Resurgence

How is it June? (I should note that when I first started this post it began 'How is it May? Turns out time will stop for no man, woman or blogger).

I just wanted to let you all know that we are alive ...

Buglet has had her year 12 ball, and has turned 17.

Tink has her first job at a Fish'nChip shop, and is taking the world by storm. She also has purple hair.

The Pixie is the Pixie. I am super proud of her for getting an award for good attitude and leadership in the Elite Sports Program at her school. I am worried that she was confused as to why she would be given an award for good attitude and leadership.

The kittens are now getting along. Pickles grooms Pumpkin an awful lot for an inside kitten. Not sure if Pumpkin smells bad or if Pickles has an incredibly high standard of cleanliness.

Flip-Flop went for a week's holiday with her previous owners while I was in Melbourne (and the girls were dispersed around the country-side).

My youngest niece has gone to long term care with her family (sad for us, but hopefully the best for her long term happiness and we knew she was going to be a temporary placement) ... and a week later my sister gained another little boy (NT Nephew III)!

But that's not all .....

... I am an auntie again! (Again, again. NT Nephew III is the first again, keep reading for the second again).

Pie and OJ have a new little brother (Freddo for blogging purposes. Pie wanted to call him Freddie; his parents disagreed so he will have to make do with it as a blog name).

Not only am I an auntie again twice over ... I am also a Godmother! Freddo's baptism was last Sunday so it is all official and everything.

For those trying to keep up, this makes 6 Godchildren, 3 nieces, 9 nephews, and 1 Godson-nephew (plus the temporary nieflings I've had to let go of physically, but who I keep close to my heart).

And me ... well ... the last few months have been a bit of a roller-coaster!

Work has been busy. Life has been busy. I have a couple of projects on the go which are mostly keeping me out of trouble.

One of aforementioned projects is that I am now Vice President of a fledgling organisation called Chat For Change. If you want to help support us, it would be super awesome if you liked us on Facebook or connected with us on LinkedIn. This paragraph is a blatant attempt at self-promotion. Not that I have done a lot so far, I've only been on board (pun intended) for six months, but I still feel that promoting is the right thing to do.

You will all be pleased to know that I took a week off and run away to Melbourne to hang out with a friend. Was v good just to have some down time. I also bought books. Rather a lot of books. (If you want to see my pictures check out #runningawaywithness on Instragram.https://www.instagram.com/philosophy_minors/).

The other "exciting" thing is that my doctor is of the opinion that I most likely have ankylosing spondylitis. This sounds like a dinosaur, but it is actually an autoimmune arthritisy disease causing chronic pain usually starting in your back. Most people shorten it to AS, but I like saying the whole thing 'cos if you are going to have a nasty disease it is sort of fun to have one that sounds like a dinosaur.

While I haven't had an official diagnosis (because this takes ages), it does explain a whole heap of things. For starters the chronic back pain, but also the fatigue I have been battling even when my iron levels are normal. I will write more about this later, but the whole thing is having a bit of an impact on my life. The fatigue in particular has been messing with me for the last six months, with the worst part being three weeks were I was only awake long enough to work (and still had to nap in my lunch break every day).

Moral of the story: If something doesn't feel quite right. Go to the doctor! I only mentioned it to her because my boss told me I had to tell her about the constant back pain and the Monkey Butler told me I had to tell her about the constant pain in my fingers.

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am really not qualified to give medical advice.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Flying the nest

Ok. I have a confession! I actually wrote a different post with the same name on the other blog. I just liked the name. That's not too bad is it? I liked the name and it works for both posts. I don't mind if you write it off to laziness.

I mentioned in my last post that Tink and the Pixie went to a Girl Guide Jamboree during the school holidays and had an amazing time. (To any of the organisers reading this BRAVO and thank you so very much for all your hard work and dedication!)

It's not the first time they've been away without me. In fact, the very first time they left me for a week was when all three of them went to Queensland for a once-in-a-lifetime weekend commemorating 100 years since the rally where Girl Guides began. The Pixie had only just turned 6, but as it was never going to happen again, they went.

I spent the week at home burying myself in an intensive unit at uni, so I coped ok.

The very first thing the Pixie said to me when she hopped off the plane was this: "Mama! Mama! I rode a camel and he went like this [insert very vivid imitation of a camel chewing]".

They have been on week long school camps, other Guide events (including two interstate Jamborees for Buglet, and one interstate Jamboree for Tink), and trips with my family.

One thing I always notice every time they are away for more than a weekend is that they come home just a little bit more grown up; a little bit more independent.

It really hit me this time.

Do to reasons beyond my control (ok not totally, beyond my control, partly due to panic and not reading signs properly) when I picked the girls up from the airport, they had disembarked from the plane and collected their luggage. This is what I was greeted with .....

My travellers

Backpack on her back (which she proceeded to almost knock out approximately one person every five minutes), day pack on her front. They totally had it sussed.

I had a flash of insight that this was only the first time I would be doing this. All three of the girls have been bitten by the travel bug and are all planning various trips, some as a family and some independently. I know I want them to be independent, but why does it happen so quickly?!

The flash forward to young adult years was quickly broken by our fist verbal exchange ....

Pixie: Mama! Look! I stole a blanket from the plane!
Me: Pixie!!! You can't steal things!
Pixie: Except from aeroplanes.
Me: Not at all.
Pixie: Except when you don't get caught.
Me: Not at all!
Tink: I wouldn't worry too much if I were you, she was waving it around showing the aeroplane people as we were getting off. They just smiled.
Pixie: I am surprised more people don't steal things from planes. It was really easy.

This was followed by a Pixie who could not understand why we had not brought Flip-Flop with us to the airport.

Happiness is a puppy who is reunited with her person

Meanwhile, Buglet has just scored a trip to the NT to babysit her cousins for a week before helping my sister bring the babies home for Christmas and then it is my turn to travel!

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am definitely not qualified to give travel advice.
• I am working hard on the Pixie and her attitude towards petty crime.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Time together and time apart

School went back today.

These school holidays went from one extreme to another.

We spent the first weekend of school holidays heading south. Firstly to Bridgetown to visit the lovely Lela and my God-children, and to attend the Winter Wonderland.

