It has been another busy week in these parts. We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for our food shopping and a visit to the library. I also bought some material from the sewing shop to make some trousers for my youngest.
On Tuesday we travelled south to our usual play date. There were not so many children this week but fun was had none the less with Lego, battleships game, cushions on the floor and flags.
On Wednesday we had a train ride to a soft play area for a birthday treat for our Wednesday play date friends. It was very noisy at the soft play as it was so busy, and it got really noisy when hail rained down on the metal roof the noise was deafening.
We were up and out early on Thursday to join a friend for a swim, after last weeks amazing achievements in the pool my eldest spent most of the time swimming underwater. It is amazing how confident he has become. We had our lunch on the poolside before heading to pick up some bits we had left last week to be repaired. After we dropped our friends off we popped to buy a pair of shoes for the youngest as her feet have grown again. It was a long day out and the children both fell asleep really early.
On Friday we joined a local home ed group that we have not met with for a while, it was good to catch up with folks again. They were making jitterbugs a bit like this except that we used a CD for the body. It was fun to sit and make them, although our legs kept falling off! We decorated ours after we got home as we ran out of time.
Over the weekend we joined up with some friends for tea on Saturday. We headed over in the afternoon so the children could have a play together. We have not seen them for a while so it was good to catch up. On Sunday I spent the day cooking and getting ready to go away. We are off for a few days next week so it will be quiet on here for a few days. If you leave a comment, thank you, it may be a while before it is published I am not ignoring you just having a short break from technology. Hope you have a good week, will be back soon!
Showing posts with label play dates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label play dates. Show all posts
Weekending
27 January 2013
Another week has flown by, the year is now three weeks old. We started the week with snow! We woke on Monday morning to about an inch the children were so excited especially my youngest as she does not remember the snow we had last year. After shopping and a library visit in the morning she and I spent the afternoon outside building a snow castle, making angel patterns in the snow and clearing our neighbours path.
Tuesday started badly, we got a phone call and message from our Tuesday and Thursday friends, within a few minutes of each other, to say that neither could meet up with us this week. My lovely weekly rhythm just stopped beating, the children were devastated. I called our Wednesday friends to check that they were still on for meeting up and thankfully they were. Even better they phoned back a couple of hours later to say come over for tea, stay the night and play all day on Wednesday. The children were really excited and could not wait to set off! We spent some of the time making gingerbread men and reading the story about the gingerbread man that does not want to be caught. They had a great time playing, playing, playing it was amazing they were together for twenty four hours and did not fall out at all in that time. The spent a large part of Wednesday out in the snow in the garden.
So on Thursday we headed off to a town we don't visit that often to swim and drop off something for repair, we took friends with us. The swimming was great the pool was warm and pretty much empty, the children's swimming skills suddenly clicked for them both. We had lunch at the poolside before heading into town. We ran our errands before heading to a fantastic park for a play. We headed home tired and happy after a grand day out.
On Friday it snowed all day, big fat flakes that settled by the evening we had about three inches. We made our own snowflakes indoors using a wire form a bit like this except ours have 8 spokes. We have hung them on our tree. We also read books about snow and winter, talked about hibernation, played the Winter cooperative game and enjoyed the cosines of our house.
Over the weekend we went to a lovely birthday party on Saturday. My eldest who is not a fan of parties sat and read two Roald Dahl books whilst the party went on around him! On Sunday we played at home, made some more play doh to play with, I sewed two cushion covers, read several books with the children and we took part in the RSPB Big Garden Watch. You spend an hour counting the birds in your garden, you count the numbers each time you see them and then submit the highest number you see at any one time. We had few visitors this year compared to last. It was really, really windy and as our garden is pretty exposed the birds were not visiting even though we put out lots of food. Those that did were clearly struggling against the wind!
Tuesday started badly, we got a phone call and message from our Tuesday and Thursday friends, within a few minutes of each other, to say that neither could meet up with us this week. My lovely weekly rhythm just stopped beating, the children were devastated. I called our Wednesday friends to check that they were still on for meeting up and thankfully they were. Even better they phoned back a couple of hours later to say come over for tea, stay the night and play all day on Wednesday. The children were really excited and could not wait to set off! We spent some of the time making gingerbread men and reading the story about the gingerbread man that does not want to be caught. They had a great time playing, playing, playing it was amazing they were together for twenty four hours and did not fall out at all in that time. The spent a large part of Wednesday out in the snow in the garden.
So on Thursday we headed off to a town we don't visit that often to swim and drop off something for repair, we took friends with us. The swimming was great the pool was warm and pretty much empty, the children's swimming skills suddenly clicked for them both. We had lunch at the poolside before heading into town. We ran our errands before heading to a fantastic park for a play. We headed home tired and happy after a grand day out.
On Friday it snowed all day, big fat flakes that settled by the evening we had about three inches. We made our own snowflakes indoors using a wire form a bit like this except ours have 8 spokes. We have hung them on our tree. We also read books about snow and winter, talked about hibernation, played the Winter cooperative game and enjoyed the cosines of our house.
Over the weekend we went to a lovely birthday party on Saturday. My eldest who is not a fan of parties sat and read two Roald Dahl books whilst the party went on around him! On Sunday we played at home, made some more play doh to play with, I sewed two cushion covers, read several books with the children and we took part in the RSPB Big Garden Watch. You spend an hour counting the birds in your garden, you count the numbers each time you see them and then submit the highest number you see at any one time. We had few visitors this year compared to last. It was really, really windy and as our garden is pretty exposed the birds were not visiting even though we put out lots of food. Those that did were clearly struggling against the wind!
Weekending
13 January 2013
It has been lovely this week to get back into our weekly rhythm, it is comforting like a fire on a cold winter evening.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for our food shopping and a visit to the library. As always after unpacking and lunch we spent the afternoon reading our new library books.
On Tuesday we visited our friends who we have not seen for ages for our usual play dates. Illness, them not us thankfully, and Christmas has meant we have not seen them for about six weeks. There were several families there again and the children all had a wonderful time playing together. It was really calm and peaceful this time.
The next day we had a wonderful day of outdoor play with some friends. We took a picnic and drove up the road for a lovely day out in the sunshine. It felt so good to feel the sun on our faces again after so long. The world feels huge when you can see the blue sky.
The next day we drove south to join our friends for lunch and a play. Just after she had woken up, my youngest said something which proved to me that rhythm that I have worked hard to introduce into our week has all been worthwhile. We see the same the same sets of friends each week, each on a particular day. She knew it was the day for our Thursday friends without knowing it was Thursday. It was good to catch up after a break over Christmas. The girls had fun icing cakes. The drive back was long through the dark and thick fog.
Friday we headed for a day round the county. We started by dropping off a hire car that my husband no longer required as the job he was to use it for had been cancelled, such is the life of being self employed. Then we drove to another town for swimming and lunch with friends. After the children had played for a bit and the adults chatted we headed to pick up our flour order from a local mill. On the way home we dropped in some more friends for a cuppa and to drop off some bits. We got home exhausted after a long day out!
We had a fairly busy weekend based mostly at home. On Saturday we headed out to the local famers market to pick up some supplies. In the afternoon I cooked up a batch of soup to put on the freezer for eating this month. On Sunday I had one of those days were I was highly productive without much effort. I cooked up more soup, baked some bread, made some rolls, did some washing, hoovered the house, put together a big bag of stuff for the charity shop, read books with the children, danced, played, read some of my book whilst the children and my husband went for a bike ride and fell into bed happy and content. A perfect end to the week.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for our food shopping and a visit to the library. As always after unpacking and lunch we spent the afternoon reading our new library books.
On Tuesday we visited our friends who we have not seen for ages for our usual play dates. Illness, them not us thankfully, and Christmas has meant we have not seen them for about six weeks. There were several families there again and the children all had a wonderful time playing together. It was really calm and peaceful this time.
The next day we had a wonderful day of outdoor play with some friends. We took a picnic and drove up the road for a lovely day out in the sunshine. It felt so good to feel the sun on our faces again after so long. The world feels huge when you can see the blue sky.
The next day we drove south to join our friends for lunch and a play. Just after she had woken up, my youngest said something which proved to me that rhythm that I have worked hard to introduce into our week has all been worthwhile. We see the same the same sets of friends each week, each on a particular day. She knew it was the day for our Thursday friends without knowing it was Thursday. It was good to catch up after a break over Christmas. The girls had fun icing cakes. The drive back was long through the dark and thick fog.
