Eggcellent...

About 6 months ago we became pet owners. Just to sway the balance even more to the females we purchased two 16 week old chickens and a few weeks later inherited a two year old hen too.

The girls each got to name a chicken, MiniMe's is Coconut (or Coke as she has taken to calling her for short), Goofy's went with Alexander and the late addition was called Rosie. Alexander was a little quick for Goofy to catch at first so she soon adopted the more placid Rosie as her chicken.

They can spend a whole morning playing with their feathered friends. They make mud stews for them, take them to the doctor or make treasure hunts for them.

I am not a huge bird lover and I have to ask Goofy to catch them for me (she is a bit of a chicken whisper) but I love the fact that we get fresh eggs every day and they eat all our food scraps. U2 is in charge of keeping the coop (that he impressively built) in order so there is little for me to do but enjoy the benefits. Eggcellent!

A day of two parties...

Today we have two children's parties (having said that i cant remember the last adult party we went to!). In the morning a first birthday party at a local park, in the afternoon a fifth birthday party at the Sydney Olympic park for a friend of MiniMe.


The first was a simple affair. The parents has invited a few families that had children from 6 months to one year old and had brought some simple nibbles and drinks to put out on one of the picnic table and there was a home made penguin cake. The children had a great time running around in the park. A lovely morning.


U2 took MiniMe to the second as the thought of having to keep an eye on all three children at public pool seemed a little daunting. MiniMe came home so excited. Her words couldn't come out fast enough to tell me all the great things she had done. The parents had simply paid entry for a few girls (and a parent) and then used the outdoor area to have a party picnic. Perfect for budding 5 year old mermaids.

I use to think that I shouldn't have a party for my girls every year but I love organising parties for them and seeing them so excited. All they need is a few friends, an activity and  a cake and they are happy. And that makes me happy.

Silver turning to gold..

When I was deciding on who would be my bridesmaids I remember my mother once retorting to me, 'Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, the other is gold'. Three of my bridesmaids I am still in regular contact with and they are definitely gold. They have known me since my teenage years and have decided to keep being my friend (and for that I am very thankful)!

Today I meet up with/called some friends from the mothers group I joined up with when MiniMe was 8 weeks old. We all had our first children within a month of each other and have since had children at similar age gaps. As with any group there a some people you click with more than others and there are a few mums in particular that I have come to rely on over the past 5 years and who I no longer refer to as, 'my friend from mothers group', they are just, 'my friend'. I guess they have turned from silver to gold!

When MiniMe came along i expected a lot of things to change but I didn't realise that it would also mean I would find such great friends. They have been there in the trenches with me as I figure out this mothering business and I have enjoyed being part of their lives and watching their little babies grow into school ready children. When the babies were very young we use to meet at the local pub/tavern (it was empty during the day so was quite accommodating to our, well my, screaming baby) and hopefully in 13 years time we will still be meeting and raising a glass with those little people who use to sit in our laps!!

When I grow up...

Today I went and purchased new glasses and it has got me thinking once again about my poor career choice. When I left school at 17 I embarked on a four year optometry degree. Towards the end of second year I started to realise that it probably wasn't going to be something I loved but I thought I would keep on going and it might get better. It didn't. But by then I was so close to finishing that it seemed silly not to (I am not very good at not finishing things I start which is not always a good thing, like getting stuck reading a bad book). My first job was horrible and I had moments were I had to go the bathroom and have a quiet cry. So after less than two years in a grown up job I took a break to go and worked as a trainee at my church. I had a great year, heaps of fun! I dabbled in optometry again a few hours a week but the commute was longer than I was there so that soon ended. After that year was up I gave optometry another try. This time I worked part time at an OPSM store where I had done some casual dispensing work during uni so I knew the people and it was a great working environment. The other part of the week I worked at UNSW doing a masters research degree into colour vision in adults with Down Syndrome. Then MiniMe came along and there has been no more optometry and the desire to return to it is not there. In fact I have officially retired from the optometry association. So what to do in my retirement? The idea of making another wrong choice scares me and so I put it on the back burner to think about later. For the next few years I will be a 'stay at home' Mum but then what? What will I do when I grow up?

Technology

Last week I took a tour of MiniMe'a new school and we were shown the computer rooms were the year 4 students were working on their class blog! As someone who has just ventured into the blogging world I found it quite amusing that these 8/9 year olds were already streaks ahead of me in the technology stakes. Although it shouldn't have surprised me as Goofy seems to be able to navigate U2's iphone as well as, if not better than me! It has made me question how this technology is going to affect their childhood. We had a computer room at primary school but it was a black screen with green writing and the documents that came out looked like they had been typed, our assignments were all hand written and we went to the library to get information for our projects. At high school we use to write letters to each other at night and deliver them in the morning. Only recently have I thrown out my box of letters (including on that was titled, 10 reasons with I hate XXX). It was funny to read what had been the pressing issues of my teenage self. Will my girls keep emails, sms's to one day discover? Or maybe they will have a blog? Will they want me to read it? Will I be friends with them on Facebook? Now there are some thoughts that seem in the very distance, we might first need to get over the hurdle of learning to read and write!

Battle with the Intruder..

The 40 minute Intruder is back in my life. I cant say I missed him and I really would have preferred if he had stayed away for good. I have been told that a baby has a 40 minute sleep cycle, where upon they wake and then go back to sleep. Unfortunately the Intruder lurks and is ready to pounce at this point and whisper in their ear that they should now wake up and cry out until they wear there mother down into coming to pick them up. However, the mother knows that the baby needs more sleep and will be a cranky pants if they do not go back to sleep and so she stands her ground. The battle begins... and I will win!

