the sun is shinning

the sun is shinning, although we have very thick frosts, even in town. But at least the sun is shinning and it is not all damp and gloomy. I have been playing around with settings and am hoping to update the blog with links etc that I have found along our home ed journey which may help others, although mostly I am hoping to get a bit organised by sorting through them and reorganising resources. In other news Munch has been busy with craft club and made an art apron, which I will remember to photograph soon as I get a chance. Also lots of christmas scented play dough has been made and played with, just need more food colouring now lol. Also christmas scented salt doh was made and shaped with christmas cookie cutters. We allowed it to air dry and started painting them yesterday.

Lots of sorting through boxes making sure we know where baby bits are whilst searching for presents we know we bought ages ago and put somewhere safe. Making room for the tree. Lots of hiding under the duvet as some of us have stinking colds and feel pretty terrible. Lots of playing (and some squabbling) and craft opportunities and lots of reading. Mostly the adults whilst the children are playing nicely. I am reading Ina May's guide to childbirth as the panic is beginning to set in with 9 weeks to go. Mostly this is due to ventous delivery last time and the severity levels of pain and spd this time around. Not actually sure what The ninja is reading at the moment, I have lost track a bit.

Munch's latest craft club creation

I am struggling with pain and depression at the moment, so will try not to whine and moan too much. I simply  wanted to show you munch's latest craft club creation.

and of course to mention the snow.....such as it was. We seemed to have the least out of everyone we know. Even friends on the south coast had more.

Also on the plus side we have been short listed on a house, although nothing is guaranteed. Fingers crossed, although it won't be ready until middle/end of January as they are still building it. 

7 days

Library, new car bought and waiting to be collected. Craft club. Pottering, housework and snuggling to avoid the worst of the weather. Popping into town for a few bits and bobs, looking for bits to put in advent calenders (sadly this year we are a bit behind in our seasons preparations. Partly due to both feeling so bad and having limited mobility and partly due to cash flow issues, like not having any. Have made a few bits and got a few bits of ebay. Luckily we both have big families though so the children will be ok present wise and luckily they are mostly bothered about the spirit of christmas (although saying that teh eldest did present us with a comprehensive list for Santa, most of which is doable except maybe the DS which is making an appearance on the list for the second year running. Will have to see what we can do)

Yesterday we went to the Dickens Christmas festival in Rochester as I was helping out on the NCT stall, unfortunately didn't get to see much as it was sooooo busy but all looked very festive. Speaking of festive here is Munch's latest creation from craft club

She really enjoyed doing it and it looks lovely. We have filled it with moshi things as requested (but only because they were in the sale)

Today we are off to the in-laws for lunch and our weekly fix of dodgy tv so will sign off for now.

Busy doing nothing

Yesterday was one of those day where I was exhausted from over doing it but didn't seem to do anything in particular, apart from housework and refereeing the girls.

Scrubbed the kitchen (again, why is it never ending, our old kitchen never looked as grubby) 2 lots of washing up. Put one load of washing of the clothes horse and away, another out and a 3rd lot in, trying to make the most of the lovely sunshine and good breeze. Cooked porridge for everyone and checked messages, read blogs and facebook. Looked for more cars on the internet whilst waiting for everyone to get up. The girls played with duplo for a bit but kept squabbling so the ginger ninja put on the Wii to try and keep them entertained, didn't last long. Watched a DVD instead. Made lunch and washed up again. Then made cookies with Tinkerbell whilst munch caught up on some reading.

The girls played nicely together for a while whilst I pottered around stripping beds and the ninja put the washing out to make the most of the sunshine (typically it started raining about 20 minutes later and stayed that way for the rest of the day. The girls played rather noisy games of hide and seek with Tinkerbell quite happily counting to ten very loudly and getting all the numbers right. I was feeling pretty tired and baby was making his presence felt by this point so opted for a fairly lazy dinner of fish finger and chips. Plus scrubbing the living room carpet where there were dried milk and yogurt patches (yuck, why do they insist on carrying them around the lounge?)

Finally took myself of for a long soak and a good read of my book and left the ginger ninja to sort bedtime out as I was too uncomfortable and felt I deserved a bath.

A short round up

This week has so far consisted of....Visiting friends, craft club, Home ed group and lots of drawing/colouring. Also lots of expenses by way of new battery and service for car, only to find out the car is worse off than we thought and we need a new one. Had to reapply for credit card to buy a cheap second hand one as we cannot do without one so lots of internet searches as a result looking at cars, safety ratings and seating etc as need at least 3 proper seats to fit car seats etc in. Also looking at tax, insurance and fuel economy.....so lots of factors to consider.

Also this week we have had several film afternoons whilst hiding from the lousy wet and windy weather. A few bargains have been had at jumble sales and christmas bizare's so the children have enjoyed new books and games which on the whole they have shared and played together nicely with. Still no news on the moving front, except that despite having 120 points the house we wanted went to someone with 67 points because they already had a 3rd child whereas ours isn't here yet...although they were an internal transfer and not a homeless case which we are....but I am not bitter (much) :-(  Just have to keep waiting I guess and unpacking as and when we need things and repacking when we don't. After all it has only been 6 months of limbo.........

