Children of our future, are our future. They have more to teach us than we are often capable of understanding. Open hearts met by open minds. Sophie is such a soul of wisdom. She often has random strangers on the street captivated by her presence. In Commonsense Organics this week she had all the customers and staff circled around her whilst discussing the merits of various packaging and its effect on the environment; and she’s not even three!

With both my children I am constantly aware of the need to really listen when they talk to me; for they often have so much to teach me. When I open up to them they are so much happier to listen to me and willing to take my advice (though I can foresee them advising me more frequently in the not too distant future… and well into my silver hair days!).

I’ve come across some inspirational blogs recently and they are written by people that really do know their children and give them the greatest gift: the opportunity to become who they really want in close harmony with nature. Stop by and take a moment:

Where Karma…Meets Camera
Confessions of a Pioneer Woman
Centre Down Home

Meanwhile, on the home front here we are so happy with where we are. School term finishes in just over two week’s time and we have planned a road trip around the lower North Island, taking in Ohakune (snow!), Taupo (geothermal wonders and natural hot springs) and Napier (art deco, famous for a big earthquake, looking forward to seeing the new Aquarium).

After a bumpy start to Charli’s school-life (which only lasted a few week’s in hind-sight!) we are now all so happy. We really are blessed to have a beautiful, rural type school, with views of the ocean and a beautiful bushland valley for a playground. Combined with this beautiful setting are amazing people who really make this community work. Everyone is so open and friendly. Smiles are easily given to strangers – in fact there isn’t even a feeling of ’strangers’ as we all feel some how connected.

Sophie is really coming into her own now and loving the freedom to explore. Living in Wellington is so easy. Dan’s office is only a ten minute drive away and he often makes time to meet us for lunch. We did this when Charli was younger, and now we’re able to do it with Sophie… and the smile in the photo says it all (the pair of them were in total, mutual adoration of each other!).

Charli and Sophie together have a wonderful bond, which I really hope continues. Fortunately Charli’s school is really encouraging of family-home interactions; which are helping to maintain the bond. Today Charli invited Sophie to join her on the mat for ‘Days of the Week’ and ‘News’. Sophie absolutely loved it and was even invited by Charli’s teacher to sit up and tell news! Sophie told news about her yellow chopsticks with a rhino at the top and how she was looking forward to a ‘Yum Char’ lunch with her Daddy!

Happy Days xxxx

Even the fish are happy at Chez Lee (took Sophie, Charli and I over an hour to clean it thoroughly on Monday afternoon!). They live in our hall-way, opposite our bathroom. In our home there’s nothing more relaxing than sitting on the toilet and watching the goldfish (not sure what the fish make of this!).

And thankfully, the Universe didn’t implode today

This week has been a regular mixed bag of weather and we’ve embraced it with good grace (and the occasional grimace!). At school pick-up today parents clung to children as they walked head-on into the southerly to return to their cars. Those parents already safely back in their tin cans were practically laughing with hysteria and relief at the poor souls still battling their way against a wall of wind.

Looking down the valley from Charli’s school and the incoming southerly:

Earlier in the week was a total contrast. SJ and I ditched our regular story-time for a coffee at The Bach, on Wellington’s South Coast.

We toyed with some Orca spotting and saw none. But that didn’t stop us imagining every rock was a potential flipper waving ‘Kia Ora’ and every random splash was a whale letting it rip from the ‘ole blow hole. However, chalked up on a black-board in the cafe there have been around five sightings this year – so there is hope! But I reckon it would take some serious coffee drinking time or a whole lot of luck to see one! Anyway, not to be deflated by our lack of whale spotting skills we ventured forth to the rock-pools for some small fry and came across a lovely little crab and a few cat’s eyes.

[Note for locals: The Island Bay Marine Education Centre is having an Open Day this Father's Day - Sunday 7 September from 10am to 3pm. It's also Conservation Week (visit the Department of Conservation's website for lots of events to partake in!) and with the marine centre being situated within the newly created, 854 hectare, Taputeranga Marine Reserve it's a very exciting celebration!]

