Movie Clip Monday #8 – Firsts: cutting with scissors

I showed the Toddler how to work with scissors over the weekend, and she is fascinated. She is able to occupy herself for hours, trying to get the scissors to cut the paper. A future scrapper at work? ;-)

It is fairly “safe” scissors, because it’s got rounded edges, and not very sharp. But we let down our guard for just a minute, and there it was: Scissor scratches on our table! Thank goodness it’s a very old table on its way out...

Linking up with Tasneem at MumDrum with her Movie Clip Mondays. (Thanks Tasneem!)

Montecasino Night out for 2

Montecasino Piazza

Montecasino has a great special offer going on called Night out for Two. Hubby and I were treated to it with a special night in the hotel thrown into the deal as well by his company!

It was great to chill all by ourselves for a whole evening. Drinking red wine and listening to jazz on the Piazza. We had dinner later at Billy G.

We could have spent the voucher for the casino that comes with the deal. But there is nothing that I dislike more than spending time in a casino. I do not like throwing my money into a machine. I would much rather eat it...

We went to watch a late night movie. Morning Glory is a delight with Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. It has been a while since we left a movie theatre after midnight!

SunSquare Hotel in background

After a great breakfast we headed home to fetch The Toddler at Grandma and Grandpa. She enjoyed it so much; she was not even fazed when we arrived there!I think it is some sort of punishment as well: "You left me here: I am not going to show you how much I missed you!"

We really missed her, but it was great to spend some time alone... One of my New Year's resolutions is bearing fruit: spending more time alone with Hubby. (2011, here we come!)

Adult tantrums

Now that I see The Tantrum on a fairly regular basis, I realize that there are most lots of adults who did not get a hold on them when they were young!

Don’t we all get the occasional tantrum when we

• “AAARGGG!”-scream

• Throw a book/cup/etc.

• Bang a door/desk/keyboard.

• Go into a raging monologue?

Is it possible to learn how to handle our emotions and to get a grip on that emotional outburst!
Of course, yes!

That’s why we have such a responsibility in the toddler years to teach our children how to handle that overflowing bursts of emotions.

I think that by trying to put a lid on it, we do not deal with it correctly. Putting a lid on it is when we punish the toddlers and prevent them from going through the whole process. Sometimes it is good to let them rage...
We should also try to teach them how to channel it. There are so many great articles available of strategies. Dionna at Code Name Mama wrote a great guest post at Good Goog about parenting strategies which sums it up for me! It is not about disciplining, but about loving and honouring the development phase in which the child finds himself at!

I am of the opinion that if we approach it in this way we will have less Tantrum Queens and Tantrum Kings around us!

What do you think? Do we go into emotional overdrive because we were not allowed to have those tantrums when we were young?




Related post:
How to survive the terrible tantrum

Morning's first photo at day care #15 - You woke me!

The Toddler really wanted to keep on sleeping this morning! (So did we!)

She woke up at 22:30 last night and was not impressed with Mom not coming to her side immediately. Dad had to take over because Mom was busy helping the Teen to get that online visum form completed. In the end we gave up and saved the "stupid" (I want to use more stronger words here) form for tonight. We really have to spill our guts for these forms! I am being tramatized by the details we have to give! (I hate forms! I hate forms!)

I don't think I want to ever go overseas now! The forms is getting to me!

The Toddler was all bright-eyed by then, and in the end was giving me a full run-down of my bathing experience. She was standing right next to my bath, and telling me how to wash what! She only got settled again when all the lights where down, and we were passed out on the bed at 23:45!

No mystery the lady was not impressed with waking up today.
But she did give me a a little blurry smile when asked for it this morning!
No, it was you that was blurry with that shot, Mom!
YAWN...

Wordless Wednesday #65 - Please, Dad, come with me!

The Toddler still takes us by our fingers to where she wants to go...

26 months – NO and MINE!

There are two things that stand out for The Toddler right now at 26 months. It is either “Mine”, or it is “No!”

