Things didn't go quite to plan this week!!
Milly came down with sickness bug.She wasn't actually sick but because she really fears being sick she couldn't settle to sleep.We have had some very late nights:-(
Alan and I have both been feeling nauseous too.
Been keeping up with all the info about the review,not had enough time or brainpower to format any response yet.
We have decided to invest in some camping gear and will probably start with a smaller tent for weekends/short breaks away.The aim being to get some practice then go further afield next year.So many options in tents.Looking forward to coming back and doing some serious research.
I am finishing off some cooking for a picnic,waiting for pizzas to cool so they can go in the fridge then I am off to bed.
Off for a short break to Yorkshire tomorrow:-)
Friday, 19 June 2009
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Sunday swim.
I went to see The vagina monologues in Carlisle last night with some friends.Loved it!! Late night and had a long lie in this morning.Milly and Alan took off for a walk.Not up to it myself so stayed home and worked through paying bills and a few jobs around the house.
Here are some shots of a wonderful day spent exploring and climbing.
Milly found an injured blackbird and was very worried!!
Sadly it was very obvious there was very little that could be done for it.So they left it in a peaceful quiet place:-(
Here are some shots of a wonderful day spent exploring and climbing.
Milly found an injured blackbird and was very worried!!
Sadly it was very obvious there was very little that could be done for it.So they left it in a peaceful quiet place:-(
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Fighting our corner.
Since This report came out I have gone through many emotions.I have spent as much time as I could reading all the info out there.The lists are alive with information and it is hard for me to take it all in.I have read so many wonderful posts and there is no way I can emulate their eloquence.
I am going to spend what time I have over the weekend taking in as much as I can and will start on Monday with some kind of plan to write,phone,email do whatever I can to ensure my voice is heard.
It has taken me a long time to get to a place where I was strong enough to do what I believed was right for Emily.Over the last two years we have created "A life worth living" :-)
I am not going to give that up without a fight.
I am going to spend what time I have over the weekend taking in as much as I can and will start on Monday with some kind of plan to write,phone,email do whatever I can to ensure my voice is heard.
It has taken me a long time to get to a place where I was strong enough to do what I believed was right for Emily.Over the last two years we have created "A life worth living" :-)
I am not going to give that up without a fight.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
The evening dance.
Laying in the bath a few nights ago,I was trying to read my book but my thoughts kept wandering.I was thinking about the last few days and how joyful they had been.Things had been going smoothly,the evening had been enjoyable and everything just seemed to flow...
About 18 months ago we began to let go of bedtimes.We didn't announce she had no bedtime, we began gently.We said yes when she asked to stay up later,we stopped insisting on a set time for her to go up.Even though it was gradual we found it hard to adjust to Milly being up later, we resented the disruption to our nights.We just couldn't find a way that worked,it all seemed so chaotic.We had got so used to the nights(mostly)being our own time.Very often we had a hyper, over tired Milly who needed a great deal of our attention.Emily has never gone to bed by herself and needed one of us to go up with her,she liked us to stay until she was asleep.We were more than happy to do that and when she had a set time to go up we knew we could come back down and have some time to relax and switch off.If Emily decided to go to bed at 9.30 it meant that by the time she had had a bath (if she wanted one)and we had snuggled and read,by the time she had got to sleep it was late and not really worth coming back down,especially for Alan as he needs to be up at 6.
When she choose to stay up later, it just seemed we had no time to ourselves,as a couple or to do the things we wanted to do individually.It was not unusual for her to stay up with whoever was up the latest and then go to bed with them.We had lots of times when she was over tired and the days were hard because of it.We talked about the effects of lack of sleep,we tried to keep these conversations informative rather than judgemental and brought it up at times it was relevant to the discussion we were having,rather than using it as a "see we told you" kind of conversation.Have to say that was hard and there were times when we were not as understanding,especially when she would get up late and not want to do anything or go anywhere and we had things planned or were wanting to go out ourselves.
It all began to get to us.Alan and I talked it through and looked at the options,setting an enforced bedtime had not always worked,there were many nights when she was just not tired and we would end up staying upstairs for hours and getting more and more wound up that she wouldn't sleep or we would leave her when she was settled, but not quite asleep and she would wake up and be up and down the stairs all night till she finally was tired enough to sleep.So many nights there were numerous delaying tactics,resisting going to bed and our patience was tested to the limit.For a short time (because of getting up for school)we had tried rewards for staying upstairs and also consequences for not staying up,neither worked but even if they had, it didn't "feel" right.It always seemed to be a battle.Bedtimes were doing nothing for our relationship with Emily.
We talked about her needs and how we could meet them and we talked about what we wanted our evening to look like.
We could see that the problem wasn't so much that Emily was up, it was the way we were thinking,the resentment of feeling that we never had any time to ourselves was eating away at us and filling us with negativity.We weren't communicating and both felt hard done too.We wanted to continue and were willing to change our habits and expectations and adapt to a new way. We wanted to ensure we each got some time during the week to ourselves.Once we were clear that was the priority we started from there, and worked out what needed to be done to ensure we could make it work.
We decided it would be a good idea for us to talk about what we wanted to do on an evening and to have a loose plan as to who wanted to go to bed at what time and if any of us had a particular programme we wanted to watch or anything we had wanted to do.Took us some time to come up with this simple plan but we got there eventually:-)We saw that there were other options.Just because our evenings had always looked a certain way, they didn't have to stay that way.
Although we have that loose plan in the early evening, things can change, they are not set in stone .It helps us to have a rough idea.We got what we needed which was a way of organising our evening so that jobs could get done or TV programmes could be watched,or whatever it was we wanted to do.We plan who will go up with Emily.That was one thing that really helped,because one of us was "on" and available to go up with her at whatever time she chooses.We talked about her staying up till she was tired and snoozing on the couch in her duvet, while we watched TV or whatever, but that was not an option for her as she likes to be in bed to sleep.We tried to think out of the box and find ways that we could make it work for us all.We talked about many different ways .By communicating our needs,being adaptable and working together we have managed to eliminate the stress around bedtimes.
She knows when she is tired and not having any reason to battle against bedtime she has no need to stay up unnecessarily.There are occasions when she is particularly into something that she chooses to stay up, but she no longer stays up just because she can.
We had bought a laptop for Emily to use and when one of us had read to to her on a night she could snooze off knowing someone was there with her and whoever had taken her to bed could watch BBCi or 4 on demand or a DVD or blogs:-)) on the laptop.We could lay in bed and read while she dozed off,we have a head torch(I know how comical is that image!!)we need to get a clip on light to go on the headboard which will be so much better!!So Emily gets what she wants /needs which is to go to bed when she is tired, with someone to lay with her so she isn't scared.
We are now much more accepting of her ever changing natural rhythm.We rarely plan anything in the mornings so we can have a slow start in case of a late night.Alan likes to be up early and get going and it was frustrating to him that plans would be made to go for a walk and he would wait ,then she might get up and not want to go.On a weekend he now lets us know his plans for the walk, if we are up before he goes and want to go with him, we go, if not he goes off and enjoys his walk.During the week I might have time on a morning if she is still snoozling in bed,instead of allowing that time to be eaten up doing jobs,I make a conscious decision to take time to do the things I enjoy and then if I still have time before she is up I will get on and do the jobs.
Alan and I find time to connect in different ways,we make the most of the times we have to chat when he comes in from work,we have become expert at grabbing the moment to talk through our day.We still need to work on a way to spend more time together.Have to be creative as we can't afford a babysitter too often and Milly is not always keen on the free option of going to stay at relatives on her own.
To be honest in our house when Emily had a set bedtime it wasn't as if we were actually "together" apart from possibly sharing the same couch to watch TV,even then we have different tastes in programmes, so we were often in different rooms!!If anything, looking at the way we spent our time on an evening has meant that our nights are rejuvenated. The focus is on being together more of the evening(even if that means just being in the same room but doing different things) and having as much fun as we can.
Over time things have settled into a very natural routine.We get the "me time" but it looks different to how it used to;-)
On a typical evening,Emily and Alan will go for a walk and get deeply involved in a role play game, while I cook tea.We have tea, sometimes at the table together, but often they will have tea together watching The Simpsons(I just don't get the simpsons!!)in a different room and I will watch a
programme I like or I am in the same room but read Blogs( I know how dreadful eating at the computer!!) Not so long ago I would have been so conscious that we "should" all eat together at the table.Things have changed,we look at the "shoulds" we examine them and then decide if they are important for us.
One of the reasons most families sit together to eat is because that could be the one time in the evening between homework, after school activities, baths and bed,that they can chat about their day.We are lucky that Alan is home by 3.45 (flexi time, he chooses to go in for 7.30 so that he can get home early)I know that some parents work later so that might be why they would choose to all eat together.Our circumstances are different,we don't need to sit at a table to connect and go through our day, we spend so long in each others company and have many opportunity's to talk during the evening.It isn't the case that we never sit at the table,because that in itself can be very pleasant,however we no longer see it as a " must do "every night.
We might wash up together while Emily is occupied doing whatever she is wanting to do or I will go and play with her and Al will wash up.They also have 20 mins on the trampoline boxing at some point in the evening,so I might do the pots then.Every evening is different, games might be played or we might read together or watch a film or TV,or spend time out in the garden .We don't always spend time together on an evening, we could all be in different rooms doing different things.Jobs get slotted in throughout the evening.Because Milly is following her natural rythym we no longer have the very giddy,hyper little girl who needs our attention all the time on a night.We have found things naturally wind down and become quieter and calmer.Most evenings Milly plans 9ish as her time to go up,previously when Alan and I talked through the options we had, he said he would be happy to go up around that time most work nights,he is up early in a morning and would be going up earlier than me anyway.Because it is something he chooses to do and he knows he has other options if he wanted to,it has meant he is doing it happily.He will read to her while she has a bath or they snuggle in bed and read,normally settling down around 10.If there is something Al wants to do I will take her to bed,once we have read for a while she will snooze while I listen to a meditaion ,catch up on TV , blogs or don my head torch and read:-))If she does want to stay up I will be the one during the week to stay with her.
At the moment she doesn't want to stay up later than either of us,if that time comes we will look at all the options and work out a plan that works for all of us.
As I was laying in the bath,I thought about an old fashioned dance where someone might come along and excuse one partner, the dancing flows on,just different partners at different times.That kind of sums up how I feel it goes here,were all on the floor, sometimes dancing all together, sometimes a couple,sometimes apart, but always in harmony.
About 18 months ago we began to let go of bedtimes.We didn't announce she had no bedtime, we began gently.We said yes when she asked to stay up later,we stopped insisting on a set time for her to go up.Even though it was gradual we found it hard to adjust to Milly being up later, we resented the disruption to our nights.We just couldn't find a way that worked,it all seemed so chaotic.We had got so used to the nights(mostly)being our own time.Very often we had a hyper, over tired Milly who needed a great deal of our attention.Emily has never gone to bed by herself and needed one of us to go up with her,she liked us to stay until she was asleep.We were more than happy to do that and when she had a set time to go up we knew we could come back down and have some time to relax and switch off.If Emily decided to go to bed at 9.30 it meant that by the time she had had a bath (if she wanted one)and we had snuggled and read,by the time she had got to sleep it was late and not really worth coming back down,especially for Alan as he needs to be up at 6.
When she choose to stay up later, it just seemed we had no time to ourselves,as a couple or to do the things we wanted to do individually.It was not unusual for her to stay up with whoever was up the latest and then go to bed with them.We had lots of times when she was over tired and the days were hard because of it.We talked about the effects of lack of sleep,we tried to keep these conversations informative rather than judgemental and brought it up at times it was relevant to the discussion we were having,rather than using it as a "see we told you" kind of conversation.Have to say that was hard and there were times when we were not as understanding,especially when she would get up late and not want to do anything or go anywhere and we had things planned or were wanting to go out ourselves.
It all began to get to us.Alan and I talked it through and looked at the options,setting an enforced bedtime had not always worked,there were many nights when she was just not tired and we would end up staying upstairs for hours and getting more and more wound up that she wouldn't sleep or we would leave her when she was settled, but not quite asleep and she would wake up and be up and down the stairs all night till she finally was tired enough to sleep.So many nights there were numerous delaying tactics,resisting going to bed and our patience was tested to the limit.For a short time (because of getting up for school)we had tried rewards for staying upstairs and also consequences for not staying up,neither worked but even if they had, it didn't "feel" right.It always seemed to be a battle.Bedtimes were doing nothing for our relationship with Emily.
We talked about her needs and how we could meet them and we talked about what we wanted our evening to look like.
We could see that the problem wasn't so much that Emily was up, it was the way we were thinking,the resentment of feeling that we never had any time to ourselves was eating away at us and filling us with negativity.We weren't communicating and both felt hard done too.We wanted to continue and were willing to change our habits and expectations and adapt to a new way. We wanted to ensure we each got some time during the week to ourselves.Once we were clear that was the priority we started from there, and worked out what needed to be done to ensure we could make it work.
We decided it would be a good idea for us to talk about what we wanted to do on an evening and to have a loose plan as to who wanted to go to bed at what time and if any of us had a particular programme we wanted to watch or anything we had wanted to do.Took us some time to come up with this simple plan but we got there eventually:-)We saw that there were other options.Just because our evenings had always looked a certain way, they didn't have to stay that way.
Although we have that loose plan in the early evening, things can change, they are not set in stone .It helps us to have a rough idea.We got what we needed which was a way of organising our evening so that jobs could get done or TV programmes could be watched,or whatever it was we wanted to do.We plan who will go up with Emily.That was one thing that really helped,because one of us was "on" and available to go up with her at whatever time she chooses.We talked about her staying up till she was tired and snoozing on the couch in her duvet, while we watched TV or whatever, but that was not an option for her as she likes to be in bed to sleep.We tried to think out of the box and find ways that we could make it work for us all.We talked about many different ways .By communicating our needs,being adaptable and working together we have managed to eliminate the stress around bedtimes.
She knows when she is tired and not having any reason to battle against bedtime she has no need to stay up unnecessarily.There are occasions when she is particularly into something that she chooses to stay up, but she no longer stays up just because she can.
We had bought a laptop for Emily to use and when one of us had read to to her on a night she could snooze off knowing someone was there with her and whoever had taken her to bed could watch BBCi or 4 on demand or a DVD or blogs:-)) on the laptop.We could lay in bed and read while she dozed off,we have a head torch(I know how comical is that image!!)we need to get a clip on light to go on the headboard which will be so much better!!So Emily gets what she wants /needs which is to go to bed when she is tired, with someone to lay with her so she isn't scared.
We are now much more accepting of her ever changing natural rhythm.We rarely plan anything in the mornings so we can have a slow start in case of a late night.Alan likes to be up early and get going and it was frustrating to him that plans would be made to go for a walk and he would wait ,then she might get up and not want to go.On a weekend he now lets us know his plans for the walk, if we are up before he goes and want to go with him, we go, if not he goes off and enjoys his walk.During the week I might have time on a morning if she is still snoozling in bed,instead of allowing that time to be eaten up doing jobs,I make a conscious decision to take time to do the things I enjoy and then if I still have time before she is up I will get on and do the jobs.
Alan and I find time to connect in different ways,we make the most of the times we have to chat when he comes in from work,we have become expert at grabbing the moment to talk through our day.We still need to work on a way to spend more time together.Have to be creative as we can't afford a babysitter too often and Milly is not always keen on the free option of going to stay at relatives on her own.
To be honest in our house when Emily had a set bedtime it wasn't as if we were actually "together" apart from possibly sharing the same couch to watch TV,even then we have different tastes in programmes, so we were often in different rooms!!If anything, looking at the way we spent our time on an evening has meant that our nights are rejuvenated. The focus is on being together more of the evening(even if that means just being in the same room but doing different things) and having as much fun as we can.
Over time things have settled into a very natural routine.We get the "me time" but it looks different to how it used to;-)
On a typical evening,Emily and Alan will go for a walk and get deeply involved in a role play game, while I cook tea.We have tea, sometimes at the table together, but often they will have tea together watching The Simpsons(I just don't get the simpsons!!)in a different room and I will watch a
programme I like or I am in the same room but read Blogs( I know how dreadful eating at the computer!!) Not so long ago I would have been so conscious that we "should" all eat together at the table.Things have changed,we look at the "shoulds" we examine them and then decide if they are important for us.
One of the reasons most families sit together to eat is because that could be the one time in the evening between homework, after school activities, baths and bed,that they can chat about their day.We are lucky that Alan is home by 3.45 (flexi time, he chooses to go in for 7.30 so that he can get home early)I know that some parents work later so that might be why they would choose to all eat together.Our circumstances are different,we don't need to sit at a table to connect and go through our day, we spend so long in each others company and have many opportunity's to talk during the evening.It isn't the case that we never sit at the table,because that in itself can be very pleasant,however we no longer see it as a " must do "every night.
We might wash up together while Emily is occupied doing whatever she is wanting to do or I will go and play with her and Al will wash up.They also have 20 mins on the trampoline boxing at some point in the evening,so I might do the pots then.Every evening is different, games might be played or we might read together or watch a film or TV,or spend time out in the garden .We don't always spend time together on an evening, we could all be in different rooms doing different things.Jobs get slotted in throughout the evening.Because Milly is following her natural rythym we no longer have the very giddy,hyper little girl who needs our attention all the time on a night.We have found things naturally wind down and become quieter and calmer.Most evenings Milly plans 9ish as her time to go up,previously when Alan and I talked through the options we had, he said he would be happy to go up around that time most work nights,he is up early in a morning and would be going up earlier than me anyway.Because it is something he chooses to do and he knows he has other options if he wanted to,it has meant he is doing it happily.He will read to her while she has a bath or they snuggle in bed and read,normally settling down around 10.If there is something Al wants to do I will take her to bed,once we have read for a while she will snooze while I listen to a meditaion ,catch up on TV , blogs or don my head torch and read:-))If she does want to stay up I will be the one during the week to stay with her.