Friday we headed for a day round the county. We started by dropping off a hire car that my husband no longer required as the job he was to use it for had been cancelled, such is the life of being self employed. Then we drove to another town for swimming and lunch with friends. After the children had played for a bit and the adults chatted we headed to pick up our flour order from a local mill. On the way home we dropped in some more friends for a cuppa and to drop off some bits. We got home exhausted after a long day out!
We had a fairly busy weekend based mostly at home. On Saturday we headed out to the local famers market to pick up some supplies. In the afternoon I cooked up a batch of soup to put on the freezer for eating this month. On Sunday I had one of those days were I was highly productive without much effort. I cooked up more soup, baked some bread, made some rolls, did some washing, hoovered the house, put together a big bag of stuff for the charity shop, read books with the children, danced, played, read some of my book whilst the children and my husband went for a bike ride and fell into bed happy and content. A perfect end to the week.
Sunshine
10 January 2013
Yesterday we arranged to go out with friends as the weather was forecast to be cloudy but dry. We woke up to find a clear blue sky and sunshine. It's the first time we have seen the sun properly this year, except for a few hours on the beach on New Years Day. It was wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun on our faces again after so long. The world felt bigger with the open blue sky, rather than thick grey cloud pressing down on us.
We had a great time, walking, playing, swinging, jumping, hiding, clambering, climbing, eating, drinking, talking and creating with our friends. As I drove home through our village there were lots of mums walking to the school to pick up their children, I wondered wryly who had had the best day of learning.
Linking in with The Magic Onions for Friday's Nature Table a sharing of nature activities.
Gratitudes
23 December 2012
I am joining in with Taryn for her heartfelt Sunday tradition.
A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.
This week I have been grateful for...
...knowing that I will not have to shop again for two weeks as we are visiting family for Christmas.
...a break in the rain and a wonderful walk through the village with my youngest
...heartwarming soup cooked for me so many times by lovely friends.
...fun, craft activities arranged for my children by lovely friends.
...time to finish off handmade Christmas presents.
...my lovely husband for driving us safely to visit family.
A time to slow down, to reflect, to be grateful.
This week I have been grateful for...
...knowing that I will not have to shop again for two weeks as we are visiting family for Christmas.
...a break in the rain and a wonderful walk through the village with my youngest
...heartwarming soup cooked for me so many times by lovely friends.
...fun, craft activities arranged for my children by lovely friends.
...time to finish off handmade Christmas presents.
...my lovely husband for driving us safely to visit family.
Weekending
This week has been one of busyness and getting lots done, sometimes it didn't feel very efficient!
We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and visit to the library. This was our last shopping trip before Christmas so I needed to make sure I remember everything we needed. The town is eleven miles away so it is expensive if we forget to get what we need. We are going away for Christmas this year so we only needed food to last the week.
Tuesday we were expecting to meet our usual play date friends for wreath making but they were unwell and cancelled. So we used our time at home to post the last few Christmas cards and hand deliver those for friends in the village luckily for us this was the driest day all week. I also continued with my Christmas making in between reading books, painting and drawing with the children.
Wednesday we joined our play date friends for lunch of soup afterwards we cut out, cooked and decorated biscuits. I found a few Christmassy biscuit cutters which we used. The children thought it was great fun, my eldest who is not usually keen on this sort of activity asked to do it again!
On Thursday we travelled south through horrendous wind and rain to join our friends who we have not seen for a while. It was lovely to catch up with them again and they also provided us with a lovely warming soup for lunch very welcome after the cold outside. After lunch we made snowflakes using old CDs. We folded the paper and cut them and then stuck lots of glittery things to them, they looked great. In the evening we join friends for drinks and nibbles it was a lovely end to a busy day and good to catch up with some friends who we had not seen for a while.
Friday we went swimming in the morning and then joined friends nearby for a lunch of soup, I have realised that I have done quite well for lunches out this week! We stayed for a wee while before heading home. The rest of the afternoon was spent with more Christmas making.
Over the weekend, Saturday was spent frantically knitting a sock whilst my husband was out in the morning, finishing off the last bit of sewing and wrapping all the presents. I needed a rest after all that before cooking tea! Sunday saw us heading off to stay with family for Christmas and then friends for New Year.
I hope you are all finished or near finished with your Christmas preparation, wishing you all a restful calm time.
We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and visit to the library. This was our last shopping trip before Christmas so I needed to make sure I remember everything we needed. The town is eleven miles away so it is expensive if we forget to get what we need. We are going away for Christmas this year so we only needed food to last the week.
Tuesday we were expecting to meet our usual play date friends for wreath making but they were unwell and cancelled. So we used our time at home to post the last few Christmas cards and hand deliver those for friends in the village luckily for us this was the driest day all week. I also continued with my Christmas making in between reading books, painting and drawing with the children.
Wednesday we joined our play date friends for lunch of soup afterwards we cut out, cooked and decorated biscuits. I found a few Christmassy biscuit cutters which we used. The children thought it was great fun, my eldest who is not usually keen on this sort of activity asked to do it again!
On Thursday we travelled south through horrendous wind and rain to join our friends who we have not seen for a while. It was lovely to catch up with them again and they also provided us with a lovely warming soup for lunch very welcome after the cold outside. After lunch we made snowflakes using old CDs. We folded the paper and cut them and then stuck lots of glittery things to them, they looked great. In the evening we join friends for drinks and nibbles it was a lovely end to a busy day and good to catch up with some friends who we had not seen for a while.
Friday we went swimming in the morning and then joined friends nearby for a lunch of soup, I have realised that I have done quite well for lunches out this week! We stayed for a wee while before heading home. The rest of the afternoon was spent with more Christmas making.
Over the weekend, Saturday was spent frantically knitting a sock whilst my husband was out in the morning, finishing off the last bit of sewing and wrapping all the presents. I needed a rest after all that before cooking tea! Sunday saw us heading off to stay with family for Christmas and then friends for New Year.
I hope you are all finished or near finished with your Christmas preparation, wishing you all a restful calm time.
Weekending
11 December 2012
This last week has been one of family, we have spent time doing stuff together and it has been great fun.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town to do the shopping and visit the library. On Tuesday rather than catch up with our usual play date friends we all went swimming, we were pretty much the only people in the pool so it was a good time to go. Afterwards we went to see a friend who lives nearby who we have not seen for ages. She is pregnant with her second child so it was great to see how glowing she looked after sickness in the early weeks.
On Wednesday we were up and and out the door in half an hour, it was not a particularly early start but we are not early risers in our house. We met friends at the train station and travelled to a nearby city to visit an excellent and interesting museum. The train was really packed with people and it was standing room only we felt like sardines. The museum was small but just the right size for little people to explore in a day, there was plenty of interactive exhibits and the writing was enough that if you are a beginner you could still engage. It was a great day out.
On Thursday we had an adventurous shopping trip to a nearby town. It was snowing, very windy and clod when we left the house, we made it into town no problem. Walking round town it was really, really cold the wind funnelled between the building and it was icy cold on your face. We got our shopping done and headed home two hours later we arrived (it is a twenty minute journey usually). We met snow drifts and accidents but we did get home in one piece which is the most important thing.
Friday we stayed at home most of the day. We walked up the village in the morning to post our international Christmas cards. The snow on the hills looked so inviting that I suggested we go for a walk and play in the snow the following day. When we woke on Saturday sadly the temperatures had warmed in the night and the snow line was much to high for little legs. My youngest can walk a fair distance but we knew if we attempted to go that high we would end up as porters as the day wore on and she is very heavy now. We changed our plans and headed for lower ground. It was a cold day with the wind making it feel much cooler but it was beautifully sunny. We found a great spot at the top of a hill by a wall to have lunch with the sun warming our faces. We headed down after that, as we were concerned that the wind might blow the children off their feet if we went any higher, and found a spot to light our stove and make a hot drink each replenished with a drink and blackcurrant flapjack we marched back to the car singing songs and collecting an amazing amount of sticks.
Sunday we had a day of rest together at home. We pottered around playing games, making a mess, building dens, making more Christmas cards and knitting.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town to do the shopping and visit the library. On Tuesday rather than catch up with our usual play date friends we all went swimming, we were pretty much the only people in the pool so it was a good time to go. Afterwards we went to see a friend who lives nearby who we have not seen for ages. She is pregnant with her second child so it was great to see how glowing she looked after sickness in the early weeks.
On Wednesday we were up and and out the door in half an hour, it was not a particularly early start but we are not early risers in our house. We met friends at the train station and travelled to a nearby city to visit an excellent and interesting museum. The train was really packed with people and it was standing room only we felt like sardines. The museum was small but just the right size for little people to explore in a day, there was plenty of interactive exhibits and the writing was enough that if you are a beginner you could still engage. It was a great day out.
