Keris Stainton's Blog, page 11

We’re in Bella magazine

We’re in this week’s Bella magazine talking about home ed.

(Btw, when I started to wonder about home ed, my first thought wasn’t really “Am I a weirdo?” It was more “Will people think we’re weirdos?” And then I figured that they probably do anyway and I’m fine with that.)

Remembering 9/11

I had no idea this had happened until I saw this short film on Meg Cabot’s blog*. People are incredible.

* I read Meg’s 9/11 diary every year.

Woman Walks into a Bar

My lovely friend and author Rowan Coleman has a novella out today and she’s giving 100% of her royalties to Refuge with the aim of raising £10,000.

The ebook costs just £1.59 – click on the cover there to buy it from Amazon – and if you tweet or FB your purchase via Amazon with the tags #womanwalks #supportafriend you’ll be entered into a draw with lots of amazing prizes (including a Kindle Paperwhite).

You can read more about the book, together with Rowan’s reasons for the Refuge campaign, here.

(There’s also an extremely relevant post over on Bea today: The aftermath of domestic violence)

Not back to school

So today would have been Joe’s first day at school… if he was going. I hadn’t really thought much about it – it’s ages since we decided not to send him – but then Harry mentioned it and we got a bit sentimental and had to stop and squeeze Joe.

Harry said, “When I was still at school, I was really looking forward to this day!”

We talked for a bit about what it would have been like, the two of them at school together. I said it would have been nice for them to play together at break, but I imagine it would have been hard for them to say goodbye and go to separate classes afterwards.

Harry said, “Oh, I just imagined someone coming to take me to his class to calm him down cos he was crying so much!”

He would have looked really cute in his uniform though…

Today also marks the second official year of home educating, i.e. Harry didn’t go back last September, and I can honestly say we’ve never regretted the decision for a second.

(If you’re interested in our home ed adventure, you can read all about it on my other blog Happy Home Ed.)

Monday

via Upworthy

Talking Twitter…

… in the October issue of Psychologies magazine.

A (hotel) room of one’s own

A few weeks ago, David showed me a photo in the paper of a woman sitting next to the Seine with a typewriter on her knees. “Ooh,” I said. “I’d like to go to Paris to write.” “Good luck with that,” David said.

A couple of weeks later, I was making arrangements with David for me to go to Sheffield to meet my friend Diane for lunch. He said, “Why don’t you stay over? You said you wanted a writing break.” “I did,” I said. “In Paris.” “It’s Sheffield or nowt,” he said. So I booked the hotel. (I did have a couple of hours of fretting about whether it was a waste of money to go and stay in a hotel. Whether the money would be better applied to the Sekrit Christmas Project. Whether it was too indulgent, particularly since I’ve done this solo writing break thing before… And then I decided feck it – I’m with the boys ALL THE TIME and I deserve a break, dammit! Oh and I checked and my last indulgent writing break* was 2005. Pfft.)

Before setting off, I downloaded a couple of episodes of Parenthood to watch on the journey and in the hotel (Diane’s been at me to watch Parenthood for AGES and since she was right – so very very right – about Parks & Rec, I thought it was about time I listened), I packed a couple of books and some snacks, bought myself a coffee and off I went.

Trains are great for writing but only, I discovered, if you get a table seat. I tried balancing the laptop on the little fold-down table, but it didn’t really fit and it was bumpy as hell. Even so, I wrote 1000 words and then watched the first episode of Parenthood. Loved it. Changed trains, bought more coffee, did some reading and then met Diane and her mum and we went off for a chat.

Diane’s mum left, but the chat continued. There was pizza. And wine. And lots and lots of talking. (We even, at one point, had a rather heated debate. It was ace.) Eventually I had to go and check into my hotel and that was also ace. Nice big room with a huge bed, a desk and this lovely view.

I did actually move the table in front of the window so I could sit and look outside instead of looking in a mirror, as I was at the desk. I spent the rest of the evening alternating writing with watching Parenthood (and I Skyped with the boys) before a bath and bed.

I woke at 7, wrote a bit then went down to the spa for a swim and a little sit in the Aroma Room followed by an even shorter spell in the Ice Igloo (couldn’t even sit in there, the seats were too cold). Back up to the room for more writing and then out again for breakfast in a cafe I spied from my window. It was really cute and the full cooked breakfast and cuppa sorted me right out after my swim.

Back to the room for one last burst of writing before I had to check out. I stayed at the Mercure Sheffield St Paul’s Hotel and Spa and I was really impressed. You know how at some hotels you feel like they’re doing you a favour? This was the opposite. The wifi was free. The spa was free. You didn’t even need £1 for the locker. The hotel looks really stylish, but isn’t at all intimidating and the staff were lovely. I’d never heard of the Mercure chain before, but I’ll definitely check them out in future. And, no, I didn’t get the stay for free. (But I do plan to see if I can get a freebie for the Sekrit Christmas Project, yes.)

