Comfort in Sound

What. A. Week.

How is lockdown treating everyone? (Tell me in the comments if you want- but not going to lie I probably won't read them...sorry.) I have been spending the week trying to re-engage myself with the world. It seems my brain has vacated the premises for the past few weeks and with the threat of being back at work looming in the not so distant future, I thought I should try and remember how to function as a human being.

I've been working on my novel, (Probably best not to get too excited over that though- it's been a work in progress for the best part of 10 years and still not even close to finished.) and reading more autobiographies from some of my favourite comedians. This weeks offering was 'Mack the Life' by Lee Mack. I can confirm he comes across equally as funny on paper as he does on the TV- take from that what you will. 

I've also spent the week trying to cut back on my alcohol consumption before I get to the point of having to admit to myself that maybe I have a problem. More than a little bit of wine and beer has been consumed over the weeks. I should probably also look at fixing my sleeping patterns. 4am is not the time to be going to bed if I have to start getting up before 9am again, although the latter will probably get easier when I ditch the hangovers.

I've spent a lot of time listening to music during lockdown- probably because it goes well with both drinking and staying up until the early hours. It has been great to re-discover some of the bands I used to enjoy, like I had completely forgotten Razorlight existed! I've been introducing the kids to the likes of Bowling For Soup, Fall out boy, Good Charlotte, Blink 182, Paramore, Feeder- It's been so much fun seeing their reactions. I actually caught Sam singing some Good Charlotte while playing X Box the other day. That made me smile until I realised the song he was singing... 'You know the happiest day of my life, is the day that I die....' Erm. Yes. Maybe don't sing that at school Sam. Oops.

I was very excited to get a ticket to an online new material gig for Sarah Millican this week! Sarah Millican and friends live from my bedroom! The 'show' consisted of a few different comedians trying out some of their new material, followed by Sarah and her husband Gary Delaney. It was brilliant.  I can now also tune in every Wednesday for my comedy fix. Something to look forward to! 

Well I should probably go and put the kids to bed, not that I can crack open the wine so they may as well run round for another 5 minutes.. 

Maybe 1 glass won't hurt? (Not an alcoholic... I promise!)

    

 

    

Buttered Parnsips..

Good Afternoon (Or Morning, or Evening, maybe even Goodnight, depending on what time you find yourself reading this...)

Another week has passed, and today we see the first signs that lockdown is being eased. Apparently we can now see 1 member of another household at a time providing we meet outside, and stay 2 meters apart. So I can now leave my children home alone, and meet 1 of my parents (but not both) in the local park providing we stay 2 meters away from each other. An excellent plan with only 2 minor draw backs-

1.  I can't leave my 10, 7 and 6 year old's home alone. (Well not without the house being burned to the ground or 1 of them killing the other.)
2. If another family member decides to take their household to the park at the same time, we must immediately leave as though you can be around total strangers in the park as long as you maintain social distancing, you may only speak to family/ friends on a 1-1 basis.

I think I have grasped that correctly? I also understand that while we are not allowed to invite family members into our households, we can invite in total strangers for the purpose of selling our homes. So.. No family members that you know have also isolated for 7 weeks- but all the strangers- (Who knows where they've been) are allowed to parade around judging my decor. We can also return to work- but don't return to work, and don't go on public transport, unless you have to go on public transport, but also GO TO WORK, unless you can't.. Well Boris, thanks mate, that makes perfect sense.

I've been reading a lot this last week, I find comedy the best distraction right now so read Sarah Millican's 'How to be champion' (which apparently involves an overhaul of your knicker draw and pissing in the passenger seat of your car). Followed by 'Buttered Parsnips' by Joe Lycett (Occasionally known as Hugo Boss). Now the latter did cause a little confusion as I didn't read the title before buying and got an email from Amazon confirming my purchase of 'Buttered Parsnips'. Which led to many questions such as, ' Can I buy parsnips on Amazon?' and 'Surely you'd want them with honey not butter?'. Confusion aside, the book has had me laughing out loud while the kids sit there staring, probably assuming Mummy is in 1 of her hysterical moods again and so they should probably just leave her to it and make the most of not being told they have to get off the X Box...

