sleep

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This week I am progessing to the no-feeding-at-all-in-the-night policy with Amy ie, once she is in bed for the night (7pm) there is no feed until 7am. Last night, she slept through! Yay – it is beginning to work. This is a major breakthrough for us. I’m hopeful for tonight yeilding the same results!

It rained here all weekend. My bad mood started with the newspaper being totally sogged and it got worse from there. Sometimes, my bucket of tolerance flows over and when I look around at the mess that the house is in, the pile of dishes by the sink that no-one cleans except for me, the piles of clothes needing to be folded, the beds never made, the bedrooms in disarray and kids is competition for my attention, I really feel like I am heading nowhere and my exsitance is purely for the service of others. Oh well, onto another week – surely things will be better now that it is May. 🙂

Dash’s new owner rang me to say that he is settling in very well and her kids just love him. However, he cries at night because they make hime sleep outside and it is raining/cold etc. Have to stop feeling bad about him – he is OK. She said we could come over anytime and visit him. The girls are keen to do that.

We didn’t get the chooks as planned (see above paragraph about annoying things happening over the weekend), but I am thinking that it might be better anyway to wait until it is Spring so that we don’t end up with frostbitten hens and frozen eggs. Yesterday, Justin and I sealed up a lot of the drafty holes in the playroom and it has made a huge difference. Last winter we froze when the doors were opened up and there was a real breeze going through. This morning there was actual warmth when I went in there, but still lots of water from a few holes in the ceiling and a leak from the glass doors near the pool. My dream is to totally renovate that area and put the kitchen out there, but that is only going to happen if we win a million.

Off the brave the mall with 3 munchkins in tow.


The facts

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Moi tagged me to reveal 7 lesser known facts about myself. Here they are………

1) I never had long hair as a little girl. It was short up until I was in my 20’s. Don’t know why that is, better ask my Mother!

2) I don’t know how to speak any other languages, but I still remember how to count to 10 in Italian, Fench and German, from learning them in yr 7 (1985).

3) I used to think I was special because my birth year 1972 was made up of 19 (my day of birth), 7 (the month I was born) and 2 (I am the second child). Is that a numerologists dream come ture!!

4) I have terrible taste in music, never really been interested in it, but when I find something I like, I play it to death.

5) The moment I saw Justin (post school) I knew he was the one.

6) I can’t wait to be able to take an overseas trip with Justin. I’ve never been further than NZ, but my brothers, sisters, Mum and Dad have travelled extensively.

7) I’d love to have servants. Just for a week, to do all the jobs I hate. How can this be arranged!!

I tag – Lisa Penny and Caz. Go to it girls.


Ear plugs

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I once had an addiction and I am back using again. Ear plugs that is – super industrial sized, 35dB block out Ear plugs.

In trying to get Amy to settle at night I have given in. I feed her last between 9-10pm, and then the plugs go in and I don’t hear a thing. Sweet silence, serenity, dreams until 5am when I pop them out again. 3 good nights sleep in a row for me – don’t ask me how she went – I don’t know!!


Goodbye

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Last week, in the midst of my sleep deprived state, Dash pushed my buttons for the last time. I called him inside from harrassing a passerby and sat at the computer composing an ad for Tuesday’s Canberra Times.

Dog – 2yr old Dashund x terrior. FREE to a good home.

The weekend went by and I forgot about the ad but Tuesday morning the phone rang at 6.40am. We were sound asleep but Jus groggily answered the phone and I heard him say “the dog?”. He gave the keen woman the details and she said she’d be over at 8.30am. At 8.10am she arrived, gave Dash the once over, I told her a bit about how great he was and not much about annoying her was and she said “Right, well I’ll take him now”. He jumped into her car and we waved him goodbye. It all happened so fast that we didn’t really have time to think too much about it. Holly was quite teary, and Meg saw this so she started up too, but then said “Can we get chooks now?”. All over.

I cleared away his bedding, put away the food and water bowls and skipped for joy. Happy Happy joy joy!!


Life’s a Musical

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Jessie is so funny at the moment, singing all the time about whatever we are talking about. Holly was telling me about her friend Victoria. Jess breaks out into “Gloria, Gloria I think I’ve got your number”. Or, I say “Come here Jessica Mary” and she sings “Mary Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow”. Jus asked her if she wanted sugar on something (?) and she whimsically starts up with “Just a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down”. We do set her up a bit now cause it is just so funny to hear her lettle voice pipe up in song.


7 Months

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This morning we sang Happy 7th-Month Birthday to Amy.

Who would have thunk that we’d get this far! Last week was a shocker for us – Amy was back to her dreadful night time antics of screaming for a lot of it, and I was wrecked (emotionally and physically). I’ve gone over ever scenario in my head about how I can get her to sleep better (no feeding, feeding, weaning, Justin getting up to her, Phernergan, adoption etc etc). None of the above worked, so I am now back to where I was months ago, with 3 wakings a night, 2 being feeds. I am still tired, but at least there is no screaming and my blood pressure resembles normal. Every night I say to myself – “This will be the one where I sleep till morning” – haha good joke says Amy Clare.

Kids are well. They ride their bikes most of the day now having given up on the TV ever coming back on. They spend the weekend back and forth between here and Addy’s place and it is lovely to have somewhere close for them to go. Addy’s cousin painted their faces yesterday…
(ok piccy didn’t work, but I’ll try again later)

Amy devoured a cruskit with nutella on it today. This is how it ended up…………
(again no piccy!!)

On my running front – decided to increase the time and distance that I run. Now I go 2.25km’s (it was 1.6km’s last week) and it takes me 30 minutes rather than the quick 20. I can certainly tell the difference. When I get to 20 minutes I really have to push on hard to keep going, but everyday I notice that it hurts a bit less!

