Here's is a great experience by one of our new members at the recent Perth Meet up!!! Can't wait to actually attend!!!! I can't help but think of big things like free t-shirts etc etc I can never hold my brain down for long hmmmm

Perth Meet up

Also I did a search in Google and it seems that Adelaide has had TWO meetups!!!

Anyone can tell me of more meet ups I would love to know around the world.

Host your own meet up next month and if we can get one in America, UK, China, and more countries I will give Minti moolah away from my stash to those groups one in each country!!!! To prove it, show off your photos.

I will be giving Moolah away to the Perth group.

[update] it seems I crashed the gift section so tomorrow I will be gifting the following (tell me if i missed anyone from the photo of who was at Minti meetup)

- "kathryn-solaris"
- "HarrisonsMommy"
- "August88"
- "Libby24"
- "Fry" (husband of "Libby24")
- "ellamia" (Kell) again !!!!

- alishas-mummy

Wow, I am HOOKED on SAFETIES. As some of you lovely ladies know I have switched from a die hard Huggies fan to a SAFETIES addict (I sent Clay out even tonight to buy the infant size, 4 of them!)... Joshua has such a sensitive bottom and skin that it was impossible for him to have huggies on for too long and would scream if he soiled them. With Safeties I found that he was fine if he soiled them and slept a good 10hrs the other night with no leakage. I have also worked out how to put on a nappy properly to prevent leakage - I surprised myself how easy it is to forget!!!

Anyway, I love'em and wanted to give you all an update!!! I love doing things for the environment but I don't like compromising on quality. IGA also sold a new unbleached brand of toilet paper with a frog on the packaging, I will find out what brand it is, but man it's soft, strong and just as good as the Cottenelle toilet paper and doesnt clog the bowl. Awesome for kids and the environment. Better than the old versions out there and is more closer to white.

nite nite

Bubby did a lovely 10 hours last night, but silly me went to bed at 10pm so only 6.5hrs sleep and I have a cold - boo hoo oh well...at least I feel asleep for two hours this arvo...it was so funny to wake up not knowing where the hell I was - hehe on the couch, hubby had the radio on in the kitchen on talkback, so no wonder I fell ASLEEP to the droning sound of a guys/blokes voice - hahah...

Well I guess I shouldn't say it, but I never expected bubby to give me one night of 8 hours, a quick feeding then another 5 hours. That didn't mean I didn't get horrific nights either side of the 8 and 5 hour stints, and my body going whoa! I guess when you get too much sleep the first time, I felt like a zombie the whole day. Luckily, I expressed a full bottle and for some reason it seems like it was supposed to happen, as I have woken up (having him gone down at 8pm) at 3pm again today. A 7 hr stint. My breasts seem to handle it and kind of have adapted by themselves without me having to run to the breast pump.

Life is soo funny, I was so excited to wake up rested after sleeping 7 hours that I forgot to give Joshua the gripewater before a big feed and it ended up all over my pj's - oh well extreme rough with the smooth - it's never a dull moment in the Cook household. Little man Codi woke up from his late nap (a no no for starters), daddy had turned the TV off whilst he was sleeping (had fallen asleep to his beloved cartoon, Nascar Racers) and would have woken up to a blank signal on the screen. This time he woke up to a turned off TV and gave us the biggest, constant and loudest tantrums this planet has ever seen. A hurricane 10!!!!

I ended up losing my cool, that didn't work, so chill out time in his room (the first time) and then I gave him a shower to cool off. Man this boy of mine has some staying power. Poor mummy and daddy were trying out darn hardest, but it had been a really long time since Codi had given us a massive tantrum. I guess I am really grumpy if I get woken up from a nice sleep. And everyone knows what a late sleep in the afternoon brings, hurricanes!!! lol

I think he shocked himself more than shocking us. He really was doing that huffing and puffing after a big cry thing. Eventually we managed to settle him down with him sitting next to me giving me smiles. I do know that I need to spend some time just hanging out with him which I am sneaking in from time to time. He was happy to go off to the park with Daddy. Poor little thing :)

Some life skills I have re-learnt and fleshed out recently...

