The weather is warm, the sea is inviting..

Hz is in his 4rd week now, and is definitely a boy, i.e. more demanding! This heat is not for him and is only happy if I am holding him, the car seat being to insulating I think. But mashAllah, it does feel that there is a difference between day and night, and I haven’t found myself pacing up and down at 2 a.m. (yet!) DH is back off to London for a few days so will have the big ones to think about more as DH has been keeping them busy recently. H has got a new bike without stabilisers which he has already mastered. He’s been practising the balancing aspect at nursery on these special little 2 wheeled bikes with no pedals they recently acquired.

H has also been asking (again at around 10.30 p.m.) to start reading books and chose (yes, chose!) a Peter and Jane ladybird book. After I had directed him from book 4 to book 1 (which he was relieved to find had only a few words per page) he started the book and tried really hard, and went through 1a and 1b. He needs a lot of guidance but I'll help him as much as he asks, as he is only almost 5. Biryani got hold of a book and has already picked up she needs to point at a word and say 'Peter' and 'Jane' mashAllah , v cute.

I also managed to locate the free ‘water activity’ centre which is by the sea fairly near home. So they first tried the extended boots and caught some shrimps and a few other bits of marine life. S now wants to get an aquarium, but I just can’t think where we could put it (lack of space plus younger ones would not be able to resist). Then yesterday they went back to be a little more adventurous and try snorkelling for the first time. They were able to borrow wet suits and masks etc and actually enjoyed it. S was interviewed by a local paper journalist while he was there and his besnorkled picture made it into today’s local paper!

Also they’ve been getting v enthusiastic about a money-making activity, which when I originally suggested, and had rejected as it was too ‘embarrassing’. But when they found it was so easy pickings they’ve now become local bottle recyclers. By the beach so many people leave their empty bottles, most of which give you about 20p deposit back. They’ve made quite a few kronor for only a few hours ‘work’ (cycling around the beach area) and hopefully done a little for the environment at the same time. People are just too well-off here that they can’t be bothered to take home their rubbish. That’s probably why they’re actually increasing the amount of deposit you have to pay on each bottle soon in Sweden.

And to leave on what could be a sad note, we received the letter from the appeal court that our home ed application has been rejected by them as well. It was not a surprise. I only skim read the lengthy documents they sent me, but I noticed they were not happy I had given almost the same application for both children despite them being different ages (although I’d included the age-level appropriate goals for each of them).It just seems like they’re basically agreeing with the guy who made the original decision that I can’t provide an equivalent of school especially the social training *pulls out hair* But actually I’m calm about it because in fact S has told me a couple of times he’s actually prepared to return to school and that ‘I don’t need to argue with them any more’. M already changed his mind that he wants to go back to school at the beginning of the holidays. It was going to be a strange dilemma if they had given the permission and then the boys didn’t want to be home-educated (although after a couple of weeks back at school I expect their enthusiasm for institutionalisation will have waned). But I have been aware I must not be doing this for me, but for them to achieve the best in their education, for Allah’s sake. This must be what is best for us at this moment in time and must remember, nothing stays the same.