Recycled: Going to get 'Bad Mother' tattooed on my forehead

Burblings from another time (ie an old post)...

I'm not good with hair or hairstyles.  I kept my hair mostly under a riding helmet until I was 20 and then, during my, "men must accept me as I am, and not how I look" phase, got a crew cut.  This style statement also marked the start of 'the celibate years.'

So here I am in 2010 faced with Miss 4 who has shoulder length flyaway hair that mats without even trying AND she has purple-faced screaming hysterics at the sight of a hairbrush.  And, Miss 6 who has the thickest hair ever, so thick I can't even get the hair elastics around it twice to hold it in place.

Suffice to say, the phrase 'neat and tidy' rarely applies to my children.

Given Miss 4s hairbrush issues and the fact I try very hard to pick my battles with the child, it is usual that she turns up at school with her hair scraped back into a slightly matted bunch, usually with bits of twig, toast crusts and the occasional small toy mixed up in it as well.

Hair washing is also a (purple faced screaming hysterically in a small echoey bathroom) issue, so generally I don't wash Miss 4s hair until it starts to smell funny, and when I do I slather it in conditioner and give it its fortnightly comb through/pick-over then.

Yesterday, when I sent Miss 4 to pre-school I knew that night would be hairwash night.  Dreadlocks were forming and I'd spent some time gently soaking a chupa chup stick out of it. However, when I arrived to pick her up her hair had been combed through and tied up in a neat hairstyle.

The teachers, bless them, unable to stand it a moment longer, had taken to her with a hairbrush.  And her reaction?  Calm and cheerful.

CALM AND SODDING CHEERFUL.

They are awesome wonderful ladies, oozing with tact, so they didn't say a word. But I could FEEL the thoughts. Oh yes I could.

I heard myself babbling; there was talk of miracles, and praise for their finely honed child management skills, and then I slunk away, mentally justifying my complete lack of motherly care all the way home in the car.

That evening I flung Miss 4 in the bath (she's always like baths its the hair bit that is the problem), and braced myself for the usual hair washing nightmare, only to have her calm and happy throughout, and spending a lot of time being a mermaid and asking meaningful questions about bubbles.

Brushed her hair this morning,  and she barely even looked up from her colouring in.

Have decided they're putting something in the water at that pre-school.

sigh.

Introducing Vermeer

My mother is an alpaca enthusiast.  To date she's had two alpaca's and two sheep

Jock, Pepe, Blackie and Brindle

Sadly Blackie the sheep and Jock the Alpaca have succumbed to old age in recent months. Leaving Brindle the sheep and Pepe the Alpaca to wander around like lonely clouds in a very big paddock.

Mum is about to kick off her Great Alpaca Adventure, and is in the process of acquiring a flock of knocked-up Alpaca ladies.  However, when the people at the Alpaca stud heard of lonely Pepe and Brindle they sent Vermeer to keep them company.

Vermeer - aged 2

He is only 2 and has never met a sheep before, so is very wary of Brindle (who is taking full advantage and chasing him when she thinks noone is looking).  I wonder what Vermeer thinks Brindle is? Maybe a very short Alpaca who collided with a wall??

We all adore him

 He's also a lot tamer than Pepe and talks to you when you get close.  The whole family is completely smitten and Miss 6 and 7 keep sneaking off to feed him bits of hay and check he's not homesick.

:)

Trip Back In Time...

 Last weekend we had a family adventure to Jenolan Caves.

The weather was lovely...

Road in

The accommodation was modern...

Our TV - it had one channel which played religious movies

The caves had the same displays they did 25 years ago when I went as a kid, and the guide was still making mother-in-law jokes

I paid $60 for my family to see that

And the views were spectacular...

Road out

The kids loved it :)

Getting Organised: Bag Nook

Just over a week to go and the Screamies are back to school.  My sense of deep relief is tempered by a strong sense of foreboding, as I think we're in for a challenging term with Miss 6.  The end of last year was desperately stressful, and we've been working throughout the holidays with some awesome people to make sure that this year is played to a different (better, happier) tune.

I'm still worried though.  And though repeating 'its going to be fine' whilst eating lindt chocolate is helping a lot, I've also been working hard to get the house organised - so that things go as smoothly as possible, and also to stop myself thinking about it all too much.

My first area to tackle has been our bag nook (I always think bag nook sounds like a delicious Middle Eastern dish, maybe that's just me, hmm).

This is how it looked a couple of days ago...

And today...

