Do you ever just feel a bit like this adult life we live is a case of never actually getting everything done? You never really sit down and feel like every single thing in your life is under control. You have to actively decide to cut things out of your day to even sit down at all. I'll often have great intentions of calling such a person and cleaning such a thing. But before I know it the day has ran away with itself. It's dinner time and I am already wishing the evening away. Excitement for chill out time when the little man goes to bed is replaced with a fixation with collapsing in to my bed. Withered by the day. Working from home and parenting a toddler can be a bit of a juggling act and almost certainly ends in exhaustion most days. I won't complain because I know I am very lucky.
I woke up yesterday morning feeling very anxious. It was that overwhelming feeling I haven't had in a while. A sudden panic associated with all the things I had to do. Some short term and some long term. Housey things such as cleaning the fridge and finding a way to dry the clothes (it was too warm to put the heating on, too wet to hang the clothes outside and we don't have a dryer.... I know, get me a small violin like.). Work related things such as articles due, research to be made and followups to be done. In the midst of this stress was just the general ever-day stuff. In that frame of mind the house always looks worse doesn't it? I was noticing mess and dirt I never would notice otherwise. Naturally this was a day where the little man really fought his nap too. I was in a fowler, as they say.
The toys that always decorate my living room were suddenly doing my head in. They were scattered in various little boxes and there was no order to them at all. I am a person who craves order. It makes me feel calm. The bin had a foul smell coming from it despite me cleaning the bin TWICE that week and changing the brand of black bags we buy. I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer for dinner. See, fowler. Himself wasn't in much better form either and usually one of us is in a position to tell the other person to cop on and get over themselves.
So we took our fowlers to Argos and made some very adult purchases after we did some very adult things such as cleaning out the fridge AND the presses. On the way to Argos I even made a list. An actual to-do list. More of a TODAY list. Things I could actually do that day to alleviate some of the stress.
First up was this purchase. We had been meaning to pick up the Trofast from Ikea but it's going to take more than a bit of crankiness to convince himself to bring me to IKEA again. The place that women love and men hate. What is with that? Anyway, we needed some kind of toy storage situation to happen. A unit to store bits and bobs. Duplo, Puzzle Pieces, Cars and Figurines. This was €18.99 and it ticks all the boxes.
I had a bit of last minute panic and asked Peter would the blue unit look weird in our living room that is predominantly red and black. He quickly reminded me that the toys were every colour under the sun so it didn't actually matter. It could only improve the situation. And it did. There it is now in all it's glory. It's no pinterest photo and I won't be winning any interior design awards but it works. It gives me so much satisfaction to pack away all the bits and pieces when Billy goes to bed. I genuinely get a kick out of this stuff.
Next up was a bin. We purchased a bin and there are fewer things in life that will make you feel more adult than purchasing a bin. So there's that. I didn't take a photo because I like to keep you all guessing. Let's just say it's black and it's fitting in just fine around these parts.
And I have saved the best till last. The slow cooker has returned. Long followers of this blog will know how happy my slow cooker always made me. I love a bit of batch cooking and this thing makes an incredible Spaghetti Bolognese & stew of any kind. 'Twas a sad day when I smashed the cast iron bowl out of it (not on purpose in a fit of rage. I dropped it. I have to clarify these things...) So I kind of just forgot about it until this week. I was having a cup of tea in my neighbours house and she had a a chilli bubbling away in her slow cooker. It totally inspired me and in typical Tracey fashion I had purchased it and served my first meal made in it within twenty four hours. I like to act fast.
Leftovers meant that I could freeze two tiny portions of dinner for Billy. There is just something about freezing little healthy dinners for my child that makes me feel like I am winning at life. I had been slacking a bit of late and too many dinners consisted of fish fingers or pasta.
So yeah - I turned my anxious stressed out day (fowler) in to a positive and got my sh*t together. Toys are being stored, bins are being used and dinner is being cooked. Slowly.
I'm still in a bit of a fowler but only a little bit and sure isn't that what counts!
