That’s it so, another Christmas in the bag. We now have new toys scattered around the house, predominantly on the theme of Wonder Woman, a super hero my children have become captivated with since we purchased the movie a while back. Between that and the Greatest Showman, the TV demands were pretty consistent amongst the youngest members of the family, but at least there is some level of inspiration in their viewing.

Some of these new toys are already broken and many will be completely forgotten about in a few weeks, but Santa brought a bike to our eldest and I am hoping that she continues to enjoy this for many years. Her sister inherited her old balance bike and they have been motoring busily around the house since. Our house is built into a field that is quite sloped and the rain gathers in the only area that is cyclable, but hopefully the spring will see them outside soon enough and getting some exercise. It can be hard to fit exercise into busy lives despite the importance of it for young and old. I must admit my own has suffered in the last couple of months as other things were prioritised. On St Stephen’s day, to burn off some of the excess, we headed out for the annual walk around the loop in Windgap. We often do the shorter trail around the village but this year, double buggy dusted off, we attempted the longer route that brings you over the Barnabreac loop, which was the place we schooled our ponies over ditches and dikes as children. Both walks are associated with Trail Ireland and a massive effort has been put in by the community to add features and some novelty statues along the way.

I have decided – and you can call it a cop-out – but this year I won’t make any resolutions. I am simply going to take each day as it comes – say yes to some things and say no to more.

It has been said that we are prone to some level of amateur dramatics in our family but we had our first proper school play last week as our eldest is now in junior infants. She played an absolute blinder in the starring role of Mary. It was more of a silent part and she indicated on the way home in the car that she was going for a full-on singing role next year. The night was divided into two sections – a juniors’ play featuring the aforementioned nativity and a full musical drama played out by the older classes. Being a three-teacher school, the full range of age groups were featured and it was a real testament to the school and the teachers.

Earlier in the year, we were asked to contribute €30 for music, which we duly paid. The issue of ‘free education’ is often discussed in that it is a misnomer and parents are actually paying a lot for school with charges for all the extras. I appreciate that this is a very difficult scenario, particularly in September, but considering that she ditched ballet this year in favour of riding lessons, I am very glad that the school is providing her with an artistic outlet.

After the festivities, and perhaps with the lack of exercise on top, a lot of us are carrying a few extra pounds, which we may regret, and we have already started thinking of the New Year’s resolutions. I have decided – and you can call it a cop-out – but this year I won’t make any resolutions. I am simply going to take each day as it comes – say yes to some things and say no to more.

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A good clear-out is good for the soul