Well here we go again! another term starts :)

[Theas18]

Back to school and back pretty much straight into the extra curricular stuff.

My "boys" (DS and DH LOL) start their choir today and DD2 starts hers Thurs. Saturday mornings are no longer ours and Sundays, well they never were!

Really looking forward to it all- Xmas concerts etc are but a short time away.

Challenge this year is to get DS to balance this with A2s I think.

My DDs did loads of extra curricular. Made them more interesting people and had lots more to talk about than just school lessons. Keep it going, it makes them rounded people. DD1 found it very difficult to give anything up! She loved her music, drama, debating etc. it makes her the person she is. Go with it........not long to go before they are at University!

DS has a choir training day tomorow, and then that's us off and running.
Christmas concert dates are already in the diary! I don't think we have any exams this term, which will make a nice break though.

'We' (they) are already inundated with rehearsal and concert dates. And none of them are back at school till tomorrow! Yet every single weekend from now till mid Jan is already full. Properly full - timetabled stuff every sat and afternoon and every sun morning and afternoon for at least 2 out of the 3 kids (except for November 23rd which is SACROSANCT). Utter madness! There will also be at least 4, possibly 5 music exams and one ballet exam. I'm exhausted just thinking about it but I'm already having to deal with potential clashes between different rehearsals, and different concerts/performances. And this is before we factor in my own performing and rehearsing commitments! Oh, and work.

Is it Xmas yet? (Not that that will bring respite since once again we will be a panto family).

Russians.... the clashes ...Oh yes! Everyone thinking they are " more important"! Not to mention DS still wanting to visit more universities/explore choral scholarships etc ( I think we can wing ONE Saturday rehearsal off if we emphasise the music side of his visit).

Don't think we have any exams except the dreaded UKCAT which is not really extracurricular, unless DS wants to go for grade 8 horn...

Blackmogul it's " normal" in out house to do loads of stuff and the kids do generally love it, though sometimes it is a " chore" when lots of things happen at once. I agree totally it makes a rounded person with lots of avenues they can choose either socially or as a job in the future.

However I do realise DS would rather use music to divert himself from school work, and he's probably just hitting the " oh yes perhaps I actually need to do some work" point re A levels ( though he did work hard in the pre GCSE and pre AS period so maybe I'm unduly concerned)

I've just realised - when checking rehearsal commitments- that I will be overseas for at least part of every single week except the sacronsanct week from the first week of November.

That'll be handy with all the shows/concerts/exams then.

Just had email from a JD asking to let them know if DS will be able to attend a very high caliber choir concert in November with 4 x 2hrs rehearsals in London during school week (leave alone my FT job). Its 2,5 hrs journey to London for us! Was trying to persuade him he doesn't really need to do that but , oh, he is so keen.