Scriptwriting, Stardom, and Matthew McConaughey.......

Now that I have finished university for the year, I am spending some time writing a movie. I have several 'on the go' at the moment, and when I say 'on the go' I mean that I have written the synopsis and listed what happens in scenes for each of them, but have not yet started dialogue-ing, apart from jotting inspired gems of dialogue down.

A lot of my inspired dialogue comes straight out of the mouths of the kids! They can be so funny. The other day when it was 38 degrees Miss 3 looked at me, hands on hips, and very disgruntled and said 'why did God have to make it so hot?' Another day, she appeared very tired in the morning and when asked if she was still tired she replied 'the morning came too quickly.'

Handy Hint Number 34: When writing a movie script that has children in it, jot down funny things they say straight away, because if you don't you will forget. I have forgotten heaps of things already that I thought were perfect for my film!!

Surprisingly one character will be a girl aged three and one will be a boy aged two. Mr 2 has a little horse figurine which Miss 3 has named 'Gallop' and he stomps it around the house saying 'Deigh, Deigh, Deigh', which I think will make it to the script. (Hey, all these little things flesh out characters and make them three-dimensional.)

BTW, here's some quick feedback on another couple of movies:
American Dreamz - A very cool film, which makes fun of George Bush, American Idol and the war in Iraq. Stars Hugh Grant, Mandy Moore and Dennis Quaid. It's a new release and I really enjoyed it.
The Perfect Man - This is a horrifically bad movie starring Hilary Duff, and after seeing a few movies starring her in the last couple of months I would recommend all of you steer clear of watching anything that 'stars' her. She has the charisma of a flannel.

My movie of course will star someone full of charisma (me!!! hee hee!) and I'll make sure there are roles for all my friends who aspire to stardom! Call me if you want to be a star!! If anybody has some scriptwriting software, please let me know.

If you can't get hold of me, I may be in Cairns trying to throw myself subtley into Matthew McConaughey's path.......

I'm just kidding about going to Cairns................ I think.

(And Mum, it's his mind I'm attracted to........)

Killing Two Birds With One Stone...........and the Joy of Tim Tams

Hi! I'm back for those of you who were wondering where I have been.

On Monday I had to drive to Sydney to pick up the kids' Dad, Mr D, after an operation. In a classic Em-killing-two-birds-with-one-stone-yet-biting-off-more-than-I-can-chew moment, it was decided I would drive to Sydney on Monday afternoon, (leaving the kids in the capable, yet slightly zany, hands of my friend Miss E), pick up Mr D from his operation, and drive straight back to our home two and a half hours away. There he could recuperate (number one bird) while seeing the kids, and experiencing their little weekly routine (number two bird - in this analogy, I guess the stone is me). Now I'm sure some of the more forward-thinking of you wonderful readers will be wondering at the logic of picking up someone who is IN PAIN (he had his wisdom teeth out) and driving them in a not-at-all-state-of-the-art car for two and a half hours of bumps and distinct lack of comfort.

Handy Hint Number 32: When driving somebody who has just had a wisdom teeth operation for two and a half hours, it would be best for your peace of mind to carry a syringe full of sedative so you can stop the never-ending (yet understandable) groaning and moaning. (And I mean for you to jab the passenger, not yourself!!!)

It was a lot of driving for poor little old me. Especially when I had got sucked into channel-flipping between the late night movies 'Billy Elliot' and 'Phone Booth' the night before, and so had only got about five hours sleep. Incidentally, it is amazing how much you can get from watching two movies at the one time, or perhaps I am just extremely skilled at it! (Hey!!!..... another skill to add to my business cards that one day I will get printed!!!!)

For the trip I had tossed up between taking an apple to snack on or Tim Tams. Because I am so good ;) I decided to take the apple, and I was tres annoyed to bite into my apple and find it revoltingly doughy and tasteless.

Handy Hint Number 33: When tossing up between taking a piece of fruit or a Tim Tam, choose the Tim Tam becasue they always taste good.

Anyway, it has been good for the kids to see Mr D, and good for him to see them in their day-to -day routine, even if he has been dosed up on Panadeine Forte.