It starts as soon as we get up:
“It is my bed/clothes/book/bag etc.!”
“It is my Papa/Mama/Sussie (sister)/Ouma (grandmother)/Oupa (grandfather)”
Or:
“It is Mama’s cell phone/car/comb etc.”

Everything gets assigned its proper place. And her sister gets it most of all! She starts to argue with her about something being hers. It is MY cookie! (Although Sister is not interested at all!)

We even had he following conversation in our car this afternoon:
“It is my sister!” (Meaning the same sister sitting next to her!)
“No, it is my sister!”  (Coming from the Teen) Back-and-forth!
Sometimes Most of the times The Teen can go right down to that level! I can just imagine what would have happened if they were nearer to each other in age...  It gets really ugly with The Toddler trying to hit The Teen out of frustration, and I have to say: “Enough already!”


I read most recently (sorry, I will put up the link as soon as I can remember where) that a toddler even answered “What are you doing?” with a “No!”
That is exactly the right description of Toddlerville! Everything is an emphatic “NO!”
“Do you want to bath?” “No!”
“Do you want to eat a banana?” “No!” etc. etc.
But Toddler baths/eats/plays with exactly those things that she just said “No!”to. We ignore and just continue...

Both the “Mine!” and the “No!” are most of the times very funny!
I understand: Our Toddler tries to get a grip on her world!

Movie Clip Monday #7 - Exercises all by myself

The Toddler is starting to do all her exercises on her own. This video was taken at Tiny Tumbles gymnastics on Saturday. It was the first time that we saw her actively following the teacher without us having to help her along the way!

Linking up with Tasneem at MumDrum with her Movie Clip Mondays.

Grade 12 – the stress is getting to me!

The last year of school is a lot harder than I can remember... It definitely feels a lot more stressful going through it with The Teen than when I was in high school.

We did not worry about good grades as much as they do now. The grades are being submitted to the universities already! So much decisions and choices have to be made this year! And is it going to be the right ones?

Maybe because I know that in years later we question ourselves about our careers choices later one in life? The choice of higher learning institutions also seems to be a huge headache.  I knew where I wanted to go, and went! Now it is not as easy as that... We have to verify the standards of the different institutions as well!

Then there is the French tour that’s finally just around the corner... I am going to be just as relieved when The Teen finally steps on that plane. So many things to do yet before that happen...

And I feel sorry for The Teen who comes home and has to sit with tons of homework at night and weekends. The photo was taken with The Toddler also doing some “homework” with The Teen in her room on Saturday. She was there for at least an hour, which is quite a feat for our Toddler! Our hardworking Teen seems to have an impact on the Little One!

Mother is stressing big time!

Mornings First Photo at Day Care #15

Look, Mom! My picture!
All the dots in one spot! So creative!

Bad parenting for survival

Do you sometimes retrace your steps at the end of the day and think: “I was a bad parent today! Tomorrow I will have to do better!?”

Days when:

• The Toddler falls asleep in my arms before she had her bath. I should have seen the signs earlier that she was tired and acted accordingly.

• The Toddler had more un-food to eat than the real thing. I realises that she did not have her 10 categories of food groups to eat. (I sometimes get excited about just one of the groups that she eats!)

• I give up about trying cutting her toe nails. The finger nails are already an issue; with lots of screaming. But the toe nails are just murder! I usually leave it for another day...

• I sometimes mostly allow the Toddler to eat a sweet or crisps while we have to run through the shops after I pick her up at day care in the afternoons. She’s hungry. I need to pick up a few things and need to do it at neck-breaking speed! We all know that it influences their eating behaviour on a major scale. (Refer back to point 2)

• We switch on the television or a DVD when we are too tired for running around or amusing The Toddler!

"Bad parent!" (Not even Powerwoman can make this look better!)
Tomorrow I will do better!