Pixie on a log
We went for an early morning walk to tire her out before the drive.

There is a saying, "friends are the family you choose for yourself" and I love this part of my family. I love that our children love hanging out together, even though half of them are teenagers. I love that this is a friend I can discuss anything with. I love that we have so much fun planning for adventures that are just us as as adults, as well as our lives as parents.

Our babies are getting big though. I realised I have hit a new stage of my life when I realise I was being addressed as "Auntie" by a person a good head taller than me and with a man's voice. I should note here that I am still taller than my girls and than all my sisters, and my brother wasn't quite 14 when he died so this is a new experience for me!

Lela and I had discussed going to the pub for a quiet drink after the family festival was over. We both discussed with our eldest children if they would mind babysitting the little ones for an hour. Not only was everyone agreeable we were strongly encouraged to go out; they had plans for at home that didn't include us. Don't worry, the children were responsible - we were told "be home before midnight and don't bring home any boys". Yes. Seriously. (Don't blame Lela's parenting, that was one of my girls!).

We ended up deciding a pyjama party in Lela's room would be more fun and that way we didn't have to worry about curfews.

Tink, Nanna, and Pixie at Augusta

The next day the girls and went to Augusta to spend time with the girls' great-grandparents (DB's grandparents). I haven't been down in a very long time, and I am so, so glad we went. The time spent with them is very precious.

We taught Nanna how to play a new card game, I was given a massive pile of books, and Pixie and Nanna informed me that it was tradition for her to buy them scratchies. Pixie won $106 so I can't see me winning the argument about vetoing this tradition any time soon!

After that, the girls spent 4 nights at a church camp (which coincidentally was at a Scout campsite were DB basically spent his formative years, and which is one of my most favourite places ever), they then spent two nights at J's, followed by a the rest of the school holidays all over the place at sleepovers, with DB, and the odd one or two nights at home.

Lutheran Youth at the Scout Campsite
When your worlds collide

It felt like so long since I have seen them ... this is the conversation the Pixie and I had last night in an evening cuddle .....

"Did you miss me or just your puppy?"
"60 40"
"Aww ... hang on ..... Am I the 60 or the 40?
"The 40. That's still pretty good .... and I missed the Sisters 11 percent"
"You know that doesn't add up to 100?"
"Who said it has to add up to 100? It is adding up to 111?"
"What about the kitten?"
stressed silence
"Or is she one of the Sisters?"
"She is one of the Sisters .... wait ... that's mean .... I missed my puppy 60%, you 30%, the Cattern 7%, and the Sisters 3%."

Dancers in the nightclub window
(Not me) It was very cool.

It got to the point where one friend asked if I had sold them because I had had so much childfree time. I am pretty sure I have been out more in the last 10 days than I have in the last 10 months. Friday night I was so tired that Buglet took one look at me, told me she would sort herself out for dinner (the other two were out), and sent me to bed. I slept for 12 hours. Maybe I am not cut out to be a party animal?

My guard puppy.
Pixie: I took a photo, Mama, cos you two were just so cute

The bonus of this is that it means I have been missing them. This is convenient considering we are about to spend a week, just the four of us, on our first overseas family holiday. 4.5 sleeps to go! (Ok, technically it is 5, but I am working on the theory that we won't sleep much Saturday night so that makes it half a night).

PS there should have been a lot more photos with this post, but I have cleverly managed to break my phone. If you want to see more, check us out on Instagram.

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I would not take maths advice from the Pixie.
• We probably shouldn't be trusted with breakable things.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

The important things

The Month of Visiting Country People has begun! Maybe a little late, but it has begun. Last weekend I headed out to visit my very pregnant primary school BFF solo. (The girls had gone camping with DB). That was the first of four weekends when I am heading down country roads.

Holidaying can be expensive. I was trying to teach the girls the cost of life ...

Me: I hope none of you have any major expenses this moth. Between four new tyres on Paris, and paying for the hotel for Bali, I am feeling pretty broke.
Pixie *sternly to her sisters*: And she's had to buy me birthday presents.

See! I didn't forget!

You have to love a very subtle reminder that her birthday is up there on the important things that need to be included in the budget!

I had to laugh though. Pixie requested stuff for her bedroom. She had given me some suggestions after we went to Ikea a few weeks ago. She especially wanted "coke hangers". She specifically mentioned that it would be a good present for me to get her. How could you refuse a request like that? She was so excited. She insisted that her "coke hangers" be included in a picture!

(Pixie absolutely refuses to call them anything other that "coke hangers". Even now. I have given up on that fight.)

"Mummy! My coke hangers!"

Yesterday Pixie turned 12. I had been mentally preparing for another big party. Pixie had previously said she wanted to have her big "teenager" party this year, but she has since decided to wait until next year when she turns 13. After having Buglet's 16th a few weeks ago, I have to admit I won't be sorry to wait another year. I want them all to feel that their big events are special in their own right. I do try very hard to make sure they all feel they are their own separate individuals as well as being part of a family, especially since they are so close in age.

Part of this decision, included a last minute request to have her squad (the new word for group of people you hang out with at school, apparently, do you feel like you've learnt something new today), sleepover. This felt reasonable. To have the sleepover, Pixie also said that she would work super hard getting the house nice and clean. this also felt reasonable.

Wednesday ended up being a bitch of a day a work. There is no other way to describe it. I am pretty lucky with my job. I do work long days, and some days I work super long days, but I work in an area of law where it is unusual for to unexpectedly need to be in the office until awful hours of the night. Wednesday ended up being one of those days. Luckily KK picked up the girls for Guides, Apple drove them home, and Team Awesome Guide Leaders said they could manage without me (it was lovely of them to imply that they could cope rather than pointing out that they don't really need me, which is the actual case). I got home at 11pm to a sleepy Pixie who made me promise to wake her up at 5am on Thursday so she could finish cleaning.

Late night work supper. My colleagues are awesome.

I woke up at 5am to help clean. And then my darling child asked me if I was just procrastinating when we went on an early morning drive to get bread! I did point out that while I am brilliant at procrastinating, I do not get up at 5am to clean and then procrastinate. Turns out she just thought of the word. Seriously! Children these days!

