Wednesday 20 August 2014

Not the summer I had planned

So far summer has been . . . odd.  Normally we stay home, enjoy the garden and spend time with friends.  We like our parks and museums quiet, which isn't an option in the school holidays!

This year the weather has been so variable that we've not done much outside at all - no blisteringly hot paddling pool days, no out door dinners, only one water fight!

We've also been busy, so time at home has been our decompression time. 

We've been bowling, to a soft play centre and swimming with a support group, we've camped with the Scout group, this weekend we camp again with another group, and we've done a couple of home ed visits as well!  Our quiet summer has gone up in smoke - which is both good and bad.

It's good, because these have been days well lived.  Good friends and happy memories have been made.  Time has been well spent, and we've all enjoyed it.

Bad because, for me, the summer is a time of recharging batteries.  A few weeks with less expectations, less stress of getting places, less need to be on time.  It's when I build up enthusiasm to face projects and workbooks again, when I gather resources, find inspiration.  This year we have been so busy I think I'm going to hit September at the same point as I burn-out.  So perhaps we will have to take the first part of September as a recovery period - lets just hope for an Indian summer, so our quiet days can be spent in the paddling pool!

In other news, we have an appointment next week with CAMHs.  The follow up to both M and J's ADOS's.  I *think* I know what will happen, but I am worrying about counting chickens before the eggs hatch. . . I am also worrying about what will come next.  Still, worrying only borrows trouble from tomorrow as the saying goes.  And bridges must be crossed when they are reached.

For the moment I think it's time to be happy with where we are, the kids have had a fun summer, probably their busiest yet, they are enjoying "Our Island story" as a bedtime book, Minecraft has turned into some kind of challenge-based project, with J and A asking me to set tasks and then comparing their builds, M is reading a roleplaying source book at night (I don't think he knows I know) and L is writing a story.

Even when planned summer relaxing goes out of the window the children are learning and growing faster than I can keep track of, and really, I guess, that's why we do things the way we do :)

2 comments:

  1. We love "Our Island Story" - we have 2 copies of the book, and on our kindles and on audiobook too!! Summers normally our camping and hibernating time too. Hope to catch up with you soon. xxx

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  2. It would e great to catch up! I picked the book up on a whim, seeing it second-hand on Amazon for 1p, I'd vaguely thought that if the kids wanted to look at a particular monarch / time period we could dip into it, but A saw it and asked for it as a bed time story, we're 260 ish pages in and they are still keen :)

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