The hectic day of a lone parent....!
Thursday, my day off or rather should I say, the most hectic day of the week! A typical Thursday starts with my daily struggle to get the oldest out of bed, get breakfast and then asking them both 4 million times to get dressed, brush their hair and clean their teeth! After the billionth time of asking them to put their shoes on, we are out of the door with more bags than hands, with little more than a few minutes to spare. Once the bell has gone, I then head off to my PT session, for an hour of "me time", before coming home (very hot and bothered) where I then mow both lawns, de-weed the garden, put the washing out and bring it almost immediately back in again when it starts to rain! Time for a quick shower and lunch before heading to Tesco and then into town to do a couple of errands. Then back home, where I quickly hoover the living room before dashing back to the school gate to pick up the little darlings and yet more bags....How is that possible?! Quick half hour at the park to let them run off some steam, then back home, dinner on, washing back out (and then in again!) before heading down to the Manor Farmhouse in the village for Emma's annual campfire with brownies. Whilst Emma is there, Mason and I visit daddy in the churchyard, before heading home and getting him in the bath, reading a story and tucking him in (my) bed! Emma comes home and then the evening battle of getting her in the bath, getting homework finished (that she has had all week to do!), and then into bed starts. Time for me to then fold the washing, put everything in the house back in its place, make the kids school lunches and then of course, put yet more washing on and then wash up the dinner things. Mummy finally sits down at 9.30pm.......She checks her fitbit and she has done 17,100 steps. Not bad for a day with no runs!!! I am looking forward to sitting down at this laptop tomorrow and resting whilst I do my "official" job. Let me tell you, being a single parent is no walk in the park, I swear I would do less steps if I was to take a walk in the park! There is nobody to share these daily tasks with or even to moan about these daily tasks with. Steve was very hands on in the house, he took the children to school and picked them up whenever he could, he cooked the dinner and ran them to hobbies, he bathed them, read them stories and put them to bed. He was a parent and a very fine one at that, who took his role as daddy and husband very seriously. God I miss him. For all you married men reading this, make sure your wife is not a lone parent. Do your bit wherever you can because boy, it is tough........