The baby/child in question is annoyed, upset and in pain and likewise so are the parents. Oh and other kids who live in the same house.
Our little boy is teething again and it has taken a toll on everyone.
Mainly our little boy is affected but all of us have suffered from the following:
No sleep!
If you did get to sleep you are woken by screaming and crying from the baby.
Once up and dealing with the crying baby he is upset at you and not letting you help him.
Once up and trying to soothe him dealing with a very upset child that does not know what he wants due to being so much pain.
Hubby nearly falling asleep in a business meeting.
One of the girls nearly having a nap in maths class and the other girl has just been very tired and annoyed.
As one kid today said, “I would rather be sick than have an upset baby” Oh so true.
My little boy has been upset and unwell all week. This photo was taken on the 30th of May. He is getting more teeth and this makes him sick, throw up and just not want food. At least he was drinking water.
Although I don’t want to be sick to just have a happy baby, I understood what she meant.
Our little boy is not coping with teething well at all. On the 7th of June he will be seventeen months old, and every time he has gotten teeth this has happened.
He gets multiple teeth at the same time and due to this suffers very badly with the pain.
His reaction to this pain is to hit his head into the floor or to try and smack it on teddies, objects or anything actually.
I have been trying to reduce the pain by giving him painkillers, however last night he was spitting it all out and not wanting to open his mouth to accept any.
How can you help someone if they don’t allow you to give them the medicine.
Finally at about 11 pm or later he allowed us with some tricks up our sleeves to give him some painkillers. Once it kicked in he was a little happier and more calm.
Phew!
No more screaming in my ear. I really think his constant screams could make me go deaf.
I know he is in pain, I know he does not understand.
I cuddle him and try and console him the best way I can. However it is hard when he squirms like he does not want to be on my lap at all.
He acts like he cannot get comfortable. He really does not know what he wants. The only thing that he would want, would be the pain to go away and to not come back.
Have you had issues like this with your kids when they were teething? Are you going through this now? Let us know what worked for you.
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I know kids, life and work do this. Resting or downtime for me never seems enough. What about you?
I went to bed last night and had the most interesting thoughts.
A hotel dedicated to rest. A hotel dedicated to relaxation and downtime. This hotel would have restful rooms and it would be a quiet space.
This hotel would pamper mums. No kids allowed. Just mums.
This is the hotel that I dreamt about. A nice comfortable white bed, no one to wake me up, no alarms, no kids, nothing to do but just to rest and to relax.
In my dream the hotel had wall to wall beds. The beds were white, in fact everything was white. It was a quiet space that ensured all guests could sleep and sleep they did.
The sleep was a deep sleep and no one woke anyone. No kids were there. No alarms, no clocks. It was a space that allowed you to just be.
The hotel was a place that once you have slept enough you could then explore the facilities. There was a spa, yoga, a gym, swimming pool, healthy chef on call to create some extremely yummy food, great drinks and lounges so that you can sit back and read your favourite book, and last but not least the grounds were so amazing that you could explore and never be near another person – a fabulous place to meditate and be at one with nature.
My trip to this hotel was cut short. I woke up and had to get kids ready for school and the baby off to childcare.
I did not want to get out of bed. I was so comfortable and the bed felt like I was melting into it. It was perfect, but this perfection ended due to having to start the day.
Why can’t I stay in bed and pretend I was back at this hotel that is dedicated to sleep. I need to go back to this place so that I can relax and just be.
It is a real pity that this hotel is not real.
Maybe there are hotels and services out there that can do this, however I’m sure they would cost a lot of money for this experience. My dream was free.
Would you love to travel to this hotel too? I want to go back and I only just visited last night.
Let me know if you have dreamt of something similar?
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From the creators of Despicable Me, Illumination presents SING, a musical comedy about finding the shining star that lives inside all of us. Sing your way into stores today to pick up a copy of SING Special Edition on Blu-ray and DVD featuring 3 mini movies and more music!
We saw SING at the movies, however since then the kids have been asking to see it again.
The twins were so excited and happy to finally have their own copy of SING. Now they can watch it whenever they wish and can entertain friends during the school holidays.
SING is a heart warming film that kids and parents will all love. The music is fabulous and you will catch yourself tapping your feet and singing along. While others might want to get up and have a dance while the characters in the movie strut their stuff.
My happy girls loved sharing the SING film on DVD with their Meena the Elephant plushies.
Snacks and Treats for SING Family Night
To make the whole movie night more fun the twins and I made cupcakes.
Now these weren’t ordinary cupcakes. We decorated some as pigs for Rosita and koalas for Buster Moon.
Buster Moon (Koala) and Rosita (Pig) Cupcakes inspired by the movie SING.
If you wish to recreate my pig and koala SING inspired cupcakes here is what you need to do.
1. Make 12 cupcakes. I chose to have vanilla cake mix to make it easy. You can either have chocolate or make the mixture by scratch.
2. I added dark chocolate bits to the mixture. It is up to you, you might prefer to add something else like say banana instead. Be inventive and have fun!
3. Once the cupcakes cooled down I decorated them.
Koala icing: To get the grey icing colour I added some black icing pen to just icing sugar and water. You can add as much black as you wish to get the desired colour. I did read somewhere that you can get black food colouring but I have never seen or heard of this, so I did the next best thing. I think it worked out well.
Pig icing: I mixed icing sugar, water, and some red food colouring to get the pink colour for the pig cupcake. Mix until the desired colour of pink is achieved.
5. I created 6 koala cupcakes for Buster Moon and 6 pig cupcakes for Rosita.
6. Decorations for Buster Moon: Marshmallows for the ears, dark chocolate bits for the eyes and a chocolate coated almond for the nose.
7. Decorations for Rosita: Marshmallows for the ears (Pink), dark chocolate bits for the eyes, a marshmallow stuck horizontally with 2 dots of black icing for the nose.
8. Now all the SING cupcakes are done, the only thing left to do is to eat them!
All the SING cupcakes ready for our movie night. Rosita (PIG) cupcakes and Buster Moon (Koala) cupcakes.
You must have popcorn for movie night and that is why everyone had their own box of special homemade popcorn.
The girls loved watching the popcorn pop in the microwave and were amazed at how much each bag made.
To make it more of an event I got little popcorn boxes. This made sure that each person had their own popcorn while watching the film.
Having movie night with my girls. We are so happy and excited to be watching SING on DVD.
The SING DVD has great extras
They are:
• Gunter Babysits
• Love At First Sight
• Eddie’s Life Coach
• The Making of the Mini-Movies
Love at First Sight Mini Movie Sneak Peak
Movie Night is Great Family Time
Sharing a film with your kids is so nice. Laughing at the same things is also an enjoyable moment.
Do you love having family movie nights? For your family movie nights do you ensure that you have ample treats on hand to enjoy your film?
My kids love to have movie days also and more so in holidays.
The living room becomes one big bed. Pillows, blankets and more are added to the floor and then we all get very comfortable to watch some favourite films.
Soon it will be holidays and I’m sure your little ones will be wanting to relax and have fun watching SING. Have fun dancing, singing and more!
Movie nights are so much fun, especially with a fun film like SING.
Enjoy your home movie night. I hope that you all have a fun time.
They make me feel good and put a smile on my face.
If I want to cheer myself up I buy a bunch of flowers. It would be nice to be given one but I don’t wait for this to happen.
When I was working in the city I used to bring a nice bunch of flowers from my garden to put on my desk. If I could not get ample flowers to take to the office, I would stop by the florist on the way to work and grab a bunch of whatever is in season.
My lovely bunch of Dahlias and Alstroemeria that I purchased from Pam and Debbie at Fine Flowers. These look so pretty and put a big smile on my face.
The flowers were lovely smelling and cheered me up. Normally I would pick a bunch of Gerberas or the lovely smelling Jonquils.
