Twenty four little hours….
Is it all it takes to go from the glorious sunshine of the Caribbean 4000 miles away to the grey and dreary cold of the midlands. One day you’re scantily clad because its proper hot and the next your throwing on every item of clothing that you own because its bloody freezing. Its amazing how quickly life can become completely contradictory of what it was just moments before.
Its day two of being back from our family holiday in Barbados and we haven’t yet been out of our PJ’s and the fire has not dared to go out. We’re cold and missing the sun. Its sad that it has come to an end you begin to get proper fed up. Why do we have to come home to the cold, why do we have to leave the house with the pool in the back garden, why do we have to leave the beach that’s just down the road and why do we have to leave the local that has happy hour EVERY DAY (its even has it twice a day – bloody brilliant!).
But such is life; everything changes and everything will eventually come to an end.
It’s typical of family life. One minute you can be laughing and having fun and the next you can be dealing with a full blown tantrum and you are left in the middle wondering what the frigg just happened. One day they will make you wee your pants with laughter and the next they will want to make you want to smash your face in with a brick. One minute you are bringing a tiny little person home from the hospital and the next they will be starting school with two more tiny people arriving in the middle. Its scary how quickly things change and how dramatically they can change.
When I look at what lies ahead for 2016 there will be lots of changes. Daisy will be starting school, Oscar will be attending pre school a lot more when he gets his free 15 hours and George maybe starting his potty training. My babies are growing up and setting off on the long path to independence and just the same as holidays come to an end; there isn’t jack I can do about it. All that is to be done is accept that things change and the best I can do is make the most of the moments as they come and go.
Usually I commence each year with a list of resolutions and objectives for the for next 12 months. Lists of things that I’d like to do (e.g. create a garden fit for the Chelsea flower show) or stuff that I want to change (e.g. size of my ass). The list is endless as I set out to cross off a multitude of tasks. I’m a bugger for making endless lists of pointless tasks and putting way too much pressure on myself to achieve them, which always ends up the same; a breakdown and my other half and the kids shouldering the blame for my inability to achieve them. This year there will be no lists; my only objective this year is acceptance.
Accepting that I am not superwoman and cannot do it all. Accepting the bad days because there will be good ones around the corner. Accepting that the kids will be knobs sometimes, because after all – they are kids. Accepting that things won’t stay the same and every day will be different
Its not to say that I’m going to switch of the part of my brain that wishes to achieve stuff or am I going to cope with life with the kids without making the odd to do list – don’t be so ridiculous, I hear you shout. 2016 for me will be about becoming more aware when things get too much. Not over loading myself and becoming more realistic about what can be achieved and accepting it. It will be about the simple; paying attention to the little things and making the most of the moments as they happen. Most of all accepting that I will probably cock it up at some point!
So here’s to the 366 days of 2016 – the crappy and the happy.
Coming soon on the Blog the Threesypeasy holiday memoirs; a series of post about the trials and tribulations of holidays with kids.
Threesypeasy 