Just realised the time and I have to fly. It is Miss 3's first disco tonight (For the love!!!!........) and I have to get her ready. She is extremely excited, and has been demonstrating all manner of dance steps for me all week. My favourite is the foot tap, with occasional hip wiggle. I guess you have to see it to understand the cuteness of it!

Pelicans Abound and D-grade Schlock Rules

We had a beach adventure yesterday morning. Various sizes of sandcastle were created...... and squashed...... moats were dug ........ and disintegrated. Fun was had by all - excluding the couple of times Mr 2 faceplanted, and ended up with a mouthful of sand.

Handy Hint Number 31: Always have drinking water with you to wash out little kids' mouths when they are full of sand!!

By far the most fun though, was due to the pelicans who got very up close and personal with us. I had taken the dead bread outside to feed any ducks or birds, but when the pelicans came close we threw some to them. I was having a slight moral dilemma over whether it was detrimental to pelicans to have bread, but they seemed to like it! Don't tell any animal welfare people!!! We ended up with 4 pelicans only 1 to 1.5 metres away from Miss 3, Mr 2 and myself. All three of us were throwing bread to keep up with the demand (seagulls joined in, of course!). I think the reason the pelicans were so close was Mr 2's little throws had the bread falling pretty much at his feet! I kept the kids close cause I didn't know if pelicans could get vicious with their beaks. I also had a moment of concern that they may snaffle Mr 2 as a tasty little morsel and fly away with him, but at 13 to 14 kgs I doubt they could carry him far!!! :)

Well, my DVD viewing has disintegrated into C-grade, maybe even D-grade schlock. One demented day, I purchased for $8.99 (from Aldi of course) a DVD entitles 'Movies for Mother: Romantic Comedy'. It's a ten DVD movie pack, and it is peopled with complete unknowns. The actors (if that is not too complementary a term) are so unknown, perhaps not even their mother knows them!! Think really-bad midday movies and then lower the bar a bit more, and you have a fair idea of the quality of the films. I have watched three so far, though....... I am such a loser, even the lamest movie can suck me in.

By the way, I think the hardest heart would have softened as they watched footage of Rove McManus carrying Belinda Emmett's coffin from the church. His grief was evident in a face that was carved in stone. It's weird cause people are full of sorrow for them, but also most of us wish we could experience a love like they shared.

Honesty and Farewell to Belinda Emmett

I love the honesty of little children.

Miss 3 came up to me yesterday and told me the rice snacks had fallen on the floor and said: 'I did it purposely'. It did take a few moments to work out what the word was, to be honest, but I figured it out and said 'so it wasn't an accident?', to which she answered 'No, I did it on purpose. Sorry, Mummy'. Well, what do you say to that? I asked her why she had done it, and apparently they had been in the way. She was of course reprimanded, and had to clean up the mess, but I thanked her for telling me the truth.

It reminded me of the time earlier this year, (about March) when she pointed to some toys on the ground outside, thrown off the first floor balcony. I asked 'who did that?' and she replied 'I think ..............[long pause] ........... me. It was very naughty and very silly.' It's quite hard to discipline her when she's so cute, but I have to remind myself that she won't be cute if she becomes a brat!

Handy Hint Number 29: Don't underestimate the usefulness of pretending you didn't see bad behaviour! It is a valid parenting technique if not used too often (and never use it for anything really bad). Sometimes the kids will do something that is slightly wrong, technically, but they've done it in a cute way, and so by pretending I didn't see it, I don't have to reprimand them when my heart isn't in the reprimand.

I am so sad today for Rove and Belinda Emmett's family. She was so young, and they were so in love. It's so hard to understand why some people are healed and others aren't. I was listening to Belinda's song 'Less Than Perfect' which Rove released today on www.rovelive.com for free download. It is quite moving. She was such an incredible example of positivity, and their love was something to aspire to. I will be praying for her family today as they lay her to rest.

Handy Hint Number 30: Hold your loved ones tight and tell them you love them, as I'm sure Rove would love to be doing with Belinda.

Bed Time, The 80's, and other stuff.....

