Grandparents Are Superheroes

No, they don’t wear lycra and fly through the sky (that I know about or want to know about anyway) but they do come to our rescue in times of need.

Our parents are the greatest! If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to return to work after having the boys and we most definitely wouldn’t have been able to go away to celebrate our birthdays recently or have date nights!

We are really lucky that my parents are less than 5 minutes away and the in-laws are only an hour away. They are never intrusive but they have helped us out so much over the years since the children have been born and I’m not sure we could ever thank them enough.

They have come to our rescue when our eldest fractured his femur and required a blue light trip to the hospital. My Mum has never travelled the mile between our houses as quickly as she did that morning. She took amazing care of a very frightened 1 year old as his brother was wheeled off to the hospital.

They also helped out so much in the final weeks of my twin pregnancy when I was so poorly and getting up off the sofa required a crane and about 20 minutes! Days out and extended holidays definitely helped break the boredom of Mummy being a beached whale!

I know they say they enjoy it but looking after the grandchildren does take it out of them. They’re not in their 30s any more! But, at the same time, I think it’s keeping them younger. They get out more and run around which can’t be bad for their health.

It’s also giving our Dad’s an opportunity to get back what they missed out on when we were younger. I know my Dad worked incredibly long hours just so my Mum could stay at home with us. He missed out on a lot of the fun of having really little people and I think he’s making up for that now. He’ll quite often phone up and asks if he can take the boys out or come play with them.

With the rising cost of living, Mums are having to go back to work after maternity leave. This means more and more grandparents are helping out with childcare. It’s a good job really as childminders and nurseries don’t come cheap! Without my parents help, there would have been no point me returning to work. All of my wages every month would have been gobbled up by the long nursery hours the boys would have needed. I also love the way they are cared for by someone they know really well and trust completely. They still do a few hours a week at nursery so there’s not as much pressure on my parents and I like them mixing with other children.

But, does there come a time when grandparents doing large amounts of childcare has to stop?

Yes, for me I think there does. Our parents are still fairly young and in good health. I’m not sure I would impose on them so much if they were a lot older and heading towards their 70’s or their health was failing them. If my children started to cause them big problems such as stress or they became ill then we would reevaluate the situation immediately. I wouldn’t want them caring for our children to make them ill or prevent them getting better.

They say they enjoy it and I do think that’s genuine as they’ve really missed having the boys while I’ve been on maternity leave. If they are enjoying it and everybody is happy, then the arrangement works.

I’ll never be able to thank them enough for all the help they give us and will be forever grateful to them.

Couch25k Week 3 – Completed

It’s been a really hectic few weeks hence why there was no update last week.

I began week 3 of the programme, did 2 of the 3 runs and then with weekends away and my pilates restarting, run 3 kept getting put off.

My first 2 runs went great. I actually managed the 3 minute running sessions and didn’t feel too bad after them. Although, I think I did swear at the podcast lady on my final 3 minute run when she happily told me to begin my run just as I reached the bottom of a hill!

My 3rd run was delayed by several days. I have just returned to my pilates class and I couldn’t manage a run for a few days after my first class! I was a little bit broken and didn’t think it was wise. When I did go out for my 3rd run, I binned the podcast and went solo.

We live on a big circular estate so I did a few laps of it. After my 5 minute warm up I went for it. I ran and pushed myself for as long as I could. I kept setting myself goals like “I’ll get to the next lamppost and see how I feel” or “I’ll get to the corner of the next road”. I managed to run just over half the estate (including uphill sections) and I felt very proud of myself. I felt like I’d pushed myself harder than the podcast would have done.

I’ve done 1 more run since and managed 2 good, continuous 5 minute runnning blocks which is a massive improvement for me. I set out with the intention of running as much as I could, only slowing down for the minimum amount of time to catch my breath back. It seemed to work and when I got home I noticed I had taken 30 seconds off my pace time!

I’m really enjoying running which I never thought I would say. I fully intend to keep it up and my next goal is to be able to run a full lap of our estate. It doesn’t seem an enormous goal but we’re going with baby steps so I feel like I am achieving something.

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Couch25k Week 1 – Complete

Six months ago I would never have believed I would write that title. I had just had a c-section and was at the heaviest I had ever been in my life. To be honest, I was disgusted with myself.

Just a few days after my section I set myself a challenge, to get fit and get to a healthy BMI.

I was banned from driving for 6 weeks after my section so I walked everywhere and I’ve tried to do that as much as possible since. Walking 4 small people is sometimes an impossible task! I enjoyed the walking and pushing the pram plus with the added weight of a baby in a sling, it was quite a good workout.

I am now 4 stone lighter than I was pre-pregnancy and still losing but it has definitely slowed down so I decided to try the NHS Couch 2 5k podcasts.

I am not a runner! Anybody who knows me is well aware that I don’t run. I would rather miss a bus than run after it! I also have a problem with my lower spine caused by an accident several years ago so I was a little apprehensive about running. I’ve said I’ll try things like this in the past but never do so this time I was determined.

I did my first run on Tuesday night and it was hard. I did a 5 minute warm up followed by alternating 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes. The 60 seconds of running felt like an eternity compared to the longer walking sections but I did it. I felt so proud of myself and actually enjoyed it (don’t tell anyone). I was really looking forward to Thursdays run and managed to up my pace and go further.

I did my third run on Sunday and this time ventured further than the perfect running track that is our estate. I did a small lap of the village which I knew involved a few hills and I was feeling particularly smug when my first run coincidence with a steep downward stretch. But as I rounded the corner I realised if I had come down, I had to go back up and just as I saw the upward section the podcast lady told me my next running section was coming up! I survived and even though I strayed from my fairly flat running, I still upped my pace and distance. Very proud moment!

My first week of running has been an experience. My back has held out and after a few niggles from my section scar on the first night, it hasnt bothered me since. I’ve actually discovered that I quite enjoy running. It’s 30 minutes of fresh air and quiet time out of the house on my own.

Next week the training ups to 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking. Feeling nervous already but looking forward to seeing if I can manage it.

Linked to Mummy Monday