A not so great week (again)

More depressing news on the housing front. Despite tears, tantrums and polite begging for any information the council are still hedging as to when we can expect a moving date or any news at all. Our best chance is a new build of 9 houses in nearby loose....small ish houses/ gardens but 2 mins from the YMCA centre which do some great activities for the girls and only a ten minute walk from allotments (although there is a long waiting list for these....just over a year) However, the council say they will be ready mid December but when we tried to get a look so as to judge suitability the foreman said they would not be ready until mid January at the earliest......quite worrying when my mobility is lessening every day due to severe SPD and the ginger ninja has mobility issues linked to his Fibromalgya and ME and baby number 3 due in mid February....might be cutting it a bit close. Still nothing we can do about it except wait and see.

To this end we have unpacked some of the craft materials and let the girls lose with them. They have really enjoyed rediscovering some of there old favourites and some of the new additions. Many a pleasant evening has been spent at the table pottering and not arguing....which is always a bonus.

Excuse the poor picture and the mess in the background but I was in a rush to take a picture before they saw me and started posing.

The rest of the week has been fairly quite...popped over to a friends on Wednesday for lunch with Tinkerbell as Munch was at her craft meet following a sleepover at her friends. Had to charge the car first though as battery was dead. Needed to get petrol on way home so switched off engine.....only to find it would not start again so I had to call friends husband to come and give a jump start so I could make it home. Put the car on charge when got home as we had an appointment in the evening to look around the birthing centre only to have to call the AA out afterwards as the car was dead again. Sitting in the still busy car park with the bonnet up not one person offered to help........... anyway we need a new battery and alternator I suspect.....as well as car tax due. Not good when we are beyond brasic so have had to reapply for the credit card we just finished paying off :-(  we did look to see if we could do without the car but seeing as both of us have limited mobility and when adding the cost of public transport even if only to the Faversham meet it would cost as much as we are paying in insurance and petrol so we thought it best to stick with it.

Here's hoping this week brings a more relaxed week.

To soft play or not to soft play?

We tried a new soft play area near us this week. More expensive than the ones we usually visit as they don't do a half price day during term time like some of the others. £11 later we were finally in....after reading the many signs warning that only food and drink purchased on the premises were allowed to be eaten on site and kindly asking that customers witnessing others breaching these rules to inform the management immediately. Now that is fair enough and I understand that they want/ need to make money. However food etc was very expensive  for what it was and they had a limited menu. Nothing gluten/ dairy free or vegan. Not even a bowl of chips wish is usually a last resort for us as the usual sandwich selections are out of the question. The main reason we went is because they have a go ape type area for the older ones ....although the smaller ones soon got bored with everything else. You just can't please everyone it seems.

After some initial reluctance Munch managed to over come some of her fears and have a go....mostly because her friends were to be honest.

Now we are off for a family yard day at my grandparents....which could go either way as one or 2 of my family are very......forceful in their opinions of our choice to home ed and quite derogatory of my husband, who has decided to stay at home rather than risk telling anyone exactly where to go when they ask him if he has a job yet/ has pulled himself together. Wish me luck, I may be coming home early :-)

........

Saturday we took an unexpectedly pleasant trip to the coast. We had to pick up an ebay purchase from Bexhill so decided to pop along to Hastings for a wander and fish and chip lunch. Munch was out with Nanny 1 visiting some friends so left us with some precious one to one time with Tinkerbell. Was a surprising lovely day weather wise, started off blowing a gale but wind soon died down and a lovely day was had by all. Tink especially loved the new pirate play area. She is obsessed with pirates in general and often wanders around the house with junk mail or random bits of paper pretending they are treasure maps with a pair of binoculars around her neck.

 After having no plans for Bonfire night  were invited to friends for bangers and bbq on Sunday night. Was great to catch up with some of friends we hadn't seen in a while and the children loved running around and watching a large amount of fireworks....I dread to think how much the hubby stretched his budget. Cue much hilarity and mud. A very late night but a good time was had by all.

We have been trying to take things slowly as SPD is getting worse, slowly but surely, just when I feel I need to be doing more. So lots of home days watching wartime farm, reading and lots of DVD afternoons since we got a TV from freecycle and borrowed a DVD player from FIL. All mixed with library and park visits along with our regular fortnightly Tuesday  Faversham group meet this week. It was also Mad Science which is meeting mixed reviews from the children involved. This week was finger prints and blood grouping I think. Not too sure actually as it is something which munch enjoys but usually doesn't talk about much, at least to start with. However, over the next couple of days she usually slowly lets slip what she has learned during conversations about other seemingly unrelated things.

Also lots of craft activities in the art room afterwards, mostly glitter fights with her friend Abi whilst flirting with A....not that they would call it flirting at their young age. lol.

Wednesday Munch had her regular craft sessions with a group of friends run by the lovely Rekela....who must have the patience of a saint to run a craft class for 4 1/2 hours in her conservatory with at least 6 teen and pre-teens and lots of dye, hot glue guns and several amazingly ambitious/ complex craft ideas. This week  was geometric pin pictures (reminiscent of the 70's) but not only a simple design...oh no no half measures here. Several practice patterns are needed first....making embroidered/embossed designs on card...almost like embroidered Christmas cards, plus lots of theory, printing of other designs and instructions and discussions of threads, colours etc. Then a large model with pins, embroidery floss and pins before framing and completing. I am exhausted just writing it let alone trying to help half a dozen or so children do it. It is lovely though to see the craft folders they come home with expanding week by week and to see how much Munch is growing in confidence and ability. Next week rag rugs......can't wait to see what she comes up with.

out and about

We did manage to get out and about  during breaks in the rain last week. We were on the hunt for acorns, chestnuts  and conkers for some craft activities I had planed. Unfortunately the very wet weather this year seems to have had an adverse effect on the nuts and the few that we did find were already nibbled by the birds and squirrels. So that put paid to that idea. However, the children had fun running around and exploring the new play area....until Tinkerbell slipped and cut her lip open. Quick cuddle and everything was fine again....once it stopped bleeding. We did find lots of fungi though.....more than  I had seen for a while actually....the girls loved looking for them and pointing out the different types. If only we knew which ones could be safely eaten we could have come home with a veritable feast of fungi. (I do have photos when hubby gives me his phone to upload them).

We have also done a fair bit of visiting family and friends. Munch's friends are off to Romania again soon so we have been cramming in weekly visits before they go again .....it is not too far but a 45km round trip is rather expensive in fuel when we are on a restricted budget at the moment. We can't exactly have them round ours at the moment either with the chaos of packing etc that surrounds us still at present. Hopefully by the time they come back for christmas we will have finally moved and things will be a bit more settled.

We have also discovered a new board game that my hubby remembered playing from his childhood. http://www.hasbro.com/games/en_US/game-of-life/The Game of Life is similar to monopoly in that there is money involved but lots can happen along the way. Kept everybody amused for hours even the baby was joining in spinning the dial and moving counters. A rather pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon...and not bad for a charity shop find.

We are really loving some of our local charity shops and jumble sales recently......not least as we are experimenting with living on £1 a day per person. Mostly because we have to at present and partly as an experiment to see just how much money we were wasting on things unnecessarily.

raining again....

what a surprise. I am sad about it as really want to enjoy the autumn. I love to watch the seasons change and was hoping to get out and about to do a little foraging...mostly sweet chestnuts, pine cones and acorns for some craft ideas I had. Now I don't mind the rain as a general rule but it is lashing it down again...almost constantly it seems and with both myself and the ninja lacking our full mobility it seems we are also lacking motivation.

Still, on a brighter note we have had trips to the library and several visits to meet our friends who have been away all summer....they didn't even know we were having a baby so they really had been away for a while. Munch really enjoyed seeing them again and I always enjoy the random chats we have about news articles and life in Romania (where they spent most of the summer).

At least the rain has meant that the majority of the packing is now done...we just need somewhere to move to now. Also lots of reading has been done by all....including Tinkerbell..who reads upside and often back to front.....still her teddy bears seem to understand her.

don't fence me in ........

Despite constant checks and nagging we still seem to be getting no where fast with our desperate housing situation. Makes it so much worse that I am beginning to really appreciate the space we have available in this one and will be reluctant to leave it. If I knew anyone with half an acre or so I am pretty sure I could borrow a caravan and plant myself on it with relish......unfortunately my grandparents sold theirs several years ago....would love a yurt or bender but think I would need the 'solid' walls of a caravan for security with the new arrival due in the new year. Still we can all dream ......

Meanwhile we have been busy....fighting colds and spending time with friends....some of whom we have not seen since before the summer as they were travelling. So good to have long chats about everything and nothing whilst the children all play happily.

Also lots of crafting although sadly Munch's craft club has finished for this term and we cannot afford the next term. Still once we move the financial worries should sort themselves out as we wont be running at such a huge deficit each month.

Will just be glad to unpack some boxes and be able to find everything again when we finally do move....living in limbo is getting boring now.

not forgotten.

I haven't forgotten to post as such....just can't find my phone cable to add photos (which I actually remembered to take :-(

The weather has been a bit hit and miss with some beautiful autumn days mixed with some very wet and wild days so a mixed bag of activity here. Still sorting through, de-cluttering and packing whilst waiting to hear about our move.....and waiting.

Munch has got the baking bug so has been very keen to try things herself and doing very well. Lots of cupcakes and cereal bars have been forthcoming, the perfect accompaniment to afternoon movie time when feeling uncomfortable and relaxing on the sofa.

Mixed in to this have been a few adventures to local soft play areas (well it is rude not to take advantage of the half price term time offers that mean so much more can be done by us home edders on a budget. Not forgetting home ed group, madscience and craft club....where the girls dyed their hands as much as their t-shirts (photos to follow as soon as the colours/patterns have had time to develop).

I am still struggling with the SPD which is making things more difficult as my mobility is affected, especially as the ginger ninja has also been struggling with his ME ....although DR has given him some new meds which will hopefully take the edge of so he is more able to do things with the children....or at least help with some of the more basic household chores.

HE in action

Just popping in before I forget the positives (as I so often do) waiting for the opticians appointment today Munch was reading posters and asking about them. It was a sale sign offering 25% off new frames, which led to a lovely discussion about what percentages meant and how to work it out. Not bad for 2 total math phobics on a rainy afternoon :-)

quick update......

Still no news on the moving front and not much help from the specialist at the ginger ninja's second appointment at the ME clinic. But things could be worse and I am trying to be optimistic.....well one of us has to be as my lovely eternal optimist has become a full time grumpy grinch.......

So, on to brighter news........a couple of times over the past few weeks I have asked munch to do a page in one of her many work books (not all bought by us I hasten to add). Whilst this goes against my autonomous aspirations I found that with everything else going on at present and my own health and mobility issues I am unable to get out and about as much as usual which tends to lead to a sense of cabin fever in the children and myself. I have there for felt the need to ask her to do a page every few days just to encourage her and myself to do anything other than watch the rain or play moshi monsters.

