Category Archives: writing

Don’t Forget The Bacon !

No, we  haven’t suddenly turned carnivorous, this has been Butterbean’s saying of the week, they got it from the eponymously named book that we had from the library recently. So she has been running around shouting this a lot :-)

Last couple of days they have been staying at my Mum and Dads, while I attacked a bit more of the arched window. Thursday they went to Mount Fitchet Castle, which was rather drier than when we were there last year.
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Friday I think they just pottered about at their house. SB never had the chance for this at BB’s age, as they were all to far away. They do both enjoy going to stay there.
Rest of week, Tuesday is library day, so much reading of old books before we go. Made masks at Storytime:

sb monkey mask

Then home to read the new stash of books:

lots of library  books

followed by a  bit of tandem Starfalling:

they heart starfall

After lunch, and bit of playing in the garden, Maths and Getty Dubay and then time to get going for swimming lesson, with a short play at the park in between.

Wednesday, umm….  There was some Maths and Getty Dubay, and Education city and maybe some other computery things in the morning, we did something else as well, which eludes me right now – I read something to SB. Afternoon seems to have disappeared. More reading though:

weird reading position

- Helen was back home from work by then. Until I took SB out for her Rainbows boat trip. She had a good time, hooked up with another girl there, R and they were getting on like a house on fire according to her mum who had gone on the boat as well. They had a bit more of a run around while we chatted until SB hit her head on a wall :roll: :roll: and we left wailing…. We will hopefully arrange a playdate soon. While we were out BB and Helen made another Chocolate Spread Cake:

IMG_9271look at my licky fingersyummy choc spread cake

A couple of snippets from Monday:

BB helped make scrambled egg:

cracking cooking

They made this construction from chairs in the kitchen. It is apparently some sort of cot/bed/desk/sofa thing, with built in drinks thing for the baby:

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Mosquitos

I am soooo fed up with them. Having a pond a bad idea – though the fish lovely, and BB always pretending to be a frog on a ‘leappad’. Aaarghh [scratches everywhere!]

Whilst I’ve been at work, there has been painting, a bit of maths and writing, lots of reading, DS-ing and ballet restarted.

On returning SB has done some violin practice – wailed hugely about doing it, and then was v pernicketty about getting it right beofre carrying on, so did way longer than I suggested – all v happily.

Make your own pizza for tea. Listening to french CD about colours. SB is now ds-ing rather than any joint activity, so I am feeling loose endish! BB asleep.

I’ll get told off again…….

…if i don’t blog ;-) But I do have photos as well in mitigation.

So today, SB has read loads. Usborne Book of Ledgends before breakfast (Hercules I think), as  well as a bit of Little hippo DVD (in German) which is one BB’s favourites  -she can get it playing now, and select an episode sometimes. And if the folder of downloaded kiddy programs is open she can pick one of those and start that, though she hasn’t worked out how to make it full screen yet (“bigger! bigger!”). She is scarily competent at working the mouse for a not yet 3 yo. Thats’ what having an elder sister does I think.

We had a good sort out of the playroom, clearing up all sorts of detritus from the floor, under and behind sofas etc. SB did a great job at vacuuming it. I rather like the room when not carpeted with crap, just wish we could keep the table even sort of clearish for more than 3 seconds.

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Put away  more  clothes in the girls room.  I think that all their clothes that are washed and dried are now put away, a rare event indeed. SB tidied the floor again and made beds as she is on tidy room hit at the moment, then I vacuumed it for her. Did the bathroom as well while I was at it. 3 rooms, that’s plenty for one day .

More reading, she is very keen on  the My little Treasury of Stories and Rhymes  that she got from the library the other day. She spent an hour or so, before and over lunch reading it. By this point BB had decided to have  napped, so it was all rather peaceful.

After lunch is was bit of maths – measuring from Singapore 2A, so pretty simple stuff really. A bit of Getty and Dubay, then they both went off into the garden to play for a bit whilst I started on dinner. Playing seemed to involve most jumping in the paddling pool, getting wet, and then running around like loons shouting ‘I’m bare , I’m bare”  Had to make an impromptu run up to the potato farm for potatoes for dinner, where they managed to get a free apple each, by dint of being  cute really I think..

