Disco Dots

Geography: Antarctica

2012-01-23T12:07:00.004Z

We worked on Africa last term and we are kicking off this term with Antarctica. Felt too long was spent on Africa, Chugs lost interest about half way through, so hoping to post relevant links an info here. This will hopefully mean that I can be more organized, as I felt I was this time last year, thus keeping the flow. We'll see.

The above video wasn't available when I tried today so placed here for future reference.

Print:

Blank map of Antarctica
Needs & Wants list
Acrostic Poem sheet

Links:

Time expected to complete this module - 3 weeks, with 2 lessons per week.

Project: Simplify [Hot Spot #1] My Wardrobe

2011-03-14T11:29:00.004Z

My main wardrobe, before...

...and a close up of the hanging rail.

A close-up of the mess within!

The smaller wardrobe. Please note the top two shelves!

The main wardrobe after.

The clothes are ordered by type, then colour.

The side wardrobe after, much better :o)

It looks from this like I have a ton of bags but really I don't, they're just bulky honest!

And finally my pile to donate.

Feel inspired to take up the challenge? If you do head on over to SimpleMom for this week's challenge, Hot Spot #2: Paper Clutter.

Earth Trip: Russia

2011-02-19T11:51:00.009Z

Wow what a busy week we've had! As well as squeezing in 3 play dates we also finished up our trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, where we have spent the past three weeks.

Another flag was added to our passports.

We started off our trip by reading the next instalment of the story and finding out what our next missions were. Here are a few of the other things we did during our three week "trip".

As usual we sampled the local food, which this time took the form of Russian Honey Cake. The boys made this together which worked really well. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the finished cake as I completely forgot to take any before we scoffed it.

We found Russia on the globe and map, talked about it being the biggest country and how it spans two continents. Next time I think we will review this daily so that it sticks.

We read about life in Russia from the Children Like Me book.

We filled in our country information sheet and discovered how to say many things in Russian including "hello" We also discovered this wasn't easy! This led to a discussion on how the Russian alphabet is different from ours. We also found how to write our names in Russian here

We did our map work sheet and learned where and what the Russian Steppes were, and where we could find Lake Baikal and the Trans Siberian Railway.

We used Google Maps to explore St Petersburg and Google Art View to visit some of the sites of the Hermitage Museum, which is part of the Winter Palace.

We had a look at three palaces, including the Winter Palace, and all their splendour and then had a go at designing our own palace type structure using dried spaghetti stuck together with marshmallows. This was a lot of fun but very sticky! Can't find the photos though annoyingly.

We looked at lots of photos on the National Geographic site and printed some off to add to our travel scrapbook.

We read about Baba Yaga

Also read about Yuri Gagarin from our library books and did a quiz about him and the space race.

We learned about Sergei Prokofiev by listening to Classics For Kids We then read the story of Peter and the Wolf and listened to a recording of it from here. I found various worksheets on the internet to accompany it.

We talked about the Russian flag and how it has changed, then made one using Hama beads. We also looked at Russian currency

We looked at Animals from Russia and made a book about them

We finished up by doing a general knowledge quiz on Russia.

Isaac doing a maths division activity

Earth Trip : Norway

2011-02-02T14:26:00.009Z

A friend and I got chatting at the end of last year and decided our boys needed more geography in their educational diet. We talked about various things we could do, but how to make it fun and appealing to a 6yo and and 8yo who are Lego/Star Wars obsessed?

Well she came up with the idea of having a story where a boy is trying to win a trip to the moon, but before he can go he has to do a tour of the Earth and complete several missions en-route!

So we started our first mission 2 weeks ago, to Bergen in Norway.

Here are some of the things we covered:

Made a passport

Located Norway on the Globe and the World map and marked our starting point.

We read about Scandinavian Sami people from the Children Like Me book.

Talked about fjords and had a look at some photos. We put these in our travel scrapbook

Did some map work locating different points.

Did a country fact sheet finding out what languages are used, currency, population size etc.

Learnt how to say "hello" in both Norwegian and Sami

We read about 'Lefse' a kind of Norwegian pancake and made some and ate them for lunch, yummy! We then put the recipe and photos in our World Recipe Book.

We read a book on orcas and did a quiz to see how much we had learnt. We also did some simple experiments about buoyency.

For another little science project we made a 'floating killer whale' using magnets. You can't tell from the photo but the whale is fixed to the bottom of the box using thread. You then place a strong magnet on top of the box, which attracts the paper clip, making the whale appear to float.

We made the Norwegian flag in HAMA beads.

We read several books on Vikings, THIS was a particular favourite. One of the things we read about was how the Vikings preserved their meat and fish using salt. We found out the Vikings got their salt from boiling up sea water, so we got our own "sea water" and boiled it up on the hob until all the water had evaporated.

We then did a simple Viking craft from here

We finished up the week by doing a Viking skills task which was all about weighing and estimation.

We've had lots of fun with this, on to Russia next!

Well hello again!

2011-02-01T09:24:00.001Z

Hello dear, dusty old blog. It's me, I'm back again with more promises to post regularly (which I know I won't keep) but I'm back for a bit at least. We have started a new project which I want to keep a record of so that my son (now 6) will have some proof of the fun things we do in the name of education!

Big sister (now 10) has started school since we last spoke. She has been attending since last September and is loving it. It has been a great comfort to me to know that although I have never made a concious effort to follow the national curriculum she has coped with the work well. Also, she has really zoomed ahead with her English work. This was always a struggle at home and she hated doing any form of writing; at school however she will go that extra mile to impress her teacher!

Latest Embroidery

2009-04-07T18:05:00.001+01:00

I finished this ages ago but forgot to post a photo.

For an Autumn baby this time so I chose The Acorn Fairy Stitchette from Wee Wonderfuls. I really love the colours on this one.

At the moment I'm working through Jenny's Pretty Maids All In A Row. I love these, so cute!

I'm progressing very slowly, (this one's still headless!), as I have so many other projects on the go.

My first pair of socks are still very much a WIP...

...and I have 4(!) Clothkits kits awaiting my attention, at least one of which was bought early last year!

Unfortunately I seem to have had no time to crafting things for myself lately. Lets hope that changes over the next few months as I have already been eyeing several of the projects in this lovely book, well worth a look if you are that way inclined. For a review of the book and lots of nice pictures, visit Craftypod.

Finally here is a clue as to where we have been spending most of our time of late. Update to come.

Ancient Greece

2009-03-20T16:22:00.001Z

We have been covering the Ancient Greeks in SOTW1 and I suggested to Millie that she could do a mini project on them before we move on.

I've put a bunch of links on my Tumblr for her to have a gander at but figured I may as well share them here as they might be of use to others.

Sewing and Sowing

2009-03-16T20:54:00.001Z

I've been so busy the past couple of weeks, hence the lack of updates. First priority was to finish the remaining show costumes in time for this weekends dress rehearsal. I had to make 6 swirl skirts in black satin and they were not fun. I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do them but when I showed my first attempt to the woman organising the costume making she said it was fine. I set to on the others and to my astonishment managed quite well! So I spent all of last Sunday and a big part of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday finishing them off. Hopefully they fitted as I didn't hear anything when Emily returned last night. She had been at the rehearsal all day 9.30-7pm, so was very tired. The show is next weekend!!

The rest of us were equally tired after two busy days in the garden. I finished preparing the veg beds for planting by adding manure, fertilizer and soil conditioner where necessary. I have now covered them with black polythene to help them warm the soil ready for planting.

Isaac helped me plant a couple of rows of onions, not much but it is really all we have the space for. We also added a row of late raspberries, yum! The ones we have are a early variety so it would be nice to get some more eventually that fruit around abouts July.

I did a little more sowing, this time mainly flower seeds for my soon-to-be cutting patch. Lots and lots of sweet peas, cosmos, and rudbekia. For the time being, however, we are enjoying plenty of these...

The seeds I planted in Feb are looking good, the only failure were the peppers. I only sowed 4 seeds as last year all the seeds germinated and I ended up with too many plants. Not sure what went wrong this time, old seed maybe? I'll try again and if no success i'll probably just buy a couple of plants from the garden centre.

The frogs in our little pondhave finally woken up and there was much excitement from Isaac last weekend when he spotted one on our patio. Or as it subsequently turned out to be, two frogs mating!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-03-03T11:07:00.001Z

I forgot to post this yesterday!

Monday Cheesy Potato Skins with avacado and tomato salad

Tuesday Pasta Bake From "101 Cookbooks"

Wednesday Fish cakes (Scroll to the bottom. The whole book is on this link, worth a look)

Thursday Tomato & Lentil Soup

Friday Easy Fried Rice From "Planning With Kids"

Saturday Out

Sunday Tuscan-Style Beans with Garlic Crust (Slow Cooker)

A new month, so I'm trying some new recipes. The first one is fishcakes. I'm veggie so avoid cooking meat/fish at all costs gererally, but find that as the children get bigger they want more meat/fish in their diet. This recipe looks fairly easy and "hands-off" so suits me! Second new recipe is the fried rice. I used to do a similar one to this ages ago until Isaac refused to eat it, so we'll try again, fingers crossed.

