Best of times, worst of times aka Five on Friday

Yesterday was an ...interesting day.

1. Politically in SA, something happened which is just fabulous. And hopefully I will never hear that specific person spouting off nonsense ever again :)
2. Something happened at work that I can't talk about because I'm not allowed to but it is terrible news. I was crying (here) while blinking at my desk and then thank goodness, I had outside meetings so could leave the office and cry properly in the car. The terrible news is not going away but it should all become clear in the next 3 weeks and then I can talk about it. I also hate when people are vague but I really take what I say/ promise seriously. Sorry to keep you in the dark.
3. After my outside meetings, I had to go to a focus group (which I LOVE!) and it was fabulous. I love hearing what real people say about our company and industry ... and intended product. The feedback from all 7 groups so far is just fantastic.
4. I hate it when things happen that I have to blog (time-dependent events) because I have all these things on my mind and I really want to talk about them. Like friendship. Oy - I have about 5 posts in my mental drafts :) And my Google Reader is bulging with 107 items after I cleared about 50 last night.
5. I actually can't believe I'm the only one that scared to upset the children's evening routine by not taking them out in the evenings. Am I really the only one? I'm going to look at it that I'm "special" instead of "bad different" because

Source: cookingwiths.blogspot.com via Marcia on Pinterest

and quite frankly, I've had enough joy stolen yesterday :) But enough about me, how was your week?

I really hope this is a once-off event

Today I had a hectic day at work.

I still have a long to-do list but I was proud of myself for leaving (even though I was twitching at the thought of those items. do you twitch when you have a long to-do list?) and going for a massage AND a workout with Kyle.

(I skipped Friday's session because I felt like my body was starting to get sick).

So, driving home, I was all relaxed and the good kind of sore, and I made an evening to-do list at the traffic lights.

And then I got home.

My children were SO GLAD to see me and we had some fun for a bit until they had to go sleep.

The wailing then started.

Connor screamed and screamed, "Mama, Mama, Mama".

(imagine that over and over and over again, in a little boy's voice, shrieked at a really loud volume)

(then imagine his sister also starting to cry, this time in sympathy - they love doing the twin crying thing)

I went in, picked him up, calmed him down and as I was putting him down again (my hands holding him over the cot, his feet still suspended in the air), he starts the screaming again.

D then had a bash.

And so it continued.

We left him for a bit and it would quiet for maybe 2 minutes before he started again.

Gosh, 30 minutes is long when the screaming is that intense.

I needed to cook supper, bake sweet potato muffins (new recipe) and write my newsletter so delegated the Connor-monitoring to D.

Eventually I twigged.

Maybe he keeps screaming for me because he missed me.

Yesterday I left at 12:20 (mid-day) for the photo workshop, saw them for a minute as our cars passed one another at 6:30 pm and then I had 40 minutes with them this morning before I had to go to work.

He is a quality time child so I thought, "okay, let's see if this love languages stuff works".

I broke all my rules and fetched him out of the bedroom to come sit at the kitchen table with me and chat while I finished cooking supper, packing lunch, etc. (my normal evening routine).

D was Mr Cranky Pants about this - he is even more rigid than I am sometimes - but I'd read a beautiful blog today about cherishing the moments and other such inspiring cheesy things and so I said to D, "what is the alternative to the bedtime antics ? not having a gorgeous, cuddly boy? I'll take some extra hugs and cuddles any day".

I think I convinced him. At least a little bit.

Connor then came to play with puzzles in the study while D and I had our supper (our dining room is right outside their bedroom and we didn't want his jabbering waking Kendra - we don't normally eat in the study).

Eventually at around 9, I asked him if he was ready to go sleep. He looked up with those big, brown eyes and told me he wanted milk which in Connor-speak, is "yes, please, I'm ready to go to bed now".

Another rule broken but hey, 100 ml of milk never killed anyone.

So off he went to bed with his little love tank full.

Aaaawwww.

D says it could also be a new separation anxiety thing because yesterday and today (D took the day off to recover from the long weekend!), Kendra would not let him out of her sight and apparently had some crying fits at SIL's house.

So my question to you, is there a separation anxiety thing that happens around 20 months?

PS I know I still need to blog part 3 of the love languages. It was on my list for tonight until this happened and now I'm off to bed, one hour past computer cut-off.

Confession time - we have no bedtime routine

Okay, I'm stumped.

I read in all the books and on everybody's blogs how they have this bedtime routine and here's my confession - we have none.

The only thing we do differently (obviously) is close the curtains and turn on the lights in their room :)

I'd heard that bathing is supposed to soothe your baby and make them feel ready for bed.

Well, we tried it for a few nights but our babies just woke up MORE. And we don't need MORE awake babies at night, thank you very much.



So since that wasn't working, we moved bath time to around 3pm since that's the most convenient for us! I will admit we last tried the bedtime bath probably 8 weeks ago so maybe we should try it again?

When they wake for the feed around 7-ish (see? very vague. they wake when they're hungry :)), I feed, change nappy and if they were in short-sleeved clothes, I change them to long-sleeved towelling babygrows (or sleepsuits, as I saw recently in an Edgars brochure) so they'll be warmer and sleep better. And when I put them down again, I add another blanket since it's night time.

That's it.

That's the extent of our night time routine.


No bathing, singing, reading, praying (except under my breath that they'll sleep for a good 5 - 6 hours), nothing!

Mine is just as boring - mug of tea, into bed, read as long as tea lasts, lights out and deep slumber until I hear a baby cry!

Okay, so what's your bedtime routine?