Everyday Experiences, Lifelong Learnings
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade…
When life gives you rain, play in the puddles…
Just in case you were wondering why the twinions have helmets on. Despite puddle jumping being an extreme sport, they had also just been riding on their scooters…looking for bigger puddles.
How’s the weather been in your neck of the woods? Puddle jumping worthy?
Joining Trish at My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.
Since starting part-time work that takes me out on the road to all corners of Sydney, making sure I beat the school zones and traffic to make it in time for daycare pick up has been tricky.
Carefully calculating where my last appointment is and leaving in ample time has – at times – proven to be futile.
I’ve been caught in the car park that be Gore Hill Free way or squashed in a game of sardine traffic jams on Pacific Highway.
Sydney, I love you but damn your terrible, head beating dashboard traffic.
Luckily, I can count on Mr Surfer to swoop in and walk down to pick the boys up.
For the most part, I’m there. On time.
Walking into the hall and there always seems to be a special moment waiting for me to cherish.
The stress of the road suddenly vanishes.
Introducing my Henry the Octopus and Rex the Dino…
Rex: Check out my tail, Mama!
Henry: Check out mine! Oh, I don’t have one…
Have you ever been late for daycare pick up? What’s your Plan B? How’s the traffic in your city?
It’s been forever but finally getting the chance to join Trish at My Little Drummer Boys for
Wordless Wednesday!
This #ASGLittleLearner review was written in collaboration with Kids Business and ASG. All opinions are solely mine. No monetary payment was exchanged.
Despite the twin ions turning five this year, we made the call much earlier on that we would hold them back a year from starting “big school”.
While they’ve had to say goodbye to some classmates who have gone ahead to the school around the corner, my boys are now the oldest (perhaps, bossiest?) in their Bears class.
I’ve had some mixed reactions from people when I tell them that my boys have stayed on in daycare. Some completely understand, others are busting to tell me what they really think but have been polite enough not to say so.
Although it seems everyone has an opinion on the topic of school readiness, not everyone has a set of identical twin boys.
Regardless, I have never regretted my decision.
Already we’re seeing huge developments. Where my introverted, daydreamer Nunu got a Superstar award earlier last month, K-Bear soon followed in getting his just last Friday.
No doubt, “Big School” will carry with it many complex emotions and circumstances.
The playground can be a vast, scary and intimidating place for a five year old, not to mention the competitive nature of the classroom.
Making friends, finding confidence, being organised – all important foundations for a young school starter but how does a parent begin those discussions?
To help both you and your preschooler in getting school ready, ASG is focused on supporting children’s education – it’s all they do. They’re typically known for their education funds, however this pack is an example of the educational resources they provide.
The fantastic pack includes:
In reviewing ASG’s Little Learner Pack, K-Bear has became engrossed with the books. His favourite is “Before The School Bell”, which covers the topic of being organised. Something his Mama could also learn a thing or two.
Nunu loves The Cat In The Hat DVD and if allowed would undoubtedly watch it on loop!
Offering more than $180 of value for only $49.95 is a fun and educational gift for children under six years of age.
Like my decision in holding the twinions back a year, I don’t regret introducing them to these great books and DVD.
I won’t be surprised if we read them every night right up until that imminent day when they’ll walk through the big school gates for the first time.
What are your tips to get little ones school ready? Did you hold your kids back a year? Or planning to?
***This post was written in collaboration with Kids Business Communications and Unilever. No monetary payment was exchanged and all opinions are 100% my own.***
This summer, Mr Surfer has taken it on himself to give our garage a massive overhaul, transforming it into a man cave.
Neatly tucked away is the work bench, accompanied by tools and saws. Most importantly, there is now abundant space.
A sacred shrine for the men in my life to make as much mess as they want.
Last Sunday’s rainy weather proved to be the perfect opportunity to test this makeshift haven of hardware.
Rather than have the twinions stay home, climbing walls from sheer boredom we set the first project:
Making wooden planes.
Then, came the fun part – painting them!
You know how it goes with little children. They’ll happily paint what they’re supposed to. For five minutes.
Then, they find more interesting stuff. Like facial and body parts…
I didn’t care. The exercise took up at least a couple of hours.
Give me happy, filth to their ears children over bored, screaming, whiny ones any day.
All the while, I took LOTS of deep breaths and tried to let go of my controlling compulsive tendencies.
Call it cheap therapy.
The fun was finally over. Not a lick of paint left.
I promptly stripped and dumped them in the bath.
Perhaps it was risky to let the twinions have such free reigns and access to mess.
But the entire experience was not in vain.
