Tamsin usually has a great time on her 'Grandpa days' - when my Dad comes to fetch her and take her to his house and/or out for the day. But she's been getting quite clingy lately, always wanting to be picked up and carried, and yesterday she kept hanging on to me when I was trying to leave her at playschool as well (though she wasn't crying, and loves playschool). And this morning she got so upset and distraught at leaving me that in the end we gave up and she stayed home. I can't work out what's going on. Either I've been such a monster mummy lately that she thinks I don't love her any more so is afraid to leave me in case I disappear, or it's a delayed 'new baby' reaction... or something else? It's worrying, though.
And I was planning on catching up on a bit of sleep while she was out today, which obviously didn't happen, so I was tired and unmotivated today too - cue too much Tv again except when were out at Tesco's doing a big shop. I had to try and buy her Easter egg without her seeing it. Am planning an Easter Egg Hunt round the house on Sunday, although we've never done one before so it's new for all of us.
And now I must go to bed - I'm whacked.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The one where Isabelle rolls over!
Yes, I popped out of the room for a few minutes this morning (to check my e-mail, of course) and heard a bit of complaining from Isabelle in the next room - went back in, to find her stuck lying on her tummy! I left her on her back, and Tamsin swears Isabelle did it all on her own. She's also cooing lots, chewing on fingers lots (hers and ours) and smiling lots.
Packed Tamsin off to playschool this morning, and came home and mostly just vegged on the computer, napped for half-an-hour and then off to the homeopath, to complain all about my lethargy, lack of motivation and irritability. I have a remedy to take tonight and tomorrow morning, and then wait a couple of weeks to see what happens.
Kate collected Tamsin from playschool and brought her home, and I asked her if she'd had a nice time at Center Parcs ........ she said yes, and then mumbled in some embarrassment "Oh, I didn't tell you we were going, did I?" and a quick explanation about how the other friend she HAD gone with had booked it, got it very cheaply, and invited Kate & Co to go with her .... and it was all very last minute .... Hmmm. It still doesn't explain why she didn't say a word to me about it either before or after until I raised it. We talk to each other most days, for one thing and another. It wasn't a good time to have a conversation about it as Isabelle was fussing madly, K's daughter fell over and bumped herself right then, and Kate had to rush off to get her eldest from school. I still don't feel good about it all, and think we need to clear the air a little, but we're almost never child-free for an uninterrupted conversation so it might be difficult.
This afternoon we've washed the car and discovered that Tamsin can't take a dose of her own medicine .... after pointing the hose at me and getting me wet about 4 times (yes, I know how foolish it is to let the 3-year-old have control of the hose), and after warnings, I took it off her and sprayed her ... resulting in floods of tears, naturellement! After a bit of joint TV/computer time, I then went up in the loft to get the 6-9 month baby clothes out, but couldn't find the door bouncer thing anywhere, which I am sure Isabelle would start to love about now. Tamsin absolutely adored it. Apart from that, I have spent far too much time bidding on stuff on Ebay, and now really *must* get on with finishing off updating our finances, and doing a new budget.
Oh, and last night's waking total was 5: 3 wakings by Isabelle, 1 by Tamsin and 1 by Bill, all between midnight and 6.30am. No wonder I'm so knackered.
Packed Tamsin off to playschool this morning, and came home and mostly just vegged on the computer, napped for half-an-hour and then off to the homeopath, to complain all about my lethargy, lack of motivation and irritability. I have a remedy to take tonight and tomorrow morning, and then wait a couple of weeks to see what happens.
Kate collected Tamsin from playschool and brought her home, and I asked her if she'd had a nice time at Center Parcs ........ she said yes, and then mumbled in some embarrassment "Oh, I didn't tell you we were going, did I?" and a quick explanation about how the other friend she HAD gone with had booked it, got it very cheaply, and invited Kate & Co to go with her .... and it was all very last minute .... Hmmm. It still doesn't explain why she didn't say a word to me about it either before or after until I raised it. We talk to each other most days, for one thing and another. It wasn't a good time to have a conversation about it as Isabelle was fussing madly, K's daughter fell over and bumped herself right then, and Kate had to rush off to get her eldest from school. I still don't feel good about it all, and think we need to clear the air a little, but we're almost never child-free for an uninterrupted conversation so it might be difficult.
This afternoon we've washed the car and discovered that Tamsin can't take a dose of her own medicine .... after pointing the hose at me and getting me wet about 4 times (yes, I know how foolish it is to let the 3-year-old have control of the hose), and after warnings, I took it off her and sprayed her ... resulting in floods of tears, naturellement! After a bit of joint TV/computer time, I then went up in the loft to get the 6-9 month baby clothes out, but couldn't find the door bouncer thing anywhere, which I am sure Isabelle would start to love about now. Tamsin absolutely adored it. Apart from that, I have spent far too much time bidding on stuff on Ebay, and now really *must* get on with finishing off updating our finances, and doing a new budget.
Oh, and last night's waking total was 5: 3 wakings by Isabelle, 1 by Tamsin and 1 by Bill, all between midnight and 6.30am. No wonder I'm so knackered.
Monday, March 21, 2005
The one where I get hurt by a friend
Nothing to do with HE, but it's been on my mind all day, so I have to blog it. My friend, Kate, with whom I job-share and child-share and spend quite a lot of time, has been to Center Parcs this weekend. How nice for her, you might think. Except that she and her family went last year, with another friend and her daughter, and discussing it afterwards I said I would love to do that. She said they were thinking of making it an annual 'March' event, so every now and then over the past few months I would ask her if they were making any plans to go again because we would love to go with them. She always said they hadn't planned anything yet. And then this morning I popped in to see her at work (I am still on maternity leave) to ask about some child-care, only to find my temporary replacement there instead and when I asked where Kate was, she said "Center Parcs". So she has deliberately not said anything to me, and kept it quiet and gone without us.
I thought we were good friends, I thought we got on very well, I get on well (but not *too well*!) with her husband (in fact I knew him first because we met at work), our kids have a great time together ...... so what's the problem? I'm hurt, and I'm not sure how to handle it. After all, she's not obliged to invite us on her holiday, is she? And, TBH, we don't tend to deeply share things. I tend to go into relationships at what I think is the other person's comfort level. If they are open and confiding, then I am too. If they are inhibited and private, so am I. And Kate and I definitely have the more 'inhibited and private' type of relationship. So to confront her directly about it would definitely be a step beyond where we've been - and maybe I'd hear something I don't want to hear? But there's a lump in my chest and a dark cloud has been cast over a lovely day.
Anyway, apart from that, Tamsin has had some definite biological education today when I took her with me for my smear test ... oh and a lovely conversation while I was dressing afterwards when she was asking me how did you spell 'test', and I encouraged her to tell me how she thought it was spelled, as I said the word very slowly, and she got it absolutely right! We've worked through her new 'Postman Pat' magazine with its stories, puzzles and questions. We've read about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in the Children's Bible. We've done a bit of Brio train track, and quite a lot of watching Nick Jr.
Am also feeling a bit useless educationally. 'Everybody else' seems to know where they are with their HE, i.e. they are Montessori, or autonomous, or Steiner-influenced or something. I still don't feel I know enough about any of those things to know if I want to follow them. We don't do much. In some ways I think that's right, because one of my reasons for wanting to HE is that I think formal learning comes too soon in this country, and there is not enough time for free play, but is that just my excuse for being plain lazy? I spend much of my day at the computer with Tamsin in front of the TV and playing with something at the same time. I don't think it's right, but I feel at a bit of a loss to know what activities to put in front of her. And besides, I am a computer addict .... sometimes I wonder if I am a bit depressed, and just hiding here. Certainly feel quite lethargic and unmotivated for much of the time. Or it could just be simple sleep deprivation - Isabelle wakes maybe 3-4 times per night and Tamsin once during the night and then around 5.30-6am and only sleeps very lightly after that so I'm not getting many consecutive hours of sleep at all.
I thought we were good friends, I thought we got on very well, I get on well (but not *too well*!) with her husband (in fact I knew him first because we met at work), our kids have a great time together ...... so what's the problem? I'm hurt, and I'm not sure how to handle it. After all, she's not obliged to invite us on her holiday, is she? And, TBH, we don't tend to deeply share things. I tend to go into relationships at what I think is the other person's comfort level. If they are open and confiding, then I am too. If they are inhibited and private, so am I. And Kate and I definitely have the more 'inhibited and private' type of relationship. So to confront her directly about it would definitely be a step beyond where we've been - and maybe I'd hear something I don't want to hear? But there's a lump in my chest and a dark cloud has been cast over a lovely day.
Anyway, apart from that, Tamsin has had some definite biological education today when I took her with me for my smear test ... oh and a lovely conversation while I was dressing afterwards when she was asking me how did you spell 'test', and I encouraged her to tell me how she thought it was spelled, as I said the word very slowly, and she got it absolutely right! We've worked through her new 'Postman Pat' magazine with its stories, puzzles and questions. We've read about Jesus' entry into Jerusalem in the Children's Bible. We've done a bit of Brio train track, and quite a lot of watching Nick Jr.
Am also feeling a bit useless educationally. 'Everybody else' seems to know where they are with their HE, i.e. they are Montessori, or autonomous, or Steiner-influenced or something. I still don't feel I know enough about any of those things to know if I want to follow them. We don't do much. In some ways I think that's right, because one of my reasons for wanting to HE is that I think formal learning comes too soon in this country, and there is not enough time for free play, but is that just my excuse for being plain lazy? I spend much of my day at the computer with Tamsin in front of the TV and playing with something at the same time. I don't think it's right, but I feel at a bit of a loss to know what activities to put in front of her. And besides, I am a computer addict .... sometimes I wonder if I am a bit depressed, and just hiding here. Certainly feel quite lethargic and unmotivated for much of the time. Or it could just be simple sleep deprivation - Isabelle wakes maybe 3-4 times per night and Tamsin once during the night and then around 5.30-6am and only sleeps very lightly after that so I'm not getting many consecutive hours of sleep at all.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
The one where I sell some baby clothes :-(
Yesterday (was so tired last night I went to bed with Tamsin at 8pm and never got up again so didn't get to blog) felt like a bit of a significant moment - I packed up and labelled some of the newborn and 0-3 month baby clothes and took them to a sale. Well, I'm not going to use them again ...(some pangs of regret, and some feelings of relief and moving on). Although strangely, I have since been imagining myself having (another) baby boy... and wondering if *something* was trying to tell me there is another baby in my future. But if so, I still won't need all the girls' clothes! Or maybe it's just those feelings of missing the baby boy I did have, which always come more strongly at this time of year as he was born at the end of April and Spring is very much linked with him in my mind. One of the most incredibly powerful memories I shall always have is of driving home with him in the car the day we came out of the hospital after 4 weeks inside ... and my incredible joy and euphoria that he was coming home with us (a strength of feeling I can't ever imagine repeating in my lifetime), linked with amazement at the amount of *green* and *lush* growth that had happened during the month of May while I had been sequestered inside the hospital. It was like being born myself into a whole new world, in many ways. Anyway, I digress. Maybe the 'baby boy' feelings were just because some good friends of ours have just had their first baby, a boy, and I am feeling all warm and gooey about them - they will be fantastic parents and I am really pleased for them. And I helped in a little way by giving them some help with pre-conception health and nutrition to get them into tip-top condition before conceiving - something which I would love to do on a freelance basis at some point when I can get myself a bit better trained and organised.
Anyway, back to the sale. The bad news - I spent £53 on buying things for us, and received £4.55 for my stuff .... as always the money flows in the wrong direction! There didn't seem to be many buyers for the newborn stuff so I'll try again at the NCT sale in a couple of weeks.
The good news - I bought some summer clothes for Isabelle (she is the opposite season from Tamsin so we needed summer stuff) and some 4-5 year old clothes for Tamsin, and also some educational stuff.
A two-tape set of "Professor Playtime's Play and Learn Collection" with songs teaching about time, times tables, music, french, science and spelling.
Jump Ahead Starting School 2000 CD-Rom
Deluxe Reader Rabbit 1 CD-Rom
A British Isles map jigsaw
Some story books including an Usborne "Tales from Littletown" early reader
DK My First Activity Book
.... none of which cost more than £1 each.
Oh, and on the subject of bargains, or maybe it comes under the heading of "The Lord doth provide ...." Bill handed me a CD-Rom of Zoombinis Mountain Rescue which he had found lying around at the university!
And finally, just to remind myself that education does occasionally go on here, when we were getting breakfast yesterday morning, Tamsin found a dead fly on her chair, so we got out the magnifying glass and studied it, and got our our huge DK "Animal" book and looked up what sort of fly it was (a type of blow-fly) and found more details like the shiny metallic body and the hairs ... all very interesting!
Anyway, back to the sale. The bad news - I spent £53 on buying things for us, and received £4.55 for my stuff .... as always the money flows in the wrong direction! There didn't seem to be many buyers for the newborn stuff so I'll try again at the NCT sale in a couple of weeks.
The good news - I bought some summer clothes for Isabelle (she is the opposite season from Tamsin so we needed summer stuff) and some 4-5 year old clothes for Tamsin, and also some educational stuff.
A two-tape set of "Professor Playtime's Play and Learn Collection" with songs teaching about time, times tables, music, french, science and spelling.
Jump Ahead Starting School 2000 CD-Rom
Deluxe Reader Rabbit 1 CD-Rom
A British Isles map jigsaw
Some story books including an Usborne "Tales from Littletown" early reader
DK My First Activity Book
.... none of which cost more than £1 each.
Oh, and on the subject of bargains, or maybe it comes under the heading of "The Lord doth provide ...." Bill handed me a CD-Rom of Zoombinis Mountain Rescue which he had found lying around at the university!
And finally, just to remind myself that education does occasionally go on here, when we were getting breakfast yesterday morning, Tamsin found a dead fly on her chair, so we got out the magnifying glass and studied it, and got our our huge DK "Animal" book and looked up what sort of fly it was (a type of blow-fly) and found more details like the shiny metallic body and the hairs ... all very interesting!
Thursday, March 17, 2005
I've lost a week!
I can't believe I haven't blogged for a week - and now I can't remember what on earth we've done. Oh yes, we did go to @Bristol on Monday, as arranged by Claire (thanks Claire). It was lovely to meet baby Josie along with her mummy and siblings, but she and Isabelle decided not to bother making eye contact. Maybe in years to come when we tell them how they were unexpectedly born only 2 days apart, they might take more interest in each other. We had a good time looking round, and I was impressed how much attention Tamsin paid and how much she seemed to take in. For example, I actually got through an explanation of the lifecycle of the frog while she listened attentively, and she was fascinated by the model termite's nest, especially when I told her that Daddy had seen lots of them for real when he lived in Uganda (and when I got home he told us how he had once brought home to the UK a queen termite - HM Customs must have missed that!). Tamsin hates loud noises, though, and is frightened by aeroplanes, vacuum cleaners, hand-dryers etc, so in the tropical rainforest bit when the steam came hissing in, she got very upset and we had to dash through with her hands pressed firmly over her ears. She said she didn't want to go and see the planetarium show as I said I couldn't be sure whether it was loud or not, so we skipped that and left at around 4.30pm before the traffic got too bad. I then ruined it by calling in at Toys R Us on the way home (we haven't got one near us, and I was curious) but managed to get out without buying anything, although I did pick up a few ideas for her birthday.
But as for the rest of the week, my mind is a complete blank, and as I really should be getting on with getting up-to-date with our finances, I must stop. I haven't done our money stuff properly since last September, so things are somewhat in disarray!
But as for the rest of the week, my mind is a complete blank, and as I really should be getting on with getting up-to-date with our finances, I must stop. I haven't done our money stuff properly since last September, so things are somewhat in disarray!
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Saving babies
OK, this post may be controversial among some people, but it's my blog and it's what I believe, OK?
