I’m so silent that anyone left probably thinks we’ve had some (another) terrible crisis, but mostly we’re actually just fine, having a nice time and very busy indeed. I still want to write up our french holiday but in short, here are a few things that have happened.
* Fran’s operation to finish her cleft palate off with a bone graft has been pulled forward to next year and she doesn’t need a brace to widen her teeth. She has a finalising appointment in January.
*Amelie is very definitely allergic to pine nuts, pistachios and probably cashews. testing was a bit inconclusive apart from pistachios, but we can make good assumptions. Might go for private testing. Tree nuts are effectively out anyway.
*I’ve been taken out for dinner by an MD or two and have some exciting things underway. Loads of new stock on the sites too, which is exciting. It has been DEATHLY quiet retail wise, but just beginning to catch up now. Postal strike was a nightmare; nearly half of 250 parcels posted during or immediately after it still missing in action. Turnover of the sites currently almost exactly 3x the amount it was this time last year. Terrifying.
*Fran got made a Sixer at Brownies.
*Josie decided to cut herself a fringe. She did a remarkably creditable job. 
*We had a lovely weekend at my parents with my sister and my brother as a surprise guest. Greer gave me lurgy, but otherwise it was lovely. Forgiven, since she did a fab Dora party for the two 3 year olds. 
Didn’t relaise how much i had missed my brother, who i hadn’t seen since Melrose. Nearly cried.
*Spent the weekend at the Portico for Buttercup and Ernest birthday which was lovely, but i was not at my best and life took a considerable nosedive on my return home. We’ve walked a fairly hard path in the last few weeks and had to do some tough talking. I think things are on the up now though. I’m back to happy pills, but maybe that’s no bad thing.
*Home ed is actually going very well; girls all enjoying science books, history reading, maths, reading practise, computering and so on. Fran doing lots of Caesar 3 (excellent learning opportunities) Amelie doing lots of Studydog and Maddy just at her creative best. Endless things being made (a grave for a dead elastic band yesterday!)
*Lots of hama-ing with new press stuff.
*Amelie joined Rainbows and loves it. Fran and Maddy did Grade 1 ballet exams.
*Josie was dreadfully poorly, threw up everything for over 24 hours. I’ve never seen a child brought down so low by a virus (except Amelie and CP). Actually got quite worried about her in the end but eventually she began to pick up. For most of the 2 days i had to carry her if i needed her to move, she was so wobbly she couldn’t walk. Poor girl.
*All 4 spent a lovely weekend at my parents while Max and i worked on BM, tidied and spent a lovely time cycling into town together for a fab book buying session (10 books and 4 computer games!) Had a lovely time together.
*Amelie came up with, and built, a fab board game. It is REALLY good, probably the best kids game i’ve played. I’m going to see if i can get a prototype made.
*Various days with various friends, particularly with Kate, the Beans and erm.. other people! 
And the big news; for a whole variety of reasons, Max has decided to go part time at work for the next little while, which means he’ll take over a lot of BM stuff and when i need to do it, he’ll be giving the kids full attention. He starts this week, tomorrow is his first day off. It’s going to be a huge change but i am so looking forward to having a chance to re-establish ourselves as a family focused group and home educate well, instead of adequately. I’m so excited.
TODAY
Started very early as Chloe and Michelle were here before 9 am. Sent Michelle out for teabags… Lovely morning of various bits being done, then all went out for a walk, which was more or less successful Back for lunch and a play/gossip/answering of endless calls (sorry!) Lovely to see you both again. Needed it 
particularly enjoyed listening to them all planning a seasons nature journal; Fran very excited by the ideas she had.
They had to go at 1.30pm and the girls and i then spent the entire afternoon doing jigsaws together. It was lovely; Josie adores them and can manage 20-50 piece ones just about on her own, Amelie is similar (not much practise) and Maddy just plugs away at quite difficult ones without a sound. Fran really impressed herself by managing a 200 piece one on Romans (elc) and told me lots about what was in the picture as she’s done lots of independant Roman reading since we got back from France.
All that started because Josie and i did some while the girls did maths; Amelie is speeding through MPH1B already and Maddy has finally got the confidence to read the questions in Singapore 2A and is nearly through it. Fran is just finishing 3B (too easy really but excellent for confidence) by doing a topic a day. Last week she did the time, measurement and fractions sections and today she did the data ones, which she loves (daddy’s girl!). She is despearate to get back on to level 4 after we abandoned the MPH version of it.
And that is about it; we’ve made it through all the Doctor Who’s we bought (all cried at Doomsday, Amelie inconsolable!) and now we need a new family passion!
Life is definitely better.