Please tell me you get days like these when you try to survive by being a bad less than exemplary parent?
Surviving what? Parenthood, of course!

Wordless Wednesday #64 - Faces

Valentine's art work to parents

The toddler with the very creative art work for Valentine's Day! The teacher put in a lot of effort. I love the hand prints!

Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!

To the Love of my Life - on Valentine's Day

Love you!

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
I am a sucker for days like these!  A card or a flower is enough to make my Love Day... But Hubby really went the extra SPOIL!

Enjoy! All of you! (Big smile!)

What did you get, and what are you doing today?

Falcon Glen –a great weekend

Falcon Glen - Schoemanskloof

We checked out of city life for a weekend, and had a great time in the bush.

It turned out into a true back-to-nature experience with no power since Saturday 9am. We got the rest we were looking for; with no television, radio, and even our cell phones...  (We felt a tinge of withdrawal symptoms, but luckily it was not that long...) But we had to check out earlier today because of it! (Thanks ESKOM!)

It was my father’s birthday, and the Toddler had a ball with her grandfather and –mother.

We were asking ourselves why The Toddler loves them so much. We do not count for much when they are in the vicinity! Not that we care! We can sit/read/sleep a little bit longer than usual. Thanks Mom and Dad!
"Waar's Oupa?" (Where is my grandfather?) and "Waar's Ouma?" were the most popular phrases of the weekend!

It was a great weekend! What did you do on your weekend!

Morning's first only photo at day care #14

"Smile!"
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LOVE and Bling

Jenna Clifford Fine Jewellery

Maxabella inspired me with her Bling on Love post about jewellery and LOVE. Especially since it’s 14 February on Monday next week! I am linking up with her and Felicity of Gifts of Serendipity.

I tried to take nice photos with my BlackBerry, but unfortunately this is the best I could get! I was trying not to get too much of the wrinkles on those hands, but getting a clear picture of the ring. Not very successful on both counts, but what the heck! You get an idea of the rings! The blur takes away the wrinkles, at least... (Wink smile!)(And I still love my BB! And I am not a photographer...)

When Hubby and I got engaged he was still a teacher, and did not have a lot of spare cash going around. So we settled on a small gold and silver ring with a small diamond. The “silver” lasted only for a month, when it started to wear off! So I have a small gold ring, which I now wear on my right hand.

We are both in agreement that I am still waiting for that special ring. So this is not a “hint” post, because Dries knows what I want. It is a specially designed Jenna Clifford ring, something like the rings on the photo. I am not that into diamonds, and would love a tanzanite or topaz white gold or platinum ring!

I am now wearing a silver ring, with bling stones, as well as another plain silver ring. The combination works well. I luuuurv my bling for the time being… Especially since it was given by my Hubby! Because it was given out of LOVE!

Morning's first photo at day care #13

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Wordless Wednesday #63 - Toddler loves pulling own bag with wheels

Morning's first photo at day care #12

I've got stickers! My stickers!
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Breastfeeding the Two-year old Toddler

When breastfeeding you try to make it past the six week mark. Then you say six months. Then you say we’ll see how far we can take it. One year is a good age to have come. And then you continue to the two-year mark. We’ve reached it!

Why stop something when it works so well? Because it does! Really really well. It stays the best way to get the toddler to sleep or to calm her or soothe her.

The Toddler started with a new class at school, and she does not get any milk bottles anymore at school. Last year she got two milk bottles and a juice bottle as well! She now gets a sports bottle to drink from.

It is such a big change for a little one!

When I go to fetch her now, she starts asking for “booby”, and usually breastfeeds when we get home. I am glad that I can still provide the comfort and sustenance that only breastfeeding brings. That’s one of the reasons I am glad that I did not stop at the two-year mark!

It is a different kind of special feeding the two-year old Toddler. We usually have a conversation going, and she declares quite regularly that it is her “boobies”. She is now in the assignment phase. She wants to know what belongs to whom?  “Mieka s’n!”

