Sunny Days...

I just love it when the sun is out. It makes me feel happy when I wake up and the sun is streaming in through the windows.

We whizzed off to Issy's play therapy first thing and I managed to have a fair chat with her therapist which was really helpful, and I got lots of useful advice. You know some actual helpful information/direction rather than the old 'you really must make her...' otherwise known as 'its all your fault'. So I felt much happier after we had been today and Issy managed to go to school with minimal fuss.

I ordered Sonlight Core 1 with language arts and science 2 for Isobel today in preparation for her home ed.

My in-laws are down for a week and so Hettie and I went round for a cuppa and ended up staying for lunch (fish and chips - mmm) and Hettie went bug hunting in the garden. When I moaned about our lazy day with no home ed, she said bug hunting is science and she had done some art work as well. The girls caught on I think!!

We rushed home for a quick tidy and piano lesson. Issy went to ballet after school and is excited because they're having a show and she's going to be a fairy. She spent some time making a tissue paper bottle filled with glittery water.

Hettie and I checked her weather equipment, we had a South Westerly breeze, no rainfall and our barometer (no pic) had actually moved indicating a raise in air pressure. We have to fix our weather vane on a post but we held it for now!

And at the weekend I managed to get a pic of Issy missing her teeth. The bottom two grew incredibly quickly. Unfortunately the dentist referred her to another surgery to remove the four at the top which are causing problems and they don't take children under 10, so now we have to make a bit of a trip but it should be within the next 3 weeks so at least it will be quick.

Tomorrow Hettie and I are going to check out chicken coops!

Weather Reporting...

... was the subject of today's home ed meeting. C gave a talk about how weather works and then set all the kids making various weather devices for measuring. She done a really good job and we've come home with a variety of things to fix up in the garden tomorrow. The idea is the kids will take recordings over the next few weeks and compare their results.

Issy was over tried, sick and has a flare up of her eczema so was off school again! Obviously the school is getting grumpy as its SATs time. Fortunately we have a good LA Home Ed advisor and I've had a long chat with her and she gave me some very good advice and support. So hopefully we can make it through 12 days until half term without too much upset with all parties being 'reasonable'. Issy has read lots and lots today, which is great and we did a little maths together. Hettie therefore made a concerted effort to read half of her reader and did some work on her buildings main lesson.

However everyone is finally in bed at least, Hettie has been fencing so its a late night for her and Issy, well she's still reading. But hey she could still be chatting to me!

Back to normal?

After feeling extremely nauseous along with Issy, I missed most of the lovely weather this Bank Holiday weekend. Dh took Hettie sailing Sunday and both girls Monday, which meant I had a day off. But because I felt horrible I didn't sit in the sun at all. Never mind, back to normal today.

We started off a little late for school so we stayed on the main road and didn't take the short cut to avoid another schools traffic congestion. Unfortunately a young lad got knocked off his motorbike in front of us which meant I had to swing into nurse action, abandon girls in the car and sprint up the road. Fortuately he was ok, apart from being a bit shaken although the lady that hit him was very upset. So then I had to wait for the paramedics and police, give a quick report etc. By now there was a huge traffic jam and we, of course, were late for school.

Well normal day then for us, nothing ever quite goes to plan. Hettie and I thought we may as well stop at grandad's for a cuppa then. But eventually we got back home to school work.

Hettie struggled through subtraction and then we did some of her buildings main lesson. We followed that with another experiment from her solar power kit and finished her reader about Tigers.

I've more or less definately decided to buy Sonlight Core 1 for Isobel, and Hettie if she wants to join in. Although I love Waldorf and Hettie does well with it, I can't see it working for Issy. She's too intensive in the way she learns, but after all isn't that the good thing about home education, its adaptable.

Swallows and Amazons .... Happy Birthday Nanny!

Happy Birthday Nanny Norfolk! Aaaagh Years Old Today!!

No waving family members nanny, but thought you'd like to see the adventures of your very own Swallows and Amazons, taken by S last weekend. As she took over 300 pics I've just picked a few of the best!

