Red (and something to try)

I am ridiculously late in posting this Eye-spy Sunday. What, with a party, a birthday, a trip into the city, 3 days of work, two other 4 year old birthday parties (I tell you my social life is a whirlwind!), a 20 year school reunion....there didn't seem to be a smidge of time to breathe, let alone blog.
But I really wanted to post this one. A few months ago I dropped into Mathilda's markets to visit a special somebody over at bugandpop. She had blogged about this gorgeous cape and when I clapped eyes on it, I knew it was just the cape to match this one.

There is something very special about a little girl walking around in a little red cape. She wears it almost daily and the comments we receive as we wander down the street are just amazing.

My friend has a twenty-something son who recently applied for a job in children's television. His CV stated that he is waiting patiently for the day when capes will make a comeback.

Missy is not waiting for any comebacks. She and the Rooster think their capes are the bomb. Just today, the Rooster was marvelling at how his cape was blowing in the wind, just like a real superhero.

The joy.

Imagine if we all threw caution to the wind and donned our capes. I think that I'd like to try that just for a day. It could transport me back to simpler times when a cape and a heartbeat was all I needed for a great adventure.

More punctual posts here. Thanks to Ellieboo and Kimono Reincarnate for their great themes. Quite by accident, I have managed to combine the themes. That would make me almost on time.

New developments and many discoveries

I have sat on these two Eyespy themes for a little while now. Rather than a new development and something that I have discovered, I have thought that I will try for 10 everyday things that have become apparent as I have muddled my way through this very busy year .

1. That sleep is over-rated. It is best to cheer for the hours that you have slept rather than those you haven't. It gives a whole new perspective on things.

2. That day-light saving really sucks. With a Rooster and his little hen in this house we really didn't need to wake up any earlier.

3. That little girls are little girls and that the instinct to nurture begins at a very early age. I am astounded at Missy's innate need to mother. She cuddles and feed her teddies and dolls, and our cat, who was swiftly relegated to the bottom of the food chain when the Rooster was born, has acquired a new Mama in our Missy.

4. That sometimes the turkeys do get you down. It is nice to wallow in it for a little while but most often it is best pick yourself, dust yourself off and suck it up to face another day.

5. That my children love me. Unconditionally. They rarely see my faults and are quite forgiving of my weaknesses. That truly is an amazing thing.

6. That a 27 hour day would allow me to get to the bottom of my to-do list and then some.

7. That preparing one meal that we can all eat is a simple pleasure. Tonight we had a stirfried chicken with cashews. Missy had her juzched, the rooster had rice in one bowl, his chicken on the side and his mushroom raw. Tools and I ate like normal human beings, albeit a little quickly while keeping the madhouse in order.

8. That it is best not to sweat the little things. They can so easily be ignored or overlooked and that too much energy is wasted trying to solve the unsolvable.

9. That girlfriends are the salt of the earth. What we would we do without those gals who listen to our woes over and over again and still have words of encouragement to keep you going. Those pals you can ring in the middle of the day just so you can hear voice that is older than 3 years old. And those girlfriends you can natter with for hours over a cup of tea or a bottle of wine, that you can pick up with after 1 month or 1 year as if it was yesterday.

10. That daddies are a joy. A new face at the end of the day. An extra pair of hands. An endless source of mirth. This precious relationship needs just as much attention and nurturing as our children. That it is best to go to sleep without a heavy heart and that almost every problem can be solved if we stand united as a team.

Thanks to A little bird told me and The Byron Life for such challenging themes and to Cindy for hosting.

Learning to share

Sharing his home with Missy has been an enormous challenge for the Rooster. Don't get me wrong, the Rooster adores his little sister, but having a small person who touches his beloved trains, cars and lego stretches his patience and we all know that 3 year olds have very little of that to tap into.

Over time he has learnt that Mummy's love and kisses are infinite, that his train track can be rebuilt and that in the end, Missy only wants to hold his things for about 2 minutes until her tiny concentration span gets distracted someplace else. He has discovered that having a playmate around can be a lot of fun and that her small strong legs, coupled with her very strong will enables her to keep up with him no matter how hard he tries to evade her.

A couple of weekends ago we had got an unexpected sleep in. Sure we were up at 5.30 (the Rooster is still a dawn riser) but we dropped back off, waking at quarter to nine to the sound of chatter on the monitor. We stumbled downstairs to find our pair munching their way through a packet of Arrowroots. "Don't worry mummy, I gave Missy some breakfast too!" he said ever so proudly. The cot was strewn with her toys, the floor covered with his race track and there were crumbs everywhere. The next week it was some smarties cookies we had baked for a birthday party and last week it was sultanas. Our children our on the way to self-sufficiency.

