Monday 24 November 2008

Love is in the back seat of my cadillac...

...or the front seat of a van, ha! And not much loving can happen when you have a baby at the drive in with you.
I fed the kids before we left and gave strict instructions to try and act in a way that would not leave our babysitter oozing brain matter out her nose and ears. They adore her and love it when she comes over and so get very excited to see her.
On the way to the drive in we stopped off at the supermarket to get some lollies and movie food, cause no way am I paying ten dollars for a pack of choccies I can get at the store for less than half that price!

Bubs fell asleep on the way and I dared have that thought, you know the one. "Ooh maybe she will sleep through the movie" Ha! Nope, she woke up just as we turned into the entrance. Oh well.
We drove around and picked a good spot, although it was still light. Hubby tuned in the radio and enjoyed the tacky music.
We hoped it would be dark by the time the movie started. Which it did. Perfect timing actually. It started to get dark as the ads were playing.
Bubs was not at all interested in watching the screen. She was more interested in looking through the glove ox and throwing everything out of it. Paper, receipts, toys flying all over the car. It kept her amused until I had finished my drink and then she chomped on that.

The movie in question was Bond, James Bond. Yes it's annoying, but I just had to say it like that. I thought the movie was ok, but definitely not a great 'Bond film'
I won't go into it as some people may not have seen it yet, and everyone has different tastes in movies.

We enjoyed over priced pop corn, that lucky for them was quite yummy. It is always amusing to me when I go out with Hubby, just us, and/or the youngest child. Eating something and not sharing. I often forge what it is like, and going out with just us reminds me of how wonderful it is! I always share everything with the kids, so to have something to myself, without hiding in the bathroom with my feet against the door and shovelling it in, is always a big treat.

Going out to the drive in also reminded us at how old we are getting. By 10pm we were both yawning and ready for bed. I remember the days when we would be walking out the door at that time, heading off to a party, club or pub *sigh*

All in all a big thumbs up from us both. We are looking forward to going back again.

Friday 21 November 2008

Again with the poo...

I know, she's talking about poo again!! What can I say? It's a big part of my oh so glamorous day.
You would think after 8 and a half years and 5 children I would not be hung up about it. But it still amazes me how much bodily functions are a focus of my time and effort.
Today my 2 year old didn't make it to the toilet in time. As I got closer to him he starting laughing and ran away, so I chased him, telling him to stop. Yea, cause that's gunna work.
He just ran faster and squealed louder. Then he stopped and pushed his back against the hallway wall. Yeah, you know what happened then.
So in the bath he goes and cleaning the wall I go. Of course then after cleaning that part of the wall I noticed the other half of the wall with grubby hand and finger marks, and foot prints. How did they get those so high up the wall.

In short I ended up cleaning the whole wall, both sides. Then the bathroom doors, cause compared to the walls they were looking grubby. It never ends. It is worse than the song that never ends, cause even that you actually can stop by putting your hand over the child's mouth who insists it is the greatest song and insists on singing it ALL the time.

Our plans for the Drive-in have been postponed until Sunday. Our babysitter was not able to make it Wednesday. But I certainly don't complain as she is an awesome person who loves the children and they adore her. So stay tuned for Sunday night for the tale of our romantic night out. With the baby. ha!

Wednesday 19 November 2008

Reminds me of Grease (The movie)


Tonight Hubby and I are heading off to the Drive-in. We have never been and I for one am very excited. Excited? about the drive-in? You don't get out much do you Mummy?

Well, no, no I don't. Some days my journey out in the world is to the clothes line and back.


Feel my excitement! Every time I think of the drive-in, I remember Grease, the movie. Not that we will be in a cool convertible car with the top down and walking around all cool like with our pink and leather jackets.

Far from it. We will be the laughter of the night in our van, complete with baby in the back. Yes, of course baby is coming to. As my eldest says to others when they ask "Wherever Mummy's boobs go, baby goes"


We will be seeing the latest Bond movie. Hubby has a crush on Daniel Craig, but I am cool with it. After seeing him interviewed the other night, in which he was quite funny, said fuck in the first few minutes and giggled, I think he is pretty cool too.