Later in the week, when the weather turned for the worst, SJ and I enjoyed our regular indoor haunts (library, swimming pool, Tinytown, Te Papa) mixed up with a few play-dates. She is really loving her own time and beginning to develop some wonderful friendships (and I’m getting a chance to have a good natter with adults too! Yah!).

Wednesday we adored story time at the local library – where SJ told the story teller off for laughing at a character in one of the books, ‘Excuse me!’ (with her hand firmly in the air) ‘You know, it’s not nice to laugh at people.’ On Tuesday she’d congratulated her swim teacher on excellent manners, saying in a loud voice, ‘Mummy! Alana has excellent manners’. On Thursday afternoon, when I was struggling to keep up with little Miss Chatterbox and wolfing down some quick fix calories in the form of a chocolate brownie, she loudly said (in front of some local surf dudes), ‘Don’t worry Mummy, if you get a head rush, I’ll look after you!’. Thursday was a really full on day…

It started with school drop off and a southerly rolling in. SJ decides we should go to the Botanical Gardens for a ride on the cable car (I found out the real reason was to buy some ‘wriggly worm’ sweets she’d remembered us getting there on a previous visit – this girls geography of the city is ruled by her tummy!). Anyway, we had a laugh riding down and up and playing cable car driver’s afterwards in the Cable Car Museum (much to the delight of a coach load of tourists!). I finally managed to bribe her away from another game of, ‘Mummy, you’re the driver, you go over there – no not there Mummy – over there – now….’ the bribe? Of course! Wriggly worms!

We’d planned to meet up with a friend at Cheeky Rascals and were running late…. anyway we finally got there (a little more sugar laden than planned!).

After a fun time at Cheeky Rascals (and more coffee for us Mums and even a chance to natter and read a magazine!) we headed home (more bribery required…). On the way home we stopped off at The Warehouse to get some maths and English workbooks for Charli – as she is addicted to them and spends hours before and after school studiously engrossed in them (even taking the completed books into class for news!). We had our first teacher/parent meeting on Tuesday afternoon and we are so proud and delighted for her happiness. She’s making incredible progress in all academic areas and is such an enthusiastic student. She’s settled into school-life so quickly and is already being a good role-model for the newer entrants. Yah! Go Charli!

Anyway… Thursday continues. I thought I’d finally get to go home for an hour before school pick-up but SJ, as I soon discover, has doughnuts on her mind! She says, ‘Mummy I want to go to the airport!’. But whenever we’ve been she’s more interested in the retail outlets and cafe than the planes. So I say, ‘Well, we can watch the planes from Lyall Bay for a while, there’s no need to pay for parking there.’ She keeps protesting and then I say, ‘What is it exactly that you want to do or see at the airport?’ The answer, ‘Eat doughnuts’. This girls seriously lets her stomach rule her head!

Anyway, a quick chocolate brownie (head rush for Mummy!) at the surf cafe on Lyall Bay seems to do the trick, before finally picking up Charli!

The pace of this week has been exhausting! Wednesday was pretty much the same, with shopping, library, Tiny Town, school pick up… where both the girls are keen to linger at the school. We end up playing in the sandpit and talking with children at the ‘after school care club’ for nearly an hour.

Now, finally, we can go home I think!

Oh no! There’s more! We end up driving across town to Pumpkin Patch as Charli’s taken to wearing the same denim dress to school everyday for the past fortnight on account of it looking ‘grown-up’. She does indeed look fabulous in it – but I need to wash it too! I mention that I’d been to a local shop to look for something similar but couldn’t find anything. They both get really excited and ask if we can go Pumpkin Patch. What the heck – I’m never one to turn down a bit of retail therapy (except it isn’t me we’re shopping for). Anyway, we go and come home with a gorgeous smock-like dress (Charli would be right at home in an English school – she’s craving for a uniform and this dress looks just like one!).

