Zombification

I am near the end of my fourth day home alone with my two older girls. As I haven't been able to go to the gym due to my caring duties I purchased a skipping rope and did a skipping session on Sunday morning in my back garden. Ever since my leg muscles have ached in that way that muscles do when they have rarely been exercised before. That's a bit like how my brain feels too. I am zombified every evening because of the day's efforts. In normal life I do look after the kids regularly for short intervals but what I am doing now is like a Spartathon compared to that.
It is a lot of fun doing things together with the girls and it is really great to have those special moments when everything feels just right and we are smiling and laughing as one. However, there are plenty of tears too and you are just continually occupied with thinking of the next task ahead. I am used to having plenty of time thinking about myself and how I feel but these last few days there have been precious few me moments. I am happy if I get to sink a coffee in peace. In the evenings I manage a couple of pages of my book but I can forget about learning languages or anything too heavy.
One amazing thing we did was go to the cinema for the girls' very first film on the big screen. It was a Danish animated film called Cykelmyggen og Dansemyggen (The Cycling Mosquito and The Dancing Mosquito). Naturally it was dubbed into Dutch. It was a really funny and beautiful film. It was even more beautiful to look at the girls' faces. It was my own private Cinema Paradiso.
I have also become quite the Nigella-d the last few days. I have made rye scones not one but twice (aided by my able assistants) and I was scrutinizing the Domestic Goddess recipes earlier this evening looking for further inspiration.
Anyway, my heart goes out to single parents who have to do what I am doing all of the time. It is a great thing to have a partner you love with whom to share the burden (and joys) of parenting and a nice cup of tea on a cold and wintry evening.