Is our patience finite?

Most days I'm an alright mum. Some days I would even venture to say a good mum. My children are happy, healthy, nurtured, nourished. But there are many days like today when I'm all out of patience and any little thing will make me snap.

My melt-down is not unprovoked. It could be the 2 year old who fights for ages before letting me strap him in the car seat, the 3 year old who is determined to only do poos in his pants (and preferably at other people's homes). It could be the 6 year old who sneaks a party dress underneath her school uniform. It could be that the 3 of them have disassembled my hoover and only they know how to put it back together, or that I'm sitting typing at the top of the stairs so I can chase the little ones back into their beds when they pop out.

Whatever pushed me to the brink, I'm here now and seem to be staying. I know that as a human being I can choose how to behave and to a certain extent how to feel. I can choose to show more patience. But sometimes it feels as though I have a cup of patience per day, and today's has been all poured out. So instead of a caring, fun mummy the kids get grouchy, sarcastic mummy who wanders around pleading "don't you want to be helpful to mummy?" (and that was only 8.50am!)

I know I'm not alone. Most people (if not all people) with small children periodically wonder what the heck they are doing. Why am I wiping poo off the bath mat? Why am I picking up pieces of cereal from the lounge floor? Why am I cooking from a selection of only 3 meals (pasta, pasta and pasta) to appease my children? Why are my dishwasher and washing machine on all day every day? What is the meaning of life?

So I'll do what I do most nights: pack them off to bed as soon as possible, eat chocolate in front of the telly, and then look at pictures and videos of them being cute. I'll creep in to check on them before bedtime and think that they are so adorable when they are sleeping that maybe I should have 3 more.

H didn't want to come into the house :-)

I love being a mother of boys!

I was so relieved when my first child was a girl. I really wanted girls, and had no interest in having boys. When my second child was a boy I was really happy to have one of each. But for pregnancy number 3, the husband and I were both sure we would back on safe ground with another girl. Instead we got Harry :-)

So now I have a lovely 5 year old daughter and then these 2 BOYS who are just 18 months apart. But the funny thing is it turns out they are just as cute, just as endearing, and just as cuddly as their sister was and is. They also have their own special little ways which I'm learning all about. There is more climbing, more falling, more wrestling and more injuries than I was prepared for. All floor space in my house is permanently covered in train track and all kinds of wheeled vehicles, and shops will only sell me blue or green clothes. They have won my heart and I'm the proud Momma of 3 fabulous little people!

How many times should I pick dinosaurs off the stairs?

Someone in this situation needs to evolve. First thoughts go to the small children who should be trained not to throw their toys down the stairs. But, maybe it is me that needs to evolve? Would a sensible person keep on repeating the same task several times a day when the result is the same?

The husband and I spent a few hours last week sorting out all of the toys and labelling boxes for them to be stored in. Although most of the toys were tipped out yesterday it was actually much more satisfying to have a proper place for each set and to file them tidily away in various cupboards. I just finished when 3 small whirlwinds whooshed in and covered the bedroom in duvets and blankets.

I surrender...

What do you find yourself picking up endlessly?

Visiting the dentist

Our family dentist is fantastic. She really focuses on making having a check up to be a fun experience for the children. All 3 children go in together and she encourages them to have a ride in the fun chair, brush the teeth of a toy crocodile, and learn a bit about dental hygiene.

She has totally won over my usually shy eldest child, and convinced both boys to climb up into her chair. The baby of course wanted to brush his own teeth with a giant toy toothbrush but that's all good. And the dentist is so thoughtful that she took a picture of my kids being cute and emailed it to me! I'm pretty sure visiting the dentist wasn't half so much fun when I was a child!!

Father's Day

The kids (and me) did let Daddy have an extra half an hour of sleep but then he had to get up and do fatherly duties (like falling asleep with a toy car being wheeled across his belly!).

