I am missing out, or so I thought....

I got the job! WOW! Having achieved my promotion and previously discussed the sadness of the potential of not spending time with Amy and the girls. This has already kicked in over the bank holiday weekend as I have frantically tried to wind down one job role and wind up another. I am, however extremely positive now about the opportunities this will bring for my family and feel very proud of what I have achieved. I really hope that in the future this will show my girls what hard work, dedication and commitment can bring you in life and that we all need to contribute to society and that is the only way to lead your life. Work hard and be a good person. I hope they will be proud of me and what I have achieved so far and in the future. This weekend the family Hammond went camping and I have made fleeting visits to the camp site in between nipping home and doing some work. I had a magical hour in the tent just chilling and chatting with Anna yesterday and a really nice time chatting away with Lucy in the early hours of Sunday morning after she ended up sleeping in our bed for the first time ever in her five years so far. Not that pleased that when she was asleep she ground her teeth. She then had the nerve to wake me up and tell me off for snoring having kept me awake for hours! I guess if I want to succeed and do really well in my new role as a member of senior management I will have to learn to really make the most of the time I have with my family and enjoy those little moments. The girls have crashed now and are fast asleep after all that fresh sea air and the adventure of camping. Quick note: Lucy - just checked on you and you were snoring!

A potential new opportunity brings sadness...

It has been a stupidly busy week or so since I went back to work and my time with Amy and the girls has been sparse at best. Four days elapsed last week and I did not see Wiggle as she was either away camping or asleep when I got home. Lucy wrote me a lovely note on the magic board telling how much she missed me when I came back from some time away. I have been very thoughtful about this as I have applied for a promotion and will know the outcome by Thursday this week. Whilst it will bring much opportunity for my family, the time I spend with them may well reduce and that simply makes me very sad indeed. What is the role of a father if it does not mean providing for your family and making that kind of sacrifice? However, as the day of the interview draws closer, it is the one thing that niggles in the back of mind and concerns me. The job carries a great deal of responsibility and to get this promotion would make me very proud. However, it has a sting in its tail and if successful, I am afraid that I am just going to have to learn to deal with it and fast as I will hit the ground running within the new role in about a week. Watch this space...

Time's up and I feel quite down in the dumps...

My holiday is now officially over and as tiring, bonkers, busy and stubborn as my girls are (that includes Amy!), I feel really low that my two weeks with them has come to an end and I must return to the daily grind of work. I love my work very much, but it will never compare to time with my family and the love I feel for them. We haven't done anything spectacular, but simply spent time together. Amy and the girls are going camping tomorrow and I will not see them for a few days and I can already feel that sinking feeling in my stomach that I am not spending time with them. I will have plenty to keep me busy with work though! Thanks for a lovely break girls and I will see you in October half term. This is me being sarcastic, but if things go according to plan in the next week or so, I am going to become even busier at work and that statement may not be too far from the truth! My holiday blogging does finish with a great quote from last night as the girls innocently sang 'Daddy is a slapper! Daddy is a slapper!' This stemmed from a conversation with our neighbour Libby about misspent youth that the girls were not supposed to hear. Shame on you Libby, I have relied on you as moral guidance for my children and you have severely mislead them about their father! Thank heavens we managed to push the conversation towards the fact that I am an excellent slapper of wasps with a newspaper, not any other context! Intelligent, creative and skilled parental deflection was put into play to great success...

Girls with attitude!

The end of my holiday is coming up and my time with my family is going to be limited when I go back to work next week. I have really loved the slow pace and time with the girls, however there has been one negative that I am starting to fight back against today - my girls can sometimes overdo it and can be right little madams! They are really strong characters and always trying to impose themselves upon making choices and being part of decision making and this is something I will always encourage. But in recent weeks the way they have gone about this has been misguided and they are forgetting their manners and have quite frankly been a bit out of order. They both have treasured possessions in 'Jack the baby' and 'Oddball' and as from today if they are rude three times these 'loved' ones are removed and returned after a designated period of time. This has not gone down too well but is having the desired affect! That's step one. Step two is too ensure that I continue to follow this through. As you can see they are not amused, but manners are so important and I need to get on top of this as their father and ensure they do not slip again. Easier said than done with my two!

Families can be expensive...

Especially mine! The three women in my life hunt as a materialistic pack and their leader is cunning, skilled and makes a very formidable adversary when it comes to spending money and generating further ideas on future purchases. This leader is my wife, she may be beautiful, but underestimate her at your peril and her apprentices are quite skilled too. Today we have been shopping for clothes for the Mrs and Lucy's school clothes and I feel like I really am missing an arm and a leg. There is a need for a new tent as ours is really not up to much and the birthday present orders are already coming in for October (the most expensive week of the year). Actually I am quite surprised they usually start coming in about May or June, the girls must be loosing their touch a tad! Lucy is upping the anti this year as she has asked for a Nintendo DS. I think she is ready for her first computer game and would love it, but god have you seen the price of those things and the games? How am I going to survive a lifetime financial commitment to the these highly skilled women without having a nervous breakdown? Only time will tell whether I have the resistance and the stomach for the fight. At the moment I am just about holding my own...

Hot sun, jumping girls and damn tired parents!

The weather has been scorching (apart from today when it has been lashing it down for hours), the girls are full of life and having a really busy and fun holiday (swimming, bike rides, playing games in the garden, ice creams in wells, going to the park and much more) and Amy and I are quite simply knackered! So tomorrow, the girls are heading to holiday club to make 'bug houses' for the day and Amy and I are going out to have some adult time, a spot of lunch and some chill out. If we don't head out and force ourselves we would climb into bed and sleep for the day! The girls have been enjoying the freedom of going to bed late and being more grown up which has been lovely but the time Amy and I have had together has been limited in the last couple of weeks. So bring on the sunshine tomorrow and quiet time with my wife....

At least know that I can care for sunflowers!

The family competition to grow the tallest and best sunflower is hotting up and strangely they are growing in exact height order within the family, and this also includes this years guest competitors our neighbours Libby and Ben. Ben racing into a commanding lead and Wiggle bravely bringing up the rear. All are healthy and growing nicely. It's my birthday tomorrow and I have been reflecting on the parental and non parental events, achievements and disasters of my thirty-sixth year on planet earth today. Family wise it has not been a good day for me as I find myself very tired and very cross in the world of living with three strong women. I always find the beginning of my holiday hard as my body and brain try to slow down from a very busy and demanding job. I always feel several steps behind Amy and the girls in winding down and it is difficult. I have to say on today's efforts I should stick to gardening! My two favourite reflections on this year are not profound or really anything to do with the parental struggle or a reflection on my skills, but I feel they need revealing. I really do like Emma Bridgewater china and I am developing a pathological hatred for the colour pink! Work those out and come out with an analytical conclusion in connection with parenting....