Boundaries

When I realised that Luke doesn't know any of his alphabet, but can play temple run with ease, it dawned on me that perhaps we had gotten just a little too lazy in our parenting. The girls entertain themselves most days now, and often want to go and have "girl time" in their room, shutting out a teary little brother who bangs on their door. I might be making dinner or lost in a project, so the easy option is to hand him the ipad or flick the tv on to disney junior. But somehow this tv and ipad stuff had crept into our daily lives so much that Luke defaults to these things way way too much. He had not really learnt how to play alone, begging us to build towers wth (for) him or fix up a new train track. He won't even do a puzzle alone anymore.

So Marty and I decided to stop being so lazy, it was time to reeducate our children on the joys of board games, lego, make believe, books and drawing. 

Luke had an absolute meltdown when I said no to tv that first day. I tried getting him involved in stickers and drawing, building towers, and then Marty gave up his lunch break to play connect 4 with him. With my bestie over for a coffee, tv was sooo tempting - but I resisted. Eventually the house grew quiet, and upon checking why, I found our wee boy fast asleep on the couch, having given up waiting for me to push the tv on! 

The girls proclaimed "that's not fair!" When I broke the news that there would be on tv in the mornings anymore, even if they had done all their chores. And Luke had another big tantrum when we said no to temple run. But I soon spotted dusty board games appearing and jaimee got a personal best on "bop-it".  The kids all worked hard together to make a new train track layout, and they picked up books long forgotten. 

It was time for some changes around here, and it wasn't actually the kids fault - I had just gotten a bit lazy in my parenting. Luke may be in withdrawal, but he will soon figure it out.  As I sat with Luke and we traced his name together, I realised what I had been missing out on myself. So the tv is off more (we have said they can watch from 4:30-dinner time) and the ipad has a new lock code the kids don't know. Gulp. Wish me luck....

Luke's turn!

And that makes three! Luke had for the chicken pox, finishing off the run in our house over the last 5 weeks. all the kids started off quite excited to have this famous sorry disease.

They didn't end smiling though! Each child has had their own version, for Luke it has meant lots of spots, soreness rather then itchy, and a miserable little man who can't eat much cause they are in his mouth too.  

I'm thankful we had a brief break for the school holidays between jaimee and Luke's pox.  And I'm thankful this is the last case! 

Our home is a lighthouse?!

Recently I have been reading a book called "organic outreach for families".  It talks a lot about creating a home that people are drawn to, a place which is "come as you are and hang out with us as we are". I like that. I want our home to be a place where friends and family know they are welcome, that they can come and be loved and just chill with us, as part of our family. A place where Jesus' light well and truly shines from and draws those in the dark into. 

So these school holidays I made a real effort to make a step in this direction. As the kids grow, I hope their friends know they are always welcome. As we open our doors more, I hope OUR friends know they can come and put the jug on anytime. I hope our extended family feel loved and part of our home. 

In saying this, We sure were kept busy these holidays! 

Sat - went to tinkerbell movie with Paige and Vicki-lee. Had granma over for dinner

Sun - went to Palmie for nephew Alijahs birthday. Was a full car with nana an granma joining us! 

Monday - 

We had Kate's friend Ariel over for the day. Somehow I missed a photo opp!! The girls were fantastic :) 

Tuesday - 

Jaimees turn! Twins Casey and Jorgia come to play today. Again, they are off all day looming and being generally awesome :) Granma comes for tea again too 

Wednesday - Marty is off work for a week from today and we have a nice quiet day, very rare in our hose and a big treat. 

Thursday -gramps comes to watch the football and brings us McDonald's for breakfast. Yum yum! Then after a day at work for me, we spend the afternoon shifting furniture and then go to Granmas for a sleepover! New carpet is laid tomorrow - YAY! 

Friday - new carpet! After work it's all about moving back into our bedrooms. See martys earlier blog for the recap ;) 

Saturday - whew, one week in! It's Granmas birthday so we get her over for lunch and spend the afternoon sorting out her computer for her. Then it's a date night for us as we head out for dinner to celebrate friend Abbie's birthday. Brave Grampa Muz soldiers on, babysitting even with a cold for us! 

Sunday - after a great church service, we join our extended family for a special birthday lunch. It goes on all afternoon as all good family lunches do! 

Monday - our house has World Cup fever! Even I get up at 7am to watch (mostly cause we have 6 people coming over to watch too!) Gramps and our church friends, the Hutchison family join us, bringing more McDonald's! The girls are chuffed to have their friends over so early :) 

We carry the fun on into the day, with the kids cousins coming over for a play date,  and my friend (and her kids) coming for a coffee date! They had so much fun playing card games and headbanz, they really are great mates. Love them :) 

Tuesday - after a morning looming with my girls, we haven't told jaimee that her bestest ever buddy is coming for the day, so when Jordis (who moved to Napier meaning it's a holidays friendship now) shows up, she is delighted!! The girls immediately pick up right where they left off, having a blast looming and playing. We visit the aquarium, have Icecream at McDs and even do a spot of shopping for colouring posters :) great day! 

