Juggling a balance

One of the things that we, as a class, are being asked to do, is keep a reflective diary.
And so, after checking with my tutor about it, I decided to keep this blog as my journal.
Not sure how often I've mentioned this, but in September, I became a full-time student, again.
I'm doing an Access course, which has been designed for mature students and people who have been out of education for some time and bring them back up to speed, in order for them to go on to do a degree.
This is me.
It's perfect for me.
Except that there is homework.
**Cringe**
One of my major challenges has been to juggle homework, housework, Child's homework, Child's school run, my school run, Child's after school activities and my two solitary nights out. Gone are the lovely morning yoga sessions or my weekly Alexander Technique class. Now it's three days of 'out by 7.40am and back by 5.15pm' and two days of 'out by 8.30am and back by 5.30pm'. It's only for one year and then hopefully I'll be going to a Uni much closer to me, but OMG, this is knackering me. I am not willing to give up my two nights of dancing, as I don't have college on either following morning, but I am tired by Saturday. Sunday morning will find me in bed with a coffee and Child on the couch watching breakfast telly.
I'm eating well and have been healthy for the last twelve months, so obviously something within the changes that I made a year ago, has worked.
Looking back on the last three months, I think that I have been able to reach a balance, fulfilling all the different aspects of my current life. But I do worry about my Child, about her ability to keep up with everything that she has to do and whether its too much to ask of her.
I only hope that we can manage to maintain this pace until the end of the school year without collapsing in a heap of exhaustion.
Roll on the summer hols!!!

Frustration!

Every year, it seems that my ex finds yet another way to give less to our child.

He'll ask me, "what does she need?"
My response twice a year is 2 new pairs of sturdy walking-to-school schools, or swimming lessons.
This year I said shoes, the same as every year, but no clothes as I have literally bags of amazing hand-me-downs for her already.
What did she come home with?
A pair of beautiful, long brown suede boots, not suitable for walking to school in all weather and more clothes.
So no school shoes and no winter boots.
I simply have no words to describe my feeling at this point.
The word, frustrated springs to mind.
When confronted with this problem, his response was "I can't afford to pay for more shoes."
What I should probably do is sell the brand new Wii he sent Child earlier in the summer. It's unopened in it's original box and then buy her some new shoes.
I can see a trip to Clarks happening some time soon in my future.