At the QT on the Gold Coast there was a digital wall that changed colour, had patterns, and leaves falling to create interest. I must say it was very mesmerizing. I thought why not have some fun pictures with the kids in front of it. Below are some of the pictures from our silly photo shoot. The kids had so much fun. They are such great girls, and future super models with some of the poses.
Do you take some fun pictures while on holiday? I could not resist this, it just looked so wonderful.
My girls are nearly five years old and they are very good however have been at each other like nothing else lately. It seems that if one is playing with something the other takes it, one might be happy doing something and then want me to help them. I do a bit and then they get whingey when I say I need to go off and do something else. One child gets upset and wants cuddles all day and parts of the days or most of them have been taken up sorting out squabble after squabble. When it is like this nothing can get done at home and then mummy is drained and exhausted. Does this happen to you?
Is it the age I ask? Most friends I speak to have the same problems but these friends have children of different ages. Having twins is difficult as both kids want to do things at the same time, and as a parent that does not have help, it is hard to be in two places at once (I am sure it would be the same as a single parent). Do you have twins or triplets? Has this happened to you at this age?
My girls are so close and love each other to bits, however it gets nasty very quickly. Is it due to the closeness? Or just the fact that they are always together that they get annoyed at each other? I know it just simple sibling rivalry however it does wear on my patience and sometimes my patience does not hold up at all.
As you might have guessed when they are tired and hungry the behaviour gets worse, like most peoples would, so not a big surprise there. So what do I do to curb this type of behaviour?
Part of the upsets have come from the fact that they are more independent and want to do more. As you can imagine, some things are fine for the twins to do and others not. If it is dangerous I will not allow it. If I can , I have them help me, for example chopping up vegetables for dinner that is fine, as long as I am there to supervise.
Is there more chaos in your house lately? What techniques have worked for you? Do you have twins or triplets and encountered the same behaviour?
Did you manage to figure out a way to get peace in your household? How did you do it? Send in your tips and tricks to us so we can all learn.
My girls are nearly five years old and they are very good however have been at each other like nothing else lately. It seems that if one is playing with something the other takes it, one might be happy doing something and then want me to help them. I do a bit and then they get whingey when I say I need to go off and do something else. One child gets upset and wants cuddles all day and parts of the days or most of them have been taken up sorting out squabble after squabble. When it is like this nothing can get done at home and then mummy is drained and exhausted. Does this happen to you?
Is it the age I ask? Most friends I speak to have the same problems but these friends have children of different ages. Having twins is difficult as both kids want to do things at the same time, and as a parent that does not have help, it is hard to be in two places at once (I am sure it would be the same as a single parent). Do you have twins or triplets? Has this happened to you at this age?
My girls are so close and love each other to bits, however it gets nasty very quickly. Is it due to the closeness? Or just the fact that they are always together that they get annoyed at each other? I know it just simple sibling rivalry however it does wear on my patience and sometimes my patience does not hold up at all.
As you might have guessed when they are tired and hungry the behaviour gets worse, like most peoples would, so not a big surprise there. So what do I do to curb this type of behaviour?
Part of the upsets have come from the fact that they are more independent and want to do more. As you can imagine, some things are fine for the twins to do and others not. If it is dangerous I will not allow it. If I can , I have them help me, for example chopping up vegetables for dinner that is fine, as long as I am there to supervise.
Is there more chaos in your house lately? What techniques have worked for you? Do you have twins or triplets and encountered the same behaviour?
Did you manage to figure out a way to get peace in your household? How did you do it? Send in your tips and tricks to us so we can all learn.
One of my girls has been ill. Tonsillitis again! Not good at all. I have had the fevers, crying and upsets all weekend and of course yesterday. Yesterday was Monday and she should have been in pre-school, however she was being comforted by yours truly. Hugs, cuddles, and kisses were in order.
I got an appointment at the doctors and she is now on antibiotics and last night did not have a fever. Today seems much better, as she is running and telling jokes. The doctor said that once she does not have a temperature she should be fine for school, so with that advice both kids are at pre-school today, and I am one happy mummy.