When we get home, it's not over yet - Granma and nana are coming for dinner. It's macaroni cheese, but that's ok cause nana loves mac cheese she tells me. After dinner we Skype my nephew and hang out with him on his second birthday  and nana teaches the girls how to make origami butterflies. Oh, and some knitting lessons too! 

Wednesday - Luke gets a treat at daycare with a visit from a firetruck ("it shoots that water!!") while us girls have a special girly day now daddy returns to work. We do some window shopping, have a fluffy and cake and then do some looming together. 

Then the girls both head out for sleepovers - Kate is off to Ariels for her first ever one (she was awake until 11pm apparently!) and jaimee joins her long time buddy Ella for a great time looming and movie watching. Meanwhile, we have Gramps and Colleen over for a roast chicken dinner and catch up-  they bring yummy pudding that Luke's eyes popped at! 

Thursday - I catch up with all the ladies at playgroup, then pick up my 3 tired children.  

Wait why is Luke tired? Hmmm...All was revealed when he woke up spotty Friday morning. That's the last of mine through with the chicken pox!! Thankfully I was able to work in the morning while he kids went to granma, then she is coming for tea soon too. I'm hoping mum is now well enough for a visit Saturday, the girls and I miss her while she hasn't been well...and then We all have a special dinner with friends Saturday night too planned, but Luke and daddy might have to sit this one out.  

Church Sunday (thanks gramps for babysitting!) and messy church Sunday night for us girls (we are taking Ariel this time too) ...whew! It will be back to school for a break. 

But it's a small step in the direction I want our home to take. A step to including others, inviting people in and sharing Jesus' love. Yep - come on over, I will just finish hanging the washing up so pop the jug on and put your feet up...

The Shocking Revelation

Its been one of those days of excitement and tears. We had new carpet laid finally (only took 5 years) in the bedrooms, so yesterday everything was hauled out of bedrooms and stored in the 2 lounges and we spent the night at Granma's ...much to the kids delight, who after playing musical beds (driving mum and dad nuts as the 3 of them kept swapping beds with each other) finally went to sleep.

In the morning we left them with Granma while Nikki went to work and I went home to meet the carpet man.
Once the carpet was finished being laid by early afternoon and Nikki arrived home - we started the process of putting everything back - including the re-building of bunk beds (which went a lot smoother than the last time we had to rebuild the bunk beds). With kids rooms restored with a slightly new set up for the girls room with an L shape bunk, we decided it was safe for the kids to come home.

And this is when the drama unfolds.  Jaimee and Kate are excited about the new set up. Upon pulling up in the the drive way Kate says "my heart hasjust done a loop de loop". They race inside.  The 1st thing Jaimee says when she sees the beds is "I'm not going to fit under the top bunk, I'm going to hit my head every time I get up". 

"Probably why you will sleep at this end of the bed" I say. 

"Oh! That works" she says.

And then Luke asks the big question as he looks at the girls beds "Where is my bed ?"
"Here's your bed, in Luke's room" 

Uh oh.  The hands go straight over the face the head drops and the tears and screaming begin in dramatic style as he protest that he doesn't want Luke's room! "I want to sleep in Jaimee and Kate's room" he cries.... And continues yelling and screaming that he doesn't want his room for ages.

Eventually I manage to calm him down by playing some sort of spider man game with him where we throw our hands in the air in various formats making weird sounds like spider webs are coming out of our fingers and yelling "you missed" or 'Oh no I'm trapped" (Somehow I lose this game every time). During this time mummy has quietly made Luke's bed in Luke's room and built up his favourite train track. Mum is delighted to get it out of the lounge, where we have been stepping around it since he got it.   After our game has finished and Luke has gone off to his room, I walk in and say "wow this must be my room". "No this is Luke's room" comes the reply from one little lad sitting happily on the floor playing with his trains in "his" bedroom. Whew. Crisis averted.

Its now dinner time - Mum has gone off to get dinner - mainly cause I'm on cooking and I cant be bothered so its fish n chips - Luke comes to me and says "I'm hungry" and I say "That's good, mummy has just gone to get dinner". And the tears start again 'I don't like that dinner - I want sgetti' (he says this every night cause when he was sick and wouldn't eat he was allowed sgetti every night).

I try exciting him - "But its hot chips".

Nope.  "I don't like it I want sgetti" he pouts.

