....after a lovely holiday, France was hot- VERY hot... Ill write about it properly once Ive sorted out the pictures to post.
We're back anyway, have emptied the caravan, Ill have to clean it tomorrow but also have a nagging feeling Im supposed to be working tomorrow day and evening.. ho humm.
For now its outside the house annoying the neighbours. Getting back means lots of sorting, a realisation this house needs sorting out, weve been here too long to have 'stuff' hanging about so Ill have to make the rest of the holiday time to get the house straight.
I also need to restructure the kids home ed...its something Ive given alot of thought to while we've been away.
Now while I like sonlight and its better than something I could put together myself ( and the kids like it alot!) Ive realised there are bits I just dont like about it, bits I feel we do because the schedule says so rather than because they are valuable or interesting and parts which need to be supplemented or tailored more to fit the kids needs, in some cases to spend more time on parts of the core.
The Language arts in particular Ill be changing completely so Connor will spend more time on his dyslexia specific things( which have been rather neglected) and some other books and activities. Sophie will do her Galore Park English. I cannot afford and actually dont need to buy more LA books from Sonlight when Im sure what we already have will be more than adequate.
They both need to spend time on their Maths and Id like to spend time doing some more hands on science activities and getting them to record their findings, especially those which spark their interest.
They really need to do more practical activities and enjoy the ones we already do without feeling we arent 'falling behind' because the Core is taking up more time than we have or energy than we have the inclination for!
I hope trimming down some of the daily schedule and/or spreading it over longer we'll get more other things done. I also have to find the oomph to get back to finishing Red Sails to capri, they like it... I hate it...!
Chloe is also home and I decided this year we wouldnt have a large break as such because its so hard to pick up again afterwards, she has work( a Diary) to do that is set by school which she will do at the same time as the others are doing their bits and pieces. So next week its definitely back to it!
On the family front, my brothers partner had a baby girl while we were away. Emily Jayne was born weighing a whopping 10lb5oz! We haven't seen her yet, my Mum and Dad have only seen her for all of about 10 mins total which has caused some upset as they are the only grandparents and my brothers teenaged Step Daughters are completely dominating things and making it very difficult for anyone else to even be present so Mum is feeling pretty bruised. I asked when we could visit and was told "Oh Ill put some pics on Facebook" err yeah, thanks bruv.So at least I know Mum isnt alone in being rejected... Ill post pics when I eventually do get to see her but since my brother is Chloes Godfather Im feeling pretty cross that he is suddenly treating his family as something incidental and rather inconvenient... the poor kid are bursting to see her :(
OH and this isnt even all about them spending time as a family or whatever, my brother has already gone back to work ( shes 2 days old) and doesnt even seem to acknowledge anyone else might want to be able to pop in and say hello, bring flowers or whatever and make a bit of a fuss of his partner, who is carrying on as she always has!
Bloody families, who'd have em... GRR
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Saturday, 19 July 2008
Worn out!
PHEW, I don't seem to have stopped for days :)
Sophie spent the weekend being sporty again, she was asked to try out for the Cardiff Cougars All Stars Cheerleading team. They are the national champions, the standard is high and competition is intense- all existing members have to try out every year too! Sophie has only been cheerleading 6 weeks so I was amazed seeing what she can already do I'm usually working when she goes so this was the first time Id seen her. I was completely astounded by the standard but she kept up and having warned her 6 weeks isn't really long and she shouldn't be worried if she wasn't as good as the existing members I was eating my words somewhat. We are awaiting a call from the coach now which should come in the next few weeks! The holiday will keep her mind off it
We spent Tuesday in the company of other families in Aberavon for The Wise up beach fun session. MUCH lovelier pics than I took are here...http://www.wiseuphe.netfirms.com/beachday.html
This one is my absolute favourite of Sophie :)Sophie spent the weekend being sporty again, she was asked to try out for the Cardiff Cougars All Stars Cheerleading team. They are the national champions, the standard is high and competition is intense- all existing members have to try out every year too! Sophie has only been cheerleading 6 weeks so I was amazed seeing what she can already do I'm usually working when she goes so this was the first time Id seen her. I was completely astounded by the standard but she kept up and having warned her 6 weeks isn't really long and she shouldn't be worried if she wasn't as good as the existing members I was eating my words somewhat. We are awaiting a call from the coach now which should come in the next few weeks! The holiday will keep her mind off it
We spent Tuesday in the company of other families in Aberavon for The Wise up beach fun session. MUCH lovelier pics than I took are here...http://www.wiseuphe.netfirms.com/beachday.html
The kids made a swimming pool ( arf) with a tarpaulin. Flew kites,kindly donated by Lisa from playworks! made sandcastles, buried people ( not so great when they are in wet clothes) and swam and splashed in the lido. It started off freezing but eventually the sun appeared and we all ended up sun kissed and freckly with exhausted kids.
