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Small update

2012-02-12T19:41:00.000+11:00

I keep meaning to blog more often, but it never seems to happen. So I thought I'd try shorter posts using the iPhone. I like keeping a small record of goings on. So, in short:

Adam starts his new job tomorrow for MPDI, otherwise known as my brother. He's bought a ute. The boys looove it. Mike pointed to it today and said 'mine'!
We've started a restricted diet for Hamish, to try to settle him down a bit. He's always been a live wire but we felt it was getting out of hand. So far with less chemicals and additives in his diet he's more focused, more affectionate and less grumpy. Amazing how much diet can affect behavior. He seems happier which is lovely.

My Love/Hate Relationship with the Idiot Box

2011-10-20T16:30:00.000+11:00

Sophia has written a post mentioning the guilt involved in how much tv kids watch these days. I have to admit, this is something I wrestle with most days. I think the issue is that I wish my kids watched less tv, but in reality it's just too hard to get through the day without it. I need the mental break, and the physical break, just to get the basics done ( cooking and laundry, a bit of cleaning).

My current issue of annoyance with the whole situation is the people who write the reports recommending kids under 2 don't watch any tv – because that's all well and good, but seriously – how are we supposed to manage otherwise? The pressure is put on the mothers to somehow do everything with littlies in tow, which is just impossible. Especially on lack of quality sleep. They should suggest other ways of managing down time, instead of just making us all feel bad about relying on the tele.

It's all very well to say that kids do better without tv, but they don't exist in a vacuum – what if I end up resenting them, don't get dinner cooked, the house is a bombsite (well, more than it usually is anyway!) and I'm going crazy for lack of mental space, meaning I turn into a grumpy mum and wife? Surely it's better overall if they watch some tv while I try to get things under control around the house and clear my head.

I've decided tv can be a good thing when used wisely. I've started putting it on at 8.30am when Sesame Street is running, and I use the half hour to read my bible and pray, and take my various vitamins. I figure if I spent this time looking after myself, it will give me energy and perspective to manage the rest of the day wisely. I also usually put the tv on at the end of the day when I'm getting dinner ready, or running around tidying up, getting ready for baths etc.

It's when the hours in front of the screen creep up to 2 or 3 hours a day that I regret the situation – but as Sophia notes, sometimes you just do what you have to do. A pity that our society isolates families the way it does, meaning there are less people around to share the load of child rearing. And on balance, I know my kids have a pretty good life. A bit of tv doesn't change that.

But still, I wish I could do without quite as much of it!

Health Update

2011-10-20T16:26:00.000+11:00

I thought it would be sensible to use some of my time on the train home from work (around once a fortnight) to write my blog posts – gives me a chance to get things down in writing and means all I have to do at home is to post them up.

So, here is an update on Michael's health issues. He's 20 months old now, the same age Hamish was when Michael was born. It's a bit of a spin out! Although much of the last 20 months has been very hard work for everyone in the family, it is becoming easier to enjoy the good bits and ride out the bad.

So – we eventually discovered that Michael reacts to glutamates, a natural chemical found in a variety of foods. Although he doesn't do too well on lots of gluten, it was the glutamates causing the real problems. It took six months to sort out, by a process of trial and error and elimination.

Now that we know what to avoid, life is much easier. He doesn't wake constantly at night, unable to get comfortable. He doesn't get constipated. He has a healthy appetite. He settles easily to sleep and is no longer woken by the slightest noise.

He is still waking regularly at night, because he hasn't had much practise at sleeping alone. By regularly, I mean every 2 – 4 hours. His first long stretch of an evening recently went from 3 to 4 hours, which to me, is the most exciting thing to happen in a long while! I'm confident he will continue to gradually improve, and my sleep is already becoming less and less affected.

When I think back now to how life was before we sorted out the food intolerance issue, I want to cry. I have a strong sense of frustration and almost desperation when I remember how hard it was. Particularly trying to get him to develop good sleep habits – I now know I had no chance given the sort of diet we used to eat, but at the time I tried and tried and tried to get him to self settle, without putting him through controlled crying. (Incidentally, I'm now very glad I didn't push that as all it would have done was cause us both great distress, and not fix anything.) It felt like a problem I couldn't solve, but had to – because the impact on everyone in the family was quite negative. It was a hard road to walk, just exhausting and unrelenting. And if not for a chance comment by our doctor, we might not have figured it out even now.

These days, I am often still worn out but I can see signs that it is getting better and I'm trying to build up my own health after so long of pushing myself. I'm taking a raft of vitamin supplements and am cutting back on breastfeeding – not weaning completely but limiting the number of times I feed Michael during the day.

I have to do more cooking than before – I make healthy, gluten free pancakes for breakfast most mornings, and I usually have to cook something for lunch – can't do sandwiches for Michael as gluten free bread is expensive and doesn't taste all that great. We rarely have takeaway. We can't have meals that have tomato or sauces in them (eg soy sauce is a big no-no, as is gravy). It's all manageable, although more labour intensive than before. Totally worth it for a healthy kid though!

And as for the little guy himself – he is a happy kid, most of the time! He has plenty of energy and loves exploring his world and having a laugh. He eats with great gusto and loves getting our attention at the dinner table. He often laughs as he eats his dinner, because he's done something to make Adam and I look at him. He is sometimes clingy (seemed to be very clingy all winter!) but more often than not, a snack will satisfy him and he's happy to potter around the house. He knows how to get what he wants though – he screeches! He is very demanding (as all toddlers are), and it's up to us to set limits around him as he tests out his growing independence.

Overall, life is much more enjoyable now and I'm relieved to be able to move forward. I still don't think I'm recovered from the experience but we're on the right track.

Reality check

2011-09-27T11:05:00.000+10:00

Just in case you think I spend all my time making up fun play activities and enriching the lives of my little boys, this morning Hamish has clocked up 3 hours of TV watching. He's only been up for 5 hours. I'm too tired to do anything much, apart from lie on the lounge. Adam had to get up before 6am to get to work early today, so we all got up early too. I've had really poor quality sleep for the last week (more so than normal!) so today, the TV wins.

I did make pancakes for breakfast though.

Hamish being 'Worker Hamish'

2011-09-24T20:47:00.000+10:00

A Story Bears' Picnic

2011-09-24T20:43:00.000+10:00

As the boys haven't been able to go to usual activities this week (owing to contagious disease!) I've been finding fun stuff to do at home with them. Yesterday I told Hamish that the Story Bears had delivered a letter for him the night before, when he was asleep. The letter said that the bears were having a picnic that afternoon, and asked if the boys could help them get ready for it.

I had them look around the house to find 6 bears (positioned the night before) holding notes with instructions for activities on them - they had to read some bear story books, listen to a bear song (I bought 'Teddy Bears Picnic' on iTunes), make party hats and streamers, go to the shops for party supplies, make some pancakes, and watch the tv show 'Bear in the Big Blue House'.

This all culminated in the picnic in the afternoon. It was lots of fun, and I was glad to have some pre-planned activities to look forward to throughout the day.

Hamish and the Bears modelling their party hats

Picnicing

Oscar watches on

Michael wondering what I have just put on his head!

Strawberries

Michael feeding a bear some pancake

Diagnosis

2011-09-20T15:12:00.002+10:00

Well it turns out that the spots and runny noses I mentioned below are an infection called Hand Foot and Mouth disease. Both boys have it, and I'm hoping I don't catch it! They seem to feel a little unwell, but not too bad really. We are staying home all week though as it is quite contagious apparently.

