Phase Two

Phase One is over, Phase Two has begun. I am currently watching two rather strapping tree surgeons murder our ash tree and chop it up into small logs for our woodburner. There are a lot of logs. I feel sorry for the tree. It's 70 years old and hasn't harmed a soul. Still, we will be recycling the logs and woodchips and planting three new trees in its place.

The next job is the concrete shed base. I'm waiting for one last quote.

Retro cool in the kitchen

I've now spent three days working on the kitchen - two days preparing the walls and ceilings and half a day doing the first coat on the ceiling. It's great to say goodbye to the horrible brown stains left by the previous owner who'd obviouslty had a few floods. Dad spent time filling in some of the holes in the ceiling so when the whole lot is painted brilliant white it should make it much more bearable. With no plans to start the extension until Chloe is at school, we had to do something.

Work is going well at the moment. I feel like I am producing a full time persons output but I have to be thankful I have the chance to work under such flexible conditions. I still won't be happy until my "trial" period is over though - uncertainty is a bad thing.

Back to the renovation

I've now spent two days taking wallpaper off the ceiling in the kitchen and preparing all the surfaces to be painted a lovely, clean brilliant white. It would have been much more sensible to wait until I'd finished painting before ordering the lino, however, at least the new floor has kick started me into action. White walls and cheap as chips lino will make the kitchen bearable for the next three or four years whilst we save up for the building work.

Maybe, just maybe

My fourth day ended on a much better note than the previous three. I'm pre-empting my boss all the time and she is "really enjoying working with me" (this was written in an email). For the first time, I can see the possibility that this might work. They are going to advertise the job share soon and will say I work eight days a month. They also want me involved with the interviews. I am determined to give this my best shot so here goes nothing.

Living in two worlds

It's been a week but I know it's going to be hard to get used to second time around. Switching between work life and home life is hard. At work I immediately reverted back to my old career girl self with exciting challenges and a buzz from simply doing a good job. At home, on a non working day, I have to turn on the "stay at home Mum" button and carry on as if nothing has changed.

Admittedly, it would be easier if I didn't have a "trial" period to work through and the underlying threat of possible redundancy. That feeling won't going away until my review at the end of April. In the meantime, I've got to get my head down, work to the very best of my ability and treat it as a three month consultancy contract.

Sandra called yesterday. She might have a consultancy job for me. T`he timing could be perfect.

Back to work - blah

First official day back at work was rubbish. New boss, new job, new desk, impossible targets and a big fat cloud over everything. Instead of a single career woman, my new boss is a career woman with a stay-at-home husband who looks after their 3 year old - am not sure what is worse for me. Are they setting me up for a fall? I have to rise above it, do my best and see what happens. Roll on the Pink Paintbrush.

Back to work

I had a "keeping in touch" day in the office on Friday and it went okay. I have mixed feelings about going back in February. On the one hand, I know it's sensible both financially and career wise. However, I love being a full time Mum and am not looking forward to juggling childcare and missing out on playdates for David. One thing it did make me realise was just how much I want to do my P & D course so that's a good thing.

I'm still a bit anxious about the pre-school. I've read a few comments on various websites that say montessori schools encourage individual develpopment but this may be at the cost of social interaction. David is a very sociable child but I can't help but worry about the effects of a montessori pre-school as opposed to a main stream pre school. My only option is to see how he gets on during his first term and then make a decision. If I want him to leave, I have to give a full term's notice which means making a decision when term ends at Easter.

The floods are back

Despite the work we did in the garden last year, the flooding is still as bad. Admitedly, the rain has been terrible, but the water isn't draining away. There is only one answer; buy in a huge amount of topsoil and start again.

No looking back

David loved his second pre-school session this afternoon. He barely noticed when I told him I was off for a cuppa in the parents room. I stayed away for over an hour and when I came back he was happily playing with a new friend and glanced up at me for a few seconds before carrying on being busy.

Meena told me he had been as good as gold, playing well with the other children, listening to instructions and joining in with all the activities. What a little super star. Montessori is going to be good for him and I love the place.

My pre-school nerves - session number two

Pre-school again tomorrow - David's second session and I will stay again to help him settle in. I'm surprised at how calm and quiet the place is. Is this good or bad? David loves loud, noisy environments with lots of children to play with. The Montessori setting is entirely different to this. Quietness and calm are encouraged - although there is plenty of opportunity to run around and make noise in the garden. Instead, the low numbers mean more concentrated play and one to one time.

David seemed to enjoy his first session although he did run to find me a few times. I tried to stay out of his sight as much as possible and most of the time he happily played with the other children or sat down with one of the teachers. Only time will tell if I've made the right decision for him.

Back to the DIY, and the small matter of pre school

On Sunday I finally found the time to work on the three window sills I'd started before Christmas(our bedroom, Chloe's bedroom and the landing). I'd already stripped off all the paint with a paint gun before the windows were replaced - my first power tool and I love it. I'm convinced the paint on the landing windowsill was pre-1960 so I probably poisoned myself with lead but hey ho. So, on Sunday I sanded down the filler, primed with some trade paint purchased from my local decorating shop and applied the first coat of gloss. Despite my best efforts, the gloss dried with lots of tiny bubbles and bits of dust. Why does this happen? Probably due to the amount of dust in the house. Still, I can only tell at close inspection in bright daylight so it will have to do.

David starts pre-school on Wednesday. I can't quite believe my little boy will be spending time away from me and learning things from someone else apart from his family and friends. It has been immensley difficult for me to get to this point. The amount of research I've done, the number of pre-schools I've visited and the hours I've debated the pros and cons with my Mum friends doesn't bare thinking about - and it is only four hours a week for now. He will love it, of that I am sure. Watch this space.

Hello 2011

Christmas was great. Our first as a complete family. David was beside himself with excitement when he saw the sheer number of presents underneath the tree. He kept jumping up and down on the spot. I'm pretty sure he knows who Father Christmas is.

We spent the morning slowly opening presents and had venison in the afternoon. The day went so quickly. Chloe mostly rolled around in the wrapping paper. We were still opening presents after the children had gone to bed.

On Boxing Day morning we drove up to my parents and spent the next two days with friends and family. Hectic but great fun.