Wordless wednesday 87

The terrible 2s...at 1!

Yusuf!
No Yusuf!
Noooo!
YUSUF!!!!

Thats all we seem to say in our house...and that's not only me! Even Sumayah has joined the no-yusuf brigade. Yes I know it's the age, the terrible 2s...oh but wait he's only a year and a half! So in other words the worst is still to come?!

Yusuf is that child that you cannot take your eyeball off for even 1 second. When I need to feed Uthmaan I find myself following Yusuf from room to room (Uthmaan firmly attached) just to make sure he's not catching up to mischief. He's ALWAYS catching up to mischief. If I decide to just make myself comfy and stay where I am, it will be a matter of seconds before I hear Sumayah shouts out 'Yusuf! Get off Bilaal's bed!' And then I have to go running to grab him one- handedly off the top bunk (Uthmaan still firmly attached). He is constantly opening cupboards to throw everything out, pushing buttons, turning dials, climbing into onto over under anything and everything. You can scold him, ask nicely, shout, slap on the bottom, distract him, silently take him away; tie things up, tie things down, hide things away, place things high; you can tie him in or lock him out...but somehow he still manages to get to where he wants to be and do the thing he wants to do! He can do something one second and you take him away and reprimand him and the next second he does the very same thing. It can be exasperating to say the least. The main thing is to see him at all times. He is able to achieve maximum naughtiness in a very short space of time. For instance, today I decided to make muffins. While the muffins were in the oven I saw him run into the kitchen. I immediately ran after him to keep him away from the oven. I grabbed hold of him just as he was running pass the oven toward the scullery. Potential danger averted I go back to what ever it is I was doing. A short while later I smell the muffins burning, yet the timer hadn't finished yet?! So I go check and find that the muffins were charred on the top and then I notice that the dial had been turned to grill! In that second that he ran pass the oven he managed to turn the oven dial to grill without me knowing. So we now have a batch of headless bran muffins courtesy of Yusuf. He is also so incredibly quick at climbing on to the top bunk. He scurries up the end of the bed and with a look of complete exhiliration he proceeds to walk on the bed and smiles his naughty 'I know I shouldn' t be up here' smile. There certainly is no end to the crazy with Yusuf around...and next thing you know Uthmaan is going to be following his lead to give us double the trouble...now THAT is the real meaning of the terrible 2s!

Rub-a-dub-dub 3 kids in a tub

My super awesome hubby has provided me with the welcome support needed to maintain my sanity during the bath/ bedtime routine during the week. I am a very lucky lady with the priviledge of an au pair who comes monday to thursday from 5pm till 8pm to help me get the kids ready for bedtime. Thanks babes. It takes the edge off, minimises the shouting, permits me to laugh more with the kids, and enables me to have some quiet bonding time with Uthmaan without needing to pull Yusuf off the top bunk while Uthmaan in attached to the dairy.

And then the weekends happen... Because the routine is more lax and theres less pressure to get everybody to bed for school the next day, I don't feel stressed by this time of day on the weekends. Having said that, the evening wind down with 3 kids under 4 (Bilaal is thankfully very independent) is still quite chaotic. But with Uthmaan getting bigger and more sturdy, I have discovered that co-bathing them is fun for the kids, contains them all in one space at the same time, and is less chaotic for me. When you have so many kids, you find what works for you until the next challenge comes along. All part of the mumdrum of life.

Wordless wednesday 86

Model for a day

A few weeks back I received a pleasantly surprising email from the features editor of Essentials magazine, Taryn Arnot. She said the feature piece for the magazine's December issue was about how 'inspiring', 'real women' would be celebrating the festive season. She had read my blog and thought I would great for the feature! Well first of all to be thought of as 'real' is a huge compliment and affirmation that I am being authentic about who I am on my blog. But then to also be referred to as 'inspring' was amazing! I agreed to take part in the feature, which entailed answering some questions pertaining to the topic and then going for a photoshoot. It was immensely exciting.

Myself and two other bloggers (Laura from Harassed Mom blog and Melinda from Diaries of a white mother raising a black baby) were to meet Taryn and the photo shoot crew at a boutique hotel and wedding venue called Morrells Manor in Northcliff.  We tried on a few different clothing ensembles and then had hair and make-up done. While we waited for our turn in front of the camera we were treated to some delicious snacks and beverages. It's so funny how nervous I was, but then so were the other two women for whom it was also a new experience.

I was first up in front of the camera. I think I was nervous because I envisaged a whole Tyra Banks Americas next Top Model scenario where you have to pose in different positions with specific 'looks'. It was of course nothing like that seeing that this was obviously not a fashion shoot. I was photographed in two different settings and the poses were very 'portrait' in nature. It was finished very quickly and then we were free to go. I stayed and chatted with the other ladies for a bit before heading home.

It was certainly an experience I will always remember, not least because I spent a relaxing afternoon without the kids, being preened and pampered and treated like a star. Thanks to Taryn Arnot for choosing me and thanks to Essentials magazine for the opportunity. So look out for the December issue of Essentials, I certainly am excited to see it!

Wordless wednesday 85

Wordless wednesday 84