We dropped into Mums house afterwards as it was relatively close and presented her with her birthday cake creation. She really isn't very well though and only lasted an hour before we said our goodbyes. It makes me feel dreadful being so far away :(( only an hr but still!)
Tuesday night saw us having our first sleepover in years which went like a dream, our guest was incredibly well behaved, polite courteous to a fault and impressed Darren ( who was the banner of the sleepovers originally) because he was nothing like the kids who thought it was OK to stay awake giggling, being cheeky and silly well into the early hours (3am with kids cheeking you isn't remotely amusing- I have to agree with him!) but T was an absolute dream (and yes he is a normal kid - we didn't hire an android) and got an approving "well he can come again" from Darren :) It had been all very sudden with T just asking at the end of beach day " Jenny, Can I come home with you ?" so we collected him from home on the way back from my mums once he was showered and changed after the beach fun!
Dropping him back to his Mum the next day didn't go quite so smoothly... the M4 was shut due to a terrible accident and we were routed off a junction too early, meaning an hour in a traffic jam with T saying " I don't feel well I think I'm going to puke" ( UUUHOOOOO!) Thankfully we did meet his mum, brother and friend to reunite them and he wasnt sick!
We met Chloes friend from school and had a lovely lunch in Pizza hut, Chloe was really good, she cant eat the pizza because she Coeliac but was perfectly happy with endless plates of salad from the salad bar and happy conversation before Sophie, Connor and I went to see Kung Fu Panda ( Don't bother- grab it on DVD, its not that good- I almost fell asleep) and the teens went to watch Hancock which I am told was just amazing ( SIGH)
Chloe stayed at her friends for a couple of nights which was nice for them both as F is an only child who lives on a farm and gets a bit lonely but Chloe loved it as of course shes a friend from school ( who are now spread across the UK and beyond during hols) but also F's house has a swimming pool and a trampoline. They also have a Wii fit... F is on a fitness kick, trying to slim down and of course Chloe joined her in all her endeavours and came home last night happy but tired yet spent at least 2 hours flaked out on the sofa today snoring. God only knows what the heck they did in terms of their 'fitness plan' Its clearly worn her out!
Connor and Sophie have been beavering away, mainly on education city as Ive been so busy. Connor managed to get gold stars ( more than 80%) on every science game in Y4 and was thrilled. I really like the way its been updated now to be far more user friendly to home users. Its spurred him on to complete the level he was on and is thrilled to "be on Y5 when I'm not Y5 just yet!" Just the literacy and numeracy to go, the languages he can get through when he wants
Sophie's not as bothered by levels as Connor but she was a little jealous when he was 'moved up' so maybe that will be a good thing! Shes also discovered Adventure rock http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/adventurerock/
and is also reading "Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging" determined to finish it before the film comes out so I will go and take her to see it ( although the full frontal is replaced with 'perfect' in the film title)
She caused much amusement the other night when she came down and said "mum what does this word mean" and proceeded to say " TTTRRRRAAANNNSSVEESSTTTIITTTEE" while I was on the phone to a friend who almost wet her pants with laughter as I explained.... hmmm explaining what a transvestite is, to an 11 year old in the middle of a phone call... just normal every day stuff then!
Ive been working as usual most evenings and getting the washing, shopping and packing done for our holiday.Darren brought the caravan from the storage site this morning while I was out to get the last of the packing done and plug the fridge in, get the battery charged and all those boring things. We've managed to upset the victor meldrew neighbours 2 doors down who said loudly" Those things shouldn't be allowed" when I was going into the caravan allowed where?? allowed at all? allowed outside the house? what??( Jeeze!) Its not even outside his house! Its 25 yds away!
