Depression

So last night I went to an enrichment about depression. This lady came and spoke to us.
It was good.
It was suppose to be about anxiety as well, but we didn't really cover that.
I don't think I have depression.
But I think I should go to things like this since it runs in my family.
Plus I think being informed is important, and I think when we're informed we can help those who struggle with it a little more effectively.
I struggle after I have my kids.
The first 2 weeks are rough for me and the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding is hard for me.
I end up resenting anyone and their freedom.
I've been like this after both kids so am thinking maybe it'll be the same after this one.
I recognize it though, and Dru is supportive through it all so I get over it after the 6 weeks and start enjoying things again.
I don't resent my kids though and have never had feelings of hurting them.
Anyway last night this lady said this quote and I can't remember it exactly but it hit me like a ton of bricks.
It was something like this: Your kids deserve a happy mum.
Meaning that I'm the one spending the majority of time with them and I'm the one who really sets the tone and mood of the house and she's right, my kids deserve a happy mum.
Now I think for the most part I'm a happy mum.
My problem is my temper.
So, again, I'll be working on that.
It's hard to break habbit though. The loudest in our family, growing up, were heard and we had some humdinger fights man.
We'd yell a lot and argue.
My dad was bad. I think I get my temper from him.
I can go from a 1 to 10 in seconds.
Bad news.
I've improved and I'm doing a lot better.
Age helps.
Dru helps.
But I can still do better.
I find I just have to take it a day at a time and pray for help during the day.
Anyway here are some notes she gave us.
Hope it might help someone.
THE TOP TEN WAYS TO AVOID THE BLUES
OR
HOW TO KEEP YOUR SUNNY SIDE UP!!

1) Eat small, frequent, healthy meals in order to maintain a stable blood sugar level.
2) Avoid staying up late.
3) Get plenty of sleep, but avoid the tendency to oversleep.
4) Get sunlight. (Ah have you seen Moscow lately?)
5) Get exercise.
6) Improve your self-talk.
7) Get support.
8) Cry if you need to.
9) Consider neurochemical support.
10) Remind yourself that you are not alone!

Piggies true fate

So I just picked Masaru up from school and the teacher said that we almost had a melt down at lunch today.
Apparently the girl sitting beside him used to own a pig farm and proceeded to tell Masaru what happens to pigs on the farm.
He was getting really upset and almost in tears trying to defend the pigs and saying that we DON'T KILL PIGS AND EAT THEM.
Then the teacher tried to tell him that bacon and ham are all from pigs and we eat it.
Well Masaru was having none of that and began getting into melt down mode defending all piggies and the fact that we don't kill them and for sure don't eat them.
He was horrified!!
So the teacher left it and was like "Alright, alright, we don't eat piggies, alright"
I didn't realize that he never knew about this.
Looks like when Masaru grows up and has his own farm it'll be a SAVE THE PIGGIES farm for all pigs who want to live a peaceful, long, life and not be bacon or ham for all of us mean humans.
So sweet man.
I guess he can stay ignorant for another year or so in hopes that his devotion to pigs has lessened or he's old enough to cope with the 'real' answers to life's questions.

You don't wanna hear.......................

"Mum, mum it's changed from raining to snowing outside. I'm sooooooooo excited. Are you mum? Maybe we can make another snowman!"
IT'S ALMOST MAY!!!!!!!
Give me a break.
Will it ever end?

It's official..........I've let go.

The other week I finally let go and let Yuki feed herself breakfast. It's really tough for me as I KNOW it makes a huge mess that'll I'll have to get on my hands and knees, most times, to clean up.
But she's 18 months and it's time for me to let go of control over feeding her.
She's doing a great job, like I knew she would.
Not MUCH of a mess, but she's only a kid so there's mess to clean up.
Since I've let her feed herself dinner too she's been eating more at dinner time and really does a good job of feeding herself then. Better than at breakfast time.
Ahhhhhhhh my little girl is growing up.
Time to have another one I can feed and have control over I guess.
On a side note she's doing PERFECT in nursery as well.
What a life saver that programme is at church!!
Yesterday I was in class and started panicing cause Dru didn't have her with him. I was like "WHERE'S YUKI?" And of course he's like "She's in nursery Melissa"
I was like "Oh yeah, yeah, was she ok?"
"Yeeeeeeeeeep"
"Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet"
3 months of freedom and then we start all over again!!!
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Oh yeah yeah cause it's what we think we wanted at that moment of time.
Jokes man jokes!

Great sewing

My mate is a great sewer.
She's selling some of the things she can do.
Check it out down here.

www.sewonandsewforth.etsy.com

Three children

So the last week I've started getting a little nervous about having three kids.
Now I know I'm in better standing than my sister in law who was thrown into three kids cause this time she's having twins...........but I'm still allowed to be a little nervous.
Most people have a hard time with three I've noticed, through their comments to me and so I need some positive encouragement peeps.
I asked Dru and he said "We'll be just fine"
Thanks Dru, big help there LOL
I'm like "How do you know though?" And he's like "Look at all the mum's out there who've had three kids and are doing alright!"
I was like "Yeah, I guess"
If I could just be a mum I think it'd be fine. It's everything else you know.
Cleaning, washing, dinners, gym (I'm loosing the weight this time), reading, service, callings and the list goes on.
What about all of that?
I'm gonna have to be super organized, and that almost goes against who I am.............super lazy LOL
It'll be like having a strict schedule again you know and I'm gonna be exhausted, I know it!!
If I wanna do a good job, I know I'm gonna have to be a little more organized.
I had to be a little more when Yuki came into town and now with this boy I know I"ll have to be a little more organized.
Then he's born in August and I'll keep him out of public places for 6 weeks like I did with the other kids, but then it'll be turning into winter a few weeks after that and it'll be all grey and depressing!!
LOL It's like I've set myself up for doom and gloom.
I told Dru all this and he thinks I'm being silly...........which is true, how can I really know how things are gonna be you know?
I can't.
Anyway this is just how I've been feeling in the last week. Hopefully it passes.
Maybe I need to start making a plan now?
Maybe I should start concentrating on the move into the 3 bedroom and how I'm gonna do that as well as the fight I'm gonna have to do with Creekside for our deposit to be given back and all the places that'll need to be called for changed as well as quitting medicaide and applying in Utah and the move down to SLC and living with the in laws.
Maybe I should just try and get through that.

Few pic's of the kiddo's

I love these guys.
I just realized there's WAY more pictures of Yuki than Masaru!
I still love Masaru just as much, maybe he was reading his book and Yuki was just floating around more.
Who knows.

Which one?

Which one would you put in your girls hair?
Don't comment if you wouldn't put any in your girls hair, I don't mind.
This is my first attempt at making any kinda hair ribbons you know. They're pretty simple and kinda budget but would you put any of these in your girls hair?
I was thinking of giving them away at baby showers?
My favourite is the green flower ones at the bottom left.

Good parent? Bad parent?

So yesterday Masaru brought me sliced bits of apple.
I asked him "Masaru, how did you do that?"
He told me he used the apple slicer.
I had previously showed him ONCE how to use it.
Then he did another apple, all by himself.
Can you believe it?
Am I validated in being surprized and pleased with him?
Or are all 4 year olds doing this? See I only have one 4 year old and I can't remember too much at 4 so I'm not sure.
Anyway, I think it's pretty awesome.
Our mate 'Uncle Pugs' would tell me it's because he doesn't have parents doing it for him so the poor kid has to do these kinds of things himself or it's nothing.
Now I'm not disagreeing with this statement.
It's kinda true you know. Me and Dru DO actually use the more 'free range chicken' type of parenting style so Masaru does do a lot himself.
He can make his own sandwich, puts all his dishes in the washer, tidies his own room, reads Yuki books, get Yuki out of her crib and the list goes on.
So the question is, and please don't answer it, am I a good parent? Or am I just forcing him to do stuff himself cause I don't do it for him?
I guess I'm the only one who can answer that question.
And the answer is.............................I think I'm both. I think I want my kids to do stuff for themselves and I don't believe doing everything for them is helpful at all and they'll never discover what they can ACTUALLY do themselves.
BUT I'm for sure lazy and Masaru probably has learned survival type things due to my laziness.
Soooooooooooo getting back to the point.
I think it's awesome Masaru can use this slicer. But I think I need to be around when he's using it and we need to talk about that.

First attempt

In NZ we call these french plaits. Now I dunno if that's the right spelling but it's said 'plat'. We don't say braid. I dunno if even that spelling is right. Briade? Who knows. Anyway this is my very first attempt on Yuki's hair for church on Sunday. It actually stayed in all day.
How did I keep her still for this?
I let her pull out about 50 wet wipes from the box.
I was willing to make that sacrifice.

Nurse Yuki and Doctor Masaru

On Saturday we went to the local Hospital as they were doing a teddy bear day. Children turned up with their soft toys and had them looked at by the doctors and nurses.
Dru was studying and so the kids and I walked down to the hospital. The footpath just ended so we 'offroaded' for a while. Masaru told me we were in Moab cause it was so bumpy.
Yuki took Hippo and Masaru took Kiwi of course.