It was worth it though. Pixie had a lovely sleepover last night.

Luckily the cleaning was done early. All three of her friends ended up arriving before I got home from work. I had said drop off at 6.30pm if they wanted me to be there, but turned out all the parents were fine with me not being home for the first bit. I walked into a house with music rocking and a cry of "I can't believe you have a stripper pole! You are so cool! I like you already!".

Did I mention I hadn't met one of Pixie's friends before? And that her older sister is friends with Tink, so she came for a sleepover too? Pixie has learnt something from her sisters; if you let them have their own friend they will leave your celebrations alone! Hopefully they will mention the law degree along with the stripper pole or they may never be allowed to sleepover again.

Just for the record, I don't call it a stripper pole. Just a dance pole. And the girls know I do pole dancing because I am too uncoordinated for real dancing. I like to have something to hang on to so I don't fall over.

Happy Birthday Pixie!
(The garden fairies from across the road put on the candles)

Today we are heading on our next country adventure. We are driving up to Boddington to have dinner with DB for the Pixie's birthday.

I asked the Pixie if she would like to go up to have dinner with Daddy on her birthday weekend. Her response: "I think he should like that. I get to pick where we have dinner though. Out of the two  places".

We are planning on doing an alphabet photo scavenger hunt on the way. Check out #alphabetadventures and #krisangels  on Twitter or Instagram if you want to see our pictures!

Disclaimer:

• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I have nothing against strippers, but not sure if it the girls' friends' parents would be thrilled b the image.
• I have no idea how I raised children who want coat hangers as birthday presents.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Good Mama Moments (mostly)

I had so much fun with my first Good Mama, Bad Mama post that I decided to do it again.

Because I have no imagination, here is my fourth effort. Please free feel to comment with your own highs and lows of your parenting week.

No-one is perfect, and it is good to remember that. Plus overall I think I do ok.

I may also have been inspired by similar type posts on other blogs.

******************************************************************************

Good Mama Moment (GMM): Not stressing that Buglet stayed at DB's the night before her camp.

GMM (and Good Guide Leader Moment (GGLM)): Find her kit list and realising (again) that she has this packing business sussed.

NSGM: Getting a phone call from the high school about some inappropriate teasing the Pixie was involved in on orientation day. Especially sad, because I had been proud of her.

GMM: Making it to a parent meeting on time, with DB. We may have been the last ones to arrive, but we were there.

NSGM: Missing a phone call from school. Calling back, and leaving a message with the front office lady that if it was an emergency to please call their father, and if not please leave a message because I was walking into court. (I did say it very nicely. The front office lady was lovely).

NSGM: Being very grumpy with the girls for fighting after a shocking day.

GMM: Dropping Tink (and friend) at school because they had to get their early for a soccer thing. Letting Buglet take the Pixie to McDonald's for a second breakfast so they weren't hanging around school for ages. The second bit may be a bit questionable.

GMM: Asking Mrs Bee and Apple to tell Buglet to take a jacket to her river cruise in the hope that she will listen to them when she won't listen to me.

GMM: Making it home in time to see Buglet before her cruise, not crying too obviously, and getting all three girls to where needed to be (thanks Apple).

NSGM: Getting an emergency call from Buglet because she needed knickers without holes. Teenaged daughter going out in a short dress with inappropriate underwear feels like a fail on so many levels.

NSGM: Tink's table making lots of noise while a special guest was being interviewed at the Soccer Academy of Excellence dinner.

GMM: Being the parent who got up to tell them to be quiet. Just before a teacher did. Tink was quiet after that.

NSGM: Laughing at Buglet for having sore feet after dancing all night. Her comment roll eyes: "I am a dancer, Mother. I am used to sore feet.

GMM: Driving the girls to school because of thunderstorms, music day (so the little two have instruments to carry), and sore feet.

NSGM: A message from Apple telling me that Tink had been rude enough in the car she had been requested to walk to the last bit.

NSGM: Finally returning the missed call from Tuesday. Turns out Tink had made a bad decision academically.

GMM: Telling Tink to write apology letters to the affected parties.

NSGM/GMM: Hiding in my room and giving myself an early night. I was so tired I felt broken. Pixie wasn't home, and I think the other two supported my decision. I am torn! I feels like a fail, but sometimes Mamas need to look after themselves first.

GMM (and awesome ex-wife moment): Taking Tink and the Pixie on a road trip to see DB before Tink left for Singapore.

Brave Mama Moment: Letting Buglet stay home so she could babysit on Saturday night (on the proviso she slept at Mrs Bee's house!)

Good Godmother Moment (GGM): Fulfilling my duties as a member of my Goddaughter's cheersquad.

GGM: Taking my super tired Godson home early so his mother could watch the last of the concert (this may have been of benefit to me to. It was a great night, but I was so tired).

NSGM: Falling asleep and missing helping the rest of the kids settling into bed.

Hmmm. Possibly a GMM? Teaching them how to love reading?
And how not to be grumpy when you wake up and find people have taken pictures of you?

GMM: Being super proud of Tink for making sure all the kids felt included.

GMM: Making it home in time for the dance school wind up.

GMM: Tink deciding to stay home from choir practice because she won't be there for the performance. Telling Buglet she doesn't have to be in the choir if she really doesn't want to. Super happy she decided to though! It would be nice to have one of the girls there!

GMM/GGLM: Tink having her packing totally sussed.

GMM: Getting making sure Tink can actually sew before I sent her off on her first overseas trip (her exact words were "well enough. I can make it stick together. Sounds good to me!).

Disclaimer:

• Do not attempt a similar post unless you are sure it will work out to be an overall positive. You do not want to end up feeling worse about yourself.
• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Turtle Power!

"I remember when these were trendy the first time around". I may be in the minority, but I feel a bit smug saying this to my children. I love it when they love something that I love(d).

When my girls were little and very into Care Bears, they were most impressed that I had carefully preserved half-coloured in colouring in book from when I was about 10 (yes, I also realise that I am a total pack-rat. I am getting better - promise!). My love of the Care Bears may have also been the reason why they each got a Care Bear that Christmas, and why we still have them. (Ok. I do realise I still have to work on the pack rack tendencies).