In other news, the kids are going to go stay overnight at their Dads this week for the first time in 8 weeks. Little apprehensive, not going to lie. Being on my own in the house for 24 hours seems a long time now I've become accustomed to them being here 24/7. I plan to use the time to clean the house- take the dog for a long walk, and eat food that doesn't involve fish fingers, or chips. However I imagine it will be spent drinking wine, listening to music, and sleeping. I'll let you know how that plays out... Roll on normality and the Monday night Barge pub quiz!

I shall leave you with my favourite photo of the week... BBQ FOOD!!

I'm not ok.. (I promise)

Isolation day- 53.

Wow. 53 days since 'normality'. 

Honestly I think I am finally adjusting to life in lockdown, not that it is getting any easier but I feel like my moods are slowly starting to improve. The kids are doing amazingly, they've finally stopped fighting me whenever I ask them to do school work- mainly I fear because it is so much fun to laugh at how bad Mummy is at maths. Seriously- I'm sure I didn't forget that much from my school days, so they must be teaching them something new. (That's my excuse and i'm sticking to it.)

The kids ramblings have become my entertainment- Just the other day they were sat having a brainstorm about all the reasons they won't drink water (squash is the favourite in this house.). The best of which were-

1. Its too wet. (Huh? isn't that the point?)
2. Its tasteless. (So how can it taste bad?)
3. It comes from the sewer. (Not sure where they are getting theirs from..)
4. It's dirty, because you wash dishes in it. (I'd like to add that I do not fill the kids cups from the dirty dish bowl)   

Well at least they are being creative.

Getting them to physically leave the house is proving difficult- despite my Aunt sending them a swingball set and some other outdoor toys they would much rather veg on the sofa like a bunch of teenagers. When asked to come outside because the weather was 'lovely and warm outside' the response I got was 'Yes Mummy but it's lovely and warm inside too.' Well you can't argue with that...

 Loki has also FINALLY stopped asking for snacks every 7 seconds after the day we actually ran out and he had to wait 2 days for our next shopping delivery. It seems he now has a new found appreciation for the snack cupboard, and without the constant demands he seems much happier. (as is Mummy- pictured as proof.) 

I received an email this week from work checking in to see how we all are, featuring some of the things others have been doing during lockdown, and also asking for us to share what we have all been doing. My work colleagues have apparently taken up an array of new hobbies, from making their own clothes, to running. I decided not to share any of my new interests as I am not sure becoming a chain smoking alcoholic with anxiety is exactly what they were looking for to lift everyone's spirits. They are also looking for suggestions about how we can kick start the business again once all this is over but I figured my idea of converting the office prayer room into an AA meeting venue probably wasn't going to make the top ten.

I decided this week to re-join the world of dating- its been 5 months since the kids Dad moved out. (Wow that went a little swift.) So I thought I would embrace this new world of online dating, after all we can't exactly leave the house right now. It was a little cringe worthy I have to say- See below for my top 3 worst responses-

1. "Hi beautiful, as we're all locked down- why don't I drive by your house, you can stand outside and we can see if we like each other" - Right. So an excellent plan with only 2 minor drawbacks- Number 1- I am not giving you my address. Number 2- From that sentence, I've already decided I don't like you. 
2. "I knew I recognised you from somewhere- I remember seeing you in Asda once, you were doing your shopping- you were wearing a black coat. We didn't talk or anything, but I remember thinking I'd love to get to know you, and was so excited when I saw your picture on here" - WTF. This 1 was actually stalker level creepy- now i'm hoping this was actually a made up scenario that you thought would impress me with some weird love at first sight thing- but actually it just made me throw up a little in my mouth. 
3. Dick Pics. No explanation needed- UNMATCH.

