Grubbs n Critters

September 8, 2012

Door-knob cover

In our quest to toddler-proof our home with our not-so-recent enlightenment of Spud’s ability to climb out of her cot, we now have further child-proofed some of the doors in our home in the name of safety.

We bought door knob covers – something which we had not thought of before the climbing out of a 1m cot bed.

This means Spud could no longer turn any door knobs in the house once we have those door knobs covered. This is especially crucial since we have an attached bathroom in her bedroom, and the door knob covers will also prevent her from leaving her own room and wander around the house whilst we are sleeping at night when we use the cover from inside her room.

It’s a clever design this.

The cover will only work if two circular parts are being pressed at the same time as when you turn the door knob itself; otherwise the cover will just continue to spin – much to the chagrin of a child, I reckon! For any child who can’t figure out the technique to open the door, this is a sure fire-way to annoy the crap out of them as the cover just will keep on spinning.

With this, we can at least save Spud from her curious self as well as ease my paranoid mind of child safety!

Rainy

Category: Weather

“Here comes the rain again….falling on my head like a memory…falling on my head like a new emotion….I want to walk in the open wind…I want to talk like lovers do…I want to dive into your ocean…Is it raining with you…”

Somehow, Eurythmics’ Here Comes The Rain Again came to mind. The only difference is that, when it rains here, I really don’t want to be walking outside in the open wind where it is wet; the fact is that when it rainsit gets you sticky all over and then you get stuck in traffic forever.

When it rains here, I’d much rather be home, preferably lazing, snoozing and cuddle up in bed. But since that is not currently possible, I’m happy to just stay home, sit on my lazy chair, nursing away and enjoying a cup of hot tea while looking out of the window

That warm, peaceful, serene feeling I get when it rains makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I don’t know what it is about the rain, but there is something about it that I really love. The ground is wet all around, it gets a little darker than usual and it feels a little cooler. Ahhh! The smell of the rain is just lovely.

Did I mention before that I love, love, love it when it rains?

Making time

Category: Being Parents

It was sweltering hot. It was morbidly humid.

I was exhausted. I was sticky. I was stressed. Above all, I was feeling very high strung.

It was just one of those days where after surviving yet another night of Squirt’s frequent night wakings, things went a little more than awry than usual as I go about my day of sending and picking Spud up from school, getting to a work-out session of Pilates, doing some cooking for dinner, trying to get through Spud’s after-naps temper tantrums as well as battling Squirt’s nap issues in trying to get him to sleep in his own bed during the day. It was the day when everything went wrong.

By 4pm, I was spent. I was due for a much needed shower. I was extremely high strung and impatient.

As I made my way to my room, a 2-year old Spud then came up to me with one of her little books, and went, “Mama read. Mama read.” She was repeating this over and over and over again and it was driving me nuts.

In my head, I wanted to scream “not now” and tell her to go away. Feeling the way I did but didn’t see the need to over-react, I looked at her wearily and told her with my really exhausted voice that, yes, I will read it to her, but now I want to have my shower first and she has to wait.

Spud then lowered her head down, and looked away and without saying anything, turned away and took the book with her.

My heart tugged that instance. What was I thinking – surely I have 5 minutes to read her ONE book before I go for my shower!

Regretting my earlier response to her, I then eagerly called her back and told her that I’ll read her her books. In fact, I have time to read her a couple of books. My shower can wait! Her face lit up. And, just as quickly, she looked like she had just grown springs on her feet; she leapt and ran up to her piles of books and fished out a couple for me.

I sat down and with her enthusiastically plonked her butt on my lap, began reading the 5-page books to her one by one.

It was 5 minutes of joyous bonding moment I could have ever asked for. I’m glad I caught myself in time and was able to remedy it there and then.

And, really, all she did was asked me to read her a book. It was not much to ask for. It certainly was more important that my shower.

I’m glad I did what I did and it certainly is a reminder to myself that whatever it is from now on, I will always make time for my kids. Sometimes, showers and everything else can wait.

And, regardless of how I am feeling at a particular moment, I shall always have 5 minutes to read her a book…for, there will come a time when she doesn’t need me to read her anything anymore.