J11: "mum, i think i dropped off..."

you sure did.
(and your brother looks *so* angelic!!!)

ohmygosh, the last two weeks have been c-r-a-z-y.

we've had two birthdays. and two parties.

i've been fighting off a sinus/cold/coughingfits virus since tuesday fortnight.

D17 caught the bugs a week ago: he had a day off school last friday and slept pretty much continuously for twenty hours. we almost raced to the emergency doctor's late last night with his sore ear, but when we rang up the doc's they had just closed, and neither of us fancied reading twenty-three-and-a-half chapters of an inane book while waiting in a hospital queue. so this morning he's gone to school wearing his Crazy Sherpa Beanie and wielding an Explanatory Note in his pocket.

this morning J11 and S9 both woke up coughing and threatening to vomit, and both promptly fell asleep again in the lounge, snuggled up with fave quilts and candles lit, and *the bell* at their fingertips (the one you tinkle when you Need Mummy Now).

there has been a flood and i am still in the throes of an overhaul.

it's the last week of term and everyone is exhausted. hubby is Up To His Eyeballs in reports and timetabling and meetings and professional development courses and heavenknowswhatelse.

my lips are chapped and i have a split on my heel and the Pressure Cooker Valve went missing sometime between sunday night and monday afternoon so that last night's soup took twice as long to cook and it spat little droplets on my stove as it merrily bubbled.

and my washing line snapped in the weekend and i just noticed this morning that it is slowly starting to unravel itself.

"...and my tail is froze and my nose is froze and my ears are froze..." (movie line)

but the good news is that the shortest day of the year was last week, which means that winter is nearly over and summer is just around the corner...
ok i'm off to make jelly.
it's the Best Childhood Bugs And Crazy Timewarp Remedy i know.