Slings competition!

http://www.alongfortheride.biz/contest-s/49.htm - Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Too good to miss the chance of!

xxx

moments to treasure

There are many things I could never have imagined in my pre-motherhood life. Like just now, squatting in front of my house scraping dog muck of my 3YO's beautiful pink shoe with Baby asleep in the sling on my back. It was not easy because her shoes have lots of grooves, in shape of a fairy, perfect for lots of dog poo to become really impacted and stuck hard. Was just meditating on the glamour of it all when the the shout came down the stairs and through the wide-open front door 'I'VE DONE A POO!'. I suggested she wipe her own bum seeing as I was only 1/2 way through dislodging dog poo from her shoe but she opted to wait. So I sped up my efforts in order to deal with another kind of poo. Can only wonder what next door's teenage boy thought as he smoked his ciggie in the next garden!

Think overdid the clean up. DD2 is going to smell of dettol for weeks. Still, it's better than the smell of poo I suppose!

The Orange

The Orange by Wendy Cope

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave
They got quarters and I had a half.
And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It's new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I'm glad I exist.

I love this poem, for me it sums up how everyday things can make me happy. Since Husband got ill back in April things have not been easy. Husband has been stressed about work and had unrealsitic expectations about how quickly he would recover. He has been impossible at times. Being out and about has been better for me and the children but I've had to be home more as he needed me. This week things have picked up a lot. Husband still has no choice but to take it very easy but has realised he does have a choice in how he deals with the situation and he has stopped stressing about it all. He doesn't 'do' illness, or being vulnerable, or not working and he couldn't accept things. It took a long chat with a GP to help him accept his limitations at the moment. So after what seems like ages we are all enjoying the small things - sharing a meal together, going for little walks, just being together and making the most of this time we have all at home. I am grateful or this.

Silly PJs

Today DH was signed off work for ANOTHER fortnight by our GP. He had his gallbladder removed two weeks ago following acute pancreatitus. He is still sore and quite stressed about not working. As predicted 5YO was tired after her 1st day back at school. 3YO was tired because she'd been busy all day. Baby was tired because she'd hardly napped. The older two fought and argued while the baby grizzled on and off until we ate dinner. Well we all ate dinner aside from 3YO - not unusual. So we were all a little flat in our moods by 6pm.

I found reason to smile again when 3YO emerged from her bedroom wearing two pairs of PJ bottoms. One on each leg. But upside down - she'd put her foot in the foot end if you see what I mean. Wish I'd taken a photo, she looked hilarious. Not to be outdone, 5YO put her bottoms on back to front and inside out and put her top on upside down (head through the bottom), inside out and back to front. Took a while for us all to stop laughing. Have to admit that I stopped finding it quite so funny before they did as I wanted them to settle down and go to bed.

Veronika Robinson

Today we went to Veronika's talk on Breastfeeding - entitled 'Humanity's code for peace, passion and partnership'. It was really inspiring to have breastfeeding info presented in this context. I even managed to pay attention to most of it with a quick trip out of the room to change Baby's nappy! I will be following it up by reading some of the references Veronika mentioned to us. Veronika was definitely preaching to the converted judging by who was there today. It would be interesting to know how this talk would be received by a less partisan audience.

It was really nice to see so many friends there, it's enriching to be around other nursing/slinging mothers, seems like there's quite a strong group of us around Manchester at the moment.

http://veronikarobinson.blogspot.com/