End of Summer and Back to School

I have mixed feelings about this time of year. We really have had the best summer. I mean the weather here in the UK has not been the best but we have had a ball. Both myself and my husband have kept work to a minimum through the school summer holidays. It’s been lovely to be out of routine and not have my brain exploding with so much to think about. We have enjoyed a summer of leisurely mornings, getting dressed late, long days out without a care in the world and late nights sipping glasses of wine. We have enjoyed the lack of any kind of routine or commitments, each day relaxed and unscheduled.

I have a love hate relationship with routine. I spent all last week telling anyone that would listen how I could not wait for the new school term to start and I meant it. This week is now upon us and I am back to juggling life/work/school/family and a household and to begin with I always feel overwhelmed with the mental load. Like my brain can’t quite manage all this at once. My brain had almost switched off over summer and I loved that but this week is a harsh jolt back to reality.

My blogs have become a sort of diary for me and I always have an overwhelming urge to write one when I am feeling unbalanced. It’s my way of thinking through my thoughts and processing how I feel. I find it very therapeutic.

Now the children are back at school, I have PE kits to remember, swimming kits, fancy dress days, reading days, school trips… sound familiar???
All this mixed with managing my business, accounts, cake orders, private teaching, whilst keeping my household running. Sometimes my head feels like it might self-combust. It gives me an uneasy feeling, a feeling that I have forgotten or missed something or someone and I have to say, that’s not fun to live with. Thank goodness this feeling is usually short lived for me. Hopefully within a week or so my brain will have adjusted to the new pace of life and I won’t find all of this as daunting as I do today.

As I am writing this, I am also thinking of all the other mums and dad out there that are no doubt feeling the same or have done at some point. It may feel like an impossible task but we can do it. We can be a committed working parent but it’s also time to be kind to ourselves. Let go of the Mum/Dad guilt and be proud of what work is contributing to your family. We all sometimes need a reminder that we can do this, yes it’s hard, yes it can be exhausting and thankless, not to mention overwhelming at times and we won’t always get it right. As long as we are trying our best our families will love us for that.

Take Care
Love Kerry xx