skye's sleep

Skye takes a while to fall asleep every night. The bed time routine doesn’t change, and she is in bed by 7.30-8pm every night (unless we are out). But it’s not uncommon for her to still be awake at 10pm. She lies in her bed, and looks at the pictures in books; sometimes she draws or plays with her dolls. I was like this as a child too, so I’m not too worried about it.

The other night around 9pm Skye got out of her bed and came into the lounge room and told me she was having scary dreams. I knew for a fact that she hadn’t even been asleep yet, and asked her what her dream was about. When Skye blurted out “Killing things” with a strange look on her face I got chills down my spine. She saw my reaction and quickly told me her dreams were about monsters. So I tucked her back into bed and told her that monsters aren’t real and only pretend and that they couldn’t hurt her.

Later that night when I started to think about it. I felt like she only said monsters because I she realised I didn’t like her first answer. Now I am feeling a little freaked out. Is she really having dreams about killing things, is that why she doesn’t go to sleep easily at night?

{photograph taken my me}

Skye of many faces...

Skye is one of a kind; I have never met anyone quite like her before! She is very animated, with constant facial expressions. I can almost always tell what she is thinking just by looking at her. She has a completely different personality to the other two (Alex & Phoenix) but she has come from the same parents, same town, same house, same rules and the same upbringing.

She will talk to complete strangers when we are out. I was looking a magazines a few weeks ago in the supermarket and Skye told a woman who was standing next to me how pretty she was, and how much she liked her pretty clothes. I started to feel embarrassed, my checks started to go red. Then I told myself not to be so silly, this is Skye she loves to talk to anyone and she can always find something nice to say. I stopped feeling so silly and started to feel proud and so blessed to be able to call this sweet little girl my own. And you know what, it properly made the women’s day to have a complete stranger randomly compliment her.

Spending time with Alex

{Alex icing cupcakes}

I have read how important it is to spend one on one time with each of your children, and I really like the idea of it. But it’s just not something I find time to do often. There aren’t enough hours in the day to include everything that I would like to do...

Alex is 12, and she is my first born. She seems to be the one who missing out on the one on one time with me the most. I think this is because she is the oldest and she needs less help with things.

This weekend Alex and I spend one on one time together, and I realised how important it really is for bonding and nurturing a good long lasting relationship with her. Alex will be entering her teenage years all too quickly and If I don’t try harder I might lose her forever.

We made cupcakes together! Then Alex and I left everyone else at home and went to the movies. Just mum and daughter hanging out, it was so much fun.

The Last Airbender was fantastic, if you like fantasy and adventure movies this one is for you! P.S it has Jackson Rathbone in it (plays Jasper in Twilight)

letters from skye

When I picked up Skye from kinder the other day she was so excited to see me, more than usual anyway. She had a very busy morning playing and making letters for me. Her little blue eyes twinkled as she watching me open her pretty little letters. They melt my heart instantly, as they would do to any mothers heart. I open the first one and it’s a pretty picture of me complete with glasses. The second letter has black ink stamps on it, and some handwritten letters. I will treasure them forever, and put them in my little box of goodies that is hiding under my bed. One day when is all grown up I will give them back to her, so that she can keep them to show her children.

unauthorised hair cut

Last night was a sad night when I discovered Skye had cut her own hair. She has butchered it, and I don’t think I will be able to put it in piggy tails anymore. {See before the hair cut pictures here} Skye’s hair is very fine and it is slow growing. She has only ever had two hair cuts in the four years and 9 months she has been on earth. When I asked her why she did it, she said “I don’t want to wear hair clips anymore”. I was devastated, it was like being punch in the face. My business is all about hair clips, and now my daughter hates them!

I think it is sort of rite of passage for my children to cut their hair around this age. Phoenix did it two weeks before our wedding, and tried to hide it under his pillow. His hair looked so bad it even had bald spots. Alex did it at school one day when she was in prep, hoping I wouldn't notice. Skye just came out of her room and left the evidence on the floor and sat on my lap and look at me waiting for my reaction.

oompa loompa

One of the things I love about my children's school is that each class from prep to grade three gets a chance to host the weekly school assembly. Last week was my son’s class’s turn, and they put on a little play. Phoenix was an oompa loompa. It was the cutest thing seeing him up on the stage singing and dancing.

I seem to be missing the costume making gene, or I was always the day the secrets were given out. Honestly I really do suck at it, but I don’t think Phoenix noticed so it was all ok. I can knit, crochet, and do other crafty things but when it comes to a sewing machine I have no idea where to start.

homework

So sorry I have been missing from the blogging world. My daughter Alex had another big school assignment she needed to complete, so she has been on the computer for the last three days. This might be a great excuse to looking into getting a laptop, if her work load continues.

Thank you everyone for your comments on Thursdays post regarding the assignment Alex had due. In the end I went to bed myself and my husband got up early in the morning and helped Alex complete her Edward Scissorhands report. I have mixed feeling about the homework she gets sometimes. I don’t think that Edward Scissorhands was age appropriate for 12 year olds. There were a couple of sexual themed scenes I cringed at while watching it with my daughter. Children are forced to grow up too fast, I know our parents said the same thing about us, but I feels even truer today than it was when we was back then.

Homework adds stress to children and parents. How wonderful it would be if they could come home and spend time doing things they enjoy after a long hard day at school. This might sound naïve, there must be a good reason for homework or teachers and schools wouldn’t give it to students....Right?

Anyway I am going to have a late night catching up with my favourite blogs.

thrusday

Finally some much needed “me” time. Today has been crazy busy, I've barely had a second to myself. This morning I had my son school assembly play to attend, and he did an awesome job. This afternoon I made orders and answered emails.

When Alex got home from school she needed to do her with an English text response assignment on the movie Edward Scissorhands, that’s due tomorrow. At first she told me she knew what she was doing, so I cleaned up, organized tomorrow orders and made dinner. Once Phoenix and Skye were in bed by 7pm I read her assignment and realized she was having difficulties understanding the themes in the movie. Therefore the assignment that she had spend 4 hours on, wasn’t going to work. So I sat down with her and we watched Edward Scissorhands together. After a few more hours work, it was 11pm and it is still incomplete but I sent her to bed. Now I have a dilemma, do I finished it for her tonight or wake her up early in the morning so that she completes it.

Alex is only 12 years old, I honestly think the themes in Edward Scissorhands went over her head. She is still a child, and doesn’t always grasp teen and adult themes. It's all my fault I have been too overprotective, and I haven't taught her enough about the world.  

not so lazy anymore

Skye can be so lazy sometimes. She is the youngest in the family which means that she expects everyone else to do everything for her. Lately I have been trying to encourage self dressing. I have tried before without success; she will happily spend the day in her pyjamas rather then put clothes on all by herself. So in the end I choose her clothes and dress her myself.

Hurray! I seem to have finally had a win, that last two days she has got up in the morning and picked her own clothes and got herself dressed before I have gotten out of bed. Maybe she just needed me to stop nagging her to do it.

Today she put this little outfit together. And we went outside to take some pictures. I love the hot pink and aqua together, she seems to like colour which is most excellent!

Be back later to post my self portrait…

point and shoot: driving me crazy

This picture was snapped on Sunday morning of Phoenix and Skye on the top bunk bed.  After my little monsters have spend most of the weekend fighting with each other and driving me crazy.  It was nice to see them actually playing together and enjoying each others company. Even though it lasted for for just a moment.

Playing point and shoot at fatmumslim's today!