For anyone that has had children that dont sleep, you know in the end you sacrifice something to ensure that life is easier. Whether its late nights, or morning sleepins, staying in bed all night or just having the bed to yourself...you give up something. After three kids like this Hubby and I have given up a lot. I have had times where I went to bed as soon as my kids fell asleep so that I could get as much sleep as I could in a night. Other times I was up by 4am as by the time I resettled the little one there wasnt really much point going back to bed. At times I didnt have enough fingers and toes to count how many times I dragged my exhausted body out of bed to tend to a child. At the moment though we are co-sleeping. This post isnt about co-sleeping however...its an issue that parents usually feel strongly either way about...so lets leave it be for now.
This post is actually about how it changes your whole night. Not just the "quality" yummy hubby shut the door time...but the whole night.
Some nights my hubby is just the feet at the bottom of the bed that I can feel with my feet... he is the hand that slips up and around the pillow to hold mine. Some nights I remember that really important thing I forgot to tell him after work...only to realise that I cant say it now for fear that it will wake up the little one.
Co-sleeping can ruin chats, cuddles, quiet times, sleep ins and late nights. Some days you think you will never have your bed back... but we know we will... so we keep hoping it will come. But for now as much as we lose we do gain so much more.
Its a great reminder at the end of a long day why we had children. When we roll over to see our little one open her eyes and shoot us a smile. Or to wake up with her holding our hands, or patting our heads. Its so cute to see her wake up each morning and say Hello Mummy - Hello Daddy. But most of all its great to sleep.
After over 12 months of only 3 hours of sleep a night I gave in and let her sleep with me, instantly I started to have nights where I was getting 5 hours of sleep and within a couple of months I had longer nights sleep. I might have had to give up some space...some nights most of my side of the bed... but at the end of the day (or night) I atleast get some sleep.
...and for as long as it takes to get my bed back I will just have to cope knowing that Hubby is the warm feet at the end of the bed and the hand above my pillow...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Reclaiming my Body
When I was a child... I hated my body...when I was a teenager I did to..... ok lets face it...right up til I had my third child I wasnt a fan of what I had been graced with.
But thats changed... I cant say I "love" my body... and if there was a magic wand and I could change anything about myself..the list would be long. I would grow my boobs, reduce my thighs, sculp my nose and jaw line, flatten my stomach....you get the idea. ;)
But these days... My body seems normal and therefore I can be happy with it. When I was a child and a teenager I was plauged with hips and thighs and fat ankles.... no matter what I did, or didnt do they were always there... Its a strange kind of body to have when you are young, one that comes with hips. I know where they came from, I have a whole family of hips so its not surprising that I had them. the fact I got hips before I was a teenager was annoying though. Hips were for babies and until I had them I didnt want hips. :)
I had them and I had to deal with them. So as a younger person I didnt wear dresses... one of the only dresses I wore the whole time I was a teenager was the one to my graduation...and even then when I happen to come apon a photo of it in my mass amounts of junk the first thing I see as my hips. I was strictly a jeans and pants kind of gal. I didnt want my thighs and ankles exposed either.... how embarrassing.
As I got older and the couple of years leading up to having my third child I started to get used to my body... I had lost a bit of baby weight and started to realise that the body was staying no matter what I did and if I wanted to hate it I could but that was getting me no where...
After having baby number three there was the residual left overs... expecially after yet another c-section.. and some of its still there now. I still have my jiggly bits, some stretch marks, some lumps and bumps where I wish there were none... but I decided that I didnt care.... Yes I still have days when I wish I was thinner, taller, prettier... but thats just life isnt it? But this feeling doesnt last. I learnt to dress better for my shape, and when I buy something I buy it because I love it. Not because I can hide my ankles in it or deisguise my hips or thighs. Some purchases I am sure are laughed at by everyone that sees me. Like todays ensemble of jeggings (yes I know nearly 30 and jeggings probably dont work but who cares) and a funky baggy top with a belt hitched up under my boobs. From a distance you might mistake me for someone younger (trust me up close you cant LOL) but even though its probably a completely laughable outfit for a lady my age.... I love it and thats all that matters. You have to live your life for yourself, just like you should dress for yourself.
