How do I love thee? let me count the ways

obviously I haven’t, as looking at my 2 girls today, I just loved them. But I guess that is a phrase that pops up now and again! I think at the moment they are one of the key things keeping me moving of a day. Being rung by work was a downer moment!

Anyway, another lovely day spent mostly outside. SB has done loads of starfall today [obviously inside!] and was very taken by the greek myths section – Mummy we’ve read these ALL before. [at least 60 billion times darling, luckilly I love them too] she could pronounce the names correctly too. She helped BB with cbeebie-ing as well. BB got bored with this though, so she and I sort of played ‘don’t wake dad’ with good counting to 5. She won’t press the button though, as she doesn’t like it when dad jumps up at her – fine at one of us though!

We moved on to reading once the imigran had taken effect for me – some more of the polar bear Magic Tree house [SB in love with the series] and then looked up traditional inuit lifestyles in some native american books we have. I read some more stories from assorted barefoot books to both girls.

We then piled outside and the girls ran around and I pushed BB on the swing. We had lunch and then a tin of pineapple [considered a HUGE treat]. Then – drumroll please – SB FINISHED MPH 1A!!! on the revision section, she still needs some work on subtraction across the tens [ie 43-27] but is pretty much there most of the time. BB and i were spotting bugs, bees and talking to the goldfish.

So some more running about and playing hide and seek – ably helped by BB [ mummy's over here]. then we planted up SB’s flower garden. SB and BB bailed out of digging fairly quickly- the soil was too hard! Its funny that the archaeological dig hole gets bigger and bigger. [both found dinosaur bones and flints today - cavemen. hmmmmm]. Anyway, i dug loads of holes [while they dug for treasure], and SB then planted up beautifully, and watered in. She also sowed up some more of her veg patch – a row of carrots and some onion sets.

Chris came back from the supermarket and made us berry smoothies and muffins for a snack – yummy, and dug a patch of the veg bed over. They all then played wild things, and i planted out the peas. I’ve been impressed with the germination rate in the propagator its near 100% of everything so far. I think that’s ‘cos we had the temp up a bit to start with all the harder to germinate seeds, and have now reduced it. The temp control I think has made all the difference. Even the florence fennel has all germinated.

Unfortunately ‘real’ gardening was cut short as BB hurt her wrist in a wild round and round. I did wonder whether it was broken. She did want a bath though, so as a deferring option we had a bath, at which point she played using the arm, and weight beared on it, so I was reassured.

She fell asleep very quickly after the bath – which was a bit weird as before tea. SB enjoyed some ‘only child’ time with 2 parents attention, playing outside, some more starfall and the lots of UNO. She did wake up though as Sb went to bed – sigh!

SO another lovely day. we are slipping a bit with the home ed – well, the music, language and story of the world! SB is so racing ahead and loving reading though that i don’t want to artificially cut that short, and i do want her to have plenty of play time. She was still on about heaviness of liquids at teatime – balsamic vinegar vs wine!!! we may have to do an experiment [there is a bottle of water and oil sitting on the windowsill, but she wants more layers]. hmmmm still, should be able to add 10 mins music practice [though it takes 15 to get ready etc etc].

Anyway, more britannia at bedtime – which led to quite a chat about prince of wales, the welsh language [which i demonstrated badly!] and the tie in with castle rising that we visited not long ago.

oh, and I forgot the great potty disaster – BB likes having a potty outside so she remembers to use it (mostly). I was helping SB with a sum, looked around and BB was on the potty, most clearly doing a poo, but not having made sure her dress was hitched up at the back. At least we were outside.

Now watching grand designs vid – lovely. Fossil hunting tomorrow is the plan.

first day of short break!

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. was just so nice to have some relaxing days off in a row.

got up at 9 as chris off to collect a bed from little Nanny. SB was already doing lots of webland [which she has always liked - been on the upper age this year]. BB was playing skittles.

After a while, BB and I played with lego instead, SB read another chapter of he polar bear magic tree house, and having got stuck on the word caribou, we then looked in a polar animals book. it is sooooo fab to have a reader, who reads most of it out to you, much easier with 2 now!

Both girls decided they were ravenous, so we had lunch before 11! Then we got dressed, did nail varnish [take note of how I learn Nic!] and piled outside in the sun. we slipped slapped and slopped [or whatever that australian advert was] and rampaged about a bit, swinging and climbing a lot [whilst singing at top of voice - poor neighbours - well, not the pub]. I read an inuit folk tale [in the spirit of the today's theme!] and SB read some more of the polar book. She also did a fair bit of the 1B revision pages of maths. Both girls also did a lot of splashing in water boxes [we haven't sorted the pool yet] and BB wore herself quite out, so fell asleep in my arms.