I did the same thing when I was at home. I purchased flowers from the local florist and decorated the house with pretty and fragrant flowers.
My favourite local florist is Fine Flowers in Katoomba, I have been visiting them for over ten years now.
Fine Flowers in Katoomba.
Pam and Debbie are the lovely ladies at Fine Flowers. Pam has owned the business for ten and half years and worked in the business for another fifteen years previously. So this is over 25 years of floristry experience.
I love coming in and having a chat and finding out what is in season and maybe what might look great to brighten up my desk and house.
What is in season currently?
Tulips and dahlias.
The pretty Tulips on sale.
What has changed?
I asked Pam what have customers been asking for lately?
Normally Pam said that customers would order a bunch of flowers and have a bunch styled and designed by herself or Debbie. However she has noticed that customers are liking the idea of picking their own designs and choosing what flowers go with other flowers.
It is more of free form design.
Posies with roses that were tiny and cute were very popular for weddings. Now the trend is to have larger flowers not so styled and have them look like you have just picked them from the garden.
Customers like the brown paper and natural wrapping for bunches of flowers.
The lovely ladies at Fine Flowers Katoomba. Debbie on left and Pam on the right.
I even did a free form design. I combined two different flowers to make a big pretty bunch.
Popular Celebrations for Flowers
Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas, Birthdays and New Babies are huge.
I asked Debbie and Pam if Easter was a busy time as well. They said it was, and that a lot of people come and purchase daisies for the Easter period. It is up to the individual which bloom takes their fancy but it is interesting that Easter is still a busy time. I suppose daisies make me think of rabbits, the Easter Bunny and nice roaming hills and lush lawn.
Brightly coloured flowers.
With Mother’s Day soon approaching I was keen to know what flowers or items were in demand at Fine Flowers?
I thought that red roses might be the flower of choice. However I was surprised by the answer.
For Mother’s Day all pastel/light coloured flowers were extremely popular and not just roses. Anything that might be pale pink, creams, pale everything. It does not even matter the age of the mother here, it could be for a new mum pale blooms will be purchased more so than brightly coloured ones.
Interesting don’t you think? Mums get the dainty, pretty and pale pastel coloured flowers.
I do love them and they do look pretty but I fall in the other percentage that love some bright blooms. I love colour and some nice bright Gerberas or maybe some vibrant purple Irises with some yellow Tulips or Daffodils.
So pretty and textural, the bright yellow Chrysanthemum Disbud (Spider).
The ladies at Fine Flowers said that bright coloured flowers are still purchased but not in the same quantities as the pale or pastel shades.
Do you love bright flowers like I do? Or prefer the pastel shades? Let us know what your favourites are.
My nice bunch of Dahlias and Alstroemeria on the hall stand at home. It the first thing you see when you come home and walk anywhere in the house. A perfect place for pretty flowers.
I loved my in season bunch of flowers that I purchased from my local florist. I am now keen to go back and get another bunch. This time I think tulips will be in order. They were so pretty and colourful. A good flower to brighten up a space and lift your mood this autumn.
Do you love flowers as much as I do?
I really like the fact that you can get such a great variety of flowers. This variety allows me to change the look of a room easily and helps lifts my spirits as well.
What is your favourite bunch to get from your florist?
Do you have some of your favourites in your garden? Let us know.
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My very tired boy at hospital the other night. He was not very well here and just in pain and exhausted.
Lately there has been one drama after another. Well maybe not a drama but something that is not good.
It all started when Lillian broke her wrist.
Days after Lillian hurt herself my right eye flared up. It was inflamed and looked horrible. Picture a violent red eye that was puffed up and weeping. Yes, I was a picture of glamour.
I woke at 3am on Friday after Lillian hurt her arm and realised my eye was all puffy, weeping and inflamed. In fact, my whole right eye seemed sealed shut. Not good, not good at all!
I took an antihistamine tablet and hoped that it would help my eye go back to normal. Sometimes I have an allergic reaction and my eyeball looks like it is falling out of my face, again not an attractive look.
Unfortunately, it did not work.
Me with my very sore eye. It was horrible and painful. I really just wanted to sleep.
Due to the antihistamine tablet not working I thought I might have conjunctivitis. I went off to the doctor and had all the relevant checks, it was determined that it was bacterial conjunctivitis and I was recommended to get Chlorsig drops to make it all go away.
Now this first doctors visit was on a Friday. I woke up on Saturday my eye was even worse! It was horrible and just a nightmare to say the least.
I tried to go to the local doctors but no one could see me. I ended up at the hospital to get another doctor to check my very sick and sore eye. This doctor decided it was viral conjunctivitis and not bacterial so therefore the Chlorsig drops were not working. The doctor from the hospital recommended some natural tears and other drops from the chemist.
Now armed with my new drops I used them all weekend but come Monday my eye was even worse than the before. Nothing I was doing or was recommended to do use was helping!
Off to yet another doctor I went on Monday morning. This doctor said there was nothing I can do and it will just go away. Geez what a waste of time it was seeing this person! My eye was sore, inflamed, puffy, violently red and constant weeping clear fluid like tears. It was horrible! I was starting to look like someone with a horrible disease.
I then spoke to my sister who told me it sounded like allergic conjunctivitis. I had no idea that you could get allergic conjunctivitis. My sister told me that she took a antihistamine called, “Zaditen” and it solves her issue when it happens to her eyes. I raced out to get some Zaditen drops. I managed to get a pack of the sterile single dose units. The drops were not available due to the manufacturer not having stock available. How annoying I thought, but was thankful that I could get some even though the single dose units were more expensive. I just wanted to fix my very sore eye and at this stage the cost was not the issue, I just hoped that it will fix my eye.
The Zaditen drops helped a bit but my eye still felt very sore and not well. Every time I bent over it throbbed. It also felt like there was something in it although there was nothing.
I decided to use one of my free days without kids to find the underlying cause of my eye problem. I made an appointment to see the local optometrist and they decided that there was something wrong. The optometrist thought it could be blepharitis and this would mean that I would need to see an eye specialist. The specialist is the only person that can prescribe the medicine I would need.
Since I did not have an appointment at the eye specialist that day (Now Tuesday) I just had to sit and wait to get seen. This was very annoying as I had to have my eyes dilated and therefore could not see and it meant that I could not use my laptop or phone for work while I waited. It felt annoying to lose a day without kids waiting at the doctors but I was pleased that I might figure out why my eye was so sick and sore.
Finally, I saw the eye specialist and this is a doctor that I have seen before on other occasions. He took one look at my eye and told me that I had a mild case ofIritis. Oh no notIritis again.
I had a bad case of this when I was studying for my post graduate degree online. I could not see well due to the drops given to me, plus I was in a lot of pain and light made it worse. Reading things online and dealing with horrible headaches and doing work from degree was extremely hard at this time. I was grateful that this time it was a mild case but it did make me angry that all three doctors that I saw could not tell me this. I know that they are not really specialists with eyes and that might be why, although it still annoys me.
My eye specialist told me to take a steroid eye drop and that has helped. I go back for a check-up next week and hope that it is getting better. It feels a little better although I ran out of the drops and had to get more. I ended up having a few days break with the drops so I hope that this does not cause an issue.
During this whole issue with my right eye I ended up getting something in my left eye… yes more annoying. It apparently was something that stems from a virus only kids get and therefore I got it too! Delightful!
As I write this the left eye is cleared of anything horrible, and the right eye feels better than it has been for a long time.
While Lillian was in pain and suffering with her cast, I was suffering with my eye issues, and the baby has been teething for the last five or so weeks. Alexander has been getting his molars and the last 2-3 weeks have been hell.
My very tired boy at hospital the other night. He was not very well here and just in pain and exhausted.
