The boy's dad has been going away on business for all of their lives.
However, in the last few years its been different.. we've been dealing with anxiety
in one form or another of 6 years now .. I shouldn't be surprised, i'm quite an anxious
person myself, and my firstborn is pure me, except for the fact the husband declares him
"pure him".
Maybe I married my brother? I dunno, we are quite twinsies, I kinda like it :)
So the hurdles. We're not perfect ( newsflash! ), and it's quite painful seeing bad genes
in your kids. In my lowest moments I may have wailed, unattractively, with snot running
freely ( note: genetically not an attractive crier ) that I should not have procreated.
Like why would I put a kid through my shitty genepool?
But then, I think we turned out ok. On the surface anyway.
I certainly know the more people I meet at this age ( where people tend to let the cray
hang out a bit more ) the more nutters I meet.
So I like my nutty, they can keep theirs.
Today the boy's Dad left us at 4am ( to go away for work ).
My ultra-light anxious-about-sleep-this-year 10yr old, of course woke up, and
followed him around the house sobbing until he left. Distressing, tiring, upsetting for all.
I eventually got him back to sleep with me, and when the sun rose, I let them sleep.
We took a day off school and made the trip to the DFO we'd been planning anyway.
The 10yr old has recently grown out of children's sizes and has no clothes.
He's a tricky size .. a man-child .. too big for boys here .. too small for mens there ..
with a youth's market kinda hit&miss.
So we had a fun-ish day celebrating man-dom and Mama got some new shoes which
I shared on Instagram .. a site I haven't embraced, but keep getting told I need to be on..
i'm trying !
So anyway, when we got halfway 'round .. the boys were hungry - i'd promised a sweet lunch
( translation: chips and sorse ( sauce ) ) and we went on a peruse of the mini-food-court.
Counter #1 was intense, he was going to make a burger just fresh to my liking!
( I didn't want a burger! ) and he had chips .. they looked kinda old and yukky though,
so I cheerfully said we'd be back! and encouraged the boys to look around.
He.freaking.watched.us.the.whole.time as we stopped by the sushi counter, and perused
his direct opposition ( also with vile-looking chips ) and then I asked the boys what they wanted.
Master 6 wanted a tuna handroll from the sushi place WITH a bowl of chips from
the first place - done.
Master 10 wanted a slice of Quiche Lorraine, with some chips, also from the first place,
also done.
So we went back and he was all over us. I only wanted a Diet Coke ( yes, judge me, fine )
but he talked up his Spanakopita soooooo much I felt obliged to order. After all, it's tough
for small operators out there and I do like to support one who stands behind and sells/believes
in his/her product .. so ok, yes, I will.. you've talked me into it.
I ordered the DC, the spanakopita, a bowl of chips and a quiche with a side of chips
( they'd both got a drink at the sushi bar when we bought the tuna roll )
Then I stood back while we waited for the two pastries to be heated and another lady came by.
He took my money and pushed a crappy Quiche on a plate my way unadorned
( not even a limp salad ). Oh! I said, that is supposed to be with a side of chips?
Oh, I did not charge you, one moment, another dollar.
( he acted all puffy while he served the only other person there like he was flat-stick )
Yes, yes, that's fine.,
So he serves the other woman and makes up another bowl of chips - $3.50 please.
Um, no, I just wanted a small side, on the same plate?
No, we do not do that.
Ok, well, that's too many chips.
*tips chips back in bain marie and shrugs*
Mr Cafe Owner? Seriously?
I felt for you, and although i'm hardly a regular, I tried to support you, and you were a dick.
Once you had my money, you changed. It was like Madonna/Whore syndrome,
except it was lovely patron/dirtyshopper syndrome. I do not wish you well.
Lady at the shoestore however ( who looked like the twin of the equally ace chick at Quicksilver )
.. you can sell me shoes anytime.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Thursday, September 04, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Auskick, the Sequel
It's been 5yrs since we were last at Auskick.
( I think the footballs shrunk, or something ;) )
Despite the fact we didn't know anyone ( Auskick is most often run on a Saturday,
so we joined one of the rarer Sunday clubs ), he soon had a buddy right away to warm up with:
Practice ball skills..
And have some fun :D
Then it was match time!
If he wasn't on the ball, he was vying for it.
I don't know much about footy, but he seemed to know what he was doing!!
I don't know who won, or even if anyone cared. I'm not even sure if anyone scored?
Gee it was fun watching those little kids muck in though .. nosedives, bonks on the head,
running the wrong way, dirty knees, tussling for the ball .. all smiles though!