A few years later, I was horrified because the girls didn't know what Smurfs were. A quick trip to the DVD shop and I rectified that gap in their pop-cultural knowledge. Sadly, they were not impressed by the cartoons. Fast forward a few years and, much to my annoyance, they were begging to take DVDs out again after the new Smurf movies were released. Pixie may have informed me that it was different now they were cool again.

Humph. Children. Who would have them?

I was re-telling this story and some genius decided to say my time would have been better off introducing them to Shakespeare. I did point out that I had that covered already, and that I was aiming for well-rounded children, and that sharing my 80's childhood was important. Perhaps not my finest moment, but true!

I also gave the girls my precious Princess Ringlet (who had a rainbow mane and a "growing" tail), when they loved My Little Pony and were old enough to not wash her or cut her hair or leave her outside.

My most recent conversion has been the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT for those of you old enough to remember).

I took Tink and the Pixie to see them at the drive-ins. Buglet didn't wan to go. This was a great plan that did not pan out. The drive-ins reached maximum capacity and closed the gate two cars before us. The girls were so good about it and didn't complain at all (plus I really wanted to see it) so we raced home (not exceeding the speed limit, obviously) and picked up Buglet (who decided she wanted to come after all), and Z (who Buglet had ended up babysitting) and made it to the real cinema to see it.

Spoiler alert: If you don't want to hear about the movie do not read the next paragraph
It was a great movie. They kept all the essential bits of the old version, and it felt "right". For the purists, the only thing I would complain about was that in this movie Splinter started off as a rat not a human. This bugged me for some reason. I loved how the fight scenes were realistic in that the turtles didn't always win against immeasurable odds. I note that someone who refers to fight scenes with Mutant Turtles as being realistic should not be taken too seriously. Would definitely recommend it to fans.

The girls loved it. Buglet (after being the one who didn't want to come) has ended up a massive fan.

At Guides last night we made these the best Christmas decorations.

My lovely co-leaders didn't tell me, because they thought that I would be the most excited person there. I was. Buglet may have been a close second though, and gave all sorts of instructions how the Pixie and were not to stuff our ones up. I was so excited that I needed to go and have a lie down to recover after making them (I am also suffering from Man Flu). So much happiness!! So very much happiness!!

Moral of the story for the children out there: When your mother tells you something from her childhood is awesome, believe her, she might just be right.

Moral for parents out there: Share those moments with your children. They might like them, or they may just humour you, and if nothing else you may have fun remembering.

Disclaimer:

• I am not qualified to give craft advice.
• I am not qualified to give advice on what is cool. Ask my friends. Ask my children.
• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Faith, Love, and Chocolate

It was a big weekend for us! And one of those weekends which made me desperately want to clutch for any of those precious moments where the Entourage are still my babies, and not young adults functioning in their own lives.

On Friday, Miss Tink turned 14. She is so grown up now that it is unbelievable. In the last 12 months she has lost the last of her baby features, and has grown into a stunning young lady. She has also taken to high school like she was born to be there, being on the student council and organising events.



Turtle cupcakes for Tink!

A couple of weeks ago I got a text from the school saying she wasn't in class. I messaged back saying that as it was a free dress day I imagined she was somewhere doing something for that. I was right.

Friday was also the day the Pixie returned from camp. The Pixie is my youngest, so I have sent my babies on camps, both through school and Guides, lots of times. Even though I was mentally prepared for it, that moment when they come home just that little bit more mature than when they went away still takes my breath away.



A little bit older

I am not exactly sure how the Pixie's camp experience actually went. Most of the other kids had gastro. Pixie was one of the lucky few who escaped. The ones who were well enough did all the activities, but all Pixie has told me about is all the vomit stories in great detail. I have no intention of sharing those stories.

I was all set to hear all about camp on the car trip home; to give her some time in the spotlight before we got home to celebrate Tink's birthday.

The Pixie told me that car trips are for sleeping and napped the whole way home.

She woke up in time to drive down our road ....
Pixie: Oh. Is the father one here?
Me: Looks like it.
Pixie: Why?
Me: Um it is Tink's birthday, and he usually has you on the Fridays he is home*.
Pixie: Oooh!!! My puppy! I can see my puppy! I missed my puppy. She is my favourite!

She then had a tantrum because we were going out for a house family dinner for Tink's birthday, and she was very tired after camp.

Yep, my Pixie is still my Pixie and not all grown up yet.

Dance rehearsals took all day Saturday. Once again Tink and organisational abilities took my breath away. She filled in for someone who was absent side of stage, while still dancing, and keeping me informed what song was being performed. (I am in charge of the quick change room). I am predicting big things for Tink if she keeps going like this! (No pressure though, baby-girl. Mummy just wants you to be happy). 


Tink and the Pixie have been doing hair for dance concerts for the last 3 years.
I am still in charge of make-up.
 And glittering people. I love glittering people.

Rehearsal day was marred by a hurt foot, and a trip to Emergency. Tink is ok. Very relieved with her Singapore soccer trip coming up in a few years. Buglet is determined not to be hurt this year. Two years ago she danced on a cracked tail bone, and last year she didn't dance because she'd just come out of a moon boot after a fractured foot. The Pixie says she is the best child because she doesn't get broken. I think this is mostly because she is so bendy.

On Sunday, Buglet and Tink were confirmed as adult members of the Lutheran Church. I am so proud of them. They looked so grown up (I will ask them if I can share pictures). It is yet another big stepping stones to them being grown-ups and responsible for their own lives.

I also got lots of baby cuddles from my youngest two nephews (and be shouted at by Pie, and hang out with my eldest niece and nephew). Definite bonus to family occasions. It was nice to have that reminder that even as my girls get big, we are part of a massive family and that is important too.

Finally, today Buglet is sitting year 10 exams. She politely requested that I take her younger sisters out last night so she could study. Grown up! I tell you, they are too grown up!

The amount of squabbling yesterday afternoon and this morning reminded me they are not adults yet though. Part of me is now waiting for the squabbling to stop. Part of me is a little bit glad that I still have a few years left. Part of me wanted to throw things at them.