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Dinner made  and in oven, SB had a go at some secret/magic writing, as H had brought home some Tincture of iodine which we had needed. Basically, write/paint of the paper with lemon juice, dip it in water with a bit of TOI in. Paper goes a darkish blue colour due to the starch. THE bit where the juice was stays lighter so you can read it, as there is a different chemical reaction between the acid in the juice and the TOI solution.

BB had been playing and pottering, but noticed she’d put on more Little Hippo :-) This took us pretty much up to dinner time really.

After bath, (H was home by now) there was playing with the wooden train track, with the customary wailing from both children :roll: , a bit more Little Hippo. A bit of Education City (apparently i hadn’t let her earlier….???) and then bed. EVen BB who had napped for an hour was asleep by 9.

Started watching Regenesis last night, watched another tonight, quite enjoying them. Makes a change from the normal ‘policy’ type things. Though it is a  bit like a microbiological Numb3rs when they launch of into an explanation of some aspect. Been also flipping between Eureka, which is enjoyable and lighthearted – reminds me a bit of Northern Exposure with it’s collection of slightly kooky characters, and Space Above and Beyond, which is mildly diverting, but a bit rubbish overall really. It’s getting  bit repetitive now. It has an excellent collection of corny lines though, which is fun :-)

muttermutter

Am awaiting yet another ‘news of the future’ update from where I work, so forgive my grumpiness!!

chris is not blogging much. SB has done some education city at the new levels today, which she said was much better. Some maths and writing, and reading an usborn science book.

Other than that,they went out shopping.

We played a bit when i got home. SB did some violin. its not ideal doing it so late as she gets frustrated much more quickly, and is very fussy about perfection. I shouldn’t complain, but it can take a very long time to get to the end of a piece of music . She did play beautifully though. She put on a bit of a dance show, and we also read some greek myths – ulysses
BB and I spent a bit of time looking at the pond skaters in our pond. SHe was pretending to be one too,showing me how she would have to put her legs, before turning into a frog on a ‘leappad’ . SHe has a beautiful mind for thought at the moment.

I love listening to both of them- separately! – when they decided to think through something. SB gradually adds in more and more detail, and possibilities and choices. BB often turns into a dialogue with herself. Lovely

Oh,and RIP Pavarotti.I have loved listening to you sing for many years. such a voice and such a talent.

Rainbows

ALthough I would have quite liked to be at a not back to school party today, SB was ecstatic to be going to her first ever rainbows. We had regular countdowns throughout the day. SHe needs a blue polo neck – does that mean her group is blue then Michelle?

Anyway, lots of playing first thing with the 2 of them together and separately. Quickly romped through some maths and writing practice. SB is doing measuring at the mo, and so went on to measure all sorts around the house. Being of ‘a certain age’ we have various things measuring in inches, so we discussed why we do waists in inches, and heights in cm – well, actually we do that in feet and inches, just cm for you for clothes!

I read a number of books to BB at this point as a snuggle cuddle, and SB wanted in, so she read to us half of tell me how ships float, and I read the other half. A tie in with the magic school bus programme we had watched the other day. So we decided we could do the experiments in our head, and did so! She then played on the rainforest maths that t-bird had so kindly pointed out. BB also had a go too – but the nursery level is a bit above her so she was grumpy!

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So BB and I did playing with playdough, and she made some cool monsters. Then was doing cutesy stories with them acting out. We were listening to french songs about time on a CD that I got from ebay. SB meanwhile was back with the DS getting her dog to be trained to ‘stick your bottom out’ ???

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I’d had enough of children in different places, so we all reconvened to cut the green leaves to make our rainforest tree, that we were going to do when reading about the rainforest, but never quite got to. The girls loved the idea of sticking it on the wall [chris not so keen, so a paper backing compromise reached!] . SB was VERY tolerant of BB ranting.

