summer

August Highlight Reel…

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I have ended up taking a month away from the blog. Partly because I wanted to focus on our summer together as a family, partly because sometimes life happens. 

August was an eventful month that ran the whole spectrum of total joy to total disaster and everything in between. As I try to keep this blog a fairly happy diary of our lives, and I find we don’t tend to need help to remember the bad or hard things, this is a little highlight reel post.

So here is our August and our summer highlights, primarily featuring my two little terrors of course!

(Full disclaimer: These are all quick phone snaps, not beautifully composed shots… brace yourself for some awkward windswept selfies…;-))

My little family having fun on the beach

Family selfie at the park

E and M playing

Our first family bbq at home

Taking a walk in fancy dress

First costa hot chocolate

fun on the beach

playing with nature

Emmas stick house

Naomi-16

 

 

 

The Ordinary Moments #4 [The Elephant’s Child]

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This week we have spent a lot of time in the garden where I have a crazy forest of nasturtiums. Our butterfly friends, mainly Large Whites, have been frequent visitors leaving special presents on every leaf they can land on.Large White Butterfly

Emma is in her element. Every day we go out to spot the newly laid eggs and hunt out the caterpillars. She basically thinks they are our pets at this point. It is actually so much fun watching the whole lifecycle of a butterfly happening naturally in our garden.

Butterfly Eggs

I am desperately hoping we will find a cocoon at some point to complete the cycle. But I’m not sure when or where that might take place. The caterpillars are certainly very happy in their peppery nasturtium home currently. Do they go somewhere else for the next step though? If anyone out there knows the answer I’d be very grateful!

tiny baby caterpillars

We have of course re-read the hungry caterpillar, or recited the hungry caterpillar, at length. I’m trying to think of other fun things we can do this week caterpillar or butterfly related. I really want to keep Emma’s curiosity peaked, it’s such a good opportunity. That said Emma is always full of questions so it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge!

Big caterpillars

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small—
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends’em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes—
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
The Elephant’s Child, Rudyard Kipling

Naomi-16

 

 

 

To my little big girl… Your last week at nursery 

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I can’t believe I am here writing about you leaving nursery already, it is utterly surreal to me.

Most people who know us know that before you were even a year old we had decided to home educate. For so many reasons I won’t go into now we thought it would be the best choice for you and for our family. I stood by that for so long I have curriculum plans and a cupboard full of resources I stockpiled. Until this time last year it all changed.

I used to get equal parts furious and amused when family and friends would respond to our home school plans with the same stock responses, ‘what about socialisation?!’ ‘how will she learn to make friends?!’ All I could think was have you ever met my little Emma?! My feisty, independent, confident, oh so social Emma?!

But, of course, it was exactly this that changed our minds. You thrive being surrounded by your friends and we eventually decided to ask for your opinion. Simplified, that conversation went a little like this… ‘Emma would you like to learn at home or at school?’ ‘School with other people. Duh.’

In a bit of a mad rush we got you enrolled in a wonderful little nursery with some of your friends. The day we went to look around you strolled in and it was like you had always been there. The nursery manager was explaining the staggered settling in process and looked over her shoulder at you and said actually I don’t thinks she needs it.

It was such a good decision. Nursery has been the perfect place to just absorb and direct all the energy that bounds out of you. When you started you were all over the place, couldn’t stay still, didn’t focus very long on one thing and your listening wasn’t the best. Now you have so much more focus, you can concentrate on one task for a reasonable time and your listening skills are so much better. You are still an independent, energetic 4 and a half year old, but goodness you have bloomed in so many ways.

September to July. So much growth in every way. I am always so glad that your strengths and weaknesses reported at nursery are the same at home. That you are exactly the same little girl you are to me for everyone else, warts and all. I pray this remains the same as you take on your reception year in school. I pray you stay as confident, curious and characterful as you are now. Let school be a place for you to continue to grow, don’t shrink back from any of these things, that while challenging at times, make you Emma.

I think we will both miss nursery from the staff and your friends to the relaxed reliable routine. I hope we are both ready for the rigours of the school timetable when September comes.

For now I hope you always remember the amazing fun you had this year. I hope you always remember Nicky. I hope you always remember finishing your last day in true summer holiday style; an excess of cake and ice cream, surrounded by your best friends, splashing around completely care free in the sunshine.

summer fun

If ever you can’t recall these moments, ask me. I will always remember your first last day.

Naomi-16