Happy New Year Everyone!

Notice me almost in tears with laughter - and this photo was taken at 1:06am!

Normally I don't look forward to the whole New Years Eve thing. Since it usually just involves going to bed and being woken up by hundreds of fireworks, but this year we were invited to a party - oh yes.

This will only be the 2nd one i've been to 'cos like I said, not a big fan! And it was at Daddy's parents' house, so we could all go together.

Fancy dress (But of course!) and they installed a rain-proof sheet between the house and the side fence, with two patio heaters just so we could mingle outside too WITHOUT the risk of getting soaked!

Big party it was, lots of drink, friends, family, neighbours etc. I let the girls choose what they each wanted to wear. J.R chose her green Tinkerbell outfit with wings and E.M chose to wear another Halloween costume (no surprise there then.) Daddy went as a priest and I went as Amy Winehouse - what a combination! Good it was, very 'eventful'.

The girls really surprised us though. Where J.R is normally the one craving attention, she went quiet. Could barely stand to be away from me. And E.M, yes Baby E.M, did all the talking. And she did not stop. She was chatting away to everyone - about everything. These were people she had never even met before...Daddy and I were very impressed.

Oh and did they make it to midnight? Nah, we took them up at about half eleven :)

Easy Like Sunday Morning?

Today has been - hands down - the easiest sunday i've ever had.

But don't get the wrong idea, I haven't been given a day off, i'm talking about my girls' behaviour. Regular readers will know, sunday is the day I dread the most, so i'll spare you the details.

But no, today was surprisingly easy going, compared to the usual conflict we find ourselves in every sunday.

I must have come across different today: she means business.

Cos i've definitely had a crappy last couple of weeks when it comes to handling these girls. Today something, somehow has clicked into place.

But I could bet money on it all being back to 'normal' tomorrow.

♫ MRS Cellophane, Mrs Cellophane, Should've Been My Name... ♫

Ok, so these girls are really trying my patience this week.

The best way to describe it?

It's as if i'm INVISIBLE.

Everything I ask them, tell them, even the conversation I try to make as we walk down the street goes unnoticed.

And I just look like some crazy woman talking to myself because obviously neither of my children like me.

Although it's more J.R who has mastered the ability to ignore me.

E.M just keeps smiling and telling me NO.

I'm actually so stressed that i've had a migraine all day, and I don't get headaches. I'm one of those people who doesn't believe in taking painkillers for a measly little headache, but my god, today my head feels as if it's going to cave in on itself.

And I cannot ask anything normally - Oh no, I have to shout and scream just to get, and then keep their attention. I feel like the little kid. Even if I am face to face with J.R, down at her level, she will still turn her head away from me and not look at me at all. And when she does - she smiles a little smile and opens her eyes wide at me in the most annoying and sarcastic way ever....argh!

And she's started playing up at the school again, but at hometime.

It's not that she doesn't want to leave, more she doesn't want to leave with me. When the staff call her name she doesn't acknowledge it and when they tell her that Mummy's here, she goes into a fit of tears and refuses to come to the gate. In fact, this is the third day I have had to physically take her out of school myself since she will not go with me. And it makes me feel terrible.

I mean it looks bad as it is, in front of the other parents, when I approach her to carry her out she cowers and begs "No Mummy, no!" almost as if i'm going to hit her!!

I think it looks awful and I can't imagine how I must look to everyone else.

But i've told a HV of my trouble with J.R this week and how it's getting me down, and she's made me an appointment for a chat, see if we can find a way round this unruly behaviour.

In the meantime, i'm done ranting...sorry it was so long, and thanks for caring enough to read it!

Wow! Is it Sunday already?

I ain't gonna lie, it has been a tough one today, but for fear of sounding repetitive (Everyone's shouting at everyone else round here! Argh!!) i'm gonna go ahead and say it wasn't all bad news...

It's fast becoming tradition that when Daddy leaves for football Baby E.M plays up. BIGTIME.

That child really is the original little terror when her Daddy isn't around.

She runs from me, points her finger at me and tells me no, or just ignores me altogether! And she loves to wind her big sister up. So it's become mandatory that she takes some time out - on her own - in her room, every sunday afternoon. Mostly i've found that she gets her toys out for a bit but then goes for a nap during this time. Either way, I get some peace at last.

Meanwhile, J.R (following a stern talking to from both me and Daddy yesterday afternoon) has shown a vast improvement in her potty training today.

Whereas before she used to be uninterested and just generally too lazy. I was angry because it's a complete waste of money buying expensive Pull-Up pants for a child who can feel she is very wet, or even dirty but doesn't care!

