A little bit of "ish"

I am right in the thick of it!

1 week down and 1 to go...

School holidays have rolled around again at an alarming rate and have caught me a little off guard.

As a rule I would normally be prepped and planned, armed with a schedule of play dates and activities to accommodate and hopefully please the Mob.  

But surprisingly, this time round I found myself slightly unprepared and a tad nervous of the "unknown" ahead. 

In spite of my ad hoc approach, I am pleased to report that with one week down and only a couple of minor hiccups along the way, we passed the test and have come out the other side.

However after today, and as I stare down the barrel of another 4 energy and intensity packed days of quality time with the MOB, I am beginning to question my need for a school holiday survival strategy for week number 2.

Too easily I can fall prey to the stress and pressure of a "well kept orderly house" and maintenance of a "routine" in order to keep our family ticking over like a well oiled machine.

So it can be a real challenge for this Imperfect (Perfectionist) Mum to throw caution to the wind in order to make things a little easier on herself and adopt the attitude of "a little bit of ish".

A concept a friend of mine introduced me to via a comment she left on my post "Perfect Blog".  She said...

"Setting 'ish' as your standard can be very freeing. Maybe your parenting is consistent-ish. Maybe you're following-ish your exercise plan.  Giving myself a pat on the back for 'ish' achievements has been a great way to silence the perfectionist bully in my own life."

I like the idea of it and have decided to put it to the test.

My take on "a little bit of ish" for the remainder of the school holidays is going to look something like this...

Nutritious-ish, 5+ a day is taking a break and instead the menu will be heavily influenced by convenience, practicality and perhaps some "packaged foods" too.  So self serve breakfast cereals that can be consumed with or without a spoon/milk are stocked and ready to go!

Clean-ish, taking a break from my war on dirt and grime!  Cleaning is so overated these days.  Once clean it is inevitable that my children, clothes, dishes, house etc will become dirty again, (sometimes within minutes) so clean-ish will suffice for the surplus of these holidays.

On time-ish, my days are ususally a race against the clock.  So this stickler for being on time is going to relish the concept of a little "flexi-time".  Getting there when we get there, be it to kindy, an activity, ready for dinner or into bed.

Fair-ish, let's face sometimes life is just not fair!  So I am giving myself permission to not feel guilty when I call a shot that may be deemed NOT FAIR, in the eyes of a particular little person.    

Tidy-ish, perhaps the hardest one to get my head around.  I struggle with my friend's stance that "toys are not mess" when I look around my abode and see toy havoc and chaos in every corner.  But, I am willing to apply a little bit of "ish" and to attempt to embrace the creative and somewhat messy play that goes on in my neck of the woods.

Consistent-ish, the mere thought of being "consistent" can be tiresome, let alone actually doing it.  So I am welcoming the opportunity to be consistent-ish with my parenting and breaking some of my own "rules".  After all, aren't rules made to be broken?

So there you have it, our little bit of "ish".  

I am interested and excited-ish to see how we get on with all of this, and will keep you posted. 


In the meantime what other "ish" ideas do you have?



image by freepik