Back to work and ready for the return
As the children officially began their summer holidays, I was officially back to work.
And I am more than ready for it - even if it’s mostly from home. Although I did get back into the studio on Sunday.
Everyone was suffering from lockdown lethargy as motivation for homeschooling in particular was seriously starting to wane. I was gutted when the school published their proposals for a return to the classroom in September. My children, like many, are only in two days a week.
I’m grateful there are such detailed plans in place and I appreciate teachers are in a difficult position but I’m sure parents everywhere (and probably most children) are desperate for a return to full-time education.
I say most children because, after managing to book Daniel and Emily into a sports camp for two weeks in July, they are as animated about it as we are. In the past, they would have resisted any attempt at being foisted into such a scheme, but not this summer - so sick of the sight of their parents they’ve become.
Takeaway Tuesday has become a ‘thing’ in our house. Having discovered the wait at the weekend is just too much for small and large(r) tummies to bear. Worn down by our eight-year-old, we got a Nando’s. To say Daniel was overjoyed when it was delivered would not be an understatement. Emily was especially impressed with the free custard tart which had to be painstakingly divided into three.
There have also been a few trips to the Golden Arches. To say I was devastated that there were no milkshakes would also not be an understatement. At least the queues haven’t been too long.
After becoming a dab hand at cutting my own fringe, I studied a few YouTube videos and took the scissors to Emily’s hair.
She looks so grown up and I’ve caught her admiring her new style in the cooker. I’m also delighted with the result and relieved at the ease with which it can now be brushed.
I have my own colour and cut appointment booked and the excitement I’m feeling is palpable. Apologies in advance to my amazing hairdressers who will have their work cut out on my barnet, having kept the roots at bay with a Sun-In (remember that?) alternative.
We’re encouraging the kids to do chores over the summer - for pocket money. They started with washing the car, which they thought was such fun there was no need to incentivise them with cold hard cash.
As Daniel’s room is now my ‘home office’, he’s promised to keep it tidy. He has also asked to be my personal trainer at a very reasonable rate too. All those Joe Wicks workouts have increased his already insatiable appetite for exercise. Unlike his mum’s.
Despite this, I have managed to jog as part of a challenge in memory of our friend Aileen McGeown who died suddenly of cancer just before Christmas. She was just 46 and a devoted mum to my son’s best friend Conal. A group of us were to do the Belfast marathon, but Covid put that on hold.
Aileen’s husband Stephen and Conal were undeterred and devised our feat to travel the length of Ireland from Malin to Mizen Head (we ended up doing it both ways - over 800 miles!) All the kids got involved too - walking, running and cycling.
Stevie set out to raise £2,000, but thanks to the generosity of friends, family and colleagues, he’s raised more than £20,000 for the Northern Ireland hospice where Aileen was cared for so well at the end of her life.
It’s been a bittersweet week. We’re pleased at the response, but we’re pained at the loss of such a great woman. When we mums and kids gathered for our annual end of term picnic at the PEC, we reminisced about last year when Aileen was still with us and how quickly and cruelly she was taken away.
It’s been a challenging year even before lockdown, but our only hope is to keep creating positive memories and a lasting legacy for Conal and Stevie out of such sadness.
Aileen has inspired us all to do that - not just this week, but in the many more to come.