Organising the toy situation

Do they really need all these toys? The short answer is...no.

My idealist view BC (before children) was that I didn't want primary coloured plastic invading my home and taking over everything.  I only wanted toys that were educational and came from sustainable sources.  My children wouldn't need material things to be entertained.....HA HA HA, oh how ridiculously naive I was.

We have recently moved to Washington DC from Australia from a four bedroom house to a two bedroom apartment.  This downsizing (and indeed the process of deciding what toys to take) has placed a new light on the type and volume of toys that we have in our house in Australia.  

In Australia our house is covered in plastic.  Its upstairs and downstairs, outside and inside, bathroom, kitchen, bedrooms - you name it and there is some kind of toy to be seen.  Over here it is different.  We didn't bring alot with us and even though things are still everywhere, the "things" are different.  

Sure there is Lego and cars and puzzle pieces and books but there is also cardboard boxes, old milk bottles with rice in them, empty toilet paper rolls, nappy boxes and a whole bunch of other recycled items.

When Master 3 was a baby, I did a whole lot more playing with things around the house but gradually over the years with birthdays and Christmases we have accumulated all sorts of other whizz bang things to play with and I have forgotten about how much mileage we can get out of a simple cardboard box!

Oh and how to store them....

There are so many solutions for storing toys.  I have a semi-organised, manageable system that seems to work and has some kind of order to it!  Would love to hear how you manage the toys at your place:

• Big colourful tubs with plastic handles
  We have one for each of our boys.  They are great because you can just throw everything into them and they are easy to pick up and move from place to place.  They are also a winner when we have other children come to visit as they all love to discover what is in them!

• Rotate Rotate Rotate
  To keeps the tubs under control, when they get too full, I take all the things out that are not being played with and put them away for awhile.  Then bring other things back - keeps it interesting.

• Use shelving or a cupboard if you can
  This allows you to gather smaller things that all go together like Matchbox cars etc and put them into labeled containers to be stored on the shelves.  This also helps keeps smaller items up high that may be a choking hazard for little ones.

• Zip Lock Bags
  I use these for everything - puzzle pieces, texta sets, playdoh sets, Lego sets (along with the instructions for building), felt playboard sets.  Keeps all the pieces together.

• Boxes
  We either decorate old shoe boxes or other cardboard boxes of all shapes and sizes or have a few purchased IKEA boxes to group bigger things together like cars, people, animals, tools, blocks or books.  I can store these in cupboards or on shelves.

• Sell, Swap or Donate
  When they have grown out of toys, put a group of things together and put them on eBay or have a toy swap with a friend.  You can also donate to your local Toy Library or Op Shop.

• Only clean up once a day
  I find this hard to do but I have learnt that if I do it more often I am just frustrated that it gets messy again within five minutes.  So at the end of the day we have a rule that before we have a story and go to bed, we all help to clean up.  The request is mostly met with "I don't wanna clean up" but "No helping, no stories" - gets the job done most of the time!

So even though the end of the day, the house looks like toy casserole, I take comfort that they are learning, playing and having fun - lets do it all again tomorrow!

To Move Overseas or Not - that is the question

This is the text I received from Mr Jones "What do you think about moving to Washington DC for 3-4 months?" my response "Hell Yeah!"

After much discussion and "pinning down" of the right people, it is all really happening.  I can't believe it.  I am really proud of Mr Jones - he has worked really hard and this is a credit to him that we this amazing opportunity.  

I honestly never thought we would be able to live and work overseas again (We lived in London for two years BC - before children!).  I am super excited but quite apprehensive aswell.

Our boys are at a really good age to travel for lots of reasons - Master 3 is only in three year old kinder and Master 1 is at home with me.  We don't need to pull them out of schools of which they have been on waiting lists for years for or interrupt their friendship groups or pull them out of all their activities that are so finely scheduled within our week.  

I am a strong believer that kids get so much out of travelling, experiencing new places and embracing different cultures that I think I would take this opportunity no matter what.

On the other hand, they might get more out of the experience if they were a bit older.  Master 1 will have pretty much no recollection but I think Master 3 will have some recollection. 

They are harder work at this age to travel with especially Master 1 - there is no amount of reasoning or explaining that can help this age group "Honey, please don't squeal anymore - it hurts mummy's ears" - is met with a blank expression and more squealing (although I am sure he knows that it irritates me).

