Zooey Deschanel

Got all excited a few months ago when I discovered Zooey Deschanels new blog.  She so quirky and you could hear that same tone in her posts.  Unfortunately like so many she hasn't really taken to blogging. so far there are only about 5 posts.  But it did lead to some cute discovery.  Zooey can sing.  I mean seriously, could this chick be any quirkier or any cuter?

Never to Old

Today when we got home from the pool, Hamish was obviously feeling tired and cranky. He was annoying his brother and yelling at us and generally telling us that the world wasn't sitting right with him.

AB was cooking lunch and no one was in the mood for a tantruming child. Instead of getting cranky at him, or trying to get him to lay quietly somewhere, I decided it was time for some 'time in'.

So I got out my sling, popped some chilled out music on the iPod and rocked him, snuggled on my chest. It took less than 10 minutes for him to fall asleep.

A timely reminder, that 'time in' works a hell of a lot faster and in a much calmer way than 'time out'.

Plus how cool is it that I am still getting use out of my beautiful slings even though my baby is 4 1/2.

Conversations with a Six Year Old.

Jack - Mummy I love you so much, I don't think I could ever stop loving you.
Me - Me too babe. I love you so much that sometimes when you are away from me, my heart hurts.
J - Why?
M - Cause I love you so much and miss you when your not with me.
J - But mummy your heart doesn't need to hurt. There is an invisible, stretchy rope between our hearts, so even when we are away from each other it keeps us together. It's around our whole, entire family even the dogs. And it's so long it could go around the world.

(oh goodness, my children really know how to speak to my heart)

Note to Self

It's late and I'm tried after two full days of scrubbing and cleaning our house, inside and out. But tonight, long after Andrew and the kids went to bed I found myself snuggled on the lounge watching 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. Nothing much unusual about that, seeing that I love a late night horror movie (the dodgier the better).

Tonight though, it's uncomfortably humid and so the entire house is open, while I try in vain to catch some of the cool night air.

I'm at a particularly tense part of the movie when suddenly from outside, right next to the lounge room window I hear, "hellllooooooooooooo". I totally freaked, sat as still as I could, staring at the window. Fully aware that whoever (or whatever) was out there, had a much better view of me than I did of it. The worst part, the dogs didn't hear it and so they didn't move. Normally when they start barking it pulls me out of my fear induced paralysis, but tonight they decided to sleep right through it.

Then again, right at the window "hellllooooooooooo". This time I decided that I was going to have to be brave and walk towards the window. Now the last thing I want is for either;
1. The dogs to bark and scare me to death or
2. Anything to say hello at the bloody window again.

I peer out into the darkness, feeling braver as I remember that we have bars on the windows. Then freaking as I remember that the things that scare me, that really give me the willies aren't very concerned with bars or the like. The things that go bump in the night don't use doors or if they do they normally break them down.

Finally (about 5 seconds - but man it was a looong 5 seconds) I'm at the window. At first I see nothing, then just below the window, I see something black moving.

Just I time to stop me screaming the house down for Andrew to come and save me I realize it's a cat. It's stalking another cat and making a noise that sounds exactly like a chainsaw wielding maniac saying hello very softly and creepily right underneath a lounge room window.

So note to self; Close all windows if your planning on watching horror movies by yourself.

I know what your thinking, don't watch horror movies in the first place! But where is the fun in that .... bugger I need to wee ... Argh!!!!

Listening - Thievery Corporation
Watching - Isnt it obvious?
Reading - Neil Gaiman, Fragile Things
State of Mind - I think that's pretty obvious too.

If if Makes You Happy.

We live behind a small set of units. At the side of them, some of the residence have made a garden. At first it was filled with herbs and easy growing things like tomatoes. But as time has gone on one resident has started adding a ... personal touch.

There are dolls heads on the fence posts and hundreds of little figurines that are glued, wedged and perched on every surface. It looks amazing and kind of freaky. But I love that she has obviously found something that makes her feel happy and just gone for broke with it.

I'm wondering what can I (or you) do thats a little bit nutty, but makes me feel joyous whenever I see it? Maybe I could follow her lead and start putting more colorful detail in or garden, maybe I could paint a room in our house a fabulous colour that fills me with happiness, or cover our lounge in some crazy clashing fabrics.

I don't know but I think that when it comes to decorating our own spaces, we often don't go crazy enough.

