But I Smile Anyway…

Well hello, again Peeps! Have you got that drink ready? My chai is waiting!

• If we were sipping chai together I’d sigh and possibly be looking for something stronger than a chai!
• If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that it’s been another week of fun at school. A four day week for the kids meant that we had to squeeze in plenty, to make sure all was covered, and another bout of short staffing meant Wednesday in particular, was rather trying, but, again, we coped, and I am still here!
• If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that Thursday, aka Valentines Day, was memorable for several reasons. I got feedback from my writer friend for my manuscript, and though there was plenty there that I could work with, there were some items that I found a little hard to stomach… But, I got over it! Then I was informed that my Brother in Law feeling great, so he wasn’t able to go to the function we were meant to be attending at the weekend, which in turn impacted upon our plans to go to my parents as a family. Hubby Dearest doesn’t get to go often and I was so happy he was coming with me, as were Pops and Mum, but because of this turn of events, he would now have to drive his parents, meaning they would head back home, leaving me and the kids to go to Birmingham. Simple.
• If we were sipping chai together I’d say I lied. Nothing is that simple, is it? On the same Valentines Day, Lil Man came home with a terrible headache and fever. This meant playing nurse to a teen who was even more grumpy than usual, and not agreeable to anything, trying to keep calm about our plans falling to pieces, and cooking a dinner to celebrate what should have been a romantic night… At least I got flowers!

• If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you that Friday was a training day for me with the Brilliant Doctor of Happiness, Andy Cope, and it was another inspirational session (yes, I bought another book…) And there was more computer-based training in the afternoon for all staff, which I had already done, but needed to assist the older members of my team with. Then we were done !

• If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know that Lil Man was still not well, so he’d been off school that day with his grandparents. I arrived home to find him on the sofa, not having eaten anything major all day, still burning up, and still suffering headaches. I was a little scared. He’d mentioned one of the lads hitting him on the back of the head a couple of days before (bants, they call it – I’m not sure if it was more being picked on…) And with his history of concussion, I was worried. At the course that day, another teacher had been talking about her son’s 14-year-old friend who got hit on the head, then lost the ability to walk for a while… We made the decision, with me getting rather emotional, that we wouldn’t go anywhere on the weekend, and if the headaches lasted until the next day, we would go to the hospital.
• If we were sipping chai together I’d confess I was so upset on Friday night I cried. It really hit me this week, how far I am from my parents, and that they aren’t getting younger. Pops had an investigative procedure on Sunday, and it seems to have been okay, but still, I wanted to see him and had been hoping to, before ill health had struck the household again. As I rang Mum to tell her of the change in plans, she was so calm and kept saying “Don’t worry, God willing, we will see each other soon.” That made me feel even worse… what if God had other plans…? Pops and Mum are also addressing the issue of advancing years by seriously considering downsizing their property, meaning a whole load of #KonMarie type sorting out happening there, and them looking at flats and bungalows…
• If we were sipping chai together I’d let you know I had to see Hubby Dearest off on Saturday morning, then checked up on the patient, whose fever seemed to have subsided, thank goodness. We spent a calm day watching films and when the kids were settled doing their own things, I started in earnest, to go through the wardrobes of the house, and I did really good! 15 bags of clothes cleansed from our cupboards! I spent around 3 hours doing that, and then got read of 14 of them on Sunday morning! There is one bag which was filled with Indian outfits that mum-in-law is taking to India, but the rest… gone! I need to get three large bags out from the attic to sort them out too, then it’ll all be done, clothes wise. There is still so much more to do though!

• If we were sipping chai together I’d tell you we had a chilled out Sunday too. After a leisurely lunch we popped into Bluewater Shopping Centre and had a wander around, picking up bits and pieces for Lil Princess’s birthday that is coming up, and my Father-in-Law’s too.

• If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d breathe a sigh of relief and say “Thank Goodness it’s Half Term!” A week off. But it’ll still be busy! Today I’ll be carless, as my car goes in for service (hopefully it won’t cost a bomb!) and we have dentist appointments. There will be hair and nail appointments, as well as get-togethers this week, to celebrate when that Lil Princess of mine turns 11 too… I’ll be wrapping presents soon!
• If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d tell you that I am also excited as I have spoiled myself with an All-New Kindle Paperwhite which should arrive later today, and I can start transferring my TBR list onto there, then wiping my old one clean to give to Lil Princess, so she can start her own collection!
• If we were sipping that chai together, and possibly reaching for cake or cookies I’d add that I’ll need to be on hand to help the in-laws back as the next time I speak to you over a cuppa, they will have flown to the Motherland for 6 weeks!

Have a wonderful week Peeps! Let me know how your week went!