Thoughts while eating pasta in my pyjamas

Today I woke up about 6.30am and eventually get out of bed. I popped the oven on and then jumped in the shower. When I have showered, I wrapped myself in a towel and put the kettle on and some hot cross buns in the oven (our current breakfast of choice). I encourage the Resident Teen to start their day and get myself dressed. I empty and load the dishwasher (most of the time I am too tired to do this in the evening). 

I make coffee, we eat our breakfast. The teen feeds the animals and grabs something for lunch and we rush out the door. I drop her off near school and go to work. Once at work the day is busy from end to end. At 4pm or thereabouts, I walk out the door. Today the teen had come to work on the bus, so we went to the local pool and did 8 lengths of aqua jogging and a wee soak in the hot pool. I put my pyjamas on at the pool because I didn't want to put my work clothes back on.

We called by the supermarket on the way home to get some essentials... pasta, milk and such like. One of the kids messages to say they are at my house and so I invite them to stay for dinner. The other one (the DJ) messages to ask for a ride home from work. We rush home, I throw the ingredients for pasta sauce in the oven and run out the door to get the DJ from work. I pick up the DJ and arrive back at 6.30 and quickly finish off the pasta sauce. 

We dish it up into bowls and the teen takes hers and we rush out to drop her across town at youth group. I come home, heat my dinner and I'm eating it now. then I will fold as much washing as got dry (the rain made the dryer wet and the fuse keeps blowing) and write a newsletter for my secondary job. After that I will drive back across town to get the teen and then come home to have a hot cup of tea and go to bed. This is also why the dishes will not get done tonight. 

Single parenting while being so fulfilling, is absolutely bloody relentless. Next time you hear a single parent say that they are tired, this is why. It's the juggling act of managing to keep all the people fed and off to the right places while often also managing to working full time.