MY QUIRKY KIDS AND THEIR EVEN QUIRKIER SLEEPING HABITS!

It is not uncommon for us to wake in the middle of the night and be met by this scene...



Photo taken in pitch darkness with very bright flash!

The photo is of Thomas and Daniel asleep on the hard, wooden floor. Apparently, at times, their beds get too hot and they seek relief on the floor! How this can possibly be comfortable is beyond me. Admittedly, it is more often Daniel that we find strewn in between doorways, at the top of stairwells and beside the bed. He has done this from the day we took the side rails off his cot and turned it into a bed. At first, we thought he had fallen off and started putting a blanket down beside the bed but then we realised he was choosing to sleep on the floor! We have bought him a huge bed for the new place so we are hoping he'll just roll from one side to the other when he gets too hot.

Thomas tends to stay in his actual bed more. However, a couple of times I think we have encountered him sleep walking! Hope that doesn't become a regular occurrence.

And Samuel (the seemingly forgotten child on this blog - will have to put up some fresh photos soon) does this weird head banging thing to get to sleep. I'm told this is perfectly normal and Sam himself used to do it as a baby...just uncomfortable to watch!

So there you go...even sleeping isn't "regular" in this household! Which reminds me that I don't think I've shared the story of the night Thomas locked himself in my sister's room. My sister was out for the night and Thomas had been told to go to bed but had instead snuck into my sister's bed to watch TV. My mum and I were both heading to bed at about 1am when we noticed my sister's door locked and the faint sound of the TV from inside. We started knocking on the door, first softly and then louder (trying not to wake Daniel in the next room). No answer...not even a stirring from inside. As time passed, we started to grow a little more panicked and soon Sam and my Dad were also up out of bed and trying to help. Four adults standing around in pj's and Thomas fast asleep on the other side of the door. There was an insane moment where I just had to laugh. I really wanted to take photos as well but of course that might not have been looked upon too kindly!

The only picture I got - of the door handle half dismantled! We then realised it couldn't be removed from the outside!



There was no way to unlock the door from the outside and there was no way to even remove the handle to get the door open. It's a two storey house so there was no way we could get up to that window without a really tall ladder. My Dad went and disconnected the TV from the mains in the hope Thomas would hear us but again to no avail. We then decided it better be turned back on so if he did awake he would at least have the light of the TV to see with.

In our sleep-deprived, deluded states we discussed cutting holes in walls and calling the fire brigade... but in the end my Dad and Sam convinced us to go to bed and wait until morning. I was pretty certain Thomas was asleep because he had on many other occasions fallen asleep watching TV from my sister's bed - just never with the door locked.

Fear of the unknown got the better of my Mum and I though and we hardly slept at all that night. We took it in turns getting up and down, going to the door, calling out etc... if I had just been able to hear him or see him my mind would have been at rest...but all we could hear was that damn TV all night long.

Of course, Thomas awoke the next day all bright and cheerful, and of course well-rested with not a care in the world! That's Thomas for you :)

Is it any wonder I have so many grey hairs? Do anyone else's kids have weird sleeping habits or have done anything like Thomas did?



PUNCH UP IN THE SCHOOL YARD (ALREADY?!)

Nobody knows what the future holds. We were well and truly reminded of that over the past 12 months. The ideal would be to live in the moment and not think of tomorrow, but of course that's not how we are programmed. We think about the future, we lay out our dreams and we imagine what everything will be like...or rather, what we would like it to be like.

And so it is with our children. God willing, we will live to see them grow to a ripe old age and get to enjoy grand children.

Anyway, the reason I went off on that little tangent is because honestly, in all my "imaginings" about the future with 3 boys, I never really imagined them getting into fights...I worry about them hooning around in cars, falling in with the wrong crowd, experimenting with drugs etc but never really think about fist fights...the good old fashioned type with no guns or knives (oh gosh, I don't even want to go there).

On Friday, I picked Thomas up from school and as we were walking away from the classroom, I noticed he had a bit of a bruise and cut under his eye.


Barely visible in this photo but more noticeable in RL!

Nothing too serious but when I asked what happened and he replied "A boy punched me!" I stopped in my tracks! I was almost about to go back and ask the teacher what happened...but I put on my "stay cool" parent hat. Thomas told me he and another boy had been playing some sort of "fighting" game (the word gun was mentioned and whilst my views on playing with guns are now a little bit more relaxed, I'm still a bit funny about the gun thing) and this other boy punched him in the eye.