On Thursday we had an adventurous shopping trip to a nearby town. It was snowing, very windy and clod when we left the house, we made it into town no problem. Walking round town it was really, really cold the wind funnelled between the building and it was icy cold on your face. We got our shopping done and headed home two hours later we arrived (it is a twenty minute journey usually). We met snow drifts and accidents but we did get home in one piece which is the most important thing.
Friday we stayed at home most of the day. We walked up the village in the morning to post our international Christmas cards. The snow on the hills looked so inviting that I suggested we go for a walk and play in the snow the following day. When we woke on Saturday sadly the temperatures had warmed in the night and the snow line was much to high for little legs. My youngest can walk a fair distance but we knew if we attempted to go that high we would end up as porters as the day wore on and she is very heavy now. We changed our plans and headed for lower ground. It was a cold day with the wind making it feel much cooler but it was beautifully sunny. We found a great spot at the top of a hill by a wall to have lunch with the sun warming our faces. We headed down after that, as we were concerned that the wind might blow the children off their feet if we went any higher, and found a spot to light our stove and make a hot drink each replenished with a drink and blackcurrant flapjack we marched back to the car singing songs and collecting an amazing amount of sticks.
Sunday we had a day of rest together at home. We pottered around playing games, making a mess, building dens, making more Christmas cards and knitting.
Weekending
04 December 2012
It was a different week this last one, one of happiness and sadness in equal amounts.
We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and library visit. Our usual Tuesday play date was not a good day for any of us, so much so that we have talked about giving it a rest for a while but we may feel differently in a week or so time will tell.
Wednesday our play date cancelled on us so we stayed at home and pottered about, it always feels odd to me when plans are changed at the last minute, like I cannot get started with anything. The children carried on as usual, enjoying each others company and playing the whole day though.
On Thursday we joined our friends at their house for lunch after which we headed out for a walk. The original suggestion was to walk to a cafe along a road, I have never been keen on road walking especially with children so I suggested something different. It was a longer route and we made it to the cafe for wonderful cakes and tea. The walk back to the car was completed in the dark as we ran out of daylight, I hope this did not put our friends off doing walks with us again my two love this kind of adventure but I know it is not for everyone.
Friday we had another day at home we built a railway track and town, drove endless trains and cars, played games, made a birthday card, drew some pictures and in the evening pressed some apples. We have borrowed an apple press and managed to press 3.5 litres of apple juice from a big bag full of apples. We have drunk a litre of it and kept the rest to make cider and cider vinegar. We pressed the apples from frozen and we got far more juice than our last pressing when we crushed them.
Saturday we headed out fairly early to celebrate my brothers birthday. He is not a man who particularly likes surprises so we were a bit concerned that it would back fire but we all had a great time. The drive home was interesting it was a very cold frosty night and there was ice on the roads we got back in one piece but it was slow intensive driving.
On Sunday we rested after our long day out. Well that was the intention but it turned into a productive day. My husband finished building a ladder for our youngest's bed, I sewed a bag together and with my youngest started to make Christmas cards, December is upon us so I better get them made and sent quickly or it will be the New Year!
We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and library visit. Our usual Tuesday play date was not a good day for any of us, so much so that we have talked about giving it a rest for a while but we may feel differently in a week or so time will tell.
Wednesday our play date cancelled on us so we stayed at home and pottered about, it always feels odd to me when plans are changed at the last minute, like I cannot get started with anything. The children carried on as usual, enjoying each others company and playing the whole day though.
On Thursday we joined our friends at their house for lunch after which we headed out for a walk. The original suggestion was to walk to a cafe along a road, I have never been keen on road walking especially with children so I suggested something different. It was a longer route and we made it to the cafe for wonderful cakes and tea. The walk back to the car was completed in the dark as we ran out of daylight, I hope this did not put our friends off doing walks with us again my two love this kind of adventure but I know it is not for everyone.
Friday we had another day at home we built a railway track and town, drove endless trains and cars, played games, made a birthday card, drew some pictures and in the evening pressed some apples. We have borrowed an apple press and managed to press 3.5 litres of apple juice from a big bag full of apples. We have drunk a litre of it and kept the rest to make cider and cider vinegar. We pressed the apples from frozen and we got far more juice than our last pressing when we crushed them.
Saturday we headed out fairly early to celebrate my brothers birthday. He is not a man who particularly likes surprises so we were a bit concerned that it would back fire but we all had a great time. The drive home was interesting it was a very cold frosty night and there was ice on the roads we got back in one piece but it was slow intensive driving.
On Sunday we rested after our long day out. Well that was the intention but it turned into a productive day. My husband finished building a ladder for our youngest's bed, I sewed a bag together and with my youngest started to make Christmas cards, December is upon us so I better get them made and sent quickly or it will be the New Year!
Weekending
25 November 2012
This last week has been one of rain, so much of it at times I never thought it would stop, and wind. One morning my youngest asked why the rain was going sideways!
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for shopping and a visit to the library. My eldest found two atlases and has spent most of the week looking at them, his geography of the world is probably better than mine now.
The next day we had a change of plan, we did not meet up at our usual Tuesday house, our friends no longer want to do that every week during the winter. We are trying out some other options for some weeks and will meet with them as usual every other week. So we met with one friend at their lovely yurt. I made soup and rolls to share for lunch and some blackcurrent flapjack for snacking on with cups of tea. We had a lovely relaxing afternoon together eating, talking and drinking tea. A break in the rain saw us running outside for a quick wander and we managed to catch the starlings gathering for their evening roost an amazing spectacle and a wonderful end to the day.
On Wednesday we joined friends to press apples and make juice. We using the apples that we had picked last week when we had the most wonderful day learning about apples. The press,which we had borrowed off the lady who we spent time with last week, was hard work to use. We had a crusher which we used over the press to crush the apples into smaller pieces and the we had to turn the press to squeeze the juice out of the sides of the press. We were surprised at how little juice we got from so many apples but it tasted delicious, we kept half each.
The next day we were joined by friends for lunch. We had intended to go out for a visit to a local castle for the afternoon but it was the wettest, windiest day of the week. So we stayed in and watched the flooding in the field opposite the house get bigger and bigger, by the time they left the road was also under about two inches of water. Luckily it did not get any higher as it stopped raining late in the afternoon and the water was soon gone from the road.
We spent the rest of the week at home. We played games, built train tracks, played with cars, drew pictures, painted, danced round the table to music, knitted, sewed, weeded the garden and generally had lots of fun.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for shopping and a visit to the library. My eldest found two atlases and has spent most of the week looking at them, his geography of the world is probably better than mine now.
The next day we had a change of plan, we did not meet up at our usual Tuesday house, our friends no longer want to do that every week during the winter. We are trying out some other options for some weeks and will meet with them as usual every other week. So we met with one friend at their lovely yurt. I made soup and rolls to share for lunch and some blackcurrent flapjack for snacking on with cups of tea. We had a lovely relaxing afternoon together eating, talking and drinking tea. A break in the rain saw us running outside for a quick wander and we managed to catch the starlings gathering for their evening roost an amazing spectacle and a wonderful end to the day.
On Wednesday we joined friends to press apples and make juice. We using the apples that we had picked last week when we had the most wonderful day learning about apples. The press,which we had borrowed off the lady who we spent time with last week, was hard work to use. We had a crusher which we used over the press to crush the apples into smaller pieces and the we had to turn the press to squeeze the juice out of the sides of the press. We were surprised at how little juice we got from so many apples but it tasted delicious, we kept half each.
The next day we were joined by friends for lunch. We had intended to go out for a visit to a local castle for the afternoon but it was the wettest, windiest day of the week. So we stayed in and watched the flooding in the field opposite the house get bigger and bigger, by the time they left the road was also under about two inches of water. Luckily it did not get any higher as it stopped raining late in the afternoon and the water was soon gone from the road.
We spent the rest of the week at home. We played games, built train tracks, played with cars, drew pictures, painted, danced round the table to music, knitted, sewed, weeded the garden and generally had lots of fun.
Weekending
18 November 2012
My life is busy these days. During the week my days are full, come the weekend they are busy too, but somehow I seem to have more time and I am not exhausted come the end of the day.
This week started with a birthday my lovely husband did the shopping whilst the rest of us stayed at home to play with new toys or baking a birthday cake.
We joined our friends on Tuesday as usual for some noisy fun, the weather was cold and wet so the children stayed indoors their play got noisier as the day wore on. The adults had great fun helping to build a set of storage boxes and a set of shelves.
