‘…a pixie, the faeries, a grumpy troll and the witch’

I think Hermionie’s getting a cold - which will see us right for a few sleep-interrupted nights :sad:. She seems to get it worse than the rest of us, but it’s amazing how she battles on - until she’s supposed to be asleep - lots of drinks, Calpol and clear-breathing essential oils for her I think - oh yes, and a toilet roll strapped to her nose! All this and she didn’t have her nap today, which doesn’t seem to do her much good - just makes for a cranky 2 1/2 year old round about the time she should be eating her dinner. She is doing very well with the toilet training though - she can be trusted to hold it for a bit when we’reout now so that I have time to find a vaguely sanitary toilet and not have to nip her down the nearest ally!

Natalie finished SME(2) which was far too easy, more MME and I read more Ruby Red to her. Kids playing with sand and building barbie-sand-lands?, Alex has been on the phone to G.

I tidied the kids rooms and tackled the ‘I’ve been piling their clothes up here now for a week, in the hope that somebody else is going to deal with it but NO

Natalie and I looked through some of our library books on planets, stars and time. She’s doing better telling the time since we found her Bratz watch that NanL got her last year for her birthday. Pretty much got the hours, half-hours and quarter past/to sorted.

Today was Natalie’s last Rainbow session (she’s 7 in the half-term so she can ‘fly-up’ to Brownies after. She has changed so much since I first started leaving her there for 1 hour a week (although TBH she was still at school when she started so the seperation anxiety thing was a bit more of a problem!). At first, she would cry and hang onto my leg for dear life and make me feel terrible for wanting her to enjoy 1 hour away from me - it worked at school, which is why she was absent for alot of year 1 and then add in the other problems she had and tada - found about Home-Education - It didn’t work at Rainbows and thank goodness because she’s loved it!) Rainbows hasn’t ever always challenged her so I hope Brownies gives her more to sink her teeth into. Her friends from school A&N will be there plus other friends she made at Rainbows and have since flown-up to Brownies themselves - so she should have a great time there. I have already got her uniform for Brownies (thank you lady from ebay!) and you will see a slightly-worn but well-loved Rainbow uniform on ebay courtesy of us soon.

So yes, her last Rainbows, also coincided with one of the leader’s last days (lots of flowers and tears there!), another Rainbow (N) flying-up to Brownies and the end-of-the-first-half-of-term party so it was a really good session. Natalie made choccie-crispie cakes with Alex to take in and we arrived to pick her up early to watch the ‘flying up’ ceremony. Whilst watching and seeing all the Rainbows together (about 13 of them now - there used to be only 4!) I realised how much Natalie has grown and how fragile she was at age 5. Another plus for HE I think!

In the short time we had between dropping Natalie off and picking her up, me, Alex and Hermionie nipped to Argos to pick up a cheap new BBQ for Monday and 2 sleeping bags for the kids to be bundled off into in an attempt for me & Alex to enjoy some adult-time round S&G’s. (I really wanted to be able to sew some for the kids but I think I’m dreamin’) Hermionie really does enjoy just Mummy & Daddy time - she is lovely when she’s on her own with us!

Alex & I watched http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355295/ - not good - & holby.

Oops - forgot my brother’s birthday - Happy 28th!