 But the dramatic scenes don't last as long this time, as I get him to help me carry our drawers into our bedroom and he begins to delight in telling me how strong he is. So have a happy son again. yay. (And he happily ate his dinner).

Dinner has now arrived home and Friday night is generally movie night, so the kids are given the choice of Star Wars The Empire Strikes back or The Ice Princess - Luke yells "star wars" 1st (which surprises me because any time he hears the word princess he wants to dress up like one).  So The Empire Strikes Back it is.
The first 20 minutes of the movie is spent answering Luke's questions of "Who is that ?" Anytime someone new is on the screen.... and of course he is always excited when you say "That's Luke" when Luke Skywalker is the answer.

As the movie goes on Kate and Luke tire of it and they head off to bed - Luke crashed as soon he the pillow, leaving Jaimee and me watching the movie 

Alone, as Jaimee has now become hooked and is following intently and asking questions to help her understand and follow it more, especially when Han Solo gets carbon frozen. And then the crucial battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker begins, "Dark Vader keeps coming out of no where - he is really tricky" she says "But I know who wins, the good guy always win". 

Then the crucial line of the movie comes up...the bit I had been waiting for to see what her reaction would be: 
'Luke I am your Father !"

And nothing absolutely nothing.

no reaction no comment nothing 

.

she doesn't say a thing!

 I'm sitting there thinking 'have you not heard the most crucial line and the shocking revelation of all movie history'.... and no reaction. I'm crest fallen (just as Skywalker is as he is screaming "its not true it cant be true").

 Jaimee says why is he crying like that -I reply with well "What did Vader just tell him"?

"He said he was his dad ?" She replies. 

 I look at her. she looks at me...her eyes getting bigger as suddenly she realises what she has just said.

She gasps.

 And asks "Is it true ?" 

"Yes" I say. 

"Oh My Gosh" is the stunned reply, "why didn't they tell us before ?"

"I did not think this was going to happen" "Where is his mum ? What happened to her ?" "Whose side is he going to chose? "It's his Dad - I would probably chose Dad." 

Nikki walks into the room after settling the younger kids.  'Mum Mum did you know Dark Vader is Luke's Dad ? - He's his Dad"!!

 Nikki gasps in pretend shock "really? Wow, that's a plot twist". 

The movie ends and she is like begging "can we watch the next one - I have got to find out what happens"

Sorry darling - its bed time - and off she goes - one hooked, excited, shocked little girl. yay !!!! :) 

Chicken pox

We have been expecting this one to hit our house for about the last 4 years now.  Just months ago I was warning my boss "you do realise that when my kids get chicken pox I could be housebound for weeks".  None of them had had it, despite years at daycare...I remember freaking out Jaimee would get it in her spica cast when it hit daycare around that time!  And then I was starting to consider getting Jaimee immunised as she still hadn't had it and I was aware that the older she was, the worse she would get it.  

Kates back

Well it finally hit us, smack in the middle of our worst winter of sickness we have ever had.  Kate's two best mates who sit with her at her table both and her all came down with it all in a row.  I was doing her hair up for church that morning when I noticed the red spots on her neck.  A quick peek down her back confirmed my suspicions.  Kate was delighted...this was so exciting! She had read books about chicken pox, and seen it on tv shows.  And Kate being Kate took it all in her stride.  She had them on her scalp and a crop on her forehead, and a fair scattering on her torso, but she was well and happy and not too itchy after the first day or so.  None of hers blistered at all, they just disappeared as they had come.  

We were thankful of this, because tragedy struck on the Wednesday when Grandad passed away, and we were blessed that Kate was well enough to be with the family.  

And then the waiting began again....who would get it next... Jaimee or Luke? Well, we were clear for a whole week between cases, and we were just starting to think Jaimee must be immune, or Luke too young....when Jaimee woke up Monday morning with massive blisters on her face. For the first couple of hours she was excited to have her turn, after all, it didn't seem so bad for Kate and now she gets a 3 week school holiday! But that didn't last long.   I can't get over how Totally different chicken pox looked for Jaimee.  She came down with a high temp, laid on the couch totally drained of all energy and complained they hurt so bad.  Within 24 hours she had huge bulging blisters all over her body, in her mouth and in her ears and eyelids.  The poor girl got it bad.  I cant even get her interested in loom bands, lego or play dough, let alone school work.  All she wants to do is lie on the couch in misery and stare at the tv.  

...Jaimee'sBack!

white child..spots everywhere!!!

She asked me to write it about it on the blog so she could remember it later, and tell her own kids too- but right now she can't wait to be rid of this chicken pox thing, which she says is "so so annoying". And Luke? Well, Luke has been off too all week with a chest and throat infection, but no sign of spots in his wee body....yet.  No doubt his turn is yet to come- I wonder how chicken pox will hit him?