1 down 4 to go.

Dreading…no, wait, that’s not enough. DREADING is how I was feeling about the summer holidays.

Moss left the day after the kids finished school, and he returns 2 days after they start back in September.  To say the timing of this is utter shit is frankly an understatement.

I could not go into this unprepared, it was a battle I had to fight. And so the list was made: “What to do in the holidays”

Even sitting down and writing it with the kids sent chills down my spine.  Some activities were bareable  ”Baking” for example – I can do baking, we don’t have to leave the house, it’s messy, but hey, so what.

“The park” pretty self explanatory really, I thought I could handle that one.

Other activities filled me with fear “Swimming”  going for a swim, however you want to say it, I did not for the life of me want to do it.  I HATE swimming.  My dad had the ‘I love swimming’ gene, but sadly he kept it all to himself, as neither me or my brother like it.  Moss loves swimming, but Moss is on the other side of the world for the next 5 weeks.  The kids have been begging me for the longest time to go swimming and I couldn’t put it off anymore, I already felt shit enough that they hadn’t been in years (apart from with school) and so it was  ”Swimming” went on the list.  It was wriiten through gritted teeth, I thought about writing it really lightly in pencil, then rubbing it out when the kids were gone, but somehow couldn’t bring myself to do it.

The list was written – obviously we wrote other stuff on there but this with suffice for now.  The calendar was filled, I was physiqued up, pumped up and ready for action. Bring on the summer holidays….

Monday – Kids went to my mums for the day. I got some housework done.

Tuesday – Calendar said “Funizuz” However Isla woke up with raging fever, plans cancelled for sofa day, changing her washcloth, covering her up, staring at her, and generally checking she wasn’t dead.

Wednesday –  Did funizuz in the morning the went swimming, you heard me, SWIMMING  in the afternoon.   I must admit, I was surprised, and wished I’d taken them ages ago. I had SUCH a good time, and the kids loved it too!  Isla taught me to swim on my back, apparently you just have to pretend you’re a serious penguin.

Thursday  - Isla has cheerleading day, I take Iden for lunch.  We test out the new cafe near us.  Iden takes no less than 15 minutes to look at the menu and decide he wants 2 crumpets.  We go to the counter.

Me: Hi, err, 2 crumpets and…

Druggy looking lady; Sorry we don’t have any crumpets

Me (after consulting with Iden for 5 more minutes) Ok well I’ll have a tea cake..

Younger chav girl in background; (shouting) oh we don’t ‘ave any of them either, sorry love

Me; Right ok, give me a minute. (Consult with Iden again, he now wants an egg mayonnaise sandwich. We argue, as I tell him he doesn’t like egg mayonnaise, he insists he does). An egg mayonnaise sandwich please.

I order my stuff

Druggy looking lady: Any drinks?

Me; An orange juice for him please.

Chav girl in background: (she comes forward) Nope, not got any orange juice,  soz, (she points at the drinks in the fridge on display)  it’s only 7 UP, coke, fanta….

Me; the ones in the fridge then?

Chav: Yea,

I ask Iden what he wants, he asks if he can have 7 UP as he turned 7 in February and therefore should be allowed.

We sit and eat, Iden takes one bite out of his sandwhich and says he doesn’t like it.  Little Britain flashes into my head.  I tell him to eat more.  He doesn’t.  He says he’s not hungry. Iden gives the place 10/10 as it looks nice, and the people seem friendly, he also likes that they have magazines out yet he seems to have bypassed completely the fact that they don’t have any food in.  He would make a rubbish critic.

Later that night he starts feeling hot and I know he’s got what isla had, but will have it 10 times worse. My mum stays over that night, I worry a lot about Iden, he is uncomfortable, hot…Way too hot, crying, I want to help him, but he’s had medicine, I can only make him more comfortable.  I can’t bear to see him so upset and miserable.

Friday – Iden seems better in the morning, I predict it’s the medicine, and he will go downhill later. We have Iden’s friend who I agreed to watch for the day, they bicker like old women as Iden is still ill and grumpy. It’s a long day.  I have several beers that night, inbetween going up and turning over Iden’s wash cloth, covering him up, staring at him and generally checking he isn’t dead.

Sat – Today, Iden seemed better this morning, he had a football match that he was desperate to play in.  He did, he played well, despite the team losing 10-0 .  I made Chicken soup for lunch.  Isla informed me that she wasn’t being rude but it smelt a bit like diarrhoea.

So I survived the week.  It was full of unexpected events such as, enjoyment of swimming and the unsettlement of kids being ill.  Next week they have holiday courses, Trampolining and football.  I shall get some time to myself – which will be luurvely!

IncidentalIy in the middle of writing this, Moss face-timed me from the lollapalooza festival in downtown Chicago, Facetime is amazing, I forgot where I was for a minute, then I remembered, I’m exactly where I need to be, knee deep in sickness, swimming, shit cafes and soup that smells like diarrhoea, and I wouldn’t change it for the world, bring on weeks 2,3,4 and 5!