At the moment she doesn't want to stay up later than either of us,if that time comes we will look at all the options and work out a plan that works for all of us.
As I was laying in the bath,I thought about an old fashioned dance where someone might come along and excuse one partner, the dancing flows on,just different partners at different times.That kind of sums up how I feel it goes here,were all on the floor, sometimes dancing all together, sometimes a couple,sometimes apart, but always in harmony.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Saturday here.....
Our days always start in a very relaxed way,it takes me a while to come round and so by necessity I treat myself gently in a morning and don't rush around.Milly has never really been a morning person either and has been waking around 9.30/10.00 lately.When it is a work morning Al is up at 6.00 but on weekends may have a lie in till 8.00:-)He quite likes to get up and get going,he likes to be kept busy.He was up first, with me shortly after,while Milly snoozed on...
After walking Beauty, Alan got back and sat with a cuppa,getting in touch with his feminine side, reading my trashy mag;-)
I had baked off some sweet potato's yesterday to make a sweet potato cake today.I can't make enough, Emily and Alan adore it and so does everyone else that's eaten it.I got the recipe from a blog and I can't remember which one but here is the recipe.I just use two bread tins to cook it in and use a food processor so it is a very easy cake to make.
We had no plans this morning so when Emily did get up she decided to watch some W.I.T.C.H, while we were nearby finishing baking,reading.
Beauty did what Beauty does, and chilled out...
Alan went off to play with Emily.It is an ongoing game involving some W.I.T.C.H characters they have been playing on the walks each night.While they were busy,I eventually got around to clearing the kitchen cupboards.
They don't look as bad from this distance but things were falling on top of me whenever I attempted to get anything out to bake.
There were an embarrassing amount of things out of date,which although wasteful meant more space so I could spread things out a little.Once I had cleaned the sticky,icky shelves.
We decided to watch a film together and as we had just bought Slumdog Millionaire we started that .Milly wasn't keen and after an hour we turned it off and watched another one we hadn't seen, The Mummy(3) instead.
Alan then finished painting some garden furniture and I got on with the tea prep.Delia Smiths Braising steak in green peppercorn sauce, a simple but delicious and mouth watering Recipe.I can't find it on line but it is in an old complete cookery course book I have.Haven't got time now but may come back and put the recipe on cos it really is delish :-)
Once I had it in the oven I had a couple of hours,so went off to play a hospital game with Emily,I was the nurse and she was the patient,reminded me of Chloe as we had something similar when we were in the tent I remember:-))
Then I got in a bath and read for a while before hair washed and tea prep.
Lovely meal then TV and blogging before I head off to bed with Milly to watch the end of Slumdog whilst she snoozes off.....
That was our Saturday, how was yours?xx
After walking Beauty, Alan got back and sat with a cuppa,getting in touch with his feminine side, reading my trashy mag;-)
I had baked off some sweet potato's yesterday to make a sweet potato cake today.I can't make enough, Emily and Alan adore it and so does everyone else that's eaten it.I got the recipe from a blog and I can't remember which one but here is the recipe.I just use two bread tins to cook it in and use a food processor so it is a very easy cake to make.
We had no plans this morning so when Emily did get up she decided to watch some W.I.T.C.H, while we were nearby finishing baking,reading.
Beauty did what Beauty does, and chilled out...
Alan went off to play with Emily.It is an ongoing game involving some W.I.T.C.H characters they have been playing on the walks each night.While they were busy,I eventually got around to clearing the kitchen cupboards.
They don't look as bad from this distance but things were falling on top of me whenever I attempted to get anything out to bake.
There were an embarrassing amount of things out of date,which although wasteful meant more space so I could spread things out a little.Once I had cleaned the sticky,icky shelves.
We decided to watch a film together and as we had just bought Slumdog Millionaire we started that .Milly wasn't keen and after an hour we turned it off and watched another one we hadn't seen, The Mummy(3) instead.
Alan then finished painting some garden furniture and I got on with the tea prep.Delia Smiths Braising steak in green peppercorn sauce, a simple but delicious and mouth watering Recipe.I can't find it on line but it is in an old complete cookery course book I have.Haven't got time now but may come back and put the recipe on cos it really is delish :-)
Once I had it in the oven I had a couple of hours,so went off to play a hospital game with Emily,I was the nurse and she was the patient,reminded me of Chloe as we had something similar when we were in the tent I remember:-))
Then I got in a bath and read for a while before hair washed and tea prep.
Lovely meal then TV and blogging before I head off to bed with Milly to watch the end of Slumdog whilst she snoozes off.....
That was our Saturday, how was yours?xx
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Hot sunny days,I think I'm in heaven!!
The last few days have been glorious.Spent at home in very little clothing,I have a very sheltered garden so non of the neighbours needs to see me in my cossy:-)
Emily kept Beauty active all day long.Beauty loves the hose pipe but because of arthritis can no longer jump around too much,it just inflames her elbow and causes pain.There were short bursts of water her way though and she loved it and then Emily would get her to sit while she bounced on the mini trampoline and as soon as she jumped forward Beauty would bounce forward too and catch the splashes.Great fun for both:-)
Emily initially didin't want to get her hair wet,hence the shower cap,however she soon decided to just get soaked....
The next day she repositioned her pool under the swing and spent the whole day filling with the hose then splashing and swinging,and filling some more.She got through two bottles of Mr Matey bubble bath and the lawn looks like a herd of cows have been through,because wherever the pool and Emily were, so was Beauty, dancing around trying to get the splashes:-)
Some other sunny scenes....
For some reason I don't remember spending much time laying here.Looking forward to the weather lasting a while and I can carry on reading the last book in the Twilight series to her while she paddles.
Emily kept Beauty active all day long.Beauty loves the hose pipe but because of arthritis can no longer jump around too much,it just inflames her elbow and causes pain.There were short bursts of water her way though and she loved it and then Emily would get her to sit while she bounced on the mini trampoline and as soon as she jumped forward Beauty would bounce forward too and catch the splashes.Great fun for both:-)
Emily initially didin't want to get her hair wet,hence the shower cap,however she soon decided to just get soaked....
The next day she repositioned her pool under the swing and spent the whole day filling with the hose then splashing and swinging,and filling some more.She got through two bottles of Mr Matey bubble bath and the lawn looks like a herd of cows have been through,because wherever the pool and Emily were, so was Beauty, dancing around trying to get the splashes:-)
Some other sunny scenes....
For some reason I don't remember spending much time laying here.Looking forward to the weather lasting a while and I can carry on reading the last book in the Twilight series to her while she paddles.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Natural learning part two
I have put together some of the things that have been happening over the last year.This is not exhaustive, just a snapshot ,but I think it gives a good overview of what natural learning looks like for us.Non of these things have been compulsory, all of the activities stem from Emily's interests, which I pick up on and attempt to expand with things I think she might like.Emily has complete freedom to watch TV and go on the computer at any time,she often chooses to do other things;-)She is in control of what she does and when and for how long she does it.
Jacqueline Wilson Books,also widened to include DVD’s,Jacqueline Wilson‘s autobiography, Diary with facts about the author and quiz‘s about the books, Story CD’s, websites. Lots of discussions about real life tragedy and dealing with emotions.
Karen McCombie Ally’s world .Moving on to new series by same author, Stella etc. Great humour and real life family dramas.
Stephanie Meyer Twilight series includes Cinema visit, DVD with special features, book about behind the scenes and making of the film. A visit on holiday to Whitby also tied in with information about Bram Stoker and Dracula .
Golden Compass (Northern lights trilogy) all story tapes listened to time and time again. Books about the making of the film and behind the scenes footage on DVD. We have read about the author on his website. Many conversations where snippets of info on various things crop up and lead back to info heard about in the Golden compass. Trepanning being just one I can remember.We were having a conversation about skulls with a friend and in part of the story Trepanning was mentioned and Emily piped up about the Tarters doing it to let out bad spirits.I was amazed, I had never heard of it and here was another piece of info she had picked up from a story tape.
Artemis Fowl Story CD’s. Milly enjoys spy and mystery drama such as Miss Marple ,Agatha Christie,Nancy Drew and Midsomer Murders. Newly purchased book called Five minute Mysteries to get into, where a scene is set and you have to work through the clues to find the answer.
