This baby seems to be the one for trying out new stuff. I never got the hang of feeding lying down with either of the girls, but its working out this time. Yay. Especially "yay" for the first thing in the morning feed...
My big discovery was a way to keep my shoulders and arms warm and snuggly, while not completely covering the baby with the duvet. The solution is simple, once you think of it - I wear my dressing gown to bed! ta-daa. The duvet only gets pulled up to my waist, thus keeping the baby's head well clear of a soft, downy smothering, and I stay super-snuggly warm.
So that is what I do first thing in the morning - or if MrBaby doesn't re-settle after his normal night feed, which I still get up and do on the couch while listening to National Radio.
I know some people successfully bed-share with their babies all night, which theoretically makes feeding during the night a cinch. All good if it works for you (and if you never attempt it after consuming drugs or alcohol, don't smoke, and don't have too-soft, fluffy bedding - all of which dramatically increase the chance of SIDS when combined with bed-sharing). But, as Merl will tell you, I am a world-class fidget in my sleep.
I cannot stand to stay in the same position, or even facing the same side for much longer than about an hour and a half. But moving the baby wakes him up. And I don't want to turn my back to him. So total bed-sharing is out. When MrBaby was very very little he slept with us most nights, so I know of what I speak.
So we 'co-sleep' - he's in a bassinet in our room, which allows me to respond to him before he gets majorly distressed, and most nights he ends up in our bed sometime around 5.30am. Then he feeds, I doze off, and generally we have a good cozy start to the day/end of the night.
The 3am-ish feed is a different kettle of fish. If I feed him in bed at 3am then I fall quite deeply asleep while he's feeding and then he, quite naturally, doesn't want to go back to his bassinet - and who can blame him? But then I have the 'aargh, I can't fidget and roll over' problem I described before. Instead, I get up and feed him in the dark in the living-room while listening to the radio. He's much happier to go back into the bassinet this way, though I'm not entirely sure why.
The radio is great - it keeps me from falling asleep on the couch and waking up horribly stiff and sore, and there are some really interesting programs on - mostly repeats of interviews and documentaries from during the day when I don't have the radio going. Yay for National Radio. An added bonus is that our radio is also a flashlight, so I can briefly switch it on to get MrBaby properly latched without needing to turn the main lights on.
After 2 months, it's nice to see that we're getting to know our little guy and working out how he's different from either of the girls, and learning the kinds of things that will work for both him and us.
Read more...
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Nov 1, 2009
Oct 31, 2009
Wearing my baby
We have found a better way!
MrBaby has settled into a cosy new routine. He'll happily sleep in his bassinet (in our room) at night for 3 or 4 hours, from about 10 or 11 pm until about 3am. Then he'll have a long lazy feed (he doesn't feed any other way) and about an hour and a half later will usually settle back into the bassinet for another couple of hours sleep.
That bit of his 'routine' is unchanged - the new and better bit concerns what happens for the rest of the day...
The first feed of the day is followed by an extended wakey time - he's very happy to lie with his pants off and kick for a while on the change-mat - or the babygym for variety - or being held (with pants on) by his sisters, while Merl and I buzz around getting dressed, dressing children, eating breakfast and generally getting started on the day.
I used to then put him back in the bassinet (following the exalted 'feed, wake, sleep' rhythm that worked so well for Miss2). Cue much unsettled crying, which stopped when I picked him up, and started as soon as I put him down, and continued in this pattern until he was obviously out the other side of 'tired' and was now also 'hungry'. This continued for much of the day, while I completely failed to get anything else done as I spent most of the day either on the couch feeding, or standing beside the bassinet trying to get him to sleep.
Now I might have a go at settling him in the bassinet, but if he doesn't settle fairly happily (i.e. still not happy after a couple of attempts to resettle him) I give up, give him another feed and pop him into the baby wrap.
Baby wraps are magic!
