They’re older now so surely the travelling is easier…

We flew to the UK in September for a two week family holiday.  Flying as a family of six doesn’t come cheap so we opted to go no frills and flew Jet2 to Manchester and back home on Easyjet.  It’s always a little daunting flying with 4 young kids but we packed our bags, left plenty of room for shopping in England and somehow made it to the airport almost on time.

Apart from a minor blip a couple of weeks earlier when we discovered that eldest daughter’s passport had expired and we had to get her a temporary document, there were no hold ups in the airport and we almost sat in our allocation of chosen seats.  All was going rather smoothly until 30 minutes before landing when that awful thought crossed my mind – how would we get off the plane at midnight our time, with 2 sleeping 3 year olds and 5 pieces of hand-luggage and a selection of sweaters and coats.

For me this is the absolute worst part of travelling and my blood begins to boil just at the total inconvenience of navigating airports with toddlers.  And true to form Manchester airport didn’t disappoint.  The Jet2 hostesses could help us manoeuvre ourselves only to the steps leading down to the tarmac and into the rain.  Through the door of the terminal building there was no one further to assist, just a security guard who was in charge of closing and locking the door.

Picture us – 2 adults holding one large sleeping toddler each plus a bag, eldest daughter pulling 2 wheelie suitcases and boy in the middle determined to help like a ‘man’ pulling the remaining 2 wheelie bags down the corridor. We could have managed this arrangement until we turned a corner and were greeted by a flight of steps.  My evening was getting better by the second!

We climbed the stairs, by this point we no longer had two sleeping toddlers but two crying toddlers, and at the top of the flight we headed down another narrow corridor. At the end of the corridor I saw a way out of this misery as I spotted 2 airport wheelchairs at the side.

I did hesitate for a small moment but as I couldn’t really walk any further I casually strolled over towards the chairs, checked no-one else around seemed to be coming to use them and I put A and E side by side rather unhappily in the chair. Finally DH could assist eldest daughter and boy in the middle with all the suitcases and I could push the girls through the airport.

We navigated two more escalators and each time retrieved the wheelchair and after a few minutes A and E stopped crying and began to enjoy their journey down the endless corridors. As we felt we must be nearing passport control we turned into a large hall and it was as if people were queuing for a ride in Disneyworld.  Up and down through the narrow weaving filing system bleary eyed tired passengers were shuffling with their luggage.  My heart sank at the thought of the 30 minute queue in front of us, until a jolly security guard in charge of the queue took one glance at us and shouted “Wheelchairs – that way”.  I immediately went ‘that way’ whilst DH started stumbling and questioning the idea and muttering nonsensical questions I quickly dragged him with us.  Straight to the front of the passport control queue within 5 minutes we were through to the other side and as we got to the luggage carousel we were reunited immediately with our stroller. We casually replaced the wheelchair with the stroller and pushed the wheelchair nonchalantly to the side.

As I explained to friends during our trip, it wasn’t so much that I stole a wheelchair, as relocated it through the airport.

Two weeks later as we flew home and we were waiting in a holding bay in Luton to board the Easyjet flight I was chatting to a sympathetic Easyjet crew member and relaying my story from Manchester airport. She proceeded to tell me how a tragedy had just occurred in Alicante when a baby had fallen onto the luggage carousel as the Mummy was trying to retrieve the stroller and died.  I have never understood why the airlines/baggage handlers/airports cannot provide the strollers on leaving the aircraft.  Why do they make you struggle with babies/toddlers through vast distances in airports when they could just make it much safer and more pleasant for everyone?

There is only one place that I have ever flown to where this happens and I was so happy to see my double stroller waiting for me at the exit of the plane as we landed back home in Israel. Well done Ben Gurion airport – finally an airport with a heart.

 

The year's over!

A rather momentous occasion for A and E as they had their very first graduation from nursery. For me it has been an amazing year and DH and I feel so grateful to their two teachers who amongst many other things have taught them to speak Hebrew, integrated them into Israeli society and helped them to start becoming independent from each other. 

Last Friday morning was the end of year party which we were invited to. It started off with a story time featuring two live ducks, then there was snack time, painting bags, bouncy castles and ice lollies and it culminated with a party with songs by the singing lady who came once a week to nursery throughout the year.

At the very end each teacher gave out a gift to the children. They all received their own pillowcase with their photograph on it. 

A went up to get hers fist and was very excited, had the obligatory photo with her teacher and came back to show us what she had. DH and I looked at it and wondered.

E then was called up by her teacher to get her gift. The same routing of photograph and then we looked at both photos. 

We studied them for a few seconds and both agreed that without a doubt they had been given the wrong photo. We tried to switch them around but A lay on the floor screaming that it was hers. We gave her the photo of E back.

