Due to technical issues with Blogger, M&A's World has moved to a new home at WordPress. Please follow the link below to see our new piece of internet.
M&A's World at WordPress
All my previous posts have moved with us, but the backlinks still come back to Blogger (I think) so I'll keep this place open here, but will no longer be posting to Blogspot.
I hope you will follow us over to WordPress. There is a new header design (which I really like...at the moment!) and hopefully all those who had problems with leaving comments can now do so without hassle.
Please click the "follow" button on the posts to get regular updates of what is going on in the lives of Megan and Alex! It's right at the botton near the info about us.
Friday, 18 January 2013
Friday, 11 January 2013
Family games night...
Tonight we had a family games night. We played dominoes, memory and some puzzles.
Megan loved it as usual, and Alex stayed and played for much longer than I had anticipated.
It wasn't planned or requested, but was great quality time. I love it when that happens....
Megan loved it as usual, and Alex stayed and played for much longer than I had anticipated.
It wasn't planned or requested, but was great quality time. I love it when that happens....
We will be back...
Well, we did it... survived our first camping trip during ridiculously hot weather and the threat of possible bushfires looming in the background.
The kids loved the whole experience. They did get hot, but it was a great reason to spend loads of time in the pool. (I couldn't convince them into the river, despite my best efforts)
The tent experience was enlightening for us. Mike and I have both been camping before, but testing this particular tent out with the kids showed us that what we have doesn't cut it and we are now researching other brands and designs.
I had thought we had grossly over-packed the amount of camping "stuff", but most of it was used or the potential to use it was there.
We had friends staying nearby which turned out to be fantastic. I had always thought that holidays with friends kind of defeats the purpose of going away- you can spend time with them at home, why travel to hang out? But spending an evening with friends while the kids entertained each other was a great break for us as parents.
Taking the kids' bikes was a GREAT idea, too. Whenever they got underfoot, or bored, we sent them out on their bikes to do laps of the caravan park. Thankfully it was a small, quiet caravan park so they passed us often enough for us to keep an eye on them.
So, all in all, it was a great few days away. Just long enough to enjoy, despite the weather, and we are already planning our next sojourn. Hopefully it will become a regular event on our calendar and maybe even an Easter trip is on the cards.
(I had hoped to add some photos from our time away, but Blogger is being a pain and not letting me upload. Visit me over at http://instagram.com/linbritt/ if you have an Instagram account for the few pics uploaded there. I think the time has come to move on to another spot in cyber-space!)
The kids loved the whole experience. They did get hot, but it was a great reason to spend loads of time in the pool. (I couldn't convince them into the river, despite my best efforts)
The tent experience was enlightening for us. Mike and I have both been camping before, but testing this particular tent out with the kids showed us that what we have doesn't cut it and we are now researching other brands and designs.
I had thought we had grossly over-packed the amount of camping "stuff", but most of it was used or the potential to use it was there.
We had friends staying nearby which turned out to be fantastic. I had always thought that holidays with friends kind of defeats the purpose of going away- you can spend time with them at home, why travel to hang out? But spending an evening with friends while the kids entertained each other was a great break for us as parents.
Taking the kids' bikes was a GREAT idea, too. Whenever they got underfoot, or bored, we sent them out on their bikes to do laps of the caravan park. Thankfully it was a small, quiet caravan park so they passed us often enough for us to keep an eye on them.
So, all in all, it was a great few days away. Just long enough to enjoy, despite the weather, and we are already planning our next sojourn. Hopefully it will become a regular event on our calendar and maybe even an Easter trip is on the cards.
(I had hoped to add some photos from our time away, but Blogger is being a pain and not letting me upload. Visit me over at http://instagram.com/linbritt/ if you have an Instagram account for the few pics uploaded there. I think the time has come to move on to another spot in cyber-space!)
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Our first family CAMPING trip...
Tomorrow we leave for our very first family 'camping' trip. We have been on holidays in motel rooms, hotel rooms and caravan park cabins but never in a tent!
The kids are very excited and Megan has been counting down until we go.
We are packing what we think we will need and even what we think we will probably not need! Since this is our first time in this tent, we are unsure of lots of things.
Unsure of what the kids will be like in such a confined space, not having the freedom they have at home.
I am looking forward to the closeness that camping in a tent will provide, however. There will be no TV distractions, early to bed and early to wake.
