Musings on the middle

Well,the Peanut is away for a few days enjoying her last Spud free holiday with her Grandma,and so I have a little more time to think. So naturally,the first thing I do is go 'wohoo! TV remote now mine!' and jump on it... :) I found a show the other night on DMAX called 'Radical Parenting' which included unschoolers,co sleepers,extended breast feeders etc. Now, I reckon everyone has the right to do what they believe is best for their kids,except in situations where they believe harming or abusing their child is 'right' or acceptable. I stand by that having watched the whole programme,fair play to them for doing what they believe is right. Me, I sit firmly in the middle. Its boring here,but safe and comfortable,and there is scope for movement. Best of all,I dont feel like I am getting sucked into doing something I am not comfortable doing for me and my family. Sure,we homeschool. Some people I know would consider that fairly 'radical'. We plan to cloth diaper Spud when he makes an appearance, I guess some people would find that radical. However,both of these decisions have come in response to the needs of my kids. Peanut needed education,the LA had nothing except an unsuitable school far to far away with no help with travel costs. So we started homeschooling. We found it fitted in better with our day to day lives,Peanut had time to take her medication every day,the fairly frequent doctors visits did not have to be explained and triple checked by the school,and should we want to go away at a time NOT involving school holidays-when retail is often busiest and therefore time off hard to come by- we can. In the same vein, cloth diapering the new one. Its substantially cheaper,even when factoring in the extra laundry,and as a family on a tight budget,that is not something to be sneezed at. Peanut had the most HORRIFIC nappy rash pretty much from when she was born. She has very sensitive skin,I do,and Spuds father also does. Odds are so will Spud. The only thing that improved Peanuts rash was cloth diapers. (tho back in the day they were waaaay old school and not as easy as now) Given that,it would seem likely that at some point Spud will suffer the same skin,and if I can minimise that pain by putting him straight into cloth,well why not?! Both decisions make sense for us,and that is why many of the people on the show also made their decisions. For that reason I am not about to haul them up against my own standards and call them weird. One thing with all this newfound 'radicalism' though, is that in some cases it becomes almost like a cult. People who are looking for something find this niche where they can do something outside the norm and they go 'hey,look at me,Im radical, Im part of a radical community.' Their identity in a sense becomes tied up in what they are doing rather than who they are. For them,it is about showing how different they are,how they make their own rules and are free from what less enlightened members of society are forced into. Their way becomes the only way,and anyone else just does not understand. They have found,in a sense a new religion and boy are they preaching. (or just smugly occupying the moral high ground-something we have all been guilty of at some point ;) ) Woe betide anyone who does not want to or cannot breastfeed,they are evil for denying their child such precious natural food...woe betide she who uses disposible nappies,she will end up living on a landfill in a godforsaken world...forcing children to attend school is as cruel as keeping them in cages,and educating them to fit any kind of society is pure social engineering etc... This occurs not just in parenting though,food is also something of a minefield. Ever been the only vegetarian in a room full of vegans? Ouch. I have. Its an intense experience. Someone takes up veganism,fine,eat what makes you feel good,what will keep you healthy. There are many benefits to the vegan lifestyle. However,to the vegangelicals, the few,the hardcore, there is ONLY veganism,and everything else is just downright wrong and must be fought against because ONLY by not consuming any animal products can we save the world... ahem...yeah. My point is there needs to be BALANCE. Too much of anything is not good,and too far to any extreme becomes an exercise in pushing that extreme for the sake of it. We are all naturally curious about how other people live,and who hasnt ever read the blog of someone who is a radical unschooling,vegan,barefoot only extended breastfeeder and gone 'actually,she looks really happy,and so do the kids,and oh gee,maybe if I could just push the boundaries a little I too could live like her and be more fulfilled'...etc? Thing is,what makes her kids happy could make yours miserable,and while it is good to have passions and ideals,forcing your kids to fit into them to prove how much you belong,and to validate how radical and happy you are you may just wind up with confused kids. Im sure many of the children are perfectly happy with their lives,and fair play,but sometimes I look at the parents,and think maybe this is more about them than the kids. Maybe this is about their need to find something,to belong to something, that is driving them.There is also a certain amount of one upmanship in these groups,and sometimes its a game of who can be the most radical and who can most exemplify this radical dream.We have all seen these blogs with their beautiful pictures and 'gentle philosophy' of what is best what their family are doing to make them happy,and have bought into it enough to think maybe if we could do it,we could be as happy as the glossy photos seem to suggest. I just dont know if chasing someone elses happiness and trying to make it your own is a good idea...Maybe taking what you think you and your family can best use from these organisations and then going your own way for the rest is just as radical if not more so than following a radical organisation? After all,they were only radical when the first one started to beat their own path really,now they are more about collecting followers than being truly original themselves. This is what happens when I am left with free time....fear not,the Peanut will soon return and the baby brain fog will soon redescend Im sure...

maths,moving and....... motherhood x2?!