It is good that she is on the mend and becoming her old self. One thing that surprised me was that this child has had tonsillitis four times in the last six months. The doctor I saw was new, but he suggested this was not good and gave me a referral to a surgeon so that she can get them removed. I did explain that I got mine out when I was three, my husband does not have his nor does the girls grandfather. Could be a family thing.
We might see how it goes…not sure but she might need to have them out in the future. She did not like hearing this. I ended up calming her down and told her that it will all be o.k.
While looking after my unwell little girl, it got me thinking… What is the food that gives you comfort when you are unwell? My mum used to make me Vegemite toast and a glass of Milo to make me feel better. If not toast, a jaffle or pressed sandwich with cheese and Vegemite. When I am unwell or not feeling the best I go back to that food.
My little girl ended up eating Weet-Bix as I think it was easier on her throat. Also as she was sick she was not that hungry so it was best to feed her something.
What are your kids favourite comfort foods? What are yours?
Last night we went to our friends birthday BBQ. We had a wonderful night and the kids were very well behaved. Afterwards one of my girlfriends, myself and Julia helped wash up all the dishes and utensils used for the meal.
There was a few things to wash up, many people turned up and it was great to see so many friends that we have not seen in a while. Julia wanted to spend time with mummy while Lillian spent time with daddy, this was nice as it gave the girls more one on one time with each parent.
Julia was helping with drying the plates and the forks and spoons. She did an amazing job of helping and was very upset when there was nothing left to clean. She was happy to wash and tidy. Wonder when this will end? I am embracing this joy to tidy and need to find more things for the twins to do that will help mummy and allow them to help and contribute.
What do your kids do around the house?
At one point Julia was nearly in tears due to no more plates to dry so our dear friend thought a couple might need to go back in for a wash. This put a smile on Julia’s face as she had more things to dry!
What things make your kids happy when helping around the house? Have you managed to give them jobs that they do really well? As my girls are four it is getting easier to give them more things to do, however they still need chairs and help sometimes.
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
This week is a busy week. Birthday celebrations for hubby and myself and tomorrow my graduation. I am getting very excited and also nervous about the day. I hope that my dress will not be too cold and that the day all goes to plan. When I graduated with my Communications degree I blanked out any conversation with the chancellor. I was so nervous and excited I knew he was speaking and I just smiled, shook his hand and said Yes to whatever he was saying. Also this time I am not graduating in jeans and a leather jacket. How times have changed!
I have tidied up to the best of my abilities with the time that I had without kids this week, although I still need to give the bathroom a once over and sort out some clothes and extra things. So yes still not done. I wanted to have the house in a semi neat presentable manner so if anyone dropped in for a drink or wishing us well it was fine. Also with going out to the university most of the day tomorrow and having celebrations on Saturday I will not have time to run around and tidy.
What have you all been up to? Are you having a busy time? I did have grand ideas of making dresses for the girls for my graduation but that did not happen. I might finish off the skirts that I have already started for them and attempt to find some tights for them to wear. Hard to find kids clothes once K-Mart is no longer. Maybe a drive down the mountain today is in order, will see what happens today. If no tights the girls can always were some tight pants.
The weather here in the Blue Mountains is getting colder and colder. The wind has really picked up and it is giving us a taste of what winter will be like. Although this is cold it is quite warm so winter will be freezing! It feels so cold now that it looks like it might snow, and yesterday on the radio it said that it was snowing elsewhere. Maybe that is why it feels so icy here!
I am glad that the weather at the university will be 21 degrees so that will be a dramatic improvement from the top of 13 degrees at home. So once I have a dress on, cardigan and my graduation robes on I am hoping that I will be warm enough. Hubby did say that adrenaline and nerves will help me stay warm also.
So tomorrow I will be graduating from my project management degree, I have done a Masters! Yes sounds fancy doesn’t it! Well I think so. Wish me luck for tomorrow and I will post pictures as soon as I can.
When you have a baby you need to bring all the things a baby would need with you. Bottles, nappies, change of clothes with many options depending on the weather, medicine, cream and the list continues. If you have more than one baby, which we did it does feel like you are packing to never to return to your house ever again, this of course is due to the large amount of stuff that is needed.
Upon talking with my cousin who has recently had twin boys last year she is dealing with the same thing. Packing like you are off on a permanent holiday but if you were going on holiday the babies things would not be the only thing that would be packed, TRUST ME!
