• Longing for a little more sleep after Jesse stumbled into my room around 5.45am.
• Listening to Izzy cough and splutter. She woke up with a nasty cold.
• Wishing Mr. LA wasn’t working away. I’ve a long run of solo parenting ahead while he’s shooting in Thailand. Lucky sod.
• Sipping tea on the sofa.
• Eventually summoning enough energy to make breakfast.
• Very much enjoying my waffle iron, a fabulous Christmas gift from my in-laws. This recipe hasn’t failed me yet and I like mine topped with sliced banana and maple syrup.
• Slowly getting ready to face the day.
• Sitting quietly in my room with another cup of tea while the children played.
• Marvelling at the massive amount of fun they can have with a few cardboard boxes.
• Wondering why brave knights in cardboard castles and mismatched jimjams don’t feel the cold like the rest of us.
• Coaxing the kids into their clothes.
• Making a round of fish finger sandwiches for lunch.
• Heading out for a long wintry walk.
• Trailing after the children as they ran through the park.
• Waiting while Jesse paused to pick up sticks and stomp through the mud.
• Stopping to watch the swans on the water.
• Popping to the supermarket.
• Treating the children to a Kinderegg each.
• Somehow assembling their tiny toys with my frozen fingers.
• Popping into the playground.
• Luring the children away as quickly as I could. It was far too cold for sitting on the sidelines while they played.
• Stopping in at the library on the way home.
• Waiting patiently while the children agonised over their choice of books.
• Smiling as Jesse checked out Avocado Baby*. Again.
• Letting the warmth of home wash over me.
• Toasting hot cross buns and warming milk for mugs of hot chocolate.
• Getting comfy on the sofa for a few hours in front of Alice in Wonderland.
• Pottering in the kitchen while the kids carried on crafting with cardboard. Seriously, hours of fun. Not sure why any of us bother with expensive toys and gifts really.
• Cooking and eating another roast butternut squash risotto. I’d been looking forward to it all day.
• Reading Jesse a story and tucking him into bed.
• Pouring myself a large glass of Baileys.
• Watching Mr. Stink on iPlayer with Izzy.
• Sending her to bed before binge watching Mr. Selfridge on Netflix.
• Climbing into my own bed before 10pm. Solo parenting is tiring stuff.
• Wanting to cry a little when Jess woke up at 5.30am.
• Letting him snuggle with me beneath the covers instead.
• Dozing side-by-side until almost 7am.
• Deciding the children were much too full of cold to go out.
• Spending a very lazy day indoors.
• Writing lists and ordering supplies for Izzy’s 10th birthday party next weekend.
• Sneaking upstairs to tidy the attic while the children were engrossed in a game.
• Dreaming of the day this space actually functions as the shared office/guest bedroom it’s intended to be.
• Sorting laundry and cleaning the kitchen.
• Supervising the children while they made snickerdoodles.
• Sitting down to enjoy a warm biscuit, fresh from the oven, with a steaming mug of tea.
• Roasting sweet potato and onion with a little sage.
• Boiling a pot of pasta and blitzing the veg with some stock to form a thick sauce.
• Topping the lot with mozerella and a few breadcrumbs before whacking it under the grill.
• Eating too much.
• Dunking the children into the bath.
• Putting away piles of washing and making beds.
• Shampooing hair and towel drying tiny toes.
• Listening to Jesse read before bed.
• Creeping downstairs to finish tidying up.
• Searching for the energy to write this blog post.
• Hoping I can make it through the week ahead.

Love Audrey xxx

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