I am waiting for people to come to book swap, so I thought I'd do a quick post, although I'm not actually sure anyone is coming, as I have had two people cancel already this morning, and I don't think anyone else confirmed they were coming. Oh well, at least we have a tidy apartment.
Yesterday after atelier we went straight down to the lake to play. The weather has been so hot that on Monday we stayed in with the fan on and the shutters down, but I decided that we really needed to get out of the house.
Its strange how M will complain about walking home from atelier (max 10 mins), yet was perfectly happy to walk 30 mins to the lake....
We found a spot on the sand under a tree, and M played with his playmobil while I tried to read a book (Up Country by Nelson de Mille). I explained that if he took his playmobil onto the sand they were his responsibility, so we had a quick discussion about responsibility and I was reassured that he understood.
Time seemed to go very slowly, and I somehow didn't get much of my book read although M was very good at not disturbing me. Lunch was nice though; I'd taken salad and some cold sausages and then at 2.30pm I'd had enough and we went to the cafe for ice cream.
After that we went to the playground next door, but that didn't last very long as M didn't like the swarms of little flies.
A little stand off over where we were going next (I suggested the nearby Roman museum, M didn't want to do anything, go home, stay in the playground, go to the beach again), but it was resolved when I stated that I was going to the Roman museum and if he wanted to, he could stay there. Not a usual tactic of mine, but he wasn't offering a viable alternative.
It was the first time we have gone to the Roman museum. 8CHF for me to get in, so not too bad, although not really a large place. They had a graffiti exhibition on, so we got torches to shine on the walls (the place was pitch black) to see the exhibits, and there was exciting glass pebbles under our feet, making it a quite nice sensory experience.
Even though we went round it twice, M wasn't too keen on lingering though, which was a shame as I was struggling with the translation in places and it was pretty interesting.
At the end they had set up a graffiti wall that you could add to with the styluses (or is that stylii or stylus'?) so M obliged by scratching his name in it.
We then went round the normal museum. By this point M was really flagging so it was super speedy, although he was quite keen on sticking his head in the coffin....
We then walked home and I was impressed that M understood with minimum fuss that he had to walk as I had too many things to carry. Walking any distance has always been a problem for him. Not sure whether thats through laziness or just having thin legs (they really are ridiculously thin for his height), so it was nice to see him strolling along beside me.
Back home and a bit of computer time. I've signed up for the free trial of Education City, and although A doesn't think that we should pay for that sort of thing, I think it is just what M needs, as he can do it with minimal input from me, which he seems to favour at the moment. So if anyone has a code they would like to share, that would be great. Is that how it works?
Well, it looks like noone is going to turn up today, but never mind, its given me a chance to catch up with a few things.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Welcome to Polvere Nera!
For those of you in the dark, this is the Gunpowder Italian restaurant that M and I spent part of the day creating.
As with most things here, it centred on Playmobil. Mainly pirates, knights and romans, with the main emphasis on goodies and baddies.
Hence the italian restaurant that he wanted to create was constantly in danger from baddies attacking it, until I suggested that maybe the baddies could just come to the restaurant to eat as, after all, baddies have to eat too.
So I translated Gunpowder to italian and we made a sign for the restaurant, M colouring in the letters, and built a restaurant complete with terrace from the playmobil castle.
M then decided on the food (pizza, salad and pasta), drink (apple juice, rum(!) and water) and dessert (donuts and ice cream) and we made a menu. He wanted to try to spell the words out and managed donut and rum. I was pleasantly surprised, particularly with the words that he got wrong, as he made a good phonetic attempt. Will have to look into the Montessori stuff I was reading the other day about reading and writing.
We have also played lots of shops, with me as the shopkeeper and M as the customer, leading to lots of 'maths', with M having to decide what coins to give me and whether to give me too much money and get change, or to make the amount up with more than one coin.
Obviously he has played a few games from the playmobil website, spent 5 minutes in the sandput on the balcony, and watched a bit of CBeebies.
Thankfully he let me make a batch of ratatouille and an apricot cake without too many disruptions. The weather is just too hot for arguments, although when the needle is pushing 30 degrees, arguments are never too far from the surface.
I really need to blog about the weekend too, as we went camping for the first time this summer in our new tent, spending Friday and Saturday night in Enney, near Gruyeres castle, which was holding a fete de St Jean including medieval re-enactment type stuff (a bit like Kentwell, I guess)
As with most things here, it centred on Playmobil. Mainly pirates, knights and romans, with the main emphasis on goodies and baddies.
Hence the italian restaurant that he wanted to create was constantly in danger from baddies attacking it, until I suggested that maybe the baddies could just come to the restaurant to eat as, after all, baddies have to eat too.
So I translated Gunpowder to italian and we made a sign for the restaurant, M colouring in the letters, and built a restaurant complete with terrace from the playmobil castle.
M then decided on the food (pizza, salad and pasta), drink (apple juice, rum(!) and water) and dessert (donuts and ice cream) and we made a menu. He wanted to try to spell the words out and managed donut and rum. I was pleasantly surprised, particularly with the words that he got wrong, as he made a good phonetic attempt. Will have to look into the Montessori stuff I was reading the other day about reading and writing.
We have also played lots of shops, with me as the shopkeeper and M as the customer, leading to lots of 'maths', with M having to decide what coins to give me and whether to give me too much money and get change, or to make the amount up with more than one coin.
Obviously he has played a few games from the playmobil website, spent 5 minutes in the sandput on the balcony, and watched a bit of CBeebies.
Thankfully he let me make a batch of ratatouille and an apricot cake without too many disruptions. The weather is just too hot for arguments, although when the needle is pushing 30 degrees, arguments are never too far from the surface.
I really need to blog about the weekend too, as we went camping for the first time this summer in our new tent, spending Friday and Saturday night in Enney, near Gruyeres castle, which was holding a fete de St Jean including medieval re-enactment type stuff (a bit like Kentwell, I guess)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Places to go, things to see.....
List of stuff to do over the summer.
Prehisto Parc et Grottes de Reclere
Dino Zoo, Parc Prehistorique
Chateau de Prangins
The Lavaux Express (train ride through the vineyards) - done with friends. Not as unique as it may have been as we had been hiking there the previous weekend
Swiss Vapeur Parc - M and A went with E & M when they went camping. Definitely worth a visit, although apparently m got bored after about 90 minutes.
Chateau d'Aigle
La Grotte aux Fees
Fondation Pierre Gianadda
Lac Souterrain St-Leonard
Papiliorama, Kerzers
Blonay Steam Park
Chateau de Chillon
Musee et Chiens du Saint Bernard
Forestland
Musee de l'Alimentation
Hotel le Relais les Crosets (feeding the animals)
Mines de Sel, Bex (although A may have to do this one with M, as I think it may terrify me, being that far underground!)
Chez Gaby
Prehisto Parc et Grottes de Reclere
Dino Zoo, Parc Prehistorique
Chateau de Prangins
The Lavaux Express (train ride through the vineyards) - done with friends. Not as unique as it may have been as we had been hiking there the previous weekend
Swiss Vapeur Parc - M and A went with E & M when they went camping. Definitely worth a visit, although apparently m got bored after about 90 minutes.
Chateau d'Aigle
La Grotte aux Fees
Fondation Pierre Gianadda
Lac Souterrain St-Leonard
Papiliorama, Kerzers
Blonay Steam Park
Chateau de Chillon
Musee et Chiens du Saint Bernard
Forestland
Musee de l'Alimentation
Hotel le Relais les Crosets (feeding the animals)
Mines de Sel, Bex (although A may have to do this one with M, as I think it may terrify me, being that far underground!)
