Reduce Speed

All this thinking about slowing down here reminded me of one of the many ways my little borther used to get a rise out of my Mum when we were younger.

Of course, he got away with it every time.

He's not affectionately known as 'Golden Balls' merely for his b-ball skills.

Mum : Right lads, everyone into de car.
Bro : Mum, are you Irish?
Mum : Of course I'm feckin' Irish. Now get in de car would ya.
Bro : Mum, are you sure you're Irish?
Mum : I'm Irish, yes. Are you wrong in de head or someting? Hurry up.
Bro : Mum, are you really sure you're Irish?
Mum : Ah to be Jaysus, Mary and Joseph didn't I say I was feckin' Irish. Get. In. De. Car.
Bro : Mum, are you really, really sure that you're Irish?
Mum : Ah now you. Get in dat car before I clip ya. I'm Irish and that's de end of it.
Bro : It's just that it seems to me, you're always Rushin.

Apologies to any international visitors, but I don't want to always be
a Rushin Mum.

Must. Slow. Down.

Shar :-)

Telltale Signs Part 2 : The Reflection

Sooo, yesterday was a roller coaster.
Nobody was hurt or maimed riding  the ' Boy's Birthday Comedown' , but I certainly did not want to ride again after alighting from the carriage last night. 

The problem is I know that I was a huge contributor to yesterday's angst.
Not by engaging with Magoo's frustration or taking the bait when he was ridiculously unreasonable (surprisingly).
I didn't pay attention to the warning signs that the little man was posting along the way to Meltdown city.

I have written about how Magoo is my reminder to slow down and live in the moment before.
I thrive on being busy, productive and social.
We have been insanely busy, productive and social lately.

Magoo has coped remarkably well with a whirlwind few months and I'm thinking yesterday was the culmination of serious overstimulation on his part.
The life I have created for him, for us, is too much for him.
If that indicates that my boy belongs on some spectrum somewhere, so be it.
(Or indicates that I belong in an institution somewhere, so be that too.)

I was disappointed with Magoo's behaviour for most of playgroup yesterday  - when he went from being a normal, law abiding, tax paying citizen of Tantrumtown to being the self appointed Mayor in a matter of minutes.

But, maybe he was disappointed in me for not listening when he specifically told me he did not want to go to playgroup. When in my infinite motherly wisdom I thought "he'll be fine when we get there".

Or maybe it was the fact that I dragged him to four different places to buy more stamps, mail thank yous, deliver presents and return property - before arriving at playgroup.
Hmmm. Take the pedal off the metal , Mum.

It's time to pull back and remove some of the useless 'busyness' from our life.
From Magoo's life.
Time to make play doh while the sun shines.

There'll be a time when he'll spend his days being 'busy' with other people and I'll crave some down time with my boy. I can run around like a headless chook to my heart's content then.

Even I am feeling the pinch of the pace I've set here.
I've lost a little running mojo and don't wake up looking forward to hitting the road.
I literally crawled onto the couch and dozed for a few minutes yesterday evening, before I'd even put Magoo to bed.
This does not happen here.
The only time it ever has, I was in the early stages of pregnancy with Magoo.
It's so rare that, yes, I tested and no, I'm not.

So... Spring Steps...

• chill the heck out
• get back to basics
• stop overplanning and  super cramming our week
• ignore those sweet little smears on the window/tv screen for now
• limit outings, play dates and social activities to one a day where possible
• go to bed earlier
• say 'no thank you' occasionally to some parties,  invitations, requests.
• stay at home, for goodness sake (without inviting the world over)
• set two nights a week only for school work/committee meetings
• let Magoo set the pace and direction of our day at least once a week

Any tips on 'finding the balance'?

Wishing you a happy feet kinda day.

Shar :-)