Normalness

Well- after all the broken bones- including my mother- who has broken her leg and walked on it for three weeks!! I fancied a quiet bit of normalcy...
Nanny took the children to Clumber Park and found a birds of prey display. Apparently barn owls are really soft! Daddy has been away to hone his climbing skills and they have been back to the climbing centre- they have discovered the auto belay - apparently great fun.
Quite low key on the 'work' front for the kids- working on letter recognition for TP- his number skills are getting quite good. FIs reading coming on quite nicely now and she has been doing column addition. SJ has moved forwards to fractions and percentages.
On the house front we have had a couple of agents around and have been madly working on decluttering/ polishing and re homing....the idea of leaving the area feels like it is coming a lot closer- partly scary, partly exciting. And trying to motivate self to write assignment....

HE PGL Adventure

A wonderful weekend of activities with a lovely group of home ed families. The great thing with HE things like this is that you can just turn up and not know anyone- yet within an hour the kids are happy and firm friends with a new crowd! We did actually know one family which was nice but FI made a lovely new friend whom she was inseparable for the whole weekend.
We were in little lodges for each family and had all our meals in the canteen (a whole weekend off cooking!) -very school meals but lots of fresh fruit and veg.
We did Rafting ( I managed to fall in- right at the start!), Survivor (fire lighting and shelter building), The Trapeze, Rifle shooting, Giant Swing, the Challenge course and Abseiling

TP immensely proud of his 'hit' - what he didnt realise that the kind RAF dad behind him had popped a quick one in- as he had seen how despondent he was getting at missing (didn't really help that he was insisting at targetting the next door target!!!)

FI almost atop the Trapeeze- complete with wrist in splint!
Nice wind down on the way home with a stayover in Derbyshire and then a lovely day out at Lyme Park (NT)- great playground!

Centre Parcs

Anyway Futura splint in place and then I realise that in two days we are off to Centre Parcs for a swimming and cycling holiday and then the following week on a HE activity holiday...... Arghhh
Let's just say either a) we risk assessed carefully and took each moment as it arose and were led by her comfort OR b) we are irresponsible parents ?? Oops the info leaflet really said no swimming or cycling??
Anyway we had a lovely time- lots of swimming and cycling, family stories and games. We introduced the children to Carcassonne- which they picked up quickly and enjoyed, as well as Cadoo and Labyrinth. A couple of family DVDs saved for the week. Duck feeding and a trip to Rufford Park- always a favourite!

And a Beaver project in progress- looking for signs of spring for her Explore badge and then turned into a PowerPoint presentation towards her IT badge. She has a term left and is going all out for gaining all of the interest badges possible in Beavers!

Febuary and March

Flashing past as usual. Children growing and exploring life..... When your baby is whiz zing up huge climbing walls and loving every moment of it and can't wait to go again and actually has their own membership......

Grade 1 Examination- had to wait until the required moment as she wasn't old enough before! Now the dizzy heights of Grade 2 and a new marine blue leotard-  and still loving it......

.....which is a good job because two days after the exam I took them ice skating to our local HE meet and halfway through the session she fell over and broke her wrist! Hence big brother dragged little man around the rink whilst I was sorting their sister. Three weeks in Futura splint and a trip to fracture clinic.

And January disappears

 I so need to get the blogging habit back! Not going on the PC often enough I guess (ipad too handy!!). Anyway Januray flew by and it looks like February will do the same.....
A Cub Scout ramble- very wet, windy and miserable but my Cub and Beaver found their Scouting spirit and got themselves around and enjoyed themselves as well!

 Finally bit the bullet and retried Ice Skating with TP (our local HE group goes monthly) and he likes it and is getting on well- even managed two full circuits - not touching the side or mummy whilst playing the air guitar and singing the James Bond theme to himself for some unexplainable reason....oh to be five again! Of course the older two, bless them, quietly got on with it and went off with their friends and had a grand time- so I think this will be a monthly commitment now.

Three window boxes made at Cubs as a DIY project then painted up at home according to interests - so we have seasons, blobs and aircraft!
Coming up we have HE Drama, HE Forest School, Cub Activity day and Sleepover and a CentreParcs trip and a secret HE PGL trip
And another arghhhh Masters module on evidence based practice........

The run up to Christmas

 As well as visiting the Panto in Nottingham- much enjoyed by all especially when Daddy got dragged up on stage in 'mistake' for Barney Harwood! We also had FIs Dancing show at the Ice Arena- dancing to Another One Bites the Dust and the Gangnam Style. My young man- with his first tie- took me out to dinner then accompanied me to the show. We noticed that Torvill and Deans costumes were on display in the foyer- which was quite a wow for me anyway.

 And then those final few days before Christmas- centred around catching up with some family and relaxing, a few Christmas makes and traditions like watching the Box of Delights (I want to live at Seekings!) before new pyjamas and preparations....

Ironbridge- I forgot!

A dreadful realisation (OK acknowledgement) of how far behind I allow myself to get....

Last month we spent a wonderful few days at Ironbridge in Coalbrookdale YHA with  some HE friends

 By the side of the River... bridge possibly just about visible.

 Enguinuity- lots of button pressing/gadget pulling

 

Candle dipping at Blist Hill Victorian Town.

 

Highlights were the fact that a number of the musums were in walking distance of the Youth Hostel. Massive fun with lots of HE friends and a little wine drunk with the mummies (and some daddies!). We have taken out an Annual Family Pass- so we will be back again with Daddy in tow- especially as we have booked to go back to the YHA next June with the same ish set of people.