J Likes Barbie

You'll know a toddler is ready to be weaned....

...when she "says" she is!

I was never more relieved than when J finally weaned herself off at 16 months.

Am glad I didn't listen to CA, who kept suggesting I apply chilli or mustard to my boobs. :(

How cruel's that??

When J finally made up her mind that she was ready for her bottle, there was no fuss, no struggle.



On her first day at daycare, I packed an unused Avent bottle (hard teat and all).

She had no problem with it, even though it was her first encounter with Avent's hard teat.

I'd been meaning to give away all of Beth's milk bottles, some of which had never been used. It was the only one that could hold more than 200 ml.

CA talked me out of the idea, saying J might eventually need them.

He was right!

Wisdom From 'Charlotte's Web'

I picked up Beth's school copy of 'Charlotte's Web' recently and enjoyed it so much.

Today, the girls are home with the flu.

What better time to watch the 'Charlotte's Web' DVD that CA just borrowed from the City library.

Good stories seem to improve with age and nostalgia.

Here are my favourite bits of wisdom.

ON GOOD LUCK

"Luck had nothing to do with this...It was good management and hard work."
- The goose, on being congratulated after the birth of 7 goslings

ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR

"Nobody feeds me. I have to get my own living. I live by my wits. I have to be sharp and clever, lest I go hungry. I have to think things out, catch what I can, take what comes."
- Charlotte, when Wilbur recoils at finding out she enjoys catching flies and drinking their blood

ON CUSTOMER SERVICE

"I always give them an anaesthetic so they won't feel pain. It's a little service I throw in."
- Charlotte, on how she handles her prey

ON FRIENDSHIP

"The quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready."
- Oldest sheep to Wilbur, when he tries to wake Charlotte up the first morning after she promises to show him her grand idea for saving his life

How To Do Maths Easily

Just found this amazing video on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oamy8L2lDZM

Favourite Barney Video

One of the nicest things about being a SAHM is that I get to snuggle up with my toddler and watch Barney.

She has just started warming up to Barney and now shouts "Bay-Yee!" with joy when I take a Barney video off the CD rack.

I love the positive values taught.

Helpfulness. Sharing. Caring. Being thoughtful.

And those kids in the videos...I wonder where they are now and what they're doing? I hope all that early contact with good teaching has rubbed off in their personal lives and that they're continuing to live lives of positive contribution.

Barney's Musical Castle Live! must be my all-time favourite.

It's got all our favourite songs: Hey Mr Knickerbocker, If All The Raindrops Were Lemondrops and Gumdrops, You Are Special.

I scrutinized the faces of the young audience in the video and they were just rapt.

When Barney sang You are special, special/Everybody's special/Everyone in his or her own way, the cameras zoomed in on this one little boy who obviously had some sort of brain injury. He was sitting on his mum's lap and she was smiling into his face and singing to him.

It was just beautiful.

And nothing beats that closing I Love You song.

It does wonders for my mood, making me feel all fuzzy and childlike and vulnerable.

And it's got the same effect on J as it did Beth, prompting her to snuggle up and give Mummy a kiss.

Thanks makers-of-Barney! Please keep up the magic!

The Age of Six

Received the latest KidsLife newsletter in my email.

WELCOME TO THE AGE OF SIX

"...six is one of those awkward in-between ages and a time that you may find reminscent of the terrible twos.

Of course not every six-year-old is difficult to deal with and certainly no six-year-old is difficult to deal with all the time, but one of the features of this age level is a tendency to function at opposite extremes.

He will love one minute and hate the next.

He'll be enthusiastic and energetic, but unfortunately overextension is the key word for this age.
His abilities simply can't support his desire to break new ground and head in new directions.

Six-year-olds can be slapdash, careless, casual and self-centred and now that mum is no longer the centre of his universe, he's happier to play away from home."

What a relief to know:

• Beth is normal
• I'm not alone!