Catching up.

1) School restarts after the half-term break tomorrow. It’s been a lovely holiday though, and we were all glad of the break.

2) The holiday was a nice mix of time away and time at home. We caught up with family and friends, celebrated birthdays, had a couple of daytrips, and enjoyed an evening at the wonderful Enchanted Forest, and a night in a camping pod!

3) Today was spent catching up on things around the house. I’ve organised paperwork, laundry, planned meals and sorted all sorts of school stuff. Now for an early night 🙂 .

Restoring order, working hard, and growing up.

1) I realise I’m probably in a minority here, but part of me loves Monday mornings – a time to catch up, clean up, tidy up.

2) Thanks in part to the kids working hard to get ahead on their chores this evening, the house is now fairly clean and tidy, laundry done, packed lunches made, and I feel ready for my evening, and my week.

3) A struggles a little with a part of his homework this afternoon – a situation which, six months ago, would have reduced him to tears. He battles on however and, a little while later, finds the solution himself. He’s growing up. 🙂

Hard at work, snow evening, and making rope.

1) A’s class has an open afternoon at school today and I arrive to find him hard at work, creating a “Wanted” poster for William Wallace (for King Edward 1). Around the classroom are examples of the work they’ve been doing as they’ve learned about this section of Scottish history – it’s all excellent, and it’s really clear how much they’ve been enjoying it.

2) Throughout the day, it snows and melts and snows and melts and snows and melts… By evening, as the temperature drops, the snow begins to lie and we decide it would be foolish to risk taking A to Cubs, and K heads out on foot for his meeting. Five minutes later, I receive a phone call telling me that the meeting is cancelled. I call K on his mobile, and he returns home. I’m glad to have everyone home, safe, and out of the weather.

3) I need to make some rope (out of yarn) and find this article explaining how to do so. Realising that I need a reasonable amount of rope, K pulls out the power drill to assist with the twisting. It works beautifully – in a matter of mere moments, I have a length of beautiful homemade rope, which coordinates perfectly with my rock-climbing teddy’s outfit! (Check back for WIP Wednesday tomorrow if you want to see pics!)

Order, free, and complete.

1) To restore some order to the house – my mind feels clearer already.

2) I wiped the weekly planner (located on a white board) clean of all last week’s activities… and I’ve left it blank!  It’s the October Holidays and, for reasons outwith our control, we were unable to plan our usual trip away this year.  There’s something rather nice about having a blank slate, and to be able to do what we feel like, when we feel like it. For a whole week 🙂 .

3) To complete a jigsaw puzzle. And to find time to knit.

Weekend away…

1) The trip to Inverness was made, unusually for us, in the early morning, rather than late afternoon.  We were all struck by the difference in light quality, and particularly by the fact that the sun was on the opposite side of the car than normal.  It was a beautiful drive.

2) The kids had a fab time playing with their new cousins.

3) Always nice to come home after a weekend away, to delicious Sunday dinner at my Mum and Dad’s…

 

Fun and games, tidy, and cardboard boxes.

Just a quiet summer holiday day at home…

1a) A and M have discovered the joys of playing Monopoly. I think they must have spent a good three hours playing today. Great fun…

1b) When they got bored of playing Monopoly, they were off on bike and scooter down to the park. Then they came back, and played Monopoly some more.

2) They tidy their room so well, that I can actually get in to vacuum their floor!

3) Right, they’re all packaged up and ready to go… Anyone want them?

I love that the kids aren’t too big to play with cardboard boxes (they were watching the Men’s 200m final in the Olympics, in case you are wondering!).

Off school, cleaning, and black water rafting

1) M isn’t feeling too well today, so I keep her home from school.  Thankfully, she’s not too unwell (and will be back at school again tomorrow) and we have a lovely day together.

2) The enforced day at home means I, with some help from M, get some serious cleaning done (enough so that K actually notices it when he walks in the door!).

3) The kids and I watch a programme about the glow-worms in the Waitomo Caves (North Island, NZ) – the kids are really amazed when I tell them that K and I have been Black Water Rafting through those very caves!

Journey home, water, and home again.

From Saturday:

1) The kids behave beautifully, and the traffic isn’t too bad, so the long journey home is completed with relative comfort.

2) Cold, delicious Scottish water, straight from the tap 🙂 .

3) To arrive home, somewhat weary and travel-stained, and to know that, at bedtime, hot showers with clean fluffy towels, and our own bed, made-up with fresh sheets, await 🙂 .