Things that made me smile

Before my week ending with a hideous warzone of snot, tears, screaming, and dirty pants (just to clarify none of these were mine on this occasion) I was having quite a good day. In fact I'd go so far as to say I was having quite a good week. On reflection:

• Phoebe has had several successful play dates with her friends that resulted in very few arguments apart from a slight wrestle over a chair and a hoover.

• I was glowing a bit because the teaching assistant said Tilly could be her "star of the day everyday" and suggested that I might have had a role in her being that way (it is perhaps fortunate then that she didn't witness her screaming at me between 4 and 6.30 this evening. Apparently whatever it was it was all my fault).

• I made it to the hospital in good time for Tilly's appointment, found a parking space, had the right change for the meter, and found the right department without use of a bread crumb trail and steam coming out of my ears. I even held my own when told she shouldn't have been going swimming for the last six months (the hearing test lady clearly needs to have words with the consultant). Most brilliantly Tilly's hearing is back to normal. Shame mine may be irrevocably damaged if the yelling at me carries on much more.

• I remembered to take Phoebe to her pre-school taster session on time and she loved it. I'm taking the fact that she didn't want to leave as a good sign.

• Tilly's painstakingly handwritten A4 sheet of sums may have got slightly written on by Phoebe but I managed to quickly divert Tilly from apoplexy by pointing out that Phoebe had actually written real numbers down by copying Tilly's numbers so clearly she had managed to teach Phoebe while she wasn't even in the house.

• Tilly turned up to school suitably attired on "Wrong Trousers Day". Although when I saw the five year old boy wearing his dad's trousers held up with braces I rather wished she'd stuck with her original intention of wearing her pyjama bottoms inside out.

• I even managed to sew the elastic into Tilly's ballet shoes right. The bow is on the right way up and everything. Ok so it was the third attempt but I didn't expect much more to be honest.

I tell you I was slightly moving towards the definition of an organised mum this week.

There was also some smiley life stuff too.

• Yesterday I saw a grown woman floundering on a busy pavement on roller blades. It was brilliant. And she was smiling at the time.

• And today there were several people walking past the Botanical Gardens eating ice creams on their own. No children, no peer pressure, just because they wanted one.

It's hard to remember the positives sometimes when the day or week ends with tears and an early night. But now I've read the girls stories, told them I love them, got kisses back and written this down everything seems better.