This is when my little girl broke her wrist the first time. Let's hope that it is just bruised muscles this time around.
Sunday night I was at the hospital. It was not for me it was for one of my girls. This hospital visit was a long and hard due to the fact that both of us were very very tired.
This is when my little girl broke her wrist the first time. Let’s hope that it is just bruised muscles this time around.
So why were we at the hospital?
Saturday one of the girls fell at basketball. She was marking (in other words trying to block one girl from the other team from getting a basket), the girls of the other team bumped her and this made my daughter misstep and then fall on her knee and on her hand. Saturday night she had a big black bruise on the inside of her arm and her hand near her thumb was extremely bruised.
We decided to strap up the hand and arm to help and she kept it like this for Sunday also. However by Sunday night it was very sore and still swollen, and she couldn’t do much at all with the hand.
The concern with the hand and arm was this was the same wrist she broke years ago. So with the concern that she could have really hurt this arm and hand again, I took her to the hospital.
We got into see the triage nurse very quickly but I think my kid downplayed the pain, she still couldn’t move her thumb correctly so off to x-ray we went.
Just to give you some context we arrived at the hospital at around 8.30pm. We got to see the x-ray people around 9pm, and then we saw the doctor at 12am.
During our wait we chatted with the other people in the waiting room and also bonded over bad reality television.
When we saw the doctor he said that there are no breaks in the arm…Good to know!
He was concerned about her swelling and pain around the thumb and said that there could possibly be a break in the hand but these breaks don’t become visible until about 7-10 days later.
The doctor said that we needed to keep her thumb and hand in a certain position as a precaution until we can get her x-rayed again.
The kind staff at the hospital located an arm strap and put it on my daughter to show her how it can help keep the thumb and hand in a better position. The strap looked good and had padding but it must have been pressing her arm on all the sore parts. She was so upset and nearly in tears about this arm strap. I asked if she would wear it and she said it hurts, so the answer would be no.
I told the doctor that we are very thankful for them getting the strap but since it is hurting her I don’t believe she would wear it. The only alternative was to have her get a cast to make sure that she doesn’t move her hand and arm in the wrong position.
The doctor agreed and kindly got my kid a plaster cast and then we finally arrived home just after 1 am. And yes we were very tired.
While at the hospital I was thinking about all the times I have been there, and thinking about all the disasters was rather weird. Below is a list of what we have gone to the local hospital for:
Pregnant with the twins – Water broke at 33 weeks so then moved to Nepean.
Back after the twins were born
One of the twins fell on her head
One of the twins swallowed a rock and then had to get an x-ray
The twin who swallowed the rock had follow up x-ray to determine if the rock was there or not (the rock had moved out of the body naturally, you know what I mean)
One twin got a UTI and had to be on antibiotics with a drip (she had 40-degree temps)
Intense gastro
Standard illness that little kids get
Hubby hurting himself
Sick when pregnant with my third child
Seeing midwives at the hospital for my care with the third child
Back at the hospital after having my little boy.
Badly ill with mastitis and had to be on an antibiotic drip (don’t recommend this as it burnt my veins and hurt)
The third child got dropped face-first on edge of a concrete path and nearly lost all top teeth (this was a horrible visit)
One twin broke her wrist and got told she needed to have it rebooked due to it being at a 15-degree angle (geez not good, but all ended well)
My little boy got really ill and didn’t eat or drink this then meant his blood sugar dropped. (This was very scary and glad I took him to the hospital when I did)
I got bitten by a suspected redback spider – foot swelled up and it burnt and was stabbing at the same time…HORRIBLE PAIN!
And now again with the kid that broke her wrist and soon back again for follow up x-ray.
I know that hubby and I have had our fair share of accidents and sickness but we seem to be frequent visitors to the hospital and this can only be due to having kids.
Have you realised that since you have had kids that you visit the doctors or the hospital more often?
I’m very grateful that we have a good health care system that we can just get the care we need when we need it. My daughter was upset it was taking forever at the hospital. I did say yes it is a long wait but the doctors are busy, they are treating the most urgent people first and then us. I told her that we just need to wait. Many countries have to pay lots and lots of money for the care we received on Sunday and we have the benefit of having it all under Medicare.
I just hope that my boy is not a frequent visitor at the hospital like his sisters have been. He does give it a good go with all his action games.
When I was about twelve years old I developed breasts before any of my friends did and due to me being different I was teased. It was very silly really, the one thing I had no control over and it was something that I was picked on for.
My girls are now twelve and are going through the changes that all kids do pre-adolescent. This time has been rather trying as a parent. I have been met with grumpy kids that would rather not speak or just yell at me. Basically, they have been super moody and frustrating to deal with. I do understand that their body is going through massive changes but it has been exhausting dealing with the moods.
I would like to think that kids will not tease others for things that they cannot control, but this will not happen. My girls are dealing with a few pimples here and there and some kids have not been that kind. I’ve told the twins that pimples don’t last, and all they need to do is to wash their faces and don’t pick at them – soon they will be gone and their faces will be pimple free!
I was lucky to be sent a book about body image for girls and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Charlotte Markey has covered absolutely everything that a young girl would need to know; the book discusses periods, health, weight, and the fact that there is no need to diet, changes with their bodies in regards to pimples, breast development, and what is actually happening during puberty.
The Body Image Book for Girls has interviews with women of all ages on what happened to them – these interviews give girls an insight into others’ lives and show them that everyone goes through the same thing.
It is great to have such a detailed, approachable, and down to earth book for girls during what some find as a very confusing time in their lives.
If you have a girl who is nearly a teenager they will really love this book. I know mine do, even if they look at it secretly in the comfort of their own room the details of this feel-good book will allow girls to be empowered and like the title says grow up fearless.
Enter the code: LOVE15 at checkout at the Cambridge University Press website to get the discount. The offer ends on the 30th of January 2021.
Get your young girls a bit of empowerment today.
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Kids can build a Piper Computer Kit – Great STEM Project
Every time I turn on the TV every station says, “It’s a year like no other” and “We are all in this together” This is nice to know but I am rather over hearing these phrases.
Oh deer what a year! We can all agree 2020 wasn’t a great year.
My 2020 started when we were in the midst of constant bushfires and we watched the fires near me app more than our television. The fires in the Blue Mountains had actually started in about September or possibly earlier in 2019 so we had about five months of constant fires, sirens, smoke and living with a go bag packed just in case.
When the winds changed near the end of 2019 the residents of the city of Sydney were whinging about having smoke in there backyard and having the constant smell of smoke. I know it was hard for them, but have a thought for us and others that were living this every day for months on end. No one seemed to worry if we had smoke where we lived but as soon as it blows into someone’s fancy penthouse or apartment it is national news story. Oh well there is my whinge about that issue.
Just before Christmas 2019 we were planning on visiting family but decided to leave a day earlier as they were closing the road going to Sydney and had already closed the road to Mudgee and beyond. Yep, where I live there is one road in and one road out… so if they are closed and the emergency department says ti is to late to leave you are stuck with no where to go. We thought it best to go while the road was still open and as we have 3 young children cannot just make quick decisions for all. We were lucky our place wasn’t burnt down and still in one piece, however there were burnt leaves that were still on fire flying into our yard, black ash over everything and heavy smoke and a red fire sun on our return in 2020.
Fireworks has been cancelled nearly everywhere. Sydney cancelled the 9pm fireworks and has told people to watch on the TV for the 12pm fireworks.
We thought that if we could only just get through the fires we would all be okay. Have the public holidays in January, get jobs and move on from there.
