Mummy fails-Parenting Two, Seven Months In

No one can accuse me of loving Baby G any less than his big sister but, since becoming the mother of more than one child, some of my practices have become…lacking, shall we say.

Despite being only seven months in, my effort in doing less or being economical with time deserves some kind of award. Call this my ultimate list of life hacks with two kiddiwinks. I’m sure I will add to this list as time goes on.

The only way I get to ‘see’ the news is via the baby monitor when I’m in the kitchen. I would love a TV in the kitchen but we need an aerial and I’m not sure Boo would eat anything ever again if she was glued to the box. I think we watch enough TV but I don’t feel I have enough time to sit down and watch the news and I love this way of doing it.

Washing for two children, myself and a mucky farmer means my washing machine is on most days. When the weather is good especially, I find I cannot keep up with the airing and putting away.
Likewise, when the weather is bad, I can’t get the clothes dry quick enough.
It works for Hubster and I and even Boo to an extent. Poor baby G is another thing. I have never known such a dribbley baby. I sometimes have to change his clothes four times a day because he gets so wet. We go through ten bibs a day. Then the weaning. He likes feeding himself and I am happy to let him but mushed, chewed food gets ground into his sleeves, down his top and I honestly think I am single handedly keeping stain removing companies in business. Due to the volume of washing however, I find it hard to keep up with him.
Forget my previous struggles with putting clothes away. With Baby G’s clothes, he is lucky if his clothes even see his wardrobe. Most days, I just have to pull the dry stuff off the clothes airer.

With Boo at school, I am like some kind of whirl wind in a morning. I try to do many things the night before but I still feel jittery most days that we will be late. I usually am too stressed to eat or don’t have time so I either grab a slice of toast as I shovel porridge into the baby’s mouth while yelling at Boo to eat.
However, I have discovered something that is so quick, I believe it can be eaten quicker than toast.

I absolutely love baby rice pudding.
That’s right. I have even been known to have it as my preferred dessert or even as a snack if I am feeling peckish. I used to like the Boots cinnamon flavoured baby rice pudding but they stopped doing that so Hipp Organic is my new brand of choice. Yummy and quite low in calories too.
When Boo was a baby, I sterilised everything until she was one. Even then, I still sterilised some dummies and feeding equipment. Not any more.
I know most people are less strict with their second child and so I don’t think I am on my own but it is so much easier.
If you have a dishwasher, the dishes, spoons, sippy cups etc do get washed at a very high temperature.
Plus we live on a farm.

He’s been licked by animals, pulled the dogs hair, stroked horses. I don’t think a few germs on a plastic spoon will do any harm.
I do still sterilise the bottles though.
Sleeping arrangements. Now this I am very proud if. I didn’t realise how hard bedtime would be with two but I’ve got our routine down to a fine art now.
I get them both ready for bed together. Then Boo gets in bed and reads a book with her GroLight on (so it’s a calming atmosphere).
I then give G his milk in his room and he usually falls asleep during the feed.
By the time I get back to Boo for the story, she is really chilled out and most times, falls asleep during the story. Both children in bed by 7pm win. Then celebrate with a glass of wine for getting through the day. Yay me.

So there are my recent new mummy fails. We’ve been late for school two days this week, I lost my car keys (again) and had to use my spare and poor G went on the school run wearing a pink sleep suit but we got through.

Surely that deserves another glass of wine, right?