Month: September 2009

Tomorrow is our 9th wedding anniversary, I can’t believe it!

Even though hubby and I have known each other since primary school, a whopping 24 years, we have only been together for just over 10 years. 

This year has probably been the hardest so far and our communication skills have been put to the test as it sometimes is really hard to have a conversation with 3 little people demanding attention, but so far (mostly) so good.  I also marvel at how good he is with them and what a good listener he is.

So, I didn’t marry the DIY king, but that’s what handy men are for 🙂

Phew.  What a long weekend.  My brain is fried and I need some serious sleep.

In a nutshell:

All 3 kids were 100% healthy when we left for Stilbay on Thursday morning, but by the time we got there the snotty noses started.  By last night, after an after hours trip to the doctor and chemist, I was ready to put Mignon in the car and take her to hospital in Riversdale (about 35 kms away), her breathing was that bad.  But gathered myself towards myself, massaged some Olbas into her chest, stuck an Empaped up her bum and things went better from there.  Which meant that we only had to get up a couple of times during the night to check on all the coughing for the 3 of them.  Gawd.

This weekend was meant to be a trial-run with my folks for December, and I think it would be great, I just wish my Dad would stop his smoking before then.  It drives me nuts and I don’t want him anywhere near my kids.  Especially with their snot and chest problems this weekend.

Had ourselves a little “heart-to-heart” in the car today, hubby and I.

The kids did their first river swim on Friday as the weather was lovely.  I’m a bit nervous about posting pics these days, but can’t help but share these, they are TOO precious!

Mignon left and Isabel right, look at those little legs!!

Daniel playing silly buggers in the water, he had SUCH a good time, my little man 🙂   I realised this weekend that I need to spen A LOT more time with him, so will make a plan.

Hope you all had a good one!

What a lovely weekend we had, and we didn’t really even do much, just spend time with family.  After my little moment on Friday night I was determined to enjoy the kids and literally “suck them up”.  And I did.  Mostly.

Hubby took Daniel off yesterday avie and I stayed behind and was trying to sort out some of their old stuff to give away.  We are planning to move the girls into Daniel’s room, Daniel into the spare room and convert the girls’ room into a playroom.  We have had the room painted and I needed to sort out the closet.  Halfway through I look over and there is Isabel, on the floor, rubbing black finger paint into my beige carpet, the floor, the door and herself.  Yes, I said the f-word.  Repeatedly.

I then grabbed her under my arm and dashed into the kitchen whilst trying not to get any of the stuff on myself, and held her over the kitchen sink, trying to wash most of it off her hands.

When this was done I was just in time to catch Mignon doing EXACTLY THE SAME.  I said the f-word some more and cleaned her off as well.  And then myself.

Let me tell you, finger paint is gross.  It’s disgusting goo.  BUT it is water-based so you can barely see it was there.  Thank goodness.

I think I might have mentioned that Daniel’s current say-thing is “Nee, ek willie”.  This afternoon when I went to collect him he said “No, I don’t want to”.  So now he’s being cheeky in 2 languages.  Lovely.

We had his Parent-Teacher meeting this avie as well and it went very well, we need to get him to start speaking clearer, so we’ll work on that.  He also recognises his name now and every time he sees a “D”, he points and says his name.  How cute is that??

What are everyone’s plans for the long weekend and school holidays??

If you are wanting to read something light and frivolous on this Friday evening, you’re in the wrong place.  Move along swiftly.

I really need to get over myself, I know, but I can’t stop feeling guilty and stressing about absolutely farking everything.

Am I spending enough time with my kids?

Is Daniel getting enough 1-on-1 time?

Did I really make the right decision about school?

Did I make the right decision about work?

Am I working hard enough?

Am I being productive enough?

Am I going to be able to make enough money to honour my side of the finances?

Is hubby ok?

What’s potting with my folks that I’m missing? (story for another post)

Did I buy the right gift for the 3 year old birthday party tomorrow?