Chez Gaby
Friday, April 18, 2008
They Exist!
Swiss home-edders that is.
On Thursday we went to the Swiss Games Museum to meet some people from the Swiss Homeschooling Forum.
There were 6 adults and 13 children of varying ages (M was the youngest I think) and one family had even travelled from Basel (they are the only homeschoolers in the county!).
It was nice to meet them, and to know that we aren't alone.
Our decision to home educate seems to be looming ever more momentous in my mind at the moment as I am so conscious of the fact that M's friends are all going to school in August. The "S" word keeps going round my head, particularly as M is always so keen to play with his friends.
The fact that I know lots of home-edding families who have 3,4 or 5 children, and very few with only one has also been concerning me. I know that if we were in the UK it wouldn't bother me as much as the 'scene' is so much bigger.
Anyway, we wandered around the museum for a while, trying out some of the games including Huli Gatta which I want to make a board for at home and Wackel Brucke (which we didn't really play, as I couldn't understand the German instructions!)
Ended up buying Camelot Jr which M loves and is doing really well with. He breezed through the first 13 challenges and I was a little concerned that it was a waste of money, but they definitely get a lot harder!
I'm going to make a list of places we want to visit from myswitzerland.com and aim for one place a fortnight and open it up to the forum, so we can hopefully have a more regular meet up and start to build a sense of community.
No firm plans for the weekend, although I really desire some sleep (don't know why I'm so knackered). I also have a lot of book orders to sort through, and of course we half put up the doors on the wardrobes, so that needs finishing, so I'm going to see if A will take M to the robotics festival tomorrow so I can tackle the mess!
On Thursday we went to the Swiss Games Museum to meet some people from the Swiss Homeschooling Forum.
There were 6 adults and 13 children of varying ages (M was the youngest I think) and one family had even travelled from Basel (they are the only homeschoolers in the county!).
It was nice to meet them, and to know that we aren't alone.
Our decision to home educate seems to be looming ever more momentous in my mind at the moment as I am so conscious of the fact that M's friends are all going to school in August. The "S" word keeps going round my head, particularly as M is always so keen to play with his friends.
The fact that I know lots of home-edding families who have 3,4 or 5 children, and very few with only one has also been concerning me. I know that if we were in the UK it wouldn't bother me as much as the 'scene' is so much bigger.
Anyway, we wandered around the museum for a while, trying out some of the games including Huli Gatta which I want to make a board for at home and Wackel Brucke (which we didn't really play, as I couldn't understand the German instructions!)
Ended up buying Camelot Jr which M loves and is doing really well with. He breezed through the first 13 challenges and I was a little concerned that it was a waste of money, but they definitely get a lot harder!
I'm going to make a list of places we want to visit from myswitzerland.com and aim for one place a fortnight and open it up to the forum, so we can hopefully have a more regular meet up and start to build a sense of community.
No firm plans for the weekend, although I really desire some sleep (don't know why I'm so knackered). I also have a lot of book orders to sort through, and of course we half put up the doors on the wardrobes, so that needs finishing, so I'm going to see if A will take M to the robotics festival tomorrow so I can tackle the mess!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Today may be some time
It really might.
It started at 6am, which is a habit we seem to be falling into that I am desparately trying to change. I realise that harsh shouty-type words at that time are not the answer, and so this morning (admittedly it was a little later once I'd prised my eyes open and calmed down) I attempt the 'let's sit down and talk this through sensibly' method.
Apparently just switching the bedroom light on and sitting quietly in bed either reading or playing is beyond M, as he 'will get lonely'.
I've changed his bunny clock to 7am, and hopefully A will back me up in enforcing the 'don't come out of your room until bunny wakes up' rule. Unfortunately at that time of the morning he is all for the easy life, so indulges it, but he has the distinct advantage of being able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat (is that the right expression?) whereas with me, once I am woken up find it nigh on impossible to sleep again.
So its 9am and I'm feeling grumpy. I think the best plan of action is action. So I've printed some craft ideas from here that we can do together.
Weather looks like being crappy again, so a trip to the shops for dinner might be the only trip out today.
Wish me luck!
It started at 6am, which is a habit we seem to be falling into that I am desparately trying to change. I realise that harsh shouty-type words at that time are not the answer, and so this morning (admittedly it was a little later once I'd prised my eyes open and calmed down) I attempt the 'let's sit down and talk this through sensibly' method.
Apparently just switching the bedroom light on and sitting quietly in bed either reading or playing is beyond M, as he 'will get lonely'.
I've changed his bunny clock to 7am, and hopefully A will back me up in enforcing the 'don't come out of your room until bunny wakes up' rule. Unfortunately at that time of the morning he is all for the easy life, so indulges it, but he has the distinct advantage of being able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat (is that the right expression?) whereas with me, once I am woken up find it nigh on impossible to sleep again.
So its 9am and I'm feeling grumpy. I think the best plan of action is action. So I've printed some craft ideas from here that we can do together.
Weather looks like being crappy again, so a trip to the shops for dinner might be the only trip out today.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Speak no evil
We've just spent about 10 minutes (and they were the quietest 10 minutes we've had awake in months!) not speaking.
It all came about from T-Rex not being able to tell me where he wanted me to put the next piece of the puzzle. We (M and I, not T-Rex) talked about communication and the different ways we could communicate if we couldn't speak.
So we decided to try doing it for a few minutes. We decided that drawing pictures would take too long and M can't write more than his name yet, so we opted for signing. Well, pointing really.
But we managed to put the puzzle away, get a yogurt out, mix it up and eat it and clear away.
Things broke down a little when it came to asking for drawing material, but I think M did really well, particularly as this is a little boy who can't go for more than a minute without talking.
This activity ties in with one we did the other day, when M led me home from the bus stop whilst I had my eyes closed (on the path round the back of the buildings so no cars or roads involved!). The next day I did the same for him. I think I found it more difficult than he did to lead as I've always found that sort of thing (ie words!) quite tricky.
Trying to think of ways now to explore other sensory deprivation.....
Quite busy doing little things today. Still trying to recover being woken at 5.30am.....yawn.
But we've done puzzles, made soda bread rolls, done the not speaking thing, and M has just finished making a bird picture with drawing and glueing and feathers and stuff, completely off his own back, which I love.
Friends coming round to play this arvo, so I guess I should get dressed and stuff.
It all came about from T-Rex not being able to tell me where he wanted me to put the next piece of the puzzle. We (M and I, not T-Rex) talked about communication and the different ways we could communicate if we couldn't speak.
So we decided to try doing it for a few minutes. We decided that drawing pictures would take too long and M can't write more than his name yet, so we opted for signing. Well, pointing really.
But we managed to put the puzzle away, get a yogurt out, mix it up and eat it and clear away.
Things broke down a little when it came to asking for drawing material, but I think M did really well, particularly as this is a little boy who can't go for more than a minute without talking.
This activity ties in with one we did the other day, when M led me home from the bus stop whilst I had my eyes closed (on the path round the back of the buildings so no cars or roads involved!). The next day I did the same for him. I think I found it more difficult than he did to lead as I've always found that sort of thing (ie words!) quite tricky.
Trying to think of ways now to explore other sensory deprivation.....
Quite busy doing little things today. Still trying to recover being woken at 5.30am.....yawn.
But we've done puzzles, made soda bread rolls, done the not speaking thing, and M has just finished making a bird picture with drawing and glueing and feathers and stuff, completely off his own back, which I love.
