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	<title>The Genial Hearth</title>
	<link>http://www.genialhearth.com</link>
	<description>I've just put the kettle on, join me for a cuppa and a chat.</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:47:12 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<language>en</language>
	
	<item>
		<title>Handmade Christmas</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I love the idea of a handmade Christmas (well, handmade for all gift-giving in general:-) ) I realise this is probably not going happen this year&#8230;
But PrairiePoppins had a fabulous post today, (which I have linked to in the sidebar—but I thought was too good to keep just for people who actually visit the site!) [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/07/handmade-christmas/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 4, Block 8, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;ph&#8217;, &#8216;ough&#8217;, &#8216;oe&#8217;, &#8216;o-e&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Tu es meus sol (You Are My Sunshine)
Bene habes (You&#8217;re ok)
Scie le Bois (Saw the Wood)
? (Be careful)
English Studies
&#8216;The Five Wise Words of the Guru&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/05/this-week-89/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Skirts</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This made me giggle:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/05/skirts/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Fondue</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Just after New Year&#8217;s, I came across this post. I probably wouldn&#8217;t have considered doing fondue with kids, until I saw this&#8230; but it got me thinking. Of course, it was not the right time of year at all:-) I forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago, so we scheduled it for this [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/04/fondue/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 3, Block 8, Edith Term
I didn&#8217;t get sorted at the start of the week and update the TV cabinet, so things have basically stalled. Puggle brought me the poetry book, so we did do a kind of catch up a couple of times (he likes In the Fashion&#8230;) but other than that&#8230; not a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/04/progress-87/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>&#8220;Pick-me-up!&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bilby (like Puggle:-) ) loves to watch what&#8217;s going on in the kitchen. Usually, this means we hear &#8220;Bee-be-ah!&#8221;
Today, I was making bread (in the breadmaker&#8230; I&#8217;m trying it out as I&#8217;m just not getting around to making it by hand), and both of them were keen to see inside. I lifted Puggle up, but [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/02/pick-me-up/</link>
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	<item>
		<title>Dixie</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You can find a midi here. I know this one, but there&#8217;s a couple of mp3s here.
I wish I was in the land of Cotton
Old times there are not forgotten
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land
In Dixie Land where I was born in
early on one frosty morning&#8217;
Look away! Look away! Look away!
Dixie Land
Then I wish [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/10/01/dixie/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>&#8220;Pla-to&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Playschool used playdough in a craft activity.
Puggle was telling Paddington all about it at dinner, he detailed just what they did with the &#8220;plato&#8221;.
I commented that he lacked the cultural references—Paddington corrected me:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/30/pla-to/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 3, Block 8, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;oa&#8217;, &#8216;gu&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Tu es meus sol (You Are My Sunshine)
Sede! (Sit down)
Scie le Bois (Saw the Wood)
? (Good Job)
English Studies
&#8216;The Green Knight&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The Bull and the Goat&#8216;, &#8216;The Eagle and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/28/this-week-88/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 2, Block 8, Edith Term
Really didn&#8217;t get very far this week. We read last week&#8217;s poem a few more times (because it was still on the TV cabinet), but that was probably all.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/27/progress-86/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>He Has a Name!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It hasn&#8217;t actually taken us a full two weeks:-) The extra time was just so we could actually tell family first:-) We&#8217;ve emailed people, but if you haven&#8217;t heard and you feel you should have, comment, and I&#8217;ll try and find an email for you:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/21/he-has-a-name/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 2, Block 8, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;ed&#8217;, &#8216;ew&#8217;, &#8216;ui&#8217;, &#8216;ue&#8217;, &#8216;u-e&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Parvus Gaius Gelet (Little Jack Horner)
Bene factum (Good job)
Savez-vous Planter les Choux? (Do You Know How to Plant Cabbages?)
