First weeks in different jobs

Our phone has been fixed but our internet is still not working. So here we are again at Sharlene's parents place catching up on all our unchecked emails, forwarded snail mail, and try to give you an indication of what we've been up to over the last 2 weeks. 


Firstly, Sharlene has begun her teaching. She has a yr 8 class, two yr 9 classes, and a yr 11 class. She is teaching both math and science and a vocational education subject. She also has a yr 10 role class. She has been coming home quite tired and sometimes quite stressed as well. We have had some growing pains, trying to get Azariah to take to a bottle for his day feeds and for him to feel comfortable with dad putting him to bed, but generally all those things are sorting themselves out well. 


I have spent my time, washing, cleaning, cooking, folding clothes, helping Zemmy with his language or relaxing. 


I and the boys went for a walk down to the 'Front beach' last Wednesday and we sat and watched the seagulls fight over some hot chips thrown to them by another family. Zemmy loved the sea gulls so much that he even ignored the many butterflies that breezed by. Not only that, but there were also about 20 black cockatoos resting in the tree above us and their relaxed calls uplifted me. On Thursdays, a parent group called Mainly Music is run. It started this week for the year and it was quite good. It is run by one of the mums from Bowen church and held in the sabbath school rooms. What a fantastic outreach to the community! I met a lot of parents there, even some of the parents of students that are possibly in Sharlene's classes. 


One of the most amusing things that occurred last week was when a teacher of Bowen school (just out our back door) began calling out for help. She had inadvertently locked herself into her storeroom. Because it was a Saturday, it was unlikely other teachers would be around. Luckily, we heard her and I let her out. We got to talking for a while after that and it turns out that Sharlene teaches two of her kids. 


Diesel has made himself into an escape artist again. He has found (or made) a hole in the back fence and escaped into the school grounds on several occasions - usually when we have left the house. He still pines and even cries when we have gone. I have since patched up the hole, so hopefully it was the only one.


Under our house it is dark and damp. We've had a lot of rain recently and the mosquitoes are LOVING it. But we are not loving them. In fact, it is my daily ritual, after farewelling Sharlene, to take my can of bug spray and re-declare war on those little flying vampires every morning. There have been casualties on both sides (I have had more bites than I can count). Now the rain has gone for a while, and in the sun the humidity is oppressive. Azariah is coping very well with the heat, and so am I to a degree, but both Sharlene and Zemiel have heat rash. All this week, Zem has been covered from toe to nose in painful red welts. Both boys are enjoying their bath time.


I've started to toilet train Zemmy. I am trying to get him over his phobia of peeing into the potty. I hope that today I had some success. Zem holds it in rather than going in the potty, but today, he stayed on the potty until he could hold it no longer. Hopefully, it is a positive step. He is wearing underwear in the mornings now instead of nappies. 


I will try to post again tomorrow if I find the time.