They got something at every station. It took around an hour and was really well done. Both Masaru and Yuki were quite shy about the whole thing though. Masaru was more than willing to throw Kiwi out there and so Kiwi got a bandaid and a stich in his head and an x-ray of his brain.
Hippo got a nappie (diaper) and a bandaid but no x-ray. She freaked out the doctor was saying "Where is this girls toy?" so he could get it back to her before they put them through the x-ray machine.

Yuki didn't do too well at all. She was the whole reason I did it. I thought maybe she'd do ok with hippo there and a safe environment. But she was crying in almost every room. She liked the fire engine and ambulance and one room with a little obstacle course. That was it. Oh well. I don't think we'll see 'Nurse Yuki' any time soon. She wouldn't come out of the fire engine though so maybe she'll be a firefighter.
These are one of the hand outs they got at the hospital.

I don't know why Masaru has one single tear running down his eye here. I kinda feel bad for him. Why was he upset? Anyway Masaru was putting the nurse hat on Yuki and saying "Yuki you're a nurse and I'm a doctor cause girls are nurses and boys are doctors"
I NEVER TAUGHT HIM THIS.
It's funny the observations kids make. Cause MOST nurses ARE actually women and MOST doctors are men.
BUT Masaru and I had a long talk about how girls can be doctors and I gave him a couple of examples and how men can be nurses and gave him some examples.
I hope he gets it.
Who knows.
It was a good time though and I'll be going to the next one for sure.

Now I'm scared of the Easter Bunny!!

Now I understand why my daughter was afraid of the Easter Bunny.
Lucky Sarah was there to give her some hugs.
Look at this picture!! It's like it's straight out of a horror movie!! Does that bunny look like it's got a death grip on my kid and is trying to eat the top of her head while laughing all evil like?
Poor Yuki.
It's gonna take more than a bite of a snickers bar to fix this one.
I think she'd take shots any day of the week, maybe even shots by Santa.

Yessssssssssssssssssss!

We got into a 3 bedroom apartment here.
We're excited and can move in BEFORE we leave for Utah.
Oh yeah baby!
Now we have to figure out where Yuki's gonna sleep since the baby will be taking over her bed.
Here's what I'm thinking..................buy that way cheap bunk bed from IKEA and Masaru and Yuki can bunk it up in one room and the baby can have it's own room.
So we'll just be pushing all our furniture down the footpath a bit.
When it comes to moves, it'll be WAY EASIER than the move from Utah to Idaho but still a pain.
I'm glad we can move while I'm still pregnant though and not TOO HUGE instead of with a new born and a new scar!!!
Now just to rope in some poor people to help us out!!!!
Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Stake Easter Activity Pictures

This is the activity our mates took the kids to. These are the pic's they took.
I dunno if this is a cute moment or a moment where Masaru is stealing Yuki's eggs. I'd like to think it's a cute moment.
He really is pretty cute with her. I told him before they left that he had to look after her.
Sarah with the kids. I wonder who's bum got in the shot, and if they know their bum is posted on my blog.
Masaru eating dinner, rice krispie treats.
Oh and some more.
Who's getting these evil looks from Yuki? My guess is the Easter bunny.
Our Easter baskets doubled as hats.
But they can be only worn by serious children who don't smile.
Thanks again Ritchie's

It's as easy as flying a kite!

Whoever said this must've had perfect wind every time they flew their kite!!
Yesterday we went out and flew Masaru's kite he got for his birthday.
It was our first time.
I don't really know how to fly a kite so we asked Dru to come home early from school and fly it with Masaru.
He came home an hour earlier than usual, just to fly it with him.
Masaru was so excited it wasn't even funny.
I had to calm him down a few times.
He started crying at one stage because it started raining.
Fortunatley it stopped and was good when dad came home.
It was windy but in drips and drabs.
So that was the flying of our kite experience, drips and drabs.
Masaru didn't care though.
He loved it. Had the time of his life.
Here's some pic's.

Go Masaru, go!
Take two.

Go Masaru, go.
"Mum there's no wind!"
Go Masaru, go!
Steady now, steady.
Go Masaru, go!
"When's it gonna be my turn?"
"Keep the string tight Masaru, it's gonna crash!"
Go Daddy, go! (There's Brian in the background, taking out the rubbish, what a great husband)
"That was so much fun mum"
This little boy is our neighbour friend. He LOVES Yuki! He's a cutie. He wanted to be a part of the kite flying action.
"Dad, you havn't payed enough attention to me, hold me, dad, hold me"
"Pick me up daddy, pick me up, it's been more than 5 minutes since you've looked at me"
And to finish it off, a little close up Yuki. We can't forget her! She'll have none of that, thanks!