 9 times table - only SB! [it does work]. then we did some more fimo-ing, with SB doing the fruit and veg, and BB making a v creditable turtle. our fimo stocks running low [now replenished by a shopping spree at beadmerrily] i didn’t fiddle myself, and instead subjected the girls to The Story of the World: Middle Ages from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance v. 2: History for the Classical Child (Story of the World: History for the Classical Child) - about the beginnings of russia, which actually sb enjoyed, and then The Drop in My Drink: The Story of Water on Our Planet , which they both like. and just general following conversations - carrying on some they had had yesterday with chris about the big bang and laws of physics, and then some relating to illness and death. lots of cuddling [always good]

we had lunch, did some general messing about and fiddling, and then SB did some recorder practice [sketchily] and we did some recorder duets together, whilst BB danced with pompoms. Chris was joining my bike together, and we did some science, we looked at a few kits, and SB finally decided on the Perfume Laboratory, so i got a Crystal Growing - Complete Science Kit - Amethyst Purple to do with BB. BB was extremely careful, and didn’t spill any, and we reinforced the chemical thing! she was also finished first and went off cycling with chris. SB had to shake some card in water until it disintegrated, so that took 20mins of consistent shaking - i was impressed by her stamina! but then finally made the perfume essence, next time she turns it into something.

Brownies and judo for SB, disney film for BB whilst dinner got going, and i updated dad on the mostly failures of the tasks [HHaricot, you are fired!!] but he was happy that i had tried. i gave my bike a try, but the handlebars didn’t turn the wheel - so back to the mechanic for some tightening, rofl! the girls to bed, after watching some springwatch, and the apprentice for us.

i had a compassionate day off work today to go and say goodbye to uncle r. unfortunately he wasn’t well enough for all of us. and when i suggested yesterday at work that i didn’t need it, i think the sobbing went against me, so i was told not to come in. actually i should have gone in, as i had loads to sort out: otoh, actually in my job i need a fully functioning headspace, so could see their point.

SO i have had the bliss of part time working this week, and i really like it! hmm, to whether i will ever manage to negotiate it for a full time thing, and then how the money would stretch, but hey, one thing at a time!

i got up late, after having listened to sb playing her recorder. when i got down, she was doing some Junior Science Book 1 [we are still on chapter one, as it is an as and when thing! we plan to skip 2 and go onto 3 in the hopes that it ties in with our june holiday], and she happilly wrote through that. BB meanwhile got out her Get Set for the Code - Book B, and in her own way chose what she wanted to do! we then read some books together, whilst SB did some handwriting Italic Handwriting Series Book D

then total mayhem as my amazon order for me arrived. i decided to treat myself to an escape route, so have bought The Clan of the Cave Bear + The Valley of Horses (Earth’s Children series) on jax and merry’s recommendations, and these Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt) Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt) cos they looked interesting!
I didn’t forget the girls entirely, i bought SB this The Roman Mysteries Treasury as she really has been loving the roman mysteries, BB this French is Fun with Serge, the Cheeky Monkey! (Salut Serge) oh, and i also bought these!!Boomwhacker - Pentatonic Set Although I agree with Gina more = better, SB often makes up her tunes in various modal styles, and thought the pentatonic might keep this musical awareness going.

SO BB bashed away with the boomwhackers, sounding surprisingly gamelan or chinese and SB stuck her nose in the flavia gemina book!! i did some work emails. following a melt when BB got rather too enthusiastic with the boomwhackers [Gina, exactly how robust are they] she retired to watch the french is fun DVD and SB did some maths. I read loads of fairy stories, then lunchtime [late!]

Afternoon for SB and I was a long game of Puerto Rico. you can’t really play it properly with 2, but it is OK for an child and adult scenario [or even 2 children] money much easier to come by! BB wandered off into the garden with chris, and then came back for some ivor the engine.

it being sunny, we then all decamped into the garden, bb had some flower seeds she wanted to scatter across the veg patch, i had cucurbits and beans to get out, and SB was keen to help. so that was what we did this pm. not got all the beans out, as had to spend some time untangling them from each other!

