Feeling like I'm on a See-Saw!!

Well the last couple of days have been really up and down. Friday was up, the weekend was OK, today was definitely down again!!

Friday started out lovely with Jacob bringing me toast in bed (on a tray!) and Joel making breakfast for himself and Abbie of his own initiative. He then had to make Phoebe's too because she refused to let anyone else!! The boys then went off for a bike ride and a walk along the canal with their Dad while I had my Mum's group here. Afterwards I took four children (via the shoe shop for the boys) to the library where we ended up borrowing a grand sum of about 35 books!!Jacob chose to take out 8 readers (yellow and red bananas - click the link and put 'banana books' in the category box - these are about the right reading level for him, but with colour pictures and great titles like "Dragon Boy" & "Fire Cat" so they are encouraging too. Some of them even link up with History topics in the yellow books). Joel chose a 'care for you Guinea Pig' book (hmmm- maybe he might like to clean her out now he knows how!!), a reader (which he read cover to cover last night - all 21 pages!!), and a read-to-me book - nice variety young man :) Abbie got lots of sparkly starry books, a princess book (!!), and a couple counting books (she's really into 'numbers at the minute). Phoebe got a Thomas book, a touchy feely (she still loves those) and a twinkly star book. And I got out masses of books to use for our "U.K." study in Geography - books about Shakespeare (one with some 'child friendly' Shakespeare plays), Florence Nightingale, The gunpowder-plot (that's a reader actually), one of Jake's was about the Fire of London, then some on famous Britons, London and the 'British Isles' generally. We're going to do a bit of cookery & history, all tied up in our geography (cooking different dishes from each of the UK countries and some from different times in history maybe too). I'm really trying to 'spark a flame' for learning in the boys, but all I seem to get back at the moment is "schools boring...I hate school!!" - it's very dishearteningly. Especially when you ask them exactly what they hate and they can't tell you because in actual fact, when they think about it, it's really not! It seems to be just the idea of school that makes them say these things!

Saturday was swimming, ballet and tennis as usual, followed by a shopping trip into Chester for shoes for Jacob (ended up costing me £50!! - he has terribly 'strange' & wide feet), a 'Sunday dress' for Boo, tights for both girls and other various 'bits & bobs'. Tiring, but pleasant enough. Rounded off in the evening by a family quiz night at the church - which our team won!! :)

Sunday - nothing to say really!

Today - another "RRRR" day! Begun the day well. The boys did their PBS (Postal Bible School) work well and then went on to do some Maths. Jacob had his usual application problem and quickly got sent to work at his desk. Joel had no trouble with the maths in itself, but moaned and moaned about having to actually write the answers down! I actually needed to prepare something for the afternoon and could already feel my patience wearing thin (it seems to be rather flimsy of late). Anyway, they got that finished and played for a little while til it was time to collect the girls from playgroup. When I got home my friend rang and asked if I could have her 18 month old for an hour or so, as she had to go and meet someone and her Mum had been unable to have her little girl today as had been planned. I agreed to that, but it meant in effect that school just simply didn't happen this afternoon at all. The children played well until about 3.30. Then they started nagging for the playstation (which I simply couldn't face today). I asked them to tidy their toys away first - cue tantrum and an hour in their room NOT tidying up. So then it was time for swimming. The boys took 45 minutes in the changing rooms after swimming (!!) which was totally unacceptable and then Joel came out saying that Jake had thrown his trunks up onto the ceiling and they'd got stuck on a ledge right up high (rrrrrrrr). An attendant had to get a ladder to fetch them down and was not best pleased with him - as neither was I of course! Joel then had the cheek to ask for chocolate!!

Once home, after tea, I gave the boys 15 minutes to clear up their room (bearing in mind there are two of them). Well, Jacob sat on the bed giving orders while Joel did a bit, but at the "5 minutes left" warning there was mass panic! They were warned that whatever was left at the end of the time was going in a black bag until the end of the week and I shall do the same for the rest of the week - I am SO sick of tidy-up battles! I'm hoping this might work as a motivator. A few bits went in the bag tonight - we'll see what happens tomorrow!

Anyway - I hope to post something more cheery tomorrow. Sorry folks.