I love my mornings, even though they commence earlier than I would actually choose. Most mornings I end up with Mr 2 and Miss 3 curled up in bed with me. The combination of how they get there changes every night; some nights Mr 2 wakes at about midnight or 2am and calls out 'Mummy' and I go to him in his cot and he says 'bed' as he points to my room and I take him in and snuggle him, and Miss 3 climbs in on the other side of me at anytime from about 4am to 6am. Other nights Miss 3 will creep in at 2am and Mr 2 will call out about 5.30am/6am and I will get him and we will all snuggle together.

I never know what time they will get into bed with me, I just know that they will!!

Handy Hint Number 28: Make sure your kids know that being in mummy and/or daddy's bed is a treat, otherwise you will never get your bed to yourself!!!! (And that could be very bad!)

Previous to winter I would have said 'make sure your kids always go to sleep in their own bed', but I stuffed that up completely in winter. It was too cold; it meant I only had to have a heater on in one room, and they made such cute little hot water bottles!! I am now back in the swing of putting them to sleep in their room, and letting them come in during the night. To be honest, I would probably leave them in their own rooms and let them make a bit of noise, and hope they fall asleep again, but as Miss 3 and Mr 2 share a room, if one makes a lot of noise, the other wakes up and then I've got two awake kids on my hands.

The other morning while we got Miss 3 ready for preschool we had the music on, and we danced around crazily; the kids having turns being twirled in my arms. I wondered to myself: Am I a cruel mother for indoctrinating my kids into 80's music, especially Amy Grant? I am sure one day in the future my kids will wonder how it is that they know all the words to the songs on the 'Footloose' soundtrack.................

Short-takes: Miss 3 really wants to do 'balley' (ballet). A close friend has told me to be prepared for hours of sewing on sequins in order to perform for five minutes. If she still wants to do it at the start of next year, I will probably do it, though.....

I've seen a few movies lately (on DVD of course). 'Derailed' is a painful movie, the ending redeems itself slightly, but morally all wrong and makes you yell at the TV.
Mission Impossible 3 - while Tom doesn't have me at hello anymore, he does a very good job in MI3, although I think it's due more to JJ Adams (director) than Tom.
'Cars' - a fantastic movie that isn't just for kids!!
'Red Eye' - quite a thrilling and scary movie.....
'JuneBug' - interesting, weird, not a satisfying ending.

And now for an update on my lamp............. The company emailed me to say it was broken an dthey didn't have any more like that..... sob......... For the love!!! I work up the courage to make a big purchase, and then it all ends in tears. For those of you who were interested the lamp was costing me $149, which would have been a bargain, if I had got it and it wasn't broken.......

Hey big spender........

Last night was quite a costly night for me. I did some shopping on ebay (and thanks Mrs A for introducing me to the joy and wonder that is ebay!!) The stunning Tiffany Lamp on the right is what I purchased. Isn't it gorgeous??!!! I saw it and loved it and then tried to justify spending money on it.

Handy Hint Number 25: A really good way to justify spending money on luxury items is if you have been given money for a birthday. Even if you have already spent the money on boring things, you can happily and with a clear conscience buy a luxury item when you can pronounce it your birthday present from so-and-so. It also makes it more special.

Thanks Mum and Dad for my stunning Tiffany Lamp. I have always wanted one, and I adore the colours.

It was almost a more expensive night though. I saw the lamp and put in my maximum bid, and then alas, it popped up that I had been outbid, and I just got caught up in the frenzy of the moment and upped my bid!! For the love!!!!!!! I MUST NEVER go to a house auction, because I fear what might happen in the excitement of the moment! It was only after I became the highest bidder that I went to the seller's ebay store, and discovered I could buy the same lamp as a 'Buy It Now' item for $30 less than what I had just bid. AAaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I then prayed that some other idiot would make the same mistake as me, and outbid me. And hooray!!! Someone did!! Thanks God.

Handy Hint Number 26: Always check out the seller's ebay store before bidding! This will save you from feeling psychological grief at your idiocy of spending more money than necessary every time you look at your purchase!!!

Not content with my ebay purchase, I then did something ridiculously stupid. I am almost too embarrassed to write it, but my stupidity will hopefully be a cautionary tale for those who are reading this. I hopped into bed and turned on the TV, (which I usually don't do, cause I'm normally so happy to be in bed and about to go to sleep), and got hooked into one of those silly quiz shows. Channel 7, 9 and 10 hit on this great money-making venture which satisfies some requirements for Australian content, and is incredibly cheap for them to produce. Frankly, I could do a better job of producing them if I did it in my loungeroom. They are quiz shows hosted by loser wannabes, where people ring in and solve the quiz and win money.

