HE seems to be really flying at the moment, without any planning or organisation by me! Tamsin is very keen on reading, and every time we pick up a book she is reading as much of it as possible, and picking out words or phrases that we read to her and checking out what they look like. We're doing almost no maths, but I'm happy that that will come in time. At the moment, she just wants to read and is concentrating nearly all her efforts on that. She even read the first 3 paragraphs of her bedtime story this evening with minimal help.
She's also asking for lots of books to be read to her. So this weekend we've read the first couple of pages of "What's Under the Sea?", "Berenstain Bears Book of Science and Nature" all about Spring and started on Summer, "New Toes for Tia", "Letterland Maps Activity Book", more Flip Flap Body Book about how babies are made, plus some stories. Some of you will spot there is much of Sonlight Pre-K in here; I haven't been systematic about doing Sonlight consistently at all, but the box of books is in the living room and we dip into it intermittently. I would like to be more consistent with it, but knowing me I probably won't. I have left the Guide booklet out, though, to try and prompt me to do more this week. Even if I don't, it's all going very well autonomously, so perhaps I shouldn't interfere with the process!
Yesterday morning we visited the school she will go to just 1-2 days per week in September. She enjoyed playing with the doll's house, and then read about 3 of the Oxford Reading Tree books which were out on display. We also browsed through their maths resources (Heinemann) and she had a play on a computer game (educational of course!) that was set up. She met a girl who will be in Yr 1 next year, so knows one classmate's face and name at least. I was struck by how the other parents I talked to didn't just like this school, they totally raved about it and adored it. I definitely don't want to send Tamsin full-time - I can just see so many reasons not to - but I am glad she will get the chance to be there a little of the time.
Today we've spent quite a bit of time outside. I washed the car again as I am fed up of getting dirty trouser legs all the time, and then did a bit more vegetable patch digging. It's horribly hard work - I do wish I could afford to hire a rotovator but it's just way too expensive - but I suspect I will be extremely proud of myself when it's done! Isabelle just loves tootling about outside and frequently wanders round in any state of undress she happens to be in when I pop out to get the washing in or feed the chickens. So she had a lovely time all wrapped up in her thick winter suit-thingy just wandering round and watching what we were all doing. Tamsin helped me with the digging using a trowel, but quickly moved on to making a hole for the ants to live in!
I've made a decision which I think might save me a great deal of time and hopefully some money too. Now that we have taken out this loan to buy the car, things are going to be even tighter than before and we have no slack in the system for buying luxuries like upgrading computer bits (Bill, please note!!!), fancy shoes or books. Uh, hang on a minute, books are essentials, aren't they? Like air and water? Anyway, I have decided to give up reading catalogues!! No more Book People, Boden or Lakeland. And definitely no Rainbow Resources! And no browsing Argos or Amazon websites either. If I don't see it, I won't miss it, and I won't long for it. So there. Does that count as my Lenten self-deprivation? Even though it will have to last for 5 years?
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2 comments:
I've been doing that too, any catalogues which come just go straight in the recycling and it *does* help not to look, definitely.
I'm trying to train the children to stick their fingers in their ears, close their eyes and sing 'la la la not listening' when adverts for toys come on Nick jr too, but that is working less well ;-)
Woohoo to all of T's reading, sounds like she's doing so well. :-)
About saving money: we're also spendaholics and have always just bought whatever we wanted regardless of how strapped for cash we are. But that's all changed since I gave up work to be home with the kids so now we are operating on 50% less than usual (and believe me, it wasn't much to begin with!) ...what I mean to say is...every time you say "No" to something (in our case: gadgets, books, magazines, computer bits, chardonnay, etc) we're saving at least £20. It's just the saying no in the beginning that is hard..after a while it gets to be fun, cos you realise how many times you were overspending. Good luck with the economies, anyhow: just say no!
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