This is a tale of two brothers who were once Swallows sailing together, and now we have them with their own offspring, and so have split into the 'Swallows' and the 'Amazons'. (NB: The Swallows belong to me and have an old mirror dinghy bought off ebay, and the Amazons belong to my SIL and have a flash new boat thingy bought at the Boat Show, flash so and so's)

Now in all days out which are mainly organised by men they have to stand about and discuss the day for some time before they actually get round to doing anything, sorry I meant they plan in detail so nothing goes wrong. Here they are making a detailed plan:

Now if its your first trip out as a Swallow its pretty exciting:

But invariably you start to get in Swallow Seniors way and have to be given a job to do:

Finally, the Swallows are launched and off on their maiden voyage:

Safety boat looks like he's following them! There's no exciting island to sail to, but Kent's just across the water so maybe he thought he'd just keep an eye, after all you would have to pass through a shipping channel to get there. The Amazons follow shortly after:

Swallows and Amazons together:

Mmmm now whats happening, the brothers seem to have abandoned their children and are making their escape by sea:

So what do Junior Swallows and Amazons do when they've been abandoned, play 'swimming in a buoyancy aid' of course, and most probably get in everyones way:

So this weekend they're off again to sail of course!

And as for Arthur Ransome's book, sorry but as those of you who know me already know boats of any type are not my thing, and this must be the most boring book I've ever read, I've had to pass it over to dh to read aloud because I start yawning as soon as I pick it up!!!!!!!!

An Eventful Day.....And a Strange Happening

Goodness, I've been so busy with end of the year book keeping and accountants I haven't had time for anything else. Monday I worked and Hettie tagged along, Tuesday I worked and Hettie tagged along again - mmm not very structured!

The rain has just fell and fell, but fortunately two mornings running I've bumped into a friend who has taken Issy into the school and class, therefore no need to park. This morning Hettie wanted to stay home alone - Aaagh! - while I did the school run and I decided a 15 minute trial alone would be OK. Well I've got to leave her alone at some point and by her age I'd been walking to school alone for 2 years. So with repeated instructions to not answer the door or the phone or leave the back room I left. At the bottom of the road I started to think what if I have an accident or the car breaks down, she won't answer the phone, perhaps we need a phone code, you know 2 rings, then ring again sort of thing. I should point out with have a huge very protective dog as well. Fire, what if there's a fire, will she know to leave the house?

Got home, rushed in and she was coming down the stairs. What are you doing out of the back room? What would you do if the house catches fire? Did you answer the phone? I demanded. 'Mum I was going to wee on the sofa if I waited any longer, the phone hasn't rung and if there's a fire I'll leave the house and go next door to J' and plonked herself back down in front of the tv.

So the first time is over. Isobel said 'When I'm 9 1/2 can I stay in on my own?' 'No you can't, you need to be 24!' was my reply.

So, off to our Home Ed group at the library. We had a great meeting, 29 adults and kids attended. My friend C did a great activity about electric circuits and they made a little lamp, which Hettie is made up with. She took it apart on the way home and even I managed to figure out how to put it back together again! It was a really, really good meet until a young lad snatched one of the mum's handbags from pratically under our noses. Fortunately another mum spotted him on her way out and the police were called - and actually caught him! The kids all rallied around and pointed out several times where fingerprints could be obtained! I really hope T gets her bag back because amongst other things she had a photo of her daughter which was special to here. Fingers crossed x.

So that wasn't a nice ending to the day.

The strange happening. Well I looked at Hettie yesterday, and she was reading a book, yes she had actually picked up a book and was reading it to herself. I very nearly shouted 'You're reading, you're absorbed in it!' But my brain kicked into gear and I said nothing. I left it a while and said 'What are you reading?' 'A book about tigers, its quite good' Its a Level 2 I Can Read Book and boy, am I glad I bought that!

That Was The Week That Was ....

It didn't get any better this week. Hettie woke me at 2am to say she felt sick, and hopped in bed with us. At 3am dh and I awoke to the sound of profuse vomiting. Dh muttered someones ill and nodded back off. Fortunately Hettie is old enough to run to the toilet now, but it meant I was jumping in and out of bed all night, wiping faces and giving sips of water. Until my half awake brain realised the sip of water was setting off another bout. However inbetween vomiting she was bright eyed and bushy tailed, wanting to discuss the books she's read and what are we doing for school work this week? 'Not sure at this precise moment I'll have a look tomorrow.'