The fires were not the only thing that happened to our local community. We had floods and weeks and weeks of heavy rain that caused a lot of damage. Again, we were lucky to escape this damage on our property but we knew others that didn’t have such luck. Many had trees come down on roofs and one had a tree land on a car (the only plus here was that they were not in it at the time).
Many job applications later and nothing from anyone. It was all okay we thought, it is just the fact that it is just after the holidays. More job applications and many people who finally spoke to us said they were putting jobs on hold. At the time we were not sure why, but thought that it might be due to budgets.
Fast forward to March 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic had hit Australia, we were on the brink of a full shutdown, border closures, and schools telling parents that if you were not an essential worker then you will need to home school your child or children. We were not considered essential workers and this then meant that all three kids were home with us doing school work all the while I was trying to do some paid work. This as you imagine was very hard.
Homeschooling only lasted for about four months, I do know that other countries have had nearly a whole year of having kids at home learning. I am very happy that we didn’t have longer with all three kids at home, it was very testing to say the least….many swear words and more were uttered due to the horrible circumstances.
With the second wave that happened in Melbourne and Sydney suddenly facing more infctions everywhere, well it seems everywhere but it has been a little over a hundred new infections currently. Although it seems low the powers that be have cracked down hard due to the fact that the virus can spread quickly and infect many in a short space of time.
I was hoping that on the last day of the year that we would be in a better position, however, borders are closed to everyone from New South Wales, wearing masks is now said should be mandatory and we need to make sure to only have 5 people visit our home which includes kids and adults.
I’m very grateful to have a contract that is bringing money into the household and has made Christmas and life a little bit easier. It is nice to be working again in the corporate world, although I do miss some fun things with the kids. In a year where we desperately needed someone to work I have taken on that role to give us all a helping hand.
My relatives in the UK are having a much harder time. A full shutdown is happening and a mutation of the virus is so much more infectious. More people are in hospital and intensive care since April, and thousands and thousands are getting infected each day and sadly dying. Over 40,000 people tested positive during the last seven days in the UK. (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55494800)
I also feel for everyone in America as the numbers for infections are enormous. I must say that I feel very happy to be in a country that doesn’t tie your health care and other help to your job. In a crisis, you can lose your job and then all other benefits and assistance dry up.
2020 showed the world and big corporates that people can work from home and still do their jobs. Remote working isn’t a thing to flash in front of prospective staff or exisiting ones to hopefully keep them on or interested, it is something that actually works and remote staff have been shown to be highly engaged, do more work and yes, get more shit done!
As a mum and a person who would love more flexibility with her work life having businesses have remote roles are fantastic. I also don’t think they can go back now to saying that they cannot offer this. It is not just the young things that are working away that want to be flexible or have a remote schedule, no matter your age, where you are in life, having a flexible work life is a great thing to have and to strive for. 2020 has shown us that this can happen, it is not a new concept and one that I have always been promised at every place I have worked and yet it never ever happened or materialized until now.
See how a crisis makes things happen, sad don’t you think!
I hope that big business continues offering remote and flexible work to people. It has been proven it works and can be done, oh and it is cheaper to not have a dedicated desk for someone…. see it can have its benefits for both parties.
Being with family more this year has meant that we have spent more quality time together, and sometimes this time has been annoying. If you are a family of five and you cannot escape due to restrictions you have nowhere to go…I was keen to go to the library earlier in the year but it was closed, although now open.
I wish people wouldn’t panic over toilet paper
And don’t get me started on the stupid panic buying of toilet paper that has happened again. Yes, more idiots are stockpiling toilet paper due to new infections. I recently went to get some toilet paper to find that the aisle has yet again been emptied by people who are making sure they can go to the toilet with massive amounts of paper they are hoarding! I don’t understand why this is happening and still a thing. If you were worried about not leaving your house, wouldn’t buy bread, milk, and canned goods?
With 2021 nearly upon us I find it is a time to reflect on how lucky and grateful I am. I am very grateful for the house we live in, although it is not perfect and I want to fix so many things, it is ours, and it keeps us safe. I am grateful that we have all stayed healthy and not got the virus, I am grateful for the help we have had from the government to help us out when we had nothing and I am grateful for getting a job just before Christmas.
I did have big plans for 2020 but like everyone they didn’t occur due to the world health crisis, no money, no job, and then no way to travel. My big plans are waiting until things get better and some of my other big plans are going to happen next year in 2021.
I hope you and your family are well and safe. This year was horrible for all and I know that many are still suffering. I hope that things improve and 2021 brings you more of what you want.
Maybe Happy New Year is not what we should be saying…maybe we should be saying we survived, and we can do anything in 2021 after this year.
What are your thoughts on 2020? How did you cope during the pandemic and the economic crisis?
It really doesn’t feel like it going to be Christmas Day tomorrow. I do feel extremely exhausted and hanging for the holidays, maybe this is due to all the stress and uncertainty that 2020 has brought.
The kids especially my four-year-old and very soon to be five years old is so excited for Christmas. He’s been singing made-up Christmas songs and doing fun dances around the house and also out in public. I am sorry to all the people that were at Woolworths the other day when my little boy went into Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer at the top of his lungs! Yes, that was us… and cmon it is the festive time of year so this loud vibrant Christmas cheer should be forgiven right….. Well, there were a few people that were giving me horrible looks and tut-tutting at this situation.
Moonpig is a wonderful place to find one of a kind cards and mugs, not only can you get fun gifts you can personalise them to make them even more unique.
Not only can Moonpig create stunning gifts and cards, but they can also mail them for you too!
My new mug from Moonpig…and yes I made it myself.
Moonpig has so many wonderful mugs to choose from and some you can even add your own photos to. I decided to add a fun saying, you will note that my mug says I am having a meeting. It is hard when you work alone most of the time, you have to have a chat with yourself or else nothing gets organised!
Christmas gifts from Moonpig that will make everyone smile
Some fun and new cards from Moonpig
It was super easy using Moonpig to organise and order my card and mug. Once my order was placed it was at my house in a few days time…so that was super quick if you ask me.
Make sure to get a fun card for your next birthday/anniversary/thank you present and while you are there order a one of a kind mug for your special someone.
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COVID has thrown a spanner in the works to everyone’s plans this year. We have all suffered lockdowns, not visited loved ones, missed family and friends, and had to cancelled much-awaited plans.
Now we are in October and with Halloween approaching, there are questions around what we can and cannot do if you are trick and treating this 31st of October.
The girls a fews ago dressed up for Halloween.
Check out what you can and cannot do here, it lists all states in Australia.
It is advised to keep your celebrations local, so don’t travel to different areas
You are not to have lollies in a communal bowl.
We have also been told to not have people knock on the front door, to have lolly bags on the front fence, and also have hand sanitiser available.
No backyard festivities and if you are decorating just do your front yard.
Family groups must stick together, practice social distancing, and should not mingle with others.
A NSW Health spokesperson told 7NEWS.com.au that under coronavirus restrictions groups of children trick-or-treating would not be allowed to travel together.
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 over Halloween, stay home, don’t receive Halloween visitors and get tested immediately
If you are self-isolating, don’t answer the door to trick-or-treaters
Make it a front-yard event, not at the front door of your house. Keep your celebrations outdoors and get creative in decorating the front yard
Only hand out individually wrapped treats
Don’t use communal lolly bowls. Consider other ways of distributing treats such as hanging them individually on your fence, front gate or up your driveway
Offer hand sanitiser at your front gate or fence
You may wish to avoid people knocking on your door by putting up a sign that says “We are home but due to COVID-19, we are distancing. Please take one, Happy Halloween”
Remember, you can only have 20 people on your property at one time.