girls settled down to playing and chalking [ie making shapes out of hunks of chalk just like at the sustainability. and i read Honey in a Hive (Let's-Read-And-Find-Out Science: Stage 2) while they worked. we had dinner out in the garden, bathtime [obviously indoors!] and SB had more of Black Ships Before Troy - The Story of the Iliad

A quick yesterday summary:
SB and Maddy had a great time playing together, lots of games where got out and played, and SB loved it. BB also pottered along, either with them or with chris, quite happy. BB had a gym taster session, and was really ecstatic about that. unfortunately M’s ear started to hurt and she went home before i got in from work, and so missed the astronomy night. we, however, all looked at the moon again, and some of the stars, seeing if we could find galaxies [no - must look more at the map next time!!]

well, i have finally faced up to the reality that chris is the home-educator, and i am just a facilitator [which does make me sad] BUT i do have wed and the weekend. so I am still going to blog my day, but perhaps he will do a more portico style week overview - well he might, if he blogs again!!

anyway, we start with the girls already up, SB is trying to log in to cbbc, and bb is watching charlie and lola.

at 10-ish BB is beavering away at english type things - her book B of before the code, Book A of Getty and Dubay handwriting, and some maths - using manipulatives to think about adding up. After this, i leave her dancing to the radio whilst i do piano with SB.

SB has a slower start, and is doing Bond verbal reasoning, which she finds difficult as she doesn’t seem to grasp spelling. SO she gets the dictionary out, and looks up all the possible words for the add a letter thing. all the others she does quickly and easily, but not this one. At least - i think - it gets her to think about spelling. we are going to have to work on it i think. eventually finishing, she and i go and do some piano practice - which she loves.

As it is lovely and sunny, and the garden is looking desperate, we decide it is a gardening day. Chris finishes off the veg bed with rotovating [we haven't done that before], SB decides to rescue some aquilegias from the strawberry patch, and i am itching to plant out some of the seedlings.

of course I don’t do that, I paint BB’s face!

SB also does some handwriting, and whilst we have lunch I read some french to them, as i think it has been quite a while since we last did any french :blush:

More playing and potting on, and i do manage to get some plants out. SB helps by planting out peas whilst i do sweetcorn and dwarf beans. BB is chasing ‘minibeasts’ = ants ‘antistons’ [aka woodlice] and slugs mostly with a mini magnifying glass.

A sudden rush to shower SB and she is presentable for brownies, which is immediately followed by Judo. BB and I potter in the garden, sowing sunflowers and potting up the tomatoes, pressing some flowers, before giving everything a jolly good water. a snuggle with hairy maclary follows, and then a bath.

bed time stories of Black Ships before troy for SB. BB collapses with winnie the witch. the apprentice for chris and me. thus ends our day!!

we went for a school taster session today for both our girls. they both did really well. obviously we stayed with them. they did some alphabet, copywork and money with a bit of history thrown in. they had some games as well. they looked particularly cute in the school uniform [which was compulsary]. the teacher also seemed v pleased with how each of them listened, behaved and applied themselves to the work. i was rather impressed by BB’s copywork as she hasn’t done any of that before!

but i am getting a bit ahead of myself. in the morning we went to michelle’s to say hello, gossip, drink tea and have lunch - not necessarily in that order. BB was v excited as she loves playing at their house - thinks it is v exciting! SB and C played labyrinth, and BB geomagged and basically kept herself interested. she was being mostly a sweetie today. As part of her brownie promise thingy, SB helped to tidy up after lunch. i am hoping to instill some domestic servitude into them before it is too late, and we are no longer allowed to do it!

in the afternoon we went to hitchin school museum for our taster session. ably led there by michelle with chloe leaning out of the back at precarious angles [ ] and were the first!! to arrive. so we got to look round the museum bit in piece and quiet, have the undivided attention of lots of ladies of a certain age dressed quasi victorian [as it was a victorian event].