Well, I apologise for my lack of communication on here recently,but we seem to have undergone a few fairly drastic changes... Firstly,we are now homeowners. Yup, thats homeOWNERS. No more renting,throwing large amounts of money at a landlord so he can go on ignoring the fact that we are flushing the toilet only by pouring pints of water down it from a jug,there is mould EVERYWHERE that will no die despite vinegar tea tree oil and leaving windows open ALL the time etc etc. Nope,from now on if its broke,WE fix it. I have to say at this point I am totally in love with our new house. It is quieter (hard to be noisier than the last one really..) safer,more beautiful,cleaner,in better repair,more spacious and there have been a noteable lack of drunks sleeping in the front garden.All this and more...such bliss :) This is truly a home. The Peanut has settled in happily,has gleefully taken possession of the largest bedroom,and now has space for a desk,storage etc and STILL have room to move around it. There is a mini breakfast bar in the kitchen,which she has also happily claimed as her own,and even the dreaded maths is not such a chore while sat on her favourite swivel buckety seat thing. Home ed is pretty much back up and running,the first few days after the move were a little difficult,as many books etc had magically vanished into many seperate boxes,despite my careful attempts at order...we were also without the internet until yesterday,so had to make do without our beloved jediteacher2007. That said,we still managed an hour of maths a day,and the Peanut brain has taken an interest in philosophy and is currently reading Sophies World. Science etc will resume next week. I did have a series of activities carefully prepped on a cdrom,but for some reason when said cd was inserted into 'puter it made a noise which can only be described as painful and mechanical and promptly shut down,refusing to spit the disc out. Ah,the joys of technology... In other news,well,there is only one item of news...it would seem that after 13 years raising the Peanut as an only,we are about to welcome another member of the household... He/Shes name is currently Spud owing to my overpowering urge to eat potato with EVERYTHING and salad cream. As I write this,he is trying to rearrange my ribs,although he doesnt seem to have picked up on the Peanut trick of jumping on my bladder every two hours from three months gestation right through to birth...for this I am thankful in the extreme,as I clearly remember one night I gave in and dragged my duvet into the bathroom so I could sleep on the damn toilet! Peanut is convinced that Spud is a boy,which is irking her slightly as she really wants a sister- 50/50 chance I guess...Im not certain yet,I do keep finding myself saying 'he' rather than 'she' and Spud is certainly higher and out in front more than Peanut was,but each bebe is different,so maybe Spud is just keeping me guessing. I really dont mind,and neither does the very proud father.Healthy and in one piece is all we ask :) Anyway,at 4 months now,finally over the puking stage-which was not as bad as I remember in terms of actual throwing up,but did make me feel queazy all day,and had the added advantage of every time I coughed having to stand still and deep breathe in order to avoid said vomit. Work is pretty knackering-three flights of stairs up and down,standing up or running around all day and having to deal with bad tempered people and general jerks and its a recipe for tiredness. Add to this the general stresses and strains of moving,and I am BEAT. I havent taken a holiday yet this year,but the majority of it is booked already. I would have booked too,but not knowing up until a few days before you move that you ARE moving,and everything else gets kind of put on hold...Ah well,if worst comes to worst I shall tack my holiday onto my maternity and try and get through the next few months. Its strange to be starting from the beginning again. I have watched all my close friends have children in the last few years,and I remebre through them what the early years were like. It seems so long ago. Of course,in 13 years not much has changed on that front,except the NHS advice on what you can safely eat in pregnancy-with the Peanut,ironically peanut butter was the work of satan,and almost guaranteed your babe would be born with a nut allergy. Fast forward 13 years,and now its great stuff. Oh boy. Use a little common sense I say, dont eat raw meat,eggs or fish, dont go cleaning out the cat litter without gloves etc and dont read the bloody literature they give you or you will remain indoors for 9 months,paranoid and existing on prenatals,rice cakes and bottled water. Either way,it all feels both new and familliar at once. Second babies are indeed much different to the first,and one thing that does concern me slightly is size. Now,Peanut booked in at 7 and a half pounds and came from first contaction to wow,its a baby, in 6 hours. The combination of speed and size virtually guarantees stitches afterwards. Fast forward. Spud has already had his first scan -thats something new,Peanut got one scan,at 16 weeks, Spud gets another one at 20 weeks and his first was at 13- and compared to Peanut,who was 3 weeks bigger at her scan,he is MUCH larger. Add to that proud father is 6 ft 5,and was well over 10 pounds at birth and the fact that second babies are larger and supposedly quicker,and thats going to be like a freight train!!! Ouch. I forsee a good deal more stitches...bugger. So, all in all an eventful few months since we last updated. The home ed,contrary to what most people assume, will continue. Picture it from Peanuts point of view, 'Right,you are getting a half sibling,so we will have no time for you,get your butt to school and undo everything we have achieved NOW!' Peanut does not need any more complexes.The average teenage angst is enough. As we proved with the moving etc it is far better to have the kiddo adjust to change at home when they are part of it,that when they are thrown out every day and have to deal with it when they get home. She is coming on in great independant strides,and I would never take that away from her. Right,thats me done for now, I have to go and prep more work for Peanut to do in the weeks leading up to the arrival of spud and in the sleep deprived days and weeks after...better to do it now before baby brain kicks in entirely...

pus filled ears and preteen pondering

Well,its all been rather quiet on the educational front right now,but it hit me this morning whilst I was scraping pus out of my daughters ear with a cotton bud that she will be a genuine teenager this time tomorrow.Its a strange feeling. All the years of worrying,nursing,feeding and attempting to nurture the Peanut and now she actually doesnt need me to do the majority of this stuff for her. Of course,scraping pus from infected ear skin and tending it with tcp is just too much fun not to share with ones mother,but there is now a mini adult where there was once a small child. Disconcerting,wonderful,terrifying and just plain weird though the thought is. In another 6 years,she could be off to Uni,all ready to take her place in the world,wherever that may be. Six years is gonna go pretty damn fast if the last 13 are anything to go by! Everywhere I look,my friends are bonding with new babies,beginning the whole process with all the usual doubts and fears,and here I am,somewhat battlescarred veteran of the Mum lifestyle,now contemplating surrender-or at the very least withdrawing the troups and handing over to self government. Its scary to think that after everything,in a few short years I will be putting everything I have tried to instill in Peanut to the test and letting her fly. Of course,you always know that the change is coming,indeed sometimes on the 3am feed-and-colic-and-no-help-in -sight dark moments we have probably all wished for the moment to come sooner,but now its suddenly drawing closer it is strange. I hope I can do the Peanut justice throughout the raging hormone fest of the next few years,and teach her what she needs to know to be a happy well adjusted individual who can go on to do what she wants in life. I am still standing by our choice to homeschool,it has opened our eyes to a lot we would otherwise has missed,and put fun into what could have been a traumatic experience.I like to think the Peanut will look back fondly on our attempts to home ed,or at least not be looking back on it from a therapists couch! Anyhow,the ear is oozing,and as riveting as Im sure all this maudlin mum crap is,duty calls.For a few more years at least its back to the trenches and the frontline :)