This year I have decided to not take the kids trick or treating, and sadly to not have any lollies for anyone. I feel like it is too hard with the current restrictions.
Although we won’t be having things for others, I will do some fun things with the kids in our back garden and of course, create some Jack O Lanterns so we can have fun as a family.
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The weather is warming up, and if you concentrate there are different smells in the air, and for me, it smells like summer is on its way.
I’ve had doors and windows open, plus plants have all bloomed making my garden look like it has life in it once again. The past weekend was a long weekend was very hot at my house, but the rest of the week has been met with cooler temperatures. This sudden drop in temperature made me sad. I was hoping that the warmer temperatures were here to stay, maybe I have to wait a little longer for this to happen.
The kids have been lucky to see cicadas come out of their shells this year. Photo by Lillian.
We’ve been inundated with cicadas this year and listening to them chirp away in the warmth of the evening is very relaxing. Not only are the cicadas singing to find a mate, but many birds are also chirping and singing too.
Cicada out of its shell. Photo by Lillian
I have even been wearing shorts on the odd occasion as well as a t-shirt without a jumper. This occurrence is short-lived due to the changing weather in the mountains, but it is a taste of summer approaching.
With the warm weather last weekend it made me think about summer holidays, Christmas and the balmy weather that is in store for us soon.
The end of this year there is going to be massive changes for all the kids, the twins have their last ever term of primary school and my youngest gets to experience Kindy Transition before he starts Kindergarten next year.
I think I have already taken myself mentally on my summer holiday. It really has been a stressful year and still is. A holiday now would be bliss…what do you think?
And now to think about Christmas for the kids and getting the twins ready for their last term at primary school. It will be over in a blink of an eye and then I will be busy again getting ready for high school and kindy for all kids.
However while the busyness awaits for me, I long for the time that I can lie down and feel the warm breeze wash over me and also listen to the cicadas and birds.
Are you happy that the weather is getting warmer? That summer is giving us small hints it’s on its way. For a summer lover like me, I get very happy this time of year and excited that the summer holidays within my reach.
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It is nearly September and the weather is slowly warming up. I say slowly as the nights are very cold still and we have had also had gale force winds to boot.
Today it is sunny with brilliant blue skies. I have taken to cleaning windows and airing out the house, maybe I know that spring cleaning is a thing that is going to happen soon and I am getting a head start.
In a few weeks, my girls will be turning 12. Yep, they will be 12 years old! It is so hard to believe that my little babies are so grown up. They are keen to start their next phase of learning, but also excited and scared at the same time to go to high school next year.
Both girls have grown taller, more independent, and have been rather frustrating due to being in the pre-teen phase…actually it is like they are turning 20 or older rather than 12.
I suppose many parents go through this phase before their child/children hit puberty and become teenagers. We’ve been dealing with grumpy, argumentative, and kids who are taking great pleasure in ignoring their parents.
It is also sad that this year has had so many cancellations. The girls missed out on a camp due to the fires, and now COVID has cancelled basically everything that the girls were excited about this year.
When the girls were born it was during the GFC and that was a tough year on everyone and now 12 years later we have another economic disaster due to a global pandemic. I do hope that in another 12 years we don’t have another downturn.
The girls are hoping that the school can give them a proper year 6 farewell in term 4 but I think that due to the current restrictions this farewell will be rather different. I have explained to the twins that there is not much I can do about this and I do understand how devastated they are.
If we can I would love to take the twins and the family somewhere to celebrate at the end of the year but restrictions could put a stop to this. We cannot travel interstate and therefore all that is available to us is to travel within New South Wales. I personally wish to go to a beach but hubby believes that it will be packed and would like to stay away from the crowds.
I did hope by September we would be in a better situation regarding the virus and how it is affecting the economy, jobs, travel and so much more. I wish that everyone would do what we are supposed to so that we can lift restrictions soon, however, there is no cure for COVID-19 and we will still need to be on high alert.
Due to the uncertainty of the world and events, I have wavered between being rather down and depressed about everything, to then being positive about the possibilities that are in store for us all.
It is hard to plan and to achieve things when there are so many restrictions, it is hard to get a job when millions of others are applying for the same job. Well, it might not be millions but feels like it. I feel at the moment as the more you try the less you get and the harder it is…no one is getting back to you regarding jobs that you apply for, perfect roles that you tick all the boxes for and you don’t even get a phone call or interview.
Events that you have been so excited for are not happening, schools are cancelling everything and even concerts are now on Zoom! I’ve recently had a live event emailed to me but it is also now a Zoom event. I do understand that this is due to the current restrictions but it takes the fun for me out of it.
Have you been at a loss with what to do to make things better this year? Have you been applying for thousands of jobs to get nowhere? Or have you been super lucky and got a job.
I am grateful that we are all healthy and have a roof over our head, and also happy that our government is helping us financially.
This time at home has meant that there has been more work done on my shed. If you don’t know my shed is going to be my office space and creative place to work on my blog, sew, and also write. I do hope that it will be finished soon so that I can get on with my dreams and ideas.
Maybe due to the nature of this year, I have lost momentum or otherwise called my mojo.
Have you found that the more you stay at home the more you don’t want to do things or go places? Don’t get me wrong I would be the first one to sign up for an island family getaway, but I am not sure when that will be possible. I think I need to unsubscribe from some travel companies as they are constantly emailing me fabulous holidays that I can book now… however I am in New South Wales and cannot travel to these places.
It feels super cruel and evil to email someone that cannot travel and has no money to go stunning holidays all the time.
So with a house that is in desperate need of a HUGE Spring clean and a birthday to plan I have a lot to do but no motivation to do any of it. I do think that having many clones of myself would be helpful right now, by others could be cleaning and organising while I am relaxing.
Have you found 2020 hard for your motivation? I do admit that this year has been super stressful and difficult, and I hope that we get to the other side and come out without losing everything we have worked so hard to build for us and our kids.
Wish me well for creating a fantastic birthday cake for the twin’s 12th birthday. The girls only want a small party this year so I will only do a few things to make it special for them.
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This group of people is walking free among us, going about their business all in the full knowledge that they have the virus, they are intentionally spreading this to others and making it harder to get control of this illness.
I learned this while listening to the news on the ABC while I drove to pick up my son from childcare, well it was officially last Friday 31st of July when I heard the news. The newsreader announced that the armed forces had gone door to door to ensure that this group was at home and doing the right thing, only to discover that they were not at home! And some of this group was not home from the last checks!
My family and others have been in lockdown from March to about mid-May, we stayed at home, kept to ourselves and if we did go out we only ventured to the local oval to let the kids play a bit and then walk home. Our outings consisted of getting food and supplies from the shops and the odd visit to the doctors for the kids. When we went shopping only 1 person went to the shops, we didn’t make it a group outing.
I am now wearing a face mask to be extra safe. You never know right? Plus many places are wanting you to wear one so you can enter their business.
We’ve kept well and would like to keep it that way. We have explored a little bit now that restrictions have relaxed a little bit due to the spike in Victoria and some new cases in Sydney, these restrictions might come back with force.
Many have lost their jobs, are working from home, and are in real financial difficulty due to the impact of COVID, why would people want to prolong this horrible pandemic even longer than is necessary.
I do get the fact that you might need something from the shops, but many are doing home delivery now, and if you say you are at home isolating they can leave it on the front step and you can get the package or delivery at your leisure.
