Mothers deserve more than one day

I've been tagged by Farfromhomemama, over at Three Years One Stone then Home in this lovely mother’s day meme that was originally started by Loretta at More Than a Mum.

I've only just found time to sit down and answer the questions, so here goes...

Describe motherhood in 3 words
Busy, Hardwork & Heartwarming

Does your experience differ from your mother’s and how?
Completely, my mother had me when she was 25 and didn't have my sister till she was 30. So I was already at school when my sister was born, whereas I have two at home at the same time. Not sure which one is the best way to do it but I know it's hard work with both of them at home.

What is the hardest thing about being a mum?
The fact that you are on call 24hrs a day, having no time to yourself, the lack of sleep and early mornings.

What’s the best thing about being a mum?
Teaching them new things, having the biggest cuddles, watching them laugh out loud at the silliest things, seeing them develop their own little personalities and comforting them when they are sad.

How has it changed you?
I've calmed down a lot since having kids, I use to be a bit wild ;-)

What do you hope for your children?
That they have long and happy lives.

What do you fear for them?
Having to live in this fast paced modern world and possible seeing the end of it.

What makes it all worthwhile?
The first time they say Mummy, the first time they say 'I love you' and seeing their big smiles when you walk through the door.

I’m passing this on to five others, can't wait to see what they put.

A Twenty Something Mum

365 Pearls of Wisdom

From Slummy to Yummy Mummy

Moors Mummy

It's Misty...Seriously

Follow a Newbie Friday

This week I've come across two new blogs that I've enjoyed reading.

The first is Psychology mum
This is a great blog that combines parenting and psychology. I've already used some of her techniques with my son and they seem to be working for him, so far (touch wood). Definatley worth a read.


The second is Misty
A young mum who writes about her life all coming together, including moving home and settling in. A self confessed chataholic.

I hope you have time to check out these two great blogs.
To check out other peoples choices for this week go to From Slummy to Yummy Mummy
Hope you all have a good weekend. x

Helpful Monkeys

I have been sitting here for a while now thinking about what to write and for once I can't think of anything, so instead I thought I'd share with you a picture I took today, showing how 'helpful' my two little monkeys have been with the packing.

A Big Moan

Photo by auensen

I am fed up today.
I am fed up with waking up every morning and feeling like I have been beaten up with a baseball bat.
I am fed up with having to force myself to get out of bed every day.
I am fed up with always feeling ill and tired.
I am fed up with continually shouting at my son.
I am fed up with struggling to get through every day.
I am fed up with spending all day wishing for bedtime.
I am fed up with the weather and the cold.
I am fed up with going to mother & baby groups and having to pretend that I'm happy to be there.
I am fed up with not be able to do anything that I want to do.
I am fed up with the constant nappy changes.
I am fed up with trying to get my son to wee in the toilet.
I am fed up with being continually moaned at, shouted at or kicked at by my son.
I am fed up with doing the washing up.
I am fed up with the endless amounts of washing that my family produce.
I am fed up with constanlty feeling on edge and like I can't relax.
I am fed up with always being cross.
I am fed up with always feeling like I'm a bad mother.

Basically I'm having a bad day.
The only thing to do is to write today off and hope for a better day tomorrow and maybe some sunshine to. x

Photo by Fabio Marini

How much can you really discipline a 3 year old?

As you may or may not have read in my previous post, we are having a lot of problems with our 3 year old's behaviour recently.
He has become aggressive, he screams and pushes me, he is defiant and he will do anything to insight a fight.
I have tried everything, the naughty step, sending him to his room, shouting at him and finally just ignoring him and none of it seems to make the slightest bit of difference. I keep telling myself that he is too young, he doesn't understand and he can't control himself but surely they must be able to by this age.
I am actually at the point of just walking out because I really don't know what to do with him.

I have become obsessed with watching Super Nanny, trying to get new ideas, and then today I came across a new blog Psychology Mum.
She writes about using marbles as a reward for good behaviour, each time the child does something good they put a marble in a pot, then when the pot is full they get a reward. Then when the child is naughty instead of taking away a marble you take away one of the toys for a period of time. (She explains it better on her blog lol).

Photo by Darren Tunnicliff - Flickr

She also talks about the 1,2,3 magic method, where you give your child 3 changes to behave or then they get punished, it's suppose to give them time to stop misbehaving (again she explains it better on her blog).

So I've now decided that I'm going to try a combination of these three methods, the marbles in the pot, taking away toys and 1,2,3, magic and see what happens.
I think this will be good for us because it gives me a clear way of dealing with him in a structured way while also making it clear to him what is expected of him and also the consequences of his actions.
I'll keep you updated as to how this is going. Wish me luck I'm going to need it.

Im off to the House of Marbles now, need to stock up.

Packing, packing and more packing!

Been lost in a bit of a packing frenzy the last couple of days.
I really freaked out the other morning when I looked at my calendar and realised that we only have 2 and a bit weeks till we move and up until that point I hadn't packed a single box. So that is all I have been doing since then.
I have moved house more times than my age and it still never gets any easier, you think I'd be a dab hand at it by now.
Of course it doesn't help that while you are trying to get organised and leave the house in a fit state for the landlady to make sure you get your deposit back, your son suddenly takes a dislike to the curtains and curtain pole in the dinning room and rips them both off the wall!! But not just content with one room he then does exactly the same in his sisters room. Arrgh cross was not the word.
We have been in this house for 6 months and they haven't damaged a single thing, so why 2 weeks before we move does he do that?

On Saturday I did laugh at the other half though, he decided to have an afternoon nap on the sofa, never a wise idea with two little ones around, you could end up with all sorts of things shoved up your nose. Anyway why he was snoozing I was packing and I got really into it and manged to pack every ornament, picture and decorative item that we have in the house. So when he woke up the entire house was bare. Think he found it quite surreal, he went to sleep with everything normal and woke up to an empty house. That'll teach him for laughing at my cake lol. (See previous post).

Well better get back to it.

Follow a Newbie Friday

This is my first time for joining in with this so I hope I get it right.
Since starting my Blog I have come across so many other great ones.
Most of my free time now is taken up either reading other people's or working on my own, much to the other half's disgust.

So this week I'm going to share with you some of the other Newbie Blogs that I have found and really enjoy reading...

• 365 Pearls of Wisdom - http://365pearlsofwisdom.blogspot.com/

Karen was the first ever other Mummy blogger I made contact with, I have followed her blog from the start and always enjoy reading it. I love the way she always seems so down to earth and relaxed about parenting.

• A Twenty Something Mummy - http://atwentysomethingmum.blogspot.com/

This is Chloe's blog and It's great. She has a fab sense of humour and I always find myself laughing out loud while reading it. Always puts a smile on my face when I see she has written a new post.

To join in with Follow a Newbie Friday then go to http://slummytoyummymummy.wordpress.com/follow-a-newbie-friday/