Energy

And so we begin again another term and this term another teacher (and a new haircut, new school shoes, new lunch box and more pencils). Thomas has had such a lot of change this year, but he was originally thrilled at the thought of having a male teacher…nine days in he is not so sure as he is finding him very strict (strickt). And so, we are talking regularly about how nice his previous teacher (who he complained about regularly!) really was after all.

Starting the term and the daily during the week challenges of balancing getting to and from school and work, doing homework and sport and music practice has been made considerably easier because shhhh (don’t anyone say a word) Al is sleeping. All night. Regularly.

This meant that we have all had so much more energy and general goodwill in our home. I have even joined (in fact pretty much offered to run) the brand new band committee at school.

Our new found energy is best demonstrated by the fact on that on the weekend we headed out on the weekend for our twice annual trip to Ike@.

It always starts like this …

Me: we have no tea towels have to remember to buy some next time we go to Ike@.
Her: must remember that broken lamp in our room to and replace it next time we go
Me: and didn’t we want to get some more of those covers for the cushions?
Her: Hmmm we will have to go soon

This conversation is repeated occasionally building to often until we have a list of things (wrapping paper and ribbon, tea towels, tea light candles, hand towels for the bathroom and other things that for some reason we break regularly – like bedside lamps) that we tend to buy in bulk from Ike@.

We always get there somehow like this …

Eventually there is a tip over conversation.

This weekend’s was like this:

Me: We really should get Al a small set of chair and tables that we can have him sit on so he can be doing his drawing and eat snacks there.
Her: Yeah I think that is a good idea, but I didn’t really like those ones we saw (at the local furniture place)
Me: Me neither. I think the ones from Ike@ are so easy to look after. We don’t want to feel fussed about what happens to it.
Big him: Don’t forget you promised we could get a rug for my room, they have nice ones at Ike@ don’t they?
Me (in an aside to her) Gawd I think we promised that 2 years ago
Her: (grimace) You could be right
Me (in a louder voice): Shall we go in the morning?

When we get there it is always like this:

Me: (as we drive into the car park) Gawd we aren’t the only ones here are we
Her: No what were we thinking on a Sunday morning
Me: I think I had this idea of whipping in and out
Her: That isn’t an idea it is a fantasy. A fantasy. We really need to check in with each other about these things before we actually head out in the car.

Followed by:

Walking around the long winding pathway, dizzy with the options and quantity of people and stuff that is Ike@
Big him: Hey Mum can I take Al down the slide?
Me: Did you bring the list?
Her: (grinning) Nup
Me: (grinning) me neither

And:

Her: Is all of Sydney here?
Me: Pretty much
Big him: I can’t decide between the orange or the red or the cream one with long bits (shag)
Me: Poor carpet deprived child needs shag

It always ends like this:

Me: God I have to get out of here I will never get those lost hours of wandering in the wilderness that is Ike@ back in my life
Her: Nup they are gone, vanished
Big him: Oh no we forgot X Y and Z, shall we go back?
Me and Her: I need 12 months to recover first darling
Big him: Jinx

Then we get home, we put the things we have bought away or put things in the things we have bought. We look at Al on his little stool and chairs and think ‘how cute’ we pull out non-stained non-falling apart tea towels from the draw. It fades...We forget. And then it starts again….