On closer inspection, I have also realised that Alex is getting more teeth plus the molars, he sounds like he was about to lose his voice and had a terrible cough like he has gunk on the back of his throat. He sounded sick. He really was not well at all. I thought that once his teeth broke through the gum all might settle. However, it never happened, he seemed to be getting worse.
He has been in so much pain that he has been trying to smash is face into the floor and hit himself with his hands or any object that is close by. He was a mess. He was not happy and screaming the place down.
I have been keeping up the pain medicine to help him out but whatever I gave him never seemed enough. I gave him Nurofen and then would give him Panadol to keep him happy. I made sure to keep alternating to ensure that he was as pain free as possible but to overdose him either. Hours after I gave Alexander painkillers he would scream, cry, and start hitting his head on the floor. Oh gosh! What to do???
I tried to cuddle him, he wriggled and wriggled and screamed at me.
I put him on the floor to explore and he just laid there and screamed at me.
One day that he did this I decided he looked so tired that he needed to rest. I got him ready for bed, put him in his cot and soothed him the best I could do. I said good night to him and walked out of the room hoping that soon he would go to sleep. However, he worked himself up and he threw up all over his bed and clothes. I cleaned him up, gave the bed fresh sheets and I also needed new clothes to. I even gave him a bath to make him feel better.
He fell asleep while I was cuddling him, I thought that the best place for him to rest was his bed. I put him in his cot and quietly walked out. About an hour or so later I heard screams and crying. I raced in to see what was up. Alexander had thrown up all over his sheets again!
I then tidied up the bed, the baby, gave him yet another bath and got myself new clothes again too. Gosh not good. My poor little boy was very sick.
I took him to the doctors on Monday the 13th March. The doctor we saw said that there was nothing wrong and it was just teething. This doctor said to just keep him hydrated and give him painkillers and all should be good. I asked about the fact that he sounds horse and will lose his voice? What about the throwing up? How about the coughing? I asked if it was a chest or ear infection? Again, I was told no, and that it was just teething.
Alexander was not eating much but I put this down to his sore mouth and getting new teeth. He was completely off his food on Wednesday the 15th of March and threw up again. He refused water, formula, and food all day! I decided to take him to the hospital for a second opinion.
Not only was no painkiller helping, he was now not eating or drinking and was screaming the place down and trying to smash his face due to the pain. I was at a loss of what to do help him.
The nice doctor and team at the hospital saw to us very quickly. The doctor concluded that he had bronchitis. He did think it was viral but gave him some steroids for the chest and lungs and some antibiotics to see if he responded while we were at emergency. He looked better after the medicine and the paediatric doctor that was not on call suggested that a blood test would confirm if antibiotics were needed for more treatment.
When the doctor came to talk to me about a blood test for our little boy he was asleep.
Alexander has had days and days of not sleeping and just screaming, so I really did not want to wake him. He looked so peaceful and I was happy that he was finally sleeping.
The doctor told me that they would need to put a cannula in his hand to get blood so the doctors could test. This doctor then said that it would be very traumatic for the baby and he would need to be wrapped up and held in order to not have him move when they attempt to get blood. Geez this would be horrible.
I would have loved to get the blood test to confirm if something was indeed wrong or not. However, the doctor and I thought it would upset him too much. At this stage, all his vital tests were coming back normal. The doctor said that he was going to give me a script for antibiotics regardless, so I thought it best not to put Alexander through the stress of trying to get blood out of him.
In the end, I chose to leave the hospital after Alexander woke up. I did not get the blood test due to the torture it would cause my little man. I filled the script for the steroids and antibiotics and our little boy now finally seems to be on the mend.
Yesterday, the 18th of March he finally ate something. Yes, he was refusing to eat or to really drink his formula. He was having some water but not much. He ate some mushed up Weet-Bix with some milk. Today the 19th of March he ate some more Weet-Bix as well.
Alexander’s appetite seems to be back. He is still in a bit of pain but is happier and his cheeky self is back.
As you can imagine having a kid who is in pain due to a broken wrist, you’re in pain due to a very sore eye, a personal health scare (Don’t worry all is fine and more on the blog later), and then a sick baby who is screaming all the time has not been fun at all.
I would just love it all to stop and to have some time where no one is sick, I don’t need to go to the doctors or deal with screaming or upset anyone. It will be nice when Alexander can go back to childcare and then I can have some time again for me.
Can I just go somewhere with room service? Maybe a lovely island resort would do the trick.
I think my eye was sore and got worse due to stress. I have read online that anti-inflammatory foods can help, therefore I have made sure my diet has a lot of these, such as olive oil, nuts like almonds, fruits like strawberries, blueberries and oranges.
I know everything on the whole was okay and would be fine, however it felt horrible. Dealing with it all mostly by myself was annoying, exhausting, stressful and hard. It would have been wonderful to hand the kids or other responsibilities to hubby or someone that could help and I would be able to just have a break.
Have you had a time where everything seems like it is going wrong?
Have you felt like it is never ending? I do and at times it felt like it was never going to get better.
Alexander has been eating more, drank more and seems like he is happy. He is his old self again. It is nice to see and I’m grateful that he is not screaming at me constantly and is getting better.
My danger child, the future rock climber and explorer.
Alexander is an adventurous and energetic little boy. He loves to explore new places, play with new toys, climb and just get into mischief. A normal child really.
He is very taken with stairs and any stairs he has to climb. It is a struggle to keep him away and sometimes it is just easier to leave, it is safer to take him to an area that is safer and I don’t need to be on constant alert.
Last Wednesday I tried to take Alexander to baby time at the local library. It did not go well. I was very early and I tried to play with him and to read books while we waited. This did not work out well. I was going to go somewhere else but baby time was not going to be long so decided to wait.
On one of the trolleys that they have the books on the library had the stereo system for the baby time. Alexander decided to push this like a walker and nearly bumped into people and the wall. Not good.
My danger child, the future rock climber and explorer.
I then distracted him and he got busy crawling in and out of the bottom of a book trolley and then sliding on a book. He thought this was a lot of fun. I spoilt the fun and took the book off him. He then decided that he wanted to remove books from the shelves and just put them on the floor. Oh gosh!
Many other mums and dads had arrived now and I got chatting with one other mum. I was one talking to her for a few seconds and Alexander had climbed the stairs all by himself while I chatted with this mum. Geeez!!!!
I saved him from coming down and then baby time started. I thought that the music, songs and other kids would make him stay with the group and not want to explore the stairs again and everything else in the library.
He did not want to stay with the baby time group and this meant I was up and down due to his obsession with the stairs. Alexander even visited the quiet reading area and nearly put his hand on a mans leg while he was engrossed in his book. Oh my gosh!
My baby will not sit still.
He was climbing and doing all sorts of things that were not appropriate in a library. I know they expect babies to be a little noisy when they are there but the library is not an obstacle course or baby gym.
After all this back and forth I left to Alexander’s annoyance. I was exhausted racing after him every two seconds.
I did look around and no other baby was exploring or doing what Alexander was doing. The other babies were in the group, sitting nicely or staying with their parents. Not my little boy, he was off and interested in everything but the baby time we came to see and experience.
Today Alexander is fourteen months old. Yes only two months after turning one and he now seems so much more grown up. He has been doing the following things:
Walking
Trying to run
When walking trying to step down if there is a step. He has done it a few times if the step is not high, if it is a higher step he turns around and does the crawl as if he is getting down from a big step.
Laughing
Playing with his sisters
Putting his toys in all draws and in all areas of the house. You know where he has been due to the toys scattered throughout the house.
Blowing raspberries
Making music with his hand on his mouth to make different sounds.
Having fun at playgroup. He takes a while to warm up to the place and when we first went he was a mess (he had crying fits and was shaking, just not happy and therefore I took him home). He has settled in well and yesterday he played well and explored all the toys and the whole hall that playgroup uses at the school.