Now I believe in the 'Word made flesh' and 'the Way, the Truth and the Life', but many things that have the label 'Christian' attached to them put me right off, and that certainly goes for much parenting information. I was chatting with my pregnant friend who visited yesterday and, attempting to find out whether she was leaning towards a 'schedule' or an 'on demand' kind of approach, asked her which books she had read so far. Shock and horror when she said the only one she had read was "Babywise" .....!!! For those who don't know, this is originally a Christian-based parenting course/book which has been secularised, but is highly controversial as it is highly scheduled and has led to failure-to-thrive, dehydration and hungry babies, let alone simply the mental agony of those poor babies left to cry until the appropriate time period has elapsed till their next feeding. There is plenty of argument and evidence against it on this site. I had hoped this awful approach had stayed firmly in the USA, where it originated, but sadly it is creeping into the UK and I hate it. I may not have been able to give her a lot of useful advice or help in any other way, but I am just thankful that I have managed to warn her against this approach, and hopefully, if she reads the info I gave her, she will not go near it with the proverbial bargepole.
Now I believe in the 'Word made flesh' and 'the Way, the Truth and the Life', but many things that have the label 'Christian' attached to them put me right off, and that certainly goes for much parenting information. I was chatting with my pregnant friend who visited yesterday and, attempting to find out whether she was leaning towards a 'schedule' or an 'on demand' kind of approach, asked her which books she had read so far. Shock and horror when she said the only one she had read was "Babywise" .....!!! For those who don't know, this is originally a Christian-based parenting course/book which has been secularised, but is highly controversial as it is highly scheduled and has led to failure-to-thrive, dehydration and hungry babies, let alone simply the mental agony of those poor babies left to cry until the appropriate time period has elapsed till their next feeding. There is plenty of argument and evidence against it on this site. I had hoped this awful approach had stayed firmly in the USA, where it originated, but sadly it is creeping into the UK and I hate it. I may not have been able to give her a lot of useful advice or help in any other way, but I am just thankful that I have managed to warn her against this approach, and hopefully, if she reads the info I gave her, she will not go near it with the proverbial bargepole.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Retail and other therapies
Hmm, some link-following and browsing has just led me to bid on Ebay on "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego" and a double Dorling Kindersley pack of "Become a World Explorer/Science Explorer", plus buying a "Green Eggs and Ham" CD-Rom from Amazon, and it's really only a matter of time before I succumb to Zoombinis and some Geomags. I blame you MuddlePuddlers - you're a bad influence!
The 'other therapy' mentioned is homeopathy - took Isabelle for a follow-up appointment yesterday and she's got another remedy for her wind/general unsettledness problems. After the past few days I am so fed up of her falling asleep (only on the boob) and then waking up after 15 minutes or so and screaming unless she's put back on the boob again ... and on and on. In fact, she's doing it right now. Until only a week ago or thereabouts she was mostly able to go to sleep without being on the breast but all of a sudden it's changed and she really does cry so much absolutely nothing else will settle her. I've also booked a homeopathy appointment for myself in a couple of weeks - I have some doubt as to whether it will do much for my tiredness and irritability but it's worth a try. Poor old Tamsin still gets the rough end of my tongue (mmm, what a strange phrase!) much more often than necessary.
Anyway, today should be fairly nice as Tamsin is out until about 2.30pm at playschool and then a friend's house, and this afternoon a very pregnant friend (38 weeks) is coming to visit - it's her first baby so I should be able to feel wise and helpful by giving her lots of advice (if she asks, which I think she might!). OTOH she might take one look at my screaming Isabelle and my unruly hitting and shouting 3-year old and decide she's not going to listen to a word I say - and who could blame her!
The 'other therapy' mentioned is homeopathy - took Isabelle for a follow-up appointment yesterday and she's got another remedy for her wind/general unsettledness problems. After the past few days I am so fed up of her falling asleep (only on the boob) and then waking up after 15 minutes or so and screaming unless she's put back on the boob again ... and on and on. In fact, she's doing it right now. Until only a week ago or thereabouts she was mostly able to go to sleep without being on the breast but all of a sudden it's changed and she really does cry so much absolutely nothing else will settle her. I've also booked a homeopathy appointment for myself in a couple of weeks - I have some doubt as to whether it will do much for my tiredness and irritability but it's worth a try. Poor old Tamsin still gets the rough end of my tongue (mmm, what a strange phrase!) much more often than necessary.
Anyway, today should be fairly nice as Tamsin is out until about 2.30pm at playschool and then a friend's house, and this afternoon a very pregnant friend (38 weeks) is coming to visit - it's her first baby so I should be able to feel wise and helpful by giving her lots of advice (if she asks, which I think she might!). OTOH she might take one look at my screaming Isabelle and my unruly hitting and shouting 3-year old and decide she's not going to listen to a word I say - and who could blame her!
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Monday
...started with tears (mine, Tamsin's and Isabelle's). After being woken several times in the night, and seeing 3am, 4am, 5am and 6am ticking by, I was in rather a fragile state. Bill generously stayed close by and in fact didn't leave for work until about 10.30am. My Mum was also still here, and between them they kept Tamsin out of the way while Isabelle and I stayed in bed until about 10am, catching up a little.
Later in the morning, Mum took us all out to Cirencester, where I had a successful time in a couple of charity shops. This was my haul:
Earth and Sky First Discovery book
First Scholastic Encyclopedia - All about People
100 great stories from British History
Usborne - 1001 animals to spot
My Naughty Little Sister Storybook
and for me, "A Search for Charismatic Reality - one man's pilgrimage"!!!!
I also discovered that Ottakar's bookshop has a coffee-shop in it, which was a lovely discovery as I thought my nearest place like that was Oxford, an hour's drive away, and now I find I can probably sneak out on a morning that Tamsin's at playschool and have an hour or two in Cirencester, only half-an-hour's drive, with books and a coffee - how perfect is that?
I ended the day feeling much better than I began it, thank goodness, and last night wasn't so bad with 'only' about 3 wakings from Isabelle and 2 from Tamsin ..... (sigh).
Later in the morning, Mum took us all out to Cirencester, where I had a successful time in a couple of charity shops. This was my haul:
Earth and Sky First Discovery book
First Scholastic Encyclopedia - All about People
100 great stories from British History
Usborne - 1001 animals to spot
My Naughty Little Sister Storybook
and for me, "A Search for Charismatic Reality - one man's pilgrimage"!!!!
I also discovered that Ottakar's bookshop has a coffee-shop in it, which was a lovely discovery as I thought my nearest place like that was Oxford, an hour's drive away, and now I find I can probably sneak out on a morning that Tamsin's at playschool and have an hour or two in Cirencester, only half-an-hour's drive, with books and a coffee - how perfect is that?
I ended the day feeling much better than I began it, thank goodness, and last night wasn't so bad with 'only' about 3 wakings from Isabelle and 2 from Tamsin ..... (sigh).
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Good weekend
Saturday started well, with Tamsin and I coming downstairs for breakfast, when she found a small ruler. "What's that?" she said, and I explained about rulers and measuring things, upon which we started to do just that. We found things all round the room to measure, and discussed sizes and shapes. I can't remember what happened next - breakfast, I expect - but later in the morning I found an old Usborne "Sizes" workbook which we worked through - all 24 pages at Tamsin's insistence! So now she knows about long, short, wide, narrow, fat, thin - much of which she knew already but the width aspect was new to her. As I said to DH, that was probably about a month's worth of school maths lessons covered in an hour!
Other things on Saturday included cooking, visiting the library and the usual lots of Brio track and Nick Junior. Her funniest choice of book at the library was one about trains - but not a kid's book. She chose "West Country Branch Lines - a colour portfolio" - mind-numbingly boring to most people (descriptions of various engines, carriages and their precise numbers and timings of services) but that girl does love trains!!! Hmmm, perhaps I ought to Google a bit and help her learn more about them.
Preparations needed to be made for Isabelle's blessing and dedication on Sunday, so I made a couple of bits but needed to go shopping for more food. With various procrastinations and delays, in the end I asked Bill to put Tamsin to bed while I went to Tesco (hiss, boo) with Isabelle. "Hmmm," he said, "I was going to slip out while you were putting Tamsin to bed to get you a Mother's Day card. So you'll have to get your own!" And, strangely enough - I didn't mind. Perfect opportunity to get myself exactly what I wanted, I thought. So I bought myself a lavish bouquet of flowers and the tastiest box of chocolates I could find, along with a card, figuring this would set a minimum standard for future years! If there had been a DVD I wanted, I would have had one of those too!
Back home I came, at about 10pm, and started cooking. It's always the same with me - I never get organised in advance and end up with a mad panic at the end. I am a hopeless hostess!
Sunday
Bill and I are both terrible time-keepers. We are late just about everywhere we go. It's a terrible habit, and I'm strangely not quite sure why it always happens. Probably because we always underestimate how long the 'getting ready' will take. So we were late for our own daughter's blessing and dedication service! When we walked in, about 5 minutes late, a spontaneous round of applause and cheers erupted. Apparently before we got there, Philip, our pastor, said "I've never conducted a dedication without the baby here before!" Anyway, apart from that, all went exceedingly well with Isabelle being charmingly cute and relaxed when Philip had hold of her. He also gave Tamsin a little present, which was a whistle in the shape of a train, which she was delighted to find sounds just like a train when you blow it. Not too loud, thankfully!
We then had Isabelle's godparents, David and Lana, and my Mum and my Dad back to our house for lunch. Which sounds like a delightful family occasion, until you realise that my parents divorced 28 years ago and their feelings towards each other have only deteriorated as the years have passed. My Dad, bless him, does his best to turn a deaf ear to my Mum's frankly bitchy and cutting comments that she just can't help spouting, and TBH last night I was contemplating telling her that if she made any such comments today, she would never be able to come to any family event that I was arranging in future. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) she was late arriving, having been stuck behind a slow lorry, so missed the actual service and I didn't have time to decide whether to have that conversation with her or not. I probably wouldn't have had the courage, in the end, but one of these days ........ She said a couple of somewhat rude things, but my Dad and I just rolled our eyes at each other and ignored it. I am so fed up with the strained atmosphere any time she is around, however, and I must find the right way to tackle it one of these days.
Apart from that, it has been a very happy and celebratory day. When we had Tamsin's dedication, I was so very emotional about it because Benjamin had never made it as far as his, although he was included and mentioned on that day, and I was just over the moon that Tamsin was still alive and well! Today that feeling has been present again and it is another reminder that every day of our children's lives is a gift that we cannot take for granted. Give all your little ones a special hug from me in memory of Benjamin, will you?
Other things on Saturday included cooking, visiting the library and the usual lots of Brio track and Nick Junior. Her funniest choice of book at the library was one about trains - but not a kid's book. She chose "West Country Branch Lines - a colour portfolio" - mind-numbingly boring to most people (descriptions of various engines, carriages and their precise numbers and timings of services) but that girl does love trains!!! Hmmm, perhaps I ought to Google a bit and help her learn more about them.
Preparations needed to be made for Isabelle's blessing and dedication on Sunday, so I made a couple of bits but needed to go shopping for more food. With various procrastinations and delays, in the end I asked Bill to put Tamsin to bed while I went to Tesco (hiss, boo) with Isabelle. "Hmmm," he said, "I was going to slip out while you were putting Tamsin to bed to get you a Mother's Day card. So you'll have to get your own!" And, strangely enough - I didn't mind. Perfect opportunity to get myself exactly what I wanted, I thought. So I bought myself a lavish bouquet of flowers and the tastiest box of chocolates I could find, along with a card, figuring this would set a minimum standard for future years! If there had been a DVD I wanted, I would have had one of those too!
Back home I came, at about 10pm, and started cooking. It's always the same with me - I never get organised in advance and end up with a mad panic at the end. I am a hopeless hostess!
Sunday
Bill and I are both terrible time-keepers. We are late just about everywhere we go. It's a terrible habit, and I'm strangely not quite sure why it always happens. Probably because we always underestimate how long the 'getting ready' will take. So we were late for our own daughter's blessing and dedication service! When we walked in, about 5 minutes late, a spontaneous round of applause and cheers erupted. Apparently before we got there, Philip, our pastor, said "I've never conducted a dedication without the baby here before!" Anyway, apart from that, all went exceedingly well with Isabelle being charmingly cute and relaxed when Philip had hold of her. He also gave Tamsin a little present, which was a whistle in the shape of a train, which she was delighted to find sounds just like a train when you blow it. Not too loud, thankfully!
We then had Isabelle's godparents, David and Lana, and my Mum and my Dad back to our house for lunch. Which sounds like a delightful family occasion, until you realise that my parents divorced 28 years ago and their feelings towards each other have only deteriorated as the years have passed. My Dad, bless him, does his best to turn a deaf ear to my Mum's frankly bitchy and cutting comments that she just can't help spouting, and TBH last night I was contemplating telling her that if she made any such comments today, she would never be able to come to any family event that I was arranging in future. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) she was late arriving, having been stuck behind a slow lorry, so missed the actual service and I didn't have time to decide whether to have that conversation with her or not. I probably wouldn't have had the courage, in the end, but one of these days ........ She said a couple of somewhat rude things, but my Dad and I just rolled our eyes at each other and ignored it. I am so fed up with the strained atmosphere any time she is around, however, and I must find the right way to tackle it one of these days.
Apart from that, it has been a very happy and celebratory day. When we had Tamsin's dedication, I was so very emotional about it because Benjamin had never made it as far as his, although he was included and mentioned on that day, and I was just over the moon that Tamsin was still alive and well! Today that feeling has been present again and it is another reminder that every day of our children's lives is a gift that we cannot take for granted. Give all your little ones a special hug from me in memory of Benjamin, will you?
Good weekend
Saturday started well, with Tamsin and I coming downstairs for breakfast, when she found a small ruler. "What's that?" she said, and I explained about rulers and measuring things, upon which we started to do just that. We found things all round the room to measure, and discussed sizes and shapes. I can't remember what happened next - breakfast, I expect - but later in the morning I found an old Usborne "Sizes" workbook which we worked through - all 24 pages at Tamsin's insistence! So now she knows about long, short, wide, narrow, fat, thin - much of which she knew already but the width aspect was new to her. As I said to DH, that was probably about a month's worth of school maths lessons covered in an hour!
Other things on Saturday included cooking, visiting the library and the usual lots of Brio track and Nick Junior. Her funniest choice of book at the library was one about trains - but not a kid's book. She chose "West Country Branch Lines - a colour portfolio" - mind-numbingly boring to most people (descriptions of various engines, carriages and their precise numbers and timings of services) but that girl does love trains!!! Hmmm, perhaps I ought to Google a bit and help her learn more about them.
Preparations needed to be made for Isabelle's blessing and dedication on Sunday, so I made a couple of bits but needed to go shopping for more food. With various procrastinations and delays, in the end I asked Bill to put Tamsin to bed while I went to Tesco (hiss, boo) with Isabelle. "Hmmm," he said, "I was going to slip out while you were putting Tamsin to bed to get you a Mother's Day card. So you'll have to get your own!" And, strangely enough - I didn't mind. Perfect opportunity to get myself exactly what I wanted, I thought. So I bought myself a lavish bouquet of flowers and the tastiest box of chocolates I could find, along with a card, figuring this would set a minimum standard for future years! If there had been a DVD I wanted, I would have had one of those too!
Back home I came, at about 10pm, and started cooking. It's always the same with me - I never get organised in advance and end up with a mad panic at the end. I am a hopeless hostess!
Sunday
Bill and I are both terrible time-keepers. We are late just about everywhere we go. It's a terrible habit, and I'm strangely not quite sure why it always happens. Probably because we always underestimate how long the 'getting ready' will take. So we were late for our own daughter's blessing and dedication service! When we walked in, about 5 minutes late, a spontaneous round of applause and cheers erupted. Apparently before we got there, Philip, our pastor, said "I've never conducted a dedication without the baby here before!" Anyway, apart from that, all went exceedingly well with Isabelle being charmingly cute and relaxed when Philip had hold of her. He also gave Tamsin a little present, which was a whistle in the shape of a train, which she was delighted to find sounds just like a train when you blow it. Not too loud, thankfully!
