early mornings

This morning it was cold. Weird. We have been so hot here lately that fans on all night is just what we do. The cooler temp caught us by surprise and woke baby up early. Like 5:45 which some don't find early but for this household it is. I'm lucky { I worked my tail off as newborns to establish good sleepers } enough to have normal wake time as 7am. So with the extra time I decided to do an activity - a Christmas tradition being that we make ginger bread play-doh!  Asher usually isn't into play-doh but this stuff he is! It smells good and feels awesome...for a 3 year old boy anyway.

I don't really know the measurements as I seem to keep adding more cinnamon so its not too wet but the two ingredients are:

1. Cinnamon
2. Apple Sauce

A rough guide is 2 parts applesauce 1 part cinnamon.

I grabbed the sauce from aldi this week and will use the jars for giving the play-doh to friends and family for Christmas. We did this last year and gave to our neighbour and she was so amazed at it {I just thought she must not have pinterest}. We also make ornaments out of the mixture and have last years up at the moment. It's just a matter of using whatever cookie cutters you like, then baking the heck out of them. Use a skewer to make a hole for twine to hang them onto the tree also. You can see some of the ornaments hanging below { they're the dark gingerbread coloured ones }

Other then play-doh making the other fun thing that happened today was this:

Baby number 3!

It was the gender reveal scan but still we opted to keep it a surprise for us and everybody else. I wonder if I will ever choose to find out. I think I like keeping everyone on their toes :)

Today has been a good day xx

November

So we've put up the tree! Daddy briefly was home for a day after 9 days away and left again for another 6 so we squeezed putting up the tree in there. I could havebdone it earlier but wanted the whole family together. Don't be fooled, it ended up being asher watching christmas cartoons while we did the job. I thought baby would destroy my ornaments immediatley but haven't had muchbof a reaction from him. Thank goodness.

We had a Chicken Pox scare with baby this week but all was ok. They've been enjoying the kiddies pool and soccer in the backyard. I think just some insect bites were the culprit.

We went to sizzler again today, new favourite place as the kids are free!

I've been feeling lonely, missing Johnny and feeling like I've got no friends. Such is life with motherhood. It's more that I just don't get a chance to catch up with friends like I used to. That's ok. I need to keep moving and make time for catch ups when I can. Love visiting teaching, it is a great blessing for that short but valuable female interaction.

Just finished making our calendar of events for December. So much to look forward to and we are very blessed to have a nice city to be in at Christmas.

anyway - that was November.
x

On why I don't smack

Hopefully you can read the quote from this book I've been reading on and off...Dr Phil's 'How to raise a Phenomenal Family'. This page made me teary as I felt such peace for making the decision to not smack our children. I had felt it from the beginning but would hear so many differing views from people who I thought had wisdom. Family members, other parents at church and even strangers. Why was I taking their opinion when everything was telling me otherwise.

Asher is high needs when it comes to behaviour. It would be so easy to give him a smack and see an immediate result. Not smacking and expecting the same result is a heck of a lot harder - requiring more restraint, patience, love, understanding - all qualities i would not be able to gain on my own without going through this process. However the main reason for not hitting our children is what Dr Phil explains - we are the ones who protect them from everything so why would we want to hurt them and shame them and expect a positive outcome. I want to have a Phenomenal relationship with my children. I want them always to know I have their back - that they will always have someone when the rest of the world is failing them.

I know other people have a different view, I know other children behave better then mine, I can't judge or assume I know better. I'm learning and doing what my body and heart is confirming is right.

This whole experience is for our own good and I'm glad I'm going through it.

play time

We have had an eventful week to say the least! Me in the emergency and Asher vomiting, LOTS! We are all ok for now though. Because of the vomiting we are home on the Sabbath. Asher misses out on seeing the Primary Presentation. I really like when he gets to watch the Primary children speak in church and sing. He loves seeing them and it helps him focus for once! Sadly we are home...watching movies while he recovers.

We did manage enough energy to play ashers favourite thing ever at the moment - grocery shop. He loves these grocery pieces so much. He can play up to 40 minutes with these and thats HUGE for this kids attention. They were just from Aldi ... wooden with velcro in between so they can be 'cut' with the wooden knife and chopping block that comes with he set.

This morning I ordered three items at a time to challenge his memory and attention. My instructions went like this
"excuse me, mr grocery man can i please make an order?... i'd like a yellow cupcake, a piece of fish and one slice of toast". He did pretty well as we played for ages and each time i made a new order mixing up the items. There are lots of food items in his shop so its a challenge because he can get distracted. I liked incorporating this element to his play because there was thinking involved. It also gave me many chances to offer him praise as he got the orders right.

