Quite often I reach the end of the day feeling as though I have accomplished nothing and it’s not a satisfying feeling. Today has been one of those days and as I ran a bath for J I reflected upon what I had actually done since waking up this morning. If ever you have this feeling of uselessness I can recommend the reflection – it’s quite an eye opener. The timings are a bit approximate but everything listed here happened today.
So
6.40am: Awake and out of bed, drink coffee, plan on tidying up!
7.00am: J awakes and staggers downstairs – how he manages this with an 11pm “falling asleep” time I have not yet got to the bottom of.
7.30am: Prepare breakfast for J – drink second cup of coffee, wash up.
8.30am: J on the loo having not been able to open his bowels for 5 days despite copious amounts of Senna. I sit and rub his tummy, encourage him to rock and blow bubbles to no avail. Dry his tears, reassure him that yes he will go. Run first bath of the day for J as he is overflowing and soiling.
9.00am: Help J out of bath, encourage him to dry himself and put on clean clothes
10.00am: Receive e-mail confirming that S and IW are coming over this evening, housework now more of a pressing issue.
10.30am: J playing game on computer – rages and melts down when laptop overheats (as it does regularly). Calm J down, suggest he watches The Never-ending Story which has just started on TV.
11.15am: In Tescos doing the shop without J as J’s Daddy is in Essex at the moment.
12.00MD: J’s Dad prepares bacon sarnies – lovely
1.00pm: J sat on the loo again sobbing, agrees to suppository which is given, put timer on for 20 mins while J lies on the sofa
1.20pm: J goes back to loo and pushes out suppository but nothing else, more tears and more overflow and soiling. Run J a second bath, put clothes in washing machine and look for washing to add.
1.50pm: J out of the bath, clean clothes found, and encouragement to wash and dry given
2.30pm: Sit on Facebook chatting to a Mumsnet friend in Scotland who is balancing motherhood, work and study (my hat is off to you EP – it isn’t easy).
3.15pm: J rushes to loo and produces! Hooray! Help him to clean himself up and find clean pants, put the second soiled pair in washing machine.
Have bath and wash hair and wonder why there is so little hot water forgetting there have been two baths run already today!
4.00pm: J rushes to loo and produces again! I think this is the definition of a good clear out and much needed! J cleans himself up in a fit on independence but misses some areas!
Put hoover round, wash up again, take rubbish out to back gate, wipe kitchen surfaces and return to living room to find J has brought the hamster downstairs and is sitting with her on the sofa. The cat watches with ill disguised interest. Encourage J to put Bramble (hamster) in her ball so she is safe from hunting eyes, ears and claws.
4.45pm: Take hamster safely back to her cage and shut her in. Evict cat from inside the hamster cage where she has gone to explore.
5.00pm: Slobbing on sofa drinking juice.
6.00pm: Clean cat litter tray - take bag of soiled litter out and replace with sparkling clean litter (cannot wait for summer when hopefully cat will use the garden).
6.30pm: Notice J has very – ahem – unclean pants on – run him the third bath of the day (hope this is the final one).
J protests about a third bath – explain in simple terms that he has had the clearout to end all clearouts so needs to be clean otherwise will get sore. J agrees to bath.
7.00pm: Sit and write blog while J splashes in bath. Prospect of wine and curry looms – just hope am not going to be too tired to enjoy all!
