Tomorrow ...

This is where I hope to spend some of my day although the weather man did say it was going to be about 35 degrees so I may even partake in a leisurely swim sans children.

Can you believe it? All three at school and kindy tomorrow. I'm starting to love Tuesdays!

I am starting to regain some time and my plan to work from home even when all the girls are at school is still coming along quite nicely. Which, of course, means that so too are my plans of having coffees and lunches throughout my day also. Nice plan? I think so.

And although there are days when I wish Gumboot Girl was at kindy five days a week - like ever since she had that damn bug and has been whiny pretty much every day since. It may or may not also have something to do with two year old molars. Seems I'm not great at spotting the teething child - there are nights like tonight when my heart melts.

Gumboot Girl has been a shitload tad clingy of late and every so often it is required of me to lie down in bed with her while she drifts off to sleep. It doesn't take long and I don't mind doing it to be honest as it gives me time to unwind from my day too.

Tonight, while lying in bed with her, I had to reprimand Punk Chic for making lots of noise and Gumboot Girl in hushed tones said "I not noisy Mummy. I ... I ... I shhhhh."

And then I sneezed twice and both times the conversation went like this.

GG:  Bless you Mum.
Me:  Thank you.
GG:  You're welky.

But to top off her cuteness this evening, as she was dozing, she started counting herself to sleep. My two year old.

1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9,A,B,C.

And that was when she fell asleep.

It was pretty cute but also kind of amazing to think that she's already knowing this stuff which means she's growing up and I'll be wishing for time to stand still yet again and for my girls to always be here. With me - which, by the way, Miss Tween, has already stated on numerous occasions. Apparently she's never leaving. Let's see how she's feeling by the time she hits 17. LOL

Sunday Session - Lazy Days ...

Thought I'd play along over here today.

We woke up this morning and realised we had absolutely nothing planned.

It doesn't happen often and, because we had been promising to take the girls for a ride along the beach for EVER, we decided we grab the opportunity and run with it.

So off we went, bikes in the truck to the Broadwater. It was divine. So relaxing just riding around and then we stopped off at the new rock pools and let the girls have a splash around. Next time we will remember to take swim gear. ;p

Never mind though, the girls were quite happy splashing around in their clothes and then happily sat nude for the car ride home, declaring it all "totally worth it". A slushie on the way home made for a perfect end to the morning.

Now, my oldie has to be of course ...

THE PUSHBIKE SONG.

And the newie. Let me explain. I have a cup holder in my bike. It's the best bike. EVER. But I wasn't up for coffee so my holder was the perfect place to put my iPhone so Gumboot Girl and I were the coolest kids in town, listening to tunes as we rode. 

I decided to just pick one from our list that I really like at the moment. Such an easy tune to listen to and one that I discovered on a blog somewhere (wish I could remember so I could link it) because it had that clever little iPod thingie that plays music while you read ...

PLANS.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend ...

Courtesy and The Wave ...

I drive the girls up a mountain to school most days. It is easier this year because I car pool with another family but it wouldn't really bother me if I had to do it every day anyway (it's nice to know I'm saving a little bit of petrol, time and wear and tear on the poor car though).

Here is the thing. The drive. Through the country. It's relaxing. We turn onto the road that winds around the bottom of the mountain and there are cows and wallabies and acres of lush green grass and big old trees that you want to put tyre swings on and a wooden one way bridge.

And when you get to the bridge it is rare that anyone will try and beat you from the other side. It is the most courteous place this little bridge. Everyone stops at the give way sign even if they think they could have just made it before you got there. So you give them a little wave from the steering wheel to say thanks. And. They do it right back.

Never have I travelled a road this much where the politeness is always the same. It is a rare day that there is no courtesy wave coming from either direction. And this is when I breathe a little easier knowing I'm on my way up the mountain to where life is just a little more relaxing and people are a little more polite and a little less rushed.

And it shows. In our children. There is a substitute principal at our school for the beginning of this year and one of the very first things she said upon introducing herself - apart from the amount of experience and travel this woman has done. She is one seasoned principal let me tell you - was that she felt like she had been dropped in heaven and that the children were second to none and it was a privilege to be placed at our little school.

She also said the teachers were her main problem due to their giving of time and her needing to make them go home. It is all true. The teachers are interested in their students. They want them to achieve. Not to push them further than they are capable or to burn them out but to succeed on an individual level. To move forward from the beginning to the end of the year and to feel confident and supported by their teachers, their school, their parents, their community.