So faith and love have been covered. The chocolate part is for me! Mamas who are preparing for empty nests need chocolate.

When your children politely ask if you are going to get another dog to keep you company when they move out, you also know you need to start making plans! If you interested in finding out what I am planning for my post-high-school-children life .... please check out Kris' Angels.


*PS in defence of DB (see what a lovely ex-wife I am): I haven't seen him in ages, but he does always come around for the girls' birthdays unless he is away and he normally has them the Friday nights he is home. He also did all the cooking for the girls' confirmation lunch. The Pixie was just being a grouch.

A Rose By Any Other Name ...

A very famous line for a quick post about one of our most recent excursions ... and a few older ones.

The girls' first experience

The reason this particular line is important is because once, about 4 years ago, I accidentally took my (then) 10, 9 and 7 year old daughters to see Macbeth.

The most obvious question is "how did you manage to accidentally take your children to see a play?". To clarify this is how it happened:

1. See an advertisement advertised for The Scottish Play in uni newsletter, with a synopsis that it is about putting on a Shakespearian production.
2. Think "Oh that sounds like a good introduction to Shakespeare for the girls and it is only $10 per ticket, plus it's supporting the university. I should go".
3. Because I am a responsible parent (sometimes), I email university to see if it is suitable for children*.
4. Uni says that they year 7 students who saw a similar production last year enjoyed it.
5. Take children on the basis that they like plays and they are good audience members. Audience is full of middle aged people (parents?) a few students (friends?), and us.
6. Work out it is actually Macbeth with a bit of an prologue and epilogue at the end of each act about why you can't say 'Macbeth' in a theatre.
7. Spend the intermission trying to explain why a play called The Scottish Play has everyone it Asian clothes
8. Fail dismally at point 7. Partly because I don't really know why. Artistic interpretation is hard to explain to small children.
9. Girls love it.
10. Spend the rest of my life trying to explain it to people that I know Macbeth is often referred to as The Scottish Play, but that the synopsis implied it was a play about Macbeth not actually Macbeth with about 10 minutes of extra bits.

Turns out it was a great accident. The girls are very enthusiastic and wanted to see more. This lead to me developing a theory that children should be encouraged to see Shakespeare's plays. They are too young to understand the raunchy bits, and aren't self conscious about not understanding the words. A good production involves "miming" style actions as much as words. That said, liking Shakespeare from a young age I think helped me develop a love of words.

Helpful tip: Read the synopsis first. Makes explaining things much easier.

The Pixie did create a bit of a mexican wave style giggle when she whispered very loudly "Mama, is he drunk". He was. He was weeing on the wall, but never mind. As a side note, if you have yet to experience Shakespeare for yourself, please remove any delusions you may have about it being all grandoise and classy. Lots of crude jokes in every Shakespeare play I have ever seen!

See! It was still a great show even if I had been expecting something else. Does the title of this post make sense now?

Later ...
I took them to see As You Like It, and Much Ado About Nothing (which Tink was pretty adamant should be renamed Lots of Talking About Something).

Last week
On Friday night I took them to see Cymbeline, which to be honest I had never heard of before. I really liked it. It had lots of drama, romance, fighting, lots people, evil plots, poisons which turn out not to be really poisons, you know, all the good stuff.

I totally forgot to follow my helpful tip about reading the synopsis first. Pixie found all the names a little confusing so made me read the synopsis on the program modernising the names. I don't think it really helped her follow it but she was impressed by my efforts.

She wasn't in a particularly good mood anyway. The Pixie really wanted to do something for Halloween, so we got a little dressed up to go. I was a cat. Pixie was a vampire. Tink was a vampire. Buglet and Apple came straight from dance so they didn't get to dress up.

We also snuck in a quick Halloween party down the road, including reusing the water-melo-latern from my work morning tea!

And just in case you thought that this intellectual stimulation wasn't having any affect on the infants, this was the exchange on the way home in the car ....

Pixie: What Shakespeare plays have we seen?
Me: You guys? Um ... Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Macbeth ...
Pixie (horrified): Mama! You can't say Macbeth in a theatre!
Me: We're not in the theatre, we're in the car.
Pixie: Oh yeah. Continue.
Buglet: Do you have any of the plays written down?
Me (horrified): Yes! The complete works. They're right next to Harry Potter, and I have a few of them in student editions.
 Apple starts giggling
Me: Are you laughing that they're next to Harry Potter?
Apple: No, I'm laughing that she thought you might not have any.

We are off to see Taming of the Shrew in a few weeks, so we clearly haven't been scarred too badly.

*This is actually really important with plays. I took the Pixie and my niece and nephew to see a MA type play because I didn't check ... and we were in the front row! Admittedly that was this year, so ages after this, but that is not the point.

Disclaimer:

• I am not qualified to give gardening or beauty or any other household advice. Follow my suggestions at your own risk.
• I am not qualified to give teaching advice.
• It is doubtful I am qualified to give parenting advice, there is still time for me to stuff up.
• I am not even allowed to give legal advice without supervision.

I would recommend finding more reliable sources for any advice of any nature.

Off, off, and away!

This week it is the Pixie's turn to go gallivanting.

For those of you who follow us on facebook, you would have seen the early morning over-excited posts about the Pixie being "verra grumpy" that "everyone in this house is always asleep". I still maintain that this is reasonable for a Sunday morning. She was welcome to get up and pack for herself but, as she had all day, sleeping seemed welcome to the rest of us!

Despite not being thrilled about being woken for early morning conversations, I am still massively proud of my Little One. She packed all by herself. When I asked if she wanted me to double checked she promptly informed me that she had gone through all the kit list twice and she had everything.

She later told me that she had four pairs of shoes, because "you need choice you know Mama". Now I am wondering what she didn't take in the quest to have clothing choices. I told her she will need to redress her packing habits before the next time we go on a holiday. I suspect she rolled her eyes at me, but I wisely didn't look.

Tink has been known to re-write kit lists she has been given by other organisations, because she hasn't thought they were adequate, but I don't think she has ever added in things purely to have an option.

