Summer time and the living is easy (really ? for who ?)

We're past the midway point of the summer holidays and I'm seriously in need of some 'me time.' It's not like I spend every minute of the day with my boys, far from it, but keeping them busy and tiring them out enough to get them to sleep at night is a full time job. This week I've had them both in sports camps so that I could get the house in order. It's been my mission since I read the Marie Kondo book in January (an excellent gift from Hubbie) and I'm making great progress with baby things that were taking up loft space being sold and I'm sorting and donating clothes, shoes and various other items are going on ebay. I'm also taking the opportunity to get in some swimming and running and am taking part in a 5k this Sunday so I'm hoping my overall fitness has improved. The next few weeks are the ones where I've had to use more creativity to keep them occupied - at the cost of my liberty and possibly my sanity. So I've timetabled plenty of activities for them both.

Next week Blue Bear is at sports camp every day so I'll be spending time with Brown Bear one to one.

Monday we're taking it easy. A morning swim followed by breakfast. Maybe a lazy afternoon in front of the TV.

Tuesday he has a movie date with his 'girlfriend.' I know he's only 6 (nearly 7), but he and R have been an item since nursery. I think it's cute how they send each other little voice messages on whatsapp (on mine and her mum's phones of course) saying how much they are looking forward to it.

Wednesday he's going to take the car to the garage with Daddy and do 'boy stuff.' I think he's going to find it quite informative.

Thursday we're going to visit my lovely friend who works for an MP and I hope to take Brown Bear for a tour of the Palace of Westminster. He has loved Big Ben for years so I think he's going to  be excited being up close.

Friday is the first day of a music festival that me and Hubbie are going to so we're taking Brown Bear to my parents for the weekend and then dropping Blue Bear off at the in-laws.

Then we get a day off - yep me and Hubbie get to spend an entire day child free on Saturday !! And how are we spending it ? Well we're running a 5k together first thing. Don't even ask me why - it's his idea. Then we're going back for the second day of the music festival.

To be honest I think going back to work in September is going to be less logistically demanding than the holidays. All I need to do now is work out how to add all these skills to my CV.

That was the week that was...

Oh man it's been a mad old week. I've been poorly, almost lost my voice (much to the kids' delight) and have had to rejig my to-do list. A week like this can only really be explained with a music playlist: 

I can't stand up for falling down: 

So I had the boys booked into sports camp all week and had a list as long as one of my arms of jobs I intended to get done while the boys were out of the house all day. Then I woke up on Monday morning feeling like a large bear had stood on my neck all night. As well as a sore throat I've been shattered and my nose is like a running tap. It's not a good look, believe me ! 

Welcome to the jungle: 

To make things even more complicated Hubbie was away over night this week which meant I had the boys to myself. The perceived level of enjoyment in this is vastly over-estimated. Getting from morning toothbrushing to bedtime shower / bath has taken all my reserves of strength - and they 

weren't all that high anyway ! 

Just like honey: 

I found out this week that Jesus and Mary Chain are performing in London in a month, so I got myself organised and bought tickets for me and Hubbie. Their music takes me back to my late teens where I discovered music that no one else at my school had the slightest interest in. Then when I went to Uni I met my people - and later I met Hubbie. 

Om Shanti: 

Today I was at a yoga training all day. The venue was lovely, the teachers was amazing and the weather was beautifully sunny. I've learned lots of new skills and saw some fellow teacher friends. Still not 100% better, but I'm feeling so much more relaxed now.

Hanging on the telephone: 

Having succeeded in getting tickets to see a band we both love, I failed to get the hottest tickets in town. I am quite annoyed with myself actually. Many months ago I was online looking up tickets for Harry Potter: The Cursed Child and when I asked a friend if she wanted to go she said not really. I decided that I wouldn't bother to get any and now I really wish I had as it's impossible to get any tickets. Every Friday I'm online queuing to get in with fingers crossed. I was unsuccessful again this week. Oh well, I'll keep trying. 

So that's been my week - I quelled the urge to add in Love like Blood by Killing Joke. I can't possibly be the only one who has the manic laugh of a woman whose idea of hell is to be around her own children all day ?