And we need another kid's activity like a hole in the head :D
xx
( I think the footballs shrunk, or something ;) )
Despite the fact we didn't know anyone ( Auskick is most often run on a Saturday,
so we joined one of the rarer Sunday clubs ), he soon had a buddy right away to warm up with:
Practice ball skills..
And have some fun :D
Then it was match time!
If he wasn't on the ball, he was vying for it.
I don't know much about footy, but he seemed to know what he was doing!!
I don't know who won, or even if anyone cared. I'm not even sure if anyone scored?
Gee it was fun watching those little kids muck in though .. nosedives, bonks on the head,
running the wrong way, dirty knees, tussling for the ball .. all smiles though!
And we need another kid's activity like a hole in the head :D
xx
Saturday, March 01, 2014
The Death of Craft
I believe in hands-on discoveries, and worry that a neat home smacks of boxed-in expression.
When my kids were younger we did a lot of gluing and sticking and painting.
Gathering leaves, creating montages, creating cities and empires of sticks.
Wishing the same joy for every child, I used to gift art and craft items ..
I gave gifts of meaning. Of mind & creativity.
I hoped they were appreciated, but I sometimes gnawed on nails and wondered, as I do,
why I can't conform? Birthdays are fraught for me, any gift-giving occasion really.
I think too hard and then wonder if I screwed up. And I don't like to give a gift that isn't
loved - I find it hard to gift and forget - I like to know how that gift is going .. and perhaps,
if you hate it, can you like, give it back?
Because I freaking loved it and I wanted you to love it too.
We all know I have ishews with gifts.
Anyway, when the youngest went to kinder last year, I happily donated all the things
we didn't do anymore but had lots of life left in them - stamp sets, all our pretty papers
( leftovers from a job in the paper industry, oh, you know, a DECADE ago?! ), and I got
GREAT joy when I saw some of those distinctive offcuts used in the children's take-home craft.
An Easter chicken hatching from a Stardream Metallic egg is not a vision easily forgotten.
That's the gift I like to give.
❤
So then, why was I so inwardly shitty this year when the kids got an annoying artbox for
Christmas in the family Kris-Kringle? Isn't that the very gift I would give?
The drive home, where they nagged from the backseat to get into their new present as
SOON as they got home, PLEASE MUMMY. And I was grumpy and said no - "tomorrow".
I'd spent like 3 days cleaning my house so it resembled my dream of Magazine Feature.
It's never this pretty. And my kids are freaking animals. I knew the paint would be
acrylic ( and it was, it always is ) and I just didn't want.to.deal.with.that.crap.
I just wanted my pretty house for one more day.
It was my gift to me. I didn't want to ruin it.
Cranky Mummy, boo. Grinch.
Is that how others felt when they received my well-intentioned gifts?
Anyway, I did let them, but outside, and I couldn't even karcher off the stains off the deck
later on. The fancy new Christmas clothes that weren't changed out of first are now daggy
around-the-house-clothes. Stained.
But I dont like being an ogre, so normally my house is a Lego pit, and there's stuff everywhere.
I still believe in imaginative play and my house suffers for it.
And so it was today that I made Play-doh.
But oh, not the normal kind, this was a fancy-schmancy new kind - no cook -
just cornflour and HAIR CONDITIONER. I had to try that, didn't I?
It made my hands smell like apples :)
And much joy was had.
And to tell the truth, cleanup was better than regular playdoh .. the cornflour turns to
powder and so all the mess picured involved no chisels or swearing .. just a wipe and a brush up.
#winning
No-Cook Cornflour Playdoh:
1 cup hair conditioner ( I used a no-name variety, it cost a dollar )
Pop that in a bowl
Add a few drops of food colouring
Mix
Start adding cornflour a cup at a time.
The recipe I used said i'd only need two cups, but to add more if the mix was sticky.
I seriously used about 4 cups in the end - which was almost the entire contents of a
brand-new 500g bag.
Apparently it wont last very long, but to be honest, you want that stuff out of your house
before long anyway, right? I am predicting it will last as long as my patience, and that's
a win for everybody :)
Enjoy! x
When my kids were younger we did a lot of gluing and sticking and painting.
Gathering leaves, creating montages, creating cities and empires of sticks.
Wishing the same joy for every child, I used to gift art and craft items ..
I gave gifts of meaning. Of mind & creativity.
I hoped they were appreciated, but I sometimes gnawed on nails and wondered, as I do,
why I can't conform? Birthdays are fraught for me, any gift-giving occasion really.
I think too hard and then wonder if I screwed up. And I don't like to give a gift that isn't
loved - I find it hard to gift and forget - I like to know how that gift is going .. and perhaps,
if you hate it, can you like, give it back?
Because I freaking loved it and I wanted you to love it too.
We all know I have ishews with gifts.
