Summer time

It's been almost a month since my last post, for which I apologise. I've been through some difficult and trying times over the past couple of months and really haven't felt like blogging but life is looking up now and I'm ready to roll.

We are into the fourth week (yes, fourth already!) of the schools' summer vacation and I'm as busy as ever. I've given up my church job to DD1 for the summer which means I can spend more time at home with the other two.

The first vacation week was spent having the new carpet installed in the living room, stairs and hallways and then putting things back in place. My goal was to avoid putting everything back just as it was - the new paint and carpet really begged for a more minimalist look which I have achieved. I just need to get the junk and clutter out of the guest bedroom. We are getting there, slowly but surely...

The second vacation week was equally busy - this time with four days (evenings) of Vacation Bible School. It's always hard work but usually worth it. I've already said I won't be doing it again but DD2 and DS have asked me to do it. We'll see. They'll both be a year older next year and maybe not so enthusiastic. I'm glad we did it even though the first evening was a mess. Also that week I began my new summer regime of preserving two days a week upon which I'm not expected to run a taxi service and one day per week to be TV-free (which also means no Wii either). It went very well, I must say, resulting in a more efficient and more relaxed mother.

Week three was the first week when we were able to follow the new schedule without interruption. My busiest driving days are Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesday is Cleaning Day, No TV/Wii Day and a No Driving day. This resulted in a very productive day of housework, after which we all rejoiced in the house being the cleanest it's been in a very long time. We rewarded our hard work with a delivery of Papa Gino's pizza. I find that scheduling certain chores is helpful in making sure everything is done but what isn't completed on that day isn't necessarily going to be done! So. Monday is grocery shopping day and Thursday is laundry day. Having accomplished everything, and Friday being the first fine day all week, I took DD2 and DS to Southwick's Zoo for the day.

The zoo visit was really fun. Neither of the kids remembered what it was like to go to a zoo. Even though we took DD1 often when she was very young, the other two had no memory of it. They enjoyed every bit of the day, and I enjoyed their company. We hope to be able have another outing soon.

The end of the rainbow

Several years ago when my eldest daughter was only six or seven years old, I painted her room with a pastel rainbow arcing from one end of the room to the other. She was only to occupy this room for a couple of years before her younger brother moved in and she moved into another room which she shared with her sister. When he was little, he didn't take much notice of the rainbow but by the time he was seven he started asking me to remove it or cover it up. Well now he is ten and the job is finally done.

We thought we'd paint it one dark shade of blue, but the test patch we did showed us it was far too dark. It was decided that we'd have stripes instead, so I measured the wall and planned the design on the computer, then taped up the stripes on the wall. (I did it properly with a plumb line - I was so pleased with myself.)


The next image shows the whole wall, complete with the dark patch of test paint - which proved hard to cover up. The room is small and this, the long wall, is ten feet long.


I chose three shades of blue to paint the stripes, and started with the darkest. This is how it looked after the first coat of paint.

Clearly it was going to take more paint, but I wanted to do more stripes before starting on second coats. So I added in the medium shade of blue.


Then, two more coats of paint on each of those colours later, I was ready to remove the tape.



The hardest part proved to be filling in the remaining spaces with the last colour - a light blue that was a close match to the paint used in the rest of the room. However, I am pleased with the end result and besides a little touch-up work still to be done, I'm pleased with the result overall.

We aren't ready to post a final picture showing the room put back together but I think it'll look good.

Twittestalking

I'm sure there's a twitterword for twitterstalking, but I don't know what it is. Twitterstalking is where people follow people just because they're curious. It doesn't include following celebrities - many of them are there self-promoting and sucking up the attention, knowing that the adoring fans will hang on their every word and directmessage them in the hopes of getting a reply. Twitterstalking is more like lurking a

Dead goldfish aside....

We had a FAB time in England last month. I can't tell you how much I enjoy going back to my homeland - perhaps going there on holiday is better than living there because I certainly couldn't afford to spend money like that all the time! I haven't had the opportunity to seriously consider going back there to live permanently, and I wonder how much I really want to. There are aspects of life in the USA that I would really miss and there are things in the UK that I would find frustrating I am sure. One day, if the matter arises, I'll sit down and thrash out the pros and cons of a return to England. The photos are posted here, together with Prom pictures.

Since that time, domestic life has consisted of the usual dramas and non-dramas associated with an ordinary family. On a personal level, it's been a month of scattered showers with sunny intervals, which is probably as it should be. I could have done without the massive storm in the middle, but all in all, life goes on and we go along with it, come what may.

One week later

A week after returning from London, I've come back to earth and fallen back into the old routines of family life.

The days I spent in London with my two youngest children were full of fun and adventure in the mildest, yet most pleasant sense. Suffice it to say that we saw most of the important sights and enjoyed many of the activities that London has to offer.

For me, the best parts were meeting up with my friends and relations and enjoying all the activities in good company. I am so grateful that so many wanted to take the time and effort to travel to London to see us - it's my old friends and family that I miss the most when I'm back in America. However, a week later, I'm comforted by the fact that I'm extremely fortunate to have some very good friends here too and that they, too, were pleased to see me on my return.

Obituary

Freddy the Fish, 1998-2009

At the age of eleven years, Freddy the Fish met his ultimate end at 5pm on Monday April 27th, 2009, following a short illness.

Freddy started life as a party favor, given to our daughter on her friend's 4th birthday on April 21st, 1998. He led a round and active life, uncomplainingly embracing the full sphere of his aqueous environment. His friend, the Little Mermaid, abandoned him when he was three, but a new friend, the little green turtle stayed with him until the end. He chose the little green turtle's back as his final resting place, where he lay on one side and breathed his last.

Freddy will be missed by all that knew him, fed him and changed his water.

RIP

Off we jolly well go!

I'm writing this now because I'm not quite sure when next I shall write. This time tomorrow I'll be on my merry way to spend several days in dear old Blighty. I'm so looking forward to it - not least because I'll be catching up with friends and relatives whilst sightseeing and taking our two youngest to experience the sights and sounds of London. The last time they were there, they were four and six years old respectively so this time, at ten and twelve, they should be better able to enjoy all the things we will do.

The preparations for such a trip take a disproportionate amount of time and effort but the hope is that everything will be plain sailing, no stone will be left unturned and that all and every cliche known to man shall be used in hastily blogging these words of farewell. Lest the marauding masses be on hand to study our every move I shall refrain from blogging our itinarary, but you can be sure that I will report back in detail at the end of the month.

Don't forget me while I'm gone!