The ‘just’ season and musings on life
unrelated
It’s 8am as I sit and write this. The house is quiet, Beastie and I are downstairs watching a few early morning cartoons, snuggled under a throw while the house warms up and wakes up. Lola and Papa are sleeping upstairs… the other two girls spent last night at a friends on a sleepover. How strange the house feels with only two children…quiet but not quiet. How different the dynamics when there is just the eldest and youngest.
After the girls left yesterday, Lola and I watched ‘The Fault in our Stars’ – a DVD she got for Christmas, the baby napped, then nursed then played while we watched. It was lovely to have some time with just her… no other girls demanding my attention or complaining at what she was watching. Papa cooked dinner so I could spend some time with just Lola. With a big{ish} family, especially as I work from home AND homeschool my kiddos, time is precious. There never seems to be enough time to do everything we need or want. I try to schedule some one-on-one time with the girls where I can… whilst the others are at a group, or a movie night after everyone else is in bed. A hot chocolate date out of the house or a walk somewhere with a napping baby in his pram.
Some days my to-do lists are miles long… sleepless nights and early mornings mean getting up and on is often easier said than done. After a couple of lazy weeks over Christmas and New Year, I’ve really felt this week back to ‘work’. I’m thankful we’ve no school run, I’ve no commute to an office. We’ve no alarm clocks going off at 6.30am telling us to get out of our warm cozy beds.
Some days it feels like I have this life down. Those are the days that everyone gets some ‘school work’ done, I get my work done, a healthy dinner gets cooked, as well as snacks and lunch before, the house doesn’t look like a tornado went through it, I get everyone to groups on time, sneak in time for a workout, read the littlies a book before bed and manage some ‘grown up’ time once they are all in bed.
More often than not, I feel like life is more of a ‘just’. I just get everything done, I just manage to make dinner, wIjust manage to get where we need to be, I just manage to keep on top of the housework, I just make deadlines…. you get the picture. Life is a constant roundabout…never slowing down or giving me chance to catch up and if I hop off, I fear I’d never get back on again.
This year I’ve decided it’s time to take charge. To make way for some changes. To not feel I have to do things I just because. To say ‘no’ a little more – no to things I don’t want to do, no to things that don’t work best for all of us. No to visits we don’t want, no to people who drain our energy, no to things that just don’t fit our lives right now. I want to embrace this season while my children are still small… already we’re on the verge of the teenage years, and I don’t want to waste a minute of this precious life on things that aren’t right for us.
Last night with just Lola was so nice, I definitely want to make way for more one-on-one time this year… especially as she becomes a teenager, I want to keep those lines of communication open, to listen and experience what it is that she likes and wants from life. As parents, we always want to do the best, to not repeat the things our own parents did wrong… while we can only try our best, sometimes our own experiences from childhood can show us how not to do it. I try hard to always listen to my children, to understand where they are coming from, and to never blame them for my feelings.
I know how incredibly blessed I am to have these amazing four kiddos, and to be able to shape my life to look the way I want it to. Full of experiences and people that I love.
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Claire
January 9, 2016 at 13:26I love this post. It’s so true that everyday life catches up and we all “just” keep up with everything. It’s definitely important to take charge and plan things you really want to do. Last night sounds lovely. I bet there were tears watching the film though. I love those precious snippets of one on one time with each of the kids. It’s funny how one or two children being away changes the dynamic so much. I always say that I can’t find time for things, but in reality that just means that I need to make time for it. You’re an amazing mama xxx
polly
January 10, 2016 at 15:00Lots of tears!!!! xxx
Latoya
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Candy Pop
January 12, 2016 at 11:49You’re superwoman, I really am in awe at how much you do! And how lovely to have a quiet evening with two. I hope you have a fabulous Tuesday! x
polly
January 13, 2016 at 11:39Thank you! I don’t feel like superwoman!
Slummy single mummy
January 12, 2016 at 16:23This might be just me, but do you feel like it’s really easy to slip between those two states – those moments where you feel like you have everything sussed out, and the ones where you feel like you’re just scraping by? I can swing between them by the hour!
polly
January 13, 2016 at 11:37yes!! I can flit between the two in minutes ;)
Kathryn
January 13, 2016 at 18:09Such a positive beautiful post Polly and a gorgeous pic of Beastie – he has grown so much! xx
Molly
January 18, 2016 at 12:44This is a really lovely post Polly. When I look back to my own childhood I so relished time alone with either my mum or dad and that’s something I’m passionate about giving my own girls too. When life is crazy with dates and scheduled activities it can be easy to lose sight of those little things – but they’re really important I think.