Friends coming round to play this arvo, so I guess I should get dressed and stuff.
Me Like!
The Recipe For Clare |
 3 parts Intensity 2 parts Impishness 1 part Attractiveness Splash of Genius Shake vigorously |
Friday, March 07, 2008
Let me teach you how to read Mummy
M has shown an interest in words recently, and in particular creating words to spell out. So far we have only done the sounds of letters rather than the names of them, and certainly not combinations of letters, like 'oo' etc.
So today he is in the bath, and asks me to read what he has stuck to the side of the bath. So I take a look.
s ə c a
He then spelt out a, c, e, s, so I pointed out that you read from left to right (he has a tendency to read and write his name from right to left :dunno) and rearranged them
a c e s
I realised that there might be a problem, so tried to explain that 'a' was actually 'A' in this case, and that 'ce' together is 's', so it spelt out aces.
No mummy, try again. Its a, cuh, eh, suh - acuhehsuh
Which I have to repeat several times, before finally achieving a 'very well done, mummy' said in such a patronising tone I was embarrassed!
In other news, I bought Connect 4, a travel version from the supermarket yesterday. I was a little wary as it says 7+ on it, but M loves it. He particularly likes the idea that he has to stop people winning (I have such a masochistic son!) but on occasion the concentration on his face was a picture (in fact I may have to try and capture it). I have a feeling we will be playing it lots more, just as long as the counters don't get lost....
So today he is in the bath, and asks me to read what he has stuck to the side of the bath. So I take a look.
s ə c a
He then spelt out a, c, e, s, so I pointed out that you read from left to right (he has a tendency to read and write his name from right to left :dunno) and rearranged them
a c e s
I realised that there might be a problem, so tried to explain that 'a' was actually 'A' in this case, and that 'ce' together is 's', so it spelt out aces.
No mummy, try again. Its a, cuh, eh, suh - acuhehsuh
Which I have to repeat several times, before finally achieving a 'very well done, mummy' said in such a patronising tone I was embarrassed!
In other news, I bought Connect 4, a travel version from the supermarket yesterday. I was a little wary as it says 7+ on it, but M loves it. He particularly likes the idea that he has to stop people winning (I have such a masochistic son!) but on occasion the concentration on his face was a picture (in fact I may have to try and capture it). I have a feeling we will be playing it lots more, just as long as the counters don't get lost....
Thursday, February 14, 2008
My favourite waste of time
No, not the Owen Paul ditty (although you'll be humming it all day now and I can't believe it only got to number 19 in the Swiss 'hit parade'!).
My favourite waste of time is walking up to the café with M, I nurse a renversé (no cakes for me now I'm being relatively good on WW) and he orders a jus de pomme and a mini carac. We read, play with playmobil and set the world to rights like 2 old women.
Today I had a parcel to post so we stopped at the post office on the way, with M sitting there shouting "carac" from behind his hands.
I had a horrible feeling that our usual café was closed as it is half term, and after a bet (M was convinced it would be open) it was indeed closed. Luckily there is a bus stop right outside, so we decided to hop on the bus until we saw a café (which obviously had to sell caracs!). Just as the bus pulled up, M decided that he wanted to go home instead, so we started walking home. I thought we should try a bakery for a carac, but we passed a hotel with what I thought was a café, so we went in. Turns out it was a bar, but they did coffee and apple juice so we stayed. They also produced a doughnut for M, which in hindsight was a bad thing, as he was a nightmare in the supermarket later.
I seem to think that we had a conversation about rabbits, but I have absolutely no idea what about.
We called into the supermarket on the way home, as I had grand plans to vaguely acknowledge Valentine's day by buying some little pots of Movenpick icecream for dessert, and cooking dinner just for A and I (obviously with M eating beforehand!). M grabbed a basket, put it on wheels and then proceeded to hare around the place with me trying to remain calm and unruffled, but failing miserably (combination of PMT, tiredness and general moodiness).
On the walk back, M thought he spotted E, one of the educatrices from atelier, as he saw a lady with long brown hair, boots and a baby in her tummy. We then chatted about how the baby came out, the fact that babies grow in wombs not tummies, that men can't have babies because they don't have wombs and that babies are (generally) born through a woman's vagina (thats where your period comes from isn't it mummy?).
We also cut our way through a jungle to get home, and talked about alligators and crocodiles (starting with 'see you later alligator, in a while crocodile') and decided that we need to find out the differences between them (I think this may be an internet task as I don't think we have an adequate book).
Now at home, A has skyped to say he is going to be late again (at this rate the earliest he'll be home is 10pm :( ) I'm hoping that the amount of work he is doing will mean that his fixed hour contract will finish mid-March so we'll have a couple of weeks with him at home before his next contract starts, but just occasionally I would like a bit of help at bedtime, and I know M misses him.
Let M stay up until 8pm, because Flat Stanley was the CBeebies bedtime story. I bought the book for him a while back and we haven't quite gotten through it yet, but he was listening spellbound to the version on tv, I guess because its a somewhat shortened version.
He's now leafing through See Inside Castles, which I'm guessing I'll have to remove from his face in a few minutes as he is so tired. Well, thats the plan anyway!
My favourite waste of time is walking up to the café with M, I nurse a renversé (no cakes for me now I'm being relatively good on WW) and he orders a jus de pomme and a mini carac. We read, play with playmobil and set the world to rights like 2 old women.
Today I had a parcel to post so we stopped at the post office on the way, with M sitting there shouting "carac" from behind his hands.
I had a horrible feeling that our usual café was closed as it is half term, and after a bet (M was convinced it would be open) it was indeed closed. Luckily there is a bus stop right outside, so we decided to hop on the bus until we saw a café (which obviously had to sell caracs!). Just as the bus pulled up, M decided that he wanted to go home instead, so we started walking home. I thought we should try a bakery for a carac, but we passed a hotel with what I thought was a café, so we went in. Turns out it was a bar, but they did coffee and apple juice so we stayed. They also produced a doughnut for M, which in hindsight was a bad thing, as he was a nightmare in the supermarket later.
I seem to think that we had a conversation about rabbits, but I have absolutely no idea what about.
We called into the supermarket on the way home, as I had grand plans to vaguely acknowledge Valentine's day by buying some little pots of Movenpick icecream for dessert, and cooking dinner just for A and I (obviously with M eating beforehand!). M grabbed a basket, put it on wheels and then proceeded to hare around the place with me trying to remain calm and unruffled, but failing miserably (combination of PMT, tiredness and general moodiness).
On the walk back, M thought he spotted E, one of the educatrices from atelier, as he saw a lady with long brown hair, boots and a baby in her tummy. We then chatted about how the baby came out, the fact that babies grow in wombs not tummies, that men can't have babies because they don't have wombs and that babies are (generally) born through a woman's vagina (thats where your period comes from isn't it mummy?).
We also cut our way through a jungle to get home, and talked about alligators and crocodiles (starting with 'see you later alligator, in a while crocodile') and decided that we need to find out the differences between them (I think this may be an internet task as I don't think we have an adequate book).
Now at home, A has skyped to say he is going to be late again (at this rate the earliest he'll be home is 10pm :( ) I'm hoping that the amount of work he is doing will mean that his fixed hour contract will finish mid-March so we'll have a couple of weeks with him at home before his next contract starts, but just occasionally I would like a bit of help at bedtime, and I know M misses him.
Let M stay up until 8pm, because Flat Stanley was the CBeebies bedtime story. I bought the book for him a while back and we haven't quite gotten through it yet, but he was listening spellbound to the version on tv, I guess because its a somewhat shortened version.
