Saturday slumming - Just muddling through life

Back to the weekend today. Woken again by my 5 year old with my Kindle. The gadgets were supposed to have been hidden, I guess this did not happen. When I got downstairs I found daddy watching television and the kids playing on the IPad and Kindle. They were all warm and comfortable under blankets. I left them to their relaxing and got on with being mum.

I’ve managed to get another load of washing and bedding washed, plus a load put away in draws. There is more now on my bed to be put away, a never-ending washing pile. The kids’ beds have been changed and remade. I have ours to wash tomorrow along with bath towels. The washing now has to hang on an airer in the kitchen as due to the winter weather it will no longer dry outside.

How did people manage all those years ago without a washing machine? If I had to do all this washing by hand with a scrubbing board from 1797, I would not have time for a paid job. The washing really would take forever. My grandmother had a twin tub, having never used one I’m not sure how different they are to washing machines today. Electric washing machines became popular in the 1950s, the first rotary washing machines were invented in 1858. My children would definitely not be having clothes washed that they have only worn for half a day. Clothes would have to be really dirty before I wash them.

Our modern technology does make such a difference today. Imagine cooking dinner every night before the first gas stove was invented in 1826. The Aga gas cooker was invented later in 1922. I wonder how long it takes to cook a chicken on a coal fire. I think there is so much we take for granted today which our ancestors just lived with. If we suddenly had no gas or electricity how would we cope?

So everyone was just resting this morning, daddy had looked at the homework and had given up asking. I tried and my 7 year old did finally look at it, however, he has done it all in biro. It frustrates me that he is so capable but he can be so lazy. He could have drawn it in pencil and then coloured it in. To him it is finished, to me, it is far from finished. My daughter’s homework is a lot harder. She struggles to write a word correctly and she has to write an unaided Christmas story in 100 words. I think if she does do it, her teacher will have problems reading it. I think we are going to have a battle as she will draw and write when she wants too, but rarely in her homework book.

My 7 year old wanted a boiled egg sandwich for lunch. I made it for him and he left most of the egg. Why do kids do this? Nice healthy egg sandwich with mayonnaise but I guess he did not agree that it was nice.

We had sausages tonight for dinner. The kids ate those, they are a favourite. However this then meant another late night. Daddy read to the kids before bed and they both went straight to sleep. My little girl was asleep in the chair before dinner, playing on the Kindle had worn her out.

So tomorrow we really need to get the homework finished. I need to give my daughter more one and one time. Really try and support her to do some writing, I’m sure she can think of a story, it is just writing it. Problem is how do you get someone to do something when they don’t want to? I do not have the answer and she is only 5. My son just needs more encouragement to make more of an effort and have the IPad confiscated. They also both have reading to do and I have school uniforms to iron. I’m hoping that tomorrow is not a repeat of today. It is lovely to hide under a blanket but not so good when there are things that need to be done.

I am now going to get some rest. Try and build up my energy ready for the stress and work of Sunday and being mum.