Hurray, it rained , it was windy, and the the sun came out (a bit)

It’s been 13 days of grey, silent skies (bar a 5 minute appearance of the sun a couple of days ago). I’m like a prisoner scratching lines on the bare walls of my cell, of how many days I’ve spent inside!. So grabbed kids plus S’s friend and took them to a park nearby that had a little bit of woodland and a field. They took their light sabres and walkie talkies and for the first time in ages ran around in the freedom of the outdoors, no neighbours complaining of the noise to worry about, oxygen in their lungs. Biryani was like a little Red Riding Hood in her red snow gear running after someone's remote control car they’d probably got for Christmas, and looking earnestly for help as she got stuck in the tangles of branches and thorns that cover the small child-made paths in the bushes that would probably not affect a child with a height above a metre.
I’m still feeling a bit weak and wobbly, but MIL is here bolstering me up with chicken soup and telling me off for touching anything resembling a dirty plate in the sink.
Bedtime routines completely out the window, and has got a bit ridiculous as they don’t want to sleep till after midnight. I do get a chance for a lie in but it’s then all waking hours with kids around, which I feel maybe too high a price to pay. I’m secretly looking forward to the school term starting, so we can get a reasonable routine back. Check this space in a week and a half, I’ll probably be moaning about the 6.30 am starts!

Camera cable lost, and again found

M's worksheets he made for H.

M is very good on presentation, roll over Gordon Ramsey.

Biryani's favourite food, butter (or should I say margarine) some bread might also accompany it, on occasion.

H's self-teaching of the alphabet, part of his 'homework' (not that he knows the true sense of the word, but it's work he does, at home.)

Some may put it down to schooling, others to our limited outdoor activity due to my 'condition' but is it an age thing? Yesterday, unless S had some sort of flickering screen entertainment, he would complain endlessly of being bored. I don't know why he bothers telling me as I'll only think of something more boring (according to him) to do. Or maybe it's this addiction that was talked about on Channel 4 news today?!

But although today too much time was again spent on the Xbox, they did spend quite a lot of time reenacting the game with their Lego, enough to complete 36 levels in the living room and hall, apparently. Let's hope some team building/ co-operative skills (if I shout loudest we'll call the Lego man 'Anakin' OK?) were learnt as well as imagination (The Ikea sofa back pillows have been used to make a great canyon).

Must go out tomorrow, if I catch a glimpse of the sun that'll be a plus, but it's like it doesn't exist right now. Anyhow there should be enough light from all the electric powered stars in the curtainless windows, and noise from the fireworks that will probably start tomorrow (Christmas Eve, which I only just realised is the big deal here rather than the 25 th- 5 years here and I just realised, that's why shops are shut or are open only half a day or so), leading up to big climax on New Year where you'd be forgiven for thinking a minor war had broken out (people round here have money to burn it appears).

Eid Mubarak

may Allah except all our good deeds and make it possible to go for Hajj asap Amin.
The day as usual on Eid, started early, for the kids at least. I had left one of their presents out so they could be occupied while I could get some sleep. In fact the presents for the most part were going to be a surprise for me rather than them as I had sent DH out to the toy shop with the kids for them to pick out what they wanted. I had got a few things in advance that were to be a surprise, but the kids, unlike me, know what they like! In the end everybody seems happy and the surprise presents and gifts from friends turn out to be enjoyed if not always by the child intended. We didn’t go to the Eid prayers as I felt it would be too much for me plus S and M seem a little too old to go in the sister’s section and too young to go in the bro’s alone.
We then had our lunch, or should I say, the kids had crisps and sweets etc. Unfortunately it’s only Biryani who actually likes the vitamin tablets I have (she thinks they’re like sweets so have to make sure they’re well out of reach) as I would have felt a lot better if one of those could have gone down the hatch. But the feasting continued as we had surprisingly had 2 invitations, as actually a few other sisters’ hubs were away on Eid too. The latter gathering involved a bit too much musical chairs and coke for S, and I ended up having to wipe off sick from my friends Persian rug. Alhamdulillah she has 4 kids too so understands…
I didn’t eat much myself and felt generally too tired for so much socialising, but I forced myself out for the kids’ sake and I did want to see the other sisters of course.
Still my duvet is much to comforting nowadays and I didn’t even get up until 9.30 a.m. today, astounding.

