We live with my in-laws and my mum-in-law wakes up the earliest. When the kids were young, we didn’t know much about children and their sleep patterns. We used to let them sleep around 9pm and they would wake up at 6am. The hubs thought why not let them sleep later so they would wake up later. We allowed them to fall asleep naturally at around 10pm but they woke up even earlier, sometimes at 5 or 5.30am! Now I know that sleep begets sleep and I’ve learnt so much more about proper sleep patterns. My MIL would put the child in the stroller and push her around our condo at that early hour so that the rest of us can continue sleeping for a bit longer.
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Kate and her cousin on their morning walk |
Even till now, my MIL would take Kate for a stroll every morning. That frees up some time for me and I can have my breakfast and read the newspaper in peace. Something simple like that allows me to start my day nice and slow, and I would be ready to tackle the long day ahead. Now that my sis-in-law has a child the same age as Kate, they would play together and my MIL would watch over them.
There’s also another thing I’m really thankful to her for. My own parents seriously spoil my kids by buying them too many toys and giving them whatever they ask for. When the 5 of them were younger, my dad used to buy 5 of the same toy just to prevent any disagreements! He gets very stressed when they start to bicker and that was his way of handling the situation. My MIL on the other hand, frowns on waste and excessive consumption. She does not buy them any toys and instead puts a sum of money each month into their bank accounts from the time they enter primary 1, for their future tertiary education. Extremely practical and wise. Well I guess both sets of grandparents balances things out. One makes them feel loved and doted on, while the other teaches them thrift and planning for their future. Aren’t they lucky.
Thankful… for the hub’s cooking
Thankful… for #5’s cooking and caring of Kate
Thankful… for #3 in so many ways
Thankful… for sister-in-law #1
Thankful… for all who helped create this blog
Thankful… for #4’s resilience and forgiveness
Thankful… for blogging perks