I am very pleased with myself. The girls pants are finished. Keen to see how they look on and with other clothes. Will show more pictures later. Now off to bed. I stayed up late to finish the pants. The girls are very skinny and everything falls off them. If a success, will refine the pattern and make more.
My girls are lucky that they don’t have a nut allergy, so when I pack their lunches, I want to make sure that they are safe for others if they do have a nut allergy (I would feel terrible if anything I packed caused an issue with another child, I would never forgive myself). I read all ingredients before I purchase any product, although there is always a disclaimer on products that state: “May contain traces of peanuts, nuts or sesame seeds”.
This is a legal cover from the manufacturer as some items might be made on equipment used for nuts or similar products. This disclaimer is a legal protection to make sure that the company is covered.
With this knowledge, I find it difficult to pack lunches that don’t have any of these disclaimers on them. I was alerted by one of the staff at the girl’s school to a breakfast bar that had this very disclaimer. The teacher made me feel terrible and I thought maybe I need to bake things to ensure that they don’t have nuts.
Baking is fine; however I have done this before on numerous occasions. I have invested the time and energy; all to find that the girls don’t eat it. Not to mention purchasing only food items just for that recipe to then never use them again.
Upon looking into nut allergies, they state that 1-2% of the population suffer from these; however I find it interesting that we are hearing about them more and more. Has there been a change somewhere? Is it environment, food, or something else that might be the cause? When I was at school I don’t remember anyone having a peanut allergy and we freely ate peanut butter sandwiches. Maybe there were some kids who were allergic, but we had no idea.
I find it interesting that one school of thought is that not giving kids certain types of food can create allergies. I am not a professional on the subject and of course not a doctor, so I believe that if you are allergic you are, whether you have eaten a nut or not. This is obviously how you are meant to be.
Below are great links for more information on nut allergies:
Do you have issues creating a nut free lunch? How have you dealt with kids who do have nut allergies? Send in your comments and remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Keep checking out the site, I am going to check out some recipes that kids will like and also is nut free, still working on this one… so stay tuned.
Do you ever feel like you are just doing the same thing day in day out? Well I do. I know that being a mummy is hard work, and it is very important; however it is hard to stay motivated when you seem to come last for everything.
Sounds depressing doesn’t it. Have no fear I am not depressed. I am still laughing, going out and seeking help when I need it. However, I wish I could wear a glam dress just because, and the heels to match it. Maybe if I was lucky, I might even have time to put on makeup and do my hair.
Currently I just feel like a fat, unattractive, daggy dressed, stay a home mother, who gets overlooked due to having kids. I know that this is not true, but it just feels that way. Am I the only one that feels like this? It is just a tough gig.
I think I am just craving some time to socialise with other adults, and have an assemblance of my previous life; even for a couple of days per week. This will eventually happen more when the kids are older, so I am decided to work away at things I can do from home. I am nearly finished my masters in project management, and hoping to start a business from home in the future.
Caring for two kids that are nearly four is a challenge, they are both on the go for nearly 12 hours or more and it is a big task to keep them occupied for this period. Upon thinking about my main annoyance lately is for time out. I understand that I have time out when kids are at pre-school, but I think it would be nice to have time out that is not on a deadline. I have a whole day, not a 6 hour window to get things done. With hours up your sleeve to do a task, I find that you only get bits and pieces of things done. This can be good and bad at times. Especially when you think you can get it all done.
I have decided to do some things that will put more of a spark into my day, and in the end make me feel more like me:
– I dyed my hair
– I did a home facial
– I am going to have a bath this week and just relax
– I want to read my magazine
– Watch my favourite shows
– Do some exercise, go for walks, use my Wii Fit
– Wear nicer clothes out
– Put on makeup
– Wear earrings
– Socialise with other adults
I am going to try and do some or nearly all of the above so then I won’t feel like such a dag (for those that don’t know what a dag is, according to dictionary.com, it means the following: “a person who is untidily dressed”), and unattractive. If you feel good with what you are wearing, you usually carry yourself better. I know it is superficial but it works.
