Swan - I like your new 'stream of consciousness' style of writing! Glad to hear your computer will be mended soon. Sounds like your DH wants you to be a valium-addicted 50s-style housewife. Like you, I would have felt stressed by having an unknown child plus non-English-speaking Granny unexpectedly foisted upon me - particularly in the evening, when there is so much to do. Sounds as if you were very welcoming and flexible enough to accept them, in spite of your feelings - far from being socially phobic!
Cobweb - well done on getting the job! I hope it involves management or organisation as you are clearly brilliant at both.
OFM and MC - wow! Can't believe you were right next to each other!
Silken - I love your daughter's alternative ending to 'Dear Zoo'. Good for her - asserting her individuality!
CHB - sorry about your lack of sleep. I can't do anything if I haven't had decent sleep. It's horrible. Can I ask - do your son's sleep meds work well on him and how extreme a non-sleeper is he without them? Was just having a conversation with a friend about DS1's lack of sleep. I am so used to the fact that he can't switch off mentally till about midnight that it doesn't bother me, but it will be an issue when he goes back to school. He says he often wakes up after a few hours and can't get back to sleep. It's so much better than it used to be that I don't see it as a problem, but I know the lack of sleep has an effect on him.
Bartlett - speaking of sleep - no, DS2 didn't go to sleep at a decent time at all! He is not usually a problem sleeper, so I don't know what was going on with him. He was in bed by 8 because he was clearly tired, but he didn't drop off until 10 and he was complaining for most of that time, which made me very CROSS! Made me think of that new book, 'Go the Fuck to Sleep'. He woke up early this morning too 
.
I have worked out why DH thinks I spend all day on MN and don't do anything in the house - he doesn't see what I do. I acheived loads yesterday, but he didn't notice any of it. In the end, I had to point it out to him 
. However, a friend came round this morning and commented immediately on the tidy house 
. Why doesn't DH notice?
Anyway, I have been a bit decadent this morning as I have spent a while 
chatting and drinking tea with the above friend. However, I have also: done the morning routine with DS2; done the school run; swished and swiped; put the washing on; unloaded the dishwasher; made breakfast; washed and put away the breakfast stuff; phoned MIL (out again - she is being cajoled into all the activities and had to go to a knitting group yesterday, which she didn't much like); and made sure DS1 does his Maths. We are going to do paired reading in a minute, then it's lunchtime and then we have to walk to his secondary school for me to meet the Head of SN and DS to have another tour of the school (poor boy) with the EWO. It will be good for him in the end, but I know he hates it all and gets so, so anxious.
If time, I also want to:
Room rescue DS2's bedroom
Attempt to tidy up our bedroom (am terrified nosey relative who is visiting tomorrow will have a peep 
)
Hoover
Actually, I need to look out my list for what to do when someone is coming to visit - includes stuff like putting towels away (they usually hang over our bannisters). Maybe I will unearth the list when I'm tidying our bedroom.
Glad the wizard smileys are working today [hsmile].