The only thing worrying me is the 40 degree weather we will be expereincing while we are away. Keeing the kids hydrated and out of the sun will be our biggest challenge during our trip.
Fun will have to come second!!
The kids are very excited and Megan has been counting down until we go.
We are packing what we think we will need and even what we think we will probably not need! Since this is our first time in this tent, we are unsure of lots of things.
Unsure of what the kids will be like in such a confined space, not having the freedom they have at home.
I am looking forward to the closeness that camping in a tent will provide, however. There will be no TV distractions, early to bed and early to wake.
The only thing worrying me is the 40 degree weather we will be expereincing while we are away. Keeing the kids hydrated and out of the sun will be our biggest challenge during our trip.
Fun will have to come second!!
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Toy weapons...
It took us a long time to buy Alex a toy weapon. He was using anything as a sword so we capitualted and bought him a foam one.
It was only short-sighted saving of legs and furniture that prompted the purchase. I really didn't want him to have any weapons but since he was determined to use pretend swords regardless of my views, we gave in.
I'm uncertain about our purchase of bubble guns too. We are calling them bubble squirters but Alex is still "killing monsters" with them.
You might be laughing at my reservations of such toys. "They're harmless" I have heard people say a fair bit. But I just don't like the idea of my 3yr old son choosing to hurt or kill something delibertaely, albeit imaginative. (And yes, I'm concerned about Alex coz Megan isn't at all interested)
The recent shooting at an American primary school has prompted much debate about guns in our society, how toys and games innoculate kids against the horror of death and serious injury. I am a very keen anti-gun supporter and am glad Australia is different to America in regards to gun laws.
Many poeple say that guns don't kill, people do. To some extend that is true, but how many 6 yr olds would be dead if that man in America had only a knife instead?
I guess I just want to keep my little boy from thinking it's ok and normal to stab or shoot another human or animal. Maybe he'll never be like that and I'm worrying (and controlling) over nothing.
But I also wonder if the parents of that man in America had the same fears?.......
Related post- Boys and Guns...
It was only short-sighted saving of legs and furniture that prompted the purchase. I really didn't want him to have any weapons but since he was determined to use pretend swords regardless of my views, we gave in.
I'm uncertain about our purchase of bubble guns too. We are calling them bubble squirters but Alex is still "killing monsters" with them.
You might be laughing at my reservations of such toys. "They're harmless" I have heard people say a fair bit. But I just don't like the idea of my 3yr old son choosing to hurt or kill something delibertaely, albeit imaginative. (And yes, I'm concerned about Alex coz Megan isn't at all interested)
The recent shooting at an American primary school has prompted much debate about guns in our society, how toys and games innoculate kids against the horror of death and serious injury. I am a very keen anti-gun supporter and am glad Australia is different to America in regards to gun laws.
Many poeple say that guns don't kill, people do. To some extend that is true, but how many 6 yr olds would be dead if that man in America had only a knife instead?
I guess I just want to keep my little boy from thinking it's ok and normal to stab or shoot another human or animal. Maybe he'll never be like that and I'm worrying (and controlling) over nothing.
But I also wonder if the parents of that man in America had the same fears?.......
Related post- Boys and Guns...
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Never Mind...
When Alex wets his pants and starts to get upset, I say "Never mind!"
When Alex falls over and grazes his knee and starts to cry, I say "Never mind!"
When Alex drops his yoghurt all over my clean floor and rug, and I start to get upset, he says, "Never Mind Mum!"
When Alex falls over and grazes his knee and starts to cry, I say "Never mind!"
When Alex drops his yoghurt all over my clean floor and rug, and I start to get upset, he says, "Never Mind Mum!"
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
Time for Christmas...
Christmas Day was a different pace here this year.
There was time to sleep in..... well... past 8am anyway.
Time for a leisurely late breakfast...just the four of us.
Time to open gifts one at a time and appreciate them, play with them.
Noticing the time passing and enjoying each other's company.
There were (almost) no fights or tears today. Possibly because the kids didn't hear the word "No" much today.
Chocolate was eaten throughout the day.
Lunch and dinner was leftovers from the big family get together yesterday.
And then even more chocolate was eaten.
Today was nice.
Just what Christmas is supposed to be.
There was time to sleep in..... well... past 8am anyway.
Time for a leisurely late breakfast...just the four of us.
Time to open gifts one at a time and appreciate them, play with them.
Noticing the time passing and enjoying each other's company.
There were (almost) no fights or tears today. Possibly because the kids didn't hear the word "No" much today.
