Sleep

Sleep is such a precious commodity! Everyone is tired.  Stay-at-home Mamas/Working Mamas, Students, Dads, Grandmas, Poppas, Aunties, Uncles etc. Everyone is tired! Everyone could do with more sleep. I tell you there is no such thing as "sleeping like a baby!"  That over used totally ridiculous phrase conjours up pictures of sweet chubby bubbas lying ever so peaceful sound asleep in a beautifully decorated room in a cot with ironed-smoothed blankets  with matching curtains. Ha that never happens, well not in my house anyway.  I have said this before, Jesse doesn't like to sleep in a bed during the day.  He would much much rather sleep on the couch in amongst the palaver and chaos that is our daily living.  Sleeps more soundly and infinitely longer this way!

 

I had to take these photos because he looked so grumpy about going to sleep!

I cannot remember the last time I had a full nights sleep. Honestly! I even got up to my 12 year old the other night. Why?  Because once he starts with one cough it leads to two and then three and then we are all awake. So rather than waiting until he calls out to me I got up and brought him his inhaler and fixed the problem.  I wouldn't say that I am anymore tired than the next person. At present Jesse is waking from 2 to 7 times a night.  Sometimes I scoot him in and feed him and sometimes I just put my hand on him or touch my lips to his head and he goes back to sleep. Oh how I love that I get to snuggle, its like having my own mould-able hot water bottle.

 Some of my children are older and for the most part don't wake up at night needing my or Jamies help. The younger ones still wake up...for drinks, bad dreams, no blankets, the night light on, cuddles, the occasional wet bed and sometimes they are even hungry.  Sometimes we play musical beds, that's not uncommon in our house.  It is also not uncommon for me to check on the boys or girls before I go to bed and find the kids have rearranged their sleeping  quarters.  At present the Jayden (10) and Thomas (7) have pushed their two beds together into one giant bed and are sleeping like that!

There was a time a couple of years ago where the three boys decided to be in "Little House in the Prairie" days and all sleep in one single bed together.  They did that for a number of nights. During that time Kaitlyn and Sophie came into our bed one night and we joked (as you only you can on nights like that) that we only needed two beds for our entire family.  It is also not uncommon for me to find the kids sleeping on the floor, sometimes with their mattress and sometimes without.  Seriously who would voluntarily sleep on the floor!

Sophie and Kaitlyn decided to sleep in our room one night!

 It is a regular occurrence for me to find the kids have made huts after they have gone to bed and they have gone to sleep in there.

Jamie will often sleep on the fold out couch or on a mattress on the floor if one of the kids are sick.  For an entire week after Jesse was born he vacated our bed for a mattress on our bedroom floor so Jesse and I could spread out and recover.   We frequently all sleep in the lounge and have family movie night. ALL the mattress come off the beds (including ours) and they are set up in preparation for movie watching.  Funny thing is, is that on those nights EVERYONE has the best sleep-ever!  There is something to be said for communal living I reckon.

 It is true that some people need more sleep than others. I function on little sleep and for the most part I function well. Jamie on the other hand doesn't and will often take himself off for a nap if the day allows it. This use to (and if I am honest it still does to a degree) frustrates me, but I am S-L-O-W-L-Y accepting that he needs Nana-naps.  I don't enjoy going to bed early and would rather stay up late and enjoy some time with no kiddies wanting/needing me. I HATE getting up early, but I am working hard at getting up before 7am. Yes I know for some of you the day has started by then. Jamie can jump out of bed very sprightly indeed, be showered and dressed before I have even got one eye open! I am awake often at night, thinking, reflecting, planning and dictating essays, teachings and blogs (in my head).  In saying all this, sleep is important for everyone, its just that we all require different amounts. Sleep is essential for health, growth and everyday functioning.  All of us probably don't get as much as we should for one reason or another. (ha I just yawned - I must be tired) We ALL are busy with living our lives and could all do with a bit of slowing down, a bit less technology, a bit more activity/exercise/ a bit more of the outdoors, a bit more of 'being present in the now'.  Even God rested, so therefore so must you/I. Where are you sleeping tonight?