And they are fun. Like the teachers pulling faces through the door at me while Miss Tween and I had our "serious" goal setting interview with her teacher yesterday afternoon. Or the teachers (principal included) that put together a routine and performed it for the students on assembly at the Year 7 graduation at the end of last year (still bummed that I missed it but so glad somebody uploaded it to YouTube).

They will give up their public holiday to ensure the students get to participate in events that are held at different schools (sometimes our public holidays fall at different times to those down the mountain due to their zoning). And they get involved. You know they are happy to be there and you know they are truly sad when they have to leave.

And when you get to the school, you can feel it. The cooler mountain air, the quiet, the shade from beautiful big trees that line the front gate. I am so glad I made the move and the stress of the decision is well behind us. Walking into the school, I know it's right.

Everybody is happy on the mountain. Everybody smiles and says hello and asks how you are and everybody has time to stop for a quick chat or to go for a coffee usually on a day when you need it most.

And as I was sitting on my brother's verandah yesterday afternoon watching my girls play with their cousins (who they totally adore), my sister-in-law and I decided we needed to convince my husband to move up there and I quietly kicked myself for not moving up there ten years ago like we had planned!

It really is just ... well. Lovely.

When One Foot is Not Enough ...

I was planning on coming in here and having a good old fashioned whinge and then, thanks to Rewind - should I be thanking you? - I had been thinking back to June of last year and of a certain 30th birthday party I attended. On searching through June I realised I hadn't documented the accounts of said birthday party, possibly because the thought of it being even remotely amusing then or in the future could not be fathomed at that time.

But now, as all good bloggers do, I'm using it here really just to give you all a good laugh. I hope you appreciate what I'm doing here. You too, Mrs M. I'm sure you'll get (another) laugh out of it. So here goes ...

The birthday girl's bestie had come up to join in the celebrations and we thought we might just be able to set up a friend of CJ's with her. We had her people talk to his people but as it would turn out, he didn't make it.

On the way to pick up the party girl and her entourage my husband was asking me a million and one questions about what this bestie was like and I did my very best to answer all questions. I thought I had it covered but still the questions continued.

And that's when I made the fatal slip up. I decided to try and talk "guy" talk. I mean, really, I couldn't explain the poor girl in much more depth being that I hadn't known her that long myself and could only really describe that she was attractive, had a lovely personality and seemed like fun. Why was that not enough? I thought that's all guys needed to know? Maybe I should have said stylish and loves shoes??? Who knows what my husband was thinking. Maybe. Just maybe he was hoping for some of his own material so continued to bait me!

Either way, that's when I blurted out "She's a tidy little package!" To which my husband replied through his tears of laughter, "I'm so telling her you said that!" I told him that he couldn't and he had to uphold the husband and wife confidentiality code and thought (stupidly now, looking back at it really) the code would save my arse!

How wrong I was. I'm guessing there were at least 12 people at the birthday girl's dinner, some I had only just met for the first time and others that I really had only met once or twice including said bestie! And I'm guessing we were there no more than 20 minutes - and no way near long enough for me to even be remotely drunk - before my husband shared my description of the bestie with all and sundry.

Cue me praying for the ground to swallow me up then and there or for someone to fart or do something more embarrassing than that! Looking back, I clearly should have done something else like flash my boobs to take the focus off what had just been said but my ever so loving bastard husband had hung me out to dry and the code had failed me. I was caught off guard and left to defend my comments and explain that I was in no way suggesting that I was hot for her but merely trying to describe her in "guy" talk. You know? Guy Talk? Anyone?

And it sounded so .... wrong!

No really, I couldn't fit another thing in. These two feet I have in my mouth are plenty!

Too Slow To Rewind ...

But at least it gives me an excuse to use the button again.

I'm still going to do it even if I can't link up. All weekend it was there in the back of my mind that I needed to link up over here but we have just been so busy that now is the first chance I have had.

Anyway, the rewind was for June of last year so here is the one I've chosen (although it was quite a hard choice).

It's still something I think about often and is probably quite timely considering how busy we were this weekend.

How do you find the right balance? How do you know when you've got it right?

Happy Belated Beheading Day ...

Okay so I'm not really that cynical even though I have posted before about the seemingly jinxed day and poor old St Valentine's fate. And I'm not really that cynical even though I have spent a few of these days working my fingers to the bone preparing flowers (thank goodness that era is done and dusted) and delivering declarations of love (and lust) from sun up to sun down.

