Smelly eggs etc....

Ok, things don't feel quite so grim today. I still do feel uptight about all that I said yesterday but were I to take a different path such as school I suspect I would be much more uptight about a lot more things. I think when all is not going swimmingly here I tend to feel it is all my personal fault - perhaps I should accept that there are bound to be issues which arise regardless of whether children are educated at home, school or where ever. There are bound to be worries and concerns, I think I just have to hang on in here. There has been so much going on in the last few months what with renovating the house, moving, Craig's op etc. I think things are just getting a bit on top of me...

So, on Friday we completed our study of Madeline.

We noted how Paris, like Durham, Newcastle and lots of other places is built around the river bank. We pondered why this may be and talked about how boats predate motor vehicles and consequently people developed towns close to rivers as they once were the main mode of transportation.

When Madeline was sick in hospital friends and family visited and took her presents. We thought about what we cold do to help someone who is sick and I wrote a list of the suggestions made - ring for a doctor, send flowers, hug them, give them sweets and look after their pets.



Quick dot to dot puzzle of the Arc de Triumph and then we designed our own French menus.

The last thing to do was to check the egg which we had placed in the vinegar solution a couple of days earlier. It absolutely stunk. The shell had become soft and almost rubber like in parts. I tried not to get too close. It was very smelly! I think both Lily and Hermione were surprised at what had happened in such a short space of time. Later that day Hermione asked if she could have a new toothbrush when we went to Tescos - perhaps the experiment has had the desired effect :-)

Yesterday Hermione and I had a look at the Usborne book about Vikings in preparation for her trip to the Jorvik Centre, we read a poem called Forgiven by A. A. Milne and she finished another Secret Seven book with Nana.

In the afternoon I went into Durham and bought a couple of old framed pictures in charity shops so that we can use the frames to frame some of our art works. I also picked up some bits and pieces for St Georges Day, reduced in a card shop. I forgot to look for baskets.

I am going to try to get on top of things this week. Things to do -

• Look for some stuff for Hermione to try basket weaving. Possibly an old basket from a charity shop which I could take a part and she could weave with wool?


• Find my theatre vouchers and arrange for Hermione and I to go and see something together.


• Finish printing and organising the garden diary sheets.


• Sort out exactly what I plan to do about the moon lapbook


• Help Hermione to send a thank you card to Marilyn


• Get all of the Madeleine stuff organised into a folder


• Have a look at the Five In a Row texts and start thinking about the week after next


• Contact Trading Standards about the carpets again


• Finish the passport applications