Tag: mom

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3 years and beyond

Daredevils

Don’t know about you, most people assume that due to having girls that they nice, quiet and easy to control. I would have to say this is very wrong, most times this is true; my girls have always been energetic, and full of beans. Both girls are into everything, and are just so lively.

My girls seem to be very athletic, competitive, and want to do things that other boys do as well as girls. They love cars, trains, and building blocks, and also they are now obsessed with pink, dolls, playing with their toy prams and pretty things.  As a parent I have tried to expose my girls to everything not just the standard stereotypical things for girls (I know this is a stereotypical gift, I have purchased a dolls house for their fourth birthday, they really wanted one. But at the same time they are also getting a train set – Don’t tell them as it is a surprise).  I think if the child is interested or shows a skill in something this should be explored, and if you have the money sign up for a course for the child.

Currently Lillian has wanted to climb the living room walls; I did put a stop to this, but her feet and hands were the same as the rock climbers. It got me thinking, would she like to do some rock climbing? – Not actual rock climbing but in an indoor centre. We have one local and would love to see if she and her sister might be interested.

Both girls jump and are very into wrestling each other and especially daddy when he is home, not sure if this is a bonding exercise or just a bit of fun, maybe both.  At playgroup the other day, they climbed up on a table and proceeded to jump off it. They were high when jumping, the coordinator and I moved the pillows so that they had a nice soft landing. When we go to the pool, the girls jump into the pool and as they are small everyone looks on in amazement, most comments after this is that they are risk takers and brave little girls. The girls come out with giggles and laughter and just have a ball.

Some interesting links about this issue:

My girls have been talking from an early age, and also to walking, however a lot of other kids do the same. I believe it is up to the individual child at what age they do something and what skills or interests that child might have. As stated, my girls are very active, so I try and give them activities that will help with this need to be active, going to the park, playing with their bikes, running, swimming and so on. I am would like to try the indoor climbing centre, not sure if they will like it, but keen to give both girls the experience.

I am not sure why this is so amazing to see girls behave this way, and parents of boys that I have spoken with show that my girls are doing the same things their boys are doing. As a parent to girls, and never having boys, I don’t see where the difference lies (maybe with the pretty things, obsession about pink and dolls). Do you have girls? Are they daredevils? Do they get comments from other parents about their fun, energetic behaviour?  Do you have a boy and is the boy doing the same as the girl, or vice versa? Send in your comments.

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News

Working Through Maternity Leave

I read with interest that Yahoo has hired Marissa Mayer who is expecting her first child soon. I congratulate Yahoo for seeing that pregnancy is not an issue.  However there has been much talk of Ms Mayer’s comment that she is only going to have a couple of week’s maternity leave and that she will work all throughout the leave as well.

Many women take less leave after a baby and this is not news. I for one did not, but I am not in the league of Marissa Mayer in earnings or at the CEO level (I wish I was, maybe one day) Why not continue in your field? Have the good job with a great salary. Men don’t get criticised about working hard when they have a new baby, although they are not the person that has the child or will breastfeed.

I for one don’t have a problem that Ms Mayer is going to work throughout her maternity leave, it is a personal choice. Many women don’t have an option but to work when their kids are babies, the family needs to pay the bills somehow.   Someone that has been successful in work has the ability to hire help, nannies, and carers.

Jill Cordes from Fearless Feisty Mama is questioning if women can truly have it all? I do understand and feel that sometimes we cannot, that we can have the career and then the family and then go back to the career.  It never seems to all happen at the same time, however if I had more money and help maybe I could have both?

Currently I am enjoying looking after my girls, and I would not do it differently, but there are moments where I long for work and wonder what I would be doing and what my position/role would be if I continued in the corporate world.  Would I be a manager? Would my earnings be greater? Who knows, it is a guessing game now as I’m a stay at home mummy to my twins.  As you would have read from previous posts, for me to work would do us a financial disservice, so it is better for me to be home with the kids. Also my work is in the city and we are two hours away, just not a good fit right now. So as stated, home educator/carer is better for now, hoping the work will come later.

