This morning is NOT going well. 🙁
Davies has been shouted at so many times I am fully expecting Social Services to be calling any moment alerted by the neighbours that his life is in danger. Scarlett is following close behind and I will offer to throw her in for free if they do come a-knocking. Which will solve the problem of packing for tomorrow, dealing with them both on the car journey and the newly realised (and no, I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before either) worry about bunk beds.
I had this vague and fanciful notion that this morning would be an oasis of pre-going away calm. I have been diligently ticking off stuff like ‘cancel milk’ and ‘cancel papers’ off my to do list all week, I have filled the car up with petrol and bought various toiletries bits we will need. All that was left to do today was meander round the house collecting together anything which I want to bring for the bring and buy, gather together any resources I was going to bring, get Scarlett’s clothes out of her bedroom so that I can pack when she has gone to sleep tonight without disturbing her, get the holdalls out of the loft space, collect together various things which won’t go on the holdalls but need to go in the car such as nappies, wipes, loo rolls and so on and find a suitable home for them until later tonight when Ady loads the car, print off route finders for getting to Karen’s tomorrow via Jax’s, then onto Melrose from Karen’s and back again via the Travelodge we are staying in on Friday night next week. Oh and do some baking too.
Not sure where I thought the children were going to be during all this. Not sure that I can quite believe myself that I have been screaming at them all morning to sit on the sofa, watch TV and not move (isn’t that what ‘normal’ parents are screaming at their children not to do?) but what they have been doing is slowly cocking up everything I do in a stealth manner directly behind me. They have been co-ordinated in their destruction efforts moving quickly, silently and in perfect harmony with each other. They have employed distraction tactics, disarmourment in the forms of asking for cuddles and telling me they love me, sheer cunning in their timing of nappy filling and arse wiping requests oh and this blog was just interrupted while I cleared up the cheese spread dip which was being smeared into the carpet. Scarlett has also surpassed herself by begging to sit on my lap for a cuddle and pressing the reset button on my pc!
Anyway, I now finally have the kids reference books in order which will be great for one day but was probably not the best use of my time this morning, a small pile of books ready to bring to add to the several bin liners full sat in the garage already, all of Scarlett’s clothes piled up on my bed ready to pack later, a list of stuff I really must not forget written on the white board, routeplanners and directions from Karen and Jax printed out along with the Travelodge booking details and two very docile children after an enhanced shouting session. The sum total of the baking is cooling in the kitchen, but as it is just a dozen jammy rock cakes I don’t forsee them lasting the journey or even the day here! I am tumble drying the last load of washing and our bathrobes are swinging merrily on the line ready to come in and finish off either in the dryer or on the radiators. Frankly we are as ready as we will ever be!
Ady is at a big decide where the job goes from here type meeting which may or may not buoy up my mood later and Davies is still baulking at going to Tumble Tots this afternoon despite his T shirt and other bits arriving in the post this morning. Can’t decide whether I will get angry with him, shout and scream or simply cry with him if he starts when we get there – will report back on that one later!
Just go with the flow – I was amazed at how calm I was during yesterday’s ballet debacle
Ppl panicking about packing is beginning to make me think perhaps I should be slightly more prepared than I am…
Comment by jax — 04 February 2005 @ 12:35 pm
I started making a list this morning, then left to go out to work for the day 🙂
Bunk beds – C and M were 4 and 2 last year, and fall out of bed at home all the time. But there’s a good rail on the top bunk, and C was fine up there, and we put pillows on the floor in case M fell out of the bottom, and I think she only did once.
Don’t worry about eating all your buns (though they sound yummy) – I’m sure there will be lots of baking to consume when you get there.
Comment by jan — 04 February 2005 @ 12:42 pm
Thanks folks 🙂 The TT thing is really bugging me though as I am feeling bad about forcing the issue (after all that was the key reason we started to think about HE) but I also get really hacked off with him making the fuss then enjoying it when he gets going…grrr. I’m normally much better at dealing with his various sensitivities but today I have plenty of my own to be coping with !
And the bunk beds I’m sure will be fine – they have never slept in them before although he nearly did on holiday in October but decided against it at the last minute as there was a choice.
Realistically we will probably all end up crammed into one of the bottom bunks anyway – that seems to be how we sleep here 😉
Comment by Nic — 04 February 2005 @ 12:50 pm
Oh hum. Bob PROMISED me he’d be home by noon to help, not least as I can’t persuade Hannah to get dressed, she’s still so miserable, (well, but miserable), and he hasn’t appeared yet. He also needs to pick up the sleeping bags, which had to go for an unscheduled wash after Hannah vomited, first on hers, then on mine the other day. I snapped at her and told her to work it out her blooming self if she wanted to know what 6×7 were, and then shouted again when she made it 44. But I’ve done LOTS of baking 🙂 Which I may eat quite soon. Hope TT goes OK.
Comment by Joyce — 04 February 2005 @ 1:41 pm
oh, rofl. Hope TT goes well. kwym about the forcing it thing though, guess you have to know which things to force and which are best left.
Anyway, my lot are in front of telly, and I’m here. Hmm. Crossing stuff off my list in order of importance, as no space left, I’m afraid its things like the knitting/crochet bits and bobs, and the Bring & Buy stuff that is going to have to be bumped … although maybe that’s all more important than clothes, coats and wellies? Wine is definitely still in though 😉
Comment by Sarah — 04 February 2005 @ 2:47 pm
lol Nic, that was exactly what I was thinking when you mentioned the bunk bed concern!
Haven’t started here at all, will do it tomorrow – feel like doing some sewing this afternoon 🙂 (((Hugs))) for the TT thing – hope you feel ok about whatever happens – looking at it practically, not going out would probably make doing all your other stuff easier …
Comment by Alison — 04 February 2005 @ 2:54 pm
Fit your crochet hooks in Sarah, I’m bringing wool anyway 😉
Comment by jax — 04 February 2005 @ 6:27 pm
(((hugs))) Just get yourselves up here where you can be pampered – curry and beer/wine waiting for you (adults) and alphabytes and chicken nuggets and ice cream waiting for the little ones. xx
Comment by Karen b — 04 February 2005 @ 9:17 pm