manga universe,maths tests and music

Woops...time has been flying once again and I am being dragged behind its coattails screaming...and after that strange introduction,welcome to some more insights into the Peanuts schooling. Firstly,we are back to recapping fractions in the form of the 10 minute test book. Peanut pouts,sulks and grumbles her way through a test every day before being allowed to go do something more interesting.Grumble she may,but she can do the tests a hell of a lot faster than she could and it is a quick and relatively painless way to recap a subject. We went from 'But I cant remember ANYTHING and I hate fractions mumble mumble...' to 'Done it,checked it,got them all right,now can I PLEASE go?!' At which point she stomps off to read the Manga guide to the Universe .(ISBN:978-1-59327-267-8) We have several of the Manga guide to... series. There is one for molecular biology,one for physics,another with a guide to the planets and the universe and so on. They are basically science textbooks interspersed with manga style comic strips which explain the salient points and also tell a side story of their own. The Peanut,needless to say,is a HUGE fan and as such we are hoping to complete the set.Granted,it is pitched a few years above the Peanut in some cases,but its scary what has already been digested,and if she doesnt understand the rest yet,she probably will at some point. Its the educational equivalent of buying the clothes 2 sizes too big with the thought that 'you'll grow into it'. We are still somewhere in between the universe and Darwin in science,alternating as the Peanut brain prefers. In english,we are still looking at Of Mice and Men,but I have an eye on 'I know why the caged bird sings' by Maya Angelou so Im sure we will get a start on that as soon as I can track down a copy. We made flapjacks yesterday at the Peanuts request,and judging from the vast spew of craft books on the floor I believe a creative project of some kind may well be in the offing. In other news,it was so good to get outside again. Feels like we have been cooped up forever lately,high time to get some exercise! Cant wait for planting season to begin,and we can go back to our herbalism course full tilt. Beyond that, it has been fairly quiet round these parts. We are starting the process of buying a house and also looking into a return trip to Canada,two things which are both wonderful and terrifying depending on whether you are looking at the end result or the bank balance... O and I have also got stupidly addicted to the tv show 'Friday Night Lights'. As it centres around american high school football,I am blaming him entirely for this...Only two seasons are available here in the uk,of the 5 that were made.Really hoping that season 2 doesnt end on a cliffhanger-who am I kidding?! Of course it will-and that somehow we can find out how it all ends.

Icy Imbolc and planetary polystyrene...

Well,there went January... seems it vanished in a haze of Darwin and coolmaths,something the peanut has taken to gleefully. As far as inspection went,seems a bit of an anticlimax,didnt need a single gun and we are signed,certified for another year. We bludgeoned the inspector with Peanuts current reading list,blinded her with science games and proceeded to lecture her on the wonders of modern history. Once it was obvious she was not some shrinking,pale and trembling child but socially well adjusted and by all definitions,NOT abused,neglected or unloved and mentally understimulated we were pretty much there.In fact,the inspector was taking notes and exclaiming that she could use things we were doing with other children and it wasnt so much a lesson for us as a lesson by us...
Peanut is currently reading 'The voyage of the Beagle' and numerous astronomy texts. We are still looking at Darwin,and are planning on watching 'Creation' at some point,however a sudden urge of the Peanut brain to learn about astronomy and the solar system,brought about by a chance encounter with the CGP physics curriculum,means we are temporarily hurtling off on a tangent. This tangent has involved making and painting planets made of polystyrene balls and making then playing with top trumps planet cards. Incidentally,please,no more Uranus jokes. A house full of oversized children have run that joke reeeeaaallly thin...
We have started GCSE maths now,but are only doing proper lessons twice a week,slightly longer than the previous ones. The rest of our maths hours are taken up with math and logic puzzle websites.
Now,we have,for a good few years totally ignored religious studies,beyond satisfying basic Peanut curiosity. However,she will be 13 soon,the age when traditionally a wiccan would start on the pagan path. This is something that greatly interests the Peanut,however I fear I would be a poor teacher,focussed as I am more on the nitty gritty basics of life than on the fripperies of which colour candle calls up which goddess when the moon is seven times in the fifth house or whatever. Im not sure if that makes me a sloppy pagan or if I am travelling a path entirely different,but I do believe we all find God,who or whatever that is in our own way,and we need to follow our own paths in that regard. Still,I have given her books,explanations,the run of my box of pagan stuff and left her to her own devices. Like handing matches and a flamethrower to a pyromaniac? Possibly,but what doesnt burn us to a small blackened crisp gives us a healthy respect for fire...
At this precise moment in time,the Peanut is playing with top trump cards while attempting to fart the theme tune to neighbours. Top trumps indeed. The attention span is somewhat limited at the moment and I am vastly grateful that the serious schooling is over for the day.

new year...new neurosis...

