Holiday blues

Here we go ... it’s half term – and some urgent work has just come in.

Why does it always come in just as the school holidays start?

Of course, now the children are at different schools, the holidays don’t quite dovetail.

Son is off today, as the teachers have the first of goodness knows how many training days (I know they work hard, blah blah, but, really ...). Both are off next week, then the following week sees daughter off Monday and Tuesday. ARGH!

I’d hoped we could have had a couple of day trips out, but sadly that doesn’t look likely anymore. One of their nans has stepped into the breach and offered to take them out for two days (not that the children are looking forward to the prospect), so that leaves three days ... it is giving me palpitations, just thinking about it.

No doubt it will mean getting up at 4.30am to work for a few hours so that I can give them enough meaningful time during the day. Then I’ll have to knuckle down again early evening to make up lost time.

Reading this back makes me sound incredibly selfish and as if I don’t want them around. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just find it very hard to balance the school holidays and work.

I’m sure we’ll get to enjoy some time together without resorting to bickering (you see? I *am* optimistic) and I’ll report back on what we manage to do as a family next week.

Yesterday was the dreaded toy fair at son’s school. This annual fundraiser sees us donating good quality toys that the children have outgrown and cringing at the tat that they (now just the one child, of course) bought with our hard-earned money.

McDonald’s toys used to feature very heavily on their buying list – simply because I refuse to eat there, so it was their way of exacting revenge on my prejudices.

This year I imposed an absolute moratorium on such toys and, like previous years, emphasised the fact that if he doesn’t spend his £1.50 (which actually buys A LOT), he can keep the money.

I can tell son has grown up that little bit more – for this year he came out of school with a very small – and very cute – little teddy that cost him 10p.

It doesn’t even look that dirty, although it may accidentally find itself having a quick dip in the washing machine!