diary of a wannabe hippy

Outside my father being ill, things are going along as standard. R is doing very well at school - his reading ability is out of this world and he is just the personality that is so well suited to the school environment. He's had 3 awards at school, and is just plodding along. No school politics for Riley - he's friendly with everyone and doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone.

One grommet has fallen out and one is due to fall out. And the best bit is that, this time, there is very little difference in him socially. When he lost the first set, I could have just about told you the hour in the day - the difference was just so BIG and so IMMEDIATE. This time; I can barely tell. Which means the tubes are finally dropping.

The specialist wants us to wait until October before we get another audiology report - we need to wait for the other grommet to drop out first (which may have already happened) and see what happens with the tubes. Inserting too many sets of grommets create scar tissue that could well cause future hearing problems - so it's very much a case of cost/benefit analysis at the minute. Bernie really feels that the tubes will drop sufficiently enough soon on their own; and the difference in him isn't enough to justify risking more hearing problems yet. It sounds weird when it's written down; but he made perfect sense to me.

Connor. Bloody Connor. If I don't laugh, I'll cry over that kid, I swear it. He's just so much work. His attention span is about 5 seconds long and he's such a lively and passionate kid; he's like a mental walking cyclone. You chop and change what he wants 35 times a day and chucks a wobbly because he doesn't want to do something - and then you say 'ok, lets have a banana then' and he chucks another wobbly because he wants the peaches.

He's loving kinder - mostly because it's the ideal environment to chop and change every 30 seconds. It's play based too; so it's all just a great place to whirl around cyclone style with a thousand other kids.

Me? I'm ok. I put myself on the bottom of the 'look after' list again - and it was something that I am a little disappointed with - but the gap between 'ah, hang on' and 'lets get moving' is shortening with time.

My relationships are very good at the minute. We are team working and are laughing together; it feels almost the same as it used to. But, it's like what happened turned us both into grownups.

He's off for the Queens birthday weekend - annual cray fishing boys only expedition. He's taking the kids to his mothers whilst I attend our annual Mafia Bash. The mafia bash is a dinner dance which is put on by the Lions Club which backs our biggest clients. All I will say is that they are big time loaded; and you don't get that loaded by doing what they do. So, each year we attend in good faith because we should and after 10 years of these nights; it's like groundhog day.

The first few we all really cared - went all out with dresses and limos and yada yada. This year? Pants, shirt and jacket with my sister driving. Awesome; when I'd rather be here.

But the rest of the weekend is for me alone. I am making NO plans and doing whatever *I* feel like. The dog, the cat and I will simply do what we want to do. The cat can sleep on the kids couch and the dog can do as he pleases without being mauled.

So, apart from dad, it's all pretty good.