On Wednesday our friends organised a day with apples. It was a really interesting day made all the better by the lovely lady who we spent the day with. She is something of an expert on all things apple and had a wonderful manner with children. My eldest is naturally cautious around those he does not know but she spoke to me about what his interests were and then quietly drew him in to what we were doing.
The next day we headed south to join friends who we missed last week. We were welcomed with soup for lunch and the children played and the adults knitted (well almost all of us one was in the garage!) and chatted as the afternoon gently rolled by.
After a hectic week we had a quiet day at home playing, reading and drawing. The weekend was also spent at home working in the garden, sewing Christmas presents, knitting, baking and tidying the house. My weekends are becoming more focused on my house and family and I am finding them a good end and start to the each week. During the week I concentrate on our days out and at the weekend stuff at home. I am longer spending time during the week wondering when I can fit in sewing, gardening or tidying. I also know that come the spring my weekends will start to get busy again and my time for doing stuff at home will be pushed out. I will need to ensure that some of my weekends are kept free, always easier said than done!
This week started with a birthday my lovely husband did the shopping whilst the rest of us stayed at home to play with new toys or baking a birthday cake.
We joined our friends on Tuesday as usual for some noisy fun, the weather was cold and wet so the children stayed indoors their play got noisier as the day wore on. The adults had great fun helping to build a set of storage boxes and a set of shelves.
On Wednesday our friends organised a day with apples. It was a really interesting day made all the better by the lovely lady who we spent the day with. She is something of an expert on all things apple and had a wonderful manner with children. My eldest is naturally cautious around those he does not know but she spoke to me about what his interests were and then quietly drew him in to what we were doing.
The next day we headed south to join friends who we missed last week. We were welcomed with soup for lunch and the children played and the adults knitted (well almost all of us one was in the garage!) and chatted as the afternoon gently rolled by.
After a hectic week we had a quiet day at home playing, reading and drawing. The weekend was also spent at home working in the garden, sewing Christmas presents, knitting, baking and tidying the house. My weekends are becoming more focused on my house and family and I am finding them a good end and start to the each week. During the week I concentrate on our days out and at the weekend stuff at home. I am longer spending time during the week wondering when I can fit in sewing, gardening or tidying. I also know that come the spring my weekends will start to get busy again and my time for doing stuff at home will be pushed out. I will need to ensure that some of my weekends are kept free, always easier said than done!
Weekending
11 November 2012
This week has been a bit quieter than some, we have been feeling under the weather so some quiet time at home was needed to bring us back to health.
We started the week with our usual trip in to the local town for shopping and a visit to the library. It took me all morning to get organised to go so we were late heading out. We had a lunch/tea meal in the late afternoon before wrapping up with lots of layers to head out. It was a freezing night, I had to defrost the car before driving, but we could not miss the annual bonfire and fireworks in the next village to observe Guy Fawkes Night. The bonfire was enormous as it usually is but it was good to feel the heat on such a cold night.
On Tuedsay we headed to our friends for our regular play date. There were just three families this week so play was quiet which was good. It has got a bit fractious and noisy of late. Wednesday saw friends come to us for a play and lunch the house was noisy and felt full of children. At one point they all had capes made from playsilks and a musical instrument each and were marching round the dining room table.
The end of the week we spent quietly at home, I woke with a very sore throat and hardly any voice on Thursday. We rested and read books together. Friday Daddy returned to us after a week of working away, he was tired after a long journey so wanted to sleep, the children were hankering for his company they were dissappointed he just wanted to go to bed.
Over the weekend I was feeling better so I spent some time in the garden planting and tidying, I also managed to make a start on a curtain for my youngest's bedroom. I do not get the chance to sew very often so I am really slow when I do. It took me all day to sew the material and linings together. I must have unpicked as many stitches as I sewed. I need to make some tab heading and sew the hem, I expect that will be another days work. Not such a quiet week after all!
We started the week with our usual trip in to the local town for shopping and a visit to the library. It took me all morning to get organised to go so we were late heading out. We had a lunch/tea meal in the late afternoon before wrapping up with lots of layers to head out. It was a freezing night, I had to defrost the car before driving, but we could not miss the annual bonfire and fireworks in the next village to observe Guy Fawkes Night. The bonfire was enormous as it usually is but it was good to feel the heat on such a cold night.
On Tuedsay we headed to our friends for our regular play date. There were just three families this week so play was quiet which was good. It has got a bit fractious and noisy of late. Wednesday saw friends come to us for a play and lunch the house was noisy and felt full of children. At one point they all had capes made from playsilks and a musical instrument each and were marching round the dining room table.
The end of the week we spent quietly at home, I woke with a very sore throat and hardly any voice on Thursday. We rested and read books together. Friday Daddy returned to us after a week of working away, he was tired after a long journey so wanted to sleep, the children were hankering for his company they were dissappointed he just wanted to go to bed.
Over the weekend I was feeling better so I spent some time in the garden planting and tidying, I also managed to make a start on a curtain for my youngest's bedroom. I do not get the chance to sew very often so I am really slow when I do. It took me all day to sew the material and linings together. I must have unpicked as many stitches as I sewed. I need to make some tab heading and sew the hem, I expect that will be another days work. Not such a quiet week after all!
We have been mainly.......
24 September 2012
busy!
We started the week with our usual trip into town for food shopping and a visit to the library. I managed to fit in a visit to a craft shop to pick up another ball of sock yarn to knit another pair for a Christmas present. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at home as we usually do, we all find shopping exhausting but it needs to be done as we don't eat otherwise. My eldest went to Beavers in the evening. This is the only time in the week when I have to be somewhere by a certain time and I am absolutely rubbish at getting tea on the table in good time for us to eat it with enough time to get there. It is a good job I only do this once a week!
On Tuesday our regular play date was off as our friends are moving house. We were lucky enough to be invited to play with a different friend. The friend was so keen for my eldest to come over that they came and picked him up! It was strange in the house without him, my youngest loved the rare chance for undivided attention. I had a D of E pre-expedition check to do in the afternoon before heading to our friends to share tea and then head home.
The next day we were joining friends for a picnic and blackberrying. For some reason I really struggled to get it together to go out. Everything I did that morning took longer than I thought it would and it took me hours to get out of the house. We made it eventually but it was so late we had a picnic on the living room floor of our friends house. We had just enough time to do a spot of blackberrying before they headed to swimming lessons. There were slim pickings, they had either already been picked or it was a poor crop this year. We did find enough for blackberries and cream for tea.
On Thursday we all headed south to join friends for lunch. I made a loaf of bread to take, one which you make a sponge overnight. It was the best I had made with the flour yet, I was really pleased with it, the whole loaf got eaten for lunch! The children played and the adults talked, it was a lovely afternoon.
Friday we spent at home, I baked two cakes to take on holiday with us. Packed a bag of clothes each for myself and the children, wrote a packing list for my husband to pack stuff over the weekend whilst I am out and then headed out for the afternoon to get a birthday present for my husband. It is not for a few days yet but we will be away on the day and I wanted to be sure I had a present to take with us.
Over the weekend my husband and children packed up stuff to go away whilst I was out on the fells doing a D of E assessment. It was really cold both mornings there was a frost and I had to scrape ice off the car on Saturday! It was a beautiful sunny day on both days, really warm for the time of year, it was great to be outside and enjoying it. I walked a fair distance and up some steep slopes which my legs are not used to anymore. I think I will have sore leg muscles next week, can't remember the last time that happened! On Sunday night my husband had cooked tea after which we jumped in the car and headed off for two weeks away and some rest!
We started the week with our usual trip into town for food shopping and a visit to the library. I managed to fit in a visit to a craft shop to pick up another ball of sock yarn to knit another pair for a Christmas present. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at home as we usually do, we all find shopping exhausting but it needs to be done as we don't eat otherwise. My eldest went to Beavers in the evening. This is the only time in the week when I have to be somewhere by a certain time and I am absolutely rubbish at getting tea on the table in good time for us to eat it with enough time to get there. It is a good job I only do this once a week!
On Tuesday our regular play date was off as our friends are moving house. We were lucky enough to be invited to play with a different friend. The friend was so keen for my eldest to come over that they came and picked him up! It was strange in the house without him, my youngest loved the rare chance for undivided attention. I had a D of E pre-expedition check to do in the afternoon before heading to our friends to share tea and then head home.
The next day we were joining friends for a picnic and blackberrying. For some reason I really struggled to get it together to go out. Everything I did that morning took longer than I thought it would and it took me hours to get out of the house. We made it eventually but it was so late we had a picnic on the living room floor of our friends house. We had just enough time to do a spot of blackberrying before they headed to swimming lessons. There were slim pickings, they had either already been picked or it was a poor crop this year. We did find enough for blackberries and cream for tea.