I went on a fab training day today courtesy of wise up and playworks in Neath/Port Talbot (those people are truly amazing).
We did den building and outdoor activities and had so much fun! It was just like being a child again. Its really true you don't understand something properly unless you teach it to someone else and I think its also true of something you intend to deliver to children, to really understand it you need to experience it. So today it was back to being 10, building dens, making tree folk, a map stick, a mini world... you want to know what all these things are? You'll have to come to wise up :-P ( or get me to come to you and do something with your local home ed group if you are far away if there's the offer of an exchange visit!) ;-)
to make it even better my boss agreed to pay me to attend so I wasn't out of pocket and work will benefit too from what Ive learned!
I can't wait to be able to do some stuff with the kids in wise up and in work. It really was loads of fun, I think we all learned so many creative things :)
I hope I get to do more of it :) Id like to be able to do an NVQ in playwork :)
This will be my last post for a fortnight... holiday is beckoning once Ive worked a shift tomorrow, we leave straight after that at lunchtime
I ope when we get back there will be exciting news ..... My brothers partner is imminently expecting her 4th child but his first( the 'younger' ones are all teens)....Ill be a proper auntie when I return from holiday :D just a shame the bubba is late, we had so hoped he/she would be here by the time we left!
Now I'm off to pack my clothes and collapse into a hot bath!
We dropped into Mums house afterwards as it was relatively close and presented her with her birthday cake creation. She really isn't very well though and only lasted an hour before we said our goodbyes. It makes me feel dreadful being so far away :(( only an hr but still!)
Tuesday night saw us having our first sleepover in years which went like a dream, our guest was incredibly well behaved, polite courteous to a fault and impressed Darren ( who was the banner of the sleepovers originally) because he was nothing like the kids who thought it was OK to stay awake giggling, being cheeky and silly well into the early hours (3am with kids cheeking you isn't remotely amusing- I have to agree with him!) but T was an absolute dream (and yes he is a normal kid - we didn't hire an android) and got an approving "well he can come again" from Darren :) It had been all very sudden with T just asking at the end of beach day " Jenny, Can I come home with you ?" so we collected him from home on the way back from my mums once he was showered and changed after the beach fun!
Dropping him back to his Mum the next day didn't go quite so smoothly... the M4 was shut due to a terrible accident and we were routed off a junction too early, meaning an hour in a traffic jam with T saying " I don't feel well I think I'm going to puke" ( UUUHOOOOO!) Thankfully we did meet his mum, brother and friend to reunite them and he wasnt sick!
We met Chloes friend from school and had a lovely lunch in Pizza hut, Chloe was really good, she cant eat the pizza because she Coeliac but was perfectly happy with endless plates of salad from the salad bar and happy conversation before Sophie, Connor and I went to see Kung Fu Panda ( Don't bother- grab it on DVD, its not that good- I almost fell asleep) and the teens went to watch Hancock which I am told was just amazing ( SIGH)
Chloe stayed at her friends for a couple of nights which was nice for them both as F is an only child who lives on a farm and gets a bit lonely but Chloe loved it as of course shes a friend from school ( who are now spread across the UK and beyond during hols) but also F's house has a swimming pool and a trampoline. They also have a Wii fit... F is on a fitness kick, trying to slim down and of course Chloe joined her in all her endeavours and came home last night happy but tired yet spent at least 2 hours flaked out on the sofa today snoring. God only knows what the heck they did in terms of their 'fitness plan' Its clearly worn her out!
Connor and Sophie have been beavering away, mainly on education city as Ive been so busy. Connor managed to get gold stars ( more than 80%) on every science game in Y4 and was thrilled. I really like the way its been updated now to be far more user friendly to home users. Its spurred him on to complete the level he was on and is thrilled to "be on Y5 when I'm not Y5 just yet!" Just the literacy and numeracy to go, the languages he can get through when he wants
Sophie's not as bothered by levels as Connor but she was a little jealous when he was 'moved up' so maybe that will be a good thing! Shes also discovered Adventure rock http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/adventurerock/
and is also reading "Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging" determined to finish it before the film comes out so I will go and take her to see it ( although the full frontal is replaced with 'perfect' in the film title)
She caused much amusement the other night when she came down and said "mum what does this word mean" and proceeded to say " TTTRRRRAAANNNSSVEESSTTTIITTTEE" while I was on the phone to a friend who almost wet her pants with laughter as I explained.... hmmm explaining what a transvestite is, to an 11 year old in the middle of a phone call... just normal every day stuff then!
