In Other News
Originally published at tansyrr.com. You can comment here or there.
I’m working away at my scene-by-scene edit of Cabaret of Monsters. Reached the halfway point of this today, which very much puts me on track for submitting the book at the end of the month. I’m getting to that lovely point where I’m not only marking progress and feeling confident about getting the job done, but am having some genuine moments of inspiration. The books I’ve been reading lately are so good they have been pushing me to lift my game.
Raeli and I are constructing a paper theatre, themed around the Nutcracker Ballet. I have been taking pics for photoblogging later, but for right now it’s a fun activity that we have been doing in fits and starts all week. Her glueing skills are truly impressive - I have the answer to what they’ve been doing at that school! Despite Kaaron and Margo’s fears, we have not yet been eaten by the demon that lives inside the Nutcracker doll. Possibly because we haven’t cut him out yet. Actually I’m not sure where he is…
The dread school holidays are at an end, and we have entered a new era: Raeli the school girl. No longer flirting with two days a week of kindergarten, she is now doing it hardcore, 5 days a week. She started in her new class yesterday and as we hoped, took to it like a duck to water. Ask me again how awesome it is to have a daughter who thrives in social and structured settings. Believe me, I don’t take this windfall lightly.
Meanwhile Jem is likewise thriving on her two half days a week of daycare. The main carer is lovely and genuinely fond of our girl (she is so the best behaved baby in the group - high five! baby five!) and Jem not only loves the playtime she gets there with other babies, but also sleeps and feeds well there.
Yep. Not taking that one for granted either. My working mother’s guilt has been halved if not quartered by the fact that my kids obviously benefit from having time in structured surroundings that have nothing to do with me. Hooray!
For the first time since Jem was born and the whole ‘oh that’s right, babies are hard work’ bubble burst directly over our heads, it feels like we are approaching sustainable normality.
Of course, once she starts crawling, it’s going to be a whole different kettle of fish. And then there’s the stress that sets in every time she readjusts to needing one less nap per day… but for right now, work can be achieved during short, frequent bursts of activity between the hours of 8:30 and 2:30. I’ll take it.
(oh and in case anyone missed it, Arsenal beat Liverpool in a long, unpretty but successful game this morning. After a truly awful week of football, this was a very cheering thing. Man U’s draw and the losses of Chelsea and Spurs only make it the sweeter… when I announced, 70 torturous minutes into the game, that we finally had a goal, Raeli replied “hooray, you and me have a goal!” She’s such a fair weather fan. When we’re losing, she barracks for the ref)