New Year Home-Ed Resolutions

FIRSTLY: start getting a gentle routine going with our current resources:
1. working through the singapore maths series
2. this is the year to make the breakthrough into reading!
3. regularly use the Muzzy German, and speaking it.
4. weekly outing to interesting places
5. using our DK books to start topics of art etc
6. make good musical uses of our piano and violins
7. use CD learning games and Webland more regularly

SECONDLY: consider our ed phil, I do like the idea of the well trained mind/trivium so will have to read up more about it. Will certainly use the history series. Don’t think I can be quite so time strict as the writer herself though. I think due to Elinor’s v strong will, she will be semi-autonomous at some point, so would like to think of patterns of learning well in advance, partly to hope what I like, she likes, and partly to give a good enquiring mind start, so she can develop skills for lifelong learning.

THIRDLY: expand horizons [rather than stomach!] re exercise!
1. I would like to learn yoga alongside Elinor to be part of daily routine.
2. Elinor to formally learn to swim
3, give her a ballet choice when we move
4. build up a family cycle outing as a regular event.

FOURTHLY: to remember that free play should be major part of the day, and not get carried away by resolutions 1-3!!!!

My Public New Year Resolutions

1. As every year, lose weight is at top! last years number 2 [get pregnant] and number 3 [get new job - vv stressful] combined completely ruined it, but no excuses this year.

2. Combining with number 1 is…….. excercise!!! Walk more often, swim when possible, yoga with Elinor, family cycling/walking trips. Also ? find pilates class and ignore that I am fattest/unfittest in class.

3. do my own piano and violin practice.

4. make the most of this precious time with my children

5. when I restart work, do so with no regrets and a positive attitude to make the best of all I have – a loving family and a fantastic job, that I also love. If I can shift the balance towards family, to do so.

plus a few in head only ones!!!!!

Looking Back

Well, we started the year with key aims
1. to have another child [and started, finally on the clomid since I had got down to BMI 30]
tick!!! We welcomed Alys into our family in November
2. Me to get a consultant post, ideally in Leeds, and a 4 day week
tick, cross, cross. However, started in Sept in Cambridgeshire and is a great job. Hours are far too long though, and now must move]
3. Think about Elinor’s education
tick – here we are!

So,additional good things – continued health of us, a good holiday with Chris’s parents in Wales, some lovely family visits, getting my research published, and presenting at conferences – including Athens where chris and Elinor came too, and we exposed her to the cradle of civilisation! Our house finally looking nice. Elinor being 80% gorgeous and only 15% frustration and 5% up the wall!
Sad things – luckilly not many. My Nan’s breast cancer recurring. Mum’s heart attack scare – turned out to be fibromyalgia. Living in hospital accommodation in Huntingdon for 8 weeks with Elinor and Chris just visiting at weekends [hopefully we will never live apart again]

Today we took advantage of the sun and went to golden acre park.SB getting far more confident with bike.

Lovely…

Got back home from Xmas Wednesday night, but not blogged yet.

But I just had to share this lovely photo that I managed to take of Alys over the break. It’s probably the best photo of the either of the girls I’ve taken. (looks even better as an 8×10 print)

Black and white closeup of Alys

Little Nanny

is my Mum’s mum, and we visited her at Aunty Margarets today. She is looking v well, though this latest course of radiotherapy has been tougher than previously [recurrent breast cancer]. SB is v gentle with her now, mostly reading books together and ‘look at me’ play and games. oh, and eating the yummy cakes she bakes!
Nanny has a really soft spot for SB, as she saw her when only 3 hours old, and was the ray of sunlight in the year she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and originally told by junior doctor to abandon all hope. [luckilly excellent consultant at Norfolk and Norwich turned this around, but after SB's birth].
BB went in for the ‘ I’m anybodies, cuddle me’ approach, which she does v well.

Christmastidings

We went to my parents for xmas, after visiting Chris’s parents – so a bit of a royal review of loyal subjects! [obviously ELinor and ALys's loyal subjects, not ours!!]. my sister and her family also stayed with Mum and Dad, so a jolly household.
Xmas worked really well, got on OK, no rows. part of the ease I think came from the fact that this year us adults opened our presents Xmas eve after children in bed, to Xmas carols, mulled wine and nibbly bits. Made it v relaxed, and got to enjoy own presents rather than keeping eye out on what youngsters ripping open!
Also, when children opened presents the next day, there seemed to be the right number. enough to play with, without having too many, or feeling extravagant. The grandchildren played beautifully together.
Cheers to Mum for catering, and all there for such a lovely time. Cris will no doubt add a few photos and says he’s written a bit too.

Nothing like a cuddly toy to keep you company

Ok, I’ve just added a couple of piccies to yesterdays blog, took this one last night when Stringbean had finally got to sleep of her and some of her ‘cuddlies’ – her cute name for them.. Yes there is a small child in there somewhere………

Sorry Alison, haircut pics will have to wait :-)

Stringbean in bed with her cuddlies

Ok, really is time to get sorted so we can head of on our xmas perambulation of the parents. Have fun you bloggers and Happy Xmas everyone.

Stringbean has found todays chocolate on the advent calendar, so looks like she’s sussed what the Twenties’ look like.

Boiled egg, pickled onions and ice cream Sundae….

Boiled egg and pickled onions is what Stringbean had for breakfast yesterday. She has eclectic tastes in food :-)

Had a half written blog for the weekend last night,but somewhere I los t it. So this will be shorter version.

Butterbean hit 4 weeks on Saturday, and continues to grow in gorgeousness, she often has smiles. She continues to eat for England, and grow similarly (must be well over 12 lB now) – she certainly is a chunky monkey . Her muscles have grown much in strength, she kicks and pushes with here legs and can lift and hold her head up for sometime. She’s taking a fair bit of notice of what’s around here now, looking at things moving here head to track things.