Well,December has vanished in a haze of sleep deprivation and stress,xmas day was lovely, the rest was work, work, work for us all.Only Peanut gets away with having the luxury of time off at xmas.Fortunately,its all about her anyway :)
Anyhow, Maths restarts with a recap of the essentials of KS3.I want her to be confident enough with fractions,trigonometry and algebra that she can do them without thinking about them. Thats the plan anyway.English,we have moved on to 'White Fang' as Peanuts passion for all things canadian and wolf related-yes,the Due South obsession continues... Speaking of Canada,still looking forward to returning this year. :) Science wise,we are starting physics this term...batteries ahoy! History continues with modern history,apparently much more interesting to the Peanut brain.
Well,on to the main subject. Two days ago a jolly little letter from the LEA plops onto the mat.Fair enough,time to send them a few samples of the Peanuts work and report on what we were doing last year. No problem. Oh no,now it seems we have a new 'elective home education advisory teacher' who has invited herself round to our house 'to offer advice and support'. Strange,we have been at this 2 years now,and the last coordinator was always perfectly happy with Peanuts work. I was so pissed when I read that letter,in fact, Im STILL pretty pissed off,as I understand this woman has no legal right to just come around without my permission,and yet here she is,setting herself an appointment and just assuming that she can waltz in and start poking around our home! Obviously,because I home educate my child will be found,white faced and trembling,locked in a cupboard while I sit on my butt and drink neat homebrew with my feet up...
The irony is,if we had received a letter from this woman introducing herself and asking if it were possible to visit at some point then I would have been okay with that.Its more the fact that she made an appointment to come as if she has every right! Is this how its going to be now? If I refuse this visit,will she just come back with some kind of official paper,or recommend Peanut sent straight back to school because its 'obviously best' ?! From what I saw of our temps this year,they were nice kids,but half of them couldnt spell-my favourite example was one who spelt 'Oasis' as 'Owasis' -and it WASNT a typo...most of them couldnt figure out basic stuff like 7.50 + 7.50=15 without a calculator and yet they all reckon they got good exam results...somethings not adding up..literally...kind of makes me wonder. Of course,everyone second guesses you when you home ed,because if they all had to go to school and 'learn to deal with it' then you should have to send your child there too. Just parr for the course I guess. Still,start the New Year and bring it on...

flying time and rising tide...

Yikes! Has it really been that long since I updated?! Time is indeed flying. We are still chugging along,and I am pleased to say KS3 maths is NO MORE! We finished the other day,lock stock and protractor...I could be really mean and insist on starting GCSE right away and plunge right in by going back over fractions then adding on from there the extra gcse bits,but its nearly xmas,and the Peanut has done so well and worked so hard I am inclined to be a soft touch and proclaim from now until xmas maths games and puzzles every day instead. English is flying along nicely,Peanut romped through animal farm and then dived headlong into 'Of Mice and Men' which she finished in about 3 hours.This leads nicely into GCSE modern history,so we are going into some detail about the 20s and 30s both here and in America. Science wise,chemistry will be concluded by the end of term,when we move on to physics and then on to GCSE. I have faithfully promised that we WILL be doing Darwin again next term as well. We are also going back to experimenting with our teaching methods. Having read much of the brilliant Grits Day blog,I became interested in the idea of looking at what I would normally teach over the course of the week,and then giving Peanut a list of assignments. She has Monday to ask for any help she may need understanding them,and working through any problems,and the rest of the week she is left to organise her own time as she sees fit. My only proviso is that by the end of the week the work is done and then checked by me on Friday. It is actually proving surprisingly effective,Peanut gets to organise her own time and study schedule,without the need for me sitting 'breathing down her neck' and I have more time for such luxuries as mopping 8 bathtowels and 2 buckets full of water from our kitchen floor where we appear to have something of a mains leak which has so far baffled 2 sets of plumbers...yay...

half term and half measures

Well,there goes another half term,we are now officially in the downhill terror slide towards xmas...fortunately,I have got 90% of my presents and am feeling slightly smug (hey come on,its allowed once in a while!) that I will not be one of the vast hordes shopping in december...Ill be serving them instead-darn it,knew there was a flaw somewhere!
School continues,although since we have only one module left before leaving KS3 maths behind,I have left the easiest till last.We are currently doing Graphs and Charts. Chemistry continues with 'metals and non metals'-we will be on KS3 science for a while yet...english, To Kill a Mockingbird' and study guide went down so well we are going to give animal farm a shot.History,well,Im expecting a certain amount of discussion on communism after animal farm,so I guess we will be looking at Russia and possibly China. The project on 1930s america kind of ground to a halt,so we will be trying to pick that up a bit as well.This term is traditionally an easy one for both primary and secondary schools everywhere,exams are finished,there are more extra curricular activities to worry about,and trying to keep the attention of a room full of kids who can sense xmas is pointless. We are following suit with our own more relaxed curriculum at the mo,although of course,as critics will be quick to point out as homeschoolers,we hardly do anything worthwhile anyway...*coughfinishks3ayearearly*cough*
In other news,we learnt how to make carrot oil using the baby carrots we grew this year.Next stop is to find a balm for dermatitis,please,before I scratch myself to death! So far,beeswax and almond oil seems to be doing it better than anything else,but time will tell.
The Peanut is now obsessed with a new show-thank gods as 'Scrubs' was starting to get to me. This new one was a happy accident,they have started to show reruns of 'Due South' on tv,and I found it while channel surfing. I used to LOVE it as a kid,the first 2 seasons anyway...never did get into the new Ray K thing,and I was wallowing in nostalgia when Peanut came in and took an interest.She is now hooked. I managed to buy season 2 cheap,but season 1 is SIXTY bloody quid at work,and fifty online. Even with discount,ouch. So we are working through season 2,and I bought the pilot episode for a bargain. Finally,something we can both watch with no arguement,even the boys dont mind watching this-a temporary ceasefire in the Sky Remote War is always welcomed.Peanut is incidentally following the crowd by confessing a crush on the mountie.It says a lot about me that MY huge crush was always Ray Vecchio,and I have to admit,I can still see the attraction. What can I say? Ive always been a little unconventional...

just for me...

