Category Archives: writing

going swimmingly

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

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

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

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

I hate migraines

I should be a a 20 years since started uni reunion. instead, as I was baking, a massive headache started. I have taken max doses of everything in my posession, fell asleep from 2-4 but still too crap to go. only now surfaced really in last hour. SHOUT AND SCREAM.

we baked cookies, SB did some maths and writing, and read about romans. she also apparently did loads of zoombinis.

Earlier this am, when I was fine, the library did a very late medal and certficate presentation for big wild read, so we went to that.

chris making me a cards dinner, and then I might fade away again, and hope for better day tomorrow.

argh, eek, aahhhh

or words to that effec. feeling a bit blog stuck, so will perhaps just type!

Rainbows – i really, really hate it mucking up my wednesdays. especially when i now go in occassionally in the morning to earn a bit more. humph. positives though, are the playdates she has had with R. They have got on like a house on fire, and she lives in the village.

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Just what we had hoped for from rainbows to be honest. Also, that BB and I spend time together without SB feeling jealous, or me feeling i am juggling things. thats nice as well. So I forgive rainbows, but only just!

Teeth – what a total palaver that has been! mon Sb got herself really worked up by the tooth hanging on by a thread, so we had a really long bedtime settle down, lots of hugs and chats. No good, it was to thread like and she couldn’t sleep, so in the end I pulled it out. Fabtastic, tooth gone. the next night loads of wails and tears that losing her baby teeth. I wonder whether she is worried about getting older? Something other than just the teeth must e at he bottom of this. Again as massively long reassuring bedtime. tooth replaced. I want to smooth out her life and protect her from all upsets. But teeth trauma? what is that about.

numberjacks. BB is totally besotted and adores them. she knows all the characters and makes up her own stories. She would also like to just watch back to back, but can be ditracted!

BB is just such an adorable pickle. If we say no, and she goes with it, she has this sad head down walk she does – often! and I love all her phrases ‘sorry ’bout that’ etc. SHe is very good at sorting shapes, and very careful with her painting and makings. SHe loves to be loved.

So yes, I feel, as always , blessed by my children.

eek – I was speaking to someone at work who was considering having a hysterectomy [for fibroids], as now she was 40 she had no real need for ‘those bits’. I think its the first time that I have been so acutely aware of time ticking and the biological clock. I am nearly 39! How did that happen? If I want to think of a third child and all the fertility nightmare, then I need to do it sooner than later. argh

But we did a lot today. Whilst I was at work. SB rattled through some maths and writing, and we did a violin practise together. We watched Nina and the neurons and some mr maker or something programme, and he made a string painting tree. Both girls desperate to do that, so I got string and paints and patted myself on shoulder at following through. SB proceeded to paint her ‘rainbow box’ and BB insisted on having one too. So they did that. both exceptionally careful with their design.

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We then decided to do some games. BB chose SB’s fiendishly difficult fish puzzle from E and R. Both girls made a stab of it, and S did rather well. It degenerated into some non-sharing [BB] so we changed tack and played Hisss . I read both the romulus and remus story. SB also did some first language lessons – we are jumping forwards skipping out chunks!< /p>

get the game! Mega ocean game

Rainbows [SB fetchingly dressed in asda skirt [thanks t-bird] looking v schooly], and Chris helped out to a visit to the library and SB v excited. BB and I fed the fish, cuddled, played snap, made ice lollies and were making choc oat muffins when Sb and Chris returned.

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SB did some cbbc complicated games (Edit – link added by Chris – it’s the BBC Bitesize KS2 bit) math based with means/medians and modes, making pictographs, looking at probaility. all sorts of things we haven’t covered but she soon grasped. BB watched muzzy[her choice] but when sleep seemed to catch her both were whisked upstairs for a bath efore tea. [ken hom and noodles, yummy]

SB and I played some more games before her bedtme. I started to mindmap a whole day of interactve postgrad teaching/lecturing that i foolishly vounteered for, thinking that I could persuade others to help out – nope! ny 6 hours to fill [aargh]. So the computer has been playing up! SO now chilling, blogging and watching regenesis – ahhh.

Time and Motion.

