When you enter the 'both children at school' phase of life, people ask you some marvellous questions...
"What do you do all day?" (Probably the most common - I'm not going to rant - but it's safe to say; I'm not just sat on my rear watching Daytime TV...)
"When are you going back to work?" Because combining shift work with the school run is just so much fun...
But my personal favourite:
"Are you going to have another baby?"
Seriously?
I have to get over my initial urge to just laugh maniacally. No, I'm not. If I was going to do that - I would have done it already; not waited until I had a bit of spare time - and then filled it with morning sickness, more stretch marks and additional sleep deprivation...
Any of you who have ever read my blog know that I love my children a lot; after all - I talk about them enough. They are marvellous, brilliant, funny, bright, insightful, *insert additional superlatives here* But I still don't want another one.
One of my good friends is pregnant at the moment with her second baby, and she's really struggling with her pelvis. I had some pelvic problems; particularly in my second pregnancy; so empathy is not a problem. Watching her struggle to move around, I can almost feel that pain again. I know that, even amidst her pain, she is not regretting being pregnant. I'm glad that I'm a bit more available to help; having kids at school does release you a bit to do other things - even if that is to help others with their babies...
So, dear reader - I am quitting whilst I'm ahead.
And if I ever feel the need to cuddle a baby - I'm sure I'll be able to find one...
Showing posts with label Perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perseverance. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
School runs, 'the wall' and Jimi Hendrix
This Sunday one of my friends from church ran the Berlin Marathon. I know, crazy chap. Aaron ran the Marathon, because he wanted to - but also to raise money to support Christians Against Poverty; a marvellous charity helping people out of poverty - but also helping people avoid getting into debt in the first place. There's still time to sponsor him if you like; just go to his Just Giving page.
I haven't seen Aaron yet since Sunday, so I don't know how it all went. I was thinking about him this morning, and wondering if he had hit 'the wall'. The metaphorical wall (after all, I'm hoping he managed not to run into any real ones...) when your legs turn to jelly, and you just feel like you can't go on...
I wondered this, because this morning - Nathan hit 'the wall'...
I kind of expected that this would happen at some point. The novelty of going to school has worn off now; but it hasn't quite yet been replaced by the stamina required to make it through without tears. He was properly tired this morning, and sad.
"Can I stay at home with you, Mummy?" "The day is too long..." "Will you come in with me?" *generalised sobs*
He even tried to bargain with me, and ask if I would pick him up at lunch time. If he can negotiate like that whilst crying and only four - hopefully he'll have the Middle East peace process all sorted by the time he is ten.
I gently cajoled him through the process of getting ready for school. Breakfasted, dressed, clean(ish) and ready, he sat in the car - still crying - until the radio came on. Thank heaven for Jimi Hendrix...
After a couple of bars of the opening guitar riff, the tears were forgotten. Well - at least till we got to school. Bless him; nothing soothes the pain of school like a bit of awesome guitar.
He went into school, a bit sad again - but not as sad as he could have been. I've promised him fish fingers for tea, in honour of his perseverance. I think I might be cooking favourite teas all week actually.
So - what do you do when you hit the wall? Just keep running. That and listening to some Hendrix anyway.
I haven't seen Aaron yet since Sunday, so I don't know how it all went. I was thinking about him this morning, and wondering if he had hit 'the wall'. The metaphorical wall (after all, I'm hoping he managed not to run into any real ones...) when your legs turn to jelly, and you just feel like you can't go on...
I wondered this, because this morning - Nathan hit 'the wall'...
I kind of expected that this would happen at some point. The novelty of going to school has worn off now; but it hasn't quite yet been replaced by the stamina required to make it through without tears. He was properly tired this morning, and sad.
"Can I stay at home with you, Mummy?" "The day is too long..." "Will you come in with me?" *generalised sobs*
He even tried to bargain with me, and ask if I would pick him up at lunch time. If he can negotiate like that whilst crying and only four - hopefully he'll have the Middle East peace process all sorted by the time he is ten.
I gently cajoled him through the process of getting ready for school. Breakfasted, dressed, clean(ish) and ready, he sat in the car - still crying - until the radio came on. Thank heaven for Jimi Hendrix...
After a couple of bars of the opening guitar riff, the tears were forgotten. Well - at least till we got to school. Bless him; nothing soothes the pain of school like a bit of awesome guitar.
He went into school, a bit sad again - but not as sad as he could have been. I've promised him fish fingers for tea, in honour of his perseverance. I think I might be cooking favourite teas all week actually.