We then had Isabelle's godparents, David and Lana, and my Mum and my Dad back to our house for lunch. Which sounds like a delightful family occasion, until you realise that my parents divorced 28 years ago and their feelings towards each other have only deteriorated as the years have passed. My Dad, bless him, does his best to turn a deaf ear to my Mum's frankly bitchy and cutting comments that she just can't help spouting, and TBH last night I was contemplating telling her that if she made any such comments today, she would never be able to come to any family event that I was arranging in future. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) she was late arriving, having been stuck behind a slow lorry, so missed the actual service and I didn't have time to decide whether to have that conversation with her or not. I probably wouldn't have had the courage, in the end, but one of these days ........ She said a couple of somewhat rude things, but my Dad and I just rolled our eyes at each other and ignored it. I am so fed up with the strained atmosphere any time she is around, however, and I must find the right way to tackle it one of these days.
Apart from that, it has been a very happy and celebratory day. When we had Tamsin's dedication, I was so very emotional about it because Benjamin had never made it as far as his, although he was included and mentioned on that day, and I was just over the moon that Tamsin was still alive and well! Today that feeling has been present again and it is another reminder that every day of our children's lives is a gift that we cannot take for granted. Give all your little ones a special hug from me in memory of Benjamin, will you?
Other things on Saturday included cooking, visiting the library and the usual lots of Brio track and Nick Junior. Her funniest choice of book at the library was one about trains - but not a kid's book. She chose "West Country Branch Lines - a colour portfolio" - mind-numbingly boring to most people (descriptions of various engines, carriages and their precise numbers and timings of services) but that girl does love trains!!! Hmmm, perhaps I ought to Google a bit and help her learn more about them.
Preparations needed to be made for Isabelle's blessing and dedication on Sunday, so I made a couple of bits but needed to go shopping for more food. With various procrastinations and delays, in the end I asked Bill to put Tamsin to bed while I went to Tesco (hiss, boo) with Isabelle. "Hmmm," he said, "I was going to slip out while you were putting Tamsin to bed to get you a Mother's Day card. So you'll have to get your own!" And, strangely enough - I didn't mind. Perfect opportunity to get myself exactly what I wanted, I thought. So I bought myself a lavish bouquet of flowers and the tastiest box of chocolates I could find, along with a card, figuring this would set a minimum standard for future years! If there had been a DVD I wanted, I would have had one of those too!
Back home I came, at about 10pm, and started cooking. It's always the same with me - I never get organised in advance and end up with a mad panic at the end. I am a hopeless hostess!
Sunday
Bill and I are both terrible time-keepers. We are late just about everywhere we go. It's a terrible habit, and I'm strangely not quite sure why it always happens. Probably because we always underestimate how long the 'getting ready' will take. So we were late for our own daughter's blessing and dedication service! When we walked in, about 5 minutes late, a spontaneous round of applause and cheers erupted. Apparently before we got there, Philip, our pastor, said "I've never conducted a dedication without the baby here before!" Anyway, apart from that, all went exceedingly well with Isabelle being charmingly cute and relaxed when Philip had hold of her. He also gave Tamsin a little present, which was a whistle in the shape of a train, which she was delighted to find sounds just like a train when you blow it. Not too loud, thankfully!
We then had Isabelle's godparents, David and Lana, and my Mum and my Dad back to our house for lunch. Which sounds like a delightful family occasion, until you realise that my parents divorced 28 years ago and their feelings towards each other have only deteriorated as the years have passed. My Dad, bless him, does his best to turn a deaf ear to my Mum's frankly bitchy and cutting comments that she just can't help spouting, and TBH last night I was contemplating telling her that if she made any such comments today, she would never be able to come to any family event that I was arranging in future. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) she was late arriving, having been stuck behind a slow lorry, so missed the actual service and I didn't have time to decide whether to have that conversation with her or not. I probably wouldn't have had the courage, in the end, but one of these days ........ She said a couple of somewhat rude things, but my Dad and I just rolled our eyes at each other and ignored it. I am so fed up with the strained atmosphere any time she is around, however, and I must find the right way to tackle it one of these days.
Apart from that, it has been a very happy and celebratory day. When we had Tamsin's dedication, I was so very emotional about it because Benjamin had never made it as far as his, although he was included and mentioned on that day, and I was just over the moon that Tamsin was still alive and well! Today that feeling has been present again and it is another reminder that every day of our children's lives is a gift that we cannot take for granted. Give all your little ones a special hug from me in memory of Benjamin, will you?
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Not much to say ....
You know how 'we bloggers' go through our days thinking about which bits we are going to blog and what we might say about them? Well, it just hasn't been happening. My mind is a blank .... It looks like all tummy bugs are gone and we're all well again, thank goodness. Isabelle's dedication and blessing is on Sunday and I'm trying to decide what food to make for those who are coming back here for lunch. Tomorrow morning will be largely taken up with making it!
Today I received my first copy of my new subscription to Home Education Magazine from the USA so I'm about to take that to bed for a good read.
Today I received my first copy of my new subscription to Home Education Magazine from the USA so I'm about to take that to bed for a good read.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Poor baby....
My only symptom of the horrible tummy bug that Tamsin and Bill have had, has been some sharp twinges of pain in the intestines - but nothing else. Sadly I think today Isabelle has had the same thing as she has spent much of the time crying on and off in some discomfort, and then this evening it turned into screaming agony. I had to nip round to a neighbour's house and ask to borrow some Calpol as we don't have any. Tamsin won't touch the stuff because it makes her vomit, so the only bottle we had was past its expiry date and we threw it out. Anyway it seems to have done the trick and the little sweetie is flaked out at last.
Tamsin has spent a lot of time today on her Learning Land CD-Roms again, and clever Daddy got the DK Learning Ladder Pre-School and I Want to Read ones working too so she's had much computer time today. We also played another of the "Reading Games" from the Usborne book borrowed from the library, which introduced Tamsin to throwing a dice and moving counters around a board.
At church this morning, she seemed much more settled in the 'Sparklers' (3-5 yo) class so I told her I was going to the toilet and left the room for 10 minutes, and she was fine! Wow, I might get to stay in the service and hear a sermon one of these days!
Tamsin has spent a lot of time today on her Learning Land CD-Roms again, and clever Daddy got the DK Learning Ladder Pre-School and I Want to Read ones working too so she's had much computer time today. We also played another of the "Reading Games" from the Usborne book borrowed from the library, which introduced Tamsin to throwing a dice and moving counters around a board.
At church this morning, she seemed much more settled in the 'Sparklers' (3-5 yo) class so I told her I was going to the toilet and left the room for 10 minutes, and she was fine! Wow, I might get to stay in the service and hear a sermon one of these days!
Saturday, February 26, 2005
What a difference!
We've had a totally different day than yesterday. The activities I prepared made all the difference.
We started with one Thomas video, very clearly stating that the TV was going off when it was finished, during which we had breakfast. This was followed by various craft activities - we made a picture of different types of snow, using rock salt, milk powder, cotton wool, and painted white pasta. We wrote Tamsin's name with spaghetti and little silver balls, and we liberally sprinkled glitter and paint around. After that, we took the dog out for a walk, which is something which doesn't happen too often these days. Poor dog gets sadly neglected. When we got back, we played a game from the "Reading Games" book we have out of the library, and then Tamsin has spent a vast amount of time on the computer with her Thomas computer game, and 3 or 4 of her Learning Land CD-Roms. While she's had her tea (plain rice by request) she's gone through several of the Learning Land magazines. LL is an old part-work that I bought the complete set of very cheaply at an NCT sale. We have talked about germs and catching illnesses and the importance of washing hands, and we have talked about rain and snow and temperature changes.
Much of this has been possible because Isabelle has slept an incredible amount today. I hope this doesn't bode ill for the night, but it's been quite useful during the day! And each time she's gone to sleep, she's quite happily accepted it being without the boob in her mouth. Looks like my tough stance yesterday did the trick, even though it was stressful with some crying (always in arms, though, and never left on her own).
Long may it all continue!
Later added: I forgot - we also moved on to Lesson 2 of Sound of the Week .... so only about a month or 6 weeks after Lesson 1. At this rate, we'll get through the phonemes when she's about, oh, 24? I definitely haven't got it in me to be a 'school at home'er - I can't stick to a plan to save my life!
We started with one Thomas video, very clearly stating that the TV was going off when it was finished, during which we had breakfast. This was followed by various craft activities - we made a picture of different types of snow, using rock salt, milk powder, cotton wool, and painted white pasta. We wrote Tamsin's name with spaghetti and little silver balls, and we liberally sprinkled glitter and paint around. After that, we took the dog out for a walk, which is something which doesn't happen too often these days. Poor dog gets sadly neglected. When we got back, we played a game from the "Reading Games" book we have out of the library, and then Tamsin has spent a vast amount of time on the computer with her Thomas computer game, and 3 or 4 of her Learning Land CD-Roms. While she's had her tea (plain rice by request) she's gone through several of the Learning Land magazines. LL is an old part-work that I bought the complete set of very cheaply at an NCT sale. We have talked about germs and catching illnesses and the importance of washing hands, and we have talked about rain and snow and temperature changes.
Much of this has been possible because Isabelle has slept an incredible amount today. I hope this doesn't bode ill for the night, but it's been quite useful during the day! And each time she's gone to sleep, she's quite happily accepted it being without the boob in her mouth. Looks like my tough stance yesterday did the trick, even though it was stressful with some crying (always in arms, though, and never left on her own).
Long may it all continue!
Later added: I forgot - we also moved on to Lesson 2 of Sound of the Week .... so only about a month or 6 weeks after Lesson 1. At this rate, we'll get through the phonemes when she's about, oh, 24? I definitely haven't got it in me to be a 'school at home'er - I can't stick to a plan to save my life!
Friday, February 25, 2005
Crap day all round
I couldn't have had a worse night's sleep last night if I'd tried - woken up countless times by both Tamsin and Isabelle variously having nightmares, needing feeding, having diarrhoea, being unable to sleep, being too hot, being too cold ... you get the picture. So I started the day incredibly tired and very grumpy.
Then today Isabelle seems to have suddenly decided she can't possibly go to sleep unless she has my boob in her mouth ... after I'd been so encouraged that at last I had a baby who would actually fall asleep on her own, suddenly she won't. Now, I've always been an attachment parenting type of parent, but TBH that led to Tamsin waking 2-hourly every night until she was well over 2 years old, and I just can't bear to do that again. So I'm determined to nip this particular habit in the bud, but to start trying to do it on a day when I am very tired, Bill is away and it's gloomy and sleeting outside is probably not the best time.
I was really wanting not to have the TV on much today, and to have some more interesting and creative play going on, but I was so desperately tired I wanted to seize the chance to try and nap a couple of times today so just left Tamsin in front of the TV/video.
And then the other issue today has been trying to prevent Tamsin eating anything that might continue to aggravate/prolong her tummy upset - so saying a hundred 'no's to requests for chocolate, cheese, biscuits etc. I've made tempting bowls full of lovely fruits and snacky veg stuff, which she has requested, and then eaten one mouthful and left the rest.
AND when I actually tried to do something useful with her, by getting out the DK Learning Ladder CD-Rom and I Want to Read CD-Rom, neither of them would work on my computer. I think the CD drive might be knackered. So I switched on Bill's computer, and left her with more Learning Land CD-Roms which she just got on with on her own for a while. But what an incredibly sedentary day - either TV/video or computer. It's just not good at all.
I know today has been particularly bad, but TBH it only feels like a worse version of our normal days, with too much TV and not a lot else that is productive/creative/imaginative or physical. Today I am wondering if I am cut out for the home-ed life. I keep thinking it will be better when she can read and write because then I can think of all sorts of interesting things she can get on with, but at the moment anything I can think of seems to involve me doing something while she watches, and I can't be bothered.
The only way I've been able to improve my outlook at all is to know that Bill has been having a far worse day - at his Mum's funeral. He has phoned tonight to say it was hard but OK, although his Dad took it very hard, as you would expect after 60-something years of marriage.
Added later: Fed up with the lack of positive activity, I have now prepared the following:
Some snow/ice activities from www.perpetualpreschool.com
Some Dr Seuss (T's fave at the moment) activities also from perpetual preschool
Some germs/health activities from perpetual preschool bearing in mind the illness that's been going round here
Printed off the Cuisenaire booklet from MuddlePuddle to get ideas for the rods
Found some Teaching Ideas to go with a couple of books we have from Barefoot Books
Then today Isabelle seems to have suddenly decided she can't possibly go to sleep unless she has my boob in her mouth ... after I'd been so encouraged that at last I had a baby who would actually fall asleep on her own, suddenly she won't. Now, I've always been an attachment parenting type of parent, but TBH that led to Tamsin waking 2-hourly every night until she was well over 2 years old, and I just can't bear to do that again. So I'm determined to nip this particular habit in the bud, but to start trying to do it on a day when I am very tired, Bill is away and it's gloomy and sleeting outside is probably not the best time.
I was really wanting not to have the TV on much today, and to have some more interesting and creative play going on, but I was so desperately tired I wanted to seize the chance to try and nap a couple of times today so just left Tamsin in front of the TV/video.
And then the other issue today has been trying to prevent Tamsin eating anything that might continue to aggravate/prolong her tummy upset - so saying a hundred 'no's to requests for chocolate, cheese, biscuits etc. I've made tempting bowls full of lovely fruits and snacky veg stuff, which she has requested, and then eaten one mouthful and left the rest.
AND when I actually tried to do something useful with her, by getting out the DK Learning Ladder CD-Rom and I Want to Read CD-Rom, neither of them would work on my computer. I think the CD drive might be knackered. So I switched on Bill's computer, and left her with more Learning Land CD-Roms which she just got on with on her own for a while. But what an incredibly sedentary day - either TV/video or computer. It's just not good at all.
I know today has been particularly bad, but TBH it only feels like a worse version of our normal days, with too much TV and not a lot else that is productive/creative/imaginative or physical. Today I am wondering if I am cut out for the home-ed life. I keep thinking it will be better when she can read and write because then I can think of all sorts of interesting things she can get on with, but at the moment anything I can think of seems to involve me doing something while she watches, and I can't be bothered.
The only way I've been able to improve my outlook at all is to know that Bill has been having a far worse day - at his Mum's funeral. He has phoned tonight to say it was hard but OK, although his Dad took it very hard, as you would expect after 60-something years of marriage.
Added later: Fed up with the lack of positive activity, I have now prepared the following:
Some snow/ice activities from www.perpetualpreschool.com
Some Dr Seuss (T's fave at the moment) activities also from perpetual preschool
Some germs/health activities from perpetual preschool bearing in mind the illness that's been going round here
Printed off the Cuisenaire booklet from MuddlePuddle to get ideas for the rods
Found some Teaching Ideas to go with a couple of books we have from Barefoot Books
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Change of plans
The weather forecast is so horrible that we don't want to risk either getting stuck in a major traffic/snow-jam or having an accident with two little kids in the car, so Bill is going up to North Yorkshire on his own and I am staying at home. I am sorry not to be able to go and share this difficult experience with him, and support him, but it feels safest and best this way. Also Tamsin has been sick again this morning - will this tummy bug never end? It's a week ago tonight that it all started.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
I've been to a Home-Ed Group ....
.... and now I feel more like a real home-edder! I've discovered this small group that meets in someone's home once a month, and went along there this afternoon. Met a really nice group of people. There weren't any organised activities and I hardly saw any kids as they all just disappeared off with each other to do computer games, drawing/painting, run round the garden in the snow. The organiser has 4 kids, the youngest ages 4 and 2, so suitable for mine to get to know. Most of the kids seem to be age 9-13, though.
Tamsin was still complaining of tummy-ache this morning, so she didn't go to playschool. Bill also still off work, although almost recovered. Tamsin has spent much of the day (when at home) playing with her Learning Land CDs, so a fair bit of education today for a change!
