Sticking To My Guns & The Curse of The Wii

Can you tell I couldn't decide which title to go with?

Anyhoo....Today Bling and I went to our local Baby & Kids Market. Basically it comes around once every few months and the stalls are all second hand baby stuff, kids toys and clothes...there is always a bargain to be had!

I wasn't going to go because my parents are away and couldn't look after Grotbag and I would rather have the fleas of a thousand camels infest my armpits than take a 4 year old to a basketball court filled with second hand Fisher Price Toys!! But Bling's Hubby, who will join the cast and be known as Pirate, kindly offered to look after Grotbag....and could Grotbag bring Mario Kart with him! Hmmm, who is the biggest kid?

I was after a bath seat and Jolly Jumper for Bugalugs (and managed to score both at the Markets at rock bottom prices - yay for me!) so quickly agreed.

Grotbag loves playing the Wii, especially Mario Kart and for the most part will stop playing when I tell him to. I put a timer on as it is very easy for a couple of hours to go by and not realise he is still playing, so the timer keeps it in check. The same with the TV. Especially as he is nice and quiet and mummy can get on reading blogs and writing her own!!! .

However, today he just totally freaked out (The Curse of the Wii!!) when it was time to leave Pirates and had a complete meltdown. I get so disappointed when he act's up like that but can usually calm him down. Yeah, uh today he didn't get that memo!!! So put him in Time Out and then told him he could not play the Wii or watch any TV until his Dad (Hubby) comes home.

Then realised that was two days away! WHAT WAS I THINKING???? I usually only take the Wii or TV away for 24 hours which is usually enough to curb the behaviour and have him apologise and appreciate it more.

But there it was, out in the open and I now have to stick to my guns through fear of being a walk over. And I won't go back on my word either! I've learnt my lesson the hard way with that one!

I have to admit though, since he has been home he has played with his Lego, Tech Decks, race cars and a game of Mouse Trap so he is more than capable of playing with his toys with out the background noise of the TV.

So the Curse of the Wii strikes again but I will be sticking to my guns until Tuesday when Hubby flies home. I may be sooo over Playdoh and Guess Who by then but at least he would have learnt a lesson. Won't he?

Have you ever regretted a consequence for your kids? And did you follow it through?

Sleep School - Part 1

Tomorrow I am off to "Sleep School" to sort out Bugalugs day time sleeps. Well, it's not really sleep school but a programme run by my local Community Child Health Centre called Sleepworks and is for parents whose babies (from 6 months to 3 1/2 years) are having trouble sleeping. They also run a programme called Hush Baby for babies 6 months and under.


But it is going to feel like going to school for me!

I am really nervous. In fact I am actually scared I am going to be overly defensive about the apparent "accidental parenting" of my child. What if I tell them what I am doing and they say (in some matronly voice):


"tutt tutt, well love that's your problem you shouldn't have (insert bad parenting here!)".
or
"so this is your second child is it???"


Or what if my problem sleeper isn't a problem sleeper at all, especially because I am attending due to his day time sleeps. And the other 7 mothers there, who havn't had a good night sleep in months look at me like I am a traitor and say (insert Paris Hilton type voice)


"O.M.G. he is soooooo NOT a problem sleeper. MY baby does (insert worse problem than mine!)"


I don't know why I imagine a Matron & Paris Hilton are going to be there but anywhoo....


I am also worried that what they tell me to do won't work or they want me to do something ludicrous to fix it. That's positive thinking I hear you say!


In a nutshell, I guess, I don't want to be judged for the type of parent that I am. None of us like to think we are doing a bad job in the Mothering department. And to tell you the truth I think that I do a pretty good job 99% of the time. Its just that darn 1%!


So as much as I am anticipating tomorrow to sort out the problem I am also dreading it too.



I will grab my pen and paper and hope it is much better than I am creating in my mind... and Paris Hilton isn't there!)



I wonder if they can do anything about Hubby's snoring........

Bugalugs 1 day old!