Living in on the EDGE....

This is what I came out to after my 3-minute shower. The chairs were on top of the table from my mopping earlier this morning - well except the one in the left of this picture that Hayden used to climb up onto the table and then into his high chair. The picture doesn't show it but the feet of the highchair were milimetres away from the edge of the table. Those are glass baubles in the vase too - thank goodness he didn't decide to throw those around....
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS CHILD? HE IS DRIVING ME NUTS. DOES THE CIRCUS TAKE 16MTH OLDS? The old 1960's wooden playpens are looking good right now - oh, hang on, that's right! he can climb out of it.....

It's Christmas Time

So we put our Christmas tree on Sunday morning but it is only just tonight that I've actually been home to take a photo of it in it's glory (though you can't really appreciate all it's beauty in this photo.) Hayden spent Sunday and Monday pulling off the baubles and throwing them around the house but he seems to have got it all out of his system now and has moved on to terrorising the tv instead - the button goes on, then off, then on all day.... This was part of the reason for my awful day today! May I also add that the tree looked better than this on Sunday before the rearrangement of the decorations.

Sad Farewell

It is with deepest regret and sadness that this week we say goodbye to simultaneous afternoon napping! The time has come. Hayden is determined to have just one sleep and it is usually mid morning for a couple of hours. Lachlan is still having a sleep or even if he doesn't actually catch 40winks he always rests on his bed. But this doesn't happen till about 2pm! So that leaves me with a tag-team effect.

It has been SO nice to have the afternoon peace and quiet to prepare dinner, rest, clean or do some craft. The end has come. Now I'll actually have to entertain Hayden!! Now don't get me wrong, I dearly love the child (except when he's climbing up chairs onto tables, hanging out the windows, escaping through open doors and flinging himself down the stairs...) but the 1-2hrs of peace gave me the time out I needed to pull myself together and gather the energy for the late afternoon dramas. I have far less patience than I should. Some days I have this nagging resentment in the far nether regions of my head causing me to get shirty over tiny things such as, well, let's face it: small children being small children. Why does it take 30mins to clean up after breakfast instead of just 5mins? Why do the floors need sweping 4 times a day? Why can you not tell that I have mopped the floors just 3 hours after I have done so? Why is there 4 loads of washing on the line the day after I've just folded and put 4 loads-worth away in people's drawers?
There are brilliant days as a mother (like yesterday) and then there are the awful days (like today) when you're in a mood and you just can't pull yourself out of it. Just writing this I can feel the tension easing and my temper calming. I will have to come up with a plan to combat this new schedule Hayden has implemented, which is causing stress and disarray to my housework regime or this mother may really go loony....

Melting moments....

Around here I seem to be watching the clock all the time... mentally calculating how many mintues we have left before an activity will end in tantrums/ fights/ tears/ injury/ Mum loses patience/ someone gets sent to their room etc. etc. And then there's a moment. It comes so uexpectedly and yet in perfect timing. When your heart melts, and a big smile spreads across your face subconsiously. All menial tasks are forgotten and you see nothing but that moment. The heart strings tighten and a little lump forms in your throat. For just a few seconds you forget the 2litres of milk someone spilt all over the floor that morning right after you mopped, and you forget that you've just battled with a child for 15minutes over getting dressed and there were tears, tantrums and yelling from everybody involved. For just a few seconds, you remember why you love them. For a few seconds you may even yearn for another newborn. I had a moment like that today. I was trying to prepare dinner and Hayden had been following me around for the last 45mins whinging and clinging to my legs begging to be picked up. You get the picture - he wanted nothing but to be held. I'd put off dinner long enough and it had to be done. Then in wanders Lachlan asking to do craft. "Great!" I say. Let's do drawing so I set them up at the table with felt pens, and Hayden in his highchair too. No more than 5 seconds into my plan than Hayden is sucking the pens. Out come the pencils - but no, they taste great too. In the end I'd taken everything off him. Then began the crying from Hayden, the thrusting to try and escape from the highchair - but to no avail. His mean mother had strapped him in and was getting no symphony from me. Then pipes up Lachlan: "Hayden it's ok. (In this lovely sweet, caring voice). "I'm here. I'll help you". He goes over and pats his head. Then he returns to his seat. "Can you see me cutting Hayden? I'm good at cutting. I'm a big boy". Hayden begins crying again. "Oh, Hayden don't cry, it's ok. Mummy will be here in a minute to get you out. You're ok". Then Lachlan goes over and asks him if he wants a drink. He gives him a cup, waits while Hayden drinks, then takes it back and places it on the bench then goes and begins a game of tickling. In a matter of a few short seconds, Lachlan had reversed Hayden's crying into laughing. I was so very proud of him. For most of today Lachlan had been fighting with Hayden and pushing him away from playing with him. Then out comes this! They will no doubt fight an awful lot in their lives as young boys, but there's a bond there. There's a love there and I hope that I can foster it and help them to grow closer and become friends they will rely on as they grow into teenagers and missionaries and fathers themselves. A few short minutes made my day and I love them dearly - for all of their moments, even the spilt milk.....

This picture was taken when Hayden was just 1 week old. Lachlan was not quite 2.

New traditions

Last week we introduced a new activity for our family - "Friday night games". I am very strict about bedtime with my kids so we rarely go out as a family at night. Hence, we don't have much of a social-life. Sometimes I feel a little guilty about this, asking myself if my boys miss out on 'something' by not being allowed to stay up late or go out at night. If there's an activity at nighttime, Elliot and I will usually go and get a babysit to stay with the boys and if an activity runs into bedtime you can wach me start to stress as the clock ticks by. I get a little anxious and usually have to leave early as I can't cope? What is wrong with me???

But I stand firm in my convictions because it works for me and I NEED it and I personally feel my kids need it. There will be plenty of time for night-outings when the kids get a little older and we're all a bit more able to handle them having a late night. Anyway, back to the point in hand: I looove playing games and decided that we could fit in some family fun before the kids go to bed. So Lachlan picked the game for our first "family friday night games". We played Jenga and a fishing game. Saturday morning we went to Southbank to swim. I'm trying to make more use of the time we have together in the morning before Elliot goes to cricket. We had a ball! We tried the new aquativity area and it was fantastic. We will be going many more times this summer. (I know, I'm probably the last person living just 10minutes from it, to have not tried it...)

With Christmas fast approaching I'm trying to think of some family traditions our little family can have. I've tried each year and we've introduced something new each time but it hasn't been consistent - we haven't repeated the same thing every year. I tried to talk Elliot into a new tradition of putting the Christmas tree up at the start of November but he wasn't all that keen. So I'm off to get some inspiration from others. Thanks Bobbie for all your inspiratin so far - I love it. Only wish I was a little better at managing my time so I could get a whole lot more done!

You'll see what I come up with over the next month or so :-)