Term 2 has kicked off and week one has passed in a blur. With ANZAC Day planted right in the middle of the week the kids were only back at school for one day before they were off for the public holiday. It was a bit unsettling for us all but it meant the week came and went before we had even realised it had started!
We have managed to get through a few little jobs this week, which just means that we have a graveyard of discarded furniture to do something with. The old TV cabinet is still a beautiful piece of furniture but no longer functional. It never actually fit into this house and was in separate bits around the house- why we waited so long to get rid of it I'll never know. Probably because I am well aware that nobody wants TV cabinets anymore and it breaks my heart to see it tossed out.
We have two new chairs for the reading/ music room. Drew likes to have his guitar lessons here so he keeps his guitar and amp set up in here.
That meant that I could put my favourite armchair in Campbell's room. He needed somewhere to sit and read and I think it looks lovely next to his bookshelf.
I painted up an very old set of drawers- they have been around since my childhood! They fit in perfectly in our room now and Campbell has a bigger set of drawers for all of his stuff.
We had lots of reasons to be proud of our baby boy yesterday (shhhh don't tell him I called him my baby boy- he hates that!) He was invited to a party and was very nervous about going. It was a preschool friend who he hasn't seen for a while and it made him feel very uncomfortable. He has made incredible progress since starting school but his extreme shyness still presents a constant challenge. We created a step ladder with the ultimate goal being a pet stick insect!! Its always about the pets with Joe. Despite many tears and much discussion he went to the party. He enjoyed it too!! It was tough. Eric and I badly wanted to back down and let him stay home- he was crying :(
We stood our ground knowing how important it is for him to face his fears and realise that it is never as hard as it seems. He has a few more steps to achieve but since facing the first 2 steps and overcoming them with ease he is feeling a lot more confident about achieving a stick insect. His swimming lesson with a new teacher was also completed with ease, despite the anxiety and tears leading up to it.
I felt emotionally drained after the party- it is really hard to be calm and firm and when your child is so distressed. All I ever want to do is cuddle him. We work really hard at not letting his tears effect the way we respond to him- even when we are fighting tears ourselves. I am very grateful that I was able to chat about all of this at work on Friday with two lovely ladies. That dreaded Mother Guilt really does stick its ugly head in some days.......weeks.........months. I know I am not alone with that, we all face it and do our best to fight it. I love my boys beyond words and just hate to think that I am not doing the best job of this mothering gig.
I can't afford to waste time wallowing in self doubt, so this morning I woke up on a mission!!
We got stuck into cooking up what we thought would be an awesome breakfast....hmmmm.
This is what we decided to cook:
This is what we got....
Our plans for delicious fillings in our ready made bowls were still OK with our little pancake/ cupcakes. Not sure why it didn't work but I suspect, after reading the blog comments, that we needed different muffin trays.
Then I finally found a use for the tins we always hate to throw away. I was going to just wrap them in contact but it always drives me nuts when it wrinkles. The fabric was much easier to get around the tins. The boys claimed them for their new desk and shelves. I was excited to use the gorgeous little froggy pegs all the way from Korea- thanks Ru xxx
Well all this on a Sunday morning and we haven't had lunch yet....what to do with the rest of our day.
We have managed to get through a few little jobs this week, which just means that we have a graveyard of discarded furniture to do something with. The old TV cabinet is still a beautiful piece of furniture but no longer functional. It never actually fit into this house and was in separate bits around the house- why we waited so long to get rid of it I'll never know. Probably because I am well aware that nobody wants TV cabinets anymore and it breaks my heart to see it tossed out.
We have two new chairs for the reading/ music room. Drew likes to have his guitar lessons here so he keeps his guitar and amp set up in here.
I made some new cushions for the chairs using the cutest fabric I bought on etsy.
Guitars on one side and cowgirls on the other- so cool!
That meant that I could put my favourite armchair in Campbell's room. He needed somewhere to sit and read and I think it looks lovely next to his bookshelf.
I made this cushion too- my first attempt at patchwork. Thankyou to my bestie for helping me with it.
I painted up an very old set of drawers- they have been around since my childhood! They fit in perfectly in our room now and Campbell has a bigger set of drawers for all of his stuff.
Painting while watching 'The Block'- prefect inspiration :) I painted an IKEA step ladder too.
We had lots of reasons to be proud of our baby boy yesterday (shhhh don't tell him I called him my baby boy- he hates that!) He was invited to a party and was very nervous about going. It was a preschool friend who he hasn't seen for a while and it made him feel very uncomfortable. He has made incredible progress since starting school but his extreme shyness still presents a constant challenge. We created a step ladder with the ultimate goal being a pet stick insect!! Its always about the pets with Joe. Despite many tears and much discussion he went to the party. He enjoyed it too!! It was tough. Eric and I badly wanted to back down and let him stay home- he was crying :(
We stood our ground knowing how important it is for him to face his fears and realise that it is never as hard as it seems. He has a few more steps to achieve but since facing the first 2 steps and overcoming them with ease he is feeling a lot more confident about achieving a stick insect. His swimming lesson with a new teacher was also completed with ease, despite the anxiety and tears leading up to it.
I felt emotionally drained after the party- it is really hard to be calm and firm and when your child is so distressed. All I ever want to do is cuddle him. We work really hard at not letting his tears effect the way we respond to him- even when we are fighting tears ourselves. I am very grateful that I was able to chat about all of this at work on Friday with two lovely ladies. That dreaded Mother Guilt really does stick its ugly head in some days.......weeks.........months. I know I am not alone with that, we all face it and do our best to fight it. I love my boys beyond words and just hate to think that I am not doing the best job of this mothering gig.
I can't afford to waste time wallowing in self doubt, so this morning I woke up on a mission!!
We got stuck into cooking up what we thought would be an awesome breakfast....hmmmm.
This is what we decided to cook:
This is what we got....
Our plans for delicious fillings in our ready made bowls were still OK with our little pancake/ cupcakes. Not sure why it didn't work but I suspect, after reading the blog comments, that we needed different muffin trays.
Then I finally found a use for the tins we always hate to throw away. I was going to just wrap them in contact but it always drives me nuts when it wrinkles. The fabric was much easier to get around the tins. The boys claimed them for their new desk and shelves. I was excited to use the gorgeous little froggy pegs all the way from Korea- thanks Ru xxx
Well all this on a Sunday morning and we haven't had lunch yet....what to do with the rest of our day.
Mother guilt is awful isn't it. We all suffer from it. I must say that this last week was the perfect week to start back at work. A staff development day followed by a first day of the term that flew by and then a public holiday. I needed that public holiday to gather myself after my first day back wity students! I'm sure I'll get back into a routine soon. Or at least I hope I do. Leaving my little baby at home is difficult at the moment though.
ReplyDeleteYou'll get into the swing of it in no time. Don't let that Mother Guilt sneak up on you- it looks like you have found the best possible solution for the work/ family balance. It is never easy leaving our babies though, no matter how ideal the childcare is. Is the Au Pair an expensive option or pretty comparable to what long day care and after school care would cost you?
ReplyDeleteMy you have been crafty! Love the pegs! I think you are doing an amazing job with your boys. I think we always question whether we are doing the right thing. And joe was very brave. Parties can be a challenge especially when there is no guarantee of who will be there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ru xx What are doing blogging at 3:59am??? :)
ReplyDelete