I’m sitting her in the murky twilight of what is about 10 am, typing this, trying to get some light from other sources and maybe reflect on positive things to bring this feeling of, well, ‘lowness’ is the only word of I can conjure up right now.
Watching the live coverage of Hajj perks me up when I get a chance. Those million supplicating on the plains of Arafat today, begging for forgiveness is what I’m regularly thinking about.
We’ve been bunking school for a few days (ssh!) but to be honest, I’m too wacked to take them so early in the morning, when all they’ll be doing is Christmas-linked activities. (I’ve grown tired with debating with the teachers about the legitimacy of my children participating in this stuff, and to be told that it’s just tradition, nothing religious.) But I’m not happy with it and it’s all around us so they know what’s going on without having to make a Christmas cracker. S’s teacher rang me yesterday to persuade me to bring him as they were going to meet some pen-pals they’d been writing to. (First I’d heard of this). S wasn’t keen and with my ailing voice, I said it wasn’t likely he could come. Biryani has a bad cold, S’s asthma is back (mildly)H had false croup again, and M has a mouth ulcer, alhamdulillah.
So where was I, oh things that have happened in the relatively recent post, DH is in Singapore but alhamdulillah MIL should be arriving this weekend, some welcome adult company., and support. We had visitors yesterday, which gave a slight morale boost, although I felt inadequate as a host. Hang on didn’t I say something about positivity.

Kids quotes:
S ‘what’s’ impat-eee-ent’ (reads from book, impatient). You tell me!

‘How did they choose the first king?’

H ‘Why do you say everything is beautiful?’ Do I really, well it’s a better word than ‘good’ or ‘nice’. Must think of more adjectives to describe your artwork.

He has also worked out that if you have a ‘forehead’ then also one must have a ‘backhead’

H was trying to do some ‘homework’ the other day. I wrote out some sums which he did with some help. Then he did the alphabet stencil, which also contained a comma. That was tricky explaining what a comma is to a 4 year old.

M: ‘Maybe I might’ I can’t remember what he was talking about exactly, maybe having been asked ‘Are you going to pray now?’
The response anyhow may as well have been ‘No’
He also requested a ‘Staplizer’ to staple one of his numerous home-made books together.

Biryani is turning out a little Tom-boyish (unsurprisingly), bangs duplo men together and making fighting ‘Oooh, ooh’ noises. Her word for Star Wars at the moment is ‘Die’ I’m not sure if it’s a way-off pronunciation, or she just hears the boys saying ‘I’m going to die you’ as they race round the house with their improvised light sabres. (‘kill’ is the practically the same word as ‘die’ in Swedish so I assume that’s why they say this, it doesn’t sound so bad anyway somehow!’ )
She also enjoys picture matching the Curious George bingo pictures we have which I was surprised she could do.
She does use some of the baby-signs I taught her earlier on alongside speech, and she showed this by thinking I’d said ‘fish’ instead of ‘finish’. She also uses the sign for ‘pig’ ‘duck’ quite regularly.

Oh and one from DH ‘When did I say I was ignoring you?’. Yeah, I had to think about that one too.

Nausea and potties don't mix

Finally got round to writing something, my brain’s been pretty foggy the last 2 months, because I’m now about 12 weeks pregnant. Just rang the midwife and she was surprised I hadn’t yet contacted them. TBH I haven’t felt p to going out much, and they make you do this awful diabetes test, involving an early start, no breakfast and a sickly sweet drink. I don’t think I can go through with this until the nausea goes.
Anyway back to the kids, Biryani’s making leaps and bounds with her speech, finishing the ends of words a bit better now, using verbs such as ‘look’ ‘run’ and ‘move’!. She also managed to use the potty properly for the first time yesterday, all credit to her. Every time I change her nappy she runs off to the bathroom saying ‘potty potty’. I don’t want to start potty training until the floors are relatively clear of toys etc so that accidents don’t cause a real mess, but this will require me to have some consistent energy to keep on top of the mess (which is often caused by dear Biryani herself as she searches for the ultimate toy in the toy cupboards.) Weaning still proving difficult, though we’re down to max 2 feeds a day.
H home with a cough and now diarrhoea. S has a swimming test today at school. He has to do it if he can move to the next class apparently. My writing energy is all used up I think although there’s lots more I’m sure.