last library visit

of the year. To our library anyway, as it’s shut now til February! They are replacing it with fortnightly visits from a mobile library, 3 hours, alternate friday afternoons. Bit pathetic if you ask me – hardly allows much chance for school kids or working adults to make it there. 🙁

So we got a pile of books, and I even got a few for me. Looking forward to doing some more crafts with Big – we got Gifts for Kids to Make which has some great and easy projects, hopefully that we can do with some of the craft stuff I’ve acquired over the last few years. And then there’s Dangles and Bangles: 25 Funky Accessories to Make and Wear which looks really good fun. Again, we’ve got quite a lot of beads and stuff, but what I don’t have about are jewellry findings. Anyone got a good recommendation for somewhere I can get that kind of stuff? Head pins, pin backs, maybe some belt loops, that kind of stuff. I took a look on ebay (obviously 😉 ) but as I don’t really know what I’m looking for, I didn’t know what to choose. Just thought one of you knowledgeable lot out there is likely to have tried some of this before, and have the answers already 🙂

Rest of today was mainly taken up with a parental visitation – first for over a month as they’ve been out and about holidaying various places, and then couldn’t make themselves heard at the front door last week 😉 Big and Small were thrilled to see them – although Big did get distracted at one point by her library books, and sat down and started reading to herself! 😀 I am so proud of her with reading, she’s really got it sussed now, and reminds me so much of myself. Doesn’t matter who else is about, if there’s something you want to read, you’ve just got to read it. Oh, and she got her reading mission medal today, despite not taking her (completed) card to the library. Fortunately, the librarian was completely OK with it (just as well as we didn’t have time to go home and find it before they shut (til January)) and she got her certificate as well. Was slightly disappointed in the discount of alton towers – not a particularly worthwhile prize if you ask me. Is this all that other ppl have been given, or are our library being cheapskates again?

Family meal tonight – kids do enjoy it when we all sit down together. Would probably be even better if I cleared my laptop off the table 😳 Small did have an astounding tantrum part way through – he’s really getting to that stroppy stage. So nice that he can express himself so clearly throughout now 😉

Earlyish bath for them, courtesy of Small having a semi accident (a not quite there in time moment iyswim) and then they crashed around for several hours. In fact, Big came down just an hour or so back – cue me leaping in front of the tv to block her seeing the mangled body on whatever cop show it was we were watching 🙁

And now I’m indulging myself watching Robbie on VH1. I’ve been reading round a blog or three – particularly enjoyed this post, My great big eclectic homeschooling stew and pondering on how to live my life, yet again. Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t need this money stuff? Which reminds me, the other part of today has been Big counting and recounting the money out of her piggy-bear. Lots of good maths skills dragged out there. We’ve also had another playthink or two, and like I say, she’s been reading. They were both listening to story tapes tonight as well – got three more cheap at the library as they were selling off a variety of stuff. Don’t mind paying 10p for a tape and helping them cut down on their packing 😉

Now I’m debating trying this out in a doll size after inspiration from a friend. Might be a bit late to start tonight though. Hm.