who blog even more than I do!!!
Awaiting Chris to bring croissants and tea.
BB appalling again last night – sob.
SB Monster and Teeny raced around for ages yesterday evening and then finally collapsed – SB is still collapsed this morning – she was way too tired by the time she went to bed, but refused to give in.
BB wailing, brb
Well, The usual night [sigh] but with much less screaming, since as I wasn’t working today, I was quite happy to do endless amounts of feeding [?] Got a lie in though.
Went downstairs and immediately was pressganged into cuisinaire rod patterns. Thankyou Merry for showing me new ways to spend money, so have looked at icthus website. Not actually parted with money, as waiting until next paycheck.
I then read some of my least favourite books – the Mr men series. Argh – Mr chatterbox is even dense text [I paraphrased!]. The we looked at crusades in the DK History really interesting bits, as SB really likes the bloody bits in history.
from there we moved on to Hama, and did another star, and a face – Nanna and grandad F had arrived by then, so did the face with SB, and thought it was a great idea. Chris – in his infinite wisdom – mentioned some of the shaped boards SB has for Xmas – sigh. What do you do with men like that?
Lunch and then we went into cambridge for the Moscow City Ballet. We parked and road, and neither of has been in central cambridge before – looks really nice, and as the park and ride so easy, am tempted to do it again. BB left with Chris’ parents. Lots of little girls in their angelina finest – SB insisted on the bridesmaids dress, and I thought great, another outing for it!! She looked gorgeous [biased mother alert!], and lots of people thought so too, and asked her if she was a ballerina, so she did the wooing thing [rofl]. The ballet was good. [heresy, but its not really my thing, and I never did the wanting to be one phase] A bit long really – Tchaikovsky Sleeping beauty. Interest was maintained for 2/3 of the time, which I actually thought was rather good. I did encourage though with whispered explanations, questions and what do you think when her prefidget signs showed up, and also allowed her a bit more wriggle latitude – it was a matinee, and the seat behind me was empty, and I had told the lady next to me and behind where SB should have been to indicate if she was getting to much! They didn’t seem to mind when she occasionnaly popped up to do a few of the ballet moves [I think I may have heard a giggle!]. Whens she was really flagging, she decided to do sums – I kid you not, there in the ballet we are doing whispered sums using fingers and toes!! She is variably correct when going over the 10, but enjoys trying to keep all the numbers in order. We rode back to the car on the top of the bus at the front – which she loved.
Back at home we went to the chippie for tea, and SB then played with her Europe Jigsaw, getting very good at the more obvious countries, and making chris’ parents guess which ones they were. We then played with the alphabet bingo we had from sonlight. i read a few more books, and that was our day done and dusted.
Although i haven’t mentioned BB much, we had a good play in the morning and again in the evening, and she was a good girl for nanna and grandad. Lets hope she sleeps!
Posted in art and crafts, Dance/drama, General, geography, history, literacy, numeracy, Out and About
Piccies from yesterdays bump fest.
Look out for Isabelle in the photos of the musical chairs/statues etc. I particularly like this one:
Fran jumping:
And all the different expressions on the ‘ triplet’ ones, esp Josie in this one:
Wonder where they will all be in life in 20 years time?
Posted in General
SB wants everyone to know she has had a glass accident just like Amelie! Chris dropped the cafetiere ans she went to investigate rather too quickly. unlike Amelie, she didn’t get to ride in an ambliance [her word] since i could get it out and wrap it up without all the torrential bleeding. Have made it look good with a bandage, so they can compare notes!!!
edited: having decided to go to bed any second, will log my evening. managed to leave work at 5 – so not bad. got home and SB had drawn a piccie for me, told me about her stickign at library. they had made pizza dough, so we had pizza for tea – yummy. SB did some maths – yahay – primary maths 1a number bonds of 6 and 7. she has really got the concept of these, and plays with the joining units to see differnt wayws of making things. since i have been doing the kakuro, she also does 3 way splits too. Otherwise we had the spontaneous first aid display – and discussion of circulation and levels of the heart. BB jolly wee thing – more ta, passing things, and she was very interested in the first aid display too. At present asleep in cot [lay your bets please!!]. Now I will say goodnight too.
Posted in art and crafts, General, numeracy, science, Stringbean
at work. Feel like zombie. No sleep and feeling globally unwell [rather than something specific]. even went to bed early – though BB stayed awake therefore didn’t actually sleep……..
