‘MY GO MUMMY’S LAP…’

It’s exhausting being so popular. Three bodies clamouring for prime position on one lap – it’s a logistical nightmare. I arrived home from work full of good intentions. Tonight would be different. Instead of rushing them all into bed within minutes of walking through the door I would spend quality time with each triplet, giving them my undivided attention for at least ten minutes (doesn’t sound like much but we’re multiplying everything by three here,don’t forget). It was all going swimmingly. Louis and Ella were proudly clutching their artwork from playgroup, Theo fluttered his ridiculous eyelashes at me and showed me the three inch scratch on his shoulder whilst pointing at Louis accusingly. I cooed and cuddled them all and felt like Olivia Walton just back from a jaunt in the mountains. Flopping on the sofa, I kicked off my Converse and instructed Jake to grab the remote and get Mr Tumble on for a bit of wind down cosiness before bed. I still can’t quite work out what went wrong. Ella started off as the chosen one perched on my lap, partly due to the guilt felt this morning as I left for work to the sounds of her ear piercing screams. ‘Must give Ella more attention, must give Ella more attention,’ had been my mantra for the day. After a few minutes of fidgety fun I put her down and reached for Louis and well, I can’t really face describing the carnage that ensued suffice to say that biting and hair pulling and screaming that makes your blood curdle had me drastically cutting short my ten minute plan and shooing them all up the stairs as fast as their little legs could carry them. Another torturous ten minutes of teeth cleaning hysteria as they fought over who got the blue brush and who got to stand closest to the sink and who got to….and god, I just give up. I love them all beyond words but sometimes you’ve just gotta let them fight it out. Into their cots, gro bags zipped up as high as they could go and black out blinds pulled firmly down . N’night to them and hello to a glass of wine and some one on one time with my gorgeous Jake. Eight going on nine he’s challenging in a whole other way but when it comes to mummy’s lap well, he’s content with a side by side snuggle and an episode of ‘Modern Family’. And these days, that’s pretty much my idea of heaven.