Probably right...

Well,on to probability,which involved me buying a pack of playing cards-gambling AND home ed?! Shameful! What would the LEA say?! and giving Peanut quizzes on what the likelihood of one or other card turning up.This involves cards everywhere and the predictable ensuing chaos that results from such. As far as chemistry goes we are still happily playing with the periodic table. Sometimes literally. We have cards representing each of the elements,and the Peanuts current favourite game is to see how long it takes to reassemble them into table order from scratch and then try to beat her time. She is getting good at recognising the symbols too. Next challenge will be to learn how they combine. On the english front,Peanut has been reading the GCSE study guide to 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. For fun. Seriously,I caught her reading this on the loo AFTER school. Safe to say she is enjoying english. She has read about 2 books this week,one warrior cats and one other. History,we are buying the history of art guide from Ellen Mc Henry and working through that.It covers geography,art,history and a splash of politics.Thats been about it this week,although Peanut now has full mastery over her hair,and is happy to go into HMV with me for 2 hours a day this week whilst waiting for my flatmate to finish work and take her home. She has sat in the break room and chatted confidently to everyone.Comments range from 'oh,shes a mini you' and 'cute!!!' to 'Woah,shes smart! She read the Independent,Sun and Times then started chatting about them with me!' and also 'she is so bright its scary,she was reading the book for to kill a mockingbird,and I looked over her shoulder and didnt understand some of it,and I DID it for GCSE!' I dont know if that says more about her or the quality of people HMV employs,but considering the latter comment came from a phd student,I was quietly happy. Everyone agrees however that she is friendly,well adjusted and articulate,not to mention confident enought to talk to a room full of people older than her and strangers with ease. Guess the socialisation arguement is falling a little flat,hmmm?!
Incidentally,I do not drag the Peanut into work on a regular basis,this is brought on by desperation,as Mum is on honeymoon,Nan is away,Cais grandad is unavailable,her Dad is supposedly too sick to take her,(but turned up at work to buy a cd...)and my aunt is working. Bear is doing 12 hour days in wycombe,so hes up at 6am and returns at 9pm.That leaves Graah! who,bless him has swapped all his shifts so he can be on the early shift and finish at 5.I start at 2,so there is a three hour crossover in which she sits safely in the staffroom with the guys on lunch (giving her a rotating captive audience...) and then she goes home with Graah! to watch movies and eat copious amounts of popcorn. She is safe behind a staff only pincode protected door and there are always members of staff around,all of whom now know and like her. She is coming in on friday as well.She is thrilled,I am less so,and my boss will just be relieved when we go back to normal...the guys will miss having her around though. Ah well,theres always the traditional 2 hours on xmas eve...

light at the end of the trig tunnel...

Well,this week sees the final slog through trigonometry,and on too less taxing subjects...on the science front we are playing with the elements of the periodic table in playing card format,and timing ourselves putting them all in order. We are studying an online botany curriculum,and we are eyeing up an art history workshop. We have also been dipping toes into the world of local home ed groups...only to discover that most of the interesting events take place on a friday afternoon. I work. Bugger. We may need to work around this. Anyway,we are still on a soup rampage,the Peanut devouring soup at a faster rate that I can produce it...Basically,I throw everything in the fridge into a pot of stock and some ginger and garlic and a can of tinned tomatoes and some pasta.That is the basis of fridge emptying soup,and its a firm favourite Currently she is eating another mammoth bowl while we watch and discuss 'Botox Mums'. Besides that we have been recovering from a family wedding and starting the xmas shopping.Yes,I said xmas shopping. From now until November,every time I go into a shop (supermarkets notwithstanding) I buy what I came for,and also a present for someone. Laugh now,but in December when everyone is rushing around,and Im stuck all day in a hot sweaty shop being shouted at and jostled by panicking last minute shoppers I know I can just go straight home afterwards without having to join the hoards. Anyhow,onwards...I am making Peanut a card to carry which states that she is NOT truanting but a Home Ed student and that she is registered with the local LEA.On it will be her LEA number,my phone number and a signed statement on the back from me saying I am aware she is not in school,etc. Its a little worrying that I have to do this,but we have been stopped once already so better to be safe than let them swoop on the Peanut on a day she happens to be on the train on her own.