If I get the position right, he can feed whenever he wants to have a wee top-up, and he sleeps very happily tucked up on my chest. Instant quiet, instant peace, and I am able to read stories and play games with the other children without continually yo-yoing into the bedroom. And at the end of the day, he still cluster-feeds himself into a coma and I can pop him into bed. Bliss.
Now the girls have got their own babywraps for their own babies...
...and their elephants too. (Miss2 has got a little pink elephant tucked into her wrap in this photo). She then proceeded to jump around like a kangaroo with a baby in its pouch. Extremely cute.
My first foray into baby-slinging involved a 4m length of fabric which I had in my fabric stash. This was long enough to wrap over one shoulder, and around my middle, but not both shoulders. It was okay, but not very comfortable for more than an hour or so, and I felt a bit lop-sided. So I looked for improvements, and found a couple of great websites showing lots of different ways to wear your baby (links at the end of the post). I'm borrowing wraps from a couple of different friends to see what works for us, before getting my own.
This was the first 2-shoulder wrap I tried. A friend made this wrap using a 6 or 7 metre length of muslin. I can see this being a good one for summer, being a lovely open-weave cotton. It is comfortable, but not very stretchy/flexible, so I found I needed to tie it just right or it pulled quite tightly in places.
This one is the Moby wrap, borrowed from another friend. It is awesome. Its a soft, tight-knit cotton which is not very stretchy at all, but is stretchy enough to easily adjust around the baby and myself. Folks, we have a winner. Now I just need to decide whether I can be bothered making one myself or if I'll just buy one (they seem awfully expensive for what they are).
I know, I know 'making' one only involves going to the fabric shop, choosing some fabric, slicing it in half lengthwise and overlocking the edges - but that's possibly more hassle than I can be bothered with just right now. And by the time I have enough headspace or time to do something like that, the baby won't be a baby anymore!
Babywearing sites:
Wrap Your Baby - Very clear step-by-step instructions, with photos, for lots and lots of different ways to tie the wrap.
The Mamatoto Project - Includes instructions for using different types of cloth, including shorter scarves and traditional wraps from baby-wearing cultures. The videos are particularly helpful.
La Leche League NZ - Articles on all things baby, including babywearing
Make a Babysling - instructions for making your own.
Read more...
MrBaby has settled into a cosy new routine. He'll happily sleep in his bassinet (in our room) at night for 3 or 4 hours, from about 10 or 11 pm until about 3am. Then he'll have a long lazy feed (he doesn't feed any other way) and about an hour and a half later will usually settle back into the bassinet for another couple of hours sleep.
That bit of his 'routine' is unchanged - the new and better bit concerns what happens for the rest of the day...
The first feed of the day is followed by an extended wakey time - he's very happy to lie with his pants off and kick for a while on the change-mat - or the babygym for variety - or being held (with pants on) by his sisters, while Merl and I buzz around getting dressed, dressing children, eating breakfast and generally getting started on the day.
I used to then put him back in the bassinet (following the exalted 'feed, wake, sleep' rhythm that worked so well for Miss2). Cue much unsettled crying, which stopped when I picked him up, and started as soon as I put him down, and continued in this pattern until he was obviously out the other side of 'tired' and was now also 'hungry'. This continued for much of the day, while I completely failed to get anything else done as I spent most of the day either on the couch feeding, or standing beside the bassinet trying to get him to sleep.
Now I might have a go at settling him in the bassinet, but if he doesn't settle fairly happily (i.e. still not happy after a couple of attempts to resettle him) I give up, give him another feed and pop him into the baby wrap.
Baby wraps are magic!
If I get the position right, he can feed whenever he wants to have a wee top-up, and he sleeps very happily tucked up on my chest. Instant quiet, instant peace, and I am able to read stories and play games with the other children without continually yo-yoing into the bedroom. And at the end of the day, he still cluster-feeds himself into a coma and I can pop him into bed. Bliss.
Now the girls have got their own babywraps for their own babies...