Ive been working as usual most evenings and getting the washing, shopping and packing done for our holiday.Darren brought the caravan from the storage site this morning while I was out to get the last of the packing done and plug the fridge in, get the battery charged and all those boring things. We've managed to upset the victor meldrew neighbours 2 doors down who said loudly" Those things shouldn't be allowed" when I was going into the caravan allowed where?? allowed at all? allowed outside the house? what??( Jeeze!) Its not even outside his house! Its 25 yds away!
I went on a fab training day today courtesy of wise up and playworks in Neath/Port Talbot (those people are truly amazing).
We did den building and outdoor activities and had so much fun! It was just like being a child again. Its really true you don't understand something properly unless you teach it to someone else and I think its also true of something you intend to deliver to children, to really understand it you need to experience it. So today it was back to being 10, building dens, making tree folk, a map stick, a mini world... you want to know what all these things are? You'll have to come to wise up :-P ( or get me to come to you and do something with your local home ed group if you are far away if there's the offer of an exchange visit!) ;-)
to make it even better my boss agreed to pay me to attend so I wasn't out of pocket and work will benefit too from what Ive learned!
I can't wait to be able to do some stuff with the kids in wise up and in work. It really was loads of fun, I think we all learned so many creative things :)
I hope I get to do more of it :) Id like to be able to do an NVQ in playwork :)
This will be my last post for a fortnight... holiday is beckoning once Ive worked a shift tomorrow, we leave straight after that at lunchtime
I ope when we get back there will be exciting news ..... My brothers partner is imminently expecting her 4th child but his first( the 'younger' ones are all teens)....Ill be a proper auntie when I return from holiday :D just a shame the bubba is late, we had so hoped he/she would be here by the time we left!
Now I'm off to pack my clothes and collapse into a hot bath!
Monday, 14 July 2008
Settling back into life as a 'three'
In terms of there being three Siblings, not two is a challenge in this house. Its one of the major drawbacks of Chloe boarding, everything gets thrown on its head when she comes home. Now I'd much rather her be here with us all the time but since its not possible we all have to readjust when she returns.
I spend most of my time just touching and hugging her until I drive her nuts and she spends much of her time going "OH SOPHIE/CONNOR/MUM" at us in frustration at various things, usually because they arent 'right' and she wails "I want to go back to school" where everything is familiar and ordered. Usually that also means that the other two's home ed pretty much grinds to a halt because "its holiday now so...." ( from whoever decides to use the getout clause)
I was extra worried as we moved house while Chloe was at school and shes spent relatively little time here so I was worried she would react particularly badly ( she needs familiarity and takes a long time to adapt to change, she gets quite anxious and tense until she adapts) usually whatever I plan she manages to disrupt even if shes not required to be involved!
The end result is usually screaming, shouting, conflict, physical fisticuffs and allegations that I love one of them more than the others as I try and right various wrongs, end various squabbles and restore order and calm from the chaos...
This time however I managed to glean areas that Chloe needs extra help with and decided she could work on those while shes home. We had a chat last night and she agreed it would be a good idea for her to keep up with her maths and reading After some initial reluctance ( in the form of much whinging and a few tears and "Its not fairs, I work hard I shouldnt have to...") she finally came and sat down with the others ( after I'd ignored her for quite some time and said she was fine to choose whatever but unfortunately I was busy with S+C) and asked for a multiplication colouring puzzle like the others had. After completing it said "err you know those games you said you had...?" and spent quite some time on them! So we've had three happy little people squirrelling away today round the table or on the PC, few arguments! They made a lovely lunch without being asked. Then we went shopping as Chloe and Connor both needed new trainers.Now the girls are busy baking a cake for my Mum's belated birthday treat.