He's now leafing through See Inside Castles, which I'm guessing I'll have to remove from his face in a few minutes as he is so tired. Well, thats the plan anyway!
Friday, February 01, 2008
So that's how its done!
I had one of those 'ohhhhh' moments this morning.
7.30am and M is leafing through his favourite book, the Playmobil catalogue :rolleyes. He'd previously spotted a baby guinea pig looking for its parents on our balcony, and we'd talked about being in front or behind something.
He then saw a guinea pig in the catalogue, but turns out it was a wild boar. Then looking at the zoo scene, questions came to me (do crocodiles lay eggs? whats the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?) and after some swift googling we had the answers.
Then on to the dinosaurs page (did dinosaurs live at the same time as people? M knew the answer to that one) and we tried to identify the different dinosaurs in the catalogue (ignoring the names at the bottom of the page). A bit of a chat about fossils, and then Lazytown came on, so obviously that was all chat over!
I just see that sort of exchange as being typical of our daily stuff. I'd love it if it was like that. I'll probably still have to make sure there are workbooks and 'educational stuff' around (cos thats the way I am!) but I realise that I need to be able to step back and accept that chatting can be just as informative, and M can chat for Switzerland so we should be okay there.
On more specific stuff, M seems to have more of an interest in letters and words just lately. Previously he was really into numbers and just wanted to count things, but in the last week or so he is trying to spell out words. Can be quite funny to listen to as on occasions he completely makes it up ('dinosaur' becomes 'big T-rex in the forest', but with all the syllables drawn out) but he shocked me by reading the word 'act' on a fruit bar wrapper. And his name is getting written on everything. Sometimes written from left to right, sometimes from right to left. Makes me wonder if he has some left handed tendencies (both me and A are lefties) but I don't know enough about the subject to know whether I'm just talking codswallop!
I made a mistake by ordering the Opitec catalogue and I'm also browsing the Yellow Moon and ETAHomeschool sites. Liking the look of the number balance, pattern blocks and cuisenaire rods. Not that I am maths obsessed though, you understand........
7.30am and M is leafing through his favourite book, the Playmobil catalogue :rolleyes. He'd previously spotted a baby guinea pig looking for its parents on our balcony, and we'd talked about being in front or behind something.
He then saw a guinea pig in the catalogue, but turns out it was a wild boar. Then looking at the zoo scene, questions came to me (do crocodiles lay eggs? whats the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?) and after some swift googling we had the answers.
Then on to the dinosaurs page (did dinosaurs live at the same time as people? M knew the answer to that one) and we tried to identify the different dinosaurs in the catalogue (ignoring the names at the bottom of the page). A bit of a chat about fossils, and then Lazytown came on, so obviously that was all chat over!
I just see that sort of exchange as being typical of our daily stuff. I'd love it if it was like that. I'll probably still have to make sure there are workbooks and 'educational stuff' around (cos thats the way I am!) but I realise that I need to be able to step back and accept that chatting can be just as informative, and M can chat for Switzerland so we should be okay there.
On more specific stuff, M seems to have more of an interest in letters and words just lately. Previously he was really into numbers and just wanted to count things, but in the last week or so he is trying to spell out words. Can be quite funny to listen to as on occasions he completely makes it up ('dinosaur' becomes 'big T-rex in the forest', but with all the syllables drawn out) but he shocked me by reading the word 'act' on a fruit bar wrapper. And his name is getting written on everything. Sometimes written from left to right, sometimes from right to left. Makes me wonder if he has some left handed tendencies (both me and A are lefties) but I don't know enough about the subject to know whether I'm just talking codswallop!
I made a mistake by ordering the Opitec catalogue and I'm also browsing the Yellow Moon and ETAHomeschool sites. Liking the look of the number balance, pattern blocks and cuisenaire rods. Not that I am maths obsessed though, you understand........
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Watch out Hermann Maier!
I was busy at a book sale today, A was 'in charge' all day. Predictably they went skiing, although they did look in on me for an hour which was appreciated (8 hours at soft play was quite headache-inducing!).
I have no pictures and no footage of M's first solo effort down the hill. I bought A a helmet cam for Christmas and it only came out of the packaging tonight, after I moaned that it hadn't been used yet.
Apparently he was able to go on the baby slope conveyor belt lift thing (well, I don't know what they are called!) on his own, and then managed the bottom 1/3 of the hill on his own. Obviously A hasn't taught him how to stop yet. :rolleyes
There is such obvious pride in A's voice when he talks about M's skiing exploits; its very touching. Just glad that M doesn't take after me and thinks that skiing is pretty pointless. I don't think A's heart would be able to take it!
Off skiing next Sunday with one of M's friends (although the mummies are either going to the balloon festival or a spa) and then the following week we are off to Meribel for a week of skiing with friends (again I will be reading lots, swimming lots and sleeping lots!) so when we come back he'll be doing black runs like a pro (well, in A's mind anyway).
A is off skiing with a friend today (this is what its like from December to March) so I think we will have a lazy day. I have to do an online shop, place an Usborne order before the Fairytale Sticker sets sell out, and we might venture out on bike (M) and scooter (me), but otherwise I'm sure there's lots of tennis and CBeebies to watch. We now have a proper mouse for M to use, so maybe a bit of Beebies games are in order ("mummy, go to bbb dot doe dot uk slash cbeebies") to while away the day.
I have no pictures and no footage of M's first solo effort down the hill. I bought A a helmet cam for Christmas and it only came out of the packaging tonight, after I moaned that it hadn't been used yet.
Apparently he was able to go on the baby slope conveyor belt lift thing (well, I don't know what they are called!) on his own, and then managed the bottom 1/3 of the hill on his own. Obviously A hasn't taught him how to stop yet. :rolleyes
There is such obvious pride in A's voice when he talks about M's skiing exploits; its very touching. Just glad that M doesn't take after me and thinks that skiing is pretty pointless. I don't think A's heart would be able to take it!
Off skiing next Sunday with one of M's friends (although the mummies are either going to the balloon festival or a spa) and then the following week we are off to Meribel for a week of skiing with friends (again I will be reading lots, swimming lots and sleeping lots!) so when we come back he'll be doing black runs like a pro (well, in A's mind anyway).
A is off skiing with a friend today (this is what its like from December to March) so I think we will have a lazy day. I have to do an online shop, place an Usborne order before the Fairytale Sticker sets sell out, and we might venture out on bike (M) and scooter (me), but otherwise I'm sure there's lots of tennis and CBeebies to watch. We now have a proper mouse for M to use, so maybe a bit of Beebies games are in order ("mummy, go to bbb dot doe dot uk slash cbeebies") to while away the day.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
What a shock!
When on my Usborne conference I shared a room with someone I'd never met before, K. Lovely lady and we chatted like 2 teenagers well into the wee hours.
Anyway, she has a son a few months older than M, and she just mentioned in passing that J was going to school in September.
And then it hit me. If we lived in the UK, so would M! I was speechless. I broke out in a cold sweat. Then I started saying 'But, but, but.....' a lot, and all the while my brain was saying, 'But surely not! He's too little! Isn't he?'
In Switzerland ecole maternelle starts at age 4, but this isn't compulsory, and the cut off date is July 30th. So as M's 4th birthday is in August this year, he would have to wait until next year to go unless he got a special dispensation.
Ecole primaire then starts at 6, again with a cut off of July 30th. Ecole primaire is compulsory.
So M doesn't actually have to go to school until August 2011, which is ages away. So no wonder I was a little shocked that children of his age are going to school in the UK.
