Bye bye Thumper :-(

This week we lost our beloved little dwarf lop eared rabbit, Thumper. He was 4 and we'd had him three years, he was found in a friends garden in somerset just after bonfire night. His poor little whiskers were all singed. Someone had obviously loved him at some point but somehow he ended up in Leza's garden and thankfully was found by someone before her dog did!
He came to live with us and was quite a character, happy hopping round the garden most days, he was very tame and cheeky and would come into the house and help himself to the salad! He was much more like a puppy than a rabbit and would climb up onto our shoulders and lick our ears!
I noticed he wasnt eating on thursday afternoon, he had been quiet and that was most unlike him! When we fed him we'd usually have to be careful to whip our hands out fast or he might mistake your fingers for the food! I got him to the vets within the hour and he was given some injections and we left with instructions on how to care for him but sadly despite syringe feeding him every half an hour he deteriorated and he slipped away at 3am in my arms. Understandably the kids were devastated. We'd had a really hard week and Connors behaviour has been dreadful as it was... then this. He really didnt seem to comprehend that thumper really wasnt going to wake up no matter how much he begged and pleaded. In the end he settled on tucking his cuddly bunny in between thumpers paws so he wouldnt be on his own when we buried him.
Anyway weve laid him to rest in the garden, under the rose bush and the honeysuckle. The kids have put a windmill on his grave which keeps the chickens at bay most of the time.!
Im not sure if he will be replaced at any point, I dont think hes replaceable! Sleep well little Thumper, we will miss you dreadfully.

Busy week!

Weve been busy this week and by thursday I was pretty much worn thin! Sophie missed her climbing session as I was just too tired to get her there. Im still ill although my asthma is much better, Im into week three of being under the weather, sore throat and stuff and Im really fed up! I also completely forgot to get to the vet with the bunny- DOH I really am pretty rubbish memory wise at the mo!

Chloes not gone back to school, insisitent she doesnt want to do it any more, shes sick of boarding... seems theres no mind changing happening there then! So shes started on Oxford GCSE Maths in a year which we got from Amazon and seems to be doing well. She enjoys Maths even if she finds it tricky and is determined to do well. She'd started GCSE's at school and it doesnt seem we will be able to continue them here from initial enquiries but we'll find a way! I cant see the book taking a year to complete for a home educated student though, she completed half a unit today and was only working for about an hour and a half in total!

I also signed them up to Mathletics which is only £10 a year for home educated children ( enter homeed2010 as the discount code) and Connor and Chloe love it.. will sign Sophie up if she shows any interest but she prefers to work from books.

Weve been digging over the veggie patch and our seedlings are doing well. Just got to get some fencing sorted to keep the chickens off. The Hens have made light work of all the weeds and are starting to lay. Weve had two eggs each morning this week :-)

Matt was back last weekend for his weekend leave and booked us a break at Center Parcs for his next leave period so the kids are really excited.
Im really looking forward to it too, it will be nice to get away and spend some time together. Connors decided he has to learn to ride his new bike by the time we go so he was nonplussed with the bad weather today! There is also talk of high ropes too, Im not fond of heights at all so Im a little nervous at the prospect! I just keep thinking "Spa treatments, spa... yeah, spa, nice... swimming nice, high ropes?? errrr!"

Weve had lots of fun this week though, visiting friends and having friends visit us too which has been lovely kids have seen Granny and Sophs been out with Young Carers which she really enjoyed, theyve said they are going to try and get her to start going to cadets or something locally to make some more friends.
Connors off out with the local student volunteers tomorrow so the girls and I will see if we can get out and do something while hes occupied.... I so wish I had some respite care... exhausted by the end of the week isnt the word!

A nice pic from this week.... Soph and My friends little girl. It was lovely to see them laughing. Really lifted my spirits after all the stress thats happening at the mo.

regrouping, recharging, reassessing,renewing

Weve had a horrendous few weeks, for various reasons. Many people who know me personally will know why, I dont feel the need to go into it. Lets just say I hope a healthy dose of karma will satisfy the urges I have to strike back! Regardless- I just dont have the energy!
Weve had friends staying for several weeks who have now left us- it was lovely to have them but towards the end of their stay it became very stressful. Its nice to get 'our' space back, routine,interests, food and so on.
Its all sapped our emotional energy to the extreme, I know my health has suffered, Ive been ill for three weeks now, have lost almost a stone and have only just managed to stay out of hospital when my asthmas been bad. Its my lovely friends who have given me strength to see this last couple of weeks through. I especially was so glad when Matt ( My man) came back on leave this week from the RAF and provided some hugely needed TLC for us all, lots of cuddles, fun and laughter, silliness in the park with the kids.
The kids seem anxious and sad and I decided no more! On and up and we deserve to shut ourselves off from "committments" and do our own thing for a while.
So Ive decided this week there wont be any 'work' Im actively banning it. Not very unschooly granted but no maths, english, nothing which doesnt make us feel good and nothing which has any room for failure which might sap our spirits. Early beds, long walks, lots of crafts and cooking , gardening, time spent with friends and the camera coming along for documenting it all.
Will report back on its effects at the end of the week I guess!

Chickens!

Introducing..... Yoko,Henrietta,Brittney and Shelley..... the girls
Weve only had them two days and already they have started to lay! They have spent lots of happy hours wandering around the garden pecking at the moss and grass between the patio slabs and munching their way through the weeds in the newly turned over veggie patch! The cat wasnt too sure, especially when Yoko who is 'boss hen' decided to see him off in quite spectacular fashion! They are now happily avoiding each other! She also isnt adverse to coming into the house and dislikes being shown the door!
The chickens are sooo easy! Put themselves in to bed at night, come out when you open the door in the morning and just chill out! They are full of character too, the kids have spent ages outside with them and they are pretty tame too!

We're Back!!

In the world of blogging!
Almost two years after my husband announced suddenly he was leaving, dropping the bottom out of all our world I now feel its time to blog again, encouraged by some wonderful home educating, blogging friends and facebook... I decided I miss blogging, catching up with peoples lives and sharing my own. Life as a single parent isnt easy but weve coped, we've regrouped, found some balance and new direction both in life and educationally ( can you seperate the two?)

In 18 mths so much has happened! The kids are obviously all bigger,louder, sometimes it seems messier! Sophies been to school, had a lovely year and a term at the little independent Christian school she chose and decided to de-register at Christmas, having done what she felt she needed to and returned to home education. She still has lots of friends who phone her loads and she keeps in touch with via Facebook, shes taken herself off on the bus today to go in for lunchtime with the others and catch up for the first time since Christmas and the teacher was happy to welcome her back for a visit which was lovely!

Chloes home for the mo, having decided boarding is all too much for her, anxious to complete her GCSE's but unable to deal with the emotional upset of being seperated from us we're trying to decide how to proceed. I guess she will be de-registered but that too would make me sad. Ive offered to move house but the other two, quite naturally said "But this is our home, we dont want to leave" and I share their reticence!

Connor, well... hes just Connor! his direction educationally has become more and more unschooled, resisting and rejecting all structure and finding his niche by playing, endless playing, much more like the behaviour of a younger child. Everything is a game and hes thriving on it. Everything from multiplication to literacy is done through puzzles and computer games.Practical things are done by experimentation and knowledge is gained through documentaries and the odd books. Makes me wonder really what the school system did to him so young ( he started at 3 full time as part of an early years pilot project) and regret now ever sending any of them when I see the thirst for learning some kids have. Its coming back slowly though.

So its a new year, a new start, spring his here... its a time for new growth and a return to blogging and well... thats about it really!