Then the rest arrived and the event started, we were split into 2 groups and got to do the classroom bit first - which i have to say i think is a bonus! SB was so sweet, putting her arms around BB to make sure that they were put together, and generally being loving, adorable and an ace big sister. as it was, they split the mummies up and then asked the children to follow, and realised they had small families on one side, and large on the other, so re-divvied!! we all enjoyed the classroom, we had only a couple of unruly children! and we and the ‘teacher’ managed to ignore quite well for the majority as they were only unruly in that little child way. BB had 2 small melts - all sorted with a huggle. one for when she dipped her fingers in the ink… and the other when she struggled to write 1/3d on her slate, having written everything else v nicely. she did improve again, and as sand writing was next, she thought that was fab!! i thought the lady teacher had excellent teaching and class control skills, and i alternated between being the clever child [d for denarius] and then the dunce [not knowing queen victorias birthday!] so had to sit in the corner with dunce hat on! chris got caned though [SB initially worried, but we told her it would be an act, so she thought it was fab after all]

we went into joseph lancasters monitorial room next, and sb listened keenly [i know this, because she discussed it at bedtime!] and bb didn’t wriggle too much, and there was an interactive bit, a worksheet bit and a crawl through a pretend horizantal chimney bit [v much enjoyed!!] and we finished with SB spending her money to buy a slate, and BB bought a sticky springy lizard [a surprise as she had been much taken with the pop guns!] .

home for SB brownies and judo run, BB having a snuggle, a book read and then my little pony video [groan] and then tea infront of dr who.

For a couple of years, the first Monday of the month has been a HE sports session, with sessions for younger and older kids, with the cut off age around 7-8. But the older session didn’t really get enough support anymore, so that has been dropped (just as SB has started doing them…..) . The re-jigged session now has Streetdance for older ones, followed by a younger ones sports session.

So it was off to that Monday morning. SB enjoyed the Streedance, BB enjoyed the sports, so that was good. SB has taken some stuf in her bag to potetially do after Streetdance, but mostly played outside the hall with some of the other kids, who she doesn’t really know so well as they ahve tending to do things aimed at the older kids. Not quite the normal attendees, so we didn’t have our usual playmates for a post sports park trip. I’d brought the bikes, so we went to the playground (busy as sunny and warm and the last day of school holidays by the looks of it for some kids) and then they cycled around the park paths. Where we discovered a little stream lake bit with some rather over fed ducks and geese who weren’t very interested some peanut butter sandwich leftovers.

Home, where SB did something of a booky nature (probably one of the VR or NVR books) before it was time to get ready and go out to Ballet. I managed to do passable pig tails in her hair.

Jax sent a fortuitous email that reminded me we were supposed to be going out on a trip the following day 

Tuesday

Was  a HE trip to Ecotech, which was advertised across multiple East Anglian groups and so popular they there is a second one this week.  It was a fair drive for us, but managed to get out pretty much on time (which was generous in terms of travel time). Combined with  quicker journey than expected we even had enough time to pick up a few bits in the next door supermarket before joining the group.

After an intro, we split up, out group did an activity building model wind turbines first.

It was fun, though for an activity that they must run loads of times I felt it was not as well run as it could have been. Maybe he was a bit unsure of dealling with such an age range of children.

We tested and modified  our various versions. The kids got to choose how they arranged the blades, Our first one didn’t work at all. I was an even pattern, though not with them eqully spread.

 
After a bit of reorganising and it worked:

THere was also a bit of fiddling about with the angle of attack of the blades with one of the other turbines. Bottom line was that the number of blades didn’t seem to make a lot of difference.

After this we had lunch (we had packed lunch, but the cafe seemed fine a reasonably priced)

After lunch we headed out side. Those seven and older could go up the inside of the turbine tower - 305 steps (the only one the public can go up it seems).

SB went up, BB wanted me too stay, even though there were plenty of people she knew staying down, so I didn’t.

So whilst SB was up the tower, we pottered around the bottom, looked around the organic veg garden, where the kids all got Rhurbarb leaves, BB’s lasted about 10 mins before she had mangled it too much. Waved at those up in the tower, a sat in the shade in the Willow den.

They finished up with a session on recycling, but we had to head off to get back.

We made it nicely in time. BB has started doing a Little Dribblers football skills course at the sports centre, which she was very excited about (after years of traipsing around after SB she is pleased to be doing her own things now.. Once the instructor realised that she didn’t really have much idea what she was doing, and wasn’t very good at listening to what she was supposed to do she was fine. It’s a 4-8 yo class, so a couple were they same age I’d guess as her, though a bit more skilled football wise She felt a little left out as they all their football kit, so that has been rectified via Ebay for next week. I do find it a bit of a shame that all these things get so gender differentiated so early. There was only one other girl there, probably 7-8 and obviously been playing football a bit. Can’t believe there aren’t more young girls who would like to have a go if offered. 

