Monday, March 10, 2014

Update...

It's been a little while since my last monthly update on Patrick, so I thought an update was in order:

Work
Well I meant to put an update about going back to work ages a go but time has been going so fast! Work is good, in the eleven months I had off on maternity leave, a lot has changed. More work, new people and my hours changed to 7:30am to 3:30pm. Which works great with afternoons/evenings with the kids, but is an early morning for everyone.

I'm still tracking towards working full time until the end of 2016 and then cutting back in 2017, when James starts school! I want to work more school hours (hopefully), so I can pick the boys up from school and take them to sports, music lessons, or be here for homework whatever really. Well that's the plan for now. It makes working full time now a bit easier knowing I will be able to cut back later. 

It's taken six weeks but I finally had an attack of the mummy guilts the other night after speaking with a stay at home Mum, who just "couldn't bear to leave her kids, five days a week". Well if it was keeping a roof over your head and food on the table, I'm sure you'd adjust! I'm just a little jealous I guess, and I know she didn't mean to make me feel like the worst mother in the world but when you don't have much of a choice there's no need to dwell on it!

But apart from missing the boys, I'm enjoying the work and I'm trying to be organised so I have dinner on the table by 5:30pm every afternoon!

New Years Resolutions
I had done a post on my goals for 2014 and I'm actually sticking to some! Go me! Spend time enjoying our family was my first goal and we are doing our best every chance we get to hang out and spend time as a family unit. Teaching James to catch a ball and to start playing cricket in the backyard, has been a real highlight this summer.  We've renewed our membership at the local aquarium and we go at least once a month, I'm dying to see the turtle hospital and take James, so that's next on the agenda!

Revamp the house. Well this has slowed down after our awesome start over the Christmas break. The lounge room is done and the kitchen is pretty much done. We still have to finish the bathroom and toilet and I would like to hang some new art or photos up in the hallway and our bedroom. On the plus side, I did just get some new beautiful sheets on sale but I'm still on the look out for a new bedroom doona set, something that is just right I can add cushions to so it looks just like something out of a catalogue!

Revamp myself. I've spent my gift voucher and got some nice clothes that I've been wearing a lot. I forgot how nice it is to wear summer dresses and shorts that don't have holes in them or keep falling down because they've stretched! It's Autumn here, so the cooler months are approaching, I'll have to get out my jeans and long sleeves and make sure everything fits! BJ and I have started regular excerise around our days. And one month in, we have both stuck to it. We've decided to walk after putting the kids to bed, each night taking turns so we can both get some cardio. On the nights BJ is walking I've started using my excerise ball to strengthen my soft belly. My eating has improved but it still needs to get a lot better. I didn't realise how much temptation there would at work. There is always someone selling chocolates to send their kids to soccer camp or baking something. So I've started taking in healthily snacks I can leave in my desk and drinking heaps of water!

Get organised. I'm trying to fulfill this one. It's really hit and miss for me to get organised and stay organised! One week I'm great and the next I have no idea what I'm cooking for dinner until the last minute. It doesn't help with BJ working away a lot since I've gone back to work, so I don't have any backup for help in the kitchen. I'm washing nearly every night after dinner to keep on top of our dirty clothes, sheets, towels etc. so it's not so crazy on the weekend. I have hired a cleaner to come every two weeks on a Friday and that has helped. With two kids in the house I'm still sweeping and mopping every couple of days, if not every day but at least I know everything gets a good clean and I'm not having to take time away from the kids to do it. 

Kids
They are both doing so great. Both love going to daycare which makes it a little easier leaving them there each day. Patrick isn't walking yet but has so much determination and courage, he just needs to work on his balance. You can see him watching other kids run around and he just wishes he could join in! He crawls so fast, I call him a little robotbaby! He still loves food but after seeing the peadatriction at his twelvth month check up, we have cut back his bottles to help with his throwing up. So far he still is having a little chuck but nothing like it was before, so hopefully that will work for the little guy! He loves to put things into containers and pull them out again or bang on things to make noise. Seeing and learning about consequences and using his coordination! 

James is full of energy and totally a two year old. He can be so kind one minute and having a tantrum the next. All because Patrick looked at a toy or he wants to go outside and than back inside and then outside again. All very reasonable things to a two year old but a bit frustrating for the rest of us. We have started toilet training him, letting daycare take the lead on when we should start. Before, he would go on the potty before bath time but would also be happy to walk around in his own filth. He wasn't interested in going to the toilet during the day or wearing jocks so we just waited. And then last week he wants to wear jocks all the time. So luckily I had brought some a couple of weeks ago "just in case" and he has started wearing jocks! We've had a few misses but we've also had a few hits too. He seems to need a lot of prompting at this stage, but we are only a week into training and he does seem to be slowly getting better every day. 

James loves to dance and sing, and talk about everything with a very serous face one minute and with a very silly face the next. He is also very sweet and caring with his brother, Dad and I. One night Patrick was having a little cry because he had thrown up in bed. While we were changing Patrick's sheets and clothes, James comes out of the hallway and asked, " Mumma, is Patrick all right". He just melts my heart. 

So that is some of what has been happening around here. And here are a few photos of my boys. 






The Monday Snapshot...

One year old tantrums, aren't they adorable! Just love him to bits!