IT SEEMS these little critters (a leopard and a zebra from the Zhu Zhu pets new Zhu-fari range, for those who aren’t quite up with the land of Zhu Zhus) have to go everywhere with us. Including to lunch. Thankfully, they were only interested in the lettuce from my Chicken Tikka Roll or they could well have found themselves as kitchen-hands to help pay their way.
Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys’ Wordless Wednesday. Click on the link to check out more photo posts.
Nicole has loved taking photos since she had her first film camera at 14. After doing photography in college and just not getting it, she went back for a second try in 2006. Having her children to photograph made photography fun and worthwhile and she greatly improved. Nicole just upgraded her DSLR and hopes to start a photography business one day, but for now she blogs her photos at Nicole Hastings Photoblogging. You can also follow her on Twitter.
If you would like to contribute a photo to the Alphabet Photography Challenge, a series of posts aimed at being a “look and find” activity for children learning the alphabet, please email.
WHILE trying to build our new (non beer carton) doll’s house – I stress “trying’’ because we’ve run out of sticky tape, which is like trying to build a mud house without water – I asked Ella what colour we should make the door. Her response: “yellow’’. Not just “yellow”, but twist your fingers at the top of your forehead Auslan sign language “yellow”.
She then proceeded to teach me black, blue, green and pink in Auslan. Did you ever doubt pink would be included? “Wait, I’ll get the camera,’’ I say and off I canter with the idea for another blog post. On my return, I find she’s gone all shy. No, please, not again. You’re never going to make it in Hollywood at this rate. *sigh*
After some pleas, begging and chocolate bribery, we filmed “the news”. (Watch for her saying: “goodbye to the news”). So, finally, here’s a heavily edited version of a once-again shy Ella teaching the colours of the rainbow in Auslan. Please, leave your payment at the door after you leave. Ella said: “That’ll be 100 20 50 dollars, please.’’ Good luck figuring that one out.
My arachnophobe husband taking care of the particularly large spider in the bathroom this week, even if it did mean there were lots of jazz hands and Tassie two-step moves from him in the process.
One little girl getting the giggles in the bath tonight and setting off the other one. Which, of course, then led to me getting the giggles. I love our little two-child family.
It’s lovely when grandparents buy the girls raffle tickets, even if the first prize is a defensive driving course and second prize a trailer load of wood.
I’m joining with Maxabella Loves to share what I’m grateful for.
BEFORE kids I imagined motherhood would look something like this:
Credit: Dale Cumming Photography
Yes, a serene setting, an irresistibly cute child, everyone in their place and my hair perfect.
However, I know the reality is this:
Credit: Dad
That’s right, the eldest child’s hair is scruffy, there’s a bassinette still not packed away, a doll’s cradle lying around, a bit of Weetbix on my shoulder, the *ahem* same top I was wearing two years ago, a baby pulling at my once-perfect hair and I think there’s a little something poking out bub’s nose.
You know what? I know I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m linking up with Yay for Home as part of Things I Know.
A FELLOW mum has started going solo of a night now her hubby is working a late shift. She wanted some tips on how I survive witching hour on the nights The Bloke in The Shed is at meetings ‘til late. That time of night when supernatural creatures are particularly active. Oh, sorry, wrong witching hour.
I was sure I had plenty of tips and magic spells to turn little ferals into perfect, patient angels. Like, move to another time zone when 5pm hits. Seriously. I thought our nights ran less like battling peak hour traffic and more like a ballet dance. I might add, not Ella’s ballet, where last week the teacher asked them to “sit there, girls” and every one of them got up and followed her to the instrument cupboard.
As I was in the midst of trying to juggle everything tonight – a teething Baby Holly biting my shoulder while I jiggled her up and down on one hip, stirred food with the other hand and pushed pencils in the direction of Princess Ella via a foot as she complained she was “huuuungry’’ – I wondered if maybe I could be doing it better. Or is that called coping?
Here are some of my witching hour coping strategies and suggestions:
Put young babies into a baby carrier or older babies into a Jolly Jumper. Not unlike bike riding, going “hands-free” can still end in tears for someone. Especially if your door opening isn’t very wide and you have an overactive jumper.
For preschoolers and older, get them involved in cooking the meal. Children are more likely to eat the main meal if they’ve had a hand in preparing it. Yes, sometimes even broccoli.
Give them a new toy. Which really just means something stashed in the cupboard that they’d previously become bored with. To them, it’s new.
Set up an activity they’re able to do themselves for 20 minutes – drawing, play dough, craft or dancing (concerts are a highlight here). It’s just enough time to peel the spuds and get the meat into whatever appliance it needs to go into.
Press the action button on the Zhu Zhu pet and watch them go silly. It causes giggles (and ear piercing squeals) for a good 20 minutes.
Have lots of leftovers and freezer food. We tend to do big cook ups on the weekends now and freeze some of it or have it as leftovers early in the week. This helps make mealtime preparation shorter.
Feed them sultanas. I know, I know, never eat before dinner time. It doesn’t appear to have affected either of their appetites I might add. Yes, big eaters. Plus, sultanas seem to take forever to chew.
If all else fails, just keep pedalling.
Then it’s onto the nightly routine:
6pm: Dinner time
6.30pm: Bath time (also known as “let’s see how wet we can get the bathroom floor’’)
6.45pm: All pile into Ella’s bed for books, songs and milk. If Baby Holly is so tired she can’t stay awake for books, I leave Ella to read to herself, feed and put Holy to bed, and come back and resume the routine with Ella.
7pm: Everyone tucked up into bed. Hopefully asleep. Yes, wishful thinking.
How do you cope with witching hour? What are your tips for surviving each night?
