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 ;)

Roly poly girl

Well, my little second born muffin has one up on her sister in the smart stakes :) Not only is she rolling a month earlier than Charli ever did, but she realises that she can sleep on her tummy - something that caused Charli great distress when she first learnt to roll

Dreamworld!

Well as Sharon and Meegan have already mentioned - last Friday was a day at Dreamworld for a group of (insane) mothers and our (even more insane) children......personally Charli, Zie and I made it as far as Yatala before I had to stop before I either killed Charli or myself..... she wanted out, I need to pee.... it was a recipe for a not so calm car trip..... we were running a bit early so we stopped..

We decided to skip the Wiggles concert - I took one look at the crowds and just couldn't bear it. Here are some photos.




All in all a superb day - as far as it can be with two small kids at a theme park... I am working on making Charli my 'rides' partner (dave doesn't like them) - we rode the carousel twice, that chair ride on chains that swings out (?) she loved it!!! squealed and hung on for dear life... :) we went on the big red car and dorothy's tea cups - round and round and round until Mummy thought she would throw up LOL.... but you know what really made the day worthwhile.....??? ... tucking her into bed that night, she was a little crazy and it took a while to calm her down ;) she put her arms around me and FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME said "I lub you".... :) now if that doesn't make it all worthwhile I don't know what does

......however, here I am two days later - incredibly sleep deprived thanks to a baby who has taken 48 hours to stop being wired from the Dreamworld experience (picture trying to feed Zie under an umbrella in Wiggles World while songs by Anthony, Greg, Murray and Jeff blared out from a loudspeaker.....I don't think Zie blinked for about 24 hours she was so wired!!). Also thanks to Charli I've been awake since 4am. I've got my money on those nasty two-year old molars coming through. For her sake it better be teeth. If this is some permanent behaviour that is manifesting we are in deep trouble. She wakes up bouncing and running around the living room like a chimpanzee doped up on speed and she doesn't stop moving and talking until we wrestle her into bed around 1pm for a nap... if we're lucky.

Every day has its ups and downs

Ups.

• Got half of the front garden mulched while Charli has been at her Nanny and Chandie's
• Zie has figured out how to roll!! I have missed it both times as she waits until I leave the room and I return to find her flipped onto her tummy. either that or the dog is flipping her over when I turn my back.
• I have been able to write a shopping list unaided by Charli - and to clean her room so I can see the floor. I will enjoy this state of order for the next hour until she returns home and has it all messed up again by the time she goes to bed :)

Downs.

• Well actually there is only one down. But it's a biggie. Huge in fact. The University has decided they can wait no longer (and fair enough too) and I have to find another examiner to examine my thesis. I am devastated. The silver lining is that the university are so concerned about how long this is taking (and no doubt the effect this is having on my mental health!!) that they are doubling the fee to the examiner IF they can return the report in LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS. This at least is an improvment on having to wait another 8-12 weeks. However, graduation in July is a hope of the past. So I'm pretty pleased that I had scrawled all over my calendar GRADUATION WEEK on the week beginning July 16. Maybe I can find some whiteout to get rid of that. sigh

Edited to add
As soon as I walked away and opened a can of diet coke it exploded in my face. So there is another down. And as Libby will know, this 'bad' is a bit self-perpetuating according to The Secret so I should stop writing about bad things and 'attracting' even more bad things..... but then what is the fun of a blog if I can't vent :)

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mum,
It has once again been a bittersweet day for me. With two beautiful princesses to call my own on this Mother's Day I still shed tears that you aren't here for me to spoil. I lay in bed last night, remembering all the mother's days of the past.

When I was in Grade 2 and we were all allowed to buy a gift from the stall that had been set up at school. All items were donated and cost 50c or less and you became the proud owner of a very large plastic orange serving spoon. Oh lucky you. :)

The year I purchased with my very own money (with a little help from my godparents no doubt) a tiny china plate, saucer and teacup with I Love You Mummy written on it.