Strangely though she seems to be quite enjoying them. I always let her pick which one she does although she has only really been choosing English and we have decided to ignore maths completely until after we have moved as it was causing friction between her and the ninja maths prof and she was shutting down. However, once she gets going it is hard to get her to put the work books down and she is definitely making progress and feeling rather pleased with herself, which for her is a really big deal (actually doing anything is a pretty big deal in itself)

Added to this she started a mad science workshop this week which runs fortnightly in conjunction with our usual youth group day which she seemed to enjoy, and a craft day with a group of friends run by one of the mums so on the whole things are fairly positive.Now if I could just get the toddler to let me wash her hair things would definitely be on the up :-)

back again

we are now back from our second camping trip this time with a group of friends and a good time was had by all. we were camped on the edge of a cliff with lots of warning signs telling you to to beware of landslides etc. Can't find the photos at present but will upload them as soon as get a chance to go through everything.

Had a lovely chat with the landlady yesterday who is going to ring the housing association again and get on their case with regards to our moving as we have really had enough of it dragging on now and just want to get sorted. Everything being in limbo is becoming a real mood damper and even the mild mannered ginger ninja is getting his moody head on now so some good news would be welcome about now.

The girls have been relaxing and pottering around doing their own thing, occasional work books and lots of cuddles, or in tinkerbells case lots of cuddles with the occasional flare of temper ( oh to be 2 again)

helloooo

I am back. Was feeling rather down and a bit overwhelmed by everything that was happening so took a little break but am back now. Hopefully with a more positive outlook and lots of good news.....

First hint of of sunshine on the horizon.....the inlaws have gone....*lots of happy dancing and shaking of tail feathers* we managed to get away for a week to lovely gorgeous Dorset and came back to an empty house...we knew they were going of course but lovely to come back and know we were our own little family unit, so last night I celebrated by having a long soak in the bath and walking from the bathroom to the bedroom.....naked...just because I could xx

Secondly, all being well we will be welcoming a new addition to the Baker household around February 17th and are very excited...although still suffering from morning sickness, a lot :-)

and last but by no means least we have some positive news on the moving front, although not as positive as it first seemed following a second phone call but there is light at the end of the tunnel with regards to moving and will hopefully be sorted by the end of this month. So although not our dream house we will actually have a home of our own ...yay....so I can get planning the veg plot.....as soon as we know what house we get/ where it is/ what the garden is like.

sorry

Have been feeling a bit disheartened recently so apologies for not posting......not that anyone has even noticed I expect :-)

Well, to fill you in briefly as I am aware I am a miserable moo recently...we are definitely moving...trouble is we have no idea when or where....the landlady was happy to let us stay even with MIL and dreaded SIL were moving out....however her mortgage company had other ideas as neither of us are working full time at present as I have to care for the ginger ninja ....so now we have to apply to the local  council, who are not in a real hurry to sort it out......

we also officially have a new addition due in February so I am feeling a little green around the gills at the moment.....and of to meet friends on Monday to try to learn to knit for the little one.

However, this does cause a bit of a headache with housing.....private renting is totally beyond our means at present....deposit etc is tied up in this house and mostly belongs to MIL.......we don't have enough points at present to bid on a 2 bed property on the council list......but they won't take baby into equation until after the legal abortion limit has passed....which is end of November...so we can't bid on a 3 bed either, even when we get the points sorted. It is a bit confusing as when the baby comes we would officially be overcrowded ( and trust me most of the 2 beds around here are tiny ) but you cannot apply for another move for 2 years....so yeah....bit confusing and stressful, especially as council won't sort it out until we get the lovely landlady to take us to court and serve us with an eviction notice.....nice. On the whole though I am trying to be up beat about it.....especially as the stress and worry has an adverse effect on the ninja's health......as I keep reminding him....lots to look forward too......our own space, vegetarian, organic cooking again (without the fussy eaters lacking in table manners) and the chance to have friends around again......whenever we want...................bliss.............

The children have enjoyed lots of park playing, despite the rain. Meeting up with friends and crafting as well as puzzles. To be honest we are taking a fairly relaxed approach at present and have started packing some of the many, many books away so we are just letting the children enjoy some freedom and outside spaces with the plan to start a new rhythm when we know were we will be landing.

:-)

slightly chirpier early bird today. Made a start on major reorganisation of rooms etc at home as much as we can do at least. Trying to make the most of our space and having a major de-clutter along the way.It is always good for the soul to remove excess negativity with a good clean up and de stash. We are just trying to improve the flow of our household really and allow the children access to creative materials etc without having to climb over other toys/ chairs to get to it. Lots to look forward too and lots of play opportunities ....ooohh before I forget...Munch voluntarily did some maths all by herself ...and asked questions and allowed me to show her something.....progress at last...watch this space :-)

:-(

Generally all round feeling rubbish ....the ginger ninja has had a relapse so not good at all....I had to pick him up of the floor the other day as Tinkerbell came running in to tell me daddy fell over. On going usually household stuffs and peoples ....plus was snappy yesterday with a Home edder who was our first point of contact when we de regged....she said something in her school teacher tone...I snapped a bit as I was trying to do three things at once and before I could apologise she started having a go at me in front of other people....which of course put my back up and made me dig my heels in. She then started going on about how much she has done for us...blah blah. I really don't appreciate having things thrown back at me...especially when they were offered and not asked for in the first place....or having my mine/our personal disagreement then discussed with everyone else.

On a lighter note.....I really must stop being so doom and gloom I know....I just find it difficult to write about all the bits and bobs the girls get up to...they just get on and play or potter around reading that I am never sure quite what to write. Munch is off to her new arts and craft club today....last week they got their hands on some fimo and this week they are learning to crochet. It is lovely for Much as although there are several new people there she also gets to see 2 of her friends who live just up the road from us but whom we rarely get to see.

