Trapped toddler parents: Inspiration and support needed through the summer hols!!

[PinkDaydreams]

Following on from the previous trapped toddler thread!
Sorry for rubbish title!

@squishymamma oh good luck for the work trip, must be so exhausting at this stage in your pregnancy. Hope you get some peace and rest time in the hotel once all the evening events are done.

@Camomila welcome back and hope you had a good time.

@PinkDaydreams I love a declutter too. It is so refreshing, once you've done all of the hard work that is!

Not much to report here. Boys are still getting up at 5.30 or earlier since the clock change. DS1 has been to preschool and we've had some garden time and made some fireworks and rockets out of toilet rolls and kitchen rolls.

Here are our fireworks

@PinkDaydreams

I'm struggling with what toys to keep and which to donate. I rotate his toys but there's some wooden ones he just isn't interested in and hasn't played with for months.....until I put them in the charity bag and he becomes interested in them again 🙄

I sneak them out into a cupboard and if they don't ask for them after a time, I get rid of them. Although DS is 4 so he's a now more aware of what we've got.

I like your rockets @chocolatetrifle, I may have to borrow the idea.

I've been out for coffee and cake with a couple friends and there babies. Attempted to tidy the house after half term as it's like a bombs gone off but didn't get very far

Its a constant struggle with mess isn't it! Mine play so much better when its tidier but it hardly ever is .
Love hearing about your holiday Camomila gives me hope that we may get abroad again one day!
We have had a good day, went to a nature tots class at a local nature reserve. Yesterday we went to the library for the first time in over a year! Trying to get out a lot before the rainy days start!
Made glitter bottles (water, clear glue & glitter, put food colouring in the blue one but actually prefer it without I think) at the weekend - my DD can’t walk past them without giving them a shake so counting that as a win.

@Lostthetastefordahlias your glitter water bottles look fantastic! What a great idea. Glad you had a good day.

How is everyone? My boys keep getting up at 5.15 since the clocks went back and it is exhausting. My oldest gets tired before he even gets to preschool then falls asleep in the car on the way home. My DS2 is in the terrible two's I think. He is 2 in December. Yesterday I gave him his lunch and he just looked and said 'no' and refused to eat it. As he is trying to talk more they keep doing this thing where one says yes and the other no, so it's just yes, no,yes,no,yes,no,yes no,yes no, then one will start screaming. More sweet moments where they are playing together more and interacting more together though so there is hope!

I have no plans as yet for today, just preschool and then if it's not raining I might take DS2 to the swings and perhaps the library this afternoon.

Just wondering for those with 4 year olds not yet in school did you ever manage to get them to try practise writing at home? I'm trying to help DS1 to learn write his name and he gets so frustrated with it and then just throws the pencil! Realise also that he's not on school until next year so plenty of time.

@Chocolatetrifle

Just wondering for those with 4 year olds not yet in school did you ever manage to get them to try practise writing at home? I'm trying to help DS1 to learn write his name and he gets so frustrated with it and then just throws the pencil! Realise also that he's not on school until next year so plenty of time.

My ds will be 4 in January, starting school sept 2022. He hates drawing/colouring/painting, won't even hold a pencil etc and I've been worrying that he won't be able to write his name. I've visited two schools recently and both have said there's no need for him to be able to write. Obviously I'm still going to be encouraging it though

@Chocolatetrifle

Just wondering for those with 4 year olds not yet in school did you ever manage to get them to try practise writing at home? I'm trying to help DS1 to learn write his name and he gets so frustrated with it and then just throws the pencil! Realise also that he's not on school until next year so plenty of time.

I have a 4 year old in school and I can't get him to do any writing. School haven't been worried at all

I've just got back from Baby Ballet with DD. It's was so cute! She was very confused to start with but got into it.
I'm just getting her down for a nap so I can clean the sofa and eat lunch in peace

@Motherofmonsters baby ballet sounds like so much fun!

Enjoying all of the crafts.

I'm almost done with my work trip, flight back in a few hours. Lots of long days and I'm definitely not as mobile as I was so I'm exhausted...even more so than dealing with DS! He's on a "trip" with nursery today, they're going up to the forest, so he's going to love that. I won't see him until tomorrow because he'll be in bed when I get home at about 8pm...I've really missed him!! He went to stay with PIL for a night while I've been gone and apparently had a really good time, which I'm happy about because I think it'll be good for them to take him more often and get a good relationship after all the isolation with COVID.

Sorry to hear DC still haven't adjusted @Chocolatetrifle, you must be exhausted! It's so hard to adjust to the new time. Hope you're getting time to rest when they're in bed. DS is also approaching the terrible 2's, hes become very fond of throwing himself on the floor and wailing when he doesn't get his way

@PinkDaydreams glad to know it's not just here then. We have good intentions for them don't we?

@Motherofmonsters, baby ballet class sounds lovely. Glad your DD had a good time.

