This may be disjointed as I can really only remember what happened based on the photos on my phone. Here's what I clicked this past week or two.
Here we are at the lido in Hyde Park, in the rain. Taya was whooping and Brooke was screeching that it was the "Best.. Day.. EVER!" A fellow mum was trying to extract her son who was not at all happy and had a massive meltdown. Her final shot was "If you don't calm down you can't go on the plane with Daddy". That's a whole other world of bargaining power no? Mine is usually along the lines of taking dresses away, no more fruit strings etc. More on that later though.
Next here we are watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Or Buckington Palace as Brooke calls it. I decided one morning that we should go do what the tourists do, and that is where we ended up. I felt all whimsical, yet Taya turned out to be either an anti-royalist or just very tired and decided to nap in the buggy instead of watching and Brooke narrated the whole event with an exhausting string of questions such as "Why is that man shouting? Why do they all have black hair? Why are they walking back and back like that? Where is the Queen? I want to see Princess Kate and King Phillip! He rescues people in helicopters you know." Once the spectacle had finished I decided to head towards Victoria for some lunch, yet Brooke refused to walk, was unhappy with my decision to leave the gift shop and only wanted Old Macdonalds for lunch and took it all out on Taya who was riding on top of her in the buggy at this point so I ended up shouting at her on Grosvenor Place and not channeling Christopher Robin at all. We ran for a bus to go home for lunch instead and Brooke refused to sit with me, opting to sulk by herself on the backseat whilst I wondered why I had bothered to go do something at all. So, things that seem nice in your head = not always so good in reality. Like we didn't already know.
And now onto an afternoon at the pirate playground. When I remember to take talc and a change of clothes for the girls I do really like it there. I can sit down and read a book or do a little crochet whilst the girls explore the ship and lose all their sand toys. This is the first time I have found them atop the crow's nest though. Of course Taya was being a super-hero wearing a muslin as a cape and a pair of pants over the top of.. well just her legs. There they were way up there with me at the bottom cajouling them to climb down. They'd start to descend and then decide to go back up again. Repeat etc.
Another day, another outing to Kensington Gardens... this time to the round pond to sail paper boats. The pictures don't quite capture me pleading with them to not fall in though. A horrible swan came over and hissed at Brooke. There was a man there who was sailing 3 proper little boats. He had to cycle around the pond to retrieve them. Ours moved a few inches before becoming too soggy and sinking. We all enjoyed ourselves though.
And here is Brooke in her new school uniform. She is very, very keen on it and didn't want to take it off after this trying on session. After this morning's refusal to get dressed and one hour stand off about suitable clothes which involved me losing my cool completely, I say BRING ON THE SCHOOL UNIFORM. All those gorgeous clothes in her wardrobe wasted. She only wants to wear dresses (about 3 particular ones) or denim shorts with a plain white t-shirt. Taya only wants to wear fast dresses, which means a dress that twirls out spectacularly when she spins.
So yes, as you may have picked up there has been a return to some of the bad behaviour. They seem unable to hear me when I talk about tidying up and being quieter and not fighting or running off in public. They also don't like being told no, and believe that saying "No but PLEASE!" repeatedly will get them the desired ice cream / toy / treat. In desperation I started using a spray bottle with water in the other day. This backfired somewhat today when Taya got hold of it and attacked the clean, dry laundry hanging up with it. Other things they can't stop doing:
- Taya keeps pulling the curtain around people at the window in the post office where you can get passport photos taken.
- Brooke wants whatever Taya is playing with so she tries to take it whilst screaming "SHARE Taya! SHARE I SAID!"
- Taya asks for cereal then leaves it all to turn to soggy mush which she then of course won't eat, but she wants more / something else.
- They only want to eat spaghetti. I have decided to give it to them every time they ask until they get sick of it.
Brooke is now calling out from their room saying "Taya's in my bed!". I can't muster the energy to do anything about this. Brooke and I are going camping with nursery tomorrow so I am saving myself for that. I am exhausted.