Once a year it seems, in August, I document a full day in my life to see what I actually do in 24 hours, so given this strange new normal I thought I’d break tradition and squeeze another one in now just as a way of recording what this new normal actually looks like for us. This is yesterday, Tuesday 12th May 2020.

1:18- A good start! The cat has escaped out the bathroom window (he’s a house cat who isn’t enjoying the house being full all the time so acting up a bit at the moment), he’s sitting on the roof miowing but not coming back in. Seb wakes up and winds up in our bed.

1:20- Polly, who usually sleeps through most things finds her way in our bed too after all the commotion.

2:18- The cat jumps onto a different part of the roof (our house is weird!) which means Henry is able to reach out our bedroom window and drag him back in the house. Let’s hope for some sleep now!

5:25- Seb awake. Henry has been getting up really early like he normally does so he stays in some sort of routine (the rest of us have not!). He brings up some milk for Seb which sends him back to sleep. Henry heads downstairs to do some exercise and catch up on some fitness videos.

7:15- Nope!- after the cat drama! I check the time, the kids are still asleep so I roll back over.

7:50- Ahhhhh lay in! This does not happen every morning so I’m enjoying this moment a lot! Catch up with a couple of messages while waiting for sleeping beauty Polly, Seb enjoys some cuddles.

8:14- Morning bathroom trip with a 3 year old, always an experience as she usually discusses hilarious things like what her imaginary bunnies are up to or just declaring loudly whether she’s having a poo or not.

8:22- Find Henry downstairs watching GMB on plus one and catch Piers mid rant. Family cup of tea while Polly dances round the living room.

8:39- Breakfast time. Polly asks for peanut butter on toast and Seb has some rice crispies.

8:57- Sort some washing out and do the washing up that I couldn’t be bothered to do last night- regretting that a bit! How do we go through so many cups? The kids play a ‘quiet’ game of cars.

9:25- First tantrum. Polly suddenly decides she wants her finished breakfast back 🙈

9:31- Cup of tea again, maybe this explains the cup question 🤦‍♀️

9:31- Second tantrum. Seb wants to jump on the sofa behind us and is unhappy about using the sofa to sit.

9:40- Actually get dressed and ‘ready for the day’! Discover more washing to do 🙈

9:55- Time for a bit of CBeebies while I sneak in a second breakfast 🙈 Seb loves watching Mr Tumble in particular and tries copying him.

10:15- The kids decide they actually just want to play in the garden, Henry is doing weights outside which usually means they want to be outside too 🙈 I settle myself outside too with shock horror- a puzzle book!

10:25- Seb smashes one of the glass ‘potion making bottles’ and helper Polly comes to daddy’s aid.

10:30- I come inside and leave them all to it as I’m expecting a phone call from my midwife as part of my routine appointments. I think we’re discussing birth plan options today. She’s been amazing throughout this whole pandemic and has been really reassuring.

At some point the kids followed me back in the house, Daddy has provided counting videos & a snack to keep them quiet.

10:55- Phone call finished, we went through the birth chat discussing the things that are different this time round, but I feel reassured and all questions answered- now I’ve just got to push a baby out at some point again.

11:15- Sort out that load of washing so it can get outside and dry while Henry gets the kids ready to go for our walk. This includes waiting for Polly to decide that she does need a wee after assuring us she didn’t.

11:31- Actually leave the house!

12:20- Home. We (socially distanced) bumped into a couple of guys from work so had a catch up chat with them after the kids had done some rock throwing in a little secluded spot just 5 minutes from our house.

12:30- Lunchtime! Dippy eggs for the kids and poached eggs on toast for me. Henry eats separate to us at lunch as he us usually has something completely different and sometimes weird although today he did mention steak 🤦‍♀️.

12:54- Elsa has made an appearance with her flowery bouquet she’s just picked.

13:00- Seb is off for a nap while Polly instigates a dance party.

13:04- Netflix and chocolate with Polly- might have introduced her to Brooklyn 99 which she calls ‘the police’ and I think she’s got her first crush- Jake 🙈

13:55- Seb wakes up. Polly asks to play a game, this is one from the 5 minute mum book that has proved a fab lockdown purchase, literally sorting the colours out!

14:03- The afternoon film is decided- Moana. Yup we might have watched it 687 times but it’s a great film that is now in my top 3 🙈 you simply can’t beat the songs! Polly is still playing her colour game, making castles out of each coloured selection.

15:15- Pirate Laura and Mum Liz drop off Seb’s birthday present at the door, we manage a socially distanced chat across the street with the kids squealing with delight at seeing her!

16:00- Moana finishes and the 2 of them are desperate to crack open Seb’s new toy! I do some paperwork after setting up this in the conservatory.

17:03- Teatime! Henry has cooked up a feast so I drag the soaking wet almost naked children away from the flooded mess in the conservatory to eat our weekly roast. Polly refuses point blank to eat anything and takes up residence on the sofa with a stack of books instead.

We watch the news briefing from the table.

17:25- A bit of colouring for Seb and Polly has turned these post it notes into a group of best friends who are on a camping trip. Also time for some angel delight 😁

At the site of her brother eating angel delight Polly suddenly wants to eat her tea too! She then has some of my pudding afterwards.

17:40- Time to clean up the great flood and tackle the kitchen mess too while the children ‘play nicely’.

18:10- I come back in the living room to find Henry watching a YouTube video on the TV while the kids (now naked of course as it’s the end of the day) play in an empty ball pit- I don’t want to ask where all the balls have gone.

18:20- The nail salon opens and Polly requests orange toes this week!

18:30- Back to the ball pit games, Daddy turns it into a flying saucer and there is plenty of squealing! It turns out the balls are in the pop up tent.

19:00- Henry has 10 minutes on his exercise bike while the kids & I do a toy round up and I drag the cat back in the house.

19:15- All head upstairs, bath night tonight.

19:45- where did half an hour go?! Hair drying then time for a story before bed, bit later than planned tonight 🙈 Mr Nosey is selected tonight with Daddy being the chosen reader.

20:04- Kids settled in their beds with lots of kisses and cuddles. This has been one of the perks of us both being off- we do bedtime together and just get a moment at the end of the day which has been really special.

With Henry having a shower I settle in our room with my feet up for the ‘hang around and make sure they’re actually asleep’ wait. I don’t mind this bit either (as long as they are actually going straight to sleep!) as I can do some guilt free Facebook reading and maybe play a game on my phone for a bit. The baby also gets a bit excited listening to the lullaby machine and usually has a party in my belly! Seb used to do the same thing when he was in there!

20:35- I head downstairs and get comfy on the sofa with some chocolate and a heat up bear on my back, Henry is watching a YouTube video on the tv so I do a bit of baby name searching- we still can’t decide on a boys name, not like we’ve had months to pick!

20:50- No new names to add to the shortlist so I put on the new birth programme on bbc1 instead that I’d put on record. Oh and Henry re-opens the nail salon!

21:55- After a bad nights sleep last night and the fact that Seb is making the odd stir noise over the monitor we both decide to call it a day.

So, there it is- let’s see how different the next instalment is!