Is there anything we haven’t done this week?!

Finally, it’s Friday and whilst Dan’s out at a Beer Festival – Brew NZ – Beervana I’m seriously chilling out and looking forward to a girl’s night out tomorrow! Today was lovely and calm with a play-date (and gossip for me) at Te Papa followed by a few hour’s house work before school pick-up. SJ played happily for an hour talking to a group of bouncy balls about some sort of medical emergency (I didn’t dare ask!). After school we baked scones and played at puppet shows. SJ asleep: 7.30pm Charli: 9.00pm!

Roll on tomorrow…. (and take a break southerlies – my hair can’t take it!).

Dan only played half a game (as there was such a surplus of players keen to actually get a game in) – but it was just as well – as he reported after the game (in confidence – but what the heck – it’s here for the world to read now!), “I was knackered after 20 minutes!”.

Unfortunately we missed his goal as we were busy turning into prunes at the Spray Pool adjacent to the soccer pitch; but he was chuffed to tell us he’d scored as he soaked his aching muscles in the pool after the match!

Chez Lee have been spending a lot of time in the water lately – we love the stuff! Sophie gets a little disturbed at her prune finger’s after an hour or so… but this doesn’t stop her. If we’re not immersed in water, we’re on it – and on Saturday morning, with the sun blazing, we took a pedalo out on Wellington’s lagoon on the waterfront.

This was after having caught some ‘Big air’ on the vertical bungy. When we turned up there were no customers. By the time we’d finished, with shouts of ‘Big air’ everytime the girls bounced higher than the surrounding trees, there was a line of willing thrill seekers! The guys there know us well – and our next jump is free thanks to our regular patronage.

After the thrill seeking there was time for some old-fashioned fun, ice-creams and a few games of ‘hide-and-seek’ on the ‘City to Sea’ bridge and a quick stop at ‘Big Thumb‘ for some yum char for lunch.

Phew: What a Saturday!

And I haven’t even mentioned – but I’m going to – so give me some ‘brownie’ points right now – my mammoth two hour cleaning session before we left the house in the morning! The accumulation of dust upstairs was at risk of becoming a health hazard, so whilst Dan kept the girls entertained I braved under the beds and round the skirting boards (impressed? – I am!). Then it was time to dash off to ballet – oh yes – we ‘did’ our demi-plies and first positions too!

Sunday was a little more sedate – I was still in my dressing gown at 10.30am (shocking!). The girls are really sisterly these days and entertain themselves really well. They hardly ever watch T.V. and much prefer to play together – it’s gorgeous to see the bond they have and they are so lucky to have each other. Dan and I have so much more time in the day to actually hold hands and be together – without a child hanging off a limb! We all feel so strong together.

These girls need some Grandma assistance with the dreadlocks!

After a lazy morning – which is my favourite way to start Sunday – we rushed out the door to Charli’s swim class and enjoyed another prune experience at Karori pool. Her teacher reports she’s reached all the targets on this terms class and will be moving up a grade or two next term! Go Charli – reckon there’s a ‘Gold’ medal in those water wing’s of yours?!

Sunday finished up with some retail therapy at Lyall Bay’s Airport Retail Park and a cuppa at the ‘Flying Saucer’ cafe – which is a little hidden gem off the main drag and has tons of aeronautical paraphanalia adorning the walls.

The girls enjoyed colouring in a picture whilst Dan and I had a moment of peace and Charli gave her finished artwork to the owner – she’s got such a generous heart. She did the same on Friday, after school, at ‘Mint’ cafe (at Lyall Bay’s Airport Retail Park). And on school pick up she gave her ‘Olympic Medal’ she’d made to a friend, as her friend remarked that she’d not had a chance to make one. Charli simply said, ‘You can have mine, it’s fine as I can make a new one.’ She is really thriving these days and loving school; where she has some wonderful friends that came up from Kindi with her and made many new ones too. The parents are all awesome too and many of the school children have younger siblings – which is great news for Sophie and I, as we have plenty of people to ‘hang out’ with on play-dates!