After having this conversation I have realised that I don’t take anything with me anymore, I don’t even have band aids in the car in case of emergency (Need to fix this! – Dora the explorer band aids or anything pink and princesses will come in handy, it fixes everything) Today one of my girls grazed her bottom on a ride at the park and it was a big deal, tears and all. It would have hurt a great deal. A nice lady gave her a Dora band aid and asked where it hurt. She pulled down her trousers and told her to put it on her bottom. What a cutie and so sad to see her in pain. She is all right now, but think it will be sore tomorrow. At least the power of the Dora band aid will help, thank you Megan for helping us today.
Now the girls are four and soon to be five, I have found myself out and about without a change of clothes, wipes, medicine, and of course the much needed band aid. The band aid is the one that is most requested as they are at the stage of falling over and getting as many scrapes and bruises possible. I do think it is a competition. One child hurts themselves then the other does the same injury in the same spot. If you have twins have you noticed this? The girls have done this since they were born.
Do you have multiples or just more than one child? How much stuff did you carry around when they were babies or are they still? Are you like me and not going out with much now they are older? Has this created more issues? I have been caught with the kids all wet from water play at playgroup, thank god the house is around the corner and was able to pop back and get a change of clothes.
I hope you are not a pack horse when you leave the house, I felt like one, and I am sure dealing with more than one child does that to you. Send in your stories.
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
Today hubby and I took the girls to The Royal Bathurst Show, the sun was shining, it was warm and we were off for our family adventure. We arrived a bit after lunch and had not eaten so we got some food shortly after arrival, however the chips on a stick was not as filling as we had hoped, while looking around for food we saw the show.
The girls did not want to go on any rides and any suggestions were met with shaking of heads and running and hugging us to death! “Don’t leave us mummy and daddy!” was what it was really saying, so no rides for them or us. We saw pigs, sheep, ducks, ducklings, birds, bees, cows, cats, dogs, and more at the show.
After finally finding a place to eat we ordered some nice German sausage rolls and had a tasty meal. Kids ate a bit and then afterwards we got them an ice cream and I had one as well, which I should not have but it was a day out. (I am still on a quest to lose more weight, so having pictures taken of me looking a bit fat and also admitting to eating an ice-cream is not good, plus other treats today – tomorrow is another day and I will make sure to not have many during the week)
We then decided to make our way to the car to drive home and on the return journey the fun began. Kids were a little off the charts and were just hilarious. Did you know that there is a pooh store, and you can purchase pooh’s for $6 each. There is also a smelly store down the road to this store called the wee wee shop. During this stage of silliness it was revealed that they had fire training at school. I mentioned that this was good as then in case of other emergencies they can ring 000 to ring for Fire, Ambulance or Police.
This was met with “We know mummy! And we know everything!” I stopped explaining and then got the lecture from the four year olds. Geez I am glad they know it all and are on top of things. Have you heard some classics from your kids? If so what were they? Send in your comments.
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
Do your kids love books and going to the library? Mine do, they just adore it. Going to the library is a big deal and a great outing for the twins. Last Friday we went to return books that we had borrowed and the girls wanted to borrow more. While we were there they wanted to read some books, which is really just looking at the pictures.
We borrowed so many books I am not sure if we will get through them all. The librarian mentioned we can borrow up to 20 books and encourage more books to be borrowed, as they like the idea young kids reading and being at the library. The twins wanted to borrow so many but told them that we can always come back and get them next time.
What books do your kids like reading? Do your children have a good library near them. We are lucky that the library has been revamped and it is very swanky now. With us in a digital age, books are not the in thing now. I am glad that my kids love them.
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
Last night the kids had a late one. There was a free info session about bats and a walk to see if we could spot one, we ended up walking in the dark and it was a nice bush walk. I did not see one myself but the twins decided that they saw ones of all different colours, yellow, pink, blue and so on. I think we might have seen one at a distance but it was hard due to it being dark and the torches I had were for the kids and one decided not to work, and of course they are not that powerful. Next time will need to bring a better torch.
