Best laid plans and all that ...

I think I will stop planning completely.

 Yep. No more concrete plans. I give up! 

There is so much pressure to make the deadlines, to get the result everyone else expects. 

But SO MANY THINGS seem to get in my way. 

Sometimes it can make me feel like I am failing.  In reality though, I don't really care that much. It seems everyone else does, but I really don't. 

Instead I choose to believe in cultivating gratitude and happiness.

We have almost finished the van, but not quite. So what?

We are two months behind our original leaving date. So what?

I haven't gussied up the van with all my crafty decorations yet and taken photos. So what?

We have run out of funds but still need to buy new wheels and tyres and a cargo barrier for the truck. So what?

We might need to hang around town for another month or so to earn some safety net money (and for the wheels and stuff). So what?

What that means to me is ..

More time to sew more caravan bits and bobs ... and I have pyjama fabric ready and waiting ...

More time to crochet ... I will finish my ottoman granny square cover in time!

More time to practise ... we can take the van away fro a weekend and trial it out before the BIG TRIP...

More time to spend with friends ... I have missed them so ...

More time to spend with family and loved ones ... catchups are LONG overdue ...

More time to save money ...

More time to remember ... those whom I have lost recently ...

More time to recharge, relax and unwind from the frenetic chaos of the last few months ...

No matter what life throws at me, I will always be grateful for what I DO have. That I can promise you.

Holidays

School holidays here again! But this time, for us, school holidays are until next year! Woohoo!

No more daily lunch boxes, fundraising raffle tickets, meetings, assemblies, uniforms and school bags! 

Did you hear me? WOOHOOOOOOOO!

The school holidays have so far been a blur. We have had to reorganise and resettle into the new warehouse, try to paint and prepare the van and build all the cabinets and cupboards, pack and reorganise Mum's flat to fit 5 of us as she'll be home soon. We haven't completed everything on our list but we know we'll get there eventually! We have tried to have lots of beach breaks and swims while it was still warm enough! Also, the kids start to drive me mad if they don't have a chance to run and stretch their legs!

Already the nights are cooling down. Well, slightly!  We have also tried out a bit of homeschooling practise and found that what we had initially hoped to do (the school of the road approach) wasn't going to work with The Boy. When left to his own devices after being give a task - well, he just ... doesn't!!  He also found the "no limits" too distressing, and acted out (as is his way) as he was too unsettled. He needs clear boundaries and more help. So, another reset. We bought a stack of workbooks and will have to spend a few mornings a week sitting down with him in a one-on-one situation. So far, so good.

As for The Girl, she cried over missing out on Naplan, so we bought her the practise books anyway, and she sits down each day to complete tasks of her own accord. Lil's such a natural student but possibly slightly deranged. Just my opinion. ;) And possibly the Boy's opinion too. ;) I mean, crying over getting out of a three day test? Really?

Lots of school holiday fun here though, with secret clubs and movie breaks, lots of craft and of the course the latest craze - loom bands!