Its all been so good Im waiting for something to go so drastically wrong..... They are being so good they making me nervous ;-)
I spend most of my time just touching and hugging her until I drive her nuts and she spends much of her time going "OH SOPHIE/CONNOR/MUM" at us in frustration at various things, usually because they arent 'right' and she wails "I want to go back to school" where everything is familiar and ordered. Usually that also means that the other two's home ed pretty much grinds to a halt because "its holiday now so...." ( from whoever decides to use the getout clause)
I was extra worried as we moved house while Chloe was at school and shes spent relatively little time here so I was worried she would react particularly badly ( she needs familiarity and takes a long time to adapt to change, she gets quite anxious and tense until she adapts) usually whatever I plan she manages to disrupt even if shes not required to be involved!
The end result is usually screaming, shouting, conflict, physical fisticuffs and allegations that I love one of them more than the others as I try and right various wrongs, end various squabbles and restore order and calm from the chaos...
This time however I managed to glean areas that Chloe needs extra help with and decided she could work on those while shes home. We had a chat last night and she agreed it would be a good idea for her to keep up with her maths and reading After some initial reluctance ( in the form of much whinging and a few tears and "Its not fairs, I work hard I shouldnt have to...") she finally came and sat down with the others ( after I'd ignored her for quite some time and said she was fine to choose whatever but unfortunately I was busy with S+C) and asked for a multiplication colouring puzzle like the others had. After completing it said "err you know those games you said you had...?" and spent quite some time on them! So we've had three happy little people squirrelling away today round the table or on the PC, few arguments! They made a lovely lunch without being asked. Then we went shopping as Chloe and Connor both needed new trainers.Now the girls are busy baking a cake for my Mum's belated birthday treat.
Its all been so good Im waiting for something to go so drastically wrong..... They are being so good they making me nervous ;-)
Saturday, 12 July 2008
Prizegiving!
Yesterday marked the end of another year at school for Chloe where she really is thriving.. Her school report contained 13 A's and 2B's!!!! ( I almost fainted!)We attended the parents party in the local pub on Thursday night while Sophie and Connor stayed with friends, it was lovely to catch up with her frinds parents ( many of whom are now our friends) and the staff informally!
Friday was the 'big deal' as Chloe calls it.... 'parents morning' .
Her teachers all talked about her in such complimentary terms and have said she always works really hard and gives 100%. She was rewarded with a trophy "for excellence in all areas of school life" and was really pleased. ( pics above)
The guy in the wheelchair in the pic above was the guest speaker... a truly inspirational guy who lost his Dad as a toddler, like our kids is Dyslexic, he suffered a spinal injury, was paralysed and yet completed his degree after rehab and then planned and drove Cairo-Capetown in an adapted vehicle raising £500,000 for spinal research!
He told the kids "You dream something, you want it badly enough you chase it and you WILL do it" He was funny,honest ( particularly about the bodily effects of spinal injury- kids were squirming in horror) very matter of fact, moving and at the end every person in the marquee was on their feet wiping their eyes or struggling with a lump in their throat.
She moves to the 'big school' this year (LOL- 100 kids) and although shes looking forward to it shes a bit scared so the OT took us round and reminded her again where everything is. Shes got colour coded maps and her timetable, once worked out- will also be colour coded. We took pictures to help her remember where everything is and these will also be used by the OT and speech therapy team to help other kids moving who also cant manage without visual prompts. Our request for this sort of help was met with a very matter of fact response and as always the teachers were quick to arrange things for her. ( they are complete angels!)
She will be absolutely fine after the first few days I'm sure. Its a big deal for her though, new houseparents, mostly new teachers, new buildings and friends ( though she knows the Y10's pretty well from before they moved)
We've spent today recovering from the late nights,doing endless mounds of her dirty washing and mooching about. Thanks goodness I got today off!
Catching up again!
I havent blogged regularly for ages I just dont know where this year is going, its really flying by!
