Family Diary: End of January 2021 Roundup

I don’t know where to start with this January 2021 roundup post. It’s not the start of the year I had planned out. I sat down between Christmas and New Year and planned out my blog and business plan for what I want to achieve for this quarter and throughout 2021. Here we are at the end of the first month and I have looked at my planner twice. The schools never went back so I’m homeschooling L. Although the nurseries are open, we decided at the start of the month against sending Dottie back. Which was a good thing at the time as she had a bad chickenpox episode. Now we are here at the end of one of the toughest months in a while and decided Dottie needs to go and interact with her friends at nursery. Which will, in turn, let me spend a couple of mornings a week doing quality schoolwork with L. So she starts back next week for two mornings a week.

We are all struggling this lockdown. Like most families I’m sure. It’s impossible to home school, keep a toddler entertained and do my own work at the same time. This is one reason why Dottie is going back. The only way we are just about surviving is for home school in the morning and I work in the afternoon.

It’s so much harder this year than when we were in lockdown last year. There is not enough hours in the day to fit everything in. By the evenings when I get my laptop out I’m shattered! Must be feeling my age as I turn 40 in a couple of years!

What’s different this time is the weather. We were just about into Spring when lockdown came upon us last year. So we were out in the garden everyday. At the moment it’s really cold, wet most days and down right dreary. We try to get outside between the showers for a walk and 20 minutes to play in the garden before we are frozen. We’ve managed to do our science schoolwork outside when it’s been icy weather.

One thing we have enjoyed after being outside in the cold is jumping in the bath! Kids Stuff kindly sent us some Magical Sparkling Bubble Bath and Purple Grape Foaming Soap. It makes bath time so much more fun! The Magical Sparkling Bubble Bath turns the water a glittering blue/green colour. The girls love the Unicorn Foaming Soap, which not only smells amazing, but you can mould it into any shape you wish. You can buy them both from Superdrug.

Now it seems like schools are opening on the 8th March. L can’t wait to go back and see her friends.

Books I’ve read this month

Over Christmas I really got back into my reading again and carried this on throughout January.

• The Boatman’s Wife By Noelle Harrison – The story begins with Lily, in 2017 heartbroken that her beloved Connor is lost in a storm at sea. She blames her dad who was in charge on the fishing boat and finds it hard to forgive him for making her a widow at such a young age in her 20’s. Devastated by grief she begins to hunt for information on his Irish family to let them know what’s happened. Then she finds a strange and threatening email to him warning never to come home to Ireland. Of course strong willed Lily won’t let this lie and sets off to Ireland to find out the truth. She’s met with hostility and told to go home. Eventually, she finds out the truth and is more brokenhearted than ever.
• The Watchmaker of Dachau by Carly Schabowski – You hear from Isaac who is the glorious watchmaker and can fix anything elder character. 29 year old Anna’s point of view from inside the house of the Bechers is of courage and kindness, although I’m pretty sure she would tell you she’s not very courageous! The third character you are told the story from is 11 year old Friedrich Becher. He has been taught by his parents (who share no love for him) to despise Jews. People he has never met. Friedrich learns what is really going on beyond his garden wall at the Dachau camp and is repulsed by it. He becomes firm friends with Anna and Isaac, who listen and have time for him, unlike his parents.

Thanks for stopping by today.