Hoppy Duck

Mum emailed me yesterday to ask if I had written a blog for last week yet. I don't know why she emailed me when she was texting me at the same time. She is not friends with technology.

This week has been a pretty unnerving week for our family. My little brother Teina has been in hospital since Sunday with Stroke like symptoms and lost feeling in his arm feet and half of his face. The doctors a a bit stumped about why it is happening but likely has to do with when he was assaulted a couple of weeks ago in town for not handing over his phone to some idiot teenagers. But when the Doctors start throwing around words like Tumour, Blood clot on the brain etc things start to get serious. Hopefully we will get some news today that will give the Doctors at least some direction is how to help him. Mum send a photo of him yesterday, he looks pretty Hoppy Duck (inside family joke). I might not put it up here though, I don't know if he would want the world to see him in that state. Mum assures me he is still his normal painful self, and that being cooped up in a hospital bed is driving both of them slightly mad.

Ammon got his 12 month immunisations last week and has been grumpy and sooky ever since. He also had two teeth come in at the same time. So it probably wasn't the best time to take him. He seems to be coming right now.

Auron and Lili told me they wanted to have their lunches in a lunch box like school kids. So I bought them some cute little lunch boxes and have been making their lunches each night alongside Aarahi's lunch. It has worked out SO well. My kids are picky eaters at the best of times but for some reason if you put it in a lunch box it magically becomes more appealing. Aarahi think we should feed them all their food from a lunch box. It also make my day much easier if they can just got get their own food when they are hungry for a snack. We are all about independence in this house.

I took the big kids to the Trampoline place on the weekend. It was fantastic but I honestly don't know how kids have so much energy! They jumped the entire time and by the end of it Auron was so sweatly it looked like he just got out of the shower. So gross ew. I did however learn from last time that after 3 kids my pelvic floor muscles are, how should  I put it? Non-existent! I came prepared this time. Another ew yuck factor of the day.

If you spend much time with Lili you will know that she is a champion WHINER. Oh my goodness it drives me absolutely bonkers. Lately every time she opens her mouth it's a whiny voice that emerges. So far nothing I had tried had worked.  A few days ago when she had pushed me to the point of about being ready to admit defeat and jump of the cliff, we instead sat down together and had a long (read 2 min) talk about how we need to work together to stop the yucky noises. I can tell that she has been working hard. We both have. I have had to remember to praise her when I hear nice voices and not jump at her if she forgets but instead calmly remind her to use her nice voice. I have also talked to everyone else and asked them to actually acknowledge her when she speaks to them the first time so she doesn't have to get to the level of frustration that requires her to have lose all control.

The kids were playing Pirates and wanted a boat. After a bit of searching and a few failed attempts they managed to make Ammon's little paddling pool work. This is what Summer is all about

Ammon was grumpy, I gave him a yoghurt, Ammon wasn't hungry so he just squirted it all over the place. We were 30 mins from home so I had to go wash him in a shopping centre. I thought I had spare clothes, I didn't. I put on a semi clean...mostly dirty shirt on him and called it a success. 

My kids have an awesome Dad. He has the patience of a Saint (unlike me) and always makes time for them. This was taken after he had worked 4am-4pm and had only walked in the door 5 mins prior. We are all so blessed to have him.