A new day

If only everything was this easy. After my rant yesterday I have been determined to think differently and I cant believe the difference - in all of us. My little angels went off for their daytime sleep easily today after some fun activities together. The three of us stood around and made playdough which they then actively played with.
We managed the whole school drop off much better today and Benji and Spencer even walked happily to Alexander's class. There were of course some hiccups, such as finding Xander's lunch on the bench upon our return and a bit of a mural on the fridge in my lipstick, but all the same, I just didn't let it bother me. And I feel much better for it - lets hope it can continue.
On a different note, I had to make Alexander a library bag for school, and he needed by today. I had craft night last night and set about to my task. Starwars is one of the current obsessions so I downloaded a picture from the internet and printed it onto computer transfer paper. I did the same with his name - if you are doing this you need to remember to flip the image or else it is back to front. I had some cheap rubber backed curtain fabric which I ironed the image onto and I made the bag from the same fabric. Sometimes I find the images peel off a bit so I prefer to applique them on. Then I whipped up a fairly simple tote bag that was taken off to Library today.

Half a Glass

Of late, my glass always seems to be half empty. I can only seem to see the worst in everything, and everything seems to make me angry. There is no real reason, it just is how it seems to be. I have decided to make a change.
I am going to live more in the moment. I am trying to get more organisation and routine at home which should help the twins to settle. I am going to take some time out and start to say no to things. I seem some days to be chasing my tail as I race from one commitment to the next - there never seems to be any time to just 'be'.
Its going to take me some time - it is a major attitude shift, but I would rather be getting happier than a churning anger in my stomach. I think it is really a need to simplify- everything. There are so many people who are facing so much hardship and my glass really is half full.
To paint a picture of where this is all coming from, lets look at this morning. I am in the school morning routine, and the twins want to start toilet training. They wont get dressed, they take of their own poo filled nappies in the bathroom and then fight over the toilet. There is poo everywhere except in the toilet. I get a top on Benji and deal with Spencer who is on the toilet wanting to unroll all the paper. Meanwhile Benji wees in the hall. Its bin day, and I take a said dirty nappies out to the bin, only to have Alexander racing out hysterically to find me and trip over in the driveway. If I was leaving them all as if I would take a bag full of dirty nappies with me. Alexander has lost a shoe and we are getting later. Finally relatively poo free we are in the car on the way to school, Benji is SCREAMING and has taken his arm out of straps. This involves pulling over to fix hysteria on all parts and making us again later to school.
Once at school and parked (actually close to gate) I have to walk him to the door so twins have to get into the pram. I end up staying for assembly but he doesnt even see me! I decide that now everyone is calm, we will go to a preschool music program. All good - until we get int he door and then the tantrums unfold. There were only 2 other people there, and my two were hysterical and extremely non-participative. That is until the music ended and the food came out. Benji stopped crying 30 minutes into the 45 minute session but they both just sat all over me and wouldn't do anything. I got home to clean up for a colleague (not really friend) to come over and while I am putting things in the box, there were two little monkeys tipping it out again.
Now I sit doing my blog, venting and deciding to change. I don't expect these situations to change ( hopefully the do and for the better) but hopefully I will begin to feel better about it all - and remember that my glass really is half full.

Urgh...bedtime

it starts to get dark and you can feel the rebellion rising.........no matter how tired these little boys are - they WILL NOT give in. I have tried sleep overs with Alexander but that didn't do much good. Even I wanted to jump from one matress to the other as they covered the floor!
What do they do? They just keep getting up,
and getting up
and getting up.
I have sat with them. I have read to them. I have tried controlled crying. I have tried reasoning with them. I have tried no eye contact. NOTHING IS WORKING. Tonight it took over an hour and a half but what makes it more difficult is that Alexander is ready to go to bed - and he goes quite readily, but our routine is to read a chapter of a book - currently Charlotte's web and she is just about to lay her eggs - and if I disappear the twins get another burst of energy.
Don't get me wrong, I am not expecting miracles (however one would always be nice) and Alexander was not easy to get to bed, however this is truly double trouble. One starts to settle and nod off, and the other starts to jump on the bed. I get up to settle the bed jumper, only to have the other one break into tears. It is just getting beyond a joke - like being stuck in a bedtime groundhog day. Once they actually fall asleep it is fine and I am lucky and thrilled that they sleep but I am beginning to HATE the time from 7-9pm. Any suggestions?

Fairy Party

Fairies on a treasure hunt in the garden
Party bags made with the birthday girl, using stencils and stick on letters.

Biscuit wands for all the fairies.

Another outing for Peter Pan - this is what a boy wears to a fairy party.

The beautiful birthday girl and her fairy toadstool house cake.

Musical toadstools - (themed musical chairs- sans chairs)

Oh, and one other thing I have to mention which I think was terrific. Pass the parcel. Even the kids are over this game these days as they all EXPECT a prize in each wrapping and once they have had a turn, they have a tendancy to wander off. What Kirty did was wrap up all the prizes in the MIDDLE, so every child got something but there is still incentive to sit to the end of the game. Hooray, I will be adopting this next time.

Mini Anniversary

I got home from work today to find this beautiful bunch of flowers. I think the last time the big squirrel bought me flowers was in hospital when Alexander was born. This is partly my fault as I don't like him wasting money when there are better things to spend it on and also buying into the whole Valentine's Day, Hallmark holiday thing. But all that aside, it is always nice to get flowers and tomorrow marks the date where we have been engaged for 14 years! I'd like to say the time has flown, but cant find it today as I am just feeling old. While I always tell him to send them to work as you get much more bang for your buck with an audience, he was very thoughtful and picked them himself but more importantly gave me a card in which HE had WRITTEN some lovely words. This is much more special and something I will keep. Thank you babe!
(In return I made him a "delicious" pasta dinner where I caught the bottom of the sauce and then tasted it and I reckon the mince had turned so we gave it to the dog and had sandwiches. I don't think I will be getting another bunch of flowers in a while!!!!!!!)

Birthday gift

The helpers always come out of the woodwork when you are trying to take a photo!! With two of these little monkeys I find it very difficult to get anything - and I mean anything - done. We have a birthday party on the weekend, and while it is still warm, we have made her a personalised blanket. She lives in the hills and it gets very cold up there. Below is what it actually looks like. With no winter fabrics in stock yet, I found it quite hard to get my hands on some polar fleece. This one was not really the colour I was looking for, but it was the right stuff. It was actually double sided fleece which is bonded together. I pulled it apart to do the machine applique and then sewed it back together. It is approx 160 x 160 and folds into a pocket (a Quillo) which is about 40 x 40 so it forms a nice little pocket. Pulling the bonded fabric apart wasnt really a problem, however the residue stickyness that was all over my hands, the machine and everything else negates any benefits! It turned out ok though.

Bac

Guilt

You have probably heard about the devestating fires that have ravaged Victoria's beautiful country-side and communities. While we live in suburbia, such destruction and horrific loss of life has touched us all. I worry about friends who live in bushland areas and strangers who have lost loved-ones and possessions.

As a community the country has bonded together to try to help, but how do you really help these people. They have seen things that no-one should see, and they will never forget. At the moment they need money, and we have donated a number of different ways. I try to put myself in that position and think what I would need, then I want to give that to them, but at the moment charitable donations are more of a problem than a help.

To a point, our life needs to go on, but even the act of grocery shopping, or making a birthday present makes me feel guilty for those who have nothing, not to mention any frivoulous purchases. While reading others feelings of the fires, I found this from Fi's blog.It inspired me in ways to help longer term. The Handmade Help blog where it was posted is bringing communities together to help our fellow man. All of a sudden I knew how I could help - without being a burden. Our crafting group is full of knitters so we willg et started on some winter items - hats and scarfs, maybe even jumpers as it gets so cold in those mountains.

Talking with these girls helped me to deal with it a little better and our kinder community is underway to help other kinder communities in affected areas. Doing something, no matter how little, is much better than doing nothing.