Yesterday was the last forest school at Blean....it was to make up for an earlier session that had been rained off and this time had glorious sunshine.

Monday was spent enjoying the sunshine in a park in Tunbridge wells with a group of Home edders we don't get to see as often as we would like....lots of exploring, climbing and fun. Especially when frogs were found in a puddle and hiding under the trees.

Tuesday we popped to the market before spoiling ourselves with lunch in Frankie & Benny's before popping over to the hall meet in Rochester where we all had a chance to catch up with friends and play :-)

another busy week...

...where I feel as though we have got very little done. Maybe that's just because I feel like I am being judged on everything constantly at the moment....the ongoing stress is getting to me but I am trying to rise above it. I just want us to have our own space back now as a family so that we can live how we want to live....ie organically, mostly vegan, in a smoke free home hopefully without a television. Although hubby is trying to sway me about the TV as we have a wii that the children enjoy playing....when the winter comes anyway and we have wii fit and yoga which we are supposed to be following a fitness program on. It is a bit difficult though when there is pretty much constantly some one asleep either directly above or below the living room. Still we just have to wait and see how long before they get it sorted and go. I did ask the ninja if he thought anyone would notice if I went on strike and he said they definitely would....and maybe I should do it just to show them how much I do actually do.

It has got to a point that he actually nearly had a row with his mum the other day over it....basically he was saying something about me cleaning and she basically gave one f those funny little laughs and said something along the lines of yeah, right kinda thing. So of course being the lovely hubby he is he had to say something and point out just how much I do actually do....despite 3 adults and 2 children constantly undoing everything I do.

He is also pretty close to telling her that his sister has to go now anyway. He has been getting very cross with her and her attitude in general. It has also come to light that she has pretty much constantly been stirring trouble with mum....hence the reason mum is now moving out too,  and besmirching me at work...basically claiming that she is the only one who does anything....ever...which is pretty much the same attitude she has with regard to work. What a joke. We just need our own space back now and will not be in a hurry to help family out again.

Moving swiftly on...enough moaning, we have had another pretty busy week.

Monday we were visiting friends locally. Munch is also now going to a different scout group with said friends so that I can drop her off and pick her up. Big relief as she enjoyed going but with me working and the ninja not being able to drive it was too much for him to do 4 trips as he couldn't wait for her there but had to come home. Especially as we are often childminding one of his nieces as well several days/ nights a week.

Tuesday: our lovely home ed meet in Faversham. Is lovely to see how much the group has grown since it started. So much so that it is now moving to weekly instead of fortnightly meets. Although we will still only go once a month as we are trying to get our finances back on track and have another local meet we try to get to as well which runs weekly on a Tuesday. I must admit though that this week I found it exhausting...on the way there the alternator went on the new to us car. To suddenly lose power (turbo diesel car) and all electrics ie lights and window wipers whilst driving along the motorway in torrential rain was a new experience for me. We managed to nurse it the rest of the way but it totally died just as we got into Faversham itself. I then had to unload my 2 little cherubs, 1 borrowed toddler who does not like to walk and a large changing bag plus a large cool bag full of snacks, drinks etc and walk the rest of the way to the youth centre whilst the ginger ninja waited for the AA man. Nice not.....quit funny though really and a bit of an adventure. Although Sugar Plum (the borrowed one) makes everything at least twice as hard. Bless her we are working on her social and interaction skills.....she can be a bit spiteful and definitely not as well behaved as our girls so you are constantly on your toes watching for where she has gone or what she is up to.

Wednesday we had a museum trip to the Cotton-Powell museum near Margate. A lovely place which we didn't get to explore as much as I had hoped as we were with a large group, several of whom were a bit intense and mischievous so everything took a little longer than expected. However I am planning a return trip as there is lots more too see and hopefully the ginger ninja can come with us this time. Munch really enjoyed coil clay pot making and African mask making in the organised work shops though. And it was lovely to see her making/ continuing new friendships, something she would not of done just a few months ago.I did find myself clock watching though as I was very conscious of the fact I had to be at work by 6 and needed to call in to my dad on the way home and pick up some axle stands and a trolley jack.

Gosh...still going...Thursday ...a welcome rest it seemed as I was at my volunteer job as  a nursery assistant in a special needs pre school. It is actually hard work but very rewarding and I do enjoy it. Although sometimes it feels like being at home as i have to wipe noses, read stories, tidy up toys, lunch etc and change nappies. lol.

Friday.....don't even get me started on Friday.....the day of the long anticipated weekend camping trip arrived....with the need to drive to Dartford to pick up a new alternator as the one we had ordered we found to be the  wrong one after the ninja went to fit it. So we all pile din the car and of we went...45 minute drive each way...not too bad all things considered, 30 minutes at the Toyota parts depot....get home and have to do lunch before the children faint away from hunger...you know how they get so starved just sitting in the car with drinks and snacks. So I was double checking the bits I packed whilst the little ones ate and the ninja fitted the correct alternator. We all pile in to the bus and head of to meet our friends. Stop for air in the tires and snacks. Finally get there after some long, twisty roads...only to find that the site is pretty much waterlogged and the guy had phoned our group organiser to cancel and offered us 2 for 1 in exchange in September. So a bit disappointed as Munch was really excited, as were we. Whilst we get on really well with the people we were going with we haven't quite got round to the exchanging numbers stage yet so they couldn't get hold of us to let us know...also we had been a last minute confirmation as the camping place had taken forever to confirm our booking. So we popped into the zoo we had driven past on our way and spent a lovely couple of hours wondering around and relaxing before driving home.

