You can do anything as long as you can dream it!

I am not going to lie, it's been a hard year. At times it's caused tears and upset and doubt, and at other times, joy, laughter and reassurance. It's coming to an end this year. Already! It has been a year of change, both for me, for Master Beehive the elder, for the younger Beehives and the Beehive itself as it's found its groove slowly with my hours and study and the fact I am no longer at home during most days.

Master Beehive has begun to spread his wings. I know at times I have watched him sit on the perch, unsure whether to take the leap to spread them and fly. He has found new friends, a new school, a new place and a new direction quite challenging, but, spread his wings he has. He has achieved a level seven in his maths...in year seven! I am so proud of him because he has had some catching up to do with his learning over the last 12 years following a rainbow curriculum and not the standard UK curriculum as every other year seven has done. But, my goodness, the colours that now shine from him. He is doing fantastically at all he puts his hand too. He has moments when he realises that he won't ever achieve 'man of the match' and he has grown to accept that it is about team spirit so he just dives in and plays regardless of anything else. He has moments when he realises that a friend isn't quite the friend he thought they were, but he opens his heart to forgive and move on.
The younger Beehives, not forgotten, have also grown so much this year. They have had to contend with less of 'mummy'. Master Beehive the younger has played for just about every team game going at his school and always smiles if he comes last with the comment 'well, someone has to'. He has achieved the 'most improved pupil' cup this term for his development in reading - a child whom I worried because he never read a book is now reading at the level of a thirteen year old! He has gone on cub camps, ridden his bike for miles with our au pair and his dad. He has the heart of a lion, always bringing his siblings things home from his adventures, always looking out for others.

Then there is the littlest hobo - she shines as a bright star. She continues to always be happy, regardless of whether mama can't spend time with her as she is revising, regardless of the fact mama has to do a long night shift and won't be there to blow away the bad dreams, regardless of the fact that she may fall and hurt herself. She smiles, always smiles, that girl can teach and adult a thing or two about spreading happiness. She has been asked to sing the opening lines at the end of school concert this year. She is year two! In front of all the school, all the parents and the staff, she is going to sing like the nightingale she is. This mama bear is proud; Proud of the obvious achievements, but proud more that her family are so strong and that as a family we can handle the hours, the time apart from each other, the fact that assemblies have been missed over the year...hell, buses have been missed this year; the fact that despite all this, the seeds were truly sown and now these little bees are blossoming and turning into wonderful people. They truly are only loaned to us and we cannot force them to be what they are not, but we can nurture them to find their way and flourish and I hope this is what these baby bees are doing.

As for the biggest of the Bees, he has also hung onto this crazy dream of mine. He has listened to me rant, forgiven my outbursts, mopped my tears and screams of despondency or exhaustion. He has worked from home to help as much as he can, he has changed his flights and work plans, put on laundry, taken kids out when I need to sleep, read through essays that probably bore him to death (and been relatively nice about them!) and, most importantly of all, kept me on track.

He also built me a pergola this weekend...I really feel truly blessed today.

Bring on year two!