Literacy, Families and Learning

2011-09-18T10:33:00.000+10:00

I've been enjoying reading Trevor Cairney's blog lately, particularly his posts about play. Here are a few I like:

The Power of Simple Play

The Importance of Play - Part 3

It's all about time:How busy lives affect families

Another month

2011-09-18T10:19:00.000+10:00

Another month has gone by without my managing to post anything here. Sigh. I just don't get the time, although I wish I did. Here's an update on goings on around here:

We had around 6 weeks of everyone being unwell, and it finally passed. For a few weeks. Now Michael has a rash and Hamish has a runny nose again. Ho hum.

Our family daycarer took the boys for a sleepover on Friday night - very generous of her to offer to do it and lovely for Adam and I to have a break from the evening and morning routines. It's the first time I've slept all night in my own bed for around 18 months. It was great, but unfortunately the following night (last night) was a shocker so the sense of rest didn't last long. Still, I am grateful.

I heard Saffy barking strangely the other day and went to investigate - she had baled up a large bluetongue lizard who had backed himself into the pool - his front legs were out but his back half were in the water. I got the dogs out of the way and scooped the lizard out of the water. He didn't look very well, and I wasn't sure if he wanted to be in the water or not. He sat there for a while on the edge of the pool and then disappeared. Saffy is out there now, barking again at something on the other side of the fence, so perhaps the lizard is there.

Story Stones

2011-09-18T10:10:00.000+10:00

I really like this idea for a story telling activity. I think the boys would go for it...although I would probably use cardboard instead of stones.

Rice Play

2011-08-13T08:43:00.000+10:00

Hamish and Michael quite enjoy playdo. Hamish likes playing with it; Michael prefers to eat it.

Yesterday, I came up with something to stop Michael shoving it in his mouth - I gave him a cup of uncooked rice instead, and a few small containers. He had a great time playing with it, and even though he did eat some, it didn't bother me because I didn't think it would hurt him (unlike playdo which is glutenous). It kept him occupied for a good 20 - 30 minutes, leaving Hamish and I to playdo in peace!

The Pain of Death - and The Hope of the Gospel

2011-07-31T19:36:00.000+10:00

At church we've started a sermon series on Genesis. Today's sermon was about the bit where Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying God.

During his talk, our minister discussed how death came onto the scene and how wrong it is. He said something that really struck me - that death terminates relationships. How true this is. And how painful.

Thankfully, the story doesn't end there in Genesis! He also referred to Romans 5:17: 'For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ'.

A crop!

2011-07-31T19:23:00.000+10:00

I planted a few potatoes some months ago, and have been watching their progress with interest. Only one plant ended up growing well, and I was disappointed to see it die back in the heavy rain we had recently.

Today on a whim I had a poke around to see if it had sprouted anything under the soil, and was very excited to find some potatoes! Only a handful really, but still - wow!

My mind is now filled with the possibilities of a larger crop...we eat potatoes all the time so the thought of growing my own is very appealing.

Play

2011-07-29T20:34:00.001+10:00

One thing I've always found quite difficult with my kids is playing with them. Sounds silly, but it's not something that has come naturally to me in the past. Looking back on the first year or so with Hamish, I think a lot of my stress came from not knowing what to do with him to fill in the long daylight hours.

However, a few things lately have brought change in this area. Firstly, both boys have reached ages where play is easier - Hamish is into imaginative play, and will run with ideas quite easily, and Michael is old enough to join in a little and to play alongside his brother more than he could as a baby. Secondly, I've realised that all I need to do is to get down to their level, and get over the idea that I should be doing something else with my time. Play is so valuable - it's not simple babysitting - I need to engage with them and enter their world in order to teach them about mine.

Here's a few things we've been playing at lately:
- The Story Bears. Adam and I thought we needed a 'filler' activity in between brushing teeth and bed, just a few minutes of me occupying the kids so he could get some things organised to make bedtime run more smoothly. So I got a basket and put all the toy bears I could find into it. I told the boys they were the Story Bears, and they would tell us a story before bed. It's been such a hit - I sit down with the boys and we choose which bears will be involved, and which story they will act out. Hamish loves hearing Goldilocks and the Three Bears (he likes playing Goldilocks and gets into bed at the right point in the story, then pretends to jump out the window when the bears return!). I've been using the time to teach them some bible stories too, so we've had the bear version of Zaccheus climbing a tree to see Jesus, Jesus calming a storm, the battle of Jericho, and Noah's ark. Michael joins in by running off with various characters and crying when he isn't allowed to get into the basket (normally because Hamish is already in it!)

- Dress ups. We were given some good dressup costumes for Hamish's birthday, which we have added to by making some monkey costumes from an old stocking, and we bought a doctor's kit. This afternoon, Pooh Bear dressed up as various people (policeman, pirate, fireman) and Dr Hamish gave them each a thorough medical checkup.

Michael modelling his monkey ears

- Outdoors play. Hamish loves pretending to rescue random objects from the 'deep dark forest' - aka the bushes near our front door. Michael loves riding his bike and eating chalk (when he gets away with it...)

Overall I've been surprised by how easy it is to play when I put my mind to it. And how enjoyable! The time passes much more quickly, and I feel like I'm making memories with my kids instead of wishing the hours away.

Beach with the boys

2011-07-29T19:49:00.000+10:00

We went to Terrigal Beach today, had fish and chips for lunch, and then played in the sand for a while. Hamish enjoyed digging the sand, while Michael seemed to get plenty of enjoyment out of eating the sand. Hmm.

We saw some pelicans, which Michael was quite taken with, and we also saw two large black stingrays cruising along the shoreline, which was very exciting.

To dispel any ideas you may have about this being an idyllic family outing, let me share that the car trip home was less than relaxing - Michael complained loudly most of the way, and Hamish kept up a constant mantra of 'IwantadrinkIwantadrinkIwantadrinkIwantanappleIwantanappleIwantanapple..." (you get the idea!)

Still, overall it was a good afternoon!

Tucked in

2011-07-29T19:40:00.000+10:00

Hamish has a habit at the moment of going to sleep at night completely covered under his bedclothes. As it's winter, there are a lot of bedclothes!

This evening, once again, I checked in on him to see, not a boy asleep with his head on the pillow, but a lump halfway down the bed, under quite a few layers of quilts and blankets. I don't know how he even breathes under there!

I put him back up on the pillow and tucked him in. He barely woke up.

A Special Moment

2011-07-29T19:32:00.000+10:00

I had explained (probably quite poorly) to Hamish that Papa had passed away and gone to be with Jesus. I don't think he really understood, but I felt I had to say something as we had previously been praying for Papa while he was in hospital.

A few days after this conversation, Hamish and I were reading a children's bible together and we saw a picture of Jesus holding the hand of a boy. Hamish asked who the boy was, and I said it was a child and that Jesus loved him, just like He also loves Hamish.

Hamish looked at me with very big, excited eyes, and declared "when I go to Jesus, he will hold my hand!"

A Few Hamish-isms

2011-07-29T19:21:00.000+10:00

Me: We're going to drive on the freeway now.
H: I don't want the freeway, I want the two way!

Me: You're a funny monkey.
H: No, I'm a boy.
Me: You're being very literal.
H: No, I'm big!

Beach

2011-07-14T11:36:00.000+10:00

My grandfather passed away on Tuesday night. Not unexpectedly, but still, a difficult time.

The boys are at daycare today, so I went out to Terrigal Beach this morning for a bit of time to myself. Here's some photos I took there:

Ill health

2011-07-02T22:24:00.000+10:00

We've all ended up unwell the last few days. It has had its moments, but in a strange way it's almost been relaxing, as I have lowered my normal housework standards. And I decided to just play with the kids and meet their needs as best I could.

And you know what? I quite enjoyed myself. Made such a difference to get down to their level and join in, rather than vaguely participating from a distance and wishing they'd look after themselves a bit more. I'll try to do this more often I think - good for them and great for me! Not so great for the housework, but hey - that's hardly the end of the world, and I'm hoping I can be a bit more efficient at it in the windows of opportunity I get. Working smarter, not harder.

