Tuesday so far.

by Liz Posted on January 27, 2009

Trying to get back into the swing of daily blogging before the school term starts…

Today B was watching a movie when I got up, she also played some arcade-style games and noodled around on Horse Isle before I logged her off at 9:30ish so K could have a go before screens-off at 10am. K played on ABC Kids playground mostly, and went outside looking for some of the things on her scavenger hunt list from last night. B put the washing up away and hung out a load of clothes, then disappeared into the garden to do some watering and general pottering about while it was still cool and overcast. She also fixed the apple slinky maker so that it now peels the apple again. I have so far done about five loads of laundry, and washed up. I’m feeling more accomplished than usual for this time of the day 😀 The post came, and the black line masters book on pre-writing I bought for K has arrived – excellent timing given that she wrote her name unassisted for the first time ever yesterday! I shall have to photocopy a few pages so that when she gets bored I can offer them.

H started getting grumbly by about 10:30 so I took him upstairs for a nap. He was getting sleepier when an argument erupted between B and K over the last remaining apple, and K brought it upstairs and woke H up again. I locked my door and asked B to deal with the matter without me, then had my shower upstairs while waiting for H to get sleepy again. He finally went back to sleep, and I managed to get downstairs again about 11:15 or so, where I found that B had just turned to computer back on again so that she and K could watch a movie *sigh* Hence why I am upstairs in the study taking the opportunity to blog. B also made some chocolate clusters full of dried pineapple, walnuts and sunflower seeds – yum! Now I think I should probably go and make something gluten-free for lunch, since B is cutting out gluten again to manage her increasing intolerance symptoms, and we haven’t got anything in the house which is GF and easy to eat except cornflakes, but she’s also going to cut back on dairy until her collywobbles go away. I think I shall go and make soup.

From the sounds of frustration downstairs, the DVD is bodgy. Joy…

Posted in computer, garden, pre-writing, scavenger hunt, screen-free, tummy ache | Comments Off on Tuesday so far.

Wednesday-Thursday

by Liz Posted on November 13, 2008

Wednesday lunchtime I took H and K to the AP playgroup, which was okay, but small and very low key. She did painting, and played pretty nicely with the other toddlers. H was the only baby there but he had lots of fun regardless. Afterwards we went to visit Ness, who had Belinda and Alex visiting as well. It was nice to see Belinda again! I also introduced K to ABC Kids playground, which she enjoyed exploring. She rode her scooter, and did other stuff wot I forget. E went to the shops while picking up B and bought me mango sorbet, and after B and I read the ingredients and she asked what “acidity regulator” means, we googled it and followed this link. We read some more on the website, including finding out what “EUFIC” actually is, which led to the discovery of the money trail –

EUFIC is co-financed by the European Commission and the European food and drink industry. It is governed by a Board of Directors which is elected from member companies. Current EUFIC members are: Barilla, Cargill, Cereal Partners, Coca-Cola HBC, Coca-Cola, DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd., Ferrero, Groupe Danone, Kraft Foods, McCormick Foods, Mars, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Novozymes, PepsiCo, Pfizer Animal Health, Procter & Gamble, Südzucker, Unilever, and Yakult.

We talked about how being industry-financed would influence their presentation. Then we looked at some of their stuff on BSE but B was too tired for much more than that, and went to bed.

Today we got paid, so after I dropped B at h/s activity (printmaking workshop and freeform soccer game) we went to Aldi and did the shopping. B set up a small wading pool on the deck and they’ve been in and out of that. B has played on Horse Isle and K pottered about. Then B took K and the dog for a walk down to the playground.

It was bloody hot both days. I hate hot. Let’s move to Tasmania.

Posted in EUFIC, playgroup, printmaking | Comments Off on Wednesday-Thursday

Bah Humbug redux

by Liz Posted on November 11, 2008

*slaps self*

Tuesday 4th
We had been planning to go to a farm open day but weren’t too sure if our car would be up to it, so I had a sleep in then stayed at home with H while E took the munchkins for a picnic to Commonwealth Park. There was feeding of ducks and playing in castles and suchlike.

