Stories · Curiosities · Questionable Ideas · Rather a Lot of Imagination · Farah Sam · Author & Creator ·
Bathrooms, Toilets and the Miracle of Hot Water
The plumbing team finishes their work, bringing the miracle of modern hot water and clean tiles. Amidst the chaos of getting school uniforms ready and memorizing Latin, Mum tackles a mountain of laundry and a fresh pot of vegetable soup while Ariadne splashes happily in the bubbles.
THE STAR FAMILY BLOG
Farah Sam
12/23/20212 min read
My post contentDiary Entry: Tuesday Zen level: Moderate, sustained by the hum of the washing machine Chapters written: 1/4 page (scribbled while keeping an eye on the iron) Current status: Navigating piles of white-and-green school uniforms and steaming towels
The bathrooms are finally finished, and to celebrate, we have put our high-efficiency boiler to the ultimate test: a massive domestic cleaning and laundry marathon. After weeks of paint, dust, and messy artwork, every towel, sheet, and piece of clothing in this house needed a serious wash. The laundry machine has been humming a steady rhythm since dawn, and I have spent the afternoon yawning and ironing, preparing the kids' school clothes for the upcoming term. Getting their uniforms ready is a precise task—everything has to match their official school colors of green and white.
While I ironed and watched over Ariadne, who was happily watching a cartoon on the cozy rug, Yasmeen sat on the sofa reading a thick book, dramatically memorizing her Latin vocabulary for her new school. "Mum, how do you say 'we survived the renovation' in Latin?" she laughed, looking up from her textbook. I smiled, stirring a steaming pot of vegan minestrone soup on the stove with one hand while using my phone to research sensory-friendly diet articles with the other.
Ariadne has been chattering a mile a minute today, highly active and delighted by the warm, clean bathroom. She loves water, but because she cannot regulate her temperature and gets cold quickly, I proactively bundled her in her cozy fleece robe after her bath. She had a wonderful, messy time in the tub, splashing in soapy bubbles, laughing, and getting water everywhere.
Suddenly, her happy chattering turned into a sharp, sudden wail. I knew that immediate cry meant her tummy was empty. I pointed her toward the low cupboard in the kitchen where I had set up her independent snack station. She trotted over, grabbed a small yogurt pot and a spoon by herself, and sat on the floor happily eating, her tears vanishing as quickly as they had arrived.
Closing: When the iron was finally unplugged and the green-and-white uniforms were hung neatly in the wardrobe, the house grew beautifully quiet. I rolled out my mat near the warm radiator. I moved slowly into a gentle shoulder-opening stretch, releasing the tension from a long day of carrying heavy laundry baskets and scrubbing tiles. I closed my eyes, focused on the steady warmth of my breath, and let the quiet comfort of our clean, functioning home wash over me.