Playing catch up…

Seem to be doing that a lot these days…

Monday

We had a fairly low key morning. Ady left for the week before 6am and as I had been up IMing the night before and not gone to bed before midnight I got up to see him off and then snuck back to bed for a couple of hours knowing that it would be a late night again. We set about getting the house ready for visitors, moving stuff about to make room in Tarly’s bedroom and both of them had various ‘precious’ things they decided they would rather not have out to be played with so we tidied them away. The children watched a couple of films – not sure which ones and I know they did some drawing too.

Barbara, Beth, Ben and Rachael arrived, as expected at about 1.30pm. The children fell on Ben with delight and he was soon spirited away to play, Beth joined in too and Rachael set about amazing us with her sudden leaps in speaking and copying while emptying the cats biscuits into their litter tray (cutting out the middle cat perhaps? 😉 ). Barbara and I started the first of many conversations which we never quite seemed to finish but enjoyed trying to anyway.

Ali and Freya joined us mid afternoon and although Freya was tired having come to us on route home after a weekend away she seemed to mix in with the others pretty well while Ali joined in with as much conversation as three women who are also ‘looking after’ 6 children who seemed to constantly need drinks, food, assistance with bodily functions or mediation skills as their group dynamics veered between pugnacious and comity can manage. We served them tea of tinned goods and some of the never ending birthday cake Barbara had brought with her and then I ran Ali and Freya to the station.

We debated the classic five children in a bath photo opportunity but decided it has been done enough times already to not warrant the inevitable soaked bathroom floor it would result in so did them in shifts with Beth and Tarly sharing and having their hair washed by me, Rachael having a quick dunk and then Ben and Davies having their’s last. Rachael and Scarlett went to sleep fairly quickly, Beth followed and by the time we sat down for our dinner at about 9pm there was only Davies and Ben still awake. Having deduced that it was the fact that they were both awake which was keeping them both awake we brought Davies down to sit with us – where he proceeded to eat a large share of my dinner (!) – which meant Ben fell asleep and we were able to deposit Davies to a peaceful bedroom to fall asleep himself quickly afterwards.

Which probably accounts for a late night really – we started late 😉 Two empty wine bottles and lots more chatting later we headed to bed around 3am…

Tuesday

An earlier start than would have been idea considering 😉 The children woke around 6am, but having imposed conditions on them I think Barbara and I both managed to get back to bed for a couple of hours sleep. I got up at 8ish when Ady rang to say good morning and by the time I made it downstairs Barbara had fed all the children who then scattered off to play again. Scarlett and Beth played really nicely with the Dora house and the Polly Pockets while Davies and Ben played loudlywith pretty much every toy in the house ;-). They were all fairly tired and as Barbara had brought me a pile of books I’d bought from ReadItAgain and had delivered with hers I ended up sat on the sofa with four children sitting on top of me while reading Dr Seuss to them. Rachael had gone for a much needed nap and Barbara was doing the same on the sofa ;-). My Dad arrived to take my car off for a new type so Barbara took over the storytelling while I dashed round the shop for supplied and set about making lunch for everyone including Dad who returned and stayed for a while, mostly chatting to Beth.

Dad left and we decided that whilst they probably didn’t exactly need wearing out due to a sleep deficit already some fresh air wouldn’t be a bad idea having had them house bound for 24 hours, so we loaded them into our cars and went to a local-ish park. We must have been there a good hour and although they were fractious towards the end they mainly enjoyed having the playground to themselves and making up and acting out various games.

We came home and allowed half an hour of Nick Jr and big bowls of fruit before sending them off to play again before tea. Scarlett was fairly capricious not really sticking with any one playmate, flitting from playing role play dollies games with Beth (which were actually very nice to watch), to running around yelling with the boys and then occassionally being very caring and nice to Rachael, whereas Davies consistantly stuck next to Ben.

In the interests of winding them down for an early night we let them eat tea infront of Dora and The Backyardigans before packing them off to various beds and bedrooms in cunningly worked out shifts. And it worked 🙂 Scarlett did end up coming back and falling asleep on my lap rather than in my bed but as I’d already got dinner prepared while cooking the kids’ tea and Barbara was having a bath that was fine. I deposited Tarly in bed just as Ros arrived at 8 and then ducked in for a quick bath myself, so by 8,30pm we had all kids asleep, wine opened, dinner served and choir practise commenced 🙂 – with affectionate mentions to those who would have been worthy and welcome additions to the evening.

We had a lovely evening actually with chatty aplenty before Ros headed off shortly before 1am and Barbara and I congratulated ourselves on our ‘early night’ of 2am having finished the end of the wine!

Wednesday

Nicely self sufficient children got up and entertaine themselves again until I rose around 8ish and sorted breakfast out for them – I don’t think they’d been that far ahead of me actually and then we had a fairly low key morning with Barbara packing everything up and heading off around 11. It’s been a lovely visit – the children have really, really enjoyed having them, I always enjoy talking to Barbara who comes at things with often such a different perspective to me and always leaves me thinking about things slightly differently, particularly in terms of educational approach and so on. It’s also nice to have spent more time learning about each other pre-dating a first meeting and chatting about childhood, families and stuff, cementing friendship type chats. Lovely.

I now have fairly subdued children, but in a good, tired but happy sort of way. I’ve sorted out all the bedrooms and put everything back where it belongs, tidied up the playroom, made a few phonecalls, spoken to Ady (obviously 😉 ), got some washing dealt with and caught up online. The children have played with magic maize, Davies has drawn a picture for Ady, they’ve watched lots of Nick jr and now Tarly is using a magic maize damp sponge bowl as a swimming pool for her Polly Pockets and Davies is playing with some train track. While tidying up the playroom I came across some Letterland flash cards and when Davies appeared in the room we sat together and looked at them. I wouldn’t say he amazed me because I knew he did know all the letters and their sounds but I was surprised that he sat and demonstrated it so happily as he is normally very reluctant to do so. He also have me at least one example of a word beginning with each letter. 🙂 A quondam non-reader maybe we are slowly making tracks…

So I’m pretty much half way through Ady’s absense and despite company have missed him lots – and not just for his hoovering ;-). My plan tonight is early tea and bed for the children, who I don’t imagine will have any objections to that. Then a long, very bubbly bath for me, some indulgent food and a toss up between an early night myself or watching the first in the new series of Desperate Housewives (which actually even if I stay up and watch and then go straight to bed will be an early night by recent standards!).

Tomorrow we’re off to soft play for an Activeo event and my parents are coming over for dinner and then on Friday Ady will be home. Can’t wait!