A new royal start

QueenJess

Ugh, it feels like everything is never ending at the moment. I got over the cold, but DD has given me what she had and I feel awful. Hopefully I will throw it off without antibiotics - only time will tell on that one. Took me a few days to realise that’s what it was as I think about myself so little.

So DD recovered and was happy back at nursery and so Friday I had a lovely time walking through the garden centre all morning planning. I thought as I can’t do anything else at the moment, I could do some easier patio gardening. Our patio is slightly rubbish and very boring looking, so I’ve decided to completely fill it with pots of veg, fruit and flowers. I already have some pots and trugs on there, so although I will need to buy some new ones, it isn’t too bad. I’ve got extra seeds that I need (already had some) and plan on having a lovely time sowing them all and seeing what chaos ensues! Came back from the garden centre and found DS at home. He was sick at school and DH picked him up. Luckily it only lasted 24 hours or so (wasn’t Covid), so must have been a tummy bug.

Behind on everything as usual and I don’t even know if I’ve got dinner for tomorrow! Really need to get myself sorted, but feel rubbish. Hoping I feel well enough to pop back to the garden centre tomorrow - I’m trying to do it all in little bits as it’s overwhelming (severe decision fatigue and I don’t have the mental capacity right now!) to think of everything at once and so I’m doing a little bit a day and seeing what happens. I did go with DS this weekend and he picked out the peas and potatoes he wants to grow with me. We planted up the peas so fingers crossed they grow! Need to sort out the trugs to start planting a few bits of veg and really need some compost, so off to the garden centre for that tomorrow, as well as a browse of more pots and maybe a gooseberry plant.

My head is all full of gardening at the moment as I’ve decided that’s something I can do as quality me time as well as some things with DS as he enjoys seeing things grow that he eats. Must sort out the food situation soon and organise myself a bit more for DD’s first birthday next week!

QueenJess

Oh - and nearly forgot, but DH is still working silly hours for at least another week now (should have finished already), so looks like he will be free when I am back at work 🙄

QueenJess

Absolutely nothing happening here.  Felt absolutely terrible yesterday and struggled just to pick up DS and DD, then came back, shoved them at DH and went to bed.  DD has definitely been sharing her illness around and I am really struggling to shake it off as I just don't get enough sleep.  I'm now on enforced rest trying to get rid of it as I know as soon as I do anything it'll get worse again.  It is pretty dull though...

There will be a crisis at some point since DD will need a birthday cake, presents wrapped and I haven't been food shopping in weeks..

MagicCat

Get well soon QueenJess, it sounds rubbish for you  Rest up and take care of yourself and hopefully you'll be on the mend soon.

TallGirl

Please take care of yourself as your all the things for DDs birthday as nice as they all are she will not remember them so cheat buy the cake or don’t have one. Love all your cooking but it does sound very one sided with your DH I keep hoping he’ll step up. 

Aimingforthegoodlife

As TG says, buy a cheat cake or don't have one, she won't remember! To be honest I have always had shop bought cakes and always enjoyed them, allow yourself time to heal up and I think you need to put less pressure on yourself. When my bestie is struggling as a mum, I ask her, is he alive? Is he as healthy as he can be? As long as those are yes answers (healthy as they can be as they do get poorly quite often!) then you are winning at parenting. Take care

QueenJess

Thanks all for your good wishes and the kind of sensible advice I give out but struggle to do for myself!

I've allowed myself to do one very small thing everyday in the house so I don't go completely insane.  I am otherwise literally either lying in bed or sitting on the sofa bored out of my mind and partially plotting lots of garden activity when I am better.  I think it is finally working and I am very slowly getting better.  Hopefully another day or two of this and I can slowly get back to everything.

DD is very unimpressed that I am not at her beck and call (apart from bf services of course) and she is also not happy I am eating and drinking less as she's getting a bit less milk from me.  DS has been claiming illness as well (I know it isn't true) as he feels left out, so lots of fun guilt there, but I'm only one person!  Goodness knows how everything will get done when I go back to work in under two weeks, but I have decided to pretend it isn't happening for the moment.  To be fair, I am only back a week and then off for two weeks on Easter holidays so lots of family time I can make up there.  The real work will start after that and I'll see how it goes.  I'll definitely miss being paid for not working!

