It’s quite a nice thing to have series of days divided into months. If you are having a bad time on the whole, at least when a new month starts you can hope for a better go this time. And if you’ve been having a good time you can feel quite pleased at having overall a good month under your belt when the next one starts. Either way, the first of each month feels like a mini-New Year, a fresh start, full of opportunity to do life a little better than before.

Our January was good, and I want that on the (personal) record to refer to later on. When the inevitable mishaps, sicknesses, upsets etc that come with families occur at least I will remember that we got a great start to the year and can hope to finish it that way as well.

I’ve been enjoying writing articles for The Catholic Weekly. Last week it was an interview with young doctor Andrew Brazier who will soon be sailing solo across the Pacific from Sydney to Los Angeles to raise $100,000 for indigenous literacy. A couple of other publications ran stories on him too, but we got by far the best photo. And the best quotes about how being on the ocean connects him to God.

Our little one started kindy last Thursday. Despite the expectation of his teacher (see above photo) I didn’t cry. I was too busy! I expect some sadness or heavy nostalgia will hit me later on, but mainly I am just glad and proud and – most of all – grateful that we have managed to bring all five children through their early childhood years in one piece and – for the most part – happily.

Now it’s been a full week since all the kids have been at school. The little one’s excitement has given way to tears in the mornings as the reality is sinking in. It is nicer to stay in the comfortable preschool environment for three days a week and with home for the other four. Plus learning all the ins and outs of a new school and making new friends etc. every day must be pretty exhausting. He has a great teacher (who gave the parents a small lolly bag with the note pictured above on the first morning) and at least one good friend so hopefully he’ll settle soon.