These last few weeks have for various reasons been a little tough, I think as a parent of two children I find the accumulation of needs a little daunting sometimes. I feel awful to say that but someone always needs something, whether that be the immediate toileting needs, a drink, food, sleep, getting them something or even answering a question for the 100th time and the looming homework deadline to think about. And of course there is never really much room for what I need, they are too little to really think like that and why should they. Let them be little, isn’t that what they say? Not that actually Mummy could do with a sit down and a cup of tea just now. I find that I really feel the pressure and the need to make things special for my Little Ladies, to ensure they are happy and get the most out of life, out of these early years which whizz by in an instant and I don’t want to somehow miss; yet sometimes in spite of myself. I live with a chronic musculoskeletal condition which means that I am probably hypersensitive of what they miss out on. What I wish in all the world I could do more with them and that they didn’t have to know that Mummy can’t do lots of things, go to lots of places with them because she is in too much pain or will simply pay for it the next day. As this person, this parent, I never thought that actually being out would be the easier option!
I think every family, every couple, person, young and old has their “go to” place. As we go through life, through towns, cities even countries this changes but there is always that place that calls you more than any other, where you don’t have to think about it you just know what to expect and find comfort in that. For us that place is the Marina, we are lucky to have a couple of lovely ones around where we live and over the years have become a firm favourite. It is of course always a few degrees colder and a little bit windier but great nevertheless. This is the place that E first flew a kite – or rather the place that she tried to fly a kite but was afraid it would blow away and ended up having a meltdown and holding it so tight until it was safely back in the car, never to be flown again! It is the place we shared many a picnic with friends when the babies were small, where she rode her bike, chose her first fathers day present and asked to take mummy for birthday cake. Almost 5 long years ago it was the place that we used to go after water babies because she could not wait the 10 more minutes until we got home to feed and daddy secretly loved the fact he got to have lunch out.
There is an independent cinema at the Marina too which is brilliant. I have taken E a few times of a weekend morning but this week my eldest sister and I took R for the first time to their “baby Wednesday” screening of Eddie the Eagle. This is a chance for parents to take babies up to 18 months with them in the morning and watch a film, they keep the lights on low and the sound quieter. What it basically means in reality is that you do not get judged by the other parents in the room when your baby cries, is the one that doesn’t want to sit, points at the lady behind, runs around the aisle or even shouts DaDa very loudly at the screen when Hugh Jackman appears! It was really lovely and I am only sad that I have waited until 14 months with my last baby to go.
We call upon this place more than any other, it isn’t a particularly special place but it will always hold a special place in our hearts, hopefully for many years to come. These photos were taken on one of those days where we all needed to escape the house. We jumped in the car, had a walk, a sit and a snack on the bench in the sunshine whilst the Little Ladies wandered around together playing and exploring. I love them, I love that they are relaxed and don’t show anything particularly exciting but do show our lives, our weekend and time together – our ordinary moment.
xx
Linking with Katie over at Mummy Daddy Me for The Ordinary Moments.