Anyway, this post is going on and on… and it’s time for bed. I’m limiting my postings to twice a week now – as I have so many other things that need to be done (and other interests I want to pursue – else I’m in danger of living my life electronically!).

Thanks to the ‘Weather God’ for holding off the rain on Saturday. It rained today, but hey, it wasn’t going to ruin our parade. I hear the quiet of the clouds now as I type – the tin roof above my head is silenced, for the mean time. I’m not even looking at the forecast for tomorrow – because we’ll be sure to have a bright day whatever.

This week (and it’s only Tuesday) has been all smiles and no tears (except from Sophie when her bicycle helmet unfortunately caught her chin as the strap clicked shut – ouch!). Charli has been thriving at school and I’m so relieved to pick her up and see all smiles. Her teacher is so wonderful and tremendously supportive.

Sophie has been a gem for me too. The sun shone for the first time in weeks and it felt so amazingly good to the whole essence of being (I’m currently reading Eckhart Tolle’s ‘A New Earth’). I even heard ‘the piano man‘ cheering out loud in profane language (with a few obscenities thrown in for good measure on the abysmal storms the heavens have deluged the country with for a good fortnight). Sophie was riding her bike round the house and came in saying, ‘Mummy, there’s a man saying naughty words!’. A part of me was, ‘Cover your ears dear’ and the other half of me was cheering along with him and laughing hysterically as I really did understand his depth of emotion. After he’d finished a rich, verbal dissection of our inclement weather he proceeded to play the most beautiful music – artists hey!

Today has been filled with bubbles, running round the house looking for fairies, bouncing skyward on the trampoline until my legs gave way and my voice protested hoarsely to another rendition of ‘Ring a ring of roses’ – the best tonic a person could ask for!

At school pick up Charli was all smiles and so excited to have two books from the school library to bring home for a week (in addition to her daily reading, which she loves). We cuddled up on the sofa totally engrossed for half an hour before moving on to other things.

Dan came home a little earlier and after the girls peacefully fell to sleep we snuggled up to watch, ‘The Jane Austen Book Club‘ – which was fabulous and a very well picked DVD by hubbie to suit my tastes and currently turbulent emotions! Now I’m feeling inspired to get stuck into all the Jane Austen novels again. I always find the winter in New Zealand brings forth in me a romantic nostalgia for all things British. I’ve just finished reading Philippa Gregory’s ‘The Constant Princess’ and I’m going to have to stock up on the rest of her incredible historical novels. Feeling good – and that’s not the red wine talking! Off to bed with a cup of herbal brew – thank you Artemis!

Anyway, onto happier news – the stupendous All Black’s victory on Saturday night! We had a lovely couple of Ausie friends round – Kathy and Mark – who are hard case in a nice way (with their beautiful boys – aged nine month’s and two-and-a-half). Their boys had taken late naps and stayed awake till 10pm when they made a move to get home and to bye-byes; and they were so adorable whilst poor Ausie Dad took it on the chin and looked for sympathy from nine-month old Hawk (I love it when babies can’t yet speak, but have a look of wisdom beyond their years in their eyes!). It was great (for us) to watch the rugby in good company. Our new friends have recently moved here for an 18-month stint from Perth (Kathy’s Mum was a good friend of my Mum’s. Kathy was quick to remind me of when we’d met as teenagers and spent an enjoyable night at Dogmersfield Cricket Club… and how her brother and I had a bit of a crush on each other – oh dear!).

We seem to have a habit of having folk over for the rugby and seeing our guests leave in despair at the results! The other weekend our good friend’s Lucy and Avril were round – and after the disappointing results our friend Lucy couldn’t get a cab home fast enough – and suffered sever ‘colic’ throughout the game! Meanwhile, Avril stopped over the night and was a trooper in the morning with the girls!