While at playgroup he saw that other kids liked one of his favourite toys. He decided to pick up the toy and move it to the other side of the room and then walked away. He did not want any other kids to play with it so he made it difficult. Talk about naughty but it is also a clever thing to notice this. It shows he is really thinking and reacting to his environment.
One boy who I chat to and know his mum took my hand to show me some toy or to play. I walked with him a bit and asked what toy we were off to look at. Alexander saw this and had a breakdown. He screamed and cried. He climbed down the stairs super fast, walked with record speed to make sure this little boy knew that I was not his mummy and that he was my child not his. He then wanted a huge cuddle and moved this boys hand and body away from me. He really did not like the idea that another child was wanting attention from me and it was not on!
Joking around and laughing at mummy and daddies jokes
Loves cuddles
Loves his teddies
Loves the outdoors and is very happy being outside. We have not been able to do this due to non stop rain but I hope that the rain stops for a while now.
Eating more food and tasting different food. He is a good eater and is very good with new tastes.
Does your little person love to explore? I found it interesting that my little boy was not interested in baby time at all!
What about your baby/child?
Did you find that other kids just sat and listened to the show or event that you went to? Aside from your child that likes to roam and explore! Mine could not sit still.
Maybe it is the age? He could just not be that focused or ready for baby time yet.
When the baby is asleep I try and be super quiet. I must say that trying not to make a sound is very hard indeed and even harder when you live in an old house.
The floor creaks, the doors too and so does the bed when you roll over and even get in and out of it.
I carefully step on certain floor boards and not others.
Howard from The Big Bang Theory showing Bernadette how to avoid the squeaky floor by doing his very clever obstacle course.
When I get to a certain point of the hallway and near enough to my door I hold onto the door frame and quietly jump across to the carpeted floor.
I don’t think this is a silly way to get to my bed and room, but hubby recently watched me in full ninja mode and he was finding it rather hilarious.
Even on a recent episode of the Big Bang Theory, Howard notices that the floor in Halley’s (Bernadette and Howard’s baby) room is squeaky and makes a lot of noise. He is unable to enter Halley’s room without the possibility of waking her. Raj and Bernadette think of ideas that will allow Howard to enter Halley’s room without touching the floor. (See it is not just me that is having the same thoughts). I know some of these ideas are not good ones but worth a look and a laugh.
I even think that the baby has a sensor.
The baby even knows when I have crept into my bed and magically put my head on the pillow.
It seems like this is the moment that he screams the place down and sounds like he is possessed by demons when he does. Yep horrible timing all round.
I have been thinking it is a conspiracy against me. I cannot do anything without someone yelling, screaming or hurting themselves. Yes everywhere I turn lately there has been a drama.
Due to the constant drama of the house I have been really trying to maximise my sleep and down time. This means more creeping around to ensure that the house does not give my presence away.
You might wonder how Howard resolved his issue about Halley’s noisy floor. Well it all got fixed, well by fixed all was good if you were happy to do an obstacle course. Not practical but very funny.
I’m not going to go to the crazy solution Howard did on the Big Bang Theory and for now I will just do my crazy stepping on certain floor boards and trying to jump onto the carpet in my room quietly so not to wake anyone up.
I even have strange thoughts that moving the sheets or turning over in bed might signal the baby to wake up. Would it be too loud?
Don’t worry I still think I can hear a crying baby while I’m in the shower and there is no baby crying.
Do you have an old house? Do you try not to walk on floorboards so that they don’t creak and wake the baby or kids?
Does your hubby or partner think you a bit odd for your silly mission impossible moves? Mine does, but if the baby wakes I will be dealing with it so ninja moves it is.
I need to be in stealth mode to make sure that he stays asleep.
School has now been back one week and things have gone back to normal, by normal I mean that all the organised events have started and we must be at places at certain times now. In holidays, you can just do whatever you want and choose to stay at home or to not be somewhere if you don’t want to. I have cut back on after school activities this year to try and have a calmer and easier time. Last year I was madly racing around and the only free day we had was Thursday. Crazy if you ask me.
Lately the kids have been acting crazy and more than usual.
Is it the age they are at?
Why are they not listening?
Why don’t they hear me when I am right next to them?
Why is it such a chore to get anyone to do anything or listen to me!
Why am I constantly getting ignored? Oh, it is so frustrating when you must constantly repeat yourself.
Another issue that is happening is that the twins are never answering me or hubby when we ask them a question. They just never answer. So, you repeat the question. This then leads to nothing again. Ohhhhhh the frustration when kids never answer you. Do you have this happen to? Why do you think they never answer you? I asked and they seem to be able to do this at school. I then asked why it cannot happen at home. The response was, home is different and that is why we don’t. Interesting!
Don’t disturb mummy needs some peace and quiet.
Is the reason they are defying me and not listening due to more independence? They do think that they can do whatever they want and this is met with a BIG NO from me. Of course, they can do things that they can do but I don’t allow them to do whatever they want. I have boundaries and rules like any parent.
You can imagine that during the nearly six weeks of school holidays I was driven mad or to a near walking dead zombie of my previous self. Having kids racing everywhere and anywhere, always on the go and not listening when you are telling them no really exhausts you.
My whole being is tired.
All my cells need time to rest and relax.
My brain needs quiet time for mummy to think and to refocus.
The twins being back at school and the baby being at childcare has allowed some time for me. However, this I find is not enough. I think I really need a vacation away from everything.
The school day is short. Drop off at 8.55am and pick up at 2.55pm so that is not a full day at all. If you must be at school for an event, then it is an even shorter day.
When the baby goes to care that is great as then all three kids are having fun and mummy can do what she has been desperate to do. I could be drooling over getting the house tidy, doing work on the blog or just some quiet time for me.
Lately I have just liked the fact that I can come home and sit in an empty house. This house has no noise, no kids yelling MUMMY at the top of their lungs and the yelling and carrying on that happens when they are fighting which seems like is every minute.
I’m so over it. I am fed up.
I want all the craziness to end. I want a peaceful household and for people to listen when they are spoken to.
Why is this so hard to have this happen? I don’t understand!
I make a cup of coffee or tea and just stare at the wall or watch the television to chill out while relaxing and calming down. It gives me some time to just do nothing and then I can do whatever I need to do.
I’ve been drooling over the whole idea of a mums only holiday. I would go away to a retreat and not come back for a while. Not sure how long but would love to stay for a few weeks at the very least. I don’t think a few hours a day really allows your body to de-stress and to calm down after having six weeks of crazy.
I seem to have the constant white noise in my head. The noise is also the constant conversations and arguments that have just been. I find that my brain keeps them for a while and they go around and around until they are no more. I know I cannot be the only one that has this happen to them.
Some of the things that I do to chill out:
Make sure I have some quiet time for just me
Do nothing for a while
Meditate
Take baths
If I cannot take a bath, I have a soothing hot shower to relax.
Take walks (I do like to take them on my own but if I cannot I take the baby in the pram)
Change of scenery. I like to have a cup of coffee out at a café to make me feel good.
I do like to go to the movies on my own. This way no one is yelling or creating an issue when mummy wants to watch her much anticipated film. (I am wanting to do this now that Alexander is in care)
Clean up the house a bit so that it is more in order. I like to try and have things sorted. Currently things are a mess and that does not help with my mood so tidying up is on the list to do.
Do you find that you need more time on your own to unwind? Do you feel that the little time you get is not enough?
Other than being gifted a retreat holiday for one or winning the lotto to go, I make do with the small things that I can do at home. How do you chill out as a busy and stressed out mumma.
My girls have started grade three and since grade one have been in separate classes.
They do say that twins need each other and more so if they are identical. I can say that this has been true to a certain extent for us. The girls are very attached to each other and therefore fret if they are apart for too long.
My wonderful girls, very happy starting grade 3.
However due to them spending so much time together they get annoying.