Chocolate was eaten throughout the day.
Lunch and dinner was leftovers from the big family get together yesterday.
And then even more chocolate was eaten.
Today was nice.
Just what Christmas is supposed to be.
Friday, 21 December 2012
The joy of giving...
Our Family Activity Advent Calendar has been doing OK in it's inaugural year. We've forgotten to look at the activity a few times and totally ditched some when we simply ran out of time. But there was one particular task that I was very keen to add and made sure we didn't miss.
I love the idea of the kids donating something of their own before Christmas. Partly to make room for new gifts received, but more importantly to recognise that there are other families with a lot less than us and its nice to give for the sake of giving.
My mum often talks to the kids about the "Smith kids" who are from the Smith Family (charity). Megan and Alex think that the kids on the Smith Family ads are real kids who don't have toys and clothes like they do. I know it's not entirely true, but it has given a very real face to a difficult to understand topic.
So when we pulled out today's advent calendar card and it said donate a toy and book, Megan got really excited. She chose her book and toy carefully and wanted to find more and more to give. I really didn't want her to give away the 'Meg and Mog' book because I had searched the Internet especially for it when we first had Megan. But it was her choice and I think she chose it because she likes the story and wanted the Smith kids to enjoy it too.
Alex didn't really understand so just randomly chose a book and toy, but I hope he remember it for next year when he may understand a bit more.
So the gifts are boxed, ready to pass onto the Smith family charity (I'll make a point of donating to them so that I can say they items DID go to the Smith Family!)
And I'm looking forward to keeping this tradition up for years to come.
I love the idea of the kids donating something of their own before Christmas. Partly to make room for new gifts received, but more importantly to recognise that there are other families with a lot less than us and its nice to give for the sake of giving.
My mum often talks to the kids about the "Smith kids" who are from the Smith Family (charity). Megan and Alex think that the kids on the Smith Family ads are real kids who don't have toys and clothes like they do. I know it's not entirely true, but it has given a very real face to a difficult to understand topic.
So when we pulled out today's advent calendar card and it said donate a toy and book, Megan got really excited. She chose her book and toy carefully and wanted to find more and more to give. I really didn't want her to give away the 'Meg and Mog' book because I had searched the Internet especially for it when we first had Megan. But it was her choice and I think she chose it because she likes the story and wanted the Smith kids to enjoy it too.
Alex didn't really understand so just randomly chose a book and toy, but I hope he remember it for next year when he may understand a bit more.
So the gifts are boxed, ready to pass onto the Smith family charity (I'll make a point of donating to them so that I can say they items DID go to the Smith Family!)
And I'm looking forward to keeping this tradition up for years to come.
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Going Overboard...
I'm about to be controversial...hold onto your hats...
The consumerism and "I want, I want" mentality of kids is our fault...us....parents.
Do kids really need 10 birthday presents? NO.
Do kids know if you have spent the same amount of money on one and not the other? NO.
It's our own sense of fairness and keeping up with the Jones' that leads us to buying more, doing more.
Mike and I were racking our brains for types of food to include in Alex's Dinosaur Birthday Party last weekend. We thought for weeks about how to make a dinosaur birthday cake. But this was us trying to make everything perfect, not Alex demanding a party with strict design and food guidelines!
Would he have been happy with a plain round (even store-bought) cake... No doubt. The fact that it had a candle on it and it was for HIS party was all that mattered.
And Christmas.... Ahhh Christmas....
The time of year where parents feel they have to give their kids the biggest and best of everything.
We had planned to make a cubby house for the kids this Christmas, but time and money got away from us. But hubby then decided that we had to spend the money that was for the cubby on the kids anyway. HOLD UP!!!
The kids didn't know they were getting the cubby house, they didn't know how much it was going to cost, they will not notice amongst their other gifts that they are missing out. They are getting plenty already...no need to go out and buy more, simply to assuage our guilt over not being able to provide one particular thing.
Alex would be happy with a $1 bubble wand from Kmart and Megan would love a packet of new hair clips or nail polish.
So why do we feel the need to have to get them expensive, fandangled super-toys?
Parent guilt... That's why! (OK, and possibly some really good company marketing strategies!)
Lots of big gifts under the tree looks great. A mountain of wrapping paper ripped from presents on christmas morning makes us feel good.
But it leads to the one trait of kids that I can't stand.....greed.
And our little boy displayed exactly that on the morning of his party when he said...
