After a busy couple of days I packed my two girls off ready for a day of firsts this morning - Rach for her first day at work and Lauren for her first day at school.

Now that one of has got a job we decided it was safe to get Lauren into school. We hadn't done it yet because we worried we may have to move to Sydney if something didn't work out on the job front.

We went and enrolled her yesterday in our local primary school, just less than a mile away. They were really friendly and welcoming. They showed us around the school straight away and answered all of our questions. Luckily, they have pre-school and after-school care which I’m sure will become a necessity when we’re both working. They also have activities going on every day during the school holidays. They said she could start straight away or wait until after the school holidays - they break up for a two week winter break on Friday. We gave Lauren the choice and she was adamant she wanted to start straight away. I think she's been a bit bored and lonely the last few days and fed up with traipsing after us everywhere. So I'm not surprised she's desperate to start school.

We’ve also finally bought a car – a ‘97 Toyota Corolla. It’s not exactly our dream car but who cares, it will get Rach to work and back, it’s in good condition, and they’re known for running for hundreds of K’s without breaking down. It’s automatic which you do pay a little extra for but driving a manual where we live is a nightmare as it’s very hilly. Very hilly! I can’t believe I haven’t noticed on previous visits to Brisbane how hilly it is. You would have thought suburb names like Pine Mountain might have given me a clue! Anyway, we just need to wait for the money to transfer and then we can go and pick it up.

It’s been a bit weird for me today. After spending 6 weeks together as a family every day, this was our first day apart. I didn’t know what to do with myself! I’m sure I’ll get into a routine. In fact, what with the cleaning, washing, daytime cookery programmes, etc, I’m not sure if I’ll have time for a job!