Ds had a really bad night, and being somewhat sleep deprived, it was very late in the proceedings before I figured out that he was probably cold – we’d accidentally left the windows open a crack and consequently there was a draft blowing across the bed. Anyway, solved that problem, but it did mean that I slept in rather. That always sets me up badly for the day.
Numerous disagreements with dd today – probably at least partly related to my exhaustion. Started off with her being lovely this morning, cuddly and friendly – she even turned off the tv when I came down so that I could have some quiet time. Really impressed by this – right up til the point I went to put a cd on, and discovered that it was all just a strategy to get to watch Barbie as Rapunzel again. Now I don’t mind her wanting to watch it, but I would rather that she told me so, instead of trying to butter me up to get her own way. So we had a bit of a disagreement over that, and she didn’t get to watch it til after lunch.
Before lunch though, I talked to her about reading, again. Explained how 100 EL works, showed her how many lessons we need to do to get to reading words and sentences, promised to draw up a chart so that we can keep track of how we’re progressing, started a lesson and gave up in minutes when she just messed around throughout.
After Barbie, managed to get ds down for a nap, and somehow found the will power to leave him upstairs and come back down myself, with it in mind to spend some time with dd doing some more on our ATCs. We did a couple which turned out quite nicely, then I thought I really ought to let dd do it herself, so went to grab the library books I’d got out the other day to see if there were any other ideas we could use in there, and dd switched off completely. It would appear that if we are doing something together then I have to be sitting there actually doing each one with her – which was not my idea of how it would work at all – part of me is worried that I am inhibiting her creativity if I do it all with her, and another part of me quite frankly resents sitting waiting while she plays with glue and sticky paper. Is there something wrong with me? Or is this a natural reaction when I’ve got a million other things that I feel I should be doing as well? It is working better having the computer turned off during the day, but that means there is kind of more pressure on me to succeed with dd, and at the moment I’m not.
So I gave up the whole thing and went to have a nap with ds. Who woke up after only an hour and proceeded to fill his nappy. Lovely.
While I was asleep my parents rang to say they would like to come round – dp told them I was sleeping, so they said they would go to their brothers first and come on after. So dp and I were running round like headless chickens trying to both shower and dress while supervising small ppl, changing nappies and sorting out tea, and come 6.30, still no sign of grandparents, and dd starting to get a bit anxious to say the least. So I called them, and turns out they were eating at their brothers, intending to come on to us when they were finished. Given that they are very well aware that dd goes to bed at 7.30, I was a little surprised by this, but sure enough, they turned up at 7 o’clock. Dd was beside herself by this time. It was also the first time that ds had shown any real interest in them – quite amusing watching the two children vying for Grandma’s attention. We also discovered that ds likes to dance – to his Bear in the Big Blue House musical book.
I really wish he liked sleeping though. I’ve just come back downstairs after trying to take him to bed, and having him just bounce around like a mad thing. I’m so tired that the words aren’t staying very still on the page in front of me, and I could just cry, but he is just lying on the floor playing really happily and chatting to his toys. 🙁
Gonna make myself a hot chocolate and then try again I think.
