Prep Transition Ends

Beth starts full-day school from tomorrow.

That's 8.30 am to 3.10 pm, with lunch and snack time and a generous playtime of 1 hour.

On top of that, she's got Jazz/Tap class on Tue after school, Yamaha Junior Music Course on Sat mornings and Chinese class on Sat afternoons.

All in, her schedule is pretty full on for a 5 y.o.

We keep adjusting her bedtime to see what's the ideal amount of sleep for her.

When she's tired - and she has been SO tired since she started school - she gets grumpy, irritable, defiant and really tests the boundaries.

Only one cure: put her to bed early so she gets plenty of shut-eye and transforms back into sweet Beth in the morning.

That's the advice of moms who've been there done that, and we see no reason to doubt its effectiveness after trying it ourselves.

So now Beth goes to bed like any regular Aussie kid: latest 8.30 pm.

Where Have All The Hours Gone?

I thought I would have more time now that Beth has started school.

Instead, this week has been a study in frenzied activity.

Everyday, we leave home at 7.45. I drop CA off at the train station, drop Beth off at school before 8.30, then drive home to have breakfast and prepare lunch. At 11.30, it's time to pick Beth up again.

Everyday, there's been some errand to run.

Go to the Admin Office to hand in a form for the Principal's endorsement.
Go to the Admin Office to pick up form when ready.

Go to VicRoads to get my driver's licence redone so the name appears in the accepted format:
First Name - Middle Name - Family Name

This is necessary for Australia Post to do the 100-point identity check so they can issue me with a Working With Children Check that lets me be a volunteer at school (a Police/Justice Dept requirement).

Unfortunately, I get tangled up in conflicting red tape requirements. AusPost won't take my Sg passport name as printed, and VicRoads won't reissue my licence without a cert from the Registrar of Births and Deaths!

Great.

Yesterday, I finally got round to taking Beth to our regular hairdresser in Werribee. I've never driven there on my own, and was a bit apprehensive. It went alright. Kim was pleased to see us, and I was pleased Beth and I got a nice haircut to last us another 8 weeks.

Meanwhile, the ironing basket is overflowing and the house is starting to acquire that sloppy look, because when J's awake, she wants my full attention. That means lots of cuddles, b/feeding, doing puzzles together.

It's a wonder I get anything done at all.

Baby Babbles

J is so vocal and chatty.

I reckon she's going to out-talk her sis very soon.

I've been teaching her to say Please when she wants something, and Thank You when she gets it.

She can't manage Please at all, but several times, she's uttered something that sounded very like Thank You.

It's incredible. She can't form the syllables, but she can mimic the tones, so you know exactly what she's trying to say - if you listen carefully.

My hubby thinks I'm being overly enthusiastic and imagining things.

One time, J handed me a toy in my cousin's presence, and accompanied her gesture with That Sound, and my cousin went, "Did she just say Thank You??"