...and their elephants too. (Miss2 has got a little pink elephant tucked into her wrap in this photo). She then proceeded to jump around like a kangaroo with a baby in its pouch. Extremely cute.My first foray into baby-slinging involved a 4m length of fabric which I had in my fabric stash. This was long enough to wrap over one shoulder, and around my middle, but not both shoulders. It was okay, but not very comfortable for more than an hour or so, and I felt a bit lop-sided. So I looked for improvements, and found a couple of great websites showing lots of different ways to wear your baby (links at the end of the post). I'm borrowing wraps from a couple of different friends to see what works for us, before getting my own.
This was the first 2-shoulder wrap I tried. A friend made this wrap using a 6 or 7 metre length of muslin. I can see this being a good one for summer, being a lovely open-weave cotton. It is comfortable, but not very stretchy/flexible, so I found I needed to tie it just right or it pulled quite tightly in places.
This one is the Moby wrap, borrowed from another friend. It is awesome. Its a soft, tight-knit cotton which is not very stretchy at all, but is stretchy enough to easily adjust around the baby and myself. Folks, we have a winner. Now I just need to decide whether I can be bothered making one myself or if I'll just buy one (they seem awfully expensive for what they are).I know, I know 'making' one only involves going to the fabric shop, choosing some fabric, slicing it in half lengthwise and overlocking the edges - but that's possibly more hassle than I can be bothered with just right now. And by the time I have enough headspace or time to do something like that, the baby won't be a baby anymore!
Babywearing sites:
Wrap Your Baby - Very clear step-by-step instructions, with photos, for lots and lots of different ways to tie the wrap.
The Mamatoto Project - Includes instructions for using different types of cloth, including shorter scarves and traditional wraps from baby-wearing cultures. The videos are particularly helpful.
La Leche League NZ - Articles on all things baby, including babywearing
Make a Babysling - instructions for making your own.
Read more...
Jun 16, 2008
Two things to teach your children - a merl post
I was talking with a friend at work about child raising and my arms were getting really sore from patting myself on the back all the time.
It got to a point where I said "There are really only two things that you need to teach your kids: _________ and _________."
I wonder, if you could only teach your kids (or kids-to-be for some) two things, what would you choose, and why? Read more...
It got to a point where I said "There are really only two things that you need to teach your kids: _________ and _________."
I wonder, if you could only teach your kids (or kids-to-be for some) two things, what would you choose, and why? Read more...
Mar 8, 2008
how to not stress out yourself and your preschooler
Thought this was a very kind and gentle article on preschool parenting. Yay for the recognition that failing to send your 2 year old to swim classes does not make you a bad parent!
Preschool Homeschooling
by Bev Krueger, Creator of Eclectic Homeschool Online
Preschool Homeschooling
by Bev Krueger, Creator of Eclectic Homeschool Online
"Eager to begin assisting their children down the path of life many young parents schedule play dates, attend Mom and baby swim classes, and busily start planning all the necessary activities to give their baby a head start in life. At this early date they haven't yet realized they are trying to speed their way to the moment when that beloved child leaves their door for a life on their own. Yes, that's a moment all parents want their children to achieve fully prepared for the vagaries of life, but the closer you get to that moment the more time you wish you had. By the time your child is sixteen, you find them running willy nilly towards that goal themselves just when you're ready to relax and take it a little slower..."Read more...
Feb 24, 2008
The education question
I said a couple of posts back that I'd share at some point my thoughts on homeschooling. Well, i have to say that I'm glad I waited cos they've gone through some changes in the last week.
Originally, 'way back before I even had kids, I thought that homeschoolers were reclusive freaks wanting to hide their children from society and that no child taught that way could possibly function in the 'real world'. Now it is quite possible that some kids to have problems after being homeschooled. But many kids fail in the formal school system too, so that in itself can't be used as an argument against homeschooling.
As I read more widely about raising kids in general and explored other ways of doing things, I found several message boards where at least one of the participants homeschooled. And, know what? the parent seemed relatively normal! As did the children. They all had really 'good reasons' for homeschooling and the kids had adapted well. (unhelpful schools, behaviour issues, health problems, learning disorders, giftedness...)
