Ouf! (as it used to say in my french text book!) We have had a nice chilled out couple of days…. yesterday my friend Bev came down for the day yesterday and we had a nice time – she has an egyptology MA and the girls, bizarrely, had their little model pyramid out when she arrived, so they got an impromptu lesson on the gods and burial in ancient egypt! She even did us a hama pattern to do! We all went out to play and had a good time – Bubba (actually i think i am going to rename her now as she is getting big) really enjoyed herself – she has a major car and train fetish so loved the brio table there. Then we all went to Toys R Us – bev and i know each other via the *shudders with unashamed glee* my little pony world – we are avid collectors of the 1980s variety… well of course they have just brought out a 2003 range so we umm…bought some for the children…. *chokes* Actually i have had to sell an awful lot of my collection to fund my business venture.. sigh… still….

Today we have had a really nice quiet day doing spanish, wizard of oz songs (grin – jolly old fun!!!!) a hama robin and then a visit from my cousin and her little boy – who is really starting to play now. Pud is spending a lot of time listening to Roald Dahl stories on cd and is asking if they come in books – she loves charlie and the chocolate factory and happily listens to it right the way throguh while she plays. She really enjoys her peace at night – i hear her do a lot of very creative play and getting all those angelina costumes on and off has improved her dexterity no end!

My dad asked me yesterday if she misses being in a group like playgroup – its really good to be able to honestly say no. For the last three years she has gone, at varying times, for anything up to 2 1/2 days a week to our favourite one, but last term she had started to get bored. I often ask her how she feels about not being in school, but she really doesn’t want to go – she likes her life. I would hate to give her a false impression; she has been in a school, i have told her about school days and i have offered her school but she seems adamant that its not for her. We have such freedom to just do and be – its one thing i am going to miss now Moo is going to a more regimented form of nursery than playgroup was. But i think the time it will give us will have other benefits so i am happy to work at it. A friend reminded me yesterday that i used to be worried that her lip would cause her trouble – its amazing how little i think of that as being an issue now – if only i could have known on that day she was born that it would all be fine – god what terrible days those were – i was 24 – i was SO young to be dealing with it :~(

Anyway – our never ending list of unmissable resources has expanded yet again – giggle (oh that poor credit card!) – I got from Amazon a collection of Dora the Explorer books – i had been warned by an mp’er that most haven’t much spanish in them but got the book of opposites and the book of counting that have everything in it in english and spanish (AND pronunciation!) Also got Doras book of words – its great – each page has labels by the pictures and there is a tab you can pull that changes them from english to spanish! And of course its all words from the series so a lot of the sounds are familiar – and now they can look at the word as well as hear and say it – excellent i say! Of course… i SHOULD have waited till my amazon voucher came through… but you know… seize the day i say!