Day 2 of Toddler Turnaround

Today can be summed up in one word...disaster.

Olivia woke up crying...cried for an hour...then was put down for a nap.
After lunch she whined and cried...then was put down for a nap.
Her sisters woke her up prematurely...so she whined and cried for and hour...then was put down for ANOTHER nap.

I swear...that child is eating hardly anything...complaining all day long...and sleeps crazy amounts of hours. ugh.

So tomorrow...we are going to the park...I'm going to make some playdoe...I'll let her do a craft (which will consist of scribbles and a few scissor cuts)...and try really hard to give her specific things to do. Sometimes I am so busy trying to get everything else done I don't just sit down with her and play. So tomorrow...we play!...oh...and discipline.

Day 1 of Toddler Turn-around

Well...I survived the first day of purging Olivia from her demanding toddler ways. Here is a summary:

7:30am - Olivia asked Wayne for juice. When he told her she needs to sit down to drink (rather than carry the glass around) she collapsed on the floor with her face in her hands wailing loudly. After a minute she got up and started to climb onto the chair...and as soon as Wayne said something like "That's right...climb up here" she collapsed on the floor AGAIN and started wailing. [sigh] She did eventually sit to drink her juice.

8:30am - Olivia asked for a movie. I said no. She immediately started crying and shedding HUGE crocodile tears. I took her downstairs and tried to engage her in some toys...which must have worked because we managed to make it all the way until 5:00pm before a movie was put in...and that was just so I could cook supper. Woohoo! (The last 2 days while she was sick she watched 3 movies each day...yikes!)

Nap Time - The last few days we had been singing multiple songs, allowing her to keep us in her room and allowing various people to go in and sing to her when she requested it. Today I only sang one song, kissed her, and walked out. She tried to catch me before I closed the door, but then only cried for 1 minute! She made it back to her bed and then slept for 2 1/2 hours!

Noon - Olivia asked for a drink. When I told her she needed to sit down to drink it, she immediately climbed onto her chair! Hooray! No tears!

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I know that I gave her a juice box when I should have said no (realized too late...such a habit!), I allowed her to play in our shower too long (didn't realize it was so far past her bedtime!), and am sure I gave into her manipulative ways without realizing it at other times. However...we've taken the first step...seen a little success...and will do a little better tomorrow.

Before I know it, I'll have a perfectly behaved toddler who never throws tanturms! ... Bwahahahahahahah...YEAH RIGHT!

The Toddler is Ruling the Roost!

Our two year old spent a couple of days sick with a fever. She was tired and whiny and just not herself...so naturally we coddled and gave her whatever her little heart desired. This is all fine an dandy until we realized that she is no longer sick, and just manipulating us to get what she wants!

Wayne and I were talking about the fact that now is the time that our discipline (or lack of) will have the greatest impact in how Olivia treats us for the rest of her life. So tomorrow it begins! Both Wayne and I are going to have no tolerance for whining, stop giving her everything she asks for, and implement time outs!

Notice how upbeat I am about this...at 10:00pm...the night BEFORE I start? I wonder what I will be saying about this tomorrow night?

Put me in isolation...please?!

I love to be alone. I mean I REALLY love to be alone. Yes...me...the one with 5 children. I thrive off of time to myself with no children...no husband...no noise. When I don't get this occasionally...I go a little crazy. I find I get irritated easily, I'm impatient with those I love, and I stop enjoying my children. Not...good.

These last few weeks have been rough. Olivia has been needier than ever...Pamela is starting to get into things...the older children no longer feel the novelty of baby sisters...and Wayne has been home less than usual. All of this equals me going CRAZY!!

So, my dear sweet loving Wayne took our 4 older girls to visit his family for the day. I have had an entire 10 hours to myself...with only a baby (who still sleeps a lot) to look after. This has been VERY therapeutic for me. More than I realized it would be! No children demanding my time....no voices calling my name...no arguments to manage...no meals to prepare. Absolute heaven!

The great thing about today is it has allowed me time to stop, think, and remember why I wanted each and every one of my daughters. It has helped me to refocus my energies on why I love being a mom and to remember why I enjoy it. It can be so easy to get bogged down in the mundane and repetitive tasks of the day...that I forget WHY I am doing what I am doing!

Now that I realize how rejuvenating this day has been for me...I think I may send Wayne and the girls away for the day every once in a while!

I am curious...what do you do to rejuvenate and refocus your life?

Emergency Water Supply

I have a bit of an interest in emergency preparedness. Occasionally I will search online for information about being prepared and resources to have on hand and also analyze where we are at as a family. I am FAR from having the supplies I'd like to have in my home...but we do have 72 hour kits, decent water supply, and a start to food storage. As parents, it is our duty to look after our family in all circumstances...including emergencies.

Yesterday I was viewing some articles & videos and was reminded of the importance of water storage. The story I watched was about a water main break in Boston. Within a few hours the water was contaminated and people couldn't use it. The water supply in stores was cleared out almost instantly, and even the water brought in by the national guard was not enough. Although the emergency only lasted 3 days, it was an awakening to how quickly we can lose those things we take for granted. Water is such an essential item, we need to make sure we have enough in our home to take care of our family for at least 3 days, and ideally 2 weeks.

So, over the last 6 years I've come up with a water system that works for me and that I am content with. This is not the only way to store water...and I wouldn't even say it is the best way...but it is doable....and I am happy with it.

For drinking water, I purchase 18L jugs of water. (The kind that go in Water Coolers)
For washing/cleaning water, I rinse out my 2L pop bottles, and fill them with tap water. Many of these I store in our basement freezer which is half empty to help increase the shelf life of the water and to also make my freezer more efficient.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

#1. How long is the shelf life of water?
Unfortunately, the shelf life of water in plastic bottles is only 6 months to a year. This is why we regularly drink and rotate our jugs of water. Admittedly, for our washing/cleaning water I have not rotated it and have some bottles that are about 2 years old.

#2. How much water do I have to store?
The recommended amount is 2 gallons/person/day. Therefore a 2 week supply of water is 14 gallons/person. (This is for drinking, cooking & washing.) 14 gallons = 53 Liters/person. This is about 3 - 18L jugs/person.

#3. Where do I store my water?
It is best to store water in a dry, dark, cool location. It is VERY important you do not store you water jugs directly on a cement floor, or near any type of fumes or chemicals as the plastic absorbs the smell and taste of these things.

Imagine for a moment that you did not have access to water for 3 days. How would your family do? Would you be one of the panicked people in the store fighting for water? Or would you be at home calm and relieved that your family is provided for?

If you don't have any water in storage, I recommend staring out by just buying a jug of water. When you go back to refill it...buy a second one. Figure out a system that works for you and just start doing it! And if you have a water supply system that works for you...I'd love to hear about it! (For those of you who have a Super Tanker...then you DO have the ideal way to store water!)

It's Just For a Season....

Recently, Wayne changed his business hours from 9am - 6pm. That means he doesn't get home until about 6:30pm. He used to get home at 4:30...so this is taking some adjustment.

I think many mothers would agree that between 4:00 and 6:00 pm is a CRAZY time. In my house, at 4:00 the older kids get home from school, the younger kids wake up from their naps, the older kids want to tell me about their day, the younger kids want to be held, the kids want to watch cartoons but the homework needs to be done, and the worst part of all is that they are all getting hungry! I've started to feed my kids a snack when they get home, but it doesn't seem to be helping the neediness of my two little ones. So...during all this...what else needs to be done?!?!?!? Supper. So, needless to say, my late afternoons have been very stressful lately.

As I was sitting and visiting with a friend a couple nights ago, I had two realizations. Although I KNEW this information...I hadn't taken the time to really process it or make it applicable in my life. And that is:

#1. My children can't change what they are doing at this phase in their life...therefore I need to change. My older children are not going to stop coming home at 4pm, they are not going to stop being excited to tell me about their day (and I don't want them too), and they are not going to stop having homework or being hungry. My two younger kids are not going to stop waking up at 4, they are not going to stop being needy for a while yet, and they will not stop being cranky between 4 and 6. However, I CAN prepare supper BEFORE the craziness begins. So there you have it...I have decided to prepare my supper meals during the day whenever possible. Will this make my evenings peaceful? Not likely. Will it make them less stressful and allow me to be a better mother? Definitely!

#2. This current phase of life is just for a season. Is it a short season? Not really. If I think that after a month my late afternoon life is going to be calm and uneventful...I am naive. So I have decided that for at least a year I need to do everything I can to prepare supper early in the day. Will I succeed 100%. Definitely not. But if I can ease the stress even 50% of the time, I will be a far better mother.

So thank you LV for the engaging conversation that helped me realize I have the ability to ease the stress in my household during those 2 hours. The realization of the situation and the decision to do something about it makes all the difference!

And to those of you who have favorite "make ahead" meals (crock pot included)...please send them to me!!!!!!

Sibling Affection

Today I witnessed the most ADORABLE scene. My 7 month old was sitting on the floor, and my 22 month old walked up to her, kissed her on the head, hugged her, kissed her again, and then continued on her way.

I treasure those moments of love and affection between siblings because they warm my heart and remind me that I must be doing something right!