So - what do you do when you hit the wall? Just keep running. That and listening to some Hendrix anyway.
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Toxic Strawberries
Before getting down to the point of this blog... Does anyone think 'The Toxic Strawberries' would be a good band name? I just wrote it down, and immediately thought it sounded like a rock band. Ah well, I digress, and before I've even started... Could be an ominous sign...
Anyway, carry on!...
Yesterday, Nathan and I bought some new strawberry plants, along with a few others, and planted them out in our garden. We've been attempting to grow our own fruit and vegetables with limited success over the last few years. Last year we managed lots of potatoes, a heap of green (should have been red) tomatoes which ended up as chutney, a few dodgy looking carrots and parsnips, and three baby corn-on-the-cob... We did also grow some impressive looking courgette plants, without courgettes on... Oh well, never mind.
My motivation for trying again, was Nathan's appalled reaction to the shop bought strawberries we had recently. Although Nathan happily eats other strawberry (OK... jam) based products, he obviously hadn't eaten an actual strawberry for a while; and thus had decided that they were not just unpleasant, but down right dangerous.
Of course, the fact that the rest of the family were happily tucking into the strawberries didn't seem to help. You would have thought I was trying to make him eat a raw oyster, or some sort of creepy-crawly from a bush-tucker trial. The strawberries were, in fact, toxic - and no amount of cajoling was going to convince him otherwise.
In the end, I did what a lot of parents do. I told him he couldn't get down until he'd eaten the strawberry; and in the end he did eat it. I think, despite all the angst, he did actually like it in the end.
Thinking back on Strawberry-gate; I am thankful that we have incidents like that relatively rarely now. Nathan had a very difficult food phase (by phase, I mean year...) after being ill for a month with a bug, and then an ear infection when he was 18 months old... He hardly ate any normal food for a month, and afterwards, he seemed to have forgotten how. Out of nowhere, almost all foods had moved from the 'OK' category in his head to the 'probably toxic - avoid at all costs' area. We spent the next year slowly re-introducing foods, until he was finally eating something resembling a normal diet. It was a very difficult and stressful time, and I'm so thankful that we are basically over that now.
And so, we will grow our own strawberries. Water them. Talk to them. Give them straw beds to sleep on, etc. etc. And hope that by the time they are ready to eat, a certain person will have decided they are not toxic after-all...
In the mean time, I might buy some more from the supermarket. Let the desensitization commence!
Anyway, carry on!...
Yesterday, Nathan and I bought some new strawberry plants, along with a few others, and planted them out in our garden. We've been attempting to grow our own fruit and vegetables with limited success over the last few years. Last year we managed lots of potatoes, a heap of green (should have been red) tomatoes which ended up as chutney, a few dodgy looking carrots and parsnips, and three baby corn-on-the-cob... We did also grow some impressive looking courgette plants, without courgettes on... Oh well, never mind.
My motivation for trying again, was Nathan's appalled reaction to the shop bought strawberries we had recently. Although Nathan happily eats other strawberry (OK... jam) based products, he obviously hadn't eaten an actual strawberry for a while; and thus had decided that they were not just unpleasant, but down right dangerous.
Of course, the fact that the rest of the family were happily tucking into the strawberries didn't seem to help. You would have thought I was trying to make him eat a raw oyster, or some sort of creepy-crawly from a bush-tucker trial. The strawberries were, in fact, toxic - and no amount of cajoling was going to convince him otherwise.
In the end, I did what a lot of parents do. I told him he couldn't get down until he'd eaten the strawberry; and in the end he did eat it. I think, despite all the angst, he did actually like it in the end.
Thinking back on Strawberry-gate; I am thankful that we have incidents like that relatively rarely now. Nathan had a very difficult food phase (by phase, I mean year...) after being ill for a month with a bug, and then an ear infection when he was 18 months old... He hardly ate any normal food for a month, and afterwards, he seemed to have forgotten how. Out of nowhere, almost all foods had moved from the 'OK' category in his head to the 'probably toxic - avoid at all costs' area. We spent the next year slowly re-introducing foods, until he was finally eating something resembling a normal diet. It was a very difficult and stressful time, and I'm so thankful that we are basically over that now.
And so, we will grow our own strawberries. Water them. Talk to them. Give them straw beds to sleep on, etc. etc. And hope that by the time they are ready to eat, a certain person will have decided they are not toxic after-all...
