Lolita is off on holiday and so we will be maid-less for a couple of weeks. From tomorrow onwards, I will be a stay-at-home-mom, God help me.

For the past two days, my mum has held the fort, coming in early to cook and to manage the kids until we got home from work. So far, although the kids have kitty litter duty, they have been relatively chore-less. All that will change in the next couple of days.

KH and I work as a team in the mornings. We don't discuss our 'duties' - we just do them. In the mornings, I make the bed - easily done in 1min, get dressed and ready for work. Meanwhile, KH has taken the laundry and started the washing machine and watered the plants. Once downstairs, I make simple sandwiches for the kids who want them, feed the cat and then we're off.

Once home at the end of the day, we get dinner on the table. He clears the table, I wash the dishes (which takes me about half an hour! There has to be a better way to do this!) and bring the trash out. KH brings in the dry clothes and sorts - makes the kids put away their own clothes. Then he bathes Owain while I bathe Trin. Before we retire for the night for the usual bed-time routine, I do a quick 'round' of the living area to just pick up the cushions, neaten up the edges, put things away etc so even if the place has not really been 'cleaned', it looks clean!

The past few days have given me an idea of how full-time WOHMs (work-outside-home-moms) feel, particularly those with no live-in help. It's just exhausting to get home after a full day's work to be faced with kids who are clamouring for attention and with housework.

To be honest, I don't know how I am going to get through the next couple of days but will just get on with it. I think my mantra will be - don't be too ambitious. To do what is necessary and still give the kids and myself some down-time. Perfection will have to take a backseat.

It's the holidays so I will also have to plan some activity for the children or we will all go stark raving mad at home. So for a start tomorrow, I plan to bring them to the Children's Season at the Singapore Art Museum. The day after, maybe a hike in the southern ridges? Luge at Sentosa? Keep them busy and wear 'em out. That's my philosophy for sanity in the next couple of days.

I am also quite happy planning what to cook for the coming days. The shishamo experiment turned out well with my new grill pan and the kids are now fans. Looking forward to simple one-dish meals (experiments) too - seafood fried rice, crockpot beef stew, sesame seed chicken, chicken tempra?

I'll also have to give the older kids more chores eg mopping/sweeping - not on a daily basis but every alternate day?

The next few weeks are starting to look interesting... Will the kids and I make it out alive or will I prove myself to be the complete disaster of a domestic diva? Stay tuned.