Hello, first of all, sorry I haven’t been around here writing about our life and days out recently. Life is very hard at the moment but it’s not my story to share. I haven’t been able to give the kids the school summer holidays they deserved and now it’s already time to go back to school (and college!).
September- a Fresh Start
While I can’t help but grieve the lost summer and happy family moments I wanted us to have, I need to summon the strength and instead look at September as a fresh start and hope things can be better for us all going forward.
Starting Secondary School and College
This new school term is a big one for us family-wise. Isabelle has now started at secondary school. I can’t believe our youngest is now so grown up. She was a newborn when we started this blog. In a typical coincidence, just as my four children have all left primary school, the Welsh Government have made school meals FREE for all primary aged pupils. Imagine the money we would have saved in all those years. I can imagine mine would have all said they wanted to stay “Brechdanu” (“Sandwiches”) anyway lol. I’m glad it is free for young families though, especially during this cost of living crisis as everyone is struggling with the rise in food prices.
Caitlyn is moving onto Year 10, so things will be getting more serious with her GCSE studies. I think she will take it all in her stride- but she is very laid back so may need some encouragement! Rebecca has started at college! I know it’s a cliche that we all say, but I really feel like it’s not long ago that I started college. I still remember it all so well. I’m happy to say that I loved my time in college so I hope Rebecca will be as happy and also do well there. She is so excited about her courses and has already started her reading list as the subjects interest her so much. And of course, Dan has long left school. He didn’t want to go to uni but I regret that this means he didn’t get the full student experience. I’ve realised over the years that that was as important for my development as the academic work.
Sharings Days Out
Even on the better days, I haven’t been sharing our days out and travels as it all seems trivial. However, I truly believe that getting out and about is good for the soul. Also, the more I don’t go out, the scarier for me it becomes. At the moment, I’m scared of going anywhere alone or even popping into the shops etc., so I have to make myself start going out again.
So I’ll try to start sharing days out again when I have a chance to write them up. Just know as readers, that I’m not sharing to say our life is good, I’m just showing how we try our hardest to have happy and fun moments, even though life is tough.
Mini Back-to-School Bucket List
So now the kids are back in school I want to:
- Catch up on work and make money (this year was the hardest year ever to keep working during the summer holidays)
- Write up days out posts
- “Autumn Clean” the house
- Read more
- Sew more
And with the kids:
- Get to the beach (we haven’t been enough this summer)
- Ditto get into the woods
- Swim in the sea
- Plan days out further afield (Caitlyn can’t wait to return to Longleat Safari Park etc.)
Our family are all helping us out so much at the moment, especially Mum, so thank you. At the moment, I don’t know what’s going to happen but I have to have hope that everything will be okay. I used to think if we had love, we would be ok but I’ve found out love does not conquer all.
There was once a blog linky called “Living Arrows” (does it still exist?) and I love the line that’s often quoted from the poem, but today I thought I’d share the whole poem because it feels apt:
On Children
by Kahlil Gibran1883 –1931
And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children.
And he said:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.
From The Prophet (Knopf, 1923).
Good luck going back to school (and college and Uni) everyone! Sending special best wishes to the little kids starting school for the first time. I wish I was back in those days, but know we all have to move on. Hope everyone is doing well xxx
So sorry you haven’t had a great summer, I hope things are better soon. I hope the girls have a good year at school and college. x
So sorry to hear things are so hard at the moment. Hang on in there and keep on taking baby steps forwards.
The girls all look so smart!
Onward and upwards a brand new chapter for all the family