U2 is great...

I have always been a little challenged in talking about my feelings, I feel awkward letting what is in my heart and mind flow out of my mouth. If you have ever read 'The five love languages' by G.Chapman (see also http://www.5lovelanguages.com/) I am definitely not good at the words of affirmation (definitely more an acts of service girl!). So when we first started dating and my now husband (U2) would say he loved me I would simply say 'you too' which at times was made into a bit of a joke about the band (which we both think are a great band). Luckily for me U2 has put up with my inadequacies in this area and I am trying to improve. I am hoping that my girls will learn from their father on being open with their feelings. And this is one of the reasons I think U2 and I work so well together - we complement each other and have a good rhythm. Should anything happen to U2 I don't know how I would stand, I would loose my balance as he is so part of how I work, it would be like learning to walk on one leg. I pray that is not a skill I need to learn for a long time, if ever!

Introducing JollyJumper...

JollyJumper is 5 months old and completes the clan. She is doing what most 5 months old do - keeping us up at night, fighting day sleeps and eating an assortment of pureed food. Goofy was definitely the easiest baby (not sure if that was aided by a love for her dummy!) and MiniMe was a challenge (until we figured out she was just hungry and she settled down and has always been great at sleeping through the night) and JollyJumper fits somewhere in the middle (although we had to get rid of her dummy as it was a love hate relationship). At the moment she particularly loves being in the Jolly Jumper and can spends ages in there happily bouncing away. Overall she is a happy little soul and I am enjoying seeing her become more a little person. This morning I thought I may have seen a tooth starting to poke through which gave me a moment of sadness. This is my last baby (well, according to my plans!) and those baby days are whizzing by so fast, I was hoping that gummy smile would stick around a bit longer. I know there are lots of good things ahead but I love that dependence and total love a new baby has for you and that smile that says, I think you are the best thing in the whole world! And those great boombaladars are just so squeezable too but I sure she will be happy those go away!!

Introducing Goofy...

Goofy has just turned 3 and is quite a character. She has quickly learnt that she has a smile that you cant but help smile back at and she uses that to her advantage. She is quietly naughty, I often find the trails of her misbehaviour long after the event and when she is discovered she just gives a cheeky smile and says 'sorry mummy'. She is quite happy in her own company which has been great for me with MiniMe being out 3 days a week as we potter quite happily together or apart. She will spend her time playing with our chickens, dolls, dressing up (she is particularly partial to a tutu) and asking for food! She loves her sisters and is quite happy taking direction from MiniMe (most of the time). She is a joy to have around and keeps us laughing.

Introducing MiniMe..

MiniMe is the eldest of my three daughters and is 5 and a half. I was once told that while you love all your children the same there is something special about your first child, they are your guinea pigs who do it all first. They are the first ones to teach the joys of parenting! MiniMe looks and acts like me at a similar age, it is hard to tell our baby photos apart and my Dad tells me the way she behaves is very much like I did too. I too was the eldest child and I think we both fit the stereotype quite well. I recently had to describe her on a school form (she heads to Kindy next year) and I wrote caring and outgoing. She loves people and being around people (and usually in charge!). She loves craft, dancing and playing with her sisters and cousin who is the same age. Imaginative play is also a big time consumer. She loves to 'help' cook and eating is definitely always on her mind. Sometimes her whinging can wear me down but I try to remind myself that that persistence will be a good quality one day! I look forward to seeing how she grows into a young lady as so far I think she has been pretty great.

Birthday wishes to my little brother.

I have one little brother who is not so little anymore! Today he enters his last year in his twenties! Some of my fondest childhood memories of our time together come from about a decade ago. Lately my thoughts wander back times where we thought we had tricked our parents into thinking we were alseep when really we were both lying just in the shadows of our doorways talking to each other. There was something very special about that shared secrecy and feeling like a team. And his was and is a great team to be part of. He is a very kind and gentle soul which reminds me a lot of our Mum in that regard. He will stand up for what he believes in with a quiet determination which gains peoples respect. He is just great. So I raise a glass to you today little brother and say thank heavens for little brothers, without them what would big sisters do! Happy Birthday! (enjoy Zumbos!)

Dancing tip - Give your brother a hug.

Let the dancing begin...

Captivating. Highly readable. Witty. A beautiful wordsmith. Worth of a great literary prize. Made me laugh and cry and do backflips all at the same time.

This is how I feel the great literary ciritics should descibe my blog. So the pressure to write the perfect first entry has paralyzed me from writing anything at all. But this blog is not for me and it not to be perfect as I am far from perfect (I own up now to being a terrible speller). This blog is for my girls. I want them to get a snapshot into their childhood through my eyes. I have always had grand plans of writing a diary for them or a letter to them on each of their birthdays but that so far has never happened, then I thought a blog would serve the same purpose. My mother died four years ago and I long for some of her thoughts left behind for us to read. I know I secretly hoped she had written letters for us and we would find them one day with some last bits of wisdom or comfort from her. So I guess this is me leaving my girls some love.

It is also for me to make time to sit and be thankful for all the good things around me. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the piles of washing, unclean floors, toys to trip over but I want to shift my gaze. My life is full of things to be joyful about and I don't want those few pesky storm clouds to be the center of my attention. Let the dancing begin....

Dancing tip - Just do it.