Number of dead birds. Four. Three inside, and one on the front door step. Two in one morning. The girls found the carcasses when they came downstairs on Saturday morning, and bravely manhandled them into plastic bags. The plastic bags sat in the bath until I saw them, and gave the Big Ones the kudos they so very much deserved. Also found a dead lizard under the mat in the lounge. The cats are looking for a new home.
Number of “Where Mum?” Double digits. Mish will stop what she’s doing, look into the near distance and become suddenly aware that Someone Significant hasn’t been seen in a while. We remind her about the airplane and Mum will be back later. She agrees wholeheartedly and then gets back to whatever it was that she was doing. Today, while waiting in a queue at church, she had the conversation all to herself. “Where-mum-gone-in-airplane-come-back-later. Yeah.”
Number of carpet stains. Too many! The grub mat seems to be The Thing to Be Missed. Actually, what happens is the child sits on said mat, whilst the food / drink / random staining agent sits on carpet. I can only think that the grub mat is more comfortable than the carpet, but isn’t good for placing a plate on...
Percentage of tasks accomplished. Oh, less than 50%. In don’t think I even got an E. Who cares. This week has taught me a lot about relating, about putting the task list to one side and doing whatever comes next. And as the week has progressed, I found more grace and capacity to do stuff, borne out of relationship with my daughters. I need to catch hold of this lesson, and let in create change in me.
Number of love treats for the Big Girls, from mum. Six each. One for each day mum’s been away. And they’ve wriggled and giggled with delight at the thought of the daily treat. Kenzie has a neat story about one of hers. I chose the biggest ones for Saturday, and popped them on the bed before we went out for the morning. Kenzie saw some new type of playdough in ToyWorld. Really wanted to get it. Decided against it. Came home, opened her treat (a mini set of playdough), and sat gobsmacked that her Mummy knows her so well...
Amount of tears shed on the first day. Gosh. A lot. We all had our leaks. Squeals of delight on the last day. Just as many as tears on the first. Neat feeling, being excited.
Number of nights slept on the floor in the walk-in wardrobe. Two each. We played coconut crack to decide who got the floor on the first night, and then rotated. Maddy’s very pleased that she gets to have the floor on the last night. That’s significant to our spirited one.
Baskets of laundry – five, and counting. And we’re still nowhere close to making a dent in the mountain. We wash more clothes in a week that most families on the planet actually own. That’s a gluttonous thought, right there.
Number of odd socks amongst those five baskets – 32. Thirty-two socks without a mate. That’s mind-blowingly stupid.
Fights mediated. Lost count. The inherent tension of the week, with the Big Ones acutely aware that their Mainstay isn’t here, has amplified the spikes in sisterly love and hate. One minute they are best friends, the only ones in the world who get what each other is going through, and the next they are at each other’s throat, not able to process what each other is going through.
Cuddles given. Heaps and heaps. Heart food. Mishie drops everything and runs in for a cuddle. Kenzie stops on the way past. Maddy asks for one, without using the words “can I have a cuddle”.
Number of times the first aid kit came out. Just one. K cut her foot on the washing machine, slipping on a damp floor in the laundry. Why was the floor damp? Cleaning up blood from dead bird fest...
Number of fluffies for Mish. Four. Or five. I can’t remember. She’s so sweet about it, and is a genuine connoisseur. The best of the week, Cafe Lounge in Freedom Furniture. Very cute presentation. I do wonder what we are creating in her. She’ll live in Ponsonby one day, no doubt.
Number of attempts at Mishie’s water spout hair-do. One. And it worked, and it held all day. I’m particularly proud of this achievement!
Number of nights I forgot to brush Mishie’s teeth. None. My life’s not worth it!
Number of times I forgot to brush my teeth. Two. Disrupted routine, and not wanting to wake the girls when I come to bed. Those are my excuses.
Number of airplanes spotted by Eagle Eyes. Lots and lots. The Little One can spot a plane before the plane even knows it’s there. She’s human radar. I see the prophetic in this – she’s always looking Up.
Number of cool mornings spent at school. One, but man, it was cool. The kids had the Book Week Parade, and it was a very neat experience. Everyone – and I mean everyone – entered into the spirit o the day. The Kauri Team teachers all dressed as Dalmatians. The principal and deputy principal were resplendent as fairies. Complete with tutu’s. Every single child was in some sort of character. Kenzie was part of a cast – her friends and her paid homage to Peter Pan –
and Kenzie’s role was a modern day Wendy. Oversize soft toy, pillow, slippers and jim-jams. Very cute. Maddy went as one of the most original parts; Cinders. Not Cinderella, but Cinders, i.e. the servant girl version before the ball. Maddy was very committed to the part – she refused to wash her feet all week, so that they would be suitably dirty come Friday. Classic. The other kids came in the predictable. About a half dozen Pippy Long Stockings. Multiple Pirates. Disturbingly, several Grim Reapers. Fairies a-plenty. Princesses prancing. A couple of Indiana Jones. Very sweet morning, which ended with me and Mish joining in Jump Jam. Don’t stress, we were very circumspect, at the back and out of sight. Well out of sight of Those Who Would Be Embarrassed!
The male version of SAHM is, I guess, SAHD. That’s like sad with emphasis. But it’s been anything but sad – my week has been awesome. I’ve found a new way of relating to my daughters, a new appreciation for what Love gives to our Unit, and a peaceful grace and perspective that I’m looking forward to walking in. As much as this week has been a Significant Part of the journey that Love is on with God, looking back with eyes to see, it’s also been a pivotal week in my journey too.
