Thursday, July 03, 2008

Blog as You go!

Let's try this as a way of keeping my blog up to date… Open a word doc at the start of the day and publish to blog at the end, writing on it whenever I get chance through the day. I'll try to leave the boring stuff out! The great thing about Word '07 is that it has a built in blog facility - and it works. J

So far today - Kids have done PBS Bible study and P has read her Beginners Bible and put some stickers in her 'My Bible Activity Book'.

Now they are all dancing to 'Luv Esther' in the lounge (having done their 5 minutes exercise) and trying to act out the show that we all saw last weekend. Joel is being King - of course. Not sure, but I think both girls are Esther!!

Not decided what to do next yet, maybe some reading TO them.

The post today brought me some Galore Park books that I bought second-hand off someone on the Deut list. Look good. I think the Science Prep 1 (for Jake) might not be experimental enough to hold his interest, but it will provide good background knowledge and some good written exercises. The Junior English (Yr5) is brilliant and should be perfect for Joel next year. It is more stretching than average Yr5 books and as he is ahead (theoretically) this should be about right. It has lots of variety in, which is good: a good mix of reading, writing, comprehension, grammar and punctuation - which if just great. It might even mean that some of my other resources get 'shelved' but we'll see how it goes. We might use them for added variety/supplement at times.

I also received some CGP Design Technology books - which are for Jake too - I thought that they might give him a 'taster' in case he did want to think about architecture as a career. It might inspire him or put him off, but either way, I figured it would be a nice resource to have around - a bit different to the 'normal' boring stuff!

OK - how long should I let them dance for… until they start arguing like they have now then!! (11am) - Snack Time!!

Read a couple of chapters of The Arctic Tern (it's such a well written book - quite gripping J) and then went to fetch smalls from playgroup. Only one tumbling child on the way home today… ;)

Back from playgroup run - more Luv Esther on the stereo!! - a friend who is unwell popped in to ask me to have her boys on Friday and Monday (she has to go into hospital again for the third time this month - poor love) - Lunch Time!

Decided to do tagliatelle with olives and bacon bits, but while, for an instant, my back was turned Nat grabbed my big, beautiful glass mixing bowl and brought it smashing to the ground. It had been briefly on the stool while I was cooking and he, when I had last looked, was in the middle of the garden. He is like the wind!! So quickly swept that up and dished up lunch.

After lunch N & C went for a sleep, E went to play with the dolls house and the older children decided that they wanted to do some activities from Socially Speaking (a book I had actually forgotten I owned!!). Ignore the fact that it is designed for children with learning difficulties - it is great! Sometimes, I find, kids just need social etiquette spelled out to them and this book does so in a fun way. J

So, first of all we had to describe someone we know without saying anything that they 'do' - more what they look like, or what they behave like - brown hair, arty, kind, etc… This was more challenging than it sounds and the children easily slipped into 'lives in…', 'likes to…', etc…

The next exercise was to play with some random objects and say how they were the same and how they were different - this was fun and likewise fairly challenging (depending on which objects I chose). So when I chose a green crayon and a red felt-tip it was difficult to see a similarity (which was of course that they are both things that you can colour with) because it wasn't visually obvious. They tended to look at the 'outside' instead of thinking what an object might be used for. A great illustration of the fact that sometimes when people look different to us, they are often very similar in that they 'work' the same way, and also that we don't all have to be the same to all be useful & valuable! It was a lesson in 'uniqueness' and I think the message got across pretty well. We even discussed finger-prints and identical twins being unique despite looking almost the same as each other.

Last activity was a listening exercise - we played 'Simon Says' !! What is it with that game - even I enjoyed it? And for some of the above Els joined in to, which was nice. J

When we had all had enough of Simon I read another story from the James Herriot book and then they all went off to read a little while by themselves. P read to me. I am SO impressed now with how her reading is coming on J.

The girls then decided they would like their finger and toe nails painted, so the next 45 minutes was spent so doing, while Joel ranted on about not being able to find his memory card for the PS2!

Girls beautified and now the bigs are all at club - for a little while. E & C are watching Parent Trap (one of E's favourite films) quietly together in the front room. N is still asleep (he sleeps ages in the afternoons if he hasn't napped in the morning) and will likely stay that way for a little while longer - probably wake him for tea. Then he stays up a bit after the others, but is never difficult to put to bed. He loves his sleep J - like mother like son!! Only he spends more time in his bed than I do in mine these days.

Phoned the estate agents to arrange a viewing to see THIS house on Tuesday - well Paul anyway, as he has a meeting up in Windermere in the evening. It is a bit in the sticks (like that's going to bother me!) and not really in the heart of Windermere as we'd like, but WOW! - does it have what we need and within budget (just). AND it is on a bus route to Kendal - well, sort of - bus goes past the end of the road which about 3/4 of a mile away! I'm hopeful it might be right for us, the landlords like us (i.e. don't mind us getting a bit of help with the rent - what is the issue with that anyway?) and that I can learn to drive (yeah right!) and we can make it home for a while - or longer ;). The only really ambitious thing on that list is the 'me learning to drive' bit - we don't have the money and I don't have the desire in reality! Perhaps the weather in the Lakes might be the final push, otherwise I'd far rather walk, and/or catch a bus!

I need to go and put away the shopping which Paul brought home and do a spot of washing up. He says he will cook tonight - chicken curry - YUM! OK - that's done - time to chill…for a few minutes anyway! Now Puzzle Pirates or read a book (education related) …hmmm

Well apart from the mundane routine of tea and bedtime, that's my day done with.

Oops - they didn't learn their spellings..might have to slot that into tomorrow! J


3 comments:

Jan said...

Good to read what you're getting up to. Fab house - I hope it works out for you.

Frogmum said...

so do I :)

Elaine, Ellies Treasures said...

Nice to catch up. Brilliant house! Elle