Swimming lessons are every day this week. Meg hates it, or so she told me, but she does well when she gets there! Going to Anzac day arvo tea at Mum and Dad’s and now that I have mastered the ANZAC biscuit (after 2 failed batches) I’m baking them for the event. Not to mention the huge birthday cake I’m making for Rach tomorrow!! Happy birthday Rachie.

I’ll be back when I can get the pictures working. TTFN.


School Holidays

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I love the school holidays – no rushing in the morning or waking up babies in the afternoon to do a school pickup. I also love that they can go to Nanna and Pa’s mid week for a sleep over – YAY!

So, day 2 of the hols and the no-TV policy is still in play. I found a book – 500 things to do while your not allowed to watch TV (or something similiar) so Holly is looking over it marking the pages of the things that interest her. She has taken one of the training wheels off her bike and is quite determined to be able to ride it, but has NO patience (or balance for that matter). Oh well practice makes perfect and there are still a lot of days left of the holidays. Meg got a bike from g’ma, and although it is boys colours and has “Dirt Squirt” written all over it, she LOVES it and goes like a demon up and down the driveway. Jess now has Zara’s old bike, a 2 wheeler with training wheels that is just her size, so they are all set and decked out which means no fighting over the one bike we had originally. Addy, from over the road, brings her scooter and we have a right derby going on.

My running is improving heaps and today I had my pedometer which tracked my progress. 3000 steps, 22 minutes and 1.2km’s. I can’t believe I can run that without stopping. I never would have thought I could do that, and besides there are quite a few hills in that so it isn’t all really easy! Got some new running shoes and new leggin’s so that is making me go faster! I think of the people on the Biggest Loser and if they can run then so can I. I managed to get to my goal weight on Good Friday, 7 kgs lost, but then put on about 1.6kgs over the Easter break!! Too many chocs, easter buns and wine. Oh well, I’m still going and the next mini goal is to have lost 10kgs all up by my birthday in July. I must say that I am very proud of myself and that is why I am writing it here – I feel great and can fit into my preJessica clothes (and she is nearly 3 so that definately means I need a new wardrobe!).

Amy is pulling herself up onto the steps and into cupboards and having a great old time. She is 6.5 months and has 2 teeth on the bottom. I think the top ones are not far off because her cheeks are sore and she chews on everything – even Dash’s tail. He is not too keen on Amy and when she crawls over to him, he takes off at great speed. 694
703 Into the “plastic” cupboard.
700 Angelic eyes.
712 Bathtime fun – she goes from one end to the other chasing the little floating toys.

Well I guess that is all for this update.
Cheers xx


Chocolate OD

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Even though the Easter Bunny did not come (he left out the eggs from Nanna and Pa though) we are still wading through chocolates here. I am having to eat them all just to get rid of them!!

People are so shocked when I tell them the EB didn’t come and that TV has been off for a week. I tell you, we have had the best weekend and it was due to the fact that the girls had to play with each other and not stare at the screen.

Things we acheived – I taught Holly how to skip rope, tie her shoes, bead a bracelet and fold her clothes properly.
I taught Meg how to write some letters of the alphabet, post letters, bead a bracelet, make her bed properly and play with jess without fighting.
Haven’;t really taught Jess anything – her brain is like a seive.
We had a couple of picnics, played outside a lot, rode our bikes around the lake (twice), and played board games after dinner. I love it how the girls did not once ask to watch TV because they knew the boundries. They are starting to listen to me, well mostly, and play nicely with each other. It is quite amazing. I’m definately sticking to the no TV rule for awhile longer.

We went to a wedding on Easter Sunday and the couple were 25yrs old. The seemed like such kids! I was the same age when we got married and I still feel really young, but they LOOKED IT. I wish them well!

Amy is pulling herself up to standing position and getting stronger on her feet. She had immunization last week and has been a shocker in the night ever since. What am I saying?? She has always been a shocker in the night. I can’t wait till the day that I don’t have to get up to any kid anymore. When oh when will that be!

This is all a bit over the place, but I haven’t have internet for a few days and I have so much to do. Just remembered cake in the oven that is probably a cinder by now. Bugger.


Vandals and graffiti artists

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I have three of them living in this house.

No matter how many times I say not to touch something, how many times I explain what I want them to do, how many times I say not to break things that belong to other people and every other scenerio in the book, I still have 3 little people that insist on doing their own thing and it is driving me crazy.

Yesterday Meg and Jess sprayed an entire can of flyspray all over a glass sliding door. This was the straw that broke the camels back and now Easter bunny is not coming to this house and the TV is not going on for 5 days. The shock and horror on their faces is pretty much the same look I get when I realise the things that they have been up to.

My head is pounding with a headache and I need a holiday away from these terrors.

Please send us your peaceful thoughts for this weekend! I’m gonna need all the help I can get.


Party weekend

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Weston park on a Sunday in Autumn is just glorious, and we were there to celebrate (nephew) Jacob’s first birthday. Happy Birthday little gorgeous boy. This is him now 1 years old.
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Other piccys from the day – Amy crawling oll over the picnic rug, making a beeline for the chips and crackers.
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Mum and Sam – he wants to stand up all the time!
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All the kids. ( 9 grandchildren in total for Mum and Dad)
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Mum and Dad (aka Nanna and Pa) with the 9 grandchildren.
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Pass the parcel action.
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Amy in her party hat chasing the passing parcel.
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Jess blowing her own trumpet.
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Aunty Kate and Amy Clare.
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Thanks Penny and Matt for a really great party. Rest of the weekend details to come….