I am the glue.

You know every family has one, the glue, that makes things happen, keeps things gelling, holds everyone together.

I have read in studies that this person is often the middle child, also known as the "peacekeepers" but I am the youngest. And kind of the "only" as I grew up as the only child in my home from the age of 7.

And I am the glue. I am the glue in the extended family, and in my immediate family. I keep everything going, everything gelling.

Well the glue is TIRED today. After a long day of glueing yesterday.

For me yesterday that was getting up at 3:30 am and driving both my folks to the airport to drop off my father for a flight over to Australia to visit his mother and brother, then home on time for hubby to go to work and then get all the children sorted for school/kindy. Which was amusing as we got home by ten to 6, and there was so much time to get everything done! My poor mother wanted to help me but when you are so used to getting it all done there is a rhythm to it and she was at a bit of a loose end.

It was all done by 7. Thats unheard of in my house (since thats usually when I am dragging my butt out of bed...) SO Rockchick and I decided to do some knitting... knitting at 7 am felt very decadent.... Mum had a little silver fern patch which she sewed onto her cabin bag as she wanted to strongly represent her country in England!

So anyway, kids off to school/kindy, back home and it felt like a weird limbo... a waiting game for time to return to the airport with mum.

I feel hugely responsible for my mum, she has been my rock on so many occasions and I have been hers. We have this meshed network of relationship in which we are best friends, mother and daughter, daughter and mother, and each others confidants. And she has diabetes and arthritis. And I had to hand her care (hohum) over to my older brother for the next few weeks. I had to give her up for the next few weeks.

It was very hard to let go.

When you have that much confusion inside of you its hard to not feel exhausted, let alone getting up at 3:30 in the morning and driving to the airport, an hour and a bits drive away. Twice.

So at 10 am we were back on the road to take my mum to the airport.

We were hoping to have lunch and a chance to say our goodbyes before she left but the traffic was bad, and we got there on time to check her in and put her through customs. So it felt very rushed.

And then she was gone. I raced up to the viewing platform and saw her go through - she didn't see me. But then I had to leave the airport, when my mum was flying off with part of my heart clutched in her hand. I am fairly certain she left a part of hers with me, so it was a fair trade.

I got home on time to have a quick shower and felt a bit fresher, answered my emails and send out a quote. But then it was into my afternoon. Wednesdays are my hardest afternoon at the best of times.

Pick up children, tap dancing, home dinner, bed, BLAH.....

And I still couldn't get to sleep before 11:30. Silly over-tiredness.

I am now waiting to hear from my brother that she has arrived safely in England. She is arriving at 7pm yesterday our time, after 23 hours on a plane. I do love how buzzy time differences are!!!

And now back to life. House semi tidy, work prep for a site visit this afternoon, with the kids in tow, that should be fun. And I am fairly certain that the twins have pulled all the clothes out of their dresser while I have sat here typing this.

Oh the joys of being the glue!

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother.