Down Days

Some days are less intense than others. Following our natural rhythms allows us to accept that some days are more restful than others and quite rightly so. I can't deny that the early signs of Spring and the sunshine are encouraging me to consider outside more but for today opening the window and the back door will have to fill that need.

Chicken pox continues to leave our nights sleepless and our days restful. Plum, 5, spent all day watching films and on her tablet. She managed about 5 minutes of playing cbeebies games on the pc before returning to her duvet on the sofa. Later in the afternoon we made chocolate cupcakes together with Pippin, 2, too.

Pippin took one two hour sleep today and has spent the remainder of the day sat or lying on the sofa cuddling mummy. Breastfeeding has increased significantly. We have been allieviating the itch with camomile and daddy has bought some moiserising soap for bathtime. I'm hoping this will relieve some of the night itching and support more sleep.

We found a Treasure Trail company online and have purchased our first trail around Horsham for Bean, 9. We sat and played minecraft together,bean, Pumpkin, 8, Plum, 5, and mummy, on a jungle temple map that Bean had downloaded. We played for over an hour. Bean and Pumpkin played Terreria together and Bean spent an hour or more building lego. We continued reading Harry Potter.

Pumpkin has been enjoying watching the Try Not To Laugh videos on YouTube. He fails miserably but it's beautiful listening to him laughing. He has played Roblox today and watched minecraft songs on YouTube. He played with his new Skylanders with Bean. He watched Cars with us in the afternoon and made a soft landing using all the duvets and pillows so the smalls could all jump off the sofa.

The girls had a moisterising bath after dinner and Plum fell asleep on the duvet pile in the evening.

Pancake Day

Tuesday

Reason number 457 that Home Education is amazing: when we have sick days there is no informing anyone or having to provide proof. I'm not in a pickle trying to organise getting the boys ready and to school whilst the girls are ill.

Although being ill does have its own misery. Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, (who has presented with spots overnight) have largely sat and watched films and cbeebies today interspersed with board games but the energy levels are low and even sitting up for board game play is tiring. Pippin has had two two hour long sleeps as well.

Bean, 9, has sat next to us and watched films and played on his tablet. His new excitement is finding and downloading minecraft PE maps and playing and exploring and building on them. He has also ventured into using redstone to create doors on a temple after us playing a levers map together.

Pumpkin, 8, has been enjoying Terreria more and joining Bean on the downloaded minecraft maps. He has played extensice amounts of roblox and been watching minecraft songs too.

The sticking points during the day are when i need to get food for  anyone as Plum purely wants me to sit with her. I have tried to limit the number of times i get up by preparing food and drink in bulk but this then means that i am away for a longer period of time. Not easy.

Daddy made us all pancakes when he got home. The smalls love pancakes any day of the year and had all said today that they would like some but i couldn't manage this with crying girls and clinging to my legs whilst doing it so we waited and enjoyed sharing together with daddy. Pippin didn't want any. Plum had chocolate spread and sugar and lemon all together, Pumpkin had chocolate spread and Bean ate them plain.

Treasure Hunting

Monday

Bean, 9, held a treasure hunt today which he had planned. He prepared it two weeks ago and invited his friends and held it in Horsham Park. He had printed off maps of the park and decided where he would hide four clues. Each clue was a piece of a puzzle that when put together formed a map that showed where the treasure was. 

It rained on and off all morning and we almost cancelled. Bean was feeling overwhelmed and he was getting himself in a muddle and shouting a lot. I suggested that he went and did something else for an hour which he did and it certainly improved things.

We arrived at the park an hour early and had a chance to use our umbrellas. We hid the clues in the spaces that Bean had marked on the map. Due to the weather i had put the clues in plastic bags and then in margerine tubs with labels on the top. It was still raining when our friends arrived. There were A, J and H. A and J, V (who Bean invited specifically so Plum would have an extra friend) then there were T, and O. As the four groups went off into the park to find the clues, Bean and me and Pippin, 2, went to hide the treasure. Pumpkin, 8, and Plum, 5, had joined V to go and find a clue. We met in the cafe on return and put the pieces together and solved the code breaker on the back, then we all went together to find the treasure. 

It was a really succesful afternoon, everyone endured the rain and had a good time. It was the perfect way to treasure hunt in the rain, not too much to do and a break indoors in the middle. Bean is already talking of organising another one in the sunshine. 

We bought slush puppies and crisps at the cafe and then home to get warm and dry. During the course of which it became apparant that Plum was erupting in chicken pox. This explained the uncontrollable moments she has had in the past few days and the need to return to mummy's bed to sleep.