New beginnings...

This is our new venue for Twins at Totstime. We have now held four sessions here and it is working out to be a fantastic venue. It's a bright and airy room, we have a beautiful view of the playing fields, the room is clean and tidy and the toilets are clean too!

The venue itself is smaller than our last venue and we don't have any onsite storage, however we make the most of what we have got.

We had another fantastic turnout today; another two new families. We made a slight change to our floor plan and we believe that it benefited our families and enabled them to mingle.

The morning school routine didn't go quite to plan today. The girls were shattered this morning (to be expected I suppose after the constant weekend) and therefore getting them organised and doing as they've been asked was a mission.

Ruby proved to be my main challenge, she was cold but didn't want to get dressed, when I put her clothes on they tickled, I offered to take them off again but she didn't want them off. She wanted her coat on because she was cold, but "not that one" - it was too small, too tight on the arms or she just didn't want that one.

I finally managed to get her into the car, but getting her out when at school proved even more difficult! I'd used the "count to three" tactic on four separate occasions now and it was wearing thin. I got the girls out of the car, but she just wouldn't get out, because she was cold. I had literally had to "pull teeth" with very action she had to do this morning and my patience was now very limited. I lifted her out of the car and she relaxed her legs underneath her, she would not stand and with having four other children to care for (I also had our friends daughter with us), I was conscious that I needed to get them to school. I placed Ruby on the ground and gave her the option to get cold on the floor or get nice and warm in the class. Yep, you guessed it, she stayed sat on the pavement! I got to the bottom of the road, before I turned back and picked her up. She was literally kicking and screaming.

The "everyone is looking at you" tactic didn't work and neither did the threat of items being put in the naughty cupboard. She had blocked me out and was only concerned for her crying. I put her by the entrance of the class while I helped Pops get her stuff sorted. Rubels' teacher came over and tried to reason and talk to her, but she wasn't having any of it. Her temper had flared and she was not backing down while I was around. I gave her a kiss and left.

Another mum casually suggested that it must be heartbreaking to see her like that, but to be honest, after the morning I had had with her, it wasn't heartbreaking, it was more annoying. Rubels is like a bear with a sore head when her temper flares. Nothing I say will calm her, I have to walk away and allow her calm in her own time. If I try to reason with her or even comfort her, she squeals, squawks and cries louder.

Sure enough, minutes after I had left, she had calmed and was carrying on about her day as if none of this morning had happened. When I picked them up from
school, she proudly announced that she hadn't whinged or cried at school today.

Kids!! - They certainly teach us to love unconditionally and to push our understanding and patience to all new levels. I wouldn't change them for the world though :)