E Day is tomorrow

E Day - that's exam day. Am NOT properly prepared because as in my last post - life has been happening and revising has not. I am working now - have come up with a system to maximise the time I have. I keep telling myself I will pass and get a good mark because I have done all the work this year - and I have done as much revision as has been possible (after some procrastination you understand).

Fingers crossed it works.

Life happened

and time flew. I'm on my last assignment for this unit and the deadline is Wednesday, I am just starting. I should have written it two weeks ago but since coming back from skiing life has been a whirl - and not always in a positive way.

DH has been ill with kidney stones and has been very male about it (I am in excruciating pain but will go work and pretend I am okay - then will collapse in a heap and need looking after when I get home). After 10 days this has become very tiring as has the lack of sleep. He eventually falls asleep just as I have to get up to get the kids ready for school.

I think it's just about testing my commitment to my studies. If anything is testing it - then this last month is definitely it. So I must write the assignment - and I have an exam - the first in at least 20 years - on the 15th June. Then I am going to sleep for at least the rest of that week.

But of course, I have been knitting - but an crap at taking pictures of it all. Socks for the girls, from Koigu, my first ever socks. I got one knit on the plane on the way to Vancouver and the other completed within another couple of days. This sock knitting is addictive - small, portable and so quick if you are making them for small people. This colour - how perfect.


Then I made a pair for kind of trainer socks for myself in this Lornas Laces

I've never used superwash wool before and after the koigu it feels hard and sweaty - I don't think I'd use it again. The kids like how it looks but after the Koigu they don't think it feels the same and want more of what they have.

Now remember, I live in Singapore, so wool socks are not a requirement and actually pretty inappropriate - well according to my kids they need wool socks to keep their feet warm in the airconditioning, especially at night - so they need more - NOW!

I have also been knitting with Rowan Kidsilk Haze - a Precious in grey, a Labryinth in Violetta and I have another sweater on Kidsilk Aura on the go at the moment. My stash has some much KSH and Koigu that I could be knitting in just those two yarns for the next 5 years.

And Emily was five today. Five, so hard to believe. She thinks she's too young to learn to knit - wants to wait until she is a bit older, like 6 or 7. I am so looking forward to it. Annie can now knit and purl so is going to have a go at a Knitted Babe - good for her. We ordered the wool and whilst she's laid up next week (Tonsils and adenoids out next Wednesday) she wants to make a start. Being surrounded by the stuff is obviously rubbing off.

Well, have just successfully procrastinated for another 20 minutes - must go and write the other 1400 words of my 1500 assignment. Wish me luck

And then it was February

Yes, unbelieveable isn't it. Well I thought so. And of course we had Christmas. The kids were so excited and even agreed to face painting on Christmas day - which is unheard of.



How happy do they look!

Then it was back to school, for al of us. So busy which was not helped by a bout of gastric flu (awful but good for the waist- line - and then bronchial asthma - which is not good for the waist-line). And also interferes with my studying - big time baby. I have caught up and gotten another assignment in. There even has been knitting, and baking and reading but not enough sleeping.

I have finished Glad. Made a beanie on Tilli Tomas Flurries for little one and have the yarns to make one for number 1 daughter. Such gratifying projects - why bother ever making a sweater again. But of course I have 95% finished a brushed Suri sweater for the little one. And am working on French Girl Daphne for me.

The thing is - being so busy makes me try to control everything and everyone. As my 4 year old told a friend the other day when they announced Crazy Hair Day at school :
"I won't be able to do that - my mummy doesn't like me to be crazy. It's too loud and drives her bananas"

Mmmm - food for thought, where has my sense of fun gone on holiday? Actually she is obsessed with death at the moment and has come out with some real corkers over Christmas whilst my mum was here. My father died almost 20 years ago and so this conversation started:

"Grandma, why don't you get married again - you must be very lonely"
"I'm not lonely I have lots of friends and I have you and Annie and you're mum"
"yes, but if we all died you would be lonely wouldn't you?'
"that's not going to happen" says Grandma
"Mmmm - well you are very old Grandma, so you'll probably die soon".

