Sometimes OK is enough

I have had one of those mornings. You know the ones. The ones where nothing really goes wrong but nothing really goes right either. I even got up early to make the rush of the morning less stressful, to make more time to get more things done.

I’ve started doing supply teaching this year and I’ve been getting quite a bit of work. I’m thoroughly enjoying being back in the classroom. I like the interaction with the kids. I enjoy teaching and helping and I just enjoy a lunch time where I don’t have to listen to kids arguing or demanding vegemite not peanut butter. I like that I get to go to the toilet when I need to and not when it fits around my two kids who are at home during the day. I like the adult conversation at lunch time.

Monday I worked so I started the week a little behind schedule and that has had a knock on effect to the rest of the household. Hollie had a break down or two about stuffing up her viola playing and then about not getting her story draft written to a standard she thought acceptable. I had not made it a priority to sit down with her and help her with these to issues over the past few days as my priorities were elsewhere. Note that I didn’t say I don’t have time because clearly I do have time if I choose not to do something else. Everyone has time. I’m a mother of 5. I know about having time and commitments. I really felt like I had let Hollie down even though I know it is her responsibility to get these jobs done before today. Hollie went to school upset. I went on with my day upset.

Kevin was throwing a tantrum because I’d opened the can of dog food for him. He didn’t want to go to school because we’d upset him. On the way to school his shoe fell off and the tantrum started again. I didn’t have the patience for him. Again, I felt like I’d let him down.

As we were leaving for school Lisa couldn’t find her shoes. These were left in Daddy’s car yesterday when he picked up Lisa from kindy as I was at an appointment. This was a small issue but turned into a big one because she cried and I didn’t have the patience to deal with the tantrum because we were already running late to buy a new school uniform and take Hannah to the library at school so I told Lisa to get into the pram. Yes, a four year old in a pram! Our rule is you aren’t allowed to go to school with no shoes on. The librarian made Lisa cry when she made comment about Lisa’s lack of shoes because she knows our rules too. If only I’d taken the time to let her find new shoes this wouldn’t have happened. Again, I felt like I’d let her down.

After buying the uniforms and taking Hannah to the library to borrow a book I went to her classroom to see if the teacher wanted help with changing the readers because they weren’t done yesterday.  This is usually my job in Hannah’s class because no other parent does it. Yesterday I didn’t do it partly because I had to drop Hollie at her first day of the maths/science academy she was accepted into and then dropped Lisa and a friend’s daughter at kindy and partly because I was still trying to catch up on house work from being at work on Monday and I had a group of ladies coming over at 10am. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty about not changing the readers but I can’t help it. I love seeing kids learning. I love books and know how important reading is. I also know that essentially this is the actual teacher’s job but I also know it takes at least half an hour to do and I don’t know where she is going to find that time. This time not only did I feel as though I’d let Hannah down but her whole class and her teacher as well.


I know all of this is not really anything but I feel like I’m not doing anything well at the moment. I feel like I’m merely doing life OK. I’m not doing it better than OK. I’m stretched thin in all directions. When I got to playgroup all tired and worn out I just cried. I didn’t want to cry in front of my friends but I just felt like I was doing a terrible job of everything. After a hug from my friend I felt a lot better though. We are all Mums and we all have bad days/bad weeks. When I got home I text my husband and told him I needed a hug. When I told him what the matter was (that I felt like I was doing life OK not great. I wasn’t being a great Mum I was being an OK Mum. I wasn’t being a great housewife I was being on OK one. I wasn’t being a great worker I was being an OK one) he told me being OK is OK. That’s why it’s called OK. He made me laugh and I know he is right. I can’t be amazing all the time. Sometimes OK is enough. Tomorrow will be a better day. I hope.

Organisations

As it is with most organisations, a few people do most of the work. I am the tresurer of our local Playgroup and also do a lot of other other running of the Playgroup. A lot of organising, a lot of the cleaning, a lot of the buying, a lot of doing activities with the kids.

I always say that you should give a busy person a job because you'll know it'll get done. I'm also the kind of person who just gets in and does it because usually I don't mind and I know it'll get done. I don't mind but at the same time I don't understand how people can sit around and not do.

It is very rare that I am not involved in the cleaning of the Playgroup shed and it is usually because the kids need to get home to sleep. I don't know how many times I've vacuumed the floor with Hannah crawling behind me crying or being held by one of the people who never vacuumes. There have also been numerous times where I have vacuumed and mopped  and when I've finally closed the shed there has been noone there. Yes. This is a whinge because I guess I'm sick of being one of the few.

On a lighter note, we did have a good time at Playgroup today. Heidi brought playdough and so did I so we had two different colours which is always good. We discussed many of the issues of Playgroup such as the cleaning and it was decided that I should write an email reminding people of their shared responsibilities and to call a meeting of interested people.  One of the problems is that there is no committe so it is difficult to make decisions because it is more of a consultation process which takes far longer than a meeting would. I have proposed a meeting after dinner out somewhere. That's a good idea right?

Here is a photo of Hannah at Playgroup a few weeks ago.

New teeth and a chipped tooth

We have been dealing with teething children for almost 3 years now. One seems to get new teeth and goes out of teething as the other enters. I guess that's the price I have to pay for having kids so close together. Hannah 3rd tooth popped through yesterday and the 4th one today so thank God that is over for a while. Hopefully it will mean more sleep for all concerned.

This is Hannah at Playgroup with a funny hat on before her teeth were big and visible.

Jessica is also teething. Trying to get those 2 year old molars through. She has one through so we are just waiting for the other 3 to come now. SO she's getting teeth but she lost a part of her front tooth when she chipped it at the pool on Saturday. I only knew it was chipped because I saw the bit of tooth in her mouth and like the true scrapbooker I am I picked out the piece of tooth to scrap and then I gave her a cuddle. Poor little thing she had blood coming from gum of the broken tooth.

Here is Jessica eating ice cream at the Longreach Club when Mum was here. This was right before she tipped the bowl up and drank the remaining runny ice cream.

Hollie has all her teeth now until she's four. Then the unfortunate thing is they start to fall out.

This is Hollie is the hat at Playgroup too. Isn't she just beautiful?

I am hoping to follow later today with a few LOs I've recently completed. I just hope the kids think it's ok for Mummy to have Mummy time. We'll see.