22 Foxhole East

f0xh0les

Home schooling is killing me.   DS3 has nothing to do, virtually nothing - a few Utoob videos to watch, and read through a power point.  DS4 has masses.  They have scheduled the day, enough work to start at 8.20, through to 3pm.   There is very little time for fun, but we have still been out for our walk or they have gone out on their bikes and we have done a minimum of 5km just to get them to burn off some energy.  The problem is, I am getting nothing done.  I managed to sneak away for long enough to make a tray of coconut meringues,  all of 5 minutes, and make lunch while doing the washing up, the rest of the time I am doing homework with DS4.  DS2 was locked out of his school email, and m1cr0s0ft teams, so could not access anything.  One phone call and 3 minutes later he was in.   He had 2 teams lessons today ( he was playing on his xbox at the same time so I confiscated his controller until it was over - sneaky swine) but I wonder how long he  had been locked out for, he claims this is all new tech to him, and I did get an email from school to say they were expected to join in, which we have never had before, so I am just believing him this time.  Today's  psychology work was on  different kinds of amnesia,  he did not even make a joke about not being able to remember the lesson.  I despair!  My kids do not think I am funny.  

DS1 was also on teams today.  Finally, the day they cancel all the exams,  the kids get decent home teaching.   Un-flippin-real!

I am working tomorrow so cannot be full time teacher, DH is doing a Viva in the back room all day, so I am expecting to have to start with DS4 as soon as I get home.  Grrr.     Good job there is a weekend, or the work will never get done!  It is hard to motivate one kid to do his work, when there is a gobby 12 yr old with no work to do in the same room, wanting to chat and mock.

They reckon 1 in 50 people have the virus now. 2 % of the population. The death rate today is scary.  I need milk and coffee so will nip in early before the foodbank tomorrow morning.  Not wanting to go anywhere where people are, the park was so busy with dog walkers today we headed off into the wilderness  to try and tame squirrels and climb trees (DS3 was at least 25 feet up when I called him back) irresponsible mother that I am.  Anyway, school stuff is getting done, I have just finished hoovering the house, the supper dishes are not done, I have made a tray of scones for DH to throw at the kids if they become unruly tomorrow while he has to work.  There is whipped cream in the fridge, so they will not starve, and if they are horrid, dh can console himself with the scones, or drown himself in a hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows.     Either or.

Poor thing.  Anyway, the kids bikes had to be hosed down when we got home, so I made them do it, they were utterly horrified, but I made them do it anyway.  They wanted to go out, I went, it was freezing, I have barely sat down all day, and I am still doing laundry and will be doing it until 10pm.   I might be in a bit of a bad mood. 

f0xh0les

Hi @ChasingtheWelshdream nice to 'meet' you !

VintageHistorian

I'm exhausted just reading all that f0xh0les! Hope you have a restful evening!

greent

You have my total sympathies, f0xh0les- I have achieved diddly squat today with trying to sort 2 at school on totally differing lesson timetables. 4 people in this house were on Zoom/ Teams for lessons/ conference calls/ uni group work today for most of the day - trying to ensure that when moves for a break another is not disturbed and that youngest 'submits' all work online and fo housework, make food etc is hard (although I appreciate it sound it) - we just all need to find our way in this new situation. For the original 10 days was one thing  - for min 6 weeks, maybe 12 is another  entirely..  

greent

And you've reminded me that I have wet laundry still sat in the wm to deal with... ho hum

f0xh0les

me too @greent , where it can flippin' well sit until morning.

Wow, those crazy Americans huh?   

crazy_cat_lady

This home learning scenario is scarily familiar and completely exhausting, isn't it?
I wish I knew more about American politics because I would love to know if Trump can be locked up (either in prison or hospital) once this is all over. I wonder if he's even aware of the lies he constantly spouts?
Oh, and I think you're very funny, and I bet your kids do too

f0xh0les

Just back from volunteering, it has not gone above -3  here today.  The trees look utterly gorgeous with their frosting, but by 'eck it is ear-painfully cold. 

