don’t do it!

Posted on January 16, 2008 by | Leave a comment

cut off my scrabulous!

Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous game from its website by the makers of Scrabble.

Leave a comment

Posted in General

Return of the absent blogger?

Posted on January 16, 2008 by | 1 comment

Problem I have is that it just seems rather boring – but I did bold things :-)
Morning started with Sb doing some of the music theory book she started the other day with Helen . BB got me to help her with the Ikea wooden construction toy thing making a helicopter. Then they both moved on to the polyhedrons for a – BB wanted a house for lizard and then some general playing about with things. We sorted out books for returning to the library and then had breakfast, SB catching up on a few of the library books, chased them up trying to speed up the getting dressed and sorted procedure which can take forever left to their own devices.

Off to the library in the rain and wind, BB pleased to be using her umbrella to keep her dry. Storytime, selecting new books, home again in the rain via the shops for lunch supplies.

Home, SB settled down with a Rainbow Fairies book, which she knocked of in the hour or so before lunch. I drank coffee and read books with BB and did boring household tasks. After lunch they both did a bit of stuff on various websites, SB piano practised and then entered some kind of educational limbo where she spent 2 – 21/2 hours doing maths and handwriting that should have taken a lot lot less, so we didn’t really get onto anything else much before it was time to cook dinner.

After dinner, I rapidly chased BB up to bed. In one of her Jekyll and Hyde moments, one minute she was sitting happily eating dinner, next minute she was being some sort of annoying mad dervish, out to annoy SB in as many ways as possible. When she chased after SB waving a pair of scissors a swift intervention and imposition of bedtime was deemed appropriate.

SB watched a Roar episode, and then we did the Roman city jigsaw whilst awaiting Helen’s too late return from work.

Roman City Jigsaw

So she had late bedtime. Tonights excuse for coming down when she should really have been asleep was that she wasn’t warm enough (gloss over that it’s been much colder than tonight before) – told her to wear her fleecy bunny suit.

1 Comment

Posted in Books, Butterbean, IT, literacy, music, numeracy, Out and About, photos, pre reading, Stringbean, writing

Miserable monday

Posted on January 15, 2008 by | 5 comments

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

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

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

5 Comments

Posted in Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, cute, Dance/drama, daubing and making, early maths skills, General, language, literacy, music, numeracy, pre reading, SB-PE, socialisation, Stringbean's HE

Blogging from the new laptop

Posted on January 13, 2008 by | 3 comments

how very exciting. needing to get used to a whole new keyboard. well, the last laptop was on a plugin keyboard [as 2 integral ones had malfunctioned] which didn’t always work, oh and had no working battery. so, i have spent more money than i should have [but still far less than most!] on a ow end laptop. widescreen unusual, and glad i wear glasses! vista and turnpike incompatible, so my sys admin has rigged up a virtual xp popup with turnpike inside it – weird!

Anyway, we had a very busy day today, with lots of playing and doing. SB did both piano and violin practice, and we are going to try and do 4 15 min practices of each a week. doesn’t sound much, but to us will be a challenge! BB painted her money box pig that she got yesterday, and very happy she was with it too. We three sat together and read lucie a la plage, me french, SB english and SB and BB both did the pronunciation at the back, and then we read a ladybird book about dinosaurs for a bit. the girls did some general playing with this and that whilst i flickred yesterday. SB made her fairy house and BB stickered.

After lunch :wink: BB did some plasticine and then watched muzzy whilst SB and I had a fab time with her science kit - this enviro battery is fab [note they mixed up the description of the enviro battery and the dynamo torch!]. we chatted about electricity and currents again, made a working bioclock with oranges and with vinegar got a sound cell to play [just!]

More playing and we all snuggled to red the katie in various paintings books before watching dancing on ice with pizza, then a dinosaur prog and to bed.

