The girls are in a bubble bath, playing with Lego, and the boys are also playing with Lego in Lanky Dude’s bedroom. I had planned to sort out the children’s summer clothes, but, at the end of the week, typing away seems far more appealing!
I love it that the boys still sometimes do creative play together. Lanky Dude is needing some non-brain taxing time, as he tackles economics revision this week. Although he is working methodically, I’m so thankful that the majority of his exams are over, and he’s in no way under the same pressure as that of his peers at school. We’d planned it this way, so that we could do lots of fun and active learning in his last term of home-school…. remembering the early days!
It’s been a bit of a week…a much-loved grandparent is increasingly poorly in hospital, with all the anxiety and sadness that brings. Work demands are great for so many people, and Hard Working Husband is no exception; he is weary and needs time out.
Several dear friends are walking particularly tough and painful journeys, and my heart aches as I listen to them, and I feel so inadequate to help. I was slightly encouraged to read this morning that, at those times when we really don’t know what to say, just practical help, and “we love you” are all that’s needed….a meal, looking after a child….It seems like a drop in the ocean, but I guess it’s better than doing nothing.
I’ve had some particularly challenging behaviour from one of the girls….in fact both of them, but one more than the other!! It leaves me feeling somewhat frazzled. So, this afternoon, once the morning work was done, we set off to our local cafe, bought bacon and sausage sandwiches, and made our way to the park. We spent a good hour there, and with space and no pressure, the children all played beautifully together. This always touches me, as the older boys look out for their little sisters. It’s a lovely park, with views of the hills. The boys and I used to have our lunch of sausage rolls there each week after Toddler Group….myself and a friend used to run the group, and I needed the sanity and easy lunch the park provided afterwards!
Rhythm Dude says he remembers me pushing him on the swings. And sausage rolls were a real treat as, in those days, I was pretty enthusiastic about giving our kids healthy food….now just anything which is vaguely balanced I consider a small achievement!
Despite exam season we had a particularly chilled youth club, sitting outside eating ice creams and chatting. And I enjoyed the Kids group session on Sunday. We don’t have many kids, and the team is fab, so it’s quite relaxed. We’ve obviously not done many exciting things this week, as I’ve not got lots of photos! One is of a balloon flying over…taken by one of the kids. They were playing with some friends after tea one evening and came running in excitedly to show us. The photo doesn’t really do it justice. The other is of some flowers from the garden and field. We’ve still got our Easter decorations up, including these little eggs which, into which, when I remember, I put some chocolate for the children. Trouble is, Sparkly Eyes thinks it’s fair game that if she’s down first and finds it, she has possession of all the chocolate! So, this particular tradition has taken rather a back seat this year.
Mothering through the seasons 