trig vanquished,chemistry calling

Well,we are on the final leg of trig now...its been...interesting. We finally solved the mystery of angle 0 -hint;it helps to press the RIGHT button on the calculator! and we are ok with the basics of sin,cos and tan. Chemistry,and we are examining the periodic table,in all its glory. In an attempt to lighten up what appears to be a heavy subject for the Peanut,I downloaded They Might Be Giants album, 'Here comes Science.' For those who havent had the pleasure,its on iTunes.Its awesome. Watch the videos while you are there. (And try not to hate me when you are at work singing the one about photosynthesis,ok?!) Peanut has finished "To kill a mockingbird' which means I now have to read it-fortunately,I can polish that off in an hour,speed reading to the rescue again...We are still working from GCSE maths and english books,and now also mixing GCSE with KS3 science. An hour a day on both science and maths seems to be the way forward,as Peanut will dive into literature quite freely,but is more reticent on any subject which may contain numbers.Tai Chi continues,we are STILL trying to find a class Peanut wants to take,and it looks like Rosetta Stone will be the way forward for french.Too bad they dont do a Finnish one,Im definately a little rusty these days. Looking back on the term so far,we seem to have accomplished a fair bit.Do wish I could get Peanut more excited about history,she loved the WW2 project the first term,but is decidedly less keen on ancient stuff as she puts it. Ah well,social history of 1930s america will have to come into Mockingbird discussions at some point,and she adores the British Museum,so I guess not all old stuff is boring,just the old one teaching it!

trigonometry,how we loathe thee

Well,since our last update we have finally got down to the nuts and bolts of trigonometry itself,SIN,COS and TAN.This is ok. We are slowly getting the hang of this. What is NOT ok is trying to answer a question in which you are not given the angle.We have tried,oh we have.We have studied textbooks,websites and worksheets.We have called everyone we know.STILL the answer eludes us.Ah well. The rest of it is going ok.(although melodramatic proclamations of how trig and I are conspiring to kill the poor,innocent Peanut are fairly common.We have decided that algebra was more fun...and I never thought I would say that...)
In science news,chemistry continues with the anatomy of an atom-say hello protons,neutrons and electrons-and the composition of mixtures,elements and compounds. Today,after the obligatory maths/torture session we are continuing with Peanuts herbal tome. We are about to go and purchase glass bottles and jars,beeswax and raw shea butter to make lotion and balm,and bottle some calendula flowers in oil.
English sees us deep into TKAM,which we will soon begin the joyous task of analysing.
The Peanut if now completing a tai chi segment every day buy one,and we are still walking everywhere,except on 2 days a week,when she catches the train 2 stops to her grandmas house alone.Yes,alone. I take her to the station,see her on the train and then let her go off alone,head stuck in the metro to grandmas,where she is met at the other end by said grandma. I call it gaining independence.Some people seem to think I may as well stake her to the floor,cover her in chocolate and feed her to the predators.Meh. She has a phone,an attitude,and only 2 stops to go. She is savvy enough to know what to say and do in an emergency and I think at 12 this is good life experience.
Not much to report in general news,Peanut still devouring horrible histories and warrior cats and has lately been reading 'the healers handbook' and asking questions about chakras that I am only barely equipped to answer. We are off to the library today to try and find some more answers,Its all a bit new age to me,Im more on the practical side of 'grow it,harvest it,turn it into a tincture/ointment etc,slap it on the affected area and watch it work. Beyond that I think my brain is too firmly rooted in science to start stuff like colour therapy. (Who knew blue could really be depressed?! )

museums,mummys and mockingbirds.

These last few days have consisted of yet more pre-trig in the form of Bearings, (GCSE CGP maths) continued particle work (CGP KS3 Science and GCSE chemistry) and,of course,To Kill a Mockingbird,which the Peanut seems to be rattling through at some speed. Yesterday,growing a little tired of routine-after all,what is the point of home schooling if we sit at home doing exactly what is being done at school?!-we took a trip to the British Museum. My,it has grown since I last went! All in all,it was pretty epic,making it to a close number 2 on Peanuts list of 'Awesome museums.' (Number one is the science museum,in case you were wondering.)The Mummy exhibit was a particular favourite,and I now have so many pictures of dead cats in various states of mummification on my phone I am expecting a visit from the RSPCA any minute. Sadly,we didnt get round to 'romans in Britain',so we are plotting a return visit very soon. One thing I will say however,is that the British Museum has to be without a doubt the most POORLY SIGNPOSTED museum I have EVER been to! The directions on the site tell you how to get to Russell square tube station-which is the bit I had no trouble with anyway-and then once you leave the station you are given one measly signpost,which gets you as far as the square itself,and then you are abandoned to try and figure out which one of the small,identical back roads you are supposed to go down. We found it.Eventually.After 20 minutes of muffled cursing and a twelve year old being the voice of reason to a crabby 32 year old who just wanted to find the museum before it closed,please! At one point we found ourselves on the UEL campus,at least,I think it was UEL-well,at least I can say Ive been 'on campus' now...That aside,a good day was had by all,and after a sleep which possibly qualifies as a coma,we are up and tackling some extra pythagoras questions,and making notes on trig.After this,we will attempt a little light science,after which I will take Peanut to her Dads,go to work,then slog back to his house to pick her up and resume the round trip back home. I will then feed,water and cheerfully shuffle Peanut off to bed before collapsing on the sofa,and commencing a 'day off' which involves several trips to the tip,tesco and town while also fitting in maths,science,tai chi and english with a possible side order of history and cookery. Suddenly,I feel a little tired...

