Friday Focus 22/01/21 – Slog

This week has been a bit of a slog to be honest. One of those weeks where it’s just felt all too much. When my patience is running thin, little hiccups feel like big battles and I feel like throwing myself on the floor and joining Thomas in the tantrums!

 

The word 'slog'

 

Sophie is coping well with her home learning but I’m finding it a struggle at times to juggle helping her with doing the other things that need to be done. I miss being able to see family and friends and being able to go out and explore more interesting places than there are on my doorstep, and I’m tired of having to live life without Jessica. Some weeks it all just feels too hard. But all I can do right now is have a good cry and then pick myself back up and carry on. We’ll get there.

 

 

What I’ve been grateful for this week:

 

A screenshot of an article in the Times online; Sophie and Thomas playing pass the parcel; Daddy, Sophie and Thomas doing jigsaws at the table together; Sophie on the Little Tikes bike and Thomas in the LIttle Tikes car in the garden; Sophie chopping peppers; a screenshot from a FaceTime call with my mum; Thomas on his toddlebike - "#365daysofgratitude 2021 - Week 3"

 

  • Day 15 – I am grateful for a little boost to my blog traffic today thanks to a link to my frozen bubbles post from last year appearing in an article in The Times.

 

  • Day 16 – I am grateful for a fun afternoon throwing ourselves a little family party to ease the monotony of lockdown life. We’ve made cakes, played party games, enjoyed a party tea and had a lovely afternoon.

 

  • Day 17 – I am grateful for enough room at the table for everyone to enjoy their jigsaws.

 

  • Day 18 – I am grateful for outdoor toys.

 

  • Day 19 – I am grateful for Sophie’s help with preparing dinner.

 

  • Day 20 – I am grateful for FaceTime.

 

  • Day 21 – I am grateful for the pure joy of a little boy out on his toddlebike.

 

Other things that have made me smile this week:

  • Sophie’s picture of a polar bear that she made during Girls’ Brigade.

 

Sophie's picture of a polar bear on a ice boulder

 

  • Thomas telling Sophie off when she tried to take over doing one of his jigsaws with a cross “just wait, So-dee, just wait!”

 

  • The future feeling a little more hopeful now that Trump is no longer president.

 

  • A delivery of cupcakes from our local church.

 

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34 thoughts on “Friday Focus 22/01/21 – Slog

  1. I love the polar bear too. 🙂 And yes, the world feels a little more hopeful now to me too with a new administration in office. Praying that he can help get the pandemic more under control so that other good things can also start falling into place again. But for now, we made it through another week; I am grateful for that. I enjoyed seeing your gratitude list; it helps me with mine.

    1. Thank you Lisa. I do hope that Biden can get the pandemic more under control on your side of the pond and that things get more under control here soon too.

  2. What a lovely polar bear, well done Sophie. How cute of Thomas wanting to do his jigsaw puzzles on his own. I think many of us are finding life a slog at the moment, I can fully sympathise. Take care of yourself and keep on face timing x

  3. Sending love and hugs. I think we are all struggling a little at the moment and it does feel like a slog.
    The party sounds like a lot of fun. What a treat.
    What things to be grateful for. x

  4. Aww that polar bear is cute 🙂 cupcakes are always good, Thomas is adorable – love So-dee! I think this week has hit everyone hard. Sending hugs xx

  5. Oh “So-dee” made me smile. I was always rubbish at noting down my children’s mispronunciations of words. I love the polar bear and the image of a table full of jigsaw puzzles. It is a slog at the moment, with none of the usual escape of finding new places to explore. I miss it. I’m sure you’ll make Thomas smile if you join him on the floor in a tantrum. Hope next week is easier. #wotw

    1. Thank you Cheryl. Those little mispronounciations are lovely aren’t they? I’m not in a hurry for him to start saying Sophie’s name properly!

  6. Sorry to hear it’s been a bit rough..found that a lot have been finding it tough this week.

    The family party sounds like a great idea.