Having said that, I am exhausted. Michael has been really clingy and it feels like he's been permanently attached to me, one way or another. Hamish has been quite contrary - which I know is because he's feeling ill, but still challenging to navigate through. Luckily we cooked a big batch of risotto on Thursday night, which took care of quite a few meals, and sleep hasn't been too bad, given I've been getting up to both kids each night.

I hate it when they cough, especially when it's to the point of throwing up. Michael has done it a few times and it is a bit scary. I think he just gets some mucous caught in his throat, nothing really serious, but still - will be glad when it's over.

Brotherly love

2011-06-30T09:19:00.000+10:00

Michael has decided it's fun to hit people on the head with hard objects. He takes great pleasure in it! Poor Hamish has copped a few whacks lately thanks to his little brother.

Last night, Michael got him with a toy spanner, and laughed. Quick as a flash, Hamish grabbed the spanner and returned the favour. The nice thing about it was, that he hit Michael quite gently. More of a tap than a whack.

Was quite sweet really.

Meanwhile...

2011-06-28T21:59:00.000+10:00

Michael is unwell, and Hamish appears to be coming down with the same bug.

My heart sinks when I first realise they are getting sick - it means snotty noses, even less sleep than usual, panadol, snot, fess, tissues, snot, etc etc. And of course, that they don't feel well!

It also means you can't go out as much as usual, and cabin fever is never far away. I definitely get a strong case of the 'woe-is-me's at these times.

But I was thinking this morning that sickness is not an interruption to life, it is just part of life. It means switching parenting gears a bit, but it's not an inconvenience, it's part of the main game. A chance to look after my kids, re-prioritise, and simplify as much as possible.

We had our church mum's bookclub last weekend, and a great point came up - God gave us our particular children, for us to look after, and to deal with whatever issues this may bring. They are best off with us, in other words, and we are ideally equipped to look after them, even if we feel inadequate or overwhelmed at times.

I'm not sure if I've expressed that properly, but I've found it a comforting thought this week.

Big Day (week, month, year...)

2011-06-28T21:48:00.000+10:00

Hamish turned 3 today. We had lots of fun and he was very excited by all the activity.

I made him a Big Red Car cake - which turned out well, although I should say it looked better than it tasted!

I also wrote him a special prayer. I've printed it out and will hang it up in his room. I think it's important that he know he's special and that that means more than just getting presents and eating cake, and I suppose this is a way to show him, and remind him once the birthday is over!

A Prayer for Hamish on his 3^rd Birthday

Dear God,

Thank you for our beautiful boy Hamish. We're so glad you brought him into our family three years ago.

Thank you that he is so energetic, inquisitive and fun.

As he grows this year, please help him learn to trust you and to live your way.

Help him learn to do the right thing, and to seek forgiveness when he needs to.

Please protect him and keep him safe, and build him up in his knowledge of you.

Thank you that you love Hamish even more than we do, and gave your son Jesus for his sake.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Mr No No

2011-06-23T20:29:00.000+10:00

This is a recent conversation I had with Hamish:

Me: Ok, we're going to get up and have breakfast.

H: No.

Me: Do you want toast?

H: No.

Me: Porridge?

H: No.

Me: Oh well. Can you put your dressing gown on?

H: No.

This pattern repeats itself a number of times, until I say:

"Is your name No No?"

H: No!

Brain dump

2011-06-23T20:26:00.000+10:00

I had vague plans to come on here this evening and write a few things, but now I'm here I'm drawing a big fat blank. So here is a random brain dump of the thoughts I've had swirling around my tired mind today:

Old friends are such an encouragement. I've had a good long chat with an old friend this week, and another has started blogging, and there's just something special about reconnecting with people who've known you for a long time. I should make the effort more often to keep in touch.

I need to reassess (again!) what I think is realistic around the house. I think I should be able to manage a house, but really - with two kids, both demanding my attention more often than not, it's hard going sometimes. So my new plan is to relax about the housework, and enjoy spending time with the kids more. Let's face it - I never get all the work done anyway, so I can either be stressed about it, and not get it done, or relaxed and not get it done! Second option sounds better to me.

Social expectations (real or imagined!) have a lot of power. Can be hard to weed them out. Current ones I'm negotiating include how much to spend on birthday presents for my kids, how clean my house should be, and what to aim for with sleep expectations for the kids. I lack confidence sometimes, even though I do usually make the choices that suit me best.

Not sleeping at night

2011-06-12T22:35:00.001+10:00

I can really relate to this post, and it's quite funny too. It's not identical to what goes on here (eg Adam is a light sleeper) but the kids, and the cats...all sounds very familiar!

Food intolerances

2011-04-24T20:38:00.000+10:00

The journey to unravel Michael's food intolerances is continuing - we suspect tomato as well as gluten. It isn't hard to eat gluten free, but it can be challenging to stick to it 24/7. It does make a noticable difference to Michael though so I'm happy to do it. It's healthier for sure anyway - less carbs and more home cooking, vegies etc.

Next step is to test how he reacts to tomato after a week off any foods high in glutomates (brocolli, processed meats, fermented goods, meat pies - a rather random list!) and then to give it a few weeks to let his gut become more healthy, and we can start trying to introduce different foods that contain gluten to test how sensitive he is to it. Some people can eat oats and barley, but not wheat, for example. )

Footwear barometer

2011-04-24T20:33:00.000+10:00

Introducing the McCann Footwear Scale - a barometer of how a parent is coping, measured by the child's footwear. The parental state of mind deteriorates the further down the list you go:

Clean, matching socks and shoes that fit (gold star parenting).

Matching socks and shoes that fit (quite pleased with oneself).

Mismatched socks and shoes that fit (no-one will notice!).

Mismatched socks and shoes that fit, but that look really weird or completely inappropriate (like the strange ones brought back from Vietnam with unidentified superhero logo on them).

Mismatched socks and shoes that are too large/small (clown feet, anyone?).

Matching socks, no shoes (ok for car trips where child will not leave vehicle or stroller. Or daycare. Or quick walk down the road. Or when you just can't be bothered.).

Mismatched socks, no shoes (See above. Walk quickly and hope you don't see anyone you know).

Unwashed, mismatched socks. (Shoes have disappeared. Tell people the kid dressed themselves).

One sock. (Best to give up now).

Bare feet.

Staying home!

Easter

2011-04-24T20:16:00.000+10:00

It's been another quiet month on the blog...a sign of life being very busy in the real world. We've had a lot of sickness lately - coughs and sniffles, and I was just recovering when I gave myself food poisoning last weekend and went downhill again. Add in the usual dose of broken sleep and well, I am exhausted!

Still - we're getting back to manageable now. We enjoyed easter day - Hamish has been learning about both the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Easter Bunny. Very ecumenical here. I had a lovely moment with him at church this morning, where he started singing along with the congregation during the service - first time he's done that and it felt special! And then they made an easter card in Sunday school, and he 'wrote' a message in it - it was a scribble but when I asked him what it said, he answered 'He died on the cross'.

I had to explain to him that we all celebrate easter at the same time - he thought it was his easter, and we would all have our own on different dates, like birthdays!

Then it was back home for an easter egg hunt around the front yard, organised by Adam. Hamish had a great time and both boys were keen to get into the chocolate.

10 years On

2011-03-28T14:51:00.000+11:00

We visited Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens this weekend, to mark our 10th wedding anniversary. It was a busy and fun day out, and lovely to see the gardens again.

There were lots of these skinks around - this one posed very obligingly!

We had a picnic in the same spot as our wedding ceremony.

Some improvements

2011-03-19T11:32:00.000+11:00

Michael and I have been gluten free since Tuesday (so 4 days) and we are seeing some improvements - enough for me to think he does have an intolerance to the stuff. His sleep has been much more settled the last two nights, not nearly as restless, and his nappies - well, let's just say there's more activity in that department than there was previously!