Well that is about all the excitement to come out of my little house in the past couple of weeks- I shall leave you with this- the best meal I've made myself in weeks- Starter for 4? Nope. Meal for 1. Life is good.

  

Cabin Fever

What a week.

We are now in our 4th week of lockdown. We haven't left the house for anything but essentials for 24 days. The past few days have been tough. It's the first time I've felt like I am actually not coping.

The week didn't actually start too badly, however looking back on it I can definitely see how I ended up falling into the black hole.

I decided it was a good idea to cut my hair- those who know me will know that doing experimental things to my hair is usually the first sign that I am feeling a little out of control. (My poor hair has suffered an awful lot over the years thanks to that particular coping mechanism...). I gave myself this cute fringe which I am now not so sure I like but hey it will grow back before we are actually allowed to leave our houses again right?

Then I decided that I would do some retail therapy- I have an aversion to online shopping, I much prefer going out and buying local but of course that is no longer an option. I also shop a lot when I am stressed- but of course I just figured it was boredom and so definitely nothing to worry about. I ordered some gifts for some of my close friends to cheer them up- probably totally unwanted junk but again- this was impulse buying at its best. I also ordered the kids a new paddling pool (probably 1 of my better purchases). I finally stopped when my bank balance started to look a little less healthy and I actually debated transferring all my money to a friend to look after before we got to a point of not being able to eat.

Loki's birthday was also this week. I was very anxious about it. I wanted him to have as 'normal' a birthday as possible. A friend bought him a cake and dropped it round, and I had a few presents I had managed to get on my Amazon binge although most of what he had wanted was out of stock or wouldn't arrive in time. Despite that he still had a reasonable pile of presents by the eve of his birthday. I wrapped everything, including all the presents relatives had sent. Writing their names on the labels made me a little emotional that we wouldn't be seeing any family and that it was on me to make his birthday special. Despite my worries he had a good day. Even announcing that it was 'The best birthday ever' but I still had all the Mum guilt that I could have done better. Even though I had been up since 6am- it took a bottle of wine to get me to sleep.

I haven't really eaten much at all this week- the kids have been eating me out of house and home but my appetite has just disappeared. Probably not a total bad thing given that I'm not doing a great deal and do not want to emerge from this 3 dress sizes heavier. However when I ended up more than a little tipsy on half a glass of wine I realised maybe I should try and eat a little more, if for no better reason than being able to finish a couple glasses of wine in an evening without getting wasted.

Then came the anxiety. Now I have been down this road so many times- you would think I would be better at recognising the signs right?

WRONG.

I found myself questioning everything. Friends didn't reply to a message within 10 minutes of reading it and obviously they've decided they don't want to talk to me anymore. I have probably annoyed several people this week with my outbursts of 'Don't talk to me then'. (Sorry guys). By some miracle most of my friends have understood- some more than others, but that doesn't stop me feeling incredibly disappointed in myself for not just keeping my shit together.

Towards the end of the week I had the worst night I have had in a very long time. I went to bed early, I couldn't explain it but I just didn't feel 'right'. I woke in the early hours having a full blown panic attack. I haven't had a panic attack in years. I was a crying, hyperventilating mess. I couldn't pull my thoughts together into anything remotely coherent but lucky for me I had a friend on the other end of the phone to talk me down. I really hope he knows just how much it meant to have someone not judging just being there- although I do feel like I need to even the scales a little- this person has saved my life more times than I care to count!

After that I realised I needed to do something to pull myself back out. Usually that would be going out, seeing friends/ family. Of course that isn't happening any time soon. However the next day the kids paddling pool arrived. Turned out I hadn't quite thought it through as the damn thing holds 1400 litres and the hose connector is dead- so a 12 litre bucket and all the trips back and forth to the tap it was! The kids enjoyed themselves for all of 20 minutes before Loki decided to pee in said pool and they all bailed out. Kids.

