Two Christmas Fairs and One Very Needed Lazy Day

It’s been a very lazy day today, wonderfully so.
Summer has watched three Christmas films, River has busied himself with bits and pieces and Kike has just finished a roast which I’m very much looking forward to. I’ve been watching a series on my phone in between chores – a psychological thriller ‘The Girlfriend’ which I’m enjoying. I had to silence the little voice in my head telling me I should probably be “doing something” and just enjoy the calm.

Honestly, we all needed a quiet one. Yesterday was… a lot.

Morning Chaos (With a Side of Fairy Tales)

Kike had two Christmas parties yesterday, so he was gone early. I heard him get into the shower and then River began his usual morning announcements.

“I WANT TO GET UP!”
Pause. No Kike.
“I NEED A POO!”
Pause. No Kike.
New tactic: “HELP ME, I’M HURT!”

I swear the next one would have been FIRE!

I got up, freed him (not hurt, not needing a poo) and went to find Kike, only to discover it was nearly 8am. I clearly fell back to sleep and he had left an hour ago.

My morning chores were finished quicker than usual because… we got a cleaner! Very exciting times in the Yepes household. There were some issues with timings which we can smooth out next week but I didn’t have to clean a bathroom — my least favourite job — so I’m not complaining.

As I was putting washing away, there was a thud from upstairs.
We live in a maisonette and the woman upstairs is called Vee.

“What’s that sound, Mummy?”
“It’s probably Vee, sweetheart.”
“VEE?” confused face.
Pause.
“VEE, FI, FO, FUM… THE GIANT… THE GIANT IS UPSTAIRS?!”

Possibly, the funniest thing he’s ever said.
(They’re learning Jack and the Beanstalk at Nursery.)

Christmas Fair No. 1 — Survival Mode

Kate arrived (River: “KAY KAY!”) because she knew exactly why she’d been summoned: two Christmas fairs in one afternoon and Kike nowhere in sight.

We headed to the first one, his school.
He was happy enough until he realised we were at school. Quick scream, brief refusal, then bounced back.

Summer was singing in the choir, in the main hall. However, also in the main hall was a giant inflatable slide. River was up it before I opened my mouth. One of Summer’s old teachers told him he could have two turns before they had to deflate it for the choir. She gave me the sympathetic teacher look, the one that says, “I know this is going to be difficult.”

Two turns later, I had to pull him off.
Kate immediately whisked him away in the pushchair, wrapped in her scarf, doing laps around the playground until he calmed down, leaving me to watch Summer sing Ten Little Reindeers in a very hot, very crowded hall.

By the time the choir had finished I headed out to find that River had calmed down. So much so he was in fact asleep

Summer, armed with tokens, headed to the Japanese Café with her friends for sushi and Kate and I found ourselves on a school bench with glasses of Prosecco. Probably the best outcome I could have hoped for.

Christmas Fair No. 2 — Nope. Too Much. Absolutely Not.

We woke River gently and began walking toward my school for the second fair. He was happy, blissfully unaware of what was coming next.

This fair is known for being loud. I had been warned.

At first, he was okay. He liked the playground. I showed him my work-in-progress Sensory Space — a hit! and then suggested we get a drink.

As we walked toward the canteen, a speaker blasted loud Christmas music directly into our faces.

He screamed.

Too many people, too much noise, too much happening. I managed to get him outside while Kate fetched the pushchair. He curled up under her blanket and whispered:

“I want to go home.”

The only problem?
I had absolutely no idea where Summer was.

A stressed man approached us, insisting we couldn’t be in the playground because of insurance. Before I could explain anything, he rushed off to tell kids to get down. Once River was calm, I found him and gently explained I wasn’t letting River on any equipment, that I work at the school and that my child is autistic and overwhelmed.

He was very sweet. Apologised and checked on us later.

One parent even appeared with a bottle of Prosecco and two glasses. River armed with juice, safe in his pushchair with the protective scarf was happy again.
Kate and I perched on a wall, glasses in hand in our second school playground of the day — I know how to spoil her — until it started raining.

We retreated into a smaller hall, found a quiet spot, turned River away from everything and spent the next hour continuing our catch-up and trying to locate Summer in the crowd.

River isn’t ready for fairs yet and that’s okay.
He enjoyed his snacks; Summer had the best time ever.
That’s what matters.

We stopped at the pub on the way home and I discovered that Kate is scarily quick at puzzles. I mean it was only a 14 piece Stickman puzzle but still, under a minute!

A Well-Earned Lazy Day

After a full week of work and school, plus yesterday’s double-fair marathon, today’s lazy day was exactly what we all needed.

I’ve floated in and out of chores, letting myself rest in between without feeling guilty for once.

Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is ignore the long list of “shoulds” and just enjoy the quiet.

It’s Sunday, which means tomorrow the routine returns.
But today gave us a little breathing space.
A small reset.
Exactly what we needed before stepping back into the week.