Today was a hard day. Again, I’m writing this a few days after the fact. It was tough as Stephen was still feeling so fatigued. It’s hard to keep going but I have no choice. It just means there are good days and bad. Nonetheless, today was tough.
We started the day by a singing video for Auntie Daisy. I was going to try to do a run but Stephen was still asleep so I kept it that way and decided to run tomorrow. The kids sang a lovely rendition of happy birthday and I sent it off to Daisy. Bright and early – she was almost certainly still fast asleep!
In the lull between breakfast and trying to set Genevieve up with schoolwork for the morning, James was restless so Stephen improvised a Snakes and Ladders game on the blackboard. It was, frankly, rubbish but James enjoyed it (and won, of course).
Once schooling began it took great lengths to get any work from the children. Actually, to be fair, getting the work done with them wasn’t that traumatic today, but getting anything done myself while that process happened was the challenge. James did some fantastic work on shapes building a dragon from rectangles and triangles. Genevieve did some brilliant sequencing in 5s and re-wrote an ending to her story. Oh no wait. Getting her to write that was ridiculous. Ughh. I had forgotten. It was like pulling teeth. Or getting blood out of a stone. So, so annoying.
Once school was achieved (and yes, that is the correct verb), we walked to the bakery to get the kids’ pre-ordered sausage rolls for lunch. The photos they let me take as they were playing on the way home totally belie how hard it had been to get them out of the house and to the bakery. Honestly. You’d think they were angels and that that were having a brilliantly behaved day. Lol!
After lunch we drove over to drop Auntie Daisy’s birthday present off and sing to her on the driveway from the car. It was so good to see her and she told us about all the cake she had been brought. I was very excited as it meant we would get a cake delivery too! I mean, it’s unreasonable for us not to when she had three full-sized birthday cakes and there are only two of them in the house. I’m here to help (when it comes to eating excess birthday cake).
When we got back Stephen was still feeling tired even though he’d had two good naps and a lie-in. I decided enough was enough and spent 45 minutes on the phone to the doctors, the 111 line, the 111 line again, and then finally the doctors again who put him on the triage list for tomorrow. Hopefully we will get some answers tomorrow. I understand that the system is under stress, but to have to jump through three hoops just to end back at the start point felt unnecessary.
While I was on the phone, Stephen was resting in the garden while the children played. Look what Genevieve learned to do under his “supervision”. She’s her father’s daughter!
It was time for Grandma Lindsey chat time. James loved the Snowman Bingo (even though it was only him playing and the only aim of the game is to complete the card). Oh, to be a four-year-old! Whilst Genevieve was on the iPad, I spent some time in the garden with James. It turns out he’s rather good at throwing and catching (as long as it’s heading straight towards his hands).
Another tough day done. Despite the madness, I even managed a Zoom call with the Hollingdale family for Daisy’s birthday in the evening.
We survived, and even managed some joy at points. It’s just harder when they are more fleeting on days like today.
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