The sun was shining though, so that made me feel a little better, if not a little sun burnt (really must invest in suncream).


We decided to go for a walk over the weekend. I needed to drop my Mum some milk, and since she is only 5 minutes round the corner I thought we would take the dog for a short walk. It was harder than I thought it would be having to drop her things outside the door and only wave from the window. My parents live in a first floor flat, and like us have been isolating for a while now. I miss being able to drop in, and the kids miss going round and being allowed to eat all the sweets and chocolate their tummies can handle. Especially given that it was Easter weekend, something I couldn't even bring myself to celebrate. The kids luckily had a few Easter Eggs delivered by their Dad- from a safe 2 metre distance of course.

Just as I thought I was sorting my head a little- I was hit by a migraine. I get them a lot even when not dealing with this much stress, but usually the kids will be at school or their Dads, and I can lock myself in a dark room to recover. No such luck when you are quarantined. I was taking paracetamol like they were sweets, trying to sleep where I could but with very little luck. Even at night when the kids were in bed I couldn't shift the pain behind my eyes. I would lie in bed for hours just wanting to scream into my pillow. I also couldn't stop thinking about the way I had treated my friends all week because of my own mental state. I sent more messages I would go on to regret.

After more than 30 hours of barely being able to see let alone function the fog finally shifted and I started feeling more 'normal' again. I scrolled my phone to assess the damage- I feel damage limitation is officially out of the window. (Again, sorry guys!)

So now I am picking up the pieces of what has been 1 horrendous week. I am comforting myself with the thought that I cannot be the only person struggling right now. That these uncertain and difficult times are challenging for all of us, and reminding myself that those who can't handle me at my worst, sure as hell do not deserve me at my best.

Day 18..Carole F*****g Baskin!

18 days.

18 days locked in a house with 3 tiny humans.

It's been an exciting week- we went on an adventure to the living room and beyond! I also caved and watched 'Tiger King' on Netflix- what a ride that was!! Just when you thought Americans couldn't get any crazier, along comes Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. If you haven't checked it out already, and you fancy making yourself feel better about your own life- I would suggest giving it a watch!

Honestly I expected to have lost it, but we are doing better than I thought we would be by this point. The kids are all in relatively good spirits and I have to say I am extremely proud of how they are coping.

While we are all worried about losing our sanity during this long, long time behind closed doors with our darling children, I think we often forget just how hard all this is on them as well as us.

Just 2 weeks ago they were living in a life full of routine, getting up early, going to school, seeing their friends and teachers. Now they are stuck inside the house 24 hours a day, with a Mother who apparently has less of a clue how to do their maths homework than they do, and is developing an increasingly worrying wine habit.

It's actually been really uplifting to see how they have adapted. 2 weeks ago, getting them to play nicely together was an uphill struggle. There would almost always be 1 of them sat with me complaining that the other 2 would not let them join in. They would argue, and bicker, and generally do all the things that brothers and sisters do to make each others lives as difficult as possible.

Now, I get times where I actually feel redundant. We sit down every morning for breakfast together, and then they sit and do some of their school work if they feel like it. Then I am left to my own devices for a few hours while they build forts in the bedroom, run round the garden, play ball, and generally enjoy each others company.

I went to check on the boys a few nights ago and Loki was not in his bed, he had climbed in with his brother and gone to sleep- This would never have happened without Sam screaming the place down before. I really hope this continues long after Covid-19 is gone.

We've found a new appreciation for our garden, where usually I have to drag the kids kicking and screaming they are now loving any opportunity to get some fresh air, and soak up some vitamin D. We even rescued a bee, which I have counted as science class. We named him Buzz-Zee-Bee (After Buzz Lightyear of course). 

