It doesn't look like Elliot will be heading back to school anytime soon as his infant school only have the space for the reception classes at the moment. He is due to start Junior School in September so I think his time at Infants has come to an end which is sad. Fortunately all his friends will be moving to Juniors too so at least they will all be in the same boat but I hope that there will be a chance to go back and say goodbye to all the lovely teachers!
We are still plodding on with the school work but I have considerably lowered the expectations and pressure - if we get stuff done, great but if we don't then we just do some more the next day! It's still been tricky getting Elliot to concentrate with all that is going on at home (i.e a crazy toddler!) but he's done really well and we have managed to get some lovely bits of work completed including a VE Day poster and some creative writing.
Elliot even took part in his school's talent competition from home. He has been in the final for the past two years running so we had a lot to live up to....and I think we pulled something funny out of the bag! Elliot and his friend loved making this and we had some fantastic feedback from the teachers!
Over the last two weeks we've been able to get out a bit more due to the lockdown rules changing and being allowed to go in the car to somewhere and not just for exercise. Dorset is a popular tourist destination and has definitely been lots busier but we have stuck to walks in the countryside off the beaten track so we can maintain social distancing!
We've also avoided the crowds at Durdle Door and Bournemouth Beach and stuck to our local little park and beach. It's lovely there and one of my favourite places to visit with the kids - it never really gets too busy either which is handy.
Lockdown has also bought some exciting opportunities. We were picked to be part of the Andy & The Odd Socks Album launch week and were sent some goodies to help us host a party. Obviously we couldn't invite our friends round but we were able to hold a zoom party with our friends and the children had lots of fun in the lead up to it decorating masks and rock star outfits. Elliot and I even made a huge poster!
The highlight for everyone was when Andy Day himself joined our Zoom chat. I had told the Mums to expect this but the kids didn't know, Elliot was over the moon with excitement! They had a little chat and asked a few questions and it was really fun for them all.
Zoom has been a constant throughout lockdown with my weekly choir sessions moving online and it's funny how it quickly becomes normal. We've done quizzes, held parties, had meetings - I wonder if we will continue to use the online meetups as much once lockdown has finished?!
From next week the UK will be able to meet up with more people so we're looking forward to cautiously catching up with some friends - from a safe distance of course. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that this lovely weather holds out because it is so much easier to entertain the children when we're at home and the sun is out!
Hope you're all keeping ok and managing to stay safe x