Saturday itself was full-on with ballet, horse-riding and a party for Charli in the afternoon. The only horse available this weekend was ‘Gremlin’ and what a beautiful pony he was – didn’t live up to his name at all! Charli, after a few week’s of watching her little sister happy in the saddle, was game on and it was great to see her sense of achievement in feeling comfortable on a horse.

After a gorgeous lunch (as ever!) at the Saddleback Cafe we went home for a quick pressie wrap and ‘costume change’ so Charli could get off to a friend’s Birthday party. Sophie and I had a good ‘chill-out’ at home – with me practically falling asleep on the sofa (hubbie had kept me up far too late the night before – but they say ‘action’ in bed is as good as ‘zzzzz’s’ for longevity and good health!).

Sunday morning was spent doing essential chores by yours truly, whilst ‘Daddy-O’ kept the girls in check with a two-hour marathon session of hide-and-seek. Then it was time for Charli’s first swim-lesson since she was two! After gaining immense confidence from water-baby classes she’s taught herself to swim on her back and she was so ready for classes. Our local pool was fully booked for this term, so she’s going to Karori Pool instead. It’s a lovely, little pool and we had a blast. Charli and another boy are the only two children in class – with two instructors! They commented that she was an absolute natural (any parent knows how good it is to hear those words!). Needless, to say – this was an absolute joy and we can envisage her clocking up hours in the water – where she really is so ‘herself’ and must have been a mermaid in a previous life!

Quick lunch-stop at Subway (where Sophie insists on pure cucumber sandwiches – which was all Dan ate for two whole year’s as a boy!) before some retail therapy (Dan has ‘invested’ in a new TV and it warrants a sideboard says ‘moi’!). We are delighted that Eva Dixon’s (once upon a time our favourite cafe adjacent to the Zoo – but rudely misplaced, when the lease came up, by a totally inferior operation) has found new accommodation at the Capital Gateway Centre on Thorndon Quay, where we enjoyed a delightful afternoon-tea (we really had the munchies on Sunday – eating like ‘Hobbits’ every couple of hours!). And then… was time to burn off the excess at Central Park in Brooklyn (the three flying foxes at this playground totally ‘rock’!) before a pre-dinner cuppa and story time with Aunty Lulu (Lucy of All Blacks fame!).

And the evening was finished off with take-away ‘fush n chips’ and a moving movie – ‘The White Masai‘ – followed by me balling my eyes out at the prospect of another week of letting go…!

I’ve heard stories of children taking a year to fully settle in; a little girl who stopped speaking during school hours; a boy who became quite aggressive after school toward his younger sibling. Charli has had a few full on tantrums, where she’s just needed to let off steam and release the tension of the day. She’s also working hard to forge her independence and build on relationships with her peers – not an easy task! And I appreciate that she has spent the entire day trying to be ‘perfect’ and on best behaviour; so the need to release the stress of the day is only natural – but it’s my task to help her find a more moderate way to let go!

Charli letting go (in a nice way!) at Te Papa after school:

We all know how stressful it can be to start a new job – but we have some well learned tools to help us cope. Children have yet to develop the emotional maturity to handle the range of feelings they are experiencing.

Many parents I’ve spoken to say their child has cuddled up with them in the morning and asked to stay home: And, in response, there are many parents who would love to say, ‘Off course darling’ (I’m one of them!). At times, I have to force myself to comprise and encourage school attendance.

So… how are we coping?!

We are comprising and being flexible and patient. Charli might attend a full day at school one day and then be picked up early the next day (the school is quite supportive of this – also schooling isn’t compulsory till age 6 here – so we don’t feel like we’re breaking the law by playing hooky!).