OK, so I know that in the UK you don't actually have to go to school (unless of course you educate otherwise ;) ) until the term after you turn 5, but I reckon that a lot of parents aren't aware of this, or are happy to send them off at 4 anyway.
And of course, M has friends here that go to 'school' and certainly some of the International-type schools take children earlier than 6 as they follow a British or American system, but you don't have to.
We have chosen to home educate, and so issues like what school M would go to, what forms to fill out, who to butter up etc don't apply to us, but the conversation with K scared me as very shortly the routine of getting up early, doing the school run, packing school bags, remembering to pick him up at the end of the day (!) could have been my life.
Uuuuhhhhhh, makes me shudder.
Anyway, she has a son a few months older than M, and she just mentioned in passing that J was going to school in September.
And then it hit me. If we lived in the UK, so would M! I was speechless. I broke out in a cold sweat. Then I started saying 'But, but, but.....' a lot, and all the while my brain was saying, 'But surely not! He's too little! Isn't he?'
In Switzerland ecole maternelle starts at age 4, but this isn't compulsory, and the cut off date is July 30th. So as M's 4th birthday is in August this year, he would have to wait until next year to go unless he got a special dispensation.
Ecole primaire then starts at 6, again with a cut off of July 30th. Ecole primaire is compulsory.
So M doesn't actually have to go to school until August 2011, which is ages away. So no wonder I was a little shocked that children of his age are going to school in the UK.
OK, so I know that in the UK you don't actually have to go to school (unless of course you educate otherwise ;) ) until the term after you turn 5, but I reckon that a lot of parents aren't aware of this, or are happy to send them off at 4 anyway.
And of course, M has friends here that go to 'school' and certainly some of the International-type schools take children earlier than 6 as they follow a British or American system, but you don't have to.
We have chosen to home educate, and so issues like what school M would go to, what forms to fill out, who to butter up etc don't apply to us, but the conversation with K scared me as very shortly the routine of getting up early, doing the school run, packing school bags, remembering to pick him up at the end of the day (!) could have been my life.
Uuuuhhhhhh, makes me shudder.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Un, deux, trois
Woefully inadequate with blog posting again. Oh well.
Just back from a trip to the UK which wasn't stunning, but better in some places and worse in others than expected.
Went to the Usborne conference (an overnighter and M stayed with Gran, which he loved) which was very inspirational. Still need to figure out what it means for us overseas organisers, but I have a lot of ideas and motivation, so onwards and upwards for 2008!
M is obsessed with the playmobil pirate ship and castle that he got from Santa. We constantly have good/bad conversations. I think I need to explain a bit more why swords and guns aren't particularly nice things, and incorporate that into history-type stuff. Not entirely sure myself why knights of old didn't just sit down and talk things through, and how our governmental system seems to prevent feuds (or does it?!). I suspect this may be a little too much for a 3 year old to handle, particularly as its not clear for me!
My new Latin books arrived at my parents house, so looking forward to sitting down and starting to work through those (although plenty of other things to be doing first).
We have made a sponge cake this morning for a gathering this afternoon at the management school to introduce the new intake of spouses to the local expat community. Going to take some leaflets for my preview party and it will be a good chance for M to meet some new kids (not that he doesn't have enough friends already!)
Note to self: need to either put stickers on scales or get new set of scales that weigh in ounces. I know it is an outdated measurement system, but it would be useful when we are cooking together for M to be able to weigh things out and my current scales only have 20, 50, 100, 200 etc grammes on them.
A has been home late all this week (last night it was 11pm) through work, but hoping that this will mean he will be happy to take a few hours off every now and then (as he only gets paid for hours worked). M has found it quite difficult I think as he missed him when we were in the UK, and now has hardly seen him at all since we've been back. Still, I have a book stall at the relaunch party of KidSpace on Saturday so plenty of time for them to have fun together.
Oh, and M surprised us the other day by counting to ten in French. I guess going to atelier twice a week is useful!
Just back from a trip to the UK which wasn't stunning, but better in some places and worse in others than expected.
Went to the Usborne conference (an overnighter and M stayed with Gran, which he loved) which was very inspirational. Still need to figure out what it means for us overseas organisers, but I have a lot of ideas and motivation, so onwards and upwards for 2008!
M is obsessed with the playmobil pirate ship and castle that he got from Santa. We constantly have good/bad conversations. I think I need to explain a bit more why swords and guns aren't particularly nice things, and incorporate that into history-type stuff. Not entirely sure myself why knights of old didn't just sit down and talk things through, and how our governmental system seems to prevent feuds (or does it?!). I suspect this may be a little too much for a 3 year old to handle, particularly as its not clear for me!
My new Latin books arrived at my parents house, so looking forward to sitting down and starting to work through those (although plenty of other things to be doing first).
We have made a sponge cake this morning for a gathering this afternoon at the management school to introduce the new intake of spouses to the local expat community. Going to take some leaflets for my preview party and it will be a good chance for M to meet some new kids (not that he doesn't have enough friends already!)
Note to self: need to either put stickers on scales or get new set of scales that weigh in ounces. I know it is an outdated measurement system, but it would be useful when we are cooking together for M to be able to weigh things out and my current scales only have 20, 50, 100, 200 etc grammes on them.
A has been home late all this week (last night it was 11pm) through work, but hoping that this will mean he will be happy to take a few hours off every now and then (as he only gets paid for hours worked). M has found it quite difficult I think as he missed him when we were in the UK, and now has hardly seen him at all since we've been back. Still, I have a book stall at the relaunch party of KidSpace on Saturday so plenty of time for them to have fun together.
Oh, and M surprised us the other day by counting to ten in French. I guess going to atelier twice a week is useful!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Medicine Anyone?
Took M to the doctors this afternoon. I was pretty certain the spots on the back of his legs were Molluscum Contagiosa for which there isn't any cure really (they go after a few months even though they are contagious, hence the name!), but A wanted me to go check it out, just to be sure.
Its the first time M has been to the doctors, ever, apart from routine checkups, so it felt a bit strange, like we'd broken our record.
Anyway, there was a stand-in doctor there, who's there every Wednesday afternoon and he was much better than our usual one, who is a bit standoffish (although that could be a language thing).
We came away with 5, yes FIVE, treatments.
- cream for the spots if they get scratched to prevent infection
- drops to put in water and drunk if the spots get too itchy (can make you drowsy)
- spray for M's snotty nose
- cream for the tip of M's nose where its a teensy bit red from lots of blowing
- cough mixture for his cough (can also make him drowsy)
I don't think we'll be using everything. Seems a bit excessive, and people wonder why I don't take M to the doctors for what I see as everyday stuff.
Thank god the insurance is paying, is all I can say!
Its the first time M has been to the doctors, ever, apart from routine checkups, so it felt a bit strange, like we'd broken our record.
Anyway, there was a stand-in doctor there, who's there every Wednesday afternoon and he was much better than our usual one, who is a bit standoffish (although that could be a language thing).
We came away with 5, yes FIVE, treatments.
- cream for the spots if they get scratched to prevent infection
- drops to put in water and drunk if the spots get too itchy (can make you drowsy)
- spray for M's snotty nose
- cream for the tip of M's nose where its a teensy bit red from lots of blowing
- cough mixture for his cough (can also make him drowsy)
I don't think we'll be using everything. Seems a bit excessive, and people wonder why I don't take M to the doctors for what I see as everyday stuff.
Thank god the insurance is paying, is all I can say!