Poor Daddy had to look after all 3 munchkins whilst I was at work. Hopefully he enjoyed all of the hand-prints and cards which he received.

He is an excellent father and bears the burdens of caring for 3 small ones incredibly well. He puts up with working 40-50 hours a week, living on 5-6 hours sleep a night, knowing he is currently the least favourite parent and then having us all accuse him of being grumpy :-)

So Mr Hastie let me say that we all love you and thanks for being such a fab dad!

Message to the World Cup

Dear readers, I very rarely re-post stuff from other people, but this is a special and timely message. It was written by the world council of the Baha'i Faith community at the request of the President of Brazil, for the opening ceremony of the football world cup. Happy reading...
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Her Excellency Ms. Dilma Rousseff,

President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

Your Excellency,

In response to your kind invitation, we take pleasure in sending the following message on the occasion of the opening of the 2014 World Cup.

We extend our heartfelt greetings to the people of Brazil as they welcome the representatives of so many countries to their homeland for a celebration of sporting prowess. Few occasions can claim to embrace so wide a cross-section of humanity, comprising peoples of varied ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. It is clear to every observer that the sport that has brought these nations to Brazil is only strengthened by the marvellous diversity of the participants. To rejoice in this fact is to reject prejudice in all its forms. Truly, nothing is more striking about this extraordinary footballing spectacle than its capacity to reflect the global culture that has emerged in this age. And in summoning together the nations in friendship, it powerfully suggests that collaboration and common endeavour are possible in all things.

Humanity today is bound together in a global civilization. As the world advances in its organic evolution, let it reflect at this moment on the many qualities that the Brazilian people so admirably embody. For the path to peace will require expansive hearts, a passion for progress, unbounded creative energy, great resilience, a strength forged from diversity, and minds enlightened by the spirit of the age and inspired by the quest for justice. The peoples of the world are as variegated flowers in one splendid garden. Is any nation more fit to demonstrate this simple but essential truth than Brazil? In the vibrant, interwoven colours of this land the world can imagine its own dazzling future possibilities.

A sporting contest, even one on such a scale as this, cannot obscure the severity of the challenges that confront humankind. But in the weeks to come, we hope that observers everywhere—especially the youth of the world—will take heart from the many examples of team work, fair play, valour, and earnest striving that are sure to surface in the tournament. God willing, they will aspire to show those same qualities in their lives, in service to their communities, and in the promotion of peace. Whether labouring for the elimination of every trace of racism and discrimination, championing the equality of women and men, or seeking to advance justice, the efforts of every member of the human family are necessary. Constructive change is possible everywhere. Man, woman, youth, and child—all have an essential contribution to make.

We anticipate a time when competition among the nations may be a phenomenon chiefly witnessed in the sporting arena, whereas interactions on the global stage will be dominated by cooperation,reciprocity, and mutual support. We pray that this present occasion will redound to the honour of the great nation of Brazil as hosts and that the event will inspire not only passing fellowship but lasting solidarity among all who participate and the countless millions who spectate.

- The Universal House of Justice

Things The Kids Did Today Which Made Me Laugh!

...they can be a total nightmare to look after, but they also make me laugh! Here are today's episodes:

1) I just caught my toddler dipping his hand into the leftover cat food. I shrieked 'NO!!!' and leapt to knock a lump of jellied fish out of his podgy hand and then examined his mouth for evidence. He either hadn't sampled any, or had finished chewing.

2) The same toddler (H, aged 19 months) discovered at dinner time that he could hold a piece of penne pasta in his lips and make it into a whistle by blowing through it. He made us all laugh so the other children wanted to join in. My 5 year old did the same thing, but my 3 year old didn't quite seem to understand and so put pasta between his lips and then said 'nee nah' like a fire engine :-)

3) The husband and I were woken up this morning by the sound of children giggling and babbling. After ignoring it for a while we (OK he) investigated and found that our 3 year old son had climbed into his baby brother's cot (in a different bedroom) and they were happily playing together.