After tucking in the girls for bed time we asked that they allow us to sleep in, if they did get up we suggested that they play quietly in the living room or their bedroom. As you have guessed from the title of this blog post, it was not to be. Mummy was woken by one of the girls to get her breakfast at the early time of 7.30am, I know this is not that early compared to some other kids, however we have had a terrible couple of days and as I am sick and receiving bad news about a mate, a rest was in order.
I was living in hope to get this sleep in and I should have known that it would not happen. I have been walking around today with my eyes hanging out of my head. We took the kids to the Dinosaur Park in Bathurst. This trip to the park will hopefully help with the sleep and not sure on the sleep in but might make it an easier bed time. Usually it is a lot of mucking about and playing, the issue here is that the twins share a bedroom. Hard in a small house (maybe winning the lotto will help us win the money for the new house that will give us more space!)
Do you as a mummy ever get to sleep in? Is it possible? Please tell me how you manage to do this with kids wanting mummy all the time? As I am writing this hubby is reading the bed time story and I am sipping on red wine. Nice and relaxing, and looking forward to falling into bed to get some much needed rest. Maybe hubby can wake up early tomorrow?
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
Last night the kids had a late one. There was a free info session about bats and a walk to see if we could spot one, we ended up walking in the dark and it was a nice bush walk. I did not see one myself but the twins decided that they saw ones of all different colours, yellow, pink, blue and so on. I think we might have seen one at a distance but it was hard due to it being dark and the torches I had were for the kids and one decided not to work, and of course they are not that powerful. Next time will need to bring a better torch.
After tucking in the girls for bed time we asked that they allow us to sleep in, if they did get up we suggested that they play quietly in the living room or their bedroom. As you have guessed from the title of this blog post, it was not to be. Mummy was woken by one of the girls to get her breakfast at the early time of 7.30am, I know this is not that early compared to some other kids, however we have had a terrible couple of days and as I am sick and receiving bad news about a mate, a rest was in order.
I was living in hope to get this sleep in and I should have known that it would not happen. I have been walking around today with my eyes hanging out of my head. We took the kids to the Dinosaur Park in Bathurst. This trip to the park will hopefully help with the sleep and not sure on the sleep in but might make it an easier bed time. Usually it is a lot of mucking about and playing, the issue here is that the twins share a bedroom. Hard in a small house (maybe winning the lotto will help us win the money for the new house that will give us more space!)
Do you as a mummy ever get to sleep in? Is it possible? Please tell me how you manage to do this with kids wanting mummy all the time? As I am writing this hubby is reading the bed time story and I am sipping on red wine. Nice and relaxing, and looking forward to falling into bed to get some much needed rest. Maybe hubby can wake up early tomorrow?
Why not continue the discussion on our Twitter or Facebook pages.
In an article by Nicola Conville, ‘Dads determine child obesity’, on Body and Soul:
“A recent Australian study has found having an overweight father quadruples a child’s chance of being overweight, even if they have a mother of normal weight.”
The study looked at more than 3000 two parent families over a four year period. Weight was looked at when the child was 4-5 years and when they were 8-9 years old.
It is interesting to note that if the mother is overweight and the father is normal or skinny, it does not seem to matter, the change happens when the father is overweight. Interesting don’t you think!
As the article states when the father at the dinner table refuses the vegetables or some other food, then the children follow. This can make it very hard to have kids eat good and nutritious food. In my situation we eat very well and the kids don’t eat the good food. I do try and hide it in other things to make sure they get what they need. It is very hard with fussy eaters. Maybe hypnosis might work with the fussy eating issue…Just a thought.
Parents need to be careful of what behaviours they are modelling for their child. If you don’t eat a particular food, chances are your child might not want to as well. This has flow on effects, if you don’t exercise or participate in any sport or exercise the child will not want to do so either.
If the family is active together this shows the child that it is fun and a part of life, not a chore and something to hate. If it is integrated into what the family does it is a normal part of family time and will be adopted by the child as a normal thing.
In the article it has great suggestions for getting more active with kids, here are some of mine:
What are your thoughts about this study? I do agree that if the child sees you not eating a certain food or doing something they will copy you. It is what is taught and you need to teach, do and model with the right foods and behaviour. However this sometimes is hard when you have a person who does not follow your good eating habits and exercise ideas. Also a treat every now and then is o.k if in moderation; well that is what I think. You don’t want to make your kids feel like they are missing out.
