One week down...

Firstly this was meant to be up a couple of days ago so apologies for that but here we are, better late than never. 

I thought it would be good to share some of the things I’ve realised/learnt since we’ve been in lockdown. Some of these have come as a surprise and some not so much! 

1. Structure is our friend

This has not been a big surprise, I like structure and so it’s quite natural for my boys to expect structure and routine. On a normal day they would ask what we have planned and when things are happening so it made sense to have some structure and routine to our mon-fri and so far it has worked well.

2. Snacks are not as big a deal as I thought they’d be

Now this has come as a surprise. Usually during the holidays the boys eat me out of house and home, I would be forever filling up the snack cupboard but certainly last week, this didn’t seem to be the case. They didn’t even want their normal snack plate in the afternoon. I expect this might change.

3. I don’t have any free time

Like none, if I’m not doing activities/homeschooling with the big boys, I’m doing something with the baby, playing, feeding, getting him down for a nap, and when I’m not doing that I’m trying to keep the house clean/tidy and cook dinner. This has meant there is almost no free time for me, I don’t know why (perhaps stupidity) but I wasn’t expecting that.

4. I’m more patient than I thought

Again this one was a surprise. I’m not a patient person but last week I only really found myself getting impatient once or twice. Again I expect that to change.

5. The boys need more exercise

Playing in the garden, a walk with the buggy and a bit of pe with Joe Wicks is not enough for my two. Again I’m not totally surprised by this. Im going to start getting Stu to take them out for a quick run before dinner I think.

6. Working out before the boys get up has been the best

As I mentioned above I have very little time for me, so as much as I hate getting up at 6 to workout it actually makes a huge difference to my day in a positive way. I like that little half hour that is all mine and I feel happier and calmer once I’ve worked out! (This might be helping with the patience)

7. Munro misses his old routine 

He’s not alone but I was surprised by this, I thought he’d be content enough having his brothers around but he misses our baby groups and time just me and him. 

8. 3 children is a lot

Haha, no surprises there really eh? However, until we’ve been trapped in the house together going from 2 to 3 didn’t seem that bad. Things have changed.

9. I have lost some power               

What can I threaten/bribe them with now? We go nowhere and do nothing really. If I take the iPad away I might as well shoot myself! 

10. Mum guilt is alive and well

This one is not a surprise, that mum guilt is never far away is it? Are we doing enough, are we doing too much? Blah blah blah... I’m pretty sure we are all doing great in these very unusual and uncertain times and we need to cut ourselves some slack.

So that’s it, as first weeks go it’s not been to bad, I really hope we haven’t peaked but I’m also sure there will be many highs and lows before this is all over.

Stay home, stay safe x

Mother’s Day

Today is mothers day in the uk and for most of us it has been a slightly different one. 

Although we are not in official lockdown, all the bars, restaurants and cafes are closed. We are also being asked to stay home unless necessary and not to get together with friends or family. As we live 300 miles from our family this has made little difference to us today but I know a lot of people have struggled today not seeing loved ones. This has meant though that people have been getting creative and doing drive bys (the nice kind) and using social media to wish their mums a Happy Mother’s Day! Like I said our family aren’t close so our day only changed a little.

So how did my Mother’s Day look? I had a nice lie in, received some lovely cards, wore a new dress, got to read my book in peace, went for a walk, spoke to my mum and my mother in law and had a lovely roast dinner and a couple of gins. We didn’t go anywhere or doing anything ‘special’ but it was special just being all together. All in all a pretty nice day.

I’m now in the bath and apart from thinking how lucky I am to have 3 gorgeous wee boys that call me mum, I’m thinking about tomorrow. Homeschooling but not really homeschooling, filling in the day without us killing each other would be more accurate.

There are a tonne, in fact so many that it’s a bit overwhelming, of resources on line and groups on Facebook with ideas and thoughts on what you can do. For us I’m going to keep in quite structured. We like routine and I feel like it might give us a little sense of normality. That’s not to say we aren’t going to have fun, I plan on lots of baking, stories, gardening, Lego, tv and cuddles. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive about a) how long it will last and b) can I actually do this. A day or two, even a week is one thing but weeks and weeks is quiet another. I’m fortunate though as I’m on mat leave I don’t need to worry about work and how I would fit that in around having the children here, which I know is a concern for lots of parents.

We’ll get through it though and it might not be perfect and it might not be what we wanted or expected but we’ll get through it. I’m going to try and focus and just keeping it fun no matter what. The boys will miss their friends and their clubs and the normal things they do and I don’t want them to look back on this and only remember the negatives. In one way it’s a gift, a gift of time with our children and in this day and age how many times can we say we are given that?

Happy Mother’s Day and good luck for the next week xx

End of Term?

So that’s it, it’s Friday evening I’m sitting with a glass of wine and apparently it’s the end of term perhaps even the end of the school year. It hard to take in.

How do I feel? Well a bit sad if I’m honest. Not sad for me but sad for my boys. Angus will miss his friends so much and I am heartbroken that this might be the end of Brodie’s Reception year. Which to quote Angus is the best year of your life!

I’m worried too, worried that this will last longer than my patience. I’m worried about my mum and for all my friends and family who fall into the vulnerable category. I’m worried we will struggle to adapt to this new way of life and the restrictions, however necessary, that are put upon us. I’m worried about getting food and although so far we have been lucky and I have managed to get what we need I worry about these panic buyers. The day I couldn’t find baby milk was not a good day, thankfully we didn’t need any that day but we were running low and now I live in fear that we will run out and I won’t be able to get any. The list goes on, you get the gist and I’m sure you are the same. 

However, I am a naturally positive person and believe it will all be fine and hope that they will get back to school sooner rather than later. What also helps is that I think this is the best decision and feel better that they will be home and safe with me. Worse things happen, we are not at war, I am not losing my husband or my sons, and other than the threat of the virus that we will probably recover from, we are in no danger.

So what next? Lots and lots of lovey family time and I guess some homeschooling, plus a plan to try and entertain the boys for what could be a very long time! 

Stay indoors, wash your hands and keep smiling.