I feel cautiously relieved, and also a bit overwhelmed - I wish so much I'd cottoned on sooner. No wonder the poor kid has had trouble sleeping! He's probably had a belly ache his whole life.

A Spaceman from Planet Hamish

2011-03-17T10:51:00.000+11:00

Thoughts on Going From 1 Kid to 2

2011-03-17T10:20:00.000+11:00

All babies are hard work. Just because you've done it before, doesn't make it less hard work.
It is easier though because you're not on such a steep learning curve re baby stuff.
You are on a different learning curve - how to do family life, and baby care, with another child to look after as well as the older one.
Life is busier. You learn how to manage without regular child nap times during the day - being on duty for about 12 hrs a day straight.
You have to be more organised and a bit ruthless in what you aim to get done, and what you leave undone.
It is easier to work out what to do with Michael aged 1 than it was with Hamish - I know what sorts of toys will entertain him amd I don't have to fill in the hours so much because Hamish provides a lot of fun and activity!
The house is already baby proof.
Toddlers are still babies in many respects. They still need a lot of attention and help with daily care. I probably underestimated this before having Michael.
Although having the first child does dramatically change life, having the second has made it feel more like the family is in full swing. Adam gets involved more in child care and we're adapting our days around the needs of the kids, and are able to do more fun stuff as Hamish gets older too.
That's all I can think of for now!

Life This Week

2011-03-17T10:11:00.000+11:00

We are all sick. I have a throat infection, Adam feels yuck and exhausted, Hamish had a fever last night and didn't eat anything yesterday, and both boys have runny noses and coughs.

But, strangely enough, we all seem to feel relatively happy. I guess life is good, even when we're not 100%.

So far, we've had a few days gluten free and it's interesting how much healthier we're forced to eat. Lots of vegies, rice and meat, and fruit and yogurt. No sign of improvement in Michael's sleep yet. I'm keeping a food diary for him and me (he and myself??) which might help to pinpoint the issue. Overall I'm thinking he does have some sort of intolerance - it makes sense and makes me feel a bit better about all the sleep problems we've had - something to blame for them I guess!

Peek-a-boo!

2011-03-17T10:05:00.000+11:00

Oscar Does The Laundry

2011-03-17T10:04:00.000+11:00

Persimmons and Sleep

2011-03-14T10:45:00.000+11:00

Our Persimmon tree has some ripening fruit on it. Reminds me of the Keats poem that starts "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness..."

In other exciting news, Michael may have some sort of gluten intolerance. We don't really know, but apparently it can cause unsettled sleep so we're going to take him off gluten for a week or so and see if it has any effect on his sleep.

We're booked in to go to a residential service at Tresillian in a few weeks' time (stay there for 4 nights) to try to get him into some better patterns instead of waking up every 45 mins - 3 hrs overnight. It hasn't been an easy path to get to this point, but I'm looking forward to getting some extra help with it.

mmm, sweet potato!

2011-03-03T12:49:00.000+11:00

Michael is at such a cute age - he's getting into lots of stuff and making us laugh - like this morning when he explored the pantry.

Wonder Woman

2011-03-02T20:23:00.000+11:00

I came across this article on the Australian Breastfeeding Association website and quite liked it. Not that I agree with everything in it but it makes good reading!

Michael's Birthday Video

2011-02-21T12:51:00.000+11:00

Happy Birthday Michael!

2011-02-21T12:27:00.000+11:00

Hmmm well obviously I have been having an unscheduled break from blogging. It's been a busy and tiring couple of months!

Today it's one whole year since Michael was born. He's a beautiful boy and we love him so much.

Some photos

2010-12-03T21:19:00.000+11:00

Mikey enjoying some mush. Yum!

Frogs eggs in our pond. There are heaps of frogs out there - they sound like popcorn going off all night.

Picnic kitty

Hamish and Saffy contemplate the garden

The best and worst sleepers in our family resting together!

Nativity Set

2010-10-22T10:55:00.000+11:00

Our church mums bookclub has just finished reading a book called 'Treasuring God in Our Traditions" and it got me thinking about Christmas this year. I figured it was time to get a nativity set that the kids could play with.

I bought this finger puppet one on ebay:

The full set

Shepherds (somewhat sinister looking!)

Three Wise Men

Angel and star

Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Donkey!

Today Thus Far

2010-10-20T16:00:00.000+11:00

Woken early by baby, after another restless night.

Feel very tired and unable to function.
Have coffee.
Burst into song in kitchen, to bemusement of children.

Me: You're a cheeky monkey, Hamish.
Hamish: I know mum, I know!

Go to park to meet a couple of mums from mothers group.
Feel like failure as parent as I strip H's wet shoes and socks off his feet - he made it into the water on pretext of chasing ducks.
Realise on way home that I am not failure, just only one there with two kids present. Need cloning machine.

Clean some gunge out of the pool, and spot some weird creepy crawlies in the water. On closer inspection, realise pool is teeming with the little buggers. I don't like them - they scuttle along the ground back to the water when I tip them out of the skimmer box.
Ring pool shop to be told I will have to squash the bugs - only way to get rid of them apparently. Oh, and they bite.

Finally get baby to sleep, only to have toddler deliberately open the door, waking him up.
Put toddler in his room while I try to resettle baby.
Give up.
Go to release toddler from confinement. Can't see him in room. Hmmm.
Me: Hamish?
Cupboard: Yes mum?

Drink another coffee. Don't burst into song this time.

Go to shops.
On arrival in carpark, realise baby has thrown up all over top. Is now soaked.
Find old clean baby top in boot - hurrah!
Do shopping.
Buy cupcakes.
Come home.
Eat cake.

Reflect that it's not so much what happens during the day that counts, but how I respond to it, and how I treat my kids whilst feeling fragile, that's important. I guess today isn't all that bad when I look at it that way.

On with the afternoon!

Love this Poem

2010-10-19T20:38:00.000+11:00

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Some Changes in Perspective

2010-10-19T20:31:00.000+11:00

We are so well off. Compared to the many in the world, we have wealth plus plus plus. Got running water? You're doing better than almost 90% of the earth's population.

What I do has value. Even on the days when it feels like I have achieved nothing. Staying home with kids is significant - to me, to my family, to God, to society. And when I value it, I enjoy it much more! (Not suggesting it's the only thing that's valuable to do, or better than other things, just that it is a very worthwhile thing to do. I often feel like I'm not achieving much but it's good to remember that the little moments add up to make a life and they all count).

Housework is greatly influenced by social acceptability. I don't actually have to do it all, I just think I need to, so people won't assume I'm a total slob.

It's not that my baby doesn't match the books, but that the books don't match my baby. So I can ignore them and get on with enjoying him.

I'm a wimp

2010-10-07T12:52:00.000+11:00

When it comes to killing snails. We've got hoards of them in the garden, and as I am planting a vegie patch I figured it was time to cull some.

I was going to put pellets down, until I read the packets - they say they have 'child resistant flavouring' - which I take to mean they are not good for littlies to eat! And I know Hamish would definitely eat them. So that option was out.

Then I decided I would have to drown them. But once I started to pick them up and put them in the bucket, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. They are so cute!

So plan C - collect them all up and dump them around the other side of the house, and hope they don't find theu way back in a hurry.

Of course, the little blighters didn't want to stay in the bucket! But I managed to move all the ones I could see. This was within a few square metres mind you - plenty more in the rest of the yard. I imagine I'll have to do regular collections...

Food Is Fun!

2010-10-04T20:37:00.000+11:00

Highlight of The Day...

2010-09-13T17:29:00.001+10:00

...was Hamish coming around the corner from the hall, wearing a cloth nappy on his head, announcing that he was "King Solomon!"

And yes, it was a dirty nappy!