Merl lived in the states for a year before we were engaged, and relates that a high-school teacher friend of his there was adamant that no child of his would ever be subjected to the state school system there.
A friend at my church had homeschooled her two kids while they were working overseas in asia. Both kids achieved very well on returning to New Zealand, and the only difficulties in integrating into the school system here related to the son's learning disorder, the daughter coped exceptionally well and is now an early childhood teacher. Once an appropriate school environment was found for the son he also did very well. He is working at the local university in the physics department.
So I came to the conclusion that if we were living in america then I would homeschool (since my perception of the schools there was so negative). Not that we had any plans to live in america. And still don't. I might also consider it if my children had huge learning difficulties, were exceptionally gifted and talented, or the school environment was particularly 'Lord of the Flies'. But otherwise, I thought, the negatives would outweigh the positives.
I should put here some of the negatives.
- Niece and nephew of a friend from the north island are homeschooled and at even ages 8 and 10 lack basic literacy and numeracy. (in the opinion of the uncle)
- homeschooled kids I know here think of 'school-kids' as dirty, contagious and as all having nits/headlice. admittedly this is definitely the mother's hang-up. But their mother is all they are exposed to.
- Numerous teachers have told me their "oh no, I had a kid come into my class who had been homeschooled and it was really difficult for them to integrate" story.
- I personally worry that some Christian kids who have been homeschooled don't get wrestle directly with some of the shades of grey out there. How non-christians can still be 'good people', and generally quite happy too. This concern also applies to christian schools - I have seen 'graduates' of these institutions with absolutely no point of reference or ability to start any sort of conversation - even superficially - with a 'non-christian', for fear of being 'tainted' somehow. admittedly this usually also has more to do with the home environment than the school one per se, but with homeschooling, the home is all there is.
In the midst of all that, Merl and I had been doing some 'counter cultural' reading, notably "Ishmael" by David Quinn. Which I don't recommend by the way - it's a good starting point in some thinking, but he gets to some wrong conclusions and uses some clumsy 'dirty tricks' of rhetoric to manipulate you into agreeing with his world view. But his analysis in it of the school system was the first time I had come across the notion that school was an experiment in social engineering and that its primary achievement was in creating consumers and worker cogs - not in educating children. That education is best carried out outside of the classroom. Which a moment's reflection proved to be true for myself - school had largely been a big fat waste of time educationally speaking, or at the very least, an incredibly inefficient use of my time.
And that had kindof been that. We were still happy to send Miss3 to the local primary school when the time came, since "our education system here is not as bad as some", and she has good friends at her kindy who will all be going there.
I'm not sure what exactly has changed in my thinking, but it was sparked by reading this post at "Your Sacred Calling". (hat-tip to EllaJac) Now, what she has to say will sound remarkably extremist and separatist to some of you. I personally am uneasy with the faint aroma of fear I sense here - of course that perhaps says more about me than about her that I sense that. I cannot say that I totally agree with her viewpoint here. I still think that many children benefit from a school environment. I definitely think that different education options are best for different kids and families. But for whatever reason her post got me thinking long and hard, and I was unable to sleep.
And then I finally said "Well, okay God, I am willing to honestly consider homeschooling if that is what you want. But you'll have to convince Merl, cos I'm just not that sold on it". And I went to sleep.
Then the next day, I said "I've been revisiting the whole homeschooling thing, what do you think?" And essentially he said "well, I'm not against it, let's look into it."
So there you have it. We are now giving it honest consideration. I do not want to homeschool Miss3 for 'isolationist' or 'seclusionist' reasons, and in fact I find such reasonings make me want to not homeschool (probably because I have always been a contrary child). But today I looked into the resources available for gifted and talented students (a primary teacher friend believes we should definitely be prepared for Miss3 being classified as "gifted and talented") and found that a lot of those families are choosing to homeschool because it gives them greater learning flexibility.
so. now you know :-) Read more...