The My story range of books. We have read ones about the Potato famine, Titanic, Plague and have started The Victorian workhouse but have bought a range of titles to dip in to as and when. When we read the Plague one, I found Story CD’S The plague house in the library with information about the Plague that I thought she would enjoy.She loved them and Emily made up a character called sorrel who lived in that time and Emily acted out being Sorrel for quite some time :-)
Greek Myths, Percy Jackson series,website with facts and quizs, Roman Mysteries revisited again this year on film and in story. Romans board game, Involves answering questions about the era as you move around the board. Jason and the arganauts movie, Horrible histories DVD's.I often wonder what Emily is actually taking from the things we do and because we don't do any form of testing we rely on conversations or facts to crop up during something related,that happened when we watched Night at the museum she knew about Sacajawea the Indian guide when I didn't!!(showing my ignorance here!!)
Casualty TV programme, other programmes /documentaries that depict real life rescues. Discussing plans to take a ST Johns ambulance first aid course. I am going to look at other avenues of opening up this interest for her with visits if possible. Anatomix board game ,answering questions about Anatomy to win jigsaw pieces.Milly is very good at answering correctly,I love to hear where she has got her info and the last time we played, one of the questions was about how many ribs we had,she answered without hesitation and the way she knew? Pa ingles in Little house on the Prairie brook his ribs and she remembered we have 12 pairs from that book:-)
Fairies, Angels, spirituality, gemstones. Milly has a collection of gemstones and I am planning a visit to a local mine in Keswick where you can pan for gold and a more hands on/practical /geological approach can be explored as well as the healing/spiritual side of gems.
Fashion design. This ties in with Emily’s love of drawing figures, which are characters in her stories. Websites with the opportunity to dress figures in a multitude of styles including mermaids, warrior women etc as well as modern fashion.
Victorian era and Georgian era have been of interest recently. Amongst other things, we have made visits to Tullie house, Muncaster castle ,Wordsworth house.Milly doesn't like to do any kind of worksheets when we go round places.Hard facts are of little interest to her most of the time.She loves to invent a character who lives in the place and we create a story and she acts it out in the castle/house. Some future plans include visits to Beamish in October ,Dove cottage, Long Meg etc to see the places, read some poetry in situ, and tie in the history around the area to Wordsworth. Milly enjoys looking at buildings and deciding if they are from Victorian or Georgian times. I have plans to research and go on a tour around Carlisle to look at the Victorian Architecture.We have watched pride and prejudice and Sense and sensibility. Listened to Phillip Pullmans Ruby in the smoke and Shadow in the north and watched the dramatisation of both.
Have visited York , Jorvick Museum, York Minster, The shambles. Whitby and the Abbey, Ripon and Cathedral. Holiday in Yorkshire in June to go back and revisit all of them .
Titanic, seen the movie, read the My story book. Purchased a book with pull out model and replica tickets etc. Box set 3 DVD’s with documentaries from the discovery channel about the search for information on the cause of the sinking.
Emily is an Arctophilist and has started to buy some collectable bears.
Making up stories is still a passion; she tells them, records them on a dictation machine and has a growing collection of notebooks that stories are recorded in, to varying degrees. A laptop is now available to record her stories/character biographies etc. A lot of the time the stories involve role-play. These “games “often include real historical figures and times and it is as if she is living and feeling the history.
Interest in putting together a family tree, this is only in the early stages but will be something that can be added to as and when.
Walking with Alan and Beauty around the Lakes and fells, trampolining ,climbing tree’s and play boxing have been ways of keeping active. Milly is still interested in Karate but is not keen on a class situation, if Emily is in agreement I am going to try to find someone who can provide a very open session to explore the moves rather than “teach” at the moment. Swimming has been on hold recently due to illness but is another favourite activity.
Animals still play a big part in Emily’s world and we have visited Trotters farm regularly. We have watched Gorillas in the mist and read Sophie’s story both about the work done in conservation. We have a boxed set of DVD’s showing real life animal rescues from the Animal planet channel.
We have read the children’s version of Marley and Me and seen the film and we intend to get the adult version to read as well.
Wild at heart series on TV (set in Africa about a vet and his family and life looking after wild animals,)we then purchased DVD collection. Books and websites about wild animals are visited regularly.
We are thinking of volunteering at a local wildlife sanctuary.
Emily loves to draw the characters she makes up and weaves a story around the drawing ,usually verbally but sometimes in notebooks or typed.
Drawing has moved into an interest in Anime and Manga after reading and watching the series of W.I.T.C.H.
We are intending to view the work of Hayao Miyazaki on film .we will also look into getting some comic books .Milly has shown an interest in drawing in the style and is going about it in her own way as she finds manuals and tutorial hard to follow, although both these options are open to her if she wishes.
I have a range of science experiments that I have sourced from the Steve Spangler website. I have them ready with instructions and ingredients in zip lock bags and when we decide to do one they are ready to go.
Math is around us daily and although we don’t do maths problems ,dealing with time and finances mean Emily has a basic knowledge which grows as interest is sparked, or by a need to find answers.
We visit the local home Ed group .We have just met up with friends we met on the internet, who also home educate. We would love to join in future camps/get-togethers with them and other home edders. We have schooled friends locally as well as other home edders that we get together with outside the home Ed group.
We do activities such as Forest Days,drumming workshops and so on with the group.
By allowing Emily to follow her interests and her passions she is gaining confidence in her own ability. Her drawing moves at her pace in her own way ,she goes through periods where drawing is all she does and then periods where she rarely picks up a pencil. There has been significant progression in her work. She gains immense satisfaction from having mastered something herself in her own timescale with no input from anyone else.
Writing and typing are now undertaken daily ,writing is still difficult for her and slow going but the frustration she once felt is not as evident. There is no hesitation at attempting to spell a word and she rarely asks for help with spelling ,she can “ see” when a word doesn’t look right and will play around until it seems right to her. She communicates with friends on MSN typing in conversations and has a pen pal in America with plans to use SKYPE to communicate with her on line with instant messenger and via webcam.
Talking,talking,talking!!!!
There is no set date an interest has to have been explored by.Two years ago she was interested in Queen Elizabeth,over time we have watched films and read books and in the future things may crop up that engage her or offer new info about the era.
We have no way of knowing what she is learning from one day to the next.the evidence is that connections being made daily as Emily follows her interests, building blocks that grow to form structures, some of which end up a few blocks,some that grow and keep on expanding .Connections are made between each, as and when she finds new information, or when she goes back over old ground. Emily is learning and will continue to do so without the stress and restriction of school.She is free,she chooses her time table,her activities,when she eats,and what she eats.She can go to the loo without being embarrassed or afraid she will be told to wait.She decides what interests her,she doesn't have to spend hours and hours in activities she doesn't want or need.Her talents can grow because she can focus on them and from that self esteem grows.Her growth is evident in her interactions.
I know the future is bright for Emily.She is in charge of it and I am her co-pilot until she can Fly solo :-)
Jacqueline Wilson Books,also widened to include DVD’s,Jacqueline Wilson‘s autobiography, Diary with facts about the author and quiz‘s about the books, Story CD’s, websites. Lots of discussions about real life tragedy and dealing with emotions.
Karen McCombie Ally’s world .Moving on to new series by same author, Stella etc. Great humour and real life family dramas.
Stephanie Meyer Twilight series includes Cinema visit, DVD with special features, book about behind the scenes and making of the film. A visit on holiday to Whitby also tied in with information about Bram Stoker and Dracula .
Golden Compass (Northern lights trilogy) all story tapes listened to time and time again. Books about the making of the film and behind the scenes footage on DVD. We have read about the author on his website. Many conversations where snippets of info on various things crop up and lead back to info heard about in the Golden compass. Trepanning being just one I can remember.We were having a conversation about skulls with a friend and in part of the story Trepanning was mentioned and Emily piped up about the Tarters doing it to let out bad spirits.I was amazed, I had never heard of it and here was another piece of info she had picked up from a story tape.
Artemis Fowl Story CD’s. Milly enjoys spy and mystery drama such as Miss Marple ,Agatha Christie,Nancy Drew and Midsomer Murders. Newly purchased book called Five minute Mysteries to get into, where a scene is set and you have to work through the clues to find the answer.
The My story range of books. We have read ones about the Potato famine, Titanic, Plague and have started The Victorian workhouse but have bought a range of titles to dip in to as and when. When we read the Plague one, I found Story CD’S The plague house in the library with information about the Plague that I thought she would enjoy.She loved them and Emily made up a character called sorrel who lived in that time and Emily acted out being Sorrel for quite some time :-)
Greek Myths, Percy Jackson series,website with facts and quizs, Roman Mysteries revisited again this year on film and in story. Romans board game, Involves answering questions about the era as you move around the board. Jason and the arganauts movie, Horrible histories DVD's.I often wonder what Emily is actually taking from the things we do and because we don't do any form of testing we rely on conversations or facts to crop up during something related,that happened when we watched Night at the museum she knew about Sacajawea the Indian guide when I didn't!!(showing my ignorance here!!)