....and remember that the attitude usually makes the outfit... if you have the confidence to wear something then it looks great... if you worry about what you look like it shows.... so remember wear what you love, wear it with pride because if you treat your body right it will treat you right back.
(and a thought I like to remind my friends of when the talk happens to get onto weight is:
"You are only half as fat as you think you are, everyone else thinks you are half as fat as you really are...so in the end when you strip away everyones thoughts you are only a quarter of the size that you think you are"
keep that in mind next time you pull on something in front of the mirror)
Loves!!!!
But thats changed... I cant say I "love" my body... and if there was a magic wand and I could change anything about myself..the list would be long. I would grow my boobs, reduce my thighs, sculp my nose and jaw line, flatten my stomach....you get the idea. ;)
But these days... My body seems normal and therefore I can be happy with it. When I was a child and a teenager I was plauged with hips and thighs and fat ankles.... no matter what I did, or didnt do they were always there... Its a strange kind of body to have when you are young, one that comes with hips. I know where they came from, I have a whole family of hips so its not surprising that I had them. the fact I got hips before I was a teenager was annoying though. Hips were for babies and until I had them I didnt want hips. :)
I had them and I had to deal with them. So as a younger person I didnt wear dresses... one of the only dresses I wore the whole time I was a teenager was the one to my graduation...and even then when I happen to come apon a photo of it in my mass amounts of junk the first thing I see as my hips. I was strictly a jeans and pants kind of gal. I didnt want my thighs and ankles exposed either.... how embarrassing.
As I got older and the couple of years leading up to having my third child I started to get used to my body... I had lost a bit of baby weight and started to realise that the body was staying no matter what I did and if I wanted to hate it I could but that was getting me no where...
After having baby number three there was the residual left overs... expecially after yet another c-section.. and some of its still there now. I still have my jiggly bits, some stretch marks, some lumps and bumps where I wish there were none... but I decided that I didnt care.... Yes I still have days when I wish I was thinner, taller, prettier... but thats just life isnt it? But this feeling doesnt last. I learnt to dress better for my shape, and when I buy something I buy it because I love it. Not because I can hide my ankles in it or deisguise my hips or thighs. Some purchases I am sure are laughed at by everyone that sees me. Like todays ensemble of jeggings (yes I know nearly 30 and jeggings probably dont work but who cares) and a funky baggy top with a belt hitched up under my boobs. From a distance you might mistake me for someone younger (trust me up close you cant LOL) but even though its probably a completely laughable outfit for a lady my age.... I love it and thats all that matters. You have to live your life for yourself, just like you should dress for yourself.
....and remember that the attitude usually makes the outfit... if you have the confidence to wear something then it looks great... if you worry about what you look like it shows.... so remember wear what you love, wear it with pride because if you treat your body right it will treat you right back.
(and a thought I like to remind my friends of when the talk happens to get onto weight is:
"You are only half as fat as you think you are, everyone else thinks you are half as fat as you really are...so in the end when you strip away everyones thoughts you are only a quarter of the size that you think you are"
keep that in mind next time you pull on something in front of the mirror)
Loves!!!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
I am a Perfect Mother ....are you?
A Perfect Mother growls when her children are naughty.
She takes away privilages when jobs arent done.
She piles broccoli, beans, zucchini, spinach and any other green vegetable up high on their plate.
She makes them read instead of watching TV.
Makes them brush their teeth twice, incase they didnt do it the first time.
She doesnt accept any rubbish and lets them know it too.
"No" isnt an answer that she understands, unless its followed by "...you dont have to tell me twice Mum"
She grumbles about how much washing there is so that the children are thankful she has actually done theirs.
She answers the "I'm hungry" request with "there's and apple in the fridge"
She lets the cupboard run out of chocolate, chips and all things junky, but never lets the fridge run out of fruit and veg.