In my mind the pros far out way the cons and so we are off - look out United States - the Jones' are on their way!

Help...my son is a squealer

And not the squealing in delight kind.  He is the high pitched, ear piercing, windows breaking, steam blowing, I'm not getting what I want kind of squealer.

I am mortified.

I don't know how this happened.  I don't squeal, his older brother didn't squeal, he is not around other squealing children - why does he do it?  BC (before children), I used to silently tut tut parents of children who were squealers "How can they let them get away with making that sound", "What a spoilt brat?" - I am ashamed I was so judgmental.  

I honestly can't seem to stop him from doing it.  He does it when he can't have his own way.  Being 16 months old, there are alot of times in the day that he can't have his own way.  He can't stick his fingers in the powerpoints, he can't pull his brothers hair, he can't press every single button in every elevator we get into, he doesn't want to get in his stroller etc.  Each time I tell him "No" he lets out a toe curling squeal.

I get so embarassed when I am out and about.  It is so loud that everyone can't help but look.  They must think I am torturing him.  All I can do is shush him or feed him...but I don't want to shove food in his face every time he does it - its not really a long term solution.  I don't want to not go out.  But after a particularly bad incident on the train the other day, I feel like I am at my wits end.

I have tried giving him the words to use, distracting him, putting him in a time out, ignoring him, getting cross, even putting my hand over his mouth - nothing seems to work.  I never give him his own way just to keep him quiet as this seems counterproductive so I am trying to work out a way of dealing with it that will help me in the long term.

I keep telling myself that it is just a phase - he will grow out of it once he has more language and can communicate better - I hope this is the case.  I think I am going to just keep ignoring it - its all I can do.

Have you had a child who is a squealer? What worked for you? 

Gee, he looks like Mr Jones

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this when Master 3 was born I would be a gizzillionaire!  I just nod and smile now saying, "Yes, I know but he has my sparkling personality".

To be honest, I was actually shocked at how little Master 3 looked like me when he was born.  He had really dark hair and a round little face with big, wonderfully squeezy cheeks.  This is pretty much opposite to me!  I actually hadn't given it a second thought that any child of my husband and I would at the very least look a little like bit of both of us.

I'm not saying its a bad thing to look like Mr Jones, far from it, Master 3 is completely gorgeous but I'm telling you, Mr Jones' DNA completely annihilated mine.  The only thing Master 3 has of mine is his eyeball colour (he has his Dad's thick eyelashes - as a side, why do so many boys have lusciously thick eyelashes - it truly is a waste!) and the thickness of his hair.  In every other respect he is a clone of his Dad!

When I was pregnant with Master 1, I really hoped that my DNA would finally stand up for itself.  It did - he looks a little more like me. Everyone sees something different with Master 1 - those who knew me as a baby think he looks like me and those that knew Mr Jones as a baby think he looks like him.  But I am claiming it!  Its funny though, the two boys still look very much like brothers.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter at all does it?  I love that Master 3 is so like his Daddy, watching the two of them together with their cheeky grins and quirky mannerisms.

But I also love the feeling when people look at Master 1 and say "Gee, he looks like you"! FINALLY! Hahaha!

Who do your children look like?  Are they dead ringers for you? A mix? or like me, have you lucked out?! 

Vomit in a public place

My little baby boy vomited in a cafe today.

Not just a bit of baby milk spew but a whole lot of tummy bug vomit. This is groce, I know.  You don't probably want to be reading about vomit but the cafe owner had an interesting reaction...

To set the scene - it happened with completely no warning.  He was not really off his food or lethargic or particularly quiet - he seemed fine.  When it happened it went everywhere - all over him, all over me, all over the table, all over the chairs and on the floor - yuck - sorry again for the graphic detail.  I promise it will be cleaner from now on!

After it happened, the cafe owner came out with a disgusted, cross look on her face (like I can help it). I apologised profusely - I would never take my any of my children out of the quarantine of my house if they had a tummy bug.  I asked her for some paper towel.  The first thing she said " You will have to clean it up, we're not allowed to touch it".  I would NEVER expect someone else to clean up my child's vomit and was 100% prepared to clean it up.  In fact, I would not let anyone else clean it up for fear of spreading germs.  I didn't expect her to clean it up but what I did expect was 1. Some sympathy for my poor little baby boy who was sitting in his pram looking grey and 2. For her to be as helpful as possible to help me clean it up.