Send in your comments and why not continue the discussion on our twitter or facebook pages.
Why is it when you suddenly have time for you, the slot fills with something else to do and you never get to do what you wanted to do? I am aiming to get some sewing done but first need to think about what I would like to create first. The dilemma is that I have many things in my head currently, will it be pants, a dress, or a skirt? Not sure. I want to learn to do something different, but this takes some time to sit and analyse how to do something new.
I have set up the dining room table and will get creating today and tonight as I am keen to do something. As I have finished my exam and waiting for summer school to start I have more free time. I just hope that I can achieve what is in my head, only time will tell. You know what it is like, you have grand plans that are in your brain but sometimes they don’t come out the way you envisioned. We will see.
Are you finding that as soon as you have a free bit of time you suddenly get busy? Does this impact your things that you have been hanging to do? It happens like that for me. Send in your comments.
My kids create so many drawings and some have been just wonderful (Pre-school has told them that if they don’t put their names on their art it gets put in the recycling, I have been told they are prolific creaters and of course the quantity they create). It is great to see the girl’s drawings looking like people and actual things that they are saying they have drawn.
For Father’s Day this year I thought why not frame some of the girl’s drawings. I did ask them to draw daddy and they were good enough to oblige. This gift idea is not just for one event it could be for birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s Day and as mentioned Father’s Day. So be creative and include your kids in the gift giving.
Having a nice framed art from the grandkids would be a lovely gift that is cost effective also. I got a deal with the frames. I think from memory I purchased 3 for $20 so a bargain. The paper we already had and of course the creative little artists had a myriad of pens, textas, and crayons to use for their art.
Once framed the drawings look amazing, it makes them looks great and important. One good idea is that if you don’t want to part with the drawings you can hang some on the wall and rotate the drawings. This is a nice way to showcase your kids art and proudly on the walls.
So why not give a unique gift that will not cost the earth. It is also nice to have the kids help with the pressie giving and creation. Why not give it a go and see the smile on your relatives and friends faces when they receive the wonderful art from your little artists. Send in your comments.
Wow, what a moment! My other little girl decided to take off the night time nappy and wanted to try without last night. This was a good start. I must say that I did have my doubts; she had already had three accidents that day. One at pre-school and the other two at a play date with a mate from school. Not sure why she was suddenly is having accidents, but one reason could be pure frustration and also to peer pressure from her sister. “I can do it now and you are wearing a nappy”, probably what she is getting from her sister? She most likely felt upset with herself and was trying so hard yesterday that she waited too long to get to the bathroom.
I have been not pressuring her, and understand it will happen in her own time. One issue that I did have was that she is such a heavy sleeper so not getting up to go in the night. This worry was averted, I had to get up at 3am to go to the toilet, and as soon as I got up I heard little footsteps. It was the child that was without her night nappy. I took her and myself off to the bathroom and we both did what we had to do, she then wanted to come into my bed for a cuddle.
I am very pleased to report that she has gone a whole night with no accidents. I do know that there might be accidents as she is still learning but it is a great start. Now she has done it once, she might have more confidence to do it again. No nappies now and we will see how we go. What a big girl she is, and how grown up she is becoming. I am such a proud mummy. She got cuddles and kisses and of course I told her how proud I am of her.
Did your other children just chuck the nappy when they were ready? It is good that she has decided as it makes the process so much easier. Send in your comments.
As soon as you become a parent you try to keep your little one, or little ones in my case, out of trouble and harm’s way. This is sometimes hard when there are so many things that can potentially hurt a little baby or toddler.
My twins are now four and we have had our share of close calls or near disasters. Some were just bad falls and others are creative accidents by the girls.
Listing some of the incidents:
After the above incidents I have explained to the girls in different ways depending on their age; however the constant problem is that little kids no matter how clever they are don’t listen, if they want to do things they ignore you and go right on doing what they want. As I have realised that the constant repeating and explaining does not work, removal of possible dangerous items is the best all round option. I have removed chairs, toys, sticks, told them they cannot play on certain things due to what they are doing with it, and so on.