Originally, 'way back before I even had kids, I thought that homeschoolers were reclusive freaks wanting to hide their children from society and that no child taught that way could possibly function in the 'real world'. Now it is quite possible that some kids to have problems after being homeschooled. But many kids fail in the formal school system too, so that in itself can't be used as an argument against homeschooling.
As I read more widely about raising kids in general and explored other ways of doing things, I found several message boards where at least one of the participants homeschooled. And, know what? the parent seemed relatively normal! As did the children. They all had really 'good reasons' for homeschooling and the kids had adapted well. (unhelpful schools, behaviour issues, health problems, learning disorders, giftedness...)
Merl lived in the states for a year before we were engaged, and relates that a high-school teacher friend of his there was adamant that no child of his would ever be subjected to the state school system there.
A friend at my church had homeschooled her two kids while they were working overseas in asia. Both kids achieved very well on returning to New Zealand, and the only difficulties in integrating into the school system here related to the son's learning disorder, the daughter coped exceptionally well and is now an early childhood teacher. Once an appropriate school environment was found for the son he also did very well. He is working at the local university in the physics department.
So I came to the conclusion that if we were living in america then I would homeschool (since my perception of the schools there was so negative). Not that we had any plans to live in america. And still don't. I might also consider it if my children had huge learning difficulties, were exceptionally gifted and talented, or the school environment was particularly 'Lord of the Flies'. But otherwise, I thought, the negatives would outweigh the positives.
I should put here some of the negatives.
- Niece and nephew of a friend from the north island are homeschooled and at even ages 8 and 10 lack basic literacy and numeracy. (in the opinion of the uncle)
- homeschooled kids I know here think of 'school-kids' as dirty, contagious and as all having nits/headlice. admittedly this is definitely the mother's hang-up. But their mother is all they are exposed to.
- Numerous teachers have told me their "oh no, I had a kid come into my class who had been homeschooled and it was really difficult for them to integrate" story.
- I personally worry that some Christian kids who have been homeschooled don't get wrestle directly with some of the shades of grey out there. How non-christians can still be 'good people', and generally quite happy too. This concern also applies to christian schools - I have seen 'graduates' of these institutions with absolutely no point of reference or ability to start any sort of conversation - even superficially - with a 'non-christian', for fear of being 'tainted' somehow. admittedly this usually also has more to do with the home environment than the school one per se, but with homeschooling, the home is all there is.
In the midst of all that, Merl and I had been doing some 'counter cultural' reading, notably "Ishmael" by David Quinn. Which I don't recommend by the way - it's a good starting point in some thinking, but he gets to some wrong conclusions and uses some clumsy 'dirty tricks' of rhetoric to manipulate you into agreeing with his world view. But his analysis in it of the school system was the first time I had come across the notion that school was an experiment in social engineering and that its primary achievement was in creating consumers and worker cogs - not in educating children. That education is best carried out outside of the classroom. Which a moment's reflection proved to be true for myself - school had largely been a big fat waste of time educationally speaking, or at the very least, an incredibly inefficient use of my time.
And that had kindof been that. We were still happy to send Miss3 to the local primary school when the time came, since "our education system here is not as bad as some", and she has good friends at her kindy who will all be going there.
I'm not sure what exactly has changed in my thinking, but it was sparked by reading this post at "Your Sacred Calling". (hat-tip to EllaJac) Now, what she has to say will sound remarkably extremist and separatist to some of you. I personally am uneasy with the faint aroma of fear I sense here - of course that perhaps says more about me than about her that I sense that. I cannot say that I totally agree with her viewpoint here. I still think that many children benefit from a school environment. I definitely think that different education options are best for different kids and families. But for whatever reason her post got me thinking long and hard, and I was unable to sleep.
And then I finally said "Well, okay God, I am willing to honestly consider homeschooling if that is what you want. But you'll have to convince Merl, cos I'm just not that sold on it". And I went to sleep.