On Thursday we all headed south to join friends for lunch. I made a loaf of bread to take, one which you make a sponge overnight. It was the best I had made with the flour yet, I was really pleased with it, the whole loaf got eaten for lunch! The children played and the adults talked, it was a lovely afternoon.
Friday we spent at home, I baked two cakes to take on holiday with us. Packed a bag of clothes each for myself and the children, wrote a packing list for my husband to pack stuff over the weekend whilst I am out and then headed out for the afternoon to get a birthday present for my husband. It is not for a few days yet but we will be away on the day and I wanted to be sure I had a present to take with us.
Over the weekend my husband and children packed up stuff to go away whilst I was out on the fells doing a D of E assessment. It was really cold both mornings there was a frost and I had to scrape ice off the car on Saturday! It was a beautiful sunny day on both days, really warm for the time of year, it was great to be outside and enjoying it. I walked a fair distance and up some steep slopes which my legs are not used to anymore. I think I will have sore leg muscles next week, can't remember the last time that happened! On Sunday night my husband had cooked tea after which we jumped in the car and headed off for two weeks away and some rest!
We have been mainly......
17 September 2012
We started the week with our usual trip into town for shopping and the library. We found a great story sack this week based on the story of the Little Red Hen which we have read several times. We have played the game that came with it loads too, it was a number lotto game which I adapted to make it playable for my youngest. She has loved that there is a game that she can play, she always wants to join in when I play games with my eldest but it is not always possible to adapt a game to allow her to join in whilst myself and my eldest play with other rules! As we headed up for bed that evening my youngest decdied that the living room needed tidying up and put everything away!
The next day we headed south for our usual play date with friends. It was a much better week than last week. Sadly this is the last time we will all meet up for a while and the last time at that house. Our friends have bought a new house and need a break from us all meeting at theirs whilst they pack up and move! We hope to be back together at their new place next month.
On Wednesday we were joined at our house for lunch and play with friends. We had hoped to go out but it was very wet and the children seemed very happy to play inside.
We headed south the next day to join friends for lunch at their house before heading out to a local to them nature reserve. It looked like it was going to be a wet afternoon as it started to rain as we arrived but it was short lived. We had a little walk round before stopping at the adventure playground for a play and snack. We headed back once we were starting to cool, and once we had managed to rustle up enough money to leave the car park, I ended up 'borrowing' money from the centre to pay for it! We stayed with our friends for tea which was most welcome, any food that I do not have to cook is welcome for me!
Friday we had a quiet day at home, playing, reading and chilling it was great.
The weekend started with an inspiring day out to the farm where our veg box comes from and finished with Daddy coming home. He set off very early in the morning and was a welcome suprise and joined us for lunch. We now have a week at home together before setting off on a family holiday.
The next day we headed south for our usual play date with friends. It was a much better week than last week. Sadly this is the last time we will all meet up for a while and the last time at that house. Our friends have bought a new house and need a break from us all meeting at theirs whilst they pack up and move! We hope to be back together at their new place next month.
On Wednesday we were joined at our house for lunch and play with friends. We had hoped to go out but it was very wet and the children seemed very happy to play inside.
We headed south the next day to join friends for lunch at their house before heading out to a local to them nature reserve. It looked like it was going to be a wet afternoon as it started to rain as we arrived but it was short lived. We had a little walk round before stopping at the adventure playground for a play and snack. We headed back once we were starting to cool, and once we had managed to rustle up enough money to leave the car park, I ended up 'borrowing' money from the centre to pay for it! We stayed with our friends for tea which was most welcome, any food that I do not have to cook is welcome for me!
Friday we had a quiet day at home, playing, reading and chilling it was great.
The weekend started with an inspiring day out to the farm where our veg box comes from and finished with Daddy coming home. He set off very early in the morning and was a welcome suprise and joined us for lunch. We now have a week at home together before setting off on a family holiday.
We have been mainly.....
20 August 2012
this week we have been doing a variety of things and keeping busy as always.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library. I picked up a ball of yarn this week too, to knit a scarf for a Christmas present. I needed a small knitting project to take camping over the weekend. One of my current projects is from a 1kg cone which is not very portable! We picked up a great story sack from the library on caterpillars. It had some lovely books in it and a great game that my youngest and I played many times during the course of the week.
On Tuesday we joined our friends for our regular playdate. My youngest once again spent most of our time there on the trampoline. I did not see my eldest much during the day until he asked me late on if one of his friends could come home with us for supper. We returned home with an extra child for a few hours they played upstairs with Lego coming down only to eat supper before returning to their play.
We joined friends again the next day at their house for shared lunch and play. The afternoon disappeared really quickly and the house looked like a whirlwind had been through it. We helped to tidy up before we left as we had helped to create the mess. After a really early start to the day, my youngest woke me at 5.30am and I could not get back to sleep, I was hoping to get to bed early. It was not to be, I needed to get to grips with a route card that I had been sent for a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition. I had suspected at first glance a few days ago that it would not meet the requirements and it did not, it took me a long time to go through it all and make notes to explain to the group what they needed to do.
We spent most of the next two days at home preparing for a weekend away. We had to go out and food shop again to pick up extra food. I baked two big cakes, made 36 bread rolls and some mini pizzas in the afternoon! I also had to make a phone call regarding the route card. I ended up having to write an email, as I did not want to leave along and garbled message. A busy day lightened by my wonderful youngest child.
On Friday afternoon we all headed south in a minibus with two friends and eight explorer scouts for a weekend climbing. We stopped for supper on the way, by the time we got to the campsite it was getting dark. We have never put our tent up in the dark it was a interesting experience but we managed it. Over the weekend we spent the whole of Saturday and part of Sunday at Stanage a popular gritstone climbing crag near Sheffield. I spent two years as a student in Sheffield nearly twenty years ago, it was weird to be back there again after so long. I did not manage to climb over the weekend which was a shame but I am sure there will be time for this at some point. I spent the days assisting at the bottom and taking the children on walks nearby. There is a lot to see and explore around these crags including gritstone grinding wheels for mills that have been made, but abandoned near the crag. We had lovely weather over the weekend warm, but not too hot, as we got into the minibus to come home the rain poured, great timing. Climbing in the rain on gritstone is no fun at all!
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library. I picked up a ball of yarn this week too, to knit a scarf for a Christmas present. I needed a small knitting project to take camping over the weekend. One of my current projects is from a 1kg cone which is not very portable! We picked up a great story sack from the library on caterpillars. It had some lovely books in it and a great game that my youngest and I played many times during the course of the week.
On Tuesday we joined our friends for our regular playdate. My youngest once again spent most of our time there on the trampoline. I did not see my eldest much during the day until he asked me late on if one of his friends could come home with us for supper. We returned home with an extra child for a few hours they played upstairs with Lego coming down only to eat supper before returning to their play.
We joined friends again the next day at their house for shared lunch and play. The afternoon disappeared really quickly and the house looked like a whirlwind had been through it. We helped to tidy up before we left as we had helped to create the mess. After a really early start to the day, my youngest woke me at 5.30am and I could not get back to sleep, I was hoping to get to bed early. It was not to be, I needed to get to grips with a route card that I had been sent for a Duke of Edinburgh Award expedition. I had suspected at first glance a few days ago that it would not meet the requirements and it did not, it took me a long time to go through it all and make notes to explain to the group what they needed to do.
We spent most of the next two days at home preparing for a weekend away. We had to go out and food shop again to pick up extra food. I baked two big cakes, made 36 bread rolls and some mini pizzas in the afternoon! I also had to make a phone call regarding the route card. I ended up having to write an email, as I did not want to leave along and garbled message. A busy day lightened by my wonderful youngest child.
On Friday afternoon we all headed south in a minibus with two friends and eight explorer scouts for a weekend climbing. We stopped for supper on the way, by the time we got to the campsite it was getting dark. We have never put our tent up in the dark it was a interesting experience but we managed it. Over the weekend we spent the whole of Saturday and part of Sunday at Stanage a popular gritstone climbing crag near Sheffield. I spent two years as a student in Sheffield nearly twenty years ago, it was weird to be back there again after so long. I did not manage to climb over the weekend which was a shame but I am sure there will be time for this at some point. I spent the days assisting at the bottom and taking the children on walks nearby. There is a lot to see and explore around these crags including gritstone grinding wheels for mills that have been made, but abandoned near the crag. We had lovely weather over the weekend warm, but not too hot, as we got into the minibus to come home the rain poured, great timing. Climbing in the rain on gritstone is no fun at all!
