Homeschooling starts on Monday

So, homeschooling (at least for Tasha), starts on Monday, Pippa starts on 7th April . I've done loads of research, planned a curriculum (http://allinonehomeschool.com/), got sets of early readers (BOB books, Wow, Biff and Chip) and generally put a lot of thought into it (planning educational outings, groupon deals for art and music classes etc). However it still seems like I've no idea how it will go until I start doing it. It's quite nerve wracking, akin to starting a new job. I'm excited by the challenge and the kids also seem excited by the prospect. I'm guessing there'll be a few homeschooling posts on this blog going forward.

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Pregnancy and stuff

How is it that my stomach, once almost a taboo subject, has become public property overnight? Often people's first reaction when they find out I'm pregnant is to stroke or pat my (already expanding) tummy! I guess I'll get used to that over the next few months. Here are the scans we have so far. Photos- Top: Scan at 6 weeks Middle: Scan at 8 weeks Bottom: Scan at 12 weeks Weather It's started to warm up and dry up here again after the monsoon. It's lovely to be able to eat breakfast on the balcony in the sun again. The hoards of ants are back, any morsel left untended is soon found and turns black with the tiny creatures. Wedding We went to a wonderful wedding at the Conrad Centennial hotel on Thursday evening. Two of our freinds from church got hitched after 13 years of on-off dating. It was a touching ceremony (during which, to our surprise, the champagne flowed freely). The meal was great - traditional Chinese wedding fayre - jellyfish, prawns, shark's fin so...

Buses, bats, bites and other bits

I know I've been writing a lot about Singapore recently, but I guess that's what happens when you've lived in a new culture for a while. I've become very aware of what's around me. I get the bus to and from work every day. It costs around 15p and is fully air-conditione d. Most of the time I get a seat, it's brilliant. Today was a special day - I boarded a bus that was driven by the world's most friendly bus driver. He greeted each passenger and said good bye to everyone who got off. Sadly I was the only person to notice of the 40-50 passengers that recieved this star treatment during my journey. So I gave him a big grin and a wave as I got off the bus. I love how something like that can add an extra smile to your day. I'm currently learning Mandarin (week 2 of a 10 week course). Last week I was convinced that the whole language is a conspiracy to confuse westerners. Today, however, I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge of learning such a dramatically d...

Living in New Zealand at last

It's been a while since I posted, mainly because we've been in the throes of moving country. We arrived in New Zealand on 5th November 2015 after 10 years living in Singapore. So far this has been a great move for our family and everyone is settling well. We are still looking for a job but that will come in time. I'm not sure if it's the climate, or the fact that we're on more of a budget than usual, but I've really got into making stuff at home. I've been trying to master a few new skills and I'm enjoying the process. So what have I been making? Food Viili - a yoghurt like culture that's high in probiotics from Scandinavia, it ferments at room temperature and turns milk into viili in 24 hours. Delicious in smoothies and ice blocks (that's kiwi for ice lolly) Kombucha - I've been dabbling with this on and off since I was 19, but this is a very successful scoby and tastes delicious. Also high in probiotics. Sourdough - our neighbour kindl...

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