This is just plagiarised from an email I wrote to a friend this mng - I am aware that I've not written here for a while and this is an explanation of some of the reasons why....

I feel like I am running just to stay in the same place. I have a load of warm flanelette fabric ready to make into nightshirts for each of the boys before we leave onthe 23rd of April. At the same time I have to keep on with the homeschooling, run the house etc AND I am re-doing my catalogue, doing a website, re-stocking from the US, trying to figure out how I can use Wheelocks now we have finished Latina Christiana 1. Along with all that there is the conference coming up in a couple of weeks (at which I have to present a 10 min. summary of 'secondary education and beyond' with an awareness that too many people over here are focussing on state-set exam courses....). Not to mention visitors (resident and otherwise) past, present and planned.

AND my older children (as someone warned me a long time ago) need lots of time to sit and chat through ideas at the drop of a hat. (except for Lucy who is being sadly neglected being not too readily available for conversation..) Sometimes I find myself NEEDING to do 3 things at one moment and every night I go to bed with a stack of things I didn't finish, though most of the day I am doing at least 2 things at a time! I wonder how long a day would take to get through if I only did single-tasking!!

Oh well, praise the Lord He does the impossible in and through us.
I am reading Jeffrey Meyers 'Table in the Mist' which I was given on Sunday. It's brilliant but I find I am struggling to try and 'catch' the main idea and apply in real life. Last night I read (and underlined) - 'The Lord has set the times of our lives and we must confess his sovereignty without anxiety.' - this comes to me like a whiff of smelling salts (ammonia) {YOU remember that don't you, Lucy??! - sorry again!} . I only have to keep the idea handy for the next time I have chosen (unconciously) the LONGEST queue in the supermarket, or am contemplating yet another somnamulant red traffic light! I've just taken to running from one end of the house to the other when I have to get something from there - at least that saves a bit of time and offers me the opportunity for exercise!!!
This morning while we were doing our Latin test someone spotted a rat outside so off went Thomas to get his gun. He was quickly joined by Samuel (with his) then Richard and Simon served as beaters. Following a great deal of flurried activity and several futile shots the rat population was in no way diminished though I think their collective blood-pressure may have become elevated.

Along with that we have a 5-year-old who feels neglected to the extent that yesterday he gathered up 4 envelopes
. wrote his name on each
. ran to the front of the house to post them
. returned to the back and through the house to collect them
. dashed to the table excitedly declaring 'there's letters and they're all for ME'
and finally sat in his place 'oohing' and 'aahing' about their contents!!
Today I wrote him a letter, then someone else did, followed by David who printed off a letter on the computer by way of invitation out to David's 'birthday dinner'. After that, telephone conversations were had by way of accepting the invitation. So many things going on which are, to the individuals involved, so VITAL to their developing personhood...... And all that is saying nothing of the laughter-breaks which we have to indulge in when Victoria spins herself round at high-speed in her suspended bouncer-thingy!

Nearly dinner time (thanks Richard and Samuel !) so had better clear my stuff off the table so James can set it...