Anyway, when the youngest went to kinder last year, I happily donated all the things
we didn't do anymore but had lots of life left in them - stamp sets, all our pretty papers
( leftovers from a job in the paper industry, oh, you know, a DECADE ago?! ), and I got
GREAT joy when I saw some of those distinctive offcuts used in the children's take-home craft.
An Easter chicken hatching from a Stardream Metallic egg is not a vision easily forgotten.
That's the gift I like to give.
❤
So then, why was I so inwardly shitty this year when the kids got an annoying artbox for
Christmas in the family Kris-Kringle? Isn't that the very gift I would give?
The drive home, where they nagged from the backseat to get into their new present as
SOON as they got home, PLEASE MUMMY. And I was grumpy and said no - "tomorrow".
I'd spent like 3 days cleaning my house so it resembled my dream of Magazine Feature.
It's never this pretty. And my kids are freaking animals. I knew the paint would be
acrylic ( and it was, it always is ) and I just didn't want.to.deal.with.that.crap.
I just wanted my pretty house for one more day.
It was my gift to me. I didn't want to ruin it.
Cranky Mummy, boo. Grinch.
Is that how others felt when they received my well-intentioned gifts?
( ^ Note: this is a recent art smock/ paint set purchase I made from IKEA. Because I am a sucker :) )
Anyway, I did let them, but outside, and I couldn't even karcher off the stains off the deck
later on. The fancy new Christmas clothes that weren't changed out of first are now daggy
around-the-house-clothes. Stained.
But I dont like being an ogre, so normally my house is a Lego pit, and there's stuff everywhere.
I still believe in imaginative play and my house suffers for it.
And so it was today that I made Play-doh.
But oh, not the normal kind, this was a fancy-schmancy new kind - no cook -
just cornflour and HAIR CONDITIONER. I had to try that, didn't I?
It made my hands smell like apples :)
And much joy was had.
And to tell the truth, cleanup was better than regular playdoh .. the cornflour turns to
powder and so all the mess picured involved no chisels or swearing .. just a wipe and a brush up.
#winning
No-Cook Cornflour Playdoh:
1 cup hair conditioner ( I used a no-name variety, it cost a dollar )
Pop that in a bowl
Add a few drops of food colouring
Mix
Start adding cornflour a cup at a time.
The recipe I used said i'd only need two cups, but to add more if the mix was sticky.
I seriously used about 4 cups in the end - which was almost the entire contents of a
brand-new 500g bag.
Apparently it wont last very long, but to be honest, you want that stuff out of your house
before long anyway, right? I am predicting it will last as long as my patience, and that's
a win for everybody :)
Enjoy! x
Monday, January 20, 2014
Holidays: At the Beach
Not all taken on the same day .. but a little walk through the hours..
When not at the farmlet .. we popped down the beach.
I even read a magazine ( Marie Claire ) and felt like I was 15 again .. ( with a copy of Dolly )
I don't get to read magazines much.
It was delightful.
When not at the farmlet .. we popped down the beach.
I even read a magazine ( Marie Claire ) and felt like I was 15 again .. ( with a copy of Dolly )
I don't get to read magazines much.
It was delightful.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Happy 2014!
We did our usual and headed down the beach with a picnic to watch the sunset,
play with glo-stix and catch a glimpse of the fireworks from over yon city-side.
It was low-tide when we arrived, so we threw our stuff down and went exploring.
Until it got dark enough to break out the glow-stix..
No, that's not our party. Nice to see people actually using their beachboxes though.
If I owned one, i'd be down there all the time, decorating it like a fantasy cubbyhouse
and inventing little stories in my head and playing Swiss Family Robinson.
Finally the sun did set.
You can't see properly at this size, but one of those silhouettes is taking an iphone picture.
It looks quite cool, but i'm not sure how her photo would have turned out?
Finally, when it was dark enough, Melbourne city let off the 'early fireworks', except this
year, all we heard was the pops and bangs. The venue change meant nothing was visible,
which was a bit disappointing, but ah well. The kids made me light sparklers against my
better judgement and one of them sustained finger burns, so that was a bit of fun later on
( O_o ), but he eventually fell asleep clutching his ziplock bag of crushed ice
( man we love that fridge ).
2013 was a messy brainblur for me so i'm hoping 2014 might take a slower,
more balanced pace.
Hope you had a good one!
xx
play with glo-stix and catch a glimpse of the fireworks from over yon city-side.
It was low-tide when we arrived, so we threw our stuff down and went exploring.
Until it got dark enough to break out the glow-stix..
No, that's not our party. Nice to see people actually using their beachboxes though.
If I owned one, i'd be down there all the time, decorating it like a fantasy cubbyhouse
and inventing little stories in my head and playing Swiss Family Robinson.
Finally the sun did set.
You can't see properly at this size, but one of those silhouettes is taking an iphone picture.
It looks quite cool, but i'm not sure how her photo would have turned out?
Finally, when it was dark enough, Melbourne city let off the 'early fireworks', except this
year, all we heard was the pops and bangs. The venue change meant nothing was visible,
which was a bit disappointing, but ah well. The kids made me light sparklers against my
better judgement and one of them sustained finger burns, so that was a bit of fun later on
( O_o ), but he eventually fell asleep clutching his ziplock bag of crushed ice
( man we love that fridge ).
2013 was a messy brainblur for me so i'm hoping 2014 might take a slower,
more balanced pace.
Hope you had a good one!
xx
Friday, November 01, 2013
And this is how it went..
I have had my first day off in FOREVER today!
I have been shooting kinder kids week in week out,
which sees me anywhere from Epping to Clayton to Tullamarine and McKinnon
or Doreen on any given week, and then I honoured a commitment to work last weekend
at the Toddler & Baby Show for a friend.
The kids have been shuffled, favours begged and dinners of toast and beans are a go-go.
Here's How My Day Off Went ( pretty delightfully, although maybe i'm easy pleased! ):
6.00am -
wake up and realise it's a beautiful day and I don't have to be in traffic to some exotic* location
6.05am - wee, and go back to bed
( sorry, but the rest of this story is PG, even is wee isn't. What is wee rated anyway? )
7.00am -
Rise. Inform children that NO, they can't "have a day off" and placate older with a lunch order.
Feel like a Lord.
7.00 - 8.30am -
everyone does their stuff without yelling**
8.30am -
realise kinder starts at 8.30am, not 8.45am as thought.
Fang it to kinder. Arrive 2mins late, but safe.
8.45am -
Drop off older boy, feeling happy
9.00am -
Priceline. I haven't shopped for me in AGES and I have no face powder and the foundation
is low. I also buy hairspray, dry shampoo, an eyeliner from the 80's on sale for $2 I want
to recapture my youth with ( it's blue ) and a sparkle nailpolish.
Feel happy.
9.30am -
( Guessing the time because i have to BE NOWHERE! ) - pop on down to Target.
I have torn a heap of my skirts on various sharp things lately, and anyone that knows me
knows I love the skirt. Unfortunately, no skirts for me today, but there's a perfect dress ..
if I could cut off the bodice and fit the skirt part to the hips i'd be so freaking happy, it's gorgeous.
I tell the salesgirl about my friend who is rather handy with a sewing machine.
I try on several bigger sizes to fit the skirt part on my HIPS, rather than high on the waist as
the dress dictates. I find the right size. I wonder if my friend can do this?
I plan to ask her, and if not, return the dress.
I love Target.
10.00-10.30am-
pop out of dressing room to see said friend at the counter, paying for something. I yell out.
The assistant says "oh, is this your friend you were telling me about?"
Fluke.
10.30-11.30am -
we hit a few Oppies together and even Coles. We share the bulk buy on Zooper Doopers.
Suddenly the grocery shopping burden is no longer heavy.
We buy matching Olive Baguettes at Baker's Delight. Alas, we part for kindy pickup.
12.00pm -
Arrive home to put perishables in fridge. Scoff a salad while on facebook chatting.
Realise I have 15minutes to get to Spotlight before Kinder pickup and I really need that
iron-one mending stuff for my skirts. Zoom it on over
12.15pm -
Get stopped in aisle by lady that wants to chat. Overhelp to the point we probably should
start dating and sync menses. Rush off for pickup
12.25pm -
Fang down the Nepean ( abiding road rules ) and make it to the kindy 2minutes overtime.
Last kid there, but not by much. The following conversation ensues:
Them: And Leanne, if you could just watch the times for pickup?
Me: Huh?
Them: Your husband was 15minutes late the other day***
Me: Oh really? Well, I hope you discussed it with him?
( I know they did, so shaming me is pointless, plus, we are not repeat offenders, lately it's been hard )
Them: And your son didn't eat his lunch today ( serious raised eyebrows )
Me *Shrug*
Them: He says he doesn't like jam sandwiches ( who does, seriously? yuck! )
Me: That's all there was, I haven't been home all week and there's no food in the house,
so we do the best with what we've got.
Them: What does he like to eat?
Me: Tuna and Egg. You know, all the stuff we can't eat here?****
Me: So I give him meat and sauce every day he comes here because I know he will eat it
Them: Yes, that's what he said he liked
Me: Buuuut, we were out, so jam it was. Come on Buddy, let's go!
Seriously. Well, i'll leave it at that.