Interspersed with all this weeks drama was plenty of reading, sand play, dressing up watching of movies, horrible histories and free play. not much formal education but we do try to be fairly autonomous and we have had lots of chats about different things and looking things up on the Internet.

new car !!!!!!

Yay......we finally picked up our new (to us) car on Saturday. Munch was uber excited and had been bugging me to take her with me to pick it up. It took 3 trains to get there and it was only 25 miles away but was a great adventure. She memorised the route with me and counted how many stops before we had to change. She even randomly recognised a parked car on the last leg of the journey which we walked......just as I was beginning to think we had taken a wrong turn. Still we got it and all is good. The main source of disapointment is that I had hoped that Ttinkerbell's car seat would be able to go in the rearward facing seats thus giving us the added protection of ERF without the expensive new car seat. Unfortunately if the seats face rearward then only the lap belts are available which does not secure the car seat......bit of a bummer as we had just bought a new car seat in the hopes it would last until she didn't need one any more....so a good few years. Also the hope was that the old one we could put in the loft for a short while until needed for a new addition....thus actually saving some money....well at least that is what I told my hubby lol. However if the new law comes into play before then we will have to buy an ERF seat which keeps them rear facing until around 4 years old so we may still have to buy a new seat anyway.

In other news I am such a scatter brain I completely forgot about work on Friday....and I mean completely. Not good when your mother in law/ boss lives with you. She walked in the door about half 7 and said "aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" myself and hubby just looked at her blankly.....and then it slowly clicked that I should have been at work by 6.....not good considering our strained relationship at the moment...still never mind. Although in my defence being half term my routine had completely changed and I had lost track of days....plus other sister in law was here until just gone 7 dropping of her Sugar Plum before heading to her night shift.

Lots of free play happening here this weekend. Lots of imaginative dressing up and dancing. Munch watched Street Dance yesterday and has decided that it is something she may be interested in so the feelers are out for a local group...or maybe we will set one up, who knows.

busy bustling

Another busy weekend here with the children....and a borrowed one as we are helping one of CJ's sisters out with childcare while she works as her husband is working away. Also lots of stress with the ongoing inlaws saga....thought we had things sorted but now they have changed their minds again....so they will all be moving out and hopefully we can afford to stay here on our own. It is not ideal as we were quite hoping to get off the main road and into a bigger garden. However, with less people in this would be a lovely house and we are working on the garden so would be a shame to miss our veggies that we have planted when they would be at their best. Just want it all to be done with now but stuck in a status quo until at least August/September and possibly not until the new year :-(

Munch will be devastated though as she loves having nanny here everyday .......and even aunty foofee.

So back to more cheerful times. Before everything happened at the weekend we went and looked at a new car...good job really as mum will be taking hers, although we can't really afford one. It is a bus, at least it felt like it to drive...an 8 seater toyota to be exact. Plenty of room for our camping gear which is the main priority and plenty of room for all the girls, including the borrowed one and room to expand should we be so lucky.

Also had  a family wedding to attend on saturday. Good time was had by all and the bride looked beautiful. Lovely setting too, somewhere fairly local that I had not been to before. Perhaps worth a second visit with the hubby and littles when we go to pick up the car at the weekend.

Sunday was spent at Kent life....one of our go to places....just decided on the spur of the moment really as I had a feeling it was going to be one of those days if we didn't get the girls out and about....especially the borrowed one. A good time was had by all and we were lucky with the weather as the rain held off most of the day...still lots of puddles to splash around in though. Plenty of play time n the indoor soft play too, as well as visiting our favourite animals.

Monday was spent helping my brother with the finishing touches to his secret surprise decorating spree while his wife and children were away for the extended bank holiday. hope she liked it, he worked so hard bless him. Monday afternoon/ evening was spent with my family at a local club where my uncle was hosting a ska night. lots of drinking, chatting and dancing....known as 'skanking' ...classy. Was nice to catch up a bit with everyone though and the kids were safe at home with their dad so I didn't have to worry about them for once.

(Grace getting crafty at Leeds Castle)

On Tuesday we made good use of our Leeds castle tickets and took a picnic to watch the jousting show. Munch had a great day, especially as she bumped into one of her HE friends and family. Tinkerbell has been sword fighting ever since. We liked it so much we went back again on Wednesday with friends. We had planned to go to the coast for the day but decided against it as the weather was looking very unpredictable. All of the children were enthralled and again we were lucky with the weather as the rain held of until we were walking back to the car.

The ginger ninja with a tired sugar plum.

play days

Friday was spent in mote park with friends. 3 families from our home ed groups met up in the park and promptly camped out for the day. We were soon joined by several families from a local attachment parenting group we also belong to so there were quite a few of us in the end. All pick-nicking and playing and enjoying the weather. WE also had our niece with us whom we child mind 3/4 days a week and she was a little escape artist. She kept escaping out of the gate or trying to borrow strangers scooters or buggies. She certainly kept us on our toes....and kept people guessing as we could see the looks on their faces when faced with a black child with 2 white adults who she insisted on calling mummy or daddy...lol.