And if you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because tomorrow sometime we're setting off up to the north-east for MIL's funeral. Back on Saturday.
Tamsin was still complaining of tummy-ache this morning, so she didn't go to playschool. Bill also still off work, although almost recovered. Tamsin has spent much of the day (when at home) playing with her Learning Land CDs, so a fair bit of education today for a change!
And if you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because tomorrow sometime we're setting off up to the north-east for MIL's funeral. Back on Saturday.
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
I'm still well, Bill is mostly recovered, Tamsin is fine and Isabelle is having a bad tummy/windy day.
I'm just busy adding other blog links to this blog, so if anyone else disappears off the ring, I can still find them!
I'm going to a local HE meeting at someone's house tomorrow. Only found out about it a couple of weeks ago, as although it is only a 10 minute drive away from here, it's in the next county, so obviously they aren't on the GlosHomeEdders list that I'm on.
I'm just busy adding other blog links to this blog, so if anyone else disappears off the ring, I can still find them!
I'm going to a local HE meeting at someone's house tomorrow. Only found out about it a couple of weeks ago, as although it is only a 10 minute drive away from here, it's in the next county, so obviously they aren't on the GlosHomeEdders list that I'm on.
Monday, February 21, 2005
More illness
Bill's got the D&V now .... and Tamsin is having a very slight relapse too. Damn, I thought it was all over. Please, please God don't let me get it. I don't wanna be sick, waaaahh! Especially with having to keep feeding a baby no matter how I feel.
Not much going on here today - it's a CBeebies and Shrek kind of a day. We've done a bit of face painting and I'm about to bring out the Cuisenaire rods to see if that captures her attention.
Not much going on here today - it's a CBeebies and Shrek kind of a day. We've done a bit of face painting and I'm about to bring out the Cuisenaire rods to see if that captures her attention.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
If I was looking for a job, this one would be approaching ideal for me. But it's in Sheffield. And I don't want a full-time job anyway, but it's what I'd love to do. I did my uni dissertation on folate (folic acid) so it's right up my street .
Anyway, back to my real, as opposed to my fantasy, life. Today I went to a Creative Stitch and Craft Show at Cheltenham Racecourse, where I thought of all you knitters and crocheters out there. I am neither of those, but I do like the papercraft side of things, of which there wasn't very much at the Show, sadly. All I bought was a little compartmented box, for sorting Hama beads into their different colours.
Oh yes, I've just remembered what else I needed to blog. To get a bit poetic about it, there are many joys in life, like holding hands with the one you love, skiing down an Alpine mountain on a sunny day, or discovering you've won the Lottery (I haven't experienced that one!), but surely, surely there is little that's more joyful and amazing than hearing your baby's first real laughter. And that's what we've heard today, and it was truly gorgeous. Brings tears to my eyes just to think about it.
Anyway, back to my real, as opposed to my fantasy, life. Today I went to a Creative Stitch and Craft Show at Cheltenham Racecourse, where I thought of all you knitters and crocheters out there. I am neither of those, but I do like the papercraft side of things, of which there wasn't very much at the Show, sadly. All I bought was a little compartmented box, for sorting Hama beads into their different colours.
Oh yes, I've just remembered what else I needed to blog. To get a bit poetic about it, there are many joys in life, like holding hands with the one you love, skiing down an Alpine mountain on a sunny day, or discovering you've won the Lottery (I haven't experienced that one!), but surely, surely there is little that's more joyful and amazing than hearing your baby's first real laughter. And that's what we've heard today, and it was truly gorgeous. Brings tears to my eyes just to think about it.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Sickroom manners
A child who has been up 4 times in the night puking ought to have the decency to be tired and quiet and preferably sleep during the day, don't you think, to enable her mother to get a bit of rest? No such luck. She was sick a couple more times this morning but inbetween wanted an unreasonable amount of attention and activity. I insisted we all went to lie on the bed from 2-3pm but she just stayed awake and played the whole time.
She's been fine this afternoon, and I think it's all over as far as she's concerned. Not too keen on the feelings in my stomach, however. Being a vomit phobic, though, it might just be the result of a day of anxiety, not to mention starting to get my head round MIL's death.
She's been fine this afternoon, and I think it's all over as far as she's concerned. Not too keen on the feelings in my stomach, however. Being a vomit phobic, though, it might just be the result of a day of anxiety, not to mention starting to get my head round MIL's death.
Bad news and worse news
Tamsin has been vomiting through the night .... putting paid to our plans for a lovely day out with my only remaining schoolfriend and her 3 kids ....
And then there was the phone call we'd been half-expecting and dreading - Bill's Mum died around 5.30am this morning. We will miss her.
And then there was the phone call we'd been half-expecting and dreading - Bill's Mum died around 5.30am this morning. We will miss her.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
What do you make of this conversation?
Tamsin: I'm a bit like a boy.
Me: Oh? In what way are you a bit like a boy?
Tamsin: Well, because of the track.
Me: You mean, you think you're like a boy because you like to play with the train track?
Tamsin: Yes. Daisy and Holly don't have track, and Lydia couldn't find Matthew's train set.
So, I wonder where that idea has come from. Has she just put it together herself, or has someone said something? Not me, certainly! I'm delighted by my little train addict!
Me: Oh? In what way are you a bit like a boy?
Tamsin: Well, because of the track.
Me: You mean, you think you're like a boy because you like to play with the train track?
Tamsin: Yes. Daisy and Holly don't have track, and Lydia couldn't find Matthew's train set.
So, I wonder where that idea has come from. Has she just put it together herself, or has someone said something? Not me, certainly! I'm delighted by my little train addict!
Quite a good day
Yesterday felt productive and positive (insert smiley emoticon, which I don't know how to do in Blogger!). Tamsin variously enjoyed play-dough, Stickle-bricks, Brio, and varied imaginative play (including one lovely scene of pretending to make a complete dinner with bowls, food, knives and forks and a drink - which were actually various boxes, candlesticks, magnetic letters and coins - and serving all of us including several toys).
She also requested a couple of workbooks, so we did a few pages of "Telling the Time" and "Letterland Building Words/Letter Blending". The latter was a test of my lack of patience -v- what I knew I needed to do. She perfectly recognises all the letters and knows all their sounds, and yet when I encourage her to tell me the letter sounds "p - i - g", which she does perfectly, and then ask "so that says ....?", she will respond "spade!" because there is a picture of a pig digging! Several other examples of the same thing occurred. When doing rhyming words I show her and teach "r....e....d says 'r...ed' ... which is ...?" "Red" she shouts, (I am thrilled!) and yet, then I point to "b" which she can identify and say, "so b...ed says ...?" and she shouts "blue!". Hmmm, methinks she's just not ready for this yet! I was rather impressed with myself that I managed to keep (externally) calm and patient and encouraging, rather than shouting "no .. don't be stupid!" as I was tempted to do! I kept it light and funny and kept checking with her whether she wanted to carry on or stop. She chose to carry on for about 20 minutes. I don't now how much of what she got right was just guesswork and fluke! Ah well, all in good time. From what others say, one day it will all just come together.
In the afternoon, we went swimming, which was Isabelle's first time! I was a bit nervous coping with holding Isabelle and therefore not being able to do much with Tamsin, and it was definitely more limiting and less fun than just with Tamsin on her own, but Isabelle took it all in her stride, with just a little bewilderment. Tamsin can't actually swim yet, and I don't use arm-bands or any other inflatable aids because I remember trying to learn to swim myself, and being terrified of losing the help of those things, and I think I was the last person in my class at school to learn to swim, at about age 8 or 9. It feels better to me for them to just gain confidence in being in the water without inflatable aids, and then they never have to learn to give them up. Although I can see that at this stage, with two of them to cope with, it would be much easier if Tamsin could swim about on her own instead of just bouncing along on her toes.
The day took a sad turn in the evening, when Bill had a call from his sister to say that their Mum probably hasn't got long to live. She is in her 80s and has been ill for a while, but there was some hope that she would improve. It's not looking that way now.
She also requested a couple of workbooks, so we did a few pages of "Telling the Time" and "Letterland Building Words/Letter Blending". The latter was a test of my lack of patience -v- what I knew I needed to do. She perfectly recognises all the letters and knows all their sounds, and yet when I encourage her to tell me the letter sounds "p - i - g", which she does perfectly, and then ask "so that says ....?", she will respond "spade!" because there is a picture of a pig digging! Several other examples of the same thing occurred. When doing rhyming words I show her and teach "r....e....d says 'r...ed' ... which is ...?" "Red" she shouts, (I am thrilled!) and yet, then I point to "b" which she can identify and say, "so b...ed says ...?" and she shouts "blue!". Hmmm, methinks she's just not ready for this yet! I was rather impressed with myself that I managed to keep (externally) calm and patient and encouraging, rather than shouting "no .. don't be stupid!" as I was tempted to do! I kept it light and funny and kept checking with her whether she wanted to carry on or stop. She chose to carry on for about 20 minutes. I don't now how much of what she got right was just guesswork and fluke! Ah well, all in good time. From what others say, one day it will all just come together.
In the afternoon, we went swimming, which was Isabelle's first time! I was a bit nervous coping with holding Isabelle and therefore not being able to do much with Tamsin, and it was definitely more limiting and less fun than just with Tamsin on her own, but Isabelle took it all in her stride, with just a little bewilderment. Tamsin can't actually swim yet, and I don't use arm-bands or any other inflatable aids because I remember trying to learn to swim myself, and being terrified of losing the help of those things, and I think I was the last person in my class at school to learn to swim, at about age 8 or 9. It feels better to me for them to just gain confidence in being in the water without inflatable aids, and then they never have to learn to give them up. Although I can see that at this stage, with two of them to cope with, it would be much easier if Tamsin could swim about on her own instead of just bouncing along on her toes.
The day took a sad turn in the evening, when Bill had a call from his sister to say that their Mum probably hasn't got long to live. She is in her 80s and has been ill for a while, but there was some hope that she would improve. It's not looking that way now.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Why oh why ....
do I waver so easily whenever presented with somebody else's point of view? Had a lovely visit to a friend of mine this morning, who has 2 children age 5 and 8 (plus one on the way) who are both at school and are happy, friendly, delightful children. She of course asked the usual question, "Is Tamsin going to school in September?" so we got onto the home-education discussion. We had a respectful and friendly discussion, but her comments and her point of view did make me feel uncertain, again, about why I'm heading down the HE route. It all sounds so straightforward to do it the 'normal' way, and her kids certainly aren't suffering from it. I couldn't think of any points to make that were irrefutable about HE being better. Maybe I just need to memorise a few more facts and figures so I can quote them at people, but I do hate the way it's so easy for someone to make me waver on any subject on which I thought I had made up my mind!
I could say more about this but it's getting late and I need my sleep!
I could say more about this but it's getting late and I need my sleep!
Friday, February 11, 2005
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Pootling along
Nothing of any great importance happening here. Tamsin's had 3 mornings at playschool this week, while I've finally made a start on trying to get our finances back in order, which have been completely ignored since before Isabelle was born. I've also made slight progress on my To Do List, which has been hanging in the kitchen making me feel guilty but still unmotivated for about 3 weeks. I defrosted both freezers, and it felt great to cross that one off the list. One job down, 20 more to go....
I was unexpectedly on the radio yesterday! A friend who has what seems to be Gloucestershire's only cloth nappy business phoned to say there was a phone-in on Radio Gloucestershire about real nappies, and please would I phone in because so far there were only old ladies calling about how they used to have to boil terry squares in copper pans for hours on end! I did phone the number she gave me, without much of a clue as to what I wanted to say, and felt I was a bit vague and disjointed with what I said to the assistant to whom I spoke, so really didn't expect a call back to go on the show. However, after managing to track down the station on the internet and listening in (couldn't get the station on our normal radios), I was somewhat surprised to hear the DJ announce that "in a few minutes we'll be speaking to Joanna, who's really enthusiastic about using real nappies...". Sure enough, about 5 minutes later I got a call, and spoke for about 5 minutes on air about nappies! I rambled on about the ease of use, money-saving, chemical- and waste-free benefits, and about the lack of poo smells in my kitchen despite a nappy bin etc! I dunno if he was convinced, but I did my best!
Please excuse me now while I have a bit of a rant. I'm feeling frustrated that I can't find a cheap enough skiing holiday to go on. Skiing is something I just knew I would completely adore before I ever did it, and sure enough when I first went for a week in France in about 1988 I loved it. I also did one day on some slopes near Pittsburgh when visiting my brother in the USA in about 1992/3, but that's it! Since then, lack of money has simply prohibited any opportunity to go at all, not helped by the fact that Bill didn't really take to it, so wasn't keen. But having had my 40th birthday in August, I felt it was the best way I could think of to treat myself, and decided to see if we could go in March or thereabouts. But, bearing in mind this has all got to come from non-existent money (aka credit), I had forgotten in my mental calculations that we will be paying for 3 full-price tickets plus an infant, as there seem to be precious little discounts for children on skiing holidays. So I just can't find anything for less than about £1100-1200 and we just can't do that .... So unless I find an astonishingly good last-minute deal somewhere, I think it probably isn't going to happen, again, and I will have to yearn my way sadly through yet another skiing season.
Oh, but I have booked for HESFES! My first time, and it'll be just me and the girls, leaving DH to a blissful week at home with uninterrupted nights and Brio-free days.
I was unexpectedly on the radio yesterday! A friend who has what seems to be Gloucestershire's only cloth nappy business phoned to say there was a phone-in on Radio Gloucestershire about real nappies, and please would I phone in because so far there were only old ladies calling about how they used to have to boil terry squares in copper pans for hours on end! I did phone the number she gave me, without much of a clue as to what I wanted to say, and felt I was a bit vague and disjointed with what I said to the assistant to whom I spoke, so really didn't expect a call back to go on the show. However, after managing to track down the station on the internet and listening in (couldn't get the station on our normal radios), I was somewhat surprised to hear the DJ announce that "in a few minutes we'll be speaking to Joanna, who's really enthusiastic about using real nappies...". Sure enough, about 5 minutes later I got a call, and spoke for about 5 minutes on air about nappies! I rambled on about the ease of use, money-saving, chemical- and waste-free benefits, and about the lack of poo smells in my kitchen despite a nappy bin etc! I dunno if he was convinced, but I did my best!
Please excuse me now while I have a bit of a rant. I'm feeling frustrated that I can't find a cheap enough skiing holiday to go on. Skiing is something I just knew I would completely adore before I ever did it, and sure enough when I first went for a week in France in about 1988 I loved it. I also did one day on some slopes near Pittsburgh when visiting my brother in the USA in about 1992/3, but that's it! Since then, lack of money has simply prohibited any opportunity to go at all, not helped by the fact that Bill didn't really take to it, so wasn't keen. But having had my 40th birthday in August, I felt it was the best way I could think of to treat myself, and decided to see if we could go in March or thereabouts. But, bearing in mind this has all got to come from non-existent money (aka credit), I had forgotten in my mental calculations that we will be paying for 3 full-price tickets plus an infant, as there seem to be precious little discounts for children on skiing holidays. So I just can't find anything for less than about £1100-1200 and we just can't do that .... So unless I find an astonishingly good last-minute deal somewhere, I think it probably isn't going to happen, again, and I will have to yearn my way sadly through yet another skiing season.
Oh, but I have booked for HESFES! My first time, and it'll be just me and the girls, leaving DH to a blissful week at home with uninterrupted nights and Brio-free days.
Monday, February 07, 2005
Parenting a growing child involves a constant series of little gains, but also little losses. It's great to watch your child gain new skills, learn new words and change into their own person, but sometimes they leave behind little things that warmed a parent's heart.
Yesterday, I noticed that Tamsin was very clearly saying "as well" in appropriate places in the conversation, which is quite normal, except it saddened me that we will probably no longer hear the charming "wazell" which has been her previous habit until now.
