Midnight, 2am. 4:30am, 6am – these times were when I had to get up to a screaming child yesterday morning, the last being the start to my day. He grumbled and lamented over everything (and nothing), and by 7am there was a Pity Party exclusive for one going on in my head when Jef went off to work particularly early. I had envisaged a whirl-wind cleaning episode of our apartment while Kien entertained himself quietly in his toy corner. I had hoped to have our mountain of laundry line dried in the sun and beautifully folded or hung up by the end of the day. I wanted to scrape and mop up the chewed-up-and-spat-out cracker deposits from the floor, with at least a once over with the vacuum. Mattresses needed to be turned, sheets needed to be changed, surfaces needed to be wiped.
With Kien up on the kitchen bench playing with water and utentials in the sink I was able to whip up a batch of muffins to take to playgroup. I also chucked some Thai Chicken curry ingredients into the slow-cooker. He had his blueberry porridge on the kitchen floor while being distracted with me reciting "Humpty Dumpty" and him doing all the sound effects. Then 2 loads of laundry were washed and chucked into the dryer (wasting all that lovely sunshine), and as the muffins were cooling for all of 5 minutes on the rack I pursuaded Kien out of his pijamas and into going out clothes.
He became reasonable when I told him we were going for a walk outside. Outside is where he wants to be all the time and he says the word constantly whilst pointing toward windows or doors. We do play out in the stairwell from time to time; with all my vegetable pots combined with our neighbour's plantings it is almost outside.
It was a pleasant stroll to Ponsonby Tce, and Kien was good and happy to be running around with other children while I had a well deserved coffee and muffin - still warm, just the way a muffin should be served if possible. Morning tea was served outside.
He fell asleep in the buggy just as we were walking down Anglesea St, so I made myself comfortable outside our back door and enjoyed my sushi in relative quietness.
With lunch over I lay on the grass outside our apartment watching the world go by. I could hear the birds chirping all around me, and looked up to see them sitting in the tree that is now budding with new growth. Lawns were being mowed, and small patches of daisy florettes were bursting through the ground with their vibrant yellow discs smiling toward the sun. Yes, indeed it must be Spring?! My child snoring in the stroller as the faint smell of Fresias waffed through the air certainly leads me to believe Winter is finally over. Not that my child snoring in the stroller has anything to do with the start of Spring…
45 minutes later he was awake and raring to go. It was only 12:15pm, and I had the entire afternoon stretched out before me. So up the stairs to the apartment for a quick change of clothes, a towel and a sunhat, and we were in the car heading for Sentinel Beach. Less than 10 minutes later (it took ≈ 5 minutes for a toddler who insisted on walking down the flight of stairs) Kien was frolicking in the sand and I was enjoying the sea breeze, high tide and lapping waves.
It was 2 hours of joy; Kien running, climbing, jumping up and down, rolling in the sand, digging, laughing and kissing his mother lots. Even if they were sloppy I didn’t care – he would run up to me or lean over, pout and make the “mmmwaa” noise.
Come 3pm we had to get going as I had arranged for a kids dinner on the lawn with my neighbours. We dashed to the supermarket for a few odds and ends, and when we got home I put a pot of rice on. Then it was kids fun time outside.
Kien and his love of bubbles was evident when Rie started blowing them.
They are sat down to share chicken curry and rice.
It was such a pleasant way to finish the day.
The mountain of dirty washing is now a mound of floppy but clean laundry (as opposed to crisp and fresh from the line). Mattresses unturned, sheets unchanged, surfaces unwiped, floors unvacuumed. But do you know what? It doesn't really matter, because the day that was supposed to have chores done ended up being a day that happiness and fond memories were achieved instead.
