just another morning here

Three things I need to keep me going tonight!

We’ve had a good day so I’m blogging quickly, then off to nurse my sore throat and make some wedding tiaras. Steve worked my day at the office today (phew!), although still not sure who got the easier day, but I was pleased to be at home anyway.

Morning started with loads of tidying up/sorting out/gaming … followed by Joe’s violin lesson at 10am. Violin is a moveable feast, thankfully Mr Featherstone is flexible as we’ve moved lessons for one reason and another over the past five weeks now!

Despite not wanting to go and throwing a wobbly about it beforehand, Joe pulled himself together, changed his attitude, and did really well in his lesson, so he got to choose cookies in Sainsbury’s for elevenses While he and I were at violin, the girls sat in the van – I’d filled their bookbags with activity stuff of one kind or another and asked them to do whatever they wanted, my only request was that they had something to show for their time.

When I got back to the van I was really pleased; they were sitting together doing a sticker flag atlas thing but they’d also spent most of their time writing and illustrating a poem together. Nothing earth-shatteringly amazing in terms of poetry, but they’d had the idea together and carried it through, and obviously made loads of effort, all of which is relatively unusual, so I was thrilled. The handwriting (Anna was the scribe) wasn’t bad, and spellings were pretty good all round. And they were pleased with themselves; they’re now going to write more poems this week apparently!

Went to Sainsbury’s and stocked up for the week, then came home for lunch, more sorting out, music practise for the girls, etc.

The afternoon was completely taken up with swimming and hanging around waiting, but again, it was productive. I did some work with Anna on percentages/fractions, and rotational symmetry, just from one of her workbooks. Abbie did a bit of addition practise which was fairly simple and easy. Joe and I read some Flying Boot books together, and we generally had a nice relaxed time as well as the swimming lessons – chatted to their teacher for a bit as well, and she is pleased with all of their progress, so that was good.

Got home at 7pm to find Mollie and Ruby from our close trick-or-treating, Ruby looked absolutely gorgeous dressed as a pumpkin with matching orange & green stripy socks, irresistable. Chatted to them and their mum for a while, which was nice too, haven’t seen Emma properly for ages.

Baked potatoes and various bits for dinner, kids are just in bed (Monday is such a late night!) and I’m trying to make a list of stuff to do this week – house exchange (this weekend coming) is a great idea but it does mean you have to go away and leave a tidy house, which feels like a bit of a pressure. Still, I’m glad in a strange sadistic sort of a way, as otherwise we’d never tidy it up properly! Feeling fairly naff still, sore throat is a killer, but never mind. Must fit some Animal Crossing into my evening too, as Halloween is a special occasion there I think!

Must blog a little bit more about yesterday – as well as Narnia stuff we went to home ed group, which also included ballet lessons – Anna was over the moon about that.

Joe made a new friend, which was lovely to watch – one of the older boys had brought a toy roulette set in, and after the big boys had finished playing with it they left it out on the table, and Josiah started playing with it, along with this other little boy who is a very similar age – they made up all their own rules and were spinning the roulette then giving one another money, loads of mathsy stuff going on, from what I could overhear.

Afterwards Anna had cello and then her chamber group practise as well, then in the evening a friend came round for tea (the tuna burgers were scrummy, by the way), and to test Turkish Delight recipes, among other things!

Today we have read a couple more chapters of TMN, only one to go now (edit: and we read it over dinner). Josiah and I did some more reading together, just some library books. The girls both did music practise, which I helped with for once, and then they had an hour of schools’ tv – Words and Pictures (air and ow sounds), followed by Primary Geography then Primary History.

That was followed by Carrot & Almond soup, set to become a family favourite, I think.

The afternoon was taken up with a couple of science kits at the kids’ request – plenty of enthusiasm today – we are doing them in desperation as the cupboard was getting full up! Number 23 was another electronics one, pretty crummy actually, and because we’ve had an electronics kit about for a while, the stuff in it was fairly rudimentary, apart from a simple electromagnet experiment at the end.

Number 24 was on magnetism – reviewing poles, attraction/repulsion, and then looking at magnetic fields using iron filings. This was hugely exciting for all three and Anna even made one of those funny face things with iron filings in it …

By this time Josiah had got distracted from the science kits but had got into the electronics kit and was building circuits by correctly following instructions in the book, which I thought was quite impressive. He was really pleased with himself anyway. And so absorbed that he wet himself, but I’ll let that pass.

After school time Anna & Abbie went to play with Caitlin & Riona, while I took Josiah to his Music group. Amusing incident there, when the teacher asked them to clap the rhythm of their names – we’d been talking about syllables earlier, so Joe started to tell the teacher that they were clapping syllables, got it wrong and said cymbals Probably only amusing to me who knew what he was on about, but there we are.

Home after a quick cuppa with Ruth (thanks – was lovely to see you ) to give the kids tea and get them sorted for bed before the babysitter arrives, we’re off out tonight to celebrate a friend’s birthday, so that should be a fab evening.

Weather was completely crap today but we still had an excellent day – my highlight had to be the zip wire ride – longest zip wire in Europe – Anna really wanted to go on it but wasn’t tall enough, so I did the honours.

Thought the whole place was utterly amazing, and the kids want to go back in the winter when the ice rink is there.

Anyway, I’m tired, it’s late, photos are on flickr

We have been loafing around the house today. Early on we took the decision that we’d stay at home and have a ‘normal’ (whatever that is) home ed day, avoid traffic and Bank Holiday-makers, and have our Bank Holiday next week sometime once everyone’s back at school.

Josiah got our Mr Bean Encyclopedia folders out first thing this morning, so everyone spent half an hour or so finishing off sticking stickers into the Sticker Atlas and looking at the magazines.

We gamecubed, and said goodbye to Max, Merry, and their girls …

Then Joe went over to Mollie’s, so I took the opportunity to make a start on Narnia things with the girls. We read the first chapter of The Magician’s Nephew, they drew pictures, etc. A very short, gentle introduction. However much Anna says she’d like to do projects on things, when it actually comes to doing any ‘work’, she becomes strangely reticent! As one of the things I enjoy doing is fiddling with blogs, I decided to set up a new one, which will be reserved for Narnia stuff – I think it may end up being a slowly ongoing background thing, and as I’ve got particularly bad at categories here, I thought if I kept it separate then I’d have a good record of it somewhere else. No, actually I just wanted another blog. Some people are so greedy . Many happy hours to be spent tweaking that one, text colours being next on my hitlist …

Pizza Hut came home for lunch; Steve took the girls shopping and they bought pizza, pasta, ice cream and dolly mixtures. Why we couldn’t have gone to Pizza Hut I don’t know, it would have made less mess in the kitchen, but there we are.

This afternoon we watched Ella Enchanted – a perfectly watchable family film, quite funny in places. If I hadn’t just got going on Narnia stuff I’d be tempted to print out the Film Ed. resources for that one and throw it in front of the nearest 8yo, might still do that, in fact.

Anna & I have done more music practice together, too.

Right, must be off, I want to get another chapter or two in if I can round up the children …