In the mean time, I might buy some more from the supermarket. Let the desensitization commence!
Friday, 1 April 2011
Momentum
I am not a physicist. (That sounded like some sort of confession, didn't it... Hello, my name's Gill, and I am not a physicist.) However, I do still understand a little of the physics I learnt at school. I feel I should apologise to Mrs Johnston; possibly the best physics teacher in the world, for not understanding more - but it has been a while... I'm sure she would forgive me.
Whilst cycling with Nathan today, I felt I had a lesson-worthy demonstration of momentum... As we cycled together, it was a lot of effort to get moving - after all, moving myself, Nathan, my bike and our tag along bike 'Caroline' is a lot of weight, and thus a great deal of inertia to overcome. Actually, maybe the greatest inertia was getting myself off the sofa... Still, we got moving.
What surprised me though, was how much less effort it was to keep going at a steady pace. Whilst we were cycling a long at an even pace (not fast you understand... I wasn't built for speed!) we could pootle along quite happily. If however, we slowed down for some reason, it was so much more effort getting back up to speed. On the way home, when I was getting a bit tired, I found myself not wanting to slow down - as I knew I would just have to use more energy to get up to speed again. When we were up to speed, we were benefiting from momentum.
Whilst cycling, I realised that inertia and momentum are not just physical phenomena; they can be emotional and spiritual too.
Did you give up anything for lent? I didn't actually; mainly because I didn't want to give myself more hoops to jump through. I just wanted to concentrate on doing the things I was already trying to do. One of the things I am doing is trying to read through the Bible in a year. This is something I started half-way through January. It took a bit of motivation to overcome my inertia, but now I'm reading it each day - it has become a good habit, and thus I have some momentum.
I guess this thought could apply to anything where you get in the groove of doing something, so it just gets that little bit easier. Giving up smoking / going to an exercise class / speaking to new people when you're a bit shy / playing a piece of music you find challenging... The list is huge when you start to think about it.
I guess it's also worth remembering that negative things can have a way of gaining momentum too... Once you're in a group of people gossipping and saying negative things about someone, it's a whole lot harder to back out of the conversation. Your mouth can gain momentum much more quickly than your brain I think... The best example of this however, is probably how hard it is to stop eating Maltesers when there's a pack of them open, and you've already eaten three... I guess Einstein never worried too much about the addictive powers of confectionary.
Here's hoping we can gain momentum with all things good.
Whilst cycling with Nathan today, I felt I had a lesson-worthy demonstration of momentum... As we cycled together, it was a lot of effort to get moving - after all, moving myself, Nathan, my bike and our tag along bike 'Caroline' is a lot of weight, and thus a great deal of inertia to overcome. Actually, maybe the greatest inertia was getting myself off the sofa... Still, we got moving.
What surprised me though, was how much less effort it was to keep going at a steady pace. Whilst we were cycling a long at an even pace (not fast you understand... I wasn't built for speed!) we could pootle along quite happily. If however, we slowed down for some reason, it was so much more effort getting back up to speed. On the way home, when I was getting a bit tired, I found myself not wanting to slow down - as I knew I would just have to use more energy to get up to speed again. When we were up to speed, we were benefiting from momentum.
Whilst cycling, I realised that inertia and momentum are not just physical phenomena; they can be emotional and spiritual too.
Did you give up anything for lent? I didn't actually; mainly because I didn't want to give myself more hoops to jump through. I just wanted to concentrate on doing the things I was already trying to do. One of the things I am doing is trying to read through the Bible in a year. This is something I started half-way through January. It took a bit of motivation to overcome my inertia, but now I'm reading it each day - it has become a good habit, and thus I have some momentum.
I guess this thought could apply to anything where you get in the groove of doing something, so it just gets that little bit easier. Giving up smoking / going to an exercise class / speaking to new people when you're a bit shy / playing a piece of music you find challenging... The list is huge when you start to think about it.
I guess it's also worth remembering that negative things can have a way of gaining momentum too... Once you're in a group of people gossipping and saying negative things about someone, it's a whole lot harder to back out of the conversation. Your mouth can gain momentum much more quickly than your brain I think... The best example of this however, is probably how hard it is to stop eating Maltesers when there's a pack of them open, and you've already eaten three... I guess Einstein never worried too much about the addictive powers of confectionary.
Here's hoping we can gain momentum with all things good.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Reflections on a poo pile - part 2
I wrote part one of this blog a while back - so if you haven't read it, you might want to click here to catch up with part one; otherwise this won't make much sense...
