This year I have re-joined the world of being a working parent, you know, the world where you earn actual money, have grown-up conversations with other adults and get recognition for doing a good job. I’m really enjoying it so far, and I am actually finding myself being more organised! Have you heard the saying “if you want something done, ask a busy person”?  Don’t misunderstand me a stay at home parent rarely has time for themselves but as my two are both at school now I’m needed less.

Anyway the things I am now finding hard to fit in are exercise and in particular my bush walks. The weekends seem to get booked up so quickly and we each have various weeknight activities on. Are we just trying to do too much? Probably, it’s week 5 of term 1 and my kids are already knackered, this summer has been super hot just to add to it all.

I’m left wondering how can I fit it all in?

Finding the right balance, that is what i’m working on, for myself, my children and my family as a whole unit. I feel very strongly about teaching kids about the importance of stopping 🧘🏻‍♀️ ☮️ ….. off screens! We all need time to process and reflect.

One evening last week, we decided to take the kids for a short bush walk to a river. The light was perfect, the track wide and reasonably easy – although my daughter did manage to skid, trip and fall into a ditch along the way! Still it was great (insert: rebellious) to be out on a school night and 👆sticking it to the routine!

We rounded a bend and came to a perfect view of the river, my daughter was screaming back to the boys “come on, hurry up, it’s so amazing, it’s beautiful”!

And it really was. A literal breath of fresh air.

We spent the next hour or so exploring up and down the river. I managed to grab a few minutes to breathe and stretch before I was coerced into eel hunting, and we did manage to lure one out from under a rock with some chicken leftovers tied onto a hand line with no hook on it.

It was a fantastic evening. Out enjoying the moment. The next day though, the kids weren’t so co-operative due to their later than usual night …… pros and cons, pros and cons 🤷‍♀️. I’m just gonna keep chipping away at finding that balance ✌️.

Nga mihi, Anita 🥜

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