Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Life of Three
We have had now almost 6 months as a family with three kids, now aged 5, 2 years and 6 months. It has been months full of laughter, tears and feelings ranging from bursting happiness to tired sadness.. the usual stuff really for a family with kids! We are blessed with the calmest and cutest little baby boy I could have ever hoped for. The girls have found a soulmate in each other and have become inseparable. I wasn't really prepared to the amount of new parenting skills I still had to learn including basics, such as getting baby to sleep the nights (both girls started sleeping through the nights at 3,5 months..), learning the importance of 121 time with each child, doubling the cuddling time especially to the eldest one (they just pretend to be big really). Each child protested on their own way after the arrival of the new baby; the middle one started wetting her pants and climbing to our bed during the night, the eldest started telling white lies and hiding things..Fortunately after making weeks of extra efforts in giving individual attention, talking privately about how important each one is and how much we love them things have already started to find their own course. I completely underestimated the cumulation of fatigue and what it does to your brain and body..Probably I didn't catch-up on the sleep between the pregnancies and therefore I am were I am today. You have to be gentle on yourself and take it with humou I tell myself: there has been mornings, when I have done quite a lot of extra walking because of forgotten school items (good for the activity record though :)). I speak in passed tense, although the baby is still not sleeping the nights, but the wake-ups have reduced to 1. or 2. My new year's intention is to now write down all the things I had been dreaming of doing during my extended maternity leave, which has still (only!) 4,5 months left. With that thought, I'll try to catch some sleep..
Sunday, 26 April 2015
Confessions part 1
As a typical week in our house hold, I have had
star parenting moments and, well, less brilliant ones and ones that looked
sweet to start with, but turned quickly into sour.. Starting with the good
ones:
1. We enjoyed a civilized lunch in a public place with quasi-well behaving children. The 21 times of practice in Egypt has finally yielded promising results. I didn't even mind paying 6 euros for warm water and it was not even accompanied with a teabag, but called chicken soup. Bravo les filles! "
2. We (myself and belly baby boy) survived the sugar stress test with only a minor humiliation (falling asleep for 45 min. in the hospital waiting room while digesting all that glucose).
3. My 2-year old composed herself autonomously after a post-nap tantrum. What a well-balanced (raised) child..
4. My 5-year old was selected to the competition gymnastics team. I am very proud.
On to the confession part:
1. I realize, despite all the wisdom read, but evidently not absorbed, that I have started living through my children's successes. I found myself posting the news to three people within 30 seconds having learned the point 4. news. Embarrassing.
2. My children are spoiled. They can ruin a whole morning over the size of a cookie..SIZE OF A COOKIE!!!!!!!!!And we have spoken about the people living in poverty and not having enough food, but reminding this has absolutely no emotional impact whatsoever. I need a serious plan to start raising the global consciousness of my children before it is too late.
There were probably quite some other incident this week, but my yoga teacher invited us to be kind to ourselves so I decide to stop here. Good night all wonderful moms.
1. We enjoyed a civilized lunch in a public place with quasi-well behaving children. The 21 times of practice in Egypt has finally yielded promising results. I didn't even mind paying 6 euros for warm water and it was not even accompanied with a teabag, but called chicken soup. Bravo les filles! "
2. We (myself and belly baby boy) survived the sugar stress test with only a minor humiliation (falling asleep for 45 min. in the hospital waiting room while digesting all that glucose).
3. My 2-year old composed herself autonomously after a post-nap tantrum. What a well-balanced (raised) child..
4. My 5-year old was selected to the competition gymnastics team. I am very proud.
On to the confession part:
1. I realize, despite all the wisdom read, but evidently not absorbed, that I have started living through my children's successes. I found myself posting the news to three people within 30 seconds having learned the point 4. news. Embarrassing.
2. My children are spoiled. They can ruin a whole morning over the size of a cookie..SIZE OF A COOKIE!!!!!!!!!And we have spoken about the people living in poverty and not having enough food, but reminding this has absolutely no emotional impact whatsoever. I need a serious plan to start raising the global consciousness of my children before it is too late.
There were probably quite some other incident this week, but my yoga teacher invited us to be kind to ourselves so I decide to stop here. Good night all wonderful moms.
Confessions
As a typical week in our house hold, I have had star parenting moments and, well, less brilliant ones and ones that looked sweet to start with, but turned quickly into sour.. Starting with the good ones:
1. We enjoyed a civilized lunch in a public place with quasi-well behaving children. The 21 times of practice in Egypt has finally yielded promising results. I didn't even mind paying 6 euros for warm water and it was not even accompanied with a teabag, but called chicken soup. Bravo les filles! "
2. We (myself and belly baby boy) survived the sugar stress test with only a minor humiliation (falling asleep for 45 min. in the hospital waiting room while digesting all that glucose).
3. My 2-year old composed herself autonomously after a post-nap tantrum. What a well-balanced (raised) child..
4. My 5-year old was selected to the competition gymnastics team. I am very proud.
On to the confession part:
1. I realize, despite all the wisdom read, but evidently not absorbed, that I have started living through my children's successes. I found myself posting the news to three people within 30 seconds having learned the point 4. news. Embarrassing.