Kid's ATC Swap - Update

2009-03-01T15:58:00.001Z

Snake

Originally uploaded by _zeospike

Here, as promised are the cards Emily has done for the Kids ATC Swap. She mainly used artist's inks, wet-on-wet, but also some watercolours and felt-tip pens on some.

Her favourite is the Jellyfish.

[caption id="attachment_847" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jellyfish"][/caption]

I can't decide Between the snake or the Killer Whale.

[caption id="attachment_849" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Deer"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_850" align="alignleft" width="128" caption="Sheep"][/caption]

The cards are now on their way to their new owners and Emily awaits hers with much excitement!

Many thanks to Blair and Erin for organising this, it has been a lot of fun.

Feeling Springy!

2009-02-27T20:21:00.001Z

I know it's still a little too early to get excited about spring but I can't help myself. It happens every year once we get the first spell of milder weather and a bit of sunshine.

As the weather has been kind I've been spending a bit of time in the garden. I have my potatoes chitting and they are coming along nicely, ready for planting next month. I did my first lot of sowing last week - corn salad, peppers, tomatoes, leeks, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and chillis. So I have made a small dent in the 130 (no joke!) seed packets I have. The cabbage seedlings are already up.

We have a lot to do in the garden this year. Our old New Zealand boxes for composting have had it, they are completely rotten. I can't decide what to go for next but I know I definitely don't want wooden bins, lovely as they might look. I've been thinking about

Link-a-bord + It the same size as one of our current boxes and should be durable.

- I worry it would be too awkward to empty or turn.

Earthmakers +It makes compost in as little as 12 weeks (allegedly)

-It is very small , so i'd need more than 2 and not exactly pretty.

Komp 800 + We can buy this through the council, it's a reasonable size, should be easy to get to the compost

- Again not pretty but at least it would be camouflaged? The shape of it is not ideal for fitting neatly in the corner.

If anyone has any experience using any of the above do let me know.

On a crafty note here's what i've been up to the past few Sundays

It's Dorothy's costume for the dance show next month. This is for one of the older girls so thankfully fitted my dress form perfectly, but of course now Millie wants one too - no surprise there.

She'll have to wait though, I'll be spending this Sunday making several swishy skirts in very slippery-not-nice-to-sew fabric, wish me luck!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-23T14:52:00.001Z

Monday - Risotto (For us, from last week as we never had it due to my parents being here), Pacific Pie (children)

Tuesday- Gorgonzolla Gnocchi (us), Homemade Pesto Pizza (children)

Wednesday- Leftovers from last night

Thursday- Leek and potato Soup with Cheesy Corn Muffins

Friday- Quorn Mexican Stirfry

Saturday-Corn Fritters with Lime Mayo

Sunday- Thick Onion Tart

Birthday Outing

2009-02-20T17:17:00.001Z

It was Mick's birthday last Tuesday so he took the day off work and we went on a family outing to this place , we had a lot of fun.

The planetarium was a big hit. We saw two shows there, a film show called "Astronaut" which Isaac, in particular, loved and a live show called "Flight Through the Universe" which took us on the most amazing journey. The woman giving the talk obviously had a real passion in the subject which made it very enjoyable, so much so she over ran the time slot!

[caption id="attachment_826" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Here is Isaac learning about pendulums - or more accurately trying to hit Mama on the head whilst she is busy taking a photo."][/caption]

Here is Emily placing magnetic cogs in sequence so that the alram bell will ring.

[caption id="attachment_828" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Isaac having lots of fun."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_829" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="You can't see this very well but it is a big tank of water used to demonstate a vortex."][/caption]

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-16T18:45:00.001Z

Strange, I just posted this but it only posted the days of the week

Monday - Enchiladas and Rice

Tuesday - Out

Wednesday - Homemade Veggie Burgers and Potato Wedges

Thursday -Celery Soup with Cheese Scones

Friday - Spaghetti/Tortelloni with" Sneaky Vegetables" pasta sauce (Isaac has become really fussy of late.

Saturday - Pumpkin and Hazelnut risotto

Sunday - Tuscan Style Beans with Rosemary (Slow Cooker)

Kid's ATC Swap

2009-02-13T17:33:00.001Z

Blair and Erin are hosting a kid's ATC swap and Emily couldn't wait to sign up.

ATCs ( Artist Trading Cards), for those of you that don't know, are miniature works of art based on the old collectable sports- themed trading cards. They are always 2.5"x3.5" in size. They exist as originals, or one of an edition(a set of identical cards) or series (a set based around a theme).

I'll post photo's of Emily's creations when she has finished them. Meanwhile the swap Flickr group is here for anyone that is interested.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-09T11:00:00.001Z

I get a lot of inspiration from seeing other peoples menus, so thought I'd start posting ours each week*

Monday - Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Slaw

Tuesday - Falafel in Pitta with Hummus

Wednesday - Quorn in 3-Mustard Sauce with Mushrooms and Brown Rice

Thursday - Sausage and Mash

Friday - Leftovers from Wednesday

Saturday - Homemade Pizza and Potato Wedges with Salad

Sunday - Lentil Croquettes with Sesame Brown Rice and Broccoli

*Okay, so you could call this a slight cheat on my "write at least one blog post per week"

A Spot of Baking

2009-02-06T12:12:00.001Z

[caption id="attachment_795" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melting Moments"]

[/caption]

I haven't made these for ages and had forgotten just how good they are. The problem is when you see just how much butter goes into making 25 of these little mouthfuls it kind of puts you off consuming them.

[caption id="attachment_794" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melting Moments"][/caption]

Well for about five minutes.

Melting Moments

makes 25 approx.

250 g Butter (I warned you)

80 g icing sugar

225 g plain flour

75 g cornflour

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Butter Cream

80g butter

100g icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract or grated lemon rind plus a furthur tsp of lemon juice

Raspberry jam (opt)

Method

Fan Oven 160°c . Line 2 baking trays.

Put butter, sugar, and vanilla in food prcessor or blend by hand until fluffy. Then add the sived, blended flours in two or three lots. If using a food processor now is the time to pulse until you see it "ball up".

Flour hands and get large teaspoons of mixture and roll into balls approximatly 2.5cm across. Place on baking tray and flatten slightly with a fork. Make sure they are about 3cm apart as they will spread a little.

Bake for about 15mins, they still want to be pale not browned! Leave to cool for 5mins before lifting onto cooling racks. Leave to cool completly before icing.

Icing

Mix all the ingrediants together until smooth and use to sandwich two biscuits together. If you like you can spead with a thin layer of jam before adding the icing.

Dust with icing sugar to finish.

Put the kettle on and enjoy!

Happy New-ish Year!

2009-02-04T15:49:00.001Z

Well I never did manage to post the photos of Isaac's birthday celebration did I? The camera went doo-lally and I'm still not quite sure if we ever managed to get the photos off it. I didn't manage any posts after that as I was ill for most of December, but well for both birthdays and Christmas and really have just been lazy since ;o)

[caption id="attachment_772" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Birthdays December \'08"][/caption]

Despite the laziness on the blog front I've been super busy round here. I am helping make costumes for Emily's dance show next month so that is taking up any spare time I have. Speaking of Dancing, Emily got her Grade 1 exam results back and she got a distinction! She had set her heart on it since getting one in Primary and I kept trying to play the whole thing down just in case she was disappointed, thank goodness she wasn't! I was so pleased for her, she worked really hard.

Isaac's big news is that he has started one full day at Montessori. Each Wednesday he has lunch there and in the afternoon they do cultural activities (this term it is about magnets) and French(which he adores). He has also started bringing home pre-readers which he was very pleased about! He feels very much a "big boy" now!

Is that you Cindy Lou?

2008-12-09T19:03:00.001Z

Nope, it's Millie but it looks to me like the kind of craziness Miss Cindy Lou would wear. This is for her Brownies Christmas party that she has gone to tonight. It was a team effort. I made the dress, she made the ornaments (with a bit of help). The Candy Canes idea came from Felt Cafe and the hearts and stars from Bugs and Fishes. The sweets were based on the same idea as this one on the Ga Ga For Garlands Flickr group - check it out there are some great ideas!

While I was busy adding the finishing touches (and checking for remaining pins!) she busied herself with this little project from Art Projects For Kids.

I think she did a fantastic job!

Will hopefully be back at the weekend with pics from Isaac's first play at Montessori - very exciting!

Go Elf Yourself!

2008-11-27T20:03:00.001Z

...If you haven't already. We have had lots of fun playing with this this week - Elfing Grandad proved most popular!

