21 months and counting

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Aidan will be two in no time, I can hardly believe it, I swear he was born just the other day.
Just the other day I was walking up and down with him in the middle of the night trying to get him to doze off, he now walks himself up and down in the middle of the night…Just last night I was laying in bed with him reading and I fell asleep (mom of the year award) he then nicely got up and went to cuddle with his sleeping father…no fear of the dark AT ALL! I swear he can see in the dark this kid.

He has become such a little personality, pulls faces in the mirror and says, “haha din” That’s what he calls himself din instead of Aidan.
He routinely climbs into his stroller by himself and you just hear him shouting “come push mama”
He climbed into a laundry bin and called himself “INdin” because he was in
He loves pretending to be a monster…puts anything on his head and walks around growling
He gets into his car seat himself and insists that you “closse it” that’s his term for strap him in
He is very good with the peease (please) and dankyou (thank you)
He surprises me with words like yesterday he wanted the geen numnum “(green squish) and he said he wants Buu dough (blue playdough) – Had no idea he had any colour references.
Yesterday while building a puzzle he grabbed the star shape and ran to his room saying for the sky…turns out he noticed it matched the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling.

Watching him grow is such a privilege even if he has discovered the joys of a tantrum…

Taking responsibility…

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I feel pretty awful and it’s all my fault.
While I would never allow my boys to not take meds or follow doctors orders I’m not nearly as strict on myself and have ended up worse for wear as a result…
My physio had given me a list of exercises to bring back core strength…stomach muscles where destroyed with the two emergency c-sections so my back has had to work extra hard… I stopped the exercises on day 4 due to just not having time and never signed up for pilates as suggested.
I also haven’t lost a single kilogram from diabetic diet (for insulin resistance) probably because I was just so weak this holiday and gave in to all the temptations (damn you sugar)
Then there is my high blood pressure it got so bad recently that doctor thinks it might be reason for my edema (swollen limbs and moon face) I thought it was just heat but after 4 days I had to get it checked out…when my blood pressure first showed signs of constantly being high I was put on meds and told to try and relax… I totally misplaced meds and we all know I’m not about relaxing…
I keep forgetting my iron supplements which is pretty lame for someone who is anaemic and whose count was so low at last test…..
I know I sound pretty sick and irresponsible but actually I’m not THAT sick
I’m anaemic,have ibs,am insulin resistant and have high blood pressure also my back… nothing I can’t handle BUT I haven’t been handling it I’ve been irresponsible and am now paying the sore back,swollen,dizzy,exhausted price…
So today right here right now I vow to take better care of myself if not for me for Rob and Aidy they deserve me at my best 🙂 better diet, better control of meds and supplements, exercise and trying to relax and not let myself get worked up…. here goes nothing

Thoughts I’ve had recently

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I’m so tired, omw!!!
who wants to set me up in holiday accomodation somewhere fancy!
I think it’s yesterday’s heat and my body not being used to being outside anymore!
Aircon you have spoilt me!!!
so now I have swollen hands and feet…also
– I overheard someone tell their friend that I used to be pretty yesterday – that made me sad
– Someone said that Logan dying at two days was good, cause it’s not that bad then – that is just hurtful
–  I’m feeling very why does nothing fit, why oh why!!! – that makes me sad
– A man shouted at me out of his car and hooted for briefly pushing Aidan on his push bike in the street the day before(dog scared us off pavement – towards traffic against pavement) , and it scared Aidan so I had to carry him like a km with bike in other arm – that made me livid
–  My hands and feet are swollen this morning – that annoys me (I know I mentioned it twice)
– I have Monday off – that makes me glad

Take along mini chalk board…repurpose

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Because I make stuff, and people know this about me, I am often given items they think I might be able to use (bless them) which is awesome because I love turning things into other things 🙂
Recently my cousin gave me four chicken liver containers (not sure how popular the food is around the world but many people in SA love it) While having them stacked on top of each other I thought how awesome it would be to turn it into a take along set for a trip we are planning later this year… so here is my first idea for a take along… a mini chalkboard 🙂