Assieds-toi  (Sit down)
English Studies
&#8216;The Strange Adventures of Little Maia&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/21/this-week-87/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Mastitis&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[is sucky:-(
I&#8217;m hoping I&#8217;ve avoided the worst of it&#8230; but it&#8217;s still not pleasant:-(
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/21/mastitis-2/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Balance of Cars</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We have returned to balance&#8230; My car has finally sold:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/20/balance-of-cars/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 1, Block 8, Edith Term
Fairly slack. We did read the poem quite a bit, and a few fables. We sang the comptine&#8230; but I&#8217;ve been struggling with the Latin nursery rhyme, and I still haven&#8217;t got my head around the tune for the folksong.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/20/progress-85/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Aaargh!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day! I had &#8216;grand plans&#8217;, but with Cygnet&#8217;s arrival I&#8217;ve scaled them back:-) We&#8217;re listening to pirate music (I have pirates dancing in front of me:-) ) and this afternoon the cousins are coming to  play in their sea-faring best&#8230; We might even get fish and chips:-) (I should [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/19/aaargh/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Calming the &#8216;Beast&#8217;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Four year olds are fabulous:-)
Cygnet woke, as I realised Bilby needed a new nappy. I went to change her, and Puggle went in to &#8216;keep Cygnet company&#8217;. I changed the nappy and took the dirty one to empty while Bilby went to join her brothers. Next thing I know, she&#8217;d returned, grabbed the ukulele and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/18/calming-the-beast/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Cauliflower and Mushroom Soup</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, the menu plan for tonight said Cauliflower Soup. When I went to get the cauliflower out, I realised there were some mushrooms left from the other night&#8217;s kebabs. A quick search revealed a few Mushroom and Cauliflower soups, so starting from here, I gave it a go.
I actually included
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
butter
olive oil
1 [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/18/cauliflower-and-mushroom-soup/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Toilet Training</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Shannon at Rocks-in-My-Dryer has just posted &#8216;everything she knows about potty training&#8216;. Nothing particularly new&#8230; but I did think it was a good reminder—and well worth a re-read when Bilby is ready to start:-) And it&#8217;s probably useful reading for some of  you:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/16/toilet-training/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 1, Block 8, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;wh&#8217;, &#8216;ck&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Parvus Gaius Gelet (Little Jack Horner)
Cave! (Careful!)
Savez-vous Planter les Choux? (Do You Know How to Plant Cabbages?)
?  (You&#8217;re ok)
English Studies
&#8216;Kupti and Imani&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;Three Bullocks and a Lion&#8216;, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/14/this-week-86/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 5, Block 7, Edith Term (Break Week)
We probably did less than I&#8217;d anticipated, as we didn&#8217;t even really sing. Mind you, we did a lot of bonding with Cygnet, so I&#8217;m not too worried:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/13/progress-84/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Cygnet&#8217;s Birth Story</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a very long post&#8230; If you&#8217;re not interested in minute details of the birth story, feel free to skip it:-)
I need to write this up before it gets lost in a flood of hormones and milk!
Sometime about the start of the third trimester, once I decided that I agreed with Puggle that Cygnet [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/09/cygnets-birth-story/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>&#8220;I did?&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Things you never thought you&#8217;d say&#8230;
To Puggle&#8230;
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think Dada&#8217;s ever said &#8216;Cock-a-doodle-doo&#8217; when he got out of the shower?!&#8221;
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/08/i-did/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 5, Block 7, Edith Term (Break Week)

We&#8217;ll keep singing, but that&#8217;s pretty much it:-) (We have other things on which to focus:-) )
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/07/this-week-85/</link>
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		<title>Bilby&#8217;s &#8216;Dar&#8217;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[So we&#8217;ve had the new car for a fortnight.
Puggle is still very excited by it (I was expecting that&#8230; he was very taken with them when we took him to a showroom, and it&#8217;s just like one that friends of ours have and he&#8217;s always been keen on theirs&#8230; and of course, he is excited [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/02/bilbys-dar/</link>
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		<title>The Old Oaken Bucket</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You can find a midi (and some history) here. There&#8217;s also an mp3 here.
How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood
When fond recollection presents them to view
The orchard, the meadow, the deep tangled wildwood,
And ev&#8217;ry loved spot which my infancy knew
The wide spreading pond, and the mill that stood by it,
The bridge [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/09/01/the-old-oaken-bucket/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Catch-up</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Only very occasionally do I wish I could just plug the computer directly into my brain and download things&#8230; but right now I am wishing I could dump a couple of posts directly online and clear them out of my brain&#8230;
I basically hit 37 weeks (the beginning of &#8216;on-time&#8217; as far as delivery goes) and [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/31/catch-up/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 4, Block 7, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;aw&#8217;, &#8216;au&#8217;, &#8216;or&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Parve puer caerule (Little Boy Blue)
Sic est (That&#8217;s right!)
Napoléon (Napoleon)
Un casse-croûte (Snack)
English Studies
&#8216;The Thanksgiving of the Wazir&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The Cat and the Birds&#8216;, &#8216;The Dog and the Oyster&#8216;, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/31/this-week-84/</link>
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		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 3, Block 7, Edith Term
Once again, my lack of oomph has affected what we&#8217;ve done—I didn&#8217;t even get as far as updating the TV cabinet. (Puggle has noticed this lack of updates, and has regularly asked me when the new stuff is going up!)