Goodnight lovely people!

 

 

So what are you doing this Sabbath!

One of those days (sigh)

Please tell me that I am not alone when I say ..."I am looking forward to bed and the day being over".  I wasn't the best parent today.  Today was hard. If I was completely honest I could of done with another glass of wine but no, I stared longingly at the unopened bottle instead - knowing full well that I would have to do extra push ups and crunches as punishment.

Seriously I don't know what happened today.
I mean really...

Who thinks that its OK to climb on top of the clothes horse (fully loaded) and that it wouldn't break under the strain of a 4 year olds weight.  I am down to one horse now (clothes not actual) and one horse isn't going to cut it especially when you don't have a dryer.  Its precociously balancing on the fire guard and the back of a chair at present and I am in serious denial that its no longer functional.

Who really thinks its OK to bring ones bike inside and ride it. Yes I know we have a big old farm house but we want to pretend that we have some etiquette, decorum and are semi-civilised.

Who really thinks its OK to threaten to throw wooden trains, monopoly pieces, pumpkins and snot-filled tissues at each other? Again see above for why not.

How many times do we have to be told to close the front/back door? 10, 20, 30....100 times. Seriously its not that hard.

We don't need to fight and argue ALL day, do we?  I say this because I KNOW at the end of the day, come bed time you will have ALL joined forces and united against us, 6 against 2 and staged a full on mutiny about going to bed. Why bother? Do yourselves and me a favour, remember that you do love each other and unite earlier on in the day.

Why does everything have to start hurting/itching/bleeding at bed time. Why do you suddenly become cold/hot/unwell at bedtime? Why do you need another drink, banana, cuddle, plaster and/or teddy at bedtime?  Why oh why do I have to kiss, hug and say prayers for Teddy's/dollies and weird looking plastic horses at bedtime? BEDTIME is just that, BEDTIME!!!

Why do you need to poo all up your back and all over your clothes just after I have dressed you?  I am sure I have told you that its near impossible to get a squishy poo-soaked singlet up and over your head without dying your hair, ears and neck poo-yellow.

Why do socks always disappear? Why wear gumboots through the front door and walk through the house only to walk out the backdoor? 

Empty toilet rolls actually go into the rubbish bin - not on the floor.

Why can't you do your own Maths and not your sisters? Why do you have to drop you pencil 222 times?  Find your own rubber, share your rubber, split your rubber in two BUT PLEASE STOP FIGHTING OVER THE DAMN RUBBER!

Why play inside when its sunny and outside when its raining? Why wear shorts in winter and then cry because you are cold? Why oh why wear shorts and a t-shirt and then take your blanket and pillow outside to lie under to keep warm?

Why do you have to shove the entire knife into the full jar of jam and then spread over bread, bench and floor?

Why are you sweeping the dirt with my broom? Why are you cleaning a pumpkin in the bathroom?

Why are you wearing your togs? Why are you running a bath now? No you do not need to practice using your flutter board!

Please give me the scissor. Please turn the TV off. Please get down. Please get off your sisters head.  Please don't wear just stockings to collect the eggs/mail.  No we can't go to the pet shop and buy a pet.

 No you can't play egg shops with real eggs. Why? Because you might break them and I need them for baking.  No you can't sell them at the gate. Why Not? Because we brought them from the supermarket. I know no one will know that, but I will.  Yes I know you can keep a secret!

Yes I know I borrowed five dollars off you. Yes I will pay you back. Yes with paper money even! Yes and soon.  I won't forget. I am sure you won't let me.