Maybe the whole reason I feel so down in the dumps is that being a mother is not paid, glorified or respected enough. As I said it is one of the most important jobs to do. I am sure that other mothers out there think and feel like this. It is a thankless role and it is a pity that I am not getting paid or benefits of any kind. The only wonderful benefit is two great kids who love me, I know a bit over the top. It is nice to be there for the girls and have the ability to help them learn. I do feel lucky I can do it.
What do you do to feel like you again? Is it difficult now you have kids? Do you think that you have changed much or not at all? I feel like I have not changed, however it is just the access to things that is limiting. As the primary caregiver, I cannot just go to the hairdressers/beautician. I need to book that in when kids are at school (and there is a time limit on those days) or on the weekend. If it is in school holidays, just weekends. Send in your tips and tricks to make yourself feel great. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Hi all readers. We have the girls first “Parent Teacher Info Night” and I am not sure what questions to ask the teachers. Here is what I have so far:
Other than the standard, are they getting along with other kids and enjoying it, What else should we ask them? The husband is keen to come along also and to find out more about the school and how the girls are doing.
We are still new to this schooling business and wanted to ask your thoughts, What should we be asking the teachers? Send in your questions we should ask the girls teachers and remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Yesterday at the girls school I waited for the doors to open for afternoon pick up. Once the doors opened, I saw other kids with giggles and smiles give their mother an invitation. Not sure what was going on, I just waited to see what would happen with my girls. I also had no idea that it was something that I might be invited to.
Julia saw me and was all smiles. She handed me a piece of paper. It was an invite to the pre-school’s mother’s day event. I am very pleased that the girls are getting involved in a secret thing for me, their mummy, however now I need to go to the school rather than have the day. I know that sounds terrible, but I don’t get a lot of time to myself. I am very excited and keen to go, and cannot wait to see what secret things the kids have been planning.
While walking towards the car I asked how the day went, “Who did you play with?”, and “What they got up to?” Lillian answered, “I cannot tell you.” I asked why this was so? Lillian then said, “It is a secret mummy, mother’s day secret”. So I only found out that they played dress ups and were princesses. I am not fussed and think it is cute they are keeping their secret.
Normally the kids spill the beans on secrets. When daddy was opening his birthday present last year, he joked and said, “I wonder what this is?” This is when, Lillian and then Julia told him what he was unwrapping. So very cute but a spoiler, the girls are now growing up and have figured out to keep secrets, what big girls they are becoming.
Julia was so keen on the drawings she did for me and for mother’s day that she gave them all to me yesterday. I explained that it is not mother’s day yet, and these should be given on that day. She did not understand and was so excited; she wanted me to have them now. I was told to hold onto them and keep them for mother’s day.
Are your kids doing secret mother’s day business? Have you noticed your childcare or school organising anything special. This is my first event to attend at school so it will be rather exciting and interesting. I will make sure to bring the camera; I want to capture the moment. Send in your comments and remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
This morning kids were yelling and screaming. I entered their room to find both girls fighting over space in Julia’s bed. Last night they were both sleeping together, cuddling and sharing the same pillow. This is nice, however it creates issues. Lillian ended up taking over and leaving Julia no room. I put Julia in Lillian’s bed and a good night sleep was had, until the early morning screams this morning. Julia was most likely trying to claim back ownership of her bed, and Lillian did not want to budge. Why can’t they just sleep in their own beds!
So after we exited the bedroom and dealt with this argument I thought it might all be over, well at least for this morning. I was wrong! Fights over toys, chairs and other things. Gosh and it is not even 9am yet. I am grateful that they are off to school today. Maybe they can burn energy there and when home they can just relax. I can live in hope. I hear you all laughing at this, yes I know it is not going to happen. 🙂
Both girls have had adequate sleep, although they are acting like they are tired. Maybe it is just a lot of activity at school and big days wear them out. Does this happen to you? I am finding we are getting more moody days and issues. Is it due to each child becoming more of an individual? Is it due to sharing things and parents all the time, this could be a part of it.
I really think both girls are trying to compete with each other, and not sharing is creating more problems. However this is all normal for their age and it is a stage that all kids and parents go through. This stage is exhausting and sometimes I wish I could just skip this stage altogether.