Wednesday 5th
JB meet in the morning, to which we were late because I was waiting to find out the result of my bid for a bulk lot of nine Arthur Ransome novels. We won! B is very excited, having fallen in love with the movie. I talked to Maple about the AP playgroup she is now involved in, and I think I will make an effort to take K and H there on Wednesdays, at least on off-playgroup weeks. We might keep going to story time on the other weeks.

In the evening we got excited about the US coming to its senses. Hurrah!

Friday 7th
B and K were both inspired by me having the sewing machine out, so B made a cloth rattle for H, and K asked me to show her how to sew and made a bag, which she sent to Nannie Frog. B and I both wrote letters to her, and we posted everything off in the afternoon when we went to the mall to go to the supermarket. B and I had a horrible bust up over K sitting on the loaf of bread in the trolley when B was supposed to be supervising and yelled at each other all the way home. Grah. There were apologies and cuddles but it was Not Nice.

They watched The Railway Children, which was the other movie on the disk with Swallows and Amazons, and I told B about how much I had loved E Nesbit’s writing when I were young.

Saturday 8th
We went out to the farm for H’s birthday celebration, dropping into Carpet Choice on the way to look at laminate floorboards. We ate yummy food then eventually B went out to groom Smoko, and ended up in tears because he was playing silly buggers and refusing to be caught. Apparently he went on playing silly buggers when she went for a ride on him after we’d left, but fortunately it did not involve her falling off. B found some of my old E Nesbit books and poked about in them, but I don’t think she is reading any. She came home with Little Town on the Prairie, having forgotten it at the farm a while ago, but I’m not sure what she’s reading at the moment. I’m pretty sure she has finished Born to Run.

Sunday 9th
PC Rally Day.

Monday 10th
B was dropped off at around 9am, then E took her to pottery and I picked her up after German. We went op shopping, and I bought her a skirt, a couple of Sooper Seekrit things for Christmas, and a book about puberty, most of which she has already read. She used most of her pocket money to buy a Barbie, despite not having played with the ones out in the shed for probably a year. Then we came home and B pottered about, pootered, declined my reminder to do any workbooks, and went to the park with E and the other munchkins. K fell off her bicycle after zooming down the hill onto the bridge, and scraped her elbow. B ended up taking the dog for a walk because she escaped and had to be recaught, so B decided that she needed more exercise. We had roast chook and the works for H’s birthday and B came home just as I was dishing up. Afterwards there was a quick bath for grubby munchkins, followed rapidly by bedtime, and I sewed some more of K’s crown and B and I snuggled on the couch a bit before she went to bed.

Tuesday 11th
I spent the whole morning obsessively researching my Tasmania holiday and being short with the kids *blush* B did loads of workbooks, played on the computer, pottered around in the garden with K, went swimming with Nannie, then out to the farm. They are now trialling dropping her off at Scouts (so that next term their close neighbour, who used to be in B’s cub troop but whose parents can’t get him there any more, can go back to Scouts again) and we’ll pick her up afterwards. They’re going sailing this week, apparently.

E took K and H to the park again, and they tied a rope to the back of K’s bike so she couldn’t go too fast and fall off again, which she considered to be an adequate solution to her fears.

Posted in German, Morpurgo, Nesbit, op shop, picnic, playgroup, pony club, pottery, sailing, Scouts, sewing, Smoko, Swallows and Amazons, swimming | Comments Off on Bah Humbug redux

Bah humbug

by Liz Posted on November 3, 2008

Where did the week go, dangnabbit?

What I remember…

Tuesday – nothing…? K went swimming with Nannie but B decided to come opshopping with me instead. Out to the farm in the afternoon as usual

Wednesday – K, H and I went to story time, for which K actually sat still for the first time ever. Met a rescued dog from ARF (rescue and foster dogs). Went over to the mall to do something…? B came home and went to Scouts.