Casualty TV programme, other programmes /documentaries that depict real life rescues. Discussing plans to take a ST Johns ambulance first aid course. I am going to look at other avenues of opening up this interest for her with visits if possible. Anatomix board game ,answering questions about Anatomy to win jigsaw pieces.Milly is very good at answering correctly,I love to hear where she has got her info and the last time we played, one of the questions was about how many ribs we had,she answered without hesitation and the way she knew? Pa ingles in Little house on the Prairie brook his ribs and she remembered we have 12 pairs from that book:-)
Fairies, Angels, spirituality, gemstones. Milly has a collection of gemstones and I am planning a visit to a local mine in Keswick where you can pan for gold and a more hands on/practical /geological approach can be explored as well as the healing/spiritual side of gems.
Fashion design. This ties in with Emily’s love of drawing figures, which are characters in her stories. Websites with the opportunity to dress figures in a multitude of styles including mermaids, warrior women etc as well as modern fashion.
Victorian era and Georgian era have been of interest recently. Amongst other things, we have made visits to Tullie house, Muncaster castle ,Wordsworth house.Milly doesn't like to do any kind of worksheets when we go round places.Hard facts are of little interest to her most of the time.She loves to invent a character who lives in the place and we create a story and she acts it out in the castle/house. Some future plans include visits to Beamish in October ,Dove cottage, Long Meg etc to see the places, read some poetry in situ, and tie in the history around the area to Wordsworth. Milly enjoys looking at buildings and deciding if they are from Victorian or Georgian times. I have plans to research and go on a tour around Carlisle to look at the Victorian Architecture.We have watched pride and prejudice and Sense and sensibility. Listened to Phillip Pullmans Ruby in the smoke and Shadow in the north and watched the dramatisation of both.
Have visited York , Jorvick Museum, York Minster, The shambles. Whitby and the Abbey, Ripon and Cathedral. Holiday in Yorkshire in June to go back and revisit all of them .
Titanic, seen the movie, read the My story book. Purchased a book with pull out model and replica tickets etc. Box set 3 DVD’s with documentaries from the discovery channel about the search for information on the cause of the sinking.
Emily is an Arctophilist and has started to buy some collectable bears.
Making up stories is still a passion; she tells them, records them on a dictation machine and has a growing collection of notebooks that stories are recorded in, to varying degrees. A laptop is now available to record her stories/character biographies etc. A lot of the time the stories involve role-play. These “games “often include real historical figures and times and it is as if she is living and feeling the history.
Interest in putting together a family tree, this is only in the early stages but will be something that can be added to as and when.
Walking with Alan and Beauty around the Lakes and fells, trampolining ,climbing tree’s and play boxing have been ways of keeping active. Milly is still interested in Karate but is not keen on a class situation, if Emily is in agreement I am going to try to find someone who can provide a very open session to explore the moves rather than “teach” at the moment. Swimming has been on hold recently due to illness but is another favourite activity.
Animals still play a big part in Emily’s world and we have visited Trotters farm regularly. We have watched Gorillas in the mist and read Sophie’s story both about the work done in conservation. We have a boxed set of DVD’s showing real life animal rescues from the Animal planet channel.
We have read the children’s version of Marley and Me and seen the film and we intend to get the adult version to read as well.
Wild at heart series on TV (set in Africa about a vet and his family and life looking after wild animals,)we then purchased DVD collection. Books and websites about wild animals are visited regularly.
We are thinking of volunteering at a local wildlife sanctuary.
Emily loves to draw the characters she makes up and weaves a story around the drawing ,usually verbally but sometimes in notebooks or typed.
Drawing has moved into an interest in Anime and Manga after reading and watching the series of W.I.T.C.H.
We are intending to view the work of Hayao Miyazaki on film .we will also look into getting some comic books .Milly has shown an interest in drawing in the style and is going about it in her own way as she finds manuals and tutorial hard to follow, although both these options are open to her if she wishes.
I have a range of science experiments that I have sourced from the Steve Spangler website. I have them ready with instructions and ingredients in zip lock bags and when we decide to do one they are ready to go.
Math is around us daily and although we don’t do maths problems ,dealing with time and finances mean Emily has a basic knowledge which grows as interest is sparked, or by a need to find answers.
We visit the local home Ed group .We have just met up with friends we met on the internet, who also home educate. We would love to join in future camps/get-togethers with them and other home edders. We have schooled friends locally as well as other home edders that we get together with outside the home Ed group.
We do activities such as Forest Days,drumming workshops and so on with the group.
By allowing Emily to follow her interests and her passions she is gaining confidence in her own ability. Her drawing moves at her pace in her own way ,she goes through periods where drawing is all she does and then periods where she rarely picks up a pencil. There has been significant progression in her work. She gains immense satisfaction from having mastered something herself in her own timescale with no input from anyone else.
Writing and typing are now undertaken daily ,writing is still difficult for her and slow going but the frustration she once felt is not as evident. There is no hesitation at attempting to spell a word and she rarely asks for help with spelling ,she can “ see” when a word doesn’t look right and will play around until it seems right to her. She communicates with friends on MSN typing in conversations and has a pen pal in America with plans to use SKYPE to communicate with her on line with instant messenger and via webcam.
Talking,talking,talking!!!!
There is no set date an interest has to have been explored by.Two years ago she was interested in Queen Elizabeth,over time we have watched films and read books and in the future things may crop up that engage her or offer new info about the era.
We have no way of knowing what she is learning from one day to the next.the evidence is that connections being made daily as Emily follows her interests, building blocks that grow to form structures, some of which end up a few blocks,some that grow and keep on expanding .Connections are made between each, as and when she finds new information, or when she goes back over old ground. Emily is learning and will continue to do so without the stress and restriction of school.She is free,she chooses her time table,her activities,when she eats,and what she eats.She can go to the loo without being embarrassed or afraid she will be told to wait.She decides what interests her,she doesn't have to spend hours and hours in activities she doesn't want or need.Her talents can grow because she can focus on them and from that self esteem grows.Her growth is evident in her interactions.
I know the future is bright for Emily.She is in charge of it and I am her co-pilot until she can Fly solo :-)
Friday, 29 May 2009
Third time lucky ;-)
Milly and I spent a very relaxed morning at home.We were both on computers and I was making calls and clearing paperwork.At the moment we have no sofas in the living room so Milly prefers to sit at the dining room table on the laptop and I was at the desk in the living room.Milly has MSN on both so we communicated online for a bit of fun:-0 Her typing and spelling is coming on in leaps and bounds!!
Out to do some shopping and Milly had not wanted to go to the play park or read on one of the benches near the river as I had suggested but as we were leaving she decided to take her new sketchbook she had bought from Muncaster.
We got to the car park and she asked to go along the river before going into town.We eventually found a bench where we could sit and she roughly sketched the scene over the river,we then walked on and found a place she could paddle.The sun was shining and she was squealing with delight and splashing around with a stick and we talked about the differences she had noticed in the way the stick went through the water when it was deeper and then when it was shallow.
After a while I looked at the time and was in a hurry to get what we had to do done and then I watched her face and realised there were better things to do on a gloriously sunny day and said ""You really want to get wet don't you love" and she most definitely didn't need asking twice!!Within minutes she was sitting down and splashing herself.I wish I had my camera it was lovely and she bought a smile to the faces of the people that passed by :-0
Didn't get in to do the shopping at all in the end,just have to fit it in tomorrow:-)
Back home and a few jobs to get done before getting ready to go out to Maryport for the outdoor event they had planned.Third time to see an organised event in 6 days, after Carlisle and Muncaster.This one had good weather and a big crowd and luckily some entertaining acts and a spectacular high wire act and fireworks!!
There were low points,the ques for ice creams and candy floss and the loos, but they could be expected with big crowds.There were quite a few large groups rather worse for wear and one of the downsides because of that was that a couple of young guys decided to shout obscenities at one of the acts.
All in all I would say we enjoyed it because of the quality of the acts and the high wire act was breathtaking.I took some pictures but haven't had time to download them so I may add later on.
Out to do some shopping and Milly had not wanted to go to the play park or read on one of the benches near the river as I had suggested but as we were leaving she decided to take her new sketchbook she had bought from Muncaster.
We got to the car park and she asked to go along the river before going into town.We eventually found a bench where we could sit and she roughly sketched the scene over the river,we then walked on and found a place she could paddle.The sun was shining and she was squealing with delight and splashing around with a stick and we talked about the differences she had noticed in the way the stick went through the water when it was deeper and then when it was shallow.
After a while I looked at the time and was in a hurry to get what we had to do done and then I watched her face and realised there were better things to do on a gloriously sunny day and said ""You really want to get wet don't you love" and she most definitely didn't need asking twice!!Within minutes she was sitting down and splashing herself.I wish I had my camera it was lovely and she bought a smile to the faces of the people that passed by :-0
Didn't get in to do the shopping at all in the end,just have to fit it in tomorrow:-)
Back home and a few jobs to get done before getting ready to go out to Maryport for the outdoor event they had planned.Third time to see an organised event in 6 days, after Carlisle and Muncaster.This one had good weather and a big crowd and luckily some entertaining acts and a spectacular high wire act and fireworks!!