I wonder what the Queen of Sheba would have thought...

Poetry competition

2010-09-13T13:50:00.000+10:00

Kitchen clutter crowding my bench
Termite mound casting shadows

This is an example of an Ezra Pound couplet. I've written it for Nicole's poetry competition - why don't you enter too?

More details here and here.

At The Moment

2010-09-11T09:40:00.000+10:00

At the moment, it is hard to:

Get Wiggles songs out of my head.
Do the laundry.
Finish a cup of tea (somehow I always finish my coffee though...)
Get any job done that requires exiting the house - like putting the rubbish in the bin, or the washing on the line.
Wear matching socks (yes, this affliction affects me as well as the kids now!)
Get an early night.
Not rely on tv as a babysitter.

But, it is easy to:

Laugh. A lot of laughing going on here.
Realise that the things I'm seeing and experiencing with the kids will be treasured memories in years to come.
Pray.
Wear a lot of fluff. You know you have a problem when people regularly comment 'you must have some pets at home!'
Not really care about the fluff.
Enjoy the sunshine.

How about you? What's hard and easy in your life at the moment?

Four Moments

2010-09-05T20:41:00.000+10:00

Today is Father's Day. (Not sure where the apostrophe goes there!). We gave Adam a card in bed this morning and I enjoyed seeing him start the day with his two sons. He is a great dad. I reflected on his Pop, who passed away in January 2009. I'm sad that he's not with us today.

*****

At church, as I stand singing, listening to the voices of those around me, I remember previous times I have sung these songs, with the voices of friends lifting around me. It gives me a sense of connection with Christian friends from my old church. Although I don't keep in touch with most of them, we remain connected by our trust in Jesus, and this ritual of singing each week. I think of all the people who have sung the same songs over the course of time, and am grateful for the family of God.

*****

After the service, I give Hamish a cup of cordial from the kids' food table. It reminds me of church when I was a kid - we used to line up at an outside window at St Lukes Hornsby Heights to get our cordial, in brightly coloured plastic cups. I remember crowds of children, eagerly reaching up to the window. The cups we use today at Gosford Presbyterian Church are exactly the same, and it's a little surreal to be helping my little boy drink from one today.

*****

I open my fridge, and see the orange and mango jelly I made the day before, sitting in a blue mixing bowl. I am reminded of my childhood, watching Dad mix jelly in the kitchen. We used to have big jars of the crystals, not the little packets you get today. We'd sneak spoonfuls of it - a sugar hit! Jelly always felt like a real treat. Dad would mix it up in glass jugs and always stick a metal spoon in - something about it preventing the heat from cracking the glass. As I look at my jelly today, I suddenly feel very rich. Its value seems so much more than the few dollars it cost me.

Dedication

2010-09-03T13:19:00.000+10:00

This is the dedication inside the Agatha Christie novel, "The Secret Adversary":

ALL THOSE WHO LEAD

MONOTONOUS LIVES

in the hope that they may experience

at second hand the delights and

dangers of adventure

Redefining Success

2010-09-02T20:26:00.000+10:00

It's a strange thing in our culture that success as a parent is often defined, for babies anyway, as getting your kid to sleep through the night - 12 hrs without a peep from your bub is the goal. In their own bed too.

The pressure is real - one of the questions I get asked regularly is "how is he sleeping?" and "are you getting much rest?". Most of these are asked with good intentions, but it can be hard to always be answering in the negative. You only have to look at the baby section of any bookstore to see the proliferation of experts guaranteeing their methods for training babies to sleep.

Oscar and Mike enjoying a nap

Lack of sleep is hard at the best of times, and I certainly don't blame anyone for chasing a decent night's rest. However I wonder if one of the implications of our cultural setup - where a mum is left alone with the kids for long periods of time during the day - means that sleep becomes more important than it would otherwise be. After all, looking after littlies all day on your own is exhausting - who wouldn't be craving uninterrupted sleep to cope with it all? Perhaps sleep has become a bit of a holy grail of motherhood as we are left literally holding the baby during the day!

We have such a drive to present as 'coping' as well - and this gets hard to maintain without solid rest. Therefore it can be easy to push for more sleep - trying to teach your baby that they don't need you there to fall asleep, they don't need cuddles in the middle of the night, and that they need to develop a little bit of independence - right when they are at their most dependent!

It's crazy. And easily leads to frustration, resentment and stress.

It really goes against the grain of what's natural for lots of babies. Mine certainly need me overnight! Michael sleeps on his own for the first half of the night, then in with me for the remainder. He usually feeds 2 or 3 times. And that's ok. Yes, I'm zonked. But he's only a little bub - it won't be like this forever and for now I'm content with letting him know I'm there for him when the sun goes down. I'll often feed him to sleep, which is breaking all sorts of rules if I want him to sleep more independently. But you know what? It works! It gets him to sleep. And I don't have a problem with that for now.

I think we need to redefine success as a mother - am I responding to my baby's needs? Am I taking steps to make sure we get as much rest as we can, without it being a painful process? Am I teaching my baby that I will be there for them whenever they need me?

I think it's ok to help your baby learn how to fall asleep. It doesn't come naturally to them all and there are great benefits from getting extra zzzz's. Let's not force it though - far better to get less sleep, but teach our babies gently. And to count success in other ways!

(Incidentally, another big measure of 'success' in our culture is breastfeeding (rather than formula). Full night's rest and breastfeeding don't often actually go together - breastfed babies routinely need night feeds anywhere up to a year, if not longer for some. So can formula fed babies for that matter. So it's a bit silly, and hard for mothers, to put the pressure on to get babies to sleep through the night, when other cultural standards don't match up.)

Toot toot!

2010-09-02T19:57:00.000+10:00

I heard Hamish wake from his nap on Tuesday, and start singing:

"toot, toot, chugga chugga big red car.."

I opened the door.

"Hi buddy, how was your sleep?"

He looked at me seriously for a few seconds, then said "shut de door".

I shut the door.

"toot toot chugga chugga, big red car..."!

I guess he didn't want to be interrupted mid song!

Little Red House

2010-09-02T19:53:00.002+10:00

My friend Jen has started a blog - check it out!

Six months

2010-09-02T19:42:00.000+10:00

Michael had his half birthday a little while ago. Six months old already! We're enjoying getting to know his personality and finding out what makes him smile. His latest trick is blowing raspberries. He can go on for quite some time - makes quite a dribbly mess.

Being Abraham (from the bible)

Hamish is adapting well to big brotherhood -he tells Michael to 'share!' as he runs off with the baby toys. They have started to make each other laugh which is just beautiful and feels like a bit of a pay-off for all the hard yards.

We hear these phrases regularly:
No, mum, no!
I do it.
I fix it!
Just one more (holding up one finger to emphasise the point!)
Cake?

Not to mention all the Wiggle-isms - at the dinner table tonight, he announced "ok everybody, time to party!"

Time flies

2010-08-30T21:26:00.000+10:00

Hmm, over a month since I posted. Must get my act together!

Stay tuned...

Socks (or, lack thereof)

2010-07-23T09:26:00.000+10:00

I did a load of washing the other day (a miracle in itself!) and there were 13 of Hamish's socks in there.

None of them matched.

*sigh*

Cheeky Monkeys

2010-07-14T08:51:00.000+10:00

Dirt? What dirt?

Big smiles

Wagging The Tail

2010-07-08T11:17:00.000+10:00

I've started a new blog, Wagging The Tail, to explore some stuff that's been on my mind lately. Hop on over and have a look!

Happy 2nd Birthday Hamish!!!

2010-06-28T11:44:00.003+10:00

2 years ago...

....one year ago...

...and today!

recent garden photos

2010-06-20T13:33:00.001+10:00

The First 3 Months

2010-05-22T09:28:00.006+10:00

Mike is now 3 months old. He's turning into quite a munchkin!