Chris returned with bed, and SB carried on splashing on the whole. We had a discussion wrt tea, and she agreed to try something very mildly thai spiced, so thats what i did, with wild and red rice. She loved it. Next time will increase the intensity of the spices, as when she had seconds, she had the more spiced version. SB cbeebied and read to BB, and BB and I read some books.

Finally bedtime, with the britannia and usborne young readers routine. So we had a lovely day. SB is reading like mad, we have lots of wide ranging conversations about all sorts – like what is the heaviest fluid – i made a guess for mercury – so we discussed that it isn’t just a planet/roman god, and she remembered that it was in shi huang di [sp!] burial in Xian. mind you, I am not entirely sure what the heaviest liquid [at room temp and sea level pressure!!] is. ANd so I think we do have a very interactive education – I just need to have google in my brain!

i have very happily watched the apprentice, and will gently relax on the sofa.

Not forgetting Gordon Ramsey of course!

Oasis

sorry, but it just fits the mood. SB is shocked, I think, at me listening to something other than classical. I think its so old now it must be uncool enough for me to like it? [I was embarrassed at the time!]

Sidebar Princesses

This piccies just popped up in the sidebar. I love it, a gaggle of princesses/fairies from our first Muddlepuddle Camp – Melrose 2005.

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Wikipedia meme – Chris

Passed on From Making it Up among other places. Type your birth day and date only into wikipedia
From February 24th

3 Events?

1582Pope Gregory XIII announces the Gregorian calendar.

1831 – The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West.

1938 – A nylon-bristle toothbrush becomes the first commercial product (DuPont) to be made with nylon yarn.

2 Births

1304Ibn Battuta, explorer

1786Wilhelm Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (d. 1859)

1 Death

1810Henry Cavendish, English scientist (b. 1756)

Holiday or Observance?

Dragobete in Romania.

Problem with Birth and deaths is that the lists in more recent dates is dominated by Americans.

easter

well, we had a lovely time with all the family. little Nanny was here as well, so felt like it should be. SHe’s getting much better, more mobile and more positive.

lots of chocolate was eaten, there was lots of fun outside. Generally a nice family time. SB and M had fun, and BB and E mostly did [when not doing the 'mine' thing]

i had a few major wobbles – hadn’t realised quite how low i was really. have some time off to recharge a bit now though. Took some nice photo’s – hidden amongst the masses on flickr!

IMG_4817?IMG_4803

wiki meme [from making it up]

3 events

193Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans)

1413Henry V is crowned King of England.

1865American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the war.

2 births

1 death

1492Lorenzo de’ Medici, Italian statesmen (b. 1449)

[though edward 4th a contender!]

holiday and observances
Feast for Three Days – Second Day (Thelema)

38

but will blog the weekend tomorrow

fun in the sun

easter saturday has mostly been spent outside. we have the same houseful as for xmas, and with little nanny.

SB did her easter egg hunt that she bought the bits for very successfuly – and was very happy!

I planted up all the broad beans, SB and cousin M planted some in her veg patch, and BB and cousin E helped me plant some peas there too. Lots o the sweetcorn have now germinated, and some of the squashes.
They have also cbeebied , NASA-ed and done some reading amongst all the playing.

We adults have watched indulgently, run around a bit and drunk mostly coffee and tea and wine.

Quick blog

OK, so once the journey was done, the conference in birmingham was inspirational and depressing. Many of my colleagues are now starting to find some of the pressure that we in my unit have felt for the last 2 years. The government seem on a path to remove specialists and replace with cheap and quality free – fine for poundshop, but for health? So lots of debate.

An excellent speaker was incited for one of the keynote sessions. Prof Carl Chin – may I just thank the organisers for such a great talk. It was on why Birmingham is there.

So, I got home late on wed, played with SB for a bit – we had a bash at Spanish edu city and did some games and read books together. thurs was a long day at work but – FINDUS! [success on a plate!] my job plan has finally been agreed [well I await final confirmation so shouldn't get too excited] which will mean some ‘annualisation’ of my hours – I work v hard while there, but have more free time – some of which I will need to spend on courses and prof devel, but its up to me – woo hoo!

I am on call, but its good friday [when Jesus was crossed apparently] my parents arrived yesterday, my sister and family and little nanny today. Raucous and happy – just as I like it. SB happy reading a felicity wishes book, and lots of playing in the garden. BB seems a month older than on monday somehow. How does that happen?
garden stuff - my broad beans in modules need to go in the ground – as do the onion sets [late I know!] and potatoes [ditto]. SOme of the peas are ready to harden off. one of the modules is teaming with spider babies – tiny and yellow and black – prob deadly!! They run up and down the web presumably left by parent and then hide in 2 lumps under some leaves. The courgette have germinated, but not the other cucurbits yet. one sweetcorn germinated!! kirsty’s peas germinated. Must pot up toms.