Anyway, SB was pleased as she finally got to go and have something from the sports centre cafe, which BB has been doing whilst SB has her swiming lesson. SB watched a bit of BB, and then did some Getty and Dubay handwriting practice.  Then me and BB waited whilst SB did her swimming. 

Got home to find H already home (unusual for a Tuesday) and glad that dinner just needed warming up to be ready.

Thursday.

Was back to Tots and Nots which haven’t attended for a while due to the possibility of Chicken pox and needing to be careful becuase of family gatherings before and at Easter.SB did a long piano practice before we left, which made us a bit late.  SB made a fold out thing showing how the Union Jack is made from the different flags for each country, BB made a shield and sword which she then used to run around chasing people with Both got to do some recorder lesson with Gina, SB did a little piano, then we had lunch there before heading off to another new thing.

A new ‘multisports’ session started up earlier in the year, the replace one that ran before for 8’s and up, seeing as the older sports has stopped on Monday, SB wanted to try this. Shame that it is right the other side of town, so we had to drive 20 mins to get there. SB enjoyed the session, played a bit of hockey, did some basketball skills, though we had to leave just as they were to start a game, to head off to another town for SB’s Gym class. (of course it’s back the way we had come…) 

Friday

Was planning on not going anywhere, but realised we had something to take back to the Red Cross. Which sadly has temporarily moved from a 10 minute drive to a 30 minute drive.  SB did some of her verbal reasoning book, and some music practice before we went out. We headed via a Citylink depot to pick up some Amazon parcels. Then over to the Red Cross. Since we were out and SB had been complaining of needing new trainers we went shoe shop hunting. Had feet measured in Clarks, of course in typical fashion they only had hardly any she liked in her size (one in fact, and that was one with the funny bit in the heel with a toy in which she doesn’t like). The sales assitant also seemed to have a problem accepting that she didn’t want anything too girly - most had too much pink or purple, or where excessivley ‘boy-ey’ red and black, shiney silver etc which she doesn’t like either. Can’t help thinking that a they need to arrange to have a better system - there have been a number of times we’ve not bought shoes there just becuase the available selection was so limited. Though I do see you can now order shoes on thre website to try on in store.

However, BB was pleased as she got some ‘Croc’ type foam Doodles there which she really loves.

Headed off home stopping in another town, where we found some reduced price trainers in Millets for SB, and some Sandals in the cheapy shoe shop, didn’t find any suitable Crocs though.

Home where they sat and read various books from the Amazon Order before dinner.

We’ve had  a few car conversations on the way to various places. SB heard and advert for the National Lottery, so we had a discussion about how that worked, why you were unlikley to win the jaclpot and what she would spend £6 million on. An expensive trampoline and a dog apparently to start with.  Also somehow got onto what happens to all the male chicks and chickens that aren’t needed.

the builder #1 came and looked at the conservatory, and suggested starting again for 7k. the job too much of a nightmare otherwise. hmm, chris to ring listed buildings and discuss! its not as if the conservatory is partic grand is it. the vine obviously would be saved!!

library day for the girls. I believe they then went into town to get brazils to chocolate, and there were none at all!! didn’t do the banking thing either.
SB did another bit of chapter 1 galore park Junior Science Book 1 and some piano practice. both girls apparently played beautifully for ages, so got to learn that playing beautifully = less parental interferance!

SB swimming lesson. we had lots of chats around various things. i love listening to SB and how she thinks an what interests her from what she has read or listened too. she was telling me all about the burghers of calais that she has listen to on our island story [well, i am fairly sure that is what it is] and it is clear she was swung by the heroism angle!

i had migraine, but did read to BB and we all watched the first of the 2 parter where Rose goes. BB ecstatic over both cybermen and daleks in one episode! mind you, she also said how good it was that not many people had died. i suspect more might in the next episode!! she did cuddle me lots tho.

Chris and SB play long game of rummikub. SB was rather happy to win.