"Where's my next present??"
The consumerism and "I want, I want" mentality of kids is our fault...us....parents.
Do kids really need 10 birthday presents? NO.
Do kids know if you have spent the same amount of money on one and not the other? NO.
It's our own sense of fairness and keeping up with the Jones' that leads us to buying more, doing more.
Mike and I were racking our brains for types of food to include in Alex's Dinosaur Birthday Party last weekend. We thought for weeks about how to make a dinosaur birthday cake. But this was us trying to make everything perfect, not Alex demanding a party with strict design and food guidelines!
Would he have been happy with a plain round (even store-bought) cake... No doubt. The fact that it had a candle on it and it was for HIS party was all that mattered.
And Christmas.... Ahhh Christmas....
The time of year where parents feel they have to give their kids the biggest and best of everything.
We had planned to make a cubby house for the kids this Christmas, but time and money got away from us. But hubby then decided that we had to spend the money that was for the cubby on the kids anyway. HOLD UP!!!
The kids didn't know they were getting the cubby house, they didn't know how much it was going to cost, they will not notice amongst their other gifts that they are missing out. They are getting plenty already...no need to go out and buy more, simply to assuage our guilt over not being able to provide one particular thing.
Alex would be happy with a $1 bubble wand from Kmart and Megan would love a packet of new hair clips or nail polish.
So why do we feel the need to have to get them expensive, fandangled super-toys?
Parent guilt... That's why! (OK, and possibly some really good company marketing strategies!)
Lots of big gifts under the tree looks great. A mountain of wrapping paper ripped from presents on christmas morning makes us feel good.
But it leads to the one trait of kids that I can't stand.....greed.
And our little boy displayed exactly that on the morning of his party when he said...
"Where's my next present??"
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Sunday, 9 December 2012
The Long-Awaited Dinosaur Party
The Dinosaur Party finally arrived!
I had a hard time giving Alex his birthday presents today, since his actual birthday is more than 2 weeks away. But he is still at an age where he doesn't realise that today isn't his birthdate, despite being able to recite his birthday as "at Christmas Eve". And we are having family over for Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, so it would be confusing for the little guy to get birthday and Christmas presents on the same day.
The theme has been discussed and planned for close to 6 months and since Alex kept changing his mind about what he wanted, we picked something from his list that we thought would be easy enough to organise.
However, we didn't take into account the busy and expensive time of year, so some of the things we wanted to do were just not possible (head over to my Dinosaur Party Pinterest board to see all the lovely things that endless money and time would have provided!)
But all in all, Alex was happy and that's all the matters!!
We have lots of fun planning food around the party theme and this time was no different!
I really loved the Dinosaur outfit I made for Alex, even though he wasn't as impressed. Today was the only day ever that he didn't feel like roaring like a dinosaur!! Oh well, he can wear it around the house!
And the effort we went to to make these guys was a waste, coz they weren't used in the way we had planned and weren't quite as impressive as the look here (plus Mr T-Rex got eaten by the dogs)
In the end, we had 2 kids hyped up on sugar which is always a sign of a good party. Everyone was well fed, had fun and is now completely tuckered out!
No more party planning for a while... except that Christmas Eve dinner... and Megan is making requests for her "number 5 birthday" already...
Oh well, at least Pinterest takes the hard work out of finidng ideas!!
Saturday, 1 December 2012
Family Activity Advent Calendar....
The kids have their first chocolate advent calendar this year and I found on Pinterest a cool "activity advent calender" that I added to my Christmas Pinterest Board, so I thought I'd have a go at making one (in fact I think I like mine better!),
Once I finally got all the materials and got going, it was great fun! And choosing the activites was cool too. The Pinterest page had some ideas that we used and we came up with a few of our own as well. We strategically placed the activities in the calendar so that busy days weren't made busier with tasks and those that needed a bit more time and effort were done on the weekends. I even made a few spares so that we can change things around next year.
Here are the activities we have used this year...
- Decorate the Christmas tree
- Hang lights on the house
- Colour a Christmas picture
- Listen to a Chrostmas CD
- Make Christmas Cards
- Make a new Christmas decoration
- Write a letter to Santa
- Sing a Christmas Song to someone
- Take photos for Christmas cards
- Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes
- Read a Christmas Story
- Wrap presents
- Choose a toy and book to donate (this is my favourite
- Cut out paper snowflakes
- Have a sleepover in front of the tree
- Make Gingerbread men
- Draw and Christmas Picture
- Take a gift to your teacher
- Drive around and look at Christmas Lights
- Go and visit Santa Clause (at the shops)
- Make reindeer food (I love doing this with the kids at school)
- Watch a Christmas movie & eat popcorn
- Make a treat and take it to a friend
- Read the "Night before Christmas"
I'm really looking forward to doing each of these activities with the kids and hope it helps build the excitement towards the big day!
