Kitchen sink full of dishes…

Naomis Honesty Hour - 21 Oct 18

I roll out of bed and switch off my 3rd alarm for the morning, drag something on, brush my teeth, splash my face with water, look in the mirror and practice my smile. I wake the kids, get their cereal ready and notice that my KITCHEN SINK IS FULL OF DISHES. The girls eat I iron their uniforms and get them ready for school, I look at the clock and realise its almost half past 8 and the girls have to be at school for 8:45.

I rush the girls along, get them out the door and we walk as quickly as we possibly can only to get to my eldest’s school to find the gates are locked, so she uses the main reception doors. I then have to take my 2nd daughter round to her school and the doors are shut, so its time to walk round to the main entrance and sign her in late, I think of something to write in the box titled ‘reason for lateness’. I decide on simply signing my daughter in, leaving the box empty and use my earlier practiced smile and wave bye to my daughter before rushing back home.
I get back home, the KITCHEN SINK IS FULL OF DISHES, my toddler is energetic having finished eating her breakfast and ready to take on the day. The baby has woken for her 2nd morning time feed and hubby has gone back to sleep still tired from the chore of night shifts at work.

I feed the baby, and she smiles, coos, and laughs with me before I hear something that resembles the rumble of thunder and that’s my cue for nappy change time, so I change her nappy and then continues to think of fun things to do to keep her entertained whilst also having the toddler climb on me in an attempt to get my attention. After half an hour of playing games with the baby she finally goes back to sleep and then I attempt to give the toddler some attention but remember the SINK IS FULL OF DISHES and my laundry pile resembles Mount Kilimanjaro. So I then spend about an hour or so with the toddler alongside sorting the laundry, I fill the washing machine to look round and find the pile that Id just placed in the washing machine back on the floor and my toddler staring at me with the worlds biggest smile.

I take her out of the kitchen back into the lounge and find something to keep her occupied whilst I once again attempt the cleaning, I manage to get all the laundry back in the washing machine, the washing machine goes and then I look at the clock and it’s somehow after 11:30 and the baby has woken up and as if by magic my boob tap is dripping, so I leave the washing up and get the baby and its time for feed number 3 and the toddler is once again using me as a climbing frame as she’s given up playing with her toys and wants mummy’s attention. This is usually the point at which she finds it highly amusing to try and take out my other boob and as she no longer feeds she just plays about smiling at me as another way of stealing mummy’s attention whilst I attend to the baby. Feed over, toddler runs off to play with her toys again but finds her way back to the kitchen and the washing machine has finished, so that’s right, you’ve guessed it, I’m back in the kitchen and all my lovely clean laundry is now on the floor, Id love to know how she manages to make such a mess so quickly.

So I put my carrier on and attempt to settle the baby as she has a full tummy from her feed but seems to have adapted a whinge, that I simply can not ignore so I’m rocking her in caboo and the toddler is holding a cup and repeating the word ‘juice’ over and over, I look at the clock and its 12:15, lunch time. So I prepare some lunch for the toddler, and realise I haven’t had anything to eat all morning.

Lunch prepared, toddler fed, nap time for little miss and the baby has once again gone to sleep. Hubby wakes up, I’ve already got lunch prepared so give him my lunch and make something else for myself and this is the first time since waking up I am able to sit down relax, eat and have some quiet time. I enjoy the moment a little too much and you know what they say ‘time goes quickly when you’re having fun’ I look at the clock and it’s 13:05. Hubby finishes his lunch and gets ready for work, gives me a kiss and he’s out of the door, leaving his plate, so I pick up his and my plate and take them to the kitchen adding them to the already mountain like pile of dishes in my sink, I can’t quiet believe I’m half way through the day and still my SINK IS FULL OF DISHES.

