Whitespace

We were all up early with lots of whitespace (no plans) for the morning and a playdate arranged for the afternoon. Just because there are no plans, doesn't equate to doing nothing. It is actually incredibly difficult to do nothing. It is often during the times of whitespace that we discover what sparks our interest and we can use these ideas to organise or plan other things that might also interest us.

Bean, 9, and Pumpkin, 7, continued watching A.N.T Farm and then went and spent 4 hours playing on the wii working through the next episode of Lego: Pirates of the Carribean.

Plum, 4, and Pippin, 2, and me painted our nails. Plum painted her own fingernails and Pippins. We then sat and read several books together, some of them multiple times. We then face painted the dollies and finally each other. Plum face painted an excellent tiger onto her dolly. Pippin painted her dolly and herself blue, Plum said she was a blueberry. I painted a cat onto Plum's face, a yellow and green cat. Plum was showing signs of flagging after this and although we had rearranged our playdate from a nerf war in a park to indoor at their house, Plum was now saying she wanted to stay at home. She choose a film to watch (Shark Tale) and we snuggled on the sofa together. i rearranged our play date for the third time.

I went and spoke to the boys about not going to our friend's house and Bean immediately suggested that they could go their without me (this has never happened or been an option before, Bean has always wanted me to stay (except for the one camping weekend he chose to go on)) Pumpkin wasn't keen on this idea but i have logged it in my mind for another day.

Our friends arrived with a coding book for Bean and nerf guns. Pippin was asleep so nerf wars were off the agenda for a while. They played on the wii and introduced their friend, O, to bopit. He loved it so much that he asked Pumpkin if he could borrow it so Pumpkin has agreed to a loan and O took it home with him.
We played Hullabaloo together, followed by Cranium, and a nerf war before O went home.

The big three then drew each other treasure maps and hid chocolate gold coins and pieces of map around the house for each other to find. The day ended with pizza and finishing the film Plum had started and baths for all of them, stories for Pippin and Bean.

Taking it easy

Still not feeling great but being thanful that we can rest when we need to and get up and play when we can, that we can wear the clothes that make us feel cosy and warm and stop doing what we're doing as soon as we need to.

We went to Fisher's Farm today. It was our planned trip out today but it was a great choice as we had several children feeling under the weather and energy levels differing at different times between the children. We began inside on the slides, which Pippin is loving. Plum went down the bumpy slide on her own today which is the first time in months that she has done this. We raced together again and again.  After about an hour we were in the soft play area and Plum came and curled up with me, we put on her tablet and headphones and she watched iplayer for a while. After half an hour the carousel ride opened so we went outside to ride. Bean and Pumpkin went around the Tree Top Squirrel Scramble, they all rode on the carousel together and then Plum and Pippin had a turn together on the horse. It started to rain a little after this so we went to the barn to see the animals and do the animal handling. Today was rabbits, guinea pigs, tortoise and a pooing chicken. Whilst we were in the barn the temperature dropped significantly and the heavens opened. Plum announced she wanted to go home now so we all left. We saw a double full rainbow as we left.

At home Bean, 9, and Pumpkin, 7, played on the wii together. The completed an entire level today on their lego: pirates of the carrinean, Plum, 4, and Pippin, 2, both slept. Plum spent the remainder of the day in a duvet on the sofa. Bean introduced us all to The A.N.T Farm so we watched a few hours of that together.

The girls both had a bath and stories and the boy's had stories together. All in bed by 9.30 (including mummy.)

Unwell

Today was ourcarless day. Pumpkin, Plum and Pippin are all down with a cough and cold. We stayed at home all day. The morning was taken up with games that involved sweets and giant American sized marshmallows. I hid sweets in piles of flour and the children had to get them out without using their hands. Pumpkin opted for his mouth, Bean and Plum used their elbows, Pippin used her hands. I hid sweets in plastic eggs around the house that they worked together to find and then we transported marshmallows across the room together using our elbows as pincers.

Bean, 9, watched more Pokemon episodes and held a Pokemon battle with Pumpkin and played PokemonGo for most of the day. He played on the wii for a while in the afternoon.

Pumpkin, 7, did all things Pokemon too. He also made some giant chocolate chip cookies and watched the Junior Bake Off.

Plum, 4, lay on the sofa wrapped in a duvet all day. She put Frozen on at one point but fell asleep whilst it was on. She watched a few things on her tablet when she woke but mostly dozed on and off until she fell again and daddy carried her up to bed.

It sounds like it's been a quiet day however the boys struggle with the lack of space to be energetic in and there has been a lot of Pokemon battling which has occupied the whole house energetically and noisily.

Pikachu

I think the boys would say this day was one of the best ever, we caught three Pikachu today. We went down to Littlehampton, which we love because of the beach anyway, but specifically went today because friend had said it was a good place for Pokemon hunting. And it was. We caught lots of new Pokemon and there were pokestops in abundance. Bean, 9, and Pumpkin, 7, had a great time and were really pleased. We will definitely be going again sometime soon.

