Fun in the sun

This weekend’s sunshine was a welcome gift. The grey sky had made me feel tired and in need of biscuits, and my pyjamas called me to them in the early afternoons. The kids were looking pale, the dog had cabin fever and had jumped the fence, again, and my husband and I would surely have left home if we'd had to tolerate yet another afternoon of Monopoly and whinging.

When the sun shines, everything feels more doable. Suddenly, even hanging the washing seems like less of a chore, the school run is an opportunity to wind down all the windows, crank up the stereo and feel like a sexy young thing again, and playing in the garden with the kids doesn't make your hair frizzy or your nose run. Actually, it's really quite nice.

I feel at my best in the sunshine. I smile more, and I'm sure I laugh more. It may sound odd, but I think I'm a better mum in the sunshine, simply because I'm happier. The consequence of that is that I am more relaxed, don't shout so much and am more fun to be with. Sometimes, I even buy them ice creams after school. In response to my more chilled approach, my kids seem to calm right down, kick back, and just enjoy. Everyone is happier in the sun.

When the sun shines, my kids and I chat more, we play more, and we just hang out. I know I spend more time with my kids when it's sunny. This weekend I've learned all sorts of things about their best friends, we’ve baked mud pies, been goal keeper twice, narrowly avoided an 'accident' on the trampoline, and got stuck at the top of a tree. And we had ice creams.

When the sun comes out, I think Fun Mummy comes with it. So bring on the summer holidays, because there's lots of fun to be had.