Dia de los Muertos

Well today went OK, if a bit strange. It kind of feels like a new year or something. Didn't it used to be the new year now? There seems to be a definate shift of season betwen early autumn and late autumn. I kept forgetting about the clocks having changed and the kids kept getting hungry/tired. We started doing scrapbook pages of halloween stuff, which went very pear shaped when we had visitors- thinking about HE and wanting to talk about it. I was quite happy to do that, although slightly nervous of saying the wrong thing. I don't want to put her off. It was an old schoolfriend of J and they played very well for ages, with dollies, bikes, and even A, until he started to smell.

Afterwards I tried to pursuade them to finish the scrapbook stuff they had started- I don't like trying to make them do "work", but it seems a shame to get it all out and not actually do much. J decided that scrapbooks were babyish (because her friend had been here), so I tried to explain how you can do it in a more complicated way, and then decided to cut my losses and remembered about the Day of the Dead website I had been looking at. I hadn't wanted to bombard them with all this more info - but it turned out there was some cool colouring stuff in the free download teaching pack, which was just right for a tired late Monday afternoon.

M finally put in an appearance for the first time since before her sister's birthday. Well, she did get her a recorder, as instructed. (I later heard tiny tooting noises coming from behind the sofa - so sweet) I managed to get the 3 little ones in bed, without assistance. J read another story: The Tinderbox, and I read a really nice Alfie story to F. I love those Alfie stories (Shirley Hughes). Is it still possible to live like that? So simple - I must remember to keep things simple. (K.I.S.S.)