We Family

I'm sure I've said it before, or if not said it at least implied it: we would not enjoy it as much, or find it as easy, living in this town without our urban family.  They are our family here and now, those people we can rely on for anything and everything - from kids pick ups to the next size up astros - and our lives and children and responsibilities often intertwine. Mes Amigos definitely took on that role while we were living in Midland, but both before and since it's been iChum and her family - they are our co-parents/childminders/drivers/cooks/agony aunts/siblings and therapists.

For the last year and a bit we've had regular family dinners at each other's houses - not special affairs that take ages to plan where everyone brings something and last way into the night - but regular mac-and-cheese dinners were we pitch up, usually at different times from whatever we've been at, to eat, chat, be family, then head off, usually at different times, to wherever we have to go.  Dads might be away, kids might be upstairs, or outside, or in the bath, or at various other activities, but mums always find the time to have a cup of tea and natter and we all do life together.

With the start of the new term, though, and changes to kids activity schedules (grrr) finding even one regular night a week has proven impossible.  What was a regular Thursday night this time last year changed to a Wednesday night when the two big'uns started swimming, since they will now do that forever more on a Thursday evening.  But now with additional football on a Wednesday in a neighbouring village that night isn't going to work well wither.  But trying to find a time that fits in around the piano lessons and Aberdeen Athletics and Boys' Brigade and swimming lessons and Land Training and local athletics and Tri-club and Rookie Lifesaving and Judo and Olympians and Beavers and football and hockey and netball and bike club and swimming and flute and rugby and weekends away and church (wow our kids do a lot! But there are also a lot of them) seems nigh impossible.  But, it's still worth working out we all agree... Which is pretty much what doing life together is anyway, right?

No idea where the last last two are!