pythagoras and lip balm

...Thats what this week has been about. Oh,and soup/stew and To kill a mockingbird with a dash of tai chi and plenty of particle theory.* Add a small side track to cover the human journey,and repeated rereadings of 'maths is fun' (seemingly actually read for fun by the Peanut...wonders will never cease...) and you have the first week back at school. Its been surprisingly productive,even managing to knock in four subjects on a wednesday,when historically 2 and a bit of lunch are about as far as we get. 'This is it!' I think to myself, 'finally,we are settling in to a routine,and we are getting organised and its all making sense! This is the moment they talk of on home ed websites,that magical minute when it all clicks!' Ahem. Yeah...then we hit the dreaded 'Friday wall'. For those of you who have not read my previous entries,and do not know the Peanut,said child will work more or less happily throughout the week,humouring the senile old fool who gave her life and generally working away without complaint. Then Friday arrives,and at the merest whiff of a weekend,the Peanut develops the temperament of a wasp and the attention span of a heavily concussed goldfish.This may be unfair to goldfish. Today,therefore will consist of finishing pythagoras,and probably some reading time.Also,Tai Chi at Grandmas house.I think that is about all that can reasonably be expected without bloodshed,and after an otherwise surprisingly good start to the term,we shall leave it there.
*For anyone who requires a more official summation,we have studied and completed CGP GCSE maths higher level module on Pythagoras, CGP KS3 chemistry particle theory-with a little GCSE thrown in, created our own lip balm from beeswax,almond and coconut oil with various essential oils-this will go into Peanuts herbalist folder as well as provide a handy example of solid-liquid state for chemistry,and finally created and cooked the kind of soup that throws everything in the fridge into the pot and stirs.Its good. I guess that classes as home ec. The Tai Chi has been done tues,weds and today-thus is the day off.That covers PE,as each segment takes at least half an hour to 40 mins. The Human Journey is a great programme which takes the theory that we are all descended from several families in Africa,then attempts to follow the 'migration' of humanity until it gets to the sprawling mass it is today. It kind of qualifies as history/anthropology.

well well...holidays are over,let learning commence

So,already a month has flown by,bringing with it the annual trip to Newquay for boardmasters-weather so-so,trip in general awesome.The was much reading,many long lie ins and the usual activities one gets up to when not educating the Peanut .I say not educating,I didnt realise how hard it is to switch off...in fact,darned if she didnt start reading the textbooks Id purchased in an effort to keep up with the new year as a boredom buster.Remind me to get the child bored more often...There was also the obligatory trip to Reading festival on the saturday,we saw Madness,Jimmy Eat World and a few others,Peanut all the while lounging comfortably in the pop up chair she bought with the tenner donated by flatmate.We laughed at her purchase until we realised how wet and cold the ground was,then sheepishly admitted she is definately the smart one...
Of course,I shall be testing and taxing this smart one with various diabolical ploys this year.Today is pythagorus as an ease in to trigonometry,followed by some chemistry in the form of acid and alkali worksheets,and chasing it all down with a 'lets make a huge pot of veggie bean and pasta soup cos its too cold for salad,and I am,quite frankly,too poor and lazy to go shopping for anything more interesting.' In other news,we are starting 'To Kill a Mockingbird' this term.Mainly because the thought of having to get into russian politics for 'Animal Farm' was just to depressing to contemplate.

The end is nigh!And it brings with it...cuboids?!

Well,so much for yesterdays post.I confidently assured myself that we had nine days left of this term,and in fact this year.Well,turns out today I may have been wrong. We have 3 days. We break up on friday. This does not leave as much time as I had hoped to cram in a few extra bits before the end of term,or convince myself that yes,we can finish all those loose ends in time for the holidays....Ah well,they are hurtling towards us,warming Peanuts heart with the promise of lie ins and no cranky crazy old lady determined to breathe down her neck and educate her at every opportunity. I have to confess,the no teaching for a month sounds good.It would be nice to have time for other,more leisurely pursuits such as applying for my uni place,cleaning out the acres of crap that seem to invade the house on a daily basis and hold a slug extermination contest in memory of my pumpkins,cruelly sacrificed as lunch for a horde of slimy invaders. Oh,and send off the last pieces of paperwork to turn a decree nisi to a decree absolute,research french tutors for next year and try and get lesson plans organised at the start of the holidays,and not the day before we go back.
Anyway,I digress,today was all about cubes,cuboids and the making of nets and then the sticking together and colouring of said nets. I was hoping to start another topic today,but given the Peanuts concentration span,especially now she knows we are nearly at the end,I figured what the heck. We are also going to be looking at finishing the rock cycle etc,as next year is all about the chemistry and physics. I may try and get some english in,planning essays etc,and then we are off out to prepare for the birthday of our flatmate,aka kid3.Expect much childishness and balloons.With helium. Alvin and the chipmunks impression,anyone?!

CGP,rocks n roll...

Last week was all about CGP maths workbooks and rock studies.Not AC DC,more igneous,sedimentary and metamorphic. Peanut has finished all the warrior cats books we dragged back from Canada,and is now pining for more. I have to call my college in a few hours and sign away my entire life savings on a course which may or may not get us closer to Canada.We can but try. All in all a pretty quiet week around here,but we break up in 9 days for summer. Still a total lack of understanding on home ed,everyone I know is either outright against the idea (so help me,if I hear the 'socialisation' word once more.......) or supportive but unhappy with the idea. No one actually thinks I am doing the right thing. Guess its lonely out on the educational frontier.Im tired of second guessing myself,doubting that this is practical,sensible or even sane. Just another day though...suck it up and deal.

