Rainy days and sick children do not go. 

Alone they can be disheartening and annoying,

but put them together and it can be down right depressing.

Yesterday – Friday – I had to keep E off school as she had a bad throat and a tummy ache.  We all have colds, but ever since E had a really bad bout of chicken pox in February she seems to be catching everything and has had bad tonsillitis twice since. 

I’m hoping she’s not in for another bout.

M is also not herself and has made great progress in blowing bubbles from her nose, though less in actually wiping away the offending green self-made inflatables.

So I spent the day with 2 very grumpy, very whiny children.

It’s so weird when kids are ill though.

When grown ups are ill, we generally rest, watch daytime TV, sleep or read. 

We drink juice and eat easy stuff like soup or porridge.

An old friend’s ex used to even don his special ‘poorly pyjamas’ before curling up on the settee and probably sucking his thumb.  (They really were proper flanelette ones apparently.)
This always makes me smile as he was such a proper ‘bloke’ in every other way.

Kids however, get ill very quickly, then perk up equally quickly, then get ill again all of a sudden.

So one minute I’m caring for a quiet, listless 6 and 2 year old,  encouraging them to sip cool orange juice and plying them with Calpol and cuddles,

…the next I’m mending dolls prams, reading stories, splitting up fights and acting as a general referee/waitress/cleaner/entertainments officer.

Just as it gets too much and I have to ply myself with calpol and orange juice (maybe with a few shots of vodka for medicinal purposes), they yet again sink to the sofa and lay there exhausted while I clear up the lego, dolls, books, body parts (Mr Potato Head’s) and raisins that cover (and I mean cover) my living room floor.

When Mr B arrives home they have just sunk into one of these lulls.  The house is in a state and it looks as if there is no way the mess on the floor could have been created by these very sick children.

So he looks at me…