Eats plants
The kids were talking the other day and said something that made absolutely no sense to me so I asked them to explain and after the explanation I was no closer to understanding what it meant. They speak another language. I'll tell you what they said and you see if you can figure it out:… Continue reading The strange language of teenagers plus foxes, birds and standing stones
My average blood pressure for the past few days is 115/73. A few weeks ago I thought I'd never see a reading under 120 but then one day I got one and gradually over the next few weeks it happened more and more often to where this is now the norm and I'm disappointed if… Continue reading Eat healthily or fit in?
I had my booster shot on Saturday and that completely wiped me out for the rest of the weekend. I'm only just feeling better today. I got a half dose of Moderna after having had two jabs of Pfizer. I had a similarly bad reaction after my second Pfizer dose with fever, aches, headache, and… Continue reading Booster shot and back to school
The kids have discovered our chocolate stash. We decided to find a new hiding spot but as we walked home from the shop with renewed supplies of said chocolate Ben wondered what we would say if the kids asked, "Do we have any chocolate?" Neither of us wanted to lie but we also didn't want… Continue reading How to hide chocolate from the kids
It's the first day of homeschooling and the kids have been following the timetable they created yesterday. It's likely this will change as we figure things out but it's working well so far. The schools have also provided work for them to do but Elizabeth hasn't been given much yet as I think the teachers… Continue reading Resources for kids at home #COVID2019
Elizabeth has applied to be on a Scratch game creator team at school. She completed the application form all by herself. We never even saw it until she'd filled it in and she's done a terrific job for a 10-year-old. I'd hire her! Filling in forms is not easy to do but it's an important… Continue reading Elizabeth’s application form
The other day Elizabeth was waiting anxiously for Daniel to get home from school because she wanted his help with something. I asked her what she needed him for and it was to translate morse code and hexadecimal. This prompted more questions. How does Daniel know morse code and hexadecimal? And what was Elizabeth wanting… Continue reading Morse code
Every year the kids nag to go trick or treating and every year we say no. I just can't understand how it's appropriate to encourage children to go to the homes of strangers asking for sweets. Perhaps we're just boring and unfair parents. To be fair, the kids don't seem to mind too much and… Continue reading Trick or high-fructose corn syrup
I made a delicious and disgustingly healthy meal tonight which was a hit with everyone, including the kids. It was also very simple, indeed half of it required no cooking at all. The cooked half was a recipe from Rukmini Iyer's The Green Roasting Tin which involved bunging orzo and tomatoes in the oven for… Continue reading A nutritious, cheap, and easy vegan meal that kids like and vegan bodybuilders
Elizabeth's bedroom has had a makeover. A couple of months ago we decided she needed a desk but it wasn't as simple as just buying it. The only spot in her room for the desk was taken up with a built-in bookcase and when I pulled out the bookcase I discovered some hidden pipes. This… Continue reading Wallpaper on every wall in an attic bedroom
I've been making a lot of pasta with pesto lately. The kids love it and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings I have less than an hour between when my workday ends and my General Assembly course begins so I want something that's quick and easy to cook. I buy the pesto sauce which is vegan,… Continue reading An easy vegan meal, shed painting, and slim pickings
We saw a video online the other day about making your own chocolate marshmallow biscuits and we decided to give it a try today. It's very easy and requires only digestive biscuits, jam, marshmallows, and chocolate. Take two digestive biscuits. Spread one biscuit with jam then put some marshmallows on top. Put the other digestive… Continue reading Decadent choc marshmallow biscuits
Elizabeth (who is 8) and her friend have started a committee at lunchtime called The Plant Police. The aim of this committee - from what I understand - is to protect the plants in the playground from rampaging children. I know what you're thinking - she's my mini-me. I almost feel a bit bad: what… Continue reading The Plant Police
Elizabeth has been cooking like crazy these holidays. She can read and follow a recipe almost entirely on her own which is impressive for an 8-year-old. One night she made dinner and informed us that this was her "signature dish". I think she's watched Zumbo's Just Desserts a few too many times. On Monday she… Continue reading Elizabeth’s signature dish
Daniel left this note before going to school this morning: It says: Dear Dad and Mum and Elizabeth, make sure you save a muffin for Daniel. I have not had mine yet. That's not entirely true. I made a batch of twelve muffins yesterday and he's already eaten two of them. This will be his… Continue reading Don’t eat my muffin!
Elizabeth received a Kano computer kit for Christmas this year. It consists of a Raspberry Pi with all the other bits required to build your own computer and learn to code. She's very interested in learning programming and I'm very happy to encourage this (although I keep trying to tell her there's much more to… Continue reading Build your own computer kit for kids
I cycled into town with the kids this evening and they had a huge fight in the bike. The fight was because Daniel said he can click his fingers and Elizabeth says he can't. This is the downside to having kids in a bike. When you're in a car members of the public can't hear… Continue reading Arguing in a bike, swishing, and pollution
Ben overheard this conversation between Daniel and Elizabeth. They were playing some game together on their devices which involved Elizabeth making a BBQ and inviting Daniel's character. Daniel: What will you cook? Chicken? Pork? Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Beef: Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Mutton? Elizabeth: No, none of those things. Daniel (in a despairing tone): If it's… Continue reading A conversation overheard
Working from home means sometimes I'm working when the kids are around. This is the case after school on weekdays, on the weekend, and on school holidays. Mostly it's not a problem at all. However I frequently have video conference calls and sometimes my kids will interrupt or there'll be loud kid sounds in the background coming… Continue reading Remote work and children
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