A week before end of term dec

What a week. Took Dave to greenlane hospital. Went to Cornwall park which dd said it was Mary's place from the secret garden....do we did everything that Mary did.
We climbed trees and looked in the old house and explored the gardens.

We flew to Wellington.
Amazing weekend.
My cousin got married.
Dd and DS explored, meet and talked to do many people.

We've now been at home for a few days. Still very tired but plugging along. Dd did some wonderful sewing today. I cut out the shape and started her off and she finished it up with Nana helping the final knot.

Pond study

We've been looking at our pond. Lucky we have one.
While we don't have a lot of pond life like other country's and the season change is not as great...it does not ice over. We still have been noticing changes.
Today we watched bbc dragonfly. Then art activity of vivid on milk bottle...cut out and yahoo a colorful dragonfly. I've been pointing out symmetry to dd and she does not see it yet...oh well.
Dd has also been painting with water colours our pond...and will attempt the dragonfly too. Dd has told me she does not like the water colours as they are too difficult to use.

The very hungry caterpillar

With oak meadow we have been working on writing up our own book from a book we have been reading...this is an on going project for the whole term. So I wanted one project that would be finished in one day.
I was running playcentre today so I just morphed the whole thing into a project for dd...and everyone loved it.
Once home dd wrote the story over the dry paintings.
Yahoo

Big day for our family

We started early to get to Auckland for the appointment for Dave to get out his staples. First time we've seen under the bandages. Kids were worried about Dave getting sucked back into the system but we reassured them that it was all ok.
We ducked off to the museum. Kids loved the birds, moa, elephant, tree hut, old clothes and of course the volcano house!
Quick visit and back to pick up Dave.
Then to winter gardens for lunch. Loved exploring.
Then off to the westpac rescue helicopter.
Wow
I've got heaps of video but can't upload them on this app.
Kids had a wonderful de-brief. Meet the man who winched Dave up and the pilot. Great people!

Painting the pond

We've been trying to watch the pond over the changes of the season.
A wet painting of our pond.
We hoped to see dragonflies but the rain has not let them out.

Math by hand

http://www.mathbyhand.com/

We love oak meadow. Math is going well. Maybe it's just my fear which is making me look for supplement material.
But I have to say that jolly phonics is really cool...we use both oak meadow a jolly and they work well.

Mum look what I've got

Mr DS has a habit of holding something behind his back and then you guess what it is...I was not prepared for a large slug especially since he was just in the house courtyard. We admired it for a while then I encouraged him to put it out in the garden.

We tried to see the sola eclipse but a cloud covered the sun just at that time. We still had fun with our homeschool friends.

We started making sun masks and might finish that today.

Both kids have been playing Daddy...very cute. They have built a hospital out of blocks...including large chimney. They have helicopter landing on the roof (how Dave got to the hospital). They have toy ambulances...and fire trucks. Motorways and Dave's old work building.
We've read Estrleta a few times and talked as well as visited the park next to the hospital. We hope I visit the winter gardens again soon.

Dave has had his final operation so maybe home on the weekend.

Dave home for weekend

So far it's been three weeks of testing time!
The last week. I was really sick. Tummy sick. My dad had to stay the night.
Was just coming right and then dd was sick. And still her tummy is not right 4 days later.
So on top of our stress and travel up and down the country to the hospital and back....we are soooooooo tired.

So this weekend having Dave at home has been lovely.
I love my flowers. Dave managed to get them delivered just before arriving.

For the three weeks Dave has been away things have been tipped on their ear constantly. Phones going. Plans have changed. Every day!
Amazing.

This weekend. We've visited family. And had a small rest.
The kids are coming back to centre.

So play dough today.
Shinning cuckoo rescue
Nana time
Nanama and granddad time
Hatching our next chick... Bit sad out of eight only 1. Dd is very keen to hold it but I'm being very carful as I don't want it damaged.