If your kids attend childcare you need to make sure that any medication in the nappy bag is removed, I mistakenly left the Nurofen in the bag. This is due to the kids curiously to go through others bags and if it looks tasty of course it goes in their mouth. I must say that there was no incident with my bag and its contents, but I do agree that it is a good policy. I have heard of an incident from another centre of babies/toddlers finding a Panadol from bags and swallowing it. This of course is incredibly dangerous and could cause all sorts of issues, if in doubt it is best to check the Raising Children Network’s Medications for children webpage to make sure what is safe.
Have you had some close calls? Do your kids always end up hurting themselves? Mine are at the moment, but I am trying to make a safer world for kids. What are you doing to make sure your kids are safe? I would urge you to look at your environment to see what accidents might be prevented. Send in your comments.
Why not continue the discussion on our twitter (when on twitter use #kidsafety) or facebook pages.
Disclaimer: ‘I am participating in the National Kidsafe Day Blogger Competition to support and promote child safety, along with the added bonus of chances to win prizes. All opinions are my own and not those of Kidsafe. To find out more or to enter the competition, please visit www.kidsafe.com.au
I went for a nice walk and jog or otherwise known as cross training yesterday. I felt great and good that I did it and my body was alive. I was all set to do it again today when my nose will not stop running and eyes are watery. I know another excuse but the other issue is that I need to complete a university assignment that is due today. I need to focus on the university assignment as this is my second last subject and I need to pass or at least better than that so that I can graduate next year. I am so happy about the graduate part, but need to do well or else no graduation, right? I am just keen to get it all done, then the time will by my own again. Aside from kids and other things.
It is hard when you have a lot on and it all happens at once, especially when you just want to shut the door and be left alone to concentrate. Do you find that this happens when you have something rather important to finish? I do. I know I am not the only one.
I will put the pram in the car and the kids and I will go for a walk this afternoon after school, this way I will be able to do my study and fit in some exercise. It is such a glorious day today, sunny and so warm it would be a shame to miss out on the great weather. Don’t fear, I am still working towards The Slinky Project ™.
What do you do when you have so much on? Are you very organised and have it all scheduled? I do try and I get a lot done, however when I do need to spend my time at the computer for long stretches with uni it is hard to get all things done, especially while they are at pre-school. It makes me think that my post about “Cloning me would fix everything”, my other selves could do all the other things around the house, laundry, cleaning, and I would be left to do uni work and study? Or maybe some sewing?
Send in your tips and tricks for what works best for you. Why not continue the discussion on our twitter or facebook pages.
Hi all, I have been trying to lose weight and tone up. I am not that bad but don’t feel comfortable and would feel better if I lost more weight, I suppose most people are in this boat. It is hard with kids, study, the house to maintain and other things in your life. I know these are all just excuses and other people manage it. The issue I have is that I cannot just take a walk as I have two kids that need to come with me. I do try and put them into the pram but then it limits where you go, at the end of the day if I am walking with kids in the pram it is better than not walking, right?
So my plan is to get fit and wonderful by my birthday. Yes I have a deadline and thought I would expose it so I will get motivated to keep to my timeline, good idea right? I hope so! Now if I fail, I will fail publicly. Maybe it will help me stick to it. My birthday is in May so I have about 7 months to have a good go at it. I have a number of kilos that I would love to lose, pounds or stones depending on where you live. However I would rather just see what the outcome is and if I lose my targeted amount that is just the icing on the cake.
So I have decided to start The Slinky Project™, it is a project to get me fit, toned and by the time of my wonderful birthday next year, looking like a new and improved woman. Some might call me a yummy mummy by this stage, well I can live in hope.
To ensure success this is what I will be doing to for The Slinky Project™:
So this is the start of the new me, or actually a new and improved me. I am still me, just would like to have less of me if you know what I mean. My issue is finding time to exercise all the time, hubby works late and then he does not get home till late, so I cannot just leave the kids to go off and exercise. Thank goodness for daylight saving, more daylight and hopefully more opportunity to walk in great weather.
What do you do to make sure that you have time for exercise? Does your partner or family help you? Do your kids join in with you when you exercise or do kids helping make exercise redundant? Has having a deadline for your weight loss goals helped you? Send in your tips and tricks.
Why not continue the discussion on our twitter or facebook pages.