The lengths I have to go to for a night out with the husband

With much excitement I found four of these awaiting me on the breakfast table this morning.

 

 

To get my mitts on them was no mean feat.

Firstly I had to leave my husband with clear instructions for the tickets I wanted whilst I drove to Norfolk to see my dad for the last time.

After the continuous re-clicking and refreshing on numerous ticket sites he struck gold. Kind of. We have nose bleed seats of the highest extremes. But.....WE HAVE TICKETS!

Ah. We have tickets. What we didn't have is a babysitter. No Grandmas or Grandads up the road. No one to ask to have the children for the weekend - maybe I'm too polite and should ask people?

My mum lives in Norfolk and is unable to stay with our kiddies on her own overnight.

The in laws - as you may know - have abandoned us and now live in the Limousin area of France. My geography of France is rubbish but all you need to know is it is bloody miles away in the middle of nowhere with flights out running about once every six months. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration but at this time of year the flights aren't regular.

Anyway, we asked, and Grandma France is flying over next Wednesday so we - as in me and the husband - can actually have a night out.

The lengths I have to go to for a night out with the husband.

Can you beat that for extreme babysitting?!

I'm just praying there are no major disasters between now and then.

Whatever happens I AM GOING!!

x x x

Household happiness - top ten tips for the husband.

It has been almost two weeks since the husband has been on gardening leave and I must say the garden looks great. The house, however, is a different issue. This is where he needs some guidance. So, as suggested by the husband himself, I am writing him a list.

1. Washing up: fairy liquid + washing up sponge + hot water + dirty dishes + hands in sink = washing up. Basic maths really.
2. Dishes and pans etc not only need to be washed up they also need to be dried and moved from the draining board back to the cupboard.
3. When the laundry bag is overflowing it generally means it is time to put a wash on.
4. When the washing machine has finished it will stop sounding like an aeroplane is taking off in the kitchen. This is a useful sign to inform you that the washing needs to moved from said machine onto either the washing line or airer, depending on the weather.
5. The dry washing does not fold, iron or put itself away. Someone needs to do this at some point so we can wear those clothes again.
6. If you walk into a room and trip over a pile of general crap this is a sign that some picking up needs to done.
7. The floors will get dusty and messy, particularly if you continue to walk through the house in your outdoor shoes. There is a great invention under the stairs called a vacuum cleaner, or, for a little area of mess, there is a brush and dustpan. The vacuum has a plug and will require an electrical socket. The brush and dustpan requires you to get down on your knees and do a bit of manual labour. Think of the calories you will be burning off.
8. The bathroom needs a damn good going over every week. For this you will need to open the cupboard on the wall to locate the cleaning products. These work by squeezing the trigger and aiming at the sink, bath, shower and taps. Squirting cleaner into the toilet and leaving it will not do the job. The brush in the pot on the floor is not a piece of modern art, it is in fact for scrubbing crap - quite literally - from the toilet pan.
9. A packed lunch for the children should not need any explaining.
10. To stop me getting 'angry' with you my top tip would be to not disappear to the pub garden when I have been to work, picked up A, done the school run, broken up the squabbles, sorted tea, bathed the children and put them to bed.

Maybe I'm being unreasonable. I don't know. What I do know is I am finding it hard balancing work and everything else. Actually, no, that's wrong. I can easily go to work then come home and sort out the house and children. I would just appreciate some help.

 

 

x x x

Guilt / Asking for help

It is 2.40 p.m. on a Thursday. I should be sitting in church watching Alban in his Easter service. Instead I am at home looking after, a rather grumpy, pox girl. Shit happens. I knew the pox was on its way and I am sure that Alban won't even notice that I'm not there. Yet I still feel guilty for not being there for him.

I have just recovered from the panic to find someone to fetch Alban and bring him home. I initially planned to drive up and get him as 2 hours ago Edith was feeling fine, then she suddenly went downhill and is now crashed out on the sofa. This is where more guilt kicks in.

If I am stuck with the children I have to call on other Mums. I feel bad for always asking for help. One Mum had Alban for the morning last week so I could go to my job interview. She is also bringing Alban home today. She herself doesn't have family around and I am also going to ask her to have Alban again next week so I can get into school before I start after Easter - I had planned to go tomorrow but am now on pox nursing duty. Obviously.

That Mum is currently my hero heroine.

I get frustrated not having any family around to call on. Most of my Mum friends do. Some of them seem to have half of Melksham as their family network / support group. Jealous? Sort of.