Dave goes back tonight for his operation tomorrow.
Then we can start our life again.
I was ultra planed with our oak meadow and everything was to finish the same time as the other schools.
Now I think we'll do some revision for the rest of the term and start a fresh next year with the final semester of grade 1.
But that would be planning ;-)

Weekend with daddy but still in hospital

Dave was able to break out to spend the weekend with us.
Everyone is very very tired. We tried to get as much time in as possible.

We spent a lot of time looking at daddy and his leg. Dd watched everything our doctor friend did. Dave had pictures and ct scans of his knee.
Dd and DS

And now I have a tummy bug

Waiting for daddy

Its so hard. We have our life to live and I feel like someone has come in and shaken it all up. And it's not just once but again and again.

We thought it would be a matter of putting the leg back together with a plate. Waiting for the swelling to go down. Keeping infection away. Healing the wound. Now a skin graft. Then maybe a plate.
The days we plan to drive to Auckland to see Dave change moment by moment. Operations get planed then change.
Dave was aloud out of hospital for a few nights and we planed to spend the weekend with him. So we missed out as now he's back in and locked into visiting hours which are hard for children and me too...living 2 hours drive away.

Yesterday dd said lets do homeschool.. We sat down and did a little reading then both our brains grew tired.

I've started again he documentaries in the morning as these might spark interest thought the day. I have not been able to get near our oak meadow books for days. Dave has the computer which has the connection to the printer...not that it matters as most of what we do is outside anyway.

I feel like I've lost my centre...I know that this too will pass...but it's hard to think and I don't like having a foggy brain.

So at the moment we wait till possibly next week Friday for Dave to have his plate put in then wait for him to recover then be aloud to come home.

Dave is still in hospital

It's starting to wear very thin around here. Dave is due today to get a plate in his knee. Then the rest of the week till we get to have him home.

Every day the children have been playing doctor or hospital. Right up till bedtime even in bed.
DS is very confused and dd is in tears often. Just being together is about all we can do right now.

Dd asked to do some school work today...so kick starting my brain.
We are writing the redwall story for 6 years to read. She's drawing the pictures and writing a shorter easier to read story. Loving it.

We played treasure hunts yesterday...dd is so excited to decipher the clues. Her reading is in leaps as she grows in confidence.
I love jolly phonics.

I was so hyper scheduled to finish this semester of oak meadow...now it's blown. But I think it's a lesson to me.
Slow down smell the roses.

I've also possibly torn a muscle in my back. So lots I cannot do which is effecting my other issues of house tidy. My vacuum cleaner is also broken. Hahaha I really must have something telling me to slow down.

I will be looking at developing a homeschool group closer to home when we are all better...keep the travel down to once a week if I can.

Well best start the day

October

Wow I feel like we've done so much then not much at all.
Since we've just had holidays I thought it would take ages to get back into school stuff...no.
Over the holidays we've had an egg incubator working to hatch DD's own eggs. She is very disappointed that her chickens do not sit on their eggs and are not very friendly.
We've has two if our own catch...nearly 4 but they diddnt make it.
We've ordered a nz chicken book and dd has worked her way through it and found Cochin chickens. So we've ordered the eggs...and we'll start again.

We've been watching lambs at the grandparents place. Doing long bush walks through their property.

Both dd and DS have been in the train and visited the pa site up north.

We finished oak meadow semester 2 and moving to the third. I feel like getting in the swing of it.

We've had drama and signing classes and really enjoyed it.

We've had homeschool outings and birthdays and baking and art....craft .

Photos when I get I'm doors

Dave - Accidents happen

Dave's escape:




We were waiting and waiting for daddy to come home. No call. No text. No car coming up the drive.
Just as I was starting to get really worried Dave called.
Was being air lifted to Auckland hospital after falling and breaking his leg.

I drove down Tuesday then again Wednesday with the kids. Lots of tears and ds has become very confused...but he's only three so what can you expect.

We are all very tired as we have had long nights and days and it looks like it could go on for another week as we wait till they operate.

Thank goodness for good mates and helicopters.