Time spent together is the most precious to us. Because it cannot be recovered..

We met almost 10 years ago, at a horse riding camp. Then it turned out that we both loved Masuria. Today, we pass on our passions to Maciek and Igor. We fought for our boys for several years. It is probably because we had to wait longer than others for our kids that today we value the time we spend with them more than we used to appreciate the days passing by. We are committed to not only spending time with them but, above all, to passing on to them the values we try to live by.

Neither I, nor my husband Marek, expected our relationship to turn out like this. When we met at a horse riding camp 10 years ago, he had just finished a relationship of several years and I was getting ready to move to another city for a year. Starting something new and serious was not what was on our minds at the time. But, as life has a habit of changing our scripts, that's exactly what happened. First there was friendship. Marek dropped by in Szczecin, where I had moved, then I answered him in Wrocław. Time passed, and it became increasingly difficult for us to stand without evening chats. Somewhere along the way, between Wrocław and Szczecin, between another phone call or Skype call, we became a couple. After a year in Szczecin, I didn't return to Krakow, but moved to Wrocław with my suitcase and all my belongings.

Sometimes getting pregnant is not easy and requires patienceTwo years later we were getting married. We didn't immediately think about children. It took another two years before we started trying for our first child. After a year of unsuccessful attempts, counting cycle days, ovulation tests, we made our first appointment at an infertility clinic. The diagnosis did not point to any particular causes. I guess this is what made it harder for us to accept that we would have to wait for a child. We both acted task-oriented. Cause, method, application, result. I feel that facing a specific problem would have been easier for us. This time it was more difficult. We waited another year and a half for our first son, whom we have thanks to insemination. Maciek was born on 6 December - Marek still jokes that we got him from Santa Claus. Three years later, our second son Igor was born. His conception was also preceded by a struggle with infertility. This time our son came into the world thanks to IVF.

Even before our first son was born, Mark and I decided that our children's childhoods would be decidedly different from our own. We both came from homes where we were mainly expected to get good grades and stay out of trouble. Our parents didn't take the time to get to know us, so today we have really limited contact with them and our relationship is quite superficial. We only see each other during holidays and family celebrations. My husband and I realise that we both miss our childhood memories. Memories of time spent together with our parents. Maybe that is why we are so keen to spend as much time as possible with our boys and build memories together. They are the ones we often talk about later at the dinner table. They are often the glue that holds the family together.

Time cannot be recoveredWe started very simply. With small things. Every Saturday and Sunday we eat breakfast together. Igor and Maciek help prepare them. Even though the boys are still quite small (6 and 7.5) we have been taking them to our beloved Masuria for a few years now. They have both fallen in love with sailing. They are also learning to ride horses. We spent the last winter holidays together in the mountains. For the first time, the whole family, we learned to ski. I honestly have to say that the boys did much better than we did.

We try to talk to our sons a lot during our trips together. We realise that between the boys' school and kindergarten and our work, there is little time left to be together as a family. Therefore, we try to spend every free moment together. We know that the boys will soon want to spend more time with their peers than with us. So we try to give them as much time and attention as possible now - because it won't be possible to make up for it later.