Wednesday dot

Wednesday again today, after the normal stress of getting out the house, we finally arrived at school a little late. Today was a non-uniform day due to it being the school Christmas Fayre next Friday. We needed to donate something and all we had was bottles of squash. I had picked up 3 bottles as we walked out of the house. Strapping the kids into the car I realised that one of the bottles had its label missing. In the time it had taken to get out of the house and put them in the car one of them had ruined the bottle. Neither child owned up to being the culprit and there was no time to go back for another.

Unloading the car outside the school, my 7 year old grabbed his PE bag and ran off. Ignoring my shouting and calling, he was dancing along the pavement. My daughter took her book bag and put her coat on. I was left with my 7 year olds book bag, lunch box, coat, forest school clothes and daughter’s drink bottle. Trying to get both kids into school with one steaming on ahead and the other bringing up the rear. Sometimes I feel all I do is shout. Screaming at them both to just get to school for breakfast. Why can’t they just cooperate? Carry their own bags and understand that the sooner I leave them at school, the sooner I get to work. Maybe because they are children and young children don’t understand, why would they?

I left them both at school and drove to work. A busy morning followed by a busy afternoon. When the children got home from school they were hungry as they always are. I’m sure the school do feed my daughter. I’m not sure if she is really hungry or if it is just habit. My 7 year old will still leave his crusts and for some reason, he always brings home his empty yogurt pot. His lunchbox is always covered in yogurt. They both always act like they haven’t eaten anything. So that was me than making them both toast.

Trying to get my 7 year old to finish his homework was like talking to a wall. Any excuse to not do it. Daddy listened to him read and I heard my daughter. We then went through her spellings. I’m hoping that we get to school on time tomorrow to go through my son’s again. Spelling test is tomorrow as the school have a staff training day on Friday. Trying to get a child to learn spellings when there are more interesting things to do is not easy. My son seems to be doing alright with his, but my daughter is not finding spelling as easy. She does try but we need to do a lot more learning and practice together.

The children both left their dinners again tonight. It was sweet and sour chicken, I thought it was really nice. They ate some of the pasta and not much else. My daughter ate more them her brother. He ate a few mouthfuls, then said he was not hungry but wanted yogurt. I told him no because he had not eaten his dinner. He then promptly helped himself to it. I was still eating. How do you get an independent minded child to do as they are told? He wanted yogurt, he was having yogurt. I could have grabbed it off him but eating it will not harm him and he had eaten very little dinner. How do you get the balance right? A constant power struggle, between discipline and not sweating the small stuff or picking my battles.

On Sunday I let my son have an echo dot in his room. Tonight I got angry with him not doing as he is told and asking Alexa for music when I have already told him to stop. I made the threat that if he carried on I would take the echo away. Well, he carried on and then he got angry. I had to carry out the threat and the dot is now in our bedroom. He shouted, he cried and he scared his sister, daddy shouted at me and I shouted at daddy. However, my point was made. I’ve told him he can have it back Friday night if he behaves. He says he needs the music to go to sleep, he’s only had it Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so I’m sure he will be fine without it for two nights.

He did calm down eventually and I then read to him. I then kissed him goodnight, all is good. My daughter meanwhile was with daddy and once put to bed she went straight to sleep.

So another work day tomorrow, I have a meeting in the morning and a bring and share Christmas lunch. I’m looking forward to lunch and relaxing for a little while before a busy afternoon.

I am now going to get some rest before tomorrow starts again bringing with it the morning stress again of being mum.