How are you? Well I hope.
Hey, thank you all so much for your lovely comments about my guest post on The Colour Collaborative. Really. Warmed the cockles of my heart. Lovely people.
July has flashed by. I'm staring August in the face, and the long summer holiday is stretched out before me. I've written a list. Three actually. Four if you count my Camp Bestival list (we are going on Thursday). I feel a little as if the holidays started a couple of weeks ago, but it may just be that the weather has been so great that opportunities for outdoor fun has been maximised.
Olly has finished nursery. I made a giant cream tea for the teaching staff to enjoy. He bounded out on his last day with a cake and lots of crafty stuff. He said goodbye and didn't look back. I cried my eyes out on the way home. When do you start looking back or feeling nostalgic? Little ones just don't do they. Onward to new adventures. Life is just one long summer holiday for them I reckon.
We have enjoyed evenings at the beach, tea overlooking Godrevy, walks in the woods, a trip out in the fishing dingy, spotting seals in the harbour, crafting madness at home, Lilo and Stitch on Netflix, making Rhubarb and Strawberry jelly (heavenly) and general pottering and pootling about. Don't get me wrong, it's not all been plain sailing. Olly has not been sleeping well, Alfie has been an utter git and Sam is tired - and therefore teasy - from all the pot washing at work. So it can be a drag here, to be honest. As I've said before, it's those very concentrated periods of hideousness that seem to place a weight on top of my head and push it down.
But......
Yesterday I had a quiet word with myself. I am singing that song from Frozen. I am letting it go. I am going to chill the flip out. I am going to ignore the boundary pushing behaviour. I am going to snuggle up and watch a bit of telly with Pops if we are tired. I shall blithely float past Sam's sharp responses. I am not going to go mad, feeling that I should do this or ought to do that. I have my list, but I'm focusing on relaxation for better hallway vision*
I'm going to try anyway!
Leanne xx
*The Breakfast Club. Remember it?
Hi Leanne. Alfie looks angelic on this photo.... but I know oh so well that sweet looks can sometimes hide a darker inside (my Annie comes to mind). Camp Bestival sounds like fun, I just googled it. I have never been to a festival.... (I know, shameful)..... but I have seen Breakfast Club which was a firm favourite of mine back in the golden days of my teenage years. Keeping my fingers crossed for a fun filled low stress week. Christina xx
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're on the right track :-)
ReplyDeleteYou've got the right idea I think. Sometimes I find myself racing round everywhere like a mad woman, trying to make picnics, take the boys to interesting places and fit in household stuff as well. When really we should just hang out and kick back and all the rest of it. Tomorrow I shall be taking a leaf out of your book. Especially the ignoring the boundary pushing behaviour bit. Or at least, I shall try. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteI like that song too. It's the holidays - let it go....
ReplyDeleteI myself quote The Breakfast Club at least once a day, so I'm there with you. I think it's a profound movie. One of my favorite things to say, on many subjects, is "Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place." And it's true.
ReplyDeleteI love that quote!! I haven't watched the film for so long. It was all I watched in the summer of 1986.
DeleteLove your July collage. Camp Bestival sounds like the perfect tonic for you all. Enjoy xo
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the Breakfast Club! I feel as though I am missing out! Anyhow, I hope that the give yourself a talking to, and keep on singing plan keeps working for you!! xx
ReplyDeleteLovely set of photos xx
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Summer Leanne, enjoy Camp Bestival, enjoy your boys, forget the things you HAVE to do! There is only now, so take a leaf from your gorgeous Olly and live to the fullest NOW. You have all you need, your health, your family, change is inevitable, littlies grow up and move on with their lives. Fill your memory store with the good stuff and move on from the rest. I am 60 this autumn and that's a whole lot of summers to think back on. Enjoy now. Thank you as always for taking time to post and to bring "us out here" along on your journey. Love Mary
ReplyDeleteGo for it girl...
ReplyDeleteand oh that beautiful turquoise water.
I hope you are able to find the right balance over the school holidays, Leanne. Regular life, chores, cranky kids, those things will always be a part of parenting. The trick is to find time to squeeze in the fun stuff in between. I think I need to watch Frozen and learn the words to that song. And I don't have kids living at home any more. Ha!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful collage of July. I don't hear anything but Frozen songs everywhere - BigR is obsessed!! Hope the ups are outnumbering the downs - have a fab time at camp Bestival x
ReplyDeleteLove the collage! Chill out and relax from someone who needs to do it herself!
ReplyDeleteSuzy xx
Please don't Let It Go. You'll get me singing it loudly again and it's taken me a week and a half of summer holidays to get it out of my system! Hope you're all enjoying the sunny summer days - it must be nice to go at your own pace without school to worry about. I felt sad about all my little people moving onto Reception. They're entering another world that it is bigger and scarier than our little nursery classroom but I know they'll have fun. And I'll run over to the other classrooms for a cuddle whenever I feel the need! x
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I need to tell myself to let it go. The holidays can be hard work, when you're at home. My children's inability to amuse themselves drives me crackers. It does look as though July was a fabulous month for you though. xx
ReplyDelete