DH is doing double duty at the moment picking up, dropping off, doing all the bedtimes and cooking dinners.  I was originally going to take DD out for her birthday, but she'll have to go to nursery instead.  It's more disappointing for me as she likes nursery.  Hopefully I can catch up in the Easter holidays and we can actually have some proper family time arranged (yet to be planned ).

My one task yesterday was putting the indoor tent thing together for DD and tbh it didn't take very long - I then hid it behind some stuff and the large double mattress I am still waiting for the council to pick up.  She doesn't really need anything and so I decided this would be a good present as it is big enough to use for years and years and DD and DS can play with it together.  Plus, what child isn't excited by a tent?!  If you remember, I earned survey vouchers for it, so apart from my time it was completely free.  My task today was making her cake.  I really dislike shop bought cakes as I find them just sugary.  I did a very simple sponge cake where I just threw all the ingredients in a mixer then into the oven for 20 mins.  Tomorrow I will do the buttercream and jam to stick together and put the edible icing top I bought in Jan (!) on the top.

So now I am at a loose end, so more catching up on the TV I've recorded and more garden plotting for the next time I can get out there/get to a garden centre.  One piece of good news is that I "spoke" (by text) to the people over the road and they've offered me their propagator once they've finished with it in a few weeks.  That should help me catch up with my huge amount of seed sowing.  Still lots of time as I can sow them in April still and working from home should mean I can pop out and plant a few seeds everyday (I hope!) for a break.

We are clinging on without any food shopping being done for a while longer.  Today's dinner will be pizza with some dough from the freezer for me and DH, DD and DS will have them on crumpets as they seem to love crumpets (which is why I keep buying reduced 16p ones every time I see them for the freezer).  Will scrabble around for some toppings - probably cheese and tomato and then sides of carrots and sweetcorn.  Pudding is flapjacks, apricot and white chocolate cake, various different muffins, or for me ice cream as it soothes my sore throat.

QueenJess

Aimingforthegoodlife said:

As TG says, buy a cheat cake or don't have one, she won't remember! To be honest I have always had shop bought cakes and always enjoyed them, allow yourself time to heal up and I think you need to put less pressure on yourself. When my bestie is struggling as a mum, I ask her, is he alive? Is he as healthy as he can be? As long as those are yes answers (healthy as they can be as they do get poorly quite often!) then you are winning at parenting. Take care

I try to slow down, but I am very bad at it.  I've been reading some slow living articles as inspiration...  I'm thinking of writing myself a to do list which limits the things I do everyday so then I can relax at the end of the list rather than trying to do everything.  I think it's worth a go, although I am worried about doing what I do now plus full time work soon.  However, I guess it's not really a long term job anyway as it is a bit dull and I have zero career prospects there, so maybe I should try and not work more than I have to.  Easier said than done if you are me though!

QueenJess

All the resting is working and I am FINALLY getting better - wahoo!  Now just need to try and stay patient and continue resting to not jeopardise my recovery, although I am so anxious to get out into the garden!  If I feel better again tomorrow, I will definitely venture out there for a while tomorrow - I've been making a list of things to plant

DD is 1 today!  How is she so old already?  She has absolutely no idea what is going on obviously, but loves to be centre of attention so she's quite excited.  Need to buttercream and jam the cake together for later and arrange her tent present for her.  I'm sure she'll love it and hopefully she can play nicely with DS in it.  Other than that I am mainly tied to the sofa/bed again today, although I may see if I am up to doing an online food order before things get desperate.  I did think I could go food shopping myself, but frankly there are other things I would much rather do with my time than food shop.

If I'm MIA tomorrow that means I've gone a bit garden crazy.. hopefully back in a few days to say I'm completely recovered, service is back to normal and I've managed to sow lots of lovely seeds!  I've already noticed today that my dwarf sunflowers for pots have germinated.  I'm so excited as I have never had any luck with growing sunflowers and hoped the dwarf ones would change that!

QueenJess

Wow - forgot even about dinner as I've extracted myself from cooking for too long!  Tonight is fish and chips as it's DD's newly favourite meal.