She even got to the point of lying to us about being dirty when we asked her, just so that she didn't have to stop what she was doing and get cleaned up.

But as I said, today we've seen some really good improvement.

She's been wearing real knickers all day, is willing to tell me when she needs to go and has been for a wee on the toilet four times today, with only one accident. What a brilliant effort!

I hope you enjoyed the recipe posts this week, all for National Baking Week 2009, and maybe even tried your hand at a little baking yourself? If not, don't worry 'cos we resume normal posting again tomorrow - no more of this baking talk! (Well, not every day anyway.)

And last but not least - although this only applies if you live in the UK - I trust you turned your clocks back an hour today?

If not, I hope for your sake you didn't turn up for work an hour early this morning LOL

I'm one to talk though, I was NOT about to get up at 2am on a sunday to turn all our clocks back an hour...but then I came downstairs this morning and freaked out thinking i'd woken up at lunchtime!

Zzzzz...

The girls NEVER EVER have a nap for Mummy.

I've tried everything, routine, milky drinks, reasoning...begging.

I just want to know what i've got to do for them to take their afternoon nap peacefully.

If they could just nap for, oh.... about 8 hours a day, life, my life, would be a walk in the park ;-)

No seriously though, when you fall asleep in situ this many times in JUST ONE WEEK - you NEED to start having a proper afternoon kip.

Don't deny yourself E.M.

It's Not Big And It's Not Clever

But J.R seems to think it is.

We've been telling her about this for weeks.

Somehow I don't think she's got the message.

You CANNOT take one bite out of an apple or pear and then put it back into the fruit bowl!!

Daddy's Not Here

And so, E.M has decided that today she DOES NOT have to:

• put her pyjama trousers back on.

• put ANY trousers on at all.

• eat her breakfast.

• sit on the sofa nicely if she wants to watch TV.

But instead SHE WILL:

• run and throw her pyjama trousers into the kitchen.

• walk around the house in just a nappy and vest.

• lick all the butter from two slices of toast.

• and watch the TV from a mere three inches away.

Rebel.

Uh-Oh...

Not good.

E.M is chewing on a baby bottle.

One from the cupboard where I keep all the plastic kitchen bits.

One that J.R kindly went and found for her.

Not good at all.

It Isn't Always Hugs & Kisses...

In the past people have seen J.R spontaneously grab and hug her little sister tight.

They'd ask me, "Are they always like that?" And i’d be like, "Noooo! Of course they don’t always hug and cuddle each other lovingly."

After all, they're both two seperate individuals who have unique characters.

And not to mention their own different needs and wants.

For example, Baby E.M would want what her sister has (and whine and complain when she doesn't get it). J.R can be impatient with Baby E.M and give her a push so she "walks faster". Baby E.M would refuse to share her favourite food and J.R would in the end sneak over and snatch some anyway.

Really. The list can go on and on.

But then again, kids - in any family - are like that, aren’t they?

I mean, it's impossible to have siblings who never bicker or make each other cry. It's human nature.

If you ask me though, I think the focus shouldn’t really be on how much they don’t get along with eachother, but how often they actually do.

"Baby books" always advise us to encourage good relationships between brothers/sisters from day one. Because peaceful relationships between siblings are possible to achieve.

Kiss Kiss

I’m not sure what got into her just before she went to bed today. Baby EM came up to me, gave me a big kiss and left giggling away.

Then she went to the dining chair, kissed it and giggled away again. She did the same thing to the tv, the side table and the cushions on the sofa...

I guess some kids are just so full of love sometimes, that they just have to share it with everyone and … everything? Hehe.

I totally forgot to post this...like, OMG!

J.R went for a booster jab last week, although when we got to the surgery we found it was actually booster jabS. Great, I thought.

I'd never 'done' a jab for J.R before, not since she was a baby and had her heel prick (but then that's hardly a needle is it?) And by 'done' I mean the whole sit-child-on-lap-and-restrain-arms procedure.

So to find out this one was a double whammy? Brilliant.

It was rather cute actually, the nurse explained to J.R that she needed to prick both her arms to stop her getting sick. In laymans terms I added that the nurse was "going to put medicine into your arms." Just to make sure.

Two nurses poised with needles, one at each arm, J.R watched with curiosity as they did their job. But that was all, she watched...and it was over.

No crying, no flinch, I swear she didn't even blink! To say we were surprised would be an understatement. I was actually starting to feel disappointed!

"When the shock wears off..." one nurse started, I stared at her blankly. "What shock?" I replied.

"Oh my gosh, sorry!" she laughed, patting me on the arm, "I'm just so used to saying that everytime y'know..."

