Thirteen weeks + 2

Well I knew that Xanders dilemma from Friday was going to rear up this morning and bite me, and it has. Down he comes from having a shower and saying that he doesn't want to go to school, because he's got PE today and has to get changed in front of the other kids. So first we had a bit of a falling out, partly because I tried to talk to him about it yesterday and he dismissed it as not a problem, and partly because it's Monday morning and my tact and diplomacy skills are at an all time low. I went away took a few deep breaths and came back again with a calm voice, (actually I could hear Carla whispering in my ear "which one of you is the grown up?") I then pointed out to him, I could write a letter to excuse him from doing PE and Games at school, but as that's almost the only exercise he gets at the moment it would sort of defeat the purpose, he agrees with that. My next suggestion is that I write to his teacher and explain that the kids have been teasing him, about his body, when he gets changed and asking if he can get changed somewhere separate from the others, this idea he liked. None of this solves the actual problem that he could do with a lot more exercise and a little less food in his life, that is something we will have to work on together.

I forgot to mention that Neil broke his car on Saturday, I mean I noticed that he'd gone to work in my car, but I assumed it was for capacity reasons, as he was picking up the pipes and stuff for plumbing the utility. Nope, he drove to the end of the road on Saturday morning and put his window down to clear off the condensation, actually it was a chilly morning and the temperature was (according to his car) only 3 degrees. Now you know what happened next, yes you guessed it his window got stuck down (that's technology for you), so he's driving along thinking to himself that that was a typical thing to happen on the first chilly morning of the year when he went, stuff this I'm going back for Maxines car. Hence I awoke to find his car on the drive, but as I mentioned, this didn't surprise me at all, and I didn't look too closely at his car so didn't notice the lack of glass in the passenger door. None of this caused any real problems over the weekend as we just used my car, he wrapped his empty window in cling film, who knew! The situation was going to be problematic for the week though as some days I can manage without a car, but not when I have to go to Uni, so he discussed taking a couple of days off to fix his car (unheard of for Neil). Turns out he fixed it yesterday, no that's not true, he's fixed it so that it's stuck up now instead of down , so at least he can use the car, and he is still talking about having a couple of days off at the end of the week, and will still have to fix his car window, but all in his own good time.

This week would have been the worst one for a car shortage as it's going to be our busiest one for a while. Today is a quiet day and apart from me going shopping and everyone else being at work or school, it's all very normal, tomorrow it all goes mad. There is an open evening that we want to take Will to but it clashes with my lecture (the one I missed last week to go to a 16+ evening for Will), so I'm going to my lecture and Neil will take Will to the open evening. Then Wednesday evening there is another open evening at the local college (where Will thinks he wants to go) so we are all (except Xander, unless he wants to) going to that one. Then Thursday evening it is Wills parents evening at school,(this event is like speed dating, and quite as painful), but it's an important one this year so we are both going. So by Friday I think Neil is really going to need a couple of days off, don't you?

I'd better get off now, I have sandwiches to make and a teachers note to write, so wish me luck.(for the note, the sandwiches should be OK, though in this house you never know)