Sleeping too much

Hi @Former-Member 💕

Just wanted to say I'm glad you're starting to "chillax" into the parent role with your boys .... you will find all the hard work you put into them when they were younger goes into the blender during their teenaged-dragon years ... then comes out again into all sorts of nice blends when they start to become human again ....

Yep, just the fact that your kids are pr pared to remain engaged with family occasions and make the effort on their own terms to be there is gold. Well done ... ❣

Please remember that there are all sorts of "right" .... not any particular given way .... and the word "discipline" literally means "teaching". You can even use things that you don't think you're doing particularly well as a teaching example .... ie "this probably wasn't the best way to go about getting this done .... but I have (chosen to) compromise / d in favour of my energy level / available finances / time frame / current mood ...." . It gives your kids a more lateral view of the world and their personal choices, and it gives you kudos in terms of not having to be either a perfectionist or a failure, which gives them permission to be just as patient with themselves in turn.

There .... that's my ramble .... 😏

Sure I have written a note to write self a list in the past. I forget stuff, helps to write it down, and like to get as much done in one trip as can, else it may not get done, well, and then make it to next list... @Former-Member

Eyes are watering, think it's time for this stuffed duck to go to sleep. Goodnight all😴💤😊💜

nite @Former-Member

Cool ramble @Faith-and-Hope. Its all starting to make sense just lately. Thanks for adding that part. It really is helping. I'm starting to define my values more on my terms and it started without me really realising it. I guess this is giving me the base to start building our lives again.

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@Teej wrote:

Yep @Faith-and-Hope. The first one. Which thread is your day written in?

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@Former-Member 😊

Found it .... ❣

Have copied it across from another thread ....

"I managed a round-the-bridges walk this morning, which is always a good way to start the day .... if I have the time free, and if I have the energy for it .... takes about an hour and a half ....

Then it was off to church (toppin' up my faith n hope) .... and out for lunch with the family .... now I'm "as full as a boot" as my mum would say .... and have slothed myself off to bed for the rest of the afternoon ....😊 "

That's mostly the ✅ 'ss ....

I will mention some ❎ 's too, cos while I try to stay in the positive page, that can leave the impression that my life is full of sunshine and roses and not much else .... but the reality is we all have peaks and troughs ..... and it's important to respect that.

I asked WH to forgo his morning jog this morning and take a walk with me down to the cafe for a Father's Day coffee to start the day .... he sparked at that, getting hissy, then pulled himself up and said sulkily "that's not fair .... you know I like my routine ...." - understatement of the year !! (❎) Then he came back a few moments later and asked if I wanted to have breakfast with him before he left (✅) meaning he would eat his first round of porridge for the day with me instead of in his office (❎✅).

Walked the bridges with D1 .... found that DIL was joining us for lunch (✅) - she has been sick, so D1 had made a restaurant booking without her included .... called the restaurant to adjust the booking, they wouldn't allow another person to be added (❎) .... couldn't work out any other last minute plan, so FD lunch for 9 was now at my house without prior warning (❎) .... started making plans for that, but didn't cancel the restaurant at that stage.

Went to church leaving D1 preparing some of the lunch at home. She called the restaurant last-minute, asking again if they could add a chair to our table - it was clear to them they would lose the reservation with no time to replace us if they said no - they said yes (✅). S1 and DIL said they had been mucked around by all this so they would be coming late and not dressed up (❎) .... I went straight there with MIL in tow .... girls joined me .... WH hit the gym first and turned up late with S2 (❎) .... sigh .... but it meant no cooking or cleaning up for me .... (✅).

Worked out a while ago that I would be a nervous wreck if I allowed my full emotions to ride all these sort of turbulent waves, so I have to sign off and accept that it is what it is in the moment ....

🌷💜

@Former-Member


VINE LEAF DOLMATHES

Ingredients

• 60 vine leaves, drained and rinsed
• 250g rice (1 cup)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cups warm water
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tbsps dill, chopped
• 1/2 a cup parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• To make this traditional Greek dolmades recipe (stuffed vine/ grape leaves), start by preparing the vine leaves. For this dolmades recipe, you can either use vine leaves sold in jars or fresh (if you are lucky enough to find them). If you use the ones in jar, rinse the vine leaves, remove the stems and leave them in a colander to drain. If using fresh vine leaves, wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and blanch them in boiling hot water. Remove the leaves with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to cool down completely.
• Prepare the filling for the stuffed vine/ grape leaves (dolmades). Place the rice in a colander and rinse with running water. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add 1/3 of the olive oil and the chopped onions. Sauté the onions, until translucent (but not coloured). Add the rice and sauté for 1 more minute. Pour in 2 cups of warm water and half lemon juice and simmer for about 7 minutes, until the rice absorbs all the water and is parboiled. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the herbs, remove from the stove and set aside to cool down for a while. This will be the filling for the dolmades.
• Layer the bottom of a large pot with some vine leaves (use the ones that are little bit torn) and start rolling the dolmades. (This is probably the most difficult part of the traditional dolmades recipe). Place one vine leaf (shiny side down) on a flat surface and add 1 tsp of the filling at the bottom end (stem). Be careful not to overfill the dolmades, as the rice will expand during cooking. Fold the lower section of the leaf over the filling towards the center; bring the two sides in towards the center and roll them up tightly. Place the stuffed vine leaves (fold side down) on the bottom of the pot and top in snugly layers. Be careful not to leave any gaps between the dolmades to prevent them from cracking open when cooking.
• Drizzle the stuffed vine leaves (dolmades) with the rest of the olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Place an inverted plate on top to hold them down when cooking and pour in enough water just to cover them. Place the lid on and simmer the dolmades for about 30-40 minutes, until the water has been absorbed and the dolmades remain only with the oil.
• Remove the pot from the heat, remove the lid and plate and let the dolmades cool for at least 30 minutes.
• Serve this delicious Greek appetizer cold or at room temperature with a squeeze of a lemon. Give this traditional dolmades recipe a try and enjoy your own fresh homemade stuffed grape leaves (dolmades)!

Couldn't sleep @Faith-and-Hope, just came back on to check. Wow what a day. I would have seriously lost the plot and self destructed with that. I think your D1 sounds like a saint, I'm guessing you'll miss her when she goes. She also sounds like she's learned a great deal from her mother. My aim is to get to that point but it will take a while. I guess I'm going to have to get there. My S3 will always make life interesting. Last Christmas he rang me at 11.00 asking if he could bring a friend to Christmas lunch. At that point I realised I would be setting a precedent with that. I said yes and now never know what to expect with him except that he will always show up and does care, I'll just not know how many to cater for or what state he'll be in but I guess I'm lucky because he's the one who was abandoned. I really take my hat off you and your family today that they pulled it off. 💜😊

In regards to the dolmades THANKS🤗😘😊 I think I'll try making them. They are so yummy.

So sorry you're having a bad night @Former-Member. 😔 What distracts you the best without too much concentration?