We recently got some new furniture for the study. Just some basic cabinets from Argos, but they suit the room rather well and provide essential storage for all my teaching bits n bobs and I even set aside one cupboard for the kids to keep some art n craft stuff in. The study is a very useful room for Hubby to go when he works from home and for the kids to get sent to when grown-ups need the living room to themselves! They usually moan that there is nothing to do in there. Now they have their own cupboard.

This morning, Grandma came round. Hubby had already sent the kids to 'the study', so we could talk in peace about serious, grown-up stuff. But they didn't mind at all. They turned up eventually having made these little lolly stick puppets.

Later on, I had to help Honor with her school homework. She has been studying shape and the assignment this week was to look at some pictures of models made with cubes and count how many cubes had been used. This was quite difficult for her to translate the diagram to real -life in her head so we used the baby's blocks to rebuild the models and then count.

I think she'll need a lot more practise doing this for real before she'll be able to do it just by looking at a picture.

This afternoon I took her out to get her prize for moving up a level with her Kumon. She chose a chemistry set... no doubt inspired by the fun she had during yesterday's science day.

We went to church this evening and the children did the offertory procession beautifully, this time! No fighting or running!!!
When we got home and I went to put Honor to bed, I found she had all the stuff from her chemistry set out and mixed up already. It would have been cheaper just to provide containers of stuff like bicarbonate of soda and vinegar and just let her experiment. If hubby will let me, I think I'll set something like up for them in the study.

Gratitude Friday.

Well. If ever there was a week to be grateful, this was it. I am brimming over with gratefulness! I started this week, waking up on a children's ward in hospital and although it seems that Friday has come around so quickly, it also feels like it has been a long week. I am so grateful that our little 'baby boo' is still with us. I really don't need anything like that to happen to make me appreciate my children or husband. I, honestly, hand on heart, thank God every night for them.

I'm also grateful today for choices. I think we all have choices and sometimes they can be difficult to make but the choices are there, nonetheless. The choice that I have made, from time to time question, review or find myself defending to others, is the choice to give up work to raise my children. This afternoon I had a whale of a time volunteering on a science day at the kids school. I helped 2 classes of 8-10 year olds make slime. They got to take it home, too. Bet their parents were pleased (hee, hee!) Oh, and they learned, if they were listening, that the substance that they made, somewhere between a liquid and solid, is called a colloid. I often get asked if I miss teaching and some people seem puzzled that I'd give up a career to stay at home. Of course I miss it. But this, staying home while the kids are young, is my choice and it is up to me to LOVE it and it won't be time wasted and I definitely won't be regretting it. (I am, however, looking forward to going back to teaching sometime...)

The pictures are of some Easter biscuits that the children decorated today. As they missed out on cooking day (because we went to Grandad's birthday tea), I cheated and got this biscuit decorating kit from Morrissons and they did this after school today. They had them with their hot chocolate and Beatrix Potter story. This week we had chapter one of 'Little Pig Robinson'. It's a bit of a long story, this one.

Natural childhood.

I haven't taken any more pics this week. However I have just been reading Waldorf Mama's latest post about building fairy houses. This is something my children do from time to time and so I have dug out a few pics from last summer of the fairy houses they made in the garden. This is a great activity that can be done anywhere; woods, beach, anywhere. I bought them a DVD (after seeing it mentioned on Salt and Chocolate) called Kristen's Fairy House. In it, the girl goes with her artist auntie to an island and builds little houses for the fairies from natural materials in the environment. It got the children's imaginations going and also came with a few do's and don'ts, common sense stuff really to protect the environment. I think there is a book too. But it is simple, free fun and I enjoyed troubleshooting with Honor, trying to build the roof on hers. Proof, also, that you don't need Nintendo's and wiis or whatever to keep them entertained.

Pretty, isn't it. Waldorf Mama (link in sidebar) has some lovely ideas, too.

I'm also blogging tonight about bedtime stories. Last night we read the Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen. It always brings back memories of the wonderful film starring Danny Kaye that I watched when I was little so, with Henry, I looked up the song on youtube. And here it is..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKxnYRhk6I&feature=related

We then watched the Thumbelina clip. Henry was delighted with the little character created by drawing a face on a thumb and draping it in a little cloth. Magic!

The night before, we had a story called Beryl's Box. We have read this many times but haven't had it out in a while. I love this book because it is about two girls. The first has every toy you can imagine and is bored. Her friend has nothing but a cardboard box and is not bored. Together, they have fabulous and exciting adventures courtesy of this cardboard box (and their imaginations - of course).