You can see us here since I can't seem to embed it.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Halloween out the way...bring on Christmas!

2008-11-04T19:05:00.001Z

I took the children round to friend's last night for a Halloween party. They had a great time (despite Emily being on the brink of illness, she is in bed with a fever today). Here they are all dressed up and ready to go.

[caption id="attachment_746" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spooooky!"][/caption]

Isaac was a the witch's cat by the way - he didn't like having the hood up!) I realised all was not well with Emily when she burst into tears over marshallow toasting (!) but she refused to go home until the end, by which time she was feeling quite poorly, poor thing.

We had lots of trick-or-treaters and I had to put a sign on the door in the end as we ran out of treats!

So yes, with both the children's birthdays in the week before Christmas things are usually a tad busy round here. Not this year though, oh no. I will remain cool, calm and organised this year and not still be wrapping presents on Christmas Eve. I have my battle plan (tweaked from SimpleMom) and so far have stuck to it. We have ordered our cards and have the address labels ready to print, bought (and wrapped) some presents and I have started making some gifts too so I am feeling pretty good. Need to start on the baking this week and stock up the freezer!

Busy busy busy

2008-10-16T18:58:00.001+01:00

Activities are in full swing once again.

Both children are now doing football on Thursday mornings which is great. They seem to be enjoying it immensely. It helps, of course, that we have had glorious sunshine every week since we began. Not sure how they will feel about playing in the cold and wet ;o)

Emily has started a tap class which runs after her ballet class, on Thursday afternoons, making it a very long and tiring day for her. She loves it though and I have a hard time getting the tap shoes off her feet! She also has extra ballet classes each week to prepare her for her Grade One exam next month. Oh and she received her first Brownie badge this week, very exciting, which she is very proud of. Must remember to sew it on.

DH has been busy putting the finishing touches to the playroom. It has been a long time coming together but I'm very pleased with how it has turned out and so are the children. It is certainly good for their sense of order after having nearly 2 years of having things moved about constantly!

I desperately need to get out in the garden and start the pre-winter tidy up. I did a bit last weekend but not enough. DH did an excellent job of tidying the shed so I can actually get in the door now!

The children are getting very excited by the idea of having some pet chickens but we've told them there is a fair bit of work to do before we take that step. We certainly need to replace the two wooden compost bins as they are completely rotten through. I'm considering getting a couple of Link-a-Board ones. Not as pretty as the wooden ones but much more durable and very low maintenance ;o)

Back to School

2008-09-16T19:09:00.001+01:00

Ok, so we never really stopped doing "school" work over the summer but this project popped up on Art Projects for Kids and I thought it looked like a fun way for Millie to record her summer.

Would she write about our visits to London or York, travelling on the NYM railway doing another (much harder) Maize Maze? Would she write about staying at her grandparents, paddling in the river at Hubbard's Hills or paddling in the sea at Anderby Creek?

Nope, none of those things. She wrote about last week and DIY!!

[caption id="attachment_733" align="aligncenter" width="212" caption="September Self-Portrait"][/caption]

Back to blogging for me and a permanent move over to Wordpress (finally) - so give me at least a month to get everything sorted ;o)

Kidmade Again

2008-04-30T20:08:00.003+01:00

Oil Pastel and Watercolours

Isaac didn't do a self portrait (unless its showing the inner workings of his mind!?!) but wanted me to show everyone this.

Kidmade Again

2008-04-30T20:08:00.001+01:00

Oil Pastel and Watercolours

Isaac didn't do a self portrait (unless its showing the inner workings of his mind!?!) but wanted me to show everyone this.

Self Portrait

2008-04-30T19:46:00.003+01:00

This is Emily's Self Portrait for this months Kidmade challenge. I helped her with shaping the nose and cutting out the top lip but the rest is all her. The headband is particularly her, lol, her fantasy headband!

Self Portrait

2008-04-30T19:46:00.001+01:00

2008-04-10T14:52:00.009+01:00

Considering we hadn't much planned this week, we seem to have filled it nicely.

On Tuesday we spent the afternoon at a local nature reserve with friends. We looked around the information centre (which has been closed for ages due to flooding) and Isaac had a great time playing with the microscope, looking at the various specimens. We then walked around the lake in the sunshine/dark theatening clouds but managed to escape with just a trickle of rain.

Yesterday our parcel from Harrod Horticultural arrived which was a new watering can and container set for the children. We have a veggie garden but i thought success was more likely if they could view their crops from the kitchen, we'll see! So after lunch we went into the garden to fill the containers, but ended up planting up a some flowers to go on the patio. Meanwhile, Emily got chatting (bellowing) to the children 2 doors down (over nextdoors garden!) and got invited over there which was nice, she had a lovely time. She sort of knows the girl from when she was at Rainbows but never got to know her that well so i was pleased for her. It would be nice if they become friends - very handy.

This morning Isaac and I had the house to ourselves as Emily was doing a jewellery workshop with her friend, Polly. They each made a lovely necklace and bracelet. P is sleeping over here tonight so we are expecting a couple of tired girls in the morning, judging by the chattering that's going on still.

Oh, does anyone know if you can merge flickr accounts (a free with a pro) cos i just discovered we have a pro account we didn't know about - for nearly two years!!! (comes with bt apparently, probably should read emails).

2008-04-10T14:52:00.008+01:00

2008-04-10T14:52:00.005+01:00

What a Difference a Day (or two) Makes

2008-04-06T17:28:00.011+01:00

Friday was so lovely, sunny and warm that we decided to have our family drawing time out in the garden and sketch a few of the spring flowers. ~~Can't show you any pictures though as the scanner is playing up for some reason.~~

"Emily's Tulip and Grape Hyacinth"

Much fun was also had when not one, but two snails were discovered and both Emily and Isaac spent a long time observing them and fetching cans full of water to keep the snails happy!

We also checked on the tadpoles and they seem to be doing great...

The first part of Saturday was also spent in the garden but the weather soon changed from sunny to rainy, not to mention bitingly cold! Still we did manage to get some seeds sown (to raise indoors) and tidy up the remaining parts of the garden that were crying out for attention.

This morning Isaac dragged me out of bed hideously early to take him to the toilet. When we got in the bathroom he squealed "it's snowing!" and it was, not only that but it had settled.

This was the first time in over a year that we had had snow to play out in, so of course we had to make the most of it.

What a Difference a Day (or two) Makes

2008-04-06T17:28:00.009+01:00

Geology

2008-04-02T20:53:00.006+01:00

I was going to write about Easter Blah, Blah, Blah but there's not much to tell. Isaac was ill for the most part, but much better now. Unfortunately it took a course of antibiotics to get him there - his first lot :o(

Everythings been ticking over quite nicely HE wise. As part of out geology lessons Emily has been having fun with the Virtual Quarry
and I've started her doing a self assessment type thing at the end of the week (although not as scary as that sounds?!) mainly to find out what she enjoys/doesn't and what she finds easy/difficult so i can tailor her work as necessary.

Also i must pass on this link as this man's work is breathtakingly lovely, not to mention jaw-droppingly amazing!!!

oh and i got Soulemama's book yesterday and it is awesome! I highly recommend it, lots of great ideas.

Right, sewing is calling...

Geology

2008-04-02T20:53:00.004+01:00

Getting Back On Track

2008-03-11T13:10:00.005Z

February was not the best for various reasons, so I'm pleased we are well into March and looking forward to Spring.

The garden is coming to life with all its spring bulbs and frog spawn in the pond and my thoughts are turning toward the vegetable garden and how behind i am already!

Education wise we seem to have found a comfortable rhythm to our days once again after the hiccup of February when things were all over the place. It made me realise that even though we don't follow a strict timetable we do need a guideline to follow or things tend to fall apart. It is also important for me to make sure i have books and websites at my fingertips and things printed ready for the week ahead. I had gotten out of the habit of doing this and it was wasting a lot of time. So to aid me I'm in the process of creating a few google pages to keep our "curriculum" all in one place. So if any of you grandparents/uncles/aunts want to keep track of what we are up to, take a peek. Or anyone else for that matter, hopefully this may be of use to other HEers. I love seeing what other families are up to and have found lots of useful books that way. One of my favourites at the moment is La Paz Home Learning.

Isaac has really got into his Montessori activities now so i'll leave you with a few pics.

Insets For Design

Helping his sister with a amphibian cards

Our version of Cylinder Blocks

Lazy Weekend

2008-01-27T23:23:00.000Z

Both Isaac and myself were stuffed full of cold on Friday so he didn't go to nursery. We had friends over in the afternoon which was lovely. The children played nicely while us mums sat and drank tea!

In the evening Emily went to her first disco! I don't think I mentioned that Emily has now started Brownies (and loves it!), well it was the district disco. She had a fabulous time by the sound of it - can't wait for the next.

