Happy New Year (School New Year)

September. Love it for many reasons the big one being that its back to school. Yes mums and dads its that time of year again when things go back to normality. Don't get me wrong I've loved spending time with my girls this summer I'm savouring the last few summers that they will want to be seen out with me, I know the endless days at the beach paddling in the sea and making massive holes in the sand, the days that only cost you a cone of chips and an ice cream. The long woodland walks with a packed lunch, water fights and BBQ's in the garden are almost over.

As you can tell we are not a family that do expensive theme parks and extravagant days out as I've always found that cheap days are the best days they and remember them the most however we do have big days out. My husband had the last week of the holidays off and we had the most amazing family day out at Yorkshire Wildlife Park and I highly recommended it.

You have to go around the park a few times to see all the different animals as we found not all of them were out all the time and you start to think you've paid £60 to see empty enclosures, but when they do come out you get to see some amazing animals up close. makes you wonder why people can hurt and mistreat so many of our worlds beautiful creatures. My husband and eldest daughter had a fantastic day photographing them and my husband had a KitKat moment with a leopard after waiting ages for it to turn towards him, only for him to finally look at him just after he had put his camera away. The park opened at 10am and we arrived at 11am and left when it closed at 6pm so a full day out. You can tell you've had a good day when your all talking about it in the car on the way home.

September for me is like a new year because everything's back to routine and I love a routine but there was so much I wanted to fit in. I had friends I wanted to catch up with and days out I wanted to do, not forgetting uniform shopping and the girls also wanted to spend time with there friends too. The first week of the holidays I was a mess. It was spent shouting and falling out with each other because we were all so unsettled. And then I came up with a plan.

I had my daughter make me an itinerary for the six weeks, then I rang round my friends and penciled them in ,the empty spaces that were left I got the girls to fill in for there time with friends. This way I knew when I was going to be taxi mum or if they were coming to our house so I could get pizza and ice cream in the freezer. Once we had it in writing, the six weeks flew by. Do it next summer. It stopped most of the arguments and "What are we doing tomorrow mum?" I know the holidays are about loosing routines but its nice to have some structure, especially when your trying to please everyone.

Its also a big year for us as my youngest is starting secondary school. The pressure is slightly of as I've been through it before like not having to check the school website for pictures of the PE kit, because on the uniform list it says "white sport socks" and you want to get the ones that they all were so your kid doesn't get picked on (yes I did that.) I also feel sad knowing that in a couple of terms I will loose my little girl and the attitude will really kick in. This is why this summer I've really tried to take it all in because there kids for two seconds.

The next few years are going to be exciting and mad watching her settle in secondary school life. I just want them to get through there teen years without many scars and that goes for me to.

Good luck to all the kids out there going back to school and to all the parents well done we got through another summer. It helped having a bit of zen in a house of hormones.

A bit of zen in a house of hormones...🙏

Links:

My Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zen.mum/

My Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/zeninahouseofhormones/

Photos By - https://www.instagram.com/amelias.lens/