If it is work, the government said that they will pay you $1500 for a fortnight to be off work if you have to self isolate. It is not fun to be facing not being able to work but the community doesn’t stop the spread of this deadly infection then we will be in this terrible state as a country and worldwide for many years to come.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot face years of this situation! I want it to be over like yesterday, but in reality, if we can all just self-isolate and stop the disease spreading we will have a chance to get on top of the situation.
Yesterday the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrewsannounced strict stage 4 restrictions and even declared a statewide disaster due to the second wave of COVID -19 cases.
All people in Victoriaare now on a curfew with many other rules about what they can and cannot do.
Homeschooling starts again for all in Victoria on Wednesday this week and many will also be impacted by businesses and workplaces closing due to not being deemed essential.
I found it tough doing homeschooling and work, I feel for all those in Victoria as I know things will be tough and hard during the lockdown.
In Sydney, we have had more cases, and some areas have been dubbed clusters. I just hope that we can get a handle on it and be in a better situation for next year at the earliest.
Woolworths has made an announcement that all customers for all their stores and other businesses should wear masks. I now like others are donning a mask for my everyday tasks, however, my mask seems to slip off my ears… and for some reason, I only have this issue. Maybe I have weirdly shaped ears???? Where would I go to get a mask that fits and sits well with my odd ears?
I am very disappointed. I did hope that by August we would be in a better situation with this virus. I am sure I am not the only one that is ticked off that a few is making it harder for the many.
I am annoyed and frustrated that this year has been so broken, upsetting, and just miserable for many.
My kids have lost out on many events, not only due to COVID but also due to the bushfires that were happening over summer earlier in the year.
We all need to do the right thing to get us all back on track. If we cannot do the right thing we will have months and months of lockdown and even worse restrictions than what Victoria is facing.
It is really simple… if you are sick stay at home.
If you have a positive COVID test stay at home.
Please don’t give this terrible illness to people who are doing the right thing and also older/immune comprised.
Don’t try and go to work, don’t visit other areas, don’t go shopping or visit friends and family…..JUST STAY HOME!
I get it, it is super tough.
We are struggling too, both hubby and I are working many jobs and doing whatever we can to survive.
The stress is intense and constant and one that I wish would take a break.
I really don’t understand why anyone would leave their house if they were COVID positive…. maybe these people don’t believe it is real. Maybe they are conspiracy theorists? I really don’t know but the one thing is for sure, the only thing that can stop spreading this deadly infection is if we stay at home, wear face masks, wash your hands, take hand sanitizer with you, and again if you are ill or feel sick stay home!
Are you finding it crazy that people are not self-isolating?
I do hope that everyone can do the right thing and in the next 6-8 weeks, the situation has greatly improved.
Let me know if you are annoyed with this behaviour too.
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Not having to get out of your PJ’s is even better, you can do this by putting a jacket over your best pyjamas and driving the kids to the kiss and drop so you don’t even have to get out of the car.
Restrictions are easing and things are slowly getting back to normal, but many are still working from home.
With over four months of lockdown and not being able to go anywhere, my motivation to go anywhere has been lost.
I’m happier to stay home, relax, and to work in comfort plus in the warmth of my house from the roaring heater.
Don’t get me wrong I’m drooling over a beach resort holiday so that we can all unwind and destress, maybe then mummy can finally.
I am also excited to be able to travelto places around Australia soon and eventually for international travel.
Maybe I’m a person that is really suited to lockdown? With all the services for contactless delivery, remote working, online classes, and concerts and loads more that has become available in the current COVID-19 crises. It is easier to stay home now more than ever.
Don’t get me wrong, when I’ve been out it has felt amazing, so nice to finally be doing things as we did before the global pandemic.
Are you like me and find that you would rather stay home lately?
OR MAYBE IT IS JUST STRESS AND ALL THE CHAOS FROM LOCKDOWN THAT HAS MADE ME SUPER TIRED AND IN NEED OF A REST?
It also could be the fact that I’ve gotten used to not being able to go places and therefore being home is the place to be.
Have you realised that you are preferring to stay at home? Or are you keen to race out to the big world and explore?
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Today is the end of the first week of the twins being at full-time face to face lessons at school.
I must say that this week was calmer than we have had lately, the last two or so months have been rather an organised crazy chaos at my house…maybe I should take the word organised out as that sums it up more aptly.
As per my previous posts, I am not a teacher, and homeschooling is not my bag at all! (see the 60’s slang is embedding itself into my being..this is due to watching millions Scooby Doo’s – yes, the four-year-old is now obsessed with Scooby Doo!)
I think the kids have been happy to return to the classroom, finally see all their friends and the most essential item that has been obtained this week is the year six hoodie jumper…yes my year six kids have been dying to get this precious hoodie and were super happy when this Monday they were presented with their jumpers that had their names printed alongside the rest of the year six class of 2020.
I have finally been able to have some peace in my own house.
The ability to think and to do nothing or something.
To write, to watch a tv show and just have some much-needed me-time.
It has been rather nice to have some part of normalcy return to our world, even though we are still on restrictions. Places are opening up slowly and this is great, however, I urge you all to still follow social distancing, wash hands regularly, and make sure to not go to places where large groups gather.
I am worried about complacency as we have not beaten the virus, we’ve just not got it and made sure that others don’t catch it. Currently, there is no cure, although some have recovered, there have been many deaths and more around the world.
As long as we all stay vigilant and keep doing what we are all doing I am sure we will be able to open up more of the country, employ more people and have a healthier economy in the next few months.
I’m sure that many mums have breathed a sigh of relief that school is back or if not 100% where you are it is slowly happening. It really has been a struggle to work, homeschool, and do things that are needed at home while looking after all three kids! Just a disaster from my perspective.
I am glad that we have all listened to the powers that be in Australia and have stayed home, if we didn’t we would not be opening things up right now and possibly have many more months of being in lockdown. It is due to everyone doing the right thing that we are now in this position to finally go to have a meal out, get a coffee, have kids back at school, and to finally have libraries and more open next week.
One question that I have been asking the twins, “Do you have any homework to do?” They answer NO and that stage 3 doesn’t get homework! As a parent that has done two months of homeschooling, I know that they probably have work they need to do or to practice.
I think I need to ask the kids teachers if there is any work they need to be doing…. as I am not getting any answers out of my children.
Have you been relieved that your kids are finally back at school? If they are not yet back, when will they be back at full-time lessons?
I know many schools in the UK and USA are not going back in the short term and some have said that they will not be going back for the rest of the year. If you are indeed in this situation, how are you coping?
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Today is officially the last day kids in New South Wales are learning from home. The twins watched their carefully crafted morning breakfast show that the teachers create every morning, however this time it had guest hosts – two students telling us what is on the agenda for work today and that it is the last day of being at home. All children go back to face to face learning full time starting next week on the 25th of May, 2020.(Putting the date in here for historical reference)
Kids homeschooling due to COVID-19
I’m grateful that our response to the virus has been good and we have low to no infections, so that is a good sign. With restrictions easing and schools opening we are very lucky, many schools in America are set to be closed for the rest of the yearand kids are going to be learning from home for the remainder of 2020.
Insert a HUGE Happy dance and ENORMOUS SQUEALS OF DELIGHT from every parent here.
Juggling work, kids, learning from home and keeping an active four-year-old entertained has been super difficult to impossible.
We’ve had arguments, fights, tears and just defiance to do any work. Work that has been completed seems to be more of the fun stuff; art, drawing and the creative components to worksheets. Some maths and other work has been finished but with a lot of arguments and mummy explaining for the billionth time that the work needs to be done. To achieve final completion for a lot of the work I had to sit with both children and help them out, this meant that I could not do what I needed to do and arguments for who I was helping and telling the other child they need to just wait.
