Library opening hours

After having read Meegan's blog regarding having no books to read that haven't been read 1000 times before - and then having a couple of other people respond in the positive to my comment about borrowing books from me - well it occurs to me that we need to organise some sort of book library/swap amongst us all. No reason as far as I can see either, why people interstate should not be able to join us in this. Some of my books I will want back. Others can just continue on in the great book swap of life. So I'm not sure how to get started with this. Do I list some of my top 10 most owned authors? Do I let you all know the genre I like and see if it's up your alley? Suggestions are most welcome regarding how we can expand our reading potential without having to fork out $29.95 for a book that takes me 48 hours to read (edit. well they used to only take me that long to read. Now thanks to two children and being able to usually only read about 2 pages uninterrupted, it does tend to take a little longer to complete a novel these days).

Childhood memories

Hello dear readers,
Today I am ordering books from Amazon.com....... I am trying to find all of those wonderful books that I remember from my childhood. And we're ordering them for our kids...

Lowly worm books by Richard Scarry
Where the wild things are
Enid Blyton's the Magic Faraway Tree series
Raggedy Ann's Cooking School (I have this on tape with my mum reading it to me :))

So in an attempt to cut down on shipping costs - if anyone in Brisbane would like to order any books for their little ones - special books that they remember from their childhoods... let me know.

Miscellaneous memories

• Mackenzie played peekaboo with me the other night after her bath. Pulling the towel she was wrapped in over her face and then pulling it down and belly-laughing as I yelled 'boo' repeatedly for about 5 minutes

• Today while making breakfast a glass cutting board fell onto the bench and I waited with bated breath for it to shatter while exclaiming "SHIT".... Suddenly from behind me I hear "shit" from my two-year old. I turn horrified - sure that it was Dave who was going to be the first to corrupt her ever-burgeoning vocabulary.... but no. " No charli, mummy said 'shoot' like we 'shoot' with your toy cap gun, you know? shoot" "no mummy, shit" she exclaims. I sigh. I turn and resume pouring milk over cereal, intent on the task of ignoring her expletives, fervently praying that she will not still be chanting 'shit' in 2 hours when we go over to my parents-in-law. I look at her sideways, trying to see whether she will say it again. She eyes me back sternly and proclaims "you mummy, naughty".... I leave the room laughing

• My face being spattered with rather saliva-ry sweet potato as Zie, after tasting her first mouthful of food, rolls it around her tongue until the food is good and truly wet and then blows a raspberry at me, right as I lean in to ask "do you like it?"..... she found it rather funny to say the least. My two baby girls - a laugh a bloody minute :)

• Me going into charli's room after a ten minute session of yelling when she is meant to be sleeping only to have her say 'charli (a)wake mummy - park?'..... I've learnt my lesson about saying "when you wake up we'll go to the park"... sigh. Literal bloody beings aren't they?

• Zie's first 'words' - dada - at the tender age of 5 months....... just like her sister. I already envision a future in which Dave and I have to have earplugs surgically inserted into our ears to prevent them from bleeding - being exposed to 2 little girls aged 2 and 4 who talk from sun-up to sundown - enough to make anyone's ears bleed..... it's lucky that sometimes it's nice things like "I lub you mummy" - the new one from charli.

• And finally today, all dressed up to go to lunch - just in jeans and a tanktop but looking rather slim and hot if I do say so myself ;) charli declares me 'pretty', races for her toy camera and says "picture you mummy? cheese!!" And its moments like that that make it all worth it people :)
  

About the day I used up the previous 24 hours of rain

Well at least dear readers, that is how it felt in my moment of guilt lying there under my vichy shower, enjoying my 90 minutes of pampering at Mummabubba. Mummabubba is a day spa for mummies - "makes proud mothers into beautiful mothers" is their motto - and while I don't think I came out any more beautiful - my god did I come out feeling rejuvenated. I had the mineral wrap body rejuvenator. Start off with someone giving your tired winter skin a good rubbing over with a sea salt scrub. Then this is washed off with a vichy shower - a shower head that is so aerated it feels like silk being poured over your skin...... then a mineral mud pack was lathered over my entire body and the lid of the 'bed' I was lying on was closed. this bed had multiple water jets both under my body and above and suddenly my entire being was being massaged with these jets of water. While I will admit that the jets of water to my feet was reminiscent of some form of WWII water torture (okay so I'm not keen on foot massages either) - the rest of it was heavenly (and I learnt later that I could have asked for the foot bit to be turned off so I know that for next time!!). Meanwhile, while being massaged with warm water jets, the inside of this vichy shower bed was also filling with steam - in essence it was like being in a sauna and spa at the same time. Oh and did I mention that during this 24 minutes of water heaven, my lovely consultant was giving me a scalp massage? Really, wine and steak on Monday, Vichy shower rejuvenation on Thursday... I'm not sure I've had a week like this in ......oh I don't know - since about pre-July 2004 when i first got myself knocked up and all this fun of parenthood began ;)

My goal for the rest of the year? To visit this divine kingdom of mother pampering at least once a month. Stay tuned to see if it happens.....

Why today was a good day.

1. I went to work on my own - without the girls - solo..... to discuss some handover issues with the person who has been doing my job.

2. Mackenzie's first time without me went exceptionally well, she drank from a cup, she fed from a spoon, she slept well. the only downside? I discovered just how much milk I'm going to have to milk from myself to keep her fed for one entire work day. Lord!!!

3. On my return home, both girls have fallen fast asleep allowing me to get on with writing a job application for a postdoctoral position I want to apply for (oh and to update my blog ;)

4. Super A-mart called to let me know that our couch - which was an expected 3-6 weeks away - can be delivered tomorrow. I'm not going to tell Dave this, I'm going to let it be a surprise for when he gets home. Of course, if he reads this it won't be a surprise but I think he bored of my blog weeks ago......

5. And last but not least, while doing handover we decided to go to lunch (after my phone call to my mother-in-law confirmed that all was well with the small people) - and I got to eat a steak, on my own, solo - without a baby at my boob or a toddler poking her fingers in my food to check whether or not it was hot. And I drank a glass of red wine. Steak and wine and no kids. I swear it doesn't get better than this. Having kids has made me - if nothing else - appreciate the small things in life - you know, like being able to pee without a running commentary from a 2-year old ;)