"still in training"

Today we went down town for another errand run.

We:

• stopped at our PO box - Success!!
• Dropped in at the book shop to hire out more DVDs - better than last time = not entirely happy with children's behaviours or listening ability or obedience levels = practice makes perfect we'll be back next week!
• returned to the car where I had left the DVDs to return - Success!!
• Returned to the book shop and returned them - Success!!
• Went to Duncs to hang up 'for sale' signs - semi-okay, too much asking for lollipops and why do they have lollipops in sight of children anyway? Grrr!!
• Returned to car - 10mins later all strapped in, lollypop in mouths, wrappers on floor, ready to go...
  
• Off to Community Health. Children waiting for me to get other children out of car and holding on when I said so!! YEAH :D
• Children held hands on the way across the parking bay, inside and around the corner to the booth bit - SUCCESS!!!
  
• Children stood QUIETLY, holding hands, observing the weighing in of our WHOPPING BIG 380grams above weight last week Princess!!! w00t w00t - SUCCESS!!
• Back in car - holding onto ladder while unlocking doors, getting kids in etc - success
  
• Off to the Library. Fed bubba on the grass, kids hung closely around.
  
• Jarah in pram, Isaiah pushing pram, Amalia holding my hand, bubba in sling into the library. Success!! So far mostly all good!!!
  
• Up to the desk to get us each a card, Jarah climbs out of pram, Amalia takes off, Isaiah is being annoying - FAIL :(
  
• Lady feels sorry for me (or something) and asks what kind of books I wanted to get out. I told her and she shows me exactly where things are - Success!! :D LOL
• Choose some books, pile them up, get out of library and back in car - So much room for improvement!!
  

That was it... Another trip down town with the realisation that we need to perfect this outing thing...

5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. A better, smoother, easier, trip down town then last time
2. Experience is a great teacher & Practice makes perfect
3. Car big enough to fit us all in (even if it is a painful experience getting kids in & out)
4. My beautiful sling!!!
5. Chubby milk for my chubby feeder :) 380grams YEAH!!!

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easy peasy or hands full?

As I had my arms filled with a bubba and my table surrounded by 3 little kids it dawned on me that 4 little kids 5yrs of age and under is easy peasy. I reflected upon my afternoon with admiration that once again I had done it again - joined a bubba into our family and managed to survive [but for how long one may wonder?].

The afternoon consisted of a nap for everyone (inc. me), lots of facebooking (mostly giggling), online chatting with one bestie, and some blogging. Amongst feeding bubba, cuddling bubba, nappy changes, child cuddles, chatting with kiddies, supervising play etc. As in I checked the time at 4:40pm to realise that hubby would be home soon and I hadn't thought about dinner. Whoops.

One handed put some macaroni on to cook, threw frozen vegies into another pan, sieved the pasta and tossed it into the pan with the vegies and stirred some carbonara jar sauce through. Grated cheese and all three kids asked for more. Queen of 20 minute meals I reckon!!

I even thought that my arvo was so 'boring' that perhaps I should get a job, or study something or add something else to my life. As if 4 kids, house keeping, home schooling isn't enough for me to do.

I will honestly say that I am deeply challenged in the 'getting out of the house' part and running errands down town, and being OUT with 4 kids on my own. The older children are relatively well trained so it is *me* that keeps doing silly things. Yep, I need more training in the smartness area of being out with the kids on my own. It'll happen, I have plenty opportunity and the stamina to keep trying after failing/stumbling/falling.

So be nice to me if you see us down town and I am about to pull someone's hair out. I wont pretend I've got it all together and put on a show that I know what I'm doing (yet) = I am out of my league. And I am not worried at all.

People often comment on how 'busy' I must be, or how I must 'have my hands full' and I think that I had my hands filled when I had one child, and I am not anymore busy now than I was with two kids. But mostly they say well done on getting two boys and two girls as if I miraculously did something 'right' to get that. I call it a blessing from Above. I'd do it again, I'd have more!