Busy session down at the foodbank, only one person was not a happy little soldier today, everyone else was lovely.

Bought my milk and coffee early on, 5 boxes of cereal slipped into my bag too, well, it is flippin' freezing and they might need a bit of sugar to motivate them to learn something.   The food budget so far for the year is  now £44.  

The weekend starts here for me, well, apart from the cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, diying, tidying, PE regime, and argument referee, but apart from that, I am free until Monday!  Woo hoo!

f0xh0les

Nearly caught up with the home schooling!  Need to take a cold frosty photo, finish making a placard, and record DS4 inciting his classmates to break the law.  After sending that to his teacher we are done for the week.

We steamed through a lot of work today, well, I mean it took him 4 x as long as if he had just sat down and done the work straight off without sneaking away, needing a cup of tea, losing his pen etc, but it was mostly all done by 2pm, so I was able to fold laundry at him and match socks, sort through a box of stuff, roast some BNS  and peppers etc while he was working. 

Carried on cleaning (the lesser known Carry on film) when he legged it, so the kitchen is cleaner and tidier, but still has 2 small cardboard boxes (A4 size) of tat I need to recycle or bin or put away.

Made 3 candles in short pr1ngles tubes - one of which has completely sunk in the middle  because  a whole section of it was hollow-I had banged it to remove any air bubbles, but it obviously had other ideas! will re-melt and remake tomorrow.  It has got rid of a half box of candle ends anyway, so technically it was tidying up (nods wisely, not believing a word of it).   I have just done the meter readings, so I know I am up at least 50% on energy usage from 2 months ago, so a couple of candles lit in the living room in the evenings will take the edge off what the central heating cannot cope with.   The rest of the house can be toasty, but I need to investigate the draught  from the double glazing, I might have to get my silicone sealant out again and give it all a quick squizz. The radiator in DS1s room has stopped working so he has my plug in radiator in there - we will take his rad off and bring it downstairs and flush it through with the garden hose to see if that makes a difference.  Not leaving the poor thing with no heating, it is odd as his brothers' rooms rads are all hot.  Suddenly DH's back is too bad to help do it. It will get done

Apart from that, nothing to report. Went out to post a letter but  otherwise,  just not a lot really ......Just being in the house, playing 'teaching prison guard',  feeding everyone, cleaning everything,  slowly making a difference, although I seem to be the only one who cares, but that just means I do not have to ask anyone else's opinion doesn't it?  Yes f0xh0les, that is just what it means.

I did end up with £80 left in the food budget this week.   So I shunted £25 off as another mortgage overpayment,  and  £25 to my credit card  as my car insurance is on there and the bill does not generate until 17th, so might as well knock a bit off it.  Then  I still have £31 left, so I am thinking, if I come in well under budget  on food next week too, I might buy a new sofa cover from The House of Swede - about £40 - to do the sofa in the living room and make it look like a new sofa, without the cost of a new sofa.

The fridge is full of BNS, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and broccoli from the ys raid on Monday night.  It will make up the majority of what I cook over the weekend, and I will be sure to buy a lot of sausages on Monday for the freezer.  Wraps, roast veg, hummus, and salad is a staple lunchtime meal and cheap as anything.  I need to give myself permission to just do a simple tomato pasta every now and again.  They are spoilt.  They should be happy with a sandwich and a piece of cake.  I recognise I am making a rod for my own back.  I will start souping at lunchtime - who could object to a Thai Butternut soup? A tomato soup? A veg soup or a veg stew (with or without dumplings), miso noodle soup,  sweetcorn soup,  cauliflower cheese soup - broccoli cheese soup -  a dahl soup...... Oh Thank you all!  You have just enabled me to clear my mind enough to make a plan.  I will have a rotating soup plan at lunchtime.  That will save me so much time.  Oh, you lot are good!

crazy_cat_lady

Hey f0xh0les
I know you are a DIY genius so I apologise if I appear patronising here. Have you double checked the valve on DS1 radiator?
One of mine had stopped working, it was fixed in less than 5 mins with a pair of pliers and some oil.