How am I going to keep Daniel from eating anything and everything that will cause his allergies to flare up at the party?

Should I be feeling guilty because I asked the nanny to come in tomorrow to look after the girls so I can take Daniel to said birthday party?  The weekend is so short!

Can we really afford to go away next weekend for a much needed break?

Is it really possible to love your 3 year old so much it hurt, but he drives you completely insane!

I’m driving myself nuts!

To top it all off Isabel has now decided, no thanks, no more bottle for me mommy and she’ll only drink out of one of Daniel’s sippy cups or out of a mug.  Which is probably great in the long run, but right now it’s creating chaos. 

Thanks once again for all the comments, I think we will keep the girls at home and I’m hoping to leave Daniel in the school he is at the moment.  I just need to convince hubby..

I really have been angsting about this decision for most of this year and this is the only choice I am happy with so far.  Finally.

Tonight we were dressing the girls and Daniel was playing in the room.  So we were chatting to him and asking him what our names are as he was saying his name and surname:

He sort of got my name right, and Pappy was Daddy.  🙂  Sweet little man.

I went to the office today and made hubby take Isabel to the doctor after a rather interesting night last night. And she couldn’t find anything wrong with her.  So, we fed her some Stopayne tonight (on doctors orders) so let’s see.  She’s still drooling up a storm though, so I’m thinking it’s eye teeth, which are due round about now anyway.  No fever though.

Which made me think about when Mignon’s eye teeth come out we are going to k-k off.  She is the biggest drama queen out there and can scream her head off at the least provocation.

I don’t remember Daniel being a difficult teether, but I do recall those darn eye teeth were a bitch.

Then:  some thoughts please.

I’m toying with the idea of keeping the girls home next year and only sending them to a school in 2011 when they’ll turn 3.  I just cannot find a school I like and can afford that is open full day and during school holidays. so we would have to employ a nanny anyway. 

When is a good time to send them if you can keep them home?  Daniel did very well at 20 months, but the dynamic is very different with the girls and the fact that they are socialised.  I’m just worried that they will miss out on learning important skills.

Aarrggh, I’m finished, don’t know what to do anymore!

First off, thanks so much to everyone that left comments.  I was reminded today why this is so special 🙂

Isabel was fine this morning, no fever, but by the time I got home this avie the nanny said that she had little white dots in her mouth and didn’t finish her bottles, but ate her food.  Her fever was 37.4 and I put some Bonjela in her mouth and gave her some Ponstel and she ate most of her supper and downed her bottle.

So, we’ll see how it goes tonight, but her breath smells like it could be tonsils and I’m not messing with that, so think we’ll be off to the Doc tomorrow.  And September was a really good month so far.  Sigh.

Then:  I think hubby reads my blog as he sorted out a lot of the things I was whining about last week.  Or he just got sick of my whining.  It’s almost like someone switched the light back on and we are closer than we have been in ages.  And I’m loving it.  Sweet man.  I’m just reminded that you have to go through the hectic stuff together and apart sometimes.

And then lastly:  I had the weirdest thing happen today.  I was putting petrol in my car in Welgemoed (quite a well-to-do suburb I was passing through) and got out to draw money.  As I got back to the car this lady in a very expensive Merc parked next to me winds down her window and says she is a Spanish clairvoyant and palm reader and she “picked something up” about me and wanted to do a reading.

I was quite taken aback so I said ok, how many children do I have.  And she said 2, so when I told her I had 3, a singleton and twins she said that explains why she only saw 2 “birds”.  She then proceeded to tell me that she would do a reading right there and then for R200 ( her normal price being R300) as she was certain that there was a “message” for me.  She didn’t have any business cards with her so I could contact her later either.

Logically it’s probably a crock of shit, but maybe the universe was trying to tell me something today.  But, I also believe that the lesson would come through in some other way, so let’s see what happens.  I’m not interested in having my fortune told like I would have been a couple of years ago.

How do you feel about it??

If there’s one thing that really freaks me out is when my kids have a fever.

