It’s that time of year again where I like to do a little ‘day in the life’ post, where I record a 24 hour stint in my life just for a bit of fun. So I’ll get straight to it, this is Thursday 13th July 2023…

Midnight- I’m at work, 8 hours down, 2 to go. Sat next to my work Mama and it’s going quick (good company helps on a long shift, especially during the night), there’s been lots of laughing and some very inappropriate conversations!

00:33AM- We go for a lap of the building, a quick way to wake yourself up and stretch your legs. I sneak a Kinder chocolate before logging back in for my last stint of the shift.

2AM- Log out and leave work, Mama walks me back to my car and then she heads back in for the rest of her shift. Drive home. The moon looks amazing, it’s only a slither and it’s a strange colour- a little perk about being awake at stupid times is that sometimes you’re the only one who gets to see the sky showing off.

2:22AM- Park up and head into the house. Feed the cat a quick treat to stop him waking up the whole house.

2:30AM- Check the little two who are still in their beds, then climb into our bed which is also housing Polly. Sleep.

6:02AM- Polly wakes up. She clambers over me and heads downstairs to chill out on the sofa- she’s an early riser but she also likes a bit of chill time by herself in the morning, she watches a bit of Netflix or does a bit of colouring.

6:16AM- Clara comes crawling into the bed to take Polly’s place.

6:40AM- Clara is being a bit too wriggly and keeps trying to sit on my head so Henry wakes up and heads downstairs with her. Seb wanders in at some point, says ‘good morning’ and heads downstairs too.

7:42AM- I wake up two minutes before my alarm goes off.

7:45AM- Strip the kids beds and put the sheets in the wash. It’s a rare morning where we are both in the house which is why I’ve nabbed a bit of extra sleep and he’s got the kids sorted with breakfast and also made me a cup of tea. The kids are watching ‘The Hoof Doctor’ videos on YouuTube whilst eating (how they can eat whilst watching those videos is beyond me!).

7:50AM- I make the kids packed lunches and do myself some toast.

7:58AM- Sit down to eat breakfast whilst Henry is trying to persuade a rascal Clara out of hiding to change her poopy bum.

8:05AM- Start getting the kids dressed.

8:15AM- The kids are now actually dressed.

8:16AM- Bloody sun cream time. I still can’t decide what I hate more- finding bloody gloves in the winter or putting on bloody sun cream in the summer (maybe Autumn is the best season!).

8:19AM- Plait Polly’s hair whilst the little two get their shoes on.

8:22AM- All upstairs to clean teeth.

8:29AM- Leave the house. Say bye to Henry as he’ll be heading to work shortly.

8:41AM- School run time. Polly normally catches the mini bus up to the bigger site but she has a school trip to the beach today so she has to go into Seb’s school today instead of hanging around in the car park. I chat to a couple of Mum’s and sign a Thank you card for Polly’s teacher.

8:48AM- Walk into town with Clara. I’ve got major cabin fever as due to a sickness bug that took all three of them out in stages this is our first time out properly (I’m not counting going to work as I work in an office!) so it’s nice to just be out in some fresh air. I was aiming for Blackmore garden for a little chill before singing group but Clara throws a strop as she thinks we aren’t going to group so instead we head to the church and sit in the little garden there instead. Clara plays on the slide and I sit on the bench. Kirsty who runs the group comes out and we have a little catch up which is really nice.

9:30AMish- We head inside for Panda’s singing group. Clara is very enthusiastic today and joins in with all the songs, she covers herself in chocolate at snack time and I catch up with some of the Mum’s. It’s a really good morning.

11AM- We’ve delayed leaving group as it’s pouring with rain, as soon as it eases a bit we head out towards Tesco. I pick up a couple of bits and Clara picks up a flump (you can’t beat a flump!).

11:09AM- Start heading home with it still spitting with rain. Clara demands we go the river way which I reluctantly agree to as it takes a bit longer and I didn’t bring my coat. Inevitably I get soaked when we stop to play pooh sticks at the bridge and it starts raining properly again.

11:19AM- Back in the door and very wet.

11:23AM- I hang the washing up on the airers whilst Clara throws a strop as she doesn’t want to get out the pushchair.

11:28AM- Strop finished so we get some puzzles out.

12:03PM- Puzzles complete and little diva has requested we watch the Christmas Chronicles (specifically part 2 with ‘Mummy Santa’), with a blanket round her and her baby tucked under her arm.

12:10PM- Lunchtime. I make eggy bread today. Clara does pop in to sit on the side for a few moments to help ‘mick it mick it’. We then sit and eat together with Santa for company. She’s watched it so many times that she re-enacts bits including reading a story whilst they read one on the film- pausing to copy the fart noise from the whoopee cushion of course.

12:48PM- I catch up on a bit of life admin.

13:14PM- Washing up and clean the kitchen.

13:35PM- Clara drags me back into the living room for the grand finale which she acts out singing along and ‘playing’ her sister’s ukulele.