The teachers asked what was the matter. We admitted the error. One of the teachers agreed with us, the other one said no way and we were wrong. We weren't wrong. Sometimes it's hard to tell but we were fortunate with the photos and the clothes they were wearing we knew who was who. Now after a week they agree with us as to who is who and they have the correct pillowcase on their own bed.

So it's nice to know after a whole year with their teachers, 8 hours a day, that their individuality had shone through and they knew who was who!

Well now it's the summer holidays so they have a couple of weeks off before we start again in a new nursery with a new teacher to confuse for the year!!

The little Prince

The whole world was on tenterhooks to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appearing through the double doors from the Lindo Wing last night to present the world with the future Heir to the throne. It wasn't disappointing. Kate looked fabulous (just how we all wanted to look 24 hours after giving birth) and William has stepped up to his role of a new man and admitted to having already changed a nappy.

Today I have been thinking just how it was for me in those first few days and weeks after the birth of my 4 kids and wondering how Kate is getting along.

Will Kate have been allowed to lounge around all day in her pj's, sleeping when the baby sleeps and chatting to her friends on the phone giving them the intracacies of her birth story? Will her Mum be there to help her with laundry and cook and clean for her? Will friends pop in with food and gifts for the baby? Will Kate and William take it in turns to walk up and down the landing at night to get him to stop crying.  Will William ever be spotted strapping the baby into the car seat in the middle of the night and driving a few times round the block just to get the baby go to sleep? Will they ever have to call NHS Direct in the wonder of detecting an infection/virus via the phone? I wonder if when they choose a name and have to go to register the birth whether they will have to lug their baby up 3 flights of stairs to the register office (that was an interesting moment with twins!)

It's doubtful.

We do know that they have had visitors today - the Queen popped in for half an hour to see her great-grandson. Only half an hour?

Presumably they have a whole team of staff, maids, cooks, doctors, nurses in attendance and on call 24/7. So pretty much the same as it was for me then!

Count your blessings

I count mine every day - 1,2,3 and 4. Even when I shout at eldest daughter for the slovenly way she likes to keep her bedroom, or at boy in the middle for shouting or fighting with one of his sisters,  or get exasperated at A and E for flinging their toys and clothes in every direction possible, I still count my blessings and tell them all every day that I love them.

Life is hectic and now I'm a full time working Mum I have less time to spend with them on a daily basis. Each week I think how I must try and spend a little quality time with each of them, whether it's taking eldest daughter shopping, playing Yahtzee or Monopoly with boy in the middle and even harder trying to have some time individually with A and E.

Recently however I have thought more and more about a legal case that I first heard about through facebook a year or so ago when a friend randomly joined me to a group - "Help Beth get her boys back". I recall reading it rather nonchalantly about a case of twin boys being given sole custody to their father as their mother was deemed mentally unstable.  I didn't really read much into it but gradually over time as I have read the posts and seen the photos on facebook my heart goes out more and more to Beth.  She is a Mum to twin boys who's marriage ended and her ex-husband in Austria has managed to get a court order deaming her unstable and now he has sole custody of the boys. 

As I read the various articles and see the photos of the boys and hear that their language skills aren't developing so well because they are being looked after by carers who don't speak English, how one of them had to have their teeth removed due to decay from them being left with a bottle of milk or juice in their cot, my heart goes out to the boys and their Mum.

It seems clear to me that Beth is an intelligent woman, with no mental instability and is living through any mothers worst nightmare.

DH and I were discussing the case the other day. DH had to agree that whatever happens in a marriage and however bitter the seperation, how can a husband, a father and a judge allow the bond of a mothers love to be taken from these innocent chilren.

Beth must live for her weekly visits every Tuesday and every other Sunday and I can only imagine that throughout the week her heart is breaking for her two gorgeous boys.

I hope that she counts both her blessings every day and I pray that justice will be given to her and she will get her boys back very soon.

http://helpbeth.org/category/media/
http://globetribune.info/2013/07/08/justice-denied-to-twin-boys-by-vienna-austria-family-court/

You've got a friend in me!

I'm sure I've said it before in my blog postings but it has really dawned on me now how lucky A and E are. Like any other siblings they do have a tendency to fight occasionally or bite one another but I would say 90% of the time they are devoted best friends.

As we are dealing with our first summer in Israel and each of us taking it in turns to pick up bugs and germs it happened that A had a temperature last Thursday and stayed at home with DH. They dropped off E at nursery, came home and A settled down with a few helpings of Peppa Pig. After around 30 minutes she asked DH if they could go and collect E. DH explained it wasn't time yet and she had to play on her own.
A replied that she didn't know how to play on her own.

And that's when it dawned on me. Unlike other children who grow up learning to amuse themselves from time to time A and E are rarely on their own. At home they are together. At nursery they are in separate groups from each other but surrounded by lots of other children together. There is never a time for them to be alone.

A did get though the whole day without E but asked every half an hour if they could go to nursery and was relieved when she could finally go and collect her in the afternoon.