The kids have also enjoyed costing me a small fortune in Sky Movies. This weeks offerings were Frozen 2, full of catchy new Frozen songs that are now stuck on a loop in my head, and Trolls World Tour which cost me £15 to RENT for 48 hours. So naturally I made the kids watch it 4 times just to get my £15 worth.   

I finally convinced the boys to let me cut their hair- Sam dared me to shave his head, and since he isn't leaving the house for the foreseeable I went with it. Loki changed his mind last minute but still went much shorter than usual. I offered my hair dressing service to Sky- she politely declined. (Can't say I blame her) I may have to let lose on my own hair before long- who knows if this lock down goes on much longer I may go full Britney and shave my own head- (For the laughs) Something for you all to look forward to in the coming months...

It's not all been plain sailing of course- I have found myself crying into my pillow on more than 1 occasion as the reality of what is going on in the world sets in. When all this started in January, who would have predicted that the whole world would be put on hold for an unknown length of time. Friends, families, separated for what already feels like a lifetime. Its strange how even the friends and family that you rarely see seem that little further away. 

I am extremely thankful to the friends and family who call or text me day after day, adult conversation is definitely in short supply so every message, every call helps pull back those tiny pieces of my sanity, and stop me from toppling over the edge. I think most of you will know my struggles with anxiety and depression over the years and I am fighting hard not to fall back into the black abyss. 

Like many, my main coping mechanisms for dealing with my depression have been going out, just getting out of the house, making plans, and forcing myself to stick to them. I know some of my friends think I am mad for making plans through this time as we really do not know how long until life returns to anything that resembles normal. But making plans gives me something to focus on, something to look forward to, it gives me hope that life WILL return to normal at some point. I am terrified of going back to being the person who can't leave her own house, who is scared to walk out of her own front door. 

Right enough of that- happy thoughts from here on out!

I will leave you with this- my favourite picture from this week- Yes, they have been in their pj's ALL DAY, and no, I have no idea why Loki is holding a card reader...

Good friends send bread and milk- the best friends send WINE!

Hello again!

I thought I would update you all on the apocalypse day.. erm.. well honestly I lost track of days?

It could be day 8- it could actually be day 973.. who knows!!

No work or school has left me all over the place and wondering how long my sanity will hold out.

Despite numerous lectures on the importance of social distancing and not going to the shop every 5 minutes, my children do not understand the concept of rationing. People give me funny looks if I try and take 3 kids into the spar- and apparently being a single parent is frowned upon in the end of days.

Who knew?

Loki insists on helping himself to whatever food he can find. I spent 10 minutes cleaning the living room and went back to the kitchen where he tells me that I must
'Look in the cupboard'. So I do. 'Where did those penguins go Mum?'. He asks, then proceeds to run up the stairs while I stare in disbelief at the empty pack of penguins. When I finally caught up with him and asked where he had hidden them he pointed gingerly at his tummy. Yes ladies and gentlemen the little swine had in fact gobbled up 6 penguins in the space of about 7 minutes. No snacks for the rest of the day- which of course means much upset from the other 2. Give. Me. Strength.

We ventured out yesterday for the first time in 10 days, to pick up the click and collect order from a certain well known supermarket. It is the first time we have been out since all this lockdown madness began. The queue for said well known supermarket was ridiculous- people waiting 2 metres apart across the car park for an hour just to get in the door. I was so glad I could drive in collect my stuff and immediately leave! Or so I thought- being the only person at click and collect I thought we would be in and out in minutes- but that was not meant to be. I was greeted at my car window by a girl who obviously hadn't got the memo about social distancing. She then went off in search of my shopping.

