Which was basically what I said partway through a big Tesco shopping expedition yesterday – stock run down in the run up to holidays and we needed stuff before an online order would ahve arrived. I was tired (Butterbean is waking up and feeding often during the night, and we are so bad at going to bed at anything remotley like a sensible time, I went in the afternoon, rather than the morning as planned, I had both girls with me (not unknown, but with Helen on maternity leave it wasn’t usually necesary) Had both girls in the trolley seats, BB loved it as she was ideally postioned to pull Stringbean’s hair (one of her favourite tricks) and SB could escape – so much fussing, eventually let SB out to walk, which is pain as she wanders about, wants to push trolley, can grab things, not just point at them etc. so put her back in trolley , by now BB fed up and starting to wail – time to abort the trip…… and time to do an online order me thinks.
On the subject of shopping, what is it with families all going out together to shop? I don’t mean an amble round the shops, I mean Mum, Dad and kids all off to do the supermarket shop. Why????? If both parents are available then it surely makes more sense for them to keep all/some of the kids at home or wherever than all battle round the shops. Truely unfathomable.
Rant over 
Anyway, it was the first day of getting back to what will eventauly feel like our normal routine. But a day later, bar the Tesco experince, I can’t really think what happened, other than it was ‘ one of those days’. Morning I guess involved a fair bit of washing – which with SB helping, usually involving increasingly convoluted ways of handing out the pegs or the washing etc. isn’t necessarily a quick process….., a bit of kitchen tidying, all that sort of fun stuff. mixed in with potterign and playing with the girls. SB spent ages collecting things together for picnic she wanted to have with the freebie picnic set/bag Helen got from La Redoute or Vertbaudet.
some how the time from 10 to 1 passed, I was then annoyed I’d not got out earlier, setting myself up for the Tesco debacle. When I returned H was home, I manged to set fire to the Toasted Teacakes, so only H and SB got one…….. It was a relief to get to dinner time.
A couple of BB notes – she seems to be much happier drinking from bottles being off them for two weeks, she put away about 5 oz in one go, whereas we we lucky to get more than 1 oz down before. She is really loving her baths now, she madly kicks and waves her arms about splashing madly – she has developed a really good Double Whammy kick with both legs at the same time – she loves it
Today was better. Story time at the library this morning, untaxing but SB enjoys it – not sure if it is the stories or the following craft activity she enjoys though, and BB seems to enjoy the difference, looking at the other kids etc. On our return, it was coffee and snack time, followed by time in the garden, more collecting/hanging out washing games, chasing about the lawn, bike riding, climbing frame climbing etc. BB spent much of the time sitting on the lawn. SB got an Apple (found it in her knickers apparently….??) and bit it into chunks which she gave to BB on plate, she spent ages gumming them happily.
After lunch we all sat down on the sofa togther BB to drink, me and SB to read books. Nice cuddly time, though I did find myself dozing off a few times, much to SB’s disgust ‘ Come on Daddy’, Later, SB and I found a box of her old 1-2 year old toys in the old hayloft which she wanted to show to BB. She spent ages playing with them, showing them to BB etc. while I got dinner ready and remembered when SB had them at that age. How excited we were when she built a little tower of the blocks, how she used to love trundling her little wooden block trolley around the house and go shopping for carrots, some of her early books we had read so often. Memories……
On more reflective note, I’ve got a general background level of frustration with things at the moment, hence it part yesterday and also I find that I’ve been a bit short with SB on a couple of occasions when I wouldn’t normally be. The root is I think that the house is not sorted yet.
Too much still in boxes, partly becuase the places to store it aren’t there – such as not much in the way of book shelves, no drawers for mine and Helens’ clothes (though about a billion cubic feet of fitted wardrobes…), partly becuase it just hasn’t got sorted and put away yet, so to much stuff half unpacked now around the place, on top of this we have the normal household disorganisation, and the weed are growing faster in the garden han we can keep up. . And with Helen at work now, and basically me not, I do feel like most of this is my responsibility and I don’t feel like I’m doing a very good job of it. And I’m still working on how me, SB and BB all manage to work together, though we are getting there
There is stuff we just aren’t doing enough of, such as crafty things, but also more ‘education’ type things, such as the reading, maths etc. is being missed out. Helen had quite a nice little routine for this in vague sort of way and I want to build that back up again as well as develop ideas for the future. We have many plans and ideas which are just being put on hold at the moment (including SB, who whenever we have a an old box, yoghurt pot etc. says we have to keep it to make something – she wants to make a robot apparently). Of course I could have done something about it rather than just blogging about it.
On a more positive note, Helen is now on her 4 day week, so that means she will be home tomorrow, which will be nice.
I reckon blogging about it means you’re half way there, Chris. Hope you can make some progress on it all soon, I can understand the frustration.
Tescos sounded like a nightmare, I would always have left the kids at home if I could, and aim to get the shop done as quickly as possible, but Steve likes ambling round the supermarket, using it as an educational opportunity for the kids (go and find the cheapest xyz, etc), looking at new stuff, etc. Honestly, he used to *meet up with me* at the supermarket just so he could join in with shopping! Phew, at least now that I’m working he is doing it by himself!
