What I did (and read) Last Week

Come on Annual leave with me. Inspired by the "what I did yesterday" posts...

So when I had a very chilled week planned of annual leave I thought I’d keep a diary like entry.

It’s probably really boring, I didn’t have any wild nights out. But this is what my week looks like when I’ve got a few days to myself and a night of solo parenting!

Monday

6.25am - My partner has been up for over an hour with the kids. It’s time to swap. I know he has given them breakfast but they’re excited to see me for round 2. I give them blueberries and cereal.

10am - head out to meet local friends for a playdate. The kids run off plenty of steam and we get a surprising amount of time to catch up. There are tears when it comes to leaving.

12pm - We have a picnic lunch on the living room floor. Snacky foods are a favourite in this house.

3pm - The baby naps until 3pm, which is insane! during this time we have done arts and crafts, so much role play with the vets and drs kit. Now we are doing hairdressers.

4.30pm - We sit down all together for an disgustingly early dinner. Secretly I love it!

6-8pm - The bedtime routine starts. After bath time we gather our library books and read together. The more wordy ones we save until the toddler is out of the room and in bed. We sing songs using hand signs. Everyone has a hug and a kiss goodnight. I take the toddler into his room and try and convince him for an hour to go to bed until my husband swaps and manages to negotiate within 15mins.

8pm - We find snacks, fizzy drinks and catch up with Mobland. Then I pick up Cultish my library book. It’s so interesting, there have been a few examples of cult language (drinking the Kool aid for one) where I’m familiar with the phrase and not the origin. I’m constantly nodding along. Very much enjoying the book. I look up every 15mins to tell my partner “did you know….?”

The toddler wakes every 2 hours until 5am when he is up for the day….

Tuesday -

7.45am - Drop the kids off at nursery and head straight to the gym. Feel a bit lost in there when I’m not doing a class. Head to the swimming pool to do some lengths and it is carnage. I weave between young kids having fun and old people doing backstroke.

10am - meet a friend for coffee, it was meant to be a walk but the weather has turned terrible. I’m so engrossed in my book in the car she knocks my window and startles me. **currently reading Brotherless night by V V Ganeshananthan and I am utterly floored!

12pm - get home and make scrambled eggs and pitta. Enjoy with a cup of tea and chocolate bar after then get started on a huge house tidy. Put my audiobook in and enjoy the task of throwing out so much clutter and junk.

3pm - relax with a cup of tea and sit down to watch Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. It makes me feel physically unwell, there is so much crying and shouting I feel stressed the whole time. These are young women with extremely young children and it feels almost exploitative the way the tv show is filming them and setting up these toxic environments. Quickly prep dinner chicken fajita cups.

4.30pm - collect kids from nursery. The kids enjoy snacks a small play before bedtime. And of course an episode of Bluey. My daughter insists on sleeping on her bedroom floor. So we make a duvet bed and tuck her in. I lye bye the side of her and feel like I might fall asleep before she does.

Wednesday -

5.10am - It’s my turn to do the early shift and I can not stress enough that I am not a morning person. my son is so excited to sing nursery rhymes in the morning so I huskily sing head shoulders knees and toes, wind the bobbin up, row row until he stops me midway to tell me he is hungry and wants breakfast! My daughter wakes up and we eat toast and fruit.

9.30am - Toddler goes down for an early nap and I pray that it is a long one.

11am - Weather looks pretty grim so we book onto soft play. My husband has taken the day off work and it feels such a treat. we plan to hang about until the afternoon. we potter and do jobs around the house. I put my audio book on and listen whilst I hang out washing.

2.30pm - we turn up at soft play and the journey has created 800 tantrums. worried that it’s going to be a disaster! Everyone plays so lovely. I climb into small spaces and fly down the slides again and again and again. Fingers crossed blowing off steam helps with bedtime tonight. It’s time to leave and my daughter says goodbye to the staff and 5 different parents that she has chatted to during the session. Her extroverted heart melts mine!

4.30pm - The kids have a quick dinner and then start bath time early. Kids go down nicely and my partner and I sit in silence on the sofa for an hour (I click onto vinted on the hunt for a bomber jacket) we pluck up the energy to tidy up and have dinner together.

9pm - start watching season two of The Last of Us and feel incredibly tense and sad! I attempt to open my book when the toddler wakes and I give up.

Thursday -

7.30am - my partner does the nursery run so I get extra time in bed then a really long hot shower. Is there any better start to the day?!

10.00am - I leave early for an appointment and connect up Brotherless night audiobook in the car.

11.15am - I’m driving around a multistory car park in the wrong location after a sat nav mishap. Luckily I’m super early for the appointment and I won’t be late.

11.30am - have my first ever laser consultation appointment. They test a patch and it terrifies me how painful it is. I’m the perfect candidate (dark hair pale skin) and I’m ready to get some things done for me post baby!