In case you are like me and didn't realise the importance of dressing appropriately at camp, I will share with you the following:

• The Pixie had a bit of a melt down when her newly dyed blue hair washed out and she had to re-do it;
• The Pixie negotiated doing jobs around the house so she could buy some "new, cool t-shirts for camp"; and
• I had a phone call mid-meeting on Sunday to discuss whether now she had done half the jobs she should stop and pack because "folding clothes can wait until later, but I only have today to pack". I congratulated her on making responsible life decisions.

"Pixie dipped in smurf"
aka
"After a weekend with Daddy"

The Guide leader in me repeated numerous times "don't forget you need to be able to carry everything yourself". The mother in me desperately wanted to carry everything for her. Miss Pixie insisted on carrying everything herself, because the teachers said she had to (no Guide-leader-Mama influence cited). Just a little bit proud. It does make me happy when the Pixie is self-sufficient because she is so dependant on her sisters and me so much of the time! (It is a bit ironic really that I have spent most of Tink's life wishing she wasnt' so independent. Apparently there is no keeping me happy.)

Miss Independent: My chick (temporarily) leaving the nest.

One last useful camp tip provided the Pixie include: Write your number on the back of your hand so you don't forget when the teachers call "Sound off".

 

A very Pixie solution

I did have stern words with Pixie about camp not being a holiday for the teachers so to appreciate them and be good. Possibly more fun than teaching in class (well I would think so anyway!) but it is still work. She was not convinced. I told her that if she becomes a Guide leader she will understand. She was not convinced about that either.

It is a very quiet week at our house. We are all paying lots of attention to the puppy, and eating lots of meat.

So Bali for me a week or so ago (it feels a lot longer!), camp for the Pixie this week, Singapore for Tink next month ... we are having some adventures ... and ... I am planning a lot more. If you want a sneak peak at my latest project check out Kris' Angels or find us on facebook.

Meanwhile spend some time planning your next adventure whether it is just down the road or the other side of the world. It really is lots of fun.

Happy adventuring everyone!

Running away from home

Ok, so when you put it like that it doesn't sound very grown up, but last weekend that is exactly what I did. A long awaited trip with one of my best friends, where we abandoned our children (and by abandoned we left them safely in the care of the fathers and other caring family members - thanks Apple!), and spent a weekend in Bali.

I left my phone in my room during the day and I didn't log on to my work emails at all while I was out of the country, and I only answered one parenting question and one Guiding question. We swam, we wandered, we dreamed, we drank, we slept, we read, and we developed some exciting new goals and plans.

There will definitely be more on the exciting new plans later. This is what my blog is for right? To share my random ramblings with you all under the guise of writing about my children?!

Speaking of my children, my super awesome girls all thought I was very in need of a holiday, and that me going away was a good thing. I only had contact with each of them once while I was away. I missed them so much it hurt, but I know the independence is a good thing for them. (Mothers of older children: does the mother-guilt ever go away? Or the longing to hold them tight?).

The morning I left was a bit horrific. Lots of teenage hormonal squabbling, which lead to this wonderful quote which I am treasuring to get me through the rest of the teenage years ...

Me: Girls! Stop fighting. Seriously! I am not going to see you again until Monday, and I don't want to spend my last hour with you telling you off!
Pixie (surprised): I wasn't fighting. If we were fighting I would have used better arguments.

The fighting did reduce the mother-guilt a bit. There has to be a silver lining to every cloud.

Pixe rang me at the airport before I left though  ...

Pixie: Mama! Can I please have the Twisties in the cupboard?
Me: Sure. Ah. You know I am on holidays, not at work, right?
Pixie (excited): Oh yeah! Are you in Bali?
Me: No. I am at the airport.
Pixie: Take an airport selfie! Take lots of selfies!

I posted a picture of a selfie on facebook immediately as instructed, and asked Tink to make sure the Pixie saw. See what a good mother I am? (You can also see in the picture how exhausted I am).

Ah. Yes. I did buy a new book before I left the country. The first thing I bought in Bali was also books.
 

Have I mentioned that I love books? Super excited about 'Shopoholic to the Stars' because I had somehow missed the fact it had been published. Awesome airport find.

But I digress ...

Tink messaged me to say :
"hey mum i hope your holiday is good
i have a bit of a problem
i have needles on monday/or tuesday (i cant remember which) and i havent had my last lot. will that matter".

You will be pleased to know I did actually have it sorted. It just didn't occur to me it was something she would have thought about. I should have known better.

Giving myself bonus points for the fact I had it sorted, and that Tink is so super organised.

Losing points because of Tink's appalling writing style. It makes me sad. And I know she has freedom to express herself in the way she chooses to write, but capitals would make me happier!

Buglet politely asked me if I was having a good time, and asked how I was going on the hunt for a present that she was particularly hoping to get. Teenagers talking to you is always a positive!

Yes, I was having a good time. I loved these teal nails, and the pool, and lying reading.

People who know me, or who have been reading this blog, know that I have a total caffeine addiction.

I did not miss it at all while I was away. I literally had one small coffee per day because it came with breakfast.

Coffee and apple guava juice

I took the little two shopping the night I got home; nothing major, just grocery shopping. Within 15 minutes Pixie was saying "You looked stressled Mama. Look there is a V. You should have a V, that will make you feel better". Is it unfair to place the blame for my addiction on their high energy levels, and to call the Pixie my enabler?

On a serious note I am detoxing. I do have way to much caffeine and I know it is not good for me on lots of levels.

I came home feeling amazing for a whole heap of reasons. If you had asked me before I had left, I would have told you that it had been a horrific week at work, but that I was happy and healthy and in a really good place. All of that was true, but I feel a million times more fabulous since being away.

Happy relaxed me in my awesome hat. I thought the girls would hate my hat, but they all tried to claim it.

So now I am home. Happy and excited. Ready for what the world throws at me next*, and super excited about the next exciting adventures that are currently being planned (just in case you have forgotten about that teaser from the first part of this blog). And yes there will be more on the actual trip itself, but that will have to wait for a different day. I want to tell you about my spiderman-monkey-bells.

*Dear World,
This is not actually a challenge.
Thanks.
Cath

It's a dog's life

Dear World,

The smaller human people and the Almost-Puppy [aka Pixie: I am sure Flip-Flop thinks she is a puppy too] left me alone for most of the last few days.

