Sleeping woes

It's 10:40am and I am struggling to keep my eyes open at my desk at work even after 5 espressos.

My child has never been a good sleep, he has never slept through the night, we on 2 years and 9 months of not sleeping, for the most part my body is used to it and I can handle it without loosing my cool (most of the time)

I think the one thing that has saved me is the fact that although Aiden wakes 2-3 times a night, he always happily went to bed at 7:30pm, no fuss, no crying and in his own bed and when he woke in the night he stayed in his bed. Meaning I could get to bed by 8:30pm and have at least 5 hours solid sleep before the rounds of waking start.

That has now shifted and I am not coping and I am not keeping my cool.

Since we moved to the new house he hates his room, he won't even go in there to fetch a toy he wants. He no longer wants to go to bed at 7:30pm he wants to watch a movie or get in bed with me and fall asleep. He screams, he goes out of his room and follows me around and it's killing me.

For the first 2 weeks we have been allowing him to fall asleep with me at 9pm and then we move him to his bed and then when he strolls in at 2am we have been putting him in bed with us. Now I know I don't want to start a bad habit so last night I decided to stand my ground and we fought for 2 hours we fought, going back and forth to his room, him screaming and crying, me eventually screaming and smacking at every count of 3, by 10:30pm he won, I couldn't do the broken hearted cries any more, I couldn't fight or get up to take him to his room one more time, what the neighbours think is any ones guess.

So he slept between us, moaning in my ear all night, kicking my back and taking up all the space and asking for juice every hour.

As a result pure exhaustion and lack of concentration.

And I still have to do it all over again tonight.

Any advice is welcome.

The one where my kid gets bullied

I knew I would have to face it at some point in Aiden's life, bullies are every where and never really leave your life even when you all grown up. Did I think it would hit me when he is only 2 and a half years old...no!

I have watched slowly the last couple months my sons behaviour and personality changing, at the beginning I thought it was just the next phase then I became worried. He has become withdrawn, quieter, more shy, more weepy, clingy, wanting his dummy all the time, not wanting to sleep in his own bed, not wanting to go to school or to be left alone to do anything by himself.

At first I thought it was because of my grannies passing and he felt our pain and then we moved so I thought he was unsettled but his behaviour has just become more and more intense.

A while ago he told me how S was a naughty boy and went to the corner for hitting the teacher, that was his story every day for a long time. Then every time he got an eina and I asked what happened he would say S hurt him, then the other day I asked him directly does S hurt you at school, and he just nodded his head.

I still tried to convince myself it must just be toddler age phases and all the kids doing it to each other, till I walked into his class this morning and watched S run and scare Aiden and wouldn't stop, even though Aiden was telling him to "stop it" and until Aiden started crying. At first I just stood there in shock because his teacher and assistant did nothing to diffuse the situation and then my fury was on the culprit. I pulled him and told him to stop doing that then gave the teachers a piece of my mind, I then proceeded to email the principal.

Her response:

We know about the situation and are busy trying to resolve it. And it is 2 children bullying your child not just S.

What, you know my child is being bullied and you didn't think of fucking contacting me, you joking right! I pay R2200 a month so my child can be terrorised into a different child and not have any one think to inform me.

That was my response.

My heart broke into a million pieces to know that I have been dropping my child off into an environment where he is being hurt, at an age where he doesn't fully understand, at an age where his personality is shaped and changed into what he will be in the future.

All I want to do is hang those children by their toes and whack some sense into the little buggers for messing with my child.

I don't really know how to deal with it, do I take him out of the school, do I sit and wait for the school to "deal" with it, do I call for a meeting with the culprits parents, do I teach my child to fight back and how do I get my sparky, vibrant, loving and brave boy back!

How do I get him to come out of that shell that I know to well from being bullied through out school, how do I take away that pain and insecurity that can possibly cripple him for years to come.

Why are people so mean.

Mommy guilt

I am a yeller.

I have a short temper.

I have no patience.

And as much as I know this and as much as every day when I wake up and tell myself I am going to stop and change, I always fail.

I read this article the other day and it brought me to tears because I don't want Aiden to fear me, I dont want him to fear making mistakes or to be to scared to come to me when he has done something wrong.

I yell over spilt milk, if he wiggles to much when I change his nappy, when he splashes and makes the whole bathroom wet. I yell at him for basically just being a kid.

And I hate myself for it.

