The Worthing shop where you will find fantastic customer service

​But, I guess, more fool me for not either being a student or a teacher like my children and husband. They absolutely work hard when they’re there, but I can’t say I’m not envious of the amount of holidays they get.

I write this not because I want you to get out a tiny violin for me, but more to explain why this column might seem a little rushed (yes, yes, I know it’s basically a stream of consciousness every week). Such was the confusion that I was working and the rest of my family was either hanging around the house having fun or going on outings without me, I almost forgot to write it.

So, what’s been happening this week? Well, apart from me crying that my family went to see Migration at the cinema without me (apparently it was excellent), it’s been fairly low-key so far.

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As much as I love outings, days out and adventures with my family, even I have to concede that it’s nice to chill out in the first couple of months of the year. The weather is bleak, we’re all poor, and after the madness of Christmas it’s nice to rest.

With that in mind, we pottered into town on Saturday to grab a couple of bits and popped into Alleyoops on the seafront to get my daughter a new cycling helmet.

We’ve been to this shop several times before and the man who runs it, I think I’m right in saying his name is Kevin, is brilliant.

He’s so friendly, patient and knowledgeable about all things scooters, skates, skateboards and bikes. He said the shop has been running for 35 years this year, and it’s no wonder it’s stood the test of time.

He let my children try on skates we weren’t even sure we were going to buy, helped them skate round the shop in them, and had no problem in going to get different colours and sizes when needed.

In the end, my son used his Christmas money to buy a pair of rollerblades, and the guy made sure they were the right fit and told my son how best to use them.

It was just a really positive experience and shows the value of local independent shops.

Other than that we’ve done playdates, been to the dentist, watched movies, been swimming, played games and generally hung around the house. It’s just all been very run-of-the-mill, because that’s life, sometimes.

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There was also the annual (actually, that’s not true as I do make them at other times) making of pancakes for Shrove Tuesday.

I love pancakes. They taste delicious, and I like to make a whole meal out of them.

Some think there’s madness in my methods, but I like to start by eating savoury ones, usually filled with cheese and/or ham, then move onto the sweet variations. That way, it’s like having a main course and pudding.

But, and please don’t hate me for saying it, I have no desire to have lemon and sugar on my pancakes. I squeeze the juice from my lemon segments onto my cheese pancakes, and my sweet pancakes are either maple syrup or Nutella and banana. I just don’t like the sugary lemon taste, and even worse if the sugar is still a bit crunchy when you bite into the pancake.

Nice as they are, though, the cooking process will always be a bugbear. My hungry children sit at the table and inevitably fight over who gets the first one. The pressure is on to get the next one ready super quick for whichever child lost out the first time around. By the time that one’s done, child number one needs another pancake. Every time I think I might sneak in one for myself, somebody is hungry for another. Yes, I know you can batch cook them and keep them warm in the oven, but they’re not as good that way and the faff of layering them with greaseproof paper is too much for me.

Finally they’ll all be full, and it’s my turn… By which point the batter has usually run out. Typical!

Happy half-term, everyone.