By annoying, I mean yelling, hitting, biting, pinching, being naughty, creating problems and so much more. Oh the list goes on.
During the last term of school last year one of my girls was hysterical, upset and just miserable. Why I asked, and the answer was that she wished to be with her sister next year. She wanted to be in the same class, as she felt that she was missing out. Missing out on fun, missing out on friendships and more.
I did try and explain that since she spends so much time with her sister having her own space might be nice. This was met with screaming and yelling and more info about why she should be with her sister. I did not know if this was a good idea but I was very concerned due to how upset she was.
A meeting with the principal was in order to address this issue before school started for 2017. I met with our lovely principal and had some great chats. I explained that this kid was very sensitive and I think due to her attachment with her sister she might be best to be in the same class.
Personally I thought that each child did very well in different classes. Their reports were excellent last year, and I thought that it helps each child to be their own person, developing their own skills and finding what they like on their own. They won’t have each other to help all the time. In life they will have to do things on their own and be able to do this without a crisis.
I did speak with the other kid on her own to see if she wanted her sister to be with her in grade three. She said yes and said all the right things. However I was not convinced. I asked her several times over a couple of weeks and got the same answer. Yes I want my sister to be with me. I still was not sold.
The principal of the twins school met with one of the kids teachers, and found that one kid was doing much better without her sister being with her. The kids are fine together but the teacher thought that the shadow of her sister will make this kid not want to do things, or feel like she is having to do things just because her sister is there.
The kid that told me it was fine for her sister to be in her class, I was told feels pressured to do things that her sister does. Her teacher also mentioned that she is doing much better on her own and due to not reading at the same level (although only a few levels behind her sister might find that she is compared and will not try if they are together).
I do know that the kid that wanted to be with her sister brags about what a good reader she is and this makes her sister feel upset, so I can understand that being separate would have its benefits.
It was decided that the girls would be in different classes although the kid who was hysterical would be upset that is what was going to happen.
I asked if I could find out the teachers they would have for the new year and was lucky to get that info. Normally this does not get revealed until the first day of school.
Due to the fact that one kid was a mess and demanding to be with her sister I decided to tell both last year that they would again be separated and then had the wrath of screaming, yelling and crying that followed. It was horrible. Oh the joys of parenthood!
This kid screamed at the top of her lungs that she that she wanted to be with her sister. Why can’t this happen? Why can’t the school do this for her?
I explained that the teachers had already put both of them into classes prior to me talking to the principal, and after many discussions with the principal and other teachers it was decided that both kids would do better in different classes.
Still heaps of crying and yelling was happening! It did not stop.
All through this situation I was just hoping that we were doing the right thing. What if they need to be together I thought in my head? What if they need the connection to each other?
What would happen if she just had a terrible hysterical fit at the start of school and could not cope?
I was worried. I hope this does not happen.
I decided to tell the kids what teachers they had to make them a little happier about the situation. Well in fact only one kid was halving a terrible time about this. I think the other one was not fussed either way.
After I revealed what teachers they had one kid was very happy and the other was yelling at me again. She wanted to have the same teacher her sister did. Jeez this cannot happen. They are in separate classes! Oh boy back to the same issue about this kid not being happy about this again.
I of course was over it all and just feeling horrible.
I just wanted all the upset to go away.
I felt for my little girl and told her all the good things that will happen with her new teacher.
The girls have some lovely teachers this year. They will have fun, and learn so much. I’m glad that I told them last year as this gave them time to adjust and especially for the one kid who was so upset about it all.
Her new teacher was the same one her sister had when she was in grade one. He is a fabulous teacher, very creative, musical, loves dance and is very switched on. He is a lovely person.
My little girl was not upset but instead was very happy and joined her new class skipping with a smile on her face. She told me today that she loves her new class and teacher. She thinks he is awesome.(Thank goodness for this…I was dreading the outcome if she hated it all)
My other little girl is very happy with her classroom too, and likes the fact that she is doing something different from her sister.
I did explain that the girls will see each other at recess and lunch and also when I pick them up and at home. They won’t miss out on anything, the different classes just give each kid a chance to be themselves and to have some time for them.
I’m glad that both kids are happy in the new classes. The kid that was so upset and emotional about all this last year had me very worried if this was a good idea to keep them separated.
I can see benefits for both sides of the situation. Due to the fact that the girls had already been in separate classes for two years I was not keen on having them together for school again. I know if this needed to happen that is fine, but the kids were doing so well individually.
The girls share a room, I take them with me everywhere, they are rarely apart, so that time in the classroom is time for them.
Here are some links that might help you if you need to decide about separate classes:
The main reasons to separate twins in the classroom is due to competition between each sibling (if your twins are like mine they are super competitive and that then leads to arguments) and one twin being more dominant than the other. Separate classes are thought to help these issues.
Of course it is a personal choice and dependent on what your twins are like. If they are super close and cannot cope with being apart separating them might do more harm than good. It is a case by case situation.
I was asked at the end of kindergarten if hubby and I wished to separate the girls. We thought it was a good idea but were concerned with the fact that they were so close, and might need to be with each other. The school took matters into their own hands and separated them for grade one and they have been in separate classes ever since. I think if it was left up to me, I would have kept them together.
Do you have twins or triplets? Have you separated them for school? Or did you keep them together?
If you separated them do you think they are happier? Let us know.
She Said inspiration from Home Depot. Picture from http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
I like watching the Lifestyle Channel and seeing all the DIY and Home repair shows. I love seeing what they do with run down houses and how they fix them up. It is great inspiration for our new house and fixing up our current one. The home shows also have another effect, the kids find them boring so they leave me alone to watch them. It ends up being more me time, although sometimes minding the baby at the same time.
One show called, “House Hunters” shows couples in the process of buying a new house. The show gives each couple about four houses to choose from and then they pick the one that is best for them. During the house hunt the man regardless of whether they are old or young or even the husband or the boyfriend really needs and demands a man cave.
Why is a “man cave” so important on the house hunt? I have not heard women ask for their “She-Shed” as well. Yes, it is a thing too! A “She-Shed” can also be called a woman cave.
She-Shed inspiration from Home Depot. Picture from http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
Maybe it should be a requirement for all houses; A man shed and a she-shed must be in all houses. Would council mandate it to ensure this happens? It would be nice wouldn’t it.
Why is it that the man needs a space to get away from everyone? I would like that too? Why can’t the mother or woman in the house have her own cave to do what she wants to do, have things not touched by kids or maybe sip her wine and watch her favourite shows or she could read a book without being interrupted.
With all the shows that I have watched it is rare that the woman in the relationship questions the man cave or demand to have a room for them, and only them. It could be a craft room, office, or if you have the space a basement area.
I just think that it is rather sexist to think that the man is the only one that needs some time out.
The main argument that I have found for why men need and want a “man cave” is that the woman in their life decorates the house. This in turn creates the need for the man to have his own area for his own decorations, furniture and allow him to have some time for him.
Having a space to recharge your batteries would be lovely. I would be able to have quiet time, not be pestered, not hear, “Mummy, mummy, mama!” all the time, do something for me, finally be able to concentrate on something I want to do without be constantly in the middle of five different things. (dinner, craft, reading a book, getting snacks, and more!)
Everyone needs to have their own space, and downtime.
If you are like me you go crazy with the kids all the time and no time for you. Allowing everyone to have some me time is ultra-important for everyone’s happiness.
Women have created “She-Sheds” as their version of the “Man Shed”. Some women have decided to take their sheds to the garden and some are just stunning. The “She-Sheds” can be whatever you wish them to be, reading room, office, craft or maybe a yoga studio. It is up to you, it is your space.
Do you have a cave to retreat to? Do you have one for hubby and you as well? Let us know.