SB then started drawing and colouring rainforest fruit and flowers to put on it, and BB and I did a jigsaw. SB remembered a lot of the rainforest stuff – yes, I know it was recent, but I don’t test recall, so never sure what goes in!

Then – drum roll – she cycled off to rainbows with Daddy. She sad it was all right, but will be more exciting next week as they are going on a river cruise – eek!

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BB and I went out into the garden, as she was looking v sleepy. So we harvested beans for tea [surprise] watered the greenhouse and picked 2kg [!] of toms. BB very pleaed with this. I noticed that a lot of her harvested toms weren’t making it into the bowl! [we have some cherry toms as well as gardeners delight and tigerella]. Some of our peppers finally going red – making me v happy.

So I had started making spicy [allegedly mild, but i don't think so] red tomato chutney with our own toms and onions. And that sort of threaded through the rest of the evening. The house doesn’t smell too vinegary!

tomato chutney

SB came back, and the girls did some more flowers and bitterflies, and those and the ruit are now all on the rainforest canopy. We have had a discussion about the understory and forest floor – we are not putting spiders there.

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BB fell asleep in the sling again after tea – she has taken to being put in the sling at teatime. SB was doing her violin practice, so obviously has a soothing effect [rofl] . She then watched Nina and the neurons about taste and saliva before bed time.

She is presently waiting for me to go up and sleep in her bed tonight. I imagine she will force herself to be awake until I get in too. SO might nip up and cuddle her till she sleeps, and if stay awake nip back down.

Flickr has come back, so am flickring a backlog to be tucked into all the last posts!

Blogging for Chris – updated by Chris :-)

Edited to add:

Pah! Gone back to Opera, forgot it doesn’t play ball with the editor in WordPress , does weired things to the formatting of the text. Don’t like it that much anyway, might go back to Livewriter. Though WP editor is better for adding photos with Joe Tan’s Flickr Photo Album Plugin

He can pad this out perhaps?

He can try…. Can’t much get into blogging lately – always seems a bit insubstantial, haven’t really read any or Twitter much either, I did add some bolding though. And capitalised – which bugs me.

Libraryfinished Wild Read. No certificates, medals, presentations or anything! nic, do you have any spare certificates??

It’s all pretty low key at ours, then again it isn’t proper library and is run by volunteers, i’m not sure exactly how the whole thing is arranged anyway. Some of the local town libraries are having a presentation of some sorts. Anyway SB was excited with her magic bookmark :-) Girls sat down on the floor whilst having the ’1st of the month bikkies’ and sat reading books, so a good little advert for HE there :-)

SB done some maths and getty and dubay.Her writing is getting very neat know, when she wants to make is so. I was encouraging her to write smaller to fir the writing in the boxes in the maths book, which seemed to make it neater for some reason. Maths was measuring things and estimating measurements. One bit was about picking the right scale of units for things – so she got highly amused by the idea of very big and very small things for a while.
SHe is v proud bedroom now spotless.Yup, she has organised the wardrobe – he clothes (arranged of course) at one end, BB’s at the other, all the empty hangers in the middle – who does that remind you of… ;-). She was going on about tidying things away a few times a day, and I did hear myself saying one of those ‘OMG I said a parenty thing’ things ‘yes, if you put things away when you’ve finished it odoesn’t get so much of a mess’. Now if only this parent could apply that…..

random playing – some naked playing in the paddling pool, a bit too much screaming and shouting indoors. Some drawing/colouring etc. BB is very much into ‘cooking’ with the play cooker. Have to do something about storing all the food bits though. We’ve got more than we had with SB, and it all now seems to end up all over the floor, and then take ages to tidy up. BB is also very much into playing with various people/animals etc. characters and can sit for ages playing little games.