Take today as an example.  When I picked Isabel up this morning she felt a little warm, but she was herself.  About an hour later I mentioned to hubby in passing that she’s a little warm so he took her fever.  37.7.  I got quite a fright, but knew I was working from home, so I could keep an eye out.

By 10h00 the nanny took her temperature and it was 38.8, so we gave her some Ponstil and that seemed to do the trick.  Exactly 4 hours later, at 14h00, same story, 38.4.  So we politely stuck an Empaped up her bum and then she was fine again until just after 18h00.  Another 4 hours later, 38.4 again.

The we stuck her in the bath with tepid water and once again Empaped, so let’s see what happens tonight.  Shame, I don’t know what’s wrong.  No swollen gums, no rash.   Something has been biting her, looks like flea bites, but that was days ago.

Any suggestions?  When do you start running to the doctor? 

We had a lovely weekend with Daniel carted off to Granny on Friday night and friends over for supper last night.

I felt really, really guilty for sending him to my Mom, but we desperately needed a night to ourselves.  He had a great night, he probably also needed a break from us!

Today was the usual family lunch and this evening we had some nice playtime.  Ever try to get 3 toddlers to play with a pile of blocks?  CHAOS!

I then decided to switch on the TV and was channel surfing and came across a classical music concert on Kyknet.  The kids were all running around like headless chickens and the minute the music started they gravitated towards the TV and were so quiet.  It was amazing.  We often play music in the house, but not as much classical as we used to, but we will definitely play more as the effect was awesome! 

Maybe I was just in a really bad mood earlier this evening, but I was seriously ready to trade in hubby and my 3 year old.  Before you read on you have to understand that I am blessed with a wonderful husband that does a lot and that I love to bits.

Daniel is at that : “Nee, ek willie” age and it drives me NUTS!  It started this morning when he didn’t want to choose breakfast, so I had to leave him as hubby was in the shower and I had to do the girls’ nappies.  I knew something was up due to the deafening silence, but didn’t expect to have to fish my cellphone out of the tin of formula and have to empty out the tops of all the bottles that he had (mostly) scooped some more formula into.  Grrr. 

Then, after I barely survived the coming home chaos Mr decided to get up onto the bathroom cabinet and pee into and onto the basin.  WTH is up with that??  Suffice it to say, I called my Mom and he is spending the night with Granny tomorrow night.  We need a night’s sleep.  Together.  In our own bed.

I’m also going through a phase where I just feel like I’m trying to juggle everything and hubby sometimes doesn’t think.   He seems to either not be bothered by stuff or not in any hurry to get stuff fixed or I don’t know what.

Just some examples:

We are sitting at the dinner table tonight and I spend most nights with a twin on my lap, otherwise they climb on the table (yes, it is unmitigated chaos), so now we try to get them to sit on a chair.  But we need to get them a cushion or something to sit on so we can give them a snack on a plate.  Guess who has to deal with that?  Where will I find time to go and get some foam and then cover it or search for something suitable?

The rug under the coffee table is faarked and people and children keep tripping over it.  He hasn’t rushed out to buy a new one and every time we are at the shops he says we can buy one later.  He also trips over the stupid thing.  Why do I end up buying a new rug?

There is a little flap that he broke off inside the fridge which ended up lying in the kitchen.  I then transferred it to my car in the hope that we can get to the shops to replace it.  And he steps on it every weekend.  And doesn’t even think to sort it out.

I also know that I didn’t marry Mr Romantic, but would really just appreciate a little nod sometimes.  Gawd, I do sound like a bored housewife, don’t I??

Ag, I’m not going to carry on and this is really petty stuff, but I feel like I am the flippen mechanic, electrician, plumber, builder, PA, driver, cleaner, nanny etc all rolled into 1.  And it’s too much sometimes.  I really feel like I can’t keep up with being all of these things AND a Mom AND a Wife AND do a Job AND do them all well.

It is just me??

How do you cope with it all??