Last night I probably spent close to $10 on phone calls to this stupid quiz. I am so ashamed. It is a rude ruse as well. You ring in and it answers straight away (and there goes your 55 cents) with a recorded message saying there are two stages to getting through to the studio, giving a drum role and then a ba-boom beep and 'sorry you weren't successful in getting through, call back to try again'. A couple of times I did get through to the 'studio' where I was placed in a line, and then after hanging on (all excited) for a couple of minutes the recorded message does the ba-boom beep and tells you you didn't make it through.

Handy Hint Number 27: Don't ever waste your money on calling into those studio quiz things. They are a joke and a scam of annoyingly magnificent proportions and you will kick yourself all night and into the next day! Owww! (Just kicked myself again!)

Mr 2 is sitting in his booster seat next to me as I type and he has just completely distracted me by asking for a kiss. It is his latest thing! He says 'kiss' and I lean to him and he clasps my face in his two hands........ awwww...........and kisses me on the mouth. Then he says 'again' and we do it again, and again, and again. He is so adorable and beautiful. I am however trying to teach him to kiss with his mouth closed cause his teeth are bashing my mouth at the moment, and it's a bit slobbery!!!!

Anyway, I'm off to join the day........ hope you all have a great one. Feel free to leave comments. You don't need to register or anything, just click on anonymous, and you can leave one really easily.

Suffer the little children........

Well, I am officially an idiot. I just watched a movie called ‘A Time for Dancing’ which was quite a cool dance movie in a completely B-grade, actually probably C-grade, fashion, except that the lead girl dies of cancer. I, of course, couldn’t help but put myself in the girl’s mother’s shoes, and so I am mopping up the tears. I always used to ‘feel’ things but since becoming a mother, I have moved into a completely intense realm of feeling….. I am not capable of watching certain things on television anymore; anything with children dying, or any sexual abuse is just too painful to watch, which rules out documentaries on the Sudan, and any Law & Order or CSI programs. Reading the paper or watching the news is just awful these days.

It’s so hard to even think about what some little children have to go through; be it abuse or neglect or ill-health. I wish I could just gather them all into my arms and protect them. I obviously can’t protect them all, but I have been praying for angels to surround little children in need, and that good caring people would be raised up around them to protect them. I am also praying for transformation in DOCS; for wise leadership and changes to practices that see children slip through the cracks. I would like to encourage everyone who reads this blog to pray for the same thing. We have to protect the little children and become more community-minded.

Handy Hint Number 23: Telling your kids ‘don’t talk to strangers’ is a misleading and confusing rule for them to understand, because they see us talking to strangers all the time. Tell your child there are some bad people in the world and teach them methods for dealing with potential danger. At your local shopping centre point out the female shop assistants and teach your child if they get lost to go straight to the lady shop assistant and tell her that they are lost and then wait with her. Tell them that you, as the parent, will always come looking for them, so they don’t need to go looking for you. They could also be taught to go up to a mother with children and wait with her, if you wanted, although I haven't done that yet with Miss 3. Teach your child to say ‘I just have to check with my mummy’ (or Daddy) if anyone (even the next-door neighbour) offers them lollies or food. Keep reinforcing them saying ‘I just have to check with my mummy’ and get them used to saying it. They should also say that if anyone asks them to come with them somewhere. Teach them that if they feel scared by anything or are grabbed by anyone just yell out 'HELP' loudly.

OK, I’m sorry this blog got so yucky. Trust me, they are not things I like thinking about either, but it is a good thing to have your kids prepared (and I am talking about little kids under 4. Once your kids get older, roleplaying would be a good method of teaching them to avoid dangers)

By the way, all the controversy over Madonna adopting the little boy from Malawi was so ridiculous. She said she defied anyone to go into one of those orphanages and not want to adopt a child to give it a better life. Far out, if I had gone I probably would have adopted 20 children!