Swimming – has level 3 and nearly level 4 sign off.Shame dad didn’t have enough change (£2.50) to get the certificate and badge though (shame she didn’t get it to this term, they are included in the cost now). In some ways it’s good to get back to having some things to hang our week on and structure it around, but I do find trisping off to things later afternoon a bit of a pain.

lots of DS-ing, and has finally got her dog trained to some commands!she waited up until 9 for me to get home, and put her to bed, chatting all the while, proud of her swimming, tidying and DSing. we also chatted about rods and cones in eyes.

BTW, last week they stayed over with my parents, went to Hunstanton, for a summer seaside trip. SB likes the seafront fairground there, as was excitedly telling BB about what things she might like to go on BB stayed awake until about midnight it seems…. (sleeping on the way home)

re-edited by Helen – what on earth did you do to the length of the text lines Chris – a right old mess!!

Abbalicious

when I got home from work I was treated to an Abba dance display from both my girls. we will have to start u-tubing again. SB is getting a good wiggle, and was being v inventive with moves. BB was half a move behind, often trying to mimic big sis. lovely.

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Earlier in the day they had been mostly tidying their bedroom! SB also read all the Quentin Blake bookset we got from the book people ages ago. she is turning into a real little bookworm. well, with 2 keen parents, I guess there is a good gene for head-in-a-book.

SB has done a minute bit of maths about measuring in cm and m. Also a single page of getty and dubay B for hand writing. [these were the requested somethings!!]

When I got home, Sb and I did some violin practice together, she did a bit of webland, and was very grumpy because she couldn’t spot what was wrong with the picture! I read to BB, and Sb and BB played cafe before watching a short bit of a magic school bus before tea.

Babywearing

Feeling boring at work and at home, with no sparkle. prob just from such a tough weekend sapping all vitality, but hope to improve!

edited to add. rather amusingly, when I got home chris went out ot buy some veg – i thought to avoid yet another bean meal but we had beans anyway! he then rang me as he had credit card and no PIN, so I had to scurry round the house to find the bit of paper with it written on. SB thought this weirdest of all, as he needed a number? we considered how many number combinations it would be before daddy guessed right, and her head was spinning v quickly!

The Good Life

I went out and harvested again today – we have more beans than you can shake a stick at. I must learn the blanch and freeze thing.

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My mum and dad came this morning to visit, and are staying overnight [just gone to bed]. SO a lovely day of chatting, playing. And my dad taking advantage of us having broadband [which he doesn't need at home!] to look at digital cameras.

Mum brought some sparkle and glitz jewellery links for the girls to play with – cue at least 2 hours of contentment, making necklaces, crowns and bracelets, and then selling at a shop. Cheap plastic tat, but oh what fun was had. I am a great believer in utilising cheap platic tat. I love the wood and natural things, but not sure my children would want all their toys without glitter and primary colours.

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Also, along the way SB did some maths [just part of a section really, 15 mins as I am just keeping a bit of focus as we have had a proper holiday since about june I think!] and also L in getty and dubay – earning praise from my parents for her writing – she was most chuffed. My mum is a musician, so both children showed off their violin playing – well BB had a shrieking fit as I confiscated hers from being in danger of being broken by her wildness. But SB played hot cross buns beautifully, and mum gave her some useful tips and pointers on rhythm and bow speeds. In amongst all the playing, both mum, dad and I read to the girls various books, mostly the usbourne science ones as they are very noticeable in the new shelf arrangement. SB also had a look at the spotter book on dogs, and read out some of the rocks and minerals – pointing out we had found belemnites before. Cue more praise from mum. I shouldn’t really be so happy about this, but my parents are ambivalent about home ed. So having SB autonomously [and BB] pull books off the shelves and read them is rather a good thing I think!

But mostly we have played and chatted today. Mum and SB did a number of joint drawings. SB got mum to draw the people and some of the features, and SB drew the rest, and sometimes SB drew most and then asked mum to fill bits in. I worked really well. We all did some more of the fab sunflower mosaic as well.

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Oh, and I have sooooo missed BOLDING that it is back!

i wish blog posts would write themselves

today just wasn’t what I wanted. it was rainy and def autumnal, and I am still hoping for a summer! Also meant that chris couldn’t make a start on the windows – which I am panicking about. And that the thought of walk to park or trip to the raptor centre didn’t seem a good idea either.