We are building in treats and things to look forward to. Today, after a full day at school, Charli was really excited to be going swimming. She loves the water and it was the best way for her to be free to release any pent up tension (I’m going to do a lot more physically, free activities after school to enable this natural way of releasing tension).

We have a ‘money pot’ whereby she earns coins to reach a target and can then go out and buy that special something – this is working fabulously!

And Sophie, Charli’s little sister, is learning to be really patient with her big sister and to give Charli the space she sometimes needs when she comes home tired after school.

When we pick Charli up from school we really focus on a ‘group hug’ too – it sounds simple – but it helps us reconnect and remember our strong family unit. At times it can feel as though school is another person in our family unit – and we’re having to adjust to the new dynamics of having ’school’ in our lives! We don’t want it to be something that divides us – but instead unites us. Thankfully, Charli’s school is very community orientated.

I’m also endeavoring to build in ‘one-on-one’ time with Charli. Ballet lessons on a Saturday morning are a ‘Mummy and Charli’ thing and she’s about to start regular swim tuition – which will be for ‘Daddy and Charli’. She’s incredible on the swimming front – or to be accurate – ‘back’! She hasn’t had swim lessons since she was two and after gaining great water confidence with baby swim classes she has gone on to teach herself how to swim… on her back! She’s been swimming under water for years – grabbing sinkers off the bottom of the pool like a pearl diver. At the weekend Dan and I glanced over to see her swimming an entire length on her back! Today she realised she’d mastered swimming on her tummy and was so delighted, shouting out, ‘I didn’t know I could do this!’. With some tuition on her strokes she’ll be swimming the Cook Strait in no time…. (well, maybe not!).

And a very special ‘one-on-one’ was Sunday evening – when Charli and I went to watch ‘Cinderella on Ice’, performed by The Imperial Ice Stars, at the St James Theatre in Wellington. This was a first for Charli and her eyes were popping out the entire performance. She absolutely loved the music and dancing. She was full of questions about how the ice was made too!

Her favourite part was when the skaters dramatically performed the workings of a clock, with each dancer signifying a number on the clock – they were dressed in gold with Roman numerals emblazoned on their leotards (which made for another interesting ‘Q & A’ about Roman numerals!). Another highlight was the clever formation of Cinderella’s coach – with each dancer carrying a piece before coming together in a blaze of lights as the curtain fell at the end of the first half. And… the ‘Prince’ looked over at Charli (he really did!) and gave her a huge, heart-warming smile! We were only four-rows from the front, so it was pretty special to be that close and see the expressions (and exhaustion near the end – some of the men were carrying two dancers at a time over their shoulders!). Encore!!!!

Anyway, thanks for joining us on this new direction on our parenting journey! Your supportive words and encouragement are so appreciated!

Here’s an illustration of the task – place microscopic beads on template and when ALL the beads are in place set with a spray of water:

We had to restart the project three times due to the beads accidentally being knocked out of place! One night – around 11pm – I sat for half an hour making some head way into the project with dogged determination – only for Sophie to accidentally knock them the next morning over breakfast!

At the weekend Charli and I decided we would sit and persist until we’d finished placing all the beads and could blast them into place with water. Charli was awesome, saying, ‘We can do, we will do it!’.

Anyway, I’m relieved to report that half the dog is now complete… and we’ll be waiting a couple of week’s before finishing his body!

By my third year of motherhood I became increasingly interested in behavioural ‘norms’, early education and socialization. I’d read books on attachment parenting and those on the opposite end of the spectrum. Some of the most unusual reads were a book on Tandem Breastfeeding and one on Aspergers Syndrome.

When my second child did arrive I’d been a mother for two and a half years. I finally let go of the reigns a little on my obsession with above reading material. However, I frequently logged onto parenting blogs for light humour and relief that ‘I was not alone’. I became very interested in home-schooling as a result and have come across some incredibly patient and inspiring people. I enjoy reading education articles of the International press. Another interest is child psychology – particularly as both my girls are bright and my eldest is undergoing assessments for giftedness. She also has some social processing issues, but we’re reluctant to ‘label’. Frankly, if she weren’t within the education system I wouldn’t be worried. She’s eccentric (so what!), she’s different (thank the lord!), she has personality in doses, sensitive and extremely questioning.

This year, my fifth year of parenting, I’ve finally mixed up my reading with something a little lighter. Gone are the breast-pads and nipple cream. Some normality of self has returned to my bedside table. A scented candle, jewelery, handcrafted gifts from my girls, hand-cream and a glass of water now sit happily along side an array of books. Magazines flood underneath the bed – from trashy gossip to gardening and short-stories.

Reads currently on my bedside table: The Power of Now; Eat, Pray, Love; The Jane Austen Miscellany; Chambers eyes like butterflies; Richard Branson Autobiography – ‘Losing My Virginity’. I’ve just completed Philippa Gregory’s ‘Virgin Earth‘ – the first novel I’ve read of this highly educated and gifted writer. My life is returning some balance (for a little while at least).

In another post I’ll write of the books my children are current fans of – and I’d love to hear your input as to what puts a sparkle in your own children’s eyes. I had a thought the other day how wonderful it would be to keep a record of the books that really capture my children’s attention on their journey to adulthood.

There’s also the books gathering dust on the kitchen shelves to review, the ‘coffee table books’ propping up lamps and the numerous little baskets of choice books I have scattered around the home… if I’m not careful the words will start breathing and walking!

After breakfast we headed off for Kindi and were greeted to the wonderful sight of dolphins hungrily fishing in Lyall Bay. They were cavorting in such an energetic display that they were making a break wave all of their own. Watching the surfers rolling in the waves before them was breathtaking and a moment of really being in ‘The Now’. No thoughts of past or future crossed my mind; just a blissful awareness of the moment of the present. And every day is just that, a present.

After Kindi drop-off I took Sophie to Wellington’s beautiful waterfront where we played at Frank Kitt’s Park, looked for fish off the wharf, marvelled at The Rainbow Warrior currently moored at Queen’s Wharf and spotted numbers and letters on our walk to the museum; where we spent a wonderful hour in one of the incredible discovery centres. Te Papa always works hard to provide new and exciting discoveries for our children and I am such a regular that I know many of the staff on first name terms. We are so fortunate to have such an incredible learning facility for free (though we do contribute to it in our taxes!).

This afternoon the girls and I enjoyed more dolphin spotting at Lyall Bay before returning home for some baking and arts and crafts. Both the girls are so enthusiastic with their artwork at the current time. My postage costs are dramatically on the increase with a never-ending flow of creativity. I’m well stocked up with impromptu Birthday cards and artwork for friends and relatives (as well as hand-painted wrapping paper!).

This was the scene today in my kitchen – artwork drying everywhere! [Please note: all the dirty dishes were quickly moved out of the camera's view! And, "I spy something beginning with the letter W, can you guess?". A clue: It's red and you can drink it - it's also necessary for my survival as a parent - but only in moderate doses - otherwise I can't function the next day!]

But, as the afternoon continued and the girls tiredness of a busy week caught up with them it was time for a change of scene. I tried playing a little Bach and Beethoven on the piano – which helped for ten minutes – but after a while, no distractions were working. The local playground is often just the ticket when the four walls of home aren’t kicking it. Unfortunately today wasn’t quite that! Sophie started off by bowling over a little girl and spending some time-out on a bench. Charlotte then started acting like a two year old – bless her – she is only the size of your average two or three year old (currently at 3% for her age on the growth charts)! I had to get them home quickly; with Charlotte screaming her lungs off!

We’re now at home, with dinner in front of them and Sophie in danger of falling asleep in her food. I best get them up to bed soon before they get a second wind!

I’m really looking forward to a glass of red wine and relaxing this evening!

