feels like this morning was about a week ago…
Up early this morning to go and fetch Lucy, Richard and Rebecca before Ady went to work so as not to have to drag Davies and Scarlett out too. I managed to have a bit of a chat about how Davies feels about me working with him later today and he is very happy with Lucy looking after them so that’s good. It seems to have not caused too many ripples at all my working but I am conscious of our weeks filling up rather too much and want to retain as much of our time at home, alone with just the three of us picking up things to do as we go along as possible as that is what I consider our most important aspect of Home Education. Socialising, groups and being out and about are very key too but at least one full day a week needs to be free to fill as we see fit on that day.
Work this morning passed very quickly. I’m still struggling with the different levels of urgency and customer focus than I was used to for so many years in retail but I’m sure it will become more natural as time goes by. Loving all the order and cleanliness of the processes though. 🙂
I was home for lunch which felt rather like walking into feeding time at the zoo with lots of demands for food and drink, crisps everywhere and a potty training toddler – got my dose of busy-ness that I’d been missing from work though ;). Our shoebox swap from America finally arrived today – a mere 2 months after it was posted so we looked at the various bits and pieces sent to us from there and ate the sweets. It is an excellent idea that but definitely something for when the children are a bit older and can participate more in the actual sending of the box too.
Lucy & co left and in a fit of efficiency I went upstairs and went through all my clothes dragging out things for ebaying. I came downstairs and got dinner on in the slow cooker (bolognaise). Davies & Scarlett were watching the directors commentry on the dvd extras of Ice Age 2 and semi-playing with various toys still out from earlier. Scarlett started to fall asleep so I took her in the kitchen to help me get their tea cooking then we cleared up and they ate while watching the normal Ice Age 2 film.
Ady got home, Davies got changed into his Badger outfit (new trousers, he’d finally outgrown the old ones 🙂 ) and we went to new Badgers in Worthing. A really good group on first impressions, much more children, a far bigger range of ages, three adult helpers all of whom seemed excellent with the children, who seemed a nice bunch too. I chatted with the leader (Julie) for a while and then sat at the back for about 10 minutes to check Davies was alright. I’d sort of deliberately not heard when one of the helpers took him off to put his coat away and he’d gone to get me to go with him which meant he started chattering away to her instead. I love watching Davies talk to adults – he does it so unself-consciously about the fact they are grown ups, he does a great line in small talk :lol:. I felt a little like I was too much of an audience so I crept over to Davies to tell him I’d be in the car and then went and sat outside with the heater on full blast reading my book. He said it was good and had already learnt a couple of the other children’s names so that all seemed pretty easy too. 🙂 We don’t get home until nearly 7.30pm so that will be a lateish night each week but worth it as I think he’ll get even more out of this group than he did from the Lancing one, it seems very well run and organised with the older Badgers having specific responsibilities and helping out lots, several older boys there too which is so what Davies needs. 🙂
This evening I have photographed and listed all the clothes on ebay – took bloody forever but at least it’s done now. 🙂 Hopefully it will be worth it. Davies has been doing more drawing and writing in bed, glad he’s getting some educational stuff in somewhere but feel the need to rearrange his timing somewhat so he is doing more sleeping in the evening and more stuff which he wants to show me during daylight hours! 😆