Jan 08
26
Trying to get stuff done
Posted by Stephen26
Tags: children, computer, parenting
It’s a busy weekend.
Debbie did the weekly grocery shop in the morning, with Joel. I stayed home and played with Daniel and Micah. Debbie took Daniel out to get his portrait in the afternoon. I stayed home and kept an eye on Joel and Micah. Debbie baked and decorated a cake in the evening. I kept the three boys out of her way, putting them to bed in due course.
There was lots to get done, and Debbie got it all done. Hard work, busy, but all done. And she had a kid-lite environment to get it done in.
All I had to do was look after the children. And I had a kid-saturated environment to do it in (natch). By evening I hadn’t done anything at all (except play with the kids), and was starting to feel pretty desperate. I’d been meaning to install Ubuntu on an old laptop, so I gave it a try in between feeding boys, settling disputes, and comforting abandoned babies. Ubuntu is a version of the Linux operating system, and installing it is not the most exciting task in the universe. Which is why I hadn’t gotten around to doing it and which also gives you an idea of my desperation.
I ran into problems, and trying to troubleshoot one computer while doing Google research on another computer while looking after three hyperactive boys was not my idea of a relaxing, entertaining evening. In the end I discovered that my specific model of laptop was incompatible with Ubuntu and I needn’t have bothered. In the end the two older boys went to bed and the house quieted down. In the end I sat down to edit photos and zoned out.
I can’t call it a waste of a day, even though I didn’t get anything accomplished. I played with my boys, talked to them, taught them, held them. All week they look forward to Saturday, when Daddy will be home. Still, it’s a bit too intense and at the same time way too boring when it comes in whole-day chunks. Of course, this is Debbie’s life every other day of the week. I don’t know how she does it.