So there I was, with my baby wipes and a plastic nappy bag trying desparately to wipe it up.  There was no offer of gloves, mop, bucket of soapy water, plastic rubbish bag - nothing.

Finally after I asked she bought out some paper towel and a packet of antibacterial wipes.  Whilst I was on my hands and knees, she squirted disinfectant onto the floor in front of me.  I was mortified and beyond apologetic and whilst I was on my hands and knees for 20 mins covered in vomit and wanting more than anything to get my sick little man home - she and all the other staff went about their business.

I am completely appalled at the way we were treated and will never go back to that cafe again.

Am I expecting too much? I think she should have helped me more.

Have you had this happen to you in a public place?  What did people do/not do for you?

Is my family complete?

I have two beautiful boys, I love having boys - I always thought I would have all boys.  I also think that I would like to have three children....sometimes.  It really depends on the day.  Some days I am like "Yeah, I could do another one - its all good" other days I think "There is no way in hell, I could do this again".  Do you ever have days like that??

People ask me "So, are you going to try for a girl?".  I am about 80% convinced that I would like three children but it honestly had never entered my head that I would have three to "try for a girl".  For me, it is more about having another child - no matter what the gender.

Its funny that when you have two children of the same gender people assume that you would like the opposite gender if you decide to have another one.  If you already have one of each gender people naturally assume your family is complete?  Why is it that to have a complete family you need to have the pigeon pair? Or is it just people asking questions to make conversation??

I won't deny it, I would love a little girl but I would also be just as happy with another little boy.  It truly wouldn't matter in the least.  I don't actually think Mr Jones is actually capable of producing a little girl - I don't think he has any "X" chromosomes - only "Y" hahahaha!  The main thing for me is the "magic" number of children, rather than gender.

The decision to go from one child to two was easy - I wanted at least two.  I count myself as incredibly lucky and blessed to have my boys.  The decision to go from two to three is much harder.  I often ask myself - am I content with my two healthy, gorgeous boys? Is my sanity going to be completely taken if I have a third? But there are also questions of logistics.  Will the grandparents be happy to take all three kids if Mr Jones and I want to have a night out? Financially, will we be able to give three children all that we would like to? Will I be able to manage going back to work if I choose to?

I think we will be able to manage the logisitics.  My sanity...well that is debatable.  I know it will be hard work when they are little but I love the thought of the three children grown up and having a wonderfully busy house with lots going on.

There are three children in my family and in my husbands family and I wonder if that also has an influence on the decision.  I am very close to my brother and sister and I cherish the relationship we have and would like this for my own children.

I don't really enjoy the newborn phase -  I find the first 12 weeks a complete fog of hormones, feelings, feeding and exhaustion.  I did enjoy it a little more the second time but still, this is such a short part of their little life.  I shouldn't let it dictate whether or not I have another child should I?

Mr Jones...well he is happy either way.  I think if I said that was it and we were finished he would be happy.  But he also likes the thought of three children.  He seems to be leaving the decision in my court but I think he worries about whether I will be handle it.  Geez, I worry whether I could handle it too.  There is no way to know is there?

How did you make the decision on how many children to have?  Was it gender related? Was the decision out of your hands? Was it related to how many children there were in your own family?  Perhaps you are also struggling with this decision!  Would love to hear your thoughts.

Is it true that you "just know" when you are finished???

10 Tips for Visiting Disneyland with Toddlers

We loved Disneyland but it is a pretty overwhelming place for little ones.  I have put together a bit of a list of things that worked for our two boys aged 1 and 3.  Enjoy the magic!

1. Make sure you have your stroller (or you can hire one there).  There is LOTS of walking.  There is also lots of stroller parking which is great.
2. Try and stay within a 10-15 min walk from the parks.  That way, if you have little ones who are still having a nap, you can get your hand stamped, go back to your hotel for a break and then go back later.
3. Take LOTS of water, food and snacks.  Water is expensive to buy in the parks and you don't want to wait in queues for food.  Also, when you are queuing for rides you can entertain the littlies with food!
4. If you can - go for a three day pass.  It is impossible to get the most out the parks in just one day.
5. Go to the World of Colour Show
6. Don't miss the Disney Parade
7. Try to only go on rides with queues of 20mins or less.  Anymore than that and there is a distinct possibility of toddler queue rage.
8. Meet as many characters as you can (if your toddler is into it - some are terrified!).  3-4 year olds, especially get a kick out of it!
9. Make sure you get to go on at least a couple of things for you!
10. See the magic through your kids eyes - you will feel like a kid again yourself!