Where does it go?  the time that is. OK i know I’m an expert at frittering it away, but I find it somewhat annoying when I’m not and it still goes and disappears on me. I think I need to do a  time and motion study to see where it has all gone during the day.

BTW, H pinched most of the piccies for her post below, So I’ll refer you there for illustration :-)
Monday 

As soon as H was off to work, girls watched a couple of Numberjacks episodes – BB is a real addict for these at the moment. Then it was into the bath to clean up from the camping weekend – They’d been out for the count when we got back Sunday night.  Then it was off to the shop for bread and milk and home for breakfast.

After breakie the girls made cards for their cousin E’s birthday (a day late  – ooops…). We couldn’t find any colored card, so made a another trip out to the (relatively recently opened and quite useful) stationery shop for supplies. BB insisted we needed glitter, so we bought some probably expensive glitter from there as well.

Home for productive card making. SB had plan to make a Dorothy from the Wiggles from instructions in one of the kiddie magazines around here. She did really well, I showed her how to trace using some greaseproof paper and give her a bit of help with that and some cutting out. Other than that she sat  and did it all herself – spending ages working on it – basically the rest of the morning. Did some  lovely and careful small writing in it and addressed the envelope nicely as well. BB had fun with the glitter :-). and then spent ages organising things out of the camping food box. She is very much into organising and sorting things out at the moment.
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BB couldn’t quite wait for lunch though :-) :

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After lunch and a bit of running around and playing nosily SB did some maths while BB spent ages making patterns with the Cuisenaire rods. And then Helen came home, then after bit it was time for Ballet. While  SB out at Ballet, H and BB made some biscuits.

After ballet, SB did violin lesson with H whilst I got dinner. After dinner, with BB off to bed H and SB played some maths card games 

Tuesday was basically a reading day. After breakfast, rereading the library books before we took them back. Off (early for once) to the library for storytime – SB did a fruity wordsearch and made a fruity picture. Eventually prised them out of the library, home to finish off some of the camping Bourbon biscuits and read the new books before we had lunch. After lunch I chased them out of the kitchen whilst I tidied up a bit. SB was going to come back and do maths, but she settled down with books again on the sofa – spent about another 1 /1/2 hours solidly working her way through the books.

BB played happily for ages with the dolls house and the ‘people’  – she is very much into playing these sorts of games as well at the moment. Somehow the rest of the afternoon disappeared in maths, cooking tea etc. before going out to swimming lessons.

After lesson and dinner, whilst I was putting BB to bed (H still marooned at work) SB (unasked) emptied the dishwasher and put it all away, and washed up the plated and cutlery from dinner. So I let her stay up a bit longer and watch some TV. By the time she was settled in bed H was on her way home and it was time ti flop into our various heaps.

BB Baking

BB really enjoys baking. it is our secret treat when SB at ballet on Monday. this time she wanted to make biscuits

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SB and I did piano and violin before we ate the yummy biscuits. Earlier in the day they both enjoyed the cuisinaire rods – SB doing areas, and BB patterns.

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both also made fab cards for their cousin E’s 4th birthday.

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no idea what they have done today as  was to late home.

Finding things

Had my hospital appt about knee =bursitis . good.

Had a chat with SB about what to do today, so the plan was to do maths and writing quickly , some piano, baking, and experiment and paint her dinosaur. Not much then! We found the 2A workbook, and SB rampaged through the weights bit of that – nearly finished. Then did ‘S’ in getty and dubay B, and some extra writing while I got stuff ready for making banana loaf. She decided to do the writing inside a box – picture below – and had a wail as Daddy took a picture, and I collected beans with BB.

BB meanwhile had done her match and sort but us playing a rocket game, we counted down from ten, and then she had to go off and find the right numberjack. She also did some very careful painting, and put on a french song CD about animals for them both to listen to. we did a lot of jigsaws.
So we made up over banana and white choc drop loaf – an extra banana and it is truly squidgy and gorgeous. must make for Melrose. yummy. SB and BB mostly were able to share the task – today they have not been receptive to the aternate sibling receiving any attention – makes for fun. SB found the magimixer we have had for ages from brightminds and was having fun sorting it out.

learning to multitask!!