One site that comments on these types of behaviour is Totally Childcare, they have an article called, “Difficult Children – Moody, Disobedient, Naughty“, I think some of their points are good, see what you think. Some articles that I have seen on the Internet suggest that there might be other issues, this might be so but not in our case. I believe that it is down to kids not getting their way and reacting. What are your thoughts. Do you have some days that the tantrums start early? How does this affect you as a mother? What are the magical ways that you deal with these moody and naughty issues. Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Yesterday we went out to get the laundry done at the Laundromat (washing machine is broken, have purchased a new one, but there is a 2 week wait). It was a bit of a production to get everyone and the clothes to the laundromat, but this was achieved. As it was Sunday no one was around, so we had our pick of the washing machines. I organised all the clothes and set up the washing machines to start, all 4 washing machines would have the laundry done in under 30mins. While we waited we all went off to get some food and other shopping.
The girls were a bit out of sorts as I think they were over tired. Saturday they spent the day with our friends while we were at a friend’s birthday party in the city. James and I had a great time and it was so nice to see our friends once again. Pity we could not carry on all night. We had a great day and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
We were told that the girls were very well behaved and good for our friends. This was not the case yesterday. Sunday the girls were little monsters. Not only did they start the day tired, they just got worse as the day progressed. Biting, kicking, hitting, pushing and if you can think it, it probably happened yesterday.
After lunch I had a square of dark chocolate and the girls asked to have some too. I saw no harm in this as they have chocolate every now and then, and it was after lunch. I did not think about the ramifications of a sugar overload or effects on kids who hardly have sugar, but this I think was my downfall, as you will see by reading on…It was the chocolate I tell you.
The little monkeys were running up and down the hallway, getting toys all over the place and getting things out to play with left, right and centre. It was chaos. Julia was being incredibly naughty and James was trying to sort it out, however this was met with a very headstrong and upset Julia. She tried to throw things at daddy and if they were not weighed down it might have done some damage. Lillian had the same annoyance and naughtiness bug hit her also, and she scratched daddy, he was unaware until she mentioned there was blood and she left to get a towel to fix it.
I needed to be online to talk to my group for university; we are doing our group assignment, so during this period James decided to take the kids to the park. I believe that this idea was for them to burn off energy and get tired, so they could go to bed. This however did not happen; when the girls came home they were more revved up than before.
We both looked at each other and were shaking our heads, what was wrong with the girls? What did they eat? What could be causing this burst of activity? It was then that I recalled that I gave them the chocolate. We think it was due to the chocolate that they were so all over the place. Has this happened to you? Does your child act strange after sugary treats?
I was curious and decided to search the internet to see if sugar/chocolate can be responsible for this behaviour – From what I have read there appears to be no link. Two of the links are suggesting that it could be additives in the candy that kids eat, or it could be the way the body processes the refined sugar and how it eventually wears off.
I am not sure if sugar is responsible. I really think that the girls like anyone, get moody, upset and angry when over tired. Maybe the chocolate did not help. However, they hardly have chocolate and candy, they have it very sparingly.
What do you think? Is sugar causing kids to run wild? Does a spike in sugar make them turn into little monsters? What do you do when this happens at your household? Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
I read today about a woman who loves cleaning. I wish I was one; I cannot stand housework, cleaning or organising the house. For me is very much a chore. Don’t get me wrong, I love a tidy and organised house.
However, the time, work and trouble that it takes, is never maintained in this household. We, the husband and I, seem to clean in spurts especially if we are having guests.
Housework is a necessity and I do agree that regardless of enjoying it or hating it, it is a task that needs to happen. With that philosophy, it is hard to be overjoyed at the prospect of cleaning the house, especially on your own with kids in toe as well.
I always have other things that I want to do or need doing and then the housework seems to come last. Cleaning does not hold the interest than say, watching a show, going out, or even doing my university work done.
