We may be in our lockdown cages but our wings aren’t clipped! Flapping Fledglings Flying Amicably Through April, thread 2!

[LaneBoy]

Just opening the new thread while I have a chance! All welcome here, join in with the housework chat, the keep calm corner and general ramblings about life in lockdown!
Any of us have been here a long time so we may seem cliquey but it’s never intentional - newbies and returners are always welcome.

Aaargh willow hope you’re safely asleep with no further injuries!

I have somewhat crashed now. We also realised at bedtime that we totally forgot much of the evening stuff on the schedule 🤦‍♀️ As we were doing the quiz, which was rescheduled from last night as they had server issues. But we’ve stuck to the other stuff fairly well for a first day I think? Chores done, home ed done (ideally we would be doing more as “homework” with DD1 this evening but I don’t think that’s happening somehow!) and we’ve stuck with the major aspects like mealtimes and had some family time.

Annoyingly Cagletini is wide awake again and I’m shattered 🙄

Evening all,

Well today just sort of evaporated. My DCs are still off school (INSET days) but we are getting lots of extra-curricular stuff starting up on Zoom (swimming, football and yoga today). I was supposed to be WFH but didn't get much done, must do better tomorrow. DS baked a delicious cake today which was nice and I went for a walk to the bluebell woods, only 15 mins away, we are very fortunate.

Tada!
1xLOL
Cleared kitchen table
Waited for DH to go to work before touching up the painting he did over the weekend
Work
Emails
Zoom stuff

Zoo - so pleased you got the Iceland slot, what a relief.

Willow, ouch, yes, hope that's your three things done with.

School - I wouldn't change the subjects so much as the way they are taught. The national curriculum changed when mine were at primary school, DS did the old KS2 SATS and DD did the new ones, what a difference and not for the better. The whole of year 6 seemed to be dedicated to learning obscure grammar at the expense of creative writing and arts. GCSEs are virtually all assessed by exam now, very little coursework and the questions are written in very dense language (even in maths) which disadvantages DCs like mine (dyslexic/dyspraxic). As for this rule where you have to keep re-sitting English and Maths till either you get a 4 or you turn 19, well, what a shit thing to do to young people who are already struggling. Grrr.

F

zoo great news on your delivery slot! I tried grocery pickup today for the first time and think I'm hooked already!

willow I hope those are your three and you won't get hurt anymore. I get phases like that too and they aren't fun.

lane glad to see your schedule is going somewhat to plan and that everyone is on board.

Hello to everyone else! I don't remember what everyone else put now.

Ta Das;

💜 3 LOL including our bedding- all put away other than a little bit of ironing.

❤ DW emptied and reloaded, ready to go on tonight.

🧡 Tried grocery pickup- love it!

💛 S&S.

💚 Dyed DDs hair, she wanted blonde, she was a dark brown, it turned out pretty patchy and brassy so I'm sure I'll be redoing it sometime soon.

💙 Washed my Jeep, DD helped me wax it, then I cleaned it on the inside (wiped it down, it really needed it) of course I think it's supposed to get crappy by the middle/ end of the week so probably a waste of time!

🖤 Was starting to get dinner ready (hamburgers) but the hamburger meat had gone off (I figured it could have gone off before I froze it, which means the other package is also bad in the freezer) that's a lot of money down the drain!

I figure we'll have some kind of leftovers for dinner tonight, but no motivation now! I did get myself a hair dye as well but that'll have to wait till another day.

Morning all
Launch pad

It’s Tuesday which means get planning! Which as we all know is an entirely different thing from actually carrying out said plans :o

Morning everyone
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Zoo so pleased for you. Maybe not many people want that early slot and you might be able to get it again.

Willow ouch hope it heals quickly. So I am not the only accident prone one. DH just shakes his head at me.

Planning.
Well I have a planning list for big jobs and I did a menu plan for this week. So maybe a boudoir plan.

Hazel how annoying about mince. I think I will have to put bacon out. DH asked me to get some and hasn’t eaten it. I asked him several times for his late breakfast he has been getting up at ten or after but his choice and he is doing hours of weeding so I can’t complain.

Update on the chickens.
Yeah! Last night they slept in the hen house. Yesterday I fed them both then decided to let them in together while they were busy. Gladys still doesn’t trust Ziggy aka Henny Penny aka Houdini and gives her a wide birth but they appeared just to have one spat. I took my book down so I could watch from a distance and step in if needed. Don’t know what will happen today as we are going for two more. We can keep social distancing as he lives in a big field. Last time had her ready in a bag. We will take a box this time. When I made the cake I put it into a carrier bag and hung it on the gate post for him. Going to make a cake today.
Oh and she laid three eggs little white ones as opposed to the brown ones but Z isn’t laying now. Had two this year.