While writing this my nearly four year old twins want me to play with them, cuddle them and be with them. It is a hard balance, trying to get some things done for you, and spending time with your little ones. I do enjoy playing with the girls, although it does not get a lot done with the house. This is where a cleaner/nanny would come in handy. I could spend time with the kids while hired staff helps me keep the house. Oh how that would be nice… Universe I am putting it out there, when we get rich I want a housekeeper to help with the house.

Jill Cordes does make a good point that you have ideas on how it will be with the baby and reality never equals your ideas of how it was supposed to be. My girls were good and slept well after 3 months, however during their first three months; I was up every 2-3 hours feeding them. They did sleep well in the first three months, but it was just a blur with no sleep and hard. After the first three months they slept about 12-14 hours a night… thank god for that. What would happen if the baby/babies did not sleep had reflux or some other issue?

A quote from Jill Cordes article: “I worry though, that Mayer could also send a message to the rest of the world that women can push through their maternity leave if they want; that all it takes is “a few weeks.” She could ultimately be hurting the case for the majority of us who actually want to enjoy our babies–and take care of them–before returning to the workforce.”   I hope that others don’t see this as the norm in maternity leave and that some people just would rather to work and have less leave, it should be seen on a case by case basis.  Let’s hope that women don’t get pressured to have shorter leave.

I am sure that when Ms Mayer’s first baby comes she will adapt to the new person in her life and make changes accordingly, as the CEO she will have the ability to make changes to her schedule within reason.

With the idea getting work after kids are at school, not sure how this will work – I hope to be able to do something part time or from home. Maybe setting up a business from home might be the way to go? Well you never know.

I see the point of sticking with your great job, why move if it works for you, and they are flexible with family. If I was Marissa Mayer I would not listen to others about her choice, it is up to her and other women in the same situation. Why feel even guiltier about your choice. It is not for me to judge. Do you believe that other women will get pressured to work and have less maternity leave due to this example? Did you take less maternity leave? Did you work through your maternity leave? What are your thoughts? Send in your comments.

Why not continue this discussion on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MummyToTwinsPlusOne

Categories
3 years and beyond

Kids Don’t Crave Vegies

Fruit and vegetables. Image by FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Fruit and vegetables. Image by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My kids don’t enough food, let alone veggies, and I thought this was not good, until I read this article from Holistic Kid – 4 Food Groups All Kids Should Eat. In the article it says that children are born with “weak digestive “Qi” (energy) so it makes sense that in their formative years, kids need foods that are easier to digest than brussels sprouts.”  This might be true, as my girls don’t eat a lot of veggies and if they do, maybe a bite here or there.

I have been trying to hide, vegies and fruits into foods and sometimes it is a winner and sometimes not. Do you try and hide food so that your child gets more nutrition? I add vitamins to the girl’s milk and they actually ask for the medicine in the milk, they must like the taste. I must have the only kids that actually want the vitamins added to their milk.

The reason for the vitamins in the milk is that my girls have always been under weight, and have never eaten a lot. I would like to make sure that they are getting adequate vitamins for growth (and who knows when a growth spurt will strike) and also to keep the girls well from colds and flu.

So what does the article recommend kids eat? Good question, they are broken down into four areas, and they are:

  1. Saturated Fats – Whole dairy, eggs, nuts, avocados, healthy oils, olive oil and so on
  2. Bone Broth (this surprised me, but makes sense – Mums homemade chicken soup “The minerals, gelatin, and glycosaminoglycans in bone broth promote proper development of bone and dental structure, as well as healthy hair, nails and joints. Bone broth can also help with digestive problems, food allergies, and immune health.”
  3. Cultured Foods – Yoghurt, “Cultured foods contain naturally occurring probiotics that provide kids with a wide variety of health benefits by populating the digestive tract with healthy bacteria.”
  4. Seasonal, Local Produce – Although the article says that we as parents should not lose sleep over kids not eating more fruit and veggies it states that kids should at least have some every day. The recommendation is to take your kids to the markets and purchase local produce. Local produce is meant to taste better as it has a more flavour.

Do you think your kids are not getting enough vegetables? My girls seem to have fruit it is just the veggie issue; however with the view of the Holistic Kid article it appears that if they are having a bit that is fine too. Send in your comments.

