Writing the kind of post that I love to read
Life lately, summer memories, what if the tiny things were the big things and Substack posts I've enjoyed recently.
I was reflecting on the kind of posts that I like to read on Substack, and I really like hearing what people have been up to in their everyday lives, a bit like a traditional blog post I guess.
I also love stories of hope and joy, posts that tell me to keep going, behind the scenes and round ups too.
So, I’m going to try something different and this post will be a little mish-mash of all of those things!
Life lately
It’s week 4 of the summer holidays and wow I’m feeling it! Rightly or wrongly, I refer to the summer holidays as an endurance test, with 3 kids to entertain, that’s how it feels.
To be fair, my youngest just goes with the flow, I mean he’s only 1 - but trying to keep into some kind of routine with his naps is hard, especially when we are at home and my eldest two start arguing about whose turn it is on the TV, just as he’s fallen asleep!
My eldest is finding it hard being out of school, it’s no secret that she’d go to school 7 days a week if she could, so being at home just doesn’t cut it for her.
My middle son is more easy going, but he is not happy when we have to walk far, so we try to distract him by asking him constant Pokemon questions!
It’s hard isn’t it, especially when you feel that you should be keeping the kids entertained with all of these exciting activities and making the most of the summer by going on holiday, but sometimes it’s just not realistic. The pressure to create those memories is a lot.
Even as I’m writing this, I’m thinking, ‘People are going to think you hate being a mum, and you are moaning about having to spend time with your kids.’ But actually, it’s OK to say these things. It’s OK to say that it’s hard, because it is!
Now that I’ve said all of that, we have actually had some lovely summer memories so far, here are some:
Staying in Mumbles with my mum and the kids at the start of the summer and having our favourite Joe’s ice cream.
Afternoons at the beach with chips for tea - seeing my youngest enjoy playing with the sand, my middle son running around like crazy and my eldest concentrating on building elaborate sandcastles and moats.
Finding amazing vegan doughnuts in Whocult at Goodsheds in Barry - suitable for my eldest’s allergies - an incredible find! She loved the Cinnamon Sugar, but the Oreo flavour was the winner for me.
Watching my youngest get involved and play with his brother and sister at home - my eldest two make up elaborate games and I love seeing them all play together and have fun.
My eldest deciding that she would organise a ‘protest’ for Children’s Rights at home (she’s been watching Horrible Histories about the Suffragettes) and getting my son involved too, making placards, chanting at me, just as the Health Visitor arrived for my youngest’s 15 month developmental review - not great timing I was impressed by her knowledge and creativity!
Lots of trips to the local library - I love going there and I’ve been reserving lots of new books for myself lately too, so that’s always nice picking them up. Though reading them in 3 weeks is a bit more of a challenge! The kids have been enjoying books about women’s football (this post from
on ‘What you didn’t know about women’s football is really interesting’), joke books and fact books. We also got this Fearless Fairytales books which both my eldest two loved - Mouldysocks (a reimagined Goldilocks) was my personal fave!My son telling me on a regular basis ‘you are the best mummy a son could ever wish for’ and my youngest just learning to give cuddles.
What if the tiny things were the big things?
There’s so much that I want to do. I am amazing at:
having all the ideas
having wildly high expectations of myself
totally misjudging the amount of time it actually takes to do things
All of these things combined means that when I actually sit down and get things done, it seems like I’m only doing a tiny amount of what I had planned.
Which makes me feel like I’ve failed because I haven’t lived up to my plan.
(I also wrote about a similar thing in my post in early June):
But what if I’ve got it wrong?
What if the fact that I’m even doing anything from my (wildly unrealistic) plan at all is a huge achievement?
Then, I’d see that doing any kind of work on my business, while I have the kids all day in the summer is amazing.
But more than that, what if I didn’t define myself and my worth by how much I got done in a day?
What if the everyday things were enough?
What if the tiny things were actually the big things?
If I looked at things through this lens, then these everyday things would be enough:
getting 3 kids out of the house on time
a trip to the library on a rainy day
cuddles and TV on the sofa with the kids
a trip to the park on a sunny day
It might not be beach holidays abroad and all of the amazing summer memories that I’d love to plan, in an ideal world.
But it’s enough.
So, today, I’m choosing to tell myself this:
What you do is enough
Some Substack posts I’ve loved lately
This post by
on stepping back from trying to create all the things, and instead reserving creative energy to focus on writing, and accepting that that is enough.I just love all of
‘s posts - this one really made me think as I always think I need more time to do my work, but actually maybe it’s about engaging that creative side of me more and accepting that the time I have, is just the time I have.I am totally here for the energy of this post from
and this quote:
“And actually, I know from experience that it is in these periods of stepping back a bit and switching off and stopping pushing so hard, that the real gems can arrive.”
- reminding us of the value of creative joy and creating things just because it feels good
I look forward to the soothing words of
each week - I loved this quote in her latest post:
“To rebel against expectation we have to first see it for what it is… and then choose… and choose again (and again and again) to act differently.”
I hoped you’ve enjoyed my mish-mash round-up post today.
I’d love to hear in the comments your summer memories so far, let me know!
I agree! I love these kinds of posts too!
Thanks for sharing Just One More Thing! So glad you enjoyed my piece on women's football. Scandalous stuff.