Firstly, playing dirty doesn’t have to be stressful. Now that we have the designated space, I no longer hyperventilate when it turns disastrous.
I also wanted to see if well known, trusted brands like Omo and Jif could also handle the aftermath.
To be completely honest (and there’s no reason to be anything but) neither product was completely effective.
Granted, I put them to the extreme test with grotty, stubborn paint.
Still, I was slightly disappointed with the results.
While the Omo Ultimate guarantees to actively lift stains that have been left to dry up to 48 hours, it wasn’t entirely the case with on of the twinions’ t-shirts.
It took a couple of washes and a 30 minute soak in hot water to get rid most of the paint.
Next was to see how well the Jif Easy Lift Bathroom spray could clean the paint off the bathroom tiles.
Again, it wasn’t a completely satisfying outcome.
After many generous applications and vigorous scrubbing, it didn’t quite finish the job leaving some paint stains between the tiles.
I have often used other Omo and Jif products without any issues. Give me the traditional Jif cleaning cream any day.
Playing dirty is a part of life.
My children are learning creative and sensory skills from making a mess.
I’m learning to cope with them.
For one reader, there’s a giveaway that includes:
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Update 30/01:
In response to my concern regarding difficulties in getting rid of paint stains when using OMO, below is a statement from Unilever:
Unfortunately Paint is not something Unilever formulate the product for.
However, essentially OMO is great on common stains like:
Tomato sauce
BBQ Sauce
Orange juice
Eggs
Custard
Chocolate Icecream
Grass
Gravy
Spaghetti Sauce
Cake
Jelly
Baked beans
Thanks Unilver for the additional information and promptly letting us know.
Imagine having to constantly look in the mirror.
The catch however, is that the reflection isn’t you. It’s not even an extension of you; an uncanny version maybe, but actually someone else.
In the infamous words of shrewd Balinese street vendors and their powers of persuasion, you and this other form of existence are “Same, same but different”
What makes you different? How do you find out?
There is a happy co-existence, after all. You are the yin to his yang. He is the pepper to your salt.
But every so often, there is a restlessness to pull away.
You can’t explain it; only acting on the frustration that you are yet to be heard individually, to be known exclusively.
From his conception, Nunu has always had to fight – for size, space, nutrients, then ultimately when he was born – for survival.
As parents, we were always just that little bit more conscious of his fragile state post birth.
Force of habit saw us pay more attention to his quiet nature, the insistence to always be by his brother’s side.
We also began to wonder when was it going to be his time to shine; to break through to the other side of twin autonomy; to build his independence.
It wasn’t too long ago we consciously began to spend one on one time with the twinions.
With each brief outing, a little more of his confidence would crack through to the surface with a progressive willingness to talk, to engage.
Slowly we discovered that he just needed space and undivided attention.
Attending day care on his own one day while his brother stayed home sick, Nunu came home with the biggest, most triumphant smile.
“Guess who got the superstar award today?” my husband reported.
“The teacher said he deserved it because he was so, so good today. He helped the other kids. Made sure they all stood up in line properly. Tried to answer all the questions…”
Mr Surfer deliberately spoke a little louder ensuring our little one could hear how very proud we were.
In the words of his teacher, since that day, Nunu started to shine in his own accord.
While his brother is still very much his constant.
He’s begun his own Superstar Journey.
Beyond counting, memorising the alphabet or being able to write his name, this strong sense of self, the freedom to be himself – with no hindering mirror – is what’s going to send him to school next year with confidence.
I just feel it.
I burst with pride in the knowledge.
Joining Essentially Jess for #IBOT
***This is a sponsored post for Air Wick. However, all opinions are my own and I love me a nice scented candle, anyway***
If the near future ever sees you pay a visit to my humble abode, whatever you do, please ignore its pitiful, neglected state.
I am no Pinterest Queen of Domestic Interior Design.
My house is not conducive to having pretty trinkets, plush rugs or intricate ornaments.
Most have been spectacularly destroyed.
The few treasured pieces are safely kept away from twinions’ reach.
Instead, you will find sturdy heavy wooden pieces Balinese furniture and well-worn couches with ominous stains and blotches that have been hanging around since the boys first started solids.
Yup. That long ago.
I know it’s just a phase. One day, I’ll be able to buy nice furniture and curtains again. Well, I’m hoping, anyway.
With this male dominated house plagued with endearing odours of playground sweat, stinky vegemite sandwich breath and flatulence of the rotten egg kind, I rely on fragrances to keep me sane.
Like a bear feverishly collecting food for winter, I keep a stock standard supply of scented candles.
It drives my husband mad (“You’re going to burn the house down!”) but hey, he doesn’t seem to smell what I smell. Why is that?