back to normality and health and disease hell

Well,jet lag has finally relinquished its ugly hold,at least mostly,and so it is back to the world of education. After a couple of days spent mostly sleeping and or reading,the Peanut today spent an hour on Manga High maths,an hour with National Geographic,her third hour completing 2 pages of CGP questions on health and the immune system,and a final hour reading one of the many Warrior Cats books we lugged back from Canada. (The bookstore there had an entire section devoted to Warriors-canadian author I presume...either way,Peanut was in hog heaven,and was limited only by the weight allowance Air Canada imposes on its travellers.Left to her own devices,she would have foregone packing clothes etc and filled the whole bloody case with books.)
While Peanut was settling back in,I on the other hand had already hit the ground running.Upon our arrival home,I proceeded to scrub the bathroom,scrub the kitchen,vaccuum,dust and attempt to remove various takeaway leftovers from the floor/chairs/everywhere else.Then there was the matter of the food left in the fridge. At one point I actually thought we had rats,but no,it was merely a cucumber.A very furry cucumber.Anyhow,all this,plus the obligatory shopping trips for more food meant that by today,I was down to the usual 2 loads of laundry and the washing up kind of day.I can live with that.I doubt we will set the educational world on fire with today,but at least we are getting back into the swing of it. I have a feeling it will be next week before anything of note actually gets started though,just because we are now sleeping and waking at roughly the right time doesnt mean it feels any less fuzzy round the edges in my brain.I dont remember it taking so long to clear jetlag before,must be a side effect of age.Ah well. On a different note,I am embarking on a move to change careers,which will see me home schooling myself in the near future,or at least embarking on a few evening classes. Hey,why should the Peanut be the only one learning stuff? My brain is a little crusty,but Im sure theres room in there for something besides cobwebs and KS3??

travel sick but not home sick...

Well,our trip to Vancouver is over. All agree that it is amazing,beautiful and we are definately returning,as soon as possible, please! I have never felt so at home in a place I had never been to before.Vancouver-ites (?) are friendly and welcoming,and in one day you can do beach and mountains as well as city.It is the greenest country too,both in terms of environmental friendliness and literally-I have never seen so many well cared for trees...much to the approval of the Peanut.Overall,no complaints except 'But WHY cant we live here?!' Ah,if only it was that simple...Have a suspicion they are not crying out for over the hill retail slaves.
Of course,there was one small fly in the ointment-long haul flights.As most people will know,these are best survived either:
A.) Drugged to the eyeballs or
B.)first class.
Given that neither of these options are available,we just had to grin and bear it. Ginger,peppermint,travel bands,headphones,earplugs-we had the lot! Given that the Peanut can get travel sick just looking at a car,and has a fear of flying bought on by a flight back from Italy with an ear infection,this was always going to be one of the hardest trips we have made.Not just the flight-straight through on the way,but changing in Toronto on return-there is the coach to the plane,then the taxi at the other end. Picture that scene in the exorcist,you know,the one where shes on the ceiling,projectile vomiting? Thats the Peanut. Throw in an attitude that makes Godzilla look shy and retiring,and a hair trigger oversensitivity to just about any comment or even look from anyone,and we are in hell. NOW add a 32 year old man-aka kid number 2-who has never been travel sick in his life and has a low boredom threshold and a 32 year old woman who has been known to get travel sick herself,and has also been known to get..um..overemotional...when tired,and we are ready to go. Gods help the rest of the plane...
In the end,the travel bands,headphones,earplugs (former over ear,latter in ear in case you were wondering)and fervent prayers to any and all deities who were listening kept the sickness to a minimum,and we crossed the Atlantic without vomit or bloodshed.Both ways. I am still unclear how,but I dont care.
Anyway,seeing as it was technically schooltime,we went out a LOT. Grouse mountain-orphan bears,amazing ski lift rides to the summit and birds of prey exibitions,plus amazing panorama and cool native craft exibits. Capilano suspension bridge-again,beautiful views,incredible bridge-like the wobbly bridge in the park x1000! and a wonderful treetop walk,where we learnt,among other things that Banana slugs are A.)exactly like squished banana skins and
B.)Supposedly toxic-although the raccoon population has figured out that the toxin only gives them numb mouths,which can be avoided by simply rolling the unfortunate slug in dirt,then swallowing it. Darn clever animals.
Speaking of raccoons,we saw one. At the Aquarium. No,not scube diving. We were sat in Stanley park,eating lunch and waiting in line for the aquarium when I saw what I thought was a cat run over to the bin. I nudge Peanut,and as I do realise it is not a cat,but a gorgeous little bandit.For a moment,we watch him in silence.This is shattered when an excitable kid runs over and screams 'RACCOON!OMIGOD!!!ITS ARACCOON!!' The poor creature,all hopes of dinner foiled,scarpers for the bush while I restrain Peanut before she gives the kid something else to scream about. Aquarium was awesome-Peanut falls for the beluga whales,kid 2 for the cute sea otters and me for the jellyfish. We left behind a cute pink fluffy octopus hat,but we shall return triumphant with our raccoon sighting...
Friday was Canada day,and that means a parade,right? Right...unless you misread the press and turn up an hour late...ooops. However,we got to join the crowds at Canada place,wave flags,wear temporary maple leaf tattoos and feel part of the whole celebration.
The rest of the time was spent either at the beach-2 blocks away,or at the port park-2 blocks and a hop. We walked on average 6 miles a day,and over the course of the trip have covered maths-currency conversion,HST conversion-man thats a pain-and pocket money to awesome stuff conversion...thats got to be maths,right?! Ecology,biology,sociology,and a healthy smattering of anthropology ties up science.The obligatory journal of the trip counts for english,and social skills counts as not asking 'Do planes crash often?' when one is embarking on a journey in one.We ate in italian,thai,indian and japanese restaurants and stayed on Davie in the heart of the 'gay district'.This lead to a discussion on human rights,what the rainbows symbolise,and why gay men can be so much easier to shop with than straight ones.Life skills,right there. So,if anyone from the education authority is sniffing round,we merely 'undertook a series of extended field trips which cover history,geography,biology,sociology,maths,science and english with a healthy dose of P.E and life skills.' If any normal person asks,we had an amazing trip,and are plotting our return...as soon as I can find a travel sickness pill Peanuts can swallow without retching...