The Last Day of Peace

Hi,

It is the final moments before the workday rush, and I am enjoying the contrast of the heavy rain outside with the absolute calm inside. Tomorrow, the long pause ends, and reality resumes. Waiting for me is the classic, merry weekly calendar filled with lectures, work discussions, student supervision, and a mountain of other things screaming for my attention. I’ve taken a sneak peek at the schedule, and let’s just say… my calendar is looking very popular right now.😸

But how did I spend the absolute final days of freedom? Pretty much the same thing every single day. Playing full-time entertainment manager to my kids and their never-ending requests for, well, everything.

Outing days are their absolute favourite. Me? I am aggressively not a fan of crowded shopping malls. My solution? We storm the mall at precisely 10:00 AM. There is a beautiful, serene window of time when the malls are empty, the air conditioning is fresh, and the crowd hasn't arrived yet. By the time the masses descend, we are already heading to the exit.

I also had a "bring the parents out" day made possible because my youngest sister was in town. At this age, I absolutely refuse to queue just to put food in my mouth. I will happily skip a trending restaurant to avoid a line. But my sister possesses the legendary patience required to stand in line.

She volunteered for the hard labor. I told her, "Excellent. You go jump in the line, and when the table is ready, call us." Meanwhile, I waited in comfort and then rolled up with the entire squad just in time to sit down. Perfect execution. 😆

Eldest and youngest daughters on duty with the parents today.

As for keeping the kids on their best behaviour? The formula is simple: new books, new toys, and good food. Do that, and they suddenly become the most angelic, happiest kids on earth. Right now, they are obsessed with Pop Mart. I personally don't understand the hype of buying a mystery box where you don’t even know what’s inside, but hey, whatever floats their ship.

I applied a very strict Mom Policy:

• You have a budget limit.

• You can pick what you want, but you must present it to the Judge (me) for approval first.

• No approval, no payment counter.

They wanted to wheel their cute little trolleys around with their tiny paper bags in tow.

Whatever keeps the peace while Mom gets her things! 🛒

Seeing their massive grins while holding their new toys makes it worth it. Plus, it activates the ultimate Mom Hack: once they have their loot, they will happily follow me anywhere without a single complaint. We wrapped up the outing with full stomachs, full hearts, and not forgetting, a bag full of mystery toys.😂