TRYING to get a JOB DONE with a 2 YO around...feeling stressed

[noonar]

tomorrow is dh's birthday. all afternoon, dds aged 2 and 4 have been helping me make and ice a cake, make cards, shop for little present at local shops, and finally wrap presents.

it started out great, all very creative and hands on. but by the wrapping up stage i'd had enough. dd2 refused to sleep, was overtired and screwing up all the paper and sellotape etc. it should've been fun trying to involve them, shouldnt it? it wasnt- well it was, for the first 2 hours! then i got snappy with dd2 and actually had to resort to ignoring her to stop myself snapping further when she repeadtedly asked for the sellotape- just like a stuck record! aagh!

i'm so tired, i still have to do dinner, get ready for work tomorrow, make dh's day feel special, find the energy to go out for dinner after work...i know should be a treat.

i just find it so stressful getting anything done with my little 2 yo around. i always have an awful time if i try to actually achieve anything.

sorry - rant over.

how do you get stuff done with a toddler around?do you feel like screaming and get snappy too, or is it just me??

I don't get anything done, I am drowning in a shitty, cluttered, crappy house that is falling apart around me

If I were in your shoes i would have let dd help with cake, card and choosing prezzie but would have wrapped it after she had gone to bed. Can't imagine it going well with her around!

prof, you are right, that wouldve been sensible, but have preparation for work to do tonight- a ma teacher- and i just wanted to get all the bday stuff out of the way! god i'm tired!

I try to start preparations a few days in advance, so bake the cake one day, ice the next etc. If I get stressed then kids really play me up, they know all the buttons to press. You can kiss goodbye to keeping anything as a surprise that way though! And I've not yet managed to wrap anything presentably with "help".

i am a teacher- i meant. and one who is too tired to type, clearly.

aah - It took my a long time and three children to finally realise that you can't actually do anything with them around at that age. Luckily it does get better - my youngest is coming up to 4 and I can get lots done now - just don't want to.

for something like this, I make a list of stuff to be done then only do 1 thing/day. DS1 is pretty good, but you can't expect miracles from a 2 year old.

For Christmas, my family get internet OXFAM/UNICEF gifts (buy a goat etc). Ethical and ideal for the lazy shopper like me

2HRS IS A HELL OF A LONG TIME FOR A TODDLER TO DO SOMETHING- I DO SYMPATHISE THO'
[SAD]

it wasnt 2 hours doing the same thing!! it was 20 mins doing cake, 20 mins doing card, 30 mins at shops etc etc

i can see that you're all alot more organised than me. yesterday i shopped for dh's present from me. the cake wouldve been stale if i'd made it yesterday. i cant ice it tomorrow cos i'm working. so i did do the 'one thing per day' thing as far as poss. i suppose we couldve made the cards on friday, but i'm not that organised. dh has been around all weekend so had to keep it a surprise.

i guess that i just find it frustrating that i can't:
make a card
wrap a present
make a cake - in one afternoon. i dont want to have to organise these tasks over several days. i want my life to be simpler!

I do feel for you noonar - it's so hard. You think it would be simple to get this stuff done. By the time to remember to be organised they've grown into a different stage. That's what I meant by it took three children for me to realise.

I am currently totally stressed as my freelance work has taken off recently and I am finding it really difficult to manage without childcare

Have low expectations!

That is, do everything yourself, and give Dcs parralel things to do that don't 'matter'.

E.g. you ice cake, they 'ice' cup cake (a few in the tummy, general artistic effect like a frog in a blender).

you wrap present - they scribble on a piece of paper to make a card.

I have sympathy for you - I ended up crying on my Dhs birthday! (Dd was 2 and a bit)

noonar - sorry to sound smugly organised. But learned the hard way