So this is mainly because the end of last year got a bit silly, I was exhausted and just didn't feel up to blogging despite having lots of things I wanted to share. This is quite normal for me - I dislike winter, it's too cold, too windy, I like sunlight and winter has very little (although at the moment the summer doesn't really have much more, but at least the days are longer), and I generally end up feeling down, tired, grumpy and unmotivated. I know this is quite common. I definitely do not have SAD (I have an aunt who does and she and my uncle have actually moved down south because of it), but I do think that it's common for people to feel down and lethargic during the winter months. It doesn't help that from August until December each year my asthma plays up. A couple of years back, before we moved and were still living in a house plagued with damp, I actually woke up with an asthma attack so severe that I thought I was going to die. It's not been that bad since then, but it does bug me. Anyway, this winter we have been a bit more proactive, and have started taking Vitamin D supplements. I don't know whether they are starting to have an effect, or whether it is simply the new year has breathed a new lease of life into me, or what, but I feel better, more energetic, more motivated. And I want to post up these things I got pictures of before I forget about them.
We had loads of fun making snowflakes which we stuck up in the front window:
Looking forward to making more of them next December, along with wreaths and a Yule log.
Little Clanger made a fruit tree out of lego...
...which prompted a discussion on the life cycle of plants, including smashing open a plum stone with a hammer to see the seed inside it. On that topic we have bought a bunch of veg seeds and we have plans in the works for carrots, peas, mangetout, babycorn, potatoes (registered for a free potato growing kit last year which should be delivered in Feb), tomatoes (cherry and salad), cucumbers, salad leaves and peppers. We grew some of our own food in 2011, but last year it just didn't happen, so I am determined that we pull our socks up and get our acts together this year. I am in the process of constructing our month-by-month plan of when to sow, plant out and harvest, and Small particularly is very excited to start planting seeds (mainly, I suspect, because some of them will be germinating on his bedroom windowsill!).
We stuck up a strip of paper left over from making our snowflakes on the wall, with some ideas on for things the kids might be interested in learning about in the new year - we decided we would just write everything they could think of down, and then whenever they were ready they would choose what they wanted to do. So we will start working on those and see what new ideas come from them.
We went to forest school again last week, and have come back stinking of fire again... but it was a fantastic session. The sprogits all learned about making shelters out of natural resources. We picked up a friend's daughter and took her along and then dropped her back off afterwards and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I got a lovely picture of her and Little Clanger with their shelter but have not asked if I can post it up yet so will not for the time being. In the next session they will be using what they have learned to do a team build of a large shelter that they can actually fit inside. When talking to my mum about this she asked if the sprogits might be interested in making furniture out of natural materials as well and I said I thought they would. She offered, when the time was right, to teach them the knots and how to build various bits and pieces of furniture. I said a progression on from that might be the Kids Can Do It Too classes that B&Q run, but I'm not sure if Little is old enough for them yet. She said my Pop-pop (her dad) would be very proud of me :) I think he'd be proud of her.
Anyway, I think that's it for the moment.
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