They gave J.R a sticker. Then they let her choose another one. My eldest daughter was a star that day, although she did milk it a bit when Daddy got home...

Baby's Tired???

Stubborn as a mule she is. She just wont give in.

Baby E.M doesn't do naps.

She does however become short-tempered and miserable, whilst stumbling around rubbing her eyes out. When you put her down in her cot, she immediately stands up and screams until you rescue her from the pit. And she can do this for real long periods of time. So today I gave up, I sat her on the sofa and told her to stay there. You could see she was knackered but she wanted to be downstairs with everyone else... Didn't take long.

The Terrible Two's + The Threatening Three's...

...means tantrums galore - lucky me!

Dealing with tantrums is a normal part of the parenting experience (despite what your Mother might tell you!) They come out of nowhere and leave you exhausted, which is one of the reasons they're so frustrating. And what's worse is that the smallest of things can trigger them.

But how to deal with a tantrum when it happens?

Well, i've done a little research and most sources are saying the same thing:

AVOID, DISTRACT, IGNORE, WALK AWAY

So, first try and avoid what might trigger your child to have a tantrum in the first place, tiredness and hunger are two common ones. If and when it does happen, try and distract your child by pointing out something new and interesting, be enthusiastic - even if you have to make it up! Try and ignore your childs testing behaviour, they are most likely going to 'feed' from your reaction, so to shout and scream back at them would only elevate the situation for both of you. And if all else fails, walk away - providing it's safe to do so - because nothing's worse than a performance without an audience.

Caught Red Handed

Oh dear, doesn't she look guilty!

That's the problem with having 2 girls but only 1 drawing pad, when the paper's gone they do tend to move on to something else. Luckily red pencil isn't permanent :)

First Reward Chart

For about three weeks now i've been using a reward chart for J.R. She seems to be enjoying the whole experience so far, and loves to choose which 'sticker' she gets and place it on the chart. The behaviours i'm trying to tackle using this reward chart are mealtimes and using the potty.

So the daily tasks, as declared by Mummy, are:

1. Use potty
2. Finish breakfast
3. Use potty
4. Finish lunch
5. Use potty
6. Finish dinner
7. Brush teeth/wash hands

And so far it's going quite well, in week 1 she managed 25 'stickers' out of a possible 35.

And that includes two extra rewards, one for learning her full name and one for attempting to get dressed herself!

I'm giving stickers not only for completing the set tasks but also when I catch good behaviour, because sometimes when a childs behaviour has been less than ideal, any good behaviour then goes unnoticed.

The chart we're using is £6 from Early Learning Centre and comes with 35 reward magnets and a dry wipe pen.

Breakfast & Baby

This morning the girls had cereal and some fresh fruit salad for breakfast.

J.R sat quietly at the table quickly shovelling her cereal. But Baby E.M wouldn't eat at the table. She wouldn't eat sitting on the sofa either. Or the floor. In fact, she would ONLY eat her cereal standing behind the tv....

Suppressed Anger And The "Terrible Two's" Kicks In.

J.R has been acting quite out of character today, but only since she got in from school.

At first I thought it was just me, she's been shouting and ranting constantly and being very rude to me. At first I thought it was just me, until I came downstairs to find her casually tearing her school book apart page by page. Hmm...

I'll ask the school tomorrow if anything went on today, 'cos it's almost as if she's angry about something. God knows what.

Also...Following the dreaded 3 year check on the 30th April - which I never got to post - i've been informed that Baby E.M is in her terrible two's (having sat and moaned at two H.V's for a good 10 minutes relaying all her recent bad behaviour and general dislike for the rules).

Great. That's just what I need.

Yes...that's J.R asleep with an Upsy Daisy skirt and wellies on.

What? I always put them to bed in pyjamas.

She did it all herself.

Honest!

My Mealtime Madness

I've been sitting here for ages now. Why is it always like this? I feel like i'm fighting a losing battle trying to get her to eat her dinner nicely. ...No, it's not Miss J.R, it's the Baby. She scrapes her food off the plate, pulls the tablecloth, stabs the tabletop with her fork, she refuses her food - only to cry when I take it away! And what's worse is that she doesn't do any of this when Daddy is supervising the mealtime. Only me.

The girls are at home with my parents. I'm walking up the hill, on my way to the doctors when I hear, "LISTEN YOU, you've been giving me attitude all holiday do you really think you're gonna get anything nice?"

A stressed out mum, walking in front of me with her 3 kids...

"Look stop it now you're getting really cowbag-ish"

Says another stressed out mum, to her toddler daughter behind me in the queue at the newsagents. Ahh...that's better! Though I know exactly how you feel, i'm just smiling 'cos for once it's not happening to me.