Hello! I have missed you.
It has been a hectic few months since I last posted. Regular readers will know that we put our house on the market many many many months ago – rather later than we hoped so we missed the traditional housebuying spring market. Despite quite a few viewings and a couple of offers it didn’t sell. However it looks as though we might have a buyer now, so I hope our move is all going to go smoothly. I also hope it means I’ll be spending less of my time scrubbing, tidying and removing all evidence of us actually living here (and you will have NO idea how long that takes me!) every time somebody comes round to look at the house. There is a beautiful moment when we come back in the house after the prospective buyer and agent have finished the viewing and left and everything looks so clean, positively gleaming in the sunshine, and it looks like the sort of house you really actually might want to live in.
Then, four children and six minutes later, my hard work has been demolished and it looks like it always did.
First up on my list now if I win the lottery: employing somebody just to keep the house looking beautiful.
The other major project on the go at the moment is the 11+. My eldest is knuckling down to the preparation for his exam later in the year as well as any boy can knuckle down to extra work on top of a pretty long school week. All I can say about the 11+ is that it is a lot of work – for us both. If he passes, it will very definitely have been a team effort! As I keep telling him: ‘I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it‘ (an Art Williams’ quote) and I even bore myself with the number of times I say it to keep our flagging souls toiling away at Area and Perimeter, Compound Words and Letter Sequences. Any fellow-11+ parents (past, present or future) please say hello! And please let me know how you are getting on! I am posting some of the things I have typed up to help Harry in the Eleven Plus Exam Printables category for anyone else to download if you are interested.
So it is busier than I would like but life is moving forward and hopefully this year is going to be one of big change for us as a family. I’m really looking forward to it.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Hooray, you’re back! We’ve missed you too. Good luck with the house buyer and the 11+ work. I’m looking forward to reading how it all goes. Lots of love xxx Rachel
Lovely to see you back and great news about the house! Hope it all goes well x
Hi Ella I don’t comment very often but I wanted to let you know how glad I am you’re back and look forwad to hearing how the coming months go for you, it sounds like there are good changes ahead!
Hullo, welcome back, I’ve missed you x
So pleased to see your blog in my inbox
I like your printables, we don’t have the 11+ here but they look quite useful things to know anyway, thanks for those. I don’t envy you having to get Harry to do extra work, I can imagine how that would be in our house!
Fellow 11plus parent! *waves* Looking forward to readig about your experiences and maybe trading notes
Its good to see you back Ella. I hope the 11+ and the move go well. xx
Hello. Nice to see you post pop up in my inbox. Good luck with everything. BM x
Great to have you back Ella. And it seems so strange to read that your son will be asking the 11+ – I didnt know that it was still going and the last time I thought about it was in the early 70s when I took it myself. Another time. Wishing the team the very best of luck x
So good to hear from you again, are you all better now? Hope so!
Hello! We are slogging away for the 11+ as well. Actually we don’t have the 11 plus here, we have selective schools so we have over 600 girls applying for 5 places for one school and a couple of thousand applying for 90 places in the other. We are not holding out much hope, but luckily the states schools around here are just fine too.
So far, DD1 has done most of it on her own. I must take more notice, I think!
We’re doing Common Entrance this year and already feeling the strain! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Wise words as always. Good to see you back
Arrrggghh! reading your blog makes me think of our Eleven Plus year, it was awful, the stress and the bitching and oneupmanship between the parents. It didn’t work for us to the point where we decided to move away where there was a better balance of schools but only after finding out about it the hard way!! Sorry! I hope I don’t put you off x
Good luck with the house selling and move. I have missed you, in fact I sent you a facebook message asking if you are ok. Hugs and hope your gorgeous wee boy whom always holds a special place in my heart is well xx
Ah you’re back! I’m going to save that quote for a rainy day when we’re practising the piano. Tomorrow most likely
Lovely to see you back. Good luck with everything! x
We’re trying to sell our house too but the market is nothing like it was last time we were buying and selling, it has come as quite a shock. I hope your sale works out, pray for a sale for us too!
Good luck for the things you will do after! I think you really a have a great kids and family…You are an inspiration for most people…
Good luck for your eldest’s exams…I am sure it will just be easy for him…Anyway, I am hoping we all have a better life this year with our family and friends…
Thanks for sharing Eleven Plus Exam Printables category. It will help my son. Appreciated.
My brother-in-law is dealing with the exact same situation with his house as he’s looking to move out of the City of Richmond and into the suburbs. Unfortunately for him, his wife, and their daughter, the market there is really down. So while they’re having to do the same hectic tidying, cleaning, and organizing each time someone comes to look at the house, they have yet to get an offer on it.
So good to see you back Ella, hope all goes well for you and good luck for the dreaded exam!! x
That’s a great quote, I’ll have to use that one!
I wish my house looked beautiful so that I could keep it looking beautiful
Glad to hear all is going well x
Hello. I’m new here – I found you when searching for 11+ materials. Thanks for the resources and good luck with your preparation, I’ll be following your blog to see how it goes.
Glad to see you back Ella! Hope life settles down a little for you soon and that the sale goes though
Hello my lovely, it’s good to hear what you have been up to although it sounds quite stressful! xx
Hi Ella,
You are brave taking on the 11+ challenge. We are just coming out the other end.. having been well and truly churned up these last 14 monthts, but yes it has been worth it. My little CC passed both of the schools tests that she applied for, we went for one in catchment and one out of catchment. We made the in-catchment one our first choice, and we were offered a place.. All the tests vary, but two little bits of advice, your little lad wants to be aiming for at least 86-90% on his VR and NVR nearer to the test time. He needs to practise his speed at the tests, although they are designed so that the candidate will not finish them all, the further they get through them, the more marks they stand to get. My daughter had questions left at the end of her tests, so speed is important too. If you want the names of any books just let me know. All the best, Kg.
I love that quote, it applies to so many things in life and stands them in good stead for the future.
{ 1 trackback }