We have been mainly........
13 August 2012
busy this week, making the most of the warmer weather as we were not convinced it was going to last, and it has been positively autumnal this summer for us.
We started the week with our usual visit to the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library to get some new books. We found a cool book Wild Child by Jeanne Willis, I think I have read this at least five times every day this week, she loves it. We spent the afternoon looming at our library books and drawing pictures.
The next day we joined our friends for our regular play date. My eldest was not sure of he wanted to go this week. He had not had so much fun last week as there were different children there. He needed to knowm if they would be there again before he decided. He needs time to get to know new people and prefers to do this one on one rather than in a group. He struggled to join in last week. I established that they were not going to be there so we headed down. He had a great play for the afternoon, running around, playing with lego and building a den. My youngest spent most of the day on their trampoline, she is getting quite competent. Despite getting home late we contact our friends who were meeting the next day to plan a day out. We have so few warm sunny days we wanted to make plans rather than leaving until mid morning and not ending up doing much.
We opted for a day out to a local Buddhist Temple and Retreat Centre it was a beautiful place, really serene and peaceful. The children spent a long time in the temple sitting still and looking around, it was a really calming place. We had a lovely long picnic on their beach, whilst the children played in the sand and shallow waters. It was a long but wonderful day.
On Thursday we took our canoe out for a day paddle on a local lake. We took dinner and tea which we cooked on our Kelly Kettle. I was really tired by the end of the day, but I do love days out like this, being outdoors recharges my batteries. My eldest is never keen at the thought but when we are out always tells me he is having a great time, so it is usually worth that extra hassle.
The next day we were joined for dinner by our friends from the south. Like me they have to eat a particular diet and are unable to eat gluten, together with my long list of foods I cannot eat it makes for intersting meals. I enjoy cooking and managed to put together a meal for eight without using any. I served up (all homemade) coleslaw, rice salad with dill and peas, a green leaf salad from the garden, onion bhajis and deep fried cheddar balls. The children were off playing together for pretty much the whole time. It was lovely to see and hear the girls so well together, they are still young but seem to be finding each others company enjoyable now which is wonderful to observe. It meant the adults had a catch up which was great as what with one thing and another we have not been able to meet up much of late.
Continuuing the busy theme we spent a large proportion of the weekend on a canoe trip. This time we took the kit to camp out under a bivi sheet. The children had a whale of a time, it was lovely to have the time to just sit and watch what they were doing, running around in the water, in the trees, looking at things, asking questions or just sitting and being. It is important to slow down sometimes and live simply. Camping is a great opportunity to do this, I am looking forward to our many camping trips we have planned over the next few weeks.
We started the week with our usual visit to the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library to get some new books. We found a cool book Wild Child by Jeanne Willis, I think I have read this at least five times every day this week, she loves it. We spent the afternoon looming at our library books and drawing pictures.
The next day we joined our friends for our regular play date. My eldest was not sure of he wanted to go this week. He had not had so much fun last week as there were different children there. He needed to knowm if they would be there again before he decided. He needs time to get to know new people and prefers to do this one on one rather than in a group. He struggled to join in last week. I established that they were not going to be there so we headed down. He had a great play for the afternoon, running around, playing with lego and building a den. My youngest spent most of the day on their trampoline, she is getting quite competent. Despite getting home late we contact our friends who were meeting the next day to plan a day out. We have so few warm sunny days we wanted to make plans rather than leaving until mid morning and not ending up doing much.
We opted for a day out to a local Buddhist Temple and Retreat Centre it was a beautiful place, really serene and peaceful. The children spent a long time in the temple sitting still and looking around, it was a really calming place. We had a lovely long picnic on their beach, whilst the children played in the sand and shallow waters. It was a long but wonderful day.
On Thursday we took our canoe out for a day paddle on a local lake. We took dinner and tea which we cooked on our Kelly Kettle. I was really tired by the end of the day, but I do love days out like this, being outdoors recharges my batteries. My eldest is never keen at the thought but when we are out always tells me he is having a great time, so it is usually worth that extra hassle.
The next day we were joined for dinner by our friends from the south. Like me they have to eat a particular diet and are unable to eat gluten, together with my long list of foods I cannot eat it makes for intersting meals. I enjoy cooking and managed to put together a meal for eight without using any. I served up (all homemade) coleslaw, rice salad with dill and peas, a green leaf salad from the garden, onion bhajis and deep fried cheddar balls. The children were off playing together for pretty much the whole time. It was lovely to see and hear the girls so well together, they are still young but seem to be finding each others company enjoyable now which is wonderful to observe. It meant the adults had a catch up which was great as what with one thing and another we have not been able to meet up much of late.
Continuuing the busy theme we spent a large proportion of the weekend on a canoe trip. This time we took the kit to camp out under a bivi sheet. The children had a whale of a time, it was lovely to have the time to just sit and watch what they were doing, running around in the water, in the trees, looking at things, asking questions or just sitting and being. It is important to slow down sometimes and live simply. Camping is a great opportunity to do this, I am looking forward to our many camping trips we have planned over the next few weeks.
We have been mainly.......
06 August 2012
having fun with friends and family this week.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town. After the busyness of last week, we set off earlier and managed to avoid it. We found a fantastic book about spiders, The Diary of a Spider a fun story about how spiders live.
On Tuesday we joined our friends for our regular play date. The children all rescued a baby blue tit which had been caught by a cat and cared for it. It was interesting to watch them working out what to do with it, what they needed to keep it safe it kept them busy for a long time until they could set it free. They also decided to put on a show on the trampoline with jumps, songs, a short play and joke telling it was great.
We stayed at home the next day and kept ourselves busy reading books, playing with Lego, painting, knitting, baking bread and observing Lammas. We cooked a meal in the evening based on the few bits of produce that we have in the garden at the moment, it's a lean year this year. After supper I headed off to a meeting with friends to plan a programme of activities for a local Explorer Scout group it was the first time my youngest had gone to sleep without me, she managed just fine with daddy for company.
We joined friends the next day at a local pick your own farm. We managed to pick a pound of strawberries there were not many as it is the end of the season, and three pounds of raspberries, I have given up trying to grow strawberries they will not ripen in my garden and I really ought to get some raspberries canes for my garden. Having picked our fruit we drove up the road to a play park where we had a picnic and a play. It was really quite warm for a change, although you needed a jumper when the sun went in. I made most of the fruit into jam when we got home, some of the raspberries got eaten with cream for supper.
On Friday we visited our friends to the south, it has been a long time since we were able to spend time together and it was great to catch up with them again. We joined them for lunch after which we walked to a local park so that the children could all run off their energy. I seemed to be doing a lot of that as they had me whizzing them around on a heavy roundabout! We returned to their house for a drink with scones and jam before heading home it was a lovely day.
Over the weekend we enjoyed an adventure with our canoe and sail on a local lake on Saturday. It started off sunny with light winds and ended with wild weather heavy rain, wind, thunder and lightening. We had the lake to ourselves at that point, not surprisingly. Whilst cooking tea that evening my children decided to raid my utensil draw. My youngest had a colander on her head and a funnel as a trumpet, my eldest had two measuring cups and a whisk as a drum set. They were marching up and down, making music. They soon had many items on the table which they were tapping with the whisk they realised that the size of the item had a bearing on the sound it made, it was lovely to listen to their conversation of discovey.
We stayed at home on Sunday drawing, reading books, playing Lego and watching DVDs a quiet end to the week.
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town. After the busyness of last week, we set off earlier and managed to avoid it. We found a fantastic book about spiders, The Diary of a Spider a fun story about how spiders live.
On Tuesday we joined our friends for our regular play date. The children all rescued a baby blue tit which had been caught by a cat and cared for it. It was interesting to watch them working out what to do with it, what they needed to keep it safe it kept them busy for a long time until they could set it free. They also decided to put on a show on the trampoline with jumps, songs, a short play and joke telling it was great.
We stayed at home the next day and kept ourselves busy reading books, playing with Lego, painting, knitting, baking bread and observing Lammas. We cooked a meal in the evening based on the few bits of produce that we have in the garden at the moment, it's a lean year this year. After supper I headed off to a meeting with friends to plan a programme of activities for a local Explorer Scout group it was the first time my youngest had gone to sleep without me, she managed just fine with daddy for company.