We did, however, have a v good home-ed day! We all woke in the same bed – not unheard of! so the girls and I had what seemed to be who could suffocat mummy the most successfully game! the girls went down for brekkie, and the plan was to look at a french vid at the same time, I think it was sort of done – but not really!!

SO, we rampaged through yesterday’s maths, and got the plus and minus right this time. then a romp through Getty and Dubay K. BB and I did some painting at this point.

SB and I then spent ages with her rainforest challenge book/game. this is truly excellent [linked before] and she has really loved it. we did the plantlife and the human culture sections this time – at least an hour if not more totally engrossed.

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BB during this was building with blocks and playing games with me – good at multitasking me!

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lunch was quickly flowed by craft, as SB did some paper weaving – to mimic the palm weaving done by the indigenous rainforest tribes. i discussed how the Iban live in Borneo, and we thought about all the things we eat or use that come from the rainforest – rather a lot!

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We were all needing a bit of light relief, so following the success of the magic school bus programmes at SOTP, we have also acquired some, and the girls happily watched one before returning to the playroom – SB to check out their website and then move onto webland, and BB to mostly play in a box, with a bit of being read to and poisson rouge.

While they did this, i made organisation of the book shelves, and brought down a bookcase from the bedroom [leaving chaos there]. so now we actually have some spare book space to fill. oh, and while BB and SB had a bit of a spat and wail session. to calm us all down, we listened to the pure voice of emma kirkby.
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Unfortunately my car went into the garage today and requires welding and all sorts. This has a multiple hundreds but as yet to be confirmed tag attached, so I am assuming that more books are unlikely. oh well. will hope that I can nab a bit of cosmic supply company energy here to make all work out.

SB labelled her weaving and was v proud of it, and then we all did some playing together before tidying up.
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we were going to do some violin, but the arrival of Merry’s girls so I could sign some photos got her out of this. Oh, we have also done some general chatting using french and english words – mainly around the please and i would like so encouraging this. Was contemplating rosetta stone french or german, prob the latter, but will defer this.

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girls came and all rampaged wildly around the house. it has to be said that BB was the wildest. aargh she is so willful and yet so gorgeous.

After they went, BB went to bed, and SB and I had a lovely peaceful hour together gently bonding over the sunflower mosaic we got from bead merrily. its lovely to do. not at all messy. we then read stories and went to bed.

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Merrily gossiping

because that is what i did today!!

We did a bit of stuff this morning . BB insisted on violin practice as soon as i got out of bed, and then on reading lots of books sitting on the loo [i have take a photo as it made me laugh so much – decent as she has a dress on! SHe is pretty reliably now potty trained, such that we are taking her out and about, even in the car without a nappy. Just one for the night. She particularly likes the red nose readers. Also she is singing merrily around the place, making up her own songs or singing snatches of others.

SB did some maths – singapore 2A. unfortunately she was so keen to finish that she didn’t look whether a + or – was in the sum, so did all addition and half wrong. ‘but mummy, would they be right if it was a +?’ She also keenly did some getty and dubay – J. She is keen to improve her writing, and happily does this at the moment. She wants to write nicely this year.

Both girls also had a bath before we headed off to Merry’s. I missed Merry’s last twitter, so we got there way too early, so SB did her violin practice while she waited. I had take both girls violins so they could play with Amelie if they wanted. They did – right at the end of the visit when Merry was frantically trying to get everything tidied up.

the girls all played – wildly and then more gently – mostly as doctors, nurses and patients. Fran was very keen to tell me how tiring it was to be a doctor – rofl. merry and I gossiped, and I raided her stock cupboard. This rather gorgeous window mosaic is even on special offer. I love the look of rather too many things at the moment! Also can’t wait for the play merrily site to go live

BB was fascinated by the geomags – as usual. i had a look at draw write now, but think too advanced for SB at the moment.

lovely day, thanks merry.