Thursday – ferry ride with HENCAST, went back with L & J and came home with E on the bus.

Friday – Dept visit in the morning, did all her bookwork very pointedly at them while they talked. In the evening, went in to help out the Joeys at a canoeing meet.

Saturday – faffed around in the morning, went out to the farm around lunchtime, rode her pony then went to the neighbours’ big party in the evening

Sunday – Nannie dropped her off at the Scouts’ Try Sailing Day; I came down to meet up with her with K and H, K went canoeing and sailing and had an absolute BALL and didn’t want to go home 😀

Monday – wasn’t feeling crash hot in the morning but went to pottery and German anyway. Came home complaining of headaches and earaches and general woe, conked out on the sofa for a while, then went to bed. Eventually came out and watched the Swallows and Amazons movie I suggested she borrow from the library. Agrees with me that perhaps the S&A series might be a Jolly Good Read.

Posted in ferry ride, German, library, pottery, sailing, story time, Swallows and Amazons | Comments Off on Bah humbug

Monday, in brief

by Liz Posted on October 27, 2008

B still@ library waiting to be picked up. Loaded her chat program and messaged me to ask about her misplaced lunch money.

Bethany: were is the muney you gave me i can not find it in enny of my bag pokets
money i meen
Sent at 1:15 PM on Monday
me: in the back pocket on the inside of the bag. the one with the zip
Sent at 1:18 PM on Monday
Bethany: got it i thought you meent the poket on the back
me: yay
Bethany: of the bag
me: glad you found it
Bethany: now i can get more food i am so angry
me: why?
Bethany: hungry sorry
me: that makes more sense :)
how was class?
Sent at 1:21 PM on Monday
Bethany: gut
Sent at 1:22 PM on Monday

When she came home she spent a fair bit of time on the computer but also helped me make a cake, and cleaned out the rat cage.

K watched lots of movies, played on Poisson Rouge, helped me in garden, and supervised me making monster puppets for her puppet show. She played in her bedroom by herself, then got out the feltboards and made up stories.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Monday, in brief

Update

by Liz Posted on October 26, 2008

Urgh. Must write in this thing more.

B was out at the farm from Friday lunchtime and is expected back Monday morning, but only long enough for Nannie to pick up the red car and drive her to pottery. We actually get her back again after German. She went riding with Sue on Friday afternoon, to Sarah’s birthday party then riding again on Saturday, and a gymkhana on Sunday where she won four ribbons! I expect she will be bouncing for the rest of the week 😀

As for last week…hmmm. On Wednesday, I don’t remember what we did during the day, but B was officially inducted into Scouts in the evening and also did her Scoutcraft badge. I need to get her to tell me about it so I can do a layout. On Thursday my friend Michelle came over with her son Jack and we pottered about and did housework and washed walls. B had a HENCAST activity from 1:00-2:30 but she and E didn’t get home til after 5pm. K had a fabulous time playing with Jack for more than five hours. On Friday morning B made up for the fact that she’d done no schoolwork for a couple of days and spent about and hour and a half working through all of her workbooks before Nannie arrived.

Posted in badges, glass workshop, gymkhana, HENCAST, Scouts | Comments Off on Update

Tuesday

by Liz Posted on October 21, 2008

So far today B has

  • read Kaspar (is nearly finished already!)
  • researched Titanic
  • done workbooks (times tables, extension, mental maths)
  • helped E tidy and mow lawns
  • gone to the snake park with Nannie
Posted in Morpurgo, snake park, Titanic | Comments Off on Tuesday

Titanic Ahoy!

by Liz Posted on October 20, 2008

Monday B went to pottery and German as usual, but not much else happened. A parcel arrived from MG and they girls voted to open their Christmas presents early. K got a book called The Stick Man and B one called Kaspar, Prince of Cats, by Michael Morpurgo (who appears to be one of MG’s favourite authors).

