[with love Heidi]

How frustrating! Is there “terrible four’s” like people talk about “terrible two’s”?

Maybe we need to invent guards to put over the dials on our machines so they are not as tempting to little hands!

Yes please , Tamara!

[Tamara]

I would say there are many factors that come into play when it comes to children and their behaviour. I know my kids were “terrible” at 2 – 3 and N with that testosterone hit OMG! He was terrible at 3 and then again at 5 but only for a short time at 6 but that had nothing to do with hormones kicking around in his little man body.

I know that my kids can get crabby if they have a weird diet (too much sugar – I don’t care what the experts think about it but it definitely send kids nutty) or if they are out of whack with sleep. Stress plays a huge part too and it doesn’t have to be kid stress neither! Kids pick up on things.

I always used to say with working with toddlers in long day care, the “wind would get into them and send them crazy” and yeah sure enough the weather can do it.

But this is only my point of view. Others of course could have more to add.

I have to admit I do love the three to four year olds – they can be truly adorable but they can also take on a Jekyll Hyde persona -SCARY!

Tell you what other age group is scary, ten and eleven year old boys! I spent a couple of hours yesterday at school helping my daughters class with woodwork and they were FULL ON! They even went so far as to play down their acts of fighting on the verandahs as “playing” I must be getting old as it certainly didn’t look like they were having fun!

[Tamara]

I know, an Invisible force field to repel little fingers from gadgets would be great!

[Maggie]

Well, I did get the serger threaded and whipped up some leggings from an old t-shirt. She is getting so tall that shirts aren’t going to be long enough to use as fabric. Maybe I’ll have to piece in a stripe, but then they aren’t so quick.

Yes, 4 year-olds are charming and also trying. My daughter is autistic so impulse control is extra difficult. Even when she knows she shouldn’t she forgets in the moment. Of course my husband swore he was supervising her the whole time, but that’s another story.

[Tamara]

I hope you had a better day with your darling girl today Maggie. I always say the kids with “special needs” are more special to us for a reason besides their needs. I have been told music helps even the tone a good deal with kids with autism so maybe if she likes music? It will be a chance for you to help her have a more even day?

husbands and supervising are a totally different kettle of fish!

I went on an excursion with my son’s class today. The bus broke down when we were at a place called “Bilya rock” so we ended up having lunch in the Principal’s garden! It was a lot of fun showing the children the local sites and learning about the history of the place.

[lattemama]

Picking my girls up from Camp Grandmapa tomorrow. They’ve been away since Sunday evening because we are working and school starts on Monday next week.

My littlest one called on Tuesday night to say good night and told me she had biked 6+ km with Grandpa and Big Sister that day. I was amazed because she only learned to ride her bike a few weeks ago and 1 km is the longest she ever rode before.

[Robin]

Camp Grandmapa makes me laugh! Sophie went to a similar camp for 2 weeks this summer. She came home with a new found love of white bread and Froot Loops. Her question upon arriving home, “Mommy, did you know that bread comes in white?” But she did get introduced to golf which she now loves.

Lattemama, it sounds like the extra curricular activities at your camp were excellent.

[Sarvi]

Haha! Bread comes in white!

[needlewoman]

An Australian comedian, Barry Humphries described Australia in the 50’s and 60’s as somewhere “bread was white, and cheese was Kraft”. Sooooo true!! Glad the children had a good time at camp.

[lattemama]

Haha, funny you should mention Barry Humphries – I saw him yesterday evening in The Hobbit. Not that I would have recognised him if I hadn’t know he was playing the Goblin King.

I’m picking the girls up in 2 hours. Can’t wait. Taking them to get vaccinated against TBE this afternoon. Great way to say welcome home, no?

Their hiking groups start up in a week and there is a huge increase in the tick populations here so I’m not taking any chances. I might get one for me as well.

[Masha Richart]

Yesterday was a truly terrible, horrible, not so good, very bad day. The previous night my son woke up five times (about normal these days). Older daughter woke twice. Younger daughter (who never wakes) woke once. I was mainlining coffee. Last night hubby and I went out to dinner, and the nanny put the kids to bed. Baby boy slept until 4 a.m.!!! HALLELUJAH! Even though I had difficult getting back to bed after the 4 a.m. feeding, I feel like a new woman. Six hours of sleep divided into two chunks is so much better than seven hours divided five times …

[Lightning McStitch]

Oh that sounds horrific. I remember when I thought three consecutive hours of sleep was an event to celebrate.

hang in there…..

[Nicole]

That feeling of ‘I am never going to go to sleep when it is dark and not wake until it is light’

(In a french accent) ‘Ah, yes. I remember it well’

But you do, and then you get pregnant again…….

[Masha Richart]

Ha ha Nicole … five pregnancies in five years (only 3 of them viable) is quite enough for this gal. Besides, I’m halfway to my goal weight 🙂 I am not sure I could handle any more. Being one of five, though, I always thought I’d have more. But as I’ve had two life-threatening deliveries, I think we are done. Perhaps adoption later, but down the road.

[Robin]

I remember the first time Sophie slept through the night. I thought something horrible had happened. It is amazing what a 6 hours of sleep will do for you. I think at the end of my pregnancy and having to go the bathroom throughout the night was almost worse than the first few months of living with a newborn.