I'm working hard to keep up my positive speak to asher throughout the day. Often its negative "dont do that" all day. Hoping to keep more on the positive track :)

Be my rock

Our church has a reguar bi-annual conference for the members who live in our local area this weekend - Stake Conference.  I am particularly looking forward to it this time around as John will be there with me. I believe for the last 2 and a half years he has not attended due to him travelling for work. We won't get to attend the adult evening session together but Sunday as a family we will be there ~ HOORAY! Seriously, this is a big deal.

I remember Stake Conference when I was single, not yet a mother and really just doing my own thing. I'm so glad for friends who at the same time were so dedicated to the gospel as I wanted to be. They would bring note books, so I would too. They would come early get close seats and be ready for the session and then I would as well. I wanted to be ready for the message and I am so thankful I had friends who had the same ideas. We have grown in the gospel together and now can see where that foundation is taking us.

Back then I remember I couldn't wait til the day came when I could attend with my husband by my side. It has really seemed a different path was what Heavenly Father had in store as husband by my side is generally not the case. John is rock solid. Often teased and called 'John the beloved' because of his goodness. But, his career in these early days has meant I really need to rely on the foundation I gained when I was single and hold onto it like its everything.

It is hard going more then a week at a time looking after a toddler and baby on your own with no break. It has been this way since asher was born (and before). I know there are families in the military or other industry who don't have daddy home for several months. That is tragically hard. What I've discovered is those type jobs usually have such a stint and then its eventually back to normal. Aviation is like this year after year decade after decade. Only now have I put Asher in a kindy class 2 days because of how sick I get when pregnant and I thought i'm done! This has been hard. Harder than single life. Thank goodness I had the experiences I had before this time in my life came round.

I'm not tooting my own horn, ( whining more like it ) I just wanted to reflect on the many Stake Conferences I've attended and remember what it did for me. Some of my most powerful memories of feeling the Spirit have been at Stake Conference. I look around and see individuals and families trying to live the gospel, trying to be strong and it fires me up - gets me going and keeps my legs moving forward. I remember not that long ago a husband and wife sharing a speaking assignment at conference in which they said 'after 20 years, all our child rearing and hard work has paid off' (among other things they spoke about). They went on to say that their 5 or 6 kids - I can't remember - all are obedient and good content happy individuals. Talk about fruits of your labours. Obviously this has been 20 years of dedication in all areas of the gospel which as we know includes hard, tiring, enduring WORK... This couples' point was that they're not perfect but they are enjoying life because they stayed true to what they've been taught and now see what it has all meant.

Some Sundays, after a horrible morning (we have afternoon church this year) I sit in the chapel and tears well in my eyes while no one can see because Asher is behaving so badly,Jet is crying and can't be calmed down. I sit there and think what's the point. Why am I even here...

THEN - I think

How about those foundation years when I was single and what they mean to me now.  Clearly these years right this second are some more foundation building. Clearly in 20 years when my children can say 'I know the church is true' this is all going to be worth it and I can then see the fruits of my labour. I have been forced to rely on myself and my testimony, not John's, in order for me to live the gospel and teach our children. What an excellent thing that is for me to go through.

THANK GOODNESS for Stake Conference!

Do you remember these?

Do you remember these books when you were little? I think it must have been my mum who bought them for us, she used to love paint by numbers too. I have been looking for this kind of paint with water book for ages - and I finally found it again! I don't know why it wasn't easy to remember where I originally got it from, it's just from any normal grocery store, but this one comes from Woolworths and as you can see only $3. The reason for me going on about it so much is that Asher LOVED it! He realIy isn't into art and craft as much yet but little things here and there he gets into. My all time favourite thing is that there is NO MESS! It's simply water and a paint brush then the colour runs from the pages. He is obsessed with trucks and diggers and with every page comes a new truck to paint. He stayed with this activity for almost an hour the first time we did it. That is an absolute miracle activity in my books.

Another favourite activity in this house are these Disney audio books. They have completely captivated the little guy. I have our stereo in our kitchen so I can just pop one on and Asher just sits there listening and 'reads' along. Again I vividly remember I had one of thse when I was little {It was Duck Tales and I still remember some of the lines}. Seriously, these books give me 10-20minutes of stillness...He just is so compelled and I loved how his imagination is ticking over with it all.

Another idea I've seen is giving them some headphones, they could sit in a quiet corner and really enjoy their special books all to themselves. Something important that I've tried to do is to not be totally disengaged from this activity but to then go back to him after the story isover and ask him to tell it back to me in his own words. That helps his memory and his language skills improve as he describes the storyline.