Today we are off in search of a car....not that we can afford one but we can't afford not to get one either if that makes sense. The one we borrow from the ninja's mater is ok but a very expensive to run 2 litre petrol.....ouch...and actually not big enough for all of our camping gear etc which we definitely need with the summer coming and my BSL course soon finishing. Freedom will soon be ours again although I am seriously considdering studying the pre level 2 BSL course. It is something I am keen to do but is a commitment of 30 weeks so once again we would be tied to the school timetable.....not to mention if we continue with our plans of TTC later in the year. The level 2 BSL itself is then another 30 weeks after that which means a 2 year commitment and I am really not sure about that. It is a real sticking point with me at the moment....especially as I would be able to continue to study with the friends I have made which makes a big difference...we could continue with our 'practice' sessions at the local bar. *cough*

Still it has been nice to go out and be myself for 1 night a week.....the first time in years actually as I can relax knowing my girls are safe with their wonderful daddy.

I haven't forgotten

I keep meaning to post and then get distracted by the lovely weather and by the time I get back I am exhausted. Lots of busy days here...last forest school at Blean on Wednesday, It is an all day one for the last six weeks or so and Munch has thoroughly enjoyed it. Adults are not supposed to stay so we went shopping in Canterbury and had lunch in the gorgeous whole food cafe which I discovered in my uni days.

Lots of playing has been involved this week. Mostly in the sand pit and paddling pool.....which explains why my carpet is full of sand along with almost everything we touch in the house :-(

Needless to say the housework has taken a bit of a back seat.....it gets once a day even if it doesn't look like ....otherwise I am constantly tidying up a little bit all the time and getting frustrated when the children make more mess.

Slowly having a clear out and trying to have a sort through as we seem to have accumulated a lot of stuff which we are trying to do without....less clutter should equal less mess right????? well maybe we will just have to see.
To this end we did a bootfair last sunday...although my mum bought Munch almost as mush as we sold which did not please the ginger ninja much.

Things have been getting us down a bit recently so the ginger ninja has decided our priority at the moment is for us to get our own car...which will be a diesel so hopefully a bit more fuel economic then mums big petrol car which we borrow at the moment and hopefully a bit bigger so that we can get all of our camping gear in it. Hopefully this will give us more freedom to disappear as often as we like and visit some of our lovely home ed friends who have offered us places to stay.

Lots of free play and reading has added to our week. lots of park play dates and even a jubilee party yesterday which Munch really enjoyed.

The trouble is I either forget to take photos or can't work out how to upload them from instagram ...the ginger ninja usually helps with the technical side of things and he isn't up yet. Too much happens for me to remember it all if I leave it too long between blogs, so probably not the most exciting read......gosh I almost forgot....shopping in CAMDEN baby.....went as a last minute thing with my friend for her birthday....lush...have not been for 11 years and forgot how much I love it. Could have spent a fortune but restrained myself....quite proud of my restraint actually....must be  a sign of maturity lol

Our week in pictures

lots of crafting and messy play this week. Faith is always drawn to the piano at either of the hall meets we go to and whilst looking for a restaurant we had been recommended we found this lovely park...lots of fun activities and a slide etc hidden behind the plane wreckage amongst the trees, definitely planning a return trip soon.

Lots of pictures from a family day on Saturday. Of course the first thing we did was light a fire before starting work trimming hedges etc at my grandparents.

 not quite sure why I have a picture of feet??????

my girls were totally in love with Nipper my uncles Jack Russell and took him for little walks and cuddles all day.

After we popped along to the sweeps festival at Rochester on Monday we met up with my Dad and his brother and walked around Leybourne lakes. Grace was fascinated to find a dummy tree and wondered why they were there. I explained that it was probably parents/ children leaving them for the dummy fairy once they decided they were too grown up to have them anymore.

Also this weekend Munch learnt to finger knit and now cannot go anywhere without a small ball of wool, as testified by her trying to eat breakfast in weatherspoons whilst finger knitting.

Throughout the weekend Tinkerbell was her usual sparkly, stubborn self. At the home ed meet on Tuesday she got straight into painting as you can see by her lovely white top. This was swiftly followed by plastering wotsits all around her face before finally falling asleep in the car on the way to drop Munch at her friends for a sleep over ready for forest school.

All in all a good weekend...met a few nice people, been keeping on top of housework (mostly) strip washed the nappies in the hope that they stop leaking before I get really upset as they are fairly new and cost a small fortune....had some preloved which worked amazingly well so went out and bought 9 more but we are having several issues with leakage so hope they will be ok...really cant afford any more. And also on the look out for a wrap maybe...my friend is going to lend us one next week after we return the lovely ssc buckle carrier she lent us to see which we prefer. I am not quite ready to let go of my baby yet and despite being incredibly broody I just want my little Tinkerbell to be little for a while longer yet......

Woah Noah

well, I thought I would change the background to match this lovely spring weather NOT. Actually to be fair I don't mind too much....we have had a couple of good days in between which we have made the most of. Things have been fairly busy here 2 birthdays in a week to orchestrate and lots of visiting relatives have not left much time for blogging. I have been adding finishing touches to my portfolio which needs to be handed in. Once that has gone it frees up another day and is one less thing to worry about.

 So apart from sign on a Tuesday night, work on Thursday and twilight shift on Friday  I have more time at home so hopefully can get started on the mass de-clutter that we so desperately need. Oh for the days when it would take 10 minutes to tidy the whole house and not much longer to rearrange a whole room..... On a serious note though we do have too many books ( I know, I know but they literally just sit there in our tiny house collecting dust and we need the room ) I have converted to the dark side with my lovely kindle and it takes up so little space. I love books, the smell and the comfort of sitting beside the fire curled up in an arm chair but unfortunately 1200 books in something which takes up the space of one book is definitely a winner at the moment :-(

I am trying to get a little more organised in our home, so that we do not keep wasting money for the most part, having cupboards/ freezer full of food but still eating out or getting take away due to lack of forward planning (ie defrosting something) is not healthy for our non-existent bank account.

