And..... Ta Dah!!!!!

So I guess you're wondering about the title eh?! Well let me elaborate on this...

... We all get bogged down with day-to-day life, a few years ago another mummy friend of mine (thanks Sarah MacKay) that instead of dwelling on the things you don't manage to get done, focus on the things you have accomplished!

It's not a 'To Do' list, it's a 'Ta Dah' list!!!

Still don't get it?! Let me show you:

Ta Dah List, Fri 23rd Nov

1. Cleaned up cat sick (7.15am)
2. Had a coffee
3. Made hubby a travel mug of Tea
4. Got girls dressed
5. Sent boy to school
6. Gave girls breakfast
7. Did girls hair
8. Made bed
9. Got dressed
10. Sorted clean washing out
11. Sorted dirty washing into colours
12. Put 1st load washing on
13. Took girls to school
14. Loaded dishwasher
15. Emptied oven
16. Put dishwasher on
17. Sprayed oven with cleaner
18. Got ingredients out for Flapjack
19. Got Hoover out
20. Writing blog! (9.40am)

So as you can see it's already been a very productive & busy day here at Sharp Residence, it's only 9.40am & the Ta Dah list is growing by the minute.

Now you may feel this is silly, but in fact it's a real motivational boost that doesn't take much effort. Writing a list takes a few minutes, but when it's a list of boring every day mundane household chores it puts a complete downer on the day - turn it around & make yourself feel positive about it, make a Ta Dah list instead!!!

It's astounding the actual amount of things we do as stay at home parents (it's not always us girls that do it, there's some house husbands too) but do we often get any credit for it?!? You bet your life no, it is often unnoticed but we carry on working like troopers to keep the home nice & working perfectly like clockwork!!!

So every once in a while, sit back & take a minute to reflect on your achievements in the day, it really does open your eyes to how much we do on an average day. We all deserve more appreciation for our accomplishments, rather than just taken for granted.

Now my blog is pretty much finished (it's 9.50am) so it's back to the chores... Time to hoover & then to scrub the oven clean!

Have a great day all & wear a proud smile for all you've achieved so far, you're all amazing parents - whether you do a day job for a living or look after the home (& children).

I surrender!!!!!

I surrender!!!!!

Yes, I'm waving the white flag... I can't go on, I give up, I'm failing, the road has come to a dead end!




I really have no idea anymore, but my children are driving me insane - mornings especially so, you see we live 2 minutes from school but inevitably we're late almost every day!!!


It's not through lack of time or trying though, it's through non-compliance of my children & they just will not co-operate with each other at all (or me for that matter)...


I've done 3 different parenting courses over the years (since Cameron was 4), tried various different strategies, given choices, spoken calmly, etc, etc but I am just getting nowhere at the moment "/


I'm not complaining about my children, I love them very, very much but I'm becoming more & more concerned of how we're going to cope in September when Cameron goes off to secondary school - Scary, eh?!


Scenario this morning (Tues 22/05/12): Duncan wakes me at 06:40, Anneliese is up & the house is calm (bliss). Hermione gets up at 06:55, the house is still relatively calm (just a bit more noise, but no agro yet) & Dunk wakes Cameron at 07:05 (times approx, sorry I don't really clock watch & remember precisely what happened when) - now Cam does not like getting out of bed, he needs much encouragement & prompting.


Duncan leaves for work approx 07:10 (ish) & on his way out the door wishes me luck with Cam (he's still laying in bed). So, I finish packing the lunch boxes, filling the water bottles, put the kettle on & then proceed to encourage Cam up & out of bed to get ready for school.


I was planning on sending the girls to breakfast club at 8am, but that plan soon went out the window.


At 07:30 I make Anneliese's medicine, she's currently on Movicol paediatric plain oral solution - she has to have 1 sachet daily mixed in 62.5ml water (we use squash too, to make it slightly more palatable)...


It's only 1/4 of a cup but oh my word, this causes so much chaos! You would think I'm trying to poison her (in fairness she has a point it is vile, imagine drinking a 1/4 cup of water/squash/tea/coffee (whatever drink you fancy) but with 2 teaspoons of salt in it & you may be close to what it is actually like) - it takes an absolute age to get her to drink it & somedays a damn right battle too, refusals, tantrums you name it!!!


07:45 I tell Anneliese she need to finish her medicine quickly, then we can brush her hair & she can go to breakfast club at 8am, so I then say that I'm just going to get dressed & to speed Cameron up (he'd got out of bed by this point but that was it, sat in his room doing nothing) so he could walk Hermione & her to the school.


I head upstairs, not only to find Hermione (who I'd sent up to get some socks, she was wearing trousers) was getting changed into a pinafore - but Cameron had only managed to take off his PJ's, put his socks on & was in the throws of very slowly putting his shirt on! Give me strength :(


I remind Hermione she still needs her hair brushed & to do her teeth, if the clock passes 8am there'll be no breakfast club. So I'm dressed in 5 minutes, I go back down to brush Anneliese's hair (who still painfully has 2 mouthfuls of Movicol left) - I'm getting a tad annoyed now.


8am comes & goes, so no breakfast club today (same as yesterday) -  I come down to make breakfast, Cameron finally finishes dressing & is singing Michael Jackson songs - now ordinarily in a calm mood, this would be enjoyable & funny (Cameron is quite comical & changes his voice, which can be hysterical) but I'm stressed & annoyed, so this is just winding me up as he is not helping in any way!


Breakfast was slow, but eventually got finished, so then I go to brush the girls hair, I brushed & plaited both girls hair.


Anneliese's cardigan needed buttoning up & then I notice this HUGE black stain on the shoulder that wasn't there when she'd got dressed! So she had to change both her cardigan & shirt - Now it's approx 08:40, I plan to leave at 08:45 (children have to be at school 08:55)... Arghhhhhhhhhhh

& it never washed out either :'(

I ask the children to get shoes on, brush teeth, go to the toilet so we can leave on time. I go to clear up the table & breakfast things, as the children couldn't be bothered.


Not 1 of the children has cleaned their teeth, none have their shoes on & only Anneliese was on the toilet! Cameron had gone back to his room & was looking for sunglasses as Hermione had got hers! I am shouting at this point as I don't want to be late & sunglasses are not important... It was 08:50 & we really should have left the house by now!


Anneliese gets off the toilet, washes her hands & brushes her teeth, but then has a tantrum cause she wants sunglasses. Cameron came down with a cap & cinema 3D glasses cause he couldn't find his shades!!!


Hermione is walking round with her head in the clouds, still with no shoes... Not funny, I get sunglasses for Anneliese, Hermione goes to bathroom, Cameron is just being Cameron & twittering on about random stuff not at all relevant!


So I'm really annoyed, grab Anneliese's things walk out the door telling Cameron to get a move on, Hermione followed me & Anneliese out, but he was still faffing around with something. Eventually we sign in to school at 09:02 - still it was an improvement on yesterday's 09:10!!!