The one with the knuckles, drama queen and the mad hatter!

It's been an eventful few weeks. Lucy has had her first dramatic GCSE exam and having watched her performance live on zoom, I think she nailed it. Great for her confidence - it was funny and though provoking. Very proud of her indeed😊Anna's football dreams are sadly and distressingly on hold as she broke her knuckle making a save. The impact was so hard the opposition lad actually ripped her gloves! I really feel for her and weeks after the accident her frustration is still showing. It's a cruel blow for her, as sport and footy are her main focus she is devastated as she'll be out of action for a few months whilst it heals 😟 And last but not least I would like to introduce Lizzie. She is the latest addition to the family Hammond. She's mad, disobedient, uncontrollable around food but very sweet. I am sure that she will fit right into our house!!! 😆

One door closes..

And another one opens. It has been an emotional footballing week for Anna and myself. She has made the very hard decision to leave her football team in Fakenham after six years of fun, heartbreak, friendship, hard lessons, learning and some epic, epic saves! Anna has continuously improved in her role as a keeper and she has been given the opportunity to break into the Kings Lynn Elite side and potentially train with the goalkeepers at the Norwich girls development squad. Both not a given as of yet, but really great opportunities to prove herself and go to another level. Today she played her last game with her friends and put in a typical performance full of outstanding saves, courage and balling out her team mates! I felt so proud as she was given a standing ovation off the field, presents and some lovely words from her coach. She's outgrown her team and it was time to move on with great memories in the bag and she can be very proud of her contribution. She has grown so much and I am grateful to everybody for helping and guiding Anna to be herself and express herself on a football fields. The impact on her confidence and self esteem has been immeasurable. I know I am and could have spent the morning listening forever to those lovely compliments from parents and her coaches. There were tears from both of us. Here's to the next chapter Anna in your footballing journey and I hope to share it with you every step of the way 😊 xx

Grumpy buggers!

With the girls getting used to normal routines, Anna taking part in multiple footy training sessions and games, Lucy's school work getting more challenging as mock exams and assessments come up, our kids can only be described as 'right tired and grumpy buggers' this bank holiday weekend. Added to this the inclement weather, a lack of even a minute wish to spend time with their parents and a need to build confidence to go out and about, the only person smiling at me this weekend is the annoyingly photogenic Mrs Hammond! It's made a lovely change that we have managed to find some time to spend with each other this weekend, in between the shopping, errands, housework, cooking and endless busy life. Amy managed to tell and instruct me as to where everything should go in her 'bit' of the garden! 😆 As a family we've not quite embraced the gradual lifting of restrictions and still proceed on the road back to 'normal' like with the utmost caution, although visits from Granny and Grandpa, the odd coffee out and some dog walking with friends on Wells beach has been most welcome 😊 No holiday booked for this year, so plans to start persuading grumpy and grumpy to spend time with their parents and have some days out in the summer are slowly being formed? 

An Easter weekend in the sunshine to savour...

The sun has been out, we've had a tiny bit of snow, it's been freezing and our hearts are skipping as the first level of lockdown has been lifted. The girls have been able to have friends in the garden, Granny and Grandpa came for a barbecue, chocolate eggs flowed in abundance and we were all treated to roast duck on Easter Sunday! For me the sunshine has brought dog walking and gardening. Amy and I took Meg down to Wells beach for the first time and I can only describe this as such an emotional experience. I felt so lucky. I felt like I could breathe finally and a weight lifted off my shoulders like no other. I'm starting to feel my family is safer as things improve and that is all that matters. Everyone is excited about the small things coming up - a haircut, a meal out, a day out, watching and playing footy. Simple things that probably didn't mean that much until a year or so ago, in a life of complacency that we all led. As the girls trudged behind us on a dog walk yesterday, I'm not sure they felt the same 😆I'm planning two weeks off in August to spend time with family and we will see what special treats we can organise for everyone. Sun, family, friends and some fun things to do. It's been a long time coming and some time that we deserve together in the coming months. Fingers crossed that the rate of infection and progress continues in this country. This would mean the world to me and family life 😊

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!