Our Great Outdoors 2015 Bucketlist #4

Our Great Outdoors 2015 Bucketlist #4

If you’re a usual reader of our blog then you’ll know that this is my personal challenge to help me on my journey with postnatal depression.  I try and take the children at least one place ‘outdoors’ each week.  Friday was one of those days where you just feel rubbish for no particular reason.  I’d had plans to do something with family for my impending birthday, but last minute they’d changed them on me.  Not the end of the world I know, but when you’re struggling with depression and it takes all your strength to build up to following through on your plans and they’re changed last minute it can be difficult to pull yourself out of the funk.  I nearly didn’t even take the girls to school, horrendous I know, but I just crashed into feeling so low.  Thank goodness I pulled myself out of that.  Once they were at school, the babies and I hid out at home having a play day.

It was so lovely outside, I knew that I would need to go out somewhere, I had promised Judah we would go to the beach.  So, I started to build myself up to face going to the beach after the school run.  All of this probably seems very dramatic but I also had a horrendous headache, and couldn’t face going to the corner shop for painkillers that we’d ran out of.  Very silly.  Just drank lots of water and tried to enjoy as much peace as I could get with two toddlers climbing all over me *chuckles*.

I still have physical struggles since having Eden and I know my weight doesn’t help, I started to pack the car up with all we would need (change of clothes for the girls, baby bags etc… also made sure I had my camera, the light was lovely) and my back was causing me tremendous pain.  I thought, how can I take them to the beach when I can barely walk.  When my back plays up it’s difficult bending to strap them into their car seats.

However, we were all packed up and I set off on the school run.  I told the girls as soon as they came out of class, that we were going to the beach and they were very excited.  So that was it, decision made, and off we went.  We went to the beach round the corner from my parents house so that if my Mum wanted she could join us a bit later.

I love seeing how happy the children are just being outdoors, wherever it may be. They just love the freedom to run around in the sun and fresh air. It is so good for them. I was really pleased that we’d waited for the girls and they were able to join in the fun. This wasn’t really an option a few weeks ago. It would be practically pitch black by the time they had finished school, but the days are getting longer, and we’re having daylight longer. So lovely, to be able to steal some time after school has finished.

I used to live near my parents, I often forget how lovely it was to be able to just go out to the beach everyday, which I did do all year round as I had two little dogs when I lived there.  You take simple things like this for granted when they’re always there, but I definitely miss being able to just be on the beach within 5 minutes of walking.  Judah was so excited, he’d been telling me the whole way in the car ‘you’re going the right way Mummy to the beach, good driving.’  This would be repeated multiple times throughout the drive there, and an occasional, ‘we’re going to make sandcastles’ in the poshest little Southern accent that I have no idea where he gets it from sometimes.  Of course his Dad is Southern but even James after being up here all these years doesn’t say ‘sandcastles’ the way Judah does.  (Probably from Peppa Pig, who seems to have raised my son despite my trying to avoid too much technology time *oops*).

Isis and Shayla-Rae started collecting shells.  Isis was especially excited by a little clam shell.  She was explaining to me what little creature may have lived inside.  It was like a mini version of the shell Ariel was supposed to sing from at the start of ‘The Little Mermaid’.  We took some beautiful photos of them all together that you’ll be able to see on this months ‘Siblings‘ shoot … there’s also a taster over on my Instagram feed.

Nana came to find us and we started to walk over to look at the ducks on the beautiful lake before we needed to head back.  My Mum invited us to hers for ham and cheese toasties and the children were very excited about this.  Little did I know she’d also bought some goodies and a little birthday cake for me.  Here are some photos of the children with Nana.  I love following behind snapping photos of them all together.

My Mum literally lived around the corner so she walked back with the buggy to save my back putting it back in the car at that point (I was glad for the delay), the girls wanted to walk with her, and Judah and I walked back to the car.  His little legs were getting tired by now.  He is such a funny character.  He spent most of our time at the beach telling us to be careful of the water as it can be dangerous.  He’s currently into Fireman Sam and is therefore extremely safety conscious.   He told me that he could see a fire in the distance whilst we were walking back.  I handed him my phone and told him, ‘you know what to do.’  He rang Fireman Sam and told him to come and put out the fire on the beach.

Do you see how his back leg is turned in when he’s walking?  This is exactly how his Dad walks.  Aren’t genetics funny?  He loved how because of where the sun was in the sky, our shadows were giant and long.  He is currently a big fan of shadows.  Excitedly telling me repeatedly that it was Mummy and Judah, really big shadows on the floor.

I love hanging out with my little man.  He makes me laugh constantly.  I love our random conversations he is so much like his Dad.  It’s funny how James doesn’t have the patience for his constant repetitiveness.  My mother-in-law informs me how James would have her climbing the walls with his tiresome ways.  I think what James fails to realise is I have had plenty of practice from him.  I always thought I was a chatty person, until I met my husband.  I have definitely learned to be quiet a lot more since meeting him.  I treasure silence most dearly these days *heehee*.

All in all we’d had a lovely time and I was so glad that I had pulled myself out of the misery and faced the day…. even if it did take me til about 2 o’clock to do it.
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