I did get to go to the beach, but that had a lot of other dogs at it. I met some nice humans, but I am not so sure about there being so many other dogs on my beach. Sometimes they seem nice, but sometimes they growl. The Almost-Puppy  didn't go with me today either so I had to make do with the Boss-Human. She did run with me though. Almost-Puppy asked if I found any dead fish to investigate but I didn't find any. I think they should be sniffed and and maybe chewed a bit. Almost-Puppy  does not seem to agree.

Then they left me alone over night. This made me sad.

Boss-Human came back. I was so excited that I ran around the house only pausing to kiss her. I looked for the smaller humans and the Almost-Puppy , but they weren't there. I then found Boss-Human again so I ran some more. This was so exhausting I needed to sleep.

I woke up in the night and tried to sneak into bed with Boss-Human. I thought we could keep each other company sine the Almost-Puppy wasn't there.

After Boss-Human left me again in the morning. Big-Loud-Human [DB] brought back my humans! They weren't going to stay though. I was too smart for them. I climbed into the car and I wouldn't get out. Big-Loud-Human too me with him to take the smaller human people and the Almost-Puppy to school. He also got me an icecream. Don't tell the Boss-Human.

Big-Loud-Human collected stuff from the backyard. I am too clever for him. He didn't lock up properly so I went across the road to visit one of my dog friends Boss. His human took me home, but I kept going across for a visit. Eventually she said I could stay for the day!

They even gave me dinner!

By the time my family came home, I was so tired I went straight to sleep. I didn't even wake up when Boss-Human ate a pie in the same room as me.

I love my family, but I had a wonderful day.

Love,
Flip-Flop xx

Extreme Sports

Socialising is a sport right? If not I need a new name for this blog post.

This weekend has been dedicated to socialising, baby cuddles, eating, and walking (See! Walking! I knew I would get to an exercise bit eventually).

Part 1: Friday night
About three months ago I was chatting to a friend and we had the realisation that neither of us have seen Game of Thrones and that we both were often free on Friday nights. Since that conversation we acquired the series, and proceeded to become very busy on Friday nights. No, not watching the series, doing other things. Friday night we watched the first episode! I have read the first book, the other two haven't read it. Opinion was inconclusive, we decided we needed to repeat the experiment. There was also a super yummy dinner, cupcakes, and baby cuddles.

Food: Spinich & ricotta raviolli, cupcakes
Babies cuddled: Two (Friday night baby and I got long cuddles with a baby at work).
Walking: Very fast the the train station, because I was running late due to the brilliant idea to get cupcakes.

Part 2: Saturday morning
I collected the big girls from the train station (they spent last night at my mum's hanging out with my youngest sister after going to Youth Group), dropped Buglet off at dancing (she teaches most of Saturday), and picked up the Pixie from her sleepover (by picked up I mean I met her at the shopping centre where her friend's mum works), did a speed food shop, picked up Flip-Flop and dropped off the shopping, dropped the little two off at dancing, and took Flip-Flop to the beach. Are you keeping up?

Flip-Flop is not so sure about having to share her beach with other dogs, but she was very good. Hopefully she will learn to cope. As the weather is warming our days of having the beach to ourselves is over until next year I think.

Food: One of those sticky bun thing and a V (my breakfasts are usually much healthier).
Babies cuddled: Mine!
Walking: Beach walking, and even some running. (And the girls' danced!)

Part 3: Saturday afternoon
Flip-Flop and I picked up the Pixie.

We had a two hour nap.

Pixie informed me that she needed a faction t-shirt before Tuesday, so there was a speed shopping trip before picking up Buglet and Tink from dance.

Food: Pixie very excitedly told me that she'd had "study food" (aka lollies and chocolate) with B when they had done their assignment the day before. Oops. Teaching my babies bad habits.
Babies cuddled: Pixie while we were napping.
Walking: Speed shopping counts!

Part 4: Saturday evening
We went for a sleepover at our friends' property in Serpentine.

Pixie and I went on a walk, but the big girl bailed as they both had sore ankles (Buglet from an ongoing dance injury which sometimes appears at convenient moments, but she had been dancing all day. Tink got hurt at soccer on Wednesday, and she looked v disappointed).

Pixie took lots of photos so we will break here from writing for a pictorial account ....

Look Pie! Mummy said there is a bunyip in here.

You know you are a trusted friend when you are allowed to cross a creek while carrying the baby!
(No babies were injured or got wet in the making of this picture. My sneakers got a bit wet)

Tink! Buglet! That's the forrest where I was chased by a wolf!
(Some exagerations were used in the making of this story)

Pixie managed not to get eaten by wolves, bunyips or cows.

See! Real extreme adventuring! Pixie also touched an electric fence (under her Auntie J's supervision). I will post the video to the facebook page.

We went back to watch the Docker lose what is now their last game of the season. We distracted ourselves with cooking, champagne, and marshmallows.

Food: I helped decorate rainbow cupcakes. They are so pretty. I am very messy with 100s & 1000s.
Babies cuddled: Lots with OJ, not so many with Pie (No Cath!).
Walking: Extreme adventuring cuddling the baby.

Part 5: Sunday morning
Woken up by Pie. I forget how early toddler wake up!

Buglet bought him into bed to wake up Pixie and me. Pixie's only comment was "that's my God-cousin" and she rolled over and went to sleep. Yep. She is almost a teenager.

We were honoured to attend the OJ's baptism today, and to witness him be surrounded by the love of his family and friends as he was welcomed into God's family.

Tink earnt her title as the Toddler Whisperer, and all three girls were super helpful at the morning tea afterwards. A total brag moment, but I am very proud of them.

Food: Soooooo much! And it was super yummy.
Babies cuddled: We had to share. I did get a cuddle with another toddler though and we discussed cake and favourite animals.
Walking: Um. I stood around in heels a lot?

Part 6: The rest of Sunday
The girls went to DB's this afternoon. I slept, and gardened, and folded clothes while watching The Block. Now I should be filing, but I am blogging instead!

Food: Takeaway - because no girls.
Babies cuddled: Flip-Flop - because no girls (she misses them too).
Walking: To and from the bin with weeds. I probably should have moved the bin. Also - because no girls (otherwise they could have carried them).