Geez if I had $1 for every time I tell some to wait I would a wealthy woman.
Here are my thoughts of day 1 and we are now coming up to 2 months of being at home. I did think we would be still homeschooling for the rest of term 2 and come back face to face in term 3 so this is a good thing. I just hope that there are no outbreaks of coronavirus and everyone stays healthy.
The school still has restrictions, there will be no excursions or incursions, no volunteers, no visitors, no drinking at the bubblers, no assembles and kids told that they need to wash their hands and understand if they are sick not to come to school.
My wonderful girls doing their online learning at home – They are learning about tsunamis
Day 1 of schooling from home 24th March 2020
I’m doing our bit to keep us and the community safe.
It is only day 1 of having all 3 kids at home and to put it mildly it was horrible and more like a nightmare conspiracy against mummy.
Mainly the youngest has been horrible and is acting like he is tired still. He has been hitting out, having tantrums, crying and just being awful. I have spent the majority of my day dealing with arguments, incidents, making sure the little one stays away from the bigger kids to allow them to do their schoolwork and all the fallout.
I’ve been ready for a lie-down and a G and T from about 12 pm or earlier actually. I am keen to have a nice drink later and as I am writing this the kids are having a bath, then dinner and then bed – they are going to bed and there will be no arguments…bed is happening soon for all 3. Do you hear that they really, really need to go to bed!
This said, we have done some work on Mathletics, art, and drew a pagoda from scratch. I even added to the theme of Pagodas by watching some educational videos on YouTube. Now the kids want to make their own pagodas out of clay but one kid didn’t seal the bag of the clay and therefore our supply is rock hard.
The kids have had some outdoor time on the trampoline and helping their brother search for bugs and insects.
My little boy did do some drawing and art and practised writing his name. The rest of the day he has been collecting his cars, playing and making our day interesting. Yes, interesting is a nice way to say challenging and difficult.
I’m not sure that I can handle weeks or even months of this.
I do know that schools and daycare are still open but with work drying up for us, and limited funds having a kid in childcare wasn’t helping us financially. Plus with the fact that they said that if we could have kids at home we should, our stance was if the twins were home so should our youngest as well.
How are you all faring with being at home teaching the kids? I for one am feeling exhausted and over it already and it is only day 1.
Day 66 – The Final Day of Learning at Home!
Today is the 22nd of May 2020. It is now the last day of the twins learning from home.
It has been fraught with mixed emotions. We embraced the changes and did as we were instructed by the school to help the kids continue with their studies, however dealing with two strong-willed children who don’t want to do work is exhausting. Maybe they should have just gone back to school you say, well this was my thought after day 1 but we fought the urge. It was actually hubby that fought it, I could have easily dropped off the twins at school and been happy with that decision.
I was over it all as I seemed to be the only parent making sure they were working on tasks they should be, worried about assignments due. Hubby and the kids kept on telling me they had plenty of time and then the day before it was due the assignment was done in a rush…and were accompanied by screaming, yelling and attacks at me about “Why am I not helping them do their work!”
Geez!!! If you hadn’t left it to the last minute and done a bit a day it would be done and not rushed, I kept on saying!
The teachers went above and beyond to get online content ready in Google Classroom for all the kids. It was very well done and in a short space of time. I also thought it was very easy to navigate and to find what work you are working on and then submit it to the teachers. This ease of use seemed to be lost as the kids decided to not click on all the work that was assigned and do other tasks. I then ask them what are you working on to get told nothing or something that is not school work.
I have now taken to logging on as the twins to see what school work is due and has been assigned, I print out all needed worksheets, run through the tasks with both kids and get them to work on items that are due soon. I then check on them to make sure they are doing what they should be doing and if they need any help.
We are a little behind in some work but for my own sanity, I have concentrated on reading, writing, and maths as the main areas. We have worked on some other things that have been assigned, I am hoping that next week the teachers will assist my kids to catch up if they are indeed behind.
I know I will not miss the crazy that has become our normal due to homeschooling and having all kids at home, and not to mention trying to find some magical free hours that are uninterrupted to get some work done. I’m looking forward to the girls going back to face to face lessons and for their learning to get back to normal.
It has been nice to sleep in a little, not be in a rush to get anywhere, not have to do lunches (although I still do but not packed ones), and not have to do the school drop off and pick up. This has been one of the more relaxing parts of learning from home.
I’ve told the kids that we are living through a huge event in history, a global pandemic and the last one was in 1918. The older kids understand the history and what has been happening but the four-year-old is not understanding why we have been at home, and he has only recently started back at pre-kinder.
We will look back on this time and be amazed at how we survived, adapted and stayed together to be safe and well.
Although there were many good times I have been hanging for the world to return to normal or at least somewhat normal. I live in a small house, and this means if kids and hubby are home I have no space to do things for me.
The kids have taken over the living room for their school work and when Alexander is here I need to keep him busy, it has only been this week and last that he started back at care, so today is a reprieve for me to allow me to do a few items of work, and help the twins out with any needed school work.
Doing some creative arts at home
Here is a sample day for us while kids are learning from home:
Kids and everyone gets up and have breakfast.
Drop Alexander off at care, if not at care, I look after him which means he wants to play with his sisters and his sisters decide to play with him instead of doing schoolwork.
I ask what they need to work on after they watch the Good morning show from the teachers.
They say not much or don’t respond (yes I am invisible and they don’t answer even if I am next to them) so I log on to see what assignments and work is due.
I then print out about 5-6 items that are not done or complete.
Kids work on one task, then take about million trips to the loo and to the kitchen to get a snack or drink.
Ask if the work they started is complete and the answer is either nothing or NO.
Go in to see if they need help, they have a fit at me as they can do it on their own, I then mention that they have other work to do and give them another 30mins to finish the task they have already had hours working on.
More trips to the bathroom and then the realization that it is now recess and they need to have a break. Why do they need a break when they have had one every 5 mins!
Break Again? I tell them to get back to work and finish their tasks.
They have recess and play on the trampoline for what feels like hours to then come in and do the same with other tasks they don’t complete and then more arguments and negotiations about what they are doing and when it will be finished.
What! It is lunch now??? Again they need food and of course outdoor time. No work is happening again. Finally, they are back at their desk and doing something, I sit with them to ensure that something gets done and they argue about how it is all too hard and they don’t understand.
Now they claim they need to go to the bathroom again and are incredibly thirsty and need a drink or else they might die.
Many trips back and forth to the kitchen, bathroom and then work desk, but not a lot of work is happening.
The kids are worse than cats, in and out of the house, at least I don’t have to open doors for them.
The kids now finally notice it is the end of school time so they bugger off to the garden to spend the rest of the day on the trampoline.
I’m not sure what work has been done or finished and really don’t believe any work has been done at all!
There were many failed attempts to get kids back in the house to complete schoolwork, but it was a giant relief that the house is finally quiet, mummy has a headache and needs to finally do one piece of work that she has been trying to do all day!
Mummy is over it all and wants the kids to just do their job. Why is this such a hard ask????
I have finally got my desk back as the kids like using my computer for Minecraft and some of their Google Classwork.
I have looked at many other parents social media during the last two months, and it seems many kids have really enjoyed the remote learning from the school, they got stuck in and just did the work. Pictures that were posted showed kids in the school uniform, kids looking happy and of course many boasting about how their child is loving this time and getting all their work done in record time. I was like this as a kid, without wearing the school uniform at home.