It was, however, freezing. Plum, 4, refused to wear soacks although did gradually add gloves, hat and coat to her outfit. Pippin, 2, cried the entire time that we were outside on the seafront and she was wrapped up warm.

We snuggled up watching Scooby Doo movie 2 when we got home and journeyed out again for a McDonald's for dinner. We popped to the cornershop on the way out and went to try and find our friends who had broken down nearby to deliver supplies whilst they waited for rescue however we didn't find them. It worked out okay though as when we arrived home I discovered that i had forgotten our front door key. So we ate through the supplies I had bought, watched youtube on my phone using wifi from the house and sat in the car and waited 25 minutes for daddy to arrive home.

We cooked sausages for supper, the girls bathed and the boys watched Pokemon, Pumpkin and Plum played Othello with daddy and everyone was asleep by 10pm.

Making friends

Monday is a lovely day for us. We were watching an episode of the Simpson's this evening and they were grumbling about Monday and Pumpkin was asking why they didn't like Monday. Monday is just another day for us another day except i find it made al the more straight forward by the regularity of Plum going to Little Verse with SSG and SGG. And this afternoon we had Lego Club.

Bean, 9, and Pumpkin, 7, watched the final disc of The Return of the King whilst Plum was out this morning. They also began a 102 piece puzzle together.
Whilst at lego club they began rolling the giant lego wheels together to see who could get their's the furthest. As others arrived, they joined in too. Bean wrote up a competition chart, with rounds on it, to show who vs who, and who progresses to the next round. Pumpkin made three trophies using the lego for first, second, and third place. Six of them played this game repeatedly for an hour. After this they played several rounds of Build Battle together before two hours was over and we had to clear away. Pumpkin struggled after an hour of not coming first in the wheel competition but the moment was rescued with some time in and wet willies.
On the way home we drove via more than 10 pokestops to collect as many pokeballs as we could ready for our big pokemon hunt planned for later this week. Pumpkin hatched a magmar and leveled up.

Plum, 4, went to Little Verse and then spent the remainder of the day singing all the songs to me and Pippin. She joined in the wheel tornament and Build Battle at Lego Club. She watched iplayer when we got home and played Othello with daddy and Bean, followed by bath and bed.

Pippin, 2, has been under the weather all day. She went back to bed for a nap at 10.30 and then sat in the buggy for most of Lego Club this afternoon, dozing on and off. She managed to eat some dinner before she took herself up to bed.

Just as you are

One thing i love about Home educating and particularly Unschooling is that our children are free to be themselves and not have to circum to peer pressures or fit into boxes or pass unnecessary exams. We can follow their interests, celebrate their personalities and truely embrace the person that God has created them to be.

Today was church day. Bean, 9, took his crayons with him to show and sell. He had four bags with him and by the end of the day they were all gone.

This afternoon Pumpkin, 7, went for the bike ride he passed on yesterday. Daddy took Bean and Plum with him too. They went to the play park on the new estate.

Plum, 4, had a lovely conversation this morning with SGG. I really love it when adults take the time to converse with the children like they are important (which they are.) I just stood next to anna incase she needed help explaining something but she didn't, i was surplus. Plum was tired most of the day. Except for her bike ride she sat and watched and played on her tablet. She was asking for a bath (codeword: bed) by 6.30pm. I bathed the girls and we read a few stories snuggled in bed. We curled up to sleep. The girls simultaneously sat up and vomited. The funny picture in my head was daddy with only one bowl not sure which girl to put it in front of as they were both coughing together and him undecidedly swapping between the two.

The boys watched Pokemon and The Simpsons whilst i helped the girls to bed, daddy was out (but home in time to help clear up the illness!)

All the smalls were in bed by 9pm. Unheard off.

Money, money, money

With daddy being home, there was quite a lot going on today.

I took Bean, 9, into town to buy some presentation bags for his crayons he has made. He packaged them up when he got home We also needed to collect the books that he ordered from the library and he had £20 to spend in the supermarket (as promised a few weeks ago.) We also went shopping for items for our Samaritans Purse boxes. Bean only spent half of the money and bought: monster munch crisps; skips; four chocolate doughnuts; a cake each from the bakery counter; a bag of chocolate coins; He purposefuly bought multipacks and made sure that there was enough for all the smalls to have too.

Pumpkin, 7, had been planning all week to go on a bike ride with daddy. Plum wanted to go to. When it came to it he said he was not feeling well and wanted to stay home. He hadn't moved from the sofa all morning Two very unusual things for him. So, he didn't go on a bike ride and suggested that tomorrow would be a good idea. Pumpkin spent most of the day watching Pokemon until after the medicine kicked in and then he perked up a little and played with Bean.

Plum, 4, went out on the tag along with daddy for the first time and absolutely loved it. They went to the play park together.

Bean, Plum, and Pippin put together their Christmas boxes.
We ended the day with sparklers and stories and Pumpkin falling asleep on the sofa.

Neither of the girls have slept well. They are full of cold and coughing and not breathing well.