It has been a challenging 12 weeks or so. Here's the highlights and lowlights...

Good

Having the baby! Was great to get him early and the first few weeks were relatively calm. So much better than being pregnant.
Getting to use all the baby stuff again, particularly the sling. Love babywearing!
Slowly finding a rough pattern to Mike's behaviour and taking 'two steps forward' every now and again.
All the help we've had - from Mum, church, friends and daycare. Everyone has been really accommodating and happy to help when needed. And plenty of people, particularly church friends, have been so encouraging and supportive, reminding me that this is a season that God is in control of, and that it does get better!
And of course, getting to know our little boy. We love him! Nothing compares to seeing your bub's face light up when you talk to them.

Not So Good

The juggling act. Impossible at times.
Sleep deprivation. Not a form of torture for nothin'.
The unpredictability of a newborn, and the crying. We've had a lot of that (but it's getting better).
Being physically exhausted. Holding a baby and chasing a toddler is hard work.
Working out how to occupy Hamish while I deal with Michael. I rely on the TV more now - used strategically, it's a powerful weapon! I don't like having it on all that much, but trying to get a baby to sleep with a toddler climbing your leg is a recipe for disaster. Wiggles to the rescue!

Overall, I'd say the challenges have been a bit different second time around. We feel more confident in terms of baby care, and know that every thing is a stage that will pass, but trying to manage a baby and a toddler has stretched us to the limit at times. It's been weird getting used to having two kids to love. Sometimes I feel like I don't give either of them the time and attention they deserve, because I'm constantly running between them.

But things are heading in the right direction, and there's so much to love about this stage of life for all of us. We laugh a lot, and even though I know we'll look back on this as a really hard stage of life, we know it's a special time too.

Short Update

2010-05-07T13:53:00.002+10:00

Reflux seems to be under control. Now fighting battles over sleep.

In general, things have improved but still doing the hard yards that you get with a baby.

Hamish has been sick this week - vomiting bug. Luckily he only spewed once, and then was off his food for a few days.

I feel quite worn out, but each day has good and bad moments. Trying to enjoy the good and get through the bad.

Mike is almost 11 weeks old, so we're nearing the 3 month mark. Hooray!

Reality

2010-04-28T11:12:00.001+10:00

This is a really helpful post from Jean. I know what she means about comparing yourself to others!! She writes:

"When I read women's blogs, I'm often tempted to play the comparison game.

I read about a craft idea, a birthday party or family devotions, and instead of rejoicing with my sister in Christ and getting ideas, I think to myself, "I could never do that! She's so creative! She gives so much time to her children! I wish I'd thought of that!"

...

Blogs only ever show you part of the reality. Like every mum, I struggle with tiredness, discouragement, irritability, and disobedient children - every day! But in my weakness and weariness, and in our very human family, I have found, like you, that God is good. "

kkkkkkkk,/"::;;

2010-04-24T15:16:00.004+10:00

Things feel a bit more under control today. I've managed to get Michael to lie down a few times, propped up on a pillow. So my back has had a bit of a break. And we all had a nap at midday. I was woken from it by the sound of Elmo saying 'you're my best friend!' - I heard it through the baby monitor linking to Hamish's room, where he was in his cot with a large, talking Elmo. (He's very chirpy).

And today, I'm grateful for my fruitbowl. It's full, which is a sign that I got the shopping done. There's some tamarillos (I think that's what they are, anyway!) on the top, from Mum and Dad. Tasty!

NB the title of this post is curtesy of Oscar walking on the keyboard. He thinks it's teatime. It's not.

Social Networking gone wrong...

2010-04-23T12:51:00.003+10:00

Our assistant minister used this illustration in his sermon on Sunday, in reference to how a lot of modern relationships are quite shallow, or at least, those conducted on social networking sites are! It's from www.despair.com and certainly makes me reflect on my use of facebook and blogging as a way of keeping in touch with people.

Goings on

2010-04-23T12:37:00.006+10:00

Our official 'baby product tester' working hard. So many spots to sleep, so little time...

Testing out the big bed.

Bonding with Oscar (or 'Occars' as Hamish calls him!)

And the reason...

2010-04-23T12:21:00.002+10:00

...I'm dejected is because Michael has silent reflux. This means he gets really bad heartburn, particularly after a feed. This in turn means A. LOT. OF. CRYING. So it's not really all that silent - it's just called that because there's no spewing.

He screams so much Adam and I can't hear each other talking, so there's a lot of shouting at each other just to communicate. Fun.

It means I have to wear Michael in the sling for a large part of the day, to keep him upright, which minimises the reflux (and therefore the screaming). Yesterday I think I had him on for at least 5 hours. Did I mention he weighs 5.5kg now?

This makes it hard to get anything done, particularly housework. I can't ignore the housework any more than I already am, because we won't have clean clothes or dishes, or food.

It makes it hard to look after Hamish.

It's very tiring.

But it is manageable - once I adjust my expectations and approach.

I'm getting there, and it will be ok, but today I'm still getting used to the idea, and feeling dejected.

PS We have seen a doctor and are trying some medication so with luck it won't be a long term issue.

Grateful

2010-04-23T08:55:00.003+10:00

I read somewhere recently about a project someone had to take a photograph a day for a year showing something they were grateful for.

I'm feeling a little dejected this morning so I thought it would be helpful to think about what I'm grateful for - not sure if I'll do this every day (in fact I probably won't!) but it's not a bad habit to get into is it - reminding myself of all the good things.

So today - I am grateful for the weather.

PS I am also grateful for playdough, which allowed me the time to post this!

Her desire

2010-04-17T12:50:00.001+10:00

Nicole linked to this article about a key passage in Genesis - it's the first time I've come across this explanation and I like it, seems to make good sense.

Getting out of the house...

2010-04-15T15:19:00.001+10:00

...is a challenge with a toddler and newborn! The effort involved seems to have increased exponentially with the addition of an extra child. Hamish is lucky to exit the house with matching socks, let alone shoes. Actually, he's lucky to have socks on at all!

And you know that cliched picture of a harried mum who looks like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards? That's me. By the time I get both kids ready to go, it's too late to worry about how I look. Not that I ever used to worry all that much, but lately I have regularly found myself doing an appearance self audit after I leave the house instead of before. No awful fashion faux pas yet, but I'm waiting for the day where I get halfway down the street and realize I'm in my PJ's or have my toothbrush in my hair or something.

Feels like it's only a matter of time.

Random stuff

2010-04-12T15:44:00.001+10:00

I wanted to write a proper post but I have the beginnings of a head cold and my brain feels a bit mushy, so here's a random sample of thoughts instead!

I found half a bird on the back deck this morning. Eewwww.

I'm trialling a new system out the front to stop Ruby barking so much - I've placed some old wooden baby gates up against the spots she uses to harrass people, the idea being that if she barks at the gates they will fall down and freak her out, thereby making the crazy barking less appealing to her. So far so good - hasn't stopped the barking but it's definitely toned it down.

Michael is going well - starting to get into more predictable patterns and packing on the weight. He tends to have his longest sleeps in the afternoon, which is good because it gives me time to focus on Hamish and catch up on housework and rest, but means he wakes more often overnight. This is pretty normal for new babies and the hope is that in time he moves the long sleeps to overnight.

Mornings at home are a bit mental - i.e. stressful! It's best if we have somewhere to go, otherwise I struggle to know what to do for the morning. Not at my best first thing! Plus Mike tends to be unsettled so it can be hard to get much done.

I've been experimenting with a structured daily routine for Hamish which has been a great help, although a bit stop start as he's been unwell so we've had to be flexible. Overall though it has helped to keep him occupied and me on track with housework etc.

I am sick of the Wiggles!! Hamish is a fan. Big fan. Me, not so much.