Friday, 30 November 2012
Movie night...
We've been doing movie night for about 2 months now, and this is something I needed to blog about coz its one of the things that I really want to remember.
Channel 7 have been kindly showing great kids movies at 6:30pm every Saturday night. Perfect timing for our little ones. The movies usually finish at about 8:30 (sometimes 9pm for a longer movie or one with more ads!) so the kids think they are staying up REALLY late!
We've had special movie food-popcorn and a milkshake. The kids think its fantastic and hey, if you can't have junk food at the movies, when can you, right?
So far there has been lots of Disney Pixar films shown, which are my favourite. We've seen the likes of Toy Story 1, 2 & 3, the Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Up and loads more. Hopefully they will start to head into Christmas movies now that we are almost in December.
Luckily we have a good stash of kids DVDs so if anything undesirable is scheduled, we can change things up and the kids will be none the wiser. (I have my fingers crossed for the Tinkerbell series soon...I love them!)
I know this new tradition won't last forever, in fact it will probably only last until Channel 7 realised there is something better to show than old cartoons!
But for now it's lovely to snuggle on the couch, in our PJs and watch some awesome animated movies.
Channel 7 have been kindly showing great kids movies at 6:30pm every Saturday night. Perfect timing for our little ones. The movies usually finish at about 8:30 (sometimes 9pm for a longer movie or one with more ads!) so the kids think they are staying up REALLY late!
So far there has been lots of Disney Pixar films shown, which are my favourite. We've seen the likes of Toy Story 1, 2 & 3, the Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Up and loads more. Hopefully they will start to head into Christmas movies now that we are almost in December.
Luckily we have a good stash of kids DVDs so if anything undesirable is scheduled, we can change things up and the kids will be none the wiser. (I have my fingers crossed for the Tinkerbell series soon...I love them!)
I know this new tradition won't last forever, in fact it will probably only last until Channel 7 realised there is something better to show than old cartoons!
But for now it's lovely to snuggle on the couch, in our PJs and watch some awesome animated movies.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Big Kids..
There are many signs of becomming a big kid...some momentous, some not so...
Alex knows he is a big kid now because he does wee and poo in the toilet.
Megan knows she's a big kid becuase she no longer needs the straps on the back of her thongs!
Alex knows he is a big kid now because he does wee and poo in the toilet.
Megan knows she's a big kid becuase she no longer needs the straps on the back of her thongs!
Friday, 23 November 2012
Recent events...
Here are some recent events at our place...
Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer Chocolate Crackles have been a hit too. Mike made these for work, but we got to eat some...and there are ingredients left over. SCORE!!!!!
Lego is still a winner, though the interest is waning. We have only pulled out a few handfuls from Mike's massive stash, but that hasn't stopped the odd Lego man appearing under furniture and usually under my foot!
We painted some cardboard yesterday to create some cool dinoasurs for Alex's Dinosaur Party in a few weeks. Alex's interest was held for about 15 minutes, Megan's was much longer. Surprise, surprise!
These are our completed Dinosaurs, except Mr T-Rex is now extinct because the dogs chewed him up. Not happy Jan!!!!
Toilet training with Alex has been going really well. Amazingly so. And apparently it's ok to let little boys have a wee in the garden. I'm not quite sure, but it has made much less washing for me coz he doesn't have to race inside, so I'll put up with it.....for now.
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Different versions of the same child...
Why is it that the Version of the child that we know is so different from the version they show everyone else?
What is it about parents that seem to bring out the worst in their child?
Of course we also get the absolute best bits as well, but there seems to be distinct personas that are brought out in certain situations.
As a teacher, I often get to see the good version. Perfect angels in the classroom get labelled as horrors by their parents. Why is that?
Recently at Alex's creche there was an "altercation" with another child and Alex was hurt. Immediately I asked if Alex did anything to the other child and the staff almost laughed at me. "Not Alex!" one said with a chuckle.
Really?? Don't they know my son and how nasty he can be? I guess he doesn't show that version of himself at crèche.