Anyway, the tone of this blog just goes to show that I should stick to my normal TV viewing which is mainly kids’ DVDs and ABC Kids’ programmes. I also hereby admit to being an Australian Idol fan (I am going for Damien and Dean), a Grey’s Anatomy fan (except it’s stopped for the year and I am so over Meredith and the whole McDreamy saga), and I quite like How I Met Your Mother and My Name is Earl, plus ER is always pretty good.

Handy Hint Number 24: Buy ‘Arrested Development’ TV series on DVD. It is so funny, clever, and easily the best comedy that’s been around in years! This is a hint not related to kids by the way! As Miss 3 would say: ‘It’s not soo-ble’ (suitable).

My Mum still laughs about what happened when she was minding Miss 3 one afternoon and letting her watch the ABC Kids’ programmes. From 3pm till about 4.05pm the programmes are suited to little kids, but after that they get more suitable for older kids (although still technically kids’ programmes). Miss 4 started calling out ‘It’s not soo-ble, It’s not soo-ble’ as she covered her eyes. I think my Mum felt bad that her 3 year old grand daughter was self-censoring!!!

Food, food glorious food........ oh.... and mothering stuff.....

Tonight I made delicious and tasty rissoles for the kids. Miss 3 ate all of hers, although it does take some time for her to eat!! When she grows up and asks me what annoying habits she had when she was young, I will tell her that taking what feels like a million hours to eat any meal was tedious, and the closest thing to annoying that she ever did. It is seriously the only time I have lost patience with her. It is nothing for her to take an hour and a half to eat dinner. At least she eats what I cook for her, though!

Mr 2 eats quickly, but will only eat from a couple of options. I try him on new and exciting foods, and he turns up his nose. Hey, he not only turns up his nose, but every part of his body refuses the food. He basically has pureed meat and vegies every night....... still! It's all homemade and healthy and is actually quite yummy, but so are rissoles, so are roast dinners, so is pasta, etc, but he will not eat them. I am open to any hints. I have made dinners which he will not eat to the point of almost spewing as I pry his mouth open to get him to taste the food. I have let him sit for over an hour with food in front of him which he doesn't eat. I have arranged food into funny shapes, I have tried mashing foods but if it's not the vegies and meat then it's no go! Miss 3 and I will come and eat it in front of him and make oohing and aahing sounds of pleasure, but he is wise to our feminine wiles already, and remains firm in his refusal to open his mouth. Miss 3 had limited success feeding him herself (hey, I told you she was handy), but once he realised it wasn't his regular food, it was spat out and no go! The weird thing is that he will eat cake and chips and chocolate without any qualms or apparent hesitation. Even when his cake is quite a virulent blue or green. (Exhibit A: Mr 2's 2nd birthday cake - name changed to preserve his anonymity!!)

Regardless of his apparent love of unhealthy food, he hardly ever gets those things. I am quite obsessive about feeding the kids healthily. They have never tasted soft drink or cordial (other than Ribena!) They aren't allowed to eat flavoured chips, biscuits etc, or any lollies. In fact, I recommend mothers stay away from processed foods as much as possible.

Handy Hint Number 20: Check food labels for flavour enhancer 621 (MSG) and 635. They are dodgey for kids (and I think they're a reason for a lot of the Attention Deficit Disorders and learning difficulties in kids today). Also steer clear of red lollies, cordial, and anything with red food colouring.

I can't believe that foods advertised as being 'healthy options' often have those flavour enhancers in them. 621 and 635 are in pretty much every variety of chips, other than plain potato chips or plain original corn chips. They're also in all those little snack biscuits that have sprinkled 'flavour' you can see on it. Flavour enhancers can also be in sausages, and meats, and sliced ham etc from deli section of a supermarket. They're in some varieties of tinned tuna, they are in pretty much any flavour sachet for any type of quick preparation meal, and definitely in 2 minute noodles and stuff like that (Oh, how I miss my 2 Minute Noodles....) I wouldn't eat anything with flavour enhancers while I was preggos either. OK, I'll get off my anti-flavour enhancer band wagon now......

