My mother is great!
Not only has she given up her life in London to spend a few months in Italy looking after my adorable but rather strong willed 2 year old, she is also being massively supportive and doing all the domestic stuff so I can just work – she jokes that she is my wife!
The average day starts with me getting up around 7am, having a quick bowl of porridge in the gloom and making myself a cup of tea in a thermos mug to take with me to the foundry, where I work till the horn goes off at 10 to 12.
Meanwhile, my little son was got up and dressed by his grandma, who has also made sure he has a good play in the garden or an hours walk around town. My mother also does the shopping and makes sure she has lunch waiting for me at 12 when I get back!
I have a little play with him then head back to the foundry a bit after 1, and he goes down for his afternoon nap. This evening at 6 when I was cycling back, I ran into them both in the main square and we had a cycle and scooter together (when he wasn’t busy chatting to little girls his height or showing off on his scooter).
After a joint supper, I do the bath and bed routine, then its time to check emails, research online, write my blog or the odd skype call to the folks in London. And I occasionally help tidy up too…
Not content with thus waiting on me hand and foot all week – my mother insisted that this weekend when I got to see my husband at last, that we should go out for dinner on our own whilst she babysat for us. It was so nice to catch up and spend some lovely time together, definitely essential and much appreciated.
In addition, my son is flourishing. He is happy, full of beans, and shooting up (the trousers he was wearing today are definitely too short now, and I’m sure they were fine before). He is also learning to say Ciao Bello (which is what all the locals say to him!)
So – the secret of how to do a residency with a family – skype is quite usefull but take your mother with you