On the other hand, we do still enjoy her idiosyncratic version of "Jingle Bells", which contains previously unknown (and untype-able) words, and today she exclaimed to Thomas the Tank Engine, "you Love Machine...", courtesy of watching too much Shrek 2, which had me in absolute hysterics for 10 minutes or so, contemplating the possibility of her suddenly saying that to Grandpa or in church ....!!
Yesterday, I noticed that Tamsin was very clearly saying "as well" in appropriate places in the conversation, which is quite normal, except it saddened me that we will probably no longer hear the charming "wazell" which has been her previous habit until now.
On the other hand, we do still enjoy her idiosyncratic version of "Jingle Bells", which contains previously unknown (and untype-able) words, and today she exclaimed to Thomas the Tank Engine, "you Love Machine...", courtesy of watching too much Shrek 2, which had me in absolute hysterics for 10 minutes or so, contemplating the possibility of her suddenly saying that to Grandpa or in church ....!!
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Tired .....
I'm so tired by the evenings that it's hard to get to the blogging. Tamsin's had a good week - she's really enjoyed going to playschool and I feel she and I have been getting on better. I've worked at finding opportunities to be positive and playful with her, and there's been a lot less shouting (from me) and annoying behaviour (from her). I feel like I'm really beginning to enjoy her again, a feeling which I largely lost when I got pregnant this time last year.
Isabelle is still bang on the 50th percentile line - 12lb 12oz today (3 months old). She is waking approx. 4-hourly at night, which could be worse and could be better. Can't complain too much, on the whole. When she hasn't got a tummy full of wind, she's a laid-back, happy, chilled-out babe. We have seen the homeopath about the wind problem but I'm not sure there's been much change so far - must phone tomorrow and get new instructions maybe for changing the remedy.
I attended my first Gloucestershire Home Educators meeting this week - only 3 others were there at a meeting at a soft-play centre nearby, but it was good to meet them, and started to hear about other (usually unadvertised) meetings that go on, too, so may get to those in due course. On Monday it was the deadline for registering for a school place in September, so I feel semi-official now I have told them that I do not require a state school place for Tamsin.
Isabelle is still bang on the 50th percentile line - 12lb 12oz today (3 months old). She is waking approx. 4-hourly at night, which could be worse and could be better. Can't complain too much, on the whole. When she hasn't got a tummy full of wind, she's a laid-back, happy, chilled-out babe. We have seen the homeopath about the wind problem but I'm not sure there's been much change so far - must phone tomorrow and get new instructions maybe for changing the remedy.
I attended my first Gloucestershire Home Educators meeting this week - only 3 others were there at a meeting at a soft-play centre nearby, but it was good to meet them, and started to hear about other (usually unadvertised) meetings that go on, too, so may get to those in due course. On Monday it was the deadline for registering for a school place in September, so I feel semi-official now I have told them that I do not require a state school place for Tamsin.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Bargains
I've had a bit of a blitz on charity shops recently - I've got the bug! Anyway, over the past week or so, I've visited shops in Moreton-in-Marsh, Chipping Norton, Stratford-on-Avon and Farnham in Surrey, and have got:
Light Fantastic - Science Club book (79p)
Fun with Science hardback book - 170 pages of science experiments for 99p
"The Fantastic Flying Journey" by Gerald Durrell - an adventure story introducing wildlife, geography and conservation for £1
"Where's Wally - the absolutely amazing activity book" with all sorts of interesting facts and info for 50p
The Ultimate Atlas of the World - 250 page hardback book for £2
Fun with Photography for 79p
and, most excitingly, "Reading Reflex - The foolproof Phono-Graphix method for teaching your child to read" which, on reading the first couple of chapters, looks fantastic. I don't think Tamsin's ready for intensive reading lessons yet, but this looks like a great method when the time comes.
Light Fantastic - Science Club book (79p)
Fun with Science hardback book - 170 pages of science experiments for 99p
"The Fantastic Flying Journey" by Gerald Durrell - an adventure story introducing wildlife, geography and conservation for £1
"Where's Wally - the absolutely amazing activity book" with all sorts of interesting facts and info for 50p
The Ultimate Atlas of the World - 250 page hardback book for £2
Fun with Photography for 79p
and, most excitingly, "Reading Reflex - The foolproof Phono-Graphix method for teaching your child to read" which, on reading the first couple of chapters, looks fantastic. I don't think Tamsin's ready for intensive reading lessons yet, but this looks like a great method when the time comes.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Remembering Tom
A year ago today, the 16-year old son of a family we know took his own life. Tom was a remarkable boy - the last kid in the world who you would expect to do such a thing. He always reminded me of Bambi - long legs and great big brown eyes, and a beautiful smile. And he was always smiling - he seemed (to me, knowing the family reasonably well but not very closely) to be nothing like those stereotypical moody teenagers. He was pleasant, thoughtful, kind and a pleasure to spend time with. But the most amazing thing about him was his sensitive and observant spirit, expressed in the most beautiful, mature and insightful writing you would expect from anybody, let alone a young boy. I had the privilege of reading some of his prose and poems, and was always touched and impressed by them. In the end, maybe that sensitive spirit was his undoing. I don't know. I know that, with a history of depression myself, I have feared knowing too much about the thoughts and feelings that led him to such a drastic step, although if I had asked his parents, I think they may have shared that information with me. I have in the past wrestled with such feelings and don't want to go there again.
But the other thing I know is that Tom knew Jesus, and he is now in an incredible place, with all his turmoil and pain long forgotten, and the eternal glory and joy of his Father God filling him. We will see him again, just like we will see our own son Benjamin, and all will be well.
Till then, Tom, I miss you, I remember you with love, and I am praying for your parents Alan and Jackie, and your brother James. God bless....
But the other thing I know is that Tom knew Jesus, and he is now in an incredible place, with all his turmoil and pain long forgotten, and the eternal glory and joy of his Father God filling him. We will see him again, just like we will see our own son Benjamin, and all will be well.
Till then, Tom, I miss you, I remember you with love, and I am praying for your parents Alan and Jackie, and your brother James. God bless....
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Hmmm - ticker is wrong
Lilypie is 2 days ahead of itself ... but I can only get the right age for Isabelle if I change her birthday to 2 days earlier than it actually is .... I suppose I should e-mail the Lilypie owner!
Edited to add: I have e-mailed Lilypie and the explanation is this: The ticker calculates the number of months first, i.e. Isabelle was 2 months on 3rd January. The remaining number of days until today's date is divided into weeks and days. Therefore even though Isabelle was born on a Wednesday, and therefore I expected a complete number of weeks to be showing on Wednesday, in fact as it was the 26th, it was 23 days after 3rd January, so she was 2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days! Makes sense, although counter-intuitive.
Edited to add: I have e-mailed Lilypie and the explanation is this: The ticker calculates the number of months first, i.e. Isabelle was 2 months on 3rd January. The remaining number of days until today's date is divided into weeks and days. Therefore even though Isabelle was born on a Wednesday, and therefore I expected a complete number of weeks to be showing on Wednesday, in fact as it was the 26th, it was 23 days after 3rd January, so she was 2 months, 3 weeks and 2 days! Makes sense, although counter-intuitive.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Sticky moments
I felt a lot better on Friday and Saturday, but seem to be having something of a relapse today - more pain and achiness.
The weekend has been a bit sticky .... Tamsin's and my first attempt at papier mache is making progress (though not yet finished) - we're making Humpty Dumpty. Cue glue everywhere .... And on Friday night, on coming home from a (rare) evening out, I picked up in the front garden a little bottle which had been carelessly dropped and not cleared up by the guys installing our new guttering and cladding. It emptied the rest of its contents all over my fingers, as I was looking at it to see what it was - and you would have been impressed at the lightning speed of my thinking as I read that it was superglue, and separated all my fingers in a flash! We then had one of those wonderful internet moments where we were able to find out instantly how to remove superglue - the only problem was that the remedy was nail varnish remover, and I was pretty sure I didn't have any. We tried several substances from Bill's workshop, none of which worked, so I was resigned to having stiff immovable fingers until I could make a trip to the chemists in the morning. Desperation drove me to a search of my drawers and cabinets, and - tada! - a nearly full bottle of nail varnish remover. Instant relief and bendable fingers within moments!!
There's been a fair bit of education going on - Tamsin's discovered my stash of workbooks that I've been keeping until she was ready ... and has had a go at the first few pages of each of them - Telling the Time, Match and Sort, and Letterland First Reading Activity Book. She's done really well, and enjoyed them as long as it's kept low-key and low-pressure. That's fine by me - I do find it strange though that I have a firm belief in kids doing things when they are ready, and literacy usually being pressed upon kids too early in our culture, yet I find myself with a perverse desire to see her "progress" and am excited for her to start to read. It really doesn't matter if she doesn't read for another 3 years or more, so I must beware of any feeling of rushing her.
The weekend has been a bit sticky .... Tamsin's and my first attempt at papier mache is making progress (though not yet finished) - we're making Humpty Dumpty. Cue glue everywhere .... And on Friday night, on coming home from a (rare) evening out, I picked up in the front garden a little bottle which had been carelessly dropped and not cleared up by the guys installing our new guttering and cladding. It emptied the rest of its contents all over my fingers, as I was looking at it to see what it was - and you would have been impressed at the lightning speed of my thinking as I read that it was superglue, and separated all my fingers in a flash! We then had one of those wonderful internet moments where we were able to find out instantly how to remove superglue - the only problem was that the remedy was nail varnish remover, and I was pretty sure I didn't have any. We tried several substances from Bill's workshop, none of which worked, so I was resigned to having stiff immovable fingers until I could make a trip to the chemists in the morning. Desperation drove me to a search of my drawers and cabinets, and - tada! - a nearly full bottle of nail varnish remover. Instant relief and bendable fingers within moments!!
There's been a fair bit of education going on - Tamsin's discovered my stash of workbooks that I've been keeping until she was ready ... and has had a go at the first few pages of each of them - Telling the Time, Match and Sort, and Letterland First Reading Activity Book. She's done really well, and enjoyed them as long as it's kept low-key and low-pressure. That's fine by me - I do find it strange though that I have a firm belief in kids doing things when they are ready, and literacy usually being pressed upon kids too early in our culture, yet I find myself with a perverse desire to see her "progress" and am excited for her to start to read. It really doesn't matter if she doesn't read for another 3 years or more, so I must beware of any feeling of rushing her.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Ill
Woke up in the night feeling horrendous - very achey all over and very cold. It's mastitis ... and why that's developed I have no idea as there seems to be no reason for it. Anyway I've been in bed pretty much all day. Thankfully today was Tamsin's "Grandpa Day" so she was out of the house, and Bill stayed at home to look after Isabelle with just occasional visits to me for feeding. Quite blissful really, if only I wasn't feeling ill!
I've got up to eat some dinner and watch ER, and then it'll be back to bed, I guess.
I've got up to eat some dinner and watch ER, and then it'll be back to bed, I guess.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Big Day Out
We enjoyed our trip to London today, but only met with Helen and Andy with the delightful Annie, Ada and Nataniel (did I spell that right?) whom we already knew from the MudPud camp at Kessingland. None of us had had the chance to check the e-mail before leaving, so we didn't know that Roslyn & co weren't coming, and Dorothy - if you were there, I'm sorry we missed you!
Tamsin adored the train rides, was struck dumb by the exuberant friendliness of Annie and Ada, and enjoyed our visit to the basement Garden in the Science Museum. Actually, I probably scared an attractive blonde woman in the Science Museum as I kept smiling at her in case she was Roslyn! In the end, I realised she only had one child with her, so it couldn't be! Isabelle was an angel, sleeping pretty much all the way, and especially all through the stressful tube-journey bits! We arrived home exhausted and grabbed some fish & chips for dinner before Tamsin fell asleep on my lap. And now I must hit the sack myself!
Tamsin adored the train rides, was struck dumb by the exuberant friendliness of Annie and Ada, and enjoyed our visit to the basement Garden in the Science Museum. Actually, I probably scared an attractive blonde woman in the Science Museum as I kept smiling at her in case she was Roslyn! In the end, I realised she only had one child with her, so it couldn't be! Isabelle was an angel, sleeping pretty much all the way, and especially all through the stressful tube-journey bits! We arrived home exhausted and grabbed some fish & chips for dinner before Tamsin fell asleep on my lap. And now I must hit the sack myself!
Monday, January 17, 2005
At last
Two weeks later than originally planned, I actually got round to starting "Sound of the Week". I made a poster with the words on, but adapted the 'official' lesson by adding pictures - after all, Tamsin can't read!
I set up the poster with the heading, and invited Tamsin to find the appropriate picture for the word, which I read to her and then broke down into the sounds/phonemes. She did really well, and at the end she was crowned "Queen of the Letters" and I praised her on doing brilliantly - at which point she went all sulky and started to pretend to be a baby - so what's that all about then?
Bill was off work today feeling ill - bad headache and feeling sick. I had a meeting at Little Hearts Matter about the bereavement book we've been writing. I am part of the bereavement support team for the charity that deals with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (which Benjamin had) and other single-ventricle heart conditions. This book has been 2 or 3 years in production, so far, but we're almost there, and we just had to discuss the last few amendments. Tamsin went to a friend's house for most of the day, and I took Isabelle with me.
This evening, I have developed quite a bad headache, so I do hope I'm not coming down with whatever Bill's got, because Tamsin and I are both looking forward to meeting other MuddlePuddlers at the V&A tomorrow! Well, to be honest, Tamsin is looking forward to the train journey, and couldn't care much about the rest of it!
I set up the poster with the heading, and invited Tamsin to find the appropriate picture for the word, which I read to her and then broke down into the sounds/phonemes. She did really well, and at the end she was crowned "Queen of the Letters" and I praised her on doing brilliantly - at which point she went all sulky and started to pretend to be a baby - so what's that all about then?
Bill was off work today feeling ill - bad headache and feeling sick. I had a meeting at Little Hearts Matter about the bereavement book we've been writing. I am part of the bereavement support team for the charity that deals with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (which Benjamin had) and other single-ventricle heart conditions. This book has been 2 or 3 years in production, so far, but we're almost there, and we just had to discuss the last few amendments. Tamsin went to a friend's house for most of the day, and I took Isabelle with me.
This evening, I have developed quite a bad headache, so I do hope I'm not coming down with whatever Bill's got, because Tamsin and I are both looking forward to meeting other MuddlePuddlers at the V&A tomorrow! Well, to be honest, Tamsin is looking forward to the train journey, and couldn't care much about the rest of it!
Friday, January 14, 2005
Self-indulgence
Jax suggested I might reward myself with chocolate if I do well at keeping my cool with Tamsin ... but that pleasure is already being indulged to the full! My 'new baby' present from Bill (at my request!) was chocolates from this place, and you can't do much better than that! They're gorgeous, and I have to say to my credit that I'm only having one or two per day and haven't gorged them all at once. No ... the bulk of my chocolate intake is in the form of Twix, Fudge, Milky Way and chocolate biscuits. Well, chocolate has a 'feel-good' chemical in it so it's my duty to have plenty to make sure I don't get post-natal depression, LOL!
I haven't actually drawn up a reward chart for myself, however, but I have done the one for Tamsin and we started its use tonight. She did a good job at tidying up her toys, for one 'smiley face', and she has fallen asleep without being cuddled for a second 'smiley face', although I did stay in the room (will phase that out in a few days). When she gets 5 smiley faces on each line, she can have a trip out to the play-park of her choice, whether indoor (soft-play) or outdoor! She did really well this evening, and I think it will all go quite well. When the 'falling asleep on her own' issue is sorted out, therefore giving Bill and I more (some!) evening to spend with each other, then we'll move on to getting her to stay in her own bed all night, therefore giving Bill and I better sleep without being kicked and having the duvet pulled off, and there actually being space in the bed for me to feed Isabelle lying down instead of having to sit up to feed her in the night.