When I was younger I did correspondence for three months while I lived on a boat travelling the islands of Queensland. I got my school work done in a few days and then swam and played for the rest of the week. I was told that if I didn’t do my work I couldn’t go swimming and as a kid who lived and breathed the beach and the sea this was a deal-breaker, so I did my school work.
It saddened me that my children didn’t share this drive and idea to get things all done to allow them to do more fun things. I even signed them up to some free stem coding classes and thought that this would be great, Tynker can also help you program things for Minecraft too. See I’m working with their interest in Minecraft.
Maybe my kids just need to be at school for the routine and discipline of their teachers? Maybe being at school just helps get them into the right mindset?
Working hard at their schoolwork – I had to coax a smile out of one of them, the other one decided she didn’t want to cooperate
As I write this the girls are quietly working away on their classwork, there are still many outstanding tasks but my aim today is to see if we can finish everything that is due. Or at least come close.
Maybe it has taken us two months to just get into the swing of things….although the kids have decided they had to have an early lunch, maybe this will mean that they will do more without another lunch break?
One thing that the kids have done more of is to help around the house and to do more cooking. They have cooked us all dinner a few nights a week and have refined their cake baking skills. Have you been baking more? I think it is a natural consequence of being at home more especially when cafes and restaurants were closed.
It is also the last day of being together at home so I want to take them out for a hot chocolate or something to celebrate and to mark the occasion.
You know how I said they were quietly working away, well that is no more after all of me showing everyone what to do and where the work was people are claiming they don’t know what to do and where the work is!
Geeez… another day spent supervising kids with their school work, I’m just grateful this is the last day of this struggle here.
How have you found the time at home with the kids? Did they enjoy learning from home or did they struggle?
My girls have said that they prefer school to learning from home, so it is going to be nice for them to go back to where they are better suited. I was a bit worried that they might prefer elements of working from home and it could be a hard transition back. However, with the twins saying they don’t really like remote learning I think the transition will be okay and nothing to be worried about.
Also, mummy and daddy are super keen for the house to be peaceful and for us to have our time again.
What are you looking forward to when school goes back full-time next week?
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Tomorrow is my birthday. Today is my last day of being 46. I don’t feel 46, and I do wish I wasn’t but the only other fix for that is to not be here at all and I want to live, so being 46 and older is the way it has to go.
This looks yummy as a treat for my birthday, what do you think?
I have been thinking for a while about the year I’ve had so far, what I’ve accomplished, and also what was on my wish list.
For many 2020 has been a challenge, mainly from a financial perspective. We had a rough year last year and hoped that this year would allow us to rebuild and to get back on track, however other forces had different ideas about our plans.
Which has been really horrible and I’ve had moments that I have just sat on the floor and cried and cried about being put in a situation that is out of my control and one that I cannot fix and seems like whatever you do, you cannot help yourself out of it…Yes at times it has really felt like a hopeless situation.
Firstly our community was trying to recover from the horrible bush fires, then wild storms and floods, and now a global viral pandemic of COVID-19 that has caused economies worldwide to crash, unemployment to skyrocket and lockdowns to be put in place to stop the spread of this horrible illness.
We have been at home for over two months now and currently, Australia is slowly reducing the restrictions we have been living with for months. Starting next Monday the 25th of May all children in New South Wales go back to face to face lessons. We have had the kids learning from home and it has only been this week the 18th of May and last week on the 11th of May that the girls went to school one day a week, my girl’s day was Monday.
It has been hard to not have your own space.
It has been difficult to not be able to do your own thing and to be helping everyone and have no time for you.
It also has been a very stressful and worrying time. Employment websites have been advertising copious amounts of jobs but they are not employing anyone… or it could be that they are getting so many applications that it appears like no one is getting anywhere at all.
I did tell you that 2019 wasn’t great either. One thing that happened was hubby had a car accident which meant we had to get a brand new car. This was an expense we were saving for but hadn’t planned to do it at the time in which the accident happened. Then hubby’s contract for work came to an end in November last year, and it is hard to find a job that close to Christmas, then, of course, the bushfires and storms.
We thought not to worry we will be right come 2020, we will both look for work and get amazing jobs and work super hard to get us back where we want to be this year.
This is where the universe was laughing at us but told us nothing at the time. A little heads up would have been good, but knowing what I now know I think it wouldn’t have mattered if we were told in advance.
COVID-19 then happened and this meant no one was hiring, our savings was nearly empty and we were worried and panicking about how we would survive.
While hubby was looking for a new contract he was doing some Ubering… yes due to having a new car he could be an Uber driver. This helped a little but due to the tough restrictions put in place due to COVID this work has dried up too.
He has done odd jobs, mowing, and more to keep money coming in. I have been writing articles and doing a few hours a week as a social media marketer and keeping the blog running. Plus not to mention having 3 kids home full time until recently, our youngest started back at care last week since his big sisters are going back to school.
Like many people, we have had to put payments on hold, and many other things. I am not looking forward to paying it all back but grateful we have had assistance to help us at this horrible time.
I have been applying for any job that I can do and putting my hand up for more work, and of course, staying up late to get things done due to never getting time alone to complete any task. Perils of being a mum with no time alone!
So with my birthday soon to be here it has made me think…. what do I want, what do I want to achieve and how can I get there?
It has also made me appreciate life, being well and safe with family. I have valued seeing my kids grow and learn at home, and have some quality time. No racing off to be somewhere has also been a nice luxury during isolating at home and one that I will miss.
Although this time with family has been very stressful for a multitude of reasons it has made me grateful that we have all stayed well and we all have a roof over our heads.
During this time it has made me think of my friends that I wish were still here. One dear friend died five years ago and my other bestie left us two years ago this year. I miss them so much, I do wish they were still here to talk to and in fact, I still chat to them sometimes. My friends were only a year older than I was, so not that old when they left everyone and losing people young is hard (well they were in their forties but I consider this young).
I did think that if my friends were still here they might have got ill with Covid-19 and this wouldn’t have been good. They had a comprised immune system and would have had to be in isolation but still attend doctors appointments and hospitals….so, therefore, might have had a good chance of contracting the virus, I do want them back so badly but during this crazy time with an illness that threatens you, I am glad they were not here to experience it at all.
Due to losing my mates, I have been more diligent about my health. I am a mother to three young children and I am very aware that I need to be here to provide for my family in the years to come.
I know this is meant to be a post about my birthday and my thoughts… it really doesn’t feel much like my birthday, maybe it is just the current climate that has made this so.
Birthday balloons – I love purples and blues
We still cannot go out to dinner as a family, nearly all the cafes and restaurants are still closed and only doing takeaways. If we did go somewhere there is nowhere to sit and to just be other than a park. It is getting very cold here in the mountains and I really don’t want to be outside in the freezing weather, this for me is not that enjoyable, actually if we all were hundled in a park and it was super cold for me it would be a horrible day. So eating food in the cold on my birthday is not going to happen.
We cannot go to the movies, however, I would love to do some DIY and clothes shopping but the lack of money at the moment is the issue. Maybe I can figure out the costs and do a little bit to put a smile on my face when kids are finally at school.
Being in isolation has made me re-evaluate some work I’ve been planning, think of new ideas, and make plans for this year.
The one big thing I really want to do is to travel. I want to take the kids overseas to visit America, Disneyland, Japan, Osaka, plus Harry Potter World, Fiji, Singapore, New Zealand, Spain, and Canada. I know that international travel is probably not happening any time soon and some places are still not doing well due to the pandemic. I still want to go but only when it is safe to do so.
Maybe domestic travel will have to do once the borders to the states are all opened. I’m sure a nice family getaway on a Queensland Island Resort would just be perfect right now.
