how boring are we..and that strict too?

it's 9.19pm and we are home for the evening.

actually, we just got home from our new years eve "party".

i can remember a time when i got home from new years eve parties at 9.19am the next morning.  that was 15 years ago. a decade and a half! back when george clooney was on ER!

at 6pm we went down to chad and andreas for dinner. it is cold in hong kong right now, about 13 above, and of course no flats here have central heating. andrea had made dumplings and beef stew. "northern english food" she said, putting mashed potatoes on the plates.

her kids immediately tucked in.

my four shifted around, drank all the juice in their princess cups, pushed their spoons around their plates and generally were a PITA. if you don't know that particular acronym, then accept they were unpleasant.

i decided it was a good idea for charles to reveal the ben and jerry's ice cream he had brought for dessert, and this was enough to prompt my kids into putting a few mouthfuls into their pieholes. except for sebastian. he was poking adam, laughing, loud, and interrupting everyone. charles repeatedly asked sebastian to eat, and he chose not to. finally, charles issued a rather harsh ultimatum, "eat some dinner or you will have to go home." after one and two warnings and no action from my little blonde boy, charles apologised, and led wailing sebastian out of andrea and chad's and into the  lift, heading for home. goodnight sebastian. this is a consequence for your action.

poor sebastian.

everyone else finished what i considered enough of their meal, but it was still embarrassing. my kids are the last to finish when they try anything new. argh!

then it was time to watch shrek 2, and then high school musical, which predictably, jasper loved. adam and asheligh curled up on the sofa and watched happily, while the adults ate their stew and ice cream, and chatted away, watching the four youngest kids traipse into the playroom, where they started playing their newest favourite game, "mummy and daddy".

sela reappeared after a while, wearing a pair of ashleigh's pajamas. then carys, similarly dressed. and of course jasper, wearing nothing but a shirt of adam's and nothing else. think demi moore in ghost.

"we're going to bed!" they announced, holding up soothers. "Here are our dummies!"

jasper did decide, like every perfect housewife that before he went to bed that he needed to give the floors a good hoover, and so he did. the girls meanwhile, were giggling and really being no bother to anyone. the kids were being great, but really, how long can it go on for? one last cup of tea. one warning that we were leaving in 10 minutes, and half an hour later, we started cleaning up. found jasper's bobs and sela's tights.

pushed the kids into the lift, and went home. they were in bed two minutes later, and are asleep now.

sebastian had a harsh punishment tonight. will it make a difference in his ways?

stay with us for another year and find out.

Comments

[Lyns]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Hope this one brings as many fun memories as the last! Love to all...xo lyns

[Dad aka Grandad Blake]

Just put a minus in front of the 13 degrees, subtract 14 hours from the 9:19 PM and you can pretend you came home early in the morning on a realitively warm day in Yellowknife.
Love to all and Happy New Year....Dad

[Stephanie]

Ugh- no central heat? I am too spoiled-cannot even imagine. Hopefully there's fireplaces for fires or something!

[Lowa]

Yes, it will make a difference for Seb. Well done! This is what parenting is all about. It is hard, but you will be glad very soon when your kids know you mean business. They will keep on testing, DO NOT give up. It doesn't get easier for a while, but STAND FIRM! :)

Our 12 year old was told that if he was not nicer to his two younger sibs, and more respectful to us all, he was not going to his hockey tournament in Chilliwack. We explained how that would not be fair to his team, his coaches would not be happy, etc etc. He understood. Yes, yes. Fine.

Within a few hours, he called a younger sib an intolerable name, hit someone and started to lip off to me when I was speaking to him about it. Hmmmm...do you think he went to Chilliwack?? He acted like it did not bother him, but tonight (four days after the fact) he was crying, wondering if his coaches will yell, or kick him off the team. We gently reminded him HE made the choice and had fair warning.

Life lessons. This is what we are here for, to guide. I think you will have less trouble with Seb than we do with our's because I didn't have help from my hubby until recently. I had to do it all on my own. So in a situation like you had, my hubby would have

1)

refused to take Seb home, so I would have had to, except that he also would have

2)refused to stay with the other three OR leave himself. So I would either have to take them all, which is not fair to the others, OR, sit and try and deal with it and know my kids did not believe I would follow through. I tried to get my hubby to take it seriously and nip it in the bud like you guys are. Now he is finally seeing what I meant and is on board and helping me. I pray it is not too late!

Sorry for rambling! You are doing AWESOME!

[knobody]

HAPPY NEW YEAR from florida!!!

[Jazz]

Happy New Year from along the road towards Central way.

[Beeps]

Happy New Year from Cape Town, SA! :)

[Marcia]

I wonder why its so embarassing to discipline our children. We are having a particular problem with my two teen sisters (12/13) and with my 2 year old son, i know i need to be stricter but if i am i get so guilt ridden that i just crack it also doesnt help that the child looks like a cupid and normally imediatly after doing something screemingly naugty will be so darn adorable you just have to laugh - i know i shouldnt though thats a good step itsnt it? well done to you guys nip it in the bud or you will have teen or tween horrors which is far worse!