There were low points,the ques for ice creams and candy floss and the loos, but they could be expected with big crowds.There were quite a few large groups rather worse for wear and one of the downsides because of that was that a couple of young guys decided to shout obscenities at one of the acts.
All in all I would say we enjoyed it because of the quality of the acts and the high wire act was breathtaking.I took some pictures but haven't had time to download them so I may add later on.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Fools day competion falls flat
Last year we purchased a yearly pass for Muncaster castle which ran out at the end of April.When we met Michelle, Marcus and Chloe there last week,we decided to buy another one and vowed to make sure we got the use out of it this year, regardless of the weather.
So for our first trip,we went with Emily's best friend A,her Mum and sister and brother to see the annual fools competition.We were a little late setting off due to a prior arrangement to help out at the local food co-op.
It was much busier than last year and we realised why, when they announced that a Blue Peter presenter was to perform.Unfortunately we couldn't get anywhere near the stage to see any of the acts:-( They had not put out any more seating than I remembered being out last year,even though it had obviously been trailed on TV,not very impressed to say the least.De ja vu after a similar experience in Carlisle on Sunday.
Anyhow, although it was disappointing, we made the most of things and enjoyed the other entertainers mingling with the crowds and the usual bouncy castles,trampolines etc.
I was sitting at a table while A and her family went round to see the owls and a lady joined me and we got chatting.We had a very good discussion about home ed and I then met her husband and found out they were both teachers.Their 8 year old and Emily and A had a good play while we discussed it.I'm not sure they were going to rush back and take her out of school after our chat, but I did get the impression that it was something they had thought seriously about,that it could be a future possibility and it had helped meeting Emily and chatting about what we did.
Milly coped really well today even though she was very tired and very cranky.When she is tired she can become quite distant and it can be harder for her to connect.
When we went to bed last night she took a torch and her new.Manga comic book.I heard some rustling some time during the night and wearily opened one eye thinking she had put on the torch, I couldn't see any light so dozed off again.Apparently she had woke and put on the torch and read under the covers.This is the first time for months and months that Emily has read anything by herself.She said she stopped after an hour but was awake until 3.30 because we were snoring so much!!!!I went to wake her at 9 this morning and she was sitting reading it again.I bought it because she is interested in Manga art and as it is comic form I thought it might be easier to read.Seems to be a hit,just bad timing that we had a busy day planned for a tired bod.....
We spent 5 hours there and by the time we were walking back to the car we were all pleasantly shattered......
So for our first trip,we went with Emily's best friend A,her Mum and sister and brother to see the annual fools competition.We were a little late setting off due to a prior arrangement to help out at the local food co-op.
It was much busier than last year and we realised why, when they announced that a Blue Peter presenter was to perform.Unfortunately we couldn't get anywhere near the stage to see any of the acts:-( They had not put out any more seating than I remembered being out last year,even though it had obviously been trailed on TV,not very impressed to say the least.De ja vu after a similar experience in Carlisle on Sunday.
Anyhow, although it was disappointing, we made the most of things and enjoyed the other entertainers mingling with the crowds and the usual bouncy castles,trampolines etc.
I was sitting at a table while A and her family went round to see the owls and a lady joined me and we got chatting.We had a very good discussion about home ed and I then met her husband and found out they were both teachers.Their 8 year old and Emily and A had a good play while we discussed it.I'm not sure they were going to rush back and take her out of school after our chat, but I did get the impression that it was something they had thought seriously about,that it could be a future possibility and it had helped meeting Emily and chatting about what we did.
Milly coped really well today even though she was very tired and very cranky.When she is tired she can become quite distant and it can be harder for her to connect.
When we went to bed last night she took a torch and her new.Manga comic book.I heard some rustling some time during the night and wearily opened one eye thinking she had put on the torch, I couldn't see any light so dozed off again.Apparently she had woke and put on the torch and read under the covers.This is the first time for months and months that Emily has read anything by herself.She said she stopped after an hour but was awake until 3.30 because we were snoring so much!!!!I went to wake her at 9 this morning and she was sitting reading it again.I bought it because she is interested in Manga art and as it is comic form I thought it might be easier to read.Seems to be a hit,just bad timing that we had a busy day planned for a tired bod.....
We spent 5 hours there and by the time we were walking back to the car we were all pleasantly shattered......
A rude awakening.....
Wrote yesterday about how much I enjoy waking gently with Milly next to me,really not too keen an clunks on the head at 7.20 though!!
That was my alarm call this morning;-) I needed to be up to help out at the food co-op so looking on the bright side, with that rude awakening I get to browse and have a little time on my own before waking the dreaming, flailing around,Milly:-)
That was my alarm call this morning;-) I needed to be up to help out at the food co-op so looking on the bright side, with that rude awakening I get to browse and have a little time on my own before waking the dreaming, flailing around,Milly:-)
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Circle of trust,sanctuary and Billy Elliot....
A very late start this morning.I woke first at 9 with Milly a few minutes behind me.I do love just been able to glance over and see her wake slowly and then a little hand holding before we both wake fully:-)
Conversation started about E who was meeting her boyfriend this afternoon at the station and how excited/nervous she would be.We got into talking about when Alan and I first met and how romances may not be forever and how important trust is in a relationship.I love it when conversations just evolve like that.We got into why trust is important in all relationships.Milly said that she felt she sometimes felt very let down by me if we had had a falling out and that as I had shouted (raised my voice but to Milly it is as bad as shouting!!)at her yesterday I was no longer in "her circle of trust", She reminded me that saying was in Meet the Fockers and we fell about laughing!!We really must see that again:-)
Milly makes me work at hard being a better person,I get to see how my off hand remarks really wound her and my raised voice is, to her, as bad as screaming at her.I try every day to be a gentler and more patient parent,I don't always get it right and sometimes it is the little things that get to me.I got up and read this post this morning which helped to put me back on track again.
Went over to my sisters for lunch,Mum and Dad were visiting as well so time for a good catch up.Sister and family had been to London for the weekend to celebrate a godsons birthday.They had gone to see Billy Elliot and I want to go so badly now!! I adore the film and all the accounts I have heard of the stage show have been glowing with praise.
Left there to go to an animal sanctuary(this was where the vet has told us to call for info on the ferret we saw in the garden)They rescue wildlife and then release them when they are well.
We saw two lercher's(the family pets)one had been kicked to within an inch of it's life and it took 41/2 hours of surgery to safe it's life the other one someone had tried to poison with bleach!!! WTF!!
Around the sanctury we saw,
geese,ducks,swans,peacocks,terrapins,rabbit's,cockatoos,badgers,otters, owl's, and so much more,they had a particularly freindly Turkey who Emily named Sweetie and it followed us around like a dog and allowed us to stroke it:-)
Great way to spend an hour in the rain but we left with the intention of visiting many more times and with a plan to talk to the lady in charge about volunteering.
Back home to make this I am now stuffed after eating far too much,it is just so gorgeous I couldn,t resist seconds.
Milly is on BBCi and MSN,Al is washing up before watching football and I am on here before seeing what Emily would like to do with the rest of the evening and what time we are off to bed.I wish I had Billy Elliot on DVd instead of video cos I would of watched that while she went off to sleep:-(
Conversation started about E who was meeting her boyfriend this afternoon at the station and how excited/nervous she would be.We got into talking about when Alan and I first met and how romances may not be forever and how important trust is in a relationship.I love it when conversations just evolve like that.We got into why trust is important in all relationships.Milly said that she felt she sometimes felt very let down by me if we had had a falling out and that as I had shouted (raised my voice but to Milly it is as bad as shouting!!)at her yesterday I was no longer in "her circle of trust", She reminded me that saying was in Meet the Fockers and we fell about laughing!!We really must see that again:-)
Milly makes me work at hard being a better person,I get to see how my off hand remarks really wound her and my raised voice is, to her, as bad as screaming at her.I try every day to be a gentler and more patient parent,I don't always get it right and sometimes it is the little things that get to me.I got up and read this post this morning which helped to put me back on track again.
Went over to my sisters for lunch,Mum and Dad were visiting as well so time for a good catch up.Sister and family had been to London for the weekend to celebrate a godsons birthday.They had gone to see Billy Elliot and I want to go so badly now!! I adore the film and all the accounts I have heard of the stage show have been glowing with praise.
Left there to go to an animal sanctuary(this was where the vet has told us to call for info on the ferret we saw in the garden)They rescue wildlife and then release them when they are well.
We saw two lercher's(the family pets)one had been kicked to within an inch of it's life and it took 41/2 hours of surgery to safe it's life the other one someone had tried to poison with bleach!!! WTF!!