I've photographed at so many LOCAL kinders lately ( including the one my older boy went to,
and I should have picked again and the vibe is just so much more relaxed. ).
Yes, I understand the allergy situation, but couple that with their "no junk food / no sandwich
until you eat a piece of fruit first" ( we aren't a fruity family but my kids eat strawberries
and apples by the bucketful .. BUT .. they hate them in lunchboxes PLUS we have wobbly teeth,
so now apples are hurties ) and Mondays are fruit-only and BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.
So many rules! So many distainful looks and I don't even feed my kids junk! I don't understand!!
I feel very judged for not being a full-time mum I guess .. that I sometimes have to farm out
my pickups ( OMG, the time I cleared a family friend for pickup and all was good,
but then she got a drilling until someone stepped in to save her - hello!? )
1.30pm-3.30pm -
check gardens, enjoy sunshine
3.30pm -
School pickup.
4.00pm - chomp on Olive bread from Baker 's Delight with Eggplant & Garlic Dip.
Seriously Divine, and all the niggles just wash away, wash away :)
*we travel anywhere in Melbourne, even places we haven't heard of yet
** I forgot to check teeth. Were teeth brushed? There possibly should have been yelling
*** it's true, but they already berated him. Am I my husband? No.
Are we ever normally late? No.
**** ok, its true that my kids really do like tuna and egg and these things are not allowed
at kinder and I UNDERSTAND THAT, .. but it really limits my lunch options with a
fussy eater, so please, don't give me shit about our limited lunches, ok?
I pack the SAME thing every day and it bores the crap out of me too, but everything is
banned. Our kinder lunchbox is: meat&sauce sandwich, plain popcorn sans
illegal packaging, carrot sticks ( acceptable fruit substitute my kids eat ) and sultanas.
A mum recently mentioned to me about the homemade sushi she had packed - it was
the avocado/cucumber/rice/seaweed wrapper kind and her child was told no he couldn't
eat it. They COOK things on premises they are not allowed to EAT on premises
due to allergies. It's insane.
Picking a 'safe' lunchbox that meets all the rules without getting in trouble and repeating
it for 12months .. not insane.
But besides that one niggle where I was made to feel like a lesser parent
( I wish i'd mentioned the road traffic game we played the other day where they encourage
children to weave through traffic to collect a BALL kicked onto the ROAD, OMG?! ) ..
all the parents standing next to me whispering to their sweet babies "you know,
we never chase balls onto roads EVER, ok? We can always buy another ball, but there is
only ever one you, don't ever do this ok?" , and yet a jam sandwich is being a bad mother.
Life is weird. The older I get, the more weirdos I meet :)
But it was largely a GOOD DAY! :D .. and this Olive Baguette is DA BOMB! xx
I have been shooting kinder kids week in week out,
which sees me anywhere from Epping to Clayton to Tullamarine and McKinnon
or Doreen on any given week, and then I honoured a commitment to work last weekend
at the Toddler & Baby Show for a friend.
The kids have been shuffled, favours begged and dinners of toast and beans are a go-go.
Here's How My Day Off Went ( pretty delightfully, although maybe i'm easy pleased! ):
6.00am -
wake up and realise it's a beautiful day and I don't have to be in traffic to some exotic* location
6.05am - wee, and go back to bed
( sorry, but the rest of this story is PG, even is wee isn't. What is wee rated anyway? )
7.00am -
Rise. Inform children that NO, they can't "have a day off" and placate older with a lunch order.
Feel like a Lord.
7.00 - 8.30am -
everyone does their stuff without yelling**
8.30am -
realise kinder starts at 8.30am, not 8.45am as thought.
Fang it to kinder. Arrive 2mins late, but safe.
8.45am -
Drop off older boy, feeling happy
9.00am -
Priceline. I haven't shopped for me in AGES and I have no face powder and the foundation
is low. I also buy hairspray, dry shampoo, an eyeliner from the 80's on sale for $2 I want
to recapture my youth with ( it's blue ) and a sparkle nailpolish.
Feel happy.
9.30am -
( Guessing the time because i have to BE NOWHERE! ) - pop on down to Target.
I have torn a heap of my skirts on various sharp things lately, and anyone that knows me
knows I love the skirt. Unfortunately, no skirts for me today, but there's a perfect dress ..
if I could cut off the bodice and fit the skirt part to the hips i'd be so freaking happy, it's gorgeous.
I tell the salesgirl about my friend who is rather handy with a sewing machine.
I try on several bigger sizes to fit the skirt part on my HIPS, rather than high on the waist as
the dress dictates. I find the right size. I wonder if my friend can do this?
I plan to ask her, and if not, return the dress.
I love Target.
10.00-10.30am-
pop out of dressing room to see said friend at the counter, paying for something. I yell out.
The assistant says "oh, is this your friend you were telling me about?"
Fluke.
10.30-11.30am -
we hit a few Oppies together and even Coles. We share the bulk buy on Zooper Doopers.
Suddenly the grocery shopping burden is no longer heavy.
We buy matching Olive Baguettes at Baker's Delight. Alas, we part for kindy pickup.
12.00pm -
Arrive home to put perishables in fridge. Scoff a salad while on facebook chatting.
Realise I have 15minutes to get to Spotlight before Kinder pickup and I really need that
iron-one mending stuff for my skirts. Zoom it on over
12.15pm -
Get stopped in aisle by lady that wants to chat. Overhelp to the point we probably should
start dating and sync menses. Rush off for pickup
12.25pm -
Fang down the Nepean ( abiding road rules ) and make it to the kindy 2minutes overtime.
Last kid there, but not by much. The following conversation ensues:
Them: And Leanne, if you could just watch the times for pickup?
Me: Huh?
Them: Your husband was 15minutes late the other day***
Me: Oh really? Well, I hope you discussed it with him?
( I know they did, so shaming me is pointless, plus, we are not repeat offenders, lately it's been hard )
Them: And your son didn't eat his lunch today ( serious raised eyebrows )
Me *Shrug*
Them: He says he doesn't like jam sandwiches ( who does, seriously? yuck! )
Me: That's all there was, I haven't been home all week and there's no food in the house,
so we do the best with what we've got.
Them: What does he like to eat?
Me: Tuna and Egg. You know, all the stuff we can't eat here?****
Me: So I give him meat and sauce every day he comes here because I know he will eat it
Them: Yes, that's what he said he liked
Me: Buuuut, we were out, so jam it was. Come on Buddy, let's go!
Seriously. Well, i'll leave it at that.
I've photographed at so many LOCAL kinders lately ( including the one my older boy went to,
and I should have picked again and the vibe is just so much more relaxed. ).
Yes, I understand the allergy situation, but couple that with their "no junk food / no sandwich
until you eat a piece of fruit first" ( we aren't a fruity family but my kids eat strawberries
and apples by the bucketful .. BUT .. they hate them in lunchboxes PLUS we have wobbly teeth,
so now apples are hurties ) and Mondays are fruit-only and BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH.
So many rules! So many distainful looks and I don't even feed my kids junk! I don't understand!!
I feel very judged for not being a full-time mum I guess .. that I sometimes have to farm out
my pickups ( OMG, the time I cleared a family friend for pickup and all was good,
but then she got a drilling until someone stepped in to save her - hello!? )
1.30pm-3.30pm -
check gardens, enjoy sunshine
3.30pm -
School pickup.
4.00pm - chomp on Olive bread from Baker 's Delight with Eggplant & Garlic Dip.
Seriously Divine, and all the niggles just wash away, wash away :)
*we travel anywhere in Melbourne, even places we haven't heard of yet
** I forgot to check teeth. Were teeth brushed? There possibly should have been yelling
*** it's true, but they already berated him. Am I my husband? No.
Are we ever normally late? No.
**** ok, its true that my kids really do like tuna and egg and these things are not allowed
at kinder and I UNDERSTAND THAT, .. but it really limits my lunch options with a
fussy eater, so please, don't give me shit about our limited lunches, ok?
I pack the SAME thing every day and it bores the crap out of me too, but everything is
banned. Our kinder lunchbox is: meat&sauce sandwich, plain popcorn sans
illegal packaging, carrot sticks ( acceptable fruit substitute my kids eat ) and sultanas.
A mum recently mentioned to me about the homemade sushi she had packed - it was
the avocado/cucumber/rice/seaweed wrapper kind and her child was told no he couldn't
eat it. They COOK things on premises they are not allowed to EAT on premises
due to allergies. It's insane.
Picking a 'safe' lunchbox that meets all the rules without getting in trouble and repeating
it for 12months .. not insane.
But besides that one niggle where I was made to feel like a lesser parent
( I wish i'd mentioned the road traffic game we played the other day where they encourage
children to weave through traffic to collect a BALL kicked onto the ROAD, OMG?! ) ..
all the parents standing next to me whispering to their sweet babies "you know,
we never chase balls onto roads EVER, ok? We can always buy another ball, but there is
only ever one you, don't ever do this ok?" , and yet a jam sandwich is being a bad mother.
Life is weird. The older I get, the more weirdos I meet :)
But it was largely a GOOD DAY! :D .. and this Olive Baguette is DA BOMB! xx
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Spring 2013Style!
Yes, it's been a while, bad blogger, no updates.
The house is now finished,
furnished and wonderful.
Sure there's some thought that needs to go into wall decoration and finishing touches,
and yes, I need to photograph it.
What happened?
Life, life happened.
I went back to work and also started a new job-aside with a friend.
In fact, I can't tell you how nice it is to *collaborate* again.
Running your own ( solo ) business, even in this online age where I have a 100 colleagues
online to lean on, doesn't match the fun and energy I used to get from working alongside others,
bouncing wit, combining ideas and brainstorming. Much fun.
But i've popped in tonight as it's been Wonderful in old MelbsTown recently.
It wasn't a bad winter at all, but there's something about the blossoms and scent in the air ..
the late afternoons sports where the kids protest in confusion "but why isn't it dark yet?
It's supposed to be dark.."
We've got a sleepover tonight, and it's been a glorious day - 3 loads of washing dried
in the sun, started on weeds, did some pruning, marveled at new growth, then we headed
on down the beach for some sandcastle action and watched 9 ( NINE! ) brides battle for
the best position on the beach with their hired photographers and the hordes of many
taking pics with their i-pads.
Ugh.
No envy.
So anyway, a great day.
We came home & ordered fish & chips and walked up to collect them.
The kids watched a movie, and then had icecream.
And I loaded the dishwasher with a contented happy sigh.
"Did you have a hard day mum?" said my smallest? ( reacting to the sigh )
"What?" I asked, bemused ( because I didn't have a crankyface on )
"Did you have a hard day, having to look after 3 kids?" ( with HIS concerned tv-dad face )
So cute, his empathy only topped off a great day.
House pics soon - I promise! x
The house is now finished,
furnished and wonderful.
Sure there's some thought that needs to go into wall decoration and finishing touches,
and yes, I need to photograph it.
What happened?
Life, life happened.
I went back to work and also started a new job-aside with a friend.
In fact, I can't tell you how nice it is to *collaborate* again.
Running your own ( solo ) business, even in this online age where I have a 100 colleagues
online to lean on, doesn't match the fun and energy I used to get from working alongside others,
bouncing wit, combining ideas and brainstorming. Much fun.
But i've popped in tonight as it's been Wonderful in old MelbsTown recently.
It wasn't a bad winter at all, but there's something about the blossoms and scent in the air ..
the late afternoons sports where the kids protest in confusion "but why isn't it dark yet?
It's supposed to be dark.."
We've got a sleepover tonight, and it's been a glorious day - 3 loads of washing dried
in the sun, started on weeds, did some pruning, marveled at new growth, then we headed
on down the beach for some sandcastle action and watched 9 ( NINE! ) brides battle for
the best position on the beach with their hired photographers and the hordes of many
taking pics with their i-pads.
Ugh.
No envy.
So anyway, a great day.
We came home & ordered fish & chips and walked up to collect them.
The kids watched a movie, and then had icecream.
And I loaded the dishwasher with a contented happy sigh.
"Did you have a hard day mum?" said my smallest? ( reacting to the sigh )
"What?" I asked, bemused ( because I didn't have a crankyface on )
"Did you have a hard day, having to look after 3 kids?" ( with HIS concerned tv-dad face )
So cute, his empathy only topped off a great day.
House pics soon - I promise! x
Thursday, July 04, 2013
Les Averries :: Our Country House in France
So it seems i'm going to walk through my travelogue willy-nilly as today's post is from
the Loire Valley, and the last was from Amsterdam, and I haven't even covered our time
in Paris ( yet! ).
But you don't mind, do you?
In fact, this was my most favourite part of the trip - oh for sure, Paris was *divine* -
we had a little apartment and each day we'd explore the city.
But now, we were in the country, and the boys were very excited as we had our own
private pool. As soon as we arrived, we sat down for RULES, as the pool was unfenced
and there had to be no covert swimmage, and a parent had to be supervising at ALL TIMES.
Here's Dad laying down the law in the lounge:
And the reaction, which looks very mischievous to me...
At last everybody got to use the pool.
The afternoons were so lovely we ended up planning every day to be home by 5pm,
so instead of dinners out, we'd take long lunches instead, and i'd cook us something
simple in the evenings.
Cooking is not a chore when you are in the French Countryside :)
Unfortunately, on the first day, AB managed to slice his foot right open, deeply.
To be honest, we were having such a great time getting by with our pidgin French,
the prospect of calling for a Doctor filled us with trepidation. It seriously needed stitches,
and my dreamy plans of walking the country lanes at dusk fell by the wayside.
He was hobbled. I may have been a bit pissed off to tell the truth, but AB's a trooper
and we managed to get out and do things regardless.
However, my walks were alone, and I didn't go far.
Knee-deep in grasses on one evening, I wondered about snakes.