Then the next day, I said "I've been revisiting the whole homeschooling thing, what do you think?" And essentially he said "well, I'm not against it, let's look into it."
So there you have it. We are now giving it honest consideration. I do not want to homeschool Miss3 for 'isolationist' or 'seclusionist' reasons, and in fact I find such reasonings make me want to not homeschool (probably because I have always been a contrary child). But today I looked into the resources available for gifted and talented students (a primary teacher friend believes we should definitely be prepared for Miss3 being classified as "gifted and talented") and found that a lot of those families are choosing to homeschool because it gives them greater learning flexibility.
so. now you know :-) Read more...
Nov 3, 2007
the baby has teeth!
Yay! She's 9 months old and has been 'teething' since she was about 5 months. Finally the bottom two incisors have made an appearance. hooray hooray. So that's why she didn't really sleep at all on Thursday night. poor wee mite was having big sharp white things coming through her jaw.
She has slept like a baby since then :-) Read more...
She has slept like a baby since then :-) Read more...
Miss3 and the baby goat
Last weekend Miss 3 and I went out to a farm to pick up some unpastuerised milk (which has it's detractors). Along the way we saw and fed the calves, as well as a wee goat kid that was 10 days old.
When I was recapping her day with her that night, we had the following exchange:
When I was recapping her day with her that night, we had the following exchange:
Miss3: And at the farm, there was a billy goat, and a nanny goat, and a baby goat!Read more...
Me: What do you call a baby goat?
Miss3: It's a baby goat. That's what you call it.
Me: A baby cow is called a calf. And a baby goat is called a kid. And you are a child.
Miss3: No, I'm not a child. I'm a darling.
Oct 26, 2007
Worst. Dinner. Ever.
For dinner last night I made a lovely meal for those of us with teeth. Lamb kebabs in minted yoghurt marinade (made from lamb a friend of ours got fresh from a farm and mint from our garden), brown rice, steamed broccoli and tzatziki. Mmmmmm yum.
The baby of the house was offered brown rice, mushy broccoli and some pate stirred in.
She spent a good ten minutes with the broccoli kinda hanging out of her mouth looking pained before dribbling it down her chin, then choked down a couple of mouthfuls of rice and pate - complete with dramatic face-pulling and mouth puckering - before simply refusing any more food. Hilarious to watch.
Still - 20 yucks to 1 yum - as they say. Since she's still very much in the 'learning abut food' phase of life I cracked open a store-bought tin of peach and apricot semolina, which she practically lunged forward out of her high chair to swoop the spoon into her mouth. Read more...
The baby of the house was offered brown rice, mushy broccoli and some pate stirred in.
She spent a good ten minutes with the broccoli kinda hanging out of her mouth looking pained before dribbling it down her chin, then choked down a couple of mouthfuls of rice and pate - complete with dramatic face-pulling and mouth puckering - before simply refusing any more food. Hilarious to watch.
Still - 20 yucks to 1 yum - as they say. Since she's still very much in the 'learning abut food' phase of life I cracked open a store-bought tin of peach and apricot semolina, which she practically lunged forward out of her high chair to swoop the spoon into her mouth. Read more...
Oct 21, 2007
Made in China baby
This morning Merl was having a good "daddy-daughter-time" swinging the baby upside down and receiving gales of giggles in return when he stopped and peered closely into her mouth.
"Hey, she's got 'Made in China" on the roof of her mouth"
On closer inspection this turned out to be one of those circular see-through stickers that is on everything these days. At 9 months old the 'baby' is now well-versed in the arts of paper sucking, and anything vaguely paper-like gets chewed to within an inch of its life. Last night it was a wodge of adhesive tape that I rescued from the roof of her mouth just before bedtime.
It's funny, but things that I would have had kittens over when Miss 3 was a baby, are just kinda funny now. Although I have now made a mental note to check her mouth for foreign objects before I put her to bed. Read more...
