Back to school

Hello there,

Welcome to my blog! My dumping ground for my thoughts! Today is the 7^th January. My real new year start. I jumped out of bed this morning with much excitement…the kids were back to school! At last! I should be back at school also of course but I am on Maternity Leave. I relished the thoughts of sitting at home on the couch watching Ireland AM and This Morning with my 3 month old on my knee and hot water bottle to my aching back…bliss!

Anyway, I got up at 6am and raced to check my eldest son’s blood sugars. He has type 1 diabetes and a typical laid back nearly 13 years old attitude. His bloods were 23.5! What the feck! (New Year’s Resolution…not to use the f word)I shook him awake and urged him to correct his blood sugars. After much grunting and falling back to sleep he finally corrected. I ran back the landing to my own room to feed the baby. My husband lay there sleeping away peacefully so I turned on all the lights and made as much noise as possible. I needed help getting the downstairs gang up! I accidentally on purpose dropped the tub of sudocreme on his shoulder while changing the baby. He woke but rolled over again.

I continued on to feed the baby. He fell back asleep on my chest. I gently eased him into crib…and as per usual, his eyes pop open wide awake, smiling and gurgling. I pick him up again as he knew I would and give him a quick cuddle. I place him in the bed beside my husband and he quickly falls back asleep.

I drag on my new workout trousers and sport’s bra and top and push my feet into my trainers. I switch on the tv and put on you tube…Lucy Windham Reed’s 7 minute drop a dress size. Another one of my resolutions that I started on December 31^st. It is manageable so far. I start to run on the spot and what the hell?! I feel like my womb is going to fall out! What is that pressure?! I continue on bravely thinking how diligent I am, stomping away like an elephant 13 weeks postpartum.

Workout done I check my Instagram…has Anna Saccone done her workout? Yes, she has. Of course she has. She has also done a full face of make up. No time for that now, I thunder down the stairs calling the kids names as I hurry. I go into each bedroom switching on lights, taking out uniforms and fresh underwear, calling their names as I do so.

Then, I approach the bottom bedroom to wake child number 3, the middle child. I turn on his light…cue screams and abusive language. I tell him to get up and get dressed and hurriedly back out again. I silently curse my husband sleeping upstairs, avoiding this task. My middle child is 9 going on 10 and he turns into an angry serpent if he hasn’t had enough sleep. Child number 2 (age 11) is complaining that there is no hot water for a shower, child 4 and 5 are up and dressed. They are the best..ages 6 and 5 they haven’t learnt the backchat of the others yet.

I run upstairs again to check the baby and threaten husband to wake up. I race downstairs, pop bread in the toaster and make lunches. Child number 4 refuses to eat the school lunch.

I bring Child Number 1 to the crossroad to meet the bus and return to pack up the other 4 for school. Good news! My husband has been rained off work and so is around for the day. He minds the baby while I do the school run. I pop in to use the photocopier as today is my ‘get paperwork in order day’. Did I mention I am the principal of the school? Well, I’m on maternity leave but I still call in now and again.

I return home and open my new Emily Norris planner and see what I have to do. My husband and baby sleep upstairs soundly. I ring the car sales to organise updating  my car…I’m debating whether to stay with 7 seater or go up to 9 seater mini bus. We need the seats, but my husband is never with us so we could make do. Unless there is a family occasion. My husband kindly offered to drive his van alone to such events. Clever fecker! As if I’d travel alone with 6 screaming kids!

I sort my car tax, add the baby to my health insurance, ring the hospital to chase up appointments for child number 2 and shoot off a few emails, put on two loads of laundry and stack the dishwasher.

I run upstairs…baby still asleep. I gather all the laundry from my son’s room. I marvel at his audacity to go to school and leave his room in such a state and the light on!

 I make a cup of tea, feed the 4 cats and 3 dogs. The St. Bernard rubs herself against the back of my legs thus soaking my new fit gear in the process. Lucky, the smaller dog, groans for attention with a sock in her mouth. She was starved of oxygen for a while at birth and demands a lot of attention. The cats leap around my utility as if they’ve never been fed.

Finally the baby wakes up. I’m delighted. Now I can legitimately sit and feed baby while watching morning tv. I look enviously at Holly Willoughby’s clothes.

I eat 3 biscuits. I did try a banana and popcorn but it did nothing for my craving.

I have tons of clean clothes to fold. I ponder what to do…and here we are…I decide to start this blog. So I am sitting here typing, procrastinating and smiling down at my cooing baby.

I will start folding when he goes to sleep. I have to pick up the kids at 3pm. So I might get an hour of folding done? I better go now and sort the poor baby and pee.

I just went to have my long awaited shower after a long evening of cajoling, arguing and giving out! As I waited for the soothing hot flow, disappointment hit as I realised the water was lukewarm at best. I swallowed the torrent of language that threatened to overflow from my shivering mouth and instead tried to turn it in to a positive. I applied a hair mask and got out. I turned on the immersion and vowed to go back for my shower later.

I managed to have my shower at 11 30pm. Covered in baby vomit I trudge up the stairs. The shower is hot but I am so tired I make it quick. I blowdry my fuzzy hair and crawl into bed. Tomorrow is another day!