The children went back to school last week. The holidays were a bit strange this year as the children stayed with their dad for a week, then with me for a week and back to their dad's etc etc. It was really hard going for a whole week without them so I am really glad that things have gone back to normal. It didn't feel like 6 weeks but then it never does.

Millie has so far settled really well into her new school. The school has decided not to get her statemented, not to supply her with a one-to-one carer and to disregard the advice her previous school supplied them with for dealing with her when she has her meltdowns. I suspect she'll only need to have 2 or 3 before they change their mind!!!!

The school run has become interesting now though. I used to drop off at the secondary school on the way to the primary school and we'd leave the house at half eight. Now I have to leave at eight, and the secondary and primary school children get dropped off for breakfast club at their schools so I can get Millie to school in the opposite direction on time. This involves almost driving back past the house on the way to M's school. Sometimes home education seems very appealing!!!!!!!!!!

I was thinking of putting Amos into pre-school after Christmas when he's almost 3 but the one I would want him to go to is in yet another village. Unless I can find one in the village M goes to school in....

Back in July I did something I'd always wanted to do but hadn't been brave enough - I had my belly button pierced. It's not something I'll be putting on show - 8 babies and fluctuating weight over the years has not been kind to my stomach so I won't be offending the eyes of the world by putting it on display - but I like it and it's nice having a little secret (a bit like knowing you're wearing really nice underwear, lol)

Hopefully I'll soon be able to start posting photos again. Sorry my posts are a bit boring - I always like looking at photos on other people's blogs.

Being September and a new year in a way - new school year anyway - I often find myself thinking about new starts, things I'd like to achieve and sometimes even about the past.

As part of the journey through life you make friends and then often you outgrow the friendship and move on. Maybe that's what has happened here in the case I'm about to talk about.

I became friends with a really lovely lady I met online on a parenting forum. She lived closeish to me and we used to email a lot and met up a few times (but not often enough). I'm not going to mention names but if she still reads my blog then she will know who I mean when I say she is due to have her 6th baby very soon and last year moved much closer to where I live and her husband is involved with horses.

I don't know what happened. I don't know if I did or said something to upset or offend her but she stopped replying to my emails. If you are reading this and I did upset or offend you then I am truly sorry. I think about you often and wonder how you all are. And I miss you. I hope everything goes well with the new baby and if there is anything I can do, well, you know how to contact me. Please do. :-)

Maybe it was just time for her to move on from our friendship. That's fine. If you recognise who I am talking about and you're in contact with her please let her know I am thinking of her.

Once again it's my favourite time of year, September and the beginning of Autumn. And once again it's been months since I last wrote anything.

I do have a good excuse this time though, honest!! Back in June one of the children knocked a glass of water over on the coffee table on which was sitting my laptop. No prizes for guessing what happened next!! Fortunately I'm covered on my house insurance for accidental damage so my laptop went off to be looked at, was declared to be FUBAR and for the cost of my excess I have got a new laptop. Eventually. I was told it would arrive within 7-10 days but 4 weeks later I still hadn't received it. Turned out the courier had lost it so another one was despatched and it finally arrived on Thursday.

I used to spend an inordinate amount of time on my laptop, checking facebook, reading the many blogs I followed, on eBay etc etc but nearly 3 months without has meant I've kind of done cold turkey and I have hardly touched the new one. I can't remember the names of most of the blogs I followed either. I also have a bit of a problem typing. I've got so used to using the keypad on my BlackBerry (and the way it auto corrects my words and adds commas and full stops for me automatically) I'm struggling slightly to get used to proper typing again, lol

I'm still loving my "new" car. Every time I look out of the window at it I feel a real sense of pride about it.

I've been in the house for over a year now. I still love it here, although I kind of wish I owned it so I could decorate it and make a few changes to it.

I've taken up a new hobby as well. As a child I always wanted to learn to horse ride and to have my own horse. About 13 years ago I finally started having riding lessons and really enjoyed it until one day the horse I was on was spooked by something and took off down the sand school at a gallop with me hanging on for dear life. I was still trying to master canter at that stage so galloping was a bit too fast. I had one more lesson after that but hated it so much I never went back.

Ellie has always had a love of horses (she was a few months old when I had those lessons back then) and always wanted to learn to ride. She'd had a couple of lessons on holiday at Center Parcs and had done an "own a pony" day at a local riding school but her dream of having regular lessons didn't come true until last year when her school started up a riding club on a Monday night at a local equestrian centre. She's loved it and got several rosettes and a certificate for being the most improved rider in the club.

I've been a bit jealous, wishing I could have some lessons again too. Back in April or May I promised her and Sophie riding lessons in the summer holidays. A couple of weeks ago I realised that the holidays were nearly over and I couldn't break my promise so I got them booked in. Ellie said she was scared about having a lesson all by herself so I said I'd do it with her....

I've had two lessons and absolutely loved it!! It was so good to be back on a horse again after all that time. I wasn't at all nervous about it either. So we're going to have regular lessons. Sadly because of the cost they wont be as regular as we would like but anything is better than nothing. Sophie had never been on a horse before but was declared a natural and has spoken about nothing else since. So that's three of us that are now horse mad!!

One of our neighbours has some stables being built on part of their land behind my house and I asked if they would be renting any of them out when they are finished. She said they may do.... To get to the stables you have to go through our garden so it wouldn't be far to go. At the moment it's just a dream but one that could possibly come true.