Our visit to Disneyland

Mr Jones and I had never planned to take our kids to Disneyland.  It was one of those places that we thought we would let them do when they were all grownup.

On our way to live in Washington DC for awhile we had to transit through Los Angeles and we thought...why not?

What an amazing place!  We arrived in LA and had about two days to recover in Anaheim.  It was hot hot hot!  Those first days we stayed around the pool and did a couple of walks around the place.  

The first night in our hotel was awful.  Master 1 cried for about 2 hours as his poor little body clock was all out of whack after our 14 hour flight from Melbourne to LA and I am sure he thought it was daytime.  I thought we might be in for it every night but he was fine after that.  

We stayed in a nice family friendly hotel about a 15 min walk from Disneyland.  It has a separate bedroom for the kids so we could shut the door at night and watch a bit of telly.

We had a three day pass to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park.   There is SO much to do an see.  Especially with little kids.  They need lots of breaks and food stops.  Also, there can be bit queues for things so it is good to have the time to not have to rush around.

It is just such a fairytale.  Everything is so well put together and organised.  Its clean and the people are lovely.  Master 3 and Master 1 were able to go on most of the rides.  They went on the Teacups, the Dumbo ride, Finding Nemo Submarine, the Astro Orbiter, the Carousel, Trains, had a ride on a fire engine, met Mickey, went into Mickey's house, Goofy's house, Donald's boat, Tarzan's Jungle Treehouse, a Jungle Cruise in Adventureland, Pinocchio's Daring Adventure (which scared the absolute s*** out of Master 3 - whoops!) and the Winnie the Pooh ride.  We met and had our photo with Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Lightening McQueen and Red (from Cars).

Mr Jones and I managed to go on a couple of rides each just for adults.  I went on Space Mountain and the Matterhorn and Mr Jones went on the Star Wars ride and the Matterhorn (Mr Jones is not one for the roller coaster rides so I am surprised he went on the Matterhorn).  They were awesome! We also all spent the evening watching the Disney Parade, the World of Colour show and the fireworks which was really fantastic and well worth it. 

We got there early each morning and then came back for lunch to get out of the heat, let Master 1 have a sleep and have a swim in the pool.  Surprisingly I thought it was busier at night than it was in the daytime.  

It was hard to tell whether Master 3 really enjoyed himself - I think he found everything really overwhelming and got really apprehensive on the rides as he didn't know what is coming next - especially the ones where you go through big double doors into the unknown!  It was hard to crack a smile from him at times and there was quite a bit of "I'm hot, I'm hungry, I'm tired, I don't want to go back to Disneyland (what the?)" met with "You will have fun, you will be happy, you will enjoy it, it will be magical, you will be grateful" from us hahahaha!  He is only little and I can imagine how overwhelming it was for all his senses.

On the last day we went over to Disney California Adventure Park and went to Cars Land which was awesome and looked exactly like "Radiator Springs" in the movie.  Everything was so incredibly well done and there was so much attention to detail.  No wonder Disney is put up there on a pinnacle for the delivery of customer service and the customer experience.  

The happiest place on earth has lived up to its name....we love love loved it!

I have a dorky collection - a confession

I collect pins.  And I love it! 

I only started this collection about ten years ago.  Each place I travel to domestically or internationally, I buy a pin.  I wouldn't say I have hundreds of pins or anything but I definately have over 50 or so.

FYI, there are two different levels of pin collectors - pin collectors and pin traders.  The different being that pin collectors will buy one or two pins for their own collection and pin traders often buy lots of pins from the same place to trade with other traders on their travels.  These are the "must knows" of the pin collecting world (haha! now I sound really nerdy).

Now I don't go so far as to wear them around or anything but I have a french beret at home that is covered in all my pins.  It is one of those possessions that if the house was burning down, it would be one of the things I would want to take (obviously not the no. 1 priority but it would be in the top 10!).