13:54PM- I cross my fingers and stick the washing outside.

13:58PM- Tidy up the toys and hoover. Clara is now loosely watching the new Matilda, I say loosely as she’s playing school. She has the film on to set the scene then packs up her baby for school and takes herself off to ‘work’.

14:20PM- I sit down and do a bit of reading with a cup of tea whilst she carries on playing school. I gain a furry friend for a cuddle.

15:06PM- Shoes on for the school run. Again Polly normally catches the bus down to Seb’s site so we normally have to hang around for 20 minutes but today she’s already here because of her very wet trip to the beach- so of course we still hang around for 20 minutes whilst the kids play and I chat to some friends.

15:43PM- Home and a snack for everyone.

16:05PM- Shoes back on and time to leave the house again. We walk through the Byes along the river with lots of chat as to why the river is running brown thanks to all the rain.

16:30PM- Arrive at the swimming pool for Seb’s lesson. Get him dressed and to the water. The girls and I set up camp on the side. Sadly Seb has gone backwards with his lessons and spends the whole lesson sat on the side with his feet in the water laughing with his friends and playing with a jug of water instead of actually getting in the pool. Clara tests my patience and earns herself several glares from the lifeguard as she is running her toy car along the edge of the water getting her dress soaked. Polly has bought 600 unicorns down in a bag as is playing such an intense game that at one point I asked her if she was actually ok. I catch up with a couple of the Mum’s and we have a laugh whilst despairing at our kids in the water.

17:05PM- Out the water, dried and dressed as quick as we can.

17:15PM- Leave the pool and start walking home. Get called the worst Mummy in the world as I won’t stop for a play at the park even though one child has been twice today already and the other tells me he’s too tired to walk home anyway. The big two have a fight over something stupid, it starts to rain and Clara falls asleep- all in all I’m pleased we didn’t bother with the park!

17:38PM- Home. I grab the washing back inside, stick Matilda on for the 3rd instalment and then put some food in the oven (it’s definitely a chuck something in the oven kind of night).

17:50PM- Diva children have requested hot chocolate. I take a gamble and take a sleeping Clara out the pushchair fully prepared for her to have an absolute meltdown, luckily the hot chocolate is a good distraction and she gets cosy on the sofa with that instead of throwing it across the room.

18:10PM- Sit down to eat tea which is pesto pasta and chicken. Clara manages to spill half her hot chocolate all over herself and the blanket.

18:34PM- Have some cuddles with Clara, Polly is doing some drawing at the big table and Seb is clutching his class photo that he bought out of school telling me everyone’s names for the tenth time.

18:42PM- Washing up. The kids follow me into the kitchen as I’m playing music whilst doing it. Polly brings her drawing through on a clipboard and then Seb instigates a full blown dance off. He beats Clara and I fair and square with the ‘shark dance’- it’s a very eclectic playlist ranging from Tina Turner to the Weeknd.

19:00PM- We head upstairs. I run a bath and then put the sheets on the bed with Clara trying to help. They have a bath, cleaning their teeth in the water and soak me and the floor. I sound like I’m performing an exorcism whilst washing Seb’s hair. We have a chat about wobbly teeth and the troll fairy who will come and take away manky teeth if they don’t keep them clean.

19:32PM- Out the bath, dried off and dressed. Hair drying takes a bit of time thanks to Polly’s Rapunzel hair.

19:45- Story time and cuddles.

19:50- Hear 36 reasons why they can’t go to sleep- 34 of them from Polly.

19:58PM- Bit later than planned but final goodnight.

20:00PM- I jump in the shower.

20:07PM- Out the shower, deliver some ‘Shhh’s’ from the landing and head downstairs.

20:14PM- Diffuse a fight between the big two, one is ‘breathing too loud’ and one is ‘putting her arm to close to his bed.’

20:25PM- Clara is just not settling, after the vomiting earlier in the week and the fact I’m now knackered and the big two need sleep before school I make the choice to pull her out of bed and bring her downstairs just in case. I snuggle her on the sofa under a blanket and put a wash on.

20:40PM- I sit down with a cup of tea and catch up with a guilty pleasure- Emmerdale.

21:15PM- Henry is home after a Lidl run on his way home from work. He unloads the shopping and faffs around in the conservatory with a bike tyre.

21:45PM- He finally sits down with his tea and we watch some Motherland together (we started watching it again last week).

22:30PM- I hang up the washing on the airer.

22:35PM- I concede to sleep. I carry on the lazy parenting though and just carry the fast asleep Clara into bed with us, leaving Henry instructions to get the cat back in before he comes up.

So there is it, another crazy day in my life. Henry as predicted fell asleep on the sofa and found his way upstairs at around 2AM and thankfully Clara woke up fine this morning so who knows what was up with her last night. Today is a bit quieter thanks to the rain and no group or clubs, this does mean I can catch up with some cleaning and also have a bit of a chill too. Until next time…