I just had to reprimand Mr 2 for being too rough with one of his toys, and he flew, crying his little heart out, into Miss 3's arms. She cradled him to her and reprimanded me for being mean to Mr 2, while comforting him and saying 'I've got you little darling. It's ok. I've got you.' She is quite simply adorable, and I am so proud of her being so protective of her brother, and yet I now should reprimand her for being cheeky to me. Ah.... for the love.....!! Sometimes being a mother is like a minefield!

Handy Hint Number 21: When you are reprimanding your children, make sure your threats of punishment are logical and enforceable. For example saying "If you don't stop doing that nothing good is ever going to happen to you, ever!' is not the best example of mothering (a lapse my sister Mrs A will never let me live down!!)

Another problem reprimanding children is when they call your bluff. One night when Miss 3 kept getting out of her cosy warm bed (which I, by the way, would happily have fallen asleep in!!) I said that if she didn't stay in her bed I would put her outside in the car in the cold and she could sleep there (something I would obviously not do, so don't call DOCS!!) and she starts crying and begging, (yes, begging!) for me to put her in the car in the cold so she can sleep there. Aaaaaagghhhhhhh!

Handy Hint Number 22: Some days your kids will make you feel like you are a bad mother. That's the day you are convinced that everything you are doing is wrong and it's the day that you worry about how you will be able to afford the therapy you think your child is going to need to get over your mothering mistakes!!!! Remember that day will end ...... and chocolate is a valid sustaining option until the new day begins.

Cup Day!!

Today was Melbourne Cup Day. Now I am not a gambler, (phhheewwwww.... I hear you say...), and so for me, Melbourne Cup Day is it. My one day of the year when I will go to a TAB and put on a bet! My sister Miss S and my Uncle A came to visit today and I confess to being a bad influence on my sister. Miss S (who has never bet in her life!!!) and I pored over the racing bit of the paper to choose which horse to put money on.

Every year for at least the last five years I choose my horses according to some very scientific factors, and bet as follows: $1 each way on the best jockey outfit, $1 each way on the horse with the best odds (as in 165 to 1 - hey, you never know, it may be their day!!!) and a box trifecta with no favourites in it. I am yet to win anything other than about $6, but it's fun to have something to cheer on (and my total spending is under $20, so I'm not going crazy!)

My sister was perhaps taking things a bit too seriously when she said 'we should have been studying this earlier' while she tried to understand the ins and outs of form guides. We ended up crying with laughter as she said : 'You know we don't have to just stick to today. There's other days we can gamble.' I fear my uncle was shocked and worried as we left him with Mr 2 (Miss 3 was at preschool) and walked down the road to place our bets. Especially when we said we'd be back in a few hours (we were only 15 mins there and back!!) I am aware my poor mother will be shocked and worried as she reads this!!!! Don't worry, Mum, Miss S bet $4, and I bet $17 - and Miss S hardly put anything through the pokies...... Just kidding. We did not touch the pokies!!!

I, of course, won nothing. Miss S, who I think was considering gambling as a valid money-making enterprise, was disgusted at losing her $4 and has already lost the gambling bug!! So, I guess all's well that ends well, (and Mum can breathe a massive sigh of relief!)

I am aware that I have no valid handy hint that is in any way related to mothering and the Melbourne Cup..... oh, actually, hang on.....

Handy Hint Number 19 : I recommend the movie 'Racing Stripes' for kids. It's really cute and sweet - about a zebra who goes in a horse race. (Ok...... it's a very tenuous link to the Melbourne Cup, but the only other hints I could think of were don't leave kids in the car when you go gambling - which I hope just goes without saying, and surely none of you would ever do that anyway!!!)

Crafty Business and Word Games

Saturday dawned rainy and cold and it seemed a good time to get crafty! As you may (or may not!!) be able to see from the picture, we were creating 'sea creatures'. And yes, I, too, have never seen a red, orange and yellow dolphin, however as Miss 3 says it is 'pretty'.

Handy Hint Number 17: Put aside any ideas that craft with young children will be neat, easy, and that the end result will look anything like it does 'on the box', (and don't be surprised if you gain new respect for pre-school teachers!!)

To all you inventors out there: could someone please invent a tube of glue that is easy to use. Surely there has to be a better way than having a squeezy tube with a little tiny plug in the top that you have to pry out, because the pressure involved in prying the plug out, also means that once you get the plug out, glue gushes out all over the tube and your fingers!