I can't recall whether Thomas said it was an accident or I assumed it was an accident, but that's what I have taken it to be. Suffice to say, I will be keeping an eye on that boy (he always says hi of a morning and looks a bit cheeky) and the "whole situation" if you can call it that. If it happens again, I will have to be one of those parents who goes to the teacher and asks for an explanation even though I know she probably won't be able to provide one.

This incident raised other issues like self defence... In the instance of a real fight (which I'm choosing to believe this wasn't), it's such a fine line between defending oneself and becoming as bad as the perpetrator. Sam's radar buzzed loudly when he heard Thomas had been punched and said he would have to start teaching him to defend himself (whatever that means)!  Maybe in the old days, a punch could be met with a punch and things sorted themselves out but today's school yard fights seem so much more lethal... scary stuff.

Sam also said we can't wait for Daniel to start school to look after Thomas haha. Daniel can be rough and tough but my goodness, he has the softest heart!! I can't imagine him getting into a fight without great provocation...

Sometimes it's not good for the mind to wander. I pray that we get to the teenage years and through them and beyond. We can only hope they choose their friends wisely and conduct themselves as we have taught them. Hopefully, this will be Thomas' one and only school yard fight :)

Can everyone see the resemblance?

Today Thomas brought his books home from school for covering. There isn't much in them yet, but I did stumble upon these portraits! What do you guys think? Do they look like Sam and I? haha

 Oh, if only I had long, long, thin legs like this! Not sure what's up with the short, curly hair but I love my cute, button nose :)

Couldn't help but laugh at Sam's portrait...hehe he reminds me of a clown but I love it!

I have only ever seen Thomas draw stick-like figures so I was quite impressed with these! Can't wait to see him learn new things this year!

OMG I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE PLAYGROUND MUMS

Dedicated to all my teacher friends who are now Mums!

Being a teacher, albeit one who has been on maternity leave for a century, makes being a mum of a school kid very hard. Those who are teachers and mums will totally get that very confusing first sentence.

And it's hard in sooo many ways. As a teacher, we clearly have in our heads the type of parent we want to be and the kind of parent we definitely don't want to be. We want to be the parent who reads every note and crumpled newsletter sent home and knows everything that's going on. We want to be the parent that follows the school rules and packs a healthy lunch for our kids, sends notes in when they are due and always explains their absences (so the roll can be completed properly). We want to be the supportive parent who helps our child with their homework but doesn't do it for them. We want to be the parent that encourages their child to be independent and do things for themselves. We want to be the parent that understands children twist the truth a lot and not to believe every word that comes out of their mouths. We want to be the parent that makes sure their child is at school on time 99% of the time.

In contrast, we obviously don't want to be the opposite of any of the above. And we certainly do not want to be the gossiping/whingeing parent hanging out in the playground comparing stories...

Ahem... so what happens when you feel yourself morphing into the wrong parent? Admittedly, I have tried very hard in the few days I've been "attending" school to be the model parent...who doesn't want to impress the teacher? However, I have resisted the urge to tell the teacher, or any other parent for that matter, that I am a trained teacher. Whilst this is kind of good, it also feels a little evil...like it's a trump card I'm keeping up my sleeve. One false move...and all will be revealed! Sometimes (not always...okay maybe more like often), the parents who were also teachers were the most painful! They did things like conduct their own reading assessments on their children to challenge the levels I and the reading recovery teacher had placed them on. You won't catch me pulling out the running record folder to test Thomas...but then again, maybe that's because I just don't have access to one. If I was in a classroom, perhaps the temptation would be too great...

My friend (also a teacher) and I were walking out of the school yesterday carrying our children's bags. This might not sound like a major issue...but we both acknowledged that many a time we had complained about other parents doing this...did they have to do everything for their children? How were their children ever going to learn if they couldn't even carry their own school bags? This week I learned that those school bags are bloody heavy! Twice the size of my child and weighing probably close to the same weight as him (with only a lunchbox and a raincoat in there), they are a big ask for tiny shoulders. To Thomas' credit, he insisted on carrying it himself on the other two days this week - even when it was a long walk to the car. His poor back!  

Are you getting my drift about the fine line between teacher and parent? Today, having got to school early, I found myself in a circle of mothers discussing the pros and cons of various speech therapists and exchanging stories about how our children had been going each day. I must admit I felt like I was in a parallel universe or something. But that's the thing, it can't really be avoided. I'm not working at the moment so I take my child to school. He's still a little teary each morning so I stay with him. I do quickly "hand him over" to the teacher when she gets there... but the whole time I'm surveying everything. Whether consciously or unconsciously, I'm assessing everything the school does.

