So last week was a bit of a tough one. Jack got sick on Tuesday night, so I had to stay home and look after him. I, of course, got a weird version of what he had and have been fighting stomach pains ever since then.
The sad part is that coffee seems to make this worse and no coffee makes me not feel as bad. I guess this is all part of my transition into a full British lady because tea is about the only thing I can handle caffeine-wise right now.
Being tired and half sick and without caffeine is just not pleasant. I get so short with Jack and feel awful about it because I don’t have the mental capacity to deal with inconveniences. I took him swimming on Sunday after we got insanely too early to find out that he didn’t want to swim because he was too tired. I can only say that my lesson learned is that I will go with my gut instinct and stay home when I think we need to.
I don’t know if anyone else feels this, but after Covid, do you feel like you’re lazy for just wanting to be home? I know I shouldn’t feel guilty after being sick or not being able to sleep past 2AM like Sunday morning, but I do. I think that being out means I’m doing fun things and being a better mom, productive, interesting, etc. I recently saw a video online talking about how just because people have nice houses, it doesn’t mean they’re content with them. I think being at home has been taught to be bad, boring, unimaginative, and everything in between.
I quite like being at home, especially when we’re all home together. It’s not to say that I don’t like going out as well, but I need to work on not being so hard on myself when I just feel like we should stay in.
That’s exactly what we did this past week. On one hand, I will book family outings and places to go with Jack but this week, we just stayed home. He went to two out of his three swim lessons and his soccer with Steve on Saturday, but that’s all. It was rainy all week and much more cozy indoors.
Evening, everyone.
I’ve just looked at a middle-grade book titled The Private Blog of Joe Cowleyand it started with, “I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you, blog.” Yup. this is exactly how I feel most days. Usually, I get five or ten minutes to myself and I veg out in front of the TV instead of being constructive but, alas, that’s Mum Life for you.
But, today is another day and it’s another reason to post an update. We had a fantastic time at Steve’s work family summer party. It was a rainy day in Stockton-on-Tees but there were a lot of lovely people to meet and Jack was happy to have cake. There were some fairground rides and a petting zoo as well, plus the atmosphere was nice with a big party tent next to a lakeside park walk. Very pleasant indeed.
I made sure that Jack was included in some of Steve’s group photos with his colleagues because one day he may look back on his video gaming career (if he so chooses) and can say, “See, I was there when I was this young!”
In fact, I felt it was really good that we went as a family and did something other than the regular go-to activities of swimming, soccer, shopping, etc.
We still have holidays on the horizon, so I’m excited for that as well. It always seems really daunting to take a toddler out of the normal routine but when it’s a worthy cause such as having time off for family, it’s worth the effort.
Aside from that, it’s cooled off a bit more and jackets have gone back on. I’m feeling better after being sick for a couple of days from the heat and lack of sleep. (No, we do not have air conditioning in houses here.) That and the cool rain makes for a more positive outlook on life.
At work, I’ve done some Health Literacy training that I’ll have to share with the library staff. I’ve also been working extra Saturdays because that is the easiest day for me to snag a few hours. Jack is in a new, privately run soccer group because I think the large groups run by big companies just made it way easier for him to be overwhelmed and distracted. He’s a leader, not a follower, so he does what he wants to do if there is no direct attention.
My mother’s birthday is today and I’m super grateful that we’re still able to celebrate even from afar. I’ve tried to talk her into having a day fit for a princess with food, shopping, and a nap because that’s what I like to do on my birthday.
I’ve also decided to just act as if with my writing. If I mentally believe I’m working on one of my young adult series, I’ll be more apt to actually work on it. Again, it’s just time I do not have, so the delusional belief is strong. But it has to be.
