Going to bed (as a mom)

It's 22:16 when I look at the time. The kids have flu and have been sleeping since 19:05. My husband went to bed half an hour ago saying that he'll wake up with them in the middle of the night if it's needed. I thank the Universe for him. I have done enough work for one evening and decide to switch on some leisure time, which means I'm going to find an interesting lecture, a presentation or whatever I tumble across on YouTube that is easy-listening and will sit in the bed listening to it. 

The computer batter is running low, but it still has some 30% left. I make a quick list in my head of the things I still need to do before going upstairs with the laptop. I want to drink a glass of water. I need to visit the toilet. Brush. 

I look at the coffee table before getting up and decide to bring the empty cups and plates to the kitchen on my way for my glass of water. On my way I notice my daughter's half eaten dinner still on the dinner table. I bring the dishes and come back for her plate to clear it off as well. I notice the half eaten bag of salty nuts on the table my husband must have left there. Those absolutely need to be cleared away before the morning or my boys will munch them away and they are salty as fuck, so seriously not suited for them. When I'm bringing the bag of nuts to the kitchen, I realize I've left my backpack on the floor earlier tonight. I have been indoors with the kids the whole day since they have fever, and had only ran to the store at quarter past five when my husband returned home (early, might I add, too). I was so hungry that I only took the most essential things out of the backpack and left the rest in. So I take out the bread and cashews (unsalted) that are still in there and decide to put them in their place. But someone has left a pack of tissues on the edge of the closet door, so I need to put those in their rightful place first. I do that and then I put the rest in the closet. Oh yes, a glass of water. I grab a glass and realize the bottle of bubbly water is empty. I fetch an unopened bottle, the last of the pack, and put the packing material of the six-pack of bubbly water in the plastic trash, which seems to be quite full indeed. I make a mental note of having to empty that sometime tomorrow, which reminds me that the regular trash is quite full, too. Another mental note for tomorrow. And the trash in the bathroom reeks of diapers, so it needs to go asap, too. Check. Oh yes, a glass of bubbly water. Gulp gulp gulp. Then I see the elderberry juice someone has left on the counter. Once I place the bottle of water in the fridge, I get that as well. And the other jars that are on the counter that need to be in the closet. And that ladle, what is it doing here? And a small butter knife. In the sink you go, whoosh!

Okay, what was on my list after the glass of water, I think to myself. Oh yes, toilet, before going upstairs. But I spot a piece of paper on the floor. My kids were earlier cutting the best things off the commercial magazines and some of the shreds have fallen onto the floor. I pick them up and decide to bring them to the waste paper bin on my way. Toilet paper is running out. Another tick for the mental list. I pick up the cord of the computer, turn off the lights and pick up the computer and my phone before heading to bed. But I know it often takes forever for the computer to connect to the router upstairs, so I start scrolling down the list of WiFi's on my way upstairs and click for the right one. I take the computer to the bed and realize our middle kid is sleeping in our bed. I carry him to his bed. While I do that, I see the empty laundry baskets on the staircase that are on their way upstairs. I nearly forgot I still had the fourth load of laundry in the machine and it needs to be taken out just after I tuck in my son. I go upstairs, but on my way I pick up the full basket for dirty laundry and the empty baskets for clean laundry. I sort the laundry and know I will be doing some tomorrow. Since I am this far, I might as well brush my teeth now. I have ran out of my favorite tooth paste a few days ago and have simply forgotten to buy more on those two occasions I have escaped the house to the store while kids have been ill. I need to use my husband's toothpaste (we have a very different preference on toothpastes). Another mental check for the list of tomorrow. I can't deal with his toothpaste any longer. It gets so drippy.

PJ's on. Plugging the computer in. Plugging in some headphones and finally I can sit down. It's an hour later since I started. Oh well, at least I'm in bed before midnight. Now it's me-time with some brain feeding. Whee!

I wanted to add a picture to this text, but turns out I don't photograph cleaning that much. Here's a photo I took a few months ago of our bed. Your notion is correct; I don't spend time ironing sheets. I took this photo because it looked like ocean.