To get an idea of our routine and how these little 'school time' activities are incorporated in our day, this is how things 'usuallu' go {usually, meaning how I aim for things to go}

7am - Wake up. Milk. Toy room time, Ashers favourite thing right now each morning is playing 'shop' with our pretend food and cash register. If I have the energy and no morning sickness I'm all for pretending with him and being his favourite customer. I'm talking EVERY morning he wants to do this. So sometimes I just cant as baby might need me or I'm lying down dying with sickness.
8am - Breakfast. Clean up.
8:30 - Sesame Street. Sometimes we jump on the Letter of the Day band wagon and remember to focus on that letter throughout the day. Sometimes. But I would like to do it more often.
9am - We get ready to leave the house for the gym {or kindy 2 days} most days its the gym.
11am - Head back from the gym maybe a grocery store stop on the way home. Then its a light lunch while listening to audio books. Jet will then have a nap and then its Asher's special time with mummy in the Toy Room. I play whatever he wants me to as its all about him. This strategu really helps with getting him down for his nap.

12-2pm Nap time. Everyone is out including mummy! Nap time is starting to get harder with Asher but he {usually} will stay in his room at this time reading to himself til he falls asleep. This is a critical time of day for me, like any stay at home mum.
2-3pm - Snack time. Easy to do school time activity, or possibly Ipad time - Play School app only is the preference, lucky he loves it.
3-4pm - Outside play. Soccer, trampoline, water play or we go for a walk.
4:30 - Play School if we have come home in time or the outside play is done.
5pm - Dinner. Then Asher helps with tidy up.
5:30 - Bath time.
6:00 - Milk and Reading, Scriptures
6:30 - Jet off to bed. Then mummy and Asher time, reading and snuggling is the favourite.
7pm - Off to my other job of domestic goddess with clean up from the day and prep for tomorrow. I like to have a bath with candles as often as i can to just wind down.

Like I said this is the aim of each day. John is not around mostly and when he is home he has studies, his calling and continuing work commitments so it can really be one loooong me and the kids only adventure. This routine really works for us and asher responds very well to a regular pattern. Of course we try to go to the library, playgroup or other activites too which will always happen in the morning or afternoon. NEVER AT NAP TIME.

The boy loves volcanoes

Another Pinterest favourite - but I decided I'd try using muffin trays so there was more space for the little explosions.
What I did:
1. Asher helped me pour vinegar into patty cakes then we dropped food colouring in each.
2. Then he poured bi-carb into each muffin tray {lots of spills but doesn't matter!}
3. He knew what was going to happen as we've done variations of this before so thought he'd just pour all the vinegar in at once. I coaxed him to use the little droplet so the 'game' would last longer. He loved it!
4. Then he went on to mix colours at first accidently and then on purpose - 'look mummy, purple!' so we were able to talk about what colours do when combined.

You will see we do most things on top of the kitchen bench - to be out of reach of baby boy. I really don't mind and the clean up is pretty minimal.

There is another blog I really like reading - mud hut mama. I don't know how to insert theseblogs as a link II'm sure I'll be interested in figuring it out one day...anyways she home schools her 2 and 3 year old girls. I love her simple ideas and totally can see what we do here at home as similar. She really just does everyday stuff and has a basic curriculum that she wanted to follow. I've somewhat copied her idea for the boys and its so satisfying to know that I'm actually teaching them.

Well right now its 4:30pm and we have turned the tv on for the first time today. Play school! The best interactive version of home schooling haha :)

Easy as play doh!

Thank you Pinterest...this is just two ingredients:
1.Cheap hair conditioner
2. Cornstarch.
Mix 1 Part conditioner, 2 parts cornstarch. That's it!

I'm still on the no TV wagon and these little things really help. Asher has never been big on playdoh though but the 'cooking' part he loves. Making something with a toddler isn't as a dream all the time I know too well, but the time doing it means a lot to him.

We have an 'older brother hitting the baby' problem in our house and after researching some parental tactics, giving Asher some quality time of his own with mummy is proving the best solution. I know it clearly sounds easy and why did I have to research in order to come up with that answer but I tell you now, none of this business comes naturally to me. I have to work really really hard to get my good mummy juices going. In turn the good behaviour from him is making me want to cuddle him more and give affection more which causes a cylce. I'm enjoing this and hope to not forget it when the next wave of crazy toddler comes out.

Along that train of thought is from the beautiful blog I often read - Memories on Clover Lane. I don't know the blogger, can't even remember how I discovered her {pinterest probably} and I find her so incredible. She has 6 kids and manages to keep her home clutter free - that was the initial draw card to her blog. Now I read it because she speaks so beautifully about motherhood and how precious children are. I read and feel so inspired! So i discovered her main mothering philosophy comes from attachment parenting. Bells went off as I straight away though 'oh no, I'm not messing with my killer sleep routine' - as I have always associated attachment parenting with co-sleeping. From the day I bought Asher home I knew it wasn't for me.

I've now begun reading 'The Baby Book' by Dr Sears. Pretty incredible insight and I'm liking what I'm reading. They still do time out with toddlers and you can adjust the sleeping ideas to your personal needs. I like the suggestions on discipline with love and patience while still ensuring you are not pushed over by a 3 year old. I'm yet to read it all but so far am liking it.

Lots more I could talk about but will save for another day.