Then yesterday in a reversal of fate E had to stay at home with a very high temperature. I worked from home so I could look after her. Once she had enjoyed a quantity of Peppa Pig she too wandered over to me and asked if we could go and pick up A now. It was 09.30.

She also wasn't too keen on the idea of having to amuse herself but we managed to get through the day and she too asked every half an hour if we could collect A.

Reunited last night they played a very involved game of a birthday party which involved 14 chairs being put in a circle, with a doll, teddy or animal on each chair and an absolute fair division of role between themselves. They were totally in tune with each other, they both knew exactly what the other one was doing and they giggled their way through the pretend party.

To grow up along side your best friend must be amazing.

Thank goodness for fairies!

Some friends said to wait a while, some said it would be like weaning them off heroin, some said we should have done it sooner, A and E had talked about it for a couple of months and then the day came when E completely lost hers and we dreaded bedtime - yes I'm talking about dummies, pacifiers, ploppers or whatever other ridiculous names we give to them.

I had spent over 3 years saying several times a day "where are the dummies?" Bedtime would have been so much easier and quicker if we didn't have to spend hours hunting under the cots or beds, down the side of the sofa, turning out trouser pockets, or completely removing the very well fastened in car seats to retrieve them.

We hated them but they brought so much peace to our home that they were worth it. As A and E turned 3 we spoke more and more about the dummy fairy. She is pretty and has wings and she would take A and E's dummies and give them to the new babies. All well and good when it's a story but not as fun in practice.

I explained that the fairy could only take the dummies if they were put in the special pretty bag and box that we had bought for her. Again it sounds good, but there is no chance a 3 year old dependent on getting to sleep with her dummy can willingly put it in a box and not sneak it back out in order to get to sleep.

I could sense the day was getting nearer as we were down to the 2 final dummies in our house. Not only just 2 dummies left but both had cracks in them.  They used to toss them on the floor if they got cracks in as apparently they didn't "suck properly", but when they realised this was all that was available they put up with them.

And then one fateful Friday night arrived where E's dummy completely disappeared. We searched the house but it didn't appear and so we decided that the fairy would come. A thought she would join in and put her dummy in the little bag and box and left it by the front door.

Everyone was tired and everyone went to bed.

I was very excited as I had bought some lovely little gifts from the dummy fairy (she can't be expected to carry too much with her). I woke up early to put the little gifts in the 2 bags but then I discovered that A must have come downstairs and taken her dummy back. What to do?

I did the sensible thing any dummy fairy would do, I left the bag of goodies for clever E who had slept all night without a dummy.

Lots of excitement when E woke up and got her bag with little toys and a chocolate bar. A didn't get hers and showed me her dummy. There was only one thing for it. During the day I took her dummy and hid it.
On the Saturday night, magically the dummy fairy also came for her.

So the question asked by everyone, "how did it go? was it a nightmare?" and I can honestly say they have been great. They themselves had started to realise that they didn't need them and they have not once asked for them since the day the fairy came.

There are times now when they lie on the floor and have general toddler tantrums and scream for 30 minutes when in the past they would have sucked a dummy for comfort, now they have to scream and get over the tantrum themselves.

We walked into their nursery the other day and there are all new photos up on the wall of the kids. There is one of A very busy playing with a dummy in her mouth. She herself looked at the picture and said "Look I had a dummy, that was when I was a baby, I'm a big girl now".

Well said A - we are very proud of A and E and of course the brilliant dummy fairy!

It's all change in our house

The six month honeymoon period of emigrating to a new country and spending our mornings in intensive Hebrew classes along with getting to know the country and making new friends has most definitely ended. It's not a bad thing. Change is often for the better.

Eldest daughter and Boy in the middle finished their Hebrew classes and found themselves in mainstream regular school suddenly having to learn all their subjects in Hebrew and chat to their friends in Hebrew.

A and E are now by far the most fluent in Hebrew. They are in daycare until 4pm so I decided that the time had come after 3 years of being a full time stay at home Mum to find employment. The downside of employment in Israel is that most jobs are full time. The part-time working Mum culture hasn't really made it's way here yet.

Hesitant at what I may find having been out of full time work for so long I searched for jobs in the Conference sector and unbelievably found work just 20 minutes away in a large conference company.

Full time hours are 08.30-17.00 which is a massive change for me but even greater for DH who now works a full time job from home and is in charge of all the school runs! A and E are very accepting that Daddy is in charge of making them supper every day and the agreement so far is that when I get home I am in charge of the kids and DH can go back to work in his basement office!

It's a major change for all of us but one that so far seems to be working. I say so far but I am now just starting my second week and the big two have just broken up for a 2.5 week vacation. A and E have just had a huge infection of headlice and A is recovering from a 30 hour vomiting bug which E seems to just be starting!

As I said it's all change. I'm off to work in the morning and Daddy daycare will very much be in charge.