Following that SB did piano practice, and BB did some afterwards – more randomly! both felt tired, so watched some Muzzy german cd 1 while I made cheese on toast for their lunch to refresh the parts…

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Following lunch I put out some options for SB – facepainting, science experiment, dinosaur to paint or ‘something else’. We did the bio clock – and no, we still haven’t made it work. I think SB thinks all experiments are doomed – its just like my Nuffield Physics course all over again.

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SB chose to do some quick violin practice – she wants to finish the book, get a certificate and then learn some Christmas songs.

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BB stayed asleep in my arms. SB also did a dancing show, the asked or face painting. I am not particularly skilled, but think this wasn’t bad.

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SB painted her dinosaur – but for some reason, although I was sitting next to her trimming green beans, I didn’t take any photos. We did test the yummy cake – very difficult to resist eating it all. BB woke up, and we all did some of SB’s mosaic picture.

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BB-isms. She does like to say ‘fantastic’ a lot. Also, when I want a kiss, she always says I ‘have to say something’ whether or not I have said please. Oh, and I love her ‘how about that then?’
We finished the day with bath, tea and a general chasing fun around the upstairs, ending in fits of giggles. our usual bed routine of taking it in turn to read, but with BB snuggled up to without being a scamp. A good end, because at several times, I was looking at BB and SB who had wound each other up into a shrieking and wailing frenzy thinking I could perhaps be at work. But only a couple of times. Mostly, I would rather be at home.

Oh, and we found BB’s lost croc. But we seem to have lost my camp socks!

Our New Classroom

Our New Classroom

Welcoming Aunty Marylyn

Who lives in Canada. We had a day of her busy itinerary, looking into the family history – see post below! So we did try and madly clean and declutter, and didn’t look too bad.

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SO very excited, we made cakes, got lunch ready and waited! Chris also went and picked up Little Nanny to take to Mum and Dads. Wish Dad had been there too so that all 3 siblings could be together. Hmm. Anyway, we had a great fun time together, particularly playing dinosaur ludo.

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Sb and BB got a toy that has a website, so SB got herself hooked up with that. BB also impressed with her IT skills on starfall. SB read , sang, played the piano and was generally charming. BB was a munchkin of cuddliness, and also played and pattern blocked. By 6, when the guests all left, SB and BB had had enough, and in fact SB has gone to bed without tea as she was exhausted. Well, she has also been to rainbows, and we had a HUGE lunch. Both now asleep before 8!!

Thankyou for visiting Aunty Marylyn. Must save my pennies so we can all visit you in Canada.

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Caught up with blogging, even over here!

Titanic

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

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

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

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Extras appearing in the titanic IMG_9378

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

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

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

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Protectiveness and loving

I think I am probably over protective wrt SB. I love her dearly,and she has such a gentle soul and personality. She is so caring and generous. It means that I struggle with the her being upset thing. I was always so totally useless at the making friends and social thing at school. I still am really, but try hard. I just don’t seem to have the cues that do social things well, and still stumble.So how do I help SB? I think she is prob better than me, I hope so anyway. I don’t have the same worry for BB. She is a rascal, and no doubt I will one day be worrying more about her forcefulness.

Anyway, SB came back from Nana and Grandad’s with a present of earings and a necklace that she bought for me [with grandad's money!] She wanted to give me it because she loves me so much and I work hard. aaah. i was very emotional! Getting an unexpected present from your daughter when you are at a low ebb is a massive mood booster.

Wearing my new jewellery from SB

OK, so moving on. today I got home at about 10, and although sorely tempted to throw myself into bed I managed until about 2 to read books, snuggle watching the magic school bus, aid playdough and singapore maths, and read some then and now style books on homes and food, and a bit about cavemen. We listened to a french music CD about days and months I did want to do violin and piano with SB, but couldn’t keep eyes open so had a nap while Chris cycled with the girls to the fruit farm, and then they ran about wildly for a bit.

When I groggily came too again,it was tea time and the girls were in the bath – how did that happen?? I sorted out our Melrose forms. We had tea and both girls made some cards, for the christening tomorrow and for Chloe. Read some Magic Tree House. Hopefully will feel more wakeful tomorrow.