Done? Good.
So, the big pile of poo is gone. Spread out all over the field to do it's (quite literally) dirty work... Actually, it only took the farmer and his (very fascinating to small boys) machinery a few hours to sort out.
Prior to the spreading, it had got to a point of just sitting there, present - but not really noticeable. I remember this time last year, when the previous poo pile was hiding under a layer of snow, trying to be even less conspicuous. I don't think it's stretching the analogy too far to say that sometimes the rubbish (or poo pile) in our lives can just sit there, not dealt with, not benefiting the surroundings - just being ignored...
The thing is, whilst the muck spreading was going on, the poo was smellier than ever. Moving the poo somehow released the smell to a new and smelly height. For the unfortunate farmer tasked with this smelly job, it would have been less stinky to leave the poo in a big pile - but then how would it have done it's job of nourishing the soil? Of course, it wouldn't have.
So today, I guess I want to encourage you... If you are dealing with something difficult, with your own (hopefully metaphorical) pile of poo; keep going. I think it was Winston Churchill who said: "If you are going through hell, keep going" as obviously he understood that the alternative was to stay where you are...
I know that God can bring good out of seemingly hopeless situations... He is, as stated in part one, the master recycler...
My prayer is that God will take hold of the struggles that you have and, as Rastamouse would say: "make a bad ting good".
Done? Good.
So, the big pile of poo is gone. Spread out all over the field to do it's (quite literally) dirty work... Actually, it only took the farmer and his (very fascinating to small boys) machinery a few hours to sort out.
Prior to the spreading, it had got to a point of just sitting there, present - but not really noticeable. I remember this time last year, when the previous poo pile was hiding under a layer of snow, trying to be even less conspicuous. I don't think it's stretching the analogy too far to say that sometimes the rubbish (or poo pile) in our lives can just sit there, not dealt with, not benefiting the surroundings - just being ignored...
The thing is, whilst the muck spreading was going on, the poo was smellier than ever. Moving the poo somehow released the smell to a new and smelly height. For the unfortunate farmer tasked with this smelly job, it would have been less stinky to leave the poo in a big pile - but then how would it have done it's job of nourishing the soil? Of course, it wouldn't have.
So today, I guess I want to encourage you... If you are dealing with something difficult, with your own (hopefully metaphorical) pile of poo; keep going. I think it was Winston Churchill who said: "If you are going through hell, keep going" as obviously he understood that the alternative was to stay where you are...
I know that God can bring good out of seemingly hopeless situations... He is, as stated in part one, the master recycler...
My prayer is that God will take hold of the struggles that you have and, as Rastamouse would say: "make a bad ting good".
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
The biggest loser...
I can't believe there's actually a programme on the TV called 'The Biggest Loser'. What's even more difficult to comprehend is that actually, this is a coveted title... The contestants on it want to be referred to as 'The BIGGEST Loser'. Oh my goodness. They have actually made weight-loss a competitive sport.
I haven't watched by any means all of this programme; but I've pretty much grasped the premise. Lots of over-weight people live together in a house (OK - huge mansion...), trying to complete horrible challenges (watching them trying to resist the chocolate was particularly painful), being encouraged (shouted at) by personal trainers whilst they exercise, all before a team weigh in... The team with the highest combined weight-loss is safe from elimination (Yes, well it is 'reality TV' - you couldn't really get away without an elimination could you... Best not to think about it in a dieting context though... 'Elimination' could refer to something else entirely...)
I'm not sure whether I'm impressed, shocked or just really sad for the contestants, but it does seem like a very emotional and stressful experience. Each weigh in has them dripping with more sweat than the sessions with the personal trainer... Still, I guess if it's working for them - you can't knock it. And they do have Davina Macall there to be soothing / encouraging too. I guess the big question is whether they will be able to keep the weight off once they return to the real world.
My Dad has been overweight (to a greater or lesser degree) for the whole of my life; but recently, he has become our family's own 'Biggest Loser'. He's lost over three stone now with help from Weight Watcher's (and from my Mum - she's lost a stone herself, just by being supportive and not leading him into temptation... Well done Mum x)
So Dad, this post is dedicated to you. Congratulations on losing weight whilst remaining in the real world, and not being shouted at... I salute you. Gxx
I haven't watched by any means all of this programme; but I've pretty much grasped the premise. Lots of over-weight people live together in a house (OK - huge mansion...), trying to complete horrible challenges (watching them trying to resist the chocolate was particularly painful), being encouraged (shouted at) by personal trainers whilst they exercise, all before a team weigh in... The team with the highest combined weight-loss is safe from elimination (Yes, well it is 'reality TV' - you couldn't really get away without an elimination could you... Best not to think about it in a dieting context though... 'Elimination' could refer to something else entirely...)
I'm not sure whether I'm impressed, shocked or just really sad for the contestants, but it does seem like a very emotional and stressful experience. Each weigh in has them dripping with more sweat than the sessions with the personal trainer... Still, I guess if it's working for them - you can't knock it. And they do have Davina Macall there to be soothing / encouraging too. I guess the big question is whether they will be able to keep the weight off once they return to the real world.
My Dad has been overweight (to a greater or lesser degree) for the whole of my life; but recently, he has become our family's own 'Biggest Loser'. He's lost over three stone now with help from Weight Watcher's (and from my Mum - she's lost a stone herself, just by being supportive and not leading him into temptation... Well done Mum x)
So Dad, this post is dedicated to you. Congratulations on losing weight whilst remaining in the real world, and not being shouted at... I salute you. Gxx
Monday, 14 February 2011
Reflections on a poo pile...
There's a country lane near where I live that is surrounded by a mixture of farm land and houses. I drive down this road every day when I take the boys to school.
Recently, this part of my drive has been a bit more fragrant... Or to be frank about it; smelly... It properly pongs. The reason for this is the huge pile of manure sat in a field, waiting to do its fertilising duty. This poo pile is the size of a house; and it's been sitting there for a while now, steaming away. Lovely.
I was musing a little on this as I drove past it for the 78th time... Obviously the manure is not pleasant, particularly for the farmer who must have to spend more time with it than most. However, it does serve a purpose; after all, you'd have to be completely certifiable to spread muck all over your fields if it had no appreciable benefits...
I think it's pretty amazing (or you could say creative of God) that something that is so obviously a waste product can be so nourishing for the soil. God is particularly good at recycling.
I do wonder though, who first thought: 'I know, I'll put poo on my flowers - that will make them grow better'... Maybe some divine inspiration... Heavenly horticulture?
And then I got to wondering... What about all the metaphorical poo in the world? All the job losses, relationship break-ups, horrible illnesses, sleepless nights, and so on... The 'life's going along OK, and then all of a sudden, you're flattened by an unexpected pile of (hopefully metaphorical) poo that arrives out of nowhere'. Actually, I shouldn't be flippant; sometimes being covered in real poo would actually be preferable...
So here's the thing... What if God can actually create something good out of the apparently meaningless, horrible thing? Is it possible that God can redeem even these situations? Can God - as Rastamouse would say - 'make a bad ting good'?
The apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans (see chapter 5:3-5) where he writes:
"...we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Much greater minds than mine have spent a lot of time thinking about the issue of suffering, and whether it causes a problem with belief in a loving God. If this is a big question for you - then it would be another good reason to go on an Alpha Course (I know, I know - more shameless plugging!). I truly believe that God really is the master at bringing good out of a seemingly hopeless situation. He's done it in my life, and He can do it in yours too.
I know it's much easier to write it down than to live it... but I think when times get really tough, it's then we have to trust that He is the master gardener, and He knows what He's doing.
Recently, this part of my drive has been a bit more fragrant... Or to be frank about it; smelly... It properly pongs. The reason for this is the huge pile of manure sat in a field, waiting to do its fertilising duty. This poo pile is the size of a house; and it's been sitting there for a while now, steaming away. Lovely.
I was musing a little on this as I drove past it for the 78th time... Obviously the manure is not pleasant, particularly for the farmer who must have to spend more time with it than most. However, it does serve a purpose; after all, you'd have to be completely certifiable to spread muck all over your fields if it had no appreciable benefits...
I think it's pretty amazing (or you could say creative of God) that something that is so obviously a waste product can be so nourishing for the soil. God is particularly good at recycling.
I do wonder though, who first thought: 'I know, I'll put poo on my flowers - that will make them grow better'... Maybe some divine inspiration... Heavenly horticulture?
And then I got to wondering... What about all the metaphorical poo in the world? All the job losses, relationship break-ups, horrible illnesses, sleepless nights, and so on... The 'life's going along OK, and then all of a sudden, you're flattened by an unexpected pile of (hopefully metaphorical) poo that arrives out of nowhere'. Actually, I shouldn't be flippant; sometimes being covered in real poo would actually be preferable...
