New SAHP board!

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

This will be interesting! and to MNHQ

I will take any and all ideas on caring for a toddler and an infant without losing one's mind. :o

I have DS1 (7 "and three quarters" as he says) DD who will be 2 on Wednesday, and DS2 who was born on Monday.

This week coming up will be DS1's last week of school until September (we're American so have the whole summer off) and he will be attending day camp 3x a week just to fight the boredom. DH is off work since DS2s birth but will be going back at the same time DS1 is done with school.

DS1 is generally pretty good (has an attitude but entertains himself and is fairly helpful) but I'm nervous about the entire summer with DD and DS2 at home.

DD is a feisty little madam. She just does not do as she's told (like most two year olds I suppose, though I must say DS1 was far easier as a toddler.) So it will be hard to take her places while I have the baby and can't really wrangle her. I don't drive so we have to go places in town, and there aren't many (no toddler groups etc). There is a park and a library. We have a large backyard with a trampoline and a pool (above ground) but I worry about being back there with the little ones if DD decides she won't come in...though I'm sure I could figure that out.

I do have a few friends with kids of similar ages and I will try to invite them over as often as I can be arsed to clean the house
fairly often.

What are some good activities to keep them busy? We don't have a TV either though I'm not opposed to screen time; DD likes to watch things on my phone. Is there a toddler-proof tablet I could buy?

i used to buy a massive roll of cheap wallpaper and roll it out the length of the living room and get them to draw around each other, then colour it in.

I also used to try and source the biggest cardboard box i could find and get them to make a house out of it and decorate it.

We did picnics on the carpet on crappy weather days.

I'll be breaking them out again this summer, we're not going on holiday and the break is nearly 8 weeks long this year!

Hey congratulations CheerfulYank

"and DS2 who was born on Monday"

How's it all going?

We've just walked to the shop and home again, so she's had a bit of fresh air. She's now climbing all over me. I just want to be left alone to sleep not be a bloody climbing frame . still 5 days till dp is off

Juggling um...well, overwhelmed to the point of insanity but completely smitten :o

Congrats CY
It's very tough when you are ill. I had an op a couple of years ago and dh couldn't have any time off and indeed had to go on a work trip 3 days after.
Should have been ok but ds2 came home from school the day after my op with d & v
That was fun
You get through it though
Ikea do great rolls of paper and they love to colour and draw on that
Play doh
Baking
Games on the iPad...my youngest learnt how to form his letters on the hairy letters app on the iPad!
Make a blanket den - perhaps this would be for older children

Awwww
Those feelings all sound very familiar CY
Not much helpful advice, except maybe ...
Try to sneak some newborn cuddles in at some point?
And get a telly - it will be a novelty for the summer and you can always put DVD's on if you're not as impressed by the other output?

Anyway good luck for the summer, hope it works out well for everyone - I find once you get into it it's usually nicer than you anticipate? Has to be better than winter?!

Congrats cy! My dd sounds exactly like yours . I also have an 8 mo ds. It was tough trying to work out the logistics of going anywhere with a less than cooperative toddler . I have never been more tired in my life but now it's definitely getting somewhat easier and they actually play together.

CBeebies has been my friend

congrats cy. enjoy the snuggly cuddles whenever you can

Minisoks paint brush and water outside is inspired! How can I be on dd3 and not know this?

Thank you everyone :) Yes I have thought of getting a TV and we may. I can get one of those streaming stick thingies (that's the technical term I believe ) for Netflix and Hulu.

That's good to know Totoro!

I also feel like being as prepared as I can be the night before will be a good thing too. I will have to make a lunch for DS to take to day camp so I may make one for DD the night before as well. She would like that and we can take it outside with us.

we used to create a splash area outside if it wasn't quite hot enough for the paddling pool, but still too warm to play out without shoes.

It was literally a bucket of water poured on the patio and they used to splash around in it like a big puddle and make footprints on the dry areas.

Just signing in to remind me to come back to this again later when I have more time, but wanted to say a quick hi to all the other sahps and show my support for the new topic :)

Hi all. Checking in, another SAHP who even after a year isn't used to the title! Love what you've done with the place

Hi CY! (and everyone else)

Is DD into gardening type activities? Could you give her a little bit of garden to trash and turn into mud play with?

I'd have been lost without the tv, tbh.

Well. dd has been asleep for nearly 3 hours now. I've made maceroni cheese for lunch, tidied up and watched some crappy tv. I'm a bit bored now

The macaroni cheese sounds nice for lunch Tucking - inspired!
Weekend TV is a bit hit and miss isn't it?
Too much football and films I often find - I rarely have the concentration or commitment for a movie.
More discussion and chat show things recently have been welcome, and Saturday Kitchen is quite watchable

Congratulations. Cheerfulyank! I am marking place really. Thinking about re training, rather than going back to being a class teacher. Thinking about being a florist! Both DS are at junior school.

Spanky, I'm another teacher who wants to retrain! Looking forward to collecting ideas over the next few years as a sahm!

Congrats, cheerful yank!!

Me 3. I'd like a few more years at home... But with an eye to the future.

Hi everyone I'm kind of just place marking for the moment - 2 more small people to sort out for bed yet! I've been a sahp for nearly 7 years but I think this summer is when it'll get tough for me - my dh is going abroad to work for 3 months at a time. So far we're used to a 2 week rotation, so huge change for us!

Congrats cy my dd3 is 6weeks.......its tiring! The box idea is a good one though, dd1 3.9 and dd2 17 months spent the last few days colouring, putting stickers on and painting a giant box, now they sleep and have pretend lunch in there! Or a tent that you can sit in with her whilst cuddling/feeding baby. I don't need the to too much for dd2 but when feeding and she is fractious a bit of night garden works wonders. I also bought a sling to help have hands free when baby is fussing. Both kids love it when I'm changing bed sheets and leave them off so they can jump on it. Bottle tops in a bowl for some reason entertains both for a while, or a bowl of water for "washing up". Good luck, i found I was so nervous about dh going back to work but actually it was easier than I thought, it all works out.

Congrats CY waiting the arrival of LO due any day currently expressing into a pot and listening out for DS 2.5 who's fractious and drawing all over the walls

Place marking nice to see other sahp glad its not just me then xox

Hey ho! SAHM here to one crazy 16 monther. Work part time at home and spend too much time wondering how people manage multiple children, jobs outside the home, daily playgroups or generally just getting outside before ten!

Usually manage stay and play one afternoon a week but struggle to do set activities on time. Need to get motivated asap. House currently ever so slightly less of a shit tip than it was as trying to get my domestic mojo back. Here to be motivated and shamed by all those together folks that manage to get stuff done.