Monster & Teeny

I’ve struggled to keep this blog up to date really and I find doing the weekly roundup both slightly tedious and actually probably not that informative or representative of what we actually do. This is not my only blog, probably not even my secondary blog but in the same way that the Early Years Blog Ring (which back then was the Muddlepuddle Blog Ring) was a huge resource of support and inspiration to me back when we started our Home Ed journey I want to remain a part of it in some way. I also feel that as no two families Home Educate in quite the same way them more blogs on HE that are out there, with different approaches, challenges and ideas the better it is.

So I’m going to stop trying to blog weekly in the postcard, impersonal style I have been doing, particularly as that mostly involves me sitting trawling through my personal blog and trying to pick out one or two sentences each day which sum up what we’ve done. But I will continue this blog. I like to have a seperate place to mark things of particular educational note, to have HE musings, to keep an account of exactly what Home Education means to us and how we go about it.

I’m not sure yet what sort of form that will take, or how regularly I will post but reading back through a few posts this blog doesn’t feel at all like it’s about me or the children so I’ll be looking to remedy that and make it a bit more personal to us.

Monday MM Home Ed group where we made Christmas decorations. Snowflakes, some paper chains, some popcorn threading etc. Monster joined in with it all, Teeny did some and then ate lots of popcorn

They headed off and played and then Monster made some chocolate crispy cakes with one of the other adults for a while.

In the afternoon we went to the post office and the children spent hours playing some very complicated game together.

Tuesday I started my new job! 11 hours a week at the local library which is made up of one full day and one half day a week. Today was a half day and as is always the case with a new job was mostly taken up with being shown round the building, paperwork and introductions to work colleagues. I was pretty nervous but it all went well and I really enjoyed it and think I am going to get a lot out of working there on all levels.

A was home with the children ably assisted by Lucy so he was able to come and collect me from work and drop me home before going on to college. We had lunch and the children continued playing - a very crazy game involving leaping over two footstools and landing on a pile of pillows.

In the afternoon I made Teeny’s birthday cake, wrapped presents and we blew up lots of balloons. Monster made a lovely birthday card for her featuring a pink and purple flying pony.

Wednesday - Teeny’s FOURTH birthday! 

We had a lovely day. She opened all her gifts from us in the morning including a fish tank filled with pink pebbles and plastic jewels waiting for her to choose some fish to live in it. So once we were all up and dressed we headed off to the aquarium shop to choose two new pets. She chose one pinkish and one silverish fish - they are of the goldfish variety but slightly oddly shaped with sort of squat fat bodies. Quite pretty though. She named them ‘Barbie’ and ‘Unicorn’.

Monster sat and played Teeny’s Barbie X box game (another of her presents) while Teeny watched him play and her and I also made a bag from a kit which was another present.

My Mum arrived and we all went out to lunch.

 In the afternoon my Granny, Dad and brother came over and when A got home we did the birthday cake.

Thursday Another working day for me, this time Lucy stayed at our house for the morning and my Dad arrived at lunchtime to take over. A and I arrived home at the same time around 5.30pm. The children appeared to have had a lovely day playing with R & R in the morning and having Grandad at their beck and call all afternoon. I think me working is going to be good for all of us and mean they get time away from me and with other people, which I think they are now ready for and will get a lot out of.

Friday Preparing for Teeny’s birthday party day. Plenty of baking, including another birthday cake. She requested a ‘Princess party’ for her birthday way back in the summer so I hired the same hall we have used for Monster’s party and the Halloween party the year before and planned Princessy activities rather than party games. Lots of last minute preparations including baking cakes and biscuits, cheese scones and so on, all with pink, heart or star shaped themes. The children amused themselves

Kirsty and James arrived in the evening with Marcus & Alex. Teeny was already asleep but Monster and Marcus stayed awake until nearly midnight

Saturday Party Day!

In the morning I made sandwiches and other last minute bits and pieces then I headed to the hall to prepare it for the 10 princesses. We had a main table laid out with all the food, pink napkins, personalised, jewelled goblets for each girl and a tablecloth scattered with hearts, flowers and stars. I managed to create a ‘throne’ for Teeny with some draped material over a chair and lit the hall with fairy lights.

Everyone arrived and after opening presents and greeting everyone they sat down to eat.

We made perfume, braclets, tiaras and a fairy scene for Teeny to keep and then it was time for the cake! A arrived with Monster, James and Marcus for that bit.

With the addition of the boys things veered from the sedate and calm activities to a crazy running around game so the adults sat and chatted a while and let them get on with it before a mass tidy up session got underway.

Various guests came back to ours where xboxing, playing, chatting and drinking commenced. We made and consumed lots of pizzas, watched the music channels and sang Christmas songs. The last guests not staying over left, children went to bed and we were not too much later ourselves.

Sunday A quieter - and slightly later starting morning. Monster, Teeny, Marcus and Alex watched films, played with lego and enjoyed the morning before Kirsty and James headed off after lunch. A went to get logs while me and the children errected our Christmas tree and then we all spent the afternoon putting decorations up. I made some stained glass window biscuits which we hung on the tree and we had an early night all round.

Monday HE group at which they did plenty of running round playing and a sticking autumn leaves onto a big bit of paper type craft. I chatted and heckled Ali with her bath bomb making session.