20 minutes I waited in my boot for her to return. When she finally arrived with my shopping she announced that the top 2 rows of shopping on the left of the trolley were mine- and everything on the right. So what was below the 2 rows on the left I hear you ask- well that would be someone else's shopping. She then went back inside and left me to it. I debated pleading ignorance and taking the lot but of course I didn't. (Honest) But I did wonder how leaving that shopping with me was going to help the spread of Covid-19. If I did have it (which I am assuming I don't?) then I could have infected the lot? Now looking at my own shopping and wondering if it is actually covered in corona germs...*Runs off in search of Dettol*


I have to admit that where school work is concerned I have been a little slack- While Facebook is being filled with pictures and statuses about home schooling- My little angels have spent most of their days either playing in the garden, playing on video games, watching TV, or their favourite- Eating! We did take a break and bake some cakes a few days ago- and school work is there if/ when they want to do any. Sky has so far been the only 1 to take me up on that- and this was the result- Well she's not wrong!

You know what? This is an incredibly stressful time- and the kids are facing these huge changes, just as much, if not more so than the rest of us. They are away from their friends, classmates, teachers. Routine has gone out of the window and I will be damned if i'm going to start arguing with them over sitting down and doing some maths that honestly, I probably wouldn't be able to help them with anyway. There will be plenty of time for school when the apocalypse is over. Even if there isn't, the mental health of my kids is slightly more important than their ability to work out X if Y is Z and Z is a giraffe.. That is after all, what calculators are for!

So to all those parent shaming perfect Mums and Dads out there-(we all know at least 1 right?) Just do us all a favour for the next few weeks and FUCK OFF! No-one cares if little Henry can do long multiplication, or if darling Jane just penned an epic tale of triumph in the face of this deadly pandemic.

My kid put matching socks on today- alright Susan! That's a win in my book!

I joke of course- if you can hold your child's attention with school work without wanting to stab yourself in the eye with a pencil after 7 seconds then congratulations. (But its still not a competition).
If you got up at least once this week, and actually put clothes on then well done! If your child has survived a whole week of lockdown- You are doing great! Give yourself a pat on the back- and a very large glass of wine!

Speaking of wine- one of my lovely friends had wine and gin delivered to my house yesterday- so at least at the end of each stressful day, I can drown my sorrows. Its quite possible that I will emerge from my house at the end of all this a raging alcoholic, but I am embracing the madness and will worry about what happens later, when we are eventually allowed to leave our homes again-

Cheers Everyone!

Kids, Wine, and Isolation. (Apocalypse Week 1)

Well, hello world. The past 3 years have apparently been so hectic that I haven't updated you all.

Lucky (or not as the case may be) for you all, I, like many people all over the world, have found myself with a great deal of time on my hands while we all #lockdown in our homes for the foreseeable future.

A lot has happened since my last post. Back in January I ended my marriage of 11 years, and began 2020 full of hope and optimism for the future. 2020 would be the year I find what makes me happy, while finally giving my 3 beautiful babies the lives that they deserved.

Turns out fate has a dark sense of humour, and despite a rather promising January/ February- March brought with it the apocalypse and despite my best efforts to hold everything together, life finally ground to a halt on March 24th. 

I want to start by saying I actually feel incredibly blessed to be in the situation that I am in right now. While around me friends and family are losing their jobs, I have actually been put on leave with full pay for 3 weeks, and given the opportunity to spend a whole bunch of quality time with my babies.

However, as I am sure the parents among me will agree- Entertaining small people who are used to the routine of school 5 days a week, is challenging at the best of times. At least in the school holidays you can leave the house! So I thought I would come back here and share with you our time in isolation, in hope it provides a little entertainment, and if nothing else makes a few of you feel better about your own time inside.

Week 1

So we began week 1 full of good intentions. The kids came home from their last day of school with folders full of 'school work' and while there was a little bit of upset at leaving their friends, they were generally in good spirits and looking forward to the longest school break in history.

Day 1- (Saturday)- I had planned to spend our weekend going shopping, stocking up on essentials .(but definitely not panic buying because that is BAD people!!!)  We were going to head over to the toy store and grab all the stationary, colouring books, and crafty arty bits we could carry, as well as maybe treating the kids to a new board game. But of course, Loki woke with a cough.