She growls about homework, tidy bedrooms and toys scattered over the floor.
She forgets little things, but doesnt forget what she told the children to do yesterday when they didnt do it.
She can make tea, talk on the phone, listen to reading and tidy the house all at the same time.
She takes a million photos even though the children hate them just so they dont forget each day.
She ALWAYS has one eye on the children, and one ear...so while they think they are getting away with it ....they arent!
She leaves scissors laying around, and pens and masses of paper....because children need to learn and explore their environment just as much as adults do.
She falls asleep on the lounge after a long day just so the baby will to.
She is always the last to eat, the first to clean and the only one that notices.....but thats ok.
A Perfect Mother has days when she wonders why? but wouldnt change a thing.
A Perfect Mother isnt always happy and smiling and full of life, some days she is cranky, emotional and down right foul.
But most of all a Perfect Mother is Perfect because she puts 100% into being a mother and wouldnt have it any other way.
So many of my friends doubt their mothering skills. They stress and worry that they are doing something wrong, or could be doing better. I believe that you can only do as good as you can at each given moment. Some days are easier than others, some days you want to give up more than others, but at the end of the day if you love your children, do everything you can for them and wouldnt give them up for the world....you are a Perfect Mother.
She takes away privilages when jobs arent done.
She piles broccoli, beans, zucchini, spinach and any other green vegetable up high on their plate.
She makes them read instead of watching TV.
Makes them brush their teeth twice, incase they didnt do it the first time.
She doesnt accept any rubbish and lets them know it too.
"No" isnt an answer that she understands, unless its followed by "...you dont have to tell me twice Mum"
She grumbles about how much washing there is so that the children are thankful she has actually done theirs.
She answers the "I'm hungry" request with "there's and apple in the fridge"
She lets the cupboard run out of chocolate, chips and all things junky, but never lets the fridge run out of fruit and veg.
She growls about homework, tidy bedrooms and toys scattered over the floor.
She forgets little things, but doesnt forget what she told the children to do yesterday when they didnt do it.
She can make tea, talk on the phone, listen to reading and tidy the house all at the same time.
She takes a million photos even though the children hate them just so they dont forget each day.
She ALWAYS has one eye on the children, and one ear...so while they think they are getting away with it ....they arent!
She leaves scissors laying around, and pens and masses of paper....because children need to learn and explore their environment just as much as adults do.
She falls asleep on the lounge after a long day just so the baby will to.
She is always the last to eat, the first to clean and the only one that notices.....but thats ok.
A Perfect Mother has days when she wonders why? but wouldnt change a thing.
A Perfect Mother isnt always happy and smiling and full of life, some days she is cranky, emotional and down right foul.
But most of all a Perfect Mother is Perfect because she puts 100% into being a mother and wouldnt have it any other way.
So many of my friends doubt their mothering skills. They stress and worry that they are doing something wrong, or could be doing better. I believe that you can only do as good as you can at each given moment. Some days are easier than others, some days you want to give up more than others, but at the end of the day if you love your children, do everything you can for them and wouldnt give them up for the world....you are a Perfect Mother.
I am woman, hear me ...whinge!
I am sorry, but I just have to......why oh why do we have to have a Uterus?
Yes I know they produce gorgeous children that give us grey hairs and wrinkles and the best darn days of our life that we can have....but there should be something somewhere that says after the birth of your last child they go "poof" and you never have to hear from them again....but no they don't do they? They come knocking once a month to drive us completely insane....only its not just once a month is it?
Mine knocks on the door with bad cramps for a week before its turn to come and visit....and don't get me started about my lack of patience or nasty temper....my wrath might rein down on you!!!! :)
Then when my personality starts to resemble a normal person again, the cramps come back and my Uterus says "I'm still here" and settles in for a 10 day visit.... and now I am no longer a super cranky cow.... now I am a emotional mess that wants to curl up on the lounge, watch soppy movies and cry for a week about how hard it is to be a woman and devour as many blocks of chocolate that I can remember to buy. (note this is today)
Then just when I start to think its buggered off and left me in peace I get a few more days of cramps and cranky moods....all the while my poor hubby doesn't know if he should hug me, run for cover or just hand me chocolate on a stick from at least the other room.
