This is a snapshot from yesterday - our first day of the school break. One naked son in the paddling pool, one lovely daughter drawing and playing in the tent and one mummy enjoying a little knitting in the shade. Sounds idyllic and this moment was, but I know over the next 6 weeks these relaxing moments may be few and far between.
I do find this time of year a difficult one. At the school gate all the mums were chatting excitedly about their plans for the summer break; visits to parks, picnics, holidays at the beach and so on. I stood there and said nothing because to be honest the thought of the long break makes me feel a little sick. Although I like the calmer pace of mornings (no school rush) Toby has a hard time with the change in routine. His autism makes it really hard to do much of the normal family stuff and when we do go anywhere he needs to be so closely supervised to keep him from harm that poor old Amy gets no attention. He's not good with crowds, new places or loud noises and is oblivious to obvious dangers like lakes, busy roads, going off with strangers etc. Often when we go somewhere he freaks out and we have to come straight back home which is really unfair on Amy and makes everyone feel miserable.
This year we decided not to go away on a family holiday and so we're based at home for the 6 week break. Hopefully here things will be quiet and manageable although even at home Toby needs constant attention to keep him safe. Amy has a few clubs and activities to go to and she & I have planned a few overnight camping trips with friends and in the garden. I'm really lucky to have my Mum and Dad to visit - we'll go and stay for a few days and they'll entertain the children, take us to new places and generally help out.
Anyway, with all this in mind I've decided to have a summer blog break and concentrate fully on the children. I will be popping some little cotton rabbits and friends into my etsy shop from time to time and Amy will have fun helping me pack them up and take them to the post office.
I hope you'll pop back and see us in the autumn when I should have news of the baby hedgehogs and some chat about what we've been up to.
Wishing you a lovely August wherever you are and whatever you're doing,
Julie x