Around here

So I'm now a mother to a 9 year old, a 7 year old, a 5 year old and a 1 year old! How did that all happen?

We are going through all sorts of behaviour changes and growth spurts at the moment with pretty much all of them so our parenting skills are being tested and we are all changing. It's good and bad because I worry that I am making mistakes with the big one, but I think we are both learning along the way.

It's now school holidays so I'm excited to spend some time with all four kids, and I really do mean that. I love watching them all interact with each other and Darcy sure does enjoy having them all around.

So I best be off because not only is it the first weekend of the school holidays but B's not at work either! So happy Sunday y'all! Hope the weather is nice where you are and you get to spend it doing something you enjoy.

My Top 5 Baby Sleeping Tips

This post is written in conjunction with The Gro Company Australia

I've been pretty lucky in the baby sleeping department. And yes LUCK is a big part of it. For some babies it just doesn't matter what you do they just struggle to go to sleep or sleep past one sleep cycle.

But here are a few things that I have always done with my kids to ensure we all get a decent block of sleep.

1. Ensure that the room that baby is sleeping in is a pleasant temperature- We have two things in Darcy's room the are able to tell us the temp. One is his baby monitor and the other is the room thermometer that came with his grobag sleeping bag. Both are pictured below.

 2. Use the room temp as a guide to dress baby- This can be tricky sometimes but over time you will be able to figure out what temperature and clothing your baby is comfortable at. At night D's room sits at around 25 degrees at bedtime, but quickly drops to 19-20 overnight so at the moment he is wearing a longsleeve romper and a 2.5 tog grobag. If I put him in a 1.0tog grobag he wakes from getting cold. We do use a 1.0tog grobag during the day now though since it's heating up here.

3. White noise is your friend- We have a small box fan in D's room that it switched on for all sleeps. It's even used in winter! I just make sure it isn't pointing towards him if his room is cold. This has been a lifesaver because the sound of the box fan drowns out the loudness that is our house.

4. Routine- I'm not saying that at 10am he must have a sleep and at 7pm he must be in bed for the night, but he knows that after he has had dinner, a bath and a small amount of nappy free time that it's time for his feed and then bed. Same goes for day time, we do things in the same order every day and then watch for tired signs.

5. The use of sleeping bags- this is linked to point number 1 and 2 but they are a lifesaver. We both get more sleep because I have never worried that he has kicked his blankets over his head and he never wakes up cold because he has kicked them off! I've always swaddled/wrapped my babies until around 4 months and then I transition them to sleeping bags. They are lots of reputable brands of sleeping bags on the market today (heaps more than when Caden was a baby almost 9 years ago!) but we have pretty much always stuck to Grobags because they are fantastic quality and have lasted so well. Darcy actually wears grobags that his big brothers and sisters wore.


So there you have it- My top 5 baby sleeping tips!

I really should apply those tips to myself so I can wake up as happy as this guy.

Do you have any tips sleeping tips for babies? 

What has worked for your family?

Taking Care of YOU

How do you take care of yourself when everyone needs something from you but there is nothing left to give?

Sometimes we just can't get a break from the kids and sometimes we need just that. It doesn't mean that you love your kids any less, but to be there for them and be the best mother you can be you NEED to do things for yourself occasionally (or often!)

Some things you can do that don't require leaving the house are:

• Read a book
• Make a cup of tea/coffee and drink it in the sunshine
• Simply go outside- As above, sunshine will help!
• Call a friend
• Put on some cream/lotion- You'll be surprised how much this simple thing helps lift your mood.
• Turn on some music
• Take some time to enjoy your hobby- Lately for me that means picking up my crochet hook and making something. I'd like to be sewing but right now crochet is the most portable of my hobbies and I can do a little bit without having to pull a heap of stuff out. 

And above all please remember that you do not have to compare yourself to anybody else. It is OKAY to feel broken and defeated. We are only human. Just because someone appears to be managing it all, doesn't mean they are. 

Because honestly, at the moment I am more than tired – I am parenting on empty. I'm forgetting things like there is no tomorrow and my temper is shorter than short. But there are no sick days when you're a mum, there’s always more to do. But it's times like these when I really need to step back from a few commitments and take some time for me. Because if I don't everything WILL fall apart sooner rather than later. 

Have you been there too?  At that point when you finally break and see that you MUST take care of yourself?

So is this it...

...are you finally stopping? Is 4 it? Are you done having babies?

I don't know about you but I find that statement very personal and not one I like talking about much with other people besides my husband.

Yet I've been answering it a lot lately, mostly with a shrug of shoulders and a vague response because I'm really not keen on the further questions or strange looks when I say the truth.

And the truth is that I don't think I'm done, but it is something B and I will discuss at a later date and not something I will air to all and sundry because like Jim Gaffigan says,

"Large families are like waterbed stores, they used to be everywhere but now they're just weird."

And that's pretty much how we felt for most of my pregnancy with Darcy's- instead of just being met with congratulations when we announced my pregnancy there was an overwhelming wave of uncertainty from people about how they should respond, many questions of was he planned and the like.

Don't get me wrong, many people DID congratulate us and to them I am forever grateful that they could share our joy without judging us on the size of our family. But the others that had to question our pregnancy, well I'm still holding onto that disappointment that they couldn't just be happy for us. But that's not something I can help, well it is, I can let go of the disappointment, but I can't change their views on the number of kids I should and do have. After all they aren't the ones parenting my children, I guess I just don't understand why how ever many kids I have bothers some people so much. Just because they personally wouldn't choose to have four or more kids doesn't mean that I shouldn't.

Do you get questions about the size of your family? How do you respond?

Celebrating MY breastfeeding success

So if you spend any amount of time on Facebook you would have noticed by now that it was National Breastfeeding Week last week and if you didn't, well then you must have been hiding under a rock.

But anyway, it's made me look back on my breastfeeding journey so far and take a second to celebrate the fact that my breastfeeding journey with Darcy has been my most successful to date.

With Caden I only made it to about 8 weeks when the pain of my letdown and cracked nipples got the better of me and we switched to formula and pumping. I think I managed to pump until he was 3 months old and then we switched to formula full time.

Fast forward 15 months and my journey with Mahli started, this one lasted a lot longer and she was breastfed until 8.5 months when she started to refuse breastfeeds. I had started work when she was 4 months old so I think we both did well to get to that point.

And well my journey with Ethan was a completely different story. He was breastfed until 6 weeks of age when I was diagnosed with postnatal depression. I was put on medication that wasn't compatible with breastfeeding and that was that.

So this time round I was determined to give it a red hot go and Darcy seemed to be on the same page from the get go.

He had a pretty perfect attachment right from the very beginning and I had enough confidence in what I was doing to correct it when it wasn't 100% right. The only issues we have had in our breastfeeding journey was unbelievable painful letdowns until he was 12 weeks old.

Yep, you read that right! Even with perfect attachment there was pain. So many times you hear that breastfeeding SHOULDN'T hurt if you are doing it right. But I want to say that it can and does, it is something that both you and your baby have to learn and get used to.

After speaking with a few lactation consultants and lots of support from B I managed to overcome the painful letdown when he was around 12 weeks old and it been pretty much smooth sailing from then on.

I'm not sure how long this journey will last, but right now we are both happy doing what we are doing.

Behind Every Great Kid is a Mum Who's Pretty Sure She's Screwing it Up

You know the quote 'Behind every great kid is a Mum who's pretty sure she's screwing it up'?

Well yep, that's me in a nutshell. I worry, A LOT.

Worry is probably an emotion most people feel about a lot of things in their lives. At least that is what I tell myself to make myself feel better about worrying so much.

But I also think worry is a good emotion to have. It means you care but I also need to stop beating myself up over every little thing.

And you do to.

We need to stop second guessing ourselves and our abilities as parents.

Parenting is something that comes with no handbook, it's a learn on the job type thing. And we are learning everyday.

You don't need to be perfect, you just need to care.

Tell them that you love them, daily.

Remember that worrying is okay! But worrying that you aren't perfect is not.

Nobody is perfect and I can tell you right now your kids don't care if you are perfect or not. They love you regardless

So Mums, give yourself a break, know your limits and leave your insecurities at the door.