So back to my birthday wishes and plans for my 47th year on this earth.
I would like to be able to have more time to do things I like to do, time out, and help around the house.
Time to plan my empire to hopefully buy my dream house at the beach – yes purchased all with cash from the sales from my amazing work and adventures.
And not to mention being left to sleep in and not woken at odd hours in the night and early morning – maybe this could be someone else’s job for a while.
Slowly it is feeling like our world in Australia might be getting back to normal or maybe a new normal and this is something that I am looking forward to. A chance to build us all up again, save some money, pay off bills, and maybe take the family on a much needed holiday. We all desperately need to go somewhere to just relax, be somewhere to just be, and to be looked after. Hopefully, soon I can make this a reality.
Due to my birthday falling in the period of time that many places are still closed our celebrations will be at home. The twins are planning on creating a birthday cake for me and I have explained that I am not cooking dinner tomorrow so this needs to be sorted also.
I’m keen to enjoy the love and cuddles tomorrow and to eat the surprise birthday cake that the kids are planning. Plus unwrap any birthday presents that I have to open.
Birthday Cupcakes – Yummy don’t they look tasty!
My mum gave me some money to put towards a new haircut which I have been desperate to have. Late last year I was wanting to get a new do at the hairdresser’s but decided to wait as I thought we needed the money, then disaster hit in the new year and hairdressers were closed and then I still had no money. I should have just spent the cash last year and had it done. Now to find a brilliant place to get pampered and get a new look to make me feel fabulous.
In all honesty, the one present that would have made me super happy was for my shed/office to be finally completed.
Yes, dear readers, it has now been over 3 years waiting for this DIY project to be finished and it is still not done!
The aim of this space is to use it for an office and craft room for me and the blog. I want to bring my sewing machine, materials, craft supplies, and more out there so that I can set up projects and leave them and come back later. Currently, projects don’t happen due to not having any space and needing to pack things up due to kids. It is annoying and not practical to work like this.
Other plans for the shed is to create my own podcast, have it as a quiet spot to write and to plan, and a spot to finally hang some of my art. Basically a She Shed.
I think when I have a little bit more cash I will hire someone to just finish it off…then it will be done and I can do more work, have a happier workspace, and finally not have to ask someone to do it.
What have you wanted for your birthday?
Has it changed this year due to being in isolation?
Have you spent some time re-evaluating what you want this year?
P.S. I think hubby and I have done pretty well to be surviving so far, and crossing fingers and toes we will not just be surviving but enjoying the fruits of our hard work soon. We have struggled both to create incomes to provide for the kids and ourselves and are solidering on each day. I am sure everyone is in a similar situation and our story is not unique. I salute all of you for struggling in this hard time and I hope that it all comes to an end soon and things are easier for all.
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It is good to see that restrictions are slowly being lifted.
The twins did a full day at school today. Both kids finally had face to face lessons for the first time in about six weeks.
Admittedly it doesn’t feel like it has been a few months it feels like much longer.
As Robbie Buck on ABC 702 Radio, this morning said, “Parents normally come back from a six week holiday and manage to pack lunches and get sorted for school, however, this six week period feels like twelve years!”
Yes, Robbie, I agree it really does feel longer than a few short months, and 12 years is about right!
This Friday it is expected that there will be more restrictions lifted, from Friday they say we can have a gathering of ten people and also with ten people can go to a cafe or restaurant together.
One thing that I have thought about. All this time not going out and then finally able to go to the cafe, finally be with more than two people. Be in the outdoors with no one moving you on, be at a park, and be legally allowed to be there.
Taking the kids to school felt weird today and picking them up even more so. We didn’t go into the school and dropped them at the kiss and drop place outside the school, and when I picked them up I stayed outside and practiced social distancing like we were told to do. Yes, many parents were there but 1.5mtres apart, it wasn’t very sociable but it is a great start.
Even though we were supposed to be there, I felt naughty.
I am sure when I finally get the chance to be in a pub or a cafe I will still feel the same.
I will be sipping a cappuccino and relaxing and then someone leans over and says I am not allowed to be doing what I am doing. Yes, the fear of doing the wrong thing is going to happen. It has been a while and I haven’t been to a cafe for a meal since February or early March…see it has been too long I cannot remember exactly.
“You are naughty and cannot do that!”
For the last few weeks I have seen more people and traffic on the roads, and what looks like tourists but I cannot be sure if I am correct that they are tourists….although it looked like they were.
On picking up the twins from school I saw two tourists in the middle of the street taking pictures of the stunning leaves and trees with the autumn colours. This happens regularly and many tourists block people picking up kids and others in their houses when they try and leave. Interesting that the area is bringing in more people now with a few restrictions that have already been lifted.
I just hope that these people are not infectious or haven’t come into contact with something that is and gives our area a spike in infections.
I really want this to end and to enjoy the outside world again.
I really want to have our lives go back to normal or the new normal post-COVID-19.
To have the ability to earn, to travel, and to live again with my family.
Have you noticed things are changing around your area? Have you seen more people and traffic?
Are you like me and will be feeling that you are being naughty when you are able to go to a cafe?
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Tomorrow the twins go back to school for their first face to face lessons since March.
The girls are only going back one day a week so far and their days are Mondays. This, of course, has excited me. I will have some time alone, no noise and of course be able to concentrate for the first time in what has felt like many months, not just a few. Yes, it has felt longer.
School goes back tomorrow for 1 day a week
The idea that they are starting to have kids go back to face to face classes is promising and one that I hope continues. The twins have been put in their sporting house and their house’s day to attend school is Monday. The rest of the week will be learning from home, but every Monday means that the kids get to go to school and mummy gets a break!
I am not sure that they are excited or scared with the prospect of going back. I for one think that getting kids off to school early after not having to be anywhere might be the biggest hurdle we face, as our days are spent waking up at around 9 am and getting our day going with some furious hours of school work, trying to fit in work with a busy four-year-old and two eleven-year-olds that constantly need guidance with their school work.
Since the girls are venturing back to the outside world we thought our youngest needed to go back to his school at daycare too. As with his sisters, his first day back begins tomorrow too, and again mummy and daddy are super happy about the time this will give us to work on projects that can help the family and earn money.
There has been much talk about when schools will reopen and if it will be for full-time attendance. As far as I know, being a New South Wales school they are being cautious due to the cases that we have had of coronavirus. If all goes well the kids one day might be made to more and then come next term it is said that they should be back to full-time face to face lessons.
Having kids home constantly home has been draining.
There have been some wonderful moments, it has been great to see how they are growing and learning but having no break and no way to have downtime wears on you pretty quickly.
While I’ve been helping the twins with their school work, I’ve had to entertain and play with my four year old. I need to keep him occupied so that it allows the girls to have some quiet time to get work done. It is hard as I cannot be in three different areas and doing different things. I cannot help the girls with the school work, play with Alexander and also do work at the same time. It cannot happen.
Helping kids learn from home is really a full-time job
I have been one of those parents that have lessened her time frames on iPad and screen time as this has allowed me to get a few things done for work and let the twins do some school work at the same time. Alexander is now very much obsessed with superheroes and is racing around in his undies and super cape while watching his YouTube videos.
We live in a small house and one project that I was hoping would be complete to help is my office/shed. This would have been ideal if it was complete, as it would allow me to lock myself in a place where my work is my own, I can focus, no noise and be able to leave uncompleted projects on a desk and then come back the next day to finish them off. Soooo now that it is still not done after 3 years of promises I am stuck with a small house and nowhere to go to do work. I have taken to hiding in my bedroom with the laptop but kids inevitable find me and then there are disasters that mummy can only solve.. then no more work gets done!
