So
autumn is upon us. The schools are back
and dare I say it, already thoughts are on the mid-term break. At least mine are. The transition from summer to autumn hasn’t
been that bad. In fact it’s been a
lovely month in general. Busy but then we’re
all busy in our own areas.
We are into the final quarter of
2013. That old saying is not wrong; time
waits for no man. I’ve decided this
month to take a little step back from things in an effort to free up my mind,
lower my stress levels and as a result, take something back for me.
It’s working. I’ve prioritised a couple of things and
realised in trying to make time by letting running go by the wayside, it just
compounded things. Exercise is essential
for general health and well-being, particularly at this time of year when the
light is fading. So I will start off my giving thanks with the reuniting of a
long lost DVD friend.
Ms. Davina McCall. It’s been a long time. Too long.
But at this time of year when the dark mornings and evenings make it
more or less impossible for me to pound the roads, I need to do something
else. I dug out my Davina McCall workout
DVD and made the time to use it three
to four times a week.
Planting spring bulbs. Instead of putting them into pots, I thought it
would be better to push daffodil and snowdrop bulbs deep into the ground. Not too far away from us there is a house
with a white lawn in early spring instead of a green one. Snowdrops.
Everywhere. So with a little help
from my boys, we planted four boxes of snowdrops in the lawn and two nets of
daffodil bulbs around the fruit trees at the end of the garden.
Swimming lessons. Ours started back at the beginning of the
month. Something I once viewed as a
chore is now a highlight of my weekend.
That first Saturday Oldest Boy was moved from Level 4 straight into
Level 5 within minutes of getting into the water. Shy Boy has mastered the art of swimming
underwater. Without lessons.
Birthday parties. October 2005 and 2007 were busy years for baby
boys coming into the world. Shy Boy has
been absolutely kilt this last year watching his older brother head off to such
events and thought his turn would never come. That has all changed this
month. As I stood at the door to greet
him when he came home from school, he was grinning from ear to ear in his
daddy’s van, an invitation clutched in each hand. He’s catching up at last.
Loose teeth. Another bugbear of Shy Boy’s was having a
mouth full of healthy teeth. “When will
they start to fall out?” If I heard that
once over the last twelve months, I’ve heard it a dozen times. He complained of not being able to eat his
apple in school as his teeth hurt. Sure
enough, the hurt was caused by a tiny milk tooth on the bottom, one that wasn’t
quite as firm as it once was. Shining
blue eyes are a sight to behold. Imagine
his utter joy when a couple of days later, two more teeth started to rock in
their moorings.
Baking stuff. I dislike cooking intensely but love to
bake. I seem to have done a lot of it
this month. A coffee sponge, bakewell
tarts and granola for breakfast. Needless
to say it was all gratefully received.
Music of choice. A repeat offender here but well worth
it. Kodaline an Irish alternative rock
quartet. And this, this has summer all
over it.
About Time. A romantic comedy starring Domhnall Gleeson
with Rachel McAdams as his lady love. I
see kids’ films in the cinema all the time and this was a lovely treat. I went with my sisters and as we were waiting
for the lights to dim, one of them leaned across and asked was I aware he
travelled through time in a wardrobe. To
say I was sceptical is an understatement.
I may even have uttered a swear word.
Until I saw it. If you haven’t yet,
what are you waiting for? Go now. Immediately. Tomorrow at the absolute
latest! You will not be disappointed.
Halloween nails. I found this on the worldwide web and I love
it. I am definitely going to have a go
for Halloween. How pretty.
Signs of potty training. It was always my intention to try and
encourage Smallest Boy out of nappies in October when he will be two and a
half. I have started talking to him
about it and how he will get big boy pants all for his very own self. It has always been received with great
excitement. One evening recently as I
was changing his nappy he asked for his big boy pants. He wet himself within five minutes of course
and he was back in his nappy the next day but it’s a sign. Only a few weeks to go and I will be nappy
free.
A sleep over. This hasn’t happened yet but pretty soon
Lovely Liam will be going on a sleep over.
There are just five small hours between Lovely Liam and his cousin. This year they decided they were best friends
forever and really connected. A sleep
over has been arranged much to the absolute disgust and envy of the older two
boys. But them’s the breaks when you’re
busy going to birthday parties every weekend.
Last but definitely not least has
got to be the return of my beloved Home and Away after a summer break. It goes very well with a couple of glasses of
Pinot Grigio on a Saturday evening.
I may have mentioned this already
this week but it’s the simple things, folks.
And I’m nothing if not simple. But
don’t quote me on that.