What I needed: 
– Chicken liver container, or any container with a nice fitting lid
– Chalk ( I bought a big box at a discount store, this kid loves chalk)
– Scrap of fabric
– Chalk board contact paper (Game and Macro both sell this, it’s normal contact paper with a chalkboard finish. Need to stock up next time I see it – it gets sold out pretty fast)
 
Cut contact paper to fit the top of the lid, this particular container is “fancy shaped” so I used a piece of paper to trace shape and used that paper as a stencil of sorts
 
You then stick down the chalk board sticker, you could also just paint with chalkboard paint but seriously this took minutes! and I’m thinking if you made a bunch it could be awesome party favor
 
The finished product 🙂  I just filled it with a few pieces of chalk and a piece of scrap fabric for wiping. You might need to use a damp cloth every now and again but I’m yet to find a chalkboard where this is not the case.
 
One down three to go 🙂 

Calm mom = calm kid (I hope)

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Just breath Eleanor just breath
If you come around my house in the near future and see a white knuckled mother speaking to a toddler in a eerily calm voice-don’t be alarmed
I’ve decided to stop “shouting” at Aidan even if he drives me up the wall.
Honestly I never thought I was shouting at him to begin with but, when we went to have lunch at a venue with a play area the other day, I found out otherwise.

Aidan was playing and naturally didn’t go for the climbing frame, slides or sand pit , nope he found a plug to stick his finger into.
I shouted to get his attention and later had a friend ask if I had a rough day, because I sounded so worked up, I sounded like I had enough of Aidan so she assumed that he must have been quite the handful that day. (she wasn’t being mean spirited at all just observing and she was right)

Thing is no, he wasn’t a handful, he was cheery and cute and I was just worked up…
Rob shouted at him yesterday for dismantling the couch , it’s become his thing, he needs to sit on the wooden base and throw the pillows on the floor…
The poor thing looked so shocked…Rob and I then decided we need  to work on not letting the love leave our voice…

He needs to be reprimanded and we need to be firm but at no point must he be scared of us, I want him to learn right from wrong without ever thinking we love him any less – I just hate the look of fear he had like he couldn’t trust us.

I’m not naive, I realise that this is not going to be easy, even though we have since birth opted for the “explain things to him” route (even when people are looking at me funny for explaining to a one-year-old in a shop that he can have only one packet of chips or that I don’t want him running around because I don’t want people to steal him)…and it mostly works. He is hitting the terrible twos now so we will be tempted to lose it, but here’s hoping/praying/trying my best to keep my wits about me, in even the most trying situation…

He needs to know that even though I don’t love what he is doing I will always love him

Exercise and other things I lie about

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So I need to lose weight, roughly the equivilent of Miley Cyrus and at least two one direction band memebers…
Okay in all seriousness I need to lose 20kgs, my stomach just turned typing that, how is this possible? how is that tiny little thing people used to tease because she was so small, how does she need to amputate a leg and half an arm to be at her goal weight?!?!
Not even her goal weight, the goal weight set by doctors for optimum health!!!
The insulin resistance diet didn’t go all that well in December, I became one of THOSE people
plain yogurt for breakfast, carrot sticks for lunch, the entire fridge for supper…
and a woolies food opened near my house, so ja that’s not my fault!
But I hate feeling uncomfortable in my skin, and I hate that so much of my cute clothes don”t fit.
Also I’m at risk of becoming diabetic and the damage from my two emergency c-sections means I have NO core strength… So there needs to be less quantity to ensure quality around here
last week I started eating better and exercising…  I work fairly long hours and live almost an hour away, so you best believe I have no energy for the gym and riding an imaginary bike or rowing and imaginary boat by the time that I get home… and Aidan has been without me the whole day and get’s very needy. 
So now I do a form of toddler exercise… I walk him around the block on his push bike and jump with him on his trampoline (technically I put my rebounder by his play trampoline and we jump together, it’s actually helping with his counting…2 birds one stone)
I want to try out some exercise DVD’s with him as well, because he loves to dance and would think I’m just dancing….
also my dad and I are starting a elliptical challenge tonight, the most minutes racked up in the week wins…. It’s going to be me!!!! 
Have an awesome week all!