Hopefully also I will have time, once we have less clutter to 'strew' some ideas for Munch to try and fire her interests a little more. She is not really one to ask questions as such about things an if she does and I try to encourage her to look things up she checks the dreaded wikipedia or something and goes with the first thing she sees. However, I have lots of lovely things pinned and lapbooks planned so hopefully we can build on these ideas and feel like we are actually learning. I know we try to be autonomous but I feel that school did not teach her the skills she needs....she seems to have little imagination left when it comes to things she wants to do so we just need to gently nudge her I think so that she knows she can make choices and follow her own mind. Wait hang...isn't that a bit contradictory? still, I know what I meant...she just needs to be shown the way as I think she is still a bit blinkered by the years of school training her to be a sheep.

A busy week

Despite the soggy weather we have managed a few good days out and about. A lovely day exploring a local park we have not been to before.

 The ginger ninja and girls looking for sticks...you always need a walking stick when walking in the woods. Also on the look out for suitable sticks to be used as arrows for the bows made at Forest School last week.

 A lovely wooden sculpture we came across in a clearing. Beautiful carvings of local plant life.

 These tractor tracks, sorry giant snake tracks were discovered by Munch and became part of an elaborate story. Totally out of the blue and really lovely to see her using her imagination as she has seemed reluctant in the past.

St Georges day Tinkerbells birthday celebrations at The English Festival @Riverside Park. Lots of fun had by all, except when the 'bad chichen bite'....after we repeatedly asked Tink to not put her fingers in the cages of the petting zoo animals she continued to do so until one of the Bantam hens pecked her finger. Then she didn't want to look at any animals at all. I am always in 2 minds with petting zoo type things. On the one hand I wonder how the animals feel about it, being poked and prodded and the general noise etc but on the other as we currently do not have any animals, although we would love a small holding it is a rare opportunity for the girls to get up close and interact with animals.

 Owls and other birds of prey resting before their arial display.

 Daddy and Tinks enjoying the manmade 'seaside'.

 The ginger ninja was in his element in the medieval England area.

Lots of resting in between days out as CJ has to pace himself and often comes home to have a nap after a short visit, still it definitely progress and much better than before.

We came downstairs this morning to find that the elves had been busy and left a small gift for Tinks birthday...to go with her new balance bike from nanny and money from family towards a sandpit. I think for a first attempt the little people are quite cute .....

Time to get ready for a day with our fabulous Faversham friends...as soon as I get motivated enough to move from the sofa.

Explosions galore

Yesterday we popped over to a hall meet in Rochester. It is a fairly new meet but seems to be going well. Grace got fully involved meeting new people and playing with some old friends. I think the best part was building volcanoes with plastic bottles and play dough which were then filled with baking powder and vinegar with a few drops of food colouring.

Cue giggles and excited squeals as the chemical reaction produced 'lava' and lots of foam. Of course we were so busy doing it that we forgot to take pictures

There was then time for free play  (dodging the showers outside) before the cola and mentos experiment. I had only ever seen this on youtube and had asked CJ to try it with the girls before but had never quite got round to it somehow. It was hilarious to watch the children's faces filled with anticipation and amazement. Mind you I think Tinkerbell was just as fascinated...or maybe she just thought she could eat the mints.

Today I am on a course after the Easter break...Learning support which only has a couple of weeks left so I spent most of the break trying to catch up on my portfolio. Now I have to concentrate on the dreaded maths section and then onto making/adapting a learning resource. If I can finally decide which one to do. CJ and the Tinkerbell are visiting family today...Tinks loves her cousin Yiyey (her pronunciation of Lily) and Grace is with friends at Forest school...in the rain...and mud so is probably having a whale of a time.

woo hoo...remembered my camera

On Friday we took advantage of a brief break in the clouds and used our annual  tickets for Kent Life. We really should use it more often, although usually when we go it is raining so full waterproofs and wellies are usually in order. We were lucky though and the sun came out. Cj had the most fun looking for the hidden pigs on the treasure trail. Next time we shall investigate the mini beast hunt and they also do a treasure trail.  

We had a lovely day and Tinkerbell  was mesmerised by the animals, especially the week old lambs. 

Strange to think that my grandparents may have lived in one of these hop huts. What you see is what you get, that is all there was, with the children sleeping under the bed.

I can remember hop training with all the family when just a little younger than munch. I seem to remember they were unkind to the hands, a mild astringent possibly like a stinging nettle?

CJ and Tinkerbell making friends with the goats. Definitely would like some in the future. 

Is that a push-me-pull-you?

Adorable piglets enjoying the sunshine.

A fascinating working forge. Unfortunately the farrier was not there today. Can't complain as he does give his time voluntarily when he is not working at his own forge. It is fascinating to watch though.

Adorable Bantam and Quail chicks recently hatched and kept safe in the lambing shed at pets corner.

Saturday was spent exploring the new and improved pathways and vistas at Mote Park with my brother and his 2 little cherubs (sporting the fetching spots and stripes ensembles)

One of the contributory streams which they are in the process of cleaning up (I took the picture from an angle that didn't show all the rubbish, traffic cones etc that were hiding in it)

All in all a lovely few days, although CJ struggled so a couple of days resting at home are now on the cards. In case you were wondering we hadn't forgotten Munch. She was enjoying herself at gym and the cinema with friends and having a generally lovely time.