More Than I Can Chew

That's All

I had to let it go - this blog.  The family updates were wrestling my musings for control and I had to intervene.  They are now hosted separately and are learning to get along. 

My new blog is called Vonerable.  Drop by.

Image: le blog rock-n-nostalgia

Pippi Lola

Well behaved children are sometimes overlooked in classroom token economies - because they can be relied upon to be good regardless.  It's very hard for teachers to dole out the rewards with total fairness because they often rely on the token system to motivate the challenging children.  Twirly and Charlie understand but they still feel miffed: "But Mum, I was sitting quiet and still for ages and the teacher kept picking other kids".  You know?  Maybe it will be different when the boys are at school!

Because I have an overactive sense of justice I'm going to reward them myself from time to time, starting with the new release of "Pippi Longstocking", illustrated by the wonderful Lauren Child.  The pictures are adorable a la "Charlie and Lola".

It went well, thanks

Yes, the combined 30th for my sister, Prunella, and surprise 40th for my brother went well.  Prunella and I had great fun decorating and cooking, helped significantly by her lovely friend T.J. who had flown over from Melbourne.  We had a lime green and black theme with some gorgeous flowers, decadent deserts and delicious drinks.  Oh, and a butterfly tree inspired by some washi paper given to me by my MIL and some ingenious paper-clip embellishments at How About Orange. 

 

15 at the Front

I am a squealy 15 year old at the front line.  I'm not cut out for resolute cheerfulness.  Sometimes I look around at the unfolding chaos and swear it was meant for someone else.  I'm on my third Bailey's trying to summon up the grit to face the fallout from dinner while The Man is at a meeting (one that involves voting - yikes).  No doubt it's a common issue...just how to be bothered when you've been bothered all day.  One photo and I'm into it.  Promise.  Well maybe I'll just see if What Possessed Me has been updated. 

 
This is my brother preparing for the 2 hour drive home after a 'relie bash' here on Sunday and a surprise 40th the previous night.  He's off on Thursday to Rwanda to speak at a conference for health workers - he'll be talking about midwifery.  Very proud.  What a guy and what a wife to send him with her blessing.

Chewing Very Hard

Hard times.  Not third world hard but lots of relational and financial obstacles. 

Nannies

I didn't tell you we were getting a nanny, did I?  And that was 6 months ago.  Oh well, we did and it was really hard for me and really great.  There's this relative stranger in the house wanting know how you would like the girl's hair done, folding your knickers and cuddling your children.  Not to mention having a front row seat to watch the train wreck each afternoon as my temper flares and voice gets louder.

It's confronting.  I so badly needed help and I just wasn't able to ask for it from my family and friends.  It has actually turned out very well and I think the children have benefited immeasurably from having a nicer Mum who is not overwhelmed. 

Household Manual - Afternoons & Evenings

When I read back through the household manual it screams 'control freak'.  But it was necessary.  It really was.  Just remember that, myself, when you read this in 10 years time. 

AFTERNOON & EARLY EVENING ROUTINE

After school the girls should empty their shoes, pockets and cuffs outside to get rid of the sand. Then change out of their uniform and empty their school bags. Twirly needs to do her daily book reading and piano practice but otherwise there isn’t usually any homework.

At about 4.30pm they will need to start having baths/showers.

Start giving them dinner at around 5.00pm or 5.30pm if you feel it will be quickly eaten. Impress upon them that dinner is the only food on offer for the evening so if they don’t eat it they will be hungry.

After dinner they need to brush their teeth for a couple of minutes then you will need to do two minutes with each of them, making vertical movements down the teeth rather than horizontal movements across the teeth. After teeth they have a large drink of water. Again, impress upon them that it is the last drink for the night… no calling out for drinks allowed once they’re in bed!

If there is time, read some stories together or tell them one out of your head. Take out the girl’s hair lackies and send them to the toilet.

SLEEP TIMES

The baby still needs a morning sleep (around 10.00am) and an afternoon sleep (around 2.00pm). Just change his nappy, check his top is dry, sing a song, have a cuddle and pop him in on his back. Don’t worry if he stands up, just confidently kiss him goodnight and walk out. The blind should be a little way up during the day so he doesn’t learn to need total darkness to sleep.

If he cries for a while that’s okay! He will usually drop off after a few minutes. If you form the view during the preceding hour that he is in pain from teething etc., give him some pain relief about 15 minutes before you want to put him to bed.

The toddler needs one day sleep at around 12.30pm so you’ll need to give him lunch at 12.00. He also likes to have a cuddle, a song and then just pop him in the cot. He can have two soft toys. Sometimes you will need to tell him to lie down and be quiet and he is usually pretty good.

If, for some reason, the boys are especially clingy or in pain, I wouldn’t want you to make them stay in bed when you, or they, are getting distressed. I’d rather you get them up and have a cuddle and let me sort things out when I get home. You’ll soon learn the difference between crying just because it’s more fun to be up, and crying because they are having some sort of separation anxiety meltdown.

The girls need to be in bed by 7.00pm for 5-10 minutes of chatting together and then some patting, praying, and singing from the grown up/s. Once lights are out they are not to talk or move around. They are allowed to have two soft toys in bed.

More Rules

 

Yay, Sigh, He's One

Champ is one.  He's walking, he's saying stuff, he's unbearably cute.
 

The 45 degrees that ruined my day

The Man needed to know why I was so stressed.  I was drowning in a million non-urgent but important jobs.  If only I could pause from all the urgent cooking and nose blowing to actually FINISH one of them.  To illustrate, I gestured to the 45 degree view in front of me as I stood at the kitchen bench wrapping a present.  In that small area, which is actually much less cluttered that the other 315^o, I counted 14 jobs awaiting that elusive Spare Moment.  None of them critical to our survival or sufficiently pressing that I was forced to attend to them that day.  But still needing attention.


The past-their-use-by-date flowers will eventually go mouldy and smell.  Okay, smell worse.  The presents in the gift bags are for birthdays back in March and April.  Ahemm.











The lunchbags will, at some point, be missed. The folding on the table is looking threatening. The pile of artwork gathering steam, bottom right, will eventually engulf the aquarium, which is going green. 







 
After this object lesson, I took inventory of the rest of the kitchen.  Like the detritus piling up on what I call the 'high bench'.  The Fly Lady would be horrified.  Most of it will only take a second to put away but that LOTS OF SECONDS!!  .


This stocktaking ruined my day and incapacitated me.  So not a good idea if you're a neat freak and have four young children.