I think the d is playing up on my laptop, and i don’t get tomorrow off work either. work sucks atm. getting close to battlestar galactica finale. BSG has helped me get through some v crappy work times!

i think the girls went out to the local town market, and to get SB some new ballet shoes for most of the day! in typical SB style, she seems to have come back from ballet with 2 shoes of diff sizes , and last week, no-one else seemed to have the wrong size?? [how does she do it??] so new shoes in order! also a new gym leotard, because her lovely rainbow one seems to have totally vanished and again!!

ermmm, when i got home, SB had just got her recorder out to practice, and asked if we could duet, so i thought that was a fab idea, and we played the first piece a couple of times, and then moved onto the second. rather fab this! [no, i haven't got over the violin, just making the best!] I might even stop trying to play the notes on the treble as they are played on the descant one day soon! She then did some galore park english [yes we still are on chapter one!] and chris has decided she did it at the rough speed of 1 word a minute. I think he was being generous!!

SB off to ballet [it took 15 mins to go upstairs and bring down bag -:roll: !!] and BB was being massively waily. compounded by me i :blush: to add. i couldn’t quite grasp what she wanted to do with boxes to make a stage, and in trying to find out, she wailed that much she had to admit she had forgotten [to more wails]. we compromised on reading some stories, cuddling and then making crystals. she is rubbing her eyes a lot at the moment [and actually temporarily stopped fimo-ing because of it] so insisted we were only using salt and sugar, but we could dye them, so we will see how succesful they are. we were all cheered up then, and played silly games until tea. Chris drew taking a ‘not tired’ BB to bed.

SB and I started by playing buckaroo, and then went on to ticket to ride - nordic countries - which did delay bedtime by an hour whilst we enjoyed playing! i love playing games with SB, and this eve time is v precious to me. Def a good game!!

When i got in from work today, SB was desperate to tell me all she had done, and she had worked hard! She has finished her theory book, Theory Made Easy for Little Children Lv2 , so i have bought her a new one, My First Theory Book . She has also finished her spelling book, but think i will encourage a bit more of GP and dictionary use! But if she really fancies another spelling workbook, i think we can float the boat out a bit, as it is an area she isn’t so certain on. SHe has done her piano and recorder practice and some handwriting. Also, she read a french colour book, Colours/Les Couleurs (Bilingual First Books) , to BB. that girl deserves a gold star!! SHe hama-ed beside me, and we did some chapter 1 and 2 revision of Minimus Pupil’s Book: Starting out in Latin, as she is variable in her recall but i have to say, when i read our french book, Berthe Fait Une Pizza , she was excellent, so I do think that french, at the mo, is working for us, even if inefficient, and i wish i knew more words!!

Sb went off to ballet, and BB snuggled up and we decided she was right royally dirty! so a bath was in order. After that we snuggled up to a variety of not-mummy’s-thing type videos! on SB’s return she happily ds-ed away with animal crossing. she has wiped her old town as too weedy!

i am happily flickring last week at the moment, but have a fair amount of paperworky things to remember to do!

we have had a busy and productive day here chez haricot. i had today off work - yippee!! and having worked the weekend, decided to use it well - ie stay at home. really i should have gone into town and done some fairly urgent banking stuff, but don’t know where the forms are

SO we thought we would start with a bit of normals. SB keen to show me she had moved onto the next piano piece [i am trying to play this v cool - cf violin!] and she has played it v nicely. BB was a tad jealous, so brought me her maffs to do - so we did that, and SB went onto Junior English Book 1 [we are doing this in tiny bites so on 1.5! but we are at least considering things]. I suggested that for the galore park, that although i am unbothered by her spelling elsewhere, she might want to use the dictionary to spell things for this [cue wails as couldn't find circus]. bb and i did jigsaws and then a marble run and sb did some maths - see we have been productive! then we had lunch

both girls wanted to do some science, but ‘on their own’ and bb chose to investigate magnets and sb an eino burglar alarm that she has done before. after this they fancied craft. BB chose air drying clay and initially made more fossils. SB looked at a Middle Ages Activity Book (Crafty History)
and chose to play 3 mens merrels. we decided it was a fun game, so she has made a board and counters out of air drying clay too. then they have both spent ages sticking jewels into air drying clay as middle ages treasures!!