So here's the thing... What if God can actually create something good out of the apparently meaningless, horrible thing? Is it possible that God can redeem even these situations? Can God - as Rastamouse would say - 'make a bad ting good'?
The apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Romans (see chapter 5:3-5) where he writes:
"...we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
Much greater minds than mine have spent a lot of time thinking about the issue of suffering, and whether it causes a problem with belief in a loving God. If this is a big question for you - then it would be another good reason to go on an Alpha Course (I know, I know - more shameless plugging!). I truly believe that God really is the master at bringing good out of a seemingly hopeless situation. He's done it in my life, and He can do it in yours too.
I know it's much easier to write it down than to live it... but I think when times get really tough, it's then we have to trust that He is the master gardener, and He knows what He's doing.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy
Last night we had an unwelcome and unexpected visitor...
To be honest, Joel had probably been carrying the little blighter around for a few days. No, not head lice... Worse; a vomiting bug. Marvellous.
I was a bit surprised, as often you do have a clue when your kids are going to be ill. They're a bit grumpy / badly behaved / off their food / just not right... None of this happened yesterday; Joel was on good form. Sadly, that wasn't much consolation when I was helping to catch (maybe) the 14th lot of vomit at four in the morning... I had actually lost count by then, and so had Joel... He must have been ill...
So today, Joel didn't go to school. He's actually been surprisingly perky, and although not eating completely normally, he seems well on the way to recovery.
I wish I could say the same for me.
One night of rubbish sleep, and I'm a wreck. Where did my stamina go? Actually, in my defence Joel probably slept better than I did; as he went straight back to sleep each time, where as I just lay there waiting and listening for the next installment (I know, lovely this isn't it...)
The thing is, back when my children were tiny - I remember feeling fabulous (OK, pretty great - mustn't exaggerate too much...) if I could just get four hours sleep together. Despite the fact that the sleep deprivation phase just seemed to last forever. I also remember wondering if I would actually ever sleep a whole night through again - it just seemed so unlikely. I was wildly jealous of the people getting full nights of sleep, who weren't appreciating it... It just seemed so unfair, that as the tiredest person in the world (sleep deprivation obviously leaves you entirely rational) I was getting the least amount of sleep...
In my time as a midwife I lost count of the number of times I reminded people that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, and that it wasn't surprising that they felt pretty shoddy. I know, I was a little ray of sunshine, wasn't I?! (In my defence, I was probably trying to explain to them that they were experiencing normal motherhood, and that there wasn't something terribly wrong with their little bundle of joy... Midwives should all carry a neon sign that says: "Yes, it's normal", because it normally is!) Still, having had two babies of my own, I truly empathise with the long term sleep deprived mother... It does get better.
So now, predictably, I am going to have a nice bath, and go to bed, hoping that I get to stay there; and that there's no more vomit in my house (or anywhere else in my life for that matter) for at least a month. Optimistic or foolishly unrealistic?
Ah well, wish me luck.
Sweet dreams xx
To be honest, Joel had probably been carrying the little blighter around for a few days. No, not head lice... Worse; a vomiting bug. Marvellous.
I was a bit surprised, as often you do have a clue when your kids are going to be ill. They're a bit grumpy / badly behaved / off their food / just not right... None of this happened yesterday; Joel was on good form. Sadly, that wasn't much consolation when I was helping to catch (maybe) the 14th lot of vomit at four in the morning... I had actually lost count by then, and so had Joel... He must have been ill...
So today, Joel didn't go to school. He's actually been surprisingly perky, and although not eating completely normally, he seems well on the way to recovery.
I wish I could say the same for me.
One night of rubbish sleep, and I'm a wreck. Where did my stamina go? Actually, in my defence Joel probably slept better than I did; as he went straight back to sleep each time, where as I just lay there waiting and listening for the next installment (I know, lovely this isn't it...)
The thing is, back when my children were tiny - I remember feeling fabulous (OK, pretty great - mustn't exaggerate too much...) if I could just get four hours sleep together. Despite the fact that the sleep deprivation phase just seemed to last forever. I also remember wondering if I would actually ever sleep a whole night through again - it just seemed so unlikely. I was wildly jealous of the people getting full nights of sleep, who weren't appreciating it... It just seemed so unfair, that as the tiredest person in the world (sleep deprivation obviously leaves you entirely rational) I was getting the least amount of sleep...
