Fluffy Comes for a Sleep-Over

A few weeks ago, Fluffy went to live with Emily. From that point on, Best Friend #1 had four guinea pigs, BF#2 had a bunny, and Tara has a big fat devastating NOTHING. Predictably, Mummy, "It's not FAAAAIIIIIR!" Tara begs her way through all conceivable (reasonable) animals, from "dog" to "goldfish in a bowl" - but with that horrible, horrible mum of hers, it's just not happening.
Tara reminisces, "Oh, I remember the time when we had a caterpillar for a pet. He sat in his jar, ate a lot and pooped a lot. I took him to school. It was SUCH fun," and I feel a bit bad about the whole dilemma.
But then, hurray, Emily goes on holiday and we register first dibs on all bunny pet sitting opportunities, from now until all eternity, and Tara is much happier. "Mummy, it's like Fluffy has TWO homes now, one with Emily and one with US!"
We're a bit more like a holiday home, I point out, but Tara is much happier and spend the best part of the long weekend in question sat in front of the cage.

"Hello Emily? Yes, Fluffy is happy."

Fluffy came; Fluffy looked adorable; Fluffy pooped for England; Fluffy ate dandelion ("His favourite food! It's like sweeties to me!") and newspaper; fluffy turned his living salad over, dug his way through its soil and ate some of that too; Fluffy tried to do a runner (cue Tara: howl) but was not too comfortable under his cage once we started waving the broom up and down under it; Fluffy makes for the most unspectacular photo opportunities - and after a few happy days, The Fluffster went home.

Handsome Fluffy Fluffster

At that, the fun is not over. Leo - who's been playing along, but not quite with the same enthusiasm as Tara, pipes up now, very concerned about the business of having a pet, and wanting to know if Fluffy will come back.
"...What about Easter, will Fluffy come back at Easter?"
"At Easter, that's the Easter bunny who comes to visit and hides treats, not Fluffy."
"I don't want a bunny that gives food to people; I want a pet amlial!... For my birthday, I want to go to the pet shop."
"Why?" (Leo is big on sentences that start with "For my birthday". They are his favourite statements since last November, roughly.)
"To buy an amlial. Maybe a dog."
"Leo, we can't have a dog. There's no room in the house. We have nowhere to put a pet."
"But Mummy! Some amlials like the dark. They can stay in the dark..." He thinks briefly, "I want to buy a monster!"

We're not buying a monster. As soon as he said it, he knew it, too. "I meant a toy monster, Mummy!" We're not buying a bunny either. Or a goldfish. And no horses, Tara, no horses, even when it's really really mean to deny a kid the only one big number one wish they have put on their birthday list.

Tara Bookworm Gratuates from Infant School

Oh oh oh... why do all good things have to end? Tara is counting down her remaining days at school, but it's not so much in anticipation of the summer; rather it's in horror of how little time is left at her beloved school, with her beloved teachers, and all her friends.

Transition day at her new school was a success though, I was utterly delighted with the welcome we received and so excited about all the after school clubs on offer that I nearly signed her up to the max I could fit into a week, without so much as consulting her. (In the end we agreed on Arts and Craft, Yoga, Lego and German for a start.) And what an emotional moment (that stretched on for about 3 hours in which I could have burst into tears at a second's notice from the sheer stress of it) when the children were called up for their new class, and first her one best friend got up, then the other... how utterly devastating it would have been to not see her join them... heck, who wants a surname starting with V anyways... at R, the queue of kids looked so long I felt they could not possibly be calling any more up and started counting those what-looked-like-60-kids-to-me (but were just under 30)... and finally, second to last, Tara got up and... well, her emotional and social wellbeeing was guaranteed for the next four years, from where I stand!

At school, Tara has prepared a road map for her schooling ahead.

What has changed about me from Year R to Year 2?
When I was in year R I was much less confident than I am in year 2. At year R I was not able to read but that has changed and I am now  very good at reading.

How would you like to be by the end of Year 6 at Junior School? What is your target?
at the end of Junior School I would like to be able to read out loud because I am really good at reading in my head but I am not so good at reading out loud because I run out of breath.

What will you change about your behaviour to make it even better?
I would like to get better at listening on the carpet because sometimes I fidget with Emily and I miss some words out.


Question to Mum: Are you looking forward to the summer?
It will be such a relief not having to police my girl's bedroom any more, to try and get her to sleep at a reasonable time (being before 9pm preferable, not 11pm) instead of falling asleep with her nose in a book.
That said, my lovely term-time-only contract has been terminated and I'm joining the crowd of parents who send their kids to summer camp. Rephrase: Due to changes in mum's employment situation (which are, of course, preferable to unemployment) Tara and Leo are joining the crowd of kids who go to holiday camp for so many weeks a year.
Changes all around.