I knew when I fell pregnant it would be something I struggled with, I have always been a perfectionist,  I have always liked things to be done right and in a certain way but I forget that this is a child learning, exploring and finding his feet in the world and I am hindering him from doing it.

I am not talking about discipline, he needs that, I know when he is naughty and I loose my cool it's understandable but I am talking about messing yogurt or taking his shoes off right after I have put them on.

The guilt consumes me and I feel like the worst mother alive. I see how my family look at me and they have told me before to calm down, my mother has even removed Aiden from my presence so that I cam calm down and Aiden can too.

I am creating the monster who yells back at me, I created the tantrums and the screaming when he is not being heard.

I am creating a yeller by being one.

Love from Bear

Life changes...remember to live it

If I close my eyes and think where I was last year this time and what my life consisted of, I can't believe the change, I can't remember where the time went, actually I can, it went to stressing, worrying, fighting, illness and negativity. I spent so much time focusing on all the things that were going wrong, yes things were bad all around but I forgot to live my life.

I forgot to love Aiden every day and revel in his stage of growth at the time. I forgot to lay in the sun and see the beauty in the summer. I forgot to visit friends that relationships have now weakened. I forgot to make time for myself for what I enjoy. I forgot to work at my relationship and nearly lost it because of it. I forgot to let my family know how much they mean to me.

I lost out.

I lost out on a whole year of my life because my focus was all in the wrong places.

I am in a much different frame of mind now ( yes meds made a huge difference ) but now I stop to smell the roses. Now that I am working 9-5 I appreciate those 2 days I get to spend with my family, partner and son every week. I wake up excited for the day ahead and what it brings, good or bad, I see the light and maybe I am not out of the tunnel yet but everything has a warm glow and I find myself finally living life again.

Don't forget, don't live in yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, all we can do is right now and yes it might sound cliche' but don't wake up one day and feel like you lost out on a whole portion on your life because as much as you wish you could go back for those cuddles with your child and kiss your mom before you leave her house on Sundays and lay on that blanket and seep up the summer sun, you can't.

I am guilty of living in the past and guilty of stressing about the future, I consume my mind and soul with worry and I have missed out on so much instead of just simply, enjoying today.

Love from Bear

How I keep myself feeling like more than a mother

Since the day I fell pregnant I came second, time for myself was lost and for a while their all you would find me in is jeans and a t-shirt and a top bun. Once i got out of my hermit shell I found ways to keep myself looking fairly good and to do it in record time. I can now straighten my hair in less than 10 minutes, paint my nails while my kid is still awake and even turned the top bun into a stylish hairdo.

Here are my top products I use to save time and still keep myself feeling like more than just a mother.

Bennets Aqueous Bath drops - putting on cream or body butter is a treat and never an every day thing, this drops you put in the bath and moisturizes your skin while having a bath, killing two birds with one stone.

Johnsons Face Wipes - getting rid of the days make-up has never been easier and gives you a second boost of freshness to get through night duty.

Garnier BB Cream - I LOVE this stuff, best foundation ever made, it really does last all day, blends well, has an SPF 15 and moisturizer all in one.

Sock Bun Device - This little goodie makes the top bun look like a well planned hair-do instead of a lazy, I don't feel like brushing my hair day.

Maybeline Super Stay - Lipstick never lasts, smudges around your lips and goes on your teeth, this stuff lasts most of the day and dries so no smudging or teeth dying.

Wella Pro Series Moisturizing treatment - I have tried plenty hair treatments, this one is the best and it takes only 1 minute instead of the usual 20 minutes, who the hell gets to bath for 20 minutes! oh and it is only R36!

The Wet Brush - I have damaged my hair with countless times brushing my hair wet or not brushing it and having to pull knots out, this beauty glides through wet hair and any knots. My favourite little investment.

Woolworths Hand Cream - the only hand cream I will use, it's non greasy, smells great and leaves your hands feeling soft and revived.

Hair Candy - My beloved hair dresser Galan from Hair Candy, every now and then I treat myself to getting my hair done at the salon, he always does my hair exactly like I imagine it and he is so well priced!

Mr Price - I am a Mr Price junky, I have to stop myself from walking into their stores just so I don't bankrupt myself but when I feel like spoiling myself or need a little wardrobe pick me up, Mr Price is my go to shop, they fashion forward and affordable on a single moms wallet.

I was not paid or sponsored to write any of this, I genuinely love all these products and or services!