A Swiss Friend
Today was a first. M had a Swiss friend to play. This may not seem like such a big deal, but the Swiss have their circle of friends it seems, and within them they stay. Obviously this relates more to the parents than the kids, but it is very common to be going to the same playgroup for 3 years and still only know all the mothers as the "maman de *".
So, this historic breakthrough came about because of M's apparent unhappiness at atelier. A couple of weeks ago, both times when I picked him up and we were walking home, he declared that he "didn't like atelier because I don't have any friends". Near broke my heart, particularly as he has several english-speaking friends outside of atelier and I was already beating myself up a bit as they all seem to be going to the same school either this year or next.
So I spoke to one of the educatrices at atelier, C, who will happily speak in English to me, and does the same with M. Explained that I was concerned about the language barrier, and asked if there were other english-speaking kids there that maybe he could play a bit more with, or I could invite round to play (obviously without wanting to force 2 children together!). She said that she would do what she could, observe him in particular and her and her colleagues would meet up to discuss the matter.
Anyway, the same day I spoke to her, on the way home we saw E and his mum at the bus stop. I just casually asked M if he would like E to come round and play and the answer was an enthusiastic yes! This is the little boy that M complains about at the end of almost every session to me - "E hit me", "E pushed me", " E took my yellow spade". Naturally I thought that E was the devil himself and that the pair of them should stay well away from each other. How wrong can I be?
Taking a deep breath and oceans of courage I spoke to E's mum. My French is never that good under pressure but she got that we wanted them to come round and play, and was happy to do so. Apparently E is always talking about M!
So that brings us to today. I was terrified. The house was, well, not spotless, but passably tidy and M was under strict instructions to watch the television until they arrived (I figured that at the very least it should start tidy).
They arrived 20 minutes late. I was imagining all sorts of things, mainly revolving around "she doesn't like me", as the Swiss are NEVER late.
As soon as they arrived, E and M ran off and E's baby brother S tried to follow.
I decided it was time to introduce myself properly. "Je m'appelle Clare" I say, knowing that there is a proper, formal way to say these things, but I'm buggered if I can remember what it is. She obviously gave the formal reply which involved the words "presente" and "vous" and her name, S. Phew! No longer is she the "maman d'E"
Coffee made (only instant something which is sooooo English!) and we settled down for a chat. I surprise myself sometimes at how fluent my French is, but I think in everyday situations I get myself flustered easily whereas sitting down chatting to someone the conversation just rolled off my tongue.
The kids played nicely too, even though they don't speak the same language, although thank god "pirate" is just about the same!
A few disagreements, normally resulting in M overreacting and crying for a good 5 minutes like the world was about to end, something that I either need to get in quick and head off, or deal with better than I do now.
Eventually all 3 children were flagging as the disputes became more frequent, so they swaddled themselves up against the cold and rain, and went home, with the promise that we will organise another playdate very soon at their house, which is only a few bus stops away. Hurray!!
So, this historic breakthrough came about because of M's apparent unhappiness at atelier. A couple of weeks ago, both times when I picked him up and we were walking home, he declared that he "didn't like atelier because I don't have any friends". Near broke my heart, particularly as he has several english-speaking friends outside of atelier and I was already beating myself up a bit as they all seem to be going to the same school either this year or next.
So I spoke to one of the educatrices at atelier, C, who will happily speak in English to me, and does the same with M. Explained that I was concerned about the language barrier, and asked if there were other english-speaking kids there that maybe he could play a bit more with, or I could invite round to play (obviously without wanting to force 2 children together!). She said that she would do what she could, observe him in particular and her and her colleagues would meet up to discuss the matter.
Anyway, the same day I spoke to her, on the way home we saw E and his mum at the bus stop. I just casually asked M if he would like E to come round and play and the answer was an enthusiastic yes! This is the little boy that M complains about at the end of almost every session to me - "E hit me", "E pushed me", " E took my yellow spade". Naturally I thought that E was the devil himself and that the pair of them should stay well away from each other. How wrong can I be?
Taking a deep breath and oceans of courage I spoke to E's mum. My French is never that good under pressure but she got that we wanted them to come round and play, and was happy to do so. Apparently E is always talking about M!
So that brings us to today. I was terrified. The house was, well, not spotless, but passably tidy and M was under strict instructions to watch the television until they arrived (I figured that at the very least it should start tidy).
They arrived 20 minutes late. I was imagining all sorts of things, mainly revolving around "she doesn't like me", as the Swiss are NEVER late.
As soon as they arrived, E and M ran off and E's baby brother S tried to follow.
I decided it was time to introduce myself properly. "Je m'appelle Clare" I say, knowing that there is a proper, formal way to say these things, but I'm buggered if I can remember what it is. She obviously gave the formal reply which involved the words "presente" and "vous" and her name, S. Phew! No longer is she the "maman d'E"
Coffee made (only instant something which is sooooo English!) and we settled down for a chat. I surprise myself sometimes at how fluent my French is, but I think in everyday situations I get myself flustered easily whereas sitting down chatting to someone the conversation just rolled off my tongue.
The kids played nicely too, even though they don't speak the same language, although thank god "pirate" is just about the same!
A few disagreements, normally resulting in M overreacting and crying for a good 5 minutes like the world was about to end, something that I either need to get in quick and head off, or deal with better than I do now.
Eventually all 3 children were flagging as the disputes became more frequent, so they swaddled themselves up against the cold and rain, and went home, with the promise that we will organise another playdate very soon at their house, which is only a few bus stops away. Hurray!!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Day to day
Well, the trip blog went well, didn't it?! Just as well the actual trip was fantastic! (I will try to update later, honest!)
I've decided that I am going to at the very least just list what we do each day on a regular basis, just to reassure myself that we are keeping ourselves busy (have I said that before?).
So today, after total disintegration because daddy was going to work, we did a bit of cbeebies and poisson rouge. He's definitely getting frustrated using the mousepad after more than about 2 minutes, so we really need to get a proper mouse soon. He played some Tommy Zoom and the old favourite, Fireman Sam. He played a shape game on Poisson Rouge where he saw pentagons and hexagons for probably the first time as shapes, although he did think that pentagon was a silly name. (!)
We've done a bit of size stuff too with some polystyrene packing bits, fitting them in his Happyland fence square, then seeing if his chewy bar and his snow boot will fit in too.
We did the first page of the Usborne First Numbers sticker book. M really seems to like numbers, always counting things (particularly stones that he's collected!) and has started talking about how many you have if you take some away, so I thought we'd give the book a go. The first page was counting things and putting the sticker next to it, so not too hard, but the main thing for M was keeping his concentration for the 15 minutes it took to do it. He said he wanted to do the next page (counting animals on a farm) but it was an exercise too far, so we settled with one page.
During lunch I had a look on Starfall and M wanted to have a play, so we chose a couple of letters to follow through and then looked at the calendar and gingerbread man. Again something that we really need a proper mouse for.
After lunch was naptime, and it took me a while to realise that I'd left Fun Radio on! Swiftly rectified that.
We had an invitation to go for a walk by the lake, but tbh, M has slept so little recently (A let him watch Top Gear last night) that I was hoping for a long nap.
2.5 hours, not as long as he quite often sleeps but certainly better than the last few days, and he was woken up by someone hammering.
So, we made some bourbon biscuits, but couldn't finish them as I couldn't find/had run out of icing sugar.
M then played spaceships with various bottles and things, including a metal veg steamer, which fascinated him as he could make patterns by reflecting the sun off it.
A little drawing on his magnetic board while I cleaned the kitchen and then back to his favourite game of pirates.
