Google Earth to Noah

Shorty- in the bedroom- with a toy explosion!
At least it has stopped me worrying about her putting things in line. I must embrace the disarray.

Although you have to wonder what gets it to this stage
What catalyst sends you from a perfectly tidy space
only a few hours ago,
to a bit of a mess, really? Oh...
I might have known...it's the Noahs!

Balls in the Air

I was just reading my friend Anna's blog post about balance and how it is one of those myths we tolerate and even buy into sometimes. I've had a few days alone this week and there are more to come but a few unexpected occurrences have really thrown my routine very out of balance.Last night at about 11 p.m. I made a silent mandarine cake for Lala's History morning at school. I wasn't being amazing or organised or any of those silly things we say about women who just do what they have to do. In fact I had just watched 'Chocolat', one of my favourites, and enjoyed the serenity of that woman beating up batter in a big ceramic bowl with a wooden spoon. Johnny Depp was also a soothing balm to my shaken soul after the last few days. So I put on some Seu Jorge Frongch moozeek and merrily mixed away till midnight.
Today a few people carried on at l'histoire event about how amazing it was to make a cake. Frankly it would have been more trouble to go to the shops. That's usually the only reason I bake. Not very domestic goddess is it? Meanwhile the only other domestica happening here has been keeping the chooks and kids fed and watered and putting out and bringing in washing. In fact I made the boy with the new broken arm do that yesterday- just some towels- he's fine. There are black primed canvases waiting in the lounge with friends' overdue names on them but to no avail as mountains of washing creep relentlessly through the house.
Not a bed has been made. Their clothes are strewn where they changed in the sunroom this morning amidst several days' toys and craft projects. Whole pieces of furniture have apparently moved rooms. That poltergeist is back!
There appears to not be any balance in this house. I have not kept all my balls in the air and they are rolling down the hallway entangled with the laundry.
The blinds haven't been opened for two days and I just remembered I should check the mail. That's one of the big fella's jobs so I just haven't had it in my repertoire. He did ask me to chlorinate the pool on Monday and I still haven't done that either.
I was going to crawl into my unmade bed with this one but now a lovely friend is coming to visit. You know you are old friends when you can say yes to them coming and the house looks like the above. I cannot even begin to imagine how this would have gone if I was working at the moment. I feel a lot of pressure to go back to work often from women friends. It's funny that we tell people we DON'T work because, seriously staying at home full time can be less than a picnic. Next year I will be 'working' again (away from home) when I can and it makes me very nervous.

To have the pressure of keeping 'things in balance' and 'all our balls in the air' is just an additional chore when you have to change a nappy on the way to school pick up between the trombone and the euphonium in the back of the people mover and use a sock because the wipes are in the other bag. Most of us just do what we do because we love them and that's how it is. It's just not always pretty!