Lisa - I love my mum, but...

I love my mum, and I want to keep her safe during the pandemic. Which is why she moved in with us just ahead of the official lockdown. She lives on her own – about an hour’s drive away – so I wanted her here so that I could make sure she stayed safe, and that she didn’t end up feeling lonely and isolated.

I’ll be honest, I also thought she would be able to help out with Charlie whilst Darrell and I juggle with work too.

And for the most, it’s been great. I’m enjoying having her here, she’s been putting on washing and hanging it out to dry every five minutes, taking Charlie out for Daily Exercise (slow walk down the river) and retiring to her bedroom every now and then to get some peace and quiet.

But… there are times when I have to walk out of the room whispering ‘FFS’ (the full version) under my breath, whilst rolling my eyes to the back of my head.

If I’m charged with locking a 71 year-old woman in the shed, here are my defences, Your Honour…

Loading The Dishwasher
I’m not particularly fussy about how the dishwasher is loaded, as long as the way it’s arranged means that dishes can ACTUALLY BE CLEANED. Every single time she puts things in the dishwasher, there are bowls upside down, glasses precariously left on shelves (ready to be tipped upside down during the wash) and cutlery just thrown in randomly.
She’s also apparently forgotten how to wash up in the traditional manner, preferring to stick a glass in the dishwasher at night – on its own – rather than maybe just rinse it out in the sink.

Making A Cup Of Tea/Coffee
This makes me the most stabby. The kettle sits on the side, about 30cm from the sink. The hot beverage gets made and the teaspoon left – EVERY SINGLE TIME – on the side, rather than lifting it about 10cm into the sink. And if tea is made, the jar holding the tea bags is left in the centre of the worktop, rather than being moved back to where it came from. Sometimes she even taunts me further by leaving the lid off the jar of tea bags.

Watching TV
So, I’m trying to keep her occupied as much as possible – and, as mentioned, she is helping out loads by walking with Charlie, doing the washing and loading up the dishwasher badly. Inbetween she’s watching TV, which is all well and good. But the crap she’s watching! Coronation Street and Emmerdale on catch-up, Doctors at lunchtime and then if she’s exhausted those options, she’ll find a TV Old channel and watch old episodes of Heartbeat, Casualty and more. I’ve got Netflix and Prime!

‘Being Good’
“I’m not going to drink any wine until Friday” = “Oh, go on, it’s been a busy day”
“I don’t really eat any cakes or biscuits” = tucking into ALL the confectionery and bakery products in the house
“I’ll make my own lunch because the soup you made is too filling for me” = avoiding the healthy, low calorie vegetable soup I’ve made to instead eat a cheese and salad cream sandwich plus a packet of crisps

I’m sure there are more – and I’m sure I have some annoying habits and traits (not many, mnd) – but we’ve not done four weeks yet and I’m very, very close to throwing a teaspoon at her when she makes the tea.

But like I say, I love my mum. I’m just hoping this lockdown doesn’t go on too long…

Lisa - An Introduction

Hi! We're a group of mums in the lovely Hertfordshire town of Ware who have found ourselves - like everyone else across the UK, and the world! - in an extraordinary situation. The COVID-19 pandemic means that we're all at home working, home-schooling, caring for relatives - and just trying to remain sane.
I'm Lisa, I'm 49 and running a small agency with my husband Darrell and another business partner. We've got a 10 year-old son, Charlie. And we also have my mum staying with us during the lockdown.
The group of mum friends I have made through the school has always been awesome, not least in terms of reminding each other about trips and moaning about the constant requests for £1 coins from the school. But in the last two weeks, this little group has become a lifeline. We've shared tears, laughs, silly pics and memes. And I'm sure there will be much more.
We're two weeks into the lockdown. The supermarket panic buying is over, and I guess we're all getting accustomed to the situation - at least as much as we can.
Personally, my emotions are a roller-coaster. I spent a lot of last week shouting a lot because I was struggling to manage my work with keeping Charlie occupied, and having to deal with my mum watching Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Doctors on catch-up at full volume at the other end of the room.
This week I've been less shouty, but still unexpectedly emotional at times. I'm okay in my own little bubble at home, but the moment I go to a supermarket (on very rare occasions), I've been completely overwhelmed at the reminder of the gravity of this situation. I also sobbed uncontrollably at the clapping for the NHS in our street yesterday.
I'm missing being able to see my Dad and Jayne, plus my brother and his family. And I'm obviously so bored of the company I'm currently keeping that I spent 10 minutes talking shit to the window cleaner (at a safe distance, obv) yesterday.
But I'm also trying to remember the positive things that are coming through all of this. The support I'm getting from friends, and the feeling of 'we're in it together' is huge. Outside of the shouting, and the stabby feelings, spending so much time with my little family is lovely. And I'm not rushing. Without having anywhere to go, and with no appointments and meetings to attend, the pace of my life has dropped considerably. Yes, it's stressful trying to work and home-school. But I'm not living life at 100 miles an hour. And that's really nice.
If you're still reading, sorry this is such a long post, but it's the first from me. Time for some wine now x