Never have I been so happy to wake up and know there was pancake mix in the fridge than today. Never has there been pancake mix in the fridge before, in fact. But last night, Isaac decided he'd wake at 2am and wouldn't go back to sleep, thank you very much, until 5. Or rather, he would go back to sleep but only if I was standing, with his nose nestled into my shoulder. Not exactly a position I could get a great night's sleep in. So that was that. I resorted to putting him in the baby carrier to get him off to sleep. Brought back memories of those first few months... wow, I'm glad I've left those behind.
So this morning, rather like when you've got a hangover from that one glass of red wine you shouldn't have had (which for me is just one glass) I wanted fatty, sugary pancakes for breakfast. No Swiss Muesli for me. And they did work. Kind of. Those and Hey, Duggee, Grace's new babysitter.
I was proud of myself for making that pancake mix yesterday. Even though Grace declared she didn't want hers, after I'd slaved over a frying pan to make it for her (oh, sharper than a serpent's tooth...). It felt good that I was finally embarking on the journey of baking - even one day cooking, perhaps - that I've been intending to for years. The pancakes followed two batches of chocolate brownies earlier in the week, one of which I ate in despair at 4am this morning (a brownie, not a batch). I even watched a Delia Smith cookery programme on sauces, from the 70s, with a view to getting a bit more inspired.
Anyway, as usual, a bit of fresh air did help make things better. Seems to be the remedy for many an evil these days. We went to Bruntwood Park and the sun was out again - and for the second time in two days it was actually warm in the sunshine. Not a bad feeling after a night no sleep hygiene (yes, it's a term). It was also easier, since it was a ratio of one adult per child and, unlike yesterday, I didn't have one screaming Isaac knocking the table number into a dog's bowl of water at the cafe and one Gracie simultaneously screaming that a dog was going to come and eat her up. What is it about parenting that suddenly makes you become a public spectacle...??
It was also quite fun to go down the tall spiral slide with Grace. Something I haven't done before. Maybe there are some things you never grow out of...