An ordinary unusual Sunday.

It’s been a hot day today, those of you in the UK may have noticed. I was aware that we were supposed to be having a heatwave – I wasn’t aware that we were down for rain overnight, so I’d left washing on the line, the bouncy castle inflated, and a variety of other children’s toys littered around the garden

The rain has dried. The washing has dried. Even the bouncy castle has dried. Small decided this morning he would wear bob the builder pants, and he’s just had his first accident, just short of 5pm (which was when I started writing this post!) I make it he managed about 7 hours of using the toilet properly – he never went of his own accord, but he went lots of times when asked and managed wees. I’m very impressed

This morning I went out and shopped. I kept our shopping to £32, which seems like quite an achievement, until you remember that Tim is out for lunch five days, and me and the kids are out for three. Oh, and they didn’t have pullups or chocolate bread, so Tim will have to pick those up tomorrow, and that’ll be another £8 or so. We need to go back to making packed lunches for us adults – I spend £1.20 a day on food if I don’t take a sandwich, and I suspect Tim spends rather more. I’ve got an eye to August, which he is taking off work, and what happens after that you see. I’ve even gone so far as to download a budget tool from money savings expert, not that I can get it to work – apparently my excel security levels are too high

So that’s the boring bits of the day wrapped up. Like I’ve already mentioned, Small had a pretty impressive day Don’t think I’d said that that even included a nap! Big decided she would do us a show, and put on a cd and treated us to some interpretative dancing. She quite surprised me with one, where she said it was sad, sat on the floor and danced to the whole thing with just her arms and upper body. Not quite sure where all that has come from.

Small played with the optical science kit again, and managed to nearly build binoculars, just needed a bit of help with the finer details. Big requested stories, and then pulled out How Are Babies Made? (Usborne Flip Flaps S.) so we went through that yet again. Small was intrigued by some of it, not least the idea that once upon a time he’d been in my tummy. Not quite sure what goes through his head sometimes – right at the moment with the toilet training I think he’s somehow afraid that he isn’t going to be my baby any more, he gets terribly upset if anyone calls him a big boy. Not dissimilar to Big thinking that if she learnt to read we would stop reading to her.

After that one we had Uncle Pete’s Pirate Adventure which I agreed to read when Big admitted that she could, but didn’t want to. I told her that I don’t mind that sometimes she doesn’t want to read, but I do get cross with her saying that she can’t, when she so obviously can. Can’t quite remember at which point of today she was wandering around the house completely oblivious to me speaking to her because she had her nose in a book! Brought back some memories, I can tell you

Made pizza today, more good mummy points. Actually, I felt vaguely ashamed of myself. Although I do sometimes do bed time stories, I can’t remember the last time I made time during the day to read with them. I seem to always be saying ‘in a minute’, ‘not just now’, ‘when I’m done’ and I never seem to be done Not that much of the time I appear to be doing anything that is worth anything, and it isn’t good enough. I think the resolution I need to concentrate on most for the rest of the year is the one where I make sure my children know that they are loved. I read one of those “where I’m from” poems by a young child the other night (can’t remember where or I’d link) and it made me wonder what Big would write just now. Can’t think it would be particularly happy – she spends most of her time being told that I’ll do whatever in a bit, then in a bit doesn’t seem to quite happen.

Must try harder.

And with that in mind, I’m off to bed. If I can find it – I think I put a pile or two of washing on it earlier, and I haven’t put them away yet. Oh, and I need to do the washing up before I go up, or we won’t have anything to eat breakfast from. Must buy more bowls! Small contrived to pull the whole pile out of the cupboard a few weeks ago, and two of them smashed, leaving us with only three. It isn’t enough.

Sometimes feels like nothing ever is. But I’m determined to finish this on a positive note, so I’ll remind myself that somewhere in me I found the strength to compliment a complete stranger in Sainsbury’s today. If I can manage that, how much easier should it be to make family and friends smile?