Went for my prescription yesterday. It was shut. It had at least four signs on windows about C19 but only one about opening times which was wrong. You would think they would put up new times. Miffed😡 as we live five miles from it. DH didn’t want to go to CoOp because it had a queue. It is only a small one so I was pleased they were queueing but he decided to go elsewhere. Went to the next nearest the Range and I really want an obelisk for the clematis x2 as DH took out the shrub they are twined into and they are hanging precariously. I wondered if we were allowed and as I knew what I wanted ( looked last year) I thought I could maybe ask if they could bring it to till. I wasn’t sure if I should and torn between saving plant and not essential. Well I needn’t have worried. We drove there about 1/2 mile and the car park was heaving. It was like a sunny Sunday afternoon or Christmas. So we turned around and I suggest co op maybe less but DH on about going further. We really needed cat food, bread and milk. He went back and co op only had two waiting. DH went in reluctantly with my list. Still no flour but he managed to get essential and some tinned fish. I found it really stressful and the wiping down is a pain don’t know if everyone is doing this. Took about two hours from start to finish as I decant some and froze four or five slices of bread. The large 50/50 loaf freezes really well and thaws taste like fresh. Most of you will use a loaf. I used to but now it goes off before we finish it so 4/5 slices in freezer bags. We forgot tea bags damn. Still have some but not many.
Will need to go back for prescription this week.

It must take ages for some of you to do shopping and then wipe down. Zoo you have the walk back too and the child thing. I don’t understand people - obviously people are taking kids because they have to you can’t just leave them to their own devices. Some people have been really kind over this and some darn right nasty. I am glad we are safe in our little corner. Read some main threads ohh the nastiest replies sometimes.

Leaves snacks ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️🍪🍪🍪🍪🍫🍫🍿🍿🍿🍩🍩🍰🍰🍰🧁🧁🥮🥮🌯🌯🌯🥯🥯🥐🥐🍊🍊🍊🍏🍏🍎🍎🍓🍓🍓🍓in cosy corner.

Right boudoir. I just got as far as changing bed yesterday.

Two hours was leaving home to finishing wiping down goods.

💕💘💜 tkcc 💜💘💕

Morning folks. Bit late again due to being distracted with home ed!

Today we’ve got:

• a very useful quarantine meal schedule
• a reminder for this difficult time
• a vaguely home ed related meme for Disney fans

Today’s question is because I’m hungry: What meals do you find really comforting? If you had to only choose a few meals forever, what would they be?

For me the first that comes to mind is grilled goats cheese toasted on French bread with a dressed salad 😋 it’s one of those things that I have occasionally at home and every time I have it I think why don’t I have this more often?! There’s probably lots of meals like that TBH, we tend to stick to the same boring stuff a lot at home. I’m definitely a pasta fan so a big bowl of mac n cheese/tuna pasta bake/tomatoey stuff etc. And a roast. Can I have a Christmas dinner every day? 🧐 With oodles of trimmings - bread/apple/onion/cranberry sauce, yorkies, approx 372 pigs in blankets etc.

Following our KCC conversation about classical music (seems forever ago! How is time blurring together and yet going so slowly too?!) I just saw this on a home ed group if anyone wants ideas, little ones might like it etc

www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces/ten-pieces-at-home/zjy3382

Morning all (just)! Finger is still very sore but nothing else has happened so far, so hopefully it was just 3 things. Glad it's not just me, Hazel and Bower. I remember my Mum being the same, I think it's probably a mixture of overwhelm and peri-menopause brain fog!

Yesterday's Ta Das:
Poke DS2 again
💖 BuJo planning
🧡 HS planning
💛 LOL onto line and 2nd one in
💚 Maked packed lunches
💙Remember DS3 has an extra lesson at 12.40
💜 Make beds
🤎 Speak to DS1 and 2 about not having loud phone conversations at 2am because it wakes everyone up and then we are all grumpy!
🖤 Do DS3's Kung Fu grading form with him
💖 Financial stuff - pay Tesco card, milk bill, OT bill
🧡 Process and print some census information to finish client work
💛 Contact printer about big family tree printing
💚 Filing from intray
💙 Confirm the plan for DD's Latin lesson

Ta Didn'ts
😢 Get everyone outside
😢 Clean dog food area
😢 Print OT stuff for kitchen display
😢 Get DS2's parcel posted