And years later, when you had hinted to me that you weren't that fond of breakfast in bed so I used to get up early and go out to the kitchen and set the table and make you a pot of tea (leaf tea, none of this tea bag stuff for my mum!!) It's funny when I think about it now that I used to cook you breakfast... the only day of the year you'd eat breakfast. In all the years we lived together I never saw you eat breakfast, not even cereal, except for on Mother's Day!! The things we do for our children .... as I'm sure the coming years will teach me.

The poems I wrote. The cards I made. You treasured them all.......when I get cranky with my kids, I remember the love you always had for me and I try to be a little more patient with them. You are my hero mum, you always will be. I love you. Your grand-daughters love you. I miss you mum.

Love Carla

There is no title to describe this day.

Hello dear readers,

My feral darling child number one did not improve after her stint at Kinder Gym yesterday and so began a day of me drugging her with Calm - a naturopathic remedy that is supposed to reign in your child before they turn into the devil incarnate....... trust me..... today it did not work. In fact by 4pm I was ready to try some of the stuff myself. My thought process being that if it did not calm her, perhaps if I took it I at least would not care that she was breaking everything she touched, screaming no at every opportunity, and generally behaving in a way that would possess me to give her away should anyone be foolish enough to want her in her current mood.

Some home products for the bathroom turned up - general storage stuff that warrants assembly. Charli was very um... 'helpful' in putting it together with me and Dave arrived home in time to rescue Charli from mummy putting her into the box the goods arrived in and packing her off with the courier...... (breathe....)

My supervisor called. I have been awaiting my examiner's reports for five months now.... do you hear me people??? Five bleedin' months. I bust a gut getting this PhD done in 16 weeks, while hugely pregnant and the requisite 8 week waiting period for examination comes.... and goes... and with it, any hope of graduating in July. Today I find out two things that make this even worse.

1. The thesis office have now decided they can wait no longer. In 7 days if this examiner's report is not back, they go out to another examiner and I get to start the waiting all over again

If this is not enough to warrant tears I then get a phone call from a friend who submitted her thesis 6 weeks after me. Not only did she get both reports back today but she has no changes to make..... please don't get me wrong. I am thrilled for her. This is every PhD student's dream.... NO CHANGES..... but today of all days, I am jealous, angry, disappointed beyond description. You see we were meant to graduate together in July..... after both being enrolled for nearly 9 years we both finally submitted at the same time..... and graduation together was the final prize but alas it is not to be. I am shattered. I am drinking Baileys. I may not stop at one.

Today lots of nice things happened. I'm sure they did. I'm sure Mackenzie was blowing bubbles so hard she looked like she was rabid and foaming at the mouth. At some stage I'm sure I spotted Charli lying next to Zie holding her hand while they watched Dora together. Today I should be thankful for a loving husband, two beautiful daughters and the fact that we are all healthy. But today dear readers I don't feel like being generous, I just feel like feeling sorry for myself. Tomorrow I promise will be another day.... a better day...... a day filled with more laughter than crying....... but for tonight, a couch meant for wallowing beckons me.

Baking that carrot cake

I would like to point out to people that Charli will not eat eggs..... please note what she does with the whisk covered in raw egg!!!

Kinder Hell (I mean Gym)....

Well today started better than most - everyone slept until 7.30am and I woke up feeling refreshed - a state that I rarely awaken in anymore. We breakfasted, showered and dressed..... and we headed for the local Youth Club's kinder gym class. The first one. Our trial class. Our last class ever if there is indeed a higher power looking over us..... it was horrendous. Not because the instructors weren't good. Not because the other mums were awful or unfriendly (though by the end of the class I think a few of them did indeed sigh a sigh of relief when they realised that I had decided not to return next week). The problem? A gym full of lots of bounce-y mats, bars, ladders on walls (!!!) and a two-year old who was in no mood to be told to 'wait', that it was not yet 'her turn' or that 'you are not allowed to play on that equipment, only this equipment'.

