Friday Focus 22/07/22 – End

This week has seen the end of an era as Thomas finished preschool and we said goodbye to all our preschool groups. Some of them have been part of our routine for a very long time, particularly TinyTalk baby/toddler signing classes which we started going to when Jessica was a baby and continued going with Sophie and Thomas. I have so many happy memories of my girls having fun together at TinyTalk.

 

 

It was lovely that Sophie finished school early enough to be able to come along to the last BilinguaSing French class and our last TinyTalk class. She loved being back and joining in with the songs. Of course, it would have been lovelier still to have had both my girls there to say goodbye to classes that they’d joined in and enjoyed when they were smaller.

 

 

I haven’t been as emotional saying goodbye as I thought I might have been. I think its probably not quite hit me yet that this stage of parenthood is at an end, plus also the fact that most of the mums I made friends with were during those earlier years with Jessica and Sophie and left the groups when Sophie’s time there ended. I never quite managed to make friends so easily after we returned to in-person classes after Covid, so that’s made it easier to feel ready to move on too. Having the distraction of Thomas’s birthday coming up next week has also helped. I suspect it will all hit me harder in September, particularly as Thomas’s first day of school will be on Jessica’s birthday.

 

 

What I’ve been grateful for this week:

 

 

• Day 196 – I am grateful that my husband was able to work from home this morning and stay with a poorly Sophie so I could take Thomas to his last Tots Go Wild session. Will miss our forest school sessions, they’ve been a lot of fun.

 

• Day 197 – I am grateful for a relaxing evening in the garden enjoying family time together.

 

• Day 198 – I am grateful for a rare opportunity to be rather than do at this morning’s service. A much needed time to just be able to focus on God.

 

• Day 199 – I am grateful for a fabulous school report for Sophie which describes her as “happy and friendly”, “engaged and enthusiastic” and having shown “great passion caring for others.” So proud of the wonderful caring little girl she is and of how well she is doing in school. Well done Sophie.

 

• Day 200 – I am grateful for Sophie’s amazing year 3 teacher who was also Jessica’s reception teacher. It meant a lot to have that continuity with the transition to junior school and for Sophie to have someone who knew and cared for Jessica. This wonderful lady is a fabulous teacher and both my girls have been so lucky to have had her. Thank you Mrs M for everything you do and hope you have a wonderful and relaxing summer.

 

• Day 201 – I am grateful that Thomas has enjoyed his time at preschool. Sad to say goodbye to this preschool though – it’s the end of an era for us as both girls went here and now our preschool days are over. Thank you to all the wonderful key workers for all you do.

 

• Day 202 – I am grateful for all the fun we’ve had over more than ten years of going to TinyTalk Baby Signing and over five years of BilinguaSing . It was the end of an era today for us with baby and toddler activities saying goodbye to both these groups – all three of my children enjoyed taking part in them and I shall miss them being part of our weekly routine.

 

 

Other things that have made me smile this week:

• Watching Sophie performing some scenes from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ with her musical theatre group although was not quite emotionally prepared for her to sing a verse of ‘Over The Rainbow’. Jessica’s class sang that song in her memorial assembly a few days after she died and I’ve never been able to hear it since without crying.

 

• Having a water fight in the garden.

 

 

• Having some one-to-one time with Sophie as she finished school the day before Thomas finished preschool.