This week was another mixed work/childcare week. One of the tricky parts of splitting childcare with the husband while I'm on a 4 day week is that he covers 2 days and I cover 2 days and then I have 2 day of work and 3 days of kids and that is a lot of kid days.
My work days were Monday/Tuesday this week.
On Wednesday my brother and I took Aubrey and Clara to a local farm / wildlife park. It was cute but not £30 cute
And then all the rice ended up on the patio and then Clara started eating it (it's 5 years old, and painted, and gross) and then everyone was sad. Then I ran out of patience and we ended up watching some 4pm TV.
My brother came with us to the park, and at 3pm when twins were not napping he went for a nap. He has been a huge help on this visit, but also helpful in realizing that the daily experience of managing small children is super exhausting.
Before he got here he was cycling 100km a day through France in 40 degree heat. He says it's way more tiring to be here watching kids. Touche.
On Friday twins had morning nursery and I enjoyed an hour of Rachel time by doing a strength workout.
Saturday was a family trip to the bike park. We used to take Lily and Ezra here every weekend for toddler session but I find taking 4 kids to be fully overwhelming so I have not been. Andy has taken the kids. This trip had 3 adults (with brother) but it was still a fully overwhelming start as Aubrey scraped her chin on the ride from the parking to the trail.
I know I'm supposed to be more relaxed about kid injuries etc on kids 3 and 4 but I'm actually more stressed about it because I really don't have time to be in A&E for hours with one kid. Plus there is enough crying as is without broken bones etc.
I rode a blue trail with Ezra
And Lily and I played on the pump track too
I can tell life is getting expensive. I knew 4 kids would be expensive but would like it to wait until after we are done paying for childcare.
And today is Sunday. I started with a Rachel Morning (YAY!) and went to the gym with my friend (impromptu, amazing!). I have made a rough outline of my week and there are a lot of moving parts:
This week
- Nanny is coming back on Monday (yay!), but working short days Monday and Tuesday (at least)... So I have 1/2 days work on Monday & Tuesday
- My brother leaves on Wednesday
- Gym with Gym Buddy on Wednesday (haven't seen him since June!)
- School sports day on Wednesday, although hopefully canceled due to heat
- London with work on Thursday
- Last day of school on Friday & having people over for ice cream to celebrate
Things that are helping / things to remember
- Taking Floradix/vitamins/iron is a good idea all the time, not just when life is good
- Meal prepping salads to help get good nutrition in during the week
- 3 Strength, 3 Stretching, 1 Pilates is the sports goal
- Rachel day on Saturday - Yay
Twin Sleep
This is a whole different blog post but twin bedtime routines are still generally terrible, lasting around 2 hours. This means that Andy and I get almost no time together, and that neither of us is able to leave the house in the evening anymore. I also spend most of the day getting progressively more stressed about the awful bedtime we will get.
I started a new strategy yesterday and I am sticking with it for a week - we finish bedtime routines, and then twins go to bed. If they get out of bed, I put them back in. Yesterday Aubrey figured it out in about 20 minutes, Clara still took over an hour, but I am hoping some consistent boredom will get them to go to sleep. Bedtime battles suck. Wish me luck.
Right, that's a hodge podge post of the week! Time to stretch and shower and enjoy the last 40 minutes of Rachel Morning...
Bedtime battles are genuinely the worst. My 3-year-old is definitely all over the map with bedtimes and naps too, and it's so hard to be patient at the end of the day. Hoping consistency/the new plan helps!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Night two of the new plan was terrible so I am second guessing everything. kids sleep is the worst, not to wish time away but 5 is just the best age.
DeleteFirst, lots of gold stars for using the limited "me" time you have to exercise and stretch. I'd be eating chocolate and weeping, probably.
ReplyDeleteKids and bedtimes take so much energy.
I think you're on the right track when you hear how tired your brother is (and remember Belle!). Years ago, I took care of two kids for a week while their parents went away. The kids went to school each morning, and I went to work, came home and had to undo lunch boxes, entertain, do baths, put them to bed. After a week I was more exhausted than I've ever been in my life. The pace is absolutely relentless and it's both numbingly boring (in a way), and also your brain is constantly watching for hazards and working overtime to manage and protect everyone. It feels like a lot because it is a lot.
I'm glad your nanny is able to come back next week in a limited capacity and hope she's back to full capacity, soon.
Would you ever have a chance of hiring her to watch all the kids for a weekend so you and Andy could get away for a few days? Or, even just have her come on a Saturday and you leave for the whole day and get home after the kids are settled in bed?
I see they tried to do the sports day again. Will this idea never die??? Hopefully it's too hot and gets cancelled once and for all :)
Haha! Thanks. It does make me feel a bit better to know everyone else finds it harder. I just feel it would be more fun to be good at something like Gymnastics or Ultra Marathons than watching lots of my own small kids.
DeleteI don't think anyone can really take the kids for a few days, but we actually had planned for her to watch kids on Saturday so Andy and I could get out together but unfortunately that couldn't happen. She can' really do all 4 bedtime (I mean, neither can we) so we usually have tot ime it with a sleepover / while my mom is here... unfortunately the next chance is in October now. And of course our failed dinner date too... waah.
They are doing a kids only sports day on Tuesday now, which is the ideal outcome. No uniform, no parents, no volunteering. YAYYYY
Oh, how I feel that bedtime stress emanating from my computer screen. For years, bedtime was awful (it's less awful but still way too late) and I have so much empathy for you and Josh. Your new strategy sounds great and I am crossing my fingers that it clicks by week's end.
ReplyDeleteYou have been doing so many fun things with the kids! How gratifying that your very active brother finds the childcare so exhausting. IT IS EXHAUSTING. And you are doing it!!!!
Gah. Bedtimes battles. I do not miss that stage - I mean who in their right mind would! We had a harder time with our older son than our younger son. We shared a room with him on a vacation when he was almost 4 and then he did not want to fall asleep on his own and it was a whole thing. And bedtime struggles are the worst as I've said before since you have very little energy/patience at that point of the day!
ReplyDeleteThe bike park looks cool but I can see how it's stressful with 4 kids, even with 3 adults! I'm glad everyone came away fairly unscathed. My youngest fell last week when he was pushing a trunk. He face planted and scraped up one side of his face. It wasn't bad enough to need to go to the ER luckily but it was a brutal night and he's been so embarrassed about his face.
I was thinking about you while in the Dolomites- the mountain biking is fabulous here! Lyra was begging to rent bikes, but I haven't ridden my bike in about 10 years, husband- same, Rainn doesn't know how to ride a bike yet and there is not such thing as training wheels here in Italy. Plus, it's intimidating because on some trails you are sharing the road with people, other- more experienced - bikers, and a local bus. I was just scared.
ReplyDeleteAhh I would LOVE to go biking in the Dolomites! I"ve seen movies on it and it looks amazing. But definitely not with little kids about! I am looking forward to reading more of your adventures :-)
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