Sudokuaholics Anonymous 3

Well, if that was dinner, I've had it!

Maen to sudokuland! I toast you with toast and coffee!! No need for a weather report here, same as the last 10 days, hot and getting hotter! Humidity is up again and we have a heat advisory again, this time lsting till midnight tonight. that just shows it is not cooling down at night, not a good thing.

'A heat advisory means that a period of hot temperatures is expected. ( heat index of 110+ and nighttime temps staying above 75 degrees, for our area heat advisory. It changes local to local, according to what is 'normal' for the area) The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible. Drink plenty of fluids... stay in an air-conditioned room... stay out of the sun... and check up on relatives and neighbors.'

Thought I would see what everyone has been up to today. Have just been doing some cooking for the trading table at bowls tomorrow so this is a sit down break for me.
Brenda I noticed a lot of wasps around when we were in Marlow. Is it the time of the year or did the rain bring them out, or maybe the sunshine after all the rain!!!!?

Hi MizTricia, Glad to see someone else about.
We had a nice day but a cool breeze this afternoon. But we are still in winter so should not complain. Took MIL to lunch and sat looking over part of Sydney Harbour. Very nice.

Just missed Gail and MizTricia by a whisker! Not much point in talking to myself.

June, MizT, I am lurking around so if you feel like a chat, I will pop in from time to time to see if you come back in. I've just put the kettle on...
Oh alright! Let's be honest shall we. I've just popped the cork on a bottle of bubbly, ok. If it's too early for you, I'll leave some in the fridge for later.

Like you gail, just pop back now and gain to see if anyone about. Enjoy your bubbly! Bit late for me I would join you earlier in the evening.

Fair enough June. I'm just page hopping tonight. You seem to have a lot on again. Have you recovered from yesterday?

Yesterday was great. The party went well. 6 two tear olds and 12 adults in a large scout hall. The kids made their own game pushing the small chairs around, I had plastic fish in a bucket with a couple of inches of water. They were supposed to fish with a magnet on the end of the pole but they just stirred the water or fished hem out by hand. Kept them amuzed for ages. we also blew bubbles and had enough food, especially if you like tomato sauce on your cake!!!
Had a good nights sleep last night and a nice lunch today.

Generally try to read before I hit submit but made a bit of a hash typing the above!!

That's all right June. I understood it perfectly!
Isn't it always the same with kids. They have more fun with the box that the pressies come in than the pressies themselves. The same applies with the 'fun' we arrange for them to have. As you said, they had a hoot pushing the kiddy chairs around. Great idea to hire the hall.

I think I might make for bed. Bowls tomorrow so have to be up earlier than normal. Not much of a bowler but enjoy the social side of meeting people.
Talking of pressies. I got Laura some things for her sand pit and she decided the plastic bucket was a hat and wore it on her head when she was home today.

Good morning all! Looks like it is going to be hot and humid today with a chance for rain. At least the weekend was beautiful. Just a few morne days before Brendan leaves for college and I'm getting a bit anxious.

Good night June! Sorry I missed you!

Hi Gail, enjoyed the bubbly, tho a bit early here!

Hi Stella. How's the back-to-school preps going?

Night June. Crackerjack!

When D#1 went to college, she had everything organized, she already had orientation so we knew what to expect and we had packed all summer. With S#1, he did not have orientation yet, he did not organize anything and nothing has been packed!! It must be a boy thing because I talked to my two sisters and their sons aren't ready either.

Hubby says to let him sink or swim, but then he is the first one to say we need to pay for their school supplies since they are paying for their own college expenses. I just don't want to be caught at the last minute running around trying to get everything! Some of the sales are fantastic - 10 pack of pens for .05cents at Staples!

Gail, when do your two get their next break from school? Is D#2 getting ready to graduate? D#3 is in 8th grade?

Oh Stella, it is definitely a boy thing! My son, his girlfriend and some friends spent the day recently up at the snow. They slept here the night before because we are closer. My son whinged about the amount his g/friend had packed for the overnight stay, if it had been up to him, he would have just had the clothes on his back! As it turned out, he was extremely grateful for the dry clothes she had packed for him at the end of the day!!!

I agree with your hubby's way of looking at it. Even if he doesn't know exactly what he will need, it is up to your son to get himself organised, seeing as he will have to learn to become very independent when he goes away to school.

Talking about school holidays, it feels like they only just went back and already I am making appointments for the next hols in September! It is D#2's last year at school but I think she will be lucky to get through by the skin of her teeth. Unfortunately, she is one of the generation that it is much more important to be liked and popular than to be studious. There is still hope with D#3 who is in Yr8.

The problem with that is, we're leaving early Friday morning and he'll come to me Thursday night and say he needs ..... and since hubby promised that we would get them their supplies, I'll be stuck scrambling! I'm going to give him a deadline of tomorrow, after that he's out of luck!!

Gail, is the school they go to small or large? My kids went to a small private school, less than 300 students all together for 6 grades, 7 - 12.

It seems the only way to deal with them isn't it? I say to the kids if your dirty clothes aren't out in the laundry by a certain time they wont get washed. You can bet your bottom dollar that one of them, who shall remain nameless, will come out after I have finished saying this must be washed. That's when I point to the wash trough and tell them to wash it themselves, by hand!

D#2 is going to a school that is bigger, still small by public school standards, but will have 350 students for 4 grades, 9 - 12 (although they call them ''Forms'' - she'll be Third Form).

That's a good one Gail! I'll have to remember that.

Do your kids get a long break during summer like we do here? (8 - 10 weeks)

They go to the local high school that has I think about 1000 students.

The summer break is the Christmas holidays for us. That is the end of our school year. Generally school finishes about a week or two before Christmas and then goes back at the end of January so really only a six week break. More than enough in my opinion! The school year is then broken up into 4 'terms', between each is another two week break.

That's a big school for a rural area! Does it feed from all of the area towns? Here our school districts are pretty big and include several towns. This area used to be rural farm and forest area but now is a booming suburb. The school districts should have been divided but they didn't want to give up the tax base. The school district just south of us is huge and probably has 3000 kids in the high school alone!

Before we moved to Victoria, we lived in a small town very similar to where we are now. It only had a primary school (yr prep to 7). There were only 100 children going there at the time, I believe there are only about 70 now. It has faced closure many times because of the low numbers.

They've talked about going to 4 terms with the breaks in between, but nothing has happened. I think the kids would do better with a 2 week break in between each term! We have a lot of little holidays: 3-day weekends, Thanksgiving (4-5 days off), 1 - 1/2 weeks at Christmas, a week winter break and a week spring break.

It does have a large feeder area. Many travel by bus from some distances. We aren't too far from other schools but this one is the closest to us.

You're up late Gail! I forgot that it was so late where you are!

I think I prefer our system of holidays, much more routine than the breaks you talk of. Much too hoge-podge!
Originally, the school year use to be made up of only 3 terms, still with two week holidays in between. Back then, the Chrissy break was longer. That's going back a few years now, can't remember when it changed.

Don't usually go to bed before midnight Stella. Hubby has tomorrow off so we will have a slow start to the day. Just have to get up to get the girls ready for school, take them, then the day is our own!

In fact, I'm just staying up to wish him in 13 minutes.

School time is a two-edged sword. I'm glad they're in school and out of the house during the day, but then I have to worry about school uniforms, sports uniforms, school events and sports games. We really go nonstop during the school year. Summer vacation is as much a time for me to veg out as it is for the kids to do so. Although, this school year will be different with only one home! (Although, he probably needs the most attention!)