Categories
3 years and beyond

Pig Tails

Term 3 for pre-school started yesterday. Yippee is heard from me!  Other than the me time, there is another thing to celebrate. The girls let me put their hair up yesterday and again today. This might be the start of something – Neat and tidy hair.  Do you have problems putting your little girls hair up? Does she fight you? Send in your tips to make this an easier process.

Julia and Lillian - First day of term 3, July 2012
Julia and Lillian – First day of term 3, July 2012 Lillian in red pants, Julia in blue pants.
Categories
3 years and beyond

Bad Behaviour

Upset Child
Upset Child

One of my girls seems to scratch her sister when she wants a toy, does not get her way or is just angry. This is not just confined to one of them; it does happen with both girls, although it is one child that does it more often.

I have been putting the offending child into time out, as this behaviour is not acceptable and I want it to stop.  Although bad, the behaviour got me thinking of why it is happening in the first place.

Is she angry, sad, or just not able to express herself to her sister or to me? I do ask her what the issue is and mostly I get tears and sad looks. She knows she has done wrong, however it still happens again and again.

I tell her that she can tell me anything, and that I will listen to what she has to say. I do get stories of wonderful things and sometimes I get the fact that sister has taken a toy, or pushed her and other such things. Then mummy has to dish out punishments all round.  Pity the twins don’t have separate rooms; this would make time out or punishments so much easier. You go to your room, and you go to yours! Perils of living in a small house I guess.

Are you in the same boat regarding this bad behaviour? I know it is the stage of the pre-schooler, but it is just a terrible situation as one child seems to get hurt more often than the other. I don’t want one to be traumatised due to me not acting quickly and making sure to put a stop to this naughtiness.  I do act quickly and make sure that the naughty person is in time out while the one that got hurt is cuddled and feeling the love.

Some great links that might help if you are in the same situation:

I am sure that I am doing what is right; I just wish it was making a difference now; maybe it just takes more time? Are you dealing with this at your home? Do you find that when you turn your back that World War 3 erupts?

Do you to tell the kids to be in different areas of the room so that they don’t hurt each other? Most of the time the girls are just lovely, I think this stage is just getting me down a bit.  It does get worse when the kids are tired and have had a long day. I suppose when I am tired I am not nice either.  Send in your comments, tips/tricks and stories.

Categories
News

No Pram = Angry customers

You and the family are off to breakfast on the weekend. You have the pram with you, due to the fact that you have young kids. You are about to sit down to then be told, prams are not allowed in the cafe or restaurant on weekends.

This happened to a Port Melbourne man, George Hitchens. His story was documented in the following article, “Dad furious as cafe says ‘no prams allowed'”.  According to the article, there was plenty of room to accommodate the pram. Mr Hitchens asked if prams were being discriminated against but was told no, Mr Hitchens also asked the cafe owner if the same rule would be made for people in wheelchairs and the answer was no. The cafe in question has a regular customer that is in a wheelchair and they accommodate this person easily.

The response was that prams are getting too big and the weekends the cafe is very busy. I do understand the remark that prams are getting bigger and bigger. I have seen ones that are very similar to a 4wd’s/SUV’s. However I feel that if you, as a customer see that there is room in the cafe to accommodate you and the family, why not be seated?

I agree with George Hitchens that if this is the treament that they got, why would you frequent the cafe and would probalby tell others not to, but that is just me.  I am not speaking from the perspective of the business and I can imagine it is difficult to find room for prams and patrons. However if there is room, why not?  Just my input.

Have you had this happen to you? If so what did you do about it? Did you manage to work on a resolution, and go back to the cafe/restaurant in question? Send in your comments.

Categories
Pre-School

Term 3 Eve

I cannot believe it is term 3 already, well it will be tomorrow.  As you would have guessed the kids are in their bedroom, making a mess and playing. At 8pm they were still not sleeping. I would have thought that they would have been asleep by then. I really tried to exhaust the twins today, and I thought I succeeded, but I obviously failed.  Finally now at 9.04pm, they are passed out and looking so cute and adorable in their beds. Yes in their own beds (this does not always happen).

