Jenny Is it only me, or did the Easter holidays go on foreeeeeevvvvvvvvver?!
My two only went back today – cue last minute reading, sorting out PE kits and a sudden rush to make sure we have food in to make packed lunch. In theory, I had the past two and a half weeks to sort it all out, but it never actually works out that way in practice, does it? I kept to my normal working patterns over the holidays (I have to carefully time my annual leave to allow for ‘rest’ days), so 3 full days of work a week with Mondays and Fridays off. Work basically uses up my week’s worth of energy, so my days off with the kids around were mainly spent sitting, playing some of the games I talked about in this blog post, or organising life via our laptop (wills finally organised, guitar lessons paid for).
Hubs took on the brunt of childcare, with the exception of of a day of help from the grandparents and an afternoon in holiday club. He did a grand job of keeping the kids busy – treasure hunts, swimming and beach days, interspersed with loads of basketball, Xbox and telly time. The kids went back rested and refreshed, ready for their new term. So why do I feel so guilty? Here are some of my thoughts:
I should have taken annual leave off work over the holidays
I should have done more baking/crafting/reading with the kids
I should have been able to take them out for a fun day out, giving Hubs a chance to have a rest
But all of this was impossible difficult, due to the MS fatigue and dodgy legs creeping up on me. Feeling constantly guilty is a part of parenthood, I guess, maybe even more so when you are a parent with a chronic illness? I just have to remind myself that:
I managed a 2 full days out to the seaside, which included taking my little boy on his first ‘pirate ship’ ride (you know the one that makes it feel like your stomach is going to fall out of your mouth?)
I made my children home made Nutella, which they LOVED
I feel like I have a permanent plastic band around my head due to sheer number of times we played ‘Headbandz’ this holiday
I have cards like this made for me:
I guess that I can’t be doing too bad a job.