Today my goal is to tidy the main areas, living room, dining room, hallway, kids room, our bedroom, and bathroom/toilets. If I don’t get it done today or tonight will do the rest tomorrow morning, it all needs to be tidy as we are having guests. These guests are good friends who are minding the girls for the day and part of the evening. Mummy and daddy are off to a good friend’s birthday and both of us are looking forward to the time alone with friends, and especially without kids. Oh, the simple joys of going out to catch up with friends. I cannot wait.
The girls have had something to eat, and I have just put them to down for their compulsory rest time. Yes, I have now learnt not to call it sleep time. If I call it sleep time I get this yelled at me, “Mummy we are not tired!” or “I AM NOT TIRED!!!!” so now it is rest time.
Why could I have got the gene that makes me want to clean? Is it how your mother dealt with housework and this has rubbed off on you? Or is it just the fact that it is an obsessive issue with being clean and tidy. I have even thought that being put under hypnosis to plant the seed to make me want to clean. This thought of hypnosis was only a silly thought after seeing a sign, however today I thought why not see if this has already happened (damn that idea is taken). Yes others have thought of it already; see below for links hypnosis for housework:
If you hate housework and have the money, then hiring a housekeeper/cleaner might be the answer. Why argue over the housework if you can have it outsourced.
Having the task done by someone else is a good idea, as many couples don’t have a lot of downtime.
If you had a choice would you rather use your spare time for chores, or some fun and relaxation? I know this is not for all, but if you can afford it, why not?
Now off to make a cuppa tea, and get started on the tidying – I don’t have a cleaner or have had any hypnosis, I am doing it the old fashioned way.
Do you enjoy housework? If you do enjoy cleaning, what is the fun part for you?
Send in your comments on how you make cleaning fun.
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Today was freezing as was last night. It is only April and we are so cold I think this winter this year will be a very cold one. If winter is a terrible one, does that mean that we might finally get a summer that is warm? You never know, so I am putting my order in now for a decent summer, if I have to live through a terrible winter, I am owed a summer, this summer must also not be one that has non-stop rain.
Before we ventured out of the house, we have now realised that 2 pieces of technology have failed us, and we are not happy at all. We now have a toaster that only toasts 2 pieces of bread, it is a 4 bread toaster, and one side is now not working. The second piece of technology that has failed is the biggest problem, the washing machine. I had only put the girl’s big blankets in to wash when I smelt an electrical burning smell. Not good, alerted James and we have now realised that the washing machine has died. This information is not good and as we are strapped for cash, could not have happened at a worse time. With this annoying and frustrating news, we decided we should go somewhere and exhaust kids and spend a day out as a family.
So off to the Bathurst races we went. I was not keen on the idea as it is freezing, I had a terrible headache and it is a little better but still not 100%, what I wanted to do was go back to bed. Alas that is not what happened.
So after arriving at the races, I looked around and realised nearly everyone was very dressed up. All of us were in many layers just trying to keep warm, and these layers consisted of jeans, t-shirts, jumpers, jackets and the like. Nothing fancy, like a suit, tie, jacket, dresses or high heels. The girls were barley dressed in anything and if they were wearing something it was a dress that just grazed their bum, no stockings, no jacket to keep warm and high heels that did not match the dress and were too high for most of these girls to walk in. Many of the girls had taken off their shoes and were bare foot, not something I would encourage on a chilly, windy day like today. Not sure if I am being a fuddy duddy, but I think there is a way to look sexy, stylish and dress warmly. Maybe I am just getting old.
Since we were dealing with kids, anytime a new race was on we never got the chance to place a bet, It was the only time I have been to the races and never put a bet on a horse. Pity it was not the cheapest, today was still expensive. Although, I did find $10, thank god for the windy day.
Just to give you an idea of the current temperature in Katoomba, see below. Sourced from Sydney Morning Herald’s Weather page.
Now we are home, kids are fed (both ate very little of their food), kids are now in bed, and I am about to start working away on the group university assignment. Tomorrow I need to address the issue of washing the clothes and will be off to the Laundromat. I am hoping to get them washed so I can then hang them on the line at home.
