I remembered to get some food out of the freezer the night before and pop it in the fridge. Dave would need something when he got in and the children could have a snack because they'd had a main meal at lunchtime.
I remembered to take the homemade brownies out of the freezer the night before and cut them into slices and pop them in a cake tin. It's much easier to get sharp edges when cutting gooey things before they've completely defrosted.
I remembered to check with Dave "You're OK to take Ethan to Scouts and Hannah to Explorers?" and I took the time to make sure he knew exactly which children needed to be where and when. I offered to take Ethan to Scouts, in case it helped, but was told firmly that "No, I plan to get back in time to do that."
I woke up early at six and decided that getting out of the house and into work early would allow me to plan and feel happier about the "big meeting".
I remembered to take the brownies out to the car and when I got to work, I set up the meeting room (including moving the furniture around and checking the IT equipment), remembering to leave instructions about the WiFi, the teas and coffees and allergens in the brownies.
I remembered to get money from the cashpoint and collect some keys that had been cut for our desk drawers.
I spent the next couple of hours trying to talk to as many of the meeting presenters as possible trying to ensure everyone knew what they were going to be talking about or discussing.
Before the meeting I remembered to set up a Webex, and dialled in.
The meeting didn't go to plan, but that's life. All through the five and a half hours I could sense the notifications on my phone. WhatsApp and Facebook going "ping" every few minutes with things I clearly needed to know.
After the meeting I tried to get to some of the presenters to provide reassurance or clarity or just to say "Thank you."
As I left work I checked my phone. Lots of messages and not enough time, but somebody wanted to park at my house for the evening.
I drove home remembering to stop at the Post Office to send Dave's erroneously ordered Amazon purchase back from whence it came, because I'm nice like that.
Before I got back in the car I checked messages and said "Yes" to the friend that wanted a parking space. Then I spotted another message; a different friend with the same request. I needed to think about that before replying.
When I got home I remembered that Ethan was going to be late home because he was attending a meeting about cadet camps. It transpires these were: two in Romania at £800 a pop and one in Morocco for £900 a pop. I remembered I hadn't yet paid the deposits for the Scout Camp to Ireland.
Assessing the parking situation once I was home, I reasoned that if I allowed one of my friends to block me in (that's OK, I didn't need my car) then both friends could park at the house and there would still be room for Dave. I sent a second affirmative message re parking.
I checked my voicemail - someone at the insurance company wanting a call back. I called and provided details over the phone about the stolen laptop and then followed up with an email. And then there was a phone call. Another agent appointed by the insurance company wanted to come and assess the damage to the front door and alarm system. Appointment made for Friday afternoon.
I caught my reflection and tried to call the hairdresser several times with no reply.
I then remembered I was a bad friend to someone who could do with support right now. On World Mental Health Day, the one thing I could do was make a call and plan to meet up. Meeting for breakfast on a Friday, plan made.
I checked I hadn't booked a supermarket delivery, and I hadn't, so I realised I might just have time for a run. Just as I was changed into running gear, Ethan arrived home. We had a quick catch up and I closed the door with the instructions for him to do his saxophone practice, make a sandwich, eat it, get ready for Scouts. I should have added tidy the bedroom but that's permanently on the to-do list.
On my first lap Ethan called. I'm not a good runner, and expecting me to think, talk and run, is a stretch. He told me my car was blocked in and that we would need extra time to get to Scouts. I told him that "Dad was planning to get back in time." We checked Dave's location, he was still at work but there was plenty of time for him to return.
On my second lap, Dave called. Could I take Ethan to Scouts?
Amid a string of expletives, I confirmed that I could because, technically, I could. And when I'm asked to do something like that, generally, I try and help. Yes, my car was blocked in, but yes, Scouts is within walking distance if you have 60 minutes spare (30 there and 30 back).
I cut my run short and went home to find Ethan listening to music at full volume and eating a sandwich. I sent him up to his room to change and popped the second half of his sandwich in a bag.
When he came down I said, "Right, we're running to Scouts."
I had a bit of an issue with Ethan running and trying to finish his sandwich at the same time. As we passed the ambulance station I was yelling about the Heimlich manoeuvre and telling him that choking and suffocating is not a nice way to die.
Ethan arrived at Scouts early and I turned and ran and walked home.
Dave was at home when I got back. He'd actually arrived home with plenty of time to have driven Ethan to Scouts. And my car was no longer blocked in which made it look bizarre that I'd chosen to run to Scouts.
While I showered and dressed Hannah returned home from her weekly "revision" session at a friend's house.
Dave drove me and Hannah to Abi's house where we collected her and then I was dropped at the curry house for curry and beer, which I felt I'd earned.
I didn't sleep for long enough, I never do. There's always something to be done, like a blog post.
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