And for those following along, yes I will be having popcorn and coke. It will be fine. I promise I will be back on the wagon tomorrow.


I'll let you know how the movie goes, and my first time at a drive-in.

Monday 17 November 2008

Is it a boy thing?

This morning we were driving home from dropping of Hubby's dry cleaning. Part of the way is a winding road with lots of land and trees. Kangaroos are often seen amongst the bush. My eldest son was looking out of his open window and commenting how cold the wind was. Then he shouts "Oh, Oh, Oh"
"What?" I say, (and not in the concerned way, but the annoyed 'Guh, what now' way)

"A dead Kangaroo on the side of the road" He says, a little too excitedly, to which younger brother in the back says
"Where, where is it? I can't see it" "I miss all the cool stuff"

Older brother says "Don't worry if I see another one I'll tell you straight away"

Friday 14 November 2008

Things I never thought I would get so excited over...

or so interested in.
After typing up the things I never thought I would say, or say so often I started thinking about how my life has changed since before kids. I was quite selfish back then, which I don't see as a bad thing, but as a consequence of my life at the time. It was just me to worry about. Just me to spend all my money on. Just me to buy clothes and shoes for, oh wow, so many shoes *Sigh*

Now with children my priorities are very different. I am no longer number one in my life. Which is fine for me as I knew this before having kids.
What I didn't know was all the things I once never gave a thought to would become such a form of excitement or consument(it's a word right?) in my day and life.

Such as
~ A warm day with a slight breeze. If you are a mum you know what I am about to say. Yes, washing!! Perfect washing weather!!!

~ Going shopping with the intention of getting myself something I need, yet coming home with items for the children. Once upon a time I cared about fashion. I liked dressing nice and having gorgeous shoes to match. It is not much different now, except it is kids clothes and shoes.
I am different in a small way in that the clothes at the stores and shopping centres do not appeal to me. I love hand made, gorgeous clothes. Like here, here and here. (Yes, 2 links to Etsy. Those in the know are cursing me for the enabling, he he) and just for some more enabling are these gorgeous retro clothes!


~ Looking at labels when going grocery shopping. This is the part that is time consuming. There is so many hidden chemicals, colours and preservatives in food nowadays and it can be quite confusing.
It concerns me greatly what our children could be consuming without us knowing or realising.

This site helps you understand additives better and gives information about the Kids First Campaign. I found this site when searching for the book.
Another site I find helpful is Fed up with food additives. It has a wealth of knowledge and includes recipes.

~60 Minutes
*sigh* I know, what the? It's true, I watch 60 minutes. When I was little my parents would watch it every week. I hated it. It was so boring. I didn't care about what was happening in the world. I just wanted a Cabbage Patch Doll, a Barbie car and to stay up late, and maybe not go to school.
Now every week Hubby and I watch 60 minutes. We laugh at how old we are getting.

~ Groceries on special. I still seemed to get excited when I see the blue tag on the shelf in front of an item I buy. Especially washing powder. (The excitement doubles if the powder is on special AND it's a sunny day!)

~Nappies
Yes, nappies, cloth nappies to be precise. With our first child I bought 2 dozen old style nappies, flats. A few pilchers from the supermarket and plastic pants. I know, I am hanging my head in shame at the thought. It gets worse, I also had a bucket and soaked them every day. I thought I was quite modern with my snappy thingies though.
It was a disaster, he would leak every nappy change. The poo-plosions were shocking! He is still my number one baby pooper. No baby has matched him yet!

So we switched to disposables. They worked great. So when baby number two came along we started with sposies and didn't look back.
A few months after our 3rd was born I noticed in another mothers signature online her baby girl in a cloth nappy. It was bright purple, trim and looked gorgeous. I asked her about it and so began my introduction to MCN or Modern Cloth Nappies. AIO's, Fitteds, Fleece, Sherpa, Bamboo, Hemp, Covers, Pocket.... It was so confusing to start. I remember looking at many sites over a whole weekend. Searching for answers and wanting to know more. For your convenience here is a glossary that will help if you are not aware or don't know much about MCN.

