Thursday photo #182

School. Piano lessons. After school clubs. Chaos. Exhaustion. Just days after the school holidays ended, we’re ready for another one. But this time, it’s different.

Putting things into perspective

Last Thursday, we were at Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. This amazing charity provides support and accommodation for the families of children in hospital. The house manager explained that many families are uprooted and forced to move family life to the hospital. Siblings of the poorly child live at Ronald McDonald house and go to school in the hospital.

Hearing about a family who spent two years living at the house put things into perspective for me. Those children didn’t get the opportunity to do all the extra curricular activities that my two do. The charity and the hospital do everything they can to make life normal for the families. But when you’re away from home with a child in hospital, life will always be tough.

So this week, I’m embracing the activities. Every late night, tired tantrum and time spent waiting for the children stems from an opportunity that they have. Sometimes it takes a look at what other people go through to realise how lucky we are.

The Black Country Living Museum

Last Winter, we headed to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. It’s a wonderful day out, and one I remember from my childhood. And these days, each time you visit, you are given a return ticket to visit again within the next 12 months.

So, we decided to head back at the weekend. The girls spent hours playing with hoop and stick games, we ate traditional chips and played in the fairground. Plenty of fresh air, traditional fun and delicious food were just what we needed.

Back to school

Difficult though school holidays are as a work-from-home parent, I do enjoy them. I feel very lucky to have that time with the girls. There’s always an adventure to be had, whether it’s a short break, days out or just time outdoors.

Now that they’re back in school, I’m frantically playing catch up with work as usual. But despite it all, I’m looking forward to the next holiday. The girls will be off for three weeks this Christmas, so it will seem like a decent break. I’ve already booked some amazing Christmas days out and perhaps for the first time ever, I’m really looking forward to it.

Our Thursday photo #182

This photo was taken on our relaxed night in. Pizza, popcorn, blankets on the sofa and rubbish on television. What could be better?