Phase one completed and bring on the haircuts!

Throughout this torrid year Anna has been awesome and has been cutting my hair with clippers grabbed for free in lockdown one. As we move towards the end of this current lockdown, the poor girl is in desperate need to a haircut of her own, having gone a bit seventies on us in recent months 😆 I believe she is booked in around April 10th and I think it could be quite a savage cut. Amy and Lucy have barely had a cut for a year and both their hair is almost mid back! I am grateful for my twelve year old barber and the help she had given me and kept me looking smart and good in the pandemic. It's like the old principle of always put new undies on to go to the doctors! In my case, got to look smart for pandemic working in a care home. I am truly pleased that restrictions are easing and the girls can have some friends visit next week in the garden. All I want now are two things - Amy vaccination and for the girls lives to start going back to normal and give them their childhood back. In the meantime, everyone will have to settle for a spruce up and a haircut! 

Can't believe we are talking about college!

On the eve of Lucy returning to school, we are having conversations that seem to have crept up on me with the years passing by way too quickly. Worried about the lost time due to the pandemic in the initial work in her GCSE's, Lucy is already talking about college and the future. Adamant about where she wants to go, just the small matter of subjects and what course that she needs to decide! Lucy always plans ahead, focuses on the future and is very clear minded about decisions. I'm still finding this discussion quite a shock if honest and I wasn't prepared as she brought it up whilst we played cards. I'm pleased about her determined focus to go to college and do some kind of qualifications though. It's been a strange journey for her, having initially struggled with the remote learning the last year has brought. Now she has finally settled into it and got to grips with it, now she's going back to the classroom!! She'll love the structure once again and contact with friends; just remember Lucy try not to let a whole years worth of talking too much in class just spill out and keep that hyperactive fast talking enthusiasm at bay, coming up for breath once in a while! You know what I'm talking about! 😆

The sunshine definitely makes all the difference!

Lockdown continues but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The vaccination programme is building impetus, infections are reducing and things are looking brighter with the government announcing that measures will steadily start to be reduced. The great news (well at least Lucy thinks so) is that the girls look like they will be returning to school on March 8th. One giant leap back towards a bit of normal. It gives them something to focus on, as the cabin fever is most definitely setting in! We even managed to persuade the girls out on a dog walk in the spring sunshine today. Hard to believe we were shivering in the snow a few weeks ago. I'm feeling battle weary with this all, but we keep going. Keep looking after each other and take one day at a time. The kids are kicking my arse at every lockdown challenge in Uno and footy, which just adds to my demoralised mood 😆 I wonder how long we'll be doing this version of family life for, its been nearly a year now since the pandemic arrived in our lives and it has been quite a year to say the least. Insular routines are emerging, tempers are often frayed but the spring sunshine today has risen all our spirits, with the children eventually enjoying the walk after initial resistance and grumpiness! Good to see child number one or 8/10 as I now call her based on her quiz marks at school finally appearing in a picture!

Mud, mud glorious mud!

Lockdown continues with severe restrictions still in place and I cannot praise the girls enough. This is really tough on them. For the most part, aside of the odd argument, venting frustration or agitation they have been exceptional, patient and understanding of why we have to do this. Wave two of the virus is slowly subsiding and the measures are starting to work. The girls have amused themselves and been really self motivating as Amy and I try to balance being there for them and high workloads. Amy currently teaching online from home. This phase of the pandemic has brought more work for me than ever, with my clients needing my support in such challenging and often upsetting circumstances. I have struggled to spend time with Amy and the girls for weeks. There have been some real bright moments as well though - with Lucy zoom parents evening as she continues to do really well at school and is getting to grips with home learning. A marvel film binge with Anna has forced me to stop and the continuation of another lockdown footy challenge where I am getting tonked 30-10. I don't really care about the result, just hanging out with Anna is what counts, although she is churning up the lawn. This time last year this would have stressed me out, as we all know how I feel about my lawn 😀 This year, putting things into perspective, its only a bit of mud. Loved playing cards with the girls for the last few evenings, but the language is shocking. Life is a bit mundane, life is a struggle at present, but we are continuing to stay safe and doing this together. Nearly a year has gone by since Covid-19 invaded my families life and my children's opportunities. Eventually the tide will turn and a new normal will emerge. Well done girls, keep going, so very proud of your resilience xx

Trying not to loose our Christmas sparkle...

