Tuesday 26 August 2014

Positively Negative or Negatively Positive (aka Part 2 of 'This is how I do it')

Or the alternative title could have been the "Trials of Tuesday". If you read Part 1 of 'This is how I do it'. You have a pretty good idea of how a general day works.

Tuesdays are a bit special though. They are my "play each week by ear" day. Tink has soccer training at 5.30pm and I don't have a regular babysitter to take her on Tuesdays. Some weeks she has a game after school. Some weeks it is cancelled due to rain. Some weeks she goes to a friend's house. Some weeks Apple takes her. As I said, I play each week as it comes.

One of the other options is that Tink and Pixie catch the train to me at work. I drive to work those days, then drop Tink at soccer (usually a bit late). Pixie and I head straight to dancing for boot-camp yoga (me) and hip hop (Pixie). By the time they have afternoon tea, and I try and have a job for them to do (parenting tip of the day: buying cards is an awesome job if you need them to go somewhere for 20 minutes), it usually works out ok.

The week in question was one of those weeks.

Pixie decided to her home work in the car on the way home. Please note I did tell her maybe it would be better done at home, but my suggestion was ignored.

I was trying to explain the concepts of adding negative numbers.

I was failing.

Pixie: I don't know why I have to learn this anyway. I will never use it in real life.
Me: What did your teacher say about that?
Pixie: She said we have to learn it because it is in the curriculum.
Me: You have these conversations a lot don't you?
Pixie: Yes.
Me: Well, there you go then. Plus you never know when you do need to know things like this.
Pixie *grumpily*: I don't want my life to be ruled by negatives.

She has a point. I do try to concentrate on the positives, but this wasn't exactly what I meant.

Tink took pity on me at this point and explained to Pixie how to do it.

Tink got her to understand it about 30 seconds.

It is probably a good thing I decided not to be a teacher. I have I mentioned my subject is History, not Maths?

Some days, this is how I do it.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering about Buglet, she goes home has a quiet afternoon and cooks dinner.

Thursday 21 August 2014

Back to blogging

Hello all! I am back *waves*.

Firstly my self-imposed blogging ban is over. My course is complete, I have a nice new set of letters that look just beautiful after my name, and I have finished everything I need to do to be admitted as a lawyer in Western Australia.

Happy dance! I am so pleased it is all over. I think it has been the longest 30 weeks of my life. Although I was in receipt of the shortest marking time ever. My last exam finished at 12.15 on Friday, 8 August, and I had the results for all my subjects by 3.15pm on Monday, 11 August. There were six pieces of assessment the previous week. Some dedicated teachers there, and they made the whole super long process so much more manageable.

Good for celebrating and sore throats

Those of you paying attention may have noticed that these dates mean that I finished studying a almost two weeks ago.

The next lot of blogging absence has been caused by THE DREADED MAN FLU. Fortunately I am almost better now. Not only have I been sick all three girls have been sick too. Pixie pretty much only gets sick once a year, and last week was it.

She visited me at work for half a day, and had a good nap under my desk while I finished some stuff. Then we did a lot of sleeping for the next day and a half.




So glad that they can sleep anywhere ~ some days this is how we do it
 
By Sunday night everyone else was better and the girls banished me to the lounge by myself so I could "rest and get better". I am pretty sure it was really because I was way too whingy for them. They had a delightful time playing board games and catering to my every (whiney) whim.

Pixie: Why are you so grumpy?
Me: I am not. I am sick. I was nice to you when you were sick.
Pixie: I am being nice, and all you say is "Pixie, stop stroking my face", "Pixie stop poking me", "Pixie stop shouting in my ear".
Me: Humph. Shh. Mummy has a headache.

If you have missed some of the Pixie quotes, check out facebook for some of the sickaling ones. Fun topics include "bags under eyes", "why two-minute-noodles are like chicken soup", "popular nursery rhymes", and "drugs: over-the-counter and otherwise".

How have I celebrated? Other than frozen coke floats, I bought a pole dancing pole for my house. Best op-shop find ever! Nothing says "Yay I am almost a lawyer" like a stripper pole!