Up at 5:30am. Yep, the early bird gets the stress—and trust me, I’m no stranger to this routine. I’ve showered, done my hair, got dressed, and I'm sitting with a cup of tea in the kitchen by 6:30am, pretending I’ve got my life together while the house is still hushed in peaceful silence. Little do I know, that moment of calm is just the calm before the toddler storm.

Today, I’m writing with a heart that’s heavy but also lighter than it’s been in a long time. I’ve made the decision to split from my husband. Yeah, I know. Big, heavy, nerve-wracking stuff. It’s the hardest choice I’ve ever had to make, but honestly? It’s also the best one for me and my children right now.

Finally, I had a lie-in. Yes, you heard that right—me, the queen of early mornings and chaos, managed to stay horizontal until… 8:53 AM. Not 6:00, not 7:00—EIGHT FIFTY-THREE. I practically leap out of bed thinking, ‘Is there a gas leak? Have the kids perished in their sleep? Why is it so quiet in the house? Has the universe just hit pause?’ Turns out, they’re all still asleep.

Yesterday’s chaos was just the tip of the iceberg. Picking up my youngest three from after-school club, they mention that Izaac is complaining of pain. Driving home, he’s wincing and hurting, and my stomach plummets. We get home, I put him in the shower, and we talk about what hurts—he’s saying it’s his left testicle.

Today, somebody said to me, “There’s always something going on with you and your life,” and honestly? I got super defensive. I was like, “No, there isn’t!” Yea, I’ve got kids and work, but I manage. I know they didn’t mean anything by it, but in that moment, I just wanted to seem like I’ve got it all under control.

Today, I’ve gone full Sunday mode. My eldest child lives in a log cabin built in the garden—don’t ask. I’m all about making things work, so I figured, why not? Well, his room was starting to look like a pit of disaster, so I grabbed my 3-year-old sidekick, and we went in to battle. Two hours, a lot of scrubbing, and a mountain of bin bags later, his room is now the stuff of legends—so good, in fact, I want to move in there myself.