I do the same thing every year. I trick myself into thinking that I will have “more time” once the kids go back to school.
More time to clean the car, tidy the house, cook healthy meals, work hard, keep fit and indeed, have fun along the way!
But Autumn is such a busy season. The return to school heralds the start of split days, homework, after school clubs, family birthdays, special occasions (Harvest, Halloween, Bonfire Night) Children in Need, fun runs, gym competitions, gigs away, school trips, school fayres, shows and then of course, before we know it- it’s Christmas. Autumn term just flies by in the blink of an eye.
All of that can be taxing in itself. But even if there was absolutely nothing going on, I think I would still be exhausted. Autumn makes me so tired. The cold snap hasn’t even hit yet, but my body seems to think it’s time to hibernate. As I write this my dry eyes are heavy and starting to close. Each evening after tea, I struggle to get up again to clean up. If someone were to whisper in my ear, “Leave it.” and cover me in a blanket then I would quite happily sleep through all night. I sit there, knowing that the sooner I get everything done, the sooner, I can have some “me time”, watch netflix or just sleep. My fuzzy mind knows that, but my body moves more slowly and wearily than in the summer. The early darkness lulls me into a false sense of rest.
I can’t keep up with myself. We still have as much to fit in, but less (daylight) hours to fit it all into. The house is a huge mess (one day, I will shock blog readers as I announce that it is actually tidy! A post for 1st April 2016, maybe).
I am making sure that I get sunlight every day, walking the school runs, spending outdoor time after school, I even went on an unexpected 11km coastal walk with a friend on Friday morning, which was great fun chatting and putting the world to rights. We walk down to the beach most days to check if the swans are there. I would promise myself early nights but Danny has clubs until late a few nights a week so I have to collect him. This week, we had a very late night, as for a short amount of time, Danny went missing- I will dedicate a whole post to that story!
I think I may start serving tea earlier so I don’t have to attempt the dreaded clearing up at too late an hour (it just means we often won’t get to eat with Dave). I also need to buy more uniform. Caitlyn has lots of pinafores but always wants to wear her culottes, so I’m washing and drying them constantly. If they had enough for three days I would only need to do a school wash Wednesdays and weekends. I also plan to start using our slow cooker more to save active cooking time.
Luckily, I do love Autumn. I think this tiredness is reminding me to just embrace it. I need to get ready to turn in earlier, enjoy lighting candles, hot baths, reading a good book (my sister reminded me of Freya North books earlier and I really feel like reading a North or Lisa Jewell novel now instead of the ten new releases that I should be reading to review!) and getting a good nights sleep.
I know that it is natural and that in days gone by, with no electricity, once it was dark, humans would curl up, keep warm and sleep, so I shouldn’t fight it so much. In Autumn and Winter, we need to look after ourselves and each other a little bit more.
Don’t bring me down
lighten up
it’s not so serious after all.
Lighten up don’t bring me down
the world’ still turning, spinning around
Lighten Up by Love Zombies
I can relate to this totally. I was driving home at 8.30 yesterday and it was DARK! Suddenly it feels like there is no time left to do anything, and that it is most definitely, certainly time for bed. Had it been light, the feeling would have been completely different.And I am definitely guilty of NOT getting up after tea and clearing things away. Once I sit down, it is like my body gives up and says – yup, that's it. You're done for the day. (My house reflects this sentiment!)Hope you are all well 🙂