Diary Entry

1.44 pm Boy do I have a headache. I'd blame it on the kids, but I woke up with it this morning. I even skipped my EU law lecture because of it. My research methods seminar didn't make it any better, but at least I understand what I'm doing. Anyone who can use a computer can do what we're doing. Poor Emma hates computers, so she's not enjoying it at all. I'm not enjoying it, but I'm tolerating it.

Jack didn't want to come with me when I picked the boys up from their dad's. I finally got him to tell me why. He wanted some time away from Ricky. Now that he's here, he's happy again. He's on the couch tormenting the dog at the moment.

I had another weird dream last night. Nothing new there. This one was a long one, too:

There was a tall, blond absolutely gorgeous guy that I met at uni. I haven't got a clue where all the places are I went in the dream, but I did a lot of driving around, and he followed me everywhere I went. At one point someone told me his name was "David", which was weird because I remember thinking, "I didn't know your name was David" (in the dream, obviously) but we'd already progressed to the kissing/cuddling stage of the dream. People thought he was my husband, and I kept telling myself I couldn't cheat on my husband, so I didn't, but there was a lot of sexual tension in the dream. That's the best part to me anyway, in dreams or in real life. There was a funny part where we were driving and my car broke down. When I pulled over, his wife (yep, he was married too) pulled up behind us, jumped out, and asked if I was Shawna McCoy. That was funny because there really is a Shawna McCoy at uni -- she's one of the criminology lectures, and she's Canadian. The wife thought I was her because of my American accent, and she wanted to know if I was Shawna because David was supposedly having an affair with her, which he wasn't really. David didn't even know Shawna because he wasn't in any of my criminology modules.

Anyway, a typically weird Melinda dream. Still, I enjoyed it, and that could be part of the reason why I didn't want to wake up to go to EU law!

I'm going to go into town for my haircut tomorrow. I haven't chickened out. I just need to wash it, and since I slept late this morning I didn't have a chance. I could do it now and go, but the headache is annoying me so I'll wait. I'm going out with Shell tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday, and I want to have it done before then.

6.21 pm I've napped all afternoon, yet again, apart from when I've had a few cuddles from Jack. He was complaining of a headache, so he's been laying down as well. Malorie has been doing her teen attitude thing again. She asked if she could cook some pasta for Ricky, Jack and herself. Jack said he wanted a Pot Noodle, and Ricky said he wanted pasta. She decided that she wanted a Pot Noodle, so she made Ricky one (they're much easier to make than pasta and she realised she couldn't be bothered), and of course, he doesn't want it. She thinks it's funny. She has also supposed to have been spending today revising for her GCSEs. Has she? Hardly. She just showed me the manicure she's been giving herself this afternoon. I spent over £20 on revision guides for her in most of the subjects she's taking.

Braden better not tell me he's feeling worse tomorrow. He was already out playing this afternoon when I got home, and he's had a bad cough for the past couple of days. He sounded terrible this morning. If I'd been home when he asked to go out, I would have said no. Now he wants to go to indoor football training. I've told him he can since it's inside, but he better not tell me he's sick tomorrow! He did get up and clean the kitchen this morning before I ever got up. And that's without being asked!

I've got to do lots of studying next week to make up for being away the week after. Yuck. Oh well. Best to get it done instead of rushing to do it when I get back. At least the Monday following my trip I don't have any classes.

8.34 pm The boys were sent up to bed early since they didn't seem to be able to calm down. I even sat them down to make Valentines Cards, but Ricky ended up putting glue glitter on Jack's hands. I think some of it ended up on the dog.

9.31 pm Another drama with Malorie. She has a habit of "forgetting" to do things she's asked to do. She probably really does forget because I'm absent-minded myself. Twice today I've had to go hunting for a glass of Pepsi I'd just poured myself. This time she got an attitude on because we asked her why she didn't take the dog for a walk like she said she was going to, why she didn't post the letters I asked her to (which the answer to was fairly obvious -- she was going to do that when she walked the dog since she would be going past the letter box), and why she didn't revise for her exams when she said that's what her plan was for today. She gave herself a manicure and did her hair instead. She got her "report card" yesterday since year 11s break up early for study leave, and she seems to think that because her grades were acceptable, she doesn't need to do anything else. She still has to take the actual exams, her coursework is only a part of it. I say her grades were "acceptable". She passed all her subjects, but those marks wouldn't have made my dad happy if I'd brought them home. Still, all her teachers said she performed to the best of her ability. If she's not academic, she's not academic. Braden, on the other hand, says all his marks are between A-C, where Malorie's were between D-G. Braden is academic, and I know what he's capable of.

Well, at the end of the day, as much as I complain about my teenagers and their attitudes and the two little guys and their hyperactivity, they're really good kids. I don't have many sleepless nights because of them, which makes me lucky compared to a lot of parents. Malorie worries me sometimes, but one of these days she'll mature. I hope.