I have noticed, as I write this post, that I have been thinking very much about the simplicities of childhood and I suppose these are things I consciously and subconsciously try to preserve for my children.

Finally. Everything seems to be fine now with baby Hope. Poor Hubby has been hovering over her all week. We had a lovely day today, though. Henry had a school trip to Blue Reef sealife centre in Hastings. I went along as a helper and Hubby went too with the baby, separately. I didn't see much of them but when we got home he said he's had one of the best days ever.

I did promise cousin Eve that I'd send some pics, but, sorry, I forgot to take my camera. Hubby does have a little video clip, though, so when he digs it out, I'll send it to you.

CIAO!

999 Emergency.

Well. Our mellow Sunday afternoon came to a dramatic end yesterday when later on, as I was hearing Henry read, little Hope became fussy and wanted some attention. After a quick cuddle, I sat her back down on the floor. She started to cry, And as the cry built up bigger and bigger, she stopped breathing, toppled over and turned blue. It was a terrifying ordeal. I screamed for Hubby and by the time I handed her over to him, she was unconscious and not breathing at all. Actually, we feared the worst. But as I was on the phone to the emergency services, Hubby had been massaging her back and chest and she started to breathe again. In fact she recovered very well, very quickly.

The ambulance arrived quickly, too and we were taken to the hospital. At the time, I thought she was choking on something but as we went over the details with the medics, they eventually concluded that she may have stopped breathing as a result of crying. This is more common in 3 year olds but not unheard of with babies. (Hyperventilation syndrome). Anyway, baby and I stayed the night in hospital which she seemed to really enjoy! The medics gave her a thorough checking over including an ECG and we finally got home late this afternoon. We are all exhausted. And Hubby and I are pretty upset at the moment. But our little baby seems fine now and the docs have told us not to worry.....

Outdoors.

Another beautiful, sunny day (though pretty cold). We were going to go back to Brockhill Country Park today for a walk. However, one thing has lead to another and all those things have ended up being doing stuff in the garden.

The children began getting into fights and squabbles down the bottom of the garden as they tried, unsuccessfully to make a camp. So I helped them set up these tents and all has been quiet for the last 45 minutes. Ahhhh - spoke too soon. Here they come... bleeding!

Not to worry. Those little cuts are soon cleaned up and plastered!

So. I have planted up a few things. My broad beans indoors are coming up now, but I may sow some outdoors under the new polytunnels. Hubby has been putting up a gazebo on the patio so the baby has somewhere to play.

Cooking Day.

Yesterday was cooking day. Henry had already finished his Kumon before school so he got to go first. To help him practise his reading, I wrote out some simple instructions from the recipe book for him to read as we went along, like this:

With very young children I like to change the colour of the letters to highlight the different phonemes. (ie: or, th and sh) I think it helps them identify them a bit more easily.

So here is Henry making raspberry muffins.

Honor's focus was.... maths!!!! So here she had to practise accurate measuring.

She made a sardine dip by blending a small can of sardines with 3 fl oz of plain yogurt, a few sprigs of coriander, a little squeeze of lemon juice and pinch of black pepper. Then she cut some cucumber, celery and red pepper sticks for dipping.

And served them with some japanese rice crackers. She loved this. Henry wasn't so keen on the sardine dip, so she ate his too. I managed to have a little bit myself but had to fight her for it!

Then we watched Little House on the Prairie.

Sunshine at last!

This rotten old cold is dragging on but it is amazing how a bit of sunshine can lift the spirits and today I noticed just a little more energy has returned. Though, the day did get off to a slow start. Baby Hope appears to be suffering now and kept me awake a bit during the night. So this morning I stumbled around, bleary eyed but luckily had Hubby around to help get breakfast. I took this photo this afternoon. It is the view from the bottom of our garden. I think it is the first time that I have been out in the garden for weeks.

I released the chickens fron their watery pen. They are obviously making the most of it as they have just been spotted making their way down the road along with the rabbit who also doesn't think much of confinement!

I even got round to doing a spot of baking. These are Nigella's breakfast bars. Or a version of them anyway. They are very simple to make. Simply heat a can of condensed milk and then I have mixed in rolled oats, pecan nuts, flaked almonds, coconuts, sunflower seeds, raisins and chocolate chips. The contents vary depending on what I happen to have in the cupboard but they are always yummy.
I've also got my salmon pasta bake in the oven. Again, a 'throw-together-whatever-you've-got' kind of meal.

And here is my new cupboard that I got at the flea market last weekend!