Day 31

Wow. That seems like a lot. 31 days. A full month, and I'm still alive! This morning was GREAT! I had so much fun and really love my job. That being said, quite a few things went wrong and all I could think was...it's just one of those days. BUT it was still good.

Let's start at the beginning. When I got downstairs Tim had already left, and nobody else was up yet. I got my cereal and then the boys started coming down. We were doing one of the 3 courses when Heloise left for school. After everyone was ready I brought down the chart to show the boys their rules for the week, and how they could earn stickers. They were all really excited, but by the time we were ready for school, Josh had already lost most of his chances to get one. (Mom, this is where the tears came in). I explained to him that if he concentrated and tried, I knew he could do it. He seemed to agree...I guess we'll see. Nathaniel has really embraced the idea and is in the lead with the most amount of stickers after 2 days, and even Zach has been picking up after himself. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot for them to learn...but I definitely think this is a start.

Drove Josh and Nathaniel to school. We were early so we waited in the playground. Then, once the teachers finally brought them in (They're never on time), we left for Angels. I'm sure we were one of the last ones there, but the door hadn't shut yet so we weren't late :D Zach wandered in, and I came home to do my wii and write a grocery list. Oh and let's not forget, I harvested some tomatoes for my brother. I was going to workout today, but I did not put aside any time for changing sheets after a certain kitty peed on my bed :| He got locked in my room when I did the school run, and when I got back, my comforters were soaked through :( I stripped the bed and brought the sheets down to put in the next load of laundry. - Jelly and I were not on speaking terms...but the "cat therapist" has said you can not yell at him as he gets distressed. I tried ignoring him, but then he kept rubbing his face on my hand trying to get love...and well...I couldn't really turn him down - I finished everything and hopped in the car.

I drove to TipTree without a problem. It was the journey in Tesco's that took ages. I came to the conclusion today that looking for Canadian ingredients in an English grocery store, is VERY tiring. I spent at the VERY LEAST an hour and a half looking for food. I did end up finding most things. I just need a white onion (which I think Heloise said she has), some Cranberries (which apparently only come out at Christmas time here), and to figure out how to make pumpkin puree, as they don't have cans of pumpkin or anything like it here :| Anyway, I'll run up to the Co Op tomorrow and see what I can find. After asking a variety of employees a number of questions, I went to the cash...where I proceeded to drop a bottle of olive oil...and I watched it smash. - There was nothing I could do to stop it - I just felt like a complete moron. Paid for the groceries...jumped into the car and drove home without really needing the directions. That was pretty cool. Round-a-bouts and all! I also got to listen to my music without interruption! It was great. Got home, and was emptying the trunk when one of the bags split. Luckily it was still in the car so nothing went too far or got ruined. Came in the house. - Jelly was following me each trip from the house to the car and back, as if he was a lost dog -

By the time I put all of the groceries away and switched the laundry over, I had 30 mins to have a quick cup of tea, and check my messages. That went by extremely fast, and it was time to go get Zach from Angels. Drove there and he was one of the last ones out. It was 3 o'clock before he came strolling out. I guess he enjoyed it today. He took my hand and we walked to the car while he told me all about the bird feeder he made. (I think the glue on his shirt showed what a good time he had if nothing else did). We got in the car and on the way home he told me about the man that came in to speak to his class. He had brought a bunch of animals with him, and the children got to hold some. Apparently they couldn't hold the snake cuz it was too slimy, and the tarantula would have tickled them, but Zach held a crab that pinched him. Not sure if the pinching part is true, but he had fun either way.

We got home with just enough time for me to hang the wet laundry and take the dry stuff of the clothes horse. Then Uncle Clifford (who had picked up the other 2 boys) knocked at the door and we drove to his house for dinner. When we arrived the boys had their snack and Josh did his reading while Zach and Nathaniel went outside to play tennis. I went to see what they were up to when I saw Uncle Clifford's builder :| Ummm...hi! His dog Heidi (YUP!) jumped up and stole the ball the boys were playing with, and they started chasing her around. It was really cute cuz there was no way they could catch her. I put on my shoes and went outside. She came over to see me, but wouldn't let go of the ball. Nathaniel was getting tired of chasing her around so "the builder" - Dunno his name yet, although I tried hard to get it out of the boys - got their ball back and put the dog in the van. We played for a bit while he spoke with Uncle Clifford. I'd throw the ball and Nathaniel and Zach would try to hit it. "The Builder" left, Josh finished his reading and came outside. We played just a little longer and then decided to go in for a swim.

It didn't start off too well. Josh was trying to hang on to me while I was under water and wasn't behaving so that kind of ruined things. (I didn't feel like drowning today). The kick to the face also had me a little irritated. I continued to swim anyway and Nathaniel and I did have quite a bit of fun. It was just when Josh was closer than my shadow that it was hard to swim. Then all of a sudden Nathaniel started having a bit of a coughing fit. He got out but it didn't seem to help, and he got scared. Then Zach began coughing, and then Josh. Uncle Clifford and I were ok, so we think maybe the boys swallowed some water, and as the pool guys were there today, there could have been more chemicals than they're used to. Everyone got out as things didn't sound too good, and it was dinner time anyway. I got changed and came down. The boys sat at the counter/bar, while the grown-ups ate at the table, but the noise level was still at an all time high. I swear when they're awake there isn't 5 minutes of silence. I don't know how they don't lose their voices.

Aunt Jill had made a really nice pie for desert so I had a piece of that with some ice cream...came home, and washed my hair while the boys got ready for bed. (I was even being called for while I was in the shower!) Haha. Anyways, now I'm sitting down writing my blog and watching Spiderman 3. Had a cup of tea and some chocolate and heading up to bed VERY soon, as I am extremely tired, and still need to put the sheets on my bed. So on that note, I hope you enjoyed today's blog, and until tomorrow, Good Night xx