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend too! xx

Happily Ever After .....

So after being distracted by being sick for a week, I then spent a week with a very pleasant distraction ... being bridesmaid for my primary school best friend's wedding! I love weddings and I was so honoured to be there beside her on such a wonderful occasion.

Since then I have been procrastinating from writing because I have be-yoo-tiful fake nails. I am not coping well with typing though, and considering that is what I do for a living it means I am a little sick of typing by home time. This will also mean that there will probably be a lot of typos in this post. Sorry.

Check out the picture! (Also because it was the only one I took all day. The other pictures in this blog are courtesy of one of the other gorgeous bridesmaids).

Limo, pretty nails, gorgeous dress, and champagne = feeling very glamorous!

Just so you know it isn't all about me, the Entourage was also invited to the wedding. This firmly shifted the focus to them. Much discussion must had when attending weddings to make sure (a) you don't clash with your sisters; (b) you are all wearing different hair styles; and (c) to determine if you are going to wear the same jewellery or not. For those of you not aware of the rules, apparently matching jewellery is an all or nothing thing. If only two of you agree it is not ok!

They were so good. Pixie was a bit anxious that she'd have problems with buffet and vegetarian food, but the venue staff came up asked if she was the Pixie and helped her. We were both very impressed with the service! Then they partied the night away .....

My bootscootin' babies

Confession time. I did have a bit of a bad-mama-moment. Buglet wanted to go to bed early, and I sent her off. Luckily there was one adult in her life looking out for her and his God-uncle duties and pointed out that was a bad idea. Oops. He also escorted her safely to her room.

I also had a bit of a panic at the end because I went to collect their place cards and they weren't there (Um, I may have my priorities a bit wrong compared to the Buglet bit of this story, but I love keepsakes).

Turns out that Tink had already collected all of theirs, and then gone to get mine, and my bombominere, and my bridesmaid flowers .... and the "wedding bouquet". Yes that's right, my most awkward moment of the night ladies and gentlemen  ..... I had told the bride in no uncertain terms that I was going up. I am divorced. I feel this should exclude me. I forgot to tell the groom this. I then also got a bit carried away in the heat of the moment.

Tink: Oh. That is awkward. Mummy said she was going to cry if she caught the bouquet.

Luckily I was laughing too hard.

6am to 2am, from the day beginning with a buffet (and Coco Pops!) to after reception drinks and snuggles with Tink and Pixie (Buglet got her own bed - long story, she got a bit grouchy when we woke her up at midnight), it was a fabulous day.

I did have a Pixie-is-my-child-and-not-just-her-father's-daughter moment. I was super excited that the buffet had Coco Pops on the Saturday morning. This was Pixie on the Sunday ....

Pixie: What is for breakfast?
Me: It's a buffet.
Pixie: Are there cornflakes?
Me: I had cocoa pops yesterday so maybe?
Pixie: That would make it the best buffet ever.

See! I am not the only one who is easily excited.

Massive thank you to DB for getting the girls ready in the morning, my sister for driving them to the ceremony and then dropping them at the hotel, J & S for hanging out with them between wedding and reception and for getting them to the reception, the awesome bridesmaids for a fun wedding lead up, the rest of the bridal party for a great day, and most importantly to "Auntie B and that Scottish Man" for having us all there, for letting us be a part of your day and for everything.

I will let the Pixie have the last say on weddings ... she will like that plus her argument for everything this wedding was "it's my God-mothe so I get to pick" .... "You might get wine, Mama, but we get chocolate .... And we get *five* each".

Wishing you all much love and laughter, and that you find your own happily every after xxx

When the cat is away ....

I ran away this weekend. I took a break from reality and ran away. No blogging when you are being a runaway.

I took Friday off work. I slept in, got my nails done, took Flip-Flop to the beach, had a spontaneous lunch date, and had a (very) long nap. (I also did a few loads of washing, and went to the doctor to get my iron checked, but that is heaps less exciting and not fun at all).

The reason for this extravagance was it is that my best friend from primary school is getting married and I am honoured to be one of her bridesmaids. We have been friends since we were five, and I am so, so excited to be a part of her day!

This weekend was the hens' weekend, so we had a catch-up sleepover Friday night, wine tour Saturday, and we drank and ate and laughed long into the night. Grown-up pyjama party at its finest! I met some lovely new people, and had a wonderful time (I think she did too!).

Also did you know you can get coke macarons?! They are amazing. This is fairly irrelevant to anything, but I thought you should know.

From a selfish point of view, I gave myself a very much needed break from real life, and I almost feel ready to face the final sprint of my study.

My running away meant the girls spent the weekend with DB. DB having the girls for the weekend meant that he spent a fair bit of time at my house while they were at dancing because of all the running backwards and forwards. DB being at my house meant that the rabbit's hutch has been turned into a new veranda for Flip-Flop's kennel. Apparently if the rabbit returns she is getting a new hutch that he's been planning anyway. I don't actually get consulted on these things. I should point out that DB had made the old hutch so it wasn't destroying something I had bought to make it. Although, he did use a set of shelves I had been planning on using for storage to make the hutch in the first place.

 

It also meant that my pond has finally been finished! I am very excited. The water feature has been sitting in the corner of my bedroom for 10 years. The pond has been sitting in my study for about 18 months. The pond and installation of the pond was my Christmas present from 2012 and my birthday present from 2013. I still need to put plants and pots and stuff in, but I am really pleased with how it is looking.

What I had not been expecting was the addition of new pets. They are a present. The fact the yabbies being a present means that I am not allowed to be annoyed that I wasn't consulted, apparently. Fortunately they are yabbies so fairly low maintenance. They were named by the time I got home. I have been informed that this was part of the present. So I may now be the proud owner of yabbies called Stephen, David, Abbey, Gabby, Bobalina, Sushi, Raisin, and Pixie Jnr. No prizes for guessing which of my children named them!

I am now reiterating to my children that you don't give pets as presents unless the recipient has okayed it, even if you do think it was a lovely gesture.

I have given up trying to teach DB this lesson. He has also promised Tink and the Pixie axolotls. Sigh.