October 29, 2007
It was all about sleep.
Now I know this might sound silly, but we had been “forgetting ” to put Will to bed. It sound insane but it isn’t. Will gets into a happy groove at night and plays really well, then all of a sudden we realise it’s 10pm and we have to drag a very grumpy ( because he is so overtired) Will upstairs kicking and screaming. What a joy, I wont even go into how restless his sleep has been. This is kind of my excuse so forgive the somewhat weak argument.
Will is the only little boy in the house, so when he plays well we sort of “forget” that he is a little boy that really really needs sleep, and not a teenager that thrives on late nights. Last Friday I was so tired, I made a plan to do a
toilet
teeth
books and
sleep
routine with Will, I warned him bed time was in 5 minutes. Then he happily went and did all the above. I sat with him in the family bed till he went to sleep. We have been doing it all weekend and so far Will is so much happier and so are we, his night time dancing has settled right down.
The boys have also changed bunk beds so now Erik is on the bottom and Riley is on top. For some reason this has made Erik sleep much better. So much better in fact that today he sat with Riley and showed/taught him how to read an analog watch. Riley has wanted a watch with a face not a digital time for awhile, but no matter what I did he didn’t get it. Today after a few minutes it finally clicked and he has been happily announcing the time every 15-20 minutes since then.
Life is great when it all comes together.
Oh and on the weekend we went to Trafalgar square to see the Diwali celebrations but that’s for another post
October 27, 2007
But you want us to use our imagination
That is the response I got this morning after I went for a walk with mark and Will and left the older 3 at home.
Why did I get this response??
I got back to find a circular knitting needle taped to a walkie talkie , this was a bomb.
And best of all
My cordless phone had the aerial removed and was nowhere to be found.
Why??
it was a grenade and the aerial was the pin
October 26, 2007
What’s going on here and goodbye co-sleeping
The kids are still in Holiday mode, I can’t get anyone to do anything.
All the boys will do is xbox, I can’t even grasp some far out concept of how this is educational, I might of come up with some imaginary argument a few years ago now it is old and boring.
I can only get Logan to read at her leisure. This is great,but, her and Erik have a list a mile long of catch up work for GCSE’s. After a mini argument with Logan where I once again got the ” Well when am I going to use this in life” I answered back
” I don’t care if you never use it but I want you to do it, remember it, pass a test on it and get into college, Got it!! “
She still hasn’t picked up Macbeth though.
I am feeling deflated at the moment and worry that they will aspire to nothing and end up working in McDonald or something worse.
I need to talk to someone who can say ” yes I feel the same way” but at group no one ever says anything bad it is always rosy. I wouldn’t put them into school but I need a plan to get them motivated again.
I think this is all stemming from Will and his inability to sleep nice and almost still at the moment. He has never had his own bed and I have happily fed and him held him to sleep. He self weaned awhile ago and now I want him to get the hint he needs to sleep in his own bed.
I spend the night with him wrapped around my neck. That or lying across my belly.
Will is having a great comfy sleep every night, so he tells me every morning.
At least one of us is
October 25, 2007
Logan
Logan : ” Mum why are you ignoring me??”
Me:” I am not ignoring you Logan I have decided not to answer to whingy voices today, keep going and I might have to change my name “
Logan:”mum it doesn’t matter what I call you, I can still make it a loooonnnggg drawn out whingy sound.”
Me:” thanks Loge good to know”
Logan:” Anything to help the cause mum”
October 25, 2007
London Calling
London calling to the faraway towns
Now that war is declared and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, all you boys and girl
I am sure this war cry was unleashed at the start of the week, this war cry is also known as
HALF TERM
What better time to realise your 12 year old really really needs shoes, and you have left their GCSE books somewhere in Australia. I had this idea of them doing schoolwork while we were visiting friends and family ( ha ha ha what a joke) I think they buried them somewhere deep.
Tuesday we decided to hit Camden as Erik really wanted army boots, I agreed thinking that if they have seen battle, been worn day in day out and are still wearable they should survive the onslaught of a teen boy.
They would if he hadn’t changed his mind on the way to Camden,
I am convinced Erik has read a book, secretly, as I have no real proof on how to drive me wild.
Erik, the reason I went to Camden, took off with Logan and friends to “hang out “and I was now in Camden with no real porpose, Will, who didn’t want to be their, Riley who now has a bit of a Camden phobia, and a million other school kids and tourists. We had a quick look around jumped on a train and went into Oxford street to look at Liberty for wool ( for me me me ) and Hamley’s for toys.
