When the battle lines of home schooling were drawn for lockdown 3 the last thing I thought I would dream of would be the half term holidays. Juggling the six school appointments each day and the big push to get the children to complete their daily homework has been a constant struggle.

The housework slides, working becomes almost impossible (when competing for broadband or workspace) and my toddler thinks its normal for me to shout “go online” through different doors every 40 minutes.

The half term holidays brought back some togetherness. We had the time to walk further and explore more, but even that was not without its challenges. Our pushchair nearly sank on a muddy track, my eldest son got wet feet on every walk and also fell in the mud twice, we got chased by pigeons trying to poo on us (they kept circling and I still have no idea how we managed to escape) and finally one child got stuck in a ditch and I had to rescue them in trainers.

After half term, it was a huge relief that we had hope of school again. I was cheering for a good half hour until I realised that I would miss my two children. Despite the drama’s and difficulties, I have seen laughter on my children’s faces with the simplest of activities such as bike riding, making dens and bonding with their toddler brother.

I have enjoyed eating with them three times a day even though I know at least one drink will be spilt and I have enjoyed the noise and the singing (on most days). I felt really sad knowing they would return but happy that they would finally see and play with their friends, who all live in a different village.

I felt so happy, until I realised that the Easter holidays are three WEEKS AFTER! I also found that an untimely hospital appointment would mean my eldest son would miss two weeks of school when he so desperately wants to see his friends.

So with two children still at home, one recovering and one a toddler, I am not sure things will change much for us at the moment. I know we will miss the daughter at school and we do have another lockdown birthday to plan. So less home-schooling and more waiting and hoping for those magic steps to happen.

Louisa Nevard also produces a Mum's Guide to St Neots at: www.mumsguide.co.uk/stneots.