"Hey, she's got 'Made in China" on the roof of her mouth"
On closer inspection this turned out to be one of those circular see-through stickers that is on everything these days. At 9 months old the 'baby' is now well-versed in the arts of paper sucking, and anything vaguely paper-like gets chewed to within an inch of its life. Last night it was a wodge of adhesive tape that I rescued from the roof of her mouth just before bedtime.
It's funny, but things that I would have had kittens over when Miss 3 was a baby, are just kinda funny now. Although I have now made a mental note to check her mouth for foreign objects before I put her to bed. Read more...
Sep 24, 2007
Sep 19, 2007
vomit, vomit everywhere...
and I don't like where the rest of that sentence is leading so I'll stop. It wasn't exactly that bad but the day did start to the sound of Miss 3 choking in her own vomit.
at 6am
Didn't get a whole lot better as the day progressed either. Had some bad news about Mum today, but shan't go into it right now as the baby is teething and grumpy. Read more...
at 6am
Didn't get a whole lot better as the day progressed either. Had some bad news about Mum today, but shan't go into it right now as the baby is teething and grumpy. Read more...
Sep 15, 2007
Death and Dying
Miss 3 and I went to the cemetery today. It is 2 years since my Nana died of cancer and I wanted to go put some flowers by her headstone. I wasn't sure about taking our child along with me, as the whole concept of death is a daunting one to have to explain - although it's not entirely foreign to her - she does know that people die, and that means that their bodies stop working and the bit that they think and feel with goes to be with Jesus. But what she might actually think that means I don't know.
I came to the conclusion it was a good idea to take her with me. You see, my Mum (Miss 3's beloved Nana) has cancer too, and will probably die within the year - it has spread through her liver and lymph system and is spreading very fast. She may even die within the week, having been admitted into hospital today and put in isolation to try and head off a terrible case of flu she's come down with while being on chemo.
So in the light of that, Merl and I decided that a trip to the cemetery to put flowers on my Nana's grave and to have a good cry and a talk about the good memories I have of my Nana would be good. So that's what we did. I had a cry and explained that I missed my Nana (her Great-Nana) very much and was sad that she had died, and also that she had been very unwell so when she died she had left her sick body behind and didn't need to be sick any more, so that was actually a good thing.
Perhaps this will help us all grieve a little easier for my Mum when the time comes. who knows. We just do what we think is best at the time. Read more...
I came to the conclusion it was a good idea to take her with me. You see, my Mum (Miss 3's beloved Nana) has cancer too, and will probably die within the year - it has spread through her liver and lymph system and is spreading very fast. She may even die within the week, having been admitted into hospital today and put in isolation to try and head off a terrible case of flu she's come down with while being on chemo.
So in the light of that, Merl and I decided that a trip to the cemetery to put flowers on my Nana's grave and to have a good cry and a talk about the good memories I have of my Nana would be good. So that's what we did. I had a cry and explained that I missed my Nana (her Great-Nana) very much and was sad that she had died, and also that she had been very unwell so when she died she had left her sick body behind and didn't need to be sick any more, so that was actually a good thing.
Perhaps this will help us all grieve a little easier for my Mum when the time comes. who knows. We just do what we think is best at the time. Read more...
TV and tots
I like this Salon article. It affirms my practice of settling Miss 3 in front of a couple of Berenstain Bears episodes while I get dinner ready. Basically says that so long as TV is age appropriate, for fixed time periods, mindfully watched and never just left on in the background it's ok. Also, no good evidence that kids who watch a lot of TV are physically inactive - seems to be very little correlation between TV time and physical activity in preschoolers.
It also, strangely, reinforces our decision not to actually own a TV. Any 'TV' watching we do is on our computer - a DVD or downloaded TV series. So it's never on as background noise - everything that we watch is a conscious decision. Read more...
It also, strangely, reinforces our decision not to actually own a TV. Any 'TV' watching we do is on our computer - a DVD or downloaded TV series. So it's never on as background noise - everything that we watch is a conscious decision. Read more...
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