I was so happy when my hoarding older daughter announced she is going to have a bedroom reorganisation, and included in her written plans was sorting out the soft toys! Hooray! After all this time!

Nope. The quiet spell I enjoyed yesterday whilst the younger children disappeared to be entertained by their older siblings? That wasn’t entertainment, it was a cunning ploy to donate all of their toys to the little ones. Every one of them. There are now thousands of soft toys roaming the house and garden from dawn until dusk. At a very unearthly hour this morning I found myself carrying basket after basket of said toys downstairs to watch early morning telly. Are pest control working these days? I promise I’ll stay 2 meters away as I hand hordes of teddies over.

Liam had a rough night last night but he has been up and about today, for which I’m very grateful. We tackled schooling this morning, aided by coffee. Maddie picked me to play her maths board game. Which unfortunately I won by a long way (even though I tried really hard not to, and even though she cheated shamelessly), which resulted in a sulk.

Meanwhile we thought we’d try patterns again with Theo, bravely involving paint in a desperate last ditch attempt to make them exciting. And lo and behold, he did it! Red/green/red/green. We praised him, celebrated…

And watched the way he engaged the age old trick of happily painting the entire page brown. I know I know. In a child’s brain the pattern is still underneath. But I felt it visually represented his feelings on the whole learning thing.

So we left the learning there and went back to learning through play outside. Accompanied by several hundred teddies.

Whilst I was hanging yet more washing out, Megan appeared with her phone. ‘Daddy, it’s Nanny on the phone for you’. Yesterday my mum rang her to get hold of me. Megan is starting to voice complaints about becoming her parents carer.

Later she reappeared with her phone laughing hysterically at a meme she’d found. “Write your name in reverse to find your demon name….Girls called Hannah: ‘am I actually a monster?’” Why that tickled her so much I can’t imagine.

We sat down to grab a cup of tea in the kitchen when Micah shut the door leaving him and Theo outside. It was a beautiful moment. But they reappeared at the window rather dramatically and I felt obliged to let them back in.

Moving on from the soft toys, Jaws entered the pool today. Just to liven things up a bit. The pool was worthy of the stress of yesterday, it provided a lot of fun today.

Later this afternoon Maddie and Theo’s lovely primary school produced a video of all the teachers and staff sending messages to the children. I’m glad I watched it without the kids first, because I was an emotional wreck. And their faces when they watched the people they love waving and saying how much they miss them were an absolute picture. The visible relief that these special people are still there, still caring about them, speaks volumes.

I ordered Charlie Macksey’s beautiful book which arrived today, there are so many poignant pages in it. And this one spoke right to me as I struggled to choose between the simnel cake or a Beth’s Bakes brownie. Focusing on cake was about at my level at the end of this week.

But I loved ones like this too. The reminder that sometimes, especially after tiring weeks and sleep deprived nights and early mornings it takes strength to get up and do it all again. But God promises to be that strength, especially in my weakest and weariest moments.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

And from the old hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness, I love that line, ‘strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.’ That’s all I need.

‘Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not
Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been
Thou forever will be

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Pardon for sin
And a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer
And to guide
Strength for today
and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord every morning new mercies I see
And all I have needed Thy hands hath
provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me.’