7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol 131)

1
We’ve started back with swimming lessons this week after six months off.  We’re so impressed with Jack Jack, he is confident, he is capable and he is enthused, such a different situation from last season!!  His teacher is also astounded:)  Jelly Bean has picked up easily and Princess has been promoted to C squad, swimming for an hour and a half at a time!!

2
With the swimming season begun and the promise of a hot, hot summer to come we’ve been fantasizing pools again, checking ebay daily.  The cost of an above ground is achievable it’s the cost of the fence that is the killer.  Perhaps we should focus on making the swimming area at the dam more appealing.

3
Found and used a great tip from Pinterest last week.  Drop some bi-carb soda into the water when boiling eggs and the shells come off easily.

4
Our run of dramas continued this week with the washing machine dying.  Our repair man said it was time for a new pump but it would take four days to arrive.  After envisaging mountains of washing with much going mouldy I appealed to my very dear friend Margaret who generously and bravely said “come every day, no problem!”  Isn’t she a wonder!  This was yesterday, today well… do you believe in everyday miracles?  I do, they happen frequently, today the repair man was back with a pump!!!  He’d ordered it yesterday and it arrived today!!!  Machine is working again and the mountain is slowly descending.

5
Reflecting upon small children and toys in a large family I realise it is different to when we had a smaller number of children. The simple fact is that our younger boys don’t play with toys a great deal, they have people to play with, big brothers and sisters to chase, to jump, slide and hang out with.  Toys mostly gather dust, which does make present giving a challenge.

6
Once again as we re-evaluate our screen time and impose even shorter availability time we’ve been rewarded with an incredible surge of creativity; screen time decreases and creativity increases.  This week sketching is all the rage, from the teens down to the four year old.  We are very, very impressed with the talent and the time dedicated to this pursuit.

7
Following a discussion with a couple of friends regards expectations and writing skills I’ve ‘upped my requirements’ for an emerging writer and been happily surprised with the results.  A few tears were shed at first but we pushed through and our writer feels a huge sense of accomplishment.

Visit Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes.