ANZAC DAY 25/04/2012

An officer and his Daughters all ready for the ANZAC Day dawn service.

 Munchkin was so proud that Daddy let her wear Great Grandma's medals this year.

how much to tell?

Tomorrow is ANZAC day. and whilst telling Munchkin what we will be doing tomorrow ( getting up whilst its dark and going to a dawn remembrance service ( Hubby is letting her wear her great Grandma's medals this year) followed by a hot shotgun breakfast(no whisky for her though) her favourite word kept popping up  'Why?'

me: " To remember all the soldiers that didn't come home from war"
Munchkin: " Daddy's job is air force is daddy a soldier?"
me: 'yes'
Munchkin: "daddy comes home every day"
me: "yes he does"
Munchkin: " does daddy do war?"
me: "Sometimes yes, but not right now"
Munchkin: " oh," ( pause) "Can i help you do the mummy jobs"

Where do I go from here? how much should i tell her about Anzac Day and its meaning to our Military family? Do i really want her to understand its significance? because if so how will she feel before her Daddy goes on future Deployments?

A world without sleep

at least that is my little world at the moment. Cookie used to be OK at sleeping she would wake briefly twice a night to feed and that was it. since 6 mths things have changed ( i blame teething) she now wakes every hour sometimes cries for up to 6 hrs a night. Munchkin who sleeps in the room right next to Cookie finds this incredibly stressful and often vomits after 2 hrs of Cookies night time screams. Hubby has taken to sleeping downstairs in the play room ( the only room with a door that can shut thanks to modern open plan housing) . Which leaves me upstairs with a screaming baby and a nearly 4 yr old vomiting with stress.  I put cookie to bed awake after dinner bath boobie stories and lullabies. she falls asleep quickly 5 to 10 minutes of grizzles.  but by an hour and a half later she is awake seeking the ultimate comfort of boobie. which she doesn't get between 10pm and 6 am and the screaming starts.
she is 8 months and way old enough to night wean and on a good solid dinner ( meat and 3 veg) as well. we have been controlled crying her for 6 weeks now and while it has worked in the day time i am at my whits end as to what to do at night I need more than 2 hrs sleep a night. I have tried sleeping her in bed with me she still won't sleep unless she is attached to boobie. i have tried staying in the room with her while she falls asleep calmly.  but then as soon as she stirs and I'm not there  she is screaming. so now i do my bedtime routine tuck her in and kiss her head before leaving the room to let her self settle. which as i said before works well in the daytime but not at night.
Has anyone got any suggestions for a good nights sleep. because the girls in this house are very sleep deprived.