Middle of the night

2010-04-08T01:38:00.001+10:00

It's 1.22am. I've been up for over an hour, dealing with a screaming
bub (wind pains) and a crying and coughing toddler (sore throat and
high temp). I'm typing this on my ipod while I nurse. Life feels a bit
mental right now!

Oscar is sleeping in the corner of the room. He looks really comfy but
it makes me a little nervous to see him sleeping on the floor - he
normally only does that when he's unwell. Maybe he's doing it out of
sympathy for hamish, who has been pretty miserable all day. His temp
got up to 39.5 earlier.

I'm trying to count my blessings but my sense of humour re the lack of
sleep ran out some time over the last few days. (It has taken me twice
as long to get to that point this time around so I guess that's a god
thing, and I know it will get better in time.)

All is quiet now, so I'll see if I can get some rest...

Things I Keep Saying

2010-03-17T13:56:00.003+11:00

"That's not for eating!"

"What did mummy say?"

and

"Are you doing a poo?"

Aah, the conversations you have with a toddler...

Family Resemblance?

2010-03-17T13:44:00.003+11:00

Hamish @ 10 days old.

Michael @ 4 days old.

Redback

2010-03-17T13:33:00.003+11:00

I was cleaning out a dog toy this morning, and saw a small spider in it. I fished her out with a spoon, with the intention of putting her back outside. However once she was out I noticed the big red stripe down the back!! Aargh!

I jumped a mile. And then flushed her down the sink.

Some photos

2010-03-17T13:29:00.003+11:00

Michael

2010-03-05T20:57:00.004+11:00

Well this blog is definitely overdue for an update! Most of February was a write off for me - pregnancy, humidity and low blood pressure combined to make daily life quite difficult.

However this all changed on 21 Feb, when an early labour (probably brought on by illness in the week prior) resulted in the arrival of Michael James Bede McCann!

We've been home now for a week and everything is going smoothly. He's adorable and so far a very easy baby - not that I expect that to last (because babies born early are apparently often very subdued for a few weeks but then it's action stations) but I am enjoying it. I'm slowly getting my strength back and enjoying being able to manage physically again after months of struggling.

Praise God that Michael was born healthy and that everything is going well!

The 'Good News' Lady

2010-01-25T21:45:00.003+11:00

I posted a while ago about a lady who stopped me in the street to tell me how much God loved me. I saw her again this morning when I was waiting for a bus, and she once again stopped to share the same news.

It's actually the third time I've encountered her, so this time I asked her if she stopped everyone she met.

She told me that she gets up every morning and goes for a walk and will stop and tell everyone she meets on the walk that God loves them so much, and wants a relationship with them. She said she felt really called to do it, and steps out in faith.

She's very polite and not pushy, although it is a little in your face to hear what she has to say. I find her confronting and a curiosity. I do like her message.

Serial Killer

2010-01-21T20:03:00.004+11:00

Q: What do you NOT want to find in your carport after a nice breakfast out?

A: The mangled body of a guinea pig - minus its head.

You may remember from back here that our cats have a bit of a track record in this department, This morning's find was truly gross - and strange. The body was sort of squashed into a hole in the wall, looked like someone had stashed it there for future use. I don't think it got there itself (what with the missing head and all) but it does seem a little out of character for our cats.

Obviously they are the main suspects though. I feel bad for the guinea pig - and I wish whoever owned them would start protecting them a bit more - it's not that hard to secure a cage so a cat can't get in.

Bucket head

2010-01-20T20:43:00.003+11:00

Hamish and I went to the supermarket today, and I bought a bucket (and some other stuff!)

On the way out, he grabbed the bucket and put it on his head. It covered his whole face and halfway down his chest.

So I walked out of the shops pushing a bucket with legs sitting up in the trolley. He thought it was pretty funny - and so did I!

Sir Spam-a-lot...

2010-01-19T12:45:00.001+11:00

...has paid me a visit. All my old posts have had comments added in an asian script. Like, 300 odd posts. I'm not going to bother going back and deleting them all, it would take too long. If it keeps up I'll add comment moderation back on.

Hippie Tales #2: Home Made Yogurt

2010-01-19T12:40:00.003+11:00

Another slightly alternative thing I've started doing is making my own yogurt. We go through a fair bit of it (say 2 ltrs a week) and the cost was starting to bother me.

So I bought an Easi-Yo kit from the supermarket and have been brewing my own yogurt instead. It's a big thermos that you fill with hot water and put a canister in, containing water, existing yogurt, and powdered milk. I use the last few spoonfuls of the previous batch to start the new lot off each time. It takes about 7 - 8 hrs to set and then I put it in the fridge, and when it cools we've got fresh, natural, healthy yogurt.

It costs around $1 a ltr and tastes good - each batch is a little different but generally it has a natural/greek yogurt flavour, and if I add some fruit and either honey or vanilla essence, it tastes great.

Hippie Tales #1: Poo Free

2010-01-19T12:33:00.002+11:00

I've gone poo free - shampoo, that is!

A while back I came across some posts on the blogosphere about not using shampoo, and thought I'd give it a go.

The idea is that shampoo strips your hair of its natural oils, which makes your scalp work extra hard to replace them. This is turn makes your hair oilier than it would be otherwise, forcing you to wash more often. And because the oils are stripped each wash, we condition to try to smooth out our hair again! This process is not all that great for your hair, and can be expensive to maintain.

So now, instead of washing my hair with shampoo, I use bi carb soda. I mix it up with some water and rub it in, then rinse. It works really well, is cheap, and doesn't contain harsh chemicals.

So far I've continued to use normal conditioner, but yesterday I tried the alternative instead - rinsing with a bit of apple cider vinegar. It seems to have worked quite well, although it did feel a bit strange to put salad dressing on my head.

Being pregnant helps keep my hair healthy but even taking that into account, I have to say that going poo free has been great - on the budget, and on my head!

Sticky Lemon Yogurt Cake

2010-01-02T11:45:00.002+11:00

Michelle has tagged me for a Christmas recipe meme. I am way late in posting, but here is my recipe for a Jesus Birthday Cake (NB it can be any sort of cake you want, in fact it was a Hamish Birthday Cake about 6 months ago, but at Christmas time it's a Jesus one). The recipe is from Good Weekend magazine from a while back, and tastes better if you make it and then leave it in the fridge for a day. I've taken the details below from this site.

Yoghurt Cake with Lemon Syrup
(serves 8-10)
This recipe makes a lovely light lemony cake to enjoy mid afternoon, mid morning or mid meal, if you’re so inclined.

125g butter, softened
200g (1 cup) caster sugar
3 eggs
zest and strained juice of half a lemon
200g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
200g (3/4 cup) natural yoghurt
1/3 cup water
150g (3/4 cup) sugar
thickened cream for serving

Cooking time: Allow over an hour until it comes from the oven, but eat the cake cool
You’ll also need: a 20cm cake tin

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. It may look a bit curdled but don’t worry, we’ll fix that. Fold in the lemon zest and flour gently and then fold in the yoghurt too. Use a spatula to scrape into a lined 20cm cake tin, making the centre a little lower compared to the edges. Bake for about 30-40 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
While the cake cooks, heat the water, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. When the cake is cooked, leave it in the tin, poke a fine skewer into the cake all over about 30 times and spoon the hot lemon syrup over the top. Try to spoon it so it soaks into the holes evenly rather than all soaking into the edges around the tin. Allow to cool and serve with lightly whipped cream, coffee and a grin.

