Argh!!!

Another day when things didn't go to plan.  You can maybe get an idea why I don't try to follow timetables and a curriculum, I would get utterly frustrated when life got in the way.

As mentioned yesterday, today should have been a trip to the museum and visit to the home-ed group.  Unfortunately I woke up with a terribly banging headache.  I took painkillers and hoped it would ease, but really didn't think it was a good idea to drive in case it developed into a migraine (I've suffered with migraines since school).  I was disappointed as I do enjoy our weekly trips to Exeter, and the kids were disappointed as they wanted to see their friends.  They are very understanding though (they have to be with a mother like me!) and didn't complain.

So we had an unexpected free day.

What does a mother of 5, suffering with one of the worst headaches she has had for a while as it feels as though her head will literally explode, decide to do on such a day?

Well after a 20 minute lay down, and with the youngest doing this....

The said mother decides to surprise her husband and make a start on painting the dining room - something which we have put off and put off for months and months and months.

Why?

Why oh why?

Do you ever get the feeling you wished you hadn't started? I got that urgh feeling almost as soon as my roller hit the ceiling!

We have lived here in this house for 5 years.  The walls of the dining room have got grubbier and grubbier, and it's gone past the stage of being able to wipe them clean.  For the first 3 years of our time here, we were reluctant to decorate as the ceiling had a hole in it where the plaster had fallen down.  We were waiting for the landlord (brother) to get it sorted.  The plastering was finally done a while ago, but financially and health wise we have struggled to get it re-decorated.

Feeling much brighter once the painkillers had kicked in, I set about getting out the paint supplies and seeing what we had.  We have chosen to go for a boring Linen colour, with a burst of purple on the chimney section.  My thinking was to go for bland and boring walls that can be brightened up with ultra jazzy and colourful handcrafted goodies.  I have ideas for painted art, crocheted wallhangings, and needlefelted goodness.  The seasons table will stay to add a bit of colour and interest.

The teens helped greatly, and seemed to quite enjoy the painting process...

I am going to hang some voile fabric down from the top of this cove area to make it a little den-like for the children.  I can see it becoming a favourite place to sit and read.

Whilst we were busying ourselves with the painting malarkey, what were the middle ones doing?  I sneaked into the garden to see what they were up to...

Both Tiegan and Callum were reading in our beach hut tent.

This really has been a great buy, the children love it, it's sturdy and easy to store.

About 45 minutes later I sneaked down to the garden again for another peek and saw this...

A short while later I saw them on the trampoline and playing with their scooters.   They certainly made the most of a beautiful day.  Apparently they were acting out "Skylanders" but with their own twist.  They told me so when they came in to get bananas.

In other news, I have signed up with Taisia to do a Music with Mummy course in Torquay, starting in April.  I think she will really enjoy it.   I've emailed the "teacher" and it sounds interesting, with no more than 10 children in a class.

Chelsea got her conformation letter from the college she is going to in September. They want to offer her a place on the higher course to the one she applied for, stating her successful interviewing technique as being the reason.  That's good isn't it :)

Tomorrow I'm hoping to finish the dining room so we can get that back to normality, and do a few crafty things with the kids, but we shall see what the day decides to have in store.