Hope you’ve all had a good week and enjoy a wonderful weekend!

UPDATE: Girls both asleep by 7pm! I’m not even thinking about what time they’ll be up in the morning – just going to focus on ‘being in the NOW’ – the NOW is SO good!

Charlotte, now an independent, happy four-year old, approached another little girl to make friends. Charlotte and the other girl were instant buddies and I was delighted to watch Charlotte naturally socializing and enjoying herself. Meanwhile, Sophie thought this was appalling. She is learning to share toys; but she wasn’t willing to share her sister’s affections with a stranger! There was nothing I could do to calm her tears and outrage. She kept calling out, ‘Charlotte! Charlotte!’ with streaming tears and desperation in her voice. It was heartbreaking; and I was totally unprepared for her outburst. It really shook my little world: It’s been such an easy ride for a while.

After the other girl had left the playground, Sophie was still too distraught to calm down and take the opportunity to play with Charlotte. She said, ‘Home!’ and there was nothing we could do to change her mind. Charlotte would have happily played for hours, but she generously agreed to come home and cheer up her little sister.

There is no doubt: Sophie absolutely adores Charlotte. Sophie is such a happy charmer, but the days of ready compliance are gone. She’s now starting out on the long road to independence; and with it there will be buckets of frustration to handle. She’s beginning to feel a surge of emotions and trying to comprehend them for the first time in her young life. It isn’t easy to parent a child through this stage… she’ll need my love more than ever and I’ll need to find a whole lot of patience!

Sophie at 22 month’s:

When we got home we decided to clean the fish tank. All was going well. Lots of bubbles at the sink and both girls giving the tank and contents a good scrub down. And then it happened: Sophie grabbed hold of the jug that I’d put the fish in and decided to pour out the contents! Fish and water spilled out over my kitchen table and down the drawers; even into the drawers – resulting in the need to wash out the entire cutlery draw! Thankfully, I managed to grab the jug out of Sophie’s hand just in time to catch the fish and empty it into the now cleaned fish tank.

Now I was on my hands and knees mopping up the mess on the kitchen floor. From my vantage point I started the dreadful observance of all the little microscopic corners of my kitchen that needed a real seeing too with some strong chemicals. I could feel myself on a downward spiral. Everything was getting blown out of proportion and I felt the need to have a tantrum myself. It was my turn to lose control, damn it! If I didn’t have dinner to cook and the girls to keep entertained then I would have vented my frustrations on the cooker and fridge freezer with a scrubbing brush.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was being supremely helpful in running around trying to help clean up. Sophie was standing in shock after both Charlotte and I had screamed at her, ‘You nearly killed the fish!’. Poor Sophie wasn’t really being malicious; but just wanted to continue the water play and had no understanding of her actions.

I finally got dinner served and we sat up to eat. Sophie decided to assert her independence and test the boundaries by climbing up onto the kitchen table for the first time. After several warnings and no response other than a cheeky, side-ways glance and even standing up to perform a little dance, I had to pick her up and put her on the floor for a moment. Wow – she can scream! At least she didn’t resort to banging her head on the floor and kicking her legs in full tantrum mode (big sister Charlotte was a champion performer on that score!). Thankfully, after a few moments, she sat back up at the table and ate her dinner peacefully. Phew!

I’m exhausted this evening. I can foresee a challenging few month’s ahead of me! I must prioritise opportunities for me to release the pent up frustration I know I’m going to feel. I’ve had a sore throat all week; but am yearning to go for a run.

Second time round, heading into the ‘terrible twos’, I’m definitely calmer and feel more in control. However; having an older child around when disciplining the younger child adds a different dimension. Charlotte was keen to join in and ‘help’ to correct Sophie on her behaviour. I was having flashbacks to my own childhood. I can remember feeling the guilty pleasure of gloating on my sister’s wrong doings and feeling relieved that it wasn’t me (at least, not that time)! Wish me luck and a whole ton of patience!