Summer Holidays Nearly Over

With one week left of the long summer holidays, did you manage to do all the things you hoped for? I haven’t managed any of the things I hoped I would.

I hoped for long summer days in the garden that resulted in impromptu bbq’s that lasted till the stars were out. It has rained and the days it didn’t rain it was either too windy or the kids had made use of the only sunny day and ran off into the sunset with their friends. Despite my enthusiasm for summer, it seemed the weather had other plans. When rain impacts holiday plans, it often feels like a cruel twist of fate, leaving us scrambling for indoor activities. Yet, I found solace in cozy movie nights and baking sessions, creating memories that warmed our hearts even when the skies were gray.

I hoped for leisurely walks to the beach, sand between our toes and sun on our faces. As above.

I hoped for getting in the car with the kids, a picnic and a sense of adventure. As above with also a hint of emmet thrown in. They block up all the roads around where I live. Traffic here in the summer is slower than a snail’s pace. Try navigating everywhere by the lesser known country lanes ends in disaster when you meet a lost emmets who has strayed on to the county lane and doesn’t want to move over to let you pass as it may scratch their car.  Can I just point out that these country lanes are indeed roads that can traffic and not a glorified garden path as one emmet declared through the car window.

I hoped for finally sorting out my wardrobe into a tidy and leaner space on the only wet day of the summer holidays. There was too many wet days and keeps getting put off till tomorrow. Tomorrow never came and now the holidays are nearly over. As I stared at the chaos of clothes spilling out of drawers, I realized that my ambition to conquer the clutter was slipping away. Reflecting on the summer holiday challenges in depth, I found myself wondering if I could reclaim any part of that time before school started again. With determination, I grabbed a few hangers and decided to tackle even a small section today, hoping to make progress before the final bell of the break rang. As I sorted through the garments, I recalled the advice I had read about how to effectively holiday, which emphasized the importance of making the most of every moment. Each piece I folded reminded me that while the holidays were fleeting, there was still value in taking small steps towards organization. Reinspired, I resolved to dedicate a little time each day to this project, ensuring that I wouldn’t let another summer slip away into chaos.

I hoped I would get all the uniform buying out the way in the first few weeks of the holidays. At the beginning of the summer holidays the kids declared they only needed school shirts. School shirts were bought and uniform buying was ticked off the list. As the weeks went by the real uniform list came to light. Missing school jumpers have never been found, football boots actually don’t fit anymore…it goes on and on. So now in the last week of school holidays I have a long list of uniform to buy and my purse contents exhausted. I’ve been combing through sales to stretch what little budget I have left, hoping to snag some good deals. If only I had remembered to save those top easter holiday vouchers, they could have eased the financial burden a bit. Now, I’m left scrambling to check every store for the essentials before the school bell rings on that first day back.

Next year I will organise the summer holidays a lot better or did I actually say that last year.