Slowing life in the fast lane.

By the fourth child, days filled with the park, play dough and lego sort of lose their allure and playgroup is definitely out of the question. Is that just me, or do mums of multiple bubs feel the same?

For your first child playgroup is a given. You have the little petit miam, "tarnies" and milk bottle in the zip up lunchbox that matches the mini backpack, that matches that pram you paid a trillion dollars for that fits perfectly into your new family car, that matches your handbag, that matches your shoes. You have the perfect child that sleeps, eats, a poohs when he's told, that is "so advanced" even the doctor raises his eyebrows in awe. 

RUBBISH all rubbish.

Then you have number two, and he slides into the trillion dollar pram that is stained and tarnished, playgroup is attended when there is no better offer, the mini yoghurt is replaced by a vegemite sandwich and a bottle of water and sleep deprivation becomes a talking point.

Then number three arrives and playgroup is dumped by 'Lollypop Playland' where you can let them run for a few hours whilst you have a quiet cuppa and devour a trashy mag. When they pop back for 'petit miam, tarnies and milk' you give them chips, juice and a muesli bar, unless of course you invite mum with only one bub, then you know to throw in a bag of grapes and a water bottle. When it's time for school pickup you throw #3 into the $19 umbrella pram, and hot foot it out the door taking another free lollypop as you leave (and lets be honest, sometimes the mag!).

Number 4 then makes his way onto the crazy scene and by this time you're a little older and a little wiser and noise really gets to you. You avoid playgroups and playlands all together, hoping and praying that no one will invite you to anything all week so you can spend an entire day at home with your laundry and the sunshine. Pathetic but true.

(*to my dear friends, don't be offended I LOVE to come over, just sometimes a home day is like liquid gold. You know the feeling, I know you do.)

So earlier this week, determined not to leave the house, Bear and I headed outside for a 4th child "adventure walk" bare foot and pyjama clad (him not me). I wasn't too sure what "adventure" I was going to come up with other than visit the local horses and watch the trickling water from the recent rain weave its way down the rockery to the creek.

But we came across these little beauties and Bear was mesmerised. Convinced fairies were hiding near by, he sat for a good half hour and waited. He searched high and low for the little winged people but to his dissappointment not one came to greet him.

After convincing him that the fairies had gone to sleep somewhere else in the garden, we headed off blind to find another adventure (why is one never enough??)  

We settled on a big bunch of gum nuts for the kitchen and some sweet figs for morning tea (and we may have finished it off with a chocolate frog or four).

Finally after lying down with him, he fell asleep in front of the rectangular babysitter and I headed back to the laundry !) 

(o goodness those wrinkles are terrible, I'm getting old!) 

What do you do to entertain #4 (+) ? 

My gorgeous sister is expecting #6, what a treasure she is, such an inspiration. 

Liv x