What a playdate with me actually looks like // Maybe "stay at home" is made for people like me.

I feel like on this blog I do a fair amount of cute photos and then some "oh this is hard" chat and then more "we went to france!" chat. 

I don't really see many families with 4 kids in our age range that I can compare(?) myself to, so maybe I'm just doing it badly, or maybe I'm doing it well, or maybe it's like a tough mudder race and there is no bad or good because who would even want to do that? (lots of people... but it's morning and I can't think of a better analogy)

There is a mom at school with 3 kids, girl (8), girl (5), boy (1.5) and she always seems so calm with her kids walking next to her and not being chaos.  Other than that... I don't know many 4 kids families or even 3 kid families.

Anyways, let me invite you to join my play date yesterday!

A friendly aquantence had asked to meet up in the park after school.   I like her and haven't seen for a long time.  It was Friday, it was sunny.  Why not?

3:00 Twins were not happy to be up from nap, Aubrey was very sad.  I threw snack and drinks in the pram, got the twins in the pram, picked up the kids from school. Walked to the park. 

3:45  Got to the park. There were lots of kids there. Aubrey was still sad. Clara was curious.  Ezra and Lily ran off and I couldn't see them.  Friend showed up!  Friends mum helped push Clara on the swing.  Aubrey was sad.  

3:50 Lily said she needed a wee.  Friend and Lily went off for a wee in the woods.

3:55 Aubrey started yelling "wee wee potty" and I realized she had pooped AND I had forgotten the nappy bag.

I asked a stranger for a nappy and he said he didn't have any.  

I saw another friend with a 1 year old and managed to squeeze Aubrey into a size 4 nappy and clean up her teeny tiny poo while she stood on a bench at the park.

I caught up with friend's mum for 2 minutes.  

4:00 Lily and friend came back and Lily said she needed a poo RIGHT NOW.

I asked friend if she wanted to come back to my house so that Lily could do a poo.  She agreed (probably because this play date had literally lasted 15 minutes so far)

4:15 We got back to my house and Lily did do a poo, and then Aubrey was sad and vomited on the floor.  I tried to clean it up quickly while friend's mom was outside

Lily went to find friend to show her the giant poo.  Because... kids.  I didn't catch this because of aforementioned vomit.

I told Lily and Friend to go outside and play.  They did.  Friend's mum watched everyone outside while I cleaned up Aubrey and got her new clothes.

4:20 I noticed our neighbour I've never met had a girl who was looking through our garden and wanted to come play.  I invited her in.  She played with the kids in the garden while I tried to talk with friend's mum.

4:25 Clara fell down and broke her plastic bike in two and started crying.

4:30 All the big kids ran in to neighbours garden.

4:40 Friend said she had to go (which was the right time) so we yelled into neighbours garden to get kids back.

4:45 I couldn't get over to say goodbye because Clara had gone to the back of the garden and was trying to climb in neighbours garden and I was carrying Audrey

I managed to carry both Clara and Aubrey to the gate to let friend out and say goodbye.

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So that's probably the end of that acquaintanceship right?

I do really value being social and so have tried to keep different friendships and acquaintanceships going throughout these young kids years, but I'm thinking maybe it's just not a good idea.  Maybe my family in its current state is just not world ready, and the best thing to do is just not try.  Maybe 4 kids is just not something that people should have to engage with so closely.

Chat GPT drafted me this nice text I can send to the remaining few people who have invited me/us to do things:

When we had twins we said we weren't going to travel untill they turned 2.  Maybe we need to commit not to have a social life until they are... 4?