Lightening Online

My life is spiralling out of control yet AGAIN!!!!!

You’d think I’d learn by now wouldn’t you?

The ONLY way to get balance in your life is to say NO.

It sucks!!!

Especially when you’re having to say no to your children.

I hate disappointing my kids! 

I hate having to say no to them when I know they’ve love to do this activity and that activity.

Even if it is for their own good.

Our lives are ridiculously chaotic.

Although not as chaotic as in some families.

And I can’t help but wonder where we’ll end up.

Will everyone keep trying to cram more and more in until we crack?

Or will we eventually start to find an equilibrium?

Everyone you talk to goes on about how busy they are.

How fast the year is flying by.

Partly because we’re too busy to stop and enjoy it.

I don’t like going against the crowd.

I don’t like being the parent that says “enough is enough, you can’t do it all”.

So, I follow the crowd.

And they follow me.

And so we follow one another around and around the never-ending Merry Go Round of life.

Afraid to jump off lest we miss out on the fun.

Missing out on the fun because we’re afraid to jump off.

I NEED to find some balance in my life before I go crazy.

I NEED to learn to say NO.

The other day while we were getting ready to go out, my 6 year old (Trailer Boy) was putting on a fuss about having to bring a rain jacket.

Apparently it makes him look “fat”.

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I began to think back to similar experiences with my older 2.

Interestingly enough, when they were 6 also.

Princess Singstar had this knitted jumper that I LOVED and she refused to wear because she “looked fat in it”.

I was freaking out just a tad at the time that I was going to have an anorexic 6 year old on my hands.

It didn’t occur to me then (in the state of mind I was in which wasn’t a real clear one), that we’d come across this issue before.

When Lleyton (our eldest who is now 12) was in year 1 (so also 6), he came to me one day with a stick and said “I wish I was as skinny as this stick”.

My first thought at the time was “you’d be dead if you were skinny as that stick” followed by “you are almost as skinny as that stick” and then “why on earth would a child who is all skin and bone even be THINKING about getting any thinner?????”

So now that I’ve had 3 children go through the same thing at the same age (and we all know that a sample size of 3 makes me a complete expert, right?), I’m starting to wonder if this is some kind of “stage” that kids go through.

Is there some kind of body awareness stage that they go through around this age?

Something akin to 2 year old boys all liking pink (and my sample size for that one is bigger than 3 - I worked in a couple of different child care centres, my kids all went through it and now my nephew is also going through it).  I think girls do too but you don’t notice it the same because they’re “supposed” to like pink.

Anyone else notice this stage of “fat-phobia” in their kids around the age of 6?

How would you deal with it? (and let me point out that laughing at them and telling them it’s ridiculous will NOT win you mother of the year ).

The kids have gone back to school and I’m coming to the end of a very busy 3 weeks!

I kinda feel the need to collapse in a heap for a few days.

My nightmares from childhood issues have returned (an indicator I need to really take care of myself).

My list of P&F stuff that “needs to be done” has done nothing but grow over those 3 weeks.

My house is in need of some TLC after having had 7 kids run rampant through it the past week.

And all I want to do is go back to bed. 

What to do?  What to do?

Think I’ll make a list with a few priorities and try to take it as easy as possible in the next few days (in between getting a few important/urgent things  done).

In other news,

My fitness trainer is returning to work after maternity leave.

It’s been 12 months since I’ve worked with her.

EEEEKKKK!!!!

Thank goodness I’ve been playing some Centre in netball - at least I’m not totally unfit!!!

Can’t say the same for my muscle strength though!

Hopefully a good workout will help with the serotonin levels.

I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t even had time to show you what Farmboy bought me for my birthday this year:

How cool is that?

He thought of it all by himself!

AND still drives the car around even though it has PINK numberplates!!!!

It makes me smile every time I see them! 

I think it might be the best present he’s ever bought me (well, maybe 2nd best after my engagement ring LOL).

Who’d have thought I’d ever get so excited about number plates?

But they ARE pink!

Last night I fell asleep at 6.30pm.  I did wake up around 2am for a drink and pit stop before falling asleep again until 8.30am.

14 hours sleep!!!

And to be honest, I’m still not bounding with energy.

Which is not surprising given the week full of challenges and busy-ness.

Having to drive around Adelaide in peak traffic in the rain when you’re not experienced in city driving was interesting.

I managed though (no accidents, not even a little ding or scratch - phew!).

The meeting I went to in Adelaide was amazing.  A real eye opener into what is out there and what people are committed to doing in their own time.  It was a meeting of our state association for parents groups and yet many who were there have kids who are grown and have left home.  All still dedicating their time to public education and advocating for parental involvement in our state schools.  I met some truly amazing people (several with OAM’s - that’s an Order of Australia Medal and a high honour to receive).

The bonding time with Singstar Princess was great.

She LOVED staying in a motel together and we ordered room service as a treat which was great fun!!!

We found time to visit a friend of hers in Adelaide and she got to spend some one-on-one time with my grandparents as well (something she’s never ever had before).

I wasn’t 100% sure how I would going staying with Farmboy’s brother and his family on my own (ie without Farmboy) but they were wonderfully welcoming and made me feel right at home.

My SIL (sister-in-law) was very gracious in letting me help around the house and get a few things done I could tell were bothering her.  She’s very organised and competent and I didn’t want to step on her toes.

Singstar Princess was very helpful keeping her “not quite 2 yet” cousin occupied as well as helping with the 6 month old twins.

It was a bit different waking up on my birthday away from Farmboy and the boys but I spent half a day with the babies (and cleaning which I NEVER do on my birthday LOL).  Then we met my parents for a lovely lunch before doing some grocery shopping for the weekend (along with buying 6 large boxes of nappies for SIL on special that got plenty of interesting looks and comments!!!!).

The boys arrived around 4.30pm and we went and found our accommodation for the weekend.

We rented a large house for the weekend so we could all stay together which was lots of fun!!!

Had awesome pizza for tea followed by mudcake birthday cake and delicious strawberries for dessert.

The cousins birthday party weekend wasn’t without it’s challenges.

Friday night, both boys came down sick and Farmboy and I got hardly any sleep.

Then I had to chase up a doctor in a strange town on a Saturday morning (found one but he was rather hard to understand).

Then find the pharmacy before it shut for the rest of the weekend!

And wait….

And wait…

Because they were so busy.

By the time the “party” actually started, I was well and truly exhausted!!!!

The kids had fun though.

The worst thing about the house was we had to clean it before we left.

But we then went for coffee and cake at the same place we’d had pizza on Friday night.

Had more baby cuddles (that family didn’t stay in the house with us but were only half an hour drive away so came back up on Sunday to do coffee and cake with us).

Spent Sunday night with my parents then drove home Monday (having 2 vehicles with us meant I had to drive home).

I think “tired” might even be an understatement!!!!

I’m taking it easy today.

Hopefully I’ll put some photo’s up in the next few days.

Assuming my brain decides to start functioning again anytime soon.