Just tonight Daddy was setting up a new train track for our fella, and carefully laid out beside his train table was a neat little bridge and a small run of track that the Rooster had made for Ellie. I'd like to think that he made it in a spirit of sharing and not as a deterrent to the real thing. I'd like to think that he moving away from egocentricity and growing towards unselfishness.

Our two get up to mischief but it is derived from pure delight. They giggle and share jokes that their mother will never get. Their laughs are indistinguishable as is the sound of their cries. Their gender will motivate their growing interests, but I truly hope that they will grow up to be the greatest of mates.

What makes me happy

Many many things.

My children. Their smiles, watching them play and grow and explore their worlds. Their warm bodies curled into mine in the early morning.

My beloved. Hearing him play with our children. Our conversations when we get each other. That I can still learn things from him after 12 years.

The simple things. A good cup of coffee. A sublimely beautiful piece of music. Trying something new and loving it. A good conversation. A great movie. A great lesson. Crisp clean sheets on a Sunday evening. A beautiful bunch of flowers. A card in the mail. Looking out and catching sight of something in the nature and knowing I was lucky to look at that exact moment.

Thanks once again to Cindy for hosting and to at Iris and Lily for choosing this weeks Happy theme.

A Day in my Life

Another 14th of the month has rolled on and this one I have really been looking to. My gorgeous baby girl Ellie is one today. And although this post is an account of the day in my life that was today, I couldn't help but think about the day that was last year.

My incredibly long labour and the hours Tools spent rubbing my aching back. The rain dripping down the window of my labour room (much like it was today) and the sweet relief when it was finally over and I nuzzled and feed my sweet little girl. Watching the Rooster's face the first time he clapped eyes on this new creature that was to inhabit his world and call his sister. The changes have occurred in all of us since this photo was taken are enormous. So many tiny memories wrapped up in one very big event. I fear that the smaller details will get lost over time leaving my with just a feeling about the day.

Our Missy shares a birthday with another special girl. Her name is Sofia and is the daughter of one of my oldest friends. Sofia is two today and we spent the morning eating cake and watching our littlies play and dance.

Tonight was just the night for a huge pot of soup and Tools outdoes himself when it comes to Minestrone. Soup in February....almost unheard of, but with a fridge full of vegetables from our fruit and vege co-op, the temperature around 13 degrees (was it really 45 last Saturday?) and a house full of people coming tomorrow it was just what we needed to fill ourselves.

I did lots of baking for tomorrow, cookies, friands and some relish to use up a bag of tomatoes. Oh yeah...and the birthday cake. We love the time late at night creating a special cake for our children.

Ellie loves our cat. She and Timmy play a lovely game of hide and seek in the tent. She is going to love this cake tomorrow at her party.

Late evening and a nostalgic DVD. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I remember dancing to twist and shout in the cinemas when I was 14. We put this movie on last week at school and not one of the kids had seen it. Am hoping this cult movie will seep its way into the hearts of the kids I teach so that when I say "Anyone? Anyone?" It not just me that gets the joke.

Am tired tonight after a week of disruptive nights with our girl. Maybe now she is one she will magically be a better sleeper. I can hope can't I?

Darkest Day

Like the rest of Australia I am in shock witnessing the aftermath of the Victorian fires. We had bush fires lapping at our property line about 8 years ago but that pales in comparison to the fire storm that has devastated our neighbours down south. My heart swells when I hear the stories of people who made it out but have lost everything, and my tears well when I hear those reunion stories.

We choose to live on the edge of the bush. We are aware of the dangers and each summer we are acutely aware of what threatens to destroy us. A disaster of this magnitude is unimaginable. I simply can't comprehend the number of lives that have been lost in Victoria and my prayers go out to those poor souls who have lost those that they loved and who are enduring the saddest of sad times.

The Rooster must be hearing a little of what is going on. This afternoon as we were waiting on the front veranda for Daddy to get home, he said "Its raining. We really need it, Mummy". I hope the heat predicted for Victoria on the weekend does not eventuate and that sweet rain drenches our thirsty, burning land.

Eye Spy...My Best Memory of 2008

There are so many wonderful memories rattling around in my brain. With two little ones there are classic moments in every day that make me smile. I love watching my little ones as they tramp through life, watching them learn and love and play and grow into such funny little characters. I marvel at their differences and smirk at their similarities.

However my best, best memory of 2008 was the birth of Ellie. A Valentine's Day baby, she is our little sweetheart. We knew we were having a girl but I wasn't ready for the moment, when I held this curious creature and thought, this is my daughter.

Thanks to Cindy for hosting Eyespy and to Kats Creations for coming up with this weeks theme.