Why do people never comment on how much washing I must have piled up or ready to hang out that will need to be put through the machine again or needing to put away or that I'd have enough food scattered across my kitchen floor to feed a starving child or that I must need to vacuum daily, or sweep up to 3 times in a day or the price of feeding us all, and clothing us all or that my body must feel/be wrecked after having 4 kids in 5yrs. Why do they not congratulate me for managing to remember to brush my own hair? or wearing matching socks? or that the children's faces have (finally) been cleaned? For these are the things that are challenges for me.

So what will I do? Not sure yet. Maybe I should work on the washing??

5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. Quiet/Nap time in the afternoon
2. That pile of washing - because we all have enough clothes
3. That parenting is more of a journey into excellence then a first and final exam
4. No matter where you are in your life's journey there is room for improvement, failures AND success's
5. That I find aspects of parenting 'easy peasy'

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Blessed with a(nother) sleeper

Bubba has reached almost 3 weeks of age. I was thinking she'd be making me stay up half the night for a long long time but nope. She's settled down and gives me 4-6hour blocks of sleep between feeds.
In fact I get more sleep NOW then I did in-utero and I feel great for it.
The funny thing is she still wants me up for a full hour. Even though the feed is finished in half that time. She wants to be cuddled and snuggled before she goes back to bed.

So there we have it. Another beautiful baby that gives mummy plenty of sleep at night.



5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. Feeling on top of the world albeit however creaky I am
2. 4-6hour blocks of sleep
3. Night Company of a certain 3yo who doesn't stay in her own bed ALL night
4. The cuddle hormone Oxytocin
5. ANOTHER sleeping baby =]

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Baby Capsule... saving grace...

{Photograph: Michael Bell 20th March 2011}


When I was preg with my first I decided against the capsule for the $ factor. Same when pregnant with my second. But when it came to my third I wanted one, I needed one, I didn't want to imagine life without one.

My second child was a handful (or two), a runner, a squirm, a wriggler and NEEDED restraining every where we went. I viewed life without a capsule as pure chaos.

But we 'broke' our extra-wide-will-fit-3-baby-seats-along-the-back-seat wagon into a stronger-than-us-tree at around 35 or 36 weeks gestation and with no insurance and no savings ended up with a teeny-weeny-fit-two-baby-seats-and-squish-a-kid-in-the-middle-with-no-car-seat. ((relax... it was legal that year))

Bye bye dream of capsule-carried-bubby. Fortunately I was involved with people that had arms to cuddle, eyes to admire, lips to coo & hearts to adore my precious baby boy.

[This is the part where I say going from 2-3 kids was an absolute BREEZE!!! Or rather 3-4 as I was ALSO babysitting a 10mth old Prince 3-5 days per week even before my baby reached his 7 day mark. - It wasn't until we moved house that things turned the other way for me]

THIS last pregnancy with Michael out of work for 6 months I decided that the capsule was happening NO MATTER WHAT and onto layby it went with no discount *gasp*

It has been one of the best purchases we've ever made on baby stuff!!!! I RECCOMMEND BUYING A BABY CAPSULE!!!

I can take bubby shopping and put her in the capsule on top of a single trolley and still have hands free to shop, control other children and play games with other children while they sit in the kiddy seat (For when I DO go grocery shopping without 2 extra people helping me)

I can take bubby into church and know that bubby won't be passed around :) *bliss* because she will be fast asleep in her capsule and when she wakes its feeding time anyhow

When we are about to leave a designation and bubba starts stirring/crying I can pick the carrier up and lightly swing it backwards and forwards and she will settle back to sleep =]

Actually anywhere I go I can take her in the capsule and still have that ability to chase the other kids, squish the other kids, annoy the other kids and know that bubby is safe.

I would love to use the sling carrier a lot more but unfortunately my back doesn't allow it for long periods at a time, and using the sling means the other children need to be careful not to squish bubba so the capsule is an option that I am in love with.

[[Now to get good value for money: I would LOVE LOVE LOVE another bubba PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Hun xx]]

5 Things I am Thankful for:
1. $$ that came in just in time for her birth
2. Work that provided the $$ for the capsule (plus extras)
3. That I do not regret spending so much $$ on something that 'lasts' 6-8months
4. The ease and peace that the capsule has brought to my life
5. The Capsule

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