So rolling those forward to today.
Ta Da's thus far:
💖 Morning routine for me - up washed, dressed, shoes, hair, face (ish. Moisturiser, at least, and perfume).
🧡 Morning routine for the house - DW, S&S, LOL on, open windows, sweep kitchen floor, wipe surfaces in kitchen after late-night cookery by random DS).
💛 Today's cleaning stuff for house - properly clean cloakroom, shake out kitchen sofa throw and door mat, wash some cushion covers and chair covers
💚 Make homeschool packed lunches
💙 Plan tea (DH is cooking pasta sauce to use up fridge bits - hooray!)
💜 Plan menu to next Wednesday
🤎 Write tesco list
🖤 Get DS3 and DD onto school, poke DS2 repeatedly (at half hour intervals from half past nine. Off to do it again, with a cold flannel, in a minute).

Hazel, I'm thinking of adding wash and wax cars, clean inside of cars and sweep / tidy front area to the general to do list the keep the DC busy!

ED, totally agree about the "new" SATs not being good for any child not completely NT with a certain type of brain. The stress the junior school put DS2 (undiagnosed dyslexic) under was so huge they made him ill and had to drop him down to the lower papers. DD sailed through, but they learn in that fashion. DS3 deliberately won't sit them because of his dyspraxia. DS1 SAT the old type and hardly noticed them.

SlyChomping, absolutely with you on feeling like Mrs Mop! This week, I am being totally taken advantage of to keep the house running and other people do Important Things which they can interrupt me to support by providing cups of tea, sandwiches, made beds etc. I'm starting to feel like a between maid with all the running up and down the stairs! I suppose the exercise will do me good, but I'm rapidly becoming irritated by my time being less valuable than everyone else's when I have Important (paid) Stuff to do too, and I'd like time to do things for me that everyone else is getting! I think words will be had at tea time.

Right. Poking DS2 once more and getting on with stuff. Have a good day, all! 🍒🙋‍♀️

Anything that involves bread or pasta and cheese😋my current obsession is crinkle cut oven chips...

Willow I've successfully burned a finger in scald hot water(distracted by D's freaking cat had claw his arm off(think tiniest s ratch) and caught knuckle on oven rack tinfoil Tim cut me just below nail bed on burnt thumb and two of pads my fingers have cracked to point bleeding dry skin....I've achieved all this in a period 2-3 days
Funtimes

Bower good luck with hens.aw,eggs again

Tada
Pop out silly o'clock dd2 as out milk/bread and didn't want risk having none in case none comes tomorrow
Wipe shopping
Breakfasts
Wash on
Pile washing up number 1

Bit of a different day today as DH needed to collect his meds, so they haven’t done the walk but he took DD1 with him to help carry shopping after. I made her do a bit of maths first. DS has got a reasonable amount of work done and due to lack of walk has had lunch early so we can get on with more.

The BBC thing was good again, in particular they did dictionary skills (we are going with the 11-12 videos, but will skip around for the actual lessons as he’s behind in some areas) and he’s been hugging our massive OED for ages today, taking any excuse to look up a word. He just said “I’ve gotten really into the dictionary... it’s just so organised!” 😂❤️

I find an awful lot of food comforting. I love a fry up with runny poached eggs. Chicken roast with fluffy Yorkshire puddings. Sausages and mash with lots of thick gravy.

willow and zoo I hope your hands and fingers recover quickly.

Bower I'm loving the chicken updates. There are chickens who live in a pen that neighbours our garden. Its lovely to see them potter about.

I haven't been wiping down the shopping, which is probably naughty but I'm so tired by the time I get back I just put it away and wash my hands again afterwards. I obs wash fruit and veg.

Ta dash
❤ beds made
🧡 food shop done
💛 tidied up clutter around the house whilst DD caused new clutter behind me. 😂
💚 decorated DH's birthday cake
💜 washed dishes
💙 made lunch

Plan for this afternoon
⭐ walk in the park
⭐ continue digging flowerbed - finally started yesterday!
⭐ entertain DD whilst DH has a couple of hours to work on his projects. (Our weekly routine means that we both get two half days to ourselves whilst the other does childcare. It's working quite well so far)
⭐ burgers, wedges and corn on the cob for tea tonight

Afternoon,

After working really inefficiently yesterday I took myself in hand today, got up earlier, did my chores and dressed and ready to work from 9.15. Wrote out a timetable for the day with all the jobs that needed doing and have stuck to it so far and got lots more work done than yesterday.