Our Christmas Day was rather relaxing. Normally we go to my families house for lunch and then in the late afternoon we go to hubby’s side for dinner. My family decided to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve so that meant we could be at one place on Christmas Day. It was very nice for a change. Also trying to fit two lunches, and a dinner in on one day is not wise and hard to do. I did like the fact that I could just eat one meal and not have to do it again at another house.
The kids and especially the baby were spoilt with gifts this year and as it was Alexander’s first Christmas this was I suppose appropriate. I did find that I was unwrapping all of the babies presents and I found that there were more boxes that were not opened. I checked the name and thought maybe they were for me… no they were for the baby. Oh well.
Before we did go to the relatives house the kids, hubby and I opened our presents. I was very lucky to get a Macbook Air laptop from hubby and the kids. I also got a coffee plunger and coffee. One of the girls decorated a plate for me and it even comes with a stand so that I can display it.
Plate decorated by Lillian. It is also sitting on my new laptop and case. What lovely presents I got this year.
The kids got some LEGO, games, clothes, shoes and some other fun things. Hubby got some replacement Guinness glasses (I smashed the last one by accident. We purchased them when we were in Dublin on our honeymoon), I made sure hubby had Guinness that was cold so he could try out his new pint glasses, he also got some tea cups, and a lovely Santa shirt to celebrate Christmas Day with.
We were very lucky with our lovely presents and Santa also gave some thoughtful gifts. Santa gave me a notepad to help with my blogging in 2017. Thanks so much Santa.
Since I was so lucky to get a laptop I did not mind unwrapping multiple presents for my little boy.
Persian Fetta, Ham, Smoked Salmon and Mango were some of the things that our little boy liked to eat on Christmas Day. Of course our boy likes the expensive items.
Naturally these items are not found at my house. I do love them but have not raced to the shops to procure fancy treats for our little boy to munch on. This is where you say what a bad mother I am due to not having these items for him to eat!
It was great that he was trying new flavours and textures but I’m not sure I can keep up with his expensive tastes.
Mangoes have dominated the fruit shops lately and walking past is a wonderful experience. The smell of mangoes fills the air and makes me want to buy as many as I can and eat them like I did when I was a kid. When I was little I used to be in my swimsuit and take mangoes down to the beach, eat the mango and get it everywhere and then take a swim in the sea. Such a great way to eat a mango and a great excuse for another swim at the beach.
Since there is a huge amount of mangoes I’m sure that I could pick some up for myself and our boy to have. I will have to check out the costs of Persian Fetta and some other items, maybe if I buy a little bit it will not be too expensive.
Has your little one got expensive tastes? What foods did they like that took you by surprise?
What did you eat this Christmas? It was another hot day and the food we ate was mostly cold meats, seafood and salads. Perfect for a hot day.
The girls had fun on the slip and slide and tested out their new camera that can go underwater. It was a long and tiring day. We all slept in on Boxing Day and the baby did not get up till a quarter to 11. So he was very sleepy indeed.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas and Boxing Day.
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Stay tuned for our next giveaway. It it is to help you celebrate the new year. 2017 will be here soon and what better way to celebrate than have a drink. If you are a new mum and breastfeeding you most likely miss out. Don’t fret, my giveaway is here to help you celebrate and you can have one without the worry. Tune in soon to find out more and to enter!
Below are some wonderful events to celebrate Christmas and the festive season. This is just a few events and is by no means a full breakdown of things to do.
The kids will love them and I’m sure adults will as well. Take the whole family and enjoy.
Christmas in the Sky at Sydney Tower Eye
Santa’s Highest Grotto 3rd December – 23rd December 2016
Santa waiting to hear what you want for Christmas. Come along to the Sydney Tower Eye to meet Santa and get your photos taken as well.
Who knew that Santa had a grotto 250 metres above street level. It is here that you can experience the magic of the North Pole in the heart of Sydney.
Parents and children will be amazed that Santa’s festive grotto is decorated just like it would be if he was at home, fireplace, Christmas tree and music to make you all feel welcome.
Santa likes to keep updated with the conditions for the reindeer for optimal toy delivery.
EVENT DETAILS: What: Santa’s Highest Grotto at Sydney Tower Eye Where: Sydney Tower Eye, 100 Market St, Sydney When: Saturday 3 December to Friday 23 December 2015 Hours: Weekdays: 4:00pm – 7:00pm Weekends: 11:00am – 6:00pm
11:00am to 6:00pm every day from Saturday 17 December Cost: Included in price of admission
SYDNEY TOWER EYE DETAILS: Where: Sydney Tower Eye, 100 Market Street, Sydney Opening hours: 9.00am – 10.00pm daily. Last admission at 9.00pm Cost: Best price guarantee when you book online. Walk-up price – Adults: $26.50, Children (4-15yrs): $17. Combination tickets are available with Madame Tussauds Sydney, SEA LIFE Sydney, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary PHONE: 1800 258 693
Gingerbread Village by Epicure – Melbourne 1st December – 24th of December 2016 FREE EVENT Corner of Little Collins and Swanston Street, Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston Street
Gingerbread creations from EPICURE
The Gingerbread Village is now in its sixth year and looks like it is going to be bigger and better than previous years. EPICURE’s award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Deniz Karaca and his masterful team have spent about 2000 hours constructing the display, which requires 500kgs of gingerbread, 360kgs of royal icing, 150kgs of marzipan, and is topped off with 800 mini Christmas trees.
EPICURE is going to be including Melbourne landmarks such as, The Melbourne Cricket Ground, Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Melbourne Town Hall, Luna Park, and The Melbourne Zoo.
If you wish to get more into the spirit of the season, then why not bake your own gingerbread too. I have Deniz Karaca’s prized gingerbread recipe. Make your own and impress your friends with gingerbread gifts.
Christmas Lights Spectacular at The Hunter Valley
4th November – 26th January 2017
Closed 25th December
Christmas Lights Fun Zone (Please note that the Fun Zone requires an additional entry fee alongside Christmas Lights entry. Open from 6:30pm – 10:00pm, $7.50 per person) – This area is just for kids. Jumping castles, obstacle courses, super slide
Santa Photos these are at additional costs and are all supplied on 4GB USB. Santa Photos are only available from 4th November to 24th of Dec 2016
Location: Nestled at the foothills of the Brokenback Ranges, in the heart of the Hunter vineyards
Contact Details:
Open 7 days from 9am – 4pm and 6.30pm – 10pm (Closed 25th December). Phone 02 4998 4000 –
Emailwelcome@hvg.com.au – Fax 02 4998 4071
This event looks amazing and we wanted to go last year, however I was very pregnant with our little boy at the time. As we had no idea he would be born on his due date of 7th of Jan we did not want to be too far from the hospital. This year I’m keen to take the kids to the Christmas Lights Spectacular and I cannot wait to see their faces light up as much as the lights are already.
What great event have you been to in the lead up to Christmas? Let us know.
I hope you have a lovely time if you do go to these great events and if you have some other fab place to tell us about I cannot wait to hear about that too. Have fun!
I think I might have end of yearitis. It could be exhaustion, or maybe it could be called being very over term 4. I don’t know if I have the itis, but I do know that I don’t want to have to go to school drop offs and pick ups anymore, I am over all the after school activities and my brain is now telling me it is summer holidays.
Although my brain is thinking it is summer holidays it is not officially holidays at all. I even thought yesterday was Friday for part of the day, I was hoping that today was the weekend but it was indeed Tuesday and the kids needed to still be taken to school.
You can imagine my annoyance at the fact that Monday was not Friday and Tuesday was not the weekend. No sleeping in and no holidays just yet.
On holidays well wishing I was on holidays and relaxing in my backyard.
I really want to just stay at home and potter around and do whatever I want, well with kids as well so maybe the doing whatever I want will never happen. Regardless of doing things that I have been wanting to get to for ages, at least I will not have to pack school lunches, drop kids and pick them up from school and of course taxi everyone to their after school activities. I could just stay at home. I might even still be in my pj’s and not bother to change all day? Maybe that is something that can happen.