Adding to my ever growing collection, Air Wick sent through three of their candle products:
Scented candles can tend to be either not having enough aroma or be overbearing.
Air Wick candles all have their distinct, yet subtle aroma.
My favourite would have to be the Fluffy Linen because well, who doesn’t like to indulgently lie in clean, fresh, heavenly soft bed sheets?
Lying next to my little boy the other night, gently patting him, I was sure he was slowly drifting into slumber.
A tender moment short lived by a subtle yet obvious puff of air from his tiny perfectly rounded bottom.
“Nunu…did you just do a toot toot?”
*Cue bursts of giggles and laughter*
Some say, no matter where they’ve been, how they smell, you love your children all the same.
So tis a mum’s life of smelly boys and scented candles.
Hosting an Air Wick giveaway, one lucky reader will win the three above mentioned candles!
All you have to do is:
Terms and Conditions:
Joining Essentially Jess for #IBOT
Plagued with loss, sadness and sickness, November couldn’t pass by quick enough.
In theory, this could be a post with nothing but wallow and self-pity.
But even I’m sick of hearing about my own woes.
It’s these arduous stages of motherhood when it’s almost impossible to keep the eye on the prize.
Having the twinions sick and at home on separate occasions has been an unexpected opportunity to discover how the little cogs in their heads churn.
Witnessing them rationalize thoughts; deciphering complicated emotions with their quirky individual forms of expression.
Although, I don’t want this particular era will be marked as an ominous haze. Not only do I want to remember that there were “good bits”, I don’t want to forget what they were.
There was the defining moment at bedtime, when I asked K-Bear how his day at school was. Had he missed his sick brother who had to stay at home?
“Yeah,” was his sad reply.
“Oh…”
“But I got him back, Mama. I got him back…”
Taking count of all the nights my slumber was interrupted with Nunu lying beside me in bed, kicking and digging his bony knees into my stomach.
“Nunu…stop it,” I roll over and moan.
“But Mama, I love you. I love you…”
The innocent proclaims of love humbles me.
As the early morning rays peer through the window, he contentedly smiles in his sleep and I find myself wishing I could step into his dreams, share his adventures of dinosaurs and dragons.
The thing is, I can stay resentful and frustrated with the random relentless coughing spells and the turbulent bouts of fevers that keep me up all night.
In these trying situations, I can continue to profusely demand the intangible prizes – time, freedom, autonomy – that a resigning, tired mother is so deserving of.
Surprisingly, there aren’t any.
There’s a scatter of hidden gems, instead.
To find them – to have them inconspicuously surface – is to surrender and accept the current situation. Embrace it, even.
What hidden gems have your kids helped you discover lately?
Joining Essentially Jess for #IBOT
***This post is the second of a 3 part #snackosphere blog challenge series for Kidspot Voices of 2014 and Healtheries. You can read the first post here ***
While the weather here in Sydney has been all sorts lately, when it’s been awesome, it’s been UBER awesome.
Despite this, I like to make sure the daycare pick ups are quick and snappy. It’s an easy 2 minute drive there and by the end of the day, I just want to get it over and done with.
However, to make most of daylights savings, Mr Surfer, has been keen to take a leisurely walk to the daycare and walk the boys back home. It’s slowly becoming a special Friday afternoon family affair.
I was of course dubious at first because hello, witching hour.
Asking the boys to walk an extra half hour home (including a little hill) after a full on day at daycare at the week’s end…who isn’t asking for crazy tantrums?
But Mr Surfer comes home in time to make the scenic 15 minute walk with me and we bring along an ample supply of anti-tantrum rations – apples, fruit rolls and their favourite, chips.
Lately, we’ve been replacing the chips with Healtheries snacks and for after school, we tried the Potato Curls (Chicken flavour).
Initially, I wasn’t sure if the single serve packets would satisfy the twinions’ ravenous after school appetites.
At the same time, I was worried if it would ruin dinner. (Oh my, when did I turn into my mother???)
It’s a good thing the Potato Curls (just released last month in Coles supermarkets) have 70% less fat than regular chips because they’ve become a big hit.
There’s also less than 2% saturated fat as well as wheat and gluten free. As I mentioned in my last post, K-Bear is still isn’t in the clear from his peanut allergy so it’s nice to see that all Healtheries snacks are peanut free.
One little bug bear is its sodium content, being slightly higher (593 mgs per 100gms) compared to regular potato chips (479mgs per 100gms).
It’s all about portion control.
Each Potato Curl packet (at 12 gms) contains 129 mg of sodium while an average serving of chips (roughly 15 chips or 27 gms) which holds 129mg of sodium.