Now BB is watching magic school bus and SB is at ballet. plan to make some scones when chris comes back with cheese. actually chris been gone a while - might have forgotten and gone into hayloft. hayloft currently has a dead animal aroma [something of a concern] so he is investigating!

edited to complete! we made cheese scones - yummy - as planning to visit science museum wed unless things go pear shaped! BB did a short nice recorder practice and then a v long hideous one, so banned to the stairs!! SB grumpilly did 5 mins recorder practice, and then decided to make up music for me to copy, and then made up some more etc etc so did about 40 mins in the end!! i love the fact she is so unthinkingly confident about making it up, and also often modal rather than modern tonal. much reading - she is working through the roald dahl books she happily got for her birthday.

BB was particularly spectacularly ‘not tired’ at tea tonight and after screaming and shrieking in the pantry for about 10 minutes while we all pretended she didn’t exist, came back and let me feed her before falling asleep at the table - so not tired! tho she woke up and pretended she had been pretending and was again not tired, so we got the whole rigmarole 2ce!

this week does seem a bit busy! there are 3 family birthdays on sequential days, one of which also pancake day, and then a friendly family party at the weekend. we are also having visitors tues and wed - so v sociable. i think i need sociable at the moment. a glass of wine and some opportunity to be not me as it were!!

good news is that the GP has now agreed that i am high risk, and is initially requesting an appt at the geneticists re the various familial breast ca genes, and also, if no joy, would support a request for a bilateral mastectomy - though sounds scarily drastic, so would want to make sure i ponder this rather than knee jerk. A bit weird, because the only thing i think of when i think of a bilat mastectomy is that i couldn’t breastfeed again, and i really enjoyed breastfeeding. as this is not really likely to be an issue! it was the nice [male] GP rather than the annoying female one that assumes everything is my fault because i am fat!!

hmm, the girls were busy whilst i was at work. SB did some piano and some handwriting, as well as make a fimo present for chris. bB, well, bB’d!! when i got home, BB and chris went out for cycling practice and SB and i looked at her eggsperiment. v weird!! the egg lost its shell and felt quite unnerving. we then looked at a Rainforest Adventure (Code Master) book she has loved in the past, and she really loved it again!! we worked out the code again - i surprised myself by remembering it though

when BB came back, we decided to see whether our shell-less egg would bounce, unfortunately it went splat!! i think great experiments are remembered by the failures!! anyway, we put the remaining no-shell egg in water and have seen it gradually swell up. so proven that the shell is the waterproof bit.

hmm, I went to gp [see before] Sb and BB cycled off to ballet for SB and park playing for bb and I made SB’s cake. the girls were a bit wild on return, and didn’t manage to settle infront of that salmon documentary. BB ended the day spectacularly with the amazingest tantrum so far of her life wrt to going to bed. she was still tantrumming about being not tired when she fell asleep… horrible. todays sb game was uno.

yep, i am feeling challenged with title finding! in fact, feeling challenged wrt blogging at the mo. but we have done things, so should do it.

Fri - well, the morning was chris’s - looking at his bright kites [cos thats how i know anything!] SB took ages to do some maths, BB fimo-ed more snowmen [merry, you need to teach her to make something else now!!] and chris tidyed up the room of doom!

chris’s parents came over, and my sister and family on the way back from their family holiday, which was lovely, but we had family news to impart to each other which meant hugs were in order. the kids ran about wildly and then collapsed in front of the tv, we adults drank lots of tea. my sister left, nana and SB played games and me and BB played games. I think we did some french all together, and SB did some piano for nana, i think that was it!!

later that night i consumed too much chocolate. i wish stressful things made me not eat, as i would be really thin rather than really fat.oh, and nana bean went off and did the dcsf consultation!! well done. she did laugh at mine, as i printed it off, and it was a bit ranty!!

