I'm spent...help me find the last bits of energy to get me through the day.

[Mung]

I wasn't sure where to put this one; health, sleep, behaviour, chat...

I am shattered. I have had a week of two children with bad colds demanding my full attention. I just cannot meet their needs at the moment and thats getting to me. yesterday was a hard day with them both really grumpy and DD (6 months) not sleeping. Then to top it all, DH dropped her in the evening (off his knee and a very unfortunate accident) and she went grey and floppy, scaring the life out of me. Paramedics came and took us to A&E (first ride in a ambulance) and it was all so stressful. She seems fine, thankfully, but the stress of it all has just about knocked me over the edge and today I cannot cope with them.

DS (2.1) sleeps well and always has, but once DD wakes I just cannot get her back to sleep (day and night at the moment). I know that I am being a bit soft on her because she is so ill, but I cannot just sit and cuddle her as DS causes havoc due to lack of attention. He just lay on the bathroom floor and did a wee in his trousers this afternoon and the only reason I can see for that is pure laziness or attention seeking.

I've had a crap lunch (toast) because there is hardly any food in the fridge, which doesn't help.

Any suggestions to help me through the next 5 hours?

One positive thing; its Friday, so DH can help out for the next two days.

I remember what that feels like! Poor you. Could you wrap them up, colds and all, and go out for a walk? Fresh air might help them and you, even if you don't feel like it, and use up a good bit of the 5 hours. It used to keep mine quiet, just riding in the pushchair. Is there a park you could go to?

I have resorted to that a few times already this week, but I have a puncture on my double buggy and I cannot face fixing it. That ould mean carrying one of them in a sling and I dont feel my body can take it. i will definitely go out in the garden for a while later.

Please tell me that it gets easier...I feel like there is no light at the end of the snot filled tunnel at the moment.

That I can promise! I have 4 dcs, the first three were babies together- when dd2 was born, ds was 2 and dd1 was 1. Some days were horrendous- some weeks were horrendous. Dh was away a lot, dcs were ill a lot, as you can imagine, loads of nights with just no sleep.
I used to just get out of the house as fresh air instantly quietened them all down, sometimes I used videos, sometimes I just gritted my teeth and promised myself a nice pudding when they'd all gone to bed!
Garden deffo a good idea.

Now, they are 10,9 and 8. Dd3 is 5. (Late addition!) They have great fun together. I have loads of time- I can even get to the loo in peace when I want, these days! When they are ill, they can deal with it themselves. Or are a lot easier to nurse than they used to be!
It definitely gets better.

Get the duvet, put a DVD on, have a pyjama party. I feel exactly the same as you right now, and once I've got the older two from school (5+4) I'll shovel something vaguely nutritious into them, then its a bowl of popcorn and we are just going to chill. I have two los as well (nearly 3 and 13 weeks) and it is more for my benefit than theirs!

I hope it works.

I managed to get a bit of peace yesterday afternoon as DC managed to overlap their sleep for about an hour. Its amazing what sitting doing nothing except drinking coffee and lurking on MN can do . Now its the weekend and hopefully I'll get some more help (although DH now has the dreaded bug, but he isn't the 'man flu' type and tends to soldier on through it).

Sauerkraut...that must have been tough 1,2, and 3. Somedays I really want a 3rd and feel I should just do it now and get it all over with (thus, having roughly the same age gaps as you) then go back to work, get a life etc. But this week has just put me off completely.

As for DVDs, TV etc, we made a consious decision about 5 years ago to get rid of the TV...why oh why did we do that???? I have days where I could just do with putting them in front of some childrens programme and leaving them to it. All I have is the old faithfuls on Radio 2 to occupy us!

Get a telly, some really good educational stuff on there for kids.

Did you think it was going to make the children more educated by not getting a telly?

When kids go to school and their friends chat about what they watched on the box or discuss a DVD, they may stand out and feel a bit left out?

Plus, on a day like you had yesterday, it would have been a godsend.

I limit the amount of time my kids watch TV and it seems to work. It is also a good bargaining tool and helps with their behaviour.

That said and done, I respect your decision of no TV.

how ca you surrvive without cbeebies!

exactly! if it wasn't fot the tv, wouldn't be able to type this on mn!

Can you watch DVDs on your PC?

Not that a DVD is necessarily the answer (unless you are me I suppose!)