After choking on our food we did think it was funny but where oh where did this come from?

Enough of this frivolity. It is crazy hair day this Friday and she WILL be donning a neon pink wig. Never enough pink.

And then it was Christmas

It was November the last time I looked, and now it's Christmas. Gosh time flies when your having life.

My mum is here and whilst we promised we'd keep our routines, it just hasn't happened. I feel guilty disappearing to yoga when I've spent part of the day studying. It's not her, she is always very understanding - it's me. I feel pressure even though none is applied.

There has been knitting, presents, finishing a pig for Emily and making a hat to replace the one mum loaned out and never got back. But the meditative quality it normally imbues me with is lost when there are other people talking and I can't just switch off - I sound like I'm moaning moaning moaning - I am and I'm not. It's just different.

I guess if I can get my latest assignment done whilst I have both kids home for holidays, one of them ill and have my mum here I'm doing okay. I have submitted it today. I am so enjoying studying. It's opened up lots of interesting things I haven't ever thought about, and is filtering into my discussions with my other half and the kids - like evolution and whether they teach it at Annie's school as fact ot not.

Got to go - number 2 daughter wants to sleep in my bed again!

I'm going to join the circus....

because I need to practise my juggling skills. They are definitely not what they should be.

So let's see; sick child - check
husband away - check
studying to do - check
mother just arrived for 8 (yes 8) week stay - check
yoga? -
kids activities to taxi them to - check
food shopping - check
relax?
Send Christmas presents so mum can get in the spare bedroom - check

Just struggling to do it all. Plus had a shitty haircut which I hate. Hence the reason I am starting this weeks study at 10pm on a Wednesday night. Daughter number 2 going back to school tomorrow - but still have mum at home.

Oh dear - just dropped a ball, and another and another. And now the time lion is following me.....help

It's all about priorities

And mine should be in this order:
study
exercise
knit

Are they in this order? No not really. BUT THEY SHOULD BE. And where does parenting fit in?

Next week is half term and so I need to get on top of studying and be ahead as I won't have much time next week. I'm only doing one unit and heavens knows it shouldn't be that difficult.

So. I will now study for the 1.5 hours I have left this morning before yoga (hot yoga - very good), then if I ush home I will half an hour for lunch. I may get the "fetching" handwarmers finished(only 3 rows and the thumb to do) after Emily's homework before Annie gets in from school. Then I have to immediately go to parent teachers conference for Annie. She is currently having "attitude" issues - so that will be interesting. When I get home I will have dinner with the kids - get them into bed and then STUDY. I will not knit. I will not knit - I will STUDY.

The thing is - I have picked up "Glad" again and I want to finish it. Hopefully it will look like the book


but I also need to finish "shrunken" cardy thing which I suddenly love less that I did a couple of weeks ago
I don't know why I feel like that - I had a green phase - maybe it's over but I haven't finished knitting it yet, so it can't be.

Notice I should be STUDYING, instead I'm blogging!

Learnings from a tiring week

1. Spending an entire weekend at school whilst your 4 year old has rehearsals and 3 ballet performances is tiring but worth it. ( I like this blurry picture)


2. Big sisters need praising when they accept that this weekend is all about their little sister and not them.

3. Eric Erikson and James Marcia had some interesting things to say about developing our identities - but my question is - ow fluid are our identities and what makes us have crises a different lie stages?

4. Sick husbands who moan are irritating. Saying they are sick of being ill makes me sick. So there!

5. Knitting is what keeps me sane - not just big projects but little projects too. In fact I've discovered this week that I really like little projects sometimes - a quick finished object makes me happy.

6. People think you're a control freak if you have Christmas shopping and some wrapping done already. I don't care though - I may be a control freak but you won't catch me running around at the last minute trying to find the "perfect (quick) gift" and panicking.

7. Writing an assignment for the first time in 12 years is scary and the cause of much procrastination.

And my question of the week:
Am I a bad parent because I'm looking forward to my oldest being away at Brownie Camp for the weekend?