What has been pleasing is how well SB has responded to her, she shows her such affection, and care that it is wonderful to see. Yes of course there are little moments of the jealousy, but nothing more thna you would expect. She loves to help out with bathing, nappies etc. and would help out with feeding if she could. We thought she probably would as she seemed so excited about it and said she wanted a baby, but it’s so nice to see it action.

The other night she was cuddling up on Mummy, when I brought BB in, she said something to the effect that she wanted to cuddle mummy by herself, so me and BB went off and had a cuddle and a doze on the bed ourselves, which was nice.

Saturday SB and I went to the library and took back some rather overdue book. She loves the library and choosing books, though she tends to be a bit random in her selections – if it has a nice picture on the front it’s fair game. They had some free bookmarks on the desk – she wanted to know what they were – I explained about them being used in longer books to keep you place – she took one and then wanted to find a book for it. So she found one about a boy who is in coma after his dog was killed and he was injured in a road accident – a cheerful subject for a 3 year old (though it has happy ending). She insisted Helen start reading it too her, much to Helen’s dislike. I did try to leave it behind, but she wasn’t having it. I had more in mind the rather nice Winnie the Pooh collection the Bookpeople are doing at the moment (?10, 30 quid in Waterstones) . We did also have an educational bit though, we paln to vist the Jovik Viking Centre in York early next year, so are going to do a bit of something on Vikings so got a couple of books, a DK Viking one and a story book/tape about a Viking who got sea sick.

Did a bit shopping, including getting some bits for making Ice cream Sundaes This all started the other day when SB was doing a maths CD – Jumpstart Maths or somesuch – with a daft bunny called Hopalot. Anyway, they had Ice Cream Sundaes in it somewhere, she wanted to know what they were, and then we decided to make some. Cue getting ice cream, chocolate sauce and various sprinkles organised. We had fun making and eating them later (I like this HE lark…)

eating our ice cream sundaes

Sunday Aunty M, Uncle M and Mark coming round for Mulled Wine and Mince pies in the evening. Me and SB made mince pies. She looks very much the cook now, and can actually manage to do some of the bits herself quite well, which is big change on last year. Cutting out, sticking the tops on she can manage especially well. We had to cut out little stars and hearts to decorate the tops for extra fun though.

Stringbean making mince pies

A bit of manic cleaning/tidying up and then BB was introduced to her Uncle Mike (well Great-Uncle really) and Cousin Mark. Mark has just the odd piercing, which SB found intriging. Much mulled wine was drunk and food munched.

Monday Nursery day for SB, given the late night she had I’m surprised we managed to get up in time. I went shopping, bit busy but ok, managed to survive a quick hit and run on Ikea and a quick viist to town, I fripped in Waterstones on audio books (Winnie the Pooh, Some Mog stories and a kiddies songs CD) I even got a hair cut All set for Crimble now I think. Helen did some packing – we head of on our Xmas perambulation tomorow.

When I picked her up from nursery, SB was going ‘Ooo Ooo’ at me, and pointing – ‘Look all the rufflies have gone!’ (I’d had a shave as well….) Got to 20 on the advent calendar, she knew it came next, but didn’t remember what it looked like. Last night she complained that her pyjama trouser legs were half way up her legs – so I bought her some more, this time managed to find some reasonable one in Asda, last time I looked they all seemed vomit inducinglly pink/princess/barbie/disney type efforts, managed to find some better ones this time, cute, girly ones but not offensive. SB was pleased anyway.

Helen went out for a meal tonight taking BB with her, she seems to have behaved well. I was uspposed to have tidied packed sort for tomorrow, but SB didn’t get to sleep until 1030 or later,so scuppered things a bit (she came down about 10 saying she was hungry and wanted some cold spaghetti hoops – so she finished off a tin and went back to bed.

Then I wasted the rest of the time writing this…….

Could add some piccies, but must do something useful :-( maybe another time.

Well this is a good one for me.

Well if I could be bothered I’d be an atheist, so not exactly accurate , but then I do like carols, including this one – 15 years of Baptist church attending I guess.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
You are ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’. You take
Christmas very seriously. For you, it is a
religious festival, celebrating the birth of
the Saviour, and its current secularisation
really irritates you. You enjoy the period of
Advent leading up to Christmas, and attend any
local carol services you can find, as well as
the more contemplative Advent church services
each Sunday. You may be involved in Christmas
food collections or similar charity work. The
midnight service at your church, with candles
and carols, is one you look forward to all
year, and you also look forward to the family
get together on Christmas Day.

What Christmas Carol are you?
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Me! – Helen

Adam lay y bounden
You are ‘Adam Lay Y Bounden’! Ah, you appear to be
something of a Christmas snob. Whether you are
a musician who has sung one carol service too
many, or merely someone with very highbrow
views on music and culture, you shudder at the
thought of piped music in lifts, wince at
endless repetitions of Jingle Bells and have
put out a contract on Rudolph. While you agree
that some of the well-known carols are lovely,
you are more drawn by the really obscure
medieval carols, or the ones arranged by Bach.
You also know parodies of several carols – a
legacy of excessive carolling, or perhaps just
the product of an enquiring and slighly cynical
mind… Try to enjoy Christmas, anyway.

What Christmas Carol are you?
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Actually do love medieval carols [including this one!], but love most christmas carols. hate christmas ‘songs’ – so am a snob. love the whole snow, holly winter candle thing – mix of yule etc – mostly family and carols and nippy weather rather than religion. could even not miss the presents!