@squishymamma hope you get home safely. Well done for getting through it. Count down to your maternity leave now!

No news from here for the day. Boys are currently attending their own disco in our office room upstairs. They play DH's CD's at full volume and go crazy dancing! (We are a detached house, good job really). I'm looking forward to bedtime as usual!

We have had one of those days that starts well and ends with hours of whinging from the 3 year old and crying from the 15 month old. Just wondering if wine would help my headache .
Hope you had a good journey squishymama. Jealous of the baby ballet, it sounds great - can’t find any ballet classes with spaces near us!
Chocolatetrifle we have the same with writing letters, I have tried Dd with wipe clean letter books etc just to give her the chance to try it (she will be in school Sept 2022 as well) but she hates it because it is too difficult. When Monkeypuddle was on here she linked to a blog called the Imagination Tree that has a lot of sensory writing trays on, I might try one to see if we can work on letters like that without actually using a pencil. Had also saved this dot sticker activity following the shape of letters with the stickers. Going to try to actually do these now!!!

@Lostthetastefordahlias, oh that's a lovely idea about trying to write letters in different ways. We have done similar previously using chalk to write some letters on our shed .

I have seen grippers you can put on a pencil which helps for positioning. My DS1 can hold his pencil and tries bit he has a very quick temper and gets frustrated very easily. Plus he would just rather be off running around. We e got the wipe clean hooks too.

I've also got some tracing paper so might make a big poster of his name or something and see if he can trace over the letters with the tracing paper perhaps.

How is everyone today? My boys were up at 5.30 again.

We are having some fireworks in the garden tonight. It's a bit drizzly at the moment.

Tracing paper is such a good idea! I used to love tracing when I was small.
This week has just got more and more hard work here as both mine are just so tired from waking up so early after the clocks change. My 3 yr old Dd has just been whining non stop, I am not sure how to handle it as she is not usually like this, I think she is just exhausted. Really hoping we can reset at the weekend.

@Lostthetastefordahlias I feel your pain...both mine have been like this too this week. Yesterday was 'testing'. I've been giving both Sambucol vitamin syrup in an attempt to boost their immunity after back to back illnesses and I honestly thought the tempers and tantrums might have been down to that but it is most probably just tiredness and getting up at half 5 every day.

Hi everyone, sorry everyone is having a bit of a rough time. DS has lost all ability to listen and has gone a bit mad to!

DS is at school and DD at nursery, I found a lady doing massages at home for a ridiculously good price so I've had an amazing 90minute massage! Just getting ready to pick DS up to take his books back to library and hopefully get some new ones

Omg I dont think I’ve ever been more jealous Motherofmonsters

Ooooo @Motherofmonsters, that sounds amazing. Glad you enjoyed it. I miss the spa days I did pre-kids! Nowadays I'm doing well if I get a bath .

Hope everyone enjoys the fireworks if you are going to a display or having some at home.

DS has made up for my relaxing time by being a ..... Probably shouldn't call him names but he just will not, cannot do anything when you say. Just picked DD up and he was just running across the car park, he's 4. He knows not to do it. Everything I have to ask him 10times and then threaten to take away something before he does it. Gah!

No fireworks here, we'll be doing the usual routine. The dog is terrified by them so we can't go out/do them here

Ugh, I've literally just screamed at DS1 for him refusing to eat his tea. So much for the new, calm, me .

@Chocolatetrifle

Ugh, I've literally just screamed at DS1 for him refusing to eat his tea. So much for the new, calm, me .

We can start again tomorrow, I've done lots of shouting to today

And breathe, yes @Motherofmonsters, that's a good idea. DS1 refused his tea, dS2 refused to clean his teeth, DS1 did a wee on my bed on purpose. DS1 hated the fireworks we got. It's so much harder having kids than I thought it would be! Sleep well everyone.

I think it is far from unreasonable to shout at someone who has weed on your bed @Chocolatetrifle!! Some days are just TOO MUCH. I have been there, many times.
Here’s to us all, for making it through a LOOONNGGG week!!!

Kids are 100% hard work, I didn't shout at DS once today but I only saw him for like 2 hours so that's a major achievement! Tomorrow is a new day

I got home late last night from my trip to a sick DH of course so we both slept badly last night. I'd taken a holiday day today and I'm glad I did because I spent the first half of it sorting DS out and getting him to nursery before crawling back to bed, and the second half of it scrubbing the house. DH is a wonderful father and husband but man is he rubbish at running a house! It's like he just lacks the capability to see what needs doing...or the efficiency to get it done. He commented that it looked so much better after less than 24 hours of me being back (I agree)

Went for dinner with some friends tonight, was really nice - DS was very opposed to me going though and kept taking my shoes off me and putting them back on the rack both adorable and guilt inducing! But we have an entire weekend together so I don't feel too bad. Especially if DH continues to feel ill, as he'll probably end up in bed and I'll be solo parenting yet again...

Hope everyone sleeps well!