Getting Things Done

Today, BigBear boarded an aeroplane for the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. Or the US. I can't remember which. Either way, it leaves me at home with LittleBear for the next nine days, which may well catastrophically undermine my resolution to start Getting Things Done. It was perhaps no surprise therefore, that this morning found me sat on the floor, assisting with technical issues encountered while building a lego dinosaur (what else?)

However... there were Things, and they needed to Be Done. So I announced to LittleBear that in the afternoon we would be going into town, and we would be undertaking some purchasing tasks. Tasks such as buying birthday card and wrapping paper for his friend's party. Tasks such as buying birthday presents for BigBear. Tasks such as buying new school trousers for a small boy who has ripped through the knees of his school trousers. To my surprise, LittleBear acceded to my instruction. Right up until it was time to put his socks on. As predicted, it took half an hour to insert one pair of feet into one pair of socks, and one pair of shoes. How? How does it take that long? And once shod, LittleBear then wanted to know if we were going on the bus...

I decided not to attempt to explain that now that he's 5 and now that BigBear doesn't have a weekly bus ticket, going into town on the bus is an horrifically expensive undertaking, instead of essentially free. Even compared to the crippling parking fees levied in town, the bus is only for those with money to burn these days. No, instead I went for the much more simple explanation that we didn't have time to go, shop and come home on the bus before the grocery delivery came. You'd think I'd said I was going to saw his leg off. Apparently not going on the bus is a Major Problem.

By the time I actually got him into the car, it probably would have been quicker to go on the bus. But that wasn't the point.

We did manage to go into town, and we did manage to buy all the things on the list, including presents for BigBear. If you're reading this BigBear, in your swanky hotel in San Francisco, don't get your hopes up. Your presents so far are a combination of tediously practical or for you to "share" with LittleBear, or  both. Currently I think the wrapping paper we chose might be the highlight of your birthday. I'm really very pleased with the wrapping paper.

We even managed to get home in time for the groceries to be delivered.

Step 1 in Getting Things Done has been Done. I did have momentary qualms when a small face peered at me over the edge of the duvet as I tucked my boy in and said, "it hasn't actually been a nice day at all today Mummy". But then it turned out to be because we hadn't played a game in the bath, which gross assault on LittleBear's freedoms had apparently ruined the whole day. So it looks as though I got away with the Doing Things, but not with being Mean Mummy.