Start Today

I think every morning this week I've started the day with an email to the kids' teachers apologising: one day it was because they didn't have a clean uniform to change in to so the girls had to wear their PE kits all day; another because we were running late (and later still thanks to the lack of donuts); another because we didn't even think about the homework in the school bags until the morning it was due, let alone read the books or look at the Home Learning options.  This morning we didn't even make it in to school thanks to another late night* and hotel black out curtains - I think in all honesty it's the first time in my life that I have appreciated them.  I generally can't stand sleeping in the pitch black.

Of course the Don still had to get up at 6:00am to catch his flight, but given that at 6:30 there wasn't a hint of stirring from any of the kids, and that we'd had such a late night the night before, and there had been no afternoon sleeps or early nights for days, and that Lightning was still unwell and staying off school anyway, and that all the kids have huge black circles under their eyes, we decided to switch off the alarm clocks, keep the curtains closed, and let them sleep.  I obviously went back to sleep too because the first I heard was Toots padding around at about ten to nine and Lightning next to me was still snoring soundly.  It was lovely.

Tonight I actually managed to get the kids into bed at a decent time, but I'm hoping the curtains will do their magic again tomorrow morning, although it being further to church 9am is about as late as I could let them sleep :(  But there's always Saturday with no plans.  Roll.  On.

* After two years of conversations with our Italian next door neighbours which always ended with one of us saying "we really must have you over for dinner sometime" we finally made it, twelve hours before the Don left here for good.  And it was really good.  Of course being Italian the food was plentiful and excellent (and late in the evening!), and the European conversation easy and enjoyable, and our kids got on great with theirs, and och, we just came away thinking it was one of things that we really should have done earlier and more often. Which was exactly the same feeling we had with some friends in Midland two years ago.  You'd think we'd learn...!