Going to hang the noticeboard later on

 Hats will go up the top, bags on the hooks, shoes and other guff in the baskets.

I bought a cheap corkboard and covered it with some material from my stash.  This will hold invitations, notes going to and from school, as well as the kids routines - a pictorial one for Miss 6

The school bags have been washed (which is why it is now pouring in Sydney, if anyone was wondering).  Despite strict instructions not to wash them, I kind of had too (ew, that is all), but did it on a delicates cycle with lux flakes and they're all good.

Next challenge is to turn the playroom into a better space for playing/homework. It used to work wonderfully, but its not kept up with the kids changing needs and is now just a cluttered space.

This has all been inspired by...

Year of the Painted Toenails

Went shopping for nail polish with the kids yesterday.

Rarrrgh

Was after something low-key, ended up with lurid pink and purply-grey.

I made three new year's resolutions on Twitter very close to midnight on the 31st.

2012 is going to be the year of writing, and painted toenails, oh and gin.

So far I've been all over the first and the last, and yesterday I felt it was time to redress the second.  Yes I know it says toenails, but seriously people, you do not want pictures of my feet up here. Seriously.

K.I.S.S.

Sometimes the simplest advice is the most effective.
Also, this diagram is a lot cheaper than years of therapy - trust me on this.

Summer Peaches

WOW, its been an amazing start to the year!  I had so much fun with the giveaway contest and still can't believe I had so many entries.  Thank you again to everyone.

Its full swing summer holidays at the moment, and days are spent at the beach or playing (well supervising from under the gazebo) in the garden.

The vegie garden is looking very scrappy, I tend not to grow stuff over summer, as it only takes one 40 degree day with a westerly gale and I lose everything. So I'm harvesting what we've got (leeks, so many leeks!) until its time to start the winter planting at the end of February.

Today we ate the first of our peaches.

They are white peaches and tasted utterly divine

Well, if you don't mind about the wretched fruit fly larve!

Happy New Year - Gift Card Giveaway

And the winner is...
Craig Smith

email coming to you

Congrats Craig
And a huge, huge thank you to everyone who entered.
I had 304 entries in total!!
And it was such a lovely lovely way to celebrate my 40th Birthday :)
Thanks again

Celebrating Forty

I have been away to a place so remote that the internet goes at DIAL UP speed, AND I had to drive down the road to get phone access.  Yes. I have been at my parents house.

The Horror.

Civilisation I have missed you.

On Sunday it's my 40th Birthday. 1st January. Oh yes indeedy.

I bid my thirties farewell without much regret - though I do miss my early thirties pre-babies flat tummy (miss you xxx).  I'm looking forward to my forties, I think its going to be an awesome time for me and my little family.

Over the last few months I've been mulling over how to kick off this next decade.  Hubs and I have discussed a few ideas...

• Party - great except I'm an anti-social introvert
• Dinner somewhere nice - great except I like to be in bed by 8pm
• Holiday - great except travel makes me constipated - which would be a terrible state to start my 40s in

Oh I kid.  Any of those would be utterly wonderful and I'd love them, but hubs's work contract has just ended and we're hoarding the pennies.

So I got to thinking about celebrating my 40th in a meaningful way without spending much money (or none at all).  And that led me to thinking about the things that fill me with joy, and then I realised that those things don't cost anything anyway!

I ended up with this list

• Walk
• Cook
• Give
• Learn
• Grow

And my plan to celebrate my 4th decade (5th!! its my 5th decade, ahem, thanks Jennie :)) on the planet is going to go something like this...

• Walk - a dawn walk on Long Reef Beach with my family watching the sun rise up out of the ocean, we'll bring breakfast with us and thermos of tea.  Perfect. Also rain is my favourite beach weather, so I don't mind what the weather is.
• Cook - a feast at home.  Huge bowl of prawns with homemade mayo and a cold beer - something fun that doesn't take hours
• Give - I love to give and I love to knit.  So over the year I'm going to knit 40 of my world famous dishcloths and give them away - via the blog, watch this space! (On the subject of giveaways, a book voucher giveaway is starting here tomorrow - shhh, its a surprise)
• Learn - I'm starting Embroiderer's Guild courses this year
• Grow - you all know I love my garden. So I'll be planting an avocado tree and watching hubs turn the front garden into a space that fills me with delight.

I just cannot wait :) 

Christmas YAY

I am trapped in the house with my family and Miss 5 has just locked us all out of the bathroom. Help meeeee...