Hopefully after the issue of the clothes is dealt with, I am off to see my nana and my mother for the day. Not looking forward to braving the laundromat with kids, but it needs to be done. What appliances have failed at your place? How did you cope? Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Lunches are packed, clothes are in school bags for emergencies, and we are good to go. Today did not turn out like I had envisioned: organising and sorting things around the house. In reality I was answering a child every 5 seconds and cleaning up messes, cuddling injured kids after they fell and hurt themselves. So today was rather chaotic and annoying, although there were moments of lovely cuddles and kisses.
The plan for tomorrow is to get up early and do some cleaning, I need to make the most of my day without kids. It will be a very long, tiring day, but looking forward to the end result, a tidier place to be. Just worried that it will not be tidy for long, there lies the challenge – keeping it clean. How long does your clean house stay clean?
I have also lucked out on the online tutorial for university, all audio was muffled and no idea why it is so. The readings will tell me what I need to know, so will read the lecture notes and answer the tutorial questions. I am a bit behind on the tutorial questions, so need to work on those, and then focus on the group assignment.
As a new parent to the school system, it is rather annoying to be told that term starts today, to then find out it is the next day, and then have a public holiday on the same week. I am now over my rant on the subject and am finally doing my happy jig again, as finally kids will be in school tomorrow. Yippee, I know it is just for one day this week, but one needed, much deserved day.
How have you faired today? Did you child/children go to care or school? If they did not did you get things done? Send in your thoughts and comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
I was under the impression that pre-school started today. I was wrong! After we got to the school the door was closed, and no parents about. I left kids in the car (car was locked and I was parked just in front of the school, so could keep my eye on the car) and popped out to check if school was on. One of the teachers answered and then told me it was a pupil free day.
I am very annoyed at this situation. The girls have already had two weeks holiday, on the schools website it states that today is the start day for term 2, and now to learn that no school will happen today is annoying to be polite, I just wanted to scream and cry. I asked when they alerted parents to this and was told it was in the newsletter. I remember getting the newsletter, and cannot remember it being mentioned. Since cleaning up my email the newsletter is not there, so no way of checking this.
As a parent, and not a teacher, I do not understand why pupil free days are needed? Why the work can’t be done the week before school starts, and if it is just an extra day this should not cause an issue. Why is the advertised date on the website wrong? If they are having a day off, the new start date should read the 24th of April not the 23rd of April. I did check the website as a friend mentioned there could be a pupil free day. I thought that if this was the case it would be noted here. No such luck. I have emailed them to update the site as I think this is a resource parents would use to check dates and events for the school.
Also due to Anzac Day on Wednesday and now a pupil free day today, I only have one day off to get everything done. This is just impossible and frustrating to say the least. The girls love school and were excited to see their friends again, when I told them that it was closed for the day they were upset. I told them that they will go tomorrow and next week so it will be all good.
Do you get annoyed at pupil free days? Is it just me? If you are a teacher please enlighten me to what is done on pupil free days, and why they are needed. Send in your comments. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
I am very excited, pre-school starts again tomorrow. School going back makes me very happy. Now, what will I be doing with my time off? Well I am glad you asked. Housework is the answer, and not what I want to be doing, however needs to happen. Due to little people being around and not a lot of time to clean and finish off what you are doing, the house is a messy state again. This is all going to be fixed on Monday and Tuesday of this week, as Wednesday is a public holiday – Anzac Day.
Lunches are all packed and will get up early to sort out bags and other things. Yepeeeeeeeeeeeee for school starting again!!! Are you doing a happy jig now that school is going back? I am, and I am still dancing. Do you find that you are not yourself without some time out? I have all these things I want to do, and now I can get stuck into more of it again, university, sewing, me time and many other things.
Send in your comments about school going back. Before I start my crazy day of cleaning, I will sit down and have a cuppa tea and read a bit of my magazine. What are you going to do with your time?
Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
On Friday I visited some friends, and the girls were given a cardboard box to play with. The girls were pretending to be a Jack in the Box. This game got a bit tricky as they then had to dodge the big giant hand, which was my friend Fred trying to tickle or scare the girls; this led to screeches of laughter.
