Cabin fever

Being a stay-at-home mum isn't that bad, as long as you don't actually have to stay at home the whole time. Over summer I'd gotten into the routine of taking TLM out each morning - to the park, the beach, the library, community playgroup or whatever - and often our afternoons were filled with playdates (thinly disguised social calls to friends with kids), more visits to the park etc.

But all that stops when the family's invaded by a seemingly endless succession of viral and bacterial infections. For two whole weeks now, TLM and I have had to rely on our small collection of toys, water play at the kitchen sink, our books and DVDs. In fact, I've gotten a bit slack with controlling the amount of DVD-watching she's getting; if TLM starts talking to Dorothy the Dinosaur in her sleep, I'll have no-one but myself to blame.

But I try to be optimistic. Every time the sick person (whether it's me, the boy or TLM) gets better, a small pinprick of hope tells me that we might be lucky enough to enjoy a week of respite before the next bug hits. And in that time, we are no longer social lepers.