The Balance
Tackling a fairly huge DIY renovation while attempting at the same time to be a vaguely decent parent is hard work. Much as we want to get cracking with things like, ooh, painting the other half of the red bedroom ceiling (Andre slapped some white paint up there a few weeks ago but we haven't had time to finish the job!) we have a two year old who would be all too happy to get overly involved with a tin of Dulux paint and a step-ladder, and a two month old who likes to be cuddled for around 16 hours a day (cute!). So we have to find the right balance between spending time as a family, and spending time creating a home for us to spend time in as a family.
The way we manage things at the moment is to designate one day of the weekend as DIY day (where we take it in turns to either tackle a renovation project or get stuck into some potato printing), and the other day as family day, when all the power tools remain safely stowed in the cellar.
The UK basked in a glorious Indian summer for the first half of September, so we took the opportunity to visit beautiful Lyme Park, home of Mr Darcy (I was ecstatic to discover the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice on Netflix at 4am a few weeks ago, so was in the mood for some stately home gazing).
Perhaps slightly more attractive than our own ornamental pond:
One daughter hastened towards the ducks, shrieking Quack! Quack! Quack!
The other slept peacefully in her sling.
We played hide and seek...
...and enjoyed strolling in the sun along the side of the lake.
(Naturally Rabbit came too.)
Any advice on managing family life and long-term DIY renovation? I'd love to hear your thoughts.