Continuing to grow in confidence...

The space that Anna seems to feel most comfortable in as she negotiates teenage life is most definitely on a football pitch. Today she has gone to Carrow Road to watch the England Lionesses play and my hope is it inspires her to dream and show her that anything is possible. She continues to work so hard with her training and playing. She gets hurt and stands right back up and has pulled off some magical saves this season so far! On the 5th March she has a trial for the Lioness Talent pathway and a few hours to show them what she is made of. I know she's nervous, I know she carries so much self doubt, but I also know she is capable of amazing things on a football pitch. She will do herself real justice and I am confident perform well. I simply love watching her, her courage shines through in all she does, learns from her mistakes and builds on this. For example, she has really focused on rushing an oncoming striker and making herself big in recent months and it's starting to pay off. Think big Anna, be bold and anything is possible 😊

Oh for simpler times...

Oh how I am struggling with these things called teenagers. What being created such things - they are argumentative, moody, hormonal, disaffected and unsociable. Add into this the impact of a pandemic, the isolation, loss of social contact and the kids having to compromise when they should be in a time in their lives of freedom, learning and expression through social experiences. I see things changing around me but there is a long way to go to get back to normal, and it appears a new normal is developing and one that takes away all the amazing experiences of being young and growing into an adult. The result is frustration, agitation and upset with many arguments in our house at present. I am not doing well as a dad, I get frustrated and stressed with the challenges of providing for a family financially and the cost of living going up daily, I am going backwards fast as I desperately try to support the girls and help them build a platform for the future. I am not out of the game, lets just say I have lost this round and am coming out fighting. In the meantime, I will try my hardest to be more empathetic and patient with the girls, and not expect them to understand the madness of all this situation, after all most days I don't either! Onwards and upwards as they say and keep focusing on trying to be a better dad and person every day...

Looking from the outside in....

It's been a strange festive period for me with the start being a horrible work day like no other on Christmas Eve when I was supposed to be having my first day of the holidays. It took me quite a few days to get over the shock of events and settle into resting, festive fun, relaxing and calming down. In between days such as the anniversary of Auntie's passing and having to go into work have made it even harder, not allowing me to switch off. I folded this week and found Auntie's absence this year so difficult. I did manage to spend some time with Amy and the girls, a lovely Christmas lunch, plenty of swag, some time with Libby and company, a wedding anniversary meal out which was lovely and tonking the girls at Monopoly. It wasn't the Christmas I had hoped for and I struggled but it was lovely to have some family time and this is the only thing that's important. Poor Amy now poorly in bed with a sickness bug, so it's just me and the girls this New Years Eve and ready for Anna's meatballs and pasta! 😋  I pray and hope that 2022 brings a different kind of year for my girls, one of freedom, joy, new experiences, new friendships, happiness, love and opportunity. They really do deserve it and it's my only wish for them both. My kind, feisty, belligerent, argumentative and lovely young ladies xx 

Starting to feel a tad festive!

The big push towards a family Christmas break is on as the Hammond's could only be described as a bit 2021 battle weary. Me, I've got a huge amount to get through to get to that point, wrap up work so that I can breath and spend time with Amy and the girls. I'm acutely worried with new Covid variant and winter pressures looming darkly on the horizon that I will not get this time with them over Christmas or time to relax either, which is greatly needed. The pandemic has taken complete control away from me in an attempt to find a work life balance. Some days the only thing that keeps me going is my coffee! The attached picture is definitely my virtual Christmas card this year! A lovely afternoon spent yesterday getting the house festive with Anna, under the watchful and authoritative eye of Mrs Hammond. Her constructive guidance and mentorship meant we got through it calmly and without incident😆 It does look sparkly and some of her ideas do look good. She creates and we implement! Big push ladies. Two more weeks of school and three more weeks of work for me. We can do this and find a bit of festive sparkle at the end of it! 

Back on it!

Lucy is back up and running and resiliently working through her mock GCSE's. Really proud of her in the manner she's picked herself up after feeling pants with Covid and in a focused, driven manner approached her exams positively. Can't have been easy and yet another disruptive outcome of the pandemic for my girls to overcome and recover from. This may not be one of the most distressing things that has happened as a result of the last few years, but very important to Lucy, her well being and building herself a future. I attach a picture of the back of her head, as this was all she gave me consent to take! 😆 A woman is blossoming in front of my eyes and it's hard to believe. Another week of exams for her to get through and then we are on the run in to Christmas! We have all downloaded our Christmas album onto iTunes and the singing has already begun! Keep going Lucy and week two will go well xx

Excitement, elation and then sadness with a touch of dismay...

Mrs Hammond reached the ripe old age of forty five and the girls have given her more grace with the onset of elderly juice 😆 Along with her gammy knee, we headed off to Watford to the Warner Brother studios at the weekend as a family to celebrate the collective birthdays of our girls. We had a wonderful weekend and just what a Harry Potter super fan needed after so much disappointment in the last year or so because of the pandemic. Although now sixteen, Lucy was like a big kid in a sweet shop and the smile on her face when she saw the new exhibits in the Gringotts bank, the forbidden Forrest and many other Potter delights was a privilege to witness and one I will not forget. She grinned from ear to ear. It was really lovely to do something 'normal' as a family and a weekend full of memories. Sadly when we got home, Lucy bubble burst quite dramatically as she tested positive for Covid, feels pants and is now in a period of ten days isolation. Gutted for her does not describe how angry I feel. However, she has been very anxious about getting the virus and it is mine and Amy's hope that this will rebuild her confidence and she can move forward after her recovery. Happy birthday to both my crock birthday girls and wishing you both a quick recovery with love x

I'm not truly sure how that happened!

Time seems to pass so quickly. I find it incredulous that Lucy was sixteen a couple of days ago. She is growing into a woman before my eyes every day and I simply can't keep up. I love the tenacity, insight, caring nature, argumentative and inquisitive traits that are emerging in her personality day by day. She is always questioning things and working out a good sense of right and wrong. There are days where she is more like a union rep, but I want to encourage this. There is talk of her wanting to become a lawyer and I believe she has the intelligence, social understanding and open thinking to possibly achieve this dream developing in her. A quiet sixteenth birthday shopping and having lunch in Norwich with just us as a family. I think she really enjoyed herself and next weekend is the big event, in a trip to Harry Potter Studios. Her levels of excitement are building and I love the element of being a child she still holds and she does not seem in too much of a hurry to grow up, unless we are talking about her next piercing or her first tattoo she's planning at age eighteen! Both Amy and I are so proud of her, her hard work and the woman she is becoming. Happy Birthday Looby Chick! Loved, despite your high levels of sarcasm xx 💕