We joined friends the next day at a local pick your own farm. We managed to pick a pound of strawberries there were not many as it is the end of the season, and three pounds of raspberries, I have given up trying to grow strawberries they will not ripen in my garden and I really ought to get some raspberries canes for my garden. Having picked our fruit we drove up the road to a play park where we had a picnic and a play. It was really quite warm for a change, although you needed a jumper when the sun went in. I made most of the fruit into jam when we got home, some of the raspberries got eaten with cream for supper.
On Friday we visited our friends to the south, it has been a long time since we were able to spend time together and it was great to catch up with them again. We joined them for lunch after which we walked to a local park so that the children could all run off their energy. I seemed to be doing a lot of that as they had me whizzing them around on a heavy roundabout! We returned to their house for a drink with scones and jam before heading home it was a lovely day.
Over the weekend we enjoyed an adventure with our canoe and sail on a local lake on Saturday. It started off sunny with light winds and ended with wild weather heavy rain, wind, thunder and lightening. We had the lake to ourselves at that point, not surprisingly. Whilst cooking tea that evening my children decided to raid my utensil draw. My youngest had a colander on her head and a funnel as a trumpet, my eldest had two measuring cups and a whisk as a drum set. They were marching up and down, making music. They soon had many items on the table which they were tapping with the whisk they realised that the size of the item had a bearing on the sound it made, it was lovely to listen to their conversation of discovey.
We stayed at home on Sunday drawing, reading books, playing Lego and watching DVDs a quiet end to the week.
We have been mainly.....
30 July 2012
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town to do the weekly food shop and visit the library. The school holidays have now started where we live so everywhere was much busier this week. I think I will try and leave a bit earlier for the next few weeks, the library was manic the children found it difficult to choose books in all the noise and hubbub.
The next day I was woken by my youngest reading stories to me from one of her books. She was doing it quite quietly and it was lovely to lie and listen to her. We joined our friends for our regular play date it was mizzling (very fine rain, much finer than drizzle) so you got wet quickly if you ventured outdoors. Nevertheless my youngest still spent most of the day on the trampoline. I am not sure what my eldest was playing as I did not see him for most of the day, he was however filthy when I left. He stayed behind for a sleepover and the youngest and I headed home. It was strange in the house without him for the evening.
He returned to us in the morning with his friends. They stayed for a short play and had lunch with us before heading home. We spent the afternoon building Lego boats before heading over to join friends for tea. Their little one, had started to toddle it was great to see him standing up. He makes my youngest look like a giant. She is usually the smallest in groups we meet so I am used to her being one of the shortest.
We joined friends the next day at their house. We took food to share for lunch and afterwards they played. The afternoon disappeared very quickly in play including getting very wet with a hose pipe in the garden and my youngest played us some music on their piano.
We had a day at home the next day my youngest had a lovely day singing for most of the day. We built models with bricks and K'nex. We danced and played musical instruments along to music. We got the paints out and did some painting.
Over the weekend the children and I attended a Steam Gathering which was an interesting day out. We took a picnic and spent most of the day there. We were tired when we got home.
For most of this week my husband has been at home finishing the bed he is building for our youngest. It is a cabin type bed, he built the frame, the base for the mattress and the ladder some months ago. Underneath we were intending to build storage for her clothes, books etc and a desk. This is what he has been building this week, it is looking great.
On Sunday he had reached a point where we could start to move stuff into the under bed storage area. The room is the biggest bedroom in the house and has been used as a dumping ground for the last nine years. There was a lot of stuff in the room that needed a home. By the end of the day we had had a huge sort out. All my youngest's clothes out of the chest of drawers are now in baskets on shelves. The chest of drawers is going to a new home. The toys that were in pile on the floor most of the time also now have a new home in baskets. All my sewing stuff is in this room and has now been rehoused in another chest of drawers along with all my wool which I collected from various places in the house. We went through a huge box of tapes and recycled all the ones we no longer wanted. We moved books, a dolls house and toys from a set of shelves to shelves under the bed. The shelves have been put into my eldest's room and given him more storage room, the floor is clearer now! By the end of the day we had five bags full or stuff to go to the charity shop, two bags to go to my sister in law and a further two for friends. The room feels much bigger and better organised. The cupboard needs a door, that is a job for next week. Then I need to find some material for curtains. The de-cluttering and tidying was a great end to the week.
The next day I was woken by my youngest reading stories to me from one of her books. She was doing it quite quietly and it was lovely to lie and listen to her. We joined our friends for our regular play date it was mizzling (very fine rain, much finer than drizzle) so you got wet quickly if you ventured outdoors. Nevertheless my youngest still spent most of the day on the trampoline. I am not sure what my eldest was playing as I did not see him for most of the day, he was however filthy when I left. He stayed behind for a sleepover and the youngest and I headed home. It was strange in the house without him for the evening.
He returned to us in the morning with his friends. They stayed for a short play and had lunch with us before heading home. We spent the afternoon building Lego boats before heading over to join friends for tea. Their little one, had started to toddle it was great to see him standing up. He makes my youngest look like a giant. She is usually the smallest in groups we meet so I am used to her being one of the shortest.
We joined friends the next day at their house. We took food to share for lunch and afterwards they played. The afternoon disappeared very quickly in play including getting very wet with a hose pipe in the garden and my youngest played us some music on their piano.
We had a day at home the next day my youngest had a lovely day singing for most of the day. We built models with bricks and K'nex. We danced and played musical instruments along to music. We got the paints out and did some painting.
Over the weekend the children and I attended a Steam Gathering which was an interesting day out. We took a picnic and spent most of the day there. We were tired when we got home.
For most of this week my husband has been at home finishing the bed he is building for our youngest. It is a cabin type bed, he built the frame, the base for the mattress and the ladder some months ago. Underneath we were intending to build storage for her clothes, books etc and a desk. This is what he has been building this week, it is looking great.
On Sunday he had reached a point where we could start to move stuff into the under bed storage area. The room is the biggest bedroom in the house and has been used as a dumping ground for the last nine years. There was a lot of stuff in the room that needed a home. By the end of the day we had had a huge sort out. All my youngest's clothes out of the chest of drawers are now in baskets on shelves. The chest of drawers is going to a new home. The toys that were in pile on the floor most of the time also now have a new home in baskets. All my sewing stuff is in this room and has now been rehoused in another chest of drawers along with all my wool which I collected from various places in the house. We went through a huge box of tapes and recycled all the ones we no longer wanted. We moved books, a dolls house and toys from a set of shelves to shelves under the bed. The shelves have been put into my eldest's room and given him more storage room, the floor is clearer now! By the end of the day we had five bags full or stuff to go to the charity shop, two bags to go to my sister in law and a further two for friends. The room feels much bigger and better organised. The cupboard needs a door, that is a job for next week. Then I need to find some material for curtains. The de-cluttering and tidying was a great end to the week.
We have been mainly.....
23 July 2012
We started the week with our usual trip into the local town for food shopping and a visit to the library. We found a lovely book about elephants this week and a great story sack about India.
We joined our friends for our regular play date on Tuesday. I managed to get organised to leave the house a bit earlier this week to give the children the maximum time to play with their friends. We had got a bit slow about getting out the house, often I would realise it was lunchtime, where do the mornings go, then we would have lunch at home and by the time that was finished it was early afternoon before we were heading off. The play was the usual noisy fun, running around outside, jumping on the trampoline and playing in a nearby stream.
Wednesday saw us heading to friends again. We joined them to make pizzas for lunch, which made a delicious mess. I thought that we had made a lot of pizza but it all got eaten and large pieces of homemade chocolate cake. The children played in the garden for the afternoon as the weather was dry. They were running around, playing football and chasing a chicken that had roamed in from next door and was eating the strawberries.
The next two days were spent at home. We spent much of the time building made up star wars Lego models with pieces that we have. My eldest has a few sets of star wars Lego, we decided our homemade versions were a lot better. In between we played games, read books, weeded some of the garden and started a new bedtime routine in the evening. I started to read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo to my eldest which he is enjoying.
On Saturday we got up early and caught the bus into the local town, taking a picnic with us. I visited a lovely yarn shop that I had not been to before to get some circular needles to knit a hat. We also spent time in a couple of bookshops before catching the bus back home. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading our new books and playing with Lego. On Sunday we welcomed Daddy back after a week a way. He arrived home in time for lunch, after which he spent the afternoon outside unloading and washing the car with our youngest as a helper, she has missed her dad. Another week over, it is still cool and wet, maybe that is to be our summer this year.
We joined our friends for our regular play date on Tuesday. I managed to get organised to leave the house a bit earlier this week to give the children the maximum time to play with their friends. We had got a bit slow about getting out the house, often I would realise it was lunchtime, where do the mornings go, then we would have lunch at home and by the time that was finished it was early afternoon before we were heading off. The play was the usual noisy fun, running around outside, jumping on the trampoline and playing in a nearby stream.