In my time as a midwife I lost count of the number of times I reminded people that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, and that it wasn't surprising that they felt pretty shoddy. I know, I was a little ray of sunshine, wasn't I?! (In my defence, I was probably trying to explain to them that they were experiencing normal motherhood, and that there wasn't something terribly wrong with their little bundle of joy... Midwives should all carry a neon sign that says: "Yes, it's normal", because it normally is!) Still, having had two babies of my own, I truly empathise with the long term sleep deprived mother... It does get better.
So now, predictably, I am going to have a nice bath, and go to bed, hoping that I get to stay there; and that there's no more vomit in my house (or anywhere else in my life for that matter) for at least a month. Optimistic or foolishly unrealistic?
Ah well, wish me luck.
Sweet dreams xx
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Hitting the target
The boys and I have been watching darts this weekend. This equals a lot of shouting, (at the same time as jumping from Nathan - no surprises there then...) mental maths (I still can't believe that's what they call it at school... Hey kids - it's not just maths - it's craaaaazy maths!) 180s and lots of questions:
"Mummy, what's treble 18 plus double 13?"
"Mummy, why is that man walking funny?" - a reference to the strange phenomenon of the 'walk in'. I told Joel it was 'just for fun', although he was watching Darryl Fitton at the time, and I'm not sure he was convinced...
"Mummy, why are they wearing so many gold rings?" To which I answered honestly that I had no idea... Surely weighing down your dart throwing hand like that is not advantageous... If I'd had more time to think about it I would have quipped about it having something to do with the 12 days of Christmas... Something like 'well they've already got the five gold rings - the french hens will be a long in a minute'. I know, it's probably best that we don't have the time to spend ages thinking up comedy responses to our childrens' questions.
It also gave me the chance to spend time asking them some questions too...
"Nathan, who do you want to win?"
"That man" (pointing at Martin Adams)
"Why him Nathan?"
"He's got a beard."
Of course.
If I was feeling more philosophical I could get a whole load more deep and meaningful thoughts out of darts. After all - when they throw a wildly off target dart, they don't go off in a sulk and give up - they just go back again and throw the next one. I'd link it in to the idea of perseverance, and not just giving up the moment they made one mistake (like munching on the chocolate when the healthy eating had been going so well... Ho hum). Time to keep calm and carry on.
Well done Martin Adams. You won again. And probably not just because of your beard!
"Mummy, what's treble 18 plus double 13?"
"Mummy, why is that man walking funny?" - a reference to the strange phenomenon of the 'walk in'. I told Joel it was 'just for fun', although he was watching Darryl Fitton at the time, and I'm not sure he was convinced...
"Mummy, why are they wearing so many gold rings?" To which I answered honestly that I had no idea... Surely weighing down your dart throwing hand like that is not advantageous... If I'd had more time to think about it I would have quipped about it having something to do with the 12 days of Christmas... Something like 'well they've already got the five gold rings - the french hens will be a long in a minute'. I know, it's probably best that we don't have the time to spend ages thinking up comedy responses to our childrens' questions.
It also gave me the chance to spend time asking them some questions too...
"Nathan, who do you want to win?"
"That man" (pointing at Martin Adams)
"Why him Nathan?"
"He's got a beard."
Of course.
If I was feeling more philosophical I could get a whole load more deep and meaningful thoughts out of darts. After all - when they throw a wildly off target dart, they don't go off in a sulk and give up - they just go back again and throw the next one. I'd link it in to the idea of perseverance, and not just giving up the moment they made one mistake (like munching on the chocolate when the healthy eating had been going so well... Ho hum). Time to keep calm and carry on.
Well done Martin Adams. You won again. And probably not just because of your beard!
Monday, 3 January 2011
New year, new look
No. Do not adjust your set. You are in the right place... I have just changed the template I'm using for my blog. What do you think? Do you like the new look? I thought the new year was a good excuse for a change. Ah, the joy of being to change the look of something completely by just pressing a few buttons...
Have you made any new years resolutions this year? I haven't really - I guess I just don't like setting myself up for failure like that... (sorry, not very optimistic that...)
However, the new year does feel like a natural opportunity to make a new start. I guess I'm not making any new resolutions - just dusting off some of the old ones, and seeing how I get on.
I wonder what precentage of the new year's resolutions that are made are health and diet related? My guess would be that it would be at least 80%. Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately... Goodness knows what we'd end up looking like... Hmm...) you can't change the way you look just by pressing a few buttons. Any movement towards a healthy BMI will take effort and perseverance. I'm honestly not sure how this one's going to go, but the boys and I did manage a 5 mile cycle today, so I guess that's a good start. The boys are also selflessly working there way through the remaining Christmas chocolate... The things they do to love and support me!
