Every so often I like to do a little update on the more personal side of our lives. This isn't a family lifestyle blog or anything, but I think it's nice to touch base, and give you a little peek into who we are.
So, the last one I did was back in April, so I guess I better think back to May! We'll call this a Summer update.
Me
- Back in May I decided to change my working pattern so that I only work during school time. I still do the same amount of hours, but instead of working three days, 9-5, I work four days, 9-3 (ish). Can I just say, it's been one of the best decisions for work/life balance that I've ever made?! The kids no longer have to do after school club, or spend ridiculously long days at nursery. I get to do both school runs every day so I can see all the school mums and feel a part of the community. AND we are home by 3.30pm - I feel like I've gained two hours a day! The housework gets done, meals get cooked - amazing! Sometimes I miss having Fridays off, but genuinely, it's a minor loss in comparison to all that I've gained.
- Summer flew by! I had all these amazing plans (forgetting that I have a job!), but by the end of it I was just glad to have survived with no major childcare issues and with some precious memories in the bank.
Jon
- So, Jon doesn't always get a mention, because I never know how much he would like to share, but big news for him! He has gone back to school. At the age of 35 he has decided to finish his degree (he has a diploma - he stopped studying so that he could marry me... ooops!). I couldn't be prouder of him. It's going to take a few years because he has to repeat a year due to his diploma being so long ago, and he's studying part-time in the evenings, but I'm so excited that he's doing this. He's got big plans once he graduates. (Also, it's a theology degree so I'm looking forward to sneaking a peek at all his books!).
Kids
- Ruby has just started Year 2 at school and she is loving it! She continues to love books and be amazed by the world around her. She's full of questions. She has a great group of friends... and yet she's growing up waaaaay too fast!! (Hello, attitude!).
- Joel is now in his final year of nursery. I can't believe it! He still seems so small! And being summer born and very much my son (I'm 4ft 11in), might I add, he still is so small. He still has a buggy, he still needs help getting on and off the toilet - I mean how can I possibly send him to school next September?! The mind boggles!
- The kids had a great summer. One of the saving graces of being a working parent is that there are so many very kind people who are willing to look after our kids when we work during the holidays. Those very kind people then take our kids out on excursions and trips - doing things that we would never even think to do! So our kids get to have loads of fun, see a bit of the world and don't mind the fact that mummy has to work - everyone wins (though we miss out on the excursions... tough break)!
Coming Up
- September-December is a great time of year for me. It's as if I want to do a really good sprint finish to the end of the year. I want to accomplish all the goals, and finish the year strong. I'm feeling good about my writing, about some of my goals and I'm excited to get stuck in now that the disruption of Summer is over (who am I kidding, I love summer!).
- I don't know what is wrong with me but now that we're back at school, I am really getting excited about Christmas! I went looking for inspiration from the shops a few weeks ago only to find that no one has released their Christmas ranges yet (whaaat?!). This is very unlike me - I'm much more of a last minute kind of girl, but this year somehow seems different. Roll on advent (more on my advent plans soon!)!
So there you have it! A little update on us and where we're at.
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