2. My children are spoiled. They can ruin a whole morning over the size of a cookie..SIZE OF A COOKIE!!!!!!!!!And we have spoken about the people living in poverty and not having enough food, but reminding this has absolutely no emotional impact whatsoever. I need a serious plan to start raising the global consciousness of my children before it is too late.
There were probably quite some other incident this week, but my yoga teacher invited us to be kind to ourselves so I decide to stop here. Good night all wonderful moms.
1. We enjoyed a civilized lunch in a public place with quasi-well behaving children. The 21 times of practice in Egypt has finally yielded promising results. I didn't even mind paying 6 euros for warm water and it was not even accompanied with a teabag, but called chicken soup. Bravo les filles! "
2. We (myself and belly baby boy) survived the sugar stress test with only a minor humiliation (falling asleep for 45 min. in the hospital waiting room while digesting all that glucose).
3. My 2-year old composed herself autonomously after a post-nap tantrum. What a well-balanced (raised) child..
4. My 5-year old was selected to the competition gymnastics team. I am very proud.
On to the confession part:
1. I realize, despite all the wisdom read, but evidently not absorbed, that I have started living through my children's successes. I found myself posting the news to three people within 30 seconds having learned the point 4. news. Embarrassing.
2. My children are spoiled. They can ruin a whole morning over the size of a cookie..SIZE OF A COOKIE!!!!!!!!!And we have spoken about the people living in poverty and not having enough food, but reminding this has absolutely no emotional impact whatsoever. I need a serious plan to start raising the global consciousness of my children before it is too late.
There were probably quite some other incident this week, but my yoga teacher invited us to be kind to ourselves so I decide to stop here. Good night all wonderful moms.
Thursday, 9 April 2015
Tips for traveling with 2- and 5-year olds
I have to admit that the preparations for our 7
days holiday trip to Egypt took an unproportionable amount of energy and time.
Renewing passports, selecting family friendly hotels, shopping for summer
clothes, getting just-in-case medical subscriptions just to mention few items
of my to-do list.
The week was of course wonderful and went by too quickly. I can highly recommend the destination (Marsa Alam) for its reasonable flight time 4'5 hours, no time zone difference and tempting temperatures (28-31C) at this time of year. The snorkelling and diving are a must activity when at red sea and you can still see tens of different types of fishes just by walking at the pear so clear is the water. The girls were most enthusiastic about the kids pool, playground and next door aqua park. And of course ice cream..I was most thrilled about the meals prepared by somebody else, daily exercise and my afternoon naps! Couple of tips anyone travelling with young children should check with the hotel beforehand (apart from reading tripadviser reviews!):
- Meal times, especially at dinner time 30min. (6 pm instead of 6.30) can make the critical difference for allowing (or not) parents finish their plates before the little one starts the evening crises..
- Babysitting services. Most hotels have miniclub for kids over 4 years, but it would be nice to have a quiet evening among parents a few times during the week.
-Opening time of gym - the early bird sport enthusiasts as myself prefer doing the sports before the family wakes up..
-Cost for late departure in case later flight - in most hotels you need to check-out by noon.
-Is family room available (ours was at the same rate as the standard room, just needed to ask!)
Final thoughts, the girls 'UV sun protection suits were a must and should have ordered
second pairs for change. One of the biggest concerns less! Amazon has good deals.
Not having finished with the last laundry yet, I already look forward to our next holidays!
The week was of course wonderful and went by too quickly. I can highly recommend the destination (Marsa Alam) for its reasonable flight time 4'5 hours, no time zone difference and tempting temperatures (28-31C) at this time of year. The snorkelling and diving are a must activity when at red sea and you can still see tens of different types of fishes just by walking at the pear so clear is the water. The girls were most enthusiastic about the kids pool, playground and next door aqua park. And of course ice cream..I was most thrilled about the meals prepared by somebody else, daily exercise and my afternoon naps! Couple of tips anyone travelling with young children should check with the hotel beforehand (apart from reading tripadviser reviews!):
- Meal times, especially at dinner time 30min. (6 pm instead of 6.30) can make the critical difference for allowing (or not) parents finish their plates before the little one starts the evening crises..
- Babysitting services. Most hotels have miniclub for kids over 4 years, but it would be nice to have a quiet evening among parents a few times during the week.
-Opening time of gym - the early bird sport enthusiasts as myself prefer doing the sports before the family wakes up..
-Cost for late departure in case later flight - in most hotels you need to check-out by noon.
-Is family room available (ours was at the same rate as the standard room, just needed to ask!)
Final thoughts, the girls 'UV sun protection suits were a must and should have ordered
second pairs for change. One of the biggest concerns less! Amazon has good deals.
Not having finished with the last laundry yet, I already look forward to our next holidays!
Traveling tips with kids
I have to admit that the preparations for our holiday trip to Egypt took a surprising amount of energy and time. Renewing passports, selecting family friendly hotels, shopping for summer clothes, getting just-in-case medical subscriptions just to mention few items of my to-do list.
