Living Arrows | Beach Baby

  'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

We've been a bit AWOL from the blog and Living Arrows for a while, mainly because I've been enduring the pregnancy from hell! It started with intense sickness, then immense pain that turned out to be gallstones (on the waiting list for surgery to remove my gallbladder) and there's been the ongoing endocrine/autoimmune issues that were going on before I was pregnant. I've been exhausted and ill and honestly hating it- it's been nothing like my pregnancy with Iris.

Living Arrows | Mummy Daughter Days

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

As you can see Iris is in that annoying pre-schooler phase of silly faces, made up words and constantly saying 'poo', 'bum' and 'sick'. She's well and truly in that 'gross out the grown ups' stage of her life and whilst it's annoying, it can on occasion be rather amusing. 

Living Arrows | She's Back!

  'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

After a few days of illness last week I think we can safely say that Iris is on the mend! How fabulous is this picture?!? It just perfectly captures her spirit. She's so confident, so funny and such a ball of energy. I'm clinging onto these moments as it feels like a matter of time before she's ill again- it's definitely the season as not only are there positive cases of Covid at pre-school but also now chicken pox! Autumn is usually my favourite time of year but now I have a pre-schooler I'm starting to change my mind.

Living Arrows | Bogey Poke

  'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

The back-to-school germs have well and truly hit our house this week. It started with Daddy being sent home from work and having 4 days off (when he's never had a sick day in over ten years!). We isolated Daddy in the bedroom for the first few days until he had a negative PCR test result then he was allowed out but by this time Iris had been struck down with the lurgy.

Living Arrows | Paw Patrol Movie

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Iris loves Paw Patrol. Most kids have phases where they enjoy different characters but Paw Patrol seems to have outlived all previous phases and has been going strong for over a year now. Her birthday party Paw Patrol themed, her presents were all Paw Patrol based and she's asked for a Paw Patrol bedroom when her room gets painted next month so what better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than a trip to our local cinema to see the movie.

Living Arrows | Getting Dressed Up

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Well I completely overestimated my ability to keep a regular blog schedule throughout the summer holidays! We packed so much into the holidays, we had a trip to London, days out at Sundown Adventureland, sleepovers at Grandmas and trips to the seaside. It was fun but actually kind of exhausting, I'm very glad to be back to the daily grind. 

Living Arrows | DRFC

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

It's back! The football season has official returned. I'm not a fan of football and have only really attended matches under duress but Daddy has been a lifelong fan of  Doncaster Rovers so it kind of feels like our year starts when the football does.

Living Arrows | The Emotional Rollercoaster

  'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This week we visited Graves Park in Sheffield and I took one look at this bouncy slide and thought 'Iris is too small for that', turns out she wasn't too small, she was actually quite a way over the height marker. I was not prepared for that! I think about the big 'next steps' all the time- her moving to primary school, her learning to read and write, school discos and after school clubs, playing out with friends and going to parties but it's the little things that really trip me up. Being tall enough for the bouncy slide, calling you mum instead of mummy, or 'Bruv' in Daddy's case (literally no idea where she's got that from!'), the way she likes her hair a certain way now, how she takes care of younger children. It's like she's grown up all of sudden.

Living Arrows | Sweet Freedom

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I *think* we can safely say that Iris is glad to be out of isolation! It's been a long 10 days, you really don't realise how much kids need to get out and about until you're confined to your own house and garden- I am so appreciative that we have a garden, I couldn't imagine handling the heat of the last week without a paddling pool and some shade!

Living Arrows | Isolation

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I think Iris's face sums up how we're all feeling about our 10 day stretch in isolation. We've done so well to get all the way through from September without the preschool bubble bursting but here we are, we made it to the last week of term without a positive case and I think that's rather impressive.

Living Arrows | Sundown Adventureland

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

It's been a hectic few weeks as we've been simultaneously tiling the kitchen and laying slabs for the new patio in the garden. It's been a dusty, messy few weeks so on Daddy's day off on Friday we made sure we had a family day and did something fun with Iris. Iris has been asking to go to Sundown Adventureland for months, pre-covid we held annual passes and visited a lot as it's only half an hour from where we live and 5 minutes away from Dan's family. 

Living Arrows | Joy

 

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I don't really think there's a lot to say about this week's Living Arrows photograph except where can we buy a free standing hammock! This is my all time favourite picture of Iris so far as it truly captures her enthusiastic spirit and looking at this picture I can hear her enormous, roaring laugh.

Living Arrows | Local Book Benches

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Like most towns in recent years, ours has been in steady decline. The decimation of the high street, the increase in drug users and the lessening of that sense of pride in our town has led to the town centre being unkempt and honestly, unsightly. It's not a particularly pleasant place to be and that's why when the council provide something cultural, educational and exciting I want to shout about it and encourage everyone to take part. That's why I always champion using your local library because if we don't use, we lose it!

Living Arrows | Cool Down

 

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Oh to be as effortlessly cool as Iris! She walks around with such confidence and has such a zest for life. We've been doing a few home renovations this week and she approaches every job with such enthusiasm (she asks to help, I'm not advocating child labour!). She's so helpful around the house and she's always coming home from pre-school with 'wow moments' for helping other children.

Living Arrows | It's Flaming June Already!

        'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Another half term over and done with and the first week of June has been and gone. I say it a lot but isn't time flying? I don't know how we are 6 months into the year, it's gone by in a blur. Iris spent 3 nights at my Mum and Step Dad's caravan so Daddy and I had 3 child free days. Daddy went to work and in our spare time we went to B&Q. We know how to live. 

Living Arrows | Traditional Fun

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

What a difference some sunshine makes! Everybody's mood has sky rocketed. Life is so much easier when you get outside to walk, run and play without freezing your bits off. One of our regular walking spots, Thoresby Park, was hosting it's annual traditional fun fair and what better way to usher in the half term than boarding a carousel with all the family.

Living Arrows | Just Keep Swimming!

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

We missed another Living Arrows post last week as we away again! There is such an air of uncertainty at the minute with the presence of the Indian variant, surge testing and talks of local lockdowns that I feel we need to cram as much in as we can before it gets taken away from us again. It's unnerving to think that our freedom hangs in the balance and that it can be taken away so swiftly.

Living Arrows | Coppinger's Last Game

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

After last weekend's holiday to Tattershall Lakes we've had a quiet week at school and work followed by a play date Saturday. Sunday was a little more exciting as we took a trip to Daddy's football team ground to say goodbye to one of their most established players. 

Living Arrows | To Be Beside The Seaside

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

We missed last week's Living Arrows post as we're all just a little frazzled. The relaxing of Covid rules has been wonderful but not without it's challenges. As someone with Autism, all change is disruptive, even if it's good change. I think I hit burn out last week. I couldn't focus on anything, I was a shouty mum and a bit of a rubbish partner. I just shut down for a while and entered survival mode.

Living Arrows | Springing Forward

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods, hooray! My Instagram memories has been taunting me with pictures of last April, we had the pool out, we were making ice lollies and we were outside all the time. This Spring has been anti-climatic in comparison but the weather has finally turned warmer and we can finally see family and friends without needed to take the duvet with us!