Posted in General
Highlight of the day was a ‘Mudlepuddle Triplets’ get together at Patch of Puddles as Trying our Best made a visit there. As Merry commented, it’s fascinating how different they are.
All the kids had great time with much raucousness -there was a big session of playing party games such as musical statues, musical chairs, sleeping lions etc. Ended the day watching Barbie and the Magical Pegasus or whatever it is called. Quite cute, they all sat around on the floor in part circle in front of the TV witht he lights off – looked like a cinema.
Proper Flickring of the photos will have to wait until tomorrow (Drive home late enouhg for children to sleep didn’t entirley work, SB woke, but did go off to bed ok, BB still not in bed at 11pm….), but here is a taster:
What cute threesome 
A nice time, thanks Merry : -)
What else happened here then?
Breakfast, organised and out to the doctors, home where BB had nap and me and SB read her ‘Barbie’ mag we bought in the shop. Then we made a little jewellery box out of the mag and then also some braclets so much gluing and sticking fun was had.
Then time for lunch, she had been going on about ‘Barbie and the magical Pegasus’ or somesuch video which she had seen part of before at The Puddles and was advertised in the mag, so got out the books and looked at who/what Pegasus was, then browsed the book. SB was taken by soemsort of Aztec mask, so we looked at where the Aztecs came from on the globe. She mentioned about the globe and night and day and summer winter, but was a bit jumbled about it (fair enough – she’s not 5 yet, I find 15 year olds who can’t grasp it….). so BB in her highchair became an impromtu Sun and we moved the globe around it talking about what a year is, what a day/night is, how the tilt of the earth affects the length of day, the seasons etc.
Though surely over her head at times, she seems to like to be given good explainations of things, so it’s always interesting to see what sticks. I over heard her this evening telling Helen about some of it at least.
After lunch SB played with Cindy/Barbie upstairs, while me a BB pottered about until Helen came home and we headed off to the Puddles
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, geography, history, Out and About, photos, science, socialisation, Stringbean, Stringbean's HE
But just how is one supposed to blog…..?
Posted in Blogging, Daft Stuff, photos
well, we have had a lovely weekend. It is nice to have a haven of tranquility [rofl!!]. however, when weekends are your haven, the passing of the days really does seem swift – tempus fugit and all that.
We had another execrable night with BB. god only knows why, and in the end, i was at wits end so Chris went with her into spare room, and SB slept with me. Some confusion this morning, as church had a remembrance service at 9, rather than usual 10 o clock, so the peal of bells [and they outdid themselves as it was great] made me think i’d slept till 10 when we were supposed to be making brekkie.
So hurried SB downstairs to make brekkie – the Egyptian pastries, and that went well. We discussed egyptian way of life, who would have made them etc, and enjoyed eating them.
SB did some webland, and we all got ready to go swimming. Another good swim. both girls love it. SB developing another method of near-drowning – trying to swim backwards!!
I made a chickpea pasta for lunch – we were all ravenous so devoured it in record time, even SB.
Whilst SB bounced around shouting 1-10 in English and German, BB and i played with the hammer shape sorter. She really enjoyed popping them out and back, and SB came and helped us. SB spotted the red one was a pentagon [so obviously a knowledge of shapes - and in fact had told me off whilst making pastries ecause i said I was putting honey on one of the corners, and circles don't have any corners.]
BB napped, and we discussed the remembrance day. We looked at the history of britain modern book, and the DK really interesting bits of history. SB just didn’t really get war, and why people died, and why they just didn’t move to another country or all not fight. Didn’t press any points, but said that many daddys had gone to try and save the country and way of life for thier families, so that their children could grow up safe. Many died, and so we remember their bravery, but also a reminder that war is dreadful, people die, and that we should try to avoid it. We also chatted about rationing, evacuees, poppies and winston churchill – whose image she recognised from a previous scoot through the modern section. I popped family history in along the way.
SB spent the rest of the afternoon engrossed with playdough, making a farmyard and a complicated story to go with it. I intermittantly helped and also prepared the veg for tea – a thai style curry with the odds and ends we had got. BB woke up, and I found the other shape sorter, so she had great fun with that. It was nice to have the 3 of us pottering in the kitchen, doing different things, but together. [chris weeding again - we were going to plant garlic with him, but SB not keen]. good that SB and BB are getting better at playing together – even if SB has a habit of ‘showing’ BB what to do so much that she doesn’t always get a look in.
Served the curry with rice, and again wolfed down. SB even had seconds – unheard of. Some more playing, watching a video and then bed. please let BB sleep better tonight.
Thought for the day: I wish I could do this every day.
| www.flickr.com |
Posted in art and crafts, Butterbean, Cooking, General, history, language, music, photos, SB-PE, Stringbean's HE
You’re The Giver!
by Lois Lowry
While you grew up with a sheltered childhood, you’re pretty sure
everyone around you is even more sheltered. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, you were
tapped on the shoulder and transported to the real world. This made you horrified by
your prior upbringing and now you’re tormented by how to reconcile these two lives.
Ultimately, the struggle comes down to that old free will issue. Choose
wisely.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
I guess I might have to read it??
In a blogring way, we cooked Sarahs aubergine and chickpea casserole for tea – very nice, and now see she is planning beetroot rissoto.
I think Chris and I are too tired. Work is very full on – and I guess will always be so, so I feel that I am full on in every aspect of my life, with little opportunity to catch my breath and just waste time! BB not sleeping, and my dreadfulness at going to be early combine to make me permanently sleep deprived as well. I notice that Chris and I get short with SB at times when we wouldn’t have done before. I shouted today, and have felt dreadful since, as it was just about putting her coat on – not life shattering at all. She had refused, I said fine, we got to the car and she was complaining she was cold, so I shouted. Sigh.
Chris and I need to work on this, as SB doesn’t respond well to being shouted at, and it is usually entirely unneccesary, just a release of our frustration. With my working, she is always keen to stay up as late as she can push it to play with me, and I can’t help but want to play with her. This, though, is also not helping, as I think she is sleep deprived too, and much more likely to wail at the slightest thing, therby setting mine/Chris’s teeth on edge, etc etc – you see how this goes. I think, as soon as I’ve got the things at work vaguely running, I can try not to stay late – I’m often back at 7ish on Tues and Thurs, so that we avoid those being late nights, and potentially try and leave a bit earlier on the Mon and Fri to be back by 4:30 – 5ish if i can.
Anyway, to today. I got up late – another poor night, not helped by SB going to bed so late, that i stayed up unneccessarily later etc etc! We went to stagecoach [and I shouted about coats]. SB always reluctant to go, though enjoys it whilst there, and we haven’t renewed to go next term. We might try it or something similar again when she is older. I am not totally happy with stagecoach anyway, as I think they teach the children bad singing techniques – ie louder and false american with smiles, rather than concentrating on tunefullness. However, thought she would love it – how wrong! While SB there, me and BB had a nice walk around the nearby country park – good for my cobwebs, and giving BB her own time.
the weather was so lovely I promised SB we could eat outdoors for lunch – so we did, warmly wrapped. Chris had made potato and leek soup – yummy.
I the afternoon, I read SB a magazine and a story whilst BB fed and then dozed and she did spiral drawing. We then spent quite a long time painting and did blow painting and stamp painting. a rather imaginative under the sea picture with handprints as seaweed and the fish/shell stamps. she even drew a safe path for divers.
She then coloured in a picture for a present for me. BB woke up so we had a fair bit of playing all together. Mostly with the stacking cups and the moving tortoise, with SB also using the spacehopper to bounce up and down the hall – to BB’s bemusement.
Later I read most of the Roman Usborne time traveller to SB, and we had a look for Italy and Rome on the globe, discussed empires vs kingdoms, capital cities, slaves and the rather horrible roman games! We did a page of thinking skills in maths 1a. I am feeling guilty about the lack of formal maths at the moment, so will try and gradually creep it in. Yep, I know not autonomous, but then I don’t pretend to be autonomous, just generally child led, but would feel more comfortable with a ‘normals’ set up in addition.
Tea was the well received aubergine and chickpea casserole, and then some story reading and general looking at our globe before bed, and the magic faraway tree at bed.
To tell the truth, I am wondering whether we are a bit slack to be home educators, as SB such a bright spark that part of me thinks we should really be managing to do normals, and let the rest be child led. Somehow, we don’t. its not a worry so much now, as she isn’t even compulsary ed age, and I do think formal education is pushed far too early, and yet….. [everything we did today bar stagecoach was truly autonomous]
Posted in art and crafts, Dance/drama, General, geography, history, music, numeracy, Ponderings, Stringbean