Number of “Where Mum?” Double digits. Mish will stop what she’s doing, look into the near distance and become suddenly aware that Someone Significant hasn’t been seen in a while. We remind her about the airplane and Mum will be back later. She agrees wholeheartedly and then gets back to whatever it was that she was doing. Today, while waiting in a queue at church, she had the conversation all to herself. “Where-mum-gone-in-airplane-come-back-later. Yeah.”
Number of carpet stains. Too many! The grub mat seems to be The Thing to Be Missed. Actually, what happens is the child sits on said mat, whilst the food / drink / random staining agent sits on carpet. I can only think that the grub mat is more comfortable than the carpet, but isn’t good for placing a plate on...
Percentage of tasks accomplished. Oh, less than 50%. In don’t think I even got an E. Who cares. This week has taught me a lot about relating, about putting the task list to one side and doing whatever comes next. And as the week has progressed, I found more grace and capacity to do stuff, borne out of relationship with my daughters. I need to catch hold of this lesson, and let in create change in me.
Number of love treats for the Big Girls, from mum. Six each. One for each day mum’s been away. And they’ve wriggled and giggled with delight at the thought of the daily treat. Kenzie has a neat story about one of hers. I chose the biggest ones for Saturday, and popped them on the bed before we went out for the morning. Kenzie saw some new type of playdough in ToyWorld. Really wanted to get it. Decided against it. Came home, opened her treat (a mini set of playdough), and sat gobsmacked that her Mummy knows her so well...
Amount of tears shed on the first day. Gosh. A lot. We all had our leaks. Squeals of delight on the last day. Just as many as tears on the first. Neat feeling, being excited.
Number of nights slept on the floor in the walk-in wardrobe. Two each. We played coconut crack to decide who got the floor on the first night, and then rotated. Maddy’s very pleased that she gets to have the floor on the last night. That’s significant to our spirited one.
Baskets of laundry – five, and counting. And we’re still nowhere close to making a dent in the mountain. We wash more clothes in a week that most families on the planet actually own. That’s a gluttonous thought, right there.
Number of odd socks amongst those five baskets – 32. Thirty-two socks without a mate. That’s mind-blowingly stupid.
Fights mediated. Lost count. The inherent tension of the week, with the Big Ones acutely aware that their Mainstay isn’t here, has amplified the spikes in sisterly love and hate. One minute they are best friends, the only ones in the world who get what each other is going through, and the next they are at each other’s throat, not able to process what each other is going through.
Cuddles given. Heaps and heaps. Heart food. Mishie drops everything and runs in for a cuddle. Kenzie stops on the way past. Maddy asks for one, without using the words “can I have a cuddle”.
Number of times the first aid kit came out. Just one. K cut her foot on the washing machine, slipping on a damp floor in the laundry. Why was the floor damp? Cleaning up blood from dead bird fest...
Number of fluffies for Mish. Four. Or five. I can’t remember. She’s so sweet about it, and is a genuine connoisseur. The best of the week, Cafe Lounge in Freedom Furniture. Very cute presentation. I do wonder what we are creating in her. She’ll live in Ponsonby one day, no doubt.
Number of attempts at Mishie’s water spout hair-do. One. And it worked, and it held all day. I’m particularly proud of this achievement!
Number of nights I forgot to brush Mishie’s teeth. None. My life’s not worth it!
Number of times I forgot to brush my teeth. Two. Disrupted routine, and not wanting to wake the girls when I come to bed. Those are my excuses.
Number of airplanes spotted by Eagle Eyes. Lots and lots. The Little One can spot a plane before the plane even knows it’s there. She’s human radar. I see the prophetic in this – she’s always looking Up.
Number of cool mornings spent at school. One, but man, it was cool. The kids had the Book Week Parade, and it was a very neat experience. Everyone – and I mean everyone – entered into the spirit o the day. The Kauri Team teachers all dressed as Dalmatians. The principal and deputy principal were resplendent as fairies. Complete with tutu’s. Every single child was in some sort of character. Kenzie was part of a cast – her friends and her paid homage to Peter Pan –
and Kenzie’s role was a modern day Wendy. Oversize soft toy, pillow, slippers and jim-jams. Very cute. Maddy went as one of the most original parts; Cinders. Not Cinderella, but Cinders, i.e. the servant girl version before the ball. Maddy was very committed to the part – she refused to wash her feet all week, so that they would be suitably dirty come Friday. Classic. The other kids came in the predictable. About a half dozen Pippy Long Stockings. Multiple Pirates. Disturbingly, several Grim Reapers. Fairies a-plenty. Princesses prancing. A couple of Indiana Jones. Very sweet morning, which ended with me and Mish joining in Jump Jam. Don’t stress, we were very circumspect, at the back and out of sight. Well out of sight of Those Who Would Be Embarrassed!The male version of SAHM is, I guess, SAHD. That’s like sad with emphasis. But it’s been anything but sad – my week has been awesome. I’ve found a new way of relating to my daughters, a new appreciation for what Love gives to our Unit, and a peaceful grace and perspective that I’m looking forward to walking in. As much as this week has been a Significant Part of the journey that Love is on with God, looking back with eyes to see, it’s also been a pivotal week in my journey too.
