What happens at 8pm?

So this weeks theme for the Gallery is 8pm. 

You see the light brown sofa in this picture, that is where I am at 8pm. Usually with a glass of vino in hand and more often than not a big bar of chocolate. 

This room is a child free zone, there are no plastic things that sing the same annoying song over and over again. There are no sticky finger marks all up the patio door. There are no bits of lego to step on in bare feet. This is an adult room, the only adult room in the house and I love it!

This is my little haven at the end of the day where I can sit for more than 5 minutes without having to get up and change a pooey nappy, get someone a drink or referee the latest fight that has broken out over some toy that neither of them have played with in months but now that the other one has it they simple must play with it.

This is 8pm and it's adult time!  

So what happens in your household at 8pm? To check out what happens in others go to Taras blog at Sticky Fingers.

Driving Mummy Mad!

I am close to despair! 

It's my son, I just don't know what to do with him. It's not that he's particually naughty or disobediant, he's just wired!

He starts the minute I open my eyes and doesn't stop until bedtime. He never stops asking for things whether it be a drink, an apple, a biscuit or to put his TV on and if you happen to be busy at that moment in time and don't answer him straight away he will just keep repeating the same thing again and again and again.  

One time I had to go into a shop and get some bits and rather than get both the kids unstrapped and out of the car, the OH stayed in the car with them. I was in the shop for 20 minutes, (I know this because the OH timed me) and when I came back the poor guy looked like he was ready to kill someone. Apparently our son had asked for some music on just as I got out of the car, the OH ignored him because he had already told him no. He then proceeded to ask again and again and again for the full 20 minutes without stopping once!

 I have tried everything with him from painting to football and nothing seems to hold his attention for longer than about 5 minutes. The only thing that keeps his attention is the bloody TV. I hate him watching it, when I was growing up we didn't even have a TV. I use to spend all of my time in the garden, building dens or getting creative with something. It is literally the only thing that works though and if it's a wet day he will pretty much just watch it all day! 

I take them to toddler groups, sure start activities, the park, walks, we feed the ducks, we go to soft play places but nothing seems to do it for him. We will get somewhere and you can guarantee than within 5 minutes he'll start whinning that he wants to go home or somewhere else.

I have tried sending him out into the garden with his new ball and all he does is go out there and throw the ball over the garden gate, which then proceeds to rolls down to the bottom of the village (our village is on a hill and we live on the top!) So now I don't let him do that.

He won't even play with toys, he has cars, trains, puzzles, a kitchen, colouring bits, dressing up clothes, you name it we've got it but he's just not interested.

 I just feel that if we could channel some of his energy into one thing that he enjoyed then it might just make life a bit more bearable for both of us. My daughter is just so easy in comparison, she is so happy to just be with you and yes she follows me around all day like a little puppy but she does her own thing. She's quite happy to sit and do some colouring as long as she can see where you are. She can stay in all day and amuse herself, just give her a cuddle every so often and she's fine.

I don't know, maybe it's just a boy thing. I just feel so guilty for letting him watch TV all the time. I'm hoping that as he gets older he will find something that he's into, a sport perhaps, just anything would be a start.

So what do you reckon, is this just normal behaviour for a three and a half year old? Is it just a phase that will pass? Or should I just give up now?

 

The Gallery - The Everyday

If I could give one bit of advice to anyone expecting a child it would be this...

If you are going to introduce something into the bedtime routine, whether it be reading a story, singing a song or putting their favourite toys to bed, I strongly suggest that you think very carefully about what it is because you will be doing it again and again and again 'everyday' for the next few years!

We made this mistake with LJ with her beloved animals. 

She has a pocket tidy in her bedroom and each pocket fits one animal in. So one day just before bed I showed her how to put them in and said 'Goodnight animals'. Little did I know that this one off game was going to become a regular occurrence, every night from then on in. 

The problem is people keep buying her new animals, so this little routine is getting longer and longer every night!  

I'm thinking that some of the animlas might just have to get 'lost'. I know mean Mummy.

This post was for The Gallery on the lovely Tara's blog at Sticky Fingers 

10 Things I Said I'd Never Do With My Kids

Quite a few of my friends are pregnant at the moment with their first children (spring is in the air) and I can't help but find the things they say amusing. 

They have it all worked out, they know how they are going to raise their children, how their child will behave and what they are definatley NOT going to do with them.

It makes me think back to when I was first pregnant and the things that I said I would NEVER do with my kids, so I've complied a list for you...

1) I will never let my children watch TV - My son now has his own armchair and his own tv, He's 3!

2) I will never let my children have sweets or chocolate - Sometimes bribery with sweet stuff is the only answer!

3) I will never let my children wear clothes with cartoon character logos on then - My son has two Fireman Sam tops and my daughter has a Peppa Pig one!

4) I will never let my children come into our bed in the morning - Every morning our bed is invaded by two little ones!

5) I will never let my children have a dummy - this one lasted all of 3 days!

6) I will never let my children have jarred food - we lived above a pub with no kitchen upstairs, chef's don't like mashing up two carrots!

7) I will never let my children have Mc Donalds - now at least once a month!

8) I will never bribe my children - see number 2!

9) I will never lose my temper - ha, how naive was I!

10)  I will never let my children have lots of plastic, noneducational toys - you try stopping doting Aunt's, Nannies, Grannies, Uncles and Grandads from buying them toys that you don't approve of.

So there you have it, my list of shame. Your turn now, what did you say that you'd never do that you have done?