Around the sanctury we saw,
geese,ducks,swans,peacocks,terrapins,rabbit's,cockatoos,badgers,otters, owl's, and so much more,they had a particularly freindly Turkey who Emily named Sweetie and it followed us around like a dog and allowed us to stroke it:-)
Great way to spend an hour in the rain but we left with the intention of visiting many more times and with a plan to talk to the lady in charge about volunteering.
Back home to make this I am now stuffed after eating far too much,it is just so gorgeous I couldn,t resist seconds.
Milly is on BBCi and MSN,Al is washing up before watching football and I am on here before seeing what Emily would like to do with the rest of the evening and what time we are off to bed.I wish I had Billy Elliot on DVd instead of video cos I would of watched that while she went off to sleep:-(
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Fat lip....
Milly and Alan have taken to going out to the trampoline for 20 minutes, half an hour or so bouncing each night.
Some time ago it morphed into a boxing/self defense type thing and Emily just loves it,she is really strong and her hand eye co-ordination has come on in leaps and bounds and she is getting through Alan's defences more often:-)She has always loved real physical rough and tumble with Alan.She has said she doesn't want to go to any Karate, Judo or kick boxing class at the moment,so we have been trying to come up with ideas to let her enjoy it at home.We were talking about getting some pads and gloves and possibly a punch bag so she could box and kick it.
Alan got up early on Sunday and headed off to the car boot sale and found two lots of boxing gloves for Emily and a punch ball on a stand for the princely sum of one pound:-)She loves them and is keen to get a heavier punch bag so she can practice kick boxing.
So tonight off on to the trampoline at 7.30.
8.00 back in with a fat lip!! No they haven't taken to full on boxing!! Apparently they were trying some body throws and she flopped face down and struck her face flat on the trampoline resulting in a fat lip and a few (only a few) tears:-(
She has however no intention of giving up:-)
Some time ago it morphed into a boxing/self defense type thing and Emily just loves it,she is really strong and her hand eye co-ordination has come on in leaps and bounds and she is getting through Alan's defences more often:-)She has always loved real physical rough and tumble with Alan.She has said she doesn't want to go to any Karate, Judo or kick boxing class at the moment,so we have been trying to come up with ideas to let her enjoy it at home.We were talking about getting some pads and gloves and possibly a punch bag so she could box and kick it.
Alan got up early on Sunday and headed off to the car boot sale and found two lots of boxing gloves for Emily and a punch ball on a stand for the princely sum of one pound:-)She loves them and is keen to get a heavier punch bag so she can practice kick boxing.
So tonight off on to the trampoline at 7.30.
8.00 back in with a fat lip!! No they haven't taken to full on boxing!! Apparently they were trying some body throws and she flopped face down and struck her face flat on the trampoline resulting in a fat lip and a few (only a few) tears:-(
She has however no intention of giving up:-)
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Street entertainment,rolling down hills and midnight snacks
Have just got back after a rather nice evening.
We took Emily and two friends to Carlisle for an evening of outdoor entertainment.
There were bands playing and street performers which all sounds good but it didn't quite work.
As we were walking down to the area the stage was set up,Alan noticed one of those statues that move!! The guy was very good and as Emily and A went to put some money in his bowl they had a giggle as he moved and squeaked and stuck his tongue out at Emily each time she looked away.I got sat at a table and Al went off with the girls to see a circus performers further up the street,while I did some people watching.
There were wide aisles either side of the tables and a stage where the band played down in the distance.Some interesting looking food stalls selling Paella,hog roast and other delicacies(we had had tea as I knew they would be charging over the top prices and this weeks budget just wouldn't stretch to it).
I saw some of the roaming acts around but they didn't come close to where our table was to get a good view.The crowds increased and it became impossible to see the act that were performing in front of the stage.Luckily they were an acrobatic troupe from Catalonia and they built towers so high that I could see them above the crowds!! There were a lot of people in the same boat and they were resorting to standing on chairs and tables to get better views.Emily and the girls were a little bored by this time so rather than dragging it out we decided to head home.I had been keen to see the finale at 10 which involved drummers walking through the crowds and then a human mobile being hoisted high into the sky by a rather enormous crane, but that meant waiting two hours!!
We got back in the car and were due to go home as the girls are staying over.We decided to stop off for essential supplies(wine,sodas,and cheesy puffs!!)and then I asked them if they would like to do something on the spur of the moment the only thing being it couldn't cost money.They were stumped but jumped at my idea to take a detour and head to the beach.Much talk about getting out for a paddle and getting wet!!
We got there and Emily and A got out to go and play on the large expanse of grass at Silloth common.They went up a hill and I was sure they would roll down but they didn't.E got out to give them the nudge and decided to get one more roll down a hill in even though she is a super cool 15 year old:-) They came back to the car and Alan took them down to the shore but they weren't long before they came running back.The three of them then spent 45 mins or so playing Robin hood/lord of the rings around the green and wooded area.Alan and I sat in the car watching and chatting.
A giggly drive home and now Alan is watching football in the sun room I am on here and the three girls are in the living room with frequent visits through to refuel.
I have homemade potato wedges cooking for a midnight snack with mayonnaise or Tomato sauce (or both if desired!!)and all is well.
We took Emily and two friends to Carlisle for an evening of outdoor entertainment.
There were bands playing and street performers which all sounds good but it didn't quite work.
As we were walking down to the area the stage was set up,Alan noticed one of those statues that move!! The guy was very good and as Emily and A went to put some money in his bowl they had a giggle as he moved and squeaked and stuck his tongue out at Emily each time she looked away.I got sat at a table and Al went off with the girls to see a circus performers further up the street,while I did some people watching.
There were wide aisles either side of the tables and a stage where the band played down in the distance.Some interesting looking food stalls selling Paella,hog roast and other delicacies(we had had tea as I knew they would be charging over the top prices and this weeks budget just wouldn't stretch to it).
I saw some of the roaming acts around but they didn't come close to where our table was to get a good view.The crowds increased and it became impossible to see the act that were performing in front of the stage.Luckily they were an acrobatic troupe from Catalonia and they built towers so high that I could see them above the crowds!! There were a lot of people in the same boat and they were resorting to standing on chairs and tables to get better views.Emily and the girls were a little bored by this time so rather than dragging it out we decided to head home.I had been keen to see the finale at 10 which involved drummers walking through the crowds and then a human mobile being hoisted high into the sky by a rather enormous crane, but that meant waiting two hours!!
We got back in the car and were due to go home as the girls are staying over.We decided to stop off for essential supplies(wine,sodas,and cheesy puffs!!)and then I asked them if they would like to do something on the spur of the moment the only thing being it couldn't cost money.They were stumped but jumped at my idea to take a detour and head to the beach.Much talk about getting out for a paddle and getting wet!!
We got there and Emily and A got out to go and play on the large expanse of grass at Silloth common.They went up a hill and I was sure they would roll down but they didn't.E got out to give them the nudge and decided to get one more roll down a hill in even though she is a super cool 15 year old:-) They came back to the car and Alan took them down to the shore but they weren't long before they came running back.The three of them then spent 45 mins or so playing Robin hood/lord of the rings around the green and wooded area.Alan and I sat in the car watching and chatting.
A giggly drive home and now Alan is watching football in the sun room I am on here and the three girls are in the living room with frequent visits through to refuel.
I have homemade potato wedges cooking for a midnight snack with mayonnaise or Tomato sauce (or both if desired!!)and all is well.
Friday, 22 May 2009
A pretty relaxed week..
We have had a lovely week:-0
Monday was pretty relaxed, a little housework and spending time together on and off reading/playing.
Met up with Michelle,Marcus, and Chloe on Tuesday.They had lunch here,the girls had time to have a play in the garden and then we went off to Wordsworth house. We had a great time.Milly acted out a character called Lorna .Her and Chloe were able to sit in the back office at the clerks desk and write with a quill pen and then a member of staff helped them seal it with wax.In the children's bedroom the girls were able to dress up,unfortunately although they had told me it closed at 5 they steered people out into the gardens earlier, so play had to be cut short.We then went for a cuppa and a cake to a nearby hotel.Play on the park for the girls and then we had to say goodbye :-( We really enjoyed their company and I do hope we get to meet up again at some stage.
Wed was supposed to be Home ed group,as I was making the sandwiches to take with us Milly asked if we had to go and I said not at all and we could just stay at home in our PJ's so that is exactly what we did.Can't remember much of what we did but it didn't involve much movement:-)
Thursday my mum and dad came over for lunch and then later in the afternoon we picked up E from drama club and she stayed over.I stayed up chatting to the two of them and got to bed around 12.
