End of the Easter Holidays

I have been meaning to write this since last Sunday but getting back into the swing of school and pre-school seems to have taken over all my time again, particularly in the evenings. That and A waking up crazy early is taking its toll on my motivation to get anything done once the boys are in bed - both Mark and I fell asleep in front of the TV the other night after another early start. 

The holidays were great. It took a few days to get used to but by the second week we had settled nicely back into our old ways of day trips and picnics.
There was the obvious benefit for me of not having to get everyone out the door at a certain time at least twice a day but I think it had a positive effect on the boys as well. There’s been much more empathy and affection from W and much less hitting, and bath times have been noticeably calmer. I feel under quite a lot of pressure in the evenings sometimes to get everyone through the bath and bedtime routine so there’s enough time for the required amount of sleep before starting again the following day. The holidays definitely lifted some of the pressure on bedtime as it didn’t matter if everything got a bit late.  

It has reminded me of my reservations about sending them to school, particularly at the age of 4. It hasn’t been helped by looking at the school term dates for next year - 3rd September to 21st December seems a very long time for the Autumn term and doesn’t leave much time to get in the festive spirit before Christmas. Apart from W’s slightly challenging behaviour at home after being so well-behaved at school all day, fundamentally I just like having him here. And T does as well - they played so well together during the holidays and there was a definite decrease in the number of times T asked to watch something. With W back at school I have to start keeping him entertained again!

I need to find a way this term to stop school becoming the focus of all of our lives. It is obviously a big part of the week but at the moment it is only six hours a day for one member of the family. I think that will be easier said than done though, one week in and I already feel like I’m back on the conveyor belt of getting us through the day then getting us ready for the next day, and on it goes. And I need to keep trying to stop it affecting W so much - I miss my cheery holiday chap!