I love not having to be anywhere urgently or needing to be somewhere at all. I like the days where you can just have a relaxing fun day at home and everyone has a relaxing enjoyable time. Although some of these moments are short-lived due to the girls claiming they are bored and then suddenly wanting me to take them out which will require a huge drive in the car.
Tomorrow night hubby, the baby and I are off to the local high school to see the girls dance in the junior dance group. I have heard that it is a mixture of many different dances and one kid even told me that there is the chicken dance in there as well. It will be nice to see the girls dance as they have been very busy practicing each week.
End of year dances are a huge clue that the school is getting ready to wind up activities for the year. I am thankful for this as I would love to just be left alone for a bit and not have to take kids or people anywhere for a while. I do think that this is not going to be the case as my kids like to go places even if it is to someones house for a playdate.
I don’t think it is just me that is feeling like this. The twins have been overtired, yelling and carrying on more than usual. I am putting it down to they are over school, very tired and really need the holidays to start.
Are you wanting the holidays to start? Do you think you have end of yearitis too? Do you think they feel like they have started already?
Having warmer weather always makes me want to be on holiday. Have you noticed that your kids are over it all too?
This time last year I was super organised. I had presents all sorted, some purchased and even some wrapped up ready for Christmas Day. I was a planning and organising machine. I was all over it and made sure no one got forgotten. (One other mum asked me in September last year if I had sorted the kids Christmas presents. I gasped with shock at this comment. Why would I get their Christmas gifts sorted when they just had their birthday? She said that she had kids in December and since I was due to have Alexander in January and we had no idea if he would come in Dec/Jan it might be best to get things sorted just in case I ended up in hospital. Geez I had not thought about this. At first I thought I had plenty of time and how silly to be doing it in September. Although I looked at the calendar and due to being very pregnant thought I best get organised.)
Now the same time this year I am not in a super organised state. I have a few gifts purchased and none for immediate family only a gift here and there for my husbands family so far.
Nothing has been purchased for the kids so far.
I hear you gasp in the disbelief of this comment. However it is very true
So why am I not on the ball this year? Well I have not been motivated due to the kids being very naughty and horrible. Every time I do something lovely for them they act like terrors straight after and make me wish I shouldn’t have bothered. Does this happen to you?
Today is the 11th of November and that means that there is only 6 more Mondays to go before it is Christmas! Yes you read that right! Not long to go now.
I have even added the friendly text “DON’T PANIC” so it might calm you down. Yes very Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
DON’T PANIC – There are only 6 more Mondays until Christmas Day! Yes you read that right. Not long to go at all!
Are you the type of person who purchases Christmas presents all year?
I sometimes do this. I see something that is perfect for someone and buy it and squirrel it away. One issue with this technique is that you need to remember where you have hidden the presents. You don’t want to be in a panic and have to race out and get a few new gifts due to not being able to find your clever organised gifts that you of course cannot find.
Or do you do all the shopping in the few weeks before Christmas Day?
Maybe you like to race around the shops on Christmas Eve and get the last minute specials. I for one would hate fighting the traffic and the people if shopping on Christmas Eve, that would be annoying.
I have seen some items for the kids but they are so expensive and of course we would need to get two of them so I dismiss them, then of course they turn evil and then my nice thoughts of going Christmas gift shopping has been sidelined to annoyance and why was I bothering at all.
This has been uttered more than twice from me to the kids, “If you don’t start listening and behaving Christmas is going to be cancelled!” Yes bad mother alert here. Have you threatened to cancel Christmas? Let me know if you did and how that worked out?
Don’t get me wrong I am not a scrooge. I love this time of year, the holidays and giving to others. The one thing that is driving me mental is that I race around doing for everyone and don’t seem to get much in return. Yes I have my cranky pants on today, maybe the cranky pants have been cleaned and worn again due to the constant drama in our house at the moment. Don’t think that I never clean my pants due to being cranky a lot! (I just had to put that in here)
Kermit helping decorate the tree for Christmas. He has done a great job don’t you think?
Is it the age that the kids just ignore you? Don’t listen? Race off and never come back when they are called? Hurt each other and more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As you can see I am not a happy camper with the idea of rushing off to reward little peoples bad behaviour. I do think that it is the fact that they are so tired due to it being the end of the year, they are super excited about holidays, being in a new grade next year and of course Christmas. Do you find that your kids go a bit silly at the end of the year?
There is still time to get a few gifts for the kids before the actual day. I am just wondering what to give my darling girls this year. I don’t want little toys that will get lost and also cost a fortune. I don’t want more stuffed teddies as they have so many already, they don’t need more dolls although they have asked for some. I could get them more LEGO but they might get annoyed it is not something different. I do like to get them a set of LEGO to add to their collection (due to the fact they both love to create LEGO I like to make sure they have enough to share, hence adding to the collection).
I have been asked to get horse or a kitten, we will not be getting a horse due to space and costs but the kitten will have to wait until we are in our new house.
Are you organised for this Christmas?
Have you had to deal with kids being naughty and not behaving?Do you tell them to act nicer or else they might not get pressies on Christmas Day?
Let us know what you do to make things easier this time of year.
I have been thinking back to this time last year. This time last year I was very pregnant and over it. Anytime after 34 weeks was overdue for me. Yes sounds crazy but when you have twins at 34 weeks and 2 days you start to think that anything over is just horrible. Who would have known that I would have gone full term and had my third child exactly on the 40 week mark.
So what have I been thinking about?
During our pregnancy we did not find out the sex of our baby. We like the surprise. I found myself while at the twins school during home reading wondering if I had a boy will they be like this little boy or the other little boy. Will he be particular about certain things? Will he want to tell me about his favourite thing to do like some of these kids do? What will the child look like if it is a boy?
If the child was going to be girl, would it be like the twins with looks? The twins are blonde, although I was hoping that at some point we might have a red head (my mum has red hair..maybe the third child will be a red head?)
Our little boy actually seems to be getting auburn hair or at least that is what it sometimes looks like. Some days it looks like it is going red or lighter and some days it just looks like brown hair.
My cute little boy asleep… I just love his cute pouty lips and kissable cheeks.
I had all sorts of thoughts about how the baby will look, will it be a boy/girl, what will this new little person be like and I hope that the girls love their new sibling too. I suppose these are valid concerns while pregnant.
While at the school yesterday and again this morning I caught myself thinking the same type of thoughts about what our little boy Alexander might like when he gets older. I read with the girls classes so each day I take a different group of kids. One kid has long lanky legs with knobbly knees, just like my little girls. I am sure our little boy will look similar but hard to see it when he is getting more plump due to being a cute and cuddly baby.
I even time traveled a bit seeing what my little boy might be like at Kindy. He would be wearing shorts although they would be too big and look more like pants. His hat would also be too big so it would need to be made tighter to accommodate a little head, and his school bag would look enormous next to a small little boy. I would be doing the same for him as I did with the twins, helping him learn to read and also volunteer in his classroom to hear him and other kids read.
School for Alexander will not start until the year 2021 if I have calculated right. By this stage the twins will be in high school. At least when the twins are in high school they can make their own way home (I can hope).
Have you caught yourself daydreaming about what your child would be like? Did you do it when pregnant and now when they are a baby?
I catch myself all the time thinking about the future:
What will they be like when older?
What type of jobs will they be doing?
Will they travel?
Will they be happy?
Will they find lovely partners that they are happy with?
Will they have children?
Will they be successful regardless of what type of job they do… as long as they are happy that is the most important thing.
So as you can see I think about a lot of things when I daydream about the kids. Do you do this as well? Send me a comment to make me feel that I am not the only one.
Do you take your baby to a playgroup? Does your baby love it?