Today we went to the shops, to the park and then went to see Ice Age 4.  The kids were very well behaved in the movies. Julia sat in her seat for most of the film and Lillian also. Near the end, Lillian got out of her chair and decided to sit on Nana’s lap. Julia also decided she wanted cuddles and I had Julia on my lap.

I hope the girls wake up at the right time for school tomorrow as I want to make sure that we are on time. Mummy is keen to have the day to get some things done around the house. I need to sort out the girls clothes – give away clothes that are not fitting correctly, chuck out ones that are worn and not worth giving away and resort the draws. It is a big job and one that cannot be done with kids around. Also want to sort and put away all the washing and tidy some of the house. Not sure if I will have time for it all but want to make a start.

I am very pleased girls are going back to pre-school, not only is it a sanity saver, the girls get so much out of school. The twins need to be stimuatled by so many things, and school is great for them. It allows them to do so many new tasks, learn and mix with other kids. At the end of school days the girls are normally very tired, but you won’t hear them say that. Mostly it is “No I am not tired!”

Are you another happy mummy that school is back tomorrow? Lunches are packed and will organise their clothes and school bag before I go to bed. Want to be extra sure that we are organised for tomorrow. I know this view of being super excited about school going back is not for all, some are upset to see the kids go back to school.

I do understand that a bit. I am slowly realising that this year has gone very fast and next year is the girls last year of pre-school and then they will be at big school (Kindy). It is flying by, and my cute little babies are no longer, they are little girls now, who are going to be off to big school before I know it. However the big school will allow mummy to get more done and maybe get a part time job. Who knows. Send in your comments.

Categories
3 years and beyond

The stress of motherhood

Lately everything is a drama, kids, house and you name it, and it is an issue. I must admit it has been school holidays and I have had sick kids, first Lillian was ill and then it was Julia’s turn. I am just grateful that they have been ill in the holidays. This way I can maximise my time while they are at school and they also don’t miss school (both girls really love going).

Lately the fact of no breaks or any time out has added to my stress, frustration and annoyance. Have no fear; I have had wonderful times with my little princesses. We have cuddled, hugged, danced, watched films, gone on walks, to the park, gone visiting, and just had some fun times, but it has been a trying two weeks.

Is it just me that feels this way? Or am I feeling like a bad mother who just needs a holiday alone, well I can only dream. That said, I don’t think I would like to holiday alone, but some alone time would be lovely.

Do you feel like sometimes all the stresses of the world are upon you? Do you just want to run for the hills? I would never do it, but I have had some great daydreams. What do you do to de-stress? I have had great plans to have a relaxing spa bath with some Epson salts, this has never occurred as kids are up and down to the bathroom and I don’t want to share my bath. Selfish I know but having kids and toys in the bath is not relaxing, it is fun but I want to have some me time. Then the later it gets the colder it gets, so no bath as yet.

I have been trying to have some relaxation time and have attempted to get up early for exercise and me time. Although the getting up early was thwarted due to sick kids, and mummy being exhausted dealing with this.

So will try again for exercise and me time tomorrow morning, and will go to the pool for aqua aerobics. I am making use of daddy being home. Do you have times where things are very stressful or just frustrating beyond belief? How do cope or relax? Send in your comments.

Categories
University Study

I got a credit for uni

Hi all Mummy to Twins readers, I would like to announce that I received a credit for this semester university work. I am very pleased with myself, thought I had really blown it and was just hoping for a pass. Phew, and hooray, glad I don’t have to do the subject again and now looking forward to my second last subject next semester.

If you are studying have recieved your grades yet? I hope you have done well also. Now off to help kids draw, and to use my time away from university wisely. Next semester is contracts management, and it sounds very hard indeed, however I am looking forward to it.

Crossing fingers my grades keep up like this and I will graduate next year, cannot wait to graduate and the count down is on.  Yepeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I got a credit. 🙂

Categories
Cleaning tips

Pen on the gum boot incident

Napi San Vanish - Cleaned kids gum boots
Napi San Vanish – Cleaned kids gum boots

Today I found out that Julia had drawn over one of her gum boots with pen. As you can imagine, I was not impressed and told her so. I also explained to both girls that people don’t draw on shoes. I was not happy and it was really one of the last straws in a very frustrating day.