On Saturday D came over to play for the morning. We were supposed to be going shoe shopping in the afternoon but the girls were so happy playing we decided to stay put. Isaac wasn't really up to venturing out anyway. I wasted the day doing goodness knows what, i was supposed to be sewing.

Sunday was lovely. We went out to the woods so Emily could have a go on her bike. Isaac took her scooter but soon dumped it in favour of stick collecting.

More on flickr....

Emily did the birdwatch after lunch, Isaac watched Brum, Mick cooked dinner and I pottered around much as I had on Saturday!

Pick your Posture

2008-01-15T17:15:00.000Z

Today started off with an impromptu yoga session brought about by these cards that i made last night....

Emily has been joining in with my yoga sessions over the past week and really enjoying them. I remembered these photos Meg posted about a while back and set to work!

1. emily_cobra, 2. lion pose, 3. triangle, 4. triangle_duet

I've been thinking for a while now that it was about time we tackled grammar with Emily so I've been busy putting together the Montessori farm kit. I had a free kit from here but ended up purchasing one from Montessori For Everyone too. I plan to start this next week with her.

Isaac has been a little monkey today, really mischievous, mainly i think because he's tired. He had a busy day at nursery yesterday and no nap on the way home. I had thought that he would be a breeze to put to bed but i think by the time we got there he was over-tired and it was gone 8 when he finally succumbed!

We began Story of the World again today, after a month and a half break! Emily was pleased to find she was able to tie in the Kingfisher books she got from Auntie Sarah for her birthday. We're back on to Egyptians again (Middle Kingdom)

Drawing With Children - Lesson 2, level 3

2008-01-11T21:22:00.000Z

Carousel Horse in Felt tips and Aquarelle pencil

Emily started this back in November but it has been tucked away in the drawer since then. She spent the last couple of days finishing it off as she is keen to get onto the still life lesson. I think she has done a lovely job and she is really pleased with it.

Nursery - week 2

2008-01-07T20:30:00.000Z

I was a little unsure of how things would be once Isaac started nursery. I thought it might be very disrupting to our day, but so far so good.

Mick took Isaac and dropped him off on his way to work. Emily got on with her thank-you letters followed by some of her "Draw Write Now
" book (which she is loving), while i did some much needed cleaning. We then did some geography together from the Europe continent box and Maths (place value work).

The plan was to collect Isaac and have lunch in the village park but it started to rain so that was that.

It's a half hour drive to nursery so there was plenty of time to practice times tables on the way. Isaac had had a good morning but was very tired and fell asleep on the way home. Luckily he'd had enough to *just* refresh him but not so much he was impossible to wake. So i was easily able to wake him when we got back, especially when i plonked a plate of food in front of him ;o)

After lunch it was a quick trip to the library and the fabric shop (for me to indulge in an early birthday present), then home for tea. Quite a successful day i think :o)

Condensed Round-Up

2008-01-04T15:14:00.000Z

We had a lovely Christmas up at my mum and dad's. We had about a week and a half which was excellent. I really needed a break! We met up with loads of family I hadn't seen in ages, had plenty of cuddles with our newest nephew, ate lots of yummy things, drank plenty of wine and generally had a nice time doing nothing - something of a rarity in our house. The children got so many presents, I still haven't found homes for them all. My parents got Emily her own laptop which she is thrilled about and gets very grumpy if she catches me using it! She is looking forward to using it for her work as well as play. Isaac got more cars and trains which he adores, he is building quite a collection now.

We didn't do anything special for New Year. Not that we do normally, my New Year always begins on Boxing Day. I think it's because I'm usually so busy with birthday and Christmas preparations, from about October, that Boxing Day is the first opportunity i get to think about anything else.

Yesterday was an early start as i had to be at the hospital for 8am to have a minor op. I was really nervous but it wasn't as bad as i imagined and i was home again by 2pm. It gave me the perfect excuse to lounge around on the sofa while Mick brought me cups of tea :o)

Today was Isaac's first full morning at Montessori. He seemed to have had a lovely time. The teachers were pleased to see Emily again, and have invited her to go back to do a "teaching" session which i'm sure she would love.

Sorry no photos I had a near disaster when taking them off the camera and haven't had a chance to sort them out yet.

Happy New Year!

Birthdays!

2007-12-24T16:59:00.000Z

I wanted to record the children's birthdays before Christmas got in the way. So for those of you that weren't with us here we go...

Isaac had his 3rd birthday on the 20th.

Sportacus outfit from Nana and Grandad

A Wee Robot from Hillary's pattern

Cake Time

Emily was 7 on the 23rd

Horse Life to go with her new DS - metallic pink of course.

More horses in the form of Scheich figures from Nana and Auntie Kath

And yet more horse type stuff...
Lots of brownie points for Auntie Alex - a long awaited my Little Pony

Another pattern by Hillary. Mr Gnome has gone to live with our newest nephew.

Thank you cards will be in the post after Christmas!

Right, off to dig out presents and enjoy mulled wine - Merry Christmas All!!

Winter Festivals

2007-12-02T22:56:00.000Z

We are having fun following Bella Dia's Christmas Book and Activity Advent. There are loads of people sharing great Christmas/Festival ideas around blogland at the moment. I've been keeping a note in my google reader "shared items" of some and eventually hope to fill a notebook so that come next year i will have everything at my fingertips and will be etreeeemly organised....yeah right.

We've also started the Christmas baking...

..by making mincemeat...

...and mince pies...but mysteriously there don't seem ~~to be any left~~ photos of them.

Montessori

2007-11-26T21:16:00.000Z

Isaac had his second taster session at Montessori today. I went with him last Monday and stayed the full 1.5hrs. He loved it so much that he cried when i took him home so i wasn't too worried about this morning! Sure enough he had a great time :o)

It is really wonderful to go and observe the children in a Montessori school, to watch them so absorbed in their activities. One of my favourite parts is snack time. They reserve a place at the snack table then go and wash hands. They then carefully carry their cup, saucer and plate to their place and take their plate and fill with their chosen snacks. They pour their own drinks and when they have finished they do their own washing up. Sometimes the children are as young as 2.5 years but they do everything so very carefully. It was clearly one of Isaac's highlights, as i knew it would be ;o)

So he starts in January for 3 morning sessions. He will almost be a year younger than Emily was when she started. I think Emily is almost as excited as he is!

Where to begin???

2007-11-02T20:15:00.000Z

Firstly i want to say thanks for the words of advice on my wisdom tooth hell! The reason i was in such a state is because that all happened the week before we were due to go on holiday and i was terrified it was going to plague me the whole time we were there. Thankfully it only niggled me for the first week and after that it was fine.

So, the holiday. We went to La Gomera, which is the second smallest of the Canary Islands. It is a wonderful place, about the size of the Isle of White but MUCH more mountainous (nearly 4,000ft). It took us 45mins by road to get to where our villa was, a journey that would have been 15mins by the local ferry, all hairpin bends and sheer drops, glad we didn't hire a car in the end!!!

We stayed in a villa on an HPB site which was lovely, certainly one of the nicest places we've stayed. The weather was great, hot and sunny without being roasting.
We were very lazy for the most part but we did spend one day whale and dolphin watching with Emily whilst Isaac stayed behind with my parents.

Another day Mick and I went off leaving both children behind so we could have a walk through the subtropical rainforest - or to give it it's proper name 'laurisilva' forest. It would have been nice to take the children with us but we thought they would find it hard going - a 3hour trek downhill, we weren't wrong.

It was really beautiful...

In 1986 UNESCO named the Garajonay National Park a World Cultural Heritage site, unique in Europe. Thanks to the trade winds the summit of Gomera is often shrouded in clouds. This leads to the "Horizontal Rainfall" that ensures the survival of this ancient vegetation. It is also where most of the island's water is obtained.

We had a lovely meal at "La Vista", watercress soup served with gofio and mojo picón (a spicy, Garlicy sauce - yummy). This was followed by salad with local goats cheese (and chicken for the meateaters) and Papas arrugadas - potatoes which have been boiled, in salt water, in their skins and left to boil dry. All this was wahed down with plenty of local wine.

We then headed back via this 575m long tunnel ...

It was chiselled out by hand and took 26 years!! to complete. They started either side of the mountain and amazingly met in the middle.
It was build to carry water to Hermigua to irrigate their banana plantations.

We did lots of swimming, which we swore we would keep up with when we got back (we have been only once). Emily is getting more confident after her scare last year and Isaac (scarily for Nana) had no fear at all. This was incredible as he HATED swimming this time last year. We also used the holiday to ditch the nappies (love those tiled floors) YAY!

