Near normal frustrations

Beth has gone back to Auckland but still needs some time to recuperate fully. It hardly seems she was here for a week - it certainly wasn't a restful time! The kids are back at school after labour weekend and I'm finally getting a little time to myself in the day.

Isaac is not quite back to full strength although his cheeky character seems to be here in full force - you can see it in this photo Noah asked me to take of the two of them in the bath.

Today is a beautiful day and I hope it helps me calm down from my rather grumpy morning. Paul is away in New Plymouth and Isaac was awake crying from 4am till almost 5am then J was up at 6.15 I could hear J and Lily arguing over a drink of Milo while I was still needing my first cup of coffee. They seem to argue quite a bit at the moment some due to Lily's lack of hearing I think and some because J is still a bit disturbed from our recent upheavals and knows that she and mum meet with a psychologist this week and her future will depend on his report.

By 8am they were both trying to tidy the lounge and I was becoming irritated as they were rearranging things to places I don't like. So I said to Lily what would really help would be tumble drying the washing. Forgetting once again that incidental learning doesn't happen for Lily I didn't check what she thought I meant. When I heard the washing machine going I found she was rewashing the already washed load plus adding extra dirty clothes so the washing machine is over full. It seems I had never taught her the names of the two machines and she thought anything that went round must be a tumble drier!

I hope I can stay calm and patient for her IEP at school this afternoon. Lily told me they'd asked her to write her 5 year plan and in all seriousness she plans to be living in Hollywood making movies. I said its really hard for people to get a green card to live in America and she said "I don't want to live in America I want to live in Hollywood"