Kids are not doing anything they are supposed to, they are both very naughty, destructive, and hurting each other. Both girls are in a time out in their room, well mostly for rest and crossing fingers they will sleep, or at the very least stay out of my hair for a bit. I am so over it and need some me time.

As I was not sure how to remove pen from a gum boot, I tried toothpaste, with no luck. I then tried NapiSan Vanish and that has done a great job. There is still some fine pen marks but it is hard to see. You will see in the picture that the right shoe looks clean and sparkly, the left one is dirty and after a soak with NapiSan Vanish I am sure that it will be as sparkly as the one on the right.

the one that I soaked looks nice and clean, compared to the dirty one. Now to clean the other boot and to do the same for Lillian’s.

So if you want to make your gum boots sparkle, I would highly recommend putting some NapiSan Vanish in a jar/bowl, and mixing it a bit with warm water. Scrubbing it onto the boot, and then soaking it to do the rest. I used a big saucepan to soak the boots. Up to you, with what you have available.

Happy cleaning. If you have any ideas or tips to clean other things that kids might ruin with texta, pen or other ways, send them in.

 

Note: I have not been paid for this rave about NapiSan Vanish, I just thought it did such a great job, it was worth sharing. So if your little one decides to draw over your boots or theirs, you can soak them and they should hopefully be as good as new, or close to it.

Categories
3 years and beyond

What did you want to be?

Fairy Doctor Julia - Picture by Mell Mallin Photography
Fairy Doctor Julia – Picture by Mell Mallin Photography

What do your kids want to be when they are older?  A fireman, doctor, teacher, actor or something completely different, my children fall into the completely different category.

Julia wants to be a fairy doctor, and Lillian wants to be a pussy cat fairy doctor. I presume that the fairy doctor fixes and cares for fairies, as she has told me and the pussy cat fairy doctor is a cat who cares and fixes fairies also. Both girls are most insistent that this is what will happen. Julia tells me that when she is grown she will get her fairy wings and be able to start being a doctor to the fairies.

This is all very cute and adorable, however I have to wonder. Will I end up being the mother to two doctors in the future? Will this interest in doctors although with fairies just be the girls wanting or showing an interest in being a doctor? Currently I am just putting it down to great make believe and their wonderful imaginations, but you can’t help but wonder what they will end up being.

Pussy Cat - Lillian - Picture by Mell Mallin Photography
Pussy Cat – Lillian – Picture by Mell Mallin Photography

I wanted to be a film director; I did make films and learn film-making. However I never did get to do my dream. I still have plans to make my film and shorts, however not on the scale that my dream was. I plan on eventually submitting what I make in the future into festivals; however with kids it is hard to find the time. I know it will happen one day.

What did you want to be as a kid?  Have you done what you wanted, or has the dream changed a bit? Do you have any ideas on what your kids might be as an adult? It is interesting guessing and if you have grown kids were you right when you had these thoughts when they were little. Send in your comments.

Categories
3 years and beyond

I want the pink one!!!!

Lillian with her new bling
Lillian with her new bling

Lillian was fine with green and purple and Julia was fine with red and pink. Now the girls have to both have the pink toy/jewellery or whatever it is.   This morning I gave the girls a nice present from their grandma and they have fought over who got the pink necklace and bracelet. Oh the joys!

Julia was lucky that she picked it first, but then as you can imagine Lillian who did not get the pink one had one hell of a tantrum. I told her she should be happy that grandma gave her a gift and if she really did not want it, I will give to another girl that will love it more.  As you can imagine this was met with a big screamed NO! So she is now happy wearing it. Phew…. Crisis averted for the time being, until she decides she wants the pink one again.

Not understanding why they both suddenly want pink everything. When does this kick in? A couple of days ago, I was speaking to another mother, who has a girl that is of similar age and is going through the same thing. So it is not just my girls. In my post about going to the play school concert, I mused about the obsession little girls have with pink. In this post it mentions that pink was originally a colour for boys, not girls. Why has this changed? And who told the toddlers about this? Why is the pink switch suddenly on for girls? Who switches it on? Would it be the pink fairy? And if there is a pink fairy, I want to have a word with him/her, please don’t make my girls so obsessed with pink!

