More words

U can say dark and stuck (sounds like duck, so "duck" means either I'm stuck, swimming bird, or penguin). She can also say head and cry, to say that someone else is upset. So many words coming out now, alhamdulillah.

Trying to login

I've been having trouble logging in, it won't recognise my password, so I have to reset it each time, which does deter from posting and commenting.
All the usual. I'm wondering whether Ia will get offered a place at the nursery at all. It seems to be getting late. If she doesn't I won't mind too much as she is getting more at home now, and it would be awkward having to travel so far, breaking up what have been enjoyable home days. However if they do offer her a place it would be hard to turn it down as it would do her good.
U can say stuck, and back (meaning when someone comes back).

After a weekend of visits....

U can say duck, goose, her name, look and book. She wants to be read to a lot now, especially Thomas books and Topsy and Tim. There is also a picture library book about stripes that she particularly likes.
Ia has helped me make flapjacks and oat biscuits and has spent a lot of time on the activities in her My Little Pony magazine. She did some really good flower drawings as part of the craft activity.
Yesterday we made a model town by covering the table with paper, drawing on the roads and colouring it. Then everyone joined in with making the buildings from Lego. The boys enjoyed this part, but had a rebellion when asked to draw a plan of the model. They did it in the end, although not very neatly, and they certainly regretted making the roads so complex!
Maths at the moment is 3 and 4 times tables. They have also completed their first salaah chart, and it has certainly helped them to remember to pray. Now I should make them another one!
Again they have spent a lot of time in imaginative play and less time reading.

Feels like home

Having a good home day really makes the home feel like a home. Seeing all the resources coming out of the cupboards and off the shelves and being used, having things you need close at hand, alhamdulillah, getting something related, even vaguely, to art done as well as the other lessons.
All this although it has not been ideal, the boys were over excited with having a friend over to join in and their general loudness meant Ia getting less of me than she should have.
What did we do? Maths was finally a change to something more interesting, multiplication basics, although this was revision, they needed it to rebuild confidence. For science we took out the leaves that we put in the flower press last week and drew round them, then adding on the veins and shading them in autumn colours. We labelled those we could identify. Then they used the computer to type out EMQ, 18:45, which we then printed out, stuck on the top of some autumn yellow paper and then stuck on the pressed leaves.
I got them to do a little more on the computer, inserting pictures into text, but then we ran into problems and I left it for next week, insh'Allah.
Ia spent lots of time on iboard, did some sticking, played tea parties and spoke to me at length about her babies, their crying and need for milk, their frienships and other qualities.
U moaned quite a bit, but then had a brilliant time standing on the school tables, singing "Baa Baa Black sheep" (it goes baaa baaa... various non word sounds) waving her arms and then jumping off into my arms.
I was also treated to a show this morning, when the suncatcher pictures they painted in the summer were attached to pencils and the boys played out a story with them. Some members of the audience were rather inattentive, but the narrators made the best of it.

Fascinating Four

U can say "baby" and "cucumber", although I think the latter one means "anything from the fridge".
The boys are getting engrossed in imaginative games these days and are generally coming up with more new ideas for themselves. This morning they put a poster on their door calling themselves and their sisters the "Fascinating Four", there is a password, represented by a series of dots, like in e-mail. They have just finished a secret meeting. I think the new routines are less draining for them and so they have more left for that type of thing.
Getting more into doing a variety of things, yesterday, after studying "tahara" we made a very glittery poster of the words "tahara is half of faith". Ia did a glittery poster of her name. Ia and R did Hama bead designs, and U had a go at the maxi size. Lots went on the floor of course. Maths at the moment is too easy, still doing odd and even numbers, the course needs to move on to something more challenging soon!
Not so much reading has been done recently, but the boys have said that they are enjoying the Moomin books. The "Fish" book is getting better! The comparisons between the lives of the boy and the fish are so detailed. It is such an extraordinary story, written as though it was just so banal, so everyday. This is the cleverness of it, hiding such dramatic events as if they were just an ordinary tale, and in so doing giving so clearly the perspective of a child who knows no other way of life. "Fish" is by L.S. Matthews.
Ia has been playing with various puzzles, drawing pictures and playing dolls with U. She has also watched too much tv, so must do something about that.
Had to go to the supermarket yesterday and the boys were very good about carrying home heavy bags, although they did find it hard, maashAllah.

Busy

Boys have had a busy long weekend playing with friends at various locations and squeezing in their regular lessons in between. Ia had more of a mixed time, with getting too tired, falling over and having little fall outs with friends. I did not help when I dozed off while playing with her. But she has also been very giggly and excited too.
U has mastered opening the fridge and getting things out. She has tried putting things back too, but that is much harder as you have something in your hand, and if you put it down it obstructs the door. She demands to feed herself her breakfast cereal, and also stands at the table demanding workbooks to scribble on.