Because it's true that saying- Behind every great kid is a Mum who's pretty sure she's screwing it up.

Play Matters: Kinetic Sand Review

Disclaimer: I was sent a box of Kinetic Sand from Baby Vegas for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own or that of my kids. No money was received in return for writing this post. 

Just before the school holidays we received a box of kinetic sand and all three kids were pretty excited, yes even the 8 year old. No time was wasted in opening the box and getting started on building things. That afternoon the 4 year old had a friend over so they divided into groups and had a sand building competition. 

It wasn't an easy task picking a winner, let me tell you. I tried to placate them with a response that they all did a fabulous job (I was trying to keep the peace), but I was told that there had to be one winner... Let's just say the result led to some tears. 

But that was just day one of our experience with Kinetic Sand. Sometimes the kids build things with it, other times they draw pictures in the sand and well they also just like to sit there touching it and letting it fall through their fingers. Doing so seems to calm them. 

And whilst it is still sand and does make a mess, the clean up is pretty easy seeing as the sand clumps together unlike normal run of the mill sand. 

If you have no idea what Kinetic Sand is, here are some details from Baby Vegas. 

Build it, form it, smooth it, slice it, mould it, break it and recreate it!Kinetic Sand is 98% sand and 2% magic, the ‘magic’ bonding agent that causes the sand to stick only to itself in a soft clump. This sand-in-motion flows and shapes just like wet sand, but leaves surfaces completely dry and mess-free. When pressure is applied to Kinetic Sand, it keeps its shape allowing for all kinds of sculpting and molding. Kinetic Sand is totally reusable and it never dries out. As well as non-toxic, Kinetic Sand is anti-microbial and also adheres to Australian safety standards.For children aged 3 and up, and packaged in a 2.5KG box, Kinetic Sand is fun, indoor, mess-free sand.

• Special properties make it soft and stretchy

• Won’t make a mess (sticks to itself but not to you)

• Never dries out

• Non-toxic

• Store in a sealed container to keep clean and dust free

• Do not get wet

And the kids have already put this set of moulding toys on their wish list.

If you are looking for ways to encourage play with Kinetic Sand and some of the benefits of it here are a few posts that will give you some ideas:

Learning To Play and Playing To Learn
World Of Senses- The Benefits of Kinetic Sand
Mama OT- The Benefits of Using Kinetic Sand in Therapy



Do your kids enjoy playing with Kinetic Sand?

Right Now

Right now life is busy, but nice. The kids have just gone back to school after two weeks holidays, most of which they spent playing outside together with minimal arguing.

Don't get me wrong, my kids do argue, sometimes more than I like, but most of the time they WANT to play together and do so pretty well. I'm not fooling myself thinking that this trend WILL continue without effort, but I hope with some nurturing of their relationship with each other they will continue to get along AND like each other.

Darcy is noticing the quiet at home today. He has wanted to be held for most of the day so far which is unusual for him. He is usually pretty happy to just lay around and watch the world go by. He is probably my easiest baby so far *touch wood* and I have joked to B that it's time for another. I wont repeat the words he uttered, but lets just say they weren't pleasant.

Darcy is now 7 months old and sitting for short periods. He has changed so much since his birth. He was born with a head full of dark hair but has gradually lost it and is now left with light wispy hair just like his biggest brother. C actually seen a few of his baby pictures last week and commented on how much Darcy looks like him and I have to agree.

Like I said, life is busy but good.

How's your life at the moment?

I Don't Know How You Do It

When people find out I have four children two things happen:

1. They look at me like I have two heads and think I'm crazy (actually, I've been told I'm crazy because of the number of children I have before)

2. They say "I don't know how you do it"

Actually this doesn't just happen after they just find out I have four kids, not a day goes by that I don't get told "I don't know how you do it".

And I'm still not sure what exactly IT is.

Is it waking up everyday, leaving the house with all four of them dressed, making it to school on time?

Honestly, I just keep on keeping on and things, IT gets done.

My house might not always been tidy, but the kids are always in clean clothes.

I might yell more than I like.

There is dinner on the table every night and lunches packed everyday.

That doesn't mean I'm not struggling to get IT done, it just means that when my head hits the pillow every night I'm not going to waste time falling asleep.