The week was wonderful and went by too quickly. I can highly recommend the destination (Marsa Alam) for its reasonable flight time 4'5 hours, no time zone difference and tempting temperatures (28-31C) at this time of year. The snorkelling and diving are a must activity when at red sea and you can still see tens of different types of fishes just by walking at the pear so clear is the water. The girls were most enthusiastic about the kids pool, playground and next door aqua park. And of course ice cream..I was most thrilled about the meals prepared by somebody else, daily exercise and my afternoon naps! Couple of tips anyone travelling with young children should check with the hotel beforehand (apart from reading tripadviser reviews!):
- Meal times, especially at dinner time 30min. (6 pm instead of 6.30) can make the critical difference for allowing (or not) parents finish their plates before the little one starts the evening crises..
- Babysitting services. Most hotels have miniclub for kids over 4 years, but it would be nice to have a quiet evening among parents a few times during the week.
-Opening time of gym - the early bird sport enthusiasts as myself prefer doing the sports before the family wakes up..
-Cost for late departure in case later flight - in most hotels you need to check-out by noon.
-Is family room available (ours was at the same rate as the standard room, just needed to ask!)
Final thoughts, the girls 'UV sun protection suits were a must and should have ordered
second pairs for change. One of the biggest concerns less! Amazon has good deals.
Not having finished with the last laundry yet, I already look forward to our next holidays!
The week was wonderful and went by too quickly. I can highly recommend the destination (Marsa Alam) for its reasonable flight time 4'5 hours, no time zone difference and tempting temperatures (28-31C) at this time of year. The snorkelling and diving are a must activity when at red sea and you can still see tens of different types of fishes just by walking at the pear so clear is the water. The girls were most enthusiastic about the kids pool, playground and next door aqua park. And of course ice cream..I was most thrilled about the meals prepared by somebody else, daily exercise and my afternoon naps! Couple of tips anyone travelling with young children should check with the hotel beforehand (apart from reading tripadviser reviews!):
- Meal times, especially at dinner time 30min. (6 pm instead of 6.30) can make the critical difference for allowing (or not) parents finish their plates before the little one starts the evening crises..
- Babysitting services. Most hotels have miniclub for kids over 4 years, but it would be nice to have a quiet evening among parents a few times during the week.
-Opening time of gym - the early bird sport enthusiasts as myself prefer doing the sports before the family wakes up..
-Cost for late departure in case later flight - in most hotels you need to check-out by noon.
-Is family room available (ours was at the same rate as the standard room, just needed to ask!)
Final thoughts, the girls 'UV sun protection suits were a must and should have ordered
second pairs for change. One of the biggest concerns less! Amazon has good deals.
Not having finished with the last laundry yet, I already look forward to our next holidays!
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Yoga, good friends, lunches out
Having the mornings all to myself opened up a tremendous and even a daunting palette of activity options..The worker mom identity pushes through first and makes a proposal to finally complete the house related "to-do list": clean the kitchen cupboard, bring kids winter clothes to the attic, search a company to clean your carpets, go renew your id card at the commune.. So the first day of the holiday is quickly and productively used. How sad and unimaginative. I am disappointed at myself. Do I really not have any other identity left of me? Over the morning coffee, I challenge myself for a little brain gym to remind myself of things I really enjoy most doing.. Practicing morning yoga, going for a power walk with a friend, having a fruit cocktail at the Terrace, trying out a new organic farm and eating lunch out..Now we are speaking! Nice to meet you again ME!
Yoga, good friends, lunches out
Those are the modest ingredients of an ideal holiday week at home for this mom.
Having the mornings all to myself opened up a tremendous and even a daunting palette of activity options..The worker mom identity pushes through first and makes a proposal to finally complete the house related "to-do list": clean the kitchen cupboard, bring kids winter clothes to the attic, search a company to clean your carpets, go renew your id card at the commune.. So the first day of the holiday is quickly and productively used. How sad and unimaginative. I am disappointed. Do I really not have any other identity left of me? Over the morning coffee, I challenge myself for a little brain gym to remind myself of things I really enjoy most doing.. Practicing morning yoga, going for a power walk with a friend, having a fruit cocktail at the Terrace, trying out a new organic farm and eating lunch out..Now we are speaking! Nice to meet you again ME!
Having the mornings all to myself opened up a tremendous and even a daunting palette of activity options..The worker mom identity pushes through first and makes a proposal to finally complete the house related "to-do list": clean the kitchen cupboard, bring kids winter clothes to the attic, search a company to clean your carpets, go renew your id card at the commune.. So the first day of the holiday is quickly and productively used. How sad and unimaginative. I am disappointed. Do I really not have any other identity left of me? Over the morning coffee, I challenge myself for a little brain gym to remind myself of things I really enjoy most doing.. Practicing morning yoga, going for a power walk with a friend, having a fruit cocktail at the Terrace, trying out a new organic farm and eating lunch out..Now we are speaking! Nice to meet you again ME!
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