I turned into public housing mother screaming at Charli to get down off the wall while I had Mackenzie attached to my boob and screaming with mouth full of nipple because I was not exactly being calm enough to let the milk flow. Do you have that picture in your head? I hope so because I'll carry it with me for many days. To be fair on myself I did start out calmly using the correct principles. .... giving Charli choices about either playing on the gym mats properly or hopping in the pram and going home. But when I had to feed Mackenzie... well Charlotte quickly realised that my options for disciplining her were indeed limited and unlike at home there was no bedroom to be conveniently locked in while she threw a tantrum of nuclear explosion like proportions. I had finally been given the ultimate test in parenting - a toddler tantrum in public with a baby screaming to be fed. I failed appallingly. But that's okay. I'm sure that there will be many more. Some I will handle with more aplomb. Some I am sure will be just as bad as today. I trust that there will be no permanent psychological damage - to either the toddler, the baby or myself. But one thing is very clear - there will be no more kinder gym until it becomes legal to use a long handled cattle prod to keep children under control in public.

The week in review

It's been a week like any other.... this week it's been washing clothes with some help from the girls :)



watching telly after a long and tiring day while eating ice-cream (this one was mine, charli was meant to have a bite. while she is eating this I am in the kitchen getting myself another one after Dave declares that I am unlikely to get this one back!!)

baking our first cake together. A home-made carrot cake. If I can work out how to post video (help Michelle!!) I'll post a video - very funny.



Charli in her 'mummy-made playschool-type car'..... it's pretty lame. I'll work on a better one soon.


And in true carla-style lately - a cheesecake to end the week. this one is a chocolate hazelnut one - except it has orange juice and rind in it so it turned out tasting like jaffas which doesn't really thrill me but Dave, Bekk and Matt seemed to like it. I of course am still eating it like there is no tomorrow - this pregnance weight is finding it hard to come off what with all of the cheesecake I'm eating!!! Note the piping of the cream - a much easier task after the Dora cake piping!!

An A-type Weekend

Well this weekend, like many others, was filled with 'projects'. Among these, another attempt at a cheesecake. In an attempt to mimic the last masterpiece, we again melted chocolate to 'drizzle' across the top - however, it did not drizzle, but rather 'blobbed' onto the cheesecake with such reckless abandon that we decided to smear it across instead......... then, to cover the rather un-aesthetically pleasing look of the top, Dave 'dusted' it with Quik (read, threw large amounts on top of it with the intention of shaking it off only to realise that it was a cheesecake in a springform pan and dusting it off was not really an option) - he then 'blew' it off - at which point large amounts of Quik blew straight back up into his face. I fell on the floor laughing - you had to be there I know, but it was pretty funny (and I'd had a Bailey's or 3 as all small children were out for the count!!). Anyway, here is the end result. Of course, we had forgotten how hard chocolate sets and it's now near impossible to cut a slice of this cheesecake, but we're managing somehow :)


In addition to baking, I also did a spot of gardening. After meeting Meegan at the Blackwood St markets this morning, I purchased 7 pots of herbs for $10 - what a bargain - and the garden that used to house a lemon tree before the Level 5 water restrictions claimed it's last breathe, is now housing the herbs - hopefully their root system will survive our water-deprived clay soil a little better than the citrus tree did!!



After the planting was done, I took some time out to just lie around and snap some pics of Mackenzie (see sweetheart, I DO take photos of you sometimes - pity I didn't take the time to clean the sleep out of your eyes too!!)



Hmmm, what else.... I know I did more than that. Oh well, maybe not so A-type of a weekend after all - it sure felt busy... oh yeah, that's right, I also spread nearly 2 cubic metres of mulch on the gardens... and I have the sore muscles to prove it. Night!!

Charli (aka Dora) to the rescue

Picture it: Charli is playing in the backyard with a skipping rope. About 20 noisy miner birds start harassing a baby butcher bird (not that I feel much pity as these birds are usually the aggressors).... they are making a hell of a racket and when Charli asks what the noise is I say that the birds are just playing. Surprisingly she doesn't believe me and pretends to tie one end of her skipping rope around her waist harness style while holding the other end up in the air and screaming "I'm tumming, bird, I'm tumming....wait". I could barely dial the phone to call her dad I was laughing so hard. Where are those video cameras when you need them :)

We did it!!

The Pre-Party Preparations.