This morning I went to a LLL meeting (while Tamsin was at playgroup), but I was the only attendee apart from the two co-leaders. It meant I got all the advice and chat I needed, and more! It was good and I shall be going pretty regularly (meetings are fortnightly). This afternoon Tamsin watched Mary Poppins while I had about an hour's nap with Isabelle, and then there has been some painting, Junior Scrabble, baking (except I couldn't finish the apple cake I started as I didn't have any eggs) and, of course, the permanent favourite, Brio train track.
I haven't actually drawn up a reward chart for myself, however, but I have done the one for Tamsin and we started its use tonight. She did a good job at tidying up her toys, for one 'smiley face', and she has fallen asleep without being cuddled for a second 'smiley face', although I did stay in the room (will phase that out in a few days). When she gets 5 smiley faces on each line, she can have a trip out to the play-park of her choice, whether indoor (soft-play) or outdoor! She did really well this evening, and I think it will all go quite well. When the 'falling asleep on her own' issue is sorted out, therefore giving Bill and I more (some!) evening to spend with each other, then we'll move on to getting her to stay in her own bed all night, therefore giving Bill and I better sleep without being kicked and having the duvet pulled off, and there actually being space in the bed for me to feed Isabelle lying down instead of having to sit up to feed her in the night.
This morning I went to a LLL meeting (while Tamsin was at playgroup), but I was the only attendee apart from the two co-leaders. It meant I got all the advice and chat I needed, and more! It was good and I shall be going pretty regularly (meetings are fortnightly). This afternoon Tamsin watched Mary Poppins while I had about an hour's nap with Isabelle, and then there has been some painting, Junior Scrabble, baking (except I couldn't finish the apple cake I started as I didn't have any eggs) and, of course, the permanent favourite, Brio train track.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Bits and pieces
Isabelle weighed 11lb 8oz yesterday - right on the 50th percentile. She's doing great - lovely smiles and beginning to stare at her baby gym. I love it when they start to realise that they are moving something by hitting it and start to do it deliberately - and it won't be long now!
Today I've got 2 or 3 more things crossed off my To Do list - and then added 4 more :-(
But I have got Isabelle's passport photos done so I can now get that sorted out on the very small chance that we might be able to afford to go anywhere abroad this year. I've also managed to do the Reward/Sticker Chart printed out ready to encourage Tamsin to fall asleep on her own at night - we'll start that tomorrow night.
I went to Chipping Norton today and got a few bargains in WHSmith's sale and in a charity shop. Charity shop finds were a boxed set of 12 cassette tapes with books of fairy tales, a Junior Scrabble set for 50p, and some story books, including one which looks familiar and I think I had when I was a child!
Tamsin has been doing several things repeatedly, recently: she as always loves her Brio train track; she's been interested in a book about the human body (which she refers to as the 'bone book' due to the skeleton pic (and therefore I have ordered the make-a-skeleton kit from The Book People); she loves being read the Dr Seuss stories; and doing her Learning Land CD-roms on the computer. Oh, and we had a lovely time this evening looking at the DK "Animal" book for ages.
Today I've got 2 or 3 more things crossed off my To Do list - and then added 4 more :-(
But I have got Isabelle's passport photos done so I can now get that sorted out on the very small chance that we might be able to afford to go anywhere abroad this year. I've also managed to do the Reward/Sticker Chart printed out ready to encourage Tamsin to fall asleep on her own at night - we'll start that tomorrow night.
I went to Chipping Norton today and got a few bargains in WHSmith's sale and in a charity shop. Charity shop finds were a boxed set of 12 cassette tapes with books of fairy tales, a Junior Scrabble set for 50p, and some story books, including one which looks familiar and I think I had when I was a child!
Tamsin has been doing several things repeatedly, recently: she as always loves her Brio train track; she's been interested in a book about the human body (which she refers to as the 'bone book' due to the skeleton pic (and therefore I have ordered the make-a-skeleton kit from The Book People); she loves being read the Dr Seuss stories; and doing her Learning Land CD-roms on the computer. Oh, and we had a lovely time this evening looking at the DK "Animal" book for ages.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
The morning after the night before ......
I was horrendous last night - very short-tempered and even smacked Tamsin twice (I HATE myself when I do that) and shouted a great deal (not too fond of myself about that either) :-(. I think I'm venting anger/frustration/stress that is more appropriately targeted elsewhere .... but I'm not sure my marriage will stand it if I aim it that way ... :-(
I think it would also help if we could get Tamsin used to going to sleep on her own, instead of one of us having to stay with her (usually lie down with her) until she's asleep. I think I'll draw up a sticker chart (I've been watching 'Little Angels'!) and tempt her with a My Little Pony or some such as a reward for learning to fall asleep alone. I also think I'll do myself a sticker chart for keeping cool and not blowing my top! Hmmm, what shall I reward myself with?
After all that, it's been a really nice morning today. Well, Tamsin is at playschool! And I've stayed awake instead of napping, so I've got several things done off my "To Do" list which have been waiting for ages. So that feels good :-)
The Health Visitor has phoned this morning, after leaving us alone for 4 weeks. I don't like her much, actually, but she rang to tell me about the times of the Baby Clinic, and as I'd like to know how much Isabelle weighs now (she's growing fast!) I'm just off there now, after which I will collect Tamsin.
I think it would also help if we could get Tamsin used to going to sleep on her own, instead of one of us having to stay with her (usually lie down with her) until she's asleep. I think I'll draw up a sticker chart (I've been watching 'Little Angels'!) and tempt her with a My Little Pony or some such as a reward for learning to fall asleep alone. I also think I'll do myself a sticker chart for keeping cool and not blowing my top! Hmmm, what shall I reward myself with?
After all that, it's been a really nice morning today. Well, Tamsin is at playschool! And I've stayed awake instead of napping, so I've got several things done off my "To Do" list which have been waiting for ages. So that feels good :-)
The Health Visitor has phoned this morning, after leaving us alone for 4 weeks. I don't like her much, actually, but she rang to tell me about the times of the Baby Clinic, and as I'd like to know how much Isabelle weighs now (she's growing fast!) I'm just off there now, after which I will collect Tamsin.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Routine, or lack of it
Okay, just a little vent, and then I'll try and get back into positive mode.
I am so annoyed with myself at my complete inability to ever stick to any kind of routine. I was signed up with Flylady for 4 years and have visibly failed to improve in any significant way with the housework, or have any sort of pattern to the days. I haven't managed to start the stuff I want to do with Tamsin, as mentioned yesterday. I keep having to give myself a fringe trim because I haven't got round to making a hair appointment (my normal lovely lady who comes to the house is on maternity leave at the moment); the girls get bathed at random (infrequent) intervals, etc.
Has anybody else suffered from a complete lack of self-discipline, and managed to improve at all? Or am I doomed to chaos for the rest of my life ....? I wouldn't mind if I was *happy* with being a 'free spirit', but I do feel that everything would run much more smoothly and I would get more done with less stress if only I could get a bit organised.
Anyway, there's been some nice educational stuff going on in a random kind of a way - Tamsin has had some interesting times playing with the Cuisenaire rods which arrived last week (thanks Sarah!), she's been slowly exploring her new LeapPad, and yesterday when we were about to go out to a friend's son's first birthday party, she saw the envelope with the birthday card in it, and I heard her say quietly "T....O.....M .... Tom.." which is the first time she's spontaneously read anything or broken down the sounds like that on her own!
Oh, and I've decided that since I missed out on celebrating my 40th birthday in August, due to being too tired while pregnant, I'm going to celebrate it on my half-birthday on 24th February!
I am so annoyed with myself at my complete inability to ever stick to any kind of routine. I was signed up with Flylady for 4 years and have visibly failed to improve in any significant way with the housework, or have any sort of pattern to the days. I haven't managed to start the stuff I want to do with Tamsin, as mentioned yesterday. I keep having to give myself a fringe trim because I haven't got round to making a hair appointment (my normal lovely lady who comes to the house is on maternity leave at the moment); the girls get bathed at random (infrequent) intervals, etc.
Has anybody else suffered from a complete lack of self-discipline, and managed to improve at all? Or am I doomed to chaos for the rest of my life ....? I wouldn't mind if I was *happy* with being a 'free spirit', but I do feel that everything would run much more smoothly and I would get more done with less stress if only I could get a bit organised.
Anyway, there's been some nice educational stuff going on in a random kind of a way - Tamsin has had some interesting times playing with the Cuisenaire rods which arrived last week (thanks Sarah!), she's been slowly exploring her new LeapPad, and yesterday when we were about to go out to a friend's son's first birthday party, she saw the envelope with the birthday card in it, and I heard her say quietly "T....O.....M .... Tom.." which is the first time she's spontaneously read anything or broken down the sounds like that on her own!
Oh, and I've decided that since I missed out on celebrating my 40th birthday in August, due to being too tired while pregnant, I'm going to celebrate it on my half-birthday on 24th February!
Monday, January 10, 2005
Musings on mothering
Well, here I am again, but still with a baby on my knee. She fell into a deep sleep about 15 mins ago, and I put her down on a chair .... within 5 mins she was awake again - grrr!
In a way it links in a bit with what I wanted to blog about last night, mostly connected with feelings about motherhood. But I don't really feel I have the words for it now - the moment seems to have passed. In a nutshell, I am somewhat sad to not be able to hang on to the feelings of being aware of the miracle and wonder of having a child ... Obviously when Benjamin was born and his hold on life was so fragile, every moment with him was precious and to be treasured. Then we lost him, and it was another 2 years before Tamsin arrived, and she too was a complete blessing and I adored every moment with her for a long long time. Now she's a challenging 3.5 year old, and Isabelle has arrived, and everything is just 'normal'. In many ways that's great - no-one wants to live on a knife-edge of wondering if your child is going to live, and it's great to just have a very normal family life, but I feel a bit sad that I am not so aware of the miracle of every moment that I have with Tamsin and Isabelle. I wish I was less irritable, grumpy and wanting-to-be-somewhere-else and more immersing myself in the wonder of their presence. The grief after Benjamin died was horrendously awful, obviously, but I was aware even at the time of the gifts that it brought as well, one of which was the awareness that, truly, every breath a person takes is a gift, and the presence of your own child as a happy, living, breathing person is about the greatest high it's possible to have in this life. But I just can't recapture that feeling.
Hmmm, maybe I did have the words after all.
Anyway, I still haven't done anything about the learning stuff I blogged about a week ago, and I am also failing miserably in my New Year's aims.
Still, life isn't all bad - ER is back!
In a way it links in a bit with what I wanted to blog about last night, mostly connected with feelings about motherhood. But I don't really feel I have the words for it now - the moment seems to have passed. In a nutshell, I am somewhat sad to not be able to hang on to the feelings of being aware of the miracle and wonder of having a child ... Obviously when Benjamin was born and his hold on life was so fragile, every moment with him was precious and to be treasured. Then we lost him, and it was another 2 years before Tamsin arrived, and she too was a complete blessing and I adored every moment with her for a long long time. Now she's a challenging 3.5 year old, and Isabelle has arrived, and everything is just 'normal'. In many ways that's great - no-one wants to live on a knife-edge of wondering if your child is going to live, and it's great to just have a very normal family life, but I feel a bit sad that I am not so aware of the miracle of every moment that I have with Tamsin and Isabelle. I wish I was less irritable, grumpy and wanting-to-be-somewhere-else and more immersing myself in the wonder of their presence. The grief after Benjamin died was horrendously awful, obviously, but I was aware even at the time of the gifts that it brought as well, one of which was the awareness that, truly, every breath a person takes is a gift, and the presence of your own child as a happy, living, breathing person is about the greatest high it's possible to have in this life. But I just can't recapture that feeling.
Hmmm, maybe I did have the words after all.
Anyway, I still haven't done anything about the learning stuff I blogged about a week ago, and I am also failing miserably in my New Year's aims.
Still, life isn't all bad - ER is back!
Will I ever get it all done?
It's frustrating - I have tons I want to blog but I don't seem to get enough time on the computer without a babe in arms. But I have realised one thing I'm doing wrong - I need to write my own blog before I read the blog-ring - otherwise I run out of time, thoughts and energy to do my own!
If Isabelle ever goes to sleep and lets me put her down without waking again within 5 minutes, I'll be back to blog some more!
If Isabelle ever goes to sleep and lets me put her down without waking again within 5 minutes, I'll be back to blog some more!
Monday, January 03, 2005
Planning
I think I might start to bring just a tiny bit of structure into some learning. Tamsin is only 3.5 so I don't feel the need to do a lot - she mostly needs lots of playing time - but she does know all the single letters and letter sounds and is starting a little phonics work of putting them together (although so far she hasn't done any of this herself, but has listened to us as we explain). Anyway, it seems like a good time to start to introduce some blends, so, as a note to self:
1. Start doing the "Sound of the Week" lessons
2. Check out the Reading A-Z website and see if there's anything from there I want to be doing
1. Start doing the "Sound of the Week" lessons
2. Check out the Reading A-Z website and see if there's anything from there I want to be doing
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Aims and hopes for the New Year
I daren't call them New Year's Resolutions, because I know I haven't quite resolved to do these things, but cerrtainly I am going to work towards these things, and I must write them down to make it more likely that they happen.
1. Get Tamsin eating better. This includes us all eating at the table more often, and getting her to eat a wider variety of foods and less chocolate.
2. This means I have to eat less chocolate, because often I offer her some because I want some.
3. Less TV/videos for Tamsin. Ideal would be less than an hour a day. I will settle for 2 hours in the interim.
4. Spend more time with Bill, and therefore less time on the computer.
5. Improve on the evening routine, meaning get Tamsin's dinner by 5-5.30pm, so that there is time for a bath if necessary and into bed by 7pm. This will allow more time for number 4.
There are many more things I would like to work on, but these are the most pressing at the moment, and once achieved (!) we'll see about the rest!
1. Get Tamsin eating better. This includes us all eating at the table more often, and getting her to eat a wider variety of foods and less chocolate.
2. This means I have to eat less chocolate, because often I offer her some because I want some.
3. Less TV/videos for Tamsin. Ideal would be less than an hour a day. I will settle for 2 hours in the interim.
4. Spend more time with Bill, and therefore less time on the computer.
5. Improve on the evening routine, meaning get Tamsin's dinner by 5-5.30pm, so that there is time for a bath if necessary and into bed by 7pm. This will allow more time for number 4.
There are many more things I would like to work on, but these are the most pressing at the moment, and once achieved (!) we'll see about the rest!
The pics!
At last, I managed to get a pic of our very first Hama bead project - it's humble but it's a start!
One of yesterday's fun times was face-painting again - this time she wanted to be a rabbit. I never was any sort of artist, so it's not brilliant, but it's fun anyway.
Isabelle has done a lot of smiling and laughing recently - it's so gorgeous. If I could bottle the feeling this gives me, and sell it, the whole world would be ecstatic and I would be a multi-billionaire!
And she's just so cute, I couldn't resist posting another pic:
One of yesterday's fun times was face-painting again - this time she wanted to be a rabbit. I never was any sort of artist, so it's not brilliant, but it's fun anyway.
Isabelle has done a lot of smiling and laughing recently - it's so gorgeous. If I could bottle the feeling this gives me, and sell it, the whole world would be ecstatic and I would be a multi-billionaire!
And she's just so cute, I couldn't resist posting another pic:
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Our first Hama!
Despite having resisted the temptation to Hama beads so far, due to Tamsin's tendency to fling small things in handfuls round the room, she got given some for Christmas so on about 27th/28th, we made our first item which was a very pretty heart. She was under very strict instructions that if any ended up on the floor, they would all be taken away, and she did really well although I had to remain close by for supervision.
Yes, I know, this post is useless without photos, LOL, but that's why it's been a week since I posted - I wanted to have a pic to put up but I haven't even managed to get to the camera to take a photo, let alone download it.
We've had a very low-key week, with surprisingly little having been achieved despite Bill being off work. Two children manage to take up all the time that these two adults have, considering that we need significant nap times each day (the adults, that is!) to cope, in my case, with feeding Isabelle several times during the night and in Bill's case, his tendency to stay up till 2 or 3am. Tamsin has spent most of her time either with her Brio train track or watching Thomas videos. She's lost interest, for the time being, in learning and practising letters, which she was really into a few months ago. I'm sure her interest will re-ignite in due course.