It was 10.30 before the two of them woke this morning and shortly after that E was picked up and we spent the morning quietly and washed hairs etc before heading off to pick up A from school.She had been on a 4 day residential and was quite tired but they had a good play until she was picked up at 7.Alan had been to drop off my sister and family at Penrith station and after he had his tea we all played a game called Anotomix
Emily is not a great board game fan and this can be quite a slow game so we ended up making our own rules up to complete the jigsaws and then because she adores answering questions she wanted me to ask her 20 and she got 17 right.Alan was next and he only got 14 right.I must get the Egyptians game because I think it is a similar thing to Anatomix and Romans
where questions are asked.I also think she would enjoy it if I took the questions with us and used them as a game to play while waiting anywhere when we go out(note to self!!)
So here we are a Friday night,Alan has watched Have I got news for you while I sat and read to Emily whilst she had a bath and then he has gone up to bed with her while I have some time to blog and watch TV or read or indeed both:-)
Saturday we are hoping to spend sorting the garden out.I have not got anything planted in my veg garden and I need to look at what I can actually hope to grow and get it in PDQ.
I am taking Alan out to the Cinema whilst E babysits and then stays over.We are going to the early showing and won't be late back.
On Sunday we are going into Carlisle to see an event organised by Lakes alive sounds good and is free so might as well go along and check it out.We are taking Emily's friend A and possibly E and they will come back here for a sleepover.It will be very late by the time we get back so I am planning a day of rest on Monday!!
Alan and Emily have plans for a walk round one of the lakes and then they are picking my sister and family up from the train station.
Monday was pretty relaxed, a little housework and spending time together on and off reading/playing.
Met up with Michelle,Marcus, and Chloe on Tuesday.They had lunch here,the girls had time to have a play in the garden and then we went off to Wordsworth house. We had a great time.Milly acted out a character called Lorna .Her and Chloe were able to sit in the back office at the clerks desk and write with a quill pen and then a member of staff helped them seal it with wax.In the children's bedroom the girls were able to dress up,unfortunately although they had told me it closed at 5 they steered people out into the gardens earlier, so play had to be cut short.We then went for a cuppa and a cake to a nearby hotel.Play on the park for the girls and then we had to say goodbye :-( We really enjoyed their company and I do hope we get to meet up again at some stage.
Wed was supposed to be Home ed group,as I was making the sandwiches to take with us Milly asked if we had to go and I said not at all and we could just stay at home in our PJ's so that is exactly what we did.Can't remember much of what we did but it didn't involve much movement:-)
Thursday my mum and dad came over for lunch and then later in the afternoon we picked up E from drama club and she stayed over.I stayed up chatting to the two of them and got to bed around 12.
It was 10.30 before the two of them woke this morning and shortly after that E was picked up and we spent the morning quietly and washed hairs etc before heading off to pick up A from school.She had been on a 4 day residential and was quite tired but they had a good play until she was picked up at 7.Alan had been to drop off my sister and family at Penrith station and after he had his tea we all played a game called Anotomix
Emily is not a great board game fan and this can be quite a slow game so we ended up making our own rules up to complete the jigsaws and then because she adores answering questions she wanted me to ask her 20 and she got 17 right.Alan was next and he only got 14 right.I must get the Egyptians game because I think it is a similar thing to Anatomix and Romans
where questions are asked.I also think she would enjoy it if I took the questions with us and used them as a game to play while waiting anywhere when we go out(note to self!!)
So here we are a Friday night,Alan has watched Have I got news for you while I sat and read to Emily whilst she had a bath and then he has gone up to bed with her while I have some time to blog and watch TV or read or indeed both:-)
Saturday we are hoping to spend sorting the garden out.I have not got anything planted in my veg garden and I need to look at what I can actually hope to grow and get it in PDQ.
I am taking Alan out to the Cinema whilst E babysits and then stays over.We are going to the early showing and won't be late back.
On Sunday we are going into Carlisle to see an event organised by Lakes alive sounds good and is free so might as well go along and check it out.We are taking Emily's friend A and possibly E and they will come back here for a sleepover.It will be very late by the time we get back so I am planning a day of rest on Monday!!
Alan and Emily have plans for a walk round one of the lakes and then they are picking my sister and family up from the train station.
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Sofa turned out well!!
The sofa that used to be an Aubergine colour has turned out quite well.Not quite the dark chocolate I had wanted, but close enough.I could have ordered more dye(new dylon machine dye with no salt needed) and I would think it would have gone darker but to be honest I just wanted it finished(impatient me?) and back on, out of the way.It was a devil to get dry as the weather was so awful!!
I had to use pre dye and that meant it had to be washed at a high temperature and I was really concerned it would shrink as they weren't washable covers.I had decided it was worth a risk and thankfully it has paid off,although they shrunk a little bit it's not noticeable.
I had to use pre dye and that meant it had to be washed at a high temperature and I was really concerned it would shrink as they weren't washable covers.I had decided it was worth a risk and thankfully it has paid off,although they shrunk a little bit it's not noticeable.
Monday, 18 May 2009
In dire need of a sort out!!
In all the posts about the big declutter that is going on I have shown some nice tidy shots of our home.
The reality is, our house is just like everyone elses and whilst I can just about keep on top of the rooms we use daily,behind the scenes is not too pretty!!!
In the bottom picture I couldn't even open the door as things were just going to fall out.So improvements have been made but some areas are still in dire need of a sort out:-(
The reality is, our house is just like everyone elses and whilst I can just about keep on top of the rooms we use daily,behind the scenes is not too pretty!!!
In the bottom picture I couldn't even open the door as things were just going to fall out.So improvements have been made but some areas are still in dire need of a sort out:-(
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Car wash shenanigans!!
A sleepover for Milly and A last night, arranged at the last minute and the first one they have had together for quite some time.
I went off to bed around 12.15 and apparently they dozed off around 1.00.
I had to wake them from a very deep sleep at 9.15 as A was being picked up.Pancakes were quikly made for A before mum called to collect.I made Milly some and then Alan asked if she would like to clean the car with him.I was amazed when she said yes!! I would have put bets on her saying no after her late night,it just goes to show I should never make assumptions;-)
Mayhem ensued with lots of squealing and laughter.
In to warm up with a hot chocolate and she decided to watch Night at the Museum in the living room where they had slept last night.
I had taken out the vacum and had also got the ingredients out to make a sweet potato cake, so things I could be getting on with and I knew she would be ok watching on her own but I decided it would be much nicer if I snuggled down with her and watch the film,so glad I did,I loved it.We will head off to the cinema soon to see the sequel:-)
After we ate lunch Milly texted E to see if she wanted to come over for a while this afternoon and got the answer she hoped for:-0
A quick trip to pick her up and then I was able to make the cake chatting to the two of them and clean up and vacuum while it was cooking and they played.
Alan has painted a part of the wall in the dining room white today so that Milly can draw on the wall if she wants.Freinds can leave their mark too which will nice,until such time as it is full and we will just paint over it.I would have liked to have more of the wall to draw on but she does like these posters and they are handy as quick references or just to spark a thought off,or make a connection to something already known.And another rather important reason is that they are covering up holes in the wall where the shelves used to be above my desk!!!
The two girls are in the living room watching lady gaga and such on utube and connecting with friends on MSN.I have taken five to blog while Alan is out with Beauty.
Plans for the rest of the day include,shopping for food on line, Tea, driving E home at some point and then back for an appointment with a bath and a book.
I went off to bed around 12.15 and apparently they dozed off around 1.00.
I had to wake them from a very deep sleep at 9.15 as A was being picked up.Pancakes were quikly made for A before mum called to collect.I made Milly some and then Alan asked if she would like to clean the car with him.I was amazed when she said yes!! I would have put bets on her saying no after her late night,it just goes to show I should never make assumptions;-)
Mayhem ensued with lots of squealing and laughter.
In to warm up with a hot chocolate and she decided to watch Night at the Museum in the living room where they had slept last night.
I had taken out the vacum and had also got the ingredients out to make a sweet potato cake, so things I could be getting on with and I knew she would be ok watching on her own but I decided it would be much nicer if I snuggled down with her and watch the film,so glad I did,I loved it.We will head off to the cinema soon to see the sequel:-)
After we ate lunch Milly texted E to see if she wanted to come over for a while this afternoon and got the answer she hoped for:-0
A quick trip to pick her up and then I was able to make the cake chatting to the two of them and clean up and vacuum while it was cooking and they played.
Alan has painted a part of the wall in the dining room white today so that Milly can draw on the wall if she wants.Freinds can leave their mark too which will nice,until such time as it is full and we will just paint over it.I would have liked to have more of the wall to draw on but she does like these posters and they are handy as quick references or just to spark a thought off,or make a connection to something already known.And another rather important reason is that they are covering up holes in the wall where the shelves used to be above my desk!!!
The two girls are in the living room watching lady gaga and such on utube and connecting with friends on MSN.I have taken five to blog while Alan is out with Beauty.
Plans for the rest of the day include,shopping for food on line, Tea, driving E home at some point and then back for an appointment with a bath and a book.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)