Today I am experiencing a 'battle of wills' with Miss 3. From quite a young age she has had her own established little fashion sense. There has been many a morning when she has been terribly upset over the outfit I have chosen for her (and it's not as though I have dodgey fashion sense - I think my fashion sense is quite groovy, actually!). She would say 'It doesn't match' or 'it doesn't look good' - sometimes it feels like she is 3 going on 13! She is often dressed first thing in the morning now, which is possibly a way of avoiding my input! The problem often is that Miss 3 has the idea in her head of what she wants to wear and doesn't take into consideration the temperature outside! Her latest fashion look is wearing her jeans/shorts with a skirt being worn as a top. She puts the skirt over her head, around her neck, and pulls one arm out, so the skirt is slung diagonally across her body. It actually looks really cool. In fact, I'm close to going out in public wearing one!! It's fine for a hot day, but not when it is cold!! (I have suggested a top underneath, with the skirt over the top, but it just is not 'pretty, Mummy'). I have to say her fashion sense has its good points: It's pretty nice having a little person come into your room and say 'Oh Mummy, that looks bewfial'.

Miss 3 just came up to me and said 'sorry'. Mr 2 said 'sorry' as well - it is his latest word!!! Oh, they are so adorable! Miss 3 has quite an established vocabulary, and Mr 2 is definitely working on his. I feel like such a bad mother when I don't correct Miss 3's mispronunciations, but they are just too cute. Finished is 'fishinned', beautiful is 'bewfial', cockroach is 'cock - ar - hoach', pelican is 'peckilan'. I also loves that she calls toilet paper 'paper towel', and that she calls the high chair the 'up chair'.

I was thinking yesterday, that one day she will say the right pronunciation of the word. Just one day, she will stop saying things the wrong way and say it the right way, and I will miss those little mispronunciations. (I already miss some!). It hit me that you never know when it will be last day that Miss 3 wants me to snuggle in bed with her and I say 'OK, ten minutes' and she says 'No, five minutes' thinking that's more! Mr 2 used to love showers. The second he heard water running, he would crawl, at fast speed, slide open the sliding door, and clamber into the shower fully clothed. And one day, he just stopped..... Every time I sit on the couch or in the arm chair both kids climb on top of me and we snuggle together, and one day they probably won't want to do that, and I will miss it, and I won't have realised that the day before when we were snuggling was the last day we would be snuggling like that. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you never know when they are going to take another tiny step (or big step) in their growing up, and in doing so, leave some of their little gorgeous baby traits behind, forever...... SOB.............

Handy Hint Number 18: Cherish every moment with your kids.

Hooray!!!!!

Celebrate good times, come on!!!!!!! (This line works better if you are channelling a Minogue as you say it!!)

I have finished my assignment completely and absolutely and I feel good!!!! That is it for the year!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!! I also received the marks back on another assignment yesterday and I received a Distinction, which is pretty good. I guess the all nighter of a week and a half ago was worth it! (They marked it very quickly, tres efficient)

The kids were so great yesterday while I focused on my last assignment. I actually grabbed a new toy I'd hidden away for Christmas and gave it to them. It is a little mechanics set with a drill that works, and a motorcycle, aeroplane, and racing car which you can completely take apart and put back together (plus millions of screws). If I had been thinking clearlyI would have realised it was a toy that required Mummy's assistance. Miss 3 was actually really good with the drill - the hard part was figuring out how all the little odd bits of plastic go together. This was made harder by the fact that there were no instructions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was like a jigsaw without the picture to work from! As I type Miss 3 is busily unscrewing every screw in all three machines, and I fear my skills will be tested as I help put the toys back together.

Handy Hint Number 14: If you have a toy that can be pulled apart, it's helpful for your sanity if you see what the toy is like before it is pulled apart because that way you may just possibly have a chance at putting it back together the right way. It is quite hard to do when you don't even know what it looked like to start with.


Well it took a while but they are all back together. As you can maybe see from the photo, (which will be helpful for me for future reference) there are a lot of bits of plastic. Every single coloured bit comes apart! (It's a really good toy though - I bought it from Aldi for $19.99. I love the fact that they even supplied you with the batteries to put in the drill. Now that is what I call being kind to parents. I love Aldi!)

