We all know it was Halloween/Samhain yesterday and sometimes I wonder how we manage to forget just how traumatic the day after can be when you have young children! It's not so much that they're up all night scared - my youngest - Caty not really counting in this as she's too young to understand - love Halloween, they know there's nothing scary about it and they adore dressing up, trick or treating and having their school disco... but sweet goddess!!! After a highly active day at school, then a two-hour disco session at the same place, followed by an hour out walking around the local community scaring the locals, then coming home to eat food and some of their stash and finally getting to bed three or four hours later than their normal bedtime.... a good day the next day is NOT!

Shannon has a trip to Chatsworth Manor today, she got up in pretty good spirits this morning, excited as its her very first school trip, but you could see how tired she was. Erin, on the other hand, got up with the screaming meanies! Caty woke the pair of them up at 5am, knocking on Erin's door and yelling in her gobble-de-gook, then went back to bed eventually. But once Erin is awake, that's it, she doesn't go back to sleep... so she's been awake since 5.

She came with me to take Shannon to school, Erin is only in school in the afternoons at the moment, and from the minute we arrived home at around 9.15am, the screaming started again..... and didn't stop until I walked out of her class at 1pm this afternoon. She's gone to school all red eyed and blotchy-faced and I soooo have tried to be patient with her all morning because I know she's dog-tired... but my god!.... my head feels like it's been split in half from all the shrieking.... anything would kick her off, from something coming on television that she didn't want to watch to her brother simply walking past her... I swear if she hadn't been in school this afternoon I'd have killed someone!

So now, I'm clock watching and trying to chill out. Caty's gone for her afternoon nap, Erin and Shannon are in school til 3 so I've got another hour and 15 minutes of relative calm. I've warned our eldest that when I leave to pick them up for school, he's to get their dinner started so they can come home, eat and go to bed! I know it'll be early but then they are only 5 and 3 years old... and judging by how late they got to bed last night an early night won't hurt them any!!!