Actually I think it was closer to six by the time we got home!
Yesterday, I dropped a text to a friend to see if she fancied taking all the kids to the park – in an attempt to burn off some of their energy since it was a reasonably nice day. An hour or so after, she phoned and asked when the kids were due to return to school. When I told her they go back next Tuesday and that I had everything except their school shoes, she said she was in the same position and had the “brain wave” of walking to Alfreton with all the kids, getting their school shoes and taking them to the park there for an hour before coming home again.
Great idea, in theory. . .
Of course, it sounded great so I agreed, met up with her at 12.10 and with 4 pushchairs and 13 kids between us.. yes, you read that right – thirteen!. . . we set off. To walk the 2.7 mile journey to Alfreton took us until 1.50pm! This was a walk that alone I can do in about half an hour.
After calling into the local bank to get some funds, we counted up the kids and set off toward the bakery to get them some lunch. We had all the kids with us when we began to cross the road, yet when I came out of the bakery, my middle daughter, Cate (who’s 4), was missing. To say I panicked would be an understatement. My kids are never out of my eyesight when we’re out so I sent the oldest (who’s 15) who she had been walking with back toward the back with the uttered threat of killing him if she wasn’t there. Thankfully she was! I don’t think I can describe the terror of those few minutes when I thought she was missing.. I feel sick thinking about it even now. What we think happened is that when we started to cross the road, she let go of the pushchair he was pushing and stepped back toward the bank, maybe thinking I was still inside. Either way, thankfully she’s safe.
After that traumatic experience, we did the shopping thing – finding shoes, lunch boxes and a cute t-shirt or two for Cody (who’s 18 months) and then headed to the park for an hour where they all ran themselves ragged. At approx 4.20 we set off for home and that 2.7 mile walk again and didn’t get home until 6.20!!!! Talk about shattered!
The kids all had a quick easy meal and showers then went off to bed exhausted. And I was in bed by 10.30 too. Unfortunately, a good night’s sleep was not to be had since Cody then decided he was going to throw up all night long and when he wasn’t being sick he was going to cling.
So, at 3am, Cody and I were lying on the sofa watching Rory the Racing Car followed by FiFi and the Flowertots - not really what I wanted to be doing at that time!
He finally settled back down at around 4.30 and we headed back to bed, where he insisted on sleeping between me and his dad. He’s spent the entire day today crying and yawning, my poor little man!
On an up note, my new laptop arrived today – a nice shiny Samsung R530 – and very sexy it is too. After spending a couple of hours setting it up and then removing half the software it came with – I’m almost at the point where I have everything I need installed. Got a few more bits to do tomorrow and then it’ll be perfect 
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