So, well done if you're tackling any new (or old) challenges this year. Be gentle with yourself. Remember that making a few small changes can make a big difference... (Like saying 'no' occasionally, when you might have said 'yes'...)
Now - where did I leave my will power?
Have you made any new years resolutions this year? I haven't really - I guess I just don't like setting myself up for failure like that... (sorry, not very optimistic that...)
However, the new year does feel like a natural opportunity to make a new start. I guess I'm not making any new resolutions - just dusting off some of the old ones, and seeing how I get on.
I wonder what precentage of the new year's resolutions that are made are health and diet related? My guess would be that it would be at least 80%. Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately... Goodness knows what we'd end up looking like... Hmm...) you can't change the way you look just by pressing a few buttons. Any movement towards a healthy BMI will take effort and perseverance. I'm honestly not sure how this one's going to go, but the boys and I did manage a 5 mile cycle today, so I guess that's a good start. The boys are also selflessly working there way through the remaining Christmas chocolate... The things they do to love and support me!
So, well done if you're tackling any new (or old) challenges this year. Be gentle with yourself. Remember that making a few small changes can make a big difference... (Like saying 'no' occasionally, when you might have said 'yes'...)
Now - where did I leave my will power?
Thursday, 14 October 2010
It's all gone a bit Lemony Snicket...
By this, I mean wrong... Or more precisely - there has been a series of unfortunate events.
Whilst chatting to a good friend of mine this week, we were discussing a particular incident - and having claimed it to be unfortunate a number of times - we came to the conclusion that it had all gone a bit Lemony Snicket...
I've said for a long time (I think since a stressful time during A levels - or even before...) that problems wouldn't be problems if they had the good grace to come one at a time - you'd just deal with whatever it was, and move on. (Granted, this rule doesn't work for the proper grade A crises, just the petty annoyances of everyday life... I understand more about this now).
The thing I find most difficult to cope with, is when a whole load of things seem to come at you at once. It leaves you no time to process each one - let alone find a solution; not even time to file it in an appropriate place for dealing with later. You're just left gasping under the weight of the millions of small, otherwise manageable tasks.
I know I'm by no means the first person to feel this way; and actually, that gives me hope. There are so many bits in the Bible, where people pour out their hearts and their troubles to God; knowing that He understands, and more than that - that He can actually make a difference to their situation too.
Psalm 34:17-19 (New International Version) says:
"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."
Sometimes you just have to hold on... Oh well, time to just keep swimming I suppose...
Whilst chatting to a good friend of mine this week, we were discussing a particular incident - and having claimed it to be unfortunate a number of times - we came to the conclusion that it had all gone a bit Lemony Snicket...
I've said for a long time (I think since a stressful time during A levels - or even before...) that problems wouldn't be problems if they had the good grace to come one at a time - you'd just deal with whatever it was, and move on. (Granted, this rule doesn't work for the proper grade A crises, just the petty annoyances of everyday life... I understand more about this now).
The thing I find most difficult to cope with, is when a whole load of things seem to come at you at once. It leaves you no time to process each one - let alone find a solution; not even time to file it in an appropriate place for dealing with later. You're just left gasping under the weight of the millions of small, otherwise manageable tasks.
I know I'm by no means the first person to feel this way; and actually, that gives me hope. There are so many bits in the Bible, where people pour out their hearts and their troubles to God; knowing that He understands, and more than that - that He can actually make a difference to their situation too.
Psalm 34:17-19 (New International Version) says:
"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."
Sometimes you just have to hold on... Oh well, time to just keep swimming I suppose...
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Just keep swimming...
The same thing happens every year - so it's not like it's taken me by surprise. However, every September, I gain a renewed admiration for anyone parenting alone for any reason. How anyone manages to be a single parent, and still be able to formulate coherent sentences is beyond me - I take my hat off to you.
I'm trying to pace myself with all the jobs that need doing. Gaining wisdom from the fountain of life that is 'Finding Nemo'. When life is tough - I think we sometimes need reminding that all we have to do is just keep going. Just keep swimming...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmyUkm2qlhA
It gives me hope that Jesus understood this feeling of general exhaustion. In Matthew 11:28 it says:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." That's a promise I need to remember today.
We don't have to battle on alone. God never promised that life would be easy, but He did promise to be with us every step of the way.
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