I love Wednesdays, really, I do!

I used to hate Wednesdays. I think it was a Radio 1 DJ who coined the phrase “hump day Wednesday” … too far from last weekend and too far from next weekend. When I had a ‘proper job’ I used to agree with this sentiment, as did everyone else I worked with. Energy levels slumped and productivity was lower (yes, I analysed it once).

But what a difference a few years [two children and a career change] make. Wednesday is now the day I don’t have to work. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Tiny Acorns, I love seeing everyone at music class, meeting new people, having a chat, it’s really not like a proper job at all. But Wednesdays I always set out to be the day of productivity, the day where I tidied and cleaned, spent time – quality time – with my children, saw friends, did shopping and generally enjoyed the benefits of self-employment.

So someone tell me why this perfect day of productivity and fun has yet to appear! I get up just as early, if not earlier. I work like the proverbial Trojan and fall into bed thinking wow classes tomorrow, that must be easier.

Take today – play date organised for 11.30am, a nice late start, so surely a load of washing, some housework and collection of two parcels from the Post Office Depot in Maylands Avenue can’t be too challenging. Having got myself and two little people organised, I find the car seats are in my parents’ car after Brownies last night so I divert via theirs on foot, drop them off (the children not the car seats) and walk home (admittedly not far!) to retrieve the car, collect the parcels then collect children and car seats (via a pit stop home to collect drinks, bags and coats) and head to Kings Langley Village for a spot of lunch – how lady wot lunches.  My children are again well-behaved (read slightly too loud and embarrassing though quietened by food) and the food is good, so we head to the park where it rains. Oh no hang on, I forgot … enroute to the park I take a wrong turn (I mean I’ve only lived here all my life) and try to turn the car/beast round in someone’s driveway only to get it stuck. My expert driving skills (ahem) enable me to manoeuvre out of the pickle I find myself in and park up. We run to the park excitedly, youngest falls in a muddy puddle and it starts to rain.  Great, OK back in the car, let’s go home and make cakes.

Right, we head to Sainsburys where a joint effort gets the shopping done. This is the last time I EVER do food shopping EVER EVER EVERRRRRRR! The children were cranky, the shoppers were in my way, the trolley was wonky … need I go on? Youngest fills her nappy on aisle 2 and eldest starts whining … argh … OK, let’s get out of here! Throw everything on conveyor belt, put wriggling youngest in trolley seat, tights half down, both legs through one hole (of trolley, not tights) and hasty dash to the car before it really starts raining.

Loading a car my size should be easy. But I can never find much space. So with youngest refusing to now leave trolley having previously protested at being in it (go figure), I load the car and glance up as I see trolley with child moving unaided, off into the car park. A glance at the shopping and my child and I decide to rescue said child letting shopping fall. Now remember before I said I was buying ingredients for cakes?! So of course it was the eggs that hit the floor, the clothes (because you have to buy clothes to make food shopping bearable) that land in something unmentionable but which I am convincing myself was just a puddle, and the orange juice that splits. ARGH!

Throw the lot in the car (please note said child was now strapped in!) and head home, where upon both children fall asleep in the car. Now anyone who has or has ever had children knows full well that child who has left their ‘napping’ days behind and then naps during the day is a recipe for disaster. My chances of her going to bed early are vastly reduced from slim to none to not a chance in a million. Great.

On the one hand I think right, wake her up, but on the other (or rather in the other) I hold a packet of McVities Chocolate Digestives. Tough call, isn’t it?!!!

Thankfully my mothering sense kicked in. I ate three of the beauties at record speed before waking her up and making glittery bead bracelets all afternoon. A vast improvement.

She didn’t want to make cakes in the end (I know!!) but we did have fun. That really is my kind of Wednesday – totally unproductive, totally random, but totally memorable

Now, where’s that packet of biscuits?

Laura x