Sometimes you just need to write stuff, half hoping that it doesn't get read like so much of the content that gets shared on a social media platform like this.
I've written a bit about my travels around for Christmas. I find it quite stressful but one of the big bonuses is that you get help looking after the children. You can go to the toilet without a knock on the door and toddler wandering in asking "what you doing?" And sometimes, you can even go for a much needed nap during the day.
Now that we're at home and it's just us again, I sit here at my desk trying to do what I consider to be work. Catching up on a few bits and at the moment, trying to migrate all of my PHP code from one computer to a new one - with a fresh installation of WAMP. It's not something I enjoy doing - migrating a large MySQL database seems to be much more difficult than I'd like but I know that I'll get it done with a bit of effort.
And that's where the problem is today. The effort and concentration required is playing out with the background soundtrack of the-baby-gorilla screaming, the-toddler-gorilla obviously stopping the-baby from going to sleep and the-mrs-gorilla just screaming at them. I feel guilt that I want to get some work done. I feel annoyance that I can't get any peace. And I long for the days where the-grandma-gorilla has the patience and tolerance to go for more than 30 minutes without screaming at the children.
Those days will pass, and before you know it your kids will be teenagers and older and you will wonder where all the time went. Then you need to knock on their doors and see if they are even in there. Attached to headphones and other gadgets.
It's crazy to think that our toddler is nearly 4 already. The 4 years have gone so quickly yet life-before-toddler is but a distant memory!
If they're shut off in their rooms, it'll just be something different for the-mrs-gorilla to scream at.