    Love how Sophie is helping with the dinner!

    1. I think this time of year makes it harder at the moment anyway. Having a little party helped break the monotony a little.

    1. Thank you Jane. FaceTime is certainly helping make it a little easier to be apart from family at the moment.

  7. Well done being featured in the times, we have never managed frozen bubbles, but then we live too close to the sea so rarely see really cold weather

    1. Thanks Kara. It doesn’t get that cold very often here either so we’ve only managed to do them a few times.

  8. I think we could all probably do with lying down and having a tantrum and just letting it all out. Well done on the Times mention – we tried bubbles earlier but it had warmed up too much by then really to achieve what we wanted. #365

    1. It is so tempting at times isn’t it?! I usually find it has to be a couple of degrees below zero for frozen bubbles to work properly.

  9. You got a link in The Times?! That is immense chick, well done! I hope the traffic keeps flowing! Proper blog goals there! 🙂

    I am with you and was the same last week, I don’t know if there was something in the air. I don’t cry, I ran out of tears years ago. Last week, I cried, at absolutely nothing! This is seriously stressful and it will be this way for a while, so deep breaths and ickle steps chick… take each hour as it comes because you’ve got this, you really have!xx

    I am grateful for FaceTime too! Can you imagine if we would have had to go through this when we were the kids age? Technology has certainly helped keep us all connected!

    I hope you are having a better week – sending big hugs xx Sim

    1. Thank you Sim. It was a nice surprise and lovely to get a bit of a boost to my blog traffic as a result! Sorry that you’ve been finding it hard too. This time of year really doesn’t help with lockdown. At least this month is a shorter one! FaceTime has been a godsend. It’s been so good to be able to ‘see’ my family thanks to video calls.

  10. Sending big hugs! Sometimes I also feel like throwing the biggest tantrum and just not be doing everything that’s expected of me. Polar bear is super cute! FaceTime is a blessing indeed.
    Fantastic news – to be mentioned in The Times. That must be a big boost to your blogging mojo! I do buy The Times, but missed reading the article, and will read it online.

    1. I’m not sure if it was in the print copy – I only realised because I was suddenly getting a lot of traffic from a Times online article!

  11. I am feeling everything is a bit of a slog at the moment too! Yay for the boost to blog traffic I keep meaning to try frozen bubbles with the boys. I must. The picture of them all doing jigsaws is lovely. We had a toddlebike both boys loved it. I think it was the best little bike they ever had.

    1. It’s a lovely little bike. We were sent it to review when Sophie was a toddler and she and Thomas have had a lot of fun with it. Frozen bubbles are a lot of fun – hope you get a chance to try doing them with the boys.

  12. I had a good cry last week which made me feel better. Lockdown seems so much harder this time round except for the snow respite last Sunday! I am so grateful that technoology lets us see and speak to loved ones, what would it have been like if it had happened 20 years ago?! #project365

    1. I’m very thankful for the technology helping keep us connected – this all would have been harder 20 years ago. Having a good cry does help sometimes, doesn’t it? Hope this week has been an easier one for you.

  13. Bless you I would totally agree with that word to sum up the week too! Feeling it myself this week. Reached a wall and had enough of the boys sibling grumbling and the mountain of homeschool tasks we need to get through 🙁 Wow but how lovely having your article featured in the Times, well done. I like the sound of throwing a family party just because, that might lighten our moods x

    1. The family party was a lovely way to break the monotony. I think a lot of people hit a wall over the last couple of weeks. Hope that this week is a better one for you.

  14. I love reading your gratitude lists. It makes me ponder on how I take for granted these simple little things! Hope you have a better day tomorrow! 🙂

  15. I love Sophie’s Polar Bear, it’s fab and how lovely to receive the cup cakes from the church. i’m so sorry too read you’re so tired of life without Jess, you are an inspiration, you always find so much to be grateful for and I admire that in you x x x

    1. Thank you. Some weeks are much harder than others particularly with missing Jessica. This week has felt more bearable x

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