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‘We’re bored!’ (Week two of the holidays)

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My boys are bored and it’s only week two of the school holidays.

’What can we do now?’ they say every five minutes. ‘We haven’t got any fun toys’ they moan whilst sitting amongst their dragons, dinosaurs and Disney cars. ‘Mummy can you play with me?’ they whine each day (whilst I’m sorting through their heaps of washing and clearing up a mega Lego City eruption). And the rain really isn’t helping. I know I should just throw them outside with a coat on and do outdoorsy things but they just whinge: ’It’s too wet!’; ’It’s too

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cold!’. So when it’s tipping it down outside and we’re stuck at home, it’s no fun for them or for me.

It’s so tempting to plonk them in front of the TV on the pouring-with-rain days or the days when I need to get some things done for myself, but I can only do that for so long before the guilt sets in. I have attempted to get them to paint, to draw, to think up a story – to do something crafty or creative – but this usually ends with one of them giving up after just a few minutes and going off in a huff. It’s mainly my littlest who does this:

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’My picture’s rubbish!’ he’ll scream before the tears start rolling down his cheeks; ’His alien’s much better than mine!’ he’ll cry, whilst pointing to his big brother’s version.

The other thing that is driving me to the brink is the amount of food they are consuming. Toast and honey, popcorn, crisps, Jammy Dodgers, breadsticks…the boys are permanently on the hunt for snacks (mainly of the sweet-and-covered-in-stupid-amounts-of-sugar variety). ’Hungry a bit more!’ they scream, refusing to settle for the healthier option of an apple or a

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banana. So I am having to drive back and forth to the supermarket almost daily to fill up the larder and replenish the biscuit tin, whilst my two ’Can we have a Star Wars Kinder egg?!’ boys sneak things into the trolley and hurtle into every other shopper as they sprint down the aisles.

And on the days when we’re not at home or wandering round the supermarket, I’m spending a fortune on lunches out and general crap. I spent £20 in Poundland the other day just to stop my youngest from having a tantrum. I only went in to get some batteries and

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came out with Minion balloons, water guns, colouring books, bags of sweets, face paints and Hot Wheels cars (needless to say I forgot to get said batteries).

But despite the not-so-good days that leave you tearing your hair out by 9am, I have experienced a few golden, sun-drenched days. A day spent walking through the woods with my boys – hunt-a-bug kits strapped to their backs and big excited grins on their faces. A day spent cycling and picnicking in the park – full of silly jokes, laughter and faces covered with ice-cream.

These days are

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keeping me going…although there are still 34 to go. [Gulp.]
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- 2 Aug 16

My boys are bored and it’s only week two of the school holidays.

‘What can we do now?’ they say every five minutes. ‘We haven’t got any fun toys’ they moan whilst sitting amongst their dragons, dinosaurs and Disney cars. ‘Mummy can you play with me?’ they whine each day (whilst I’m sorting through their heaps of washing and clearing up a mega Lego City eruption). And the rain really isn’t helping. I know I should just throw them outside with a coat on and do outdoorsy things but they just whinge: ‘It’s too wet!’; ‘It’s too cold!’. So when it’s tipping it down outside and we’re stuck at home, it’s no fun for them or for me.

It’s so tempting to plonk them in front of the TV on the pouring-with-rain days or the days when I need to get some things done for myself, but I can only do that for so long before the guilt sets in. I have attempted to get them to paint, to draw, to think up a story – to do something crafty or creative – but this usually ends with one of them giving up after just a few minutes and going off in a huff. It’s mainly my littlest who does this: ‘My picture’s rubbish!’ he’ll scream before the tears start rolling down his cheeks; ‘His alien’s much better than mine!’ he’ll cry, whilst pointing to his big brother’s version.

The other thing that is driving me to the brink is the amount of food they are consuming. Toast and honey, popcorn, crisps, Jammy Dodgers, breadsticks…the boys are permanently on the hunt for snacks (mainly of the sweet-and-covered-in-stupid-amounts-of-sugar variety). ‘Hungry a bit more!’ they scream, refusing to settle for the healthier option of an apple or a banana. So I am having to drive back and forth to the supermarket almost daily to fill up the larder and replenish the biscuit tin, whilst my two ‘Can we have a Star Wars Kinder egg?!’ boys sneak things into the trolley and hurtle into every other shopper as they sprint down the aisles.

And on the days when we’re not at home or wandering round the supermarket, I’m spending a fortune on lunches out and general crap. I spent £20 in Poundland the other day just to stop my youngest from having a tantrum. I only went in to get some batteries and came out with Minion balloons, water guns, colouring books, bags of sweets, face paints and Hot Wheels cars (needless to say I forgot to get said batteries).

But despite the not-so-good days that leave you tearing your hair out by 9am, I have experienced a few golden, sun-drenched days. A day spent walking through the woods with my boys – hunt-a-bug kits strapped to their backs and big excited grins on their faces. A day spent cycling and picnicking in the park – full of silly jokes, laughter and faces covered with ice-cream.

These days are keeping me going…although there are still 34 to go. [Gulp.]

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Fiona Pennell lives in the Cotswolds with her husband and their two boys, Jack, 6, and Otto, 4. A former YOU magazine sub-editor, Fiona now spends her days being trampled on, going on slug hunts and dreaming of lie-ins. (Twitter: @fiona_pennell)

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