Wednesday saw us heading to friends again. We joined them to make pizzas for lunch, which made a delicious mess. I thought that we had made a lot of pizza but it all got eaten and large pieces of homemade chocolate cake. The children played in the garden for the afternoon as the weather was dry. They were running around, playing football and chasing a chicken that had roamed in from next door and was eating the strawberries.
The next two days were spent at home. We spent much of the time building made up star wars Lego models with pieces that we have. My eldest has a few sets of star wars Lego, we decided our homemade versions were a lot better. In between we played games, read books, weeded some of the garden and started a new bedtime routine in the evening. I started to read War Horse by Michael Morpurgo to my eldest which he is enjoying.
On Saturday we got up early and caught the bus into the local town, taking a picnic with us. I visited a lovely yarn shop that I had not been to before to get some circular needles to knit a hat. We also spent time in a couple of bookshops before catching the bus back home. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading our new books and playing with Lego. On Sunday we welcomed Daddy back after a week a way. He arrived home in time for lunch, after which he spent the afternoon outside unloading and washing the car with our youngest as a helper, she has missed her dad. Another week over, it is still cool and wet, maybe that is to be our summer this year.
Rhythm
08 July 2012
I have been giving some thought to the rhythm of my life at the moment. In the last year I have worked hard to bring some rhythm into mine and the children's lives but I feel that I have now got stuck on how to develop this further.
A year ago we had one regular outing during the week on a Monday, to the nearest town for shopping and the library. Any play dates, trips out or home ed get togethers were sporadic and randomly organised. I found it really it really unsettling so I am sure the children did too. A chance meeting with a family that we had met at home ed groups at a folk festival turned our lives around. We started to join that family every week at their house for a play, along with several other families. I soon realised how much the children enjoyed this, looked forward to it and how my eldest, especially, started to make new friends.
We had been meeting up with another family but not on a regular basis just when we could each fit it. Soon we established a day of the week that suited us both for a regular meet up. We either meet at each others houses or out and about, for walks, visits, museums or whatever we fancy.
In the last few months we have also established a link with another family, we tend to meet at our house or theirs each week on the same day each week.
Now our week has some rhythm to it, for three days a week we are with friends. The other four we are at home. During one of these days we have a weekly visit into the local town in the morning, however it is these days that I feel are lacking rhythm.
Sometimes I feel that the day has drifted by and we have not achieved much, in reality this is probably not true at all, but that is what it feels like. I have read many blogs, forum posts and books about bringing rhythm into the day, I love many of the ideas but I am struggling to fit them into our day.
Some folks start the day with stories, circle time, structured learning time or crafts. We tend to get up late, have breakfast when we feel like it. The children tend to want to play quietly and independently at this time of day, it is my time to clear the kitchen, put washing in the machine or hang it up, tidy up the house etc. I feel that this is not the part of the day that needs structuring for us. It is the back end of the morning and late afternoon.
We are very much following an autonomous education route, I let the children lead the day and the activities/play when we are at home. If they want me to join them in this I do, if not I leave them to it. I like the idea of talking to the children in the morning about what they want to do during the day and then taking about whether we can. I already do this on the mornings we are going out and will try to extend this to every morning. If I have things that I need to do that day it might make it easier for me to fit them in too! I have no idea where this might take us hopefully a new direction, if not I will try something else, one thing at a time for me though. How about you, what rhythms do you have or wish you had?
A year ago we had one regular outing during the week on a Monday, to the nearest town for shopping and the library. Any play dates, trips out or home ed get togethers were sporadic and randomly organised. I found it really it really unsettling so I am sure the children did too. A chance meeting with a family that we had met at home ed groups at a folk festival turned our lives around. We started to join that family every week at their house for a play, along with several other families. I soon realised how much the children enjoyed this, looked forward to it and how my eldest, especially, started to make new friends.
We had been meeting up with another family but not on a regular basis just when we could each fit it. Soon we established a day of the week that suited us both for a regular meet up. We either meet at each others houses or out and about, for walks, visits, museums or whatever we fancy.
In the last few months we have also established a link with another family, we tend to meet at our house or theirs each week on the same day each week.
Now our week has some rhythm to it, for three days a week we are with friends. The other four we are at home. During one of these days we have a weekly visit into the local town in the morning, however it is these days that I feel are lacking rhythm.
Sometimes I feel that the day has drifted by and we have not achieved much, in reality this is probably not true at all, but that is what it feels like. I have read many blogs, forum posts and books about bringing rhythm into the day, I love many of the ideas but I am struggling to fit them into our day.
Some folks start the day with stories, circle time, structured learning time or crafts. We tend to get up late, have breakfast when we feel like it. The children tend to want to play quietly and independently at this time of day, it is my time to clear the kitchen, put washing in the machine or hang it up, tidy up the house etc. I feel that this is not the part of the day that needs structuring for us. It is the back end of the morning and late afternoon.
We are very much following an autonomous education route, I let the children lead the day and the activities/play when we are at home. If they want me to join them in this I do, if not I leave them to it. I like the idea of talking to the children in the morning about what they want to do during the day and then taking about whether we can. I already do this on the mornings we are going out and will try to extend this to every morning. If I have things that I need to do that day it might make it easier for me to fit them in too! I have no idea where this might take us hopefully a new direction, if not I will try something else, one thing at a time for me though. How about you, what rhythms do you have or wish you had?
We have been mainly........
02 July 2012
living with rain this week, I think it has rained every day in the past week but it hasn't stopped our fun.
On Monday we had our usual trip into the local town for the food shopping and library visit. We found a lovely book this week The Little Ships by Louise Borden. My eldest is interested and looking at World War Two at the moment and this book, beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman, tells the story about all the ships that helped out with rescuing the troops at Dunkirk, it is told from the perspective of one of the little ships.
We had our regular play date the next day, the children had their usual fun running around, playing on the trampoline and falling into muddy puddles on seperate occasions they both got absolutely soaked.
On Wednesday we joined some friends for a walk in the rain. It was not raining that hard and was really warm, so we donned our waterproofs, packed a picnic and had a great time. It was a small nature reserve and the trees were amazing, a huge variety of species. We also saw some cows with amazingly long horns. At the end of the walk the children had great fun splashing about in the river. It took three days to get their walking boots dry again!
The next day we had a day at home, waiting for a parcel to be picked up. I was really out of sorts all day, and finally at the end of the day worked out what was wrong, you can read about my day here. We had a fantastic thunderstorm which we sat and watched in the afternoon, it lead to a spot of researching the books on our shelves to find out how thunder and lightening is formed.
On Friday we visited our friends to the south for our weekly play date. We joined them for lunch and the children had a lovely time playing. They built a great fort on top of a platform in the garden using the sections of a compost bin! We left there to go to a friend of my eldest's birthday party. Much playing was had and we finally arrived home very late and exhausted after a fantastic day.
Over the weekend we had a family days pottering about, getting ready for camping and watching the rain pour and pour.
On Monday we had our usual trip into the local town for the food shopping and library visit. We found a lovely book this week The Little Ships by Louise Borden. My eldest is interested and looking at World War Two at the moment and this book, beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman, tells the story about all the ships that helped out with rescuing the troops at Dunkirk, it is told from the perspective of one of the little ships.
We had our regular play date the next day, the children had their usual fun running around, playing on the trampoline and falling into muddy puddles on seperate occasions they both got absolutely soaked.
On Wednesday we joined some friends for a walk in the rain. It was not raining that hard and was really warm, so we donned our waterproofs, packed a picnic and had a great time. It was a small nature reserve and the trees were amazing, a huge variety of species. We also saw some cows with amazingly long horns. At the end of the walk the children had great fun splashing about in the river. It took three days to get their walking boots dry again!
The next day we had a day at home, waiting for a parcel to be picked up. I was really out of sorts all day, and finally at the end of the day worked out what was wrong, you can read about my day here. We had a fantastic thunderstorm which we sat and watched in the afternoon, it lead to a spot of researching the books on our shelves to find out how thunder and lightening is formed.
On Friday we visited our friends to the south for our weekly play date. We joined them for lunch and the children had a lovely time playing. They built a great fort on top of a platform in the garden using the sections of a compost bin! We left there to go to a friend of my eldest's birthday party. Much playing was had and we finally arrived home very late and exhausted after a fantastic day.
Over the weekend we had a family days pottering about, getting ready for camping and watching the rain pour and pour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)