Only 42 days to go... and counting.

Before the boys finished school for the summer I had all these great plans. I would be at home with them and take them swimming and we'd do arts and crafts and maybe some baking. I'd be at home with them for lazy days and we'd go out for some active days. I even mentioned that we might go into London and maybe meet Hubbie for lunch as he works so close to the science museum.

Then we had the holiday week in Cornwall. Somewhere we've been before that is perfect for kids and that our boys have loved in the past. The whole week Brown Bear was just awful and argumentative and obstructive and... well just horrible. We took him on the feed run and he refused to join in. I took him surfing and despite having a great time he complained afterwards that he hadn't enjoyed it at all. When we got back from our holiday I took him to a movie preview screening and he loved it, but still insisted that he wasn't having a good time. I almost gave up, but took him to the Transport Museum (we were close to Covent Garden anyway) and he seemed to be ok with that. Until we got home and it all started again. 

Then Blue Bear started and would spend most of the day screaming and biting his brother. Badly. He left teeth marks and drew blood. It was horrific. The screaming and laughing as they chased each other around playing turning into screaming and crying as Blue Bear ran off and Brown Bear enacted a death scene from Saving Private Ryan. Blue Bear can be every bit as trying as his brother, but he's small enough to pick up and move if he's unruly.

It would be fair to say that I did not enjoy the beginning of our time together at home.  

I've been home with the boys for two weeks now and my throat is sore from threats and my eyes are stinging from all the tears I've cried at how useless I am at this. There are parents who home educate their children and are with them all the time. Why can't I be with mine for the time they are off school and nursery ? What does it say about my inability to parent these demanding petulant aggressive children ? 

So, I have admitted defeat. Yep, two weeks into being at home with my own children I have decided to outsource them for the holidays. I'm not going to bake, or take him swimming (again) and I won't be thinking of nice parks to go to or creative lunches for us to enjoy. No day trips to museums and impromptu visits to meet Daddy for lunch. From today the boys are taking a packed lunch and going to a playscheme where I know they will play with friends and run around enjoying sports and fun activities.

And what will I do ? I will catch my breath. Sit and watch TV if I want to, switch on the radio and do chores if I want to or just lie down if I want to. I feel broken already. Like a big old parenting failure. What is it about me that I can't even take care of my own children without it overwhelming me and making me feel like I wish I wasn't with them ?

Whatever it is I'm counting down the days until they are back at school and nursery.

Only 42 days to go.

Wish me luck.

Summer time and the living is...

Before the school holidays I like to plan ahead and have some idea of what to do with the boys to keep them busy. I have to have something in mind otherwise I can get into a panic about how to keep them from being bored and running riot around the house. It appears I'm not alone in my worries and in research carried out by Fellowes* they found out what stresses parents the most about school holidays.

Unsurprisingly top of the list of worries is the cost of keeping children entertained during the long break. That and how to manage disruption to daily routines - are concerns I can identify with. I have a few rules about how to manage including getting the boys to decide if they want a lazy day or an active one. As it's been so hot this week we've had relatively low key days so far. I took them swimming this morning to cool them off before the heatwave set in. Yesterday we did one of my favourite low cost art activities:

The Big Picture

You know when you receive a package and it's filled with packaging material ? Well I unroll it to see if it's worth keeping and if it is brown paper I keep it in a box for rainy days and indoor fun. I lay it on the floor - or in this case on a long table - and put crayons, coloured pencils and pens in the middle. The boys have plenty of space to draw and/or write and it keeps them quiet for, oh minutes. Big pictures don't have to be kept, they are just fun to do.

One of the other worries in the survey was keeping the house clean and tidy during the holidays. As someone who is constantly trying to declutter and tidy my home I struggle with this one too. I try to be a bit laissez faire with the house during the summer, but I do expect a level of respectable tidyness. The playroom is going to get trashed - I accept that. I do have some chores that I like to get done and the boys have jobs to do too.

Printable planning sheets

These printables from Fellowes enable me to plan ahead with the boys and when I laminate them they are wipe clean and reusable too. If possible I can also try and build in some time for myself so that it isn't all too much. Managing time and workload can be tricky during the holidays, but it's important to make child free time to keep me sane.

