Saturday
This morning I was woken by the sound of my bedroom door sliding open. This is becoming the new norm. It's usually one of two people, Master Eleven or Miss Eight. They love to come in for morning cuddles and don't really like when I sleep in.
It's 7:46am and I try to get out of bed but my mind and body are working against me. I get up to pee and then crawl back in, putting up the blinds so I can stare out of the window for a while and be with my thoughts.
Miss Eight brings dolls in and is telling me all about each one. She makes up so many wonderful games and plays 'make believe' like an expert.
The Husband is already up and so I send him a text 'cause I want a hug. He comes in and we have ten minutes to ourselves to talk about the day ahead. He says he'll take Master Eleven to the skate park and then grab some groceries on their way home.
8:35am and Master Thirteen is still in bed. I open his door to find him awake and reading. Miss Eight is asking me what she should eat for breakfast, this is her new dilemma... cereal or toast just isn't making the cut these days.
I cook up some eggs and hash browns for M13 and M8. M8 drowns hers in tomato sauce. I make a smoothie and some avo on toast for myself and dive into some school work. This year I am teaching Year One and I am enthusiastically prepping some classroom decor. The laminator is heating up ready for a days work.
Around 11am The Husband and M11 arrive home, loaded with bags of food to unpack. I pop all the food away while the kids get ready for a swim and The Husband heads to bed in prep for night shift.
Sitting by the pool I often catch myself realising that this life of mine is pretty flippin' awesome. I feel grateful (amid the bouts of arguing and pushing and tears) and as I dive under the water I can almost feel all stresses and worries leave my body - if only for a few minutes I feel carefree and peaceful.
We come inside for lunch and hide for the remainder of the day in air con with the blinds down. It's 33 degrees outside and we are tired. We eat and the kids play happily either reading, building Technic Lego or playing with dolls.
Not surprisingly, as if on cue, they ask for screen around 2pm. I oblige and take myself to the lounge, deciding to close my laptop for a while. I bask in the hour of not being needed.
Around 4pm I force myself to think about dinner. Sometimes I love cooking, but on hot days it really is a chore. I settle on making enchiladas so get to work in the kitchen, cranking the air con up (down?) to offset the heat radiating from the stove and oven.
By 5pm we are eating around the kitchen bench, squeezing in a meal altogether before The Husband leaves for work. He feeds the dogs, gives a round of kisses goodbye and heads off for the night.
The kids cycle through the shower, I ensure teeth are brushed and make my rounds to each room, checking in with them, reading stories and saying goodnight.
My evenings are usually the same. Too many minutes spent flicking through the endless options of things to watch on TV before deciding on Friends because its the thing to put on when I can't decide what to put on and I open my laptop to blog.
It's 10:04pm and my M8 is beside me in my bed. She does this often when The Husband is at work. She knows there is a spot there... I don't really mind. She is too wonderful for me to want her anywhere else but next to me.
