Since the girls were not asleep until midnight last night, they are still asleep by 9.30am. This gives me an opportunity to write. I love to write. I used to write poetry and stories. I love to dance too. And swim. And think. Having three kids close together and raising them with CC principles in mind has really taken up a lot of my available ability. Available energy, available brain capacity, available sanity, available time. My creative side has been left by the wayside so many times it has gone in a major huff with me and left.
As I start writing, Maia wakes up pops her head over the pillow gives me a huge smile and starts talking ten to the dozen. Millie wakes screaming. Riley dog bounds in with one of Maia's toys upsetting Maia and Ellie walks in shouting at the dog.
Good Morning!!
The Next hour is spent bubbling. Blowing. Catching. Eating. Watching cool videos of amazing bubble blowing until the inevitable spillage occurs. Twice.
Then we had the porridge saga. I sometimes try to hide things in the porridge and cover it up with purée. Today there was no purée so the taste of the echinacea and other herbs came through too much (I may have made them stronger this time). Maia's was covered up with honey but Ellie won't eat honey if she knows it's there. So she refused hers. I tried to reheat with some more milk and a dod of honey but no luck. So I make some more. I hadn't eaten anyway so it was no bother. Maia said she wanted more too, so she got Ellie's old one. The new one also went untouched.
There is also a small tv saga which we resolve and decide on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I figure if I am going to be sitting with an upset feeding then sleeping Millie it might as well be a good film.
I can feel my stress levels rise, because during that time, Millie is being upset and needing milk and poop and then falls asleep on me. I cannot move and it's important that Ellie eats because we are going out soon and we all l know what an unfed child is like.
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| Hexagons au naturel |
I think it's time to wake hubby. I have great admiration for single mums. I'm sure we would muddle through and work it out eventually but I'm not sure my cortisol and insanity levels would ever survive.
With morning over and complete without too much upsetness I send the girls up to wake daddy! Turns out he got home at 6am...hmmm.
We realise at 1pm we need to be at workshop in half an hour!! Typical us rush rush rush. We make it just in time but it was frenetic and stressy!
It's unusual to have a family based event such as this so I was really looking forward to it. Normally activities are banded into different age groups so the girls are separated and parents do not get involved. I rarely take the girls to organised activities these days. Aside from the cost, the time and effort of toing and froing is beyond my capabilities right now.
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| I want to be a tree |
The workshop was really fun. Lots of warmup games of being different creatures then making people sculptures. Then we concocted a family play about fairies and tree imps based on the word 'disguise'. Barry takes the path of least resistance and is either a flag pole or a field with a green skirt!! The girls are full of enthusiasm and ideas. It's great to be in a class where 'shouting out' and flamboyant behaviour is an asset. Millie is a flag on a pirate ship at the beginning then is on my back asleep for the rest of the session. Interestingly Maia is happy with her speaking part in the family rehearsal but they swap at the last minute. I resist my urge to control the situation and let go of my need for perfection!
Unfortunately the class is a one off.
After the workshop I bought a picnic for the car and we then took the dog on a massive walk and find an 8-sided bandstand and now know about octagons!!
We arrive home and we are not in the door 10mins when the girls are all over me to put the tv on again. I'm feeding Millie and am basically too tired to deal with the pleading and I want to watch the rest of Narnia too!
After an hour I pause it to make dinner and the girls play. Hubby had Millie but midway thro dinner she gets too upset so we swap places and I feed Millie to sleep and hubby finishes dinner. Hubby recommends I stay upstairs and have a sleep as it is likely the girls will be up late. Don't have to ask me twice. I have a sleep with Millie!
I wake to the sounds of spongebag *sigh*. I decide to stay upstairs. The girls think I am sleeping and hubby asks them not to come up!! They eventually realise I am awake and race upstairs excitedly to see me.
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| sofa houses |
Meanwhile Ellie's alive father is ironing his work shirts in the kitchen and then going to bed.
One of the problems with the one after another cartoons on Netflix is that when one finishes, you have to use the remote to pick another one. This means, as hubby finds out, that they are almost asleep on his lap but when it finishes they wake up for the next one to be put on. I have deliberately avoided children's channels on normal tv specifically because I don't like the way it plays things continuously one after another with no breaks. I think it makes them zombified. Now this is a pain the other way round too! Can't win!!
I have a feeling we won't be renewing Netflix when it runs out. Maybe the novelty will wear off soon. It's not like they don't get to watch DVDs or YouTube.
Since Millie has settled down again, I suggest coming to watch a film with them hoping they will wind down and fall asleep on the sofa.
Its midnight. The girls are flagging but Maia has started asking me why she has two holes and why her pee comes out of one and why a baby comes out the other. She goes off to find a mirror to illustrate her point better.
I'm tired.
Meltdowns - none. Family time really helps
Losing the plot - none. Family time and early evening sleep really helps
Breastfeeding - whilst walking in the park
The items on Ellie's shrine to her father made me smile: his favourite bottle of tomato sauce (phew, it's something I hate) and his favourite little heart badge (also not mine). Felt suitably relieved to know that I was still alive.
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