Our Shilton Boys // June 2020

I’m pretty sure these boys never expected to spend so much time together as they have in the last 3 months. But it has been wonderful for their relationship. On the whole, our Shilton boys do get along quite well but inevitably there have been days when they get on each others nerves and just want their own space.

Freddie no naps

Over the last few months, Freddie has been taking an age to fall asleep at night. He has pretty good willpower and with distraction can stay awake until late (family party or similar) however as our routines have been a bit more relaxed, his bedtime was getting later and later. This has a knock on to his brothers bedtime as he usually waits until Freddie is asleep before going to bed.

We decided to say goodbye to Freddie’s regular afternoon naps as he wasn’t tired enough to fall asleep at his usual bedtime. He could nap anywhere between an hour to two in the afternoon which was wonderful and I could get work completed, eat my lunch and tidy the kitchen in peace. When a two year old is still awake at gone 9pm, you know something has to be done. We said goodbye to the afternoon nap and although it has the desired result of an evening, it is hard work. A grumpy toddler at dinnertime is no fun at all. I’m having to find ways to keep him awake so he gets his second wind to power him through until we can put him to bed.

Another fussy eater?

We thought we had done quite a good job of getting Freddie to eat a variety of foods when he was a baby but it seems we have another fussy eater on our hands. His older brother is such a pain with food that we have to cook two different meals most days. Freddie will pick at his food and will often eat the vegetables but refuses to eat most meat (he will eat sausages, burgers and bacon). He loves his fruit so will happily eat fruit and a yoghurt for breakfast but then lunch comes round and he’ll refuse sandwiches, he’s not so fussed with toast and is really fussy with potatoes; often refusing chips, mashed potato and other forms of it. Every lunchtime we’re trying to find something he will eat but even then, one day he will eat all of it and the next he says he doesn’t like it.

Olly

Another month on and the homeschooling doesn’t seem to have got any easier. We’ve decided to keep his tutor on for two hours a week. He sits with his tutor (remotely) for an hour and will work brilliantly with her. He’s concentrating well, working things out and coming up with new ideas and it seems the tuition he’s getting is really working for him. Unfortunately, he has lost all enthusiasm for completing his school work and it’s quite soul destroying seeing him so disengaged with it all. Going back to school isn’t an option for us for him so we’ll have to power through for a few more weeks until the end of term and then we’ll have a proper break from school work over the summer.