Here's my theory on the unconscious dialogue that goes through kids heads...
About the teacher:
"I think I know my teacher pretty well, I've tested out all the boundaries, but just in case, I'll do what I'm told and be good." (Of course there are always exceptions to this theory- in fact I can name several!!)
At home:
"I'm comfortable with Mum/Dad, they will love me no matter what so I can throw that tantrum and they will still love me tomorrow"
Makes sense right?
But I also know those kids who don't have a good home life and I really can't be sure if Mum/dad will love them no matter what. What about them?
They push the boundaries a bit further at school, and are generally a bit harder to deal with but most teachers can find a way around them. What is it that makes them want to be good for their teacher?
I can't figure that one out.
Thankfully Alex IS part of the "Mum/Dad will love me tomorrow not matter what he does" group, but I'm still crossing my fingers that he continues to only lets his inner demon out at home!
What is it about parents that seem to bring out the worst in their child?
Of course we also get the absolute best bits as well, but there seems to be distinct personas that are brought out in certain situations.
As a teacher, I often get to see the good version. Perfect angels in the classroom get labelled as horrors by their parents. Why is that?
Recently at Alex's creche there was an "altercation" with another child and Alex was hurt. Immediately I asked if Alex did anything to the other child and the staff almost laughed at me. "Not Alex!" one said with a chuckle.
Really?? Don't they know my son and how nasty he can be? I guess he doesn't show that version of himself at crèche.
Here's my theory on the unconscious dialogue that goes through kids heads...
About the teacher:
"I think I know my teacher pretty well, I've tested out all the boundaries, but just in case, I'll do what I'm told and be good." (Of course there are always exceptions to this theory- in fact I can name several!!)
At home:
"I'm comfortable with Mum/Dad, they will love me no matter what so I can throw that tantrum and they will still love me tomorrow"
Makes sense right?
But I also know those kids who don't have a good home life and I really can't be sure if Mum/dad will love them no matter what. What about them?
They push the boundaries a bit further at school, and are generally a bit harder to deal with but most teachers can find a way around them. What is it that makes them want to be good for their teacher?
I can't figure that one out.
Thankfully Alex IS part of the "Mum/Dad will love me tomorrow not matter what he does" group, but I'm still crossing my fingers that he continues to only lets his inner demon out at home!
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Little White Lies...
*****Spoiler Alert****
Don't read this to your kids
(as if I really think you do anyway!!!!!)
(as if I really think you do anyway!!!!!)
Why are little white lies ok?
Is it because we want our kids to hang onto that childhood innocence as long as possible?
"Santa Claus, fairies and dragons are all real"
Or is it because we want to save ourselves some sanity?
"When you press the walk button at the lights, it takes ten seconds for the lights to change. If you keep pressing it, it still takes ten seconds from the last time you pressed it"
"When the ice cream truck plays music, it means they are out of ice cream!"
I'm sure there are more sanity saving little white lies out there....please share some of yours. I'm sure I'll need them one day!!!
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
It begins again...
I thought of a few titles for this post that weren't exactly savoury. "#1s for Number 2" was the one that made me chuckle a little too much!
The fact of the matter is that we took the plunge and took Alex's nappy off...not just for nudey time, but hopefully for good.
He has been interested in the toilet on and off for a few months. He has been to the toilet successfully a few times as well, but never more than once. He has even been grabbing himself through the nappy, and when asked "Do you need to go to the toilet?" his reply was always "No!" coz it was too late.
But since there was a stretch of days ahead of us where Alex would be mainly at home or at the Grandparents, we thought "Let's go for it!". The nappy came off and the undies went on. He seemed to know what he had to do and when and he loved running around with his little jocks on and no shorts. (That was his bonus for wearing undies - and my laziness... if he had any accidents, I only had to wash undies and not pants as well!)
Overall, I would class day one as a success especially by the fact that he didn't want the nappy back on at bedtime. But we can only deal with one thing at a time, and night toilet training can wait a little while.
But as we learned the hard way with Child #1*, toilet training is not as easy as all the toilet-train-your-child-in-two-days gurus make out.
So we will wait and see.....with fingers crossed...and toes...and eyes....!
* * * * * * * * * *
*If you aren't up to speed on the looooooong saga with Child #1, see here and here!
The fact of the matter is that we took the plunge and took Alex's nappy off...not just for nudey time, but hopefully for good.
