We do have a new computer..

alhamdulillah, but now I have a v sore back, which along with most of my pregnancy complaints, is dismissed by midwives as something one just has to bear with and is normal and there is no medication (apart from paracetemol) that is safe to take. Now I realise how much bending and picking up of child clutter is part of my life, because as it had become physically unbearable to do so, the floors were looking like some burglars had come to visit, eight times. Jigsaw pieces hither and thither, yoghurt pots cast aside, variou s items of clothing (mostly dirty) decorating the rug and sofa. So we had a big clear up with everyone enlisted the other night and some sense of floor space was restored for an hour or so. It amazes me how I'm the only one who cannot walk past an old piece of half-chewed, dried up toast and not at least think about picking it up and putting it in the bin....
So can't write much more, and can't put photos on yet (as program yet to be installed for this) as I have to go over the (hopefully) last draft of our home education application. I intend inshaAllah to get it handed in on Monday.
Then I have to do the tax forms by next Monday, and then I will be sighing inshaAllah a huge sigh of relief as Swedish bureaucracy is out of the way for a few months, and start thinking about the new addition and where on earth he/she's going to sleep etc etc

Children are a gift

I watched the programme about gifted children on Channel 4 on Thursday. It was interesting to note that 2 of the children had been home-educated, at least at some point, and it wasn't seen as particularly unusual, although one boy's parents were having a battle with a LEA. What amazes me is the lengths people go to to ensure their kids get in the 'right' school (moving house many times, forking out thousands of pounds, IQ testing of a 3 year old) when they may have the best way under their noses, for free. I'm saying this after an extended morning of a pregnant brain trying to write a home education application, in Swedish. Oh how it aches!
Besides that, my idea (which came from thinking more seriously about planning for next academic year) of sticking a piece of paper on the wall, so we can write down areas of interest when they pop up, gave me a little surprise. I was thinking more along the lines of the questions S particularly thinks of such as 'Can bees hear?', which I will forget if I don't write them down. Anyhow Suhayb came up with learning to throw the javelin, M also asked to read as well as play X box and H wants to learn to read!
So today H and I did a bit with the white board and rhyming words ending with 'at' and 'eet'. He was very good at blending the sounds which surprised me mashAllah. He also tried learning to write cursive 'a'.
Biryani did about 6 puzzles and got through reams of paper (as usual) The white board might help save the planet actually.(If only she's stop eating the pen tips).

laptop broke down

so I don't have much time to write as have to grab a slot on DH's laptop when he's not using it for work.
Had a long, helpful conversation on the phone today with a home educator here in Sweden. So have to do my 'plan' to submit asap. Without computer a bit of a struggle..
Kids came homefrom school enthusiastic about making a 'recipe' from plants from the park. I said it mighthave to be a perfume rather than something edible which they were satisfied with. So my kitchen is awash with shredded grass, leaves and lavender.
I also have to go around picking up after Biryani's newfound puzzle obsession. (Last week I realised I'd haved to try and collect together all the pieces randomly distributed about thehouse so she could actually complete one without having a distressed/ frustrated look on her face as the last 2 pieces are missing.)

Something I hope the Education Boss didn't manage to watch.

A Christian sect in Sweden, has it's own school, independent of the Swedish Education System. The children are able to attend as they are registered as being home-educated. Now they want to restrict home-education for religious/ideological grounds. From what I could understand from the clip you can watch, there are lots of ministers/ education people worried that they are unable to monitor what is being taught in this school / when children are being home-educated, and are wanting to restrict it. Much like rest of life in Sweden, the State wants to know what you're up to. Here is the link
So S is having to learn about flowers in science when he wants to be building circuits and making chemicals fizz!
I have not received the home education application forms yet which they have managed to find to send me, and it's been over a week (somehow I was not surprised as this isn't likely to be breeze.) So I rang again, the Boss even addressing me now by my first name. He said that I could pick them up from the local office. That blows my plan of them not realising I'm Muslim but they're bound to guess from the my kids names..

Finally uploading sour dough bread adventure (don't I have anything better to do ?)

I finally found my camera (again) as I'm often having to hide it as it is v popular with kids.
I hide it and forget where I put it...

Here are the pictures from my 'sour dough adventure'
DAY 1

Add 1 dl water (40 degrees) to 1 dl flour, stir, cover and leave at room temperature for three days.
DAY 2 Stir every day, note strange smell!
until.. DAY4Add 1 liter of water (40 degrees) and 1 liter of flour, stir, and leave to stand one more day, covered.
and voila....

Divide the 'dough' (more like soup) into 10 parts and freeze if you're not needing it right away. Will last 1 year ,apparently, in the freezer.

and here is some bread made with it. You only need a little (2 1/2 dl or so) for 12 dl flour.
and here is the end product, not quite like the picture given by the recipe but I tried. S liked the bread and it does give quite a distinctive taste. I eventually got round to looking into sour dough on the internet (I could have done a project on it if I was being home educated, but just ate the bread instead!) . This method was used before they had yeast as a leavening agent. The recipe I used did only have 10g of yeast in it and rose quite well.