Old Habits ...

I swear, I need a keeper!! Just as I think I have come to my senses and dropped every responsibility I have, I jump in with both feet to several MEGA activities and all without the blink of an eyelid!

Read Around the World for the elementary kids at AISC - I have visions of massive maps and facts and rewards and t-shirts and tote bags or book bags etc etc. I have NO idea how I am going to manage all this, but I am on the slippery slope and have to slalom down as slowly as possible!

There's the Double Decker Club - gung ho with planning for that as the first meeting is planned for Sept 27th ... not far away at all! Again - t-shirts, folders, totes, badges etc.

Then the President of the OWC managed to collar me and asked if I would just help a bit. I agreed and then she told me that it was with sponsorship for the Ball, ticket sales, helping organise Halloween arts and crafts, sorting out the Trick or Treat and starting off the planning for the Santa Brunch. Did the fool in the pink tank say NO.... duh!! I am now eyeball deep in trying to plan and coordinate all the above and the main point here is that my Darling comes back to Chennai early Sunday morning. Then he needs full on attention for a few days!

I guess the old habits of volunteering and not being able to say no die hard!

So a couple of days of freedom have passed. I am coming to the conclusion that I am a workaholic! Okay, so I don't get paid, I don't have an office and actually I don't even have a job! But I obviously NEED to keep myself occupied.

I have bitten my nails, eaten chocolate, baked cookies, brownies and cakes, invited a couple of people over and gone out more this week than in the last month! Clearly I cannot just sit still and do nothing! I watched the television for about an hour and then gave up the fight and switched the boring noise off! I went for a walk, cleared out my cupboard, sorted old shoes out, read books with Rhea, wrote a letter and made umpteen lists about nothing!

So when a friend called me and said come over for a cuppa - I went hours earlier than she had said and caught her making pom-poms with her girls! she tolerated my interruption and we talked about a new club for kids. We talked about teaching our kids about British culture, history and life. We brainstormed, googled, searched and smiled. We talked, watched a James Bond clip and smiled wider! Eventually I left her and went to finish errands, but I was stimulated, smiling and starting to make the Double Decker's a success.

I had a brief flash of inspiration months ago that we should get the kids in the elementary school Read Around the World. I dreamt of a massive map of the world and kids pictures on thumb tacks moving across this flat globe! I imagined passports, visa stamps, factoid sheets, quiz questions and little treasure prizes. A Forever Friend got as excited as I was and offered to help. She left. I am still going to do this - it just seems a little much at the moment.

I think I will start with making the map and see how far I get!