The kids have been to another couple of sessions at Wise up and have tried lots of new things there. http://www.wiseuphe.netfirms.com/ has details of all the happenings and photos ( too much by far to blog here)but Sophie has especially enjoyed drawing Manga with her friends which pleases me because she isnt really the strongest artist ( like me) and so its nice seeing her want to experiment and practice Shes continued trying to do lots at home too, completing her 'draw write now' exercises and Ive also bought her a 'how to draw' fantasy book which shes tried a couple of times.
http://www.dragonflycreations.co.uk/ came along and ran a fantastic workshop teaching the children about sustainable crafts and green wood working
Both the kids are looking forward to the music lessons in September although I think it will be Sophie who actually sticks it and wants to learn guitar. Connor just loike bashing the drums in the music room and making a racket! Some drum lessons are something he's looking forward to and hopefully that can be organised.
Circus eruption have been along several times to Tuesday club now and Connor bought his own poi at Glastonbury as a result and now wants to try diablo, Sophie tried a pair of 'bouncy' stilts and the guys said she was really good on them and with practice should be able to walk and jump by herself
On the education front we've been quite slack lately, Ive not been very well and am often exhausted which needs investigating, I suspect Im anaemic so have started taking supplements but it doesnt seem to make any difference... The kids have been doing their Sonlight stuff but the core read aloud "Red Sails to Capri" is SOOO boring for me to read. They love it but I'm afraid I downed tools last week half way through a particularly long and tiresome chapter and refused to read any more of it for a few days before I burned the damn thing... Im failing to see what makes this particular book a shining example of good literature and since I have to read it Ive said they can wait until my hatred of it has abated a little! If its that good then they will wait and stay interested!
Theyve been doing some education city( mainly maths, english and science although theyve played with the Franch games a bit too)
We've been looking some stuff about greener living, recycling, energy saving and composting ( I'm tempted to get a composter so they can see how it all breaks down)
Theyve both been doing some workbooks which I had long abandoned but they were happier to pick up( and asked for). Sophies gone right off Galore Park English but thats something Ill be prodding her to get going with again. I think she just needs lots more support and guidance than most kids because of her dyslexia. Its certainly not the books fault that she cant manage it because its quite clear. She constantly says she wants to take a whole load of GCSE's etc but doesnt seem to realise she will need to be able to do Junior school level english before she will even be able to join in a GCSE level class later. She would just love to be able to take a GCSE next week and for it all to be so easy... Ho humm...
The kids have been to another couple of sessions at Wise up and have tried lots of new things there. http://www.wiseuphe.netfirms.com/ has details of all the happenings and photos ( too much by far to blog here)but Sophie has especially enjoyed drawing Manga with her friends which pleases me because she isnt really the strongest artist ( like me) and so its nice seeing her want to experiment and practice Shes continued trying to do lots at home too, completing her 'draw write now' exercises and Ive also bought her a 'how to draw' fantasy book which shes tried a couple of times.
http://www.dragonflycreations.co.uk/ came along and ran a fantastic workshop teaching the children about sustainable crafts and green wood working
Both the kids are looking forward to the music lessons in September although I think it will be Sophie who actually sticks it and wants to learn guitar. Connor just loike bashing the drums in the music room and making a racket! Some drum lessons are something he's looking forward to and hopefully that can be organised.
Circus eruption have been along several times to Tuesday club now and Connor bought his own poi at Glastonbury as a result and now wants to try diablo, Sophie tried a pair of 'bouncy' stilts and the guys said she was really good on them and with practice should be able to walk and jump by herself
On the education front we've been quite slack lately, Ive not been very well and am often exhausted which needs investigating, I suspect Im anaemic so have started taking supplements but it doesnt seem to make any difference... The kids have been doing their Sonlight stuff but the core read aloud "Red Sails to Capri" is SOOO boring for me to read. They love it but I'm afraid I downed tools last week half way through a particularly long and tiresome chapter and refused to read any more of it for a few days before I burned the damn thing... Im failing to see what makes this particular book a shining example of good literature and since I have to read it Ive said they can wait until my hatred of it has abated a little! If its that good then they will wait and stay interested!
