Tip of the Day #49 Spend Time Alone with Each of Your Kids
This is not easy but so rewarding for all. We struggle to do it well. However, this weekend my husband and I have again seen the benefits of dividing to conquer.
My 7mo daughter has come away with me. Having discovered on Thursday that she could commando crawl, only after she disappeared and was discovered under a lounge, I am really excited to be spending precious, undivided time together.
I have also discovered that she can walk holding onto my fingers and she has spent a lot of the day up and rocking on all fours. It is a real treat for her to be allowed to stay on the floor a long while and for mum to be there too. It's an activity that often ends abruptly at home. We have also enjoyed a lot of 'face to face' time. Not just 'I'm holding you but I'm doing something else time."
The boys are having a 'boys party weekend' at home ...with jelly!
My 7mo daughter has come away with me. Having discovered on Thursday that she could commando crawl, only after she disappeared and was discovered under a lounge, I am really excited to be spending precious, undivided time together.
I have also discovered that she can walk holding onto my fingers and she has spent a lot of the day up and rocking on all fours. It is a real treat for her to be allowed to stay on the floor a long while and for mum to be there too. It's an activity that often ends abruptly at home. We have also enjoyed a lot of 'face to face' time. Not just 'I'm holding you but I'm doing something else time."
The boys are having a 'boys party weekend' at home ...with jelly!
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Hope you enjoyed your weekend away with the baby. I pray that you are refreshed and getting rid of the illness that has slowed you down.
I was a little short with the kids today (I blame their behavior, and mine, on the weather changing... we're getting really cold & windy weather again), but we had an excellent day yesterday. I have been sleep training my baby (8 months), and she is sleeping through the night... but she is not napping very well at all (total of 10 minutes today). This is really frustrating to me because my other 2 were always excellent napping children. They are still pretty good. My 4-year old will take a nap about 3-4 times a week, and my 2-year old still naps everyday... though it's getting to be shorter in length and a little bit later in the day... his time-out spot for when he doesn't stay in his bed is his little sister high chair, and it's a very effective time-out spot. It's actually made our nap-time and bedtime much easier.
I'm still enjoying your posts. It's fun to hear from you... wish I was better at blogging. Oh well. We've also been looking at www.housefairy.org a little bit... I haven't purchased the program yet, and I'm beginning to have mixed feelings about it... why should my kids behave and help pick-up for little treats from the house fairy and not for me and for a sense of accomplishment and because they know it's the right thing to do... the house fairy may become a thing of the past sooner rather than later.
Enough babbling. I need to get a few things done before I go to bed.
God's richest blessings on your day.
Thank you so much for your words! I was just at the point of saying maybe I shouldn't blog anymore, it takes too much time, I think about it when I should be thinking about the housework.... but it does keep me sane & I am so encouraged by the other mums who comment and say they are going through similar things!
God has blessed me richly today. Thank you for your prayers. It's a public holiday here and my husband has taken the boys to his sister's house to give me some more rest. I have had the opportunity to listen to two sermons on the I-Pod already and have been very encouraged that my trials are purely another wonderful opportunity to worship & to remember Jesus is a person, not a concept, who loves me and promises to never leave me. I've been very encouraged that God calls himself my 'helper' and tells me not to be afraid. I do tend to forget that he is with me always, if I did remember, I wouldn't do and say half the things I do!!!! I am very thankful for repentance - my favourite of God's gifts, after grace.
I like the idea of the high chair. That is what my 2yo needs - straps! He can open door handles & climb out of the cot but he hasn't mastered straps yet. Thank you.
Hope your sleep training is going ok. Glad the nights are going well for you - that makes a huge difference. Short day naps must be hard though. Hope she can start taking longer naps for you soon.
The housefairy sounds like an interesting one. Sounds like a lot to organise and do they pick up anyway if there are no treats?
We sometimes put on a song from Bear in the Big Blue house called "Clean Up the House" and try to clean up before the song finishes. Other times I get the kids to race me as a team. I generally pick up the biggest mess and get the boys to tidy together the smaller bits & pieces. Some people race a timer. (I read something for older kids where the mum fined the kids for items left untidied at the end of clean up time. $1 a piece!)
Sometimes I wish I was Samantha from Bewitched!
God bless & keep warm!
Thank you thank you Wide Open Spaces! I used the high chair today as the time out place for rest time and for the first time in ages the boys have had a real rest. After only one 2 min session in the high chair, my 2yo has even fallen asleep on the lounge. Hooray! This way I can wake him before he sleeps too long but it takes the edge off his tiredness for the afternoon. It was also really pleasant for me to get the dinner prepared in peace.