Handy Hint Number 15: ALDI nappies are fantastic. Cheaper and better quality than Huggies. Aldi is also great for stuff like tissues, toilet paper, toothpaste, pasta, and the mince is really good quality (better than supermarkets). Sign up for the weekly specials newsletter to be emailed to you and you can get some amazing bargains.

I think all the practise with the screwdriver and drill came in handy when I had to completely pull apart the door handle on the bathroom and put it back together, cause it was half falling off. I am such a handy woman these days! I'm almost ready to buy one of those toolbelt things......... ;)

The kids and I went outside for a run around in the sun to burn off some of their energy so they would sleep in the afternoon. Mr 2 is excited about everything he sees. He exclaims 'It's a boat', 'it's a bird', 'it's a duck' etc, however his 'it's a' sounds a bit like 'c'est'. He's like a little French boy, very cute. Mr 2 and I did a lot of running into each other's arms, while Miss 3 had a swing.

Handy Hint Number 16: Make a game of having your child run into your arms for a twirl around. Not only does it tire them out, but it's also completely gorgeous and heartwarming having a child run towards you with a beaming smile and their arms outstretched. AWwwww....shucks.......

Anyway, I must log off the computer. My weather forcaster, Miss 3, woke me this morning, fully dressed, saying 'Mummy, wake up. I've already checked the weather and it's going to be a cold and rainy day today' and it has indeed got very dark outside. In fact, the thunder is starting and Miss 3 has just told me God is having a party and going ho, ho, ho. I can thank my brother, Mr M, for that scientific explanation!! :)

A Day In The Life

Well, today started out very early for us. Mr 2 woke from his sleep screaming, and would not stop! It was actually quite scary becasue I didn't know what to do. He's such a happy joyful baby most of the time that I am almost taken aback when he's not!! After intensive screaming for almost an hour, (how Miss 3 slept through, I do not know!) I tried my mum on her mobile overseas, but she was out of range. I then called my dear sister, Ms S, and I hereby officially thank her for answering the phone at 6.20am and not yelling at me for calling so early! I also have to thank my dearest friend Aunty R (not my real aunty, but I've called her that my whole life) for arriving at my house within 10 minutes of me calling her at 6.25am. How blessed am I to have such wonderful people in my life?!

Aunty R calmed Mr 2 (and, it must be admitted, me) down within a quarter of an hour of her arrival. He most likely had suffered a night terror, and did not know how to handle the feelings, poor little thing, and just worked himself up into a state.

Handy Hint Number 11: As a mother you can tend to leap to 'worst case scenario' situations when something is wrong with your kids. This is not particularly helpful. Try and keep calm. (And if all else fails, call for reinforcements....)

Wednesday is swimming day and today was a million times more successful than last week. Well, there was no vomit or diarrohea (from the kids, that is..... BbaaBowww). Miss 3 was a legend, even swimming freestyle (she learnt her arm actions during the week by being a growly lion) and Mr 2 was clamouring to get in the water himself. Sadly I was completely unprepared for him to go in, although his plaintive cries of 'Wa', 'Wa' (water) pierced my hard heart, and I stripped him off and put him in where he and Miss 3 frolicked happily.

Handy Hint Number 12: When going to a swimming pool, always take a swimming nappy just in case. Normal nappies are designed to absorb fluid, (something I should have remembered when putting Mr 2 in the pool of WATER), and will bulk up to astronomical size and weight in a swimming pool.

Tonight Miss 3 and I snuggled in her bed together. Due to my feeling unwell, she was putting me to sleep by clasping my face in her hands and saying 'Close your eyes, little darling, and dream of stars, and dream of swimming in your swimming costume, and dream of Jesus, and dream of trees and flowers'. This beautiful moment was somewhat interrupted as she prises one of my eyes open and asks if I'm asleep yet.......

Well, at least she didn't pash me. Yesterday, she told me she wanted to marry me 'so we can kiss like this' and clasped my face, pressed her lips to mine and started wriggling her mouth around!!!

Handy Hint Number 13: Kids are like sponges. They soak up everything. Be careful what you expose them to.