Well I'd been thinking about Charli's Dora the Explorer second birthday party for many many weeks. In reality however I left most preparations until the second to last moment and spent a couple of nights waking at 3am wondering how I was going to design the maps or more importantly, what the hell I was going to put on the maps, and how all of this was going to happen in the next three days with Charli not finding out what I was doing ....... I'm not going to explain here the whole concept of Dora and Boots and their adventures. If you are clueless and would like to be clued.... feel free to visit the Dora site at the Nick Jr website.

Needless to say, my most amazingly creative sister-in-law Bekk - who is stuck in Mt Isa working at the moment and therefore has many an hour to spend on such tasks given the questionable venues she has to choose from at which to socialise - offered (silly girl) to make some backpacks up for the kids from purple felt. I was quick to take up her offer and here's how they turned out.



Unfortunately this little guy seems to have lost an eye - rest assured they were not made like this - Bekk was not willingly scarring small children for life by presenting them with one-eyed backpacks!!! All of this creativity achieved with a sewing machine that was not available until the night before the party and then went on the fritz with three backpacks to go!! Thank you so much Bekk!!

The Dora Hunt

Well the kids arrived and after trying to keep about 7 kids under the age of 3 penned up in the lounge room until everyone arrived we decided to get started without a couple of them. Backpacks were distributed - much to Henry's delight who was a bit put out that all the presents were for Charli Girl (and rightly so Henry!!) Kids were asked to pull out their maps



Of course the concept was lost a little on children who were not yet literate, however, the first stop was the big blue river (a tarp in the front yard) and all the kids had to look in their backpacks for their skipping ropes so that we could make a rope bridge and cross the river (lame I know but I couldn't think of anything else at the last moment because of course I had not scripted this day - as if it would go to plan with 9 two-year olds in tow!!.... yes 9!!! so much for the rule of inviting one more than the child's age to their parties.... I read that little parenting tip after the invites had all gone out ha ha).

Next stop was Quicksand Cave - something we'd put a little more effort into - our carport decorated with purple plastic walls and sand on the floor.



The kids were told that they were not allowed to touch the sand or they would sink. I potentially have instilled a beach phobia into every attending child. Years from now on the psychologist's couch they will tell of a Dora party at which for some inexplicable reason one of the parents made them afraid of sand!! They lept across the numbered 'rocks' to make it safely to the other side.

Once through the other 'wall' and it was onto the stop 3 - the Pinata Party. Of course the first thing they spied as they ran towards the backyard was a 2-ft high stuffed Dora sitting on a set of swings and the squeals of delight and shouts of 'party' (say it like the karate kid says 'bonsai') as they raced down the hill were priceless. I do hope that part was captured on video.

The Pinata

Once in the backyard I found myself standing alone at the Dora pinata asking everyone where the pinata was before someone pointed out that they probably didn't even know what a pinata was. Stupid kids!! So I dragged them all off the swings and made them come over to the pinata - because you know, this party was not about them having fun - it was about them following the bloody map that my husband had lovingly printed and laminated!! So get your bums over here kids!! :)




Each child took hold of a ribbon and 'pulled pulled pulled' until finally I stuck my hand up Dora's backside and pulled out the bottom of it myself - to the squeals of delight as children were rained with packets of dinosaur jubes and little toy whistles (disclaimer: parents were advised that after Dave had shoved a whistle in his mouth we had ascertained that they were not a choking hazard however all parents were responsible for their own children and whatever objects that may be put inside said child's mouth).

The Cake

Despite my godmother insisting that the Dora Cake looked like the Lion King (!! what the?? LOL) I would like to think that given

1. this was my first attempt ever at piping a cake,
   
2. it took over 10 colours (!!) and
   
3. I had to wait until all children had gone to bed which meant that I was icing this bloody thing at 9.30 on the Friday night

well I think it worked out rather well. I can't take full credit though. When Dave entered the kitchen with me close to tears, pouring a baileys and declaring that Dora was just going to have to be iced all in one colour and that I didn't give a crap anymore.... well he leaped to my rescue and got me started by doing all the fiddly black and brown outline piping...... I felt more enthused after that. So hats off to Dave or else this.....



may have looked like one large blue blob with a few sprinkles scattered over it. It was made all worth it when Charli recognised who it was. Of course I will admit to holding her down and asking about 10 times "who is it Charli?" before the survivalist in her must have realised that she was not getting any of that yummy looking cake until she'd given me the answer I was after..... she whispered "Dora", I beamed and then whisked the cake up stairs to cut it (much to the chagrin of all the drooling children). Charli seemed to like it.....


