Category Archives: Making things

messy stuff!

Not quite a resolution…more of a challenge!

Posted on Tue Dec 27 2011 by Jax

but I want to spend more time crafting and creating. I want to challenge myself creatively. I want to design items and make them, write patterns and share them, learn new techniques and broaden my horizons. And I’ve chosen a … Continue reading →

Posted in Doodling, drawing and decoration., Making things, ufos | 15 Comments

Preparing for cybermummy

Posted on Fri Jun 24 2011 by Jax

Or maybe not… So far this morning I’ve turned linen into a shift, and now wool into a kirtle. Yes, that’s a kirtle. Bit like a pinafore dress. It’s not finished yet, but it’s a lot closer than it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Making things, review | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Nazca peg dolls for historyetc

Posted on Thu May 12 2011 by Jax

If you’ve never heard of Nazca culture, you probably aren’t working through The Story of the World the way we are. One of the things I love about home education is learning alongside the children, and history is a fairly … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Making things | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A quick octopus craft.

Posted on Fri Apr 29 2011 by Jax

Trying to get my crafting mojo back atm, so I said I would try for something for RedTedArt Under the sea Get Crafty. In the end I took part in a purely supervisory role… What you will need for this … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Making things, carnival | 7 Comments

Minotaur peg doll puppet for historyetc

Posted on Thu Jan 27 2011 by Jax

Once a month or so we clamber in the car and trek a fair distance to meet up with other home educating families and join in a history club. It’s based loosely on The Story of the World: Ancient Times, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Making things | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Questionaut, biology and yet more lego

Posted on Tue Nov 16 2010 by Jax

So Big went away last night, dropped her off with a home ed friend, so that they could spend the day at UEA doing biology. By all accounts they had an absolutely fabulous time – she was full of it … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Jonny had two apples, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, Soa | 3 Comments

Still trying hard.

Posted on Wed Oct 28 2009 by Jax

Didn’t get through our routine bits yesterday due to an early morning appt for Tim and myself, but did on Mon and today. Regular maths is giving Big confidence to attempt sums while out and about – she worked out … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Jonny had two apples, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, fainting in coils, reeling, writhing | 1 Comment

Never off duty

Posted on Mon Oct 26 2009 by Jax

for reasons that we won’t go into in detail here, Big was banned from gameboy, tv and computer today in a triple whammy never seen before. And as we don’t do sit down work on a Sunday, this meant I … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Jonny had two apples, Making things, fainting in coils, reeling, writhing | 6 Comments

Not everything has a why…

Posted on Mon Oct 5 2009 by Jax

declared Small this evening. He’d been asking for Brown Beaver’s phone number, and I wanted to know why he wanted it. He said that not everything had a why, and I said I thought it did. His response was that … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Jonny had two apples, Making things, Montessori minded, Puters!, Small steps, reeling, writhing | 9 Comments

autonomy vs peace and quiet…

Posted on Sat Sep 19 2009 by Jax

I have been waiting since January for my children to deschool, stop watching endless CBBC or playing on mind numbing websites, for them to show and develop some interests and learn to get along instead of screeching and bickering all … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Jonny had two apples, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, Where did you say you were going?, fainting in coils, how we do it, reeling, writhing, rhythm of the day, things that go bang | 12 Comments

a one child sunday.

Posted on Tue Sep 8 2009 by Jax

Big was off to a Guiding centenary event on Sunday, she had a guest invite for anyone who had been a brownie/guide before so we’d roped in a cousin who went right the way through to rangers. Was a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Getting to know you, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, reeling, writhing | 2 Comments

Rolling into one…

Posted on Fri Sep 4 2009 by Jax

Weds, Thurs, Fri, can’t quite tell where one ended and the next began This is mainly because I’m struggling atm. Bump is big and uncomfortable (and pleasingly wriggly!) and the strain on my back is pretty much constant now. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Jonny had two apples, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, reeling, writhing | 4 Comments

Patchwork skirts and no outings.

Posted on Wed Sep 2 2009 by Jax

Sunday we had intended to go to Bawdsey radar open day via the foot ferry. But instead, after the cooked breakfast, the girls and I started on a patchwork skirt for their toys. As is usual, I horrendously underestimated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Getting to know you, Jonny had two apples, Making things, Small steps | 1 Comment

Washing and sewing and stropping and stuff

Posted on Tue Aug 25 2009 by Jax

Despite recent suggestions otherwise, the children are still addicted to screen time. I’m not quite sure what to do about it – I’d like to let them autonomously work through it, but behaviour deteriorates rapidly around here if they do … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, It's where it is, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, how we do it | 6 Comments

Sunday sun.

Posted on Sun Aug 23 2009 by Jax

Bil was very organised this morning and struck the tent before the preteens were awake. Well, the second bedroom and the outer anyway. When they woke up and stumbled out he asked them if anything was missing. “Um, the washing … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Getting to know you, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, family, reeling, writhing | 4 Comments

Space party

Posted on Mon Aug 17 2009 by Jax

it took longer than anticipated to finish off Tim’s costume and make Big’s though the constant interruptions and heckling from the offspring really didn’t help. So we set off about the time the party was due to start. Sigh. Still … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Getting to know you, Jonny had two apples, Making things, Small steps, fainting in coils | Leave a comment

cause and effect or bribery and punishment?

Posted on Fri Aug 14 2009 by Jax

First day of the new system, it appears that the children had a rather different idea to how it was going to work than I did. Our system doesn’t involve boxes per child prestacked with work – I’m nowhere near … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Making things, Montessori minded, Puters!, Small steps, how we do it, reeling, writhing, things that go bang | 3 Comments

Something’s got to change.

Posted on Wed Aug 12 2009 by Jax

Another day of petty squabbling and far too much screen time, with reluctance to go outside (it did rain somewhat, which didn’t help) which culminated in tears at bedtime when Small wanted to play as they barely had all day, … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Doodling, drawing and decoration., Making things, OU, Puters!, Small steps, how we do it | 6 Comments

swimming and wayside school.

Posted on Wed Aug 12 2009 by Jax

We’ve got two more morning swimming lessons before it switches back to evenings, and I can hardly wait. Small is not a morning person. Well, I’m not a morning person either, but I don’t actually throw tantrums about it. Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Big, Jonny had two apples, Making things, OU, Small steps, fainting in coils, reeling, writhing | Leave a comment

Days not to dwell on

Posted on Tue Aug 11 2009 by Jax

Monday was one of those days. By about 10 o’clock I was offering Big out on brightkite – she was in a foul mood for no apparent reason, and any interchange with her resulted in screaming and wailing or stropping … Continue reading →

Posted in Ages past, Big, Jonny had two apples, Making things, Puters!, Small steps, reeling, writhing | 1 Comment