As you can imagine, it has been a HUGE few weeks. All the school starting is going okay, with bumps and tears along the way – but mostly okay. Today we bought Amelie’s uniform and got her inducted into her new school for September. At least the school run will reduce to 2 schools then and will cut out the worst of the traffic – I can be grateful for small mercies, see? Coughed up another £150 for uniform this morning though, which was painful but did negotiate her into a tutor group I know will suit her very well; a dance teacher Fran really likes who will suit Amelie down to the ground I hope.
The mentalness has been compounded by Fran sitting 2 GCSE’s, one of which was self taught (so let’s see how that goes) and which she worked so hard for – even missing gym voluntarily – and Maddy needing to sit school testing (went well, top sets) and Josie still being half at home and a little wobbly, plus Max and I just having the most awful cough and cold virus which knocked us both for six. Plus Bene has developed eczema since CP (just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH) and business needed several major tweaks thanks to Google and Amazon doing huge system alterations and… you get the picture.
Tomorrow, Fran has her (we hope) second to last big operation, where they will cut open the soft palate and graft a living flap of skin into it from inside her cheek. It’s going to hurt, we are out of practise at this operation lark, Bene will have to be left with a friend and sisters and it is all much more complicated when schools are involved everywhere. I would really like to be a week on with it all behind us. I don’t think any of us are going to like having a poorly child in hospital again and there is something very galling about taking a healthy one in with you and coming out with a hurt one.
To distract ourselves we’ve played a lot of Animal Crossing, which came out last week. Just for fun, I went to collect it at midnight, queuing with lots of hairy gamers buying something called The Last of Us. (Never heard of it). We do love the game, it gets us through tough times and usually teaches someone or other to read too 😉 Fran learned on the Game Cube version, I suspect Josie will come of reading age with New Leaf.
Funnily enough, I really enjoyed that the girls all saved and worked for it this time (a bit like you do in the game really!) and so did I. Sponsored posts, pocket money, vouchers and birthday cash and several bundles of traded in games and points meant my late night trip actually involved very few £’s being spent for ‘real’ as it were. Escapism is us… I love that we all play it together. If I’m not here, it’s because I’m being Acorn in Oaklands 😆
Speaking of not being here; I’m not going to be here. This next week is going to be tough and I won’t be online much or blogging in real time at all. But to be brutally honest, I’ve been enjoying reviewing products and I need to actually write some of them up, so until I get back, I really hope you’ll be patient and just let me waffle on in review speak 🙂 If you want to know how the girl is doing, follow me on Twitter or Facebook (links over on the right there).
When I get back, I need to find my feet as a crafty, after school activity preparing, toddler mumming new stlye blogger. I’m looking forward to having a little more time to make and do and find quality activities to fit into evenings off with the girls so I hope you’ll keep following this ex-home educator, even then 🙂 I might even have time to read some other blogs.
Yes, I’m following! I’m just as interested in how you’re doing in the settling in to school lark as how you’ve been home educating. I just like the way you write so honestly. Don’t stop!