I brought a bunch of boxes and bags back from Miss Jenny’s house yesterday instead of getting more groceries. I found that 3/5 boxes were full of stuff intended for her family (yay for me not having to figure it out–mostly hand me downs for her kids but also a bunch of presents) and we now have some of our books and toys that my kids have been missing. My big kids almost wept with joy at seeing some of their beloved toys. They were wise to send these things on to Scotland for reuniting. I also got a whole bunch of baby clothes for Her Sweetness and that feels super fun. She hasn’t gotten to have a big wardrobe and I have felt pretty bored by the lack of variety. This will be fun. Also: these clothes are more appropriate for the weather we will be having for a while. Yesterday was unusually warm (a whopping 20C!) but it’s dropping back to 12C over the next few days. (With the nighttime low going to 6C.) She will be grateful for the extra warmth.

But I was utterly exhausted after that and was not able to make a second trip to the grocery store. This is annoying because now I must go today/later. I got a lot of fruits and vegetables and bathroom necessities on the first trip. But I didn’t get helpful things with calories like cheese or meat. Whoops. We could not have carried more weight. I barely made it up the hill pushing the fully loaded stroller with the baby on my back. (We are staying just about exactly a mile up a somewhat steep hill from the grocery store.) But there is a closer co-op with less variety. I will probably try there today.

I did get eggs and one can of beans and butter and oil so it’s not a complete calorie wasteland.

I did not make dinner last night. I shared a banana with Her Sweetness and passed out super early because I could not physically keep moving. So I’m up super early. If I thought Her Sweetness would stay asleep I might run down the hill right now; the store is open 24 hours. But I don’t think that’s wise.

Erf.

Maybe I will make some food and wait till the big kids wake up and then leave them here while I run down the hill. I trust the big kids to take care of her for an hour and a half and that’s all the time I need. It’s a 40 minute walk roundtrip. Closer to 30/35 minutes if I hurry. I don’t need a full hour to shop, I don’t have enough ability to carry weight to need that much time. I mean, it’s always a risk. But I can go much faster with less pain if I don’t have to bring the baby. Ok, the food co-op is a 6 minute walk away. That would be much wiser, but it doesn’t open until 7am.

Oh wait! I got a packet of scones! Ok, I’ll start cooking for myself soon because I am famished then I can handle waiting until 7. That will be fine.

If it’s less than 15 minutes round trip walking I am very comfortable leaving the kids here. The big kids play with her very well and they have both snacks and toys to keep them busy. I won’t be gone an hour. I might be able to get back in 45 minutes round trip. And Eldest Child has her phone so she can text me if there is an issue and I will drop the groceries and run home.

It feels really fun to get back some of our books. None of these will leave Scotland so I need to read them fast.

We aren’t getting our luggage back for another 10 hours. Not so bad in the scheme of things. I did a load of laundry already and I slept in my clean long johns so I was able to wash my underwear and pants. The kids have extra underwear they don’t love but it will be a benefit to own. They can both wear the same size now but they are slightly different shapes about it.

Time to go cook for kids who have woken up. At 3:!0am. Ha.