This unfortunately is probably also the only shot I got of the lovely birthday outfit that Aunty Libby bought for her months ago - well she didn't specifically buy it for her to wear at her birthday but it looked like something Dora might wear to a mexican fiesta!!

Post-party Blues

So everyone left and Dave, Charlotte, Mackenzie and I just hung in the backyard for awhile waiting for Charli to get tired...... we waited... and we waited..... and we waited....... Dave was approaching drunk on the beer he was consuming and had I not been breastfeeding I would have been close behind him...... finally at about 2.30pm we got both girls to sleep and instead of also sleeping we sat in the backyard and reminisced about the last two years. Charli finally woke up about 4pm and spent the next 2.5 hours alternating between sobbing and just plain crying. Those post-party blues can be a real bitch sometimes. We hoped for an early night......

..... but it was not to be. Well not for me and the girls at least :)

A girl's night in

Lying around on our bed at 7pm with the girls, Dave looked dead on his feet and so I stupidly suggested he go to bed as it was Charli's bedtime anyway and as soon as I had her and Zie settled I'd be right in there with him......he barely managed to say "i'll just have a nap" before the snoring began. By 8pm I knew that there was no way Charli was going to sleep - despite being tucked in with her Dora figurines from Samuel (thanks Sam!!)



I'd been into her room 4 times and finally made a deal with her. She could come out and watch telly but we were watching what I wanted to watch. I compromised. I wanted to watch a chick flick. Charli, as always, wanted to watch Dora. So we put on The Shaggy Dog with Tim Allen and she lay with me and watched the entire 2 hour feature length film - and it wasn't even animated. Of course I had to get a running commentary about the dog's antics the entire movie - and how you explain genetic modification to a two-year old I'll never know. She wanted to know what the pug dog crossed with the cane toad was - well I lied and said it was a funny looking frog. She seemed happy enough with that and I suspect she knew that if she pushed the point she would be sent to bed before the exciting conclusion to this movie. At 9.30pm she declared she was tired and she wandered off to bed. All in all a good day, though one that went on a little longer than I'd hoped. She sure does know how to milk a birthday party for all it's worth doesn't she??

Happy Birthday our darling sweetheart - your Nanna is watching over you for many more birthdays to come. We all love you. xoxox

Two years ago tonight....

I was sitting at the computer on a pregnancy website asking the girls there whether cramping meant that I could be in labour..... 5 and a half hours from now two years ago I went into labour. 10 hours and 17 minutes from now two years ago our lives were changed forever when our beautiful girl Charlotte was born. You have brought so much to our lives little girl. Each and every day you make me laugh - even on those days when I am so tired I could cry. I saw you today swinging on a 'big girl swing' - back and forth you swung your legs making yourself go higher and higher. Somehow I blinked and you grew up. Happy Birthday for tomorrow little girl. Your Daddy and I love you very much. xoxox

A little something to look forward to

Well dear readers, this coming September my lovely husband and I will have survived 5 years of marriage. Add to this the fact that the last 5 years have included a PhD, full-time study for Dave, family health problems, and two small children entering our lives and thus making alone time all but impossible - and I bit the bullet today and booked us in for two nights here for our anniversary. If you click on the accommodation link you'll see the luxurious lagoon suite which will be our home for two nights. And there will be a couples massage package at the day spa complete with champagne and cheese platter afterwards. Our package includes dinner each night, breakfast each day, and a bottle of champagne daily - clearly I am going to be drunk the whole time. Counting down the days until these two days of bliss will be ours - and I'm sure that we will only discuss the children for 40 of those 48 hours away.

