The Wobbly Family Blog

We’ve just returned from 5 nights camping with some other home educators. The camp itself was in a place called Goswick which is on the Northumberland coast just up from Holy Island. The site itself was lovely and we will definately be going back, very basic but the most amazing beach

I took this photo below which I think I will get blown up and put on the wall

Nathan wanted to be Mr Independant now he is 10, I am finding it very hard and although I did let him join in the fire lighting on the beach I had to draw the line at unsupervised but have promised he can have a fire in the garden one night. I’ve also perhaps rather stupidly promised him a penknife as one of the other boys had one, I’m trying to go back to the freedoms I enjoyed when I was his age and wondering why I have this perceived worry about his safety.
Rather strangely Ryan was a bit a reluctant to join in with much so I was little tied to the tent, but then he complained he was bored lol. He did however thoroughly enjoy the 3 hours we spent running away from the tide coming over the causeway at Holy Island

The nicest thing for me was to be able to sit and chat to other adults, the company was lovely.

A couple of weeks ago we had a sports day at our local home ed group, it’s one of things people usually ask about, but my memorys of sports day were never really good as Nathan found them extremely stressful although he did ’say’ he enjoyed them. My memorys of my own sports days aren’t particulary good either, I was pretty much always last. This was great, we sort of started off in teams but this soon merged into everyone just kept running until they had had enough, it was heart warming to see the two year olds running in the same ‘race’ as the 10 year olds. We had three legged races, wheel barrows, egg & spoon, sack races, a water race and of course an obstacle course. I read a story in the news the same day about a sports day being cancelled in case a child got hurt, the whole world has gone mad.

The next day was Nathans 10th birthday so we took food along and an olympic birthday cake to keep the theme going

On Sunday we went to the North Yorkshire Show, not the best place to go with a wheelchair due to having to go through a field with long grass in parts but at least this time they had marked out some easy routes.

The boys loved it, there was a huge bouncy castle which Nathan went on

Ryan and Jay went on the swing ride which Jay wasn’t too happy about despite totally enjoying the same ride a few weeks before at the May fair.

Nathan wanted to try a climbing wall, this photo is about as far as he got, although he did have both feet on the wall at one stage but I was well impressed he tried.

I have just written a post apologising for my absence and for some reason it didn’t seem to appear. Anyway I have been so very busy, mainly recovering of which I am all recovered. I have set up a new small business, something I can wrap around the family and so far that is going really well, but as always with something new like that there is always quite a bit of leg work. http://www.better-way.co.uk if you want a quick look

I am going to post a photo of my scar, it’s a bit graphic so if you want to see it the password is scar.

Speak soon x

Hi all, I came home Tuesday much to the suprise of everyone but I always recover quickly. I feel pretty good too as long as I behave and rest and at the moent this even includes the computer as I can’t sit here too long as the fluid builds up and I end up with elephant legs.

Will ccatch up properly soon

Denise

x

On Wednesday afternoon I called Social Services thinking they might be able to help look after the boys while I am recovering from my operation. On Thurday the social worker called to say she would come Friday afternoon at 2pm. At 1pm she called to say she would be late and would now call on her way home at 3:30. I thought that obviously there was going to be no help available before Monday.

Anyway the upshot is, we could have about 4 hours a week for someone to come in and look after Ryan but that person would not be able to look after Nathan so I would still have to arrange care for him. Apparently my husband is expected to stop work to care for the 3 of  us for the next 7 weeks, great as he is self employed this would mean no income, but even if he worked for an employer surely they wouldn’t accept him being off for 7 weeks. She had the cheek to ask , does he not WANT to look after the children or something? She also twittered on about home education and was it possible for the boys to go to school and then Chris could work while they were at school.  She then said did I want her to call Chris to explain it to him, I politely declined saying I was more than capable.

There was a lot more said but I am so angry and don’t know why I bothered.

We went to our fortnightly home ed meeting today at Natures World, I took my nephew along too and he really enjoyed himself. We also went into the complex afterwards, they played in park and then they looked at worms, beetles and other insects with some of their friends. We also headed towards the pond which had hundreds of frogs by the water edge playing piggyback which let to a quick explanation of why the children shouldn’t seperate the frogs. All three boys were so tired they fell asleep on the way home.

I came home to 5 messages on the answer machine and a letter telling me my bed is reserved for Monday with surgery on Tuesday so would appreciate your prayers, especially that the family cope at home. Nathan is already showing stress signs by eating his T-Shirt and a nose bleed

I’d been reading recently on a forum about people setting up false direct debits on bank accounts and stuff like that so last week when I checked my bank and noticed a direct debit for someone I didn’t recognise I cancelled it. Yesterday I had a call from the minibus insurance company that I have cancelled the direct debit so the insurance will become null and void in 7 days…after a few frantic phone calls I did sort it out but felt like a right numpty.

We were also invited to a birthday party with a difference yesterday. We went first and had a treasure hunt in the garden, some food and pass the parcel. After all that we set off towards Dalby Forest for a Splat! party . What brilliant fun, we started by hurling sponge balls filled with paint at each other, the ceiling, the walls. Nathan pained his arms, Ryan went round squirting everyone with water, I mostly avoided the paint. Then we danced in our bare feet on a mat and print were taken, then the children created a master piece on canvas. It was noticed I wasn’t too bad so another mum decided I needed more painting and Ryan helped Absolutely brilliant fun although my bathroom will probably never be the same again.

I was very sad to hear this week the news that a home educating mum in our region had died suddenly. I only met her once and that was only a few months ago as she came to a local LA liaison meeting and I was really looking forward to meeting her again, her 14 year old son is now an orphan and I now find myself wondering what will become of him, school would definately ot be the right place for him. I find myself wondering if she had a plan in place should such a thing occur,then also should I make plans? It’s a subject that no parent of young children ever really wants to think about but one that we probably should.

Anyway I wen out last night wasn’t going to but my sister called me to tell me that Journey South were playing locally and did I want to go, so I smartened up a little , put on some jewellry that a friend made me for my birthday and went out. Although the sound quality was really poor where we were sat (not the groups fault I hasten to add) it was a really enjoyable evening and Journey South were excellent.

Most of the snow has melted away here but ther is still the odd flurry and yet my rather strange husband has said that because it is Easter Monday he is going out on his motorbike no matter what and he has.

I never go anywhere bank holiday weekends, well when I say never there has been the odd occasion where I have been brave and then sat in traffic to confirm the reason we never normally go out. I much prefer to wait until everyone is back at school and then we can get back to quiet places, although the different counties round here are all having staggered holidays so doesn’t make it easy to judge.