For some reason I know that I should love my Uterus...I should embrace its good old making baby qualities and the fact that its part of my body....but seriously I don't want to. Its like a relative I try and ignore so that I can pretend that they don't exist...(I have a few of those) Now that I feel that I am done using it for its intended purpose I believe that it should pack its bags, book its flight and take itself else where for a much deserved holiday...and while its gone I am moving interstate, changing my name and getting plastic surgery so that it can NEVER find me again.
Yes I know they produce gorgeous children that give us grey hairs and wrinkles and the best darn days of our life that we can have....but there should be something somewhere that says after the birth of your last child they go "poof" and you never have to hear from them again....but no they don't do they? They come knocking once a month to drive us completely insane....only its not just once a month is it?
Mine knocks on the door with bad cramps for a week before its turn to come and visit....and don't get me started about my lack of patience or nasty temper....my wrath might rein down on you!!!! :)
Then when my personality starts to resemble a normal person again, the cramps come back and my Uterus says "I'm still here" and settles in for a 10 day visit.... and now I am no longer a super cranky cow.... now I am a emotional mess that wants to curl up on the lounge, watch soppy movies and cry for a week about how hard it is to be a woman and devour as many blocks of chocolate that I can remember to buy. (note this is today)
Then just when I start to think its buggered off and left me in peace I get a few more days of cramps and cranky moods....all the while my poor hubby doesn't know if he should hug me, run for cover or just hand me chocolate on a stick from at least the other room.
For some reason I know that I should love my Uterus...I should embrace its good old making baby qualities and the fact that its part of my body....but seriously I don't want to. Its like a relative I try and ignore so that I can pretend that they don't exist...(I have a few of those) Now that I feel that I am done using it for its intended purpose I believe that it should pack its bags, book its flight and take itself else where for a much deserved holiday...and while its gone I am moving interstate, changing my name and getting plastic surgery so that it can NEVER find me again.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
I am still here! (given up having uniform blog titles)
Phew its been a few days since I was here and I cant believe how busy I have been. In an earlier post I revealed that I was a little more than a bit lost in life and wondering where the next turn would be and how I would go about making it. Well apparently a little insomnia, a little girls birthday and a whole lot of crazy thoughts turned into something new and I have been working hard to get it up and running. I hope that it turns out to be a successful venture, not even in the monetary sense, even though that would be lovely too, but just in the "loved" sense of the word. I love what I am doing so I hope to share in that. So seeing as I have been working on the birth of a new venture I thought I might reflect on the birth of my children in this blog post.
I could go into the gory details of over due dates, inducing, nasty nurses, unsuccessful breast feeding, late nights and early mornings ....but I wont. I thought rather than telling you word for word about each birth of my children I would instead tell you about how I FEEL about the births and how I feel about how others react to my birth stories.
I have been very lucky to be blessed with 3 happy and healthy children, not without my losses, but that's another post altogether really.
When you have a child, or a few as in my case you find yourself at things like playgroup, mothers meetings, or just in general being drawn to people with children. I suppose its because with three very noisy children running around and climbing the walls no sane person without children would want to be in 100 meters of you. :)
While socialising with all these other mothers its very hard for the "birth story" conversation NOT to start up. Its like bragging rights isn't it... ...............I had a 10 pounder, I was in labour for 48 hrs, I gave birth in the back of the car...etc etc etc. ............
Well my stories aren't dramatic, no back seat of the car type stories anyway. I had three healthy babies via caesarian.
"Awww you poor thing" I hear some people say "You missed out on a real birth" others say " That must be so disappointing" ...and without the comments, the looks that some ladies give me without realising are even worse.
However I don't feel like a "poor thing" I definitely didn't miss out on a real birth as I seem to remember bringing home three real babies and I have never once in the 8 1/2 years since my first caesarian, felt disappointed in any way.