However, we&#8217;ve continued to sing, and Puggle has taken great delight [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/30/progress-83/</link>
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		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 3, Block 7, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;ng&#8217;, &#8216;ea&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Parve puer caerule (Little Boy Blue)
Fac silentium, tace (Quiet!)
Napoleon (Napoleon)
Tiens-toi droit! (Sit Up!)
English Studies
&#8216;The Story of Little King Loc&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The Two Pots&#8216;, &#8216;The Goose and the Golden Egg&#8216;, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/24/this-week-83/</link>
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		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 2, Block 7, Edith Term
Mostly, this week has been about phonics. Puggle is pulling out the readers, and is very keen to know the next sounds, but we haven&#8217;t done a great deal else. Partly at least, because I haven&#8217;t had the oomph to read or sing (although, we did read some of Winnie [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/23/progress-82/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Car for Sale</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Now that we have the new car sorted (yay!), I need to sell my old one&#8230; just in case there&#8217;s anyone who might be interested, here are the details.
1993 Toyota Corolla Seca Hatchback, white. Manual (5 speed). Air conditioning, power steering, tinted. Manual included. 227,500kms. It&#8217;s registered until June next year. Very reliable. $3800 ono.
Comment [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/22/car-for-sale/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Car!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We have to do the actual transfer and stuff, but we have a satisfactory RAC report, so we have a car! I can start forgetting car info!
I am so relieved! Now I can reclaim my brain, and start making other decisions:-) How many more nappies do we need? What should we call Cygnet? Which carseat [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/18/car/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 2, Block 7, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;ur&#8217;, &#8216;wor&#8217;, &#8216;ear&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Agitat Cunas (Rock-a-bye-baby)
Fac silentium, tace (Quiet!)
Fais Dodo (Go to sleep)
Oo là là! (Oh no!)
English Studies
&#8216;The Blue Parrot&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The Peacock and the Crane&#8216;, &#8216;The Farmer and the Cranes&#8216;, [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/17/this-week-82/</link>
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		<title>Swimming</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The children have both done swimming lessons since they were around 5 or 6 months old. I won&#8217;t be able to swim with them for the first little while after Cygnet arrives, so Paddington will be doing so. In preparation, we took them to the pool today, so he could practise (particularly with Bilby, Puggle [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/16/swimming/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 1, Block 7, Edith Term
A bit of a mixed week. We did do a reasonable amount of reading (he&#8217;s really enjoying Winnie-The-Pooh  ) He&#8217;s still reading the readers I got from the library (I have the next five to collect on Monday). He still asks about all the text he sees!
I didn&#8217;t get [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/16/progress-81/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Craft Sunday</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This Sunday!
We appear to be recovered!
It should be a nice day!
1.30 onwards&#8230; Not sure what I&#8217;ll be doing, but I&#8217;ll find something!
Hope to see some of you:-)
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/15/craft-sunday-4/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>This Week</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Our plans for
Week 1, Block 7, Edith Term
Language
Introduce phonograms &#8216;er&#8217;, &#8216;ir&#8217; (sandpaper letters and sand tray)
Agitat Cunas (Rock-a-bye-baby)
Noli tangere&#8217; (Don&#8217;t touch!)
Fais Dodo (Go to sleep)
Lèves-toi! (Get up!)
English Studies
&#8216;Madschun&#8216; from The Olive Fairy Book  Andrew Lang
Winnie-The-Pooh  A. A. Milne
Narration: &#8216;The Fox and the Goat&#8216;, &#8216;The Cat, The Cock and the Young Mouse&#8216;, &#8216;The Wolf [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/10/this-week-81/</link>
			</item>
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		<title>Progress</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Week 5, Block 6, Dorothea Term
This has been a week of recovery. I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve gone so long without singing since Puggle arrived! So, we haven&#8217;t started the folksong at all. I also haven&#8217;t prepared for this Block the way I did last Block. I certainly haven&#8217;t got on to my Latin decision:-(
On the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/09/progress-80/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Cakes</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Paddington very kindly pointed this link out to me&#8230; Some marvellous options there:-) Redbraids? I&#8217;m looking at you with number 2, and especially number 7!
I&#8217;m not sure whether I&#8217;ll show these to Puggle:-) He&#8217;s already chosen a cake for his next birthday&#8230;
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.genialhearth.com/2008/08/07/cakes/</link>
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