The School Run

I did the school run this morning - I loved it !


It's my brothers birthday, although that's not why I did the run for his children - he had an appointment so I stepped in. It was slightly weird and both David and Ruth agreed that it was strange, turning up at my door for 8am again. I haven't done the school run now for 3 years .......... and I miss the morning banter.


I don't think I thought about it like that at the time - you get frustrated with the daily routine, the slow moving traffic and even fed up if the kids (when I took them all) were in a bad mood and bickering (which happened quite a lot). 


So it really is one of those things that you look back on with fondness, forgetting the downsides and recalling the pluses. 


The fact that I would be up and ready for the day - this was brilliant when working from home as it is soooooo easy to lie in if you do not HAVE to be up at a specific time! The fact that it was precious moments of chat, discussion, times tables checking, problem solving, sorting social issues and all of that.


Some of the real DEEP, LIFE changing talks about aspects of the children's lives took place on the school run! :


Child A (aged 9 or 10) "the other kids are saying that Father Christmas is really your Daddy - that can't be right can it " (bear in mind that in their thoughts my 3 don't have their Daddy alive)


Me "hmmmm - are you being teased a bit at school"


Child B (quite a bit older) "I think it's time Mum"


Child A "I really want to know the truth - I can take it you know"


Me " Ok well ....." and so the truth about Father Christmas comes out and actually Child A is relieved. 


There was no teasing but it just needed acknowledging that it was all a lovely treat for children and as you get older you are let into the secret.


There was also the famous bullying talk x 5 (I took all 5 children into school and picked them up and at different times I had the discussions regarding both being a bully and being bullied for all 5 of them)


I think I should copyright that talk - it seemed to work for them all!


There was the  "Dan jumping out of the car" incident.


Then the  Police pulling the car in and questioning whether or not Gina had her seatbelt on - oh that one is a story in itself - she did have her seatbelt on but they did not want to admit they had made a mistake.


The arguing about who sat in the front seat and the negotiations and family pecking order that was accepted and agreed and helped with social skills/status etc.


The tears about boys (funnily enough not girls LOL)


The concerns about school work and which teachers do what and when .......... and hundreds of other similar arguments and debates.


Heart rending issues that are important for young people and should not be dismissed just because you are older and don't see these things in the same light. These issues may have got dismissed by me if I had been busy at home, cooking or rushing about with other things but on the school run - you are a captive audience and just HAVE to answer their questions ........


Yes ...... the school run is a microcosm of  family life. 


So for those of you lucky enough to still be doing it - enjoy it, embrace it for what it is ............. even when you are running late and frantically wishing the traffic would move just a little quicker !!!!

Arrgghh - I missed my swim !

As I mentioned a few posts back - I don't like exercising - but I have now made a habit of my swimming. I do still walk the dog a little and I also have the cross trainer that Greg kindly brought downstairs for me so I can go on it when watching TV - in the adverts, but it still comes back to the swimming!!


So on Wednesdays, when I am not at work,  I  go for a swim and a sauna at lunchtime.  I have now reached the pace I had previously achieved and can do 32 lengths (half a mile) in just under half an hour. Then comes the real BLISS of going for a 15 minute sauna afterwards to just relax in the heat and ensure the old bones don't stiffen.


Well ................ today I missed it ...............it was for a good cause, I met up with an ex colleague for a coffee and scone and a long chat. 


It was a good cause ........... but I now feel very guilty ..... as if I have forgotten to do homework ... or left work early... or even called in sick when I wasn't ...... that kind of guilt.


AND boy ... did I miss the sauna part ....... I did not realise how much it had been helping me with my headaches but have actually had a reasonable couple of months - free from the weekly niggles I used to get. 


Yes I have still had the monthly migraine .... presumably hormone related .... but before the end of last year I was having weekly headaches that would be in danger of turning into migraines if I did not get my tablets down quick enough. 


The last migraine I had was 3 weeks ago and I am 99 percent sure that was related to my injections for Hep A/ Hep B/Tetanus/Polio/Diptheria that I had received, (for our upcoming trip) the day before the migraine hit! (I keep telling you all I am a tad pathetic health wise LOL - the slightest thing will set me off !)


I am convinced that a mixture of the less stressful job and the regular swim/sauna mix has really helped and ... almost as if to prove it ... I have a bad neck/head tonight and will have to have a tablet to ward the inevitable off .......  missing the swim/sauna is not conducive to my health ............... both from that point of view and that in the last few weeks I have lost a few pounds - so it definitely is working for me!!!!


So I have already made sure that my diary is free for next Wednesday lunchtime and will have to work something our when I am due to start looking after Kovu - anything that keeps the headaches away is worth doing !