I start to hang the laundry to dry and having had such a rushed morning I am feeling pretty tired so I decide I may as well get a nap while the baby naps and the toddler is still napping. That’s the advice they give mum’s right? Nap when the baby naps, so I lay down on the sofa and throw something over me and close my eyes and must have had about 10 mins when I hear my toddler calling ‘mummy, mum, mummy!’ from her cot, so I rush upstairs and get my toddler and kiss goodbye to getting any more sleep. I change her nappy and look at the clock and realise somehow its 14:00, so I get my daughter dressed who has spent all morning in a sleep suit, and get ready as I know we’ll need to leave within the next hour to pick up her sisters from school. I wake the baby to get her ready for the school run and then proceed to look for my keys which I can’t remember where I’ve placed them or if the toddler has found them and heaven only knows where they could be. So I frantically search the whole house, kitchen check, washing machine check, toilet (as my daughter loves the mess she can make in the bathroom and loves throwing things in the toilet) but still no keys. I know time is getting on so I have to phone the school and inform them that I’m running a little late and I risk leaving the house and have to leave it unlocked and rush out to pick up my daughters from school.

I pick up my eldest first who finishes at 15:20 getting the school just about on time, then go round to my other daughters school which was the school I called as I knew I wouldn’t make it for 15:15. I look at my toddler sat in the pram and something doesn’t look quite right, have a look at the below photo….

Then as I rush back home a very lovely lady points out that my daughter is missing her shoe and sock, she worries that her feet will be cold. If this lady only knew the day I’d had, missing sock and shoe alongside missing keys. But I again make use of my earlier practised smile and thank her for pointing out that her shoe is missing.
Back to the sanctuary of home, I continue my search for my keys and on returning to the kitchen I again see that my KITHCEN SINK IS FULL OF DISHES.

It’s at this point I feel almost ready to burst into tears, I still have dinner to cook, the night time routine to complete, still need to find my missing keys and still my KITCHEN SINK IS FULL OF DISHES! I feel panic and overwhelm steadily creep up and then I feel a tug on my trousers leg and my toddler looks up at me with her cup with the words ‘juice’ then along comes my 2nd daughter who asks if I’m okay to which I smile and say ‘mummy will be okay’ my eldest sensing that mummy is a little stressed out asks ‘mummy is there anything I can help with?’ ‘Don’t worry darling, mummy’s just having a bad day’.

Have you ever had days like this? Days where nothing seems to go to plan, everything seems manic and chaotic, you struggle to find a moment to yourself to relax and unwind? Days where you’re filled will a feeling of overwhelm?
If you’ve answered yes to all or even some of the above then I have some words of advice and encouragement for you…

First just remember that you’re not alone. Its so easy to think that you’re a bad mum for getting your children to school late, you feel lazy because the housework isn’t completed, you feel neglectful because you have to juggle so many other things alongside spending time with your children. Stop, you’re a busy mum and you’re doing the best you can and really that’s all that matters. You really can’t give better than your best and as long as you give your best you really have nothing more to offer.

Secondly it’s one day, we all have bad days and we’re entitled to have them, it would be lovely that every day run perfectly smoothly but that’s not real life. Life is far too unpredictable for every day to run exactly as the day before and as the day that follows. Things change and us mummies are great at adapting and moving with the change, so don’t worry that today hasn’t gone to plan because tomorrow is another day, it’s a new day tell yourself it’s going to be a better day than tomorrow, tell yourself its gonna be a good day, in fact tell yourself that its gonna be the very best day!
When I have really bad days I have to have a word with myself and remind myself that it could have been worse, and as long as I get through the day and all 4 kids needs are met that’s really all that matters. See picture below all kiddies back home after the school pick up 🙂

Finally, if your KITCHEN SINK IS FULL OF DISHES, its not the end of the world. It wont be full forever, if it hasn’t been done there and then it will get done eventually. Don’t stress over the small and unimportant things like the washing up because it will get done at some point because your gonna need to eat and for that you’ll need what’s in the sink. Failing that invest in paper plates or the more expensive dish washer 🙂 because never again will your KITCHEN SINK be FULL OF DISHES.

Naomis Honesty Hour

Busy mum of 4 currently on maternity leave. My day to day life involves being mum, cook, cleaner, feeder, chauffeur, nurse, teacher, house maid, banker, financial advisor and friend. Having so many duties can get pretty tiring and I rarely get time to gather my thoughts which usually results in me ranting about something or other. I thought what better way than writing as my way of getting it all out, so welcome to my honesty hour where I have at least 1 hour a day to myself to get my thoughts and feelings out in an attempt to maintain my sanity but also be honest and open about the highs and the lows of parenting, relationships and life in general.

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