August has been an insanely busy month and it seems to have passed by in a complete blur.  I’ve deliberately worked as little as possible, but I have still had regular trips to London plus client-and-supervision sessions in Stafford to honour.  Add these into the ongoing balancing act of planning plenty of fun & interesting things to do with the girls whilst still leaving them some time to do nothing and get bored (and therefore use their imaginations and creativity to keep them occupied rather than me constantly supplying them with entertainment) and a husband who has just got a promotion and works different shifts every week, and I feel like I haven’t really stopped.

So once again I found myself carefully leafing through the pages of my trusty diary, trying to remember exactly what we got up to.  As with July’s post, I couldn’t remember anything new that I had consciously decided to introduce into my life.  And yet, on reflection it seems that unconsciously I did manage to #dosomethingnew…

1. I went to Wales!

We have favourite summer destinations that we revisit year after year after year, and favourite activities that we do over and over again because the girls love them so much.  However, I do try and visit one new place with them each year to keep things fresh (and if we like them enough, they get added into our list of favourites too!).  This summer we decided to head to The Ice Cream Farm in Cheshire.  It should have been a pretty direct route, but we ended up taking a ‘little’ detour.  You can read all about our adventure (and my first ever visit to Wales!) here.

2. I gave myself permission to sleep

This one was a conscious decision.  Every morning, regardless of whether it’s a weekday or a weekend, the relentless ‘Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!’ of my alarm wakes me up at 5.30am without fail.  I’ve always been an early riser anyway – I work much better in the morning than in the afternoon and start flagging energy-wise and anticipating sinking into bed by about 10pm – but over the last year or so my wake-up time has been pushed earlier and earlier.  It seems my girls have inherited the same trait – they all naturally wake up between 6 and 6.30am every morning and rarely sleep beyond 7am unless they are particularly tired.  So if I want some time to myself to get ready in the morning (as opposed to having noses pressed against the shower door or fashion parades as they try on all my shoes while I’m trying to decide what to wear), or if I want to get some work done before the demands for breakfast begin, I have to get up before they do.  It’s become such an ingrained habit, that I even set alarms at weekends and whilst on holiday (I know).

This year, as our week in Cornwall approached,  I felt utterly exhausted – mentally, physically and emotionally.  I decided quietly to myself that I wouldn’t set any alarms whilst we were away.  Not one single one.  I was determined to let myself sleep and I gave myself permission to do so.  I’m proud to say that I kept that promise I made.  It was tempting – the tranquil mornings would have been a perfect time to read a few pages of my book, or go for a walk on my own to clear my head from the night’s dreams and set myself up for the day, or even (whisper it) answer a few emails.  But instead I honoured what I said I’d do, and chose to let myself get the sleep I so desperately needed.  As a result, I woke up more naturally (bar the odd occasion where the girls got up before me and the sound of their voices roused me).  Still early (6.45/7am ish most days, though there was one day where I slept until 7.30am – an actual lie-in!), but a much nicer way of waking up than a hideous beeping by my ear.

I feel slightly more rested, nothing awful happened from not setting alarms and I’ve decided to continue this new-found ability at the weekends now that we’re home.

I have a feeling that September is going to be in interesting month.  I can’t quite explain why.  Something just feels different.  Whatever it brings, and whatever I decide to make of it, I’m looking forward to it.

I’d love to know if you’ve made the promise to #dosomethingnew along with me.  If so, share your experiences here!  And if not, why not?  Set your intentions in the comments section below, and who knows what you’ll find yourself doing…

Thanks for reading 🙂