back to work back to the grindstone

I know loads of families do it - but I am really struggling with the whole full time work and juggling life around it.

Its nearing the end of my second week full time as a teacher at the College Morgan and Lilly go to.  I am in the Middle school section - so the high school part - and away from them - but its got alot going for it as far as convenience.

The teachers in my team are really relaxed and supportive - so really I couldn't ask for a better place to land.  The Teacher- aid rocks - so knowledgable and fantastic with the kids.

I'd kinda forgotten about the myriad of meetings and after school staff things - something as a contractor or relief you don't do; but have been fortunate so far that the kids are happy to hang out at school and wait for me.

So - its back into our mad world - Mondays is dancing - we are at a different studio this year - simply as the times suit the best.  Morgan loves his hip Hop teacher and the class.  My heart squeezes when I peep in to see him fully involved, smiling and jumping around.  His shiny smily face afterwards is all the answer I need.  Lilly just dances everywhere - so loves whoever she is with!  Best of all - the studio is only 10 mins up the road - rather than the 40 mins the other one was.
Tuesdays is karate night - Age has decided he will pick the kids up after class and I will either walk home or get a lift home after class. It lets the kids get to bed at a decent hour that way.
Wednesdays is AFL training.
Thursdays is Joey scouts - and muggins here has volunteered to be a leader.
Fridays is karate.
Saturday mornings are AFL matches.  Thankfully the kids are still too young to have to travel to games - thats next year - so not looking forward to that one.

I have staff meetings at 7.50 am on Wed morning, till 4.30 on Wed afternoon and one onTuesday arvo till 4.30 as well.

shheeesh.

I've been capturing my life every day with a photo - using the 365 days in photos challenge - and posting them over at Art By Annie

one day - when I get time, I might start to sketch again.. ba h aha ha.

Age is well. On a new medication which has made him a bit fuzzy and dizzy but hopefully has some good results in the shrinkage of the tumour. It has a few side affects we are looking out for - swelling of brain and the like - but so far so good.  One of the down sides is that he needs to take it strictly every 4 hours - so I am on the 1 am patrol to ensure he takes it then.  I am usually up - so its not a problem.

I have made a commitment to post once a week.. we will see how that goes huh?

Day 13 - our last day

Morgan and I got up early and breakfasted together as we watched the sea.  Age was wiped out again and hadn’t slept well. We went back to check on him and he just wanted to sleep. So Morgan and I got our snorkels and we went to Blue Hole together. I allowed him to  lead where we went. We floated and swam for nearly two hours exploring the reef.

Age and Lilly had finished packing their things and had breaky when we got back.  It was a pretty relaxed exit. While we waited for our pick up, I set up the croquet lawn and the three of us knocked balls around. Lilly was really good at it, with a great eye of where she wanted her balls to go.

I snapped this photo of just one of the crazy things in the line ahead of us, going on the plane. Yes - they are roosters tied up in a bag together. Another one was a small boy holding a kitten.  

We had planned to get to Villa and catch a taxi into town to do some shopping and mooching. But as it was, none of us felt up the craziness, so shunted around the airport and waited for our flight.

Age is very inspired to come back and do alot of the tours and sights we didn't do. In particular he wants to go to one of the other larger islands - Santo - where the snorkelling is supposedly the best in the world.

Day 12 Blue Hole, Blue Cave and Golf

So sad to say that it is our last full day here.

As part of his birthday pressie, Age went on boat tour to a underwatercave. The idea was that they were dropped outside it and would have to dive under and go through a small tunnel to pop out inside.

The kids and I set off to explore the coast line below the resort at low tide.  Our first stop was to  Picinini hole - a gorgeous deep hole in coral  and a haven for fish and coral.  It was about the size of a swimming pool and even at low tide was about 3 metres deep in some places. We soon got sick of it as it was so small, but still an incredible eco system surviving in that space.

The reef walkers once again came into their own as the exposed and dead coral, coupled with the volcanic rock made for very treacherous passage. Walked along looking at sea cucumbers and hairy starfish - which were abundant I might add. 

Very slow going and not only spiky but slippery in places too.

As the tide continued to go out we got to the Blue Hole area.  We had been exploring for a few hours and we were all hot and a bit dehydrated. We were still a fair way away from shore and I decided the best way to get to shore was to swim - rather than wade our way.  Lilly completely cracked it then, making such a scene that one of the villagers along the shore rushed out with her dug out canoe and offered to save her. I was very thankful as Morgan had been really good but I knew he was tiring as well. She bundled them into the wooden dug out and swam alongside it - pushing it along to take them back to the beach and then pointed to the best entry spot to the Blue hole. 

Oh my goodness.  What an incredible experience. At low tide, there were still  drop offs which were endless. I snorkelled around the caves and cove, feeling a bit nervous about being out by myself - and that the kids would be ok.  I was really torn as  the Blue hole was arguably the most incredible snorkelling experience I’d had.  Reluctantly - and again because I freaked myself out with the deeper water, I went back to shore, promising to take them both out the next day.

I returned immediately with a gift of my last pair of shoes for the lass who showed such kindness to the kids. She was pretty chuffed.

I treated myself to a hot rock massage which sounds alot more glamorous than it is believe me. Basically the masseur grabs a heated rock and pummels it into your skin. Its hot, really hot and if you flinch, she takes it away and says - oh too hot?  and grabs another - equally burning one and slaps it onto your skin.

I gushed so much about the Blue Hole, that after lunch we all walked back - even though it was the turn of the tide. Before we did, we decided to go to the pool for some intense lessons for kids on their snorkelling gear. 

Visibility was really poor due to the churning sand and it  made it difficult to make out shapes and the reef was too deep to appreciate the beauty I had seen only hours before.

We got out of our wet things and hit the golf course again. I loved it - not so  much as a game - but that we as a family were doing something together, chatting and having a good time. 

It was a pretty low key evening before we packed and were asleep by nine - I know unheard if! I can’t believe how much I have been sleeping .