And we may not want to overrun any of our spaces, outdoors or in, quiet the way this woman has, but there has to be something to learn from it. (other than that I may live behind a crazy woman)

Water Play on a Rainy Day

One of the lovely things about summer rain is that it doesn't necessarily mean that you need to stay inside.  The other morning after a few days of on and off rain, the kids decided that they were going to go and play in the rain.  Then to my surprise (cause its not like it wasn't wet enough) they started filling buckets with water and playing a funny little role playing game.  I'd love to share what the game was about but after 15 minutes of watching I still couldn't figure it out.  I guess some games are just for brothers to understand.

Gifts - The Good, the Bad and the Weird

Finally all the Christmas and birthday celebrations are complete. And this morning I have been pondering and reflecting over the gifts we have all received.

We were very lucky this season and we all received gifts that rocked our world (in a good way).

This can also be a time that I find slightly challenging. Things that are not 'mummy sanctioned' make their way into our home mostly they are hits ... occasionally they are misses, and sometimes they are just a little weird.

The big winners this year were Jacks multiple Doctor Who bits and the art and the craft stuff. For Hamish it was the bubble makers, and the board games.

The boys got a dinosaur egg each that we assumed you put in water and watch it grow. So we put it in the water and waited ... and waited. I thought I'd help it along by taking the plastic layer off and then we waited. I took off the second layer of plastic and waited. Finally we all ripped the outside layers off and realized that inside were not baby hatching dinosaurs but Terry toweling flannels. We had been watching them for 2 days when really you were just meant to open them. This is why instruction of some sort or another are quiet important.

With the kids getting older, more often their toys comprise of small pieces so I am having to both, be onto the kids about looking after their things and be very aware as I vacuum.

The only really challenging toy we received this year was a toy soldiers set. Complete with tank, guns and mini soldier figurines (one of which is standing hunched over with a wounded comrade on his back). It is so far out of my 'cool' range that after a talk with Jack, we have packed it away.

I dont want to sound ungrateful. I am thankful to this family for buying Jack a birthday present and I know that, as we all do, they thought about him and tried to pick something they thought he would love. And that is one of the lovely things about giving and receiving gifts. The amount of thought people put into them, trying as hard as they can to pick something that when it's opened brings joy to the other person.

So although I suddenly feel like we have a bit to much stuff. I'll remember that thougtfulness and joy as I'm trying to fish tiny pieces out of the vacuum cleaner.

Watching - Rewatching Big Bang Theory season 3 and catching up on season 4. (I adore this show, it's well and truly one of my favorites)

Listening - Stone Roses, Joan Jett, Veruca Salt and the Velvet Underground. (I've been downloading some of the holes in my music collection)

Reading - Still plowing through Neal Stephensons Snow Crash. Either I'm just not in the right place or it's not a late night read but I'm finding it heavy going.

State of Mind - Exhausted and ready for preschool to go back on Monday so I can have a few quiet days with Jack.

Holiday Finale

If there is anything that a summer holiday should be, it's fun and surprising. We managed to have both of these in abundance during the last week and a bit. After three nights at Paul and Viv's holiday house. We came home and relaxed for 36 hours, and then hurriedly packed for holiday house number two belonging to Trish and Antony.

The drive was long, both due to traffic and car troubles but as we drove the dirt road that took us to their property I could tell we were in for a very different and special few days.

Photos couldn't quite capture this quaint, earthy property. With it's log and mud brick construction and stain glass windows. It felt homely and yet completely surrounded by nature. We spent two days and nights talking, drinking, laughing and swimming in the creek, all the wile checking the kids for leeches, ticks and checking our beds for rouge bugs or lizards.

Talk about friends with benefits. I feel like our two closest family friends and their new holiday properties completely cover the two sides of our families personality. One is total luxury and relaxation and the other gets us back to our love of beauty and nature. Even better, both were filled with conversation, kids, good food and wine and a sense of nurturing our souls.

After a drunken NYE and a relaxing birthday, we headed home for another long, hot drive and on returning home Andrew realised just how sick he really was.

I guess one of the downsides to summer holidays is that they always seem to end to soon. In a perfect world tomorrow we would head back to join our friends for a few more relaxing celebratory days before real life kicks back in. In reality real life kicked back in today. Andrew was sick, it's raining and the kids are bickering the way all siblings do.

On the upside my reserves are full and it was Jacks 6th birthday today so we have also had a lot of cuddles and photos taken (Jack got a camera for his birthday) and we spent the evening watching old home movies of when the kids were young.

Now it's time to get ready for Jacks party on the weekend, restock the fridge and remember what being at home is really like.

But tonight I'll dream of swimming and laughing and one of the best summer holidays we have had since being parents.