I thought I would do a year in review, so in years to come, I can look back and wonder what has happened? what’s been on mine? how have I approached it? etc.. 2019 is a year of change and several obstacles and has been one of my weaker years. Though looking back as a family its been a fun a year with many adventures and activities, with several firsts.
The Major change has become me, Boo work has become so busy and at times random with travel, meetings, etc that we had to review our own situation. We have very limited child care which often means that if something happens at the drop of the hat, there is knowone near or able to get the kids or look after them should something happen.
With her work it can be that random and short notice, so with me on a quite bog-standard Retail manager job, it was my work that financially the thing to be sacrificed, which meant I was a stay at home dad with part-time shifts in a bog-standard retailer to top us up and get some discount at a Food supermarket.
This was a big change for me, for being in full time work for 20 years and a manager for 15 of them, it’s hard to explain the emotions and mentality to suddenly stop, and that’s been one of my more weaker areas this year. If I’m honest I’ve been pushed to the breaking point for all sorts of reasons, which hasn’t ever happened before, but perhaps the 20 plus years of just getting on with it just built to that level where it just all snapped.
Every day and every week its a struggle and a worry about everything all the time, whether it be money, family, work, lack of professional progression of just simply feeling a bit down.
With the blog, its something we were contemplating for a few years now but never really got round to it as I was working a lot, but this year it was time to start, and as I approach a year I think how I’ve enjoyed it, what things I’ve liked what I haven’t, I’ve learned several new skills alongside balancing with a part-time job and the kids. I’m proud of what I’ve done so far and I hope ina year its become even bigger and I’ve learnt even more stuff about it.
I had some targets in my mind with it and what I wanted it to look like and get to, and for the most part, I have, there still some stuff I want to do and improvements to be made as I’m a self-critical person.
I’ve been able to spend much more time with the kids, especially Piglet, she started nursery this year as she was that age but I still have spent lots of time with her. Even with the others, to spend that extra time when they finish school compared to me in the past, arriving home anywhere between 6 and 7 (even later a few years ago) has been great. Again it’s hard to explain but when you have spent most of there lives and for Roo she’s 13 now, at work, and at times missing so much to suddenly having it now, its a great feeling and at times this year has kept me going.
That’s been high for this year, I’ve been apart of so much and done so many activities, from various theme Parks to Butlins, to several cities, to Days out in London, climbing over the O2, Go ape, all with the kids. So many great memories and fantastic photos, we are a family that does a lot together, these kids get a lot but they have to put up with a lot lol.
As ever Boo has been our rock, she holds the family together while everyone is all over the place, I’m so proud of what she has done as does every week, as I am with my kiddies, its often just us, which upsets and annoys me that people don’t always make the effort to see us and them, or spend time etc. especially when they should and why wouldn’t you want to spend time with the kids? but people are just odd in life there not much more you can do.
On to Next Year!!!
But as we go on to a new decade and a new year I wonder how much will change? what will test us? what will be great? what won’t be? when I do the review next year how different will it all be? it’s weird to think, this time last year I wouldn’t have pictured what has happened this year, so who knows for next year lol!