B came out on Tuesday morning confused because the books she was reading (Kaspar) was talking about the cat being a survivor of the Titanic, but she thought there hadn’t been any survivors. So we googled for further information, and found a couple of clips on YouTube.


Watching (footage from the movie Titanic) and listening to the story of how so many people died left both of us feeling a little traumatised, so we didn’t look for any further clips if there were any, and ended up at Titanic Facts to answer the question “How many passengers survived?” (705). Apparently there is now only one still alive, who was 2 months old at the time of the shipwreck.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Titanic Ahoy!

Locusts, Fairies and Voices

by Liz Posted on October 17, 2008

B was very intrigued by the locust plague in On The Banks of Plum Creek, and has been asking about how often they happen, etc. So when I saw an article in the SMH this evening I read it to her. We went looking for a bit more information, and found that there had been infestations in 2004 and 2000, which shamefully I don’t even remember hearing about at the time (all these things we can afford to be oblivious to when we’re not farming at a subsistence level!). We also pottered about a bit at the Australian Plague Locusts Commission, where we discovered a bit more about some of the beasties. Neither of us were saddened by the tidbit imparted by Wikipedia that some extinct species of locust were apparently up to 15cm long!

Today was a bit of a write-off in terms of Edumacation, although I did get my first apple tree planted (the one sprouting leaves). There’s another one just coming into leaf in the tub as well now! No definitive signs that the plums are budding yet though… K and B spent a lot of time in the garden. B helped me with the laundry, looked after H and K occasionally, as needed, and played a bit of Horse Isle and Dizzywood, as well as continuing with Little Town On The Prairie (because we still can’t find The Long Winter, curses!) and discovering that Mary is now blind. I read Little Town yesterday and am now most of the way through These Happy Golden Years but B is, happily, not getting too discouraged by the difference in our reading speeds! B has mentioned wanting to do a “Laura Day”, although I think if she wants me to make her a costume we ought to make it a “Laura Week” and do it really thoroughly. It might be fun to “do school” for a day or part thereof, given that we have the McGuffey readers which were probably the ones Laura used (and if not, were very similar).

After lunch I was introduced to the House Fairy through JB, and both kids of course gravitated to the computer when I was watching the video. It apparently took strong hold upon K’s mind, because she not only helped her (rather more cynical) sister to tidy up in B’s room, but also watched all the videos on the site, and went off before dinner to tidy her room “because that’s what the House Fairy said I should do”. Oh dear… We went to pick E up at 5:00, since he had vast bags of clean blankets and doonas to carry home, and also because I desperately needed to get out of the house! We sang lullabies to H in the car (without success of course), and then also did some singing later in the evening when making dinner. B and I have resolved to do more singing together, so B can practise her pitch and vocal technique. Maybe even considering voice lessons, who knows? When I was looking for local voice teachers, I found this explanation of why breathy voice is bad, which I was attempting to explain to B the other day (and now I realise that I didn’t know most of it myself!).

B has been planning her weekend. She’s going to ride to Bunnings tomorrow for a kids DIY workshop on making wool baskets (whatever that means), then meet up with Nannie at the cafe there and go out to the farm til Sunday night. They’re planning to go to the Murrumbateman Field Days on Sunday morning. She’s getting so independent…

ETA: Oh yes, and she complained about how it’s impossible to get into the War Memorial’s discovery space during the week because of school bookings, so I suggested we organise a HENCAST booking ourselves and she jumped at the idea.

Posted in Bunnings, House Fairy, Little House, locusts, singing | Comments Off on Locusts, Fairies and Voices

Thursday

by Liz Posted on October 16, 2008

B started on Little Town on the Prairie this morning, and also visited the Frontier Girl website. Today’s HENCAST meet was a performance day, followed by a picnic near the War Memorial. We didn’t get much else done… B played Horse Isle and did a Quest where she needed to do some simple programming, Logo-style: working with degrees and simple step-by-step programming.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Thursday