Sleep

Friday
We took a second attempt at going to town, after last weeks unsuccessful trip i was a bit nervous, however, this time we went in the car, we had two things on our list and the need to spend £10 in sainsbury for the parking, this means kinder eggs. We headed to the toy shop first. The big three set about in search of either a pet/animal related item or a craft set. It was for our friend's 6th birthday party. There were a few suggestions here and there butnothing hit the mark quite like the play doh pet shop set that Plum, 5, found. We also picked up a grossery blind bag for pumpkin, 8.
Next was feet measuring at the shoe shop. All the smalls had their feet measured but it was pumpkin that we needed new shoes for. The idea of going to the Root Hill BBQ tomorrow has spurred him to get shoes with velcro. The first shop had none that fit the right description for him. Sainsbury had none either. Tk max had a selection but none of them felt right. Clarkes were the winner with a fantastic shop assisstant who looked at his feet and said "he has a narrow heel and a wide foot with a high instep, i know what shoes will feel best" a brought a selction of three, all of which fit and he liked. Hurray.
And then the big three set about trying to stay awake all night. They were all awake at midnight and all asleep by 2.30am.

Saturday
Bean, 10, and daddy drove to brighton to collect some palettes for bean's tree house project. A quick turn around and then we headed to root hill family bbq. Back home we watched The BFG together.

Sunday
Church day. The result of a late night followed by a busy day led to some short tempers this morning. Bean was very angry at Pumpkin, 8, and decided not to go to church so they could be seperate. Pumpkin, then presented with the option of staying home, decided to stay home, consequently bean came to church with mummy, plum and pippin, 2.
After church we drove to our friends house J for her Roblox birthday party. There was lots of trampolining, cake decorating, party games, pinata and swimming. Back home we ate pizza for tea and watched Paddington together.

Monday
A home ed outing to Fisher's Farm. We aimed to spend as mucch of the day as we could there. We arrived about 11.30. We met up with friends A, J and H. Plum met her friend V and made new friends with some HE girls and the boys were able to play on things without off on their own. We enjoyed the tube slide and castle and elastic tower, the bouncy pillows, go karts, indoor slides, new indoor sensory woodland area, the carosel, rock climbing, squirrel scramble, and sky fall. Bean went repeatedly on the sky fall, mummy went once.
Pumpkin and pippin were asleep by 8.30, bean next at 9 and plum followed about 9.30. Hopefully they'll all sleep l9ng and be well rested.

Stumble trip

Tuesday 31st July

FA#1 took us to the woods again today with all six boys and Plum. This time I took the sling and Plum was one very happy baby. 
We walked to the bomb crater and played happily in a cave made in the side of the crater with the stump and roots of a very large tree forming the roof and sides.
One of the boys decided to build a bridge across the 30ft bog and began dragging large branches to the site and placing them and levering them into place. There were already a number of branches and cut timbers already there which were used too but soon all the boys were helping out from Pumpkin, 3 to cousin B, 10. They carried together and put them in the right place and levered them and tested them and talked through what they were doing. Bean became chief tester and walked as far as he could across the bridge until the next set of branches were in place. It's a shame there are no photos but the smallest branches were probably 10cm in diameter and 6ft long and they got much bigger! Bean crossed 30ft of bog on this make shift bridge, it even had a hand rail in on place which was supported by two stumps in situ. 


The rest of the day was spent watching olympics, reading books, playing with lego, trying out the skateboard, playing basketball, and playing cars and diggers. 
Pumpkin fell asleep on the sofa about 5pm. 

Go to sleep

Monday 30th July

After a manic morning packing and doing all those other household jobs that need to be done we headed off to gymnastics where again Bean was the only participant. Today he walked backwards on the beam, did a forward roll on the beam, took a turn on the bars and bounced on the trampoline, amongst other things. 
After this we headed of to FA#1 house to spend the remainder of the day with cousin B and stay the night. 
We watched the men's gymnastics and the diving on the television and played at giving them scores. 
There was lots of lego making and book reading going on. 


The journey there had given Pumpkin a huge afternoon sleep and consequently he was up till after 10. He is actually much more pleasant company after having an afternoon nap but usually only takes one if he's in the car, it does always mean that he's up late though when he has slept. 
Bean went to bed as normal but ventured downstairs after half an hour because he was lonely and even though he knew he was tired he preferred to stay with company until he was literally falling asleep and then I took him upstairs about 9. Bean likes his sleep and although he likes to be up between 6 and 7am he is always in bed between 7 and 8pm even if he has had a sleep in the day so to be up this late especially after the super late night on Saturday (11.30pm) will tire him out. 
Plum went to sleep about 7pm and then woke at 9pm but soon settled after nursing. We had a whole bed to ourselves which was nice and I think we both enjoyed the cosyness.

See the sea swash

Thursday 26th July

Bean writes his first word

Paddling in the sea

Building a castle with a moat and filling it with water

Building a bed (first attempt made on Tuesday)

Playing diggers

A planned day at home turned out to be an unexpected second day trip to the beach in one week. This time we went to Littlehampton. It was quieter and felt cooler today than our trip on Tuesday. We went with SGS and SGG and their grandson. I went into the sea with the boys much deeper than we have ever been previously and I even had a very brief swim. We played diggers and made sand castles and dug ourselves a bed, we buried each other, moved camp to avoid the rapidly incoming tide, we jumped through waves and sat down in the sea, and Bean wrote his first word (other than his name) in the sand...'pop'. I'll be honest, as he wrote it, I was slightly worried his first written word was going to be 'poo.' Very glad it wasn't. 


