Welcome to the latest installment of our series Mum vs Life. Each week we’ll feature a prominent Aussie mum and take you through her day. Everyone from working mums to stay-at-home mums will relate.
This week we talk to Meshel Laurie, comedian, blogger, author, TV host on This Week Live and mum of twins Louis and Dali.
WAKE UP: "I'm nocturnal by nature..."
I wake up about five minutes after my children do. That's a guess because I'm not sure exactly how long it takes them to stretch and scratch and come looking for me, but if I'm awake before them I'm furious at the lost minutes.
I'm definitely not a morning person. I'm nocturnal by nature, so I find it difficult to get to sleep at night and depressing to get up in the morning. Getting up in the early afternoon isn't quite so troubling, from memory. Stand up comedy was an ideal profession for my body clock, but now I have kids and jobs with bosses, my natural, well-rested self is a distant memory.
I should say in their favour that my kids have always been good sleepers. I won't usually hear from them before 7.30am, and occasionally they'll hang in bed until 8.30am.
MORNINGS: "I get to go to the toilet, although never alone..."
The first thing I do when I wake up, (or more correctly am woken up,) is run around the house for about half an hour to an hour, fulfilling the wishes of my 3 year old twins. They "need" everything from fruit loops to Tom and Jerry, to crocs, to cuddles on the couch and a myriad of other things, and they need them all immediately. There are also 2 dogs and 2 chooks waiting impatiently to be fed. I'll do all of that on a full bladder.
Once everyone else has been seen to, I get to go to the toilet, although never alone obviously, and then put the kettle on. The demands will keep coming and the squabbling will start, but eventually I'll hit the couch with a Luke warm instant coffee and my iPad for a quick check of my emails and the news. I'll try to peruse the dozen or so international websites I trawl for material for the radio and television shows I work on. When I see a story I like, I'll email it to myself to read properly later.
Most weekday mornings, the kids and I have somewhere we need to be by 10, and getting the three of us dressed and ready for the day is a big job, so the couch time lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. Then it's a shower, supervised teeth brushing session, finding clothes, putting them on, an attempt at a tidy up, an argument over jackets and the long process of loading everyone and everything into the car.
BREAKFAST: "I don't eat breakfast..."
I don't eat breakfast, apart from the tepid instant coffee and the occasional sneaky spoonful of soggy, abandoned fruit loops. I just don't really have the time or the interest. I try to drink a bottle of water while I'm getting the kids breakfast.
My ideal start to the day is a hot coffee and a long sit on the couch with my iPad while my husband runs around after the kids. We spend about half the week apart at the moment, (long story) but he's very helpful on weekends.