Getting More Organised For The Summer

Life has just gone up a notch. We've now joined a weekly BMX class to add to football and dance class AND we've also joined a completely new Football Club. Deep breath. For long time readers you'll know Aaron's been cycling since he was three years of age so you won't be overly surprised, except the missing part of the story is that hubby put me on a cycle ban when pregnant and it scuppered Aaron and I cycling everywhere. Also, so too did the presence of a buggy when Lottie came along. Alas I discovered via the BMX class that Aaron's cycling skills have suffered as a result but we're now both fully committed to getting him back where he was. I'd say from just 1 hour Tuesday night he's 85% there. It did break my heart though to witness it taking an hour to get back to where he was four years ago. Aaron on the exact same track 4 years ago, just with a different bike and more confidence: Aaron cycling 4 years old. There's something about being 8 years of age - it's like he's more self conscious and unsure of himself, but I'm definitely alongside him to ride it out and LITERALLY.

The football club we joined last night is a proper club as opposed to the weekly kick about he's done every Friday for FOUR long years. So hallelujah to not having to give up my Friday nights anymore (I'd already done that for 6 years as a Yoga Teacher) but we still have to go tomorrow to our old class, to finish the term as it's trophy night. We only tried our new club yesterday but we already have a tournament of matches to go to Sunday. Talk about going in at the deep end. And I thought with tomorrow being the last day of our school term, I thought I'd be looking forward to a slower pace of life for 6 weeks but as our new football club continues throughout Summer obviously that's going to be far from true. No harm though as Aaron's got so much stamina he'd be climbing the walls otherwise.

BUT there is a silver lining and that's after tomorrow NO MORE SCHOOL RUNS. I hate the school run with a passion. I have a "thing" about lateness or rather punctuality. So if you want to get my heart racing put me and 2 children who need to be at school on time in the same room. I mean don't get me wrong we are NEVER late. But sheepishly I tell you I cannot say the say for my stress levels. I could however say I'm never sane. Except of course when I'm asleep. I fully chill then of course. If only I didn't have to be horizontal to do so!!!!!!!!!!

So in an attempt to be more "organised Mum" and less running from the seat of her pants "stressed shrill Mum" I think it's time for a noticeboard and some other organising aids, like actually PUTTING things in an ACTUAL diary even if it is just online (and preferably so so that I get the reminders and can share it with hubby. I know the organised amongst you are probably gasping or at the very least taking a sharp inhale at the fact that we don't already use one. Well yeah, now you know why my memory is gone and my brain is FRIED. The hard drive of my brain is burnt out too busy thinking for four people. No harm in practicing good habits in the 6 weeks leisure time ready to be fighting fit for September though when the doors to YEAR 4 open. I really want to get Aaron up to academic excellence so we will be doing some book work, the 3 Rs, all through the Summer.  It does make me laugh that the 3 Rs are 

reading writing and arithmetic

... given that only 1 of them begins with an R. Clearly spelling doesn't always matter LOL.

And the Whiteboard notice board above could be used as a visual aid. I know in learning Aaron is very visual so to be able to do daily to-do lists on a white board through the Summer would be invaluable even if it was just a schedule starting: "book work 10 - 12, lunch 12-1, Nintendo Switch 1-4.....  I just have to get him into a habit where he EARNS his Nintendo Switch Fortnite time with academic book work time. The only thing that's getting my goat is we have the same teacher next year and I'm worried she may have already pigeon holed Aaron. I don't know how to get her to look at him with fresh eyes in September and not just assume his academic skills will have got rusty over the Summer. I play on practising his handwriting, and reading and maths/timetables all Summer even if it's just an hour a day.

Anyway this is my life currently (even last night whenever he wasn't actually playing football he'd just break into dance. Him and his BFF were both new last night and they both kept doing it whether it was Hype or Floss or Orange Justice etc... The other players just looked on. It didn't help that professional players were doing it during the World Cup so they are now role models and they're like sod what our actual peers think. But yeah life lately is like this: