Stop Working! I'm O.F.F

This week I thought I'd share a little giggle with you. This tale of Coronavirus lock down is quite frankly what many of us need right now - a little something to make us smile. As I'm sure many of you can appreciate at the moment, my planned food shop to Marks and Spencers (fancy!), without children (woo hoo!) was one of the highlights of my week. So delighted was I to be leaving the house, alone, I even decided to get properly dressed, and do my hair AND make up. I was going 'out-out'! Well not really, but you get the gist. I donned my Palm Print Palazzo Pants which go perfectly with 'sunny day, but chilly in the shade'. Hell, I even wore sandals. I thought I might as well show off the previous nights home pedicure, in lucious lock down lemon. I haven't driven in a while, so resorted back to my 'mirror, signal, manoeuvre' days. Two hands on the wheel and all. I arrived at Marks and Spencers list in hand. Queue wasn't too bad - mayb...

The past week has been less of a roller coaster and more of a log flume. A down hill tummy churning slide, gathering pace in to a slightly dull looking, colder than expected, end of the week. I'm not going to lie - very little has happened (surprise surprise). I feel like my enthusiasm for being an up beat, 'this ain't gonna beat us', positive mum has fallen by the way side. In my continued quest to 'keep the kids entertained, yet educated', I decided to follow and like a couple of groups on Facebook promising fabulous tips and ideas of what to do during lock down. And just like they say you should never google symptoms of your illness (because this inevitably results in sleepless nights), searching for ideas of fun things to do on social media, is another one to add to the 'don't do it' list. Do you ever look at other families and think "why can't we be more like them?" I do. With their never ending trail of Instagram-ready...

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been O.F.F, and we are all still happy (just) and healthy. I think the hardest thing is getting motivated for the day ahead. To actually get up out of bed, showered, dressed and ready for the day ahead. Who knows what the day will bring?! Oh. Nothing. And entertaining the kids. I feel like I am obsessed with keeping them entertained. I don't know why, because in real life it's not like I'm the sort of mum who constantly engages in role-play, or schedules in 'activities' to consume every hour of the day. But I think because I personally find boredom a mental health killer, I'm conscious they might too. But are they bored? Are they? I can't help but think they are loving these sudden days of being at home, playing (and fighting) together. Waking, making and baking. Collecting stick wands and the odd Nimbus 2000, on our daily walks, whilst insisting on being referred to as Victor Krum and Cedric Diggory duri...

I woke up - bright eyed and bushy tailed - ready to embrace my inner teacher! Clutching a time table of fun, yet educational, activities planned for the next few days ahead, I was determined to make this work. I had set my alarm - as to me it was essential that me and the kids were up, dressed and ready to roll with Joe Wicks and his P.E lesson at 9am. By 9.37 I was separating two human lion cubs rolling around on top of each other, yelling "stop fighting" in my Miss Trunchball voice (which means I mean business) I'm sure this isn't in my new remit as Home Tutor? I managed to get my eldest son to begin with some simple maths, soon moving on to number bonds. I still don't understand what number bonds are so please do feel free to fill me in. Obviously whilst all this was going on I was fighting with my youngest son to do something. Anything. ANYTHING that didn't involve watching Pirates of the Caribbean. Everything I suggested was met with a stubborn,...

I've always been a fully paid up member of the working mums club - well since my eldest son was born in 2012. I'm ambitious, determined and I love my job. In fact there's always been a pretty blurred line between my life and my job. And it's hard. It's hard to be a career driven working mum. And then this week I was told due to the devastating effects of Coronavirus, I am being furloughed. Furloughed. Fur.......loughed. Furloughed . Furloughed. Furloughed. I mean my initial response was "but what am I going to do without my work?" (How embarrassing) And after I'd finished calming down by blowing in to a paper bag for 20 minutes, I realised that I had to get a grip. Then I started looking down a deep dark tunnel of fear, that this is going to be my life for the foreseeable (pass me the paper bag again someone) Then slowly I started thinking OK. I can either live in my pyjamas every day and eat, (by the way has anyone got any tips on how to "...