The latest lockdown is upon us, the new variant of Covid-19 is reeking havoc in East Anglia, the girls school is closed and the world of not going out is back as a fixture of family life until at least mid February. The girls have completed their first week of remote learning, Mrs Hammond is zoom teaching and I can already see the frustrations setting in. It's so very hard for teenagers to not wish or want for something vastly different in their lives other than this. A new year has asked them to dig deep and find more resilience. I know they can. I know that by spring there will be an emerging different picture that will begin to restore some 'normal' childhood opportunities. As sad as I am about this loss, having to work out in homes where the new variant is causing so much worry, ill health and sadly people passing away, I am glad that everyone in my house can't go anywhere. This lost time can be caught up. Other opportunities will be around the corner. New friendships, new adventures and one day hugs from friends. Dig deep my lovely family. Keep your Christmas sparkle and carry it into the shit show that is the start of this year with optimism and positivity xx   

New year and the rising of the sun...

As we usher in a new year as a family, I am filled with sadness and continue the push on in the pandemic with the focus of keeping everyone safe. Wave two is hitting really hard now, deaths are rising and we remain in tier four. The decision has been made that the girls will home school for the first couple of weeks of term and I'm so very pleased about this. There is hope on the horizon though, as I am the first Hammond to have my vaccine tomorrow, I pray and hope my family follow me soon after. Last year was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, fear, anxiety and stress. I do have hope though. I finished the year personally with pride as I completed my mammoth bike ride in aid of Macmillan and in memory of my foster parents. I am so proud having raised over a £1000, well beyond my wildest dreams. I'm still hurting to be honest days later! Doing something such as that felt like completely the right thing to do to celebrate and remember what is so important about family. I will find more resilience, keep going and try to stay positive for my girls. I am finding it hard and dreading going back to work again into an environment that carries so much risk. The sun is rising, things will change for the better in the coming months and my greatest hope is the return to some kind of normality for my family. One day at a time, this is the goal. May 2021 bring light and positive experiences for my children moving forwards with less fear, opportunity and start to rebuild a positive future for them both. This is my belief and one I hold onto that in six months a different family life will be well and truly emerging xxx

A slightly strange one...

This year's festive day was slightly odd. On the eve of Norfolk going into tier four of restrictions, which basically means a lock down and nobody can come in and out of the county. We took the deliberate and sad choice not to see wider family, simply for their safety. We did, however have a lovely quiet family day with swag galore, a beautiful lunch, a bracing morning dog walk, world wide family zoom call with the Sullivan clan and when the kids had had enough of us, Mrs Hammond and I indulged in a bit of 'Die Hard'. An obvious Christmas film classic! 😆 Christmas came upon me so quickly with working right up till late on the day before, under quite stressful circumstances. I tried my best to make it a good day for my tribe and keep a smile up, but found in a bit hard at times not to cover my sadness. Covid continues to dominate our lives and have such an impact and I'm still finding it hard not to be on high alert at all times. The burden and worry of keeping everyone safe feels very heavy these days. I remain, and say it once again, so proud of the girls and their resilience in the midst of all of this. Everyone in the Hammond house seems to find it easier to relax and I'm definitely playing catch up! I've not settled down today at all, choosing to clean the house. I'm hoping a bit of time with Amy and the girls will calm my head down. One can only hope. In this year of years, it is still so important to keep 'normal' things going for the girls and Christmas is most definitely one of those things. We spoilt them rotten. It does warm my heart to give gifts in abundance. So Merry Christmas to my girls and here's to a brighter 2021 xxx