Libraries and Charities

As usual, we managed to cram too much into one day.

This morning Roarke and I attended a meeting with representatives from Kent LA and from their Library Services. We are working on some great ideas for new services for home educators within Kent. It is so refreshing and encouraging to work with the libraries department - their budget is for anyone, and they care not whether we home educate or use schools!

I found some time to update our resources page, but it is still far behind what I am aiming for - and don't even mention the web site database!

Checking over the web stats for some of my websites today, I'm pleased to see that my old internet shopping site (due for a serious overhaul in the new year!) has managed to pull in some extra cash in the run up to Christmas via the Seasonal shopping page (who me, plugging my site, never!)

We totalled up our Tesco sports vouchers today and we've raised 1,518. Not bad, and at least it will mean a few more useful items for our outdoor get togethers next year.

I got excited yesterday as one of the weather forecasts mentioned snow showers - but all we've had is freezing fog. I couldn't see the bottom of the garden for most of the day!

Joshua has been drawing maps again. They have been playing an animal game for the past three days, with complex habitats for each species cropping up across the various bedrooms and the landing (I also have two dinosaurs outside my bedroom - I presume they are extinct!). It really is quite elaborate and the sort of game I love watching them at. Anyway, Joshua just showed me a map that he has drawn of the game, and all the habitats.

The library that we visited today has really inspired me, and so we trotted off to Orpington library where I filled up my teachers ticket with things that I hope (!) the boys will use... watch this space...

Oh, and our group has also raised £15 doing the World Cancer Research Fund's Christmas Scratch poster, as well as donating £42 to Oxfam's Unwrapped campaign.

With beautiful irony, our group has bought a training package for a teacher, and paid for 200 school dinners for children, to encourage them to attend school.

As for me, I'm not sure if I'm coming down with something (courtesy of my beloved little nephew) or what, but having gone nearly a week without any nausea I've now been sick again for the past 36 hours. I still weigh the same as I did 16 weeks ago, before I got pregnant! Hope I'll recover before the end of the week: Friday is another Christmas meal with my brother and his wife before they fly out to Hungary, and Saturday night I'm actually having a night out - without the children! Our church is having a Christmas dinner/dance thingy and we are going with some Christian friends of ours. I'm really looking forward to it. However, the lacy maternity top thing I bought for it is now too tight across my, er, expanding chest (which has expanded faster and greater than I expected!) and the maternity evening trousers I had (from my last pregnancy) are way too big still as I haven't actually thickened around the waist yet (though above the waist I appear 8 months pregnant!).

So, can I squeeze into one of my evening dresses or do I need to go and get something else? Last minute. In the midst of the Christmas retail chaos. Arrggh!

That reminds me, I'm still 2 presents short for William and one for Samuel.

arrghh again!