All in all, quite a productive day. Tomorrow we are possibly swimming and picnicing (sp). So a day out, to balance today's day in.
I've decided that I am going to at the very least just list what we do each day on a regular basis, just to reassure myself that we are keeping ourselves busy (have I said that before?).
So today, after total disintegration because daddy was going to work, we did a bit of cbeebies and poisson rouge. He's definitely getting frustrated using the mousepad after more than about 2 minutes, so we really need to get a proper mouse soon. He played some Tommy Zoom and the old favourite, Fireman Sam. He played a shape game on Poisson Rouge where he saw pentagons and hexagons for probably the first time as shapes, although he did think that pentagon was a silly name. (!)
We've done a bit of size stuff too with some polystyrene packing bits, fitting them in his Happyland fence square, then seeing if his chewy bar and his snow boot will fit in too.
We did the first page of the Usborne First Numbers sticker book. M really seems to like numbers, always counting things (particularly stones that he's collected!) and has started talking about how many you have if you take some away, so I thought we'd give the book a go. The first page was counting things and putting the sticker next to it, so not too hard, but the main thing for M was keeping his concentration for the 15 minutes it took to do it. He said he wanted to do the next page (counting animals on a farm) but it was an exercise too far, so we settled with one page.
During lunch I had a look on Starfall and M wanted to have a play, so we chose a couple of letters to follow through and then looked at the calendar and gingerbread man. Again something that we really need a proper mouse for.
After lunch was naptime, and it took me a while to realise that I'd left Fun Radio on! Swiftly rectified that.
We had an invitation to go for a walk by the lake, but tbh, M has slept so little recently (A let him watch Top Gear last night) that I was hoping for a long nap.
2.5 hours, not as long as he quite often sleeps but certainly better than the last few days, and he was woken up by someone hammering.
So, we made some bourbon biscuits, but couldn't finish them as I couldn't find/had run out of icing sugar.
M then played spaceships with various bottles and things, including a metal veg steamer, which fascinated him as he could make patterns by reflecting the sun off it.
A little drawing on his magnetic board while I cleaned the kitchen and then back to his favourite game of pirates.
All in all, quite a productive day. Tomorrow we are possibly swimming and picnicing (sp). So a day out, to balance today's day in.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Day Four - Tuesday 6th August
We had planned to drive up to Skagen, a little village on the coast and northerly tip of Denmark where the Baltic sea meets the something or other sea, and then travel down to Give to spend the night, but we decided that that would really be too much, so we got in the van and made our leisurely way down to the campsite at Give. We pulled off onto a tiny side road to have our lunch at the side of a field, which I was a bit dubious about, and I was a bit apprehensive everytime a tractor went past, expecting the guy to shout “Get orf my land!”, but it was a really nice thing to do, and was miles better than stopping at another service station. We saw some great insects, all of which M wanted to hold, so a lot of scrabbling around after the little blighters ensued!
We got to the new campsite at about 2pm, and although we couldn`t camp close to the playground this time, we were very close to the toilet/shower/kitchen block and there was a large pile of large stones to keep m busy. The facilities, particularly the kitchen were superb. Although we have a 2 ring gas cooker in the van, it is a lot easier to cook elsewhere, as you have so much more space so meals for the next 2 nights were cooked in the great kitchen block.
Later in the afternoon we went to the outdoor swimming pool which has to be the coldest swimming pool I have ever been in. A pushed me in, as I was gingerly lowering myself into the water which I thought was rather unfair of him, particularly as he then refused to get in for at least another 10 minutes. M stood thigh deep in the baby pool, and kicked up a right stink when I lifted him into the main pool, and spent the 5 minutes he was in there trying to scramble onto my head to get out of the water! We finally gave up and had an icecream, marvelling at the way the Danes were happy to spend seemingly hours in the freezing water.
The site also had a selection of other toys/games etc, marketed as an adventure playground, which I guess was almost an accurate description. I was very proud of the fact that I went on everything, the trampoline (showing off the skills I learnt many moons ago at Saturday trampolining club at the Sports Centre, including a wicked Seat Drop – Half Turn – Seat Drop), the bizarre bikes with 2 handles instead of handlebars or steering wheel (a bit difficult to explain really) and another bouncy cushion (this time with everything staying intact!). They really seem to be popular in Scandinavia.
The site also had a train, so A and M went on that whilst I made dinner. I seem to have fallen into a role on this trip, a rather housewifey one, which actually I am enjoying as it means that I can have a bit of time on my own. It also means that I don`t have to do the boring things involved in camping, like moving all our stuff around constantly, and sweeping the van out and stuff.
We got to the new campsite at about 2pm, and although we couldn`t camp close to the playground this time, we were very close to the toilet/shower/kitchen block and there was a large pile of large stones to keep m busy. The facilities, particularly the kitchen were superb. Although we have a 2 ring gas cooker in the van, it is a lot easier to cook elsewhere, as you have so much more space so meals for the next 2 nights were cooked in the great kitchen block.
Later in the afternoon we went to the outdoor swimming pool which has to be the coldest swimming pool I have ever been in. A pushed me in, as I was gingerly lowering myself into the water which I thought was rather unfair of him, particularly as he then refused to get in for at least another 10 minutes. M stood thigh deep in the baby pool, and kicked up a right stink when I lifted him into the main pool, and spent the 5 minutes he was in there trying to scramble onto my head to get out of the water! We finally gave up and had an icecream, marvelling at the way the Danes were happy to spend seemingly hours in the freezing water.
The site also had a selection of other toys/games etc, marketed as an adventure playground, which I guess was almost an accurate description. I was very proud of the fact that I went on everything, the trampoline (showing off the skills I learnt many moons ago at Saturday trampolining club at the Sports Centre, including a wicked Seat Drop – Half Turn – Seat Drop), the bizarre bikes with 2 handles instead of handlebars or steering wheel (a bit difficult to explain really) and another bouncy cushion (this time with everything staying intact!). They really seem to be popular in Scandinavia.
The site also had a train, so A and M went on that whilst I made dinner. I seem to have fallen into a role on this trip, a rather housewifey one, which actually I am enjoying as it means that I can have a bit of time on my own. It also means that I don`t have to do the boring things involved in camping, like moving all our stuff around constantly, and sweeping the van out and stuff.
Day Three - Monday 6th August
Today was a long driving day, but not as long as it might have been as we went further than we had planned yesterday. We made it into Denmark though! We drove all the way up to Nibe in the north and found the campsite after a few wrong turns (Gina Patricia Saunders doesn`t have all the little roads in Scandinavia at her disposal, so we were a bit lost when she stopped giving us directions.
The campsite was on the banks of a fjord, although our pitch was tucked way back, but again we were really close to the playground, so M was able to go off and play while we got on with things at the van, as we could stick our heads up and see him.
Every evening the owner gets his train out and takes the kids (and any adults too!) around the campsite, which thrilled M no end. They also had a large bouncy cushion, sort of like a bouncy castle, but with no walls, iykwim, which was great fun for all of us, well, until my pelvic floor muscles gave out!
The campsite was on the banks of a fjord, although our pitch was tucked way back, but again we were really close to the playground, so M was able to go off and play while we got on with things at the van, as we could stick our heads up and see him.
Every evening the owner gets his train out and takes the kids (and any adults too!) around the campsite, which thrilled M no end. They also had a large bouncy cushion, sort of like a bouncy castle, but with no walls, iykwim, which was great fun for all of us, well, until my pelvic floor muscles gave out!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Day Two - Sunday 5th August
M wakes up at 6.15am, asking for milk as usual. A seems amazingly awake, whilst I struggle to open my eyes.