Tada!
S&S
Washing up from last night / shine sink
Sweeep kitchen floor
2xLOL on line
Made up spray bottle of Dettol - my eczema has been in overdrive since lockdown and I suspect my spray of Zoflora is to blame. I normally only use it occasionally and have suspected it in the past.
Bit of weeding in the garden
Split sourdough starter
Sorted bolt on back door (just needed a quick twist with screwdriver)
dry teatowels etc from yesterday's washing away

Bower - I am doing one big shop a week and it takes about 4 hours from leaving the house to all put away. The supermarket is only 5 mins drive away if that. That's with using self scan too so no need to unload at checkout. We are wiping it all down. We also freeze 50/50 bread, we like to have some in but don't get through a loaf most weeks, we eat a lot of wraps, crusty bread, naan bread, rolls etc though.

Comfort food preferences. Well, going against the grain I'm not keen on either macaroni cheese (and I can't call it mac and cheese!) or tuna pasta bake. I do love just about any combination of cheese and bread or toast or crackers though, toasted cheese or cheese toasties. Goats cheese, brie and bacon panini, croque monsieur, blue cheese melted on just about anything. Feta, Halloumi. I've just looked in our fridge and we have 9 different types of cheese in there, that's fairly normal, DS loves all types of cheese too. I also love egg and chips.

I’m with you on the cheese. I would gladly have a cheese shelf in the fridge. Faves: halloumi, feta, mozzarella (not so much melted), gran padano, manchego (with tomato chutney), port salut, Brie, Wensleydale

Ploughing through the last of the work with DS. DD1 upstairs with DH doing some work. Cagletini is coming out of this worst I think, it’s hard splitting time between them all and that’s with DH around and involved with it.

I’m now making a note taking/quiz type sheet for DS and have written up most of tomorrow’s targets on the board. It seems like loads but it’s because we do lots of small bits and pieces rather than spending an hour on one thing as he finds that really hard.

Ive had a flit through because i am aware I have one chapter left in my book and a cake that needs to come out at 4 for hen man.

Forgot to answer yesterdays question. I would say it is really difficult to squeeze anything else into the school day without lengthening it. I would like to see more of the Arts. I went to Ireland once and visited a couple of schools and they place a lot of emphases on music and dance. A whole week was given over to this in one school and we watched all the school take part in Irish dancing and a performance by two yes two National Dance Champions in the school. The other school we peeped into the Reception class learning the cello! Each child and many cellos were bigger than the musician.

Todays

We had Tattie Pot the other night and DH would definitely chose that as one. I would say Fish Pie brings back lots of memories and I would have to also say a BBQ and Pavlova another pudding would be Chocolate Puddle Pudding and one of my boys reminded me about Queens Pudding as he can remember that I know why as it was easy, very cheap and used up left over bread. DD would say Vegan anything. DH has heard from her today.

Be back to read posts properly as cat is calling now.

Argh so annoying just lost a whole post!

Long and short of it was, I also love dictionaries and cheese 😂

Comfort food so many things...fish fingers beans and chips reminds me of childhood and I find very comforting! I love steak chips and onion rings. At the moment I'm obsessed with pesto sun dried tomato and mozzarella toasties 😋 . Posh crisps. Chocolate obviously . Roast dinners. And anything with chorizo in!

If I had to choose a few meals... probably bread and cheeses / hams and steak and chips...I'd be upset though because I like too many things

We actually got dd to do some writing today and a spelling test so we've treated the dc to the new paw patrol mini film thing on prime which was nearly £10 ridiculous amount for 45 minutes but they are honestly so excited which makes it worth it.

I've also managed to book a click and collect from Asda for two weeks time which is helpful as dh going back to work this week so shopping will be more difficult.

Just made pastry for a vegetable pie (with a bit of chorizo!) for dinner tonight 😋

Hope everyone doing okay and sorry if I missed any of your posts it's taken me so long to write this since I lost the first one argh!

Argh hate losing posts!

I’m intrigued by the pepper mac(aroni) and cheese :o I’m guessing it would change it too much for me to get away with it with DS? I’d defo try it myself though.

Today’s been exhausting. Home ed went well though other than DS not being keen on the oak academy thing - I think it’s partly due to not liking to try too many new things at once as he said he prefers the BBC one from yesterday. But I then found a plant cell thing on the other one and he’s happy to try that tomorrow as it builds on the BBC stuff anyway.

Have done the same workout from yesterday. Hoped to get another set in but nope. Now in the garden with my book and big cup of water

Hmmph. Came in after reading a chapter in the sun but the neighbour was painting the fence on the other side of where I was so I didn’t feel very relaxed! Now going to attempt to cut DH’s hair. Eeeeek. Didn’t mind doing DS’ as his is a forgiving style.

Willow I’d love more info on the OT stuff you are printing for the kitchen if it’s not too much bother please?

They're so cute giveme, bless them.