Theyve been doing some education city( mainly maths, english and science although theyve played with the Franch games a bit too)
We've been looking some stuff about greener living, recycling, energy saving and composting ( I'm tempted to get a composter so they can see how it all breaks down)
Theyve both been doing some workbooks which I had long abandoned but they were happier to pick up( and asked for). Sophies gone right off Galore Park English but thats something Ill be prodding her to get going with again. I think she just needs lots more support and guidance than most kids because of her dyslexia. Its certainly not the books fault that she cant manage it because its quite clear. She constantly says she wants to take a whole load of GCSE's etc but doesnt seem to realise she will need to be able to do Junior school level english before she will even be able to join in a GCSE level class later. She would just love to be able to take a GCSE next week and for it all to be so easy... Ho humm...
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
GLASTONBURY!!!
Was Brilliant! Im struggling to know how to describe it really, we just all had such an amazing time!
We travelled down on Weds morning, early.. hoping to avoid the crowds, no such luck! It took 2 1/2 hours of queing to get into the site but we did manage to get a camping pitch with ease after finding my friend Carol who we were going to camp with :) Pitching was hillarious and involved the use of small children lying on flysheets to stop them blowing away!
We mooched around in the Sun on Wednesday and the kids made friends with a little lad who pitched up opposite with his Mum, Aunty and Uncle.It didnt seem that warm so I was amazed when I got sunburned through factor 30!!
Weds evening saw us at the cider bus for a pint of proper Somerset Cider in the sunshine and Thursday was spent exploring the site, taking photos and window shopping around the great many stalls :) We discovered the 'Education Otherwise' stall which sadly I thought looked really dissapointing : given how exciting and diverse the home ed community is it was sad to see ( the whole thing needs updating!)but the kids had their piccie taken and Soph bought a hair bobble.
Sophie and Connor loved the greenfirelds and craft fields although sadly Connor refused to eat anything which was such a shame as the food ( veggie) looked and smelled amazing!
Chloe and Her friend Charlotte arrived on Thursday evening and a lovely policeman allowed Darren to drive right into the site to drop them off :) We had planned to watch "Back to the Future" at the outdoor cinerma but sadly as soon as we reached the tent ( quite a walk!) the heavens opened... it stayed that way all evening curtailing the fun so the girls decided to take themselves off to bed... They'd only been in their tent 10 mins when there was a wail and screech of "MUUUUUMMM!!!! The tents blown down!" slight overreaction maybe but nevertheless it wasnt really looking terribly stable and my efforts to re pitch it in the pouring rain failed!
So we all ended up in my tent, 5 of us in a 4 man tent and all the gear in the porch. Fortunately my tent was large enough to cope, it was slightly cosy but adequate and the sagging pup tent was repitched sucessfully on friday morning !
Friday saw the start of the bands, opening with Kate Nash and the kids just had a ball from then on...! We spent the weekend variously sharing children with The guys opposite who we formed a larger group with so everyone got to see what they wanted without me having to split myself in three! Chloe and Charlotte enjoyed the Ting Tings while Soph, Connor and their friend Brad saw the Hoosiers, Over the course of the weekend we saw Duffy,Newton Faulkner, Jack Penate, James Blunt, Scouting for Girls ( amazing) Neil Diamond( brilliant)The Wombats, The Fratellis,The feeling,Crowded house ( amazing!) Jay-Z.. ( not my cuppa at all Im afraid, I thought it was rubbish!) Amy Wino house ( as the kids named her) was dreadful, slurring, shaking, staggering and droning as her band covered her!
The absolute highlight for me as The Verve on Sunday night... absolutely amazing.. although I was sad to miss Groove Armada who were equally incredible ( saw them on the TV when we got back!) I stood listening to my brothers favourite song, Bittersweet Symphony with tears streaming down my face, turned to the girls and they were all sobbing too! What a moment!) BLUB!!! where was Connor ? ASLEEP! On a picnic rug on the floor, through this hugely loud performance, fireworks the lot!!! It all just got too much for him but we partied on until the end when he woke up and staggered back to the tent!
The weather was cruddy on Friday and it got really muddy but it was back to sunshine on Saturday and dry ground underfoot which meant lots of fancy dress, crafts and face painting between bands. The kids field is brill, the kids felt really welcome everywhere, accosted the police officers everywhere we went once they realised there were free goodies to be had. It was fab, so much was free that I spent very little indeed! The only cost really was food, Id taken some thanksfully but the food stalls were VV expensive! I was glad I could feed them on demand, all the walking anf fresh air certainly increased their appetites!