Owwww

2007-09-13T14:56:00.000+01:00

I'm suffering. I spent most of last week in pain thanks to one of my wisdom teeth. You see they hadn't come through on one side, they were lurking under the gum. They have been happy like this for years but it seems they have recently decided it's time for a final push to the surface and have broken the gum - but only just. This means there is a tiny little hole for things to get stuck in - lovely. So i've been on antibiotics for the past week and it all cleared things up nicely (but with the usual side effect of making me feel even worse). I experienced two pain free days ...and now it has happened again! I'm so hacked off. I expect I'll have to have it removed, which scares the hell out of me.

Since summer finally decided to show it's face we have been spending a fair amount of time in the garden so the usual school type activities have been pushed aside for more physical activities and nature study.Although Emily has finished her Volcano lapbook and is loving her times tables at the moment. Isaac is really into his jigsaws and will happily spend hours a day doing them over and over :o)

Lists

2007-08-29T15:27:00.000+01:00

One of my many passions is writing lists. Some might suggest that this is because it is proactive procrastination, but they would of course be wrong. Anyway, while checking out Whip Up this morning i was introduced to Listography. I thought it would come in very useful for storing Home Ed links by subject/theme...when i get around to it.

2007-08-29T11:04:00.000+01:00

Emily did ballet summer school last week and had a fabulous time. They had someone from Riverdance come in to do an Irish dancing workshop which she loved, she did some craftyness and generally had lots of fun. She also got her exam results and is ver proud of her distinction but wanted to know why she didn't get a trophy!!!

We travelled up to Lincolnshire after ballet school to see our new nephew and cousin, and very lovely he is too. Oh and he has a name, Jacob, or as Isaac calls him "Ja-cker". He loves his baby cousin very much and hasn't stopped talking about him since we got home.

Good news on the sleep front....things seem to have *finally* clicked with Isaac- no more 5 o'clock starts for us...fingers crossed. He sleeps through the night now and is waking at a much more respectable 7am :o)

We had a good bank holiday weekend, clearing out loads of stuff from the loft. Honestly i am amazed by the stuff we have hung on to over the years. Freecycle here we come....
It wasn't all hard work though. On Sunday we went to Paultons which was a huge success, highly recommended if you like that sort of thing. Of all the theme parks i've been to this seemed to have a better range of rides/activities for little ones.

I'm An Auntie!

2007-08-16T11:05:00.000+01:00

I've been waiting for pictures but haven't had any yet....
My little nephew was born on Tuesday morning. Congrats to my brother and well done Ema!

Can't tell you how excited I am!!!

Free Form Sampler

2007-08-01T21:56:00.001+01:00

With the all new organised me i am finding more time to endulge my crafting passion.

I've just finished this birth sampler for a friend's baby. It's based on one i saw in a book and was lots of fun to do. (It looks a bit odd top right as I edited out her full name)
So much so that i'm about to start another! The next one will be for my soon-to-be-born nephew. I'm *so* excited :o) It just doesn't feel the same being an 'auntie' via marriage.

I've also finished my first project from the Built By Wendy book, a skirt. I'm fairly pleased with it but i will make it more A-line next time.

2007-07-31T11:50:00.000+01:00

We are taking a break from school type work and enjoying some long awaited sunshine this week (if the weather holds), meeting up with friends and being out and about more.

Things having been going well of late though, I think we have finally found our groove! The key to it all seems to have been getting more organised with the whole lapbook thing and finally getting The Story of the World and accompanying activity book.

I've started buying in lapbook packages from Homeschool Estore (which saves me a whole heap of time) and Emily loves doing them. We skip any bits that aren't relevant to us and add whatever else we've been doing on the subject.

We are both really enjoying SOTW and have started a Charlotte Mason type book of Centuries to go along with it. We are (roughly) getting through a chapter a fortnight, what with accompanying library books and associated activities, so good value!
We are still on Egypt so visited the Ashmolean the other week to have a look at their Egyptian collection.

Unfortuantely Emily started feeling ill soon after we arrived so we left after doing only a quick whip round. A good job too as she promptly threw up the moment we got home!

Ballet Exam

2007-07-14T20:31:00.000+01:00

It was Emily's first ballet exam this morning. I was definitely more nervous than she was! She found it very exciting - apart from the one and a half hour wait beforehand.

Here she is just before going in.

I made this for her last night. It contains all her hair bits and bobs for ballet.

Then rolls up all nice and neat.

She was very pleased with it so I might do several variations for Christmas presents.

While we were in the hall waiting, Mick took Isaac for a lovely walk along the Thames and then back to the hotel for big fat chips!

Fabric Scrap Flower Card

2007-07-12T18:28:00.000+01:00

It was Emily's last ballet lesson today before the summer break today and one of her teachers was leaving so I made this card for her using the Scrap Flowers Pin from this book.

Presents!

2007-07-07T17:22:00.000+01:00

For me :o)

I have been looking at these prints for a long time but as we haven't finished decorating yet I have put off buying any, until now. Emily has already claimed one (i am hiding the stickers!) , so I will just have to buy some more at some point....

Volcanoes

2007-07-04T20:29:00.000+01:00

It's like waiting for a bus round here, nothing for ages then two posts at once!

We are coming to the end of our volcano project now. We used the In the Hands of a Child volcano project pack which worked out ok, though I think it was designed with older children in mind. Emily wanted me to blog the ubiquitous "exploding volcano" experiment but the video she made is too long to YouTube so here's a picture instead

I'll post some pics of her lapbook when it's all put together. Meanwhile you can have a look at her "Water Cycle" one that i was also supposed to blog weeks ago, (tut tut).

www.flickr.com

2007-05-22T18:27:00.000+01:00

We had a nice weekend, busy but nice. Things kicked off with a first birthday party on Saturday morning, round at a fellow HE's house. The kids had a great time - chocolate cake and a trampoline, what more could you wish for??? Then it was back home for a quick tidy up before our afternoon visitors arrived with their 7mth old daughter. Emily had lots of fun entertaining the baby while the grown ups caught up with the news (as we hadn't seen them since Christmas.)

On Sunday we went to see more friends we hadn't seen in ages, this time over in Surrey. They also have a 7mth old so once again Emily was happy doing her big sister thing and Isaac was pleased with the new selection of toys to rifle through. We had a lovely lunch cooked for us and afterwards we went here which was fabulous, highly recommended if you are in the area.

Isaac's next favourite thing to Thomas

Crawling through tunnels in the extensive children's playground.

Next Project Brain dump

2007-05-08T22:38:00.000+01:00

http://www.homeschoollearning.com/units/unit_09-24-01.shtml HSLN Thematic Unit
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/ How volcanoes work
http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/globallists.cfm?listpage=googleearth Google Earth Placemark
http://volcano.und.edu/ Volcano World
http://www.highlandschools-virtualib.org.uk/primary_curriculum/volcanoes.htm More Links
http://www.easyfunschool.com/article1153.html Links and practical ideas
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/ Mt St Helens Volcano cam
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/mountains/volcanoes.htm Woodlands
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4972366.stm BBC
Printables, Games and Activities
http://edhelper.com/volcanoes.htm
http://www.crayola.com/activitybook/subact.cfm?id=125&maincat=4
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/volcano/activities.shtml
http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/kids/fun/fun.html
http://place.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/games/volcano/index.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0106/volcano/

Will get around to doing a proper post at some point....

Lapbook Templates

2007-04-26T20:28:00.000+01:00

Lapbook or Lapbooking Templates Free! NotebookingPages.com

Burning the Candle

2007-04-23T17:06:00.000+01:00

I am absolutely exhausted. Early mornings, late nights and constant interruptions throughout the night from the smallest one have left me feeling like a wrung out rag :o( I spent Saturday and Sunday night in Emily's bed to minimise the night time feeds (will that boy every wean???) and it has definitely helped. I'm feeling a bit better today, but still not 100%. Just wanted to pop by and thank the McKays for using our EC code :o)

Civil War at the Museum

2007-04-17T11:09:00.000+01:00

Our local museum is a great place to take the kids - well Emily, as Isaac would trash the place in five minutes - on a Saturday morning. Most Saturdays they have some activities to keep the little 'uns busy whilst importing a piece of historical knowledge.

This week the museum had teamed up with a local English Civil War society who were around town to promote themselves and to drum up a bit of support and local interest.

The society had provided some traditional costumes of the time for children to try on to get an idea of how people used to live. Also on display was replica armour and weapons including guns and long pikes.

Emily spent the morning making a model castle based on Donnington Castle, and then got dressed up.

We then stopped off for coffee and cakes at Nero and sat by the canal to enjoy a well earned treat before being summoned home for a spot of luncheon.

More Picture Heavy Lazy Blogging!

