Getting back into the old routine – Pictures & Prose | 02/52
First full week back at school and it feels like we had never been away! I have to admit that the kids weren’t impressed to be back at school on Monday, demanding to instead go back to mummy’s school (I’m sorry kids, that will never be happening voluntarily again). Instead we packed up our troubles and complaints in our old rucksacks and headed back to our old routine.
I didn’t quick drop and roll while launching them into school, but I felt that it wasn’t far off it! Although I love the holidays and always hate going back, it does come with a sense of relief as my two little people no doubt thrive on routine. It’s a few days late, but here’s what we’ve been up to over the last week.
DID
Not a lot this week. It was all about getting everyone back to school and work so we predicted the fact we would have two tired little people during the week. Which we did.
Instead we kept it easy and low key this week. We did manage to head out to the pool for some swimming practice which we all loved and a much needed trip to the opticians was around 5 years overdue, so the weekend was pretty much filled with errands.
WATCHED
I went to see I Wanna Dance With Somebody with the girls this week and although it was great to have a catch up, I must admit I didn’t LOVE the film. It was ok but seemed to coast over so many important parts of who Whitney was and why she was so loved. It showcased her voice beautifully, the movie was lip synced after all, but it never got past being much more than a montage of her career highlights. It didn’t shy away from her drug use, relationship with Crawford, or toxic relationship with Bobby Brown but never seemed to go much further.
Overall, it’s not right, but it’s ok…..do you see what I did there?
READ
I finished The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan over the weekend which was an…interesting read! It was a book club read and I think we all had higher expectations of it than we actually got.
Frida has been deemed a “bad mother” after leaving her child alone for 2.5 hours. To try and rehabilitate Frida, she is sent to the school for good mothers so that she can learn and – hopefully – gain her child back. The stakes are high though, as if she fails, then she loses her parental rights forever.
The School for Good Mothers probably isn’t a book you read to enjoy, instead it is more a social commentary on society’s judgement on parenting and the inequality of expectations we put on mothers as opposed to fathers. It is unafraid to tackle topics of misogyny, government control, trauma and abuse to name but a few and this book wouldn’t be out of place in my old Utopia’s and Dystopia’s module at university. I can already hear some of the questions my old tutor would be asking, echoing in my mind!
Does the risk to children justify the action to take away peoples basic rights to privacy and freedom? Are the concept of education centre’s wrong? Where should the cut off be?
All in all I enjoyed it and worth a read if you enjoy exploring dystopian futures. Think Handmaids Tale but with less action. If that kind of book isn’t your cup of tea though, I’d probably give this one a miss!
However, in other news I’ve managed to lose my kindle so there won’t be much reading going on this week! I need to have a good clear out and figure out where on earth my wonky brain has managed to put it this time.
MADE
So far 2023 has been all about finishing off old projects and this week it was the turn of a shawl I have been making since 2020! It’s one of those little simple projects which I’ve been picking up and putting down for YEARS, so it’s nice to finally get it finished. This is on its way to someone special for a gift so once she has it, I will share the full pictures!
It’s a simply granny shawl pattern but the simplicity really shows off that beautiful coloured yarn!
WEIGHED
I won’t lie, I wasn’t particularly in the mindset of health this week and as a result it shows! A couple lbs off which is a good thing, but I’ve not quite found my mojo yet. That’s ok though, I have no interest in being restrictive with my eating. Instead I am focusing on having the right mindset, moving more and getting at least 10k steps a day, and then slowly but surely focusing on my snacking and meals.
I’m taking it one step at a time if I have any hope of it actually sticking this time!!
AND LASTLY
It was announced in the news this week that the schools in England and Wales will be following Scotland and striking for 4 days across February and March. At this stage they’re “hoping the strikes won’t be necessary” but it looks like the a winter of discontent will be flowing through to spring. I can’t see any of the unrest ending anytime soon so it looks like we’re in for a even bumpier ride when it comes to public services.
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