With deepest apologies..

It's dreadful, really it is, to have Phil Johnson say that my blog is always worth a read, and to be posting light. I'm sorry that anyone popping over on the strength of Phil's sterling recommendation isn't going to find much to challenge this week.

Goodness, I've even been given a 'can do better' comment by Dan Phillips, so you can tell I'm below par. Actually, that's very much the truth. The whole household has been under the weather with a nasty virus, and I really haven't had time to sit and concentrate on any of the posts I have in draft.

You know that feeling? You're staring at the screen and you already have three or four reasonable thoughts and coherent sentences, but you just keep reading the same three words over and over without taking them in.

I'm preparing for my eldest daughters fifth birthday as well. Seems to me that 5 is the first landmark-type birthday you're likely to remember, so we're actually putting the effort in this year.

I'm sure it makes me a bad mother, but we haven't really bothered with parties before now. My girls don't go to nursery/preschool, so their circle of acquaintance is more limited than other children in our family. And apart from photographs to look back on when they're old and a sugar-rush, I don't think kids get too much out of hyped-up parties when they're very little.

I think the toddler party can often fit in too well with the 'children-as-pets' mentality, too. But that's just us - if you have a three year old and you're having a party, don't let my curmudgeonliness put you off.

Anyway, the point is, we're having one this year for my five-in-a-month-year-old, and it's going to be a tea-party. We've had a talk about the guestlist, and I asked her which friends she wanted to come. I made a couple of suggestions - her 4 year old cousin, and her five year old friend from church.

She agreed emphatically and then reeled off her own list which included my best friend's 11 year old nephew, her grandparents, the Jehovah's Witness lady who visits, my missionary friend Karen, 91 year old Joyce from church and a number of others.

Anyone who has ever contemplated home education will have come across the hardy-perennial 'socialization'. As I listened to her list this wide variety of people my nearly 5 year old considers her friends, I was once again reassured what a lot of bunkum it is.

While this isn't quite a 'this is where I am today' post, it is worthwhile, when feeling physically ill, to spend time giving thanks for the things that are all well. My daughter is one of those things.