So on the first day of Christmas flu I gritted my teeth, tidied the house, made up 2 double air-beds, one spare bed and a party lunch for 5 ..    I smiled through the nativity service drunk my way through a few G&T's in the pub after (purely medicinal of course) and struggled to our Christmas Eve pub dinner all before collapse.

On the second day of Christmas flu I cooked about half a Christmas dinner for 9  before collapsing asleep on the sofa ....  and it was all down hill from there.

I haven't been ill for years (simply don't have time to fit it in) ..   but this one got me good and proper.   I couldn't do anything but stare at the ceiling for nearly 5 whole days.  So on the 7th day I got up to witness bedlam, as the sitting room stayed exactly as it had been left 7 days earlier on Christmas day.   Piles of presents, scalextric, wrapping paper, cups and mouldering plates.    The utility room door was just about open through the piles of dirty washing (and clean unsorted washing).   The kitchen was sort of tidy, with two loads of dishes on top of the dishwasher.   The 2 double air-beds were still there, covered in toys and mess.....   The kids were fed, clean (ish) and happy.      

So what did I learn?   I was humbled to think of all the mums out there who have to deal with some kind of long term illness.   I just didn't have the energy to talk to my kids let alone be nice to them.    I don't know how they do it.    I also learnt that the person who was most bothered by the mess was me, and maybe part of the reason I got ill in the first place was driving myself too hard to get everything perfect.   

I had to cancel 5 lovely post Christmas things with family and friends, and am now re-booking some nice things for the new year to make up for Christmas Lost ....    back to work on Monday, feeling slightly cheated.

May 2013 be full of lovely times with friends and family and NO flu!