He has been interested in the toilet on and off for a few months. He has been to the toilet successfully a few times as well, but never more than once. He has even been grabbing himself through the nappy, and when asked "Do you need to go to the toilet?" his reply was always "No!" coz it was too late.
But since there was a stretch of days ahead of us where Alex would be mainly at home or at the Grandparents, we thought "Let's go for it!". The nappy came off and the undies went on. He seemed to know what he had to do and when and he loved running around with his little jocks on and no shorts. (That was his bonus for wearing undies - and my laziness... if he had any accidents, I only had to wash undies and not pants as well!)
Overall, I would class day one as a success especially by the fact that he didn't want the nappy back on at bedtime. But we can only deal with one thing at a time, and night toilet training can wait a little while.
But as we learned the hard way with Child #1*, toilet training is not as easy as all the toilet-train-your-child-in-two-days gurus make out.
So we will wait and see.....with fingers crossed...and toes...and eyes....!
* * * * * * * * * *
*If you aren't up to speed on the looooooong saga with Child #1, see here and here!
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Pocket Money...
We've started giving the kids pocket money...and so far so good!
I've also heard different ideas when it comes to pocket money.
So we have kind of combined the two.
The kids HAVE TO keep their rooms tidy by:
Not part of the deal and things they have to do regardless of pocket money are:
They bought a bag of lollies each on the first pay day, and a toy on the next (thank heavens for Kmart's $1 toy range!). Neither like the idea of saving this week's money to use next week, but that is fine.
I think we can stick to $1 until they start to realise there is such thing as $2 and notes!!
I've also heard different ideas when it comes to pocket money.
- Do jobs around the house to earn a certain amount. If you don't do your jobs, you don't get any money.
- Do jobs around the house simply because you are part of the family and it is expected that everyone helps out. Get money regardless of doing those jobs.
So we have kind of combined the two.
The kids HAVE TO keep their rooms tidy by:
- putting shoes and toys put away
- keeping their bed tidy, eg, doona pulled up= making their bed, and pj's put away
Not part of the deal and things they have to do regardless of pocket money are:
- setting the table at dinner time
- taking own plates/cups to the sink after a meal
- taking own clothes to the washing baskets
- taking creche/kinder bags to their rooms
They bought a bag of lollies each on the first pay day, and a toy on the next (thank heavens for Kmart's $1 toy range!). Neither like the idea of saving this week's money to use next week, but that is fine.
I think we can stick to $1 until they start to realise there is such thing as $2 and notes!!
Losing Robbie...
For those familiar with our family, you'll know who Robbie is and how important he is. For those new around here, he is a blanky-type toy belonging to Alex. Robbie is there when Alex feels sick, sad, and almost everything in between!
As is normal for an almost 3 yr old, Robbie gets dropped as soon as something more interesting takes Alex's fancy. Which means we find Robbie in all manner of places.
And sometimes, Alex deliberately hides Robbie in weird places...coz it's fun. The only problem is that he forgets where that weird place is and we spend hours and hours (seriously!!) looking for him.
The other night we couldn't find Robbie again, even after looking in cupboards, under couches and in the fridge (yes, we've found him there before!) So Alex went to bed without him, without much of a fuss I might add.
We did find him the next day, hidden at the very back under Alex's bed. Heaven knows how he got there.
The new rule is he must always stay in Alex's room and is only for bed time. So we might be at the stage where he doesn't need his bunny-blanket-thing as much as he used to.
One more indicator that my baby is no longer a baby, and he is well on his way to becomming a a bone-fide boy!
 |
| Robbie can get quite gross after being dragged around so much. Read here and here for my thoughts on that! |
As is normal for an almost 3 yr old, Robbie gets dropped as soon as something more interesting takes Alex's fancy. Which means we find Robbie in all manner of places.
And sometimes, Alex deliberately hides Robbie in weird places...coz it's fun. The only problem is that he forgets where that weird place is and we spend hours and hours (seriously!!) looking for him.
The other night we couldn't find Robbie again, even after looking in cupboards, under couches and in the fridge (yes, we've found him there before!) So Alex went to bed without him, without much of a fuss I might add.
We did find him the next day, hidden at the very back under Alex's bed. Heaven knows how he got there.
The new rule is he must always stay in Alex's room and is only for bed time. So we might be at the stage where he doesn't need his bunny-blanket-thing as much as he used to.
One more indicator that my baby is no longer a baby, and he is well on his way to becomming a a bone-fide boy!
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