Thursday photo #183

Two weeks after half term, things are finally back under control. Work is up to date, I’ve managed to fit in some exercise and we’re all back into our routine.

Fireworks night

I had a decision to make on Saturday. It was fireworks night and I wanted to take the girls to a local display with my husband. But that would have meant leaving the dogs at home when they hate fireworks. It would also have meant starting the week a little behind with work. So instead, I stayed at home and my husband took the girls out for the day, then on to the fireworks.

I joined them at lunchtime and we headed for a local café. We were all really looking forward to it because the food is delicious. But it wasn’t to be. As we walked towards the door, Lia started to have a bit of a tantrum. It wasn’t horrendous and it was over nothing, but she was a bit loud and I wasn’t willing to walk into a café with her behaving like that. So we went home.

Cue more meltdowns from the children. I was disappointed that the small part of the day I was going to be involved in had failed. But it was the right decision. Children have tantrums, it happens. But I never want to be someone who subjects other people to their screaming children in public unless it’s absolutely necessary.

The swimming breakthrough

Libby is an excellent swimmer for her age, but she had never quite mastered breathing without stopping. We assumed that it was due to lack of strength, she’s a tiny little dot so keeping afloat must take every ounce of effort. But on Sunday, she decided to have a race with her dad. After losing the first race, he mentioned to her that if she turned her head to breathe instead of stopping, she might beat him.

Well, she didn’t beat him. But she did immediately master front crawl breathing. It turns out competitive spirit and determination are good substitutes for raw strength.

Caught out

After dropping Libby off at school each day, Lia and I arrive at preschool a little early. She has taken to sitting with me in the front of the car for a while before we go in. Earlier this week, she took a liking to the rear view mirror and started playing with it while she was sat on my lap. I told her not to fiddle with it because it was important for driving. Quick as a flash she replied, “I know mum, I see you doing your hair in it when we’re going along.” Oops.

A moral dilemma

Yesterday, Libby went on a much anticipated school trip. A couple of minutes before getting out of the car to go to school, she informed me that she’d be sitting at the front of the bus on the way to the trip. I thought nothing of it, until she said, “Guess why I’m sitting at the front?” I was a bit distracted because I was driving, so she told me. “I’ve told them I get travel sick so they’re letting me sit at the front.”

Well, I have never known a less travel sick child than Libby. She can watch the iPad, play with toys and even read a book and has never so much as mentioned feeling sick. Which left me with a dilemma. Should I mention this to the teachers, or rely on her to tell them the truth? I gave her a quick lecture on being honest and sent her off to school. Then, I posted on my Facebook page to see what the general consensus was.

Most people were of the opinion that it wasn’t worth losing her trust to let the teachers know she wasn’t travel sick. When I picked her up from school, she assured me that she’d told the teachers she didn’t get travel sick. Apparently she told them she’d been joking and they were fine with it. I chatted to her again about telling the truth, then against my husband’s better judgement, we’ve left it at that. I don’t want her to grow up feeling like she can’t talk to me about things, even things I might not agree with.

Unusually, I haven’t taken many photos of the girls this week. So, I grabbed them as they were off to school and preschool yesterday. Of course, they can never take a photograph seriously. But unfortunately for them, I love these funny shots of them giggling together. The way Libby is looking at Lia is fabulous.