Sounds like my life juggle :-). Frustrating is not the word!
I don’t get the family outing to the supermarket thing either? Parents screamign at their kids when all they need to do is to take them home or to the park and the other parent do the shop in half the time.
Sarah- Steve is strange! Tony normally does the big shop on his own or with Boo.
all sounds horribly familiar. and KWYM about sitting down to blog stuff rather than actually getting on and doing it.
i think part of the reason I am looking forward to september is that in being ‘official’ i am hoping i will start to get more enjoyment out of being a Home Educator. it’s awful to be wishing my children’s lives away but i just can’t wait for some of the more interesting (to me!) stuff to be done. i read the blogs of people with 7, 8 and 9 yos and think that I would so much more enjoy doing that sort of educational stuff than the slightly mind numbing early years stuff I’m still doing now…
actually that was me; your blog forgot me.
Well, Becca insists on coming shopping with me regardless of if Tim is home or not… if Tim comes too it’s twice as bad – remind me who the child is???? I did try the sneaking out after bedtime routine but that means Tesco which is dearer than Asda and further away :o(
That all sounds so familiar – the shopping nightmare and the not doing HE very well and the trying to sort everyone out working together thing ….!
well, i’m going to blog this, and then tell you in real life!!!
firstly, effectively, mon and tues are the only days you have to be sole homeboy, as I’m at home wed, and nursery thurs and fri. therefore, big tasks and sorting can happen thurs and fri, and smaller ones on the wed. Also better utilisation of evenings!!
I can do non-internet shopping at tescos on a mon, as drive past one when i leave addenbrookes. SO therefore, only the basic keeping tidy, and nappy wash needs to be done on the mon/tues, and a bit of weekend organisation, means that prob no washing at all.
As for juggling the 2 of them – i think there are a fair few posts on how i felt i was struggling. yes, it was ok, and it will be for you too. i found that wiht SB, interspersing ideas and freeplay worked best. if you remember, i used little boxes of books and phonics cards/ maths stuff, to have around where I was going to feed BB, so that we could look through whatever took her fancy in it, and rotated the books etc around. This buys a bit of breathing time for thinking. Also, I often had a plan for a crafts activity/cooking/experiment or 2 up my sleeve so that I knew where the stuff was and could deflect – when we have got the utility room sorted, that should be easy. At lunchtime we often had a muzzy or other edu video on so that i could do a bit of clearaway – or the laptop with one of her programmes on it – again usually bought about 30 mins when I could do something else.
Making up stories for her to enact is a good one, as you can feed BB, hang out washing, sort out dinner etc while doing it, and still be interacting. SB needs a lot of energetic activities, so the indoor pogostick or her bouncer very good – as you can maintain a conversation.
Changing venue as soon as you feel stressed also good – changing BB’s nappy often produced a break, and thats why we often did baby massage, as settled SB down again. Also going out into garden to find flowers, grasses, different leaves/seeds, see how veg growing etc.
SO ignore house things mon and tues [apart from making it not a complete bombsite!] And then work like trojan to sort out those things wed/thurs/fri.
when I earn a bit of money, we will buy second hand shelves and drawers and get a bit more sorted, but the crafts bit is the first!
obviously was helen!!!!
Clearly- unless you were giving yourself a good talking to!!
I’ve been banging my head against a brick wall today RE meeting the diverse needs of a 2 and 7 yr old (not to mention a 27 yr old
)
Will the nursery take SB once she’s ‘official’?
Gosh Helen you are Good! If I sent you a list of my workload/social commitments and a description of my child’s inclinations and a map of my area showing my local shops/parks etc. I bet you could work me out a timetable that would be 3 times as efficient as my life currently is.
Was i a bit strong???
went into career counselling mode [which I have been doing all evening for a colleague!]
chris is good with SB in particular, its just that due to the pressures when I was on mat leave, he didn’t really get enough time being the sole carer of BB, as it was far more convenient for the feeder to do it!
And our house does need a flylady to whizz through and sort for us.
Hey, i’ve got no student next week, are you free wednesday?
Think so, Helen is now off every Weds, would be great to see you all.
Re Helens’ comments – yes it was a bit of ‘just do it like this’ mode
Actually it’s not so much juggling SB and BB, that is getting easier as BB can entertain herself more now. She will sit and fiddle and investigate things for ages now quite happily for ages sometimes and is less fussy about the bottle thing. We just need a bit of time to settle into things. It’s moslty the organisation (or rather lack off) of the house at the moment which seems to amke just life itself a bit harder than it needs to be anyway.
Heather – no SB will have to leave nursey at some point next year. They say up to 5 years old and her compulsory education starting date would be Summer Term next year, though many of those at her nursey will start in September I guess. We haven’t quite decided what to do and at what point we will stop nursery.
anyway, Coffee break over, back to the house sorting
love to see you Merry – will be great!!