Claire, my wife, starts her new job in May and as most of my friends will know, my work at sea means that I rotate through work and leave every 3 months and so it currently appears from the outside that no one in our house has a job . We have been living in this dream like state since January! As I write I am sat wondering why I have not had time to write about our adventures so far. We have two kids which might explain or somehow excuse the lack of time to document. Boy child is age 4, about to start school in September and girl child is nearly two. Both children have been pulled out of nursery for the period, saving some but of course not all of that huge monthly financial burden.
So the question was how would we, our small family enjoy this time? We decided that n extended trip somewhere had to be a part of it and we also decided that to start we would stay home in Brighton and Hove and enjoy our small home and spend time with the kids in familiar surroundings. For a couple that work and kids that normally spend 3-4 days a week in the care of a nursery, all be it a very good one, there is a period of adjustment when the daily routine is down to us, what we want to do rather that what we have to or need to do. Spending time "off" at home and fully with the kids is brilliant but much harder than we thought. It is however, a gift and creating structure has been important. We have also taken short trips, packing our car often, to the rafters with coats, boots and warm clothes, giving us and our kids what we think are experiences that bring us together and help the kids to start establishing a sense and spirit of adventure. I will write briefly about some of what we have done separately because it has been amazing and whether the kids are old enough to remember it is doubtful but as parents we are making the most of this precious time and are hopeful that it will start to shape the foundations of our little people somehow.
