0 comment Thursday, September 25, 2014 | admin
It must be said: term breaks are the things I dread. I suppose I understand now why my parents were rather strained by the end of summer and Christmas break. Entertaining children at the cost of bringing income to the home is a daunting prospect. The UK has a LOT of breaks, and I'm bewildered how anyone manages to work through. I suppose back in The Day one lived in multi-generational households and relied on the grandparents to assist, but for those who don't have that sort of fallback, gods help ye.
For me, it's a nightmare; there's no special needs playgroups in this area, nothing I can take sprog to in order to allow for a bit of chilltime if sproggo needs it I'd given up on taking sprog to mainstream playgroups or anything of the sort as I spent so much time trying to keep him from freaking out and dealing with the glassy looks of other parents, it's just not worth the stress or humiliation for either of us. Sprog needs a LOT of stimuli and burn-off time, much more than I can give him and still be able to focus and cope. I didn't have money before, but at least now I do, so I can plan to take him on little trips or bus-rides or find something else he might enjoy for a while, but I have to accept that, no matter how much I try to do, it won't be enough. He's always going to want something more, so I try and keep those trips down to what I can manage that day.
So this weekend as he's off with his father, I am not having a break. Today is a shopping run for the week as I won't be able to do it when sprog is here (taking him into a crowded market when he's not in the mood can prove to be disasterous). The house will need as much a clean as I can possibly give it, as I won't have time or the energy to do anything but the basic dishes/load of laundry. I have to be sure that there's enough prepared-from-scratch meals for me in the freezer to cut down on my need to cook, and therefore I'll actually remember to eat. Every day requires a game plan to keep sprog entertained and keep tempers down, get him fed, and not spend too much time indoors. I have to plan what money I have spare (and I did prepare for this break so I do have some, although the money I was expecting for tax credits is late). The soap I need to make needs to be done this weekend or it won't get done at all till after the break; I won't have the energy to do anything else once sprog is in bed but check my accounts and then go to bed myself.
There will be Lego, and more planting; I hope we can finish transferring the strawberries and get ready for the cherry tree which should be coming next week. Onion and shallots will get stored until the raised bed is ready. We'll bake cakes, and we will shake our bums, and hopefully I can give sprog a busride somewhere - though again I have to be careful with this as it will become an expected thing for him, on the same bus, doing the same activities as before, so I need to research carefully!
Paperwork still needs filing (I needed some notes from the GP before I could send the lot off) so the grantwork hasn't been done. I doubt I'll get a chance to do it next week, either, but I'll see what I can manage. There's a house inspection (gods I hate those) this week and I'll have to herd the dog outside AND child as well and leave the fellow to it. Madness, the lot of it, but life goes on.
For all parents in the same boat, I wish you all as much peace as you can manage to get, and a stiff drink afterwards!
For me, it's a nightmare; there's no special needs playgroups in this area, nothing I can take sprog to in order to allow for a bit of chilltime if sproggo needs it I'd given up on taking sprog to mainstream playgroups or anything of the sort as I spent so much time trying to keep him from freaking out and dealing with the glassy looks of other parents, it's just not worth the stress or humiliation for either of us. Sprog needs a LOT of stimuli and burn-off time, much more than I can give him and still be able to focus and cope. I didn't have money before, but at least now I do, so I can plan to take him on little trips or bus-rides or find something else he might enjoy for a while, but I have to accept that, no matter how much I try to do, it won't be enough. He's always going to want something more, so I try and keep those trips down to what I can manage that day.
So this weekend as he's off with his father, I am not having a break. Today is a shopping run for the week as I won't be able to do it when sprog is here (taking him into a crowded market when he's not in the mood can prove to be disasterous). The house will need as much a clean as I can possibly give it, as I won't have time or the energy to do anything but the basic dishes/load of laundry. I have to be sure that there's enough prepared-from-scratch meals for me in the freezer to cut down on my need to cook, and therefore I'll actually remember to eat. Every day requires a game plan to keep sprog entertained and keep tempers down, get him fed, and not spend too much time indoors. I have to plan what money I have spare (and I did prepare for this break so I do have some, although the money I was expecting for tax credits is late). The soap I need to make needs to be done this weekend or it won't get done at all till after the break; I won't have the energy to do anything else once sprog is in bed but check my accounts and then go to bed myself.
There will be Lego, and more planting; I hope we can finish transferring the strawberries and get ready for the cherry tree which should be coming next week. Onion and shallots will get stored until the raised bed is ready. We'll bake cakes, and we will shake our bums, and hopefully I can give sprog a busride somewhere - though again I have to be careful with this as it will become an expected thing for him, on the same bus, doing the same activities as before, so I need to research carefully!
Paperwork still needs filing (I needed some notes from the GP before I could send the lot off) so the grantwork hasn't been done. I doubt I'll get a chance to do it next week, either, but I'll see what I can manage. There's a house inspection (gods I hate those) this week and I'll have to herd the dog outside AND child as well and leave the fellow to it. Madness, the lot of it, but life goes on.
For all parents in the same boat, I wish you all as much peace as you can manage to get, and a stiff drink afterwards!
Labels: Sprog