12.30pm - Go to meet a friend who has just had a baby. She lives nearly 2 hours away so I spend a lot of time in the car. I’m listening to Brotherless Night which is an amazing story and i’m loving listening to it. I drive through lots of old haunts on the way to my friends house and feel all the nostalgic feels.

I bring lunch and items to fill their fridge, since having my own kids the most important gifts are time and food.

3pm - leave in a rush, the wifi and 3g signal is down and my satnav won’t load. takes me 2 hours to get back in time for nursery pick up.

5pm - both kids are full of energy, smiles and giggles. Get home and feel exhausted a little play before the bedtime battle begins.

8pm - I find a new with tags bomber jacket on vinted for under £10 I purchase and then spiral and buy a polka dot blouse and shirt dress. I shake off the guilt of buying things when the toddler wakes up.

Friday -

6.15am - Fridays are my usual day off so neither of the kids are at nursery. My husband has a work/golf meeting and I’m trying not to be jealous of the blend of fun and work.

10am - Meet a friend and her 3 year old daughter for a pay date at the park. It’s chaotic trying to catch up with 3 little ones running in very different directions. After we have gone on the swings, slide, zip wire, floor trampoline we call it a day and walk to the cafe. We share a flapjack or japflap as my daughter calls it.

11.45am - Drive home in the hope that the toddler doesn’t fall asleep in the car. instant fail and when I check the mirror he is gone. manage to transfer from the car to the cot and I feel like a total super hero. Make my daughter lunch and a plate for when my toddler wakes up. We do painting and other crafts during nap time.

2pm - toddler wakes up and eats his lunch. we hit the park and meet some nursery friends. Bump into another mum from the village I haven’t seen in ages. pluck up the courage to ask for her number.

4pm - I had previously prepped dinner so it is defrosted and ready to heat up. we eat together and then the count down to bedtime. The house is chaotic the toy mess has spilled out of the living room into the office and kitchen. There is no counter space clean.

7pm - both kids are refusing to go to sleep. I’m running between bedrooms to keep everyone calm. Dad comes home and my daughter is delighted she managed to stay awake for one last story.

8pm - text to cancel evening plans (drinks with the neighbours) just about to get started on meal prep for my weekend solo whilst my partner tidies/cleans!

Toddler is up every 2 hours.

Saturday

7am - my husband has a night away with his friends. We wave goodbye still in our pjs.

10am - we role play drs, vets, opticians, nursery drop off. I beg my daughter to let me break from the playing whilst I have a cup of tea. my toddler takes the opportunity to bring over a tea pot and cup which he thrusts in my face. His level of development and understanding has increased threefold and I am amazed.

12pm - toddler goes down for a nap and my daughter enjoys a baby chino with Jaffa cake. I make a cup of tea and we sit and watch some terrible fairy princess show together. I wonder whether my children watch too much TV but then realise I haven’t the will power or energy to break that cycle yet!

2pm - we meet a friend at the play park and run around until everyone is exhausted. two very upset kids when its time to leave and say goodbye

4pm - everyone eats dinner well. So glad I meal prepped and don’t have to use any brain power to think of what or how to cook.

6pm- bath time with lots of bubbles and toys. kids play nicely together whilst I marvel at how they’ve grown up so fast *cries in cliche! I sit in the bathroom and try to do the food shop with delivery on my phone, multi tasking to get anything done is key these days.

7pm - toddler is asleep. 3yo wakes up and needs a wee. every half hour one child wakes up for some reason or other.

9pm - no one has woken up in a while and I feel safe. I wash my face get into my pjs and open my book in bed up too many times to mention settling the kids. 3yo comes into my bed and takes up maximum space.

Sunday -

5am - I am on count down for any support. My parents are visiting today and husband back at lunchtime. the kids are sat eating their breakfast and I check to see if Marks and Spencers are taking any online orders. They are not. I add a few more things in my basket as a Wishlist for when they go live again.

10.30am - my parents walk through the door with pre-made lunch. They are my heroes. I make coffee all round and the kids are delighted to see a face that isn’t mine.

12pm - partner walks through the door and is delighted at the squeals in joy and response of him returning

1pm - We head to the park and play, 4 adults and 2 children is the perfect ratio. I fully understand when people move closer to family after having children

2pm - I get home and my husband makes a round of teas and coffees.

3.30pm - my parents leave and I run a bath to wind down. I brave wearing my AirPods and listen to my audiobook. It’s a really harrowing scene and I feel vulnerable in the bath naked!

5.30pm - kids have a bath and we tag team one adult in the bathroom with them and the other tidies and cleans the chaos. By the time bedtime has finished there is a tidy house.

9pm - we are both fast asleep until 10pm when the toddler wakes up a million times. my annual leave is over….!

I read -

Cultish by Amanda Montell

Brotherless night by V V Ganeshananthan

My kids read -

What’s Up Top by Marc Martin

The crocodile that came to dinner by Steve Smallman

Roar Roar I’m a Dinosaur by Jo Lodge