It was this moment that I thought how simple it is, just give a child a cardboard box and they are happy for hours. All the different things that a cardboard box can become, a jack in the box, a house, a shop, a table, a bed for the dog/baby/mummy or whoever they are pretending to be at the time.
We received a gift card from my mother, for James and my birthday next month, and this was for a new microwave. I know not the most exciting present, but as money is tight and our old one ended up on fire a new one was in order. The gift card got to me by Friday so Saturday we all went to the shops to purchase the new microwave, and as you guessed it. It comes with a big box.
The girls now have this big box in the living room and have been happy pretending it is all sorts of things. James wanted to throw it out, however I saved it as I think the girls would be crushed if it disappeared. They have been giggling away, jumping in and out of it and also organising cushions and blankets for the inside. Boxes definitely help to build imaginary worlds that your child/children can be engrossed in for hours on end.
Do your children like to play with boxes? What is the most creative thing that you have turned your box or boxes into? If you have the time, patience and energy, you can create some wonderful things out of cardboard.
Here are some great links that will give you some inspiration:
Send in your comments and maybe some of your works of art.
Being a mother you catch yourself saying the strangest things, some that come to mind are:
Before being a mother, I must say that I would never say the above, and if I did, it would be a very strange and rare event. If it did occur, it might have been after a big night out and something silly might have gone on. But now, it seems it is all oaky to have these conversations with your kids and partner.
One strange thing that the kids have said to me recently was:
On Circle of Mums website there are posts from other mothers, sharing the strange things that you have said to your child. My favourite from this site is: “Why is the dog walking around with a maxi pad on her back?” Both my husband and I were in fits of laughter after I read this one aloud, it gives you a great picture of the poor dog, the kids and the annoyed mother.
Do you catch yourself saying some strange things since you have had a child? Do you find that it is considered normal now? Send in the strange things that you have said. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
A sunny day with no clouds in the sky, just brilliant! What a great thing to wake up to. If I was not a mother and had a tidy organised house, then it would be off to go walking by myself, oh the joys. Although I can still go out walking which I think I will do, although it will be with kids in the pram. The girls are bigger and probably don’t need to be in the pram, however over a long distance they would get tired. I am not a pack horse and cannot carry bags, shopping, and then two kids to boot. So the pram is the best alternative for walking with kids.
While my focus has been on the nice day, my other focus is getting my washing done. I see sun and say, “I must do some washing”, I have done 3 loads already, the first 2 are on the line and other is still in the machine. The weather report shows that today and tomorrow will be sunny, so I have a good chance to finish the washing. Then sorting and putting it away is the other big job.
You might say, that is the last thing you would do on a nice day, what a waste, WASHING. Well as a mother and one that lives in an area that has had rain nonstop rain, sunny days are rare, and you need to pounce on these to get it all done. I know it is boring, and mundane, however I don’t have a housework fairy to help me.
Wouldn’t that be nice, a housework fairy. You could tell the fairy what you need done, No the fairy would just know, housework fairies just understand your needs (they are good like that). You could then go out and enjoy the sun filled day and relax. If only this was possible. Maybe in the future we will have housework robots that you could programme; you would come home to a nice clean, organised house. I can only dream.
It is not just me that is excited to get their laundry done on a fine day like today, I have spoken to at least four people and they have all rushed off to get it all done. It must be the change in me since having children that fine days are not only play days, they are laundry days as well. What do you do on a sunny day? Do you race off to do your laundry if it has piled up? Or do you forget about it and enjoy the day? Send in your comments.
Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
It was a big day for us girls on Wednesday. Off to an indoor play centre and then in the evening to a board meeting, at the girls past child care centre. The decision to go to an indoor play centre was made easy by torrential rain that would not ease, and of course kids that wanted to run wild. However mummy just wanted to go back to bed. This relaxing in bed was never going to happen, so why not take them somewhere to exhaust the little monkeys.
Before we even got out the door, the girls had already done many pages of collage; drawing and I had painted their faces with face paint, a gift from grandma. I must say that face painters are safe as my skills are terrible in this area, but the girls were happy with the results, so glad that they did not know any better.
