Mixing the days around

F has been:
challenging! - one day last week in particular! But better since so let's not dwell.
playing in the new sandpit - still some sand left but not for long at current throwout rate. She has played 'beach' and 'treasure island' and made sandcastles. The rug in the hall is covered in sand from her forays back and forth, but I like sand, it's good clean dirt, like paint.
playing with the Happy Land mat, houses, vehicles and people plus a rogue deer that got tidied into their area, telling stories with them
playing with Leapster, XBox (Barbie Horse Adventure Wild Horse Rescue is back in favour, I note)
looking at a calendar I got for her a while back - she has taken a lot of persuading that the days, weeks, months can't really be interchanged as she pleases, not just on the calendar I mean, but in life. Imagination and stubbornness in powerful combination - 'let's put this day over here...' I think she will get used to it though, over time, it's a good calendar, has a write on/wipe off pen and everything is done using magnets. Nice as it is to mix the days around, there's a lot to be said for knowing where you are in time and what's happening next.
writing the word CAT and talking about which letters make which sounds and what you get if you take one of the letters away or change it
doing yoga with Harmony after a few weeks' break - once again a great session, I think if we do these one-to-one sessions for a year or so, she will be able to go to a group with a good deal of confidence and experience behind her. Yoga proves to me time and time again how well she can concentrate under the right conditions.
growing again I think
socializing with the MTs - all the children got a little bit stir-crazy, as they've got used to the garden being an option when they're here all together, and in fact later I found that they had opened F's larger bedroom window and thrown a few things out of it! More worryingly F said that she had considered ways of trying to get a stick and reach out for the things that had landed on the conservatory roof. Maybe window locks are needed! F had a major wobbly early on about saying sorry, having pinched D's sandwiches off his plate. N and I had quite a lot of good conversation. D played the harmonica and F danced in a 'show' for us that had me in hysterics a couple of times.
babysat by Marina from next door while I did some work on Wednesday for an hour - Marina's nice with F, they made a picture on some card with stickers and watched a bit of CBBC together.
Other than that, Dr Who, CBBC, conversations about space, planets, animals and all sorts of other stuff. Bought her some trainers and another pair of sandals yesterday, so she is now well and truly shod.

I have been
working fairly hard, just had 2 days/nights off, and will have to get back to it this evening, deadline is Thursday morning.
socializing with Mrs MT - N and I had quite a lot of good conversation, when not being harmonicaed and danced at.
watching some of BB, though have missed most of the Channel 4 shows so far, and discussing it a bit, but not had much time for that yet
thinking, writing, drinking wine, playing silly puter games and chatting to people on YIM.

Today we have friends from Brighton coming (haven't seen them as a whole family since July I suspect!) and I'm going to make "Joyce's Lentil Loaf" for the occasion.
Tomorrow J's mum, Tuesday my mum.
Wednesday I will be working like mad for my Thursday deadline.
Thursday we have visitors coming over from Green House, so hoping for nice weather.
Friday is free
Then J has 3 weeks off, including the middle one at Kessingland!