Sat - a rude awakening as there was an emergency at work, and although not rostered, it was an all hands affair. so i sobbed all the way home in the car some 3 hours later. i was hoping for a better year this year, but … I will just have to hope for more resilience instead. BB was adorable, and hugged and kissed me loads. SB rolled her eyes, and carried on reading her book [ ? this one Narga the Sea Monster (Beast Quest) i bet the author is laughing all the way to the bank, there's loads of those books, a bit like those rainbow fairies, and SB and other of her friends love them], hmm!! but, proudly, i did then spend the afternoon being at least moderately cheerful, and def interactive!

yep, we were rang by chris’s mum about going out that evening for an early celebration of her 70th at a local italian, so we had no pressies, and set about making them. BB made a fab fimo butterfly pendant, and SB a princess pendant - also fab and took her ages. they painted cards and then both did a painting of a tropical bird for sketch tuesday. i was most impressed as bB did a humming bird how much she seemed to know about them. SB did ‘one of those with hair’ and hers was rather dramatic, and def exotic. we had nearly run out of green paint, so i have overordered paint from baker ross!!

getting into the car, BB realised she didn’t want to part with the butterfly pendant, and instead gave nana bean the snowman she had made the day before. there i was thinking we could make snowmen our geocache theme!! we took flowers.

so we went to the italian and actually the girls were pretty good for the 2 hours we were there - service a bit slow, and waitress obviously new. but they liked the garlic bread and the pizza and ice cream. it is a shame that sb and bb decided to draw toilets and then proceed to scream that quite loudly and BB lost it totally at the end over something trivial, so i carried her out, and then she was sweet as pie again!! bless her, but SB fell asleep in the car on the way home, she is so exhausted and has a bit of a hacking cough. hope it clears up soon.

Sun: i overslept. so wasted the morning, but did need the recuperation time!! got up and got going, we did some snuggly HE on the sofa, as BB wanted to do maffs, so we did some earlibird 1B - getting towards the end, and then a little bit of her before the code before she got bored and went off to skate around in way to big inline skates. she is pretty good at skating in these inlines. if she had a nearer birthday, and wasn’t going to get a ds, i would be tempted to buy a pair. [hmm, googles!]. SB had another go at a bit of galore park english - i think we are chapter 1 part 4 now, and this was underlying nouns. we had a bit of discussion about whether day was a noun, since it isn’t a person, place or thing, but a time . SHe also did some music theory.

after lunch SB and i did some baking - well, TBH, SB did it with me being companionable and listening to Handel’s firework music. we then set of the egg in vinegar experiment - btw it still hasn’t finished bubbling, and the shell still hard, so we are leaving it in vinegar overnight. BB went off practicing pedalling with chris, and then had a ride on the back of the tandem [my heart in mouth, its not been used since SB's accident as she won't use it again]. they watched a bit of magic school bus, then chris and BB baked cup cakes, and me and SB started her new piano book!!Sugar and Spice: Rhythms and Tunes for Beginners

SB and BB did a lot of skatering about, and we then read a french book on days of the week [ Les Jours De La Semaine (Max et Mathilde) ], and then listened to the correct pronunciation on the CD! we finally finished with tea and the second part of the cybermen part 2. Oops, SB and I also played a lot of games today, blokus, castle keep and landlock.

hmm, have delayed writing this blog post to see if would be uplifting a cheerful! sorry. i feel a bit worse than a ham sandwich - and that is a pretty bad thing for a vegetarian

yesterday my mum and dad brought little nanny to visit. it was lovely to see them, but she has got noticeably frailer in the last month since i saw her. the lump over her breast and collarbone is clearly the start of a fungating cancer, though she doesn’t really want to admit this, or consider any treatment options. i have suggested to her she needs to as it will only get worse. not sure if she will. just had to have a short break there. anyway, the girls were delightful and played games and entertained. I love my Nanny. i guess though, what I am wishing for her, above all else is to maintain the dignity she has always had.

after they left, we finished off the day with doctor who and time team, feeling rather subdued.

today i haven’t felt much better TBH, and realising we had let a few home-ed things slip through our fingers hasn’t helped self esteem much. we could do a lot better really. we neither go out loads, or do ‘normals’ or projects and stuff, and well, blah!

But today, SB has done a lot, and it hasn’t made me feel any more competent! She did some galore park english - we are working through one tiny section at a time, as she really isn’t keen on writing, but is wanting to get better. she wrote a lot, and although the spelling is highly imaginative, she is getting the idea. She spent ages beading - i have a bracelet and some presents have been made, and also playing with Barbies. The birds have been fed again. She also did piano practice. Together we have done some conversational french, and a quick look at chapter 1 and 2 minimus vocab - as she said on the way home from melrose then only latin word she knew was fatigata! Also, whilst she was painting a picture of soap for sketch tuesday, i read something from SotW on the Jewish diaspora - but i don’t really think she listens when she crafts, as she has a ferocious concentration face!