Ive added my favourite pics from the weekend here but will add a link to them all at the bottom..there are far too many to just pick one!
We travelled down on Weds morning, early.. hoping to avoid the crowds, no such luck! It took 2 1/2 hours of queing to get into the site but we did manage to get a camping pitch with ease after finding my friend Carol who we were going to camp with :) Pitching was hillarious and involved the use of small children lying on flysheets to stop them blowing away!
We mooched around in the Sun on Wednesday and the kids made friends with a little lad who pitched up opposite with his Mum, Aunty and Uncle.It didnt seem that warm so I was amazed when I got sunburned through factor 30!!
Weds evening saw us at the cider bus for a pint of proper Somerset Cider in the sunshine and Thursday was spent exploring the site, taking photos and window shopping around the great many stalls :) We discovered the 'Education Otherwise' stall which sadly I thought looked really dissapointing : given how exciting and diverse the home ed community is it was sad to see ( the whole thing needs updating!)but the kids had their piccie taken and Soph bought a hair bobble.
Sophie and Connor loved the greenfirelds and craft fields although sadly Connor refused to eat anything which was such a shame as the food ( veggie) looked and smelled amazing!
Chloe and Her friend Charlotte arrived on Thursday evening and a lovely policeman allowed Darren to drive right into the site to drop them off :) We had planned to watch "Back to the Future" at the outdoor cinerma but sadly as soon as we reached the tent ( quite a walk!) the heavens opened... it stayed that way all evening curtailing the fun so the girls decided to take themselves off to bed... They'd only been in their tent 10 mins when there was a wail and screech of "MUUUUUMMM!!!! The tents blown down!" slight overreaction maybe but nevertheless it wasnt really looking terribly stable and my efforts to re pitch it in the pouring rain failed!
So we all ended up in my tent, 5 of us in a 4 man tent and all the gear in the porch. Fortunately my tent was large enough to cope, it was slightly cosy but adequate and the sagging pup tent was repitched sucessfully on friday morning !
Friday saw the start of the bands, opening with Kate Nash and the kids just had a ball from then on...! We spent the weekend variously sharing children with The guys opposite who we formed a larger group with so everyone got to see what they wanted without me having to split myself in three! Chloe and Charlotte enjoyed the Ting Tings while Soph, Connor and their friend Brad saw the Hoosiers, Over the course of the weekend we saw Duffy,Newton Faulkner, Jack Penate, James Blunt, Scouting for Girls ( amazing) Neil Diamond( brilliant)The Wombats, The Fratellis,The feeling,Crowded house ( amazing!) Jay-Z.. ( not my cuppa at all Im afraid, I thought it was rubbish!) Amy Wino house ( as the kids named her) was dreadful, slurring, shaking, staggering and droning as her band covered her!
The absolute highlight for me as The Verve on Sunday night... absolutely amazing.. although I was sad to miss Groove Armada who were equally incredible ( saw them on the TV when we got back!) I stood listening to my brothers favourite song, Bittersweet Symphony with tears streaming down my face, turned to the girls and they were all sobbing too! What a moment!) BLUB!!! where was Connor ? ASLEEP! On a picnic rug on the floor, through this hugely loud performance, fireworks the lot!!! It all just got too much for him but we partied on until the end when he woke up and staggered back to the tent!
The weather was cruddy on Friday and it got really muddy but it was back to sunshine on Saturday and dry ground underfoot which meant lots of fancy dress, crafts and face painting between bands. The kids field is brill, the kids felt really welcome everywhere, accosted the police officers everywhere we went once they realised there were free goodies to be had. It was fab, so much was free that I spent very little indeed! The only cost really was food, Id taken some thanksfully but the food stalls were VV expensive! I was glad I could feed them on demand, all the walking anf fresh air certainly increased their appetites!
Ive added my favourite pics from the weekend here but will add a link to them all at the bottom..there are far too many to just pick one!
We dont know this bloke BTW, he was just too funny not to photograph!
The rest ( well worth a look)
http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/JenGriff_photos/Glastonbury%2008/
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