Back then there were maybe a dozen online stores that made and sold Cloth Nappies. All by mums who loved MCN and wanted to make and sell their style of nappies, covers and accessories.
I bought a couple at a time over about a year, and ended up with a great 'stash' Several I still have and are going strong.

We have saved a lot of money using cloth, and water too. Many people who ask me about them don't realise or know that cloth nappies actually use less water to wash, than the water used in the manufacturing process of a disposable nappy. And no soaking bucket either! It is not needed at all, in fact it wears out the material quicker if you soak.

I won't go on, I am sure those who are not interested are either skimming through quickly or their eyes are glazed over.

Just need to say one more thing though, it is very easy to become obsessed. So many colours, prints, materials, styles!

~ Having a shower on my own (even more so a bath!)

~ Going to the toilet and not being interrupted by children who insist on knowing what I am doing (? What is it with that?)

~ Sitting down to a meal alone with Hubby and eating the WHOLE dish!! Not to mention that we would have a conversation, and adult conversation about adult stuff! (However we always end up spending half the time talking about the kids. How they have grown, funny things they say or do)

~ Quiet. The sound of the ocean. Winds rustling through the trees. Birds chirping to eachother.
Go anywhere with my children and these cannot be heard by even those with the highest acuteness of hearing.
When I spend a few hours or a day with just the baby it never ceases to amaze me how loud our house is when I get back. Everyone talking at once, jumping up and down, getting louder and louder so as to try and speak over the others.

Most of all I never knew I could be so excited about my children. Of course sometimes they drive me nuts and I feel one step away from a home, but the majority of the time they really are awesome. I am excited to watch them grow and learn. Excited to watch them play together (and plot together to get chocolates from what I thought was a hidden spot).
I feel so lucky to have them in my life.

Tuesday 11 November 2008

Coke? What?

I can't hear you, sorry.....

I caved! I know, I know. It is damn hard giving up your ONE and only vice! Well, there is the odd chocolate or ten, but let's not get lost in minor details.

I also need to start walking again, as I have left the
get rid of baby weight' regime a bit late this time.
By this time with my 4th child I was very close to being at my normal weight. My motivation was being in a wedding. This time I have no motivation, and damn it I just can't be bothered.

I have started at least a dozen times in the past few months. You know the usual, no junk food, no soft drink, eat healthy, move that back fat. Yes, back fat. Or lower back fat to be precise. Dare I go on? ok, you twisted my arm. That bit of fat above your bum that shouldn't move, but does, even after you have stopped. That bit of 'something' that when you are jogging feels like someone is hitting you. That someone being, well, you.

Come on, don't leave me hanging, please tell me I am not alone.
I am going out with the munchkins on Friday, so can I say I will start on Saturday.
I need accountability. Help me! Hubby is no help as he is just as bad as me. We both find motivation at different times. I can be all geared up and feeling good after a few days and then he will say "I could really go some chocolate right now" and then I cave in. And vice versa with him being pumped and ready to eat well, etc

Hints, tips, encouragement are all welcomed.

Monday 10 November 2008

Things I never thought I would say, before having children..

1. No riding bikes in the house
2. Please don't try and put that in your nose/ear/eye, you get the picture
3. For the love of God stop pretending to stab your sibling with the scissors.
4. Why do you have scissors tucked into your belt?
5. Not everyone is as keen as seeing you adjust your penis as you are of doing it.
6. No the baby is not crying because she doesn't have a penis.
7. While it seemed like a good idea at the time pushing the trampoline over to the deck so you could jump from really high, you can see now why they need to be far apart.
8. I'm really not in the mood to go the hospital today, please try to be careful
9. Yes, it really would be cool if you were a Jedi.
10. Indiana Jones is a character in a film, he is a fictional character who can't come visit you.
11. Cleaning really can be fun
12. All Star Wars questions must now be forwarded to Daddy, as I didn't even know there was a character called Bobo
13. I know it was you who wrote your brothers name on the bathroom wall. He can't read yet, let alone write.
14. Who put the toilet roll in the toilet?
15. Don't use tape to make your brother look like a Mummy. (Therein follows screams as tape is pulled off said brothers skin)
16. Please don't tell me that's poo
17. Oh god it's poo
18. Pancakes are a suitable dinner
19. I really don't know if Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy hang out together.
20. No it's not carrots, they are just orange potatoes. It tastes yum!

