Surprise! I'm a single parent

Today the girls and I did the Round The Bays walk. Walked – we didn’t run. Young and enthusiastic daughter brought the flyer home from school. I instantly directed her over to her Dads with it – he is the fit one. Unfortunately he was going to be at a wedding…… oh ok then. I also signed up her big sister, figuring if I had to endure it she could too. This is the kid who has recently lost her bus pass, her cell phone and the dog. The only thing we recovered was the dog and it was probably last in my order of preference. (vent vent vent)

Our week together didn’t start great. I had a terrible cold and shouldn’t really have been at work Friday but I finish early and go home with youngest. It was a loooong short day. I got home and poured myself into bed just completely letting my antibodies do the recovery thing. The kids headed for the computers.

Saturday was a pretty minimal housework day with the snot pouring out of me. I am one of those people for whom pseudoeffedrine (sp?) cold tablets were a blessing and now they aren’t sold anymore I’m not peasant to be around. I had had very little sleep with the runny nose and not breathing. How was I going to manage Sunday on a 7 k round the bays thing? I did not want to let my young enthusiastic sporty child down. These days it is hard to get incidental exercise, hard to find time for exercise, hard to find exercise we can all do together.

Anyway Saturday night we decided we could eat a king sized bar of chocolate together because we had the walk the next day – so we did. And I realised I could taste the chocolate so I must be on the mend. Then we switched off the phones and went to bed. I slept so well! Perhaps the secret of a good night’s sleep is to have a very bad one the night before.

I woke up with energy and I could breathe! We got to the school rendezvous point and there were two mums I know. Yay! friends to play with! Eldest daughter found a friend she knew and youngest begged to go with a favourite teacher and some school mates. So much for us having a bonding experience. But strangely it was – big digression about cell phones…

I think because we have them these days – we don’t always plan so well. If you know me you’ll know I’m pretty anal so my kids had been told where the car was, where the meet up point was, and they know my cell no off by heart. So it didn’t worry me that we split up as there were plans to get back together. But other parents had no plans. One mum with two sons had one go missing in the race. She had to go back to look we went forward with her other son. Because this isn’t the new york marathon it all worked out and we got back together in time for a triple mum photo finish ending.

Do the race was fun and made me much more confident about my recent decision to stop driving to work and start walking.

After the race I met up with the kids and decided perhaps eldest daughter and I will do without a cell phone relationship and instead hone our communication and organisation skills. They worked today so they can keep working. Also, if she can lope 7 ks without raising a sweat she can walk home from high school too – something she happily does I just thought the bus pass would be good. I got over it.

Last night I read an online article about how slums can have good communities both in terms of a lowered environmental footprint and in terms of people knowing and supporting each other. We showed great support today finding a lost little boy during the formation of a brief community of purpose, I further cemented a couple of friendships and my kids feel they have achieved something (youngest is still wearing her race number). I said to my little girl Thank You honey for suggesting we do the Round The Bays I had a great time. Yeah I know, You’re welcome and she headed for her computer and I for mine… 

Over and out and off for a nap….