In the afternoon we walked to the post office to send some ebay parcels, chatting about what we saw as we went. I gave them a few pence each to spend on sweets and we chatted about them all the way home again.

In the (late) evening Alison and children from The Portico arrived.

Tuesday A nice day at home doing not a lot. The children did a show for us all dressed up, with fab narration and direction from Violet, I made some snickerdoodles with help from Gwenny, Buttercup and Teeny and Ernest and Monster spent hours playing x box.

Wednesday Lucy came over with R & R to add to the mix. Lots more chatting, playing, some haircutting by Alison ’scissors’ Portico. Alison and co headed off after kids’ tea and we had an early night all round.

Thursday A busy and hectic day with lots of last minute ‘things to do before December 1st’ type stuff including finding advent calendars. We dashed into town and did that, returning a couple of library books and picking up a birthday present for SIL as we went, then collected Lucy, R & R and drove to some local woods to meet SIL, J & M and another Home Ed friend with her two daughters. Had a lovely time at the woods enjoying being out and about in the wintery sunshine.

The highlight for Teeny being that our friend had brought her dog along and Teeny got to throw sticks for her to fetch and walk along holding her lead for a while.

Friday  Over to Ali’s in the afternoon after a morning of colouring and cutting out various bits and pieces that had arrived with a Flushed Away board game. A lovely time at Ali’s as usual with films to watch, xbox to play, some zoombinis, pasta and chocolate and lots of chatter. We listened to Christmas cds on the way there and back and enjoyed singing along and feeling all festive.

Saturday Christmas shopping day! We drove a fair way along the south coast and then worked our way back home visiting every charity shop on the way. Lunch was McDs paid for with pinecone research surveys luncheon vouchers. Had a really nice day soaking up festive spirit and enjoying being out and about in the bustle together. My parents came over in the evening for dinner.

Sunday A went logging with my Dad in the morning and Ros & co came over for an hour or so to visit - it’d been way too long since we’d seen them. I made the first batch of mince pies of the year, using my own home made mince meat which was rather lovely.

Roast dinner at lunchtime, Monster and I played various board games together and some mastermind and connect 4 while Teeny played with sticklebricks. Then in the late afternoon we put the children’s Christmas trees up. They each have a little one that goes up in their bedrooms fairly early in December and they really enjoy the decorating them and having their own tree each.

Monday - Home Ed group in the day where the children had a good time. Teeny and F played together for ages drawing and sticking foam shapes onto paper. Then Monster joined them and they made a big wooden train track which lots of the other children joined in with. Monster and F had a long play together too pushing each other round on a toy car which they both enjoyed.

In the afternoon Monster and Teeny played X box together with Monster being very patient about showing her how to do various things.

My Dad came over to look after Teeny while I took Monster off to Badgers but we arrived to find they had finished and were not running any more. We were expecting it to end by the end of the year but this was earlier than anticipated. We have a Christmas party to go to later in December but that it is for the local group. I have already signed Monster up to the nearest local group which is a more successful one with lots of attendees so he will start there in January.

Tuesday In the morning Monster and I did some more film making and then he and Teeny played with the foam blocks and soft toys for ages. In the afternoon I made some flapjacks and Lucy came round with R & R. Later still our friend Mel came round with L & L (friends who go to school) for tea. A very rowdy day filled with lots of company finished with me heading off to Reading Group in the evening.

Wednesday  Lucy came round in the morning and looked after the children while I went to the dentist. SIL came round mid morning with J & M and we all walked over to our local park for a play. SIL, J & M came back for lunch and Lucy, R & R joined us again later for lots of playing, including dressing up, a huge wooden train track and lots of toy dinosaurs and cars. Teeny and R did some bead threading too.

Thursday  In the morning Monster X boxed while Teeny spent ages making tap a shape pictures, then we watched Class TV for a while. I made some pizza dough and we headed round to Lucy’s in time for lunch where we made pizzas with the children. Interesting and fun but convinced me once and for all that a) I have not missed any sort of vocation to teach and b) autonomy is the right way . A nice afternoon of playing and chatting. Our friend who moved to Ireland a couple of years ago came over in the evening for a lovely catch up.

Friday In the morning A and I took the children to Toys R Us for Teeny to look at toys and get some idea of what she wants for her birthday. Home for lunch and some more filmmaking - this time a geomag figure dancing. In the late afternoon I popped out to post some parcels.

Saturday  I went Christmas shopping with my Mum while A and my Dad stayed home with the children. They did lots of board game playing and Monster put on a show in the playroom where he organised decorations, created a stage, sorted lighting and snacks. He was less organised about the actual content of the show which seemed to rely fairly heavily on audience participation but it was fun to watch just the same.

Sunday Lots of computer play this morning - Barbie website for Teeny which required lots of putting her name in so I wrote it down for her to copy and she got very quick at typing it and finding the letters on the keyboard. I think she got more out of that than the actual playing the games . Monster played Cat in the Hat, Zoombinis and an animation game.
After lunch Monster continued on his Zoombinis fest while Teeny and I did some decorating of plastic wine glasses to make goblets for her birthday party, writing each guests name on a goblet and decorating it with glitter and jewels - lots of fun .