Steph is a Laois mammy of 3 small kids. She has started a blog to document her life as a mammy muddling through parenthood and searching for her identity in a world wider than her own four walls.
As the pandemic continues she has started a diary to describe daily life as a ‘stuck-at-home mom’.
The highlight of today was my 3 yr old informing me that she had (once again) wee’d herself, just as I sat down to my (already going cold) dinner.
Today’s bonus was that she hadn’t just wee’d on the floor – no, that would be too simple. She had instead wee’d on some, but not all of the jigsaw pieces and cards that she had strewn all over the floor.
So, I had the pleasure of cleaning her, cleaning the floor, then sorting the jigsaw pieces into piles: wet, damp, dry.
I couldn’t be arsed examining the pieces that were being dumped so that I would have some vague notion of the incomplete jigsaws that we now owned. I’m fairly sure that will come back and bite me!!
Then I went back to finish my own (freezing) dinner. Oh the joys!
Rain
So, today was the day I’ve been dreading since all of this lockdown started – the day the rains came!! In a moment of, what can only be described as pure genius, I had stashed away a little project for the girls, hoping that it would occupy them for an hour or that. It was one of those ‘paint your own’ tea-sets.
Thinking I was a super legend of a well-prepared mom I landed it down in front of them and instructed them on all of the wondrous things that they could paint on their tea-set, from flowers to sun-shines to smiley faces. They nodded their agreement and looked at me with such gleeful expressions.
Then they painted all of the plates either yellow or red, the teapot blue and the rest was a mixture of a reddy-browny-purpley colour. Fab!
But they were all excited to play with their new toy, so I didn’t mind. Until I caught them filling up the teapot (painted on the inside) with water and pouring it into the (painted on the inside) cups – and then drinking the reddy-browny-purpley ‘tea’. Even after a lecture on the dangers of ingesting paint they were un-phased.
They climbed on bar stools to retrieve the stashed tea-set, but in a horrible turn of events, it came crashing to the floor and was now in a hundred pieces. Great, what an inspired choice for a rainy day!
Today’s Chats with the 3 yr old:
Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A dinosaur
Me: If you can’t be a dinosaur what would you like to be?
Maybe a tooth-fairy so I can give myself chocolate coins.
As she comes waddling down the hall: I need you, I need you for my poops. You can sit on the bath and watch me do my poops. Oh mammy it’s a big one, a big one and a small one. It’s an ice cream poops. But we don’t eat it, we never eat it.
Me: put on your shoes.
I don’t know how to do it!
Me: but you did it earlier.
But I don’t know now, I need you to do it.
As she hands me a tea-cup full of sand: Would you like some tea poo-poo head?
I want to go on a rocket with Daddy and 5 and 1. I want to go on the rocket to the moon and then come back to you.
Me: can I not come on the rocket?
No, You have to stay home and make me chicken curry.
Today’s learning moment..hmm..
I think I learn something every day as a parent. Sometimes I learn something new about one of my kids – like my 5yr old desperately needs 15 mins quiet time to regulate herself, or my 3yr old will never be happy sitting on a chair eating her food.
The best, and sometimes the worst learning days are when I learn something about myself. Sometimes I learn something positive, like I actually have the capacity for fun and frolics and games with my kids.
Sometimes I hit on a negative trait, something I need to work on, like humility and patience. I catch myself losing my temper too quickly or overreacting to a situation. These are the lessons I don’t like, but probably the lessons best learned.
Today although we had fun and played catch and played hide and seek in the garden I know I lost the plot a few times too – and I lost it unnecessarily.
This situation is weird and hard and different for us, but its weirder, harder and different(er) for our kids!!
I need to learn to have more patience and more empathy for what they are going through. Because if I want them to grow into kind, compassionate, empathetic humans, I need to show them what that is.
Late Late Leo locks down the country for another 2 weeks!!
So, today Leo went on the Late Late and discussed the latest measures for dealing with Covid. He looked absolutely wrecked, the poor man. I’ve never seen him look more humble, or more human.
He consulted his notes and discussed the measures and why they were important. He stressed the danger of complacency and commended us all on our efforts so far. He gave us a ray of hope, but explained that we’ll only get there if everyone plays their part.
So, my message to everyone is: Play your Part! For the nurses, the doctors, the supermarket workers, the truckers, the delivery people, the postmasters and post mistresses, for the ambulance drivers, the fire-fighters, all of the essential workers out there that have given their all so that life can carry on.
Because if we all do our bit, then sooner, rather than later, we can all get back to ‘the new normal’ – and I can drop my kids at their grandparents and leave them there for a week.
See what other ‘fun’ things the kids are up to on my webpage and Facebook page.
SEE ALSO – Diary of a Stuck at Home Mum: Back to ‘home school’