So for us, Potato Curls are a special treat.
Which is absolutely fine because so have these walks home.
Except for that time we got locked out. But that’s another story…
This is a sponsored post.
Despite what the books and the parenting seminars tell you, there is no method to the madness of toilet training twins.
Smug parents (you know the ones) who would gloat about how their not even three yet toddler transitioned to nappy free in a few short days just made me more frustrated about our situation. Then, I wanted to punch them in the face.
“Just because there’s two of them, your situation shouldn’t be any harder, right?”
Another imaginary punch. This time in the throat.
There is no such thing as toilet training twins. Why? Because you toilet train individuals.
What works for one, does not work for the other.
We were keen to try out all the tips that books tell you about encouraging the process.
We jived our way through the “Look who did a poo-poo in the potty!!!” dance, slapped high five slaps all around and offered rewards when those colourful stickers filled the charts.
Yet, amongst all the commotion and excitement around the toilet bowl, there was one twin who would sadly be left in dismay and confusion.
Being toilet trained is a huge milestone, as every parent knows. It is a time to celebrate another step of independence for a little person. Most importantly, it’s an extremely personal milestone.
The logistics of where to put the potty and methods of encouragement may not differ from training each child but the emotional dynamics can vary significantly. The danger of comparison is never far away.
When we worked out that what the books told us wasn’t working, we took a step back and took a little break for our boy.
While one was now happily going to the toilet without any problem, we kept our excitement at a minimum and he didn’t seem to mind that one bit.
As the weeks past, we really had to make a conscious effort to stop worrying and more importantly comparing our toilet adverse twin.
Instead, we focused on reassuring him that there was no hurry. Whenever he was ready, we would be too.
Of course, the moment that mindset kicks in, everything falls into place and within days, our little boy joined his twin brother.
Dettol is a well-known and trusted brand in Australian homes and undoubtedly an integral part for many a toilet training triumph…as well as disaster.
Now that the days of training are far behind us but with two constant grubby boys, hand hygiene is a big affair in our house. Using Dettol’s Revitalise Antibacterial Hand Wash with Raspberry and Pomegranate keeps the germs at bay but also leaves behind a refreshing fragrant on your hands. It’s one thing to maintain a high level of cleanliness – it’s another to smell like a hospital.
We’re also very lucky that our daycare also enforces the importance of using hand sanitiser after doing their little business.
The journey of toilet training is just as big of a learning curve for parents as what it is for the child. In the race to try and get them nappy free and independent, it’s important to stop. Take things slow and focus on their self-confidence and emotional awareness.
For one lucky reader, I have some great Dettol products to giveaway!
All you have to do is:
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Leave a comment on the post telling me:
“What toilet training memory/story do you look back on and laugh?”
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That, I don’t have!
“I didn’t have patience…until I had children”
How often do we hear that?
Buying the twinions a fossil digging kit each, that great virtuous trait was tested yet again.
What was supposed to be a fun indoors activity to break the boredom from the rainy weather, initially brought tears and tantrums.
Then, the boys started getting upset.
Seriously though, despite the boxes marked “For ages 6 +”, it’s missing a vital disclaimer for parents to take deep breaths in preparation for the endless obligatory hammering and flying fine pieces of rock.
I started doing a couple of taps into the stubborn mould when the impatient wails started:
“Waaaahhh!!! I wanna find the paleontologist! Mama! Where’s the paleontologist???!!! It’s NOT THERE!!!”
The assertive mother in me could’ve corrected them to say that they were in fact digging for ‘fossils’. Then ironically, reasoning took over reminding me that no amount of reasoning would help calm them down. Besides, I think I was too impressed by their ability to now pick up 6 syllabic words: Pal-e-on-to-lo-gist.
There was no other choice but to just keep digging.
Keep. Digging. Damnit.
Almost two hours later we finally came across our first (synthetic) bone. Yee friggin’ ha!
As I tried to appease my little boys, risking repetitive strain injury due to the constant hammering, it became very clear to me that palaeontology was a very boring science, if a science at all.
There. I said it. Let the Ross Gellars of this world strike me down with the gigantic foot of a diplodocus.
You watch. While dinosaurs are extinct and have no chance of getting me, I know karma will.
One day, the boys will come home not wanting to be something cool like a rock star or a back up dancer for Selma Gomez (or whoever the cutie diva will be at that time) but instead have aspirations and dreams to dig bones.
Whoever said having patience pays off, have yet to buy a fossil finding kits for dinosaur obsessed twinions.
How has this parenting gig taught you patience? Did you have much of it pre-children? What do your children aspire to be at the moment?
Joining Essentially Jess for IBOT