2007-04-09T10:21:00.000+01:00

We went to London on Friday to catch the Dino Jaws exhibition at the NHM before it closed. Emily has been wanting to go ever since she saw it on Blue Peter. It was really good - just the right amount of information for her not to get overwhelmed or bored and she really liked the interactive bits. We were hoping to look around the dinosaur galleries once we'd finished but it was unbelievably busy. I think Night at the Museum had a lot to do with it. The queue snaked its way all around the main hall! So we did a quick scoot around the human biology gallery before going on to the Earth galleries as E wanted to see all about volcanoes.

Touching real Dino Poo!

Afterwards we went to somewhere else E has been desperate to visit the Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground. It was of course EXTREMELY busy due to the lovely weather but they still had fun and I have promised them (rather rashly) we will return during school hours. Not sure how I will cope with Isaac on my own. When Emily was little she always stayed close by but Isaac will just wander off anywhere. It makes trips out quite exhausting because you have to watch him constantly.

Saturday was spend in the garden doing more digging. Emily wanted her bike out to try riding without stabilisers. She has barely ridden this bike (our fault) and she hasn't been on it at all for the past year, as it has been shut up in the shed under piles of stuff while we were having the extension built, so we weren't too optimistic. However she amazed us and herself ,after a couple of wobbly starts and tumbles, riding by herself!

Sunday started off with an Egg hunt in the garden. We were very lazy this year and just hid them instead of doing clues. Emily didn't seem to mind and all Isaac cared about was the chocolate! I also made them these ...

From Hillary's free pattern. I had intended to make it last year but never got around to it.

I already know what I am doing next year - this loveliness from Mollychicken.

Right must go and get more gardening done while the sun shines :o)

2007-03-31T10:42:00.000+01:00

We've been doing some Spring type activities the past week. We made some Spring Cookies using the cookie cutters I got from Lakeland.

I relaxed my normal rules (tyrant that i am) and let them go mad decorating the finished biscuits - colour and all! They had *so* much fun and I felt rather guilty when i realised that this is the first baking session like this that I have included Isaac in (Normally I wait until he's napping).

As you can see from his face (just- forgot the flash!) he had the best time.

The finished biscuits

I also made some Hot Cross Buns, never tried before, they were yummy but the Chiddlers didn't agree so Mick and I ate them all.

We've been spending a LOT of time in the garden sowing seeds and tiding things up. It's looking a lot better and lovely to be enjoying it again as last year the builders took it over so we didn't get much use out of it.

Emily made her own Lenten garden from the All Year Round book

It's surprisingly awkward to photograph and do it justice but she did a good job!

I HAMA'ed the kids!

2007-03-24T20:11:00.000Z

Look! From this....

SCARY! Found here while tracking down new gadgetry to add to my Google homepage. I particularly like E's fangs.

I've been tidying the playroom and E's bedroom today as both were long overdue for a clear out - fun. Mick took Isaac out and Emily was playing on my Gameboy so i had no excuse ;o)
I got 1/2 way through and got bored - as always happens in such circumstances - and so there is now a crate full of stuff with no home cluttering up my craft room :o/
Emily has a friend over tonight for a sleepover so i am hoping the late night and clock change will mean they don't get up too early...unlike last time when they got up at FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!!!
Right off to do some sewing...........

Why painting is a naptime activity....

2007-03-22T10:38:00.000Z

Isaac is a fan of Jackson Pollock's technique - complete with manic grin!

2007-03-17T12:19:00.000Z

This week started off really well but fell off a bit towards the end due to lack of planning on my part. I'm really exhaused - due to too many late bedtimes and Isaac who (still hasn't weaned - did i mention I found him trying to nurse off Wendy the other week?!?) continues to pester me throughout the night.

Emily has been reading more and more over the past few months and her confidence in what she is actually capable of is increasing. She picked up the set of Farmyard Tales books the other day and decided to try and read one to Isaac. She surprised herself by finding it quite an easy read! She was so thrilled she could read a book she'd never looked at before i think.

Mick found an old Ikea inflatable chair in the loft the other night. He brought it down to put in the playroom and E is delighted with it. She says she feels like she is in one of the squashy armchairs in the Gryffindor common room! So yesterday I found her sat there with a huge pile of books - obviously a budding Hermione in the making :oD

Following on from finding the frogspawn in the pond the other week i dug out the "Parts of an Amphibian" and "parts of a Tadpole" Here is E after completing then - looking very pleased with herself!

I also got out the cloud nomenclature cards, to tie in with project work, and although she found it tricky she completed them getting only a couple in the wrong places.

Isaac is like a little parrot copying everything i say and everything his sister does. He is getting really into drawing at the moment...unfortunately he's not fussy what he does it on :o(

I decided to get the maxi HAMA beads out and try him with those but he mainly just liked tipping them on the floor. E had fun with them though making some colourful creations.

2007-03-13T22:50:00.000Z

I took Isaac to the doctors about his coughing and they've put him on Ventolin/Beclametasone to see if it helps. He has improved, but then maybe he is just getting over the cold?? We'll see.

Emily has been i'll again, stomach upset this time. I feel like we have been house-of-constant-illness for the entire winter, not like us at all. I'm fed up with it and can't wait for spring, thankfully it doesn't seem far away :o)

We've been in the garden a fair bit enjoying the lovely weather. Isaac is getting to grips with the climbing frame and having a lot of fun while Emily has been sketching the flowers.

Finally a big thankyou to the Grays for using our EC code :o)

Sooo Tired!

2007-03-06T21:08:00.000Z

Isaac has been keeping me awake with his coughing, it's really bad at the moment thanks to yet another round of colds. He has been coughing on and off since November though, so a trip to the docs tomorrow assuming we can get an appointment. I just want to be sure it's not asthma after not realising Emily had it for so long!

I just realised I haven't put the photos up from Friday yet. Mick had the day off work and we took a trip here.

Isaac has loved Thomas ever since he clapped eyes on him round a friend's house but he was quite terrified when he met him in real life!

He wasn't too keen on the steam and noise but had made friends with him again after several journeys. He enjoyed looking round the engines - lots of things to fiddle with and plently of opportunity to get mucky -something Emily enjoyed too!
Emily had fun in the science carriage and it all tied in rather nicely with the work we've been doing this week on water. She also enjoyed having a ride on her namesake and pretending to be on the Hogwarts Express while in the First Class carriage :o)

2007-02-28T16:11:00.000Z

We had a lovely weekend with Mum and Dad, if rather busy. Dad fitted my new oven which has been cluttering up the floor for 6mths or so (long story of errors on my part) and he also fitted the plinth which means Isaac can no longer keep posting his toys underneath the units :o) So Mick just has the painting and floor to finish and then the kitchen/diner part of the extension is complete - YAY.

Isaac enjoyed some Daddy time (Mick had Friday and Monday off work) and helped him to construct another storage unit for the playroom...

While Emily took the opportunity to finish her wren purse without small fingers helping!

She's Rather proud of it, can you tell?

I'd rather like it for myself ;o)

I got spring fever early and spent a fortune at the garden centre, then Mum and I tidied up the garden a bit in between rain showers.

My parents insisted we went out on Saturday night, as we still hadn't managed to have our Anniversary night out ( that was in September). We went to a very nice Indian restaurant, which was yummy, but ate far too much.

This week we've been doing more on our Land and Water project. Emily constucted her own aquifer which was a lot of fun.

We left it overnight to watch how the silt settled and then we added food colouring to represent how chemicals can cause pollution to the underground water as well as lakes.

2007-02-27T23:34:00.000Z

Oh bottoms!
Just lost my post, i upset the PC in some way and it died on me :o/ Will update tomorrrow.

2007-02-23T20:43:00.000Z

Here's E's Chinese New Year dragon - finally!
We continued the festival theme throughout the week with Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. I never realised why it was called Shrove Tuesday before! We made pancakes of course, E did the batter and i did the cooking/flipping. Discovered Isaac didn't like them so Emily and I had LOADS :o) She did some fab writing, i posted it on her blog - like the picture of me - and yes it is supposed to read "products" not "pancakes" but i didn't have the heart to tell her.

Excitement on Thursday as our Bead Merrily order arrived (Thanks Merry!) We got the European flags kit. Didn't get a chance to start any though as we had the mad rush that is ballet.

Mum and Dad arrived last night so I nipped out this morning to get my hair done, a rare occasion!

2007-02-19T15:26:00.000Z

Friday was spent doing all manner of birthday things for Mick's birthday on Saturday. We made a cake, half of which slid off my super non stick cooling rack onto the floor :o/ So after I discovered we'd used the last of the eggs, and been to the supermarket for more, we made another. Emily spent much of the afternoon painting a nice picture for daddy and Isaac did Isaac stuff - which is making lots of mess and playing with cars, trucks, diggers.....

Saturday we went up town and Mick took Emily into the museum to make a flapping bird, which gave me and hour to mooch while Isaac slept. I didn't realise that the museum did a children's activity every week so we'll try an make more use of it in future. She had a lovely time. A quick trip to the library to pick up some books on water (which Emily wants to explore - nice and broad!) Then it was home for tea and cake.