Trying not to panic, after all the tiny asthmatic germ magnet is sick at least once a month, I decided we would have a day in and hope it was just his asthma and he would be fine again tomorrow.

Day 2- (Sunday)- He wasn't better. In fact his cough had gotten worse. To add insult to injury, it was also Mothers Day. A very emotional Mummy emerged from the bedroom.
The kids were excited to give me the homemade cards they had made at school. I avoided having to use the likely corona infected teabag Loki had stuffed inside his by telling him we would keep it as 'The Emergency Teabag' and placing it on the fireplace. I cooked a roast dinner, and we watched movies in our pj's.
Their Dad popped in with some supplies since we had not been able to go out shopping. He was also supposed to be having them that night but we decided on reflection that sending the poorly 1 to another household with yet more people to infect was probably a bad idea, and so I also had to come to terms with the idea that this was going to be life for the next 14 days. Happy Mothers Day to me.

Day 3- (Monday)- I called work to let them know that thanks to a poorly child (who by this point was starting to show all signs that a full recovery was in fact on the cards) I was stuck in for the next 14 days, and so would have to work from home. I spent most of the day stuffing snacks in the faces of the kids as my only means of stopping them from yelling whenever I answered the phone- thankfully I don't speak to many customers, and a lot of my job can be done via email- but safe to say by the time 5:30pm came I was exhausted from juggling both work and childcare.

That night we watched along with the rest of the country as Boris announced that we would be effectively in lockdown for 3 weeks. 

Day 4- (Tuesday)- Working again- although with a whole lot of stress and uncertainty piled on top as our field guys were told they would be taken off the road for the foreseeable. By that afternoon I was told that I was to take paid leave for the next 3 weeks. The kids seemed excited by this prospect, and so I said goodbye to my main source of sanity and normality for 3 weeks. We celebrated with pizza from a certain well known franchise- left on our doorstep, for 'contactless' delivery of course...

Day 5 (Wednesday)- Boredom was starting to set in for the kids. Having apparently exhausted all the toys in their rooms, they insisted they had nothing to do. They also decided that food was the sole solution to their boredom, and I had to lock away the biscuit barrel to stop them demolishing the last of my precious custard cream supply.
Deliveries from supermarkets have also become exceptionally sparse- being payday I tried to get a delivery slot from every supermarket in the town and failed. I finally managed to get a click and collect slot- but that slot is Tuesday 31st. Despite many talks about rationing with my ever hungry hoard, they could not be silenced- and so I sacrificed the custard creams. RIP biscuity goodness.

Before bedtime- my throat had begun to hurt.

Day 6- (Thursday)- The kids decided we should all be different characters for the day- Sky decided Mummy should be Mary Poppins (Despite looking and feeling more like Mother Gothel without her magic Rapunzel hair fix- seriously that woman kept a child locked away for over a decade- no wonder she went bat shit crazy) I of course took my role extremely seriously- bursting into song at every opportunity and hoping that at least to my babies I was in fact 'Practically perfect in every way'.

The kids have also found a new appreciation for each other in the absence of friends, even hugging and kissing each other goodnight. Its the little things.

Day 7- (Friday)- Despite feeling like I may cough up a lung at any minute- I decided I would get outside and sort the garden. The kids had by this point gone 6 days without any fresh air and I figured at the very least they should soak up some vitamin D. (Typical isn't it that as soon as everyone is locked in their homes the weather vastly improves.)

I then suggested that a camp out in the living room would be fun, and we set about making a den from sleeping bags and random items of furniture. Of course come bedtime Loki decided he didn't want to sleep in the den unless Mummy also slept in it with him- so a night on the floor getting the covers stolen by a 5 year old was now on the cards.

Thank God for wine.

Bring on Week 2!!


 

(Special thanks to friends this week who have kept me sane with regular messages/ phone calls/ care packages.. you know who you are.. and you are all very much appreciated- love you all.)