To say this year started well...

would be a lie. It's been tough. I have been sick, worse than in a long time. I am exhausted. H is equally exhausted. It's not only the daily run of the mil of 3 kids in 3 grades, 5 parent evenings, netball meetings and all that goes with kids in school. Top that with busy work schedules and nothing much else happens. Yesterday was a day straight out of a very bad dream. I will not go into details but house keys were hidden (L) , ballet bags forgotten at school (A) and mommy rushing around, gates lifted from tracks at home etc etc.

The honest truth is that our little Lion is not adapting well to the change in schools, being away from his brother. We had to go back to separating them in after care -we were left with no option other than that or taking them out and getting an au pair or such. (the reasons are legal technical with grade R being part of the Primary school and responsibility etc). He will have to adapt and we will have to provide him with the support to. In any event, it will be better in the end that he makes his own friends and adapt to being with the younger kids. But it's tiring - the very moment I pick him up at school he starts with reasons why tomorrow is not a school day. He insist on it being a weekend and doing something that is weekend related and insist the he will NOT BE GOING TO SCHOOL. And insist he does, on and on an on and on.... Until we get him to calm down eventually. Every meal is a trial in endurance(apart from toast and eggs for breakfast which is quite possibly his favorite food ever).

But maybe we are seeing the light - the last two mornings he came to our room dressed and his bed made (more than the other willingly do on their own first thing in the morning) and this morning he actually told me he wanted to go to school - the first time this year.

In amongst this all we had a good weekend - yes, Mr L's antics was exhausting but there were many good points too. We had a lovely 40th birthday party with a jumping castle , party packs and icys for the kids and good food and company for the adults. What I will always remember is dancing the night away until late with all 3 kids, the boys falling asleep on their mattresses with some other littlies way after 9. It was a good night. We are hoping for many more somewhere in future. These are the moments that give us hope. The ones I want to embrace with all my might.

With that, let me share our last week in pictures:

Day 35/365 4 February Promise of rain.

Day 36/365 5 Febraury Little butterfly in the office garden.

Day 37/365 6 February Rainy day morning - Mr C loves hi umbrella

Day 38/365  7 February Morning after the night before rain diamonds. One of my favorite iPhone photos ever.

Day 39/365 8 February Mr C's turn to buy tuck shop and he chooses bouncy balls for them.

Day 40/365 9 February Horse tiding at the Voortrekker monument.

And to close off - my nearest and dearest playing on the iPad after bath time on Sunday night (and a silly little girl in the background)

On Facebook I said this morning that today will be a good day, I insist. And yes, it will be. We need to move forward, and we will. Come what may.