Bean was amazing this morning. There's nothing like the excitement of a beach trip to encourage some helpfulness. All of his own accord he offered to help pack for the beach and he did it very well. I was amazed at how much easier it was with his help.


All three smalls fell asleep on the way home at 4.45pm. Bean stayed asleep on the sofa until 7pm when daddy came home and carried him up to bed. At this point Pumpkin woke up. We've eaten dinner, played on my phone, brought in the laundry, played Ludo and Snakes and Ladders and read some books. It is now 10pm and I would like to go to bed but can't leave a three year old up on his own. Hoping he will go to sleep soon.

Plum

Saturday 7th July


Mummy and Plum had a girls day today and daddy took the boys to Amberely Museum with SGS and his grandson. We went shopping in town where Plum wooed the crowds with her big saucer blue eyes and curly hair and winning smile. We drop roasted a freezer and hoovered and made a lovely sausage flan for tea. I was most intrigued to discover that her sleeping is not altogether improved by the lack of boys. I have been wondering if her daytime sleep would be better/ longer if the boys were not disturbing her and we were not constantly moving from car to sling to car to buggy etc. sometimes she will be happy with ten minutes and sometimes 2hours, sometimes half an hour and sometimes an hour. She doesn't seem to have any repeating pattern to them. Nor does she have a standard 'bedtime,' not even variable within an hour of each other, sometimes it's 6.30pm and other times it's 9.30pm or anytime on between. She definitely moves to her oun rhythm! 

During the afternoon we went to a birthday party. Plum enjoyed sampling yellow and orange pepper and some carrot sticks. She has also eaten this weekend, avocado, porridge, rhubarb muffin and broad bean risotto. She particularly liked the broad beans. 


 We did end the day with a family movie night. We struggle to find films that Bean will get past the opening sequence of. He gets very nervous about anything mildly traumatic or frightening and doesn't like it when things go wrong. But today we watched the Disney version of Robin Hood and he loved it. It was funny enough that even in the frightening parts we could show him the funny side of what was happening and tell him how things were going to work out. I should also mention that I found a copy of Cars on the market this morning (which we know he loves) so that has been put aside for the next movie night.

What a beautiful day

Monday 25th June

A double park day ment that we got to meet up with five home ed families today. One reason why I love Mondays. The boys requested bikes at Horsham Park today so we arranged them into the boot of the car and had our first ride around for months. Bean has not lost the knack at all and even managed to push himself off a couple of times. He did have one large fall but after walking a while got back on and rode away. Pumpkin persevered and slowly walked along from the car to the play area and to the duck pond and back. This is progress from previous trips and I remember going through a similar process with Bean. 

Before we had even left the house this morning the boys had played an epic game of lego.

And Plum and I had a play with the camera phone.

During one of the many discussion I had today with other home ed mum's we talked about a babies need to cry when they are tired. Their inability to recognise 'I'm tired' and just go to sleep. As if to prove me insane Plum quietly dropped of in her chair this afternoon and I didn't even notice, not a tear or a cry to be heard!

A rather serial moment occured early evening when Bean asked to play schools. He had two bags packed with things he would need: an indoor ball, an outdoor ball, notepad and pen, various tickets for outings, wallet and money. I found myself being asked to take the role of teacher! de-ja vu. He led me through what happened at school and he did some writting, where he asked to copy the names of people in our family and he got ready to go on a school trip which involved sorting and counting the money he had.  

Bean took it upon himself to 'practice my swirls.' I remember doing endless pages of dotted patterns at school as a child and it goes to show that these ideas have their origins somewhere in a child's natural pattern of learning, they just got a bit lost on their way around the school system.


After Plum and Bean went to bed, Pumpkin woke up! We have made chocolate cake and porridge for his dinner and he has built towers and played games on my phone. It's almost like having a different child around when 1:1.

Three in One

 Saturday, Sunday and Monday

• A trip to the Capitol Theatre to watch Charlie and Lola (a birthday present for Bean) Bean sat on daddy's lap and laughed and laughed. Pumpkin sat in between daddy and mummy and put his head on his knees when the ogre came and covered his ears, he out right refused to have a cuddle or sit on anyone's lap.
  
• Daddy was busy in the afternoon clearing the old fence panels from our garden so we took a trip to the local park. They were probably a little too tired for this, as was I but Bean enjoyed sunbathing and Pumpkin took to the swings as always. Plum slept.

 

• A trip to church on Sunday morning where some new friends joined us. I went up to Sunday school with the boys taking Plum with me. For some reason Pumpkin was being very clingy this morning so I thought it best, also SGG was taking the group and had an obviously sore throat plus the addition of our friends,the arrangement worked out well all round.  Followed by the BBQ and then thanksgiving service for Gerald. The boys largely enjoyed the freedom to play with their church friends.
  
• A nap for me when we got home and then back to church for the evening service with Plum.
  
• Bean requested the photo above so he could rebuild the next day as it had to be put away over night.

• And lastly the request of hot chocolate on returning from our Monday outings to Little Verse and Gymnastics. The first sunny and warm day we've had in two months , Bean took his t-shirt off at the park. We also had time to play in the park and met with new mum H and baby F.
  
• Secretly wishing Plum would sleep just a few hours more at night but also knowing that it won't last forever.