i'm free!

monday was my last day at the office. they're keeping me on call for consulting but i'm officially done. nirvana!! today i spent the day homeschooling the kids and not once we we interrupted by the phone, fax or the next big crisis at work. it was great. the kids deserve my full attention and i feel the massive ball of work responsibility i've been carrying around leave now that it's not my problem any more. *la la la*

ian's new obsession is musicals. i ordered singin' in the rain for him and he stood in front of the tv just enthralled by it. he's so friggin cute. if anybody knows any good musicals that are suitable for a 3 year old (no sex or violence please) let me know. he's thankfully outgrown the boobah phase and now he's all about real musicals. i took him to the optometrist because he's been squinting lately and wonder of wonders, he needs glasses. i'd figured as much. elisabeth was about the same age when she got glasses. my poor near sighted kids, one more thing they inherited from their geeky mum.

i've been reading anne robinson: memoirs of an unfit mother. i'm halfway through it and i find myself feeling very unsympathetic towards her. it's her autobiography and how she lost custody of her then 2 year old daughter. she's not a bad mother, it's just her job and alcohol were more important. i'm trying to reserve judgment but it's not easy. the sad thing is, this happened. these are real people with real lives, which just makes it more horrible. i think i'll read a nice fluffy book after this one.

bad mum

i loathe going into the office every day. i seriously considered hiding under my desk if one more person knocked on my door. i spent the rest of the day combing through a mountain of emails and returning calls. where all they came from is beyond me. i was *supposed* to be on vacation last week and therefore immune to the deluge of emails i usually get.

on the homefront, we've taken a break from schooling for the year. elisabeth was happy to hear that. she's still continuing with her reading but no new lessons until january. matt is off from school until then, so the girls are getting a break as well.

i feel like i'm being a bad mum. i haven't had time to cook/bake for them and they're eating junk. no time for games or crafts or reading or cuddling. i have such guilt when i'm not home. i hear about their day rather than being able to experience it with them. i hate that.

this is something that made me realise there are more important things in the world than my selfish desires.

Stephen Ringold is a clown facing a tough audience -- a sick child in a hospital room who needs holiday cheer. For a few minutes, Stephany Nieto sits on her mother's lap, suspiciously eyeing the tall man with the red-and-white checkered shoes half-hiding behind the curtain. Smiling doesn't come easily to the little girl, who her mother says is being examined for a serious illness called moyamoya, an rare inflammation of the brain arteries that can cause seizures and paralysis.

But for a few moments, something whimsical captures her attention.

As Ringold -- a.k.a. Dr. Meatloaf -- stoops to pick up something, his ukulele-playing partner played by Phyllis Capello plants a hard slap on his behind with her instrument. Suddenly, Stephany is giggling and ordering Capello to plant another hard one on his back side.

it helps to keep things in perspective, doesn't it?

free bunnies!

when i left the house this morning it was pouring out and it looked like pea soup. i took a couple of pics from the ferry. and i survived the trip there and back again. the ship didn't sink, that's always a good thing.

look what was waiting for me in my office today:

3 easter bunnies for the babes! thank you, kind soul.