I am, however, certainly lacking in the romance department in recent years when it comes to Valentine's Day. Let's all say "Ohhhhh" for my poor husband. Or not. I just don't seem to get a chance to even put any thought into it until the day is upon me which is by then way too late when it comes to trying to find something genius for my guy.

As is his usual tradition, my husband had flowers delivered to the girls' school for all four of his girls - I know. He kind of gets it easy in the thought department on this day. I did wonder though how he was going to organise it logistically this year. The girls on the mountain for school, myself and Gumboot Girl being who knows where - actually we were out for coffee, FINALLY.

But he pulled it off. The girls, as usual, thought they were extremely spoilt and the only downside for Punk Chic was the fact that the largest bunch wasn't for her. What was Daddy thinking?

And then yesterday while out and about I found these on sale and thought I might just give myself a little treat because everyone knows when you're giving thanks to poor old St Valentine, there's really no better way than whilst eating chocolate.

Oh and I couldn't resist changing the card.

The things we do to amuse ourselves.

You Said Entertain Them ...

After this post on the weekend and the banishing of children from my house, I had some time to destress with a cuppa and an episode of Will and Grace - who doesn't love that show?

The girls happily played outside for most of the day bathing their babies in the old baby bathtub I found stored away in a cupboard, putting them to bed, spending some QT with their puppy and just exploring outside in general.

When it came time to call the girls in they begged for me to come and see the new trick they had taught said puppy.

Some of you will recall that we have friends who are animal trainers and Digit had spent a couple of weeks out with them recently to learn some better manners (because her *ahem* owners were really slack at looking after and training said puppy with three kids and had totally forgotten that the last puppy they had trained was way back in the days BC - before children - and had all the time in the world).

Digit was missing being at the farm and was craving some more constant attention so the girls being outside for the best part of the day was exactly what she needed.

The girls had obviously been getting some tips and were most excited that they would be able to share with Z their animal training success.

Anyhoo, I walk around the corner to find this ...

I give you Digit the Show Dog!!!

I have no idea how long they had been at it but Miss Digit certainly seemed quite happy to go along with it.

Well I did give strict instructions to Miss Tween to entertain them.

Rewind ...

I'm really just posting this because I want to use the extremely cute logo that goes with it. I've already linked up but couldn't work out any other way to get it on my blog!

I joined in over here today for something new and fun to do and I have to say, again - I think I've said it more than once actually - that it's great reading back through some old posts.

I sent my dad an email while we were on our wonderful Christmas adventure and, being that I sent it from my actual yahoo email account - hardly ever use it now and haven't changed the signature - he received the link to my blog.

On arriving home and going to see him and pick up the pooch, he questioned me on what it was. So I explained it to him and you know what he said?

And I quote. "Really? People follow you and read this stuff? But it's just daily life. Isn't everyone going through it? Who would care enough to read about it?"

Hmmm, hear that? That's me getting shot down in flames. You know that deflating noise that comes out of a balloon? That was me. I mean, I have 33 followers these days. Surely that counts for something?

I know I'm probably not the most eloquent or witty or deep writer but come on. Not even a little bit interesting or funny?

Gee, thanks Dad for keeping my feet firmly planted on the ground. I mean you wouldn't want me to get all superstar like on you with 33 followers!

But reading back through my blog I realise that, while not all of the posts are funny or deep or possibly even remotely interesting, they are all things that I felt important enough to document about my life, about the life of my girls, my family and friends.

And Dad, just for the record, if you read back far enough you'd see some crackers. Just saying.

Anyway, I digress because I want to rewind.

So I chose this from May last year because I like to follow the rules!

Funny how when I saw that it needed to be a post from May last year, I instantly thought of the post I wrote about my grandmother and then sadly I realised she has been gone for nearly two years not just 8 months. I miss her.

Oh and I have checked on the girls and fed and watered them (I haven't been in here all this time hiding out, promise). They're doing fine and my five minutes is well and truly up!

Selfish?

So today my husband has headed off to a car show and won't return until tomorrow afternoon.

I have had two children requiring constant attention and cuddles for the past three days around the clock. Gumboot Girl is still clingy and has been like this for a good few months now. Not that she is ultra clingy, crying when I leave her at kindy kind of clingy but just more clingy than I am really used to. Clingy as in Daddy can't even help when he's home kind of clingy, you know?

I have been housebound since Wednesday when The Bug invaded our house and, apart from taking the girls to gymnastics this morning,  I have still not left. Not even to buy a coffee. Cabin fever must surely be setting in for me.

