We went to Milton Keynes today – we went there and we DIDN’T go to the new IKEA! 😯
Josie kindly woke Max and i up at about 5am, in that odd time where you haven’t really had enough sleep, but you’ve had too much to actually get BACK to sleep. Max got up with her, i dozed and finished off listening to A Christmas Carol. Do LOVE my iPod 🙂 So that meant that Max also had us all in the car and on our way before 9am 😯
Shopping was not actually that successful as the House of Frazer there didn’t have household stuff and we’d got vouchers; Amelie threw a perpetual tantrum about wanting to spend her Xmas money again (she spent it yesterday) and Fran had some bizarre itchy foot thing going on. Maddy and Josie (who the girls seem to have renamed Joey) were good though. Eventually managed to get Amelie some new shoes, Maddy bought a Barbie and we toddled off to grandads.
Amid much Leapster-ing, Gameboying and general humbug, we had lunch and a not very peaceful visit. Auntie L taught Fran to knit. Then we came home via Northampton, stopping on the way at a BETTER HoF to spend vouchers on a digital radio. Yum yum.
And now it is the last day of the Year. I have a final resolution, which is that i need to more proactively sort out Amelie’s health this year, as she is fast degenerating into the kind of child who got sent away to The Chalet School because she was a frail child. I’m concerned about her, she looks dreadful; her skin is raw, her eyes are dark circles, she coughs and scratches and whines all the time. Something has to be done. It is bad enough i am considering wheat-free and flower remedies – and it takes some doing to have me considering dietary difference, i can tell you.
On another note, i’m kicking back off on a Charlotte Mason style reading list. But having given Ambleside a go and found it too old-fashioned and American, not to mention too Christian for my tastes, i’ve decided to make up my own. I’m blogging it and i’m hoping i might pick up some people on the Early Years List who might help me create it. Worth a go anyway. The girls liked doing it last year, i just want it to be more relevant and accessible. I’m hoping that this way, it will actually encourage Fran to do some of the reading herself now.
A very Happy New Year everyone.
I shall watch with interest. Ambleside was just pah! As you say far too old fashioned and time consuming. The God stuff was just so boring! I did like having stuff to hand on panic days- though I’m planning on not having them anymore LOL!
An excellent resolution that 😉
Who wants to do Church History with 6 year olds? I’m hoping these books will be very good at providing jumping off points for things, very put down and pick-up able and quick enough to be fairly hit and run – fun not a chore.
Feel for you with Amelie’s health but LOL at the Chalet School comment! I haven’t got round to blogging about it yet but I’m thinking I need to get a handle on what is affecting Luke (skin and tummy and the dark circles beneath the eyes thing) and I’m seriously considering food changes (except it’ll be for me and indirectly him til he’s got going on the solids and then us both) and I’m a wuss about giving stuff up. It is a big step. I’m wondering about homopathy too – have you tried that already?
Off to look at your Ambleside thingy blog. That style appeals to me, but I rarely follow through – the days just disappear before I know where I am.
Great idea Merry. I did try to post a comment on your new blog thing for it but it wasn’t having it. We did Ambleside for a while until I had a rebellion.
I think blogsome is having a woggly tonight. i might move it at some point, but that requires Jax, who i don’t want to bother with it!
Yeah, the Blogsome blog didn’t take my comment either.
Certainly interested in givign this whirl I think.
Ah-ha! Moderated comments- how’d that happen?!?!??!
hmm, great idea Merry but I can’t commit – will read occasionally I expect, but I can never stick to these things either!
Happy New Year 🙂
well, we have read the greek myths and stories from around the world over and over – SB has a passion for these things. [well, so have I!] discussed all sorts around them as well. we will prob bob in and out – depending on chris’s mood. the barefoot book on while the bear sleeps is ace btw. do you know if there are similar ones for the rest of the year?
I know you are a little wary of homeopathy but Maya has improved loads since her treatment.Her dark circles have gone,she is more energetic and much better tempered.Still coughing though, but we are only halfway through the treatment..hope you find whats right for Amelie
Not lactose intolerance is it Merry?
Happy New Year 🙂
I dunno. She’s never been someone to have an upset stomach, which i kind of assumed she would if she was intolerant of a food. More i think about it, the more it smacks of gluten intolerance symptoms i have heard of, but i SO don’t want that to be right 🙁
I’m increasingly avoiding wheat and feel much better when I do, I don’t get a lot of upset stomach but if definitely impacts on my mood and general health. Will go and investigate the reading list but am still working through Sonlight readers with Carys but might be tempted away 🙂
No, afraid not Merry. Absence of upset gut is no more an indication of food tolerance than upset gut is an indication of intolerance. With eczema and asthma, the classic is lactose intolerance.
emailed you 🙂
I thought the most usual with eczema was cows milk protein intolerance Heather? Though I’ve been reading up and lots of food allergies can come out as eczema and other common ones aside from milk are eggs, wheat, soya. Lactose intolerance is something else again – more of the diahorrea and green poos and trouble with digestion side of things, I haven’t heard of it with eczema though?
According to people on the Mothering mag allergies/eczema boards, wheat/gluten allergy can show as aggressive behaviour too Merry.
Thanks for all this – i seem to have lots of emails too, which i really appreciate.
it has to be worth a try, we really can’t go on like this. Her skin doesn’t appear to be dry at all atm, yet we were both up till 1.30am with her frantically scratching and screaming last night 🙁
Kath…you’re quite right, I’m muddling the two. I have lactose intolerance stamped on my brain because both my babies were very intolerant (even though I breastfed) and I gave them lactase (coleif) to aid digestion as infants.
Profuse apologies Merry, I do of course mean a cow’s milk intolerance/allergy. Hope it’s neither but hope it’s milk over wheat as that’s got to be the less hassley one?
I’ve been thinking about going dairy-free with Piglet for a while – her skin is flaring up at odd times and I can’t see rhyme nor reason for it. I know oranges/satsumas have an effect, but there’s something else that’s making it worse.
Shall try her with the ricedream milk stuff for the next few days and report back.