*sigh*

Two rows of chocolate later and I am off to bed.  I will live another day, to tell another story. Tomorrow will be....tomorrow.  Some days like this just happen. You either laugh or cry - probably both! I know I am not a bad parent but actually I am a pretty darn good one. But days like that do creep up on the best of us. One day my linen cupboard will be tidy and my towels will all be matching. One day my windows will be clean and I won't have to vacuum daily...but that means one day my house will be empty.  For me...the thought of that is very very sad!



Photo taken December 2012

Every cliché about kids is true; they grow up so quickly, you blink and they're gone, and you have to spend the time with them now. But that's a joy. - Liam Neeson

Tidbits of May.

Funny story. I started a blog last night. That's not unusual, I have a huge number of started/unfinished blogs. But this one was about being more disciplined and finishing what I start and I never finished it!  So TYPICAL!  I really have a bad habit of over-thinking and second guessing myself therefore I am not happy with it and I don't finish it.

SO tonight I aim to finish this and I will not allow myself to go to bed until its done!  Here goes....

 

Family

Super important and we are incredibly blessed to have a substantial sized one.

 I love that we laugh ALOT.

I love that my children know each other.

 

Casey (12) and Jesse (6months) having traditional morning cuddles!

 We love to celebrate.

We love traditions, for traditions tie us to each other, to history and to something bigger than ourselves.

Life is truly empty without traditions.

 

Happy Birthday Jayden (10)

 Turning 10 is a big deal around here and comes with a PARTY baby!

Jayden's choice was an Xbox party of course.

It was such a boy day, junk food, Xbox and pizza!

He loved it.

(I am not fan of said Xbox at all, but its not about me is it)

Our boys generally only get the Xbox on a Sunday afternoon for 2-3 hours so being able to play it for an entire afternoon/evening was a BIG DEAL.

Especially since we got together some of Jayden's Uncles and a friend for occasion.

My lounge was transformed to a gaming arena!

 

 

Excuse photo quality as is was really poor lighting.  But I think you get the general idea!

 

 May is always a busy month for us as a family and this year it was insanely busy.  I found that I really had to work at 1) staying sane and 2) Engaging on a simple level with each of my children.
One thing I love about home-schooling is that we have the time and space to really embrace whatever the kids are interested in at any given time. ( and I tell you it REALLY could be anything)  Kaitlyn got a build-it-yourself (but really get an adult to do it for your because its really too hard for you) birdhouse as a present. So she and Jamie got out the hammer one afternoon and put it together.  This sparked an interest in birds and bird-watching consequently this led to erecting a bird-feeder on the fence outside our lounge window so we could observe the birds.

I am not really sure what bird around here is going to be able to fit in there but none-the-less it has been attached to the tree next to the bird feeder.

 We are also currently into sewing. Sewing bibs for that matter.  All the kids wanted to turn at using the sewing machine and desperately wanted to make a bib for Jesse. I love this about them.  So for 'Technology' we had a look at 1)What was the function of a bib?  2)What makes a good bib? and
 3) What things must a bib have?

Then it was a lesson on making and cutting out a pattern.

Of course I would have to put some written work in there somewhere, (much to their disgust). All my children would rather be 'doing' than 'writing'.

 

 Hand over hand, Kaitlyn and I gingerly used the sewing machine together. Fortunately her legs aren't long enough to reach the pedal so I had control of the speed of the machine.  Thankfully no fingers were run over in the process!

 

 Presto!  A Bib for Jesse!

 

Jesse now has a collection of new bibs, thanks to his siblings.

Sophie and Kaitlyn have found a large piece of gold sequined material (how on earth I came to have that I do not know) and thought it would make a good princess skirt. So I guess that is next on the agenda.  Don't think the boys would want one though.

 

I just thought I would put up these photos of Jamie and 2 of his brothers enjoying a Friday morning breakfast. No we do not breakfast like this everyday but moments like these make me smile. I love that they can get together and enjoy each others company over the simple act of having breakfast.  I pray that my children will do the same in years to come when they are adults!

 

Yay! I made it! Finished!

I am so proud of myself right now!