Struggling

Now before I get a whole lot of comments saying hugs mal and don't worry it will end, it's just a stage etc etc. I know all this...I just need to vent.

I didn't want anymore kids, two was enough. I struggled with the sleep deprivation with Beatrix and was very happy after 3.5 months to know I was in my bed for a good 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night.

I was also happy to see the end of
Bottles
Burping
Wind
Spew
4 hourly feeds
Etc etc etc

So whilst I do love Henry, and how could I not love this


I am struggling. I'll admit it, i don't feel like I'm coping very well atm. As each child has come along I have let go of a bit of control when it comes to housework stuff so it's not like I am upset that my house is a mess. In fact I've taken a leaf from another blog I read Tatum Woodroofe's

From Somewhere in my Imagination

Who says

I don't attempt to keep my house spotless at all times, that would be crazy and really wouldn't be fair on the kids...kids are kids and they make mess, trying to keep the house in perfect condition all the time would, to my mind, be nothing short of insanity.

What I'm struggling with is just when you put everything together. And the noise. And having a toddler, who is being a full on toddler. Whinging. Teething. Damn eye teeth.
And then as Nathan says I over analyse things. Like should I premake henry's thickened formula bottles? I didn't last night. Is that why he didn't sleep as long last night? Why isn't he settling during the day? Does he have a reflux? Is the Zantac a help or a hindrance? Etc etc. That's my problem. I overthink things. Lol

And I can't find 30 mins to myself atm. I get to sit on the couch of a night. For about an hour. I should be folding clothes but I just want to sit there. I could scrap then but I want to spend time with Nathan.

I need to scrap. I have DT and CT commitments. But I NEED to scrap, for me.

I'm also over having activities to go to, to drive kids to everyday. We were meant to go to swimming today for isobel but she had a pain in her chest so it didn't take much convincing from her for us not to go. Just couldn't be bothered.

So what am I going to do???

My mum is OS atm which means I don't have the support I normally do during the day. So in 7 weeks she will be home so that will help. And my ILs whilst 40 mins away will take the girls overnight, which they are doing on Thursday and Friday.

And yep in terms of Henry I just have to go with it. It will be over soon. He'll grow out of somethings and if he doesn't we'll just go insane. Haha

Me time? So whilst I was letting Henry cry, doing tizzie hall's method, I scrapped. And I love it. So I'm just going to have to fit it in and not have a nap in the arvo.

And not overthink things. Easier said than done. Lol.

Not really enjoying today. That seems to be a common occurrence these days. But Only 8 to go. Then tomorrow is a new day. Right? Two are asleep ATM. Thankgoodness Henry id sleeping.

Hope you're having a better than me.

Some scrapping

yes shock horror...don't know where I found the time...and believe me I want to find some more! struggling atm with no time for ME!

but nonetheless here they are...i love one, and am ok with the other two LOL!

love this one for the 1st BONUS SKETCH AT STUCK!

and this one for the 2nd BONUS SKETCH AT STUCK!
see the blue and orange cogs? how cool are they!!! from A lil somethin'
AND THIS ONE....just some sneaks

as it's my sample for BEYOND THE DOOR for September.
the tag and GREEN paper flower again from A lil somethin'

ALL OF THESE ARE USING THE GORGEOUS BOY AUTHENTIQUE KIT from Scrapbooking from Scratch....only 1 left....get in quick!!!

right...well need to get my WW1 sample done for September....but that might have to wait until tomorrow....oh and my sketch sample for SFS for September!

there's going to be a GREAT SKETCH COMP HAPPENING OVER THERE IN SEPTEMBER-stayed tuned!!!!!

Meal plan

Ooopppsss I forgot to post this

Wednesday - ran out of time after playdate at the park so Red Rooster $19.95 chicken chips gravy garlic bread. Pretty good value

Thursday - cutlets with potato gratin and steamed carrots and broccoli

Friday - sausages with mashed potato, carrots and beans

Saturday - Nathan cooked. Slow roasted lamb with roast Veges and mint aoli. Yum.

Sunday - sausages with mashed potato, carrots and beans - had sausages that had to be used

Monday - roast chicken drumsticks in Maggi bag with Veges

Tuesday - slow cooker chicken curry

What's on your menu for next week? I need some ideas lol


Have a great day....Mal

The best way to fold clothes

A perfect day in Melbourne today, in fact most of this week is going to be gorgeous.

The girls were playing outside and I didn't want to be stuck inside folding clothes so I took the baskets outside along with the baskets I use to put the kids folded clothes in.




See the white baskets, one for each child.

So I folded two loads already brought in, in the wicker basket and then the load on the line. Brings new meaning to folding straight off the line.

The end result:



Will definitely be doing this again.
I could still chat to the girls, watch them play and enjoy the sun, all whilst doing my job!

Have a great day....Mal

I failed

And I can live with that.

I did iron one day and it felt good, but I just couldn't find the time on the other days.

So my goal is to get it done this weekend.

After that there won't be much, as I said I'm not fussy, and I am going to reinstate ironing as Nathan's job. He's going to love that.

Have a great day....Mal

Easy week

In more ways than one.

Firstly the girls go to my mil tomorrow arvo for a sleep over and the day there on Friday.

Then Nathan and I are out for bday drinks for my friend bronwyn on Friday night. Am really looking forward to going out. Haven't been out with friends drinking in, um, no idea how long. Could be years if you don't count weddings.

So menu for the coming week is

Wednesday - marinated spicy chicken pieces with Veges

Thursday - no kids, so I'm thinking bento box

Friday - night on the town

Saturday - Nathan will cook

Sunday - zucchini slice

Monday - zucchini slice

Tuesday - chops and Veges, including potato gratin.

What's on your menu this week?
Please post on your blog, then I can borrow ideas.

Last time I shopped I did it for a fortnight. And I'm getting my fruit and Veges (and milk, bread and cheese) delivered again, through Aussie Farmers Direct, which is making life very easy.



If you haven't already guessed it, I'm all about making life easy.

I'll post more things I do, shortcuts I have to make life easier in different areas around the house.

Would love to hear tips you have for meal times, shopping etc.

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This was yum

I normally wouldn't condone the use of something other than real spices etc to make a curry what with my background lol, but mum of three, newborn in the house, kids have to eat at a certain time, so some meals can't be out of the gourmet cookbook.




This was sooo yummy.

Much yummier than the McCormicks ones. You could actually taste real spices. I think it's so good bc it's a wet meal base.

Definitely having this again. In fact we're having it tonight lol. Made enough for twice. Yay.

Coles have these meal bases on special atm 3 for $5. Always good to have in the cupboard.

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Lists

I'm a lists person; paper, computer, iPhone don't care just have to make lists, daily, weekly.




I use to write everything on the list too, not just JOBS but scrapping, nap lol. Now I still write scrapping on it lol but things like dishwasher, tidy kitchen, make beds are a given, I have to do those everyday.

The difference bwn me now and me 4 or 5 years ago, apart from 3 kids lol, is that I don't feel like I have to get all of the list done today. I just plod away at the list over a week or so.

Right well as you can see I have 13 tasks on my to do list, 3 or 4 of which involve the PO and I want to go there after kinder pick up, so better get moving.

Are you a lists person?

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I'm enjoying blogging more but I've decided not to blog everyday, just 3 or 4 times a week.

I want the focus of my blog to be on my thoughts and experiences as a wife and mum of 3.

My experiences are not that different to others, most in fact, but I think I do have an outlook on certain things that differ from most.

So until next time, perhaps tomorrow, have a great night.


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Thankgoodness for grandparents

I think I'm coping really well with having three kids, the sleep deprivation and all that comes with a newborn. Nathan said today how He though just that. I'm very calm with the kids, I'm not worrying about stuff like mess, jobs or routine. In fact a GF is not coping with having an 11 month old and I was saying today that as I've had each of the kids I've coped more and more.

But from 3:30pm today for the next 2 hours I thought I was going to lose the plot. In fact it was really only 4-5pm!!!

What was wrong you ask??? What caused me to ring my mother 5 times in 2 hours to see where she was and why wasn't she at my house????
My 17 month old that's what!!!






She's adorable yes she is but oh my goodness she is driving me crazy. I can deal with some of the behaviour such as climbing on everything, that's ok, we'll get over that, but the screaming at the top of her lungs is unbearable. Now I know it's just bc she doesn't have words yet but she's also a high maintenance child, highly strung, obstinate child.

Then you couple that with her waking in the night a few times and just wanting to be cuddled and not going back to bed.

It's driving all of us insane.

So thankgoodness for grandparents!! Mum took both e girls last night. I told isobel to stay here and have a quiet night but she wanted to go too, and apparently Beatrix doesn't wake up at night at nanas!

I know it's all a stage. I know her world has been turned upside down with the arrival of Henry, even though it was happening before he arrived. But it has got worse since we moved her into isobel's room and into a different cot. So I'm thinking of moving her back to her room, move Henry into isobel's room and swap cots as well.

Right enough on this issue. My adorable little man has just woken up. Time for a feed and some cuddles.

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I forgot to post our weekly food plan on Wednesday which is when I'll do it bc I have time to plan and shop on a Wednesday morning with only 1 child and we also get our fruit and Veges delivered on a Wednesday arvo.

Wednesday-Katrina and amie from the Block chicken and corn chowder, I used half normal corn half creamed corn

Thursday-chowder

Friday-quesadillas

Saturday-Nathan will cook or takeaway

Sunday-whatever we didn't do on Saturday

Monday-chicken curry in SC

Tuesday-either chicken curry if enough or roast chicken and Veges using Maggi roasting bag

Love having our meals all planned out.

Do you menu plan?

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It's been too long

Too long since I did any ironing.
Seriously I can't remember when I last tackled my ironing basket.
And therefore this is what it looks like



Yes I know it's huge. And yes I know the clothes are crumpled and it will take me twice as long.

I'm not someone who is fussy about what gets ironed either. I don't iron sheets, well just the fold over bit, nor slot of tshirts, unless really crumpled, and definitely not boxer shorts or pjs!!!

So how has it got to this stage??I'm spoilt!!! Not generally, just when it comes to help. My MIL used to come one day a week to look after the girls whilst I worked And most days she would do a fair bit of the ironing.

But she we os for 5 weeks towards the end of my pregnancy and I couldn't stand and iron at that stage so it just piled up.

So I'm giving myself a challenge:

1 week to empty the basket. Starting today, iron everyday if I have to, at least 15 items each time.

I'll let you know next thursday how I've gone. Or earlier!!!

Now I don't want to hear how you iron off the line lol. That's my SIL and MIL and I'm not them. But I do have to come up with a better system so that it doesn't pile up. And ideas? Perhaps twice a week, designated times to doing it. On the calendar so then it's part of my routine. What do you do???

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Middle child syndrome

Is it a myth?

Beatrix is a great kid. Sooo funny. Heaps of personality. Very cheeky. Defiant. Yep 17 months old and very defiant.



She's also very high maintenance. Already.

Tonight she decided to scream the house down for nearly an hour. Poor isobel was in the same room as her. It was bad enough being in bed or then feeding Henry at the other end if the house.

So is the middle child syndrome?

She's in our bed now. Her wriggling warm body has been asleep in between us for the last 3 hours. That's something we said we would never allow!!!!

She's not sick. Well she's got a runny nose. But nothing serious. And this is not the first time this has happened.

It's just a stage. It's just a stage!!!!

Off to put little man back to bed, yes I'm sucking it up and going with the flow with him lol.
Then need to pick up that warm wriggling body and put her back in her bed. I need sleep without feet in my back

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Babies need a manual

Just for some of the stuff, like feeding and sleeping, the two main bits.

So Henry is a big boy, think he's nearly 5kgs and just on 3.5 weeks. He's sleeping well during the day and at night but he's doing 4-6 hours sleep after dinner then feeding 3 hourly after that till breakfast. I know he really can't go longer than 4 or 5 hours yet but how can I get him to do more than 3 hours as I'm just struggling having to get up at least twice in the night?

I was waking him about 10ish.
Lately I've been waiting till 11.
Then yesterday I decided not to let him go more than 4 hours bwn feeds during the day.

He's totally formula now.

Any ideas? Or are you going to just tell me to suck it up mal!!!


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Easier said than done

I started a post whilst feeding Henry in the middle of the night after I purchased the blogpress app. But it's not there now:(

Oh well!! I think it was a bit long winded anyway.

And what I was going to do today I haven't even started. But that's the story of my life atm. Life with 3 kids, 2 cats and a husband doesn't leave much time for much else.

Oh but I did scrap. Nearly two pages. About to go and finish it off. I decided to enter SBM Masters. Only decided on the weekend. Nothing to lose hey??

So what was my task going to be today???? Oh yeah that's right, clean out my handbag. My handbag is actually a nappy bag by OiOi that I love.



And inside well let's just say it has
Nappies-in two sizes now
Hair bobbles
Hair clips
Receipts
Muesli bar wrappers
Drink bottles
A digi slr camera
Wallet
Phone
Bobby pins
Coins
Wipes
A scarf of isobels
Socks-odd ones of beatrix'
Costume jewelry of isobels
Pink cd
Pens
Sunglasses
Tampons
Plastic container
Rennie tablets
Cheque book
Hand cream
Baby cream
Toy plane
Bull dog clip
Blank cd

right!!! Well I am going to go and clean it out. I can accomplish this today. I have 2 hours and 40 mins left. That's enough time isn't it.

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a change

7 days in to August...
and I haven't blogged...I haven't told you about our new addition...

HENRY EDWIN GARDNER was born on 15 July @ 8:18am by CS weighing 9lbs 5oz, 52 cm long and 38cm head circumference.

My eyes well up just writing this...I am totally in love with him...I didn't realise how excited I would be to have a boy. Don't get my wrong, I would have been just as excited to have a 3rd girl...I was quite excited to be able to say I have 3 girls...thought it sounded cool LOL.
But now that he is here I am just so overwhelmed whenever I look at him and it's been 3 weeks since he arrived.

He put me through hell for a while...the last week was very hard, he was posterior, spine to spine...labor started, stopped, started again and stopped again, there was bleeding and horrendous pain...why pain? well unbeknown to us he decided to turn around and was feet down when my OB opended me up! So you can imagine how uncomfortable I was having a 9 pound baby turning around inside me.

So life with 3 kids??? is amazing! I love it! I love that the kids outnumber the adults. As Nathan said the other day if he knew how great it was having 3 he would have decided to have 3 LOL! Yes Henry was a surprise. A pleasant surprise....NOW!

So what's my title of today's post all about? Well I have decided that I want to change my blog...I want it to not just be for my scrapping...I want to blog daily, put down my thoughts, my experiences and what is going on in our family. I have been following a few blogs lately such as Picklebums and the Organised Housewife and The Small Notebook and I am inspired by their openess as well as their ability to organise AND let go of certain stuff.

So in an effort to let go of stuff I am going to blog every day and put my ideas down here...that probably doesn't make sense to you LOL.

Ok well we are all still in pjs, Nathan is out riding...I need to have a shower, clean another pooey nappy and somehow get the girls to pick up all the duplo that is strewn all over the floor. Duplo is the toy of the week atm...great for fine motor skills...but it really hurts when you step on it without any shoes!