It means I say no to things and I'm not on any P&Cs or on any of the kids sport club committees, because I know what my limits are.

I just keep on keeping on like everyone else and do all the things that we need to do to keep our kids happy, fed and loved.

Having four kids doesn't make me super mum, or better at this parenting gig than anyone else. And when people tell me that they don't know how I do it I always feel uncomfortable. Having four children isn't anymore special than having one, two or three (or even five or six) children. We are all doing our best and the number of children that call us Mum isn't what matters.

Finding Peace

Like I've said in recent weeks, I'm have been on big ball of anxious but I'm finding my way through it at the moment and I'm slowly coming out the other side. 

I've been coping by doing a few things. 

I've been writing to do lists and actually crossing things off them, I've been reading a few mum related books, I've been spending time talking to the kids about the next few months and I've been going to bed as soon as I feel tired, even if it is only 7:30pm...

One such book that I've been reading is The Happiest Mom by Meagan Francis. I've had it in my bookcase for a while and I flick through it occasionally reading the snippets that I need to at any given time.

And you know what? It's been helping, I don't want to spend my impending days with a newborn thinking the mantra 'this too shall pass'. I want to savour the moments with a newborn, because they may just be our last. 

Yes, I am going to be tired and yes the house isn't always going to be clean. But we will be a family of 6 and that's just what we wanted. 

One of the chapters of the book is called 'Aim Low and Go Slow'. And well, that sounds a good enough mantra for me for the next 3/4 months. 

The kids will be loved, fed and wearing clean clothes. But those clothes might not have come from their wardrobes, but instead probably the clean washing pile. They might get breakfast for dinner occasionally, but that's cool too. 

So whilst, I can't say that I'm not completely freaking out about how I am going to manage it all. I am looking forward to being a mama to 4 very very much. 

Be Still And Know

• Nothing bad will happen because the clothes aren't folded or the dishwasher isn't unloaded...
• Nothing bad will happen because there are toys spread all over the loungeroom
• Nothing bad will happen if you simply pack the kids up, walk out the door and head to the park instead of folding said clothes or unloading said dishwasher, infact only good can come of it.

It is true the saying 'the days are short but the years and long'. But even the years aren't very long and before you know it they will be flying the coup and you'll be left wondering why you worried about the dishes or the clothes or the toys so much.

I don't know about you but I need to stop worrying about the mess the kids make when they are having fun and just simply bask in the glory of them having fun AND making mess.

I need to get the paints out more often, let them go wild with the glitter... oh the glitter. Not worry about the playdough ending up in weird places about the house because nothing bad will come of it.

That's right, nothing bad will come of it. I need to say that to myself more often and focus on creating memories instead of worrying about mess. It'll be there for me to clean after our hearts are full from simply spending time with each other. And sometimes just being still and relaxing together is enough too.

And when you have had enough of the noise and you simply want to be still ALL BY YOURSELF, well nothing bad will come of that either.

Dreaming is the new BLACK

Last week Deb from Home Life Simplified shared that she was contributing to a 30 Day 'course' called Mothering with HeART and I clicked over to the website to find out more. 

You see, I haven't been comfortable with my mothering for the last few months. I have felt run down and anxious most of the time and I was taking it out on the kids and myself. Their behaviour was suffering too. Looking at all of our behaviour I can now tell we were all screaming for help.

The kids needed me and I needed me. 

And the I thought the Mothering with HeART e-course would be exactly what I needed to get us all back on track.

What is Mothering with heART?
The intention for this e-course is to inspire all of you mothers, mothers-to-be, or even those of you who think you may want to become a mother someday. This course is about mindful mothering. It will invite you to connect more deeply to your intuition while nurturing your children and yourself. It’s about listening more intently to your heart and celebrating your journey through motherhood. It’s about building your inner strength so you can continue to mother from within – the place that is all-knowing and comes from love – while you release and let go of self-doubt and the need to seek external approval or validation. And you’ll do all of this while enriching your creativity and making art with your children.

And well I am glad I found it. The daily emails have put my parenting on the forefront of my mind and we are all benefiting from it. We are all calmer and enjoying each other more. 

