Ok can I be honest for a moment? Like really honest without any judgement?

I’m ready, ready for the children to go back to school.
Let’s not forget for a moment, this doesn’t mean I don’t adore my children being around, but it gets to a point where I need space to breathe. I’m sure there any many parents out there who agree.

Over Christmas we had the sickness bug which really took everything out of us. Not being able to get up and about, open presents, play with the children or even have Christmas dinner on the day. Instead, my middle son and I laid out in our dressing gowns on the sofa hoping tomorrow would hurry up so we felt better. My eldest son would ask me over and over to get up and play, and I couldn’t have felt more terrible not being able to. It sucked having to say ‘I can’t, I’m sorry’ to your children on the day where you’re meant to be up and about. Sadly, my eldest became ill the night before we were due to visit Santa also. So as you can tell, Christmas was pretty draining for us all. We are so grateful to have our health back and to be able to stand without a bucket!

We have had alot of fun over these holidays, alot less stress than I expected, but I guess as they get older, that phase will happen. Believe me though, I know those won’t happen every time.

I’ve spoken to a fair few Mums, who agree with me. We love having them home, but we get to a time where we are physically and mentally touched out, but we worry about saying this in the open through fear of being judged. Let’s be honest, we will get judged either way, right?

It’s not even just us adults who need it, its the children too. Sure, a lot won’t want to go back, but I know for sure that mine do. They miss their friends, that social interaction with classmates.

We have a family that doesn’t have help with the children, so it really is a constant. Yep I chose to have my children, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be human too, right?

I miss working more, I miss quiet lunches and I miss watching TV without ‘Mum, Mum, Mum, fix this game please!’. I miss being able to sit at my desk without having to get up fifteen thousand times to skip an ad from youtube or another game app.

I will miss them being here, sure. As amazingly fun (bar the sickness bug) as the holidays have been, This Mummy needs to have peace and quiet.

There is only so much ‘Mum, Dad, he breathed on me!’ we can take. Only so much of the arguments we can hear.

I see posts saying that they wish their children didn’t have to go back to school and I applaud that, but I also applaud the parents who admit they are tapped out. It wasnt until Friday that the touched out feeling came to me. We visited the cinema to see Wreck it Ralph 2. It really was a great movie and the boys behaved really well as they always do when the movie begins, but like clock work as soon as we left that screen room, the arguments started. I mean, how can you be angry at your brother for wanting to go to the toilet? My eldest sure can.

Don’t get me wrong, I make it sound like its been pants. It really hasn’t. We have had such a great time. We’ve had a thousand hugs, I’ve spent so much time with each one. They’re really wonderful children to be around. We’ve done endless painting and crafts. We’ve built aeroplanes from lolly sticks, finger painting, stuck on a crazy amount of glitter (which I’m sure I’ll be finding for years to come).

We’ve built cars, houses, dinosaurs, crocodiles and so much more from our huge stash of lego. As you can see, Dinky our kitten fancied getting involved too.

I’ve been so very present these holidays with my children, and I’m extremely thankful for the time I have with them all.

Heck, I even dressed up as Santa while very sick so I could keep my promise of capturing Santa bringing their gifts plus drinking their milk and biscuits for him. Not one to let them down and the looks on their faces when they saw it, made it all worth it.

But now, Mummies got a date with her sanity, if only for a few hours a day.