The only other thing of significance to be noted is that I watched the Wizard of Oz for the first time! How I managed to get to the age of 40 without ever having seen it, I don't really know, LOL! Tamsin is developing rather an affection for Mary Poppins, which we have on video, and also loves Tom and Jerry!
Yes, I know, this post is useless without photos, LOL, but that's why it's been a week since I posted - I wanted to have a pic to put up but I haven't even managed to get to the camera to take a photo, let alone download it.
We've had a very low-key week, with surprisingly little having been achieved despite Bill being off work. Two children manage to take up all the time that these two adults have, considering that we need significant nap times each day (the adults, that is!) to cope, in my case, with feeding Isabelle several times during the night and in Bill's case, his tendency to stay up till 2 or 3am. Tamsin has spent most of her time either with her Brio train track or watching Thomas videos. She's lost interest, for the time being, in learning and practising letters, which she was really into a few months ago. I'm sure her interest will re-ignite in due course.
The only other thing of significance to be noted is that I watched the Wizard of Oz for the first time! How I managed to get to the age of 40 without ever having seen it, I don't really know, LOL! Tamsin is developing rather an affection for Mary Poppins, which we have on video, and also loves Tom and Jerry!
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Up to our knees in chocolate and Baileys
I'm sure we could last a year on the chocolate, and two years or more on the Baileys we have received - people must know we are gluttonous hedonists, LOL! The sad thing is, I can't eat or drink any of it until Isabelle is over the colic, for which I have given up dairy. Oh well, only about another 5 weeks or so to go. Probably just as well, as I still have about a stone of baby-weight to lose.
Tamsin has had a great day, waking up around 7.30am and enjoying opening her stocking gifts. After dressing and breakfast, she opened one present, which was an impulse purchase yesterday late afternoon, when we all walked into town and went to the chemists. Every time we have been in there, Tamsin has gathered as many of the soft toy pink kittens she could find and carried them round while I've been getting what I needed. I had thought about getting her one but forgot, so I sneaked one into my shopping when she wasn't looking, and she was thrilled this morning. She wouldn't let go of it, and took it to church with us this morning for the traditional kids' "show and tell" with a favourite present. She agreed to go up to the front with me to show it to everyone, to my surprise, but she won't speak to people she doesn't know very well, though, so refused to tell Phil, our minister, what the kitten's name was. She never has said a word to him, and he's on a charm offensive to win her over. "Maybe if I stay here 20 years, I'll get her to speak to me" he said.
After stopping off to put flowers on Benjamin's grave, we got home to more leisurely present opening. Tamsin enjoyed her presents very much to start with, especially the ladybird raincoat and welly boots from Grandpa and the LeapPad and roller skates from us, but behaviour deteriorated later on with her just wanting to rip all and any presents open with little concern for what was inside or who it was for. It all gets a bit too much for a 3-year old, obviously. Mind you, on a diet of lollipops, crisps, peanuts and chocolate, what can we expect, LOL! She refused to eat any proper breakfast or even my lovingly prepared Christmas lunch, even when we'd done our best to keep her hungry enough to do so. One of my NY resolutions is to improve her eating habits, and I may resort to a sticker chart/reward situation to do so.
Great excitement erupted when it snowed and it lasted, ooh, must have been ... 30 seconds or so! So much for our white Christmas!
All in all it's been a pretty nice day, and following on from Christmas Eve when we had a couple of unexpected visits from old friends who it was simply delightful to see, I've enjoyed myself.
Bill and I had kept on dithering about presents for each other, but eventually late last night we placed an order for a DVD player as a joint present, so that's to look forward to. Slight technical hitch - our TV doesn't have the appropriate socket to connect it into .... so we may be browsing the sales or the small ads for a new TV as well.
Tamsin has had a great day, waking up around 7.30am and enjoying opening her stocking gifts. After dressing and breakfast, she opened one present, which was an impulse purchase yesterday late afternoon, when we all walked into town and went to the chemists. Every time we have been in there, Tamsin has gathered as many of the soft toy pink kittens she could find and carried them round while I've been getting what I needed. I had thought about getting her one but forgot, so I sneaked one into my shopping when she wasn't looking, and she was thrilled this morning. She wouldn't let go of it, and took it to church with us this morning for the traditional kids' "show and tell" with a favourite present. She agreed to go up to the front with me to show it to everyone, to my surprise, but she won't speak to people she doesn't know very well, though, so refused to tell Phil, our minister, what the kitten's name was. She never has said a word to him, and he's on a charm offensive to win her over. "Maybe if I stay here 20 years, I'll get her to speak to me" he said.
After stopping off to put flowers on Benjamin's grave, we got home to more leisurely present opening. Tamsin enjoyed her presents very much to start with, especially the ladybird raincoat and welly boots from Grandpa and the LeapPad and roller skates from us, but behaviour deteriorated later on with her just wanting to rip all and any presents open with little concern for what was inside or who it was for. It all gets a bit too much for a 3-year old, obviously. Mind you, on a diet of lollipops, crisps, peanuts and chocolate, what can we expect, LOL! She refused to eat any proper breakfast or even my lovingly prepared Christmas lunch, even when we'd done our best to keep her hungry enough to do so. One of my NY resolutions is to improve her eating habits, and I may resort to a sticker chart/reward situation to do so.
Great excitement erupted when it snowed and it lasted, ooh, must have been ... 30 seconds or so! So much for our white Christmas!
All in all it's been a pretty nice day, and following on from Christmas Eve when we had a couple of unexpected visits from old friends who it was simply delightful to see, I've enjoyed myself.
Bill and I had kept on dithering about presents for each other, but eventually late last night we placed an order for a DVD player as a joint present, so that's to look forward to. Slight technical hitch - our TV doesn't have the appropriate socket to connect it into .... so we may be browsing the sales or the small ads for a new TV as well.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Christmas Eve....
Am I ready? - no! I went to Tesco at 9.30pm last night, expecting the staff to be busy re-stocking the depleted shelves, and they were, but not with the stuff I needed! Aargh! I'll have to shop again today. Also various presents still to wrap and deliver to friends, some cards not yet posted, and I've decided to give up on the USA cards and just e-mail them to apologise!
The good news is that Isabelle slept for a 6-hour stretch last night! The longest since that fluke all-nighter she did when she was about 2 weeks old. The bad news is that it was between 9pm and 3am, so I was only sleeping for about the last 2 hours of it. The other question is, did she sleep so well because she was still in her car-seat after our trip to Tescos, or because she was wrapped up very snug and warm in her big cuddly all-in-one coat-thing! I am very conscious of the dangers of overheating your baby, but I am slightly tempted to dress her in her outdoor thing again tonight and see if she sleeps just as well.
Tamsin's only request for Christmas is a lollipop - easily satisfied, then! I am appreciating that lovely innocence and ignorance of consumerism, as I suspect it will be gone by next year!
I'm sure there are all sorts of interesting educational-type conversations we've been having that I meant to blog, but busy-ness and tiredness means I have forgotten them all. Not that it matters really, just that it's nice to keep a record of these things as she develops and learns.
I may not get back to blog again before tomorrow, so I will wish all visitors to my blog a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and joyful New Year.
The good news is that Isabelle slept for a 6-hour stretch last night! The longest since that fluke all-nighter she did when she was about 2 weeks old. The bad news is that it was between 9pm and 3am, so I was only sleeping for about the last 2 hours of it. The other question is, did she sleep so well because she was still in her car-seat after our trip to Tescos, or because she was wrapped up very snug and warm in her big cuddly all-in-one coat-thing! I am very conscious of the dangers of overheating your baby, but I am slightly tempted to dress her in her outdoor thing again tonight and see if she sleeps just as well.
Tamsin's only request for Christmas is a lollipop - easily satisfied, then! I am appreciating that lovely innocence and ignorance of consumerism, as I suspect it will be gone by next year!
I'm sure there are all sorts of interesting educational-type conversations we've been having that I meant to blog, but busy-ness and tiredness means I have forgotten them all. Not that it matters really, just that it's nice to keep a record of these things as she develops and learns.
I may not get back to blog again before tomorrow, so I will wish all visitors to my blog a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful and joyful New Year.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Better late than never .....?
Soundtrack to my life:
“Long-haired lover from Liverpool” Jimmy Osmond – my fave and passion at the time and the first record of my own (my parents bought it for me) – please forgive me, I was only 10!
“Silver Lady” and “Don’t give up on us” by David Soul – OK, well I was still young (13/14) and madly in love with DS of Starsky & Hutch by this time. Also reminds me of my friend Sue, my only friend I am still in touch with from school, because she was madly in love with him too, and all the fun we had together.
“Hey Jude” The Beatles – was always the last smoochy song played at school discos
“Aye Aye Aye Aye Moosey” by Modern Romance – College discos when I was about 17 – I danced with a guy nicknamed Moosey who fancied me but the feeling wasn’t mutual… Also "Oops upside your head" from around the same time
“Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits – a passionate teen romance
Queen – “Don’t stop me now” – Those great wild days of living in my first shared house away from home/parents and doing wild and crazy things with friends.
“Shanghai Breezes” and "Seasons of the Heart" by John Denver – sitting waiting in a car in Madison, Wisconsin, USA on my first trip there with Bill early in our romance, this came on the radio.
"Perhaps Love" - John Denver: engraved into Bill's engagement ring
“For You” – John Denver: Bill and I – our song: "For you, all the rest of my life for you, all the best of my life for you alone, only for you"
“Keep on loving you” REO Speedwagon – Sitting in the Intensive Care Unit late one night, watching over Benjamin, only a few days old, wondering if he was going to make it, and the radio was playing and I heard these words: “Hey baby I'm gonna keep on lovin you, Cause it's the only thing I wanna do, I don't wanna sleep, I just wanna keep on lovin you”
When Benjamin died:
“Fly” Celine Dion: Fly, fly precious one Your endless journey has begun Take your gentle happiness Far too beautiful for this Cross over to the other shore There is peace forevermore But hold this mem'ry bittersweet Until we meet
”My heart will go on” Celine Dion: Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime And never let go till we're gone Love was when I loved you One true time I hold to In my life we'll always go on
“Never had a dream come true” S Club 7 - I never had a dream come true, Till that day that I found you, Even though I pretend that I've moved on, You'll always be my baby, I never found the words to say, You're the one I think about each day, And I know no matter where love takes me to, A part of me will always be with you
Shania Twain “From this moment on” – when I found out I was pregnant again (with Tamsin):
From this moment life has begun, From this moment you are the one, Right beside you is where I belong, From this moment on
From this moment I have been blessed, I live only for your happiness, And for your love I'd give my last breath, From this moment on
I give my hand to you with all my heart, Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart, My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live, I will love you, I promise you this, There is nothing I wouldn't give, From this moment on
You're the reason I believe in love, And you're the answer to my prayers from up above, All we need is just the two of us, My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live, I will love you, I promise you this, From this moment
I will love you as long as I live, From this moment on
“Long-haired lover from Liverpool” Jimmy Osmond – my fave and passion at the time and the first record of my own (my parents bought it for me) – please forgive me, I was only 10!
“Silver Lady” and “Don’t give up on us” by David Soul – OK, well I was still young (13/14) and madly in love with DS of Starsky & Hutch by this time. Also reminds me of my friend Sue, my only friend I am still in touch with from school, because she was madly in love with him too, and all the fun we had together.
“Hey Jude” The Beatles – was always the last smoochy song played at school discos
“Aye Aye Aye Aye Moosey” by Modern Romance – College discos when I was about 17 – I danced with a guy nicknamed Moosey who fancied me but the feeling wasn’t mutual… Also "Oops upside your head" from around the same time
“Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits – a passionate teen romance
Queen – “Don’t stop me now” – Those great wild days of living in my first shared house away from home/parents and doing wild and crazy things with friends.
“Shanghai Breezes” and "Seasons of the Heart" by John Denver – sitting waiting in a car in Madison, Wisconsin, USA on my first trip there with Bill early in our romance, this came on the radio.
"Perhaps Love" - John Denver: engraved into Bill's engagement ring
“For You” – John Denver: Bill and I – our song: "For you, all the rest of my life for you, all the best of my life for you alone, only for you"
“Keep on loving you” REO Speedwagon – Sitting in the Intensive Care Unit late one night, watching over Benjamin, only a few days old, wondering if he was going to make it, and the radio was playing and I heard these words: “Hey baby I'm gonna keep on lovin you, Cause it's the only thing I wanna do, I don't wanna sleep, I just wanna keep on lovin you”
When Benjamin died:
“Fly” Celine Dion: Fly, fly precious one Your endless journey has begun Take your gentle happiness Far too beautiful for this Cross over to the other shore There is peace forevermore But hold this mem'ry bittersweet Until we meet
”My heart will go on” Celine Dion: Love can touch us one time And last for a lifetime And never let go till we're gone Love was when I loved you One true time I hold to In my life we'll always go on
“Never had a dream come true” S Club 7 - I never had a dream come true, Till that day that I found you, Even though I pretend that I've moved on, You'll always be my baby, I never found the words to say, You're the one I think about each day, And I know no matter where love takes me to, A part of me will always be with you
Shania Twain “From this moment on” – when I found out I was pregnant again (with Tamsin):
From this moment life has begun, From this moment you are the one, Right beside you is where I belong, From this moment on
From this moment I have been blessed, I live only for your happiness, And for your love I'd give my last breath, From this moment on
I give my hand to you with all my heart, Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart, My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live, I will love you, I promise you this, There is nothing I wouldn't give, From this moment on
You're the reason I believe in love, And you're the answer to my prayers from up above, All we need is just the two of us, My dreams came true because of you
From this moment as long as I live, I will love you, I promise you this, From this moment
I will love you as long as I live, From this moment on
Sunday, December 19, 2004
What was she thinking?
I suppose it's fairly normal 3.5 y.o. behaviour to put a wastebin on your head while sitting on the potty - and then empty the rubbish out of the bag onto the floor ....? Or have I borne a complete nutter ... ?
.
We took the opportunity of having my brother and family here today to get a family photo with all of us together - which we haven't had since Isabelle was born - but Tamsin was somewhat unwilling -
She's hiding behind the Christmas tree...
.
We took the opportunity of having my brother and family here today to get a family photo with all of us together - which we haven't had since Isabelle was born - but Tamsin was somewhat unwilling -
She's hiding behind the Christmas tree...
Eventually she was bribed with the promise of an ice-cream!
.
Actually we all look remarkably cheerful considering how we're feeling. I got precious little sleep (again) as Isabelle had another bad bout of colic, and even though Bill tried to give me a lie-in by getting up with Tamsin this morning, she kept coming and disturbing me anyway. I wanted to go to church this morning for the nativity play (always a big aaahh factor!) but just felt too wrecked. And I'm feeling seriously overwhelmed by how much 'stuff' I've got to do and how little time I actually get to do it. I've been trying to do a birth announcement for Isabelle to send out with the Christmas cards, and only got that finished last night but still haven't printed them all (so why am I blogging instead of printing ....?). I suspect I haven't got enough Christmas cards anyway. I am still short of a present to send to the USA so all of that family's stuff will have to wait ... I have no idea what we're eating for Christmas ... I have no idea what prezzy to get for Bill ... There are a few people I wanted to invite for various meals/days over Christmas, and haven't got round to phoning any of them yet ... and Bill is just in a general decline because we had 'words' yesterday and he's grumpy ... not to mention our finances which I haven't sorted out for 3 months, and the enormous piles of clutter round the house.
I promise to try and be less gloomy tomorrow .... as long as I get a decent amount of sleep tonight!
.