Last night I was catching up with the emails from the weekend and one of the contributors, Shawn Ledington Fink, said that 'dreaming is the new black'. It that really resonated with me. I grabbed my Smash Book and starting doodling that quote and I have been thinking about it ever since. 

Dreaming is what get's me through most days, I am a dreamer from way back. I dream of our future, or where I would like to take ASWC, of the vegetable garden I would like to have, of raising chickens, or the mundane and the extrodinary. 

Shawn states that your dreams will become reality when you finally own it and walk into your power. 

I find that statement interesting to say the least and do find truth in most of it. 

So, are you a dreamer? What do you dream of? 




I am linking up with IBOT

Parenting Bloopers

Source: etsy.com via Lori on Pinterest

I am sure we all have parenting bloopers we would rather forget. For some reason, today I was reminded of one of the worst things that has happened to be since I became a parent. (Okay, that may be a little dramatic...)

It was a little over two years ago, Caden would have been about 3 and had been sick for a few days. He was walking past the kitchen when all of a sudden he started vomiting. I went to help him and as he turned around to talk to me he vomited again and timed it so well that I would step straight in it and slip over RIGHT INTO THE VOMIT.

B was home at the time and he claims it was like a slow motion replay. All he could do was watch in horror and then laugh his ass off. Yep, that's right, he didn't help at all because he was too busy laughing until he cried. I have to give him credit though, I would have probably done the same thing if it was him. And I was actually laughing when it was happening, but I think if I wasn't laughing I would have cried.

The worst part was that I put my neck out when I slipped over. Having to explain that one at work was interesting to say the least.

What parenting bloopers would you rather forget?

When things turn bad...

... head to the beach.

Wednesday was a horrible day here, the house was a mess. And I mean pigsty type mess. I have no idea how the kids trashed it so fast but they did.

Not one of them was interested in following any instructions and I got that frustrated I started to yell... Not good.

So I did what any sane parent does and started with the bribing... (everyone does it right??? Or did I just admit another parenting failure on top of the yelling??) I told them that if everyone pitched in and help with the picking up of toys and doing jobs then we would go to the beach after Daddy woke up. (He had just finished night shift)

And you know what, it worked! The yelling came down a notch, the jobs got done and we escaped our four walls and head for the surf. Well the mediocre surf at a little beach we have near by that is extremely safe for the kids to 'boogy board' anyway.

So this week I am totally loving what the great outdoors can do for ones stress levels. We all got home much happier, calmer and tired then before we left. The kids were asleep by 6:30pm and I even got to sleep at a reasonable hour myself.

Do you find that everyone is happier and less stressed if you just get out of the house for a while? Do you sometimes bribe your kids, or am I the worlds worst parent for doin

I am playing along with Paisley Jade today for Thing's I'm Loving. What are you loving today?

Am I a Prude?

Photo has no relevance, just though it was cute...

Whilst driving in the car we are usually tuned into the local FM radio station. This week I was sitting in the car with Caden whilst B ran into the shops. The radio was on. A song started playing, I hadn't heard it before so and was listening to it when the words kind of hit me in the face.

All of a sudden I was being told to 'get on my genitals'... Right then I decided we were done with mainstream radio. It has been getting bad for a long time. The words Bitch, Sex, Shit etc have all been allowed to be played on the radio for the past few years. Radio edits these days only gloss over the F-bomb and the horrid C word. Every things else seems to be fair game.

But really is switching the radio off going to do any good? Plus I would go crazy if it meant we were doomed to be listening to Justine Clark and the Wiggles all bloody day!

It is a hard choice. My kids love music. We have music on in the house most days streaming from our iPods. Currently Caden and Mahli's favorite bands are the Far East Movement and Black Eyed Peas. The enjoy singing along to the songs and making up dances so in turn they like listening to the radio in the car. But when we are faced with  Avril being a crazy bitch,  Rhianna loving the smell of it, Wynter Gordon dirty talking for 3 minutes, plus a whole lot more I really don't know what to do. I know I am not the first parent faced with this question and won't be that last. But really what did happen to the good old radio edit that got rid of all the 'inapproriate' words?

Am I just a prude or has radio gone to far with what is acceptable?

image from weheartit