I don't even know how I got started and I probably wouldn't be able to tell you my first pin but I love looking through them at all the places I've been to and each one usually holds a special memory for me from that place.

I also love choosing them.  Every souvenir shop has pins.  They are like keyrings, teatowels or fridge magnets.  I almost feel disappointed when there is only one to choose!

So there you have it!  Do you have a nerdy or quirky collection? Please share, I want to know I'm not the only one!

People are so polite and courteous

We have only been here in the US for a week but I am amazed at how polite and lovely everyone has been. Not just people in a service environment (although they have been great aswell) but just general strangers in the street.

If you drop something - people will jump to pick it up for you, if you are struggling with your stroller (as I often am - that darn thing is heavy with two kids in it) people will open a door for you or help you down the last step.  If someone accidentally bumps you in the street - they look you in the eyes and apologise like they really mean it.  People will say "Hello, how you doin' today?" and actually care for the answer.  If you ask for directions, people will stop and smile and give you all the info you need and more.

Its just so lovely.  

I don't know why I am so floored by this but it just seems really noticeable.  We are friendly in Australia - if fact we are known for it but we also seem to be much more wary, perhaps less trusting???  

I find myself smiling more, helping others more, striking up more conversations, meeting and talking to more people.  Could it be because I am new to this city and want to put myself out there more than I would back in Melbourne? - maybe.  Whatever the reason, I am really enjoying it.

Makes me feel welcome in this new city.

Thanks Washington DC!

Mumma, why are the post boxes blue?

I love to travel.  I embrace the differences of the places I go to.  I like trying new food, meeting new people and seeing different things.

This time, in Washington DC, I am seeing it all through the eyes of my darling boys.  Master 3 particularly.  Master 1 could be on the moon - as long as his tummy was full he wouldn't care!

For Master 3, this new place is overwhelming.  Even the smallest things seem strange.  The eggs are pure white (like in the picture books) instead of brown.  I pointed out a fire engine to him the other day that was literally going straight past us with its siren blaring but he didn't see it.  Why not?..."That's not a fire engine mumma, its yellow" - of course (they do have red fire engines here aswell but the yellow one must have been a special kind - confusing, I know!).

This was a lightbulb moment for me.

Many of the things that I must have been referring to or pointing out to him as we have been exploring, he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about!  

So I have begun to point out things to him like the post boxes are dark blue instead of red, the police cars and black and white instead of white and blue. Bob the Builder doesn't necessarily "sound funny" he just has an American accent. He seems able to process things better if he can associate with things in Australia. 

When someone asks him where he is from he will reply with our full Australian address - haha!  Have had to have some practice at just saying "Australia".  Its gorgeous!

I never thought we would travel overseas with our kids until they were at least much older but seeing this new place from my little boy's perspective is just amazing and makes me want to do it more! 

Are you a planner or prefer to go with the flow?

Are you a planner or like to figure it out when you get there? Maybe a bit of both? 

I am a planner and I LOVE to research!  Part of the excitement for me of going somewhere new, seeing something different or even making a new purchase is the research that goes into it.  I enjoy the thrill of the plan (I need to get a life right! haha!).

Before we came to Washington DC, I did sooooo much research.  Everything you could think of from groups to join to must see places.  The power of Google is endless.

I had a comprehensive list of websites to go to, groups to join, local supermarkets, best coffee, best kid friendly restaurants, local gyms and how many minutes it took to walk to the closest metro (train) stop.  Some may call it retentive but hey, it satisfies my control freak tendancies and I can hit the ground running!

I admire people that are spontaneous, fly by the seat of their pants, it'll be alright when we get there.  I kind of wish I was more like that and often fight the urge to plan and pre-organise everything.  But alas, I can't do it. So might as well embrace it!  

In the first couple of days after we arrived here we have managed to join three mum's groups and enrolled in a Gymbaroo type of program for the boys called JW Tumbles.  It feels good to be able to get into everything quickly.  

We have a few things in the diary now which makes it easier to settle and establish a routine.  It also gets us out of the house and doing things ensuring we can maximise this amazing opportunity.

These were my top living abroad with kids research priorities (in no particular order):

• Parks (with play equipment)
• Good coffee
• Supermarket
• Local library
• Kid friendly restaurants
• Local chemist and medical centre
• Gym
• Train/bus system
• Meetup groups

What do you look for in a new place?