Life lately

Dear readers, I feel I owe you an apology. My blogging game is poor and I feel I am neglecting you!

Actually, I think it’s more like I am neglecting me, as life is just so busy at the moment there just hasn’t been the time to sit and take the odd hour to myself to write my blog, or do much else for that matter.

Life is feeling intense at the moment and there are lots and lots of plates spinning. As you will probably know, I’m in the middle of trying to move house and so I’ve commenced the grand de-clutter. I’ve swapped the time I found to go running to spend it sorting through our things room by room (or cupboard by cupboard), getting rid of the things we no longer need and organising the things we do. It is a mammoth task, and I’m realising just how much stuff I’ve hung on to.

I think the past few years have been some sort of black hole where I haven’t had the strength or perspective to be super organised. That sounds ridiculous written down, but I’m sure you can imagine my priorities have just not been on making sure everyone’s things are organised and our wardrobes are tidy. I haven’t read the book everyone’s talking about, the Kon Mari method of only keeping things which spark joy, but I’m using that as a principle when having a sort out.

Things which so far have not sparked joy for me are a faded and broken sand and water table from the bottom of the garden; three sets of Mega Bloks from the loft; my husband’s collection of 100 golf balls and four duvets that I kept ‘just in case’. What was I thinking, we’d have a sudden influx of eight visitors all wanting to stay the night?!

There are always things to sort out when you’re buying and selling a house, so I’ve been swamped in admin this past week. Joking to a friend at work I was going to use my days off to sort out ‘life admin’, we came up with the rather depressing term of being a ‘life clerk’ for all the boring stuff I had to deal with. So there you have it. My new role – I am a life clerk. Or rather, I need a life clerk!

I’ve been back and forth to the hospital for appointments with Sam too, who has been having real problems with his concentration and attention, leading to some issues at home and at school. Having to tell a seven-year-old how to get dressed and put his shoes on every day does not make for a calm and happy home when you have to leave the house at 7.30am. We have had some support with that this week though, so I’m hoping things will start to get easier and our relationship will be a stronger and less bombastic one as well. I love him to bits and we’re really close, but when he’s on one he can really rub me up the wrong way – like lots of kids and their parents I’m sure.

Oh and I’m also trying to lose weight – just the extra half stone I seem to have put on since Christmas, sob! I am a healthy eater and sway towards more vegetarian food, but it’s the bits in between I struggle with. When the kids are in bed, I’ve got into the habit of pouring myself a glass of wine and having a bit of chocolate or something sweet, and it’s caught up on me. But no matter how many salads I eat and wine I deprive myself of, it’s just not going anywhere.

Add to this dullness the current mood of the country, the general malaise and fear that’s being felt amongst my friends after last week’s referendum and the Brexit fallout, and life isn’t feeling that optimistic.

I just keep thinking about the move and trying to visualise being in our new house and getting ready for the next thing, which will be going off to Portugal for a week on holiday. Oh yes, a holiday is definitely what’s needed around here. We also have a third birthday to plan before we go, and maybe a leaving do or two for me if I can sort it out, which is something fun to look forward to.

Until then, I’ll just have to keep my head down, keep mainlining those espressos and try to breathe.

x Julia