feeling bad for feeling like this, weekend dread.

louise3965

if you have a ssafa service committee ask for help from a community volunteer. That's exactly what they are there to help with x

jcr16

haha, thats just reminded me. i have to share these photos

when my little girl was about 19m, while her baby brother slept i thought we'd do painting.

this is how it started.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/judie16/toripaint014.jpg

and this is how she ended up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/judie16/toripaint036.jpg

but wow, she did have fun. and we've still got all the paintings she did.

Frith

Hehe - I've had 6.5 years alone with my children! Here are my suggestions...

1) Bubble mixture in the garden.

2) Very long bathtimes with rubber gloves, flower pots, drinks bottles and often my wine making equipment (syphons and funnels!)

3) Coloured chalk to use on outside paths.

4) Library visits.

5) Making a mobile library van out of a cardboard box, low chair and lots of books.

6) Squirty bottles (sort used for house plants) to "clean" patio areas.

7) Playdoh.

8) Carboard boxes and other recycling to stick together/pile up.

9) Sheet over the dining table to make a den.

10) Dancing.

11) Making a den in the cupboard under the stairs (written down that looks like a terrible punishment but they like it really!)

12) Turning the lights off, shutting the curtains and playing with every torch we can find.

13) Cooking.

14) Going to the village shop.

15) Making the lounge into a cinema and watching TV with popcorn.

16) Paddling pool (or washing up bowl) or sandpit.

Presumably there will be mother and baby type groups? I'm so anti-social it wouldn't bother me if I didn't see anyone for 66 days. :-)

Anacrusis

All these ideas are great, but I wonder if mainly you need the company of other adults? I don't think you can see too much of friends! But I think you'll know if you're inviting a particular friend more than they want to get together + then you can ask them less + ask someone else instead... are there toddler groups etc. locally that you can get to?

Do you have friends that live far away or family that you can invite for a visit? If there are a couple (or more) people/families you can invite you could space the visits to break up your 66 days.

louise3965

Frith wrote: »

Hehe - I've had 6.5 years alone with my children! Here are my suggestions...

1) Bubble mixture in the garden.

2) Very long bathtimes with rubber gloves, flower pots, drinks bottles and often my wine making equipment (syphons and funnels!)

3) Coloured chalk to use on outside paths.

4) Library visits.

5) Making a mobile library van out of a cardboard box, low chair and lots of books.

6) Squirty bottles (sort used for house plants) to "clean" patio areas.

7) Playdoh.

8) Carboard boxes and other recycling to stick together/pile up.

9) Sheet over the dining table to make a den.

10) Dancing.

11) Making a den in the cupboard under the stairs (written down that looks like a terrible punishment but they like it really!)

12) Turning the lights off, shutting the curtains and playing with every torch we can find.

13) Cooking.

14) Going to the village shop.

15) Making the lounge into a cinema and watching TV with popcorn.

16) Paddling pool (or washing up bowl) or sandpit.

Presumably there will be mother and baby type groups? I'm so anti-social it wouldn't bother me if I didn't see anyone for 66 days. :-)

Posts like this used to make me want to kill myself Some of us are natural mothers, and some of us struggle and need help. Dancing? Well fab but what do you do for the other 23 hours 55 minutes?

Torndao01

Hi Mum2twinsx2

Dont feel bad about how you feel, most of us feel it some time or another. My husband is in the forces and he went away for 6 months when my 2 were just turned 1 and 3. We dont live near family or within travelling distance (6 hrs). We dont live on camp either so no one else in the same boat.

The only thing that got me throught it was the 15 year old school girl who came every teatime to help with the kids. She was a cousin of another mum who I had met, she came every school night straight from school, had tea and just played with the kids and chatted to me. This was for 2 hours and I paid her £30 for the week, including tea (5 day week). To be honest it had more to do with knowing I would see someone else everyday and have little chat. Best money I ever spent.

Also get in contact with a group called Home-Start. It is a vol org that helps parents with children under the age of 5. Some people think its only for single parents but its not, its for anyone who needs help. I explained my situation and a woman came round once a week just to help me watch the kids and she would help with things like doctors appointments and such like.

I cant stress how much difference the teenager coming round helped and Home-Start. Dont try to do it all by yourself, ask for help, people are willing but sometimes dont offer until asked.

You might not want to say but what area are you in, people may know of local organisations that can support you.

Savvy_Sue

louise3965 wrote: »

Posts like this used to make me want to kill myself Some of us are natural mothers, and some of us struggle and need help. Dancing? Well fab but what do you do for the other 23 hours 55 minutes?

:rotfl: yeah me too, and actually I used to hate play-doh and painting too, it wasn't the activity that was the problem, it was the clearing up afterwards!

Torndao01 wrote: »

Also get in contact with a group called Home-Start. It is a vol org that helps parents with children under the age of 5.

Also check with your HV whether there is a local college doing childcare who need student placements - they often want experience where there's more than one under 5 or an unusual situation.

Rachel021967

I can vouch for Homestart. I used to have a volunteer once a week. Used to accompany me go to local mother and toddler groups.

Rachel.

viktory

mum2twinsx2 wrote: »

Ive no idea how to occupy the eldest two.

Why can't the children occupy themselves for a while? You do not need to entertain them every moment of every day. A couple of trips out, perhaps to the park, library, or museum (all free or cheap) and let them entertain themselves after that at home. Having seen the age of your children, you'll need to be involved but still...they could play music, have friends over, watch TV, play on a games console, go on the Internet, paint, make something...there are plenty of free ways for them to occupy themselves - even little ones.

mum2twinsx2

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

:rotfl: yeah me too, and actually I used to hate play-doh and painting too, it wasn't the activity that was the problem, it was the clearing up afterwards!

Also check with your HV whether there is a local college doing childcare who need student placements - they often want experience where there's more than one under 5 or an unusual situation.

Thanks never heard home start, but I`m planning to get the boys weighed at children`s centre Tuesday so I may enquire. I survived doing not a lot so far today. Nobody woke until after ten :eek: which never happens.:D By the time we had breakfast got dressed it was twelve so half a day has bitten the dust.

Play dough is on the cards for this afternoon thanks for the `recipe.` I got a massive roll of old plain wallpaper and paint to do outside but heavens have opened in Cornwall about five minutes ago.

Feel a bit silly now worrying about it a decent night sleep worked wonders.