It is usually the other way round in our house when the alarm goes off. I did have a disturbed night though, first struggling to get to sleep because of my headache, then getting cold and not being able to find the duvet. Did have a nice dream about Julie Roberts though. Not sure what it was about, just remember that she was in it.
We decide to rearrange the van before we leave, so that at least future stops may be less painful than the previous nights. I suspect that we may have a few more side-of-the road overnighters before the 2 months is up, but its not really a problem, and it does save us some money!
We may also have got ourselves sorted out properly in the van by the time 2 months is over too!
Leave the parking place at about 8am, to find somewhere to have breakfast. Travel for about 20 minutes and find a service station, with another nice restaurant/cafe. Share croissant au chocolat and phili on roll. I get my morning fix of coffee (2 in fact, to keep me going!). M charms one of the waitresses into giving him a children's coffee (frothy milk), an amaretto biscuit and a lollipop, which he ignores my pleas to not eat quite yet, and then complains that his teeth are sticking together!
M is finding this all a bit daunting I think. The van is a fascinating place for an almost 3 year old with all its switches and buttons and cupboards and nooks and crannies. Unfortunately I am so terrified that he is going to break something as it all seems rather delicate, that I seem to be saying 'Don't touch', 'No' and 'Be Careful' a rather lot. Still its just something to add to the long list of things that M seems to be currently holding against me.
My feet are swelling up quite badly, a combination of hot weather and sitting still for so long. I really hope that they aren't like this for whole of the trip. It will annoy me. Have been sitting here, trying to move them around a bit, but they still look like lumps of meat on the end of my legs. Any remedies greatly appreciated.
We hope to stop at about lunchtime and get some bread, cheese and ham for diy sandwiches, but the service station we stop at has nothing of the sort. CB radios, seat covers, dirty dvds, crisps, biscuits and sweets, but no bread.
To be continued......
….continuing this several days later so have sort of forgotten exactly what happened, except that we had planned to stop in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Germany, but as we were making such good time we decided to continue further up the motorway to Soltau.Really glad we did, as it was a great campsite. We managed to get a pitch right next to the playground so M was happy as we made dinner and again tidied the van – its all we seem to be doing!
It is usually the other way round in our house when the alarm goes off. I did have a disturbed night though, first struggling to get to sleep because of my headache, then getting cold and not being able to find the duvet. Did have a nice dream about Julie Roberts though. Not sure what it was about, just remember that she was in it.
We decide to rearrange the van before we leave, so that at least future stops may be less painful than the previous nights. I suspect that we may have a few more side-of-the road overnighters before the 2 months is up, but its not really a problem, and it does save us some money!
We may also have got ourselves sorted out properly in the van by the time 2 months is over too!
Leave the parking place at about 8am, to find somewhere to have breakfast. Travel for about 20 minutes and find a service station, with another nice restaurant/cafe. Share croissant au chocolat and phili on roll. I get my morning fix of coffee (2 in fact, to keep me going!). M charms one of the waitresses into giving him a children's coffee (frothy milk), an amaretto biscuit and a lollipop, which he ignores my pleas to not eat quite yet, and then complains that his teeth are sticking together!
M is finding this all a bit daunting I think. The van is a fascinating place for an almost 3 year old with all its switches and buttons and cupboards and nooks and crannies. Unfortunately I am so terrified that he is going to break something as it all seems rather delicate, that I seem to be saying 'Don't touch', 'No' and 'Be Careful' a rather lot. Still its just something to add to the long list of things that M seems to be currently holding against me.
My feet are swelling up quite badly, a combination of hot weather and sitting still for so long. I really hope that they aren't like this for whole of the trip. It will annoy me. Have been sitting here, trying to move them around a bit, but they still look like lumps of meat on the end of my legs. Any remedies greatly appreciated.
We hope to stop at about lunchtime and get some bread, cheese and ham for diy sandwiches, but the service station we stop at has nothing of the sort. CB radios, seat covers, dirty dvds, crisps, biscuits and sweets, but no bread.
To be continued......
….continuing this several days later so have sort of forgotten exactly what happened, except that we had planned to stop in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in Germany, but as we were making such good time we decided to continue further up the motorway to Soltau.Really glad we did, as it was a great campsite. We managed to get a pitch right next to the playground so M was happy as we made dinner and again tidied the van – its all we seem to be doing!
He managed to annoy a 9 year old by insisting on taking sand from the ramp he had just built, although the 9 year old tried to get his own back by asking us quite insistently if we had seen his blue car, looking at M all the time he was asking us!
The toilet/shower block was absolutely fabulous. Real hotel quality. The radio was constantly piped into each toilet and shower room, and they had cool family bathrooms. I can tell that I will be boring people with my appraisal of each and every campsite, of which there are going to be many, seeing as we are staying in a lot of places only one night!
Day One - Saturday 4th August
Started off at 5pm, 1 hour later than planned. Almost immediately pulled into garage as front left was looking a bit flat. Just needed some air.
After not many more kilometres, M suddenly declares that he's done pee-pee and is all wet. Sure enough, its soaked the child seat and the suede car seat. Stop to change clothes and put towel on seat. Just past Bern he does another one. Then declares that he needs a poo. Stop again. Decide that we won't make it to the first campsite until well past 8pm, so we better stop somewhere to eat. Stop at Cindy's Diner, a very authentic looking American style diner. Plans for healthy eating holiday go out the window as we have burgers and chicken nuggets and chips and things. M bullies a 9 year old into submission over the use of a Gameboy.
I feel a bit tired and have a bit of a headache, but drive part of the way anyway, because I was finding M's inability to stop shrieking at me for some reason or other rather wearing.
At 10pm we finally make it to the first campsite, but the gate is closed. Find the owner, who states that he is full, so carry on to find somewhere else. M finally falls asleep: I think he was holding out to sleep in the roof.
Decide that actually we aren't going to find a campsite, so stop at a parking layby. These places in Germany are pretty good; you can still hear the road, but some of them have toilets, picnic benches and lots of space.
Realise that we packed really badly because almost everything has to come out of the van to put the bed up. M gets posted into the roof, still asleep. A and I settle down for the night at about 11.30, after experiencing the toilet which flushes when you lock and unlock the door. Share the van with a fly and a moth.
After not many more kilometres, M suddenly declares that he's done pee-pee and is all wet. Sure enough, its soaked the child seat and the suede car seat. Stop to change clothes and put towel on seat. Just past Bern he does another one. Then declares that he needs a poo. Stop again. Decide that we won't make it to the first campsite until well past 8pm, so we better stop somewhere to eat. Stop at Cindy's Diner, a very authentic looking American style diner. Plans for healthy eating holiday go out the window as we have burgers and chicken nuggets and chips and things. M bullies a 9 year old into submission over the use of a Gameboy.
I feel a bit tired and have a bit of a headache, but drive part of the way anyway, because I was finding M's inability to stop shrieking at me for some reason or other rather wearing.
At 10pm we finally make it to the first campsite, but the gate is closed. Find the owner, who states that he is full, so carry on to find somewhere else. M finally falls asleep: I think he was holding out to sleep in the roof.
Decide that actually we aren't going to find a campsite, so stop at a parking layby. These places in Germany are pretty good; you can still hear the road, but some of them have toilets, picnic benches and lots of space.
Realise that we packed really badly because almost everything has to come out of the van to put the bed up. M gets posted into the roof, still asleep. A and I settle down for the night at about 11.30, after experiencing the toilet which flushes when you lock and unlock the door. Share the van with a fly and a moth.
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