At Britmums Live a few weeks ago I was chatting to the lovely folks on the Fellowes stand when I admired the laminator they were demonstrating to show off the free printables they have online. I am looking forward to having a play with mine and using it to prepare these wipe clean printables for the boys to write / draw about days out during the holidays. We're also going to laminate some special pictures and certificates from school. The world is our laminating oyster ! 

I know the key for me is planning ahead and doing all I can to ensure that the boys are kept busy and occupied. I'll let you know how I get on !

For now take a look at the top ten things that parents stress about and hopefully feel better about yourself :)

Summer Stresses

Having the money to entertain the family

Keeping a child/children entertained

Juggling work with childcare

Keeping the house clean and tidy

Being able to get time of work when wanted/needed

Disruption to daily routine

Maintaining a good work/life balance

Finding time for yourself

Managing hay fever/allergies

Travelling with the family

*Fellowes surveyed 1003 respondents with children aged 4-8 years.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post with Fellowes. 

Bring your own uniform day at the fire station

My boys love fire engines. They have so many toy ones and I have to pass the fire station whenever I am driving through Croydon so they can check how many engines are in that day. When I drop Big Boy off at summer sports camp we pass the fire station about 4 times and Baby Boy gets terribly excited. Mostly because last week we made a special trip to see the station with a lot of friends from Big Boy's school.

It was such a lovely sunny afternoon when we made our visit and we went straight outside to see the engines in action. The officers on duty were kind enough to let the children play with the hoses and sit in the driver's seat.

The Mums were invited to take part and Lucille was keen to get involved - as you can see. I ended up in the full fire kit - less said about that the better really ! 

Big Boy has been to the fire station a few times and he likes to go in his own fire officer outfit. I think he looks very professional. 

He insisted on holding an axe from the back of the engine - a tense moment for all the adults, but he was fine and very careful with it. 

Then we went inside and watched a re-enactment of what happens when a fire is reported. There is a lot of noise then the fire officers slide down the fire poles. 

This was Big Boy's favourite bit - he loves to pretend he's on a fire pole. Being allowed to go on a real one was the most fun. 

Then both boys raced off to see who would get to help open the big doors. 

Big Boy is taller so he won this time. 

Thanks to the lovely staff of Croydon Fire Station who made us so welcome when we visited. We all had a great afternoon. 

This post is being shared as part of the #countrykids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill - our favourite family holiday destination. 

  

Park Life

With the summer holidays come long weeks that we have to fill with activities to stop the boys from getting on each other's nerves - and mine. I have found that while Big Boy does like to go to structured activities it's not always possible and it can run to a lot of expense to keep sending him to play schemes. This week was one that was filled with dread for me as I had no firm plans for him so I put out an APB to all the mums I know for ideas. We now have some plans and he will see friends from school which will both excite him and tire him out - double bubble. 

One of the simplest things to do that works for both my boys is to take them to the park. As Baby Boy doesn't have his own friends yet he usually has to occupy himself while Big Boy plays with his mates, but a park has enough to keep them both busy. We are so fortunate to have a lot of open spaces near where we live and I take the boys to a lot of different places to play. One of our favourites is Kelsey Park in Beckenham. Big Boy and I used to go quite frequently last summer and both boys love it so we will do the same this year. Today we met a few of Big Boy's school pals there and they had a great time. 

Big Boy has really grown in confidence in the last year and he had never wanted to go on this big slide or climbing wall before. Now he's so fearless he went straight to them.

Baby Boy loves the lake with all the birds on it. There are Canada geese, ducks and swans. He likes to chase the pigeons and shouts out 'uack 'uack at all the birds. Today one of the other mums had brought some nuts to feed the birds and the boys really enjoyed throwing food for them. We see a lot of dogs here as well and that makes Baby Boy very happy and he shouts, woo' woo' at them.  

No trip to the park on a sunny day is complete without a stop for ice cream. 

Or climbing a tree

Or pointing at a squirrel.

There will be a lot more days out over the next few weeks - let's hope they are as fun filled as this one.

This post is being shared as part of the fab #countrykids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill - our favourite family holiday destination.