Toesday bloody Toesday

Like Sunday Bloody Sunday, except on a Tuesday - and of my toe - and the blood was more of the internal bruising kind and less of the kind where 26 civil rights protesters were shot dead in Northern Ireland. So really my incident with my toe is really nothing like it, but here's what happened nonetheless. But first - why am I blogging about my toe? Many many posts ago, Beck started Toesday - I can't remember when, sorry you'll have to find the post yourself - it will give you a chance to read all of her posts - go on, it's worth it :)

Anyway, I've never posted a photo of my toes - though I did post a gorgeous one of Charli and her daddy and their toes many moons ago now when she was only 6 weeks old. But I don't like my feet and they are usually not for public viewing. But my unsightly feet have just been made worse by slamming the little toe of my left foot into a bedside table (and no I was not drunk worse luck - I felt every spine chilling crack in my little toe as it happened). It swelled immediately. Today it looks like this....

It feels worse than it looks. And don't think I haven't complained endlessly about this since it happened....and made Dave look at it 1000 times since yesterday........ he did exactly the same thing last week - I kid you not EXACTLY THE SAME THING except on a different piece of furniture. And he had previously broken his toe so it probably hurt more. AND Charli threw herself on his foot after he'd just hurt it. But he complained not once. What a trooper. I on the other hand will be milking this for all that it's worth. Because that's just the kind of gal I am :)

(p.s. and the photo is out of focus because of the excrutiating pain I am in .... or just because I am a crap photographer)

A bit of DIY

Well I often lament that I don't have very good craft skills. People such as Beck have more craft in her little finger than I have in my whole body. But when it comes to larger projects that are home oriented and a bit more blokey then I'm not too bad. I've been known to make my own flyscreens for rental properties that allowed waay too many bugs in for my liking. And my latest project is to transform these chairs. Here is a before shot:



Four chairs and solid pine table were my mum's and she had re-upholstered the chairs in this fabric to match our new corner lounge as the tables and chairs were in her dining room. However, since the table and chairs are now in our eat-in kitchen being used and abused by a toddler who is none too careful with her food...... well if you look very closely you would see remnants of spaghetti, playdough, weetbix and the stray piece of mushed up corn...... I needed wipable chair coverings!!

So off to spotlight I went in search of upholstery grade vinyl, a staple gun, some upholstery tacks, and calico. Then it was off to Clark Rubber for some new foam padding. Home again and the maddening task of removing tacks and staples from the bases began......4 weeks later - maddeningly trying to get this done with Charli asleep as her DIY skills are still being developed ;) and this is the end result.......



I won't be winning any upholstery awards but it suits our purposes.

Little susie homemaker

With the PhD still awaiting comment and me starting to almost feel on top of motherhood with two under two - I am back to baking. This.....




was presented to Michelle today when she came to visit. A white chocolate cheesecake. I believe her words were "bloomin' bloody wonderful" - and it was if I do say so myself.

Number of photos not equal to amount of love

My dearest Mackenzie,
I have been thinking about writing this for many weeks now. You just turned 3 months last weekend while we were on holidays with Meegan and Sharon and their brood and I realised that although it was your first beach holiday I failed to actually take any photos of you at the beach. This lack of photos is also I'm afraid carried over to your home life and I have been remiss in taking as many photos of you as I took of Charli when she was your age. But I must explain why. Some of it as you will come to understand should you ever have children of your own one day is due to a simple time issue. I no longer have any. I no longer have the luxury of standing above your cot as you sleep and taking 20 photos of every minute little change in facial expression in a three minute period. However, some of the reason for the paucity of photos is merely because with time, I've come to understand that so much more enjoyment can be gleaned from actually experiencing moments with your children rather than madly attempting to capture them on film. You will therefore see that I've taken less photos of Charli as she's gotten older as well. Why? Because I now sit and marvel at her antics each and every day rather than trying to video them. Similarly, I find myself propping you up on my legs and just 'talking' to you for ages. Listening to your gurgles and attempts to 'talk' to me. I love it. And I dont' want to miss a minute of your smiles by racing for the camera. But I promise to take at least some photos each month - you know, so you know that you weren't adopted at age 7 or anything :)

Love Mummy