BB has done a bit of her before the code, read with me a level one oxford reading tree - she read mum and dad, and i did the rest, we looked at the piccies and letters etc. SHe has also painted, sang songs, played with her paper castle, and periodically screeched!!

ho hum

i saw the wren whilst getting dressed, so will agree on yesterday’s sighting! also 2 bluetits, a coal tit and 3 chaffinches so that is our lot!! we feed these birds well for the privilege of a quick peak at them!!

SB and BB have sylvanianed again today, and also done some maths and piano. when i got home SB chose to do SOtW as it was richard lionheart to robin hood. since we have done less crafty things with this castle phase than i thought we would, she has decided to do some stop animation, so then spent a fair while working out what she needed - ie now to paint a background. she has the story apparently sorted.

Whilst SB at ballet, BB and i did some painting together, and then played tummy ache and operation. SB came back a bit deflated with her grade 2 ballet result [just missed passing] be we reassured her that all was ok, and actually they get a certificate for taking part. SHe had the RAD dvd for xmas, so will do a bit of that occassionally for fun! [OMG, does that mean i need to do more ballet?]

Chris put up some shelves in the girls room, and I am feeling a bit mis to be back at work, but…

we have had a v relaxing end to the week, and have chilled, read and gamed. SB has declared undying love for roald dahl, and is rampaging through his books, having read this weekend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fantastic Mr Fox and The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me (Young Puffin Read Alone) she is going to make a list [who does she get that from] of all the roald dahl books we have, and then spend her book vouchers on getting the ones we don’t. not that she has stuck with fiction, other nose in a book moments with See Inside Your Body (Usborne Flap Books) and The Search for Radium: Marie Curie’s Story (Science Stories). but actually what she has mostly done this weekend [and this is a falling of perch moment plus extra drumrolls] is writing!!!!!!!! My daughter, the not keen on writing one, must have spent about 8 hours this weekend writing. SHe has written thankyou notes to all her friends who went to centreparcs [all of her own volition, and the one i caught site of was v effusive] as she wanted to let them all know how much she loved them - aaaah. please remember agape! those whose children receive them, will hopefully receive them more happily than the rainbow friend, who when SB told her she loved her, said that that was highly inappropriate [raised eyebrows emoticon!] lots of 2 way explanations involved which i thought rather saddened the whole thing. ANyway, proud of all her writing, we carried on with all the christmas thankyous. SB has also done some piano practice [last pieces in the gbdf book] and maths - spurred on by BB with her head in the clouds declaring that she was catching up!

yep, BB feels she is v clever in maths, and is happily working through her earlibird 1B, reminding me to do it with her. we are doing odd and even at the moment, but we had a minor blip when she insisted she was counting pairs of shoes, not individual ones, so 3 pairs are odd i think it is time to group then plant seeds!! aubergines and chillis to be precise! she did a bit of Get Ready for the Code - Book B which she is particularly keen on as there is a dinosaur on the front! we had done lots of reading together, including most of the quentin blake books we got from the book people, incl this one Mister Magnolia (Red Fox Mini Treasure) .

hmm, what else, oh, we did french, some conversation using l’arte de dire, and also I’m Too Big/Je Suis Trop Gros (I Can Read French) and we played lots of games [Orchard Toys Tell The Time , Blokus , Guess Who ] we tcikled, giggled, sylvanianed - the girls doing good compromise and cooperation - phew! BB did some brianbox electronics, and was most pleased to get a circuit that could light [she wasn't following instructions]PRIMARY2 KIT - Electronics & Science Construction Kit [bah to all that text in the link!!].

oh, and we fed the birds, and then attempted to find them for the rspb birdwatch. sigh! we saw 14 starlings, 3 blackbirds, 2 wrens [tho only sb saw them, it is a possibility] 1 robin, 2 collared doves, 3 woodpigeons and a chaffinch. and allegedly, but not so believably a thrush. we think we might try again!

each eve we have chilled with the tv - Dr Who first series [bit creepy are you my mummy] and tonight the 4th harry potter. so that us. back to work for me tomorrow - sigh