When I was pregnant with my first child I chose not to have expectations about the birth of my child. I knew too many mothers that had gone in wanting it all to go one way and it went the other. I didn't want to be disappointed or upset by what had happened to me, so I chose to go into the situation with my eyes open and three very simple hopes.
1. I would get to hold my child.
2. My child would be as healthy as it could be.
3. I would be able to take my child home and start my family as soon as was possible.
I didn't tell myself I was going to give birth a certain way, or use or not use drugs. I was going to do everything in my power to ensure that my child had the best start to life that it could have and I was willing to do what ever I could to ensure this.
When the midwife told me that I was going in for an emergency Caesarean after two days of trying to get me into a good steady labour, and 7 hours of contractions that went no where, a huge part of me was relieved. I was so tired that I don't think I really cared what was going to happen next as long as I was going to be able to hold my baby that I was waiting for. I was a little scared, but then giving birth vaginally at the time seemed pretty darn scary too.
Now days I find myself reluctant to tell my birth story to people, as I find that more often than not I get a reaction I don't want. Which I of course know is never a reason not to tell something, but sometimes its just easier. I don't feel like I missed out on anything, for me giving birth is about having a baby, I had three. Giving birth is about the start of being a parent, I parent three. Giving birth is about the first step on the road of life as a family, and I am on that road.
I have never looked back and regretted what happened in my first birth, nor have I regretted the decisions with my second and third children to have subsequent caesarians. I did what was best for my children and what was best for my hubby and I. If I could go back to the day that my son was born I would do it all exactly the same, actually thats a little lie, I probably would have skipped the 7 hrs of labour that resulted in nothing! :)
I could go into the gory details of over due dates, inducing, nasty nurses, unsuccessful breast feeding, late nights and early mornings ....but I wont. I thought rather than telling you word for word about each birth of my children I would instead tell you about how I FEEL about the births and how I feel about how others react to my birth stories.
I have been very lucky to be blessed with 3 happy and healthy children, not without my losses, but that's another post altogether really.
When you have a child, or a few as in my case you find yourself at things like playgroup, mothers meetings, or just in general being drawn to people with children. I suppose its because with three very noisy children running around and climbing the walls no sane person without children would want to be in 100 meters of you. :)
While socialising with all these other mothers its very hard for the "birth story" conversation NOT to start up. Its like bragging rights isn't it... ...............I had a 10 pounder, I was in labour for 48 hrs, I gave birth in the back of the car...etc etc etc. ............
Well my stories aren't dramatic, no back seat of the car type stories anyway. I had three healthy babies via caesarian.
"Awww you poor thing" I hear some people say "You missed out on a real birth" others say " That must be so disappointing" ...and without the comments, the looks that some ladies give me without realising are even worse.
However I don't feel like a "poor thing" I definitely didn't miss out on a real birth as I seem to remember bringing home three real babies and I have never once in the 8 1/2 years since my first caesarian, felt disappointed in any way.
When I was pregnant with my first child I chose not to have expectations about the birth of my child. I knew too many mothers that had gone in wanting it all to go one way and it went the other. I didn't want to be disappointed or upset by what had happened to me, so I chose to go into the situation with my eyes open and three very simple hopes.
1. I would get to hold my child.
2. My child would be as healthy as it could be.
3. I would be able to take my child home and start my family as soon as was possible.
I didn't tell myself I was going to give birth a certain way, or use or not use drugs. I was going to do everything in my power to ensure that my child had the best start to life that it could have and I was willing to do what ever I could to ensure this.
When the midwife told me that I was going in for an emergency Caesarean after two days of trying to get me into a good steady labour, and 7 hours of contractions that went no where, a huge part of me was relieved. I was so tired that I don't think I really cared what was going to happen next as long as I was going to be able to hold my baby that I was waiting for. I was a little scared, but then giving birth vaginally at the time seemed pretty darn scary too.
