Why am I telling you this? I’m well aware I’m not reinventing the wheel when I say motherhood is hard. If you’ve read this far, you’re likely already more than aware of that. But the last few weeks of utter chaos have reinforced two life lessons for me.

Number one: the best-laid plans go to shit all the time; it’s how you respond that matters. Pre-baby Fliss didn’t cope well with plans going wrong. I enjoyed a routine, and if something went wrong I’d try to fix it. Now, as a mum of two, I know not everything can be fixed, and sometimes it’s an absolute blessing when things go wrong and your hand is forced. Being thrown into a situation in which both my toddler and my baby were at home with me full-time without a bathroom for an extended period of time meant I had to get inventive. Was it part of my idyllic plan for the summer? Absolutely not. Did we make the most of it despite us all having to bathe in a £15 plastic storage box for weeks? Yes, we did.

There were tears, of course. Mainly mine as I worked my way through the overwhelmingly long days of solo parenting, balancing naps and breastfeeding with toddler snacks and under-stimulation tantrums. But I’m out the other side now, and I am so proud of us all for surviving. I can appreciate now that I’ll never have another summer like it in my lifetime. The bond we created as a gang – me, my daughter and my newborn son – because of our unexpected summer of fun together is unparalleled.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learned from maternity leave? Plans go awry all the time – and that’s OK”