I've also got something very exciting happening in November. I start an OU course in History! I really can't wait, I want to get started right now. It's given me a boost to start reading again which is good as I do miss reading. To further help this I've joined a local book club as well - it's a good way of meeting new people and getting me out of the house.

Another bit of news, and good news at that, is that we finally, after so many years of fighting, have got a diagnosis for Millie. It's not autism or aspergers which in some ways is a relief, it's attachment disorder. Are you asking yourself "what's attachment disorder?" That is possibly going to be a problem when it comes to getting her further help at school. The psychologist said that Millie needs to be statemented asap and she needs to have a one to one assistant with her all day at school. I just hope we don't have to fight too hard to get it for her (I know, I know, with budgets the way they are it's unlikely it's going to be easy or even possible). Attachment disorder doesn't sound very serious does it? But when you have to live with it you realise it actually is.

So, that's my quick update.

Another long gap between postings. So, what’s the latest?

I have got a new car. When I moved out because my Picasso wasn’t big enough for all the children C and I shared cars. Whichever one of us had the children had his Previa and the one without the children had my Picasso. Neither of us liked this arrangement, it was a real nuisance but until I could get mine sold and buy a new one we didn’t have a lot of choice.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I found a potential candidate on eBay, got in touch with the dealer, went to see it, came to an agreement over part exchange etc and I drove away with a very nice Ford Galaxy Zetec. So far I love it. Yes, it’s a bit scratched (but what difference does that make to how a car runs?) and it smelt of cigarette smoke (which an air freshener has sorted out) but it’s mine, all mine. I don’t have to share it, I can get the children in it and it’s given me a big boost to my confidence knowing that I sorted it all out by myself.

Being independent has been something that I have gotten used to now and I am loving it. To the extent that I really hate it when people offer to do things for me. Even if it’s something I’m really struggling with. It took me nearly a week to work out how to put Amos’s toddler bed together. For some reason I just couldn’t get the screws to go in and I couldn’t for the life of me work out why. Eventually I managed it but there was no way I was taking up the offer of help with it. I’ve built bunk beds, wardrobes, drawers and double beds all by myself so there was no way a simple toddler bed was going to defeat me!!

I’m also loving the time on my own when the children aren’t here. It’s so nice to be able to relax in the evening with a DVD or whatever I feel like doing. I’m kind of seeing someone, it’s a very casual thing, but it really suits me. We see each other maybe once or twice a week and go away together from time to time but the rest of the time is my own. I really couldn’t be doing with someone wanting to be with me all the time. I like my own company too much now - not that I get to spend much time on my own. I tend to be out and about all day and into the evening. I can see myself being single forever.

In a couple of weeks I’m going to be a witness at my best friends wedding. I can’t wait. I think I’m nearly as excited as the bride herself. I’ve been involved in the planning right from the start so I really feel part of it. I was so chuffed when she asked me to be her witness. I’m thinking more of a Pippa Middleton role though!! When we went to the shop so she could try dresses on back in January I couldn’t resist trying one myself. It was absolutely gorgeous!!

Last week for her hen night we went for a fish pedicure. Oh my goodness!! It was really weird at first and I didn’t like it. We were booked in for 15 minutes each but I ended up having half an hour because I ended up enjoying it so much. Definitely going again for another one!!

I haven’t written anything for absolutely ages again. Not that there has been a great amount to tell really.

There has been progress with getting a diagnosis for Millie. She’s being statemented and is going to be re-assessed later in the year. She’s going to the school we hoped she would get into which is smaller than the other option and has a very good SEN provision. So things are positive on that front.

All the other children are fine. Amos is now 2 - it’s gone by so quickly. He’s such a sweet little thing most of the time (yes, he has his moments!!) and is getting really chatty. He loves In The Night Garden, and would sit and watch it all day if he could. He loves his books as well which is really cute.

Jack (6) was assessed recently and has a reading age of an 11.5 year old. Alfie and Sophie are both ahead of where they should be too which is fantastic.

We’ve really settled into the “new” house now as well which is nice. At the moment I’m thinking we’re going to be here for a good few years.

Last week I went up to Manchester for a few days which was a nice break. I stayed in a really nice apartment just off Deansgate so nice and close to the centre of the city. I met up with my best friend from school. We havent seen each other for 17 years, and fell out back then over something or other. We got back in touch a couple of years ago through Friends Reunited and finally met up again last week.

I met her in a Starbucks and when she walked in neither of us spoke, we just gave each other a massive hug and burst into tears. Most of the day was spent with us hugging, crying and saying “I can’t believe it”. It was lovely, and we have vowed that it won’t be another 17 years before we get together again. It didn’t feel like 17 years, we sat and just chatted easily as if it had only been last week that we’d last seen each other.

Well, what a year!!

I’ve just read the postings for January 2010, before everything changed, and I really had no idea just what a massive year it was going to be for my life.

It’s been amazing. It’s been tough at times too, but I don’t regret my decision. I’m looking forward to 2011 and hope it’s going to be even better.

Christmas was good - C came over for the day and it was a lovely day for everyone I hope. No fighting or arguing, just a really nice family day.

I hope your 2011 is a good one and I will try and blog at least semi-regularly!!

Dressember

There's a group of us taking part in a challenge called Dressember. The idea is to wear a dress (or skirt) every day in December. If you'd like to find out more, or better still join us, have a look here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dressember/125734977487362


I've set up another blog to chart my progress in the challenge as well as to post about other clothes, shoes etc (basically girly stuff) in the future. You can find it here: http://tuesdayshoesday.blogspot.com/