Julia and her new bling
Julia and her new bling

As you will see the necklaces and bracelets look very pretty no matter what the colour. I am trying to tell the girls that they need to be happy and grateful for gifts no matter what the colour is. Not sure if they are able to control their feelings if they un-wrap a gift that might not be pink in front of friends or family, I hope so, but they are still little.

It is the girls birthday soon, well in September is soon, only a couple of months away. Maybe I need to alert friends and family to make sure to buy pink? However I do want the girls to experience other colours not just pink. For a mother who was a tom boy and loved and still loves blue, this is a new experience.  Don’t get me wrong, pink and frills are very pretty, but I don’t want them to fall into the trap that everything must be pink and frilly or they won’t wear it or be interested.

Do you have this issue if you have girls? What have you done about it? Do you just buy the child pink and be done with it? Or have you decided to tell them this is what you get and be happy with it.  Send in your comments.

Categories
3 years and beyond

Go the F*$K to Sleep

Lately the girls are staying up and causing havoc, either it is many visits to the toilet, getting a glass of water, telling us they are still hungry, playing games, hurting themselves, losing toys, wants more stories to be read, then the girls want to read you the story again and again, and the list continues.

It is not like the kids are not tired, at lunch time we noticed that both girls had very tired eyes, but no day nap was had. As you can imagine, if no day nap, you would think that they would crash after dinner. No such joy.

Not sure why this is occurring. One reason might be the fact that they are on school holidays; with school they are more tired, mentally and physically. This could be it, or it is just that they are getting older and staying up later?  Does this happen to you? Tired children and still they take forever to go to sleep.

Today at compulsory rest time, Julia used her stealth invisible technique to move through the hallway unnoticed. It was a great technique and it worked, daddy and mummy did not notice her. I was in the dining room doing some sewing (more preparation actually than actual sewing), and I saw something move on the floor. I looked up and there was this red blanket and then a head surfaced and it was Julia. She was very pleased with herself, and I too thought it was clever; however she needed to go back to her room.  After the girls were finally in their room tonight we could not help but have a giggle about her “cloak of invisibility”, reminded us of the film “Eric the Viking”.

After so many times that the girls surfaced from their room, both of us were muttering “Go the f*$k to sleep, although not said to them, just to us. It made us think of the book of the same title.

You might be interested in the following links:

Do you have this problem at your house? Do your kids muck around at bed time? My girls are normally good, however the last week or two has been a nightmare trying to get them to bed.  What do you do to help kids go to sleep? Are there any tricks that you can share to help people with sleepy kids that don’t want to rest? Send in your comments.

Categories
3 years and beyond

Toothbrush in the toaster

Today while kids were at school, I thought I would have some toast. This was short lived, as I then smelt something terrible coming from the toaster. Upon investigation I discovered that there was a toothbrush in the toaster. This is not good. Now to get it out.

I unplugged it, turned it upside down to see if that might work, I banged it and banged it. No luck.  After looking and looking at it, the toothbrush looks like it has melted. Daddy must have had toast for breakfast. Yes, he did. He called and I asked about the toaster, he wondered what the smell was. Glad I noticed, strange that no one else has.

I keep the toothbrushes in the kitchen on top of the microwave, one must have fallen into the toaster.  The toaster is still with toothbrush so will give the job to daddy to see if he can fix it, lets hope that we can sort it out. Don’t have the money to get a new toaster currently.

The girls had a great day at school, although I am exhausted as ever since I picked them up, they have been naughty. Not listening, doing anything they are told, running away and all sorts of terrible naughty kid things to do. Currently I have a bath ready for the kids to get clean after getting dirty at the airfield.

I have a nice glass of red wine waiting for me and will have to think about dinner options as I have not been organised today. Although, I attended a community group about sewing skills, did some ironing, some washing and also tidied the kitchen, so things have been done but not everything. Now wish us luck for our toaster.

Has weird things happened to your appliances? Has anything from the kids broken it or made it hard to use? Did you fix it? Send your comments in.

Update: Daddy managed to free the toothbrush from the toaster, and now the toaster lives to toast another day, yeah! Very happy with this outcome, at least we did not have to buy another one.