Now days I find myself reluctant to tell my birth story to people, as I find that more often than not I get a reaction I don't want. Which I of course know is never a reason not to tell something, but sometimes its just easier. I don't feel like I missed out on anything, for me giving birth is about having a baby, I had three. Giving birth is about the start of being a parent, I parent three. Giving birth is about the first step on the road of life as a family, and I am on that road.
I have never looked back and regretted what happened in my first birth, nor have I regretted the decisions with my second and third children to have subsequent caesarians. I did what was best for my children and what was best for my hubby and I. If I could go back to the day that my son was born I would do it all exactly the same, actually thats a little lie, I probably would have skipped the 7 hrs of labour that resulted in nothing! :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Stayin'. Strong and saying NO
(I apologise now for any spelling mistakes as I typed this on my iPad...and well we all know what autocorrect can dao...also its a bit of a rant post so my apologies again for that too.....just need to vent a little)
We all know the old saying "no means no!" it's drummed into us from day dot.....and yet it seems that it is sometimes lost on people.
I tell my kids constantly that when they are told no that's it...it means no; so what ever they are doing or asking or saying, they must stop. Now my kids are far from perfect so they like to push the point with me all the time! However I have never heard them push it with another adult. If anyone else says no to them they "suck it up" and deal with it. No arguments and no questioning.
At the moment I am getting hassled by a five year old at my childrens school. She wants my daughter to go to her house for a "playdate" Now I don't do playdates. It's a personal choice from that protective mummy that I introduced you to the other day. Anyway the reason that I am bringing this up is that this little girl, this rather annoying, no manners kind of child will just not take no for an answer. It's getting to the point that I think I am going to have to be blatantly rude to her to get her to understand. The worst part of it all is that her mum is constantly in the vicinity when she is asking and I am saying no....and yet she doesn't say anything to her. She doesn't react at all, doesn't pull her up with her manners or remind her that five year olds don't get to TELL adults what they have to do. If it was my daughter behaving like that I would be appalled....she wouldn't be able to speak like that to another adult....heck she wouldn't be allowed to speak to me like that.
While I am completely aware that I just sound horrid and like I must be the ice queen of mothers, it's just driving me insane and I really just have to get it off my chest. So I am sure that theres going to be many more days of gritting teeth and saying no, maybe by the end of it all she might know that no means no.
We all know the old saying "no means no!" it's drummed into us from day dot.....and yet it seems that it is sometimes lost on people.
I tell my kids constantly that when they are told no that's it...it means no; so what ever they are doing or asking or saying, they must stop. Now my kids are far from perfect so they like to push the point with me all the time! However I have never heard them push it with another adult. If anyone else says no to them they "suck it up" and deal with it. No arguments and no questioning.
At the moment I am getting hassled by a five year old at my childrens school. She wants my daughter to go to her house for a "playdate" Now I don't do playdates. It's a personal choice from that protective mummy that I introduced you to the other day. Anyway the reason that I am bringing this up is that this little girl, this rather annoying, no manners kind of child will just not take no for an answer. It's getting to the point that I think I am going to have to be blatantly rude to her to get her to understand. The worst part of it all is that her mum is constantly in the vicinity when she is asking and I am saying no....and yet she doesn't say anything to her. She doesn't react at all, doesn't pull her up with her manners or remind her that five year olds don't get to TELL adults what they have to do. If it was my daughter behaving like that I would be appalled....she wouldn't be able to speak like that to another adult....heck she wouldn't be allowed to speak to me like that.
While I am completely aware that I just sound horrid and like I must be the ice queen of mothers, it's just driving me insane and I really just have to get it off my chest. So I am sure that theres going to be many more days of gritting teeth and saying no, maybe by the end of it all she might know that no means no.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Stayin' Sweet
Do you ever have the moment when you wish you could reach into the back of the cupboard and find a packet of lollies you didnt know you had. Or open the fridge only to discover that you didnt eat that block of chocolate like you thought you did?
Well guess what....I just had that moment.
Thankyou Cadbury Peppermint Chocolate you saved me!
Well guess what....I just had that moment.
Thankyou Cadbury Peppermint Chocolate you saved me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)