Back to School

Now that the school holidays are over, I can begin to tackle some of the other jobs around the house that need doing. Some are the sort of horrible jobs that don't get done very often - for example today I cleaned all the horrible gunky stuff out of the bottom of the waste paper bins.

During the holidays it was really a case of survival and just keep going. It's necessary to achieve the bare minimum each day i.e. everyone gets fed and has clean clothes to wear and a basic standard of cleaning needs to be maintained.. Running the hoover round? No problem. Pulling out the sofa and investigating what's behind? It can wait until September.

I know the summer holidays are meant to be fun times to be spent with the kids in a long and joyous round of fun, but I've struggled, I really have. It doesn't help much that we had our summer holiday in May. I would have loved to have been able to go away for two weeks in August but as we all know, that's beyond the reach of most family budgets.

And Ollie is very hard work to look after because of his issues. I love both my boys to bits but all day every day has been extremely tiring to the extent that I have pretty much withdrawn from socialising altogether as I just have not had the time or the energy. By the last week when I went down with some sort of virus I was really struggling to keep going.

It's hard to describe to the uninitiated the issues I have to face on a daily basis - but it's a job I do to the best of my ability. And it always comes first.

I neglect myself - I know I do. If there's only enough bread left for two until the next loaf is ready - I go without. Diet's been worse than ever during the summer. I've started taking a multivitamin supplement to try and fill in the gaps - I have no idea whether or not they work. There is much debate on the issue.

But Ollie is back now - albeit with a few teething issues. I bought him 3 new pairs of long trousers for the new term as part of his school uniform - for age 4 (he is 5) but they are way too long. We need some for 3 year olds - I've got mum looking in Oxford as I write. So he has gone to school in shorts for the last two days - which is OK as it's lovely sunny weather, but even at this very early part of September, first thing in the morning there's an autumnal chill in the air.

He was a bit upset that he is now one of the "big ones" - so no more cosy reception class with Mrs Walsh. However he soon brightens up in the morning when he sees his friend Sophie. I guess you could almost call her his girlfriend. They have to line up to walk into class and these first two days they've gone in hand in hand. Joking aside about "chips off the old block" and all that - it's actually really important that he has a friend. One of Ollie's issues that was picked up last year, and to an extent also at his pre-school, is that although he may talk nineteen to the dozen, he does not interact very well with other children - if at all. He is very insular and likes to do his own thing. Though he is more receptive to adult interaction. In the case of Sophie though, he has someone that he seems to want to be with and play with and that's got to be a good thing.

Tomorrow Jamie starts at the Courtyard. He is much younger that Ollie was when he started - yet has that much more confidence I think he will do fine. He does not talk anything like as much as Ollie did but certainly has understanding. I am toying with the idea of starting toilet training, as I think he will adopt it earlier than Ollie with whom we got nowhere before his 3rd birthday. I'll discuss it with the staff there and see if we can work together on it.

The other thing that has been progressively starting to stress me out over the summer is the constant noise pollution from the building works taking place behind us, and all the other various aggro it's caused. You've already seen some pictures of the traffic chaos. This has been going on for a year now. As I sit writing now there is a drill going, a digger moving about and just general noise. It goes on all day and it starts to get inside your head. It's well known that constant exposure to such things is stressful. I keep hoping they are getting near to the end of the job - the basic shells of all the buildings were finished weeks ago but there does not seem to be any shortage of other things going on.

It was more noticeable in the holidays because we are outside more, the windows are open, and we were getting up later in the morning. So even if the kids slept past 7:30 (rare), around that time the generator would start up plus all the other equipment. It seems that the policy is to do the noisiest jobs as early in the day as possible. This goes on for an hour or two until they have their first tea break. We are separated from the site only by the width of the Bure, i.e. about 2 metres.

The other thing that annoyed me the other day was we were out in the garden with the kids and all I could hear above the general racket was a lot of "effing and blinding" from the other side of the Bure, plainly audible to the children. They must know we've got kids. And on a Tuesday I have to make sure I get my bin in extra quick after the dustmen have been, unless I want it filled with a lot of the left overs of whatever gastronomic fast food delights they purchased for lunch.

I will be glad when it's all over, I really will.

Well, back to school it is, and we have mother-in-law staying for the weekend so we will be having a nice barbecue tomorrow evening (Friday) as the weather is so good. I have promised Ollie he can stay up late on Friday nights now if he is good at school all week and watch some (suitably programmed) JTV with us, so we will be starting all that tomorrow evening. Friday night = Family night here at Ayres Mansion.

Jason xx

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please take a look at my books on Amazon (Paperback & Kindle), where you can read lots more of the same! Click here.