Wednesday 15 January 2014

Rinse and repeat

Lil-lil's gummy smile

Being a parent to three kids can be all-consuming and exhausting. Scrap that. Being a parent to any number of kids can be all-consuming and exhausting. Some days, or rather most days, can feel like your just doing what you can to get to bed-time - feed them, cloth them, get them to run around a bit, perhaps teach them something, answer a lot of questions, say no a lot. Rinse and repeat the following day. Groundhog day.

Recently I've been a cranky, shouty mum which I don't really like. The kids have been driving me crackers and I react and it's not fun for anyone. I don't know whether it's them or me, but the past week has been a lot better. I've engaged with them more, appreciated them more, listened to them more. Set aside time with them rather than worrying about the dinner/shopping/tidying/etc/etc/etc. Maybe it's as simple as the elder two being at school and having five minutes to myself. I wish we could have this household all the time.

Many people here have live-in maids/nannies (many people also don't) and believe me it's something we think about doing. Imagine just doing all the nice stuff and not worrying about the washing, the bed making, the sweeping? Also, the freedom to pop out to the hairdressers or even a doctor's appointment without a two-year-old in tow. Or go for dinner or a movie with my husband on the spur of the moment? All sounds good, but it's not as easy as that and I won't bore you with all the negative issues that have so far prevented us from hiring someone.

So instead, I'll fill you in on what has made my heart soar:


  • Lil-lil losing her top front teeth and having that classic gap. Also, the fact that she has finally 'got' reading on her own. The past few days I've found her curled up with a book - so good!
  • Goosey's dancing, she has rythymn most could dream of and a style all her own. Plus her one liners and observations of the world never fail to surprise me. 
  • Darbs little mind opening up! He's talking, knows his colours, can't count to 20 and spot a Ferrari or Lamborghini before anyone else. 



3 comments:

  1. The ying and yang of life!! I think youre amazing Rin as you have the insight to recognise when something isnt right and then know how to fix it/change it/improve it. Alot of people dont know how to step back and realise when they're not happy, and how that unhappiness can make them miss the little things in life worth noticing like lils reading/gooses funny thoughts and darbs' new discoveries. But you are so insightful.. and lovely xxxx

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    Replies
    1. That's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time, thank you xxx

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  2. I hear you. That has been me more recently too, until I made a conscious decision to lighten up a bit. I had to work at it, but it has made a huge difference to the whole household.

    I like your list, thinking about those simple things that are wonderful about kids is great, not something I do often enough either. Thanks for the reminder.

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Thank you so much for your comments! I'm always thrilled to hear from you.

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