In today's discussion one parent questioned whether the teacher was making sure every child socialised at lunchtime. I put on my teacher's hat for this one - they can't be everywhere every minute of the day. There are 24 or so kids in the class. And only one teacher. She can only do so much. Whenever I was on playground duty, if I saw a child sitting alone, I would always go up and chat to them and try to find a group of friends they could play with. I never turned a blind eye. So if karma counts for anything, Thomas will be okay too. I also defended the teacher in the afternoon when one parent thought the kids were just being dismissed without supervision - I explained the teacher said they could go if they could see their parent.

I've tried not to think about what they are or aren't doing in class this week, preferring that they concentrate on settling the kids into big school. Thomas' teacher has already won a huge tick from me for just being herself. Thomas loves her and feels comfortable with her - he wants me to wait until she's free to talk to him before I leave in the mornings and I can see she understands he needs that reassurance at the moment - and she does just that. Takes him by the hand, chats to him and leads him over to an activity.  I think it's going to be a good year...

I may end up doing a lot of those things that the "wrong" parent does... I'm sure healthy lunches will fall by the wayside when I'm in a hurry and there's nothing in the fridge. Notes will be lost. I'll get to school late and be seen running through the school gates dragging three children along with me. Homework will be signed off on when it hasn't really been done etc etc. But hey, that's life. As long as it's done as a by-product of a modern busy lifestyle and not to intentionally turn my child into a tardy, sloppy, unhealthy, disrespectful person, then I should be exonerated.

To all of you in the same boat - best of luck! Let the games begin :))

DANIEL AND THE COCONUT



Those of us who know and love Daniel, know that he has a bit of a nutty streak...we just didn't know it was a coconut flavoured one!

Thomas had no school last Friday, so we got together with a pre-school friend (Matthew) at Monkey Mania play centre. What does this have to do with coconuts? Nothing really, but I had to set the scene to emphasise just how random Daniel's request was. Towards the end of their play, right before we were about to leave, Daniel put on his "baby voice" and with big, wide eyes said, "I want a coconut". Yes, it was as random as that!

Matthew's mum couldn't stop laughing and asked if Daniel even knew what a coconut was...well apparently he did... "It's a circle and it's brown," he said. Hmmm, I can only surmise that he saw it on a cartoon of some sort.

Daniel doesn't forget, so when I said okay he could have a coconut (to shut him up), he didn't forget...and kept whining for one. My mum was going out to the shops so I placed an order for a coconut. Coconut flavour is one of my favourite flavours...all my favourite chocolates (eg Cherry Ripe, Bounty) feature coconut. I love the smell of it too. But admittedly, in my 36 plus years on this Earth, I had never, ever tasted a fresh coconut. Daniel was quite chuffed at being the instigator of this "first" and of course Thomas complained about not being the one who had come up with the idea. Don't you just love sibling rivalry?

Only one small problem... cracking a coconut is not as easy as it seems on TV! It came with these instructions which seemed so detailed, we decided to go with our own method. Give or take a step or two.

 

We began by piercing the eyes with a screwdriver. Hey, you just gotta use what you can find.

 Then we poured out the clear juice. Not much came out...you would have to crack open a hell of a lot of coconuts to survive on a desert island! Movies can be so misleading :)

After the juice had been poured, the boys stood around excitedly waiting for the coconut to be cracked open. Tool of choice (as per instructions) - a hammer. The coconut was rock hard and Sam made a comment saying he understood why falling falling coconuts were the biggest cause of death on some islands. Daniel was all concerned asking, "What do you mean you can die with a coconut?" I reassured him we were only talking about coconuts falling from trees and hitting people on the head. He thought about it, then asked, "Are there any coconut trees around here?" lol

It took a few bashes but eventually, we hit pay dirt! Voila! An open coconut, white flesh exposed...

Wish I had taken photos of the kids faces as they tasted it...they definitely weren't fans! Daniel declared that he is "never, ever, in his whole life, ever eating coconut again!" Us adults munched away on small bits of it. Not quite what I expected.

So that's the story of Daniel and the coconut. Thanks Dan, can always count on you for interesting nights :)

A New Adventure

Our family set off on a brand new adventure yesterday...one that will go on for many, many years and that will no doubt take us on a roller coaster ride. Thomas started Kindergarten or "big school" as it is affectionately known by kids everywhere. It's hard to believe this teeny tiny baby in an over sized 000 jumpsuit...

Thomas just 4 days old

...morphed into this little man in an over sized uniform and hat!

So, the question on everyone's lips was 'how did Thomas go on his first day?' I have to start by saying that there was quite a build up during the week. All his friends and cousins (except for one that I can think of - Sienna), started in the days before him - Isaac, Ebony, Stefano, Sofia and Helena all started their schooling lives quite happily and I showed Thomas pictures of most of them to reassure him. In hindsight, I think the build up was a bit much. It probably didn't help when my cousin Robert dropped in the night before and asked him, "Are you scared?"

