Finding your mum voice

So have you found it? You know, that voice that can stop your child in their tracks just by saying 'No' or 'Uh-Uh'?
I found it around the time Noah started to crawl. He started to get into things and find things and I realised from across the room one day that I had to stop him before I could get to him - and there it was, my mum voice.
I have to admit that even the mum voice has failed a few times, more so recently now that Noah is well into the terrible 2's (that I so naively thought were non existent in the first few month of having a 2 year old)and he is pushing boundaries like never before, but it does work majority of the time. It is still working particularly well on Lili who has not yet realised she can defy mummy!
I have a friend who has a particularly effective mum voice, which I discovered today. All it took was a 'Uh' in the mum voice and her beautiful daughter immediately stopped what she was doing with a look of concern on her face! Oh the envy I felt!
I do find it amusing the sudden emergence of the mum voice, something I had not realised I had even after years of trying to be the leader of my pack of dogs. Like most things since having kids, it is one those things that comes from deep inside, and surprises you! My mum voice tends to be more of a low growl... so tell me, what is your mum voice like and how did you find it? ">

Why I love this month

Well to follow on from last month, here is this month's edition of Why I love this month. That's a lot of months.

Lili - 11 months
I love this month with Lili because she is developing her communication more and more and learning to play with others. She tries to copy her big brother all the time and just thinks he is so fantastic! She has taken her first wobbly steps, 2 here and there and can stand alone for a short period. Her first birthday is less than 2 weeks away now and I just can't believe it. She is still so small and petite, but full of character and life. She is still making me smile everyday and her fiesty, independent attitude is blooming!

Noah - 29 months or 2 years, 5 months
I love this age with Noah much because of the same reasons as last month. His speech is developing all the time and the things I hear him come out with make me laugh and make my heart melt. He is very kissy and cuddly at the moment and often just sits and kisses and cuddles me for no reason other than he loves me. His eating has come along in leaps and bounds and he has been putting on weight after months of no weight gain and poor eating. Toilet training is coming along slowly too. The best thing about this age is the fact that he can tell me what he wants and that he can tell me that he loves me!

Through all the tantrums and tears, always comes a ray of sunshine to put it all in perspective. ">

Feeling Blessed

There are times in my life when I am reminded of how blessed I am to have what I have.
I have been going through a rough patch lately. Times when I feel down and stressed and tired, when it's hard to remember why I chose to have two kids so close in age, to remember why I want to have more. Times when we all get sick and I have to do things on my own, when Noah is going through a particularly terrible two year old patch.
I am grateful in times like this that there is always something that reminds me of why my children are so precious and why I couldn't possibly stop at two. Sometimes it could be something simple like a full night's sleep, watching my kids play nicely, Noah giving me a cuddle and kiss 'just because'. Sometimes it's coming across a story or blog about a mother's loss or hearing tales of illness and surgery.
It's these times when I hug my children that little bit tighter and give myself a mental slap across the face for not feeling as grateful as I should for being so blessed.
Being a stay at home mum is my calling in life. I have no ambition for a career, I get the most joy out of watching my children grow and develop and laugh and play. I don't want to miss a single moment and I find it so rewarding to be able to witness all of their milestones. For me, this is what life is all about.
Those few times that I get lost in how hard it can be are short lived and I am so thankful that I am reminded of how wonderful life truly is. Even with a snotty nosed teething baby and a tantruming, bored toddler!
I definitely am feeling blessed.


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My mini business/hobby

Today I am going to promote my little business...
I have started up a website in the hopes I can make some money from my little hobby. Go to http://nolidigitalcreations.weebly.com to view.

Invitations, business cards, canvas or poster prints, digital scrapbook pages or even a whole digital scrapbook can be made just for you.
Any requests or questions can be emailed directly to me and I will get back to you ASAP!

Please share with your friends! ">

Kids Shows

I love the shows out there for our kiddies at the moment. There is so much variety and majority of the shows are very educational and fun for them to watch. I can't be bothered putting in my 2c on the TV debate but I will say that Noah learnt more from watching The Wiggles than he would have if he didn't. Or should I say he learnt things sooner than he would have.
Playhouse Disney is probably my channel of choice for the kids. There hasn't been a show yet that I have thought is inappropriate or has content that I disagree with. Most shows are bright and interesting, have music and are educational ranging from learning to count to ten to learning how to sound out words. There are shows about manners, shows about chores, shows about going to the doctor - you name it, they have a show.
I don't use the TV to teach my children in place of me as a mother, but I do use it as an addition to what I can teach. Ok still not going into the Tv debate ;)
I think it's great that the show writers/producers are putting in so much effort to make great quality educational shows for children. No advertisements to boot.
Gotta love foxtel. ">