So far, so good!
Mood: impatient!
Listening to: the computer whirring!!
It's 11.45am - the boys have done their Bible Study, handwriting and maths and are playing footie in the yard with Dad - now that's how it SHOULD be!
At 12.oo I shall call them in for 'English' which we will hopefully get done quickly (about 30 mins) before lunch, by which time the girls will be back too. Then they can have an hour off for lunch-time and we can get cracking again about 1.30. Time then to get a bit more of the Egypt project done and maybe even some Science too. I plan to finish at 4pm (there'll be another break mid-afternoon) and swimming is at 5.30 - let's see if we can get there happily this week.
(OK - now they're scrapping again!! - why can't they just play together nicely without fisting each other over silly little things - like Joel fouling Jake at footie?! - ho, humm!)
It was a mad and hectic weekend -
Saturday, The boys had tennis in the morning (two 6 mile round-trips on the bike for Paul), Abbie had Ballet (another 4 mile round-trip), the boys had a party at 12.30, but we forgot to get a pressie (quick nip into town for Paul), then back to get boys and take them to party - also the other side of town (mile round trip) and while they were there another nip into town to get pressie for another party in the evening + some paper for invitations to a surprise family celebration later in the year (being a little criptic 'just-in-case'!!), home for lunch then back to pick up boys, two hours of FA-cup watching in the afternoon (aaah - a welcome sit down for P.), then feed the kids before dropping Jake at swimming party (other side of town again) at 6.45pm. Back home - back to pick him up at 8.30 and then out to help me carry back home a big curry order for our girlie night (only a few yards down the road but still...)Poor Paul - I did feel rather sorry for him, but he's a FAB hubby and really doesn't complain. Of course - we would choose this mad weekend to ask my Mum to take the weekend off! Still it's nice not to have to share the bathroom with yet another person occasionally!!
I'll add more later... Got to go school :)
Later....
Well, we did go school, but the boys had slowed up a little after their break (sometimes I wonder if the break is such a good idea!). They did their Vocab' work OK (they boht seem to like learning new words 
), but then Jacob's 'extension activity' was to write a quick-write about his 'favourite holiday'. We chatted it through - having not long been on holiday of course - talked about what he really liked about our recent holiday and any other holiday he has ever been on. He gave me a lengthy list of things he enjoys, but when asked to write down what would make his 'ideal' holiday and some reasons why, or make up a story about his favourite holiday (and why it was his favourite) he simply freaked - shouting & yelling, crying,etc... "I can't do it, I can't choose what to write, I'll just write a list, I don't know how to start..." (I had given him a starter sentance). He ended up sitting, not writing for about 20 minutes and now has to do it in his 'own time'. There was no earthly reason why he could not have written something down, he just got fixed into the "I can't(s)" and could not snap himself out of them. I have decided not to let his tantrums (if you can call them that, but they aren't really) intrude into after-lunch work, so now if he closes down like that he has to make up the work in his free/out-of-school time. That way it's more fair on Joel and doesn't leave it hanging over Jake for hours on end in the same day. He can come back to it fresh when he choses - but it has to be done by Saturday afternoon as I refuse to allow school on Sundays and Monday is a new week of work. Seemed to work this weekend, so we'll see...
So, after lunch we did a bit more Egypt work - 'Temples and Tombs' - which was quite good fun. We made a mini-mummy (gauze bandage stuck to a mummy-shaped piece of card) in a coffin. The boys enjoyed making it, but they spent so long colouring the coffin beautifully there was no time for science - still, I wasn't too bothered. What they made was worth the time .
The boys did well at swimmig tonight - Jake is Level 8 now and pretty 'streamline' - his teacher stands for no nonsense (which is good) and works them hard! Joel is a bit of a kangaroo in the water, but his swimming seems to be making progress all the same.
STILL no baby!! 