Isn’t it always the way, when you want to leave the house, or get out of the car, it rains heavier than before and seems to get worse and worse. We stayed in the car for a bit to see if it would get better, but no luck. Then I realised we could not stay in the car for a long, due to the girls eventually saying, “I need to go to the toilet mummy.” With this thought, I decided we just needed to run for it. All three of us made it, although soaked and now a bit colder than we were before.
The girls were very pleased to be at the play area, and I packed a lunch so it makes it easy (and cheaper). While we are there, they can eat and then have a rest when we get home. Julia and Lillian spotted a friend from pre-school and all of them were excited. Great, they have a friend to play with. So from then on they were running and playing with their girlfriend. This means mummy can just have a cuppa tea without having to entertain kids; yippee!
The only problem arises at this place is when you have to leave. When you announce to your child/children that you have to go/to pack up/put shoes on, they run away and cannot be found. You end up giving extra time, and then eventually resorting to evil mummy tactics. Grabbing one child and then getting them organised and holding them until you get the other, if it fails. I let them know that if they behave badly, we will never come back. This usually results in, “Oh, oaky mummy” and “oaky” and mean looks at me.
Upon exiting the indoor play area, the rain was still as heavy as when we came in. If anything it seems like it had gotten heavier and worse. A kind lady on the counter minded the girls, while I went to get the car. This helped as it would have been difficult with two kids in the rain.
We went home to rest before our next outing, which was to the girls ex child care centre. They used to go there for two years, but now they go to pre-school. I am still on the board at the centre and went for the regular meeting. The girls get minded by some ladies who work at the centre, and the kids love it, as they get to see their old teachers/carers/friends that go to the centre. They get fed so all I have to do is give them some milk and it is off to bed. Upon leaving it was still pouring with rain, we finally made it home tired and wet.
What do you do when it is pouring with rain, and it does not stop? Do your kids run amok, or do they like being inside doing puzzles, drawing or other tasks? Mine love to go outside and seem to feel couped up if the rain lasts for too long. Not a good thing in a small house with bad weather. Send in your comments.
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One of my girls is being more sensitive than usual and it is resulting in clingy and cuddly behaviour. While it is nice to have cuddles, it does get frustrating when the child hangs onto you for dear life and will not let go. This sometimes happens for a couple of days in a row and then it goes away.
Signs of the cuddly dependent behaviour are visible when I get asked more for the following:
I have been reading up on this behaviour and found that some would term it separation anxiety and others just a clingy toddler, I don’t believe that my girl has separation issues, as she is happy to go to school, child care and playgroup. Sometimes they are a little bit shy and need to warm to people again at playgroup, but both girls and the one who is currently clingy, joins in with the group and plays well with others.
One site that I visited suggested that boredom might be a reason for being clingy, justmommies recommends distraction and redirection works best, for example if you are making dinner put pots on the floor and try and get them involved that way, have the child help you prepare dinner, books or other toys might work as well.
I was on the phone with a person I used to work with, the girls thought I was talking with Aunty Kay, I corrected the girls and told them it was not Kay it was my friend Kate that mummy used to work with. It was at this moment that my sensitive girl lost it and was hysterical. She said, “Don’t leave me; you’re going to go to work like daddy and leave me!” I then explained that my job is to look after you and your sister. She is very worried about me going away or leaving. Not sure where she got that idea, but I am not going anywhere.
Making sure that the child feels comforted, and reassured of my love and the fact that I am there for them. I then attempt to get them interested in other things, books, games, maybe watching a quick show that they like. A lot of the time I end up on the lounge cuddling the clingy child until they are feeling happier and then I can remove myself as the child is happy now playing by themselves or with her sister. Sometimes it is just due to the child being tired or could not be feeling well.
Some ways on how to cope with a clingy toddler:
Do you have a clingy child? My children seem to switch, however it seems to be one child in particular who is clingier than the other. How do you deal with this issue of toddlerhood? Send in your tips. Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog.
Julia again helped me with the housework. She was busy vacuuming, and this time I took pictures. Lillian was a bit scared and maybe next time she will give it a try.
Just had to share. What has your little person helped you with today? Remember to vote for us for Best Australian Blog
