How Do People Do It?

Ok, I am officially EXHAUSTED. Seriously. So much so that it is now 9.16 p.m, and I am already halfway down a rather large glass of Chablis. And I am at home. By myself. In my Juicy bottoms. You get the drift; it was one of those days. To take it from the top; in a fit of kindness and good karma, I rang my little cousin yesterday and asked if she, instead of going to kindergarden today, would like to come to the park with Nahla and me, as the weather was beyond amazing and warm for mid-April and I figured a trip to the park would be rather idyllic. And it was. In ways. It was just extremely exhausting on top of that. So much so that it really made me wonder how people juggle having two kids? Or a baby and a kid? Seriously, it takes some upper-level management skills. Getting to the park went ok-ish. There were a few "I-just-want-to-see-if-Nahla-is-sleeping-uups-I-think-I-woke-her-up" moments. A few "I-have-to-pee-now" moments, and (as we happened to be walking past a McDonald's) "I-am-really-hungry-I-need-food-now" moments. But apart from that we were good. So far, so inexperienced, I hear you say. And you are right. When we finally made it to the park, one Happy Meal, one awoken baby and one double-shot latte later, I thought the worst was over. Who was I kidding? It turned out getting to the park was a mere (haha) walk in the park. This was when the fun began.

Frognerparken is perfect for a day out with children. Not only is the park itself vast and full of little windy roads and cool statues and fountains, there is also a massive playground, surrounded by benches for parents, grandparents and other kind souls taking kids to the park. This was my vision, you see. Me on a bench, face to the sun, sipping a latte from Wayne's Coffee and gently rocking Nahla's pram with my Converse clad foot, watching Therese play on the swings. This is the scenario that actually went down: Therese running around like mad, as if she had eaten nothing but Skittles for the last fortnight. Me panicking because I kept loosing sight of her and the playground was swamped on such a sunny day. Therese climbing up in the different towers, then crying because she wasn't sure how to get down again, and because I was yelling at her for getting into that mess in the first place. Nahla waking with all the yelling and joined in. Loudly. Me having to carry Nahla around, rubbing suncream on her face as I also tried to keep track of Therese. Then a rather hefty "Oh-My-God-She-Fell-Of-The-Swings-How-Injured-On-A-One-To-Ten-Scale-Is-She?" moment. Some tears. A band-aid. Exposing my boob in public having to feed Nahla to get her settled again. More pram-rocking. More running. More yelling. More swing-pushing. More coffee. Strong.

And then; after a blissfully exhausting afternoon, I took my two little kittens home again. Back to safety, comfort and the blissful distraction of Disney Channel on TV. And now Therese, the coolest 6-year old I know, has gone home. My little cupcake is safely tucked up in bed. And I am ready for more wine. And very very ready for bed. How do people do it??