Emily went to a friend's house yesterday, an impromptu visit, so previous plans to go to the woods were shelved and Mick got on with some painting in the new laundry room. Mum and Dad are coming down next weekend so we are hoping to get some of the units fitted in there then - finally!

Today there has been a fair amount of Education City played and quite a lot of stuff to do with Chinese New Year. We are on lists 6 and 7 of her HFW and she is doing really well with them. We also covered history in the form of Britannia and revised "ai" words.

I'm off babysitting tonight but will try and post photos later.

2007-02-15T19:30:00.000Z

We went to the library yesterday morning with friends and came back with bookbags full to overflow. Isaac got his very own ticket which means we can now take out a grand total of 30 books :o) We also got DVD's (as I was in an unusually generous mood), "Bob Fix-It" for Isaac and Jungle Book 2 for Emily. She was actually hoping for Cars, but you know what half term is like, so she got JB2 in desparation i think!

Emily wanted to do something "Valentines" for Daddy so we made a pretty box from here (thanks June, some lovely things there). She made the Celtic heart box and wrote little messages on the hearts to go inside and he was delighted with it.

I don't actually know where today went, don't seem to have done much. Emily made her "Hands up for Home Ed" hands and Isaac had a go too. Looking back i swear most of the day was spent feeding Isaac, one way or another. You just can't seem to fill that boy up. I'm not used to having a child that is constantly hungry!

oh, yes and i signed up to Education City - see side bar for code.

2007-02-13T10:47:00.000Z

Ok, if i did it right i should be back on the blogring! Can someone shout if it looks odd their end, i haven't a clue what i am doing - what's a widget for goodness sake??? Might get Mick to have a fiddle with it at some point.

2007-02-13T09:20:00.000Z

The sleepers for the garden arrived Friday so we moved them into the back garden at the weekend - very heavy, i still ache! Didn't really do much at the weekend. The chiddlers pootled around doing *stuff*, Emily played on Education City, which i had completely forgotten about until it was mentioned recently, we will definitely be signing up for it.
**UPDATE** We have now signed up - Thank you for the code Jenny!

Both had fun with the Playdoh,

a first for Isaac!

... and then fun with the shredded paperwork Mick had been busy creating.

Yesterday we did lots of stuff on 2D and 3D shapes, which E told me she really enjoyed because it was easy! She made these models using the Geomags.

We also did another Greek Myth which she wrote up in her picture storybook, did a bit of workbook english and practiced word lists 5 and 6. It was then time for lunch and a trip out to see friends. Isaac and I stayed for a while then came home leaving E behind for a sleepover.

Look what arrived in the post for me, lots of yummy fabrics :o)

2007-02-11T14:53:00.001Z

Look, two years after creating a Flickr account we're actually using it!!!

SNOW!

2007-02-08T12:40:00.000Z

I love snow....when i can stay at home.

This is the first time we've had more than a sprinkle in about 4 years i think so we *had* to go out. Emily was desperate to build a snowman and had a great time.

Isaac was unsure, but did manage a smile for the camera.

Things have been pretty quiet lately as both chiddlers have had chickenpox. They are much improved today so i think they are over the worst of it.

A good job, as i have spent too much online as a result of a) being stuck in the house and b) E & I not wanting to do anything but sleep/watch tv.

I bought Mick's birthday present but the rest were for me! A Bookpeople order, this from Etsy and these long awaited lovelies from Wee Wonderfuls along with the kitty/bear/bunny pattern as Emily informed me, (after i was to set work on Olive and Archie) that she didn't want Olive. She never has been into dolls, which is a shame for me as i love making them. So she's getting a bunny instead - so we're both happy :o)

2007-02-02T19:56:00.000Z

A good couple of weeks, long overdue :o)

We've been struggling with E's increasingly stroppy behaviour for a while now. Don't know if it's an age thing or what but it was certainly making the whole HE thing very unworkable for a while. Here's hoping we are over that particular hurdle for now.

We've been doing a fair bit of socialising the last couple of weeks (and in the process trying to catch chickenpox - but so far haven't). I've signed them both up to a new Tatty Bumpkin yoga class that starts in a couple of months. Run by someone i found via Freecycle! It's lovely to have something both E and I can do at the same time! Will be interesting to see how Isaac copes with it though. I've not done any yoga with him since he discovered he could roll everywhere. He's not known for his moments of calm!!

His favourite pastime at the moment is giving himself a yogurt facial and deep conditioning hair treatment - loooovely.

On the schooly front Emily is enjoying lots of maths. She has been doing some place value work with the base ten blocks, subtraction, fractions, multiplication and she has shown an interest in telling the time. She had some fun with this site. I bought a Reader Rabbit maths CD-ROM today but we haven't had a look at that yet.

I'm so amazed with how her reading is coming on. She was given an abridged version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and started reading it to a friend the other day. I think she quite surprised herself!

I've been trying to prioritise my craft projects list, i have over 50 on there at the moment! Just when i decide which 4 i am going to concentrate on in the coming months Hillary goes and announces that the new winter Stitchettes are nearly ready - and they are so adorable!

I feel a definite need to get back into a proper project as i haven't made anything thing since the begining of the year except for a couple of cards.

Meet Priscilla!

Electronics Project?

2007-01-21T23:50:00.000Z

I thought these were cool (see the Walkman one too)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52722292@N00/sets/72157594488080995/
Found via the MAKE blog.

Blustery Day!

2007-01-18T18:50:00.000Z

Today was supposed to be the first day back at ballet but it was so windy we couldn't face going out. The crunch came when i was sat eating my lunch and looking out into the garden i saw what looked like paper flying over the hedge. I then realised it was glass from my neighbour's greenhouse! It has been completely wrecked, along with several fences and a TV arial :o(

So instead of going out we sat and watched "Holes" ,which i had recorded at Christmas, all cosy on the sofa. It was really good so E wants me to read the book now.

Moving on....

2007-01-16T20:18:00.000Z

It's all change at Blogger then. Quite impressed i managed to remember my password after all this time!

Couldn't face posting for the rest of last year for many reasons but mainly due to upheaval of the build which i am happy to say is now finished - well mostly. We've a lot of decorating to do and the builder has to come back to do some extras we added but it's definitely looking better.

We've started back with "school" stuff properly this week (after a false start last week) and so far so good. I'm sure E needs quite a bit of structure as without it she becomes quite a handful and almost like a completly different child!

We are covering Europe at the moment and E wants to" learn about water and everything to do with it" - nice broad topic title ;o) We aren't very good at following topics. We start off well then things slow down and eventually fizzle out but i'm following her interest so i guess it's fine really.

I is doing well, his speach finally coming along nicely which makes life easier. I think he is ready for some of the practical life activities so we may try that soon. I have the registration forms ready to fill out for the Montessori nursery that E attended, can't believe it is time to start thinking about it already. E is so excited about him going - partly, i shouldn't wonder, because it means she gets me all to herself for a few hours a week and partly because she can't wait to go back and see everyone.

2006-05-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

We have had lots of exciting news over the past couple of weeks. First up was the news that my brother and his girlfriend are expecting their first baba. I am soooo excited for them and i am going to be a *proper* auntie :o) This brings the total number of babies(i have to get making gifts for!) expected in the next 9mths to 4. Bizarrely 3 of them are due in October and are connected in some way to one another. How weird is that???

Next news is also baby related. A good friend gave birth last week to a little girl, welcome Sofia :o) so congratulations N,D and S on your new daughter/sister. I haven't seen her yet but can't wait.

Finally, we saw another builder and he says he can do our extension within budget! So after 4 years we are finally going ahead with our plans. They start on Tuesday...very exciting!

Today we went up town first thing as Mick and Emily were going to see George's Marvellous Medicine at the local theatre (see their websitefor a sneek peek, click on "current" at the top). They both seemed to enjoy it. While they were at the theatre Isaac had a nap and i pushed him round the shops and got to have a nice (rare)leisurely look around. Managed to find a nice pair of Birkenstocks for 1/2 price in TK Maxx, always pleased to get a bargain ;o) Came home and Mick continued clearing the garage ready for it's demolition. Emily entertained herself nicely making things from her Usborne mermaid book. Isaac entertained himself nicely making a mess and i finished off part of baby Sofia's present, a knitted bear. I'll try to post some pics over the weekend.

2006-05-10T23:20:00.000+01:00

Must get some new photos for the side bar as they are rather out of date! Who knows maybe one day i'll actually start using our Flickr account...

2006-05-10T23:17:00.000+01:00

Photo's of Isaac are few at the moment as he never sits still for long enough so i couldn't resist this.