I have attempted to take our baby boy to the playgroup that is at the twin’s school. I thought that this would be ideal. I am already at the school after dropping off the girls and while there it would be perfect for the baby to play, and it might mean I can get a drink by myself. Well I can hope can’t I.
This playgroup at the kid’s school is lovely, the organisers have toys all laid out and so many things for all different age groups to play with.
I have on several occasions we have gone and I have put the baby down so he can explore. There are so many things that would allow him to have fun and have new experiences. Although he did not enjoy his time and just was a hysterical mess; crying, screaming and grabbing for me. He just wanted mummy and cuddles. Don’t put the baby down was the message.
Baby upset. Not sure why. Could be the fact it is a new environment at playgroup.
There were a few moments where he looked like he was okay. I then told him that I was just getting my coffee and will be back soon. He must have thought I was leaving him and he sped crawled to me and tried to climb up my legs to get into my arms. Oh the poor little boy.
I explained all this to my husband and he asked, “Did you tell him what you were doing and where you were going?”
I responded with, “I told the baby that I was just getting a coffee but I did not tell the baby we were going to playgroup? Do you think he is upset due to not being told where we were going?”
Hubby laughed at me. I thought he was asking whether I explained to the baby exactly where we were going and what we were doing. I did not, although I did tell the baby I was just getting my drink.
This got me thinking… Do you tell your baby where you are going? I try to and although I didn’t that day, I did tell the baby that I was just getting my coffee and would be straight back, although he freaked out about this as well.
Yes, I know that the baby does not know what I am saying. He cannot talk and panics when he thinks it looks like I am leaving, although I was coming back.
Maybe it was his teeth?
Maybe it was the fact he was not feeling well?
Could it be the fact that he is not feeling comfortable in the space and was scared?
I ended up leaving due to the fact that Alexander was shaking, crying and just really upset. Small steps I think is best if your baby is not liking something or finding things hard. Also if they are upset best to leave and make them feel secure, calm and comfortable.
So what I thought hubby was saying was if I just told the baby, “We are going to playgroup today” then he would have been happier? I don’t know. I don’t think so. I have been back to the same group and I think our little boy is not feeling comfortable in the space. It could be the size of the room, too many people or something that I will never be able to answer.
It could just take time for him to get used to certain situations. Have you been to places where your baby is not happy or 100% and other places they are super happy? What do you think the issue is? Have you figured it out?
It is National Nutrition Week – 16th of October to 22nd October, and the aim is to increase the amount of veggies and fruits we eat each day.
Did you know?
“Less than 1% of Australian children and teens get enough veggies each day, yet over 1/3 of their daily energy comes from ‘discretionary foods’ such as biscuits, lollies, fast food and sugary drinks.”
The Teeny Tiny Stevies are the National Nutrition Week Ambassadors that are inspiring kids and also to parents.
“Kids Music That Doesn’t Suck” Zoe Foster-Blake
The sisters behind Teeny Tiny Stevies, Byll and Beth started as a fun project but has become very popular with kids and adults alike. The sisters have been playing Australian Folk Festivals since they were teenagers, including Woodford, Port Fairy, and the National Folk Festival in 2016. Oh and also travelling to Canada for the Folk Festival circuit in 2011.
If you wish to catch the Teen Tiny Stevies live here are their dates throughout Australia:
TEENY TINY STEVIES LIVE DATES
Fri Oct 14th – The Little Bookroom, Carlton Vic (10.30am Musical Storytime!)
Fri Oct 21st – National Nutrition Week Event, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne
Sat Oct 22nd – Ararat Primary School, Ararat Vic
Sat Oct 29th – The Lost Lands Festival, Werribee Mansion Vic
Sun Nov 6th – Darebin Music Feast Closing Party, Preston Vic
Fri Nov 11th – The Children’s Bookshop, Sydney NSW (9.45am Musical Storytime!)
Sun Nov 13th – Newtown Festival, Sydney NSW
Dec 27th – Woodford Folk Festival, QLD
So what can you do to add more colour to your plate?
You should aim to “eat a rainbow”. Add different coloured vegetables and fruits to your meals.
The different varieties gives you a good mix of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and phytochemicals.
Another interesting fact:
“The Australian government could save $58 million in health expenditure if only males ate as much vegetables as females.” *Source: http://bit.ly/2dZMJDP
Try for 5
The theme of this years Nutrition Week is to aim to add 5 veggies or fruits to your day. Yes add 5 vegetables of different colours. If you do your body will thank you.
If you consume plenty of fruit and veggies it can help reduce your risk of some cancers, heart disease, stroke and also diabetes.
#TryFor5
Different coloured fruit and veggies ready to eat. Don’t they look yummy!
My aim with the kids is to expose them to more fruits and veggies. They are fussy eaters and it has been a huge challenge. The plan is to have a new food on the plate each night and they have to at least taste it. I hope this goes well… or else I can hide it all again.
What do you do to make sure your kids eat more fruit and veggies?
Do you have a baby that loves to plank? If they do the below then the answer is a big YES. By planking, I mean that the baby makes their legs stiff and also their torso, which means they don’t want to sit down or lie down at all.
I try and put the baby in the pram and this is met with stiff legs, arching back, screaming and carrying on.
I attempt to put the baby in the car seat and he stands up. I try and make him sit down but he ends up with stiff legs and a very tight stiff little body that resembles a plank. He then turns over and just tosses and turns which makes it even harder to put him in the seat and to finally attempt to put the seat belt on him.
I want to change his nappy and take him to his room where the change table is and all of the nappies and supplies, and yes you might have guessed it. He tightens up makes his legs super long and straight and will not allow me to put him on the table. He yells and screams and I think it is a reaction to not wanting to go to bed now. I tell him that all I want to do is to change his nappy but he continues with his planking efforts and struggling so much that it is a fight to just get a nappy off him and put the new one on.
This cute and adorable baby looks so innocent here. However when you finally want to put him in the pram, or say the car seat or maybe change his nappy beware of the planking child! The stiff legs and focus to not want to sit or lie down will do your head in.
I am not understanding why normal things that you have done without an issue before have suddenly become a fight. My little boy has been doing this for a while now and I think it started at about six months or so.
I’ve tried a different tact. I played with him for a bit. I blew raspberries on his belly, arms and legs, plus tickled him under the arms to great giggles of delight. Once we had a bit of playtime I tried again with the reason I was in his room in the first instance, to change his nappy. That did not go well as he thought we were playing and it was all fun and games. At least he was happy with the games and tickles.
Has this happened to you? Suddenly you have a baby that fights you with getting in the pram, the car seat and getting his nappy changed? The twins did not do this and I for one am finding it difficult as the twins are always at each other lately, and now it feels like everything is such a struggle.
I wondered if this was happening to other mums so I looked online. The answer is yes other babies are doing the same thing. I really don’t remember the twins doing this and some of the answers say that babies get stiff legs and don’t want to be in the pram, car seat or get their nappy changed. This is due to being frustrated, playing or just not wanting to have this happen to them. I cannot pick the times that I want to change a nappy, sometimes it just needs to happen. I had two prime examples of this today, the baby did back-to-back skanky poos and that had to be changed immediately! Although the baby did his planking and turning I soldiered on and managed to get him in a fresh nappy without making a mess. Winning so far!
I know it would be frustrating not to be able to communicate with the people around you and make things difficult for your mum or dad by wanting to stand when you are really wanting your child to sit means that the kid is trying to control the situation.
Is this the start of Alexander telling me that he doesn’t want to do something? If it is, I hope not. My little baby boy needs to come along regardless of whether he likes to or not. I already have two kids that think they are future lawyers due to their skills in questioning and trying to change the situation, I don’t need a third yet.
Let me know if you have a baby that loves to plank when you just want them to sit or do something else.
How have you handled the issue of the tight legs and the carrying on when you just want the kid to sit in their car seat so you can leave the shops?