Went wandering in Sheffield – which is really lovely, btw, if you haven’t been, you should go – to  Waterstones where I bought four books (oops) and then finally to the station where I wrote another 500 words and sat next to this beautiful creature. It was on the floor, so one of the cafe staff put a chair over it so it didn’t get stepped on. 

Watched another Parenthood on the train, then wrote a final 500 words in Leeds station then finished my book (the one I was reading, not the one I’m writing – I’ll finish that one today) on the last leg home. 

Not only did I write 7000 words, I had the most wonderful time and felt like I’d been away a lot longer than (*counts*) 32 hours. I really shouldn’t wait another eight years before doing something like this again. 

* If you don’t include LA cos that was totally research and not actually one of the best holidays of my entire life.

Questions (or How do children learn if they don’t go to school?)

Earlier this week, I read this about how mothers are asked 300 questions a day by their children and so I thought I’d keep a note of some of the questions the boys ask me. Sort of a companion to the wordles I did a while ago (Joe’s and Harry’s).

These were all from a couple of hours on Tuesday morning and are only the ones I managed to record, I missed plenty more.

Do the guineas need pet insurance?
What’s head lice?
Was that man French?
Was Marks and Spencer real people?
Why do scratches instantly pop up?
Can a teddy put up a fight?
Why does the smoke smell like coffee?
What’s that baby called? Does she like ducks?
Why is there a break in TV shows?
How do you remember everything that you got teached?
How do you remember everything you know now?
Who is the voice for Daddy Pig? And Peppa? And George?
Why is it called the pound shop?
Why has that tree got one dead leaf?
There’s a bit of blood on my hand… why’s it gone hard?
Why’s aliens always have those heads on?
Could NASA do research of if there’s aliens?
You know knights kill aliens? (Harry: Maybe that’s what happened to the aliens!)
Why’s it called tap dancing?
Do boobies trump?
Why are bees going to go extinct?
What does reject mean?
Do cars need electricity?
Is this where polices go when they need their coffee break and breakfast?
Does movies have people jumping off skeletons?

Moshi Monsters: Katsuma Unleashed trailer

Harry is mad about Moshi Monsters, so we’re very excited to be part of the Moshi Monsters Ambassador Programme (honestly, he high fived me and everything).

Harry is also mad about his DS, so this new game – Katsuma Unleashed – is pretty much a perfect storm for him. Here’s a sneak peek at the trailer:

Trying Gousto

I wasn’t paid for this review – I signed up to a Gousto trial (50%) off and paid for it myself. I’m writing about it cos I thought it was ace.

I went for the Couples Box because the family box was a bit too spendy and I figured there portions would be big enough that they could share with us. You choose three meals and I picked Vietnamese Chicken and Lime Noodle Salad with Fresh Herbs, Stir-Fried British Rump Steak with Beans & Peppers and Thai Red Tofu Curry with Juicy Grapes & Crunchy Red Pepper. I wanted to choose something a bit different and things I wouldn’t necessarily cook at home. (When I do cook, that is. David does most of the cooking.)

When the box was delivered and I put all the food in the fridge, I wasn’t sure there’d be enough for the four of us – the portions seemed rather small, but it was just an experiment so I wasn’t unduly worried (the boys would probably prefer Cheerios anyway).

I wasn’t sure which meal to make first, but the recipe cards helpfully state when they should be eaten by, which was really handy. I went for the Vietnamese Chicken first, mainly because I fancied it the most. The recipe was extremely easy. There were a LOT of noodles so I think I only used about half (but the recipe does actually say you can save some for another meal) and it was delicious, much better than if I’d put it together myself, because I probably would have missed out some ingredients, etc. (Oh and it was the first time I’ve ever used a real chilli. I know.)

The Tofu Curry was meant to be next, but David didn’t fancy it so I went for the Stir-Fried Steak. Again, it was ridiculously easy and utterly delicious, although the steak was a little chewy (probably a fault of the cook rather than the recipe).

Finally, I made the Tofu Curry just for me – David decided it wasn’t his thing. I was stingy with the red curry paste cos I was worried it would be just too spicy, and I’d accidentally used the soy sauce in the Vietnamese Chicken. Oh and someone – *looks at small curly child* – had eaten the grapes. But it was still really good and there was enough for me to have some for my lunch the next day.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be buying boxes regularly because they’re just that bit too expensive, but they’re certainly a fantastic alternative to takeaways or eating out. So if we know we have a particularly busy week coming up, I’ll certainly order one.

Oh and Joe has put the box to very good use. First he had me cut one side out so it could be a TV. Then it was a “doghouse”. Next time I saw it, it was Abigirl’s bed

And finally it became a chair for crafting. (Joe is cutting and sticking the Tofu Curry recipe card.)