Me. Who can't stand not having a car parked in the garage because that would mean I couldn't go anywhere.

Me. Who likes to meet friends most days for a morning coffee no matter how short the catchup.

Me. Who has started to like running and wants to get back into my C25K program after being derailed by bronchitis a week and a half ago. I was doing so well too and really enjoying it and then my dad had to get all caring on me and insisted I sounded like I was going to end up in hospital and that I should see a doctor. When my dad hands out a lecture, you know it's serious and you need to heed his advice. He's not one to go sticking his nose in often so when he does you can bet it's important. Thanks Dad!

And as an aside, isn't it funny how you can go and go and go and convince yourself that it's nothing and then a doctor tells you you're sick and you fall apart. I mean, I literally went downhill that first day as soon as I got confirmation that I was actually sick. Luckily I was forced to rest and avoided any hospital visits.

But, back to me. Me who just isn't much of a homebody for the most part.

And yes, I think I can officially declare cabin fever! Because when someone is sick, it's not even that you have to stay home. It's more that nobody can even come and visit. The house goes into lock down and nobody gets a pass out until they are cleared of The Bug!

So I have banished my girls to the dancing room for "just five minutes" so I can finish work (that's done) just to have five minutes alone with nobody calling my name or crying at me to fix something or complaining that they're hungry. Just five minutes. Pleeeease. I begged Miss Tween to just take them and entertain them for just. Five. Minutes.

And I have secretly indulged in reading some blogs and checking facebook and writing here. Selfish? Maybe just a little but surely I'm allowed.

She's Sick ...

My little Gumboot Girl is sick. She has been up and down all night and started vomiting around four this morning.

image removed

This is how I really know. When Miss Tween was a toddler the doctor would always look at me with a confused expression when I would answer the question, "What is wrong with her?" with "She was still asleep at 9am this morning."

Miss Tween rarely slept and never slept in. She was and is a child that can survive on bare minimum sleep. I'm actually looking forward to her teenage years when she starts to sleep some more. I always said in the earlier years that I would wake her up as pay back but now I just want to share the sleep in.

And so, when she was sick, she would sleep. And I would know.

Gumboot Girl and Miss Tween are so similar, leaving Punk Chic as her very own identity in this household. Punk Chic only gave up having a day sleep just shy of her third birthday. Miss Tween. Well, I can't even tell you if she ever had a day sleep and Gumboot Girl has decided in the last month or so that day sleeps are extremely unnecessary.

And so, when she fell asleep on the cold kitchen tiles this afternoon, I knew she wasn't well.

It was worrying this morning when she couldn't even keep any fluids down but this afternoon has seen a marked improvement. Is there any such thing as a 12 hour gastro bug? There has been no vomiting since around three and only the occasional *ahem* bottom squirt. Ewwww!

Watching her sleep on the kitchen floor and watching her little body heave each time she vomits - this is the first vomiting bug she has ever had which is remarkable considering she has two big sisters who went to kindy and now school - has been hard today. She has been amazing though.

I have marvelled at the fact that she will just stand there, at the toilet, hands on the seat and patiently wait for it to be over with hardly any protest. And then for around 15 minutes she is happy and full of energy, even asking for food, before reverting back to feeling poorly.

But, as with Miss Tween, when she keeps telling me she is tired. I know. I know that although it seems she has stopped vomiting, her body is trying to catch up.

And now I have to wait. And hope that nobody else gets it. We've been on such a roll with avoiding these bugs.

Please let nobody else get it (including me).

Edited to add - spoke too soon. We were up twice last night with her vomiting again. She seems to be on the mend this morning so fingers crossed please!!!

A Day in the Life of ...

Gumboot Girl.

When she's not at kindy or relaxing on her weekends, Gumboot Girl is usually with me. Doing whatever it is that I do during school hours.

But every now and then, we get to stay home. Still she manages to fill up her day and seems super busy.

 Practicing her stunt work ...

 A little bit of a dance ...

 Some work on the 'puter ...

 Quick bite to eat ...

 Time to put the bayees to bed* ...

 There's always one in a crowd ...

 Bayee Ollie ...

 Ah ... Sleeping ...

And a quick snooze on the way to 

pick the girls up from school.

It's a tough job. But somebody's got to do it and I think it's a bonus that she can do it all in her knickers! 

*Still freaking me out just a bit that one bayee (the one behind her with the white painted blankie) was totally covered up from head to toe and that was the one that got "smacked" later on. Poor little bayee! She's going be one tough mumma!