One more sleep to go

...till my brother and his girl fly in from Canada. We are all very excited. The Rooster is at his Nanny's tonight sleeping over so that he is around for the morning run to the airport to see all the "aeroplanes", oh and Uncle Marty too!

So, its just the girls tonight here at Banjo Place after a very long trip home. There must have been a fatality on the highway as it took me an hour and a half to crawl home in the rain. And then the rain made the transfer of a sleeping baby impossible (ohh, to have a garage attached to the house, or even just a garage at all!)

A Day in My Life

For the last few months Little Jenny Wren has been hosting A Day in My Life. Very simply, its a log of the small, mundane but often interesting things that can happen in an "ordinary" day in our lives. It happens on the 14th of the month, so over time, it should occur on a different day giving picture of the week. So ,without further ado, I give you A day in My Life for 14th of November.

5.20 A wake up call from Missy. A little unfair as she had only gone back to bed at 3. A quick feed and with the insistence from my husband, back to her bed in the hope that she would go back to sleep. Hooray she did (a minor miracle as she has NEVER done that before)!

5.40 Eyes closed and almost asleep when little footsteps sound at the door. Its the Rooster up far too early. After almost an hour of fidgeting we finally give in and Tools takes him downstairs.

6.30 Ahhh. Close eyes. A quick nap before I have to get up for work.

6.45. Phone rings. Its Missy's carer informing us that she cannot look after her today as her little boy is sick. A minor hiccup. One of us has to take the day off to look after her. We didn't realise when we decided on family daycare that, not only do we need to consider times when we are sick and our children are sick, but also when the carer and her children are sick too. I have 5 periods on today. Too much to sort out at such late notice. So Tools decides to stay with Missy.

8.20. Get into the car after getting everyone sorted for the day. Lunches made for the Rooster and I and food sorted for Missy who is staying with Tools for the first time. I know he will go marvellously well today, as well as have some precious bonding time with his daughter. Am exhausted and have barely started the day! Can I go back to bed now?

8.50 Homeroom done and a free period to have a coffee and sit and get sorted for the day. I check some emails and read through the postings in my pigeon hole.

9.50. Year 9. Frequency distribution tables. Mundane stuff. Today is the last day of a long service block I am doing for one of the teachers in my faculty. Will be glad that it is over as some of his classes are not very pleasant. It is also the last day of formal lessons for Year 10. A double after recess with 4 kids. We play some board games to while away the time.

1.30. I walk outside towards one of the demountable buildings. The heat is stifling hitting the thirties but with a great slog of humidity (a storm is brewing somewhere...). It's going to be a long afternoon with year 7 and 8!

3.10. Yeah. I made it through the day. Am most excited about getting home and seeing my kids.

3.30 Missy has had a great day with her Dad and the Rooster is hot and exhausted after his day at pre-school. I manage to convince everyone that a cool bath is in order before Nanny and Poppy arrive for babysitting duties.

7.20 Children are asleep and we leave for a rare night out together. Music in the Quad is on at my school. As we drive towards the venue the skies open up. A massive storm hits the Quad drenching everything. One of the bands leaves as their equipment is ruined. Everything very quickly gets moved into the hall but it is just not the same as being outside.

10.00 Sad but true, we come home early. Not at all surprised to see Missy up and on Poppy's lap. Give her a quick feed to settle her and crash in the hope that she will do the same thing. Not sure that she does as I can hear her as I'm dozing off. Tools assures me he will take care of it for me. He is a treasure.

Day is done. Typical? I would say fairly. Now there is just the weekend to tackle. some friends for lunch and some much needed pottering around the house.

Purple Haze

When I was at Sydney University many many years ago, the blooming of the Jacaranda tree in the Main Quad signalled that it was final exam time and that I should be doing more than lolling about under its branches. Now when I see that first dash of purple, I know that it must be halfway through term 4 (more exams and then reports) and that Christmas and the heat of summer is on its way.

The Rooster has rediscovered " purple trees". We live in the Blue Mountains and Jacaranda's are prolific in this region. Last year, he delighted in spotting purple trees as we drove about our neighbourhood. His language skills were not strong enough at two to get his mouth around Jacaranda, so "purple trees" they were. This year our chatterbox can say pronouce anything we ask of him and so, from my little backseat driver I hear, "another Jacaranda Mummy!" .

Hope

Yesterday was a history making day. Barak Obama became the President of the United states. A man so full of hope that he motivated a record number of voters to come out of their homes and vote for change, to make their voices heard. He made them believe, that as a nation, they could make a difference. And they did. Against all odds the impossible became possible.

Obama is an inspirational man for our times. He is proof that the underdog can come out victorious. I feel hopeful that the world could change under his leadership and hope that his dreams for an inclusive, peaceful world become his reality.