- Claim what you need emotionally, especially if it's worth it to you - "I NEED....."

- Look after the little boy or girl inside - take responsibility to shelter your inner child, you won't then hold others or issues like the disappointment of family members letting you down get to you. Think about hugging yourself or something that represents you as an adult providing love to the child version of you. That way you won't need others to make you feel better or expect that they do better and live up to your expectations that may be unrealistic.

- Stay with your emotions, feel them its okay to be vunerable with yourself

- You have a choice to feeling in certain ways, you have a choice

- Finding closure is about confronting and feeling your emotions and accepting what is real and letting go of what isn't

- Stay honest about your emotions and express the truthfulness of what you feel. Mull over why you are feeling in a certain way so you can clearly voice it.

- We truly have the power to feel, what we do with that power shapes us as a human being

----

I think I have discovered how teach my sons how to be emotionally aware of themselves.

I can't say it enough, a huge load has come off our shoulders with everything we are trying to achieve, having our housekeeper and midwife come every week has made a massive difference. Clay and I aren't as run down or totally and utterly exhausted now. I am more time to actually get back onto Minti. Start back on my online Apache, MySQL, PHP course, am starting to sleep better and spend more time on the important things with Codi and Joshua. Now more time with hubby...

hmmmm...when? Maybe next week I think, we'll have to have a morning together somehow..am looking forward to our Club Med trip and get back some of that Adult time - lol

Am in the mood for cherishing moments and feeling the warmth of family. My thoughts turn to those that don't have the warmth and love of a family to keep them safe. I am grateful for people who help others, especially the mothers in the world. Happy Mothers Day.

I am really enjoying being a mum the second time round!!! Not that I didn't the first tine round, it's just that I am actually coherent, fully awake and not worrying so much to actually know that I am experiencing this wonderful miracle again!!!

I really do have a snuggly cuddly 6 week old. It's so funny to communicate with Joshy with body language and cooing...and then find him responding and cooing and snuggling back. It really must have been a blur with my first, Codi. But, I do remember Codes being very attached to mumma right up until 3 years old. So I must have been doing a great job - lol....Boo hoo!!! now Codes is 3 it's all 'daddy, daddy, daddy'. He is very good at making sure I am doing a good job with Joshy "mumma you hold Joshy"...no one else other than daddy is really allowed to hold Joshy!!!

and I am really impressed. 100% biodegradable and cheaper than huggies, I can't believe that I can use a product that is just as good if not better than huggies!!! You also get little nappy plastic bags that also seem to be biodegradable, now if we had shopping plastic bags that were biodegradable that would be an alternative to charging for non-biodegradable. Safeties was invented by a mum!!!!

I buy them at IGA (Independent Grocers).

Here is the website...SeNevens Safeties Nappy

A mumma + codi thing to do together is the kindy drama. Its the first kind of class that encourages communication and expression. Codi really loved it. I think its a great session to help him use his love of stories and role playing with other kids his age. He has been talking about drama to his daddy and loved it that I was involved with him in the acting out of the story at drama. He loved it so much that he was a little upset that he lost the sticker you get at the end. Luckily, I managed coax him to accept another sticker

Really proud of Codi, he has progress from a three wheeled trike to a bike that has no pedals that trains them balance on a bike, without first having to learn to pedal.

See Clay's post about it and a picture - here

Well, am trying a different gripewater as Joshy has been quiet unsettled from around 8 till about 12 :s

It gets a little exhausting for me, and I am sure for him. He resting now, I hope he sleeps a good sleep even if it's only 3 hours.  Yesterday he was sleeping so much better with two five hour stints. Maybe next time I give him a bath if I am not too sleepy. Must sleep now whilst I have the chance, as am taking Codes to Kindy Drama and its the first day tomorrow.

Here's my new article

Breastfeeding and Bringing your newborn home. The first 1-5 weeks.