Then how no-one could hear me scream.
So I pretty much kept to the road outside our house and the field across the street after that.
Easy spooked.
We stayed in a township by the name of Bougueil, and it was beautiful and perfect.
The Café de la Promenade was just down the road, and there were markets to explore,
Troglodite caves, castles, wineries and beautiful countryside to drive through.
It was heaven.
But i'll cover all the sightseeing in an other post.
For even if we did nothing but swim in the pool all day and eat cheese and breads,
we would have been happy. Take for example: our garden:
Being inside was just as divine. I was a bit sad the weather was so awesome and I couldn't
light that amazing fireplace .. maybe i'll have to come back for a winter visit too ...
I would totally recommend visiting Bourgueil if you are visiting France.
Our host, Michel ( who Andrew kept calling Michael and denying that he did and I
was dying of cultural cringe ) has an office on site ( in the converted barn ) but is very
respectful of privacy. He was actually away in Paris on business for most of our visit,
but was only a phone call away if needed.
Inside, there is a bureau of maps and pamphlets of things to do and a handwritten
note from Michel regarding when the markets are on, and which restaurants are good,
and how to get to the Hyper-U ( a huge shopping centre ) or the pharmacie.
The rental boasts everything you could possibly need ( details here ) and comfortably sleeps 6.
It was simply, gorgeous.
The most perfect holiday ever.
Now you can probably understand why Amsterdam was so underwhelming for me?
You can find our more about renting Les Averries here: LES AVERRIES
It was hard to leave .. in fact, while the boys swam, AB and I sat under the willows and
breathed in the air ( and the wine ) and planned how we could possibly stay forever.
Alas, it was not to be..
the Loire Valley, and the last was from Amsterdam, and I haven't even covered our time
in Paris ( yet! ).
But you don't mind, do you?
In fact, this was my most favourite part of the trip - oh for sure, Paris was *divine* -
we had a little apartment and each day we'd explore the city.
But now, we were in the country, and the boys were very excited as we had our own
private pool. As soon as we arrived, we sat down for RULES, as the pool was unfenced
and there had to be no covert swimmage, and a parent had to be supervising at ALL TIMES.
Here's Dad laying down the law in the lounge:
And the reaction, which looks very mischievous to me...
At last everybody got to use the pool.
The afternoons were so lovely we ended up planning every day to be home by 5pm,
so instead of dinners out, we'd take long lunches instead, and i'd cook us something
simple in the evenings.
Cooking is not a chore when you are in the French Countryside :)
Unfortunately, on the first day, AB managed to slice his foot right open, deeply.
To be honest, we were having such a great time getting by with our pidgin French,
the prospect of calling for a Doctor filled us with trepidation. It seriously needed stitches,
and my dreamy plans of walking the country lanes at dusk fell by the wayside.
He was hobbled. I may have been a bit pissed off to tell the truth, but AB's a trooper
and we managed to get out and do things regardless.
However, my walks were alone, and I didn't go far.
Knee-deep in grasses on one evening, I wondered about snakes.
Then how no-one could hear me scream.
So I pretty much kept to the road outside our house and the field across the street after that.
Easy spooked.
We stayed in a township by the name of Bougueil, and it was beautiful and perfect.
The Café de la Promenade was just down the road, and there were markets to explore,
Troglodite caves, castles, wineries and beautiful countryside to drive through.
It was heaven.
But i'll cover all the sightseeing in an other post.
For even if we did nothing but swim in the pool all day and eat cheese and breads,
we would have been happy. Take for example: our garden:
Being inside was just as divine. I was a bit sad the weather was so awesome and I couldn't
light that amazing fireplace .. maybe i'll have to come back for a winter visit too ...
I would totally recommend visiting Bourgueil if you are visiting France.
Our host, Michel ( who Andrew kept calling Michael and denying that he did and I
was dying of cultural cringe ) has an office on site ( in the converted barn ) but is very
respectful of privacy. He was actually away in Paris on business for most of our visit,
but was only a phone call away if needed.
Inside, there is a bureau of maps and pamphlets of things to do and a handwritten
note from Michel regarding when the markets are on, and which restaurants are good,
and how to get to the Hyper-U ( a huge shopping centre ) or the pharmacie.
The rental boasts everything you could possibly need ( details here ) and comfortably sleeps 6.
It was simply, gorgeous.
The most perfect holiday ever.
Now you can probably understand why Amsterdam was so underwhelming for me?
You can find our more about renting Les Averries here: LES AVERRIES
It was hard to leave .. in fact, while the boys swam, AB and I sat under the willows and
breathed in the air ( and the wine ) and planned how we could possibly stay forever.
Alas, it was not to be..
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