Baby thoughts

2010-01-02T11:28:00.003+11:00

I've got a few months to go till the baby is born. I've been thinking through what I've learnt about parenting and babies in the last 18 months - this is what I've come up with:

You have to do what works for you, and be prepared for this to change regularly. I think I've learnt a lot about where my limits are, and when to change tack. This is mainly in relation to stress. If something isn't working, then I'm a lot quicker to change it than I was 18 months ago.
Lack of sleep affects everything and it's really important to prioritise rest, even if it feels boring. My mind really doesn't work very well when I'm sleep deprived - I can't finish thoughts or make decisions easily, and I get quite negative over time.
People who tell you to forget about the housework are good intentioned, but they're not the ones sitting there all day staring at it. Do what you need to do to feel sane - by the same token, it's fine to drop your standards as much as you think appropriate!
Babies are dependent. This means sacrificing many things in the short to medium term as your baby grows, but it won't be forever. Independence will come with time.
As a child grows, we move from totally protecting them from the world, to training them to cope in the world.
God knows the heart of a mother and there is plenty of comfort and encouragement in the bible for the tough times.
Parenting is humbling, and totally rewarding at the same time.

Happy new year

2010-01-02T11:19:00.003+11:00

Hope you had an enjoyable time over the festive season!

I had an unplanned break from blogging in December, mainly due to tiredness. It was a bit of a difficult month all up - just usual pregnancy weariness combined with a (wonderful) husband working long hours, and a toddler who is always on the go! And I developed low blood pressure which means I have to spend more time than I'd like lying down and resting.

I do find in times when it all is a bit too much the struggle I have is to rely on God's strength, not my own. I have to watch my thoughts or I get down in the dumps, thinking I must be doing a bad job because I can't manage everything as well as I would like. I have this picture in my head of someone living my life, but doing it perfectly, and I just don't measure up!

It is one of the challenges of childrearing to find things to do when you're not really well, the weather sucks, you don't have much money, and you and your kid/s are bored bored bored! Finding that balance between getting near enough rest, while not developing cabin fever, is the tricky bit.

It's something I'm working on, and praying about. I want to find the joy in everyday life, because it is there for the taking. Just have to wade past the crud in the way.

TV break and toys

2009-12-05T14:15:00.004+11:00

Also on the topic of TV, we've had a couple of TV free days this week. I've been relying on the tele a lot lately to keep Hamish occupied, because I've been quite tired and he was sick for a few weeks too, but I figured it was time for a rest from it.

It made for a more peaceful house, although it did mean a bit more work for me in finding things to keep him occupied. My aim is to keep TV to use as a backup when really needed, rather than part of the daily routine.

I've packed away the bulk of his toys too - the loungeroom was way too crowded with them all, and I think he was getting bored with a lot of them. Plus picking them all up at the end of each day is getting harder for me as the inside baby gets bigger! I'm going to try just getting a couple out each day, so there's less to tidy up and he can focus a bit more on one or two things at a time.

Vale, VCR

2009-12-05T14:05:00.003+11:00

Adam and I decided to get a PlayTV for Christmas - it's a digital receiver for the Playstation 3 and allows us to record TV to the playstation, and fastforward and rewind live TV.

It only cost $125, which is far cheaper than the alternatives (Foxtel IQ or Tivo being the main ones) and we now have access to all the digital channels.

But - it means we don't really need the VCR anymore. I remember buying my first VCR back in 1996 before I headed off to uni - it was a big deal for me, partly because it was my first big purchase once I'd started working, but mainly because I was seriously into television back then.
I used to tape and keep all sorts of junk - Medivac being an example that springs to mind!

That VCR ran for years. It died a slow death - it used to freeze up and I'd have to take the lid off to get it working again. We put up with that for some time before eventually getting a new one. Even then, it was years before I could bring myself to chuck the original one in the bin.

So I feel sort of wistful and sad to pack away the VCR today. I know all technology will have its day, but this is one piece of it I am a little emotionally attached to.

Easy biscuit recipe

2009-12-05T14:02:00.002+11:00

I've made this a few times lately, it's so easy and versatile.

125g low fat margerine
half cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
Whatever else you've got that you want to chuck in!

Mix the margerine and sugar together, then add the egg. Sift in the flour and mix it all up.

Then add in whatever you want to add some flavour - I've used oats and sultanas for a healthier snack, and choc bits, cocoa and orange essence for a less healthy treat!

It makes about 20 small biscuits - which don't last all that long around here...

Advent

2009-12-05T13:45:00.003+11:00

I've been inspired by Nicole's advent posts to think about what we're going to do in the lead up to Christmas.

An exciting part of Christmas growing up was all the food in the house - Dad would go all out to stock up on tasty treats. The loungeroom would be heaving under the weight of it all - and we'd spend the school holidays making it all disappear. Yum! So this year I think we'll do something similar, although on a smaller scale. I'll buy a few extra things each week leading up to Christmas, and then we can hoe in from 25th on.

I've got some nice Christmas choral music, including a copy of Handel's Messiah, and these will be on high rotation for the next few weeks, particularly around dinner time.

And we're doing our own advent calendar - not every day, but once a week or so Hamish and I will sit down to do some craft, and then stick it up on the wall. This is the first one:

The other ones will use these verses:

'We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him, the iniquity of us all' Isaiah 53:6 (Craft - cotton wool sheep)

'When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.' Matt 2:10 (craft - stars of course!)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests.' Luke 2:14 (craft - angels)

'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' John 3:16 (Craft - manger scene)

Ned Kelly

2009-12-05T13:43:00.002+11:00

Mo Wrap

2009-12-05T13:32:00.004+11:00

Adam finished up Movember in style. He was happy though in the end to lose the mo, as it was getting itchy!

He raised about $250 and is really grateful for everyone's support. It was lots of fun - for him and for those of us who got to watch it grow!

Iris

2009-11-25T20:36:00.006+11:00

On The March

2009-11-25T20:27:00.004+11:00

The cicadas are out in force at the moment. We've found quite a few shells in the garden.

I used to love collecting the shells from Grandma and Papa's place when I was a kid, I remember doing it around Christmas time and filling icecream containers with them.

Kids used to take live cicadas to school in buckets to show off their collection, until the teachers banned it. There used to be all different sorts of cicadas with funny names, like Floury Baker and Cherry Eyes. I don't know if they are all around anymore, we only see one or two varieties here.

Mo Town Update

2009-11-19T12:42:00.005+11:00

Adam's mo is gaining ground - he's keeping it neat and tidy, and it's thickening up. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mess with him.

Although he tells me he saw a man at work yesterday, who had a much more serious looking mo, who told him 'You need training wheels for that thing!"

Hamish was a little uncooperative this week so we resorted to technology to show what he would look like if we could get him to stay still long enough to 'grow' a mo!

Scary

2009-11-18T19:32:00.002+11:00

Hamish has a bit of a fascination with opening and shutting doors at the moment. He goes into a room, shuts the door, then knocks on it till I open it, to his great amusement.

This evening, he shut the bathroom door.

And managed to lock it.

I was only a few feet away so I heard the click of the lock and rushed over, but couldn't open the door. He was locked in the bathroom! Aargh! I freaked out and didn't know what to do - I rattled the handle but it wouldn't budge, and Hamish started to get upset.

I ended up ringing Adam who left work straight away to come home and bust the door open. In the meantime, I stood on one side of the door telling Hamish a story to keep him calm, all the while frantically trying to get the door to open.

I realised the handle had a little hole on the outside, and pushed a hairclip in it - something clicked and the door opened. What a relief!

Hamish rushed out, not looking overly concerned. I on the other hand, burst into tears. Hamish thought I was laughing, so he joined in with hearty laughter of his own.

I saw him playing with the lock a few minutes later, so I think he must have pushed it out of curiosity. Will definitely not let him anywhere near it in the future!

Blue Food

2009-11-13T20:29:00.004+11:00

Yesterday I made some playdo. It was super easy - I was surprised by just how easy in fact! Flour, salt, water, oil and food colouring.

Hamish enjoyed squishing it and pushing things into it...

...and of course it didn't take long for him to see what it tasted like!

(Not good, apparently.)