I did live in hope that this office space for me would be magically finished by Mother’s Day or my birthday (which is now 10 days away) but the fact that we have been negatively impacted financially due to coronavirus doesn’t allow to spend on building materials for this project currently. Isn’t it always the way, you either have plenty of time to do things and cannot due to no money, or you have plenty of money and no time to do the things you want to do.
Personally, when I get some money I am going to get it done or pay someone to do it as I am so over waiting for my dream space to finally become a reality.
When the kids go back to school this week it will allow me to breath a sigh of relief and finally, get onto some projects that I have been desperate to start and some to finally finish.
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Tuesday the 14th of April was like any other in self-isolation.
Kids playing, kids fighting and causing chaos, hurting each other, and then crying…temper tantrums, then finally happy laughter, then disasters again and then happy playing.
Oh and not to mention the constant mess that is left everywhere and for some mysterious reason it is no one’s fault and not one person left the mess????
Due to the amount of crazy going on I was keen to get all kids to bed to allow me to finally have some quiet time, rest, and do some work that I have been wanting to finish.
At around 6 pm I was getting my little boy dinnerin the living room. I then walked back to tackle the mess oftoyson the floor.
As I walked back to get started tidying I thought I stepped on glass. It was like a sharp pain stabbed my toe and foot. I was screaming in pain, it was horrible.
I sat down and looked at my foot. No blood. No glass.
Why was my foot swelling up?
Why was my foot burning, stabbing, and throbbing all at the same time???????
Fuck it hurt….it hurt like nothing else I had ever experienced. I could not stop screaming in agony… it was so painful!
I asked Alexander to get Daddy and sisters from the gardento come and help.
He went off and told Daddy mummy had hurt herself. He was such a good boy and came back with Daddy and sisters and was trying to help me feel better, as were the girls.
I explained to hubby through the pain about what had happened. My toe next to my pinky on the right foot was swelling up and on closer inspection looked like it had bite marks on it.
My whole foot was throbbing, burning, and throbbing all at once – and not just located at my toe.
Hubby freaked out and said he thought I had been bitten by a spider.
He asked if I saw anything. I said no, no spider was seen. Also if I do see any spider inside the house it is going to die!
Hubby told the twins to get the crepe bandages so that he could strap my leg and foot up….geez I said we don’t need to do this…He told me that it could be dangerous and proceeded to strap sore leg and foot now.
Hubby asked the twins to look after their brother while he took me off to the emergency department of the local hospital.
I hobbled to the car and we drove off to the hospital. Hubby told me to wait in the car while he told nurses/doctors that I have been bitten by a spider and needed to have a wheelchair to help me as they were all worried about me walking around.
Due to COVID-19 I really didn’t want to go to the hospital. I did not want to be anywhere where there were people who could possibly have the virus and possibly infect me or hubby.
I did think the way the kids were racing around and hurting themselves that they would be in the hospital. However, while sitting in the emergency area of the hospital and dealing with a painful and swollen foot I thought how strange it was me rather than the kids that ended up at the hospital.
The doctor said if the kids got bitten by a redback spider that it could have been deadly and it was lucky it was me instead
Give the kids time they are still trying to injure themselves, you never know we might be there soon. (I really hope not though)
We had to wait in emergency to see if the pain would go away and it didn’t, in fact, it didn’t for a long while and some heavy-duty painkillers. The crepe bandage was still on my leg and foot, the nurses and doctor hadn’t taken it off as they wanted to see if I had any other symptoms. Once they remove the bandage I could react badly and need antivenom.
Just between you and me, we were next to an older lady patient, the curtains were drawn and we were in our own personal space. She wasn’t very nice to the staff and at one point she was yelling at them and kicking them. She wanted to be left alone. It was clear that staff were getting ready to give her the COVID-19 test, and this test means that you need to have a cotton ball-type stick all the way up up to the top of your nose – it really doesn’t look like a comfortable test.
After a while (hours later) they came back to see if they could get a bandage off her and make her more comfortable and she did all the kicking and more horrible things like spitting on them. By this time it was known that she was positive for the virus and they wanted to have her moved from emergency so that they can better care for her.
Hubby and I arrived a bit after 6pm and we were still there at nearly 11pm, so we had been there a while. Hubby asked me if could I walk on my foot if I had to…I said it is still very sore and painful but could possibly hobble out of the hospital if I had to. He and I were not liking the fact we were next to a person who was spitting and positive for coronavirus and also it didn’t look like I was reacting badly to the spider bite.
I still don’t know what bit me but from the symptoms, the doctor and triage nurse suggested it was a redback spider.
We got the attention of the doctor and she said we can go after she gets me some painkillers and writes up our notes.
The hospital and staff were great and we are so grateful to have such a good health care system.
So at about 11.30 ish, we left the emergency part of the hospital and returned home. My foot has taken well over a week to feel better, it has been swollen, itchy and just not right. Today writing this it is still a little itchy near where I was bitten (the doctor said this is where the blisters were from being bitten with poison). I followed this up with a doctor at the local medical centre and they have prescribed some cream that makes the itch go away – think it has a small percentage of steroids in it, but I don’t care as it was driving me mad at how itchy it was.
So this is my foot when it was very sore and swollen
My swollen foot from being bitten by a spider. Forgive the neglected toenails as I have been exhausted with kids and life and now have a sore foot!
Today my foot is not as swollen and not as red
Now my foot is better and less swollen and again forgive me as I have only been able to remove nail polish and not make my feet look prettier.
Now that I’ve been bitten by a spider I’m wondering when my superpowers start to kick in? It worked for Spiderman right? Why not for me too!
Have you been bitten by a spider? Did you see what it was? Was it as painful as I had found?
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Here are some super mum hacksthat will help you out and ones that are favourites of BigW too.
Maths class
Schools out for the Easter holidays, but it is still important to establish a routine, not just for working from home, but also for your kids. Keeping the kids educated and entertained during this challenging time is key and reminding them that daily chores are still on the agenda is important. So grab a Dry Erase Board, some Monopoly money and some tasty snacksand get those kiddies working for their maths class – trading chores for treats!
After paying for snacks with Monopoly money the kids will be experts in: counting change, knowing if they have enough for a certain snack and how much money they have left.
Whether you’re a rookie or a WFH veteran, creating structure and ensuring productivity is important. Setting up space in your home where you exclusively work and commit to working from each day, will make you more productive. So now you have found somewhere quiet, with a door and the least amount of distractions (including mess), grab some tape and large pieces of chalk and get the kid’s creative flares sparked with a DIY art class.
It is important to plan your daily breaks when WFH. With kids needing to be constantly entertained, fed and watered – even Mum needs a break sometimes. Sitting the kids in front of the TV whilst you take some time out never felt so educational (and entertaining) – simply switch on the mute button and chuck on some subtitles. Welcome to Mum’s English classkids!
Physical Education
While Super Mum’s navigate the new world of isolation and working alongside their kids 24/7, it’s still important to keep moving and remain active. While you may love going for a run or setting up some time for a yoga sesh, watch the kids stay active and learn how to ride a bike, sharing a little #fitspo-lation to other Mum’s these holidays.
These are great ways to help you get work done and at the same time entertain and help kids learn.
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Stay current with all the things that are happening on Mummy to Twins Plus One. Don’t miss a thing by signing up for my newsletter. This newsletter will list all giveaways and fabulous things that are happening.
is even better, you can do this by putting a jacket over your best pyjamas and driving the kids to the kiss and drop so you don’t even have to get out of the car.