3 Comments

Posted in Butterbean, Butterbean's HE, daubing and making, General, language, literacy, music, noises and sounds, science, Stringbean's HE

Family Gatherings

Posted on January 13, 2008 by | Leave a comment

yesterday was spent with Chris’s family on his mothers side. SB and BB enjoyed playing with baby A [their second cousin who has now had 1st birthday]. Uncle Robert looked the best we had sen him – he has bowel cancer, which has spread to the liver, and last year had quite a punishing course of chemo. He is due a repeat scan later this month and will decided whether he can have surgery or whether to choose between further chemo or letting nature take its course. I don’t think he would opt for chemo again.

So there was much eating and merriment, and christmas presents! The children were most impressed by this second batch of christmas presents. we must get our thankyou cards out! We had a great time.

Leave a comment

Posted in General

for chris to do!!

Posted on January 12, 2008 by | 5 comments

Home ed group on myths and legends.

I got my form into work, and came home early, forgetting I was doing the night as well – oops. they did ring me!

5 Comments

Posted in General

should be writing a form for work

Posted on January 11, 2008 by | 4 comments

well, actually I have been doing it most of the evening, along with watching the tudors and criminal minds on downloads, and providing lots of [hopeful] advice to B-I-L. Thanks for all well wishes for sister. I am hoping for the best.

We had another productive day here today, whilst I was at work, SB did some calligraphy reading and coloured in a beautiful letter. BB also did a beautiful colouring of a letter. SB did maths and handwriting practice and some sudoko. She was still sudoko obsesed when I got home, so we did some together and then violin practice. We are trying to encourage the shoulder rest – her body posture isn’t as good with it, but hoping it will get better as it gets more comfortable.

We all read a few stories, and a chip supper [word just for p2] to robin hood downloads. SB gets v concerned why people are bad. she just doesn’t ‘get’ being nasty. BB is rather enjoying watching vicar of dibley, and so are we actually!

4 Comments

Posted in General

Just to confound things

Posted on January 10, 2008 by | 6 comments

It’s just arrived !!

If I wait do you think another one will come tomorrow.

6 Comments

Posted in General

So why did it take all day?

Posted on January 10, 2008 by | 2 comments

Ordered a new laptop for H on Tuesday lunchtime, with next day delivery. Unfortunately it didn’t come. I was always suspicious as the Parcelforce tracking no never gave me anything useful, but that wouldn’t be the first time.

so, didn’t arrive yesterday, rang PF first early this am, no record of parcel with this number.

9am – So on the phone as soon as they opened, to the retailers. After realising after I’d put the phone down that the assurance from Jody on the other end of the phone that it would be delivered today was based on the assumption that PF had the parcel and had just been slow.

So back on the phone again (each time it’s taking 5-10 minutes just to get to speak to a person – on an 0871 no. and at least once it just went dead on me after a wait) explain situation to Jody, says she will check with dispatch dept if the parcel is there. Says she will ring back once she has sorted it.

She hasn’t rung by 12, so I ring her back, seems that disptahc say they it was dispatched, but she will get them to look more – or something like that. Says she will ring back.

3.45 pm – No call back, so on the phone again (2 dead lines – took about 15 minutes to get to speak to someone. Spoke to someone else. Tries again speaking to disptach etc. they say it’s gone and PF must have it. But I’m not willing to wait on the off chance that they deliver it today, as I don’t believe it will come, eventually he rings PF. Turns out that they had asked PF to collect it yesterday (WTF? it was supposed to be with me by then – I guess they check the deliveries or something after 6) but too late (PF collect at 6, they requested it at 7.30 or some such) So they didn’t. So it was still there – argh!!!
Quite why no one realised this, quite why dispatch couldn’t find this parcel, quite why it took all day to sort out, who is and isn’t telling the truth etc. is questions it’s probably not worth bothering to ask. Though I think a proper complaint is in order.
The chap assured me that it would go out today, and upgraded the delivery to a pre 9.30 one.

Ahh, feel better now. Here’s hoping ….

2 Comments

Posted in General

title averse!

Posted on January 9, 2008 by | 4 comments

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

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

4 Comments

Posted in General, history, language, science, socialisation, Stringbean's HE