Back tracking just a bit: A couple of days before Thomas started, I did a trial run to test the traffic because I'm still living at my mum's....dropping Daniel off first, it took me an hour to get there! That was after waking them early and then hearing them cry and whinge from over tiredness. At this stage, apart from the obvious need for early bedtimes, all seemed okay, with me stressing how exciting Thursday would be! We even did a trial "lunchtime" to make sure he could take his lunch box out of his bag and open everything in it...hmmm gold star for this parent lol.

Thursday morning arrived and again, all seemed fine. My sister got up early, taking pictures like a true member of the paparazzi! Thomas happily posed having breakfast and brushing his teeth. Then came time for the uniform... as soon as it was on, he knew. He knew the day for big school had well and truly arrived. He demanded no pictures while he was getting dressed, then started to cry saying he didn't want to go to school because I couldn't stay with him :(

However, I was pleased to see him regain his composure and take some photos, with this being one of my favourites (even though I don't look crash hot). My baby and I...

We then set off for the big drive, with Sam meeting us there and friend Chelsi on hand to make Thomas feel welcome :)

We had to wait a little while before going into class and I could tell Thomas was getting nervous...very fidgety, but still all okay. We walked into the room and he excitedly picked out his name tag then sat down to do a puzzle...


A nervous smile?


...then we said goodbye. He immediately rose from his chair and started to cry, saying he didn't want to stay there by himself :(  Even though it broke my heart, I quickly located a teacher, made some small talk about her name to Thomas (Mrs Craft) and then handed him over and quickly kissed him goodbye and walked out. From a teacher's perspective, I know that children settle a lot quicker when their parents aren't around so I made sure I wasn't around so that could happen. Another gold star for me (toughly earned this time).

Thankfully, Thomas came bounding out of the classroom in the afternoon all smiles. He had lots to share about his big day (I'll list what I can remember for posterity):

* He ate lunch outside (I obviously don't let him do this enough at home because it was a highlight!)
* He drew and coloured in (see below)
* He sang songs like Five Little Ducks
* He got to play on an iPod with 3 other children (very exciting)
* They got to lay on the floor (presumably because it was hot)
* The teacher had to sharpen his pencil and she had a "sharpener with a plug!!!" (ie electric sharpener)
* He taught some kids to play Duck, Duck, Goose at lunchtime (bit worried about this one...think Mr Bossy may have reared his head, although he assured me they wanted to know how to play)
* He used the urinal in the boys' toilets and wasn't impressed with the fellow kindy child staring at him! He told him to get away! He was afraid to use the toilet cubicle in case he got locked in there...I assured him he wouldn't - I hope those locks work properly!!

These are the two pieces of work he brought home on his first day. After practising writing his name in the holidays and finally being consistent with getting the "s" the right away around and the stick on the correct side of the "a", he goes and writes his name completely backwards and in mirror image format - not once, but twice!!! Isn't that harder?? What's going on??? Information overload? Let's hope he rectifies it when he goes back next week lol. I must say the colouring-in isn't too bad. He did manage to stay in the lines and use different colours.

Notice how I'm analysing everything? That's the teacher in me! I'm trying really, really hard to be a "model" parent and not one of the ones that drove me crazy! I understand what it's like to be in a classroom and to be responsible for the learning of so many little ones. I want to give the teacher room to do things her way and not judge her. But that's really, really hard. Because I'm now the mother of that little child...and he's my baby. It's definitely going to be a roller coaster...just hope nobody gets thrown off!

Being at the school and hearing Thomas talk excitedly about little things like the sharpener, also made me miss teaching...yes, you read correctly all you teacher friends. I love infants - they have always been my favourite grades to teach - and I realised I do miss teaching them :( but still not sure when I will return.

The other side of this story belongs to Daniel. Thomas and Daniel are almost "twins". Born 15 months apart, they virtually do everything together. They go everywhere together. Sometimes they even wear identical outfits. Daniel is finding it really hard to let go of Thomas, attend pre-school on his own and just basically be without the company of his big brother and idol...he even threw a massive tantrum because I bought Thomas a raincoat and not him (I had to go out the next day and get him one too). He keeps telling me he wants to go to kindy right now!

I leave you now with Thomas' favourite photos - him pulling silly faces of course... the real Thomas, full of attitude and personality! I wonder how long it will take the teacher and his classmates to meet this boy?

Hope school is always as exciting as his first day! And hope we survive the adventure that's just beginning...