We are now in unchartered territories! (For me, it seems!) There are lots and lots of mothers who keep on breastfeeding; even tandem breastfeeding twins and siblings! I did not think it was possible, but thanks to the world of information at our fingertips we are not in the dark ages anymore. We are not dependent on old wives tales or the unknowledgeable remarks of other people!

I sometimes get a strange remark or a lifted eyebrow, but I only smile and keep on doing what is best for the toddler and me!


Related posts:

Positives and negatives of breastfeeding the toddler

Breastfeeding the toddler - so special

Extended breastfeeding

Questions on a Sunday night

There are a few questions that a Sunday night brings to mind. Especially after I stumbled in a daze out of our room at 11pm, after having started the evening in the Toddler’s room… It was one of those sleep marathons, where we ended up sleeping before the Toddler!


The rhetorical questions:
(I don’t think there is an answer to one of them, but you are welcome to give me your answers. Wink smile!)

• Why the Toddler does fall asleep even before her bed-time on Friday and Saturday night, but on Sunday it’s a different story?
• Why does the weekend seem like an unlimited opportunity for doing those tasks that need to be done, and comes Sunday night it has not been done?
• Why do the weekends feel so very short?
• Why The Teen does have so many appointments to go to on a weekend when we have specifically declared it a stay-at-home weekend?
• Why do I plan to fit in some exercise over the weekend, but it never realizes?
• Why do we love weekends so much more than the week? (Does it say something about our jobs?)

Monday already!
Yeah, the weekend is only four sleeps away!

Morning's first photo at day care #11

Happy Monday!
The Toddler's teacher was there to receive her... Definitely a good day!
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Winnie the Pooh quotes for a un-peachy Friday

 
“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh," he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw, "I just wanted to be sure of you."”

“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”

“Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known.”


“When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”


This Friday is not peachy at all! Sometimes we have a grey blue black Friday as well!

I went and searched for a few Pooh quotes, because nobody says it better than Winnie the Pooh.


Please say everything is going to be okay! Okay? OKAY?

Love is...

Love is... a verb.

taking out the nappy bin e-v-e-r-y time.

starting with dinner when he gets home before us.

picking up the dog poop e-v-e-r-y day.

buying groceries without being asked.

fetching the Toddler to our bed when she wakes up at night.

driving the Teen to school e-v-e-r-y day.

dropping and picking up the Teen when she wants to go out.

doing DIY jobs  when asked.

playing with the Toddler when trying to get something done.

making breakfast.





Love is?

Related page:
The MM

Wordless Wednesday #62 - Surprise!

(Photo by her sister)

What does it mean to be a Mother?

What does it mean to be a Mother?


Answer: Going to boring prize-giving ceremonies.

Maxabella wrote such a beautiful post about the things she remembers about her own mother, and how she wants to be remembered by her children. It made me think about my mother and one thing that we could always count on was our parents attending our school events. Each and every event for each of us four!

Now I know what a big accomplishment that is! (Thanks Mom and Dad!) It says that you really really cared about us!

I was sitting last night at my daughter’s yearly certificate ceremony. It is by far the most boring event we have to go to as parents! It’s a very close second to Stork Parties! Having to sit through all 500 kids walking over the stage and getting their names and achievements all read one by one… Only to get excited about the three seconds that your child gets her moment-of-glory!

The Teen knows how I feel about it, but up until the baby I attended all of her events as well. The previous two years we left early because we had an excuse (2 month-old baby), and last year we did not attend at all! (The teen gave us off)  (Bad Mother)

This year its The Teen’s last year in High School, and she did really very well the previous year. She is in the top twenty of her grade, the first time in high school. We are so very proud of her! She worked for it! We made an effort to attend the function. The school is running the whole operation like a slick well-oiled machine, and we were out of there within an hour and a half. Not bad!

If she only remembers us sitting in the audience, my job of Mother has been done well! (Wink smile)

(Photo by Grandfather James on Sunday)