Lockdown time has been interesting, hard work and challenging at times but what I’ve tried to focus on is my immediate little world, me, P and my close friends and family. Making sure us and our little circle are ok and letting the big uncertain stuff that I cannot control sort itself out in time. Doing so has made it easier and fun at times. It’s meant some funny memories have been made, little P staying true to her style has been sparky and hilarious making me smile and remember what’s truly important all the time.

I’ve started a bit of a journal/memories log of the little stuff. It’s nothing fancy, just me jotting it down in a scrap book, it doesn’t look good, it’s not creative, it’s not in date order and is a bit hap hazard which is unlike me. If I decide to do these things I usually dress them up all fancy and make it pretty but weirdly, I can’t be arsed right now! I’ve not the freedom to trot down to pick out a fancy printed book and pen from Paperchase or a crafty scrapbook making set from Hobbycraft and doing it online just isn’t the same. although my craft supplies are plentiful. I’ve not got quite got everything I need or it’s not brand new and shiny bought especially for this project. So rough and ready it is, not in date order, just scribbled down in an old notebook with the crap pages no longer needed ripped out of for me to look back at and tell toddler P about later.

Some of favourites have been such spontaneous moments, really random out of the blue ones. Like when I tried to work from home the first week and found thy no matter what I did to try and distract her, she wanted to sit on my knee as I typed on the laptop. She wanted to help, she wanted to tap the keys and flick through the exam specs highlighting key points with a highlighter. However, if I’d have allowed it, she’d have emailed SLT with “alsbkehxiejekchxyrn skiwbnjksjshe” drawn a Jackson Pollock style piece across the mark scheme and probably deleted the Jazz Technique and Musical Theatre schemes of work I’ve been refining year upon year! After adapting to working during nap and bedtimes she suddenly pulled out her own fisher price laptop and told me not touch because she was doing “portant work” rolled her eyes at me and sighed as she clattered on the plastic keys that played a computerised version of incey wincey spider. Her impression of me was uncanny and had me in stitches, especially when as I laughed, she rolled her eyes again with a cheeky smirk as twinkle in her eye that said, “I know, I’m funny mum.”

A key highlight in the scrappy journal though, has to be during a phone call to check in on one of my students, where she called down after finishing her nap, “mummy I done a poo on ma pot-eh!” Needless to say, it cut the phone call short but amused the parent of said student who laughed and said, “I think I’d better let you go!”

Then there’s been the case of the missing imaginary sister. Now, I’m not sure any of you have experienced looking for an imaginary sister that’s disappeared but believe me there’s no task quite like it. All hell broke loose, she was nowhere to be found and toddler P’s shouting and concern was so loud I grew worries that neighbours were going send out a genuine search party for a sister that doesn’t exist! Luckily though, little P’s vtech mobile rang and informed us that “sister’s just comin, she’s at da shops” what a relief!

We’ve also had to eat our Easter roast in sunglasses, because you know the risk of UVA and B rays in a kitchen on a cloudy day are unbelievably high! I’ve been told off many times because I’m, “always doing that mummy” and when I do things right she’s sure to praise me with “oooh good girl mummy well done, you can av a sticka now.” The best was when she told me to “drink it all up then you can have some more” as she pointed to my red wine on the dinner table, can safely say I’ve never been encouraged to “down it” by a two year old before!!

The fact is these memories are all her imagination going wild. It’s her being 2 with a lust for life and fun. It’s watching her spin around, skip and shriek just because it’s fun to do so! It’s her copying and mimicking me and saying and doing all the things I tell her to…even if it is putting me, Hoppity and Baa Lamb on the naughty step for the umpteenth time!

I’m loving these little quirks she’s got and the funny moments she’s giving me, I just hope I remember them in years to come.