Actually we all look remarkably cheerful considering how we're feeling. I got precious little sleep (again) as Isabelle had another bad bout of colic, and even though Bill tried to give me a lie-in by getting up with Tamsin this morning, she kept coming and disturbing me anyway. I wanted to go to church this morning for the nativity play (always a big aaahh factor!) but just felt too wrecked. And I'm feeling seriously overwhelmed by how much 'stuff' I've got to do and how little time I actually get to do it. I've been trying to do a birth announcement for Isabelle to send out with the Christmas cards, and only got that finished last night but still haven't printed them all (so why am I blogging instead of printing ....?). I suspect I haven't got enough Christmas cards anyway. I am still short of a present to send to the USA so all of that family's stuff will have to wait ... I have no idea what we're eating for Christmas ... I have no idea what prezzy to get for Bill ... There are a few people I wanted to invite for various meals/days over Christmas, and haven't got round to phoning any of them yet ... and Bill is just in a general decline because we had 'words' yesterday and he's grumpy ... not to mention our finances which I haven't sorted out for 3 months, and the enormous piles of clutter round the house.
I promise to try and be less gloomy tomorrow .... as long as I get a decent amount of sleep tonight!
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Bits and pieces
Isabelle was weighed yesterday, and was 9lb 15oz - up from 8lb 5oz 10 days ago. That mummy milk is good stuff, obviously! She also melted my heart when she looked straight at me and smiled for the first time this morning - aaaahh!! She has been smiling for a week or two but only while gazing out of the window, or whatever...
I've been busy trying to get sorted out for Christmas but it all seems to be coming together extremely slowly - I did a bit of internet shopping over the past couple of evenings, and today, with Tamsin at her Grandpa's for the day, I made an expedition to Cheltenham with Isabelle and rather enjoyed going round the shops without having to play hide-and-seek with a 3-year-old! I made good progress but still have some gifts to get - including some that have to be sent to the USA - oops! Cards are ready but not the birth announcements that have to go in many of them!
I've been busy trying to get sorted out for Christmas but it all seems to be coming together extremely slowly - I did a bit of internet shopping over the past couple of evenings, and today, with Tamsin at her Grandpa's for the day, I made an expedition to Cheltenham with Isabelle and rather enjoyed going round the shops without having to play hide-and-seek with a 3-year-old! I made good progress but still have some gifts to get - including some that have to be sent to the USA - oops! Cards are ready but not the birth announcements that have to go in many of them!
Monday, December 13, 2004
Some milestones
for my daughters (seems odd to be using the plural, LOL!):
Tamsin is in bed without her bed-rail for the first time .... so I've piled up a large duvet on the floor next to the bed for if (when?) she falls out ...
Isabelle has moved into 0-3 month clothes today, rather than the newborn stuff. The Health Visitor is coming tomorrow so she'll be weighed again - it'll be interesting to find out how heavy she is!
Isabelle and I went to the GP for our 6-week check today ... all is well except she has a nasty dose of oral thrush so we have the oral gel and cream to spread about liberally. I'm a bit bothered about it as Tamsin had the same, and we never really managed to get rid of hers, in fact I think she's still got it as she is complaining of itchy 'private bits'.
That 6-week check thing, though, is a bit of a hurdle for me, as Benjamin died on the day he had his (although it was the day before he turned 8 weeks old). I couldn't face doing it with Tamsin so a different GP than our own came to our house to do hers. So this time I went back to our normal GP and feel quite brave to have done so. Not that there's anything wrong with him, but just a fear of repeating the same circumstances. It was important to me, though, that my Mum wasn't staying today, like she was 5.5 years ago, and that it wasn't market day. Anyway, it's 11.25pm and Isabelle is still alive!!! And have I told you lately how cute she is - she's just gorgeous!!
Tamsin is in bed without her bed-rail for the first time .... so I've piled up a large duvet on the floor next to the bed for if (when?) she falls out ...
Isabelle has moved into 0-3 month clothes today, rather than the newborn stuff. The Health Visitor is coming tomorrow so she'll be weighed again - it'll be interesting to find out how heavy she is!
Isabelle and I went to the GP for our 6-week check today ... all is well except she has a nasty dose of oral thrush so we have the oral gel and cream to spread about liberally. I'm a bit bothered about it as Tamsin had the same, and we never really managed to get rid of hers, in fact I think she's still got it as she is complaining of itchy 'private bits'.
That 6-week check thing, though, is a bit of a hurdle for me, as Benjamin died on the day he had his (although it was the day before he turned 8 weeks old). I couldn't face doing it with Tamsin so a different GP than our own came to our house to do hers. So this time I went back to our normal GP and feel quite brave to have done so. Not that there's anything wrong with him, but just a fear of repeating the same circumstances. It was important to me, though, that my Mum wasn't staying today, like she was 5.5 years ago, and that it wasn't market day. Anyway, it's 11.25pm and Isabelle is still alive!!! And have I told you lately how cute she is - she's just gorgeous!!
Friday, December 10, 2004
Spider and crocodile
were my first ever attempts at face (and arm!) painting:
Spider and crocodile girl - her favourite creatures!
OK, so it's not brilliant, but Tamsin was very pleased!
The day didn't start well with Isabelle crying from 3.30am - 5am with colic/wind pain which was quite distressing for both of us. I had been intending to go to a LLL meeting this morning but was just too tired. Tamsin went off with Grandpa for their weekly day out, and as Isabelle was definitely tired by 9.30am, I thought she would probably sleep for a while and hoped to do so myself to catch up a bit. No such luck - she didn't actually fall asleep till noon. I wondered if the colic and the staying awake were due to me having a few Smarties last night ... the milk in the chocolate maybe? Will have to stay away from chocolate for a few days and see ... hmm, what else am I going to eat - that's what I've pretty much been living on! I think I'll be eating a lot of bourbon biscuits which don't have any milk in them.
So it was walk the floor all morning with a fussy Isabelle, both asleep from 12-2pm, then a few things done this afternoon which have been waiting for months - a few bits of mending and just 3 items to iron. I've pretty much totally given up ironing most things but there are sometimes just one or two items that really need it. I'm also intending to list a few things on Ebay and have been taking photos and sorting things out, and made a few phone calls that have been waiting a week or so. The address database for our Christmas card list is almost up-to-date (Note to self: update everybody's addresses when they change rather than waiting till December!) so maybe we'll get those out before too long. I'm probably already too late for the USA/other foreign ones, but everybody's used to me being late with them by now.
When Tamsin came home she had a magic painting book from Grandpa, so we had a little go with that (they're totally useless, aren't they?) and then the face painting and a bit of dinner. Now it's bed-time!
Spider and crocodile girl - her favourite creatures!
OK, so it's not brilliant, but Tamsin was very pleased!
The day didn't start well with Isabelle crying from 3.30am - 5am with colic/wind pain which was quite distressing for both of us. I had been intending to go to a LLL meeting this morning but was just too tired. Tamsin went off with Grandpa for their weekly day out, and as Isabelle was definitely tired by 9.30am, I thought she would probably sleep for a while and hoped to do so myself to catch up a bit. No such luck - she didn't actually fall asleep till noon. I wondered if the colic and the staying awake were due to me having a few Smarties last night ... the milk in the chocolate maybe? Will have to stay away from chocolate for a few days and see ... hmm, what else am I going to eat - that's what I've pretty much been living on! I think I'll be eating a lot of bourbon biscuits which don't have any milk in them.
So it was walk the floor all morning with a fussy Isabelle, both asleep from 12-2pm, then a few things done this afternoon which have been waiting for months - a few bits of mending and just 3 items to iron. I've pretty much totally given up ironing most things but there are sometimes just one or two items that really need it. I'm also intending to list a few things on Ebay and have been taking photos and sorting things out, and made a few phone calls that have been waiting a week or so. The address database for our Christmas card list is almost up-to-date (Note to self: update everybody's addresses when they change rather than waiting till December!) so maybe we'll get those out before too long. I'm probably already too late for the USA/other foreign ones, but everybody's used to me being late with them by now.
When Tamsin came home she had a magic painting book from Grandpa, so we had a little go with that (they're totally useless, aren't they?) and then the face painting and a bit of dinner. Now it's bed-time!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Where was I.....?
Picking up from where I left off .....! Firstly, I have to say how very brave I'm being right now - Tamsin is at playschool this morning, and Isabelle has gone back to sleep, and I am NOT having a nap but staying awake! Will I last the day without becoming evil bitch mother from hell...? I'll let you know.
The weekend visiting Bill's parents was a bit sad really - his Mum (age 82) has not been well for a while and is down to 6 stone 3, and is just skin and bones. We left thinking this might be the last time we see her. Added to which Bill's Dad (age 87) is either having a strange emotional reaction to the situation, or maybe is going downhill a bit himself, and is being quite unhelpful and nasty to her for much of the time. They were, however, delighted to see Isabelle for the first time, although a little disappointed that they couldn't seem to bond much with Tamsin ... she's very wary of people she doesn't know very well and won't talk to them or interact with them much at all.
Bill with the proud grandparents and Isabelle
Tamsin didn't want her photo taken ...
Isabelle's been quite colicky for the past few days... I have been trying to omit dairy from my diet but it hasn't been easy, especially with my main downfall being chocolate! I made strenuous efforts yesterday, though, and not a molecule of dairy protein passed my lips, so we'll see how it goes. The only thing that comforts her when she's in pain is sucking a parent's finger, so it's incredibly hard to do anything like get dressed, eat or anything when you have to hold the baby with one arm and have a finger in her mouth. Fortunately Bill was at home yesterday so we took it in turns to eat and play with Tamsin, so I am really hoping that today is better as he is back at work now.
On the way home from Teesside we had a disastrous trip (financially speaking...) to the Nottingham Ikea... hmm, Question of the Day - is that place an invention of the devil or God's gift to impoverished home furnishings buyers ....?
I am now very thoroughly fed up of the messy, cluttered and generally tatty state of this house. I want to have a huge de-clutter and throw-out of stuff but various problems arise: 1) I want to throw out Bill's stuff and he wants to throw out my stuff; 2) I can't find any time to do it due to permanently having a finger in Isabelle's mouth (see above) or trying to catch up on lost sleep; 3) if we threw away all the tatty stuff (torn furniture, grotty clothes etc) we'd have nothing to wear and nothing to sit on, as we have no money to buy replacements.
Yesterday (Tuesday) felt like quite a good day, mostly because I sat down with Tamsin and did some proper 'crafty' stuff, i.e. we did some potato prints of a christmas tree and a snowman and made some wrapping paper and some christmas cards, so now I feel like a proper HEer/mummy with a very glittery carpet!
Making wrapping paper with potato prints
And Daddy helped as well
Meanwhile Isabelle did this (between screaming fits ...)
The weekend visiting Bill's parents was a bit sad really - his Mum (age 82) has not been well for a while and is down to 6 stone 3, and is just skin and bones. We left thinking this might be the last time we see her. Added to which Bill's Dad (age 87) is either having a strange emotional reaction to the situation, or maybe is going downhill a bit himself, and is being quite unhelpful and nasty to her for much of the time. They were, however, delighted to see Isabelle for the first time, although a little disappointed that they couldn't seem to bond much with Tamsin ... she's very wary of people she doesn't know very well and won't talk to them or interact with them much at all.
Bill with the proud grandparents and Isabelle
Tamsin didn't want her photo taken ...
Isabelle's been quite colicky for the past few days... I have been trying to omit dairy from my diet but it hasn't been easy, especially with my main downfall being chocolate! I made strenuous efforts yesterday, though, and not a molecule of dairy protein passed my lips, so we'll see how it goes. The only thing that comforts her when she's in pain is sucking a parent's finger, so it's incredibly hard to do anything like get dressed, eat or anything when you have to hold the baby with one arm and have a finger in her mouth. Fortunately Bill was at home yesterday so we took it in turns to eat and play with Tamsin, so I am really hoping that today is better as he is back at work now.
On the way home from Teesside we had a disastrous trip (financially speaking...) to the Nottingham Ikea... hmm, Question of the Day - is that place an invention of the devil or God's gift to impoverished home furnishings buyers ....?
I am now very thoroughly fed up of the messy, cluttered and generally tatty state of this house. I want to have a huge de-clutter and throw-out of stuff but various problems arise: 1) I want to throw out Bill's stuff and he wants to throw out my stuff; 2) I can't find any time to do it due to permanently having a finger in Isabelle's mouth (see above) or trying to catch up on lost sleep; 3) if we threw away all the tatty stuff (torn furniture, grotty clothes etc) we'd have nothing to wear and nothing to sit on, as we have no money to buy replacements.
Yesterday (Tuesday) felt like quite a good day, mostly because I sat down with Tamsin and did some proper 'crafty' stuff, i.e. we did some potato prints of a christmas tree and a snowman and made some wrapping paper and some christmas cards, so now I feel like a proper HEer/mummy with a very glittery carpet!
Making wrapping paper with potato prints
And Daddy helped as well
Meanwhile Isabelle did this (between screaming fits ...)
I am a blogaholic.....
Oh how I've missed you all while I've been away over the weekend! It seems rather sad to say that I spent much of the car journey time to and from Teesside contemplating what I was going to blog when I got back! And as we drove past Sheffield I thought of the various MPers who were doubtless within only a few miles of us... And due to being back late on Monday night, having no spare time yesterday and falling asleep at 8pm when putting Tamsin to bed, this morning has been my first chance to get much time at the computer. And then I get that dilemma.... do I read everybody else's blog first or write mine? I decided to go for the former, and of course Isabelle has now woken up and is demanding attention.... so I will have to try and continue later!
Friday, December 03, 2004
Doggone!
Poppy, our manic Sheltie, has been driving me potty for quite a long time, and especially now with another new baby, I just haven't had time to take her for walks or pay her enough attention for much of the time, so she's gone off on a long 'holiday' to someone else in town.... she may be gone for 4-6 months, and if it goes really well we may even hand her over forever. I feel a mixture of relief and guilt, but the relief is stronger!
Anyway, we're off to introduce Isabelle to her other grandparents (Bill's parents) so we're driving up to Teesside tomorrow morning and won't be back till Monday. I've been working on my 'life soundtrack' so will give it some more thought over the w/e and should be able to post it when we get back.
Anyway, we're off to introduce Isabelle to her other grandparents (Bill's parents) so we're driving up to Teesside tomorrow morning and won't be back till Monday. I've been working on my 'life soundtrack' so will give it some more thought over the w/e and should be able to post it when we get back.
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
20 years!
Neither DH nor I can remember the exact date, but sometime in October or November we had our 20th anniversary of being together! We didn't get married for 6 years after that, but 20 years ago we met and had our first date. That's half my life! Amazing... If I was less sleep-deprived, I would write about the things I have learned from Bill, and and what our life together has meant to me, but my bed is calling to me very loudly, LOL! Suffice to say that despite driving me round the bend fairly often, he's a general all-round superstar and a treasure and I'm glad he's mine and I'm his!
The last few days have been OK. All that anxiety and fear I had about coping with both girls together has pretty much dissipated now - it all just seems very normal and manageable. Gotta love those post-partum hormone swings! We've done some good things - long muddy walks in the woods, bike-riding, train track playing and real cooking being done, and some things that leave me feeling guilty, e.g. too much CBeebies, too much chocolate and too many disposable nappies instead of the cloth ones, but hey, I'm definitely not perfect and never claimed to be!
I'm sure there was a ton of other stuff I wanted to blog about but, as I say, the sleep-deprivation is taking its toll and my brain is mostly blank. Must go to bed!
The last few days have been OK. All that anxiety and fear I had about coping with both girls together has pretty much dissipated now - it all just seems very normal and manageable. Gotta love those post-partum hormone swings! We've done some good things - long muddy walks in the woods, bike-riding, train track playing and real cooking being done, and some things that leave me feeling guilty, e.g. too much CBeebies, too much chocolate and too many disposable nappies instead of the cloth ones, but hey, I'm definitely not perfect and never claimed to be!
I'm sure there was a ton of other stuff I wanted to blog about but, as I say, the sleep-deprivation is taking its toll and my brain is mostly blank. Must go to bed!
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