Baggage

Today was a good day. The littlies were all on their best behaviour, we spent most of today visiting my best friend, we made pizzas for lunch, drank copious amounts of tea and had a lovely catch up. We used to live 5 doors apart but now it's 26 miles. Today was like the old days only I had to leave at 3pm to make sure the car was back for the boy to go to work. Pffffft.

Tea was healthy and eaten without complaint and I had an enquiry about a vacancy I have. All in all, things have gone really well today. Now though, I have to pack. I hate packing. I never know what to take and I always take too much and end up forgetting something vital. It's all in a good cause though. This weekend, the boy and I are heading to Scotland for the wedding of our friends. It's going to be a great weekend. We're leaving the littlies with my parents and heading off on our own eeeeeeeek!

We haven't had a weekend away on our own since March 2004. In the 5.5 years since our eldest was born, I've spent 3 nights away. Monday 18th September 2006, Thursday 18th June 2009 and Thursday 18th February 2010. The first two don't really count as I was in hospital having more babies, not like I was off gallavanting!

The latter was a gift from my parents as the boy had just come back from 3 months in the dusty place. I didn't sleep a wink. I didn't sleep a wink. Not because I thought they'd come to any harm but more because it just felt so strange being away from them. Not checking them last thing at night and tucking them in. Knowing that if they needed me, I wouldn't be there.

I hope this weekend will be different. It's old hat for the boy, he's always going away so it's much easier for him. I'm looking forward to spending some decent time together without either of us having to work, with no OU assignments in the way and to be able to sleep in. But I'll miss my three smallies terribly.

They'll have a great weekend with Nana and Grandad there's already a queue of people bagsying playtime, they'll be spoilt rotten. I used to stay at my grandparents all the time but because we live so far from home, it's not really possible for our children to have the same. It'll be good for everyone.

Better go dig out my heels! That's if they haven't left home in disgust at being neglected for so long!

Home is where the heart is?

Not off to a great start really am I? It's been so long since I posted. It's been very busy though what with the run up to the end of term and family dos, work and all the rest, I felt like a headless chicken! Things are calmer now, the kids are off school and we've got plenty of time to get things done.

There are big changes ahead, hopefully we'll be moving to a bigger house soon, we've finally admitted that the one we are in is too small. We live in a Forces Married Quarter and space is at a premium. Having spent the last 8 years in forces accommodation, I'm really feeling the pull towards a place of our own. Somewhere I can tear down the woodchip, lay my own flooring, have a bath that wasn't designed for an elf -knock down walls etc. Is it ever really home if it's not yours?

I suppose it doesn't help that we are also in a part of the world that is not on our list of places we'd like to live. What I'm getting at is that now, at 28, married, three children, I'd like a sense of permanence (is that even a word?). I long to have somewhere that is mine. Where I know I can stay, that I'm not at the mercy of other people's decisions.

Don't get me wrong, we've been very happy here, but it's not home and never really will be. I'm getting a bit tired of this life. Hopefully having that little bit of extra space will relieve some of the feelings of being stifled.

We've made a start on looking for our own house, somewhere with lots of space and that needs doing up. After years of living inside somebody else's walls, we want to put our own stamp on everything. Have a house that is truly a home, that we've poured our hearts into. I can't wait.