One more that I never thought I would say SO much...

21. Are you freaking kidding me!!! (Of course said in that voice, you know the one)

Sunday 9 November 2008

A poor child's cubby house...

An in my opinion the best kind.

Here we have the 3 middle children in the cubby. My daughter is at the bar. This is what they called it. My first thought was how the hell do they know about bars, considering I don't drink and if hubby does it is when he goes out with his mates on the odd occasion. They told me it was from Star Wars. Phew, sigh of relief, well that's ok then. Just keep the light sabers on your belts though.



Even the baby got in on the action. I love this age. She is able to move around and be part of the games and play with her siblings which she loves.


Funny hat wearing is mandatory for under table cubby houses.
Don't be jealous of my floor. It is the longest project we have done in the house. A year to pull up the old, gorgeous 70's cork. Now the wait is on for the new floor. I have visions of us coming back after the new owners have moved in. "Hi, just us again, here to lay the floor"
My husband is reading this and no doubt pulling a face. Yes dear I know how hard it was to rip up the old floor. But come on, we need to move on. We have more drug induced colour combinations from the 70's to sand, paint or throw away.







Thursday 6 November 2008

I feel Old

Why? Because we took the kids to the museum the other day and saw this....


I remember when this computer first came out. How fast it was! How small it was!! The new features were amazing! Hubby and I both had one.

Now it is Museum worthy. *sigh* Book us in the retirement home now.

Makes 24 pattie cakes...

Except when you are baking with children, in which case you are lucky if you get 18 patty cakes.
Why you ask??

Because the following is sure to happen to even the most attentive of parents.


~ Mixture is splattered outside the bowl when mixing.

~ Bowl is grabbed by several hands who all want a turn at mixing, batter again outside the bowl

~ 2 year old who has no understanding of sharing, waiting his turn, and who has not yet developed very well his fine motor skills, insists with screaming very loud he can spoon the batter in the patty tins. Again most of mixture drips on bench between mixing bowl and tins.

~ Said 2 year old thinks it is normal practise to eat mixture after every attempt at pouring it in the patty tin. One for me, one for the patty, one for me, one for the patty... why didn't I stop him? Because it was too friggin cute!

~ Children all sneak a spoonful of the mixture when you try and sneak off to grab sheets off the line thinking they didn't notice you gone.

~ You sneak some mixture when the children are occupied by their favourite TV program.



Here we have many little cooks wanting to help. Even the baby is trying to help by grabbing all the patty pans and eat them. My 2 year old is mixing. You have no idea how painful it is for me to let the children help, especially with cooking. I have to keep reminding myself they need to learn, so one day I don't have to cook anymore.

Wednesday 5 November 2008

I need my fix..

I have a head ache. Apart from me feeling stresses about whether it should be one word or two, my head hurts, and I know it's from the lack of caffeine in my body. More specifically, Coke. Mmm, Coke, full of horrible things that are clearly not good for me, yet I am pulled back to it.

I am trying to give it up. Trying. This is very hard for me. I do not smoke, do not take drugs, well, on occasion I have been known to pop a disprin, I also don't drink. Which is probably shocking to some of you. I used to have a drink or two when out in my younger days. Listen to me would you, younger days, like I am over 80 or something. It's not that I don't like alcoholic drinks either. Some are quite nice. I'm just not into them. I'd prefer a great night out with a Coke.

My friends, and in particular husband have always loved this quality about me. For selfish reasons of course. I have always been the designated driver. I guess it's a win win situation. They get to drink, and I feel safe knowing who is behind the wheel.

So back to Coke. And my headache/head ache(depending on what country you are in) which is not letting up. With so little vices in my life, it is hard to let this one go.
I can't promise to never have it again, as that's just not fair on me. I will cut it out though. So far so good, but then it's only been 2 days.

I'll keep you posted about my progress.