So that meant the science museum trip was off. I was hoping we could leave later and catch the others up but she continued to be sick and then slept for 4 hours. I took the opportunity to ransack their bedrooms, sorry tidy up their bedrooms.

Saturday Issy was up at 6.30am talking, and talking, and then talking some more. She talked all day and then fell asleep at 10.30pm. She was still talking in her sleep, but at least she had an early night for a change. We all went to see Andrew Lloyd Webbers Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat with nanny after lunch. I couldn't get parked anywhere so I dropped the girls and my mum off while Isobel protested loudly because she thought I might get lost.

Eventually I found a spot and caught up with them and she sat on my lap throughout the show, yes still talking. 'Its dark in here', 'Yes its always dark in the theatre, we've been before' I whispered, well shouted down her ear. 'Its too loud in here', 'Yes well it'll be lovely when the songs start' I whispered again. 'Ooh look thats Noah', 'No he's called Jacob', 'Well I'm calling him Noah, because he looks like Noah', 'Fine you call him Noah then, now lets listen' I hissed, sorry whispered. I felt her take a deep intake of breath, and on it went. Fortunately I couldn't hear her at all so just agreed with everything, trouble is I'm not sure what I've agreed to now. Then on came the King of Eygpt (Elvis for those of you who haven't seen the show) 'Ooh look there's Elvis', 'Yes he's good isn't he', 'I didn't know Elvis was in the bible, can we read the Elvis bit when we get in?', 'Elvis isn't in the bible.' 'No you've got that wrong mum, he must be he's up there' 'We'll talk about it later'. Inbetween all this I'm whispering bits of the story to Hettie so she can keep up with it all.

Hettie gave it 9/10 and said it was better then reading the bible, Isobel gave it 100/10, blasted out the Cd all afternoon, accompanied it with the recorder and looked through the bible for Elvis. I also got completely ripped off by the two of them for a t-shirt each, cap for Hettie and stuffed camel for Issy, a programme each and a Cd.

Hettie doing a hip hop version, the t-shirts were a little large but still they'll grow into them!

It was my dads birthday so we rushed home and tidied and got ready for my mum and dad to come round for chinese take away. Hettie had learnt to play Happy Birthday on the keyboard, OK a slower version than the more popular one but we all enjoyed it.

Of course the girls helped grandad unwrap his presents. We bought him My Island Story by HE Marshall, a nice hard back copy which he was delighted with.

So now its Sunday morning and the gang have gone off to Morrisons to get the weekly food shop. Usual mad morning. Hettie never knows what to wear, despite much instruction about looking out the window at the weather and in the drawers to pick something. Dh can't find any socks, Issy has dressed herself, but dh says he's not walking round Morrisons with her looking like that, so I persuade her to change thick woolly tights with summer shorts over the top, for a skirt and socks. Dh can't get in the bathroom because the girls are cleaning their teeth and I've told them to do it properly and they are! Can I write the shopping list in order of the aisles so they don't miss anything, where are the car keys?

They've gone now and I'm sitting here quietly drinking tea. Its calm and peaceful. I'm just bracing myself to find some sort of explaination as to why Elvis doesn't turn up in the bible.

The Return of the Dentist...

It was D Day and I had to return to the dentist this afternoon.

But the girls went this morning. Hettie was fine with not a problem, this is the child who eats a tonne of chocolate, has no high calcium food and the one you have to nag to clean her teeth. Isobel, the child who eats lots of fruit and veg, has milk on her cereal every day, and cleans her teeth regularly had to have one filling replaced and needs four top milk teeth removed. Both the dentist and myself tried to gently persuade her to have an injection and have them out there and then. But she wasn't having any of that. So we have to go to the dental clinic for sedation and extraction. That's going to be a fun day!

I was re-injected, re-drilled and filled. It took 3/4 of an hour in total and left me with a newly throbbing face. I have to have a crown but she didn't want me to 'waste my money' in case I still need it removed, so I have to go back....again.

Issy didn't want to return to school this afternoon, obviously the filled tooth was much much worse when it was time to go back. So we gave up on school, home ed and anything else really for today.

Tomorrow Hettie and I are off to the science museum with some friends so I must go and rake through the cupboards for a packed lunch!