Erik came home and couldn’t believe I didn’t buy him any shoes.
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Wednesday morning and I was back at Oxford street to replace the GCSE books, I could not get one of the books on the list
How can every book store be out of Macbeth ????
I did get a few graphic novels for the boys, one of which is Macbeth , now I have to go back on Saturday morning to get the ordered books so the kids can get cracking on their work. Oxford Street was pure madness their were so many gobbing teens, when did spitting become the “done thing”. After sitting down in a cafe to eat and have coffee Riley, Will and I decided to go visit Mark at work and Erik went home. We ran some errands for Mark and staggered home at 4pm vowing to not leave the house, or get dressed today.
Well that didn’t work. Logan shouted at me that we are STILL out of shampoo and conditioner, that seems about right considering I’m the only one that buys what we need and I haven’t done it yet. I got dressed to go to the local high street only to find out everyone but Will wanted to go, Grrrrrr, I wanted to go on my own, Mark is home and could do child care, just as I was about to leave Will burst into tears because he didn’t want me to go either. Mind yoou he has hardly said boo to me since then.
Off the older ones went to get toiletries, it only took 3 hysterical phone calls from Logan over which shampoo to get, then another trillion calls ( yes I counted) from the boys for money/why can’t they have money and:
“there is something really good and it will never been seen in the shops again I NEED the money,”
I gave in and let them get something, then I got the :
” I found something much much better but I need a fiver more”
By this time I am standing with the phone in my hand saying NO NO NO over and over, Will looked at Mark and said
” She says NO NO NO a lot daddy doesn’t she”
After that I told Mark I am not able to come to the phone anymore.
Apart from that it was a lovely morning, till Erik came in shouting
“I NEED NEW SHOES WHY CAN’T YOU GO GET ME NEW SHOES THESE ARE BROKEN AND RUBBISH LOOK”
And I am back to shoe shopping
October 22, 2007
Not to diminish what Logan went through
Will had his first check-up, I know that’s pretty slack considering he’s 4 1/2 , I check his teeth all the time and make sure he brushes well.
And he passed with FLYING colours
And got a sticker
October 22, 2007
A trip to the Dentist.
Last week the kids had a check up at the dentist, not surprisingly Erik needed a filling, Erik’s asthma medication strips the enamel off his teeth. What was surprising was that Logan needed a filling, not just one of those little white ones for a little bit of a hole, she needed a filing for a cavity, one that needed to be numbed and drilled and then filled.
Logan is petrified of needles, the girl that has her belly button, nose and lip pierced is needle phobic, we talked a lot about how the needle was going to hurt, but then it will numb her mouth and she wont feel the drill, it all seemed OK and she went to the dentist without being dragged.We thought she was going to be fine.
But , no she wasn’t o.k.
We had to almost drag a 5′8″ 15 year old into the dentist, Will was panicking so I had to take him out and leave Logan in their. Within minutes she was lead out by the assistant, Logan was sobbing.
I was standing in the middle of the surgery holding my sobbing 15 year old, and I couldn’t remember the last time she needed her mum to hold her and make it better, and I wanted to start crying too.
At 15 years old she has developed a “I’m too cool ” persona, when I ask for a hug I get an awkward embrace and a pat on the back. I never get the little girl who clings to my shoulder.
When she had slightly calmed down I looked at her and was struck by how young she looked. Most of her eye make-up was now on me, and she had that puff, red face you get when you cry and she looked so young. I know she is young but she is always so dressed up and full of make-up that she doesn’t look her age, people always think she is at least 18, on the plane she kept getting offered wine, while me, the harassed mum got offered coffee.
In a flash she was my little girl again and I have to remember that, even though she acts grown up and is very responsible, she is still a baby.
And then I went and bought her High heels and the spell was broken. I am back to mainly being needed for my cashcard
October 10, 2007
A million little fights in our house
E: Mum can I go have a bath
M: Sure knock yourself out
R: That’s not fair he had a bath yesterday
M:????
E: it’s got nothing to do with you when I wash
R: Yes it does and you had a bath last night
M:?????
E: Riley, shut up I’m going to have a bath
R: MUM HE HAD A BATH LAST NIGHT
M: Riley leave him alone he is going to have a bath
R: Its not fair you always blame me
M:??????
Ah the joys of testosterone
I have amillion of ‘em
