A New Year's Revolution

or resolution. Or whatever you want to call it.

This is a bit late but I forgot to publish it.

I tend not to make them but this year I want to make 1. Just 1.

1) Loose weight.

I finally found a diet that works for me. I managed for a few weeks before the festive period made it really hard work and I have decided that I am going back on in the new year and I am going to do it properly with weigh ins weekly and no cheating. I want to have lost a significant amount of weight for my birthday. I want to look better, feel better and be generally fitter and healthier for the sake of my children.

I have done my third weigh in today. Since my restart I have lost 17lb. I am over the moon that all the effort has started to show some results. It is motivating me to carry on to loose the next lb, the next 2lb and the next 17lb.

How to help an angry child?

At the moment I don't have the answer and it is not due to the lack of asking the question. I have asked our social worker, I have asked the school and I have sought advise from family and friends but still the answer to the question is beyond my reach. How do I help my angry little boy? I am pretty certain that his anger is rooted in a couple of things - his insecurities about having to move on and jealousy of his sister being the 2 most easily coming to mind.

The first is a case of time and constant reassurance. I tell both children every night at bed time that I love them, that I will always love them and that I will see them tomorrow. I tell them when I leave them at school that I love them, that I will always love them and that I will see them when I get home. I have asked him if he is scared that he will go somewhere else, he says not. I asked him if he was happy living with us, he says he is. I always assure him that he will always have a home with us. But he often turns on me, in anger, and tells me that 'when I am a grown up and I live in my own house . . . '

The second is much harder. I don't want to keep them apart all the time, they have this at school and pre school although in September they will be back to being in the same setting just different classes. To be honest they are as bad as each other but he gets a lot angrier. They squabble over toys, they both want what the other has and they are usually more interested in what the other has got/ is doing. I know that this can be seen as normal sibling behaviour but sometimes it feels like more. I also have to recognise that when he is angry she is more often than not his target. And he lashes out physically.

When we talked to school they were brilliant, they offered him assessments and additional support. I am hoping that it helps him. I am also hoping that they can offer us some advice to allow us to help and support him.

I think that there are 2 things that will help above everything else.
Time.
Us.
We are going nowhere and time goes past every minute of every day.

Hopefully it will help.

2 Years

2 Years.

It sounds like a long time. Really isn't.

2 Years ago we woke up with our children in our house for the first time. My overriding memory was how early it was! Oldest is a morning bird and he wanted to get up and play at about 5am, something we weren't all that prepared for. A lot has changed but his early morning waking and wanting to play has not. But it was 6.45am this morning so a little bit later. Youngest is still not a morning bird - she is much happier being left in bed to wake in her own time and really does not like being woken up by anyone or anything.

It feels strange to be celebrating 2 years, 4 years ago it felt like we would never have a family and 3 years ago it was a distant dream. I do wonder what it will feel like when we are celebrating 5 years, 10 years and beyond but I have that excitment to come.

I can't wait.