2006-05-04T20:16:00.000+01:00

Today was a truly beautiful day, blue skies and sunshine *so* glad we were able to spend the morning in the garden with friends :o)

Afternoon was ballet and then play in the park afterwards. The journey home was rather fraught. Emily got herself worked up in a right tizzy. It has been brewing for a number of weeks and basically it all seems to stem from her best friend starting big school this term. She feels upset about it (naturally) and angry. She doesn't want to feel angry at her friend but ends up doing so (inwardly) because she doesn't know how to deal with it and then ends up feeling rotten for feeling that way! I've tried talking to her about it but she is hell bent on blaming herself for being "rotten" (her words) :o(

2006-04-23T20:32:00.000+01:00

Easter holidays are officially over now. We went away to Mum and Dad's last week and got to stay 6 days, which was really nice, as Mick took some holiday. Isaac (then Dad) became ill with a jippy tummy while we were there but we still had a nice time.
Emily was so upset to leave, it is such a shame we don't live closer as the four and a half hour drive means visits are fairly infrequent :o(

We have made visits to the library (to pay yet more fines - why is it i always remember to check the books the day after they were due back???? ), to HE friends and non HE friends so have been fairly sociable since returning home.

Weekend has been spent tidying the house (boring) and finishing off Emily's bedroom (shelves and curtains went up finally). We didn't redecorate as i rather like it as it is. Emily would love it to be turned into a mermaid themed room but i am reluctant to spend hours painting mermaids on the wall for her to change her mind in a few months - meeny?
Tomorrow is our HE meet up with our (so far) teeny local group and ballet starts again this week. It will seem funny not having the made post school rush...but nice :o)

Isaac has gained a few more teeth (Molars - which was painful for all) and is nearly there with his walking. He looks so proud of himself as he toddles along.

2006-04-09T12:31:00.000+01:00

Almond Biscotti

2006-04-09T11:52:00.000+01:00

We have a weekend ritual in our house of coffee, or foamy milk in Emily's case, and biscuits in bed each morning. This week we made Almond Biscotti. I don't normally like baking recipes done in "cups" because that usually means "sticks" of butter and i have yet to fathom out what they are. however, this recipe requires no such thing and so is very easy for children to do themselves.

Almond Biscotti

3/4 cup of whole almonds
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 salt
1 cup sugar

3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 175 º c
Grease and flour a large baking sheet.

Spread the almonds out on a large baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 mins. Cool and roughly chop (i find lengthwise works best).

Stir flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack two eggs into the well.
Add the vanilla and using a fork mix well. Continue mixing with your hands. If dough seems wet add a little more flour. The dough is ready when it is smooth, dry and fairly stiff.

Work in the nuts using your hands.

Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and divide in two. Roll each piece into a fat log shape approx 30cms x 5cm and place side by side on the tray, leaving a 5cm gap between them as they will spread.

Beat the remaining egg and brush over the logs. Bake until golden, appox 30-35 mins.
Remove from oven and slice into thick diagonal slices (using an oven mitt or cloth to hold the logs), a serrated knife works best.

Lay the biscotti on their sides on the baking sheet and cook them again for 5 to 10 mins (I think Biscotti means "twice baked" in Italian).

Cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy with Coffee, hot chocolate or warm milk - if you try eating them without dunking you may break a tooth!!!

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the last post. I read them out to Emily and she was delighted :o) And thanks Alison for drawing my attention to the trip and if you happen to read this yes we are interested, but i'll try and contact via BHE group.

2006-04-04T23:11:00.000+01:00

Here are the pictures of the teapot and mug Emily and i did for her teachers. Emily did the mug all by herself, except for the outlines and the name on the handle. I think it came out brilliantly. There is something delicious to me about a child's artwork preserved like this. I will have to get her to do one for me!

The teapot was for the staff room and so has all the activities she enjoyed during her time at nursery as well as some pictures of the Montessori materials. I had to do most of this as we were short on time, though Emily did a fair bit of the painting in as well as adding some beautiful illustrations of her own - my favourites are the pictures of herself and her friends.

2006-04-04T23:10:00.000+01:00

Teapot Lid

2006-04-04T23:09:00.003+01:00

Teapot side 1

2006-04-04T23:09:00.002+01:00

Teapot side 2

2006-04-04T23:09:00.001+01:00

Jackie's Mug

2006-04-04T23:09:00.000+01:00

Mug Handle

2006-04-04T23:03:00.000+01:00

Mug

A Quick Round Up of a Very Important Week!

2006-04-02T20:39:00.000+01:00

A week ago today it was Mothering Sunday but also Emily's very first stage appearance. Her ballet school put on a show at the local theatre and E played a kitten as part of the Alice In Wonderland themed first half. She did really well - they all did. Nana and Grandad came to watch too, so we were all very proud of her. I took Isaac home after the first half as it was past his bedtime (he did pretty well and was dancing along with a lot of it). Emily stayed with Daddy to watch the 2nd half and really enjoyed herself apparently.

Wednesday was the Leaver's Ceremony at E's Montessori nursery. All the parents of the children who were leaving were there and each child went up in turn to collect their various bits of work from the staff and talk about their time at the nursery. Then they were all presented with a book, it was lovely and Emily felt very proud of herself i think.
Afterwards we had a chat to Jackie, her keyworker and gave her the presents we had made, a hand painted mug for J and a teapot for the staff room. She seemed very pleased with them. It was the first time Emily had seen them since they had been fired as i only went to collect them that morning. I think she was amazed by the transformation. i will post some photos when i get round to it!

Afterwards we went out for a meal to celebrate "graduation" with friends whose dd has also finished this term.

Thursday was the final day at nursery. It was a mix of happiness and sadness for all of us i think. I do think things will be somewhat easier now (except for the fact i lose my 2 days to catch up on housework!) but it is yet another reminder of her growing up - too quickly. One mum, whose daughter is also leaving, stopped us as we were about to get in the car and said "You are so lucky, i don't want F to go to school" and i thought, yep we are lucky and I will remind myself of that fact if/when things ever get tough :o)

Two other things that happened this last week that also added to my emotional fragility (!) were E moving into her own bedroom and losing a 2nd tooth.
E has been sleeping in our room in her toddler bed since she started having night terrors a while back. We pointed out a few months ago, once the night terrors had subsided, that she really was getting a bit big for it and mentioned she might like to go in a new bed in her own room. i think her mind was made up when she kept getting disturbed by Isaac in the night. Anyway she seems to love her new bed and the fact she has her own room so that is great...but i do miss her.

And on the Isaac front the big news is he has started walking. He can only manage about 6 consecutive steps but it's all coming together nicely. Oh and two more teeth, bringing the total to eight now. Why does he always get them in pairs?

Crafty Moments

2006-03-28T23:26:00.001+01:00

I didn't have any photos of my fabric cards (sorry Esther) as i had posted them already. Here instead is what i've been up to of late...

Top photo is my first Tie One On experience. An apron for E's Princess Serephina. Now she won't get her ball dress all grubby ;o)

The bottom two photos are what i made for E's French teacher at Montessori, (It is her last lesson tomorrow!), a lavender pillow. Mmmmm i *love* lavender.....i hope Mme Catherine does too!

2006-03-28T23:26:00.000+01:00

Princess Serephina - March Tie One One

2006-03-28T23:25:00.001+01:00

Front

2006-03-28T23:25:00.000+01:00

Back

2006-03-17T22:12:00.000Z

Our Hama Snow White

Romans

2006-03-08T11:58:00.000Z

After reading "I came, I saw..." in Britannia the other day I thought it might be good to do a bit of a mini project on the Romans. We have been making use of the BBC site, various worksheets and ideas there. Emily really surprised me by grasping the whole Roman numerals thing really well on the "Shopping" worksheet. There is this game too. E hasn't played it yet as i though it might be too fast for her - she's not keen on beat the clock type games.

We made some Roman coins decorated cut outs of Roman pots and made jewellery like these. We printed them off onto gold card and decorated with sequins as we'd run out of plastic gems! There are other good things on this site too worth a look.

We talked about Roman soldiers like the one in the story then did the BBC worksheet and played Dress the Soldier. Followed this by talking about Gladiators in the least gruesome way i could! You can look around a virtual Roman fort here.
I printed off some colouring pages of Roman dress and then i dressed E up as a Roman lady as best i could with what we had to hand.

Although i knew emily has enjoyed the activites we've done i wasn't sure how much she'd actually learn. It was really just meant as a taster but i was very surprised to hear from Mick that she was telling him all about Roman life on the way to nursery this morning.

Other useful sites...
Roman Bath Webquest
and Game
Online Mosaic Maker
Plan of a Roman House
Make your own Roman Crafts (and other stuff)

Books we are using...
Usborne Beginners - Romans
I Wonder Why....The Roman Wore Togas
How Would You Survive as an Ancient Roman?
Usborne Time Travellers - Rome and Romans
120 Great History Projects (bought from WHSmith for a fiver :o)