Archive for the 'Daily post' Category
Tuesday, March 25th, 2008
I once saw an interview with Cate Blanchett in which she talked about herself and husband Andrew Upton sitting in front of a Wiggles dvd , discussing the production merits in detail while realising that they should get out more! It was an - “Aw see, they are just like us!”, moment! I suspect she was just being folksy - with invitations to all the glamorous events in town and the cost of babysitting unlikely to be an issue in the monthly budget I doubt she sits at home as much as the rest of us!
But I digress, the point is that kids tv is ubiquitous but we all have our personal thresholds. In our house we love Playschool (hooray!), despise High 5 (banned!), tolerate and are driven crazy by the Wiggles (regret not banning, but now too late!). But all bets are off now I have seen an episode of Jungle Girl.
For those who don’t know this is Bindi Irwin’s contribution to kids tv. I doubt there is anyone who doesn’t know that her dad, Steve Irwin, is dead but after watching the show, I wasn’t so sure. Bindi continually refers to - my dad, and we then see him wresting crocs and every other wild animal imaginable throughout each episode. At no time is he referred to in the past tense and his action is seamlessly part of the plot. It is the creepiest thing I’ve seen for a while and very confusing to our 7 year old friend who said somewhat perplexed - ” I thought he died?” Very convenient for a parent who is trying to explain the permanence of death. The only thing I can conclude is that Terri Irwin is seriously in denial about the death of her husband - but do we all have to become part of the charade?
My irritation with the show increased as I watched the (sadly) dead dad do lots of dangerous things. Things that Little Bro was watching with a wide mouth and a glint in his eye! For example, picking up a venomous snake (we do get them around our area in Summer) and running from a wild dog that was trying to attack him. I turned off the tv and explained to Little Bro that we never approach snakes and if we are scared of a dog we stay very still and never run. But I suspect the damage was done…thanks Bindi!
The other problem is that the show focuses on endangered species, to the point of obsession. Every animal is endangered, the words killed or dying are in Bindi’s every sentence (ironically excepting those that start with - my dad). Big Sis was quite concerned and started asking why all the animals were dying and why people were killing them. I think its a really bad idea to flood kids with this stuff, they get overwhelmed and end up not caring. Can’t we focus on kids enjoying nature, rather than continually and pessimistically focusing on problems? An appropriate balance would be to just raise the issue of endangerment once an episode for the young viewers and make some practical suggestions about what they can do so they can feel powerful and optimistic.
I discussed all this with Big Sis, and she seemed to agree. When we finished she sat silent for a moment and then said - “But mummy, I love her hair!” So thanks again Jungle Girl, probably your biggest crime of all - it will be crimped piggy tails all the way to Kinder next term!
Cate Blanchett, Jungle Girl, kids and the environment, kids tv
Posted in Serious stuff, Daily post | 3 Comments »
Thursday, February 28th, 2008
I’m not what you’d call a fussy mum. I don’t iron the kids clothes, I’m happy to take them out dressed in eclectic items from the dress up box and I don’t even insist on things matching - who has the energy? One thing I am particular about however, is footwear! Each season I have the kids properly fitted for a pair of shoes, which I spend a reasonable amount of money on and insist they wear to death.
I worry about their feet, soft boned and growing all the time, and unlike teeth, they only get one pair for life!
The problem is that at the moment Big Sis has a favorite pair of shoes from her dress up box and spends most of her day wearing them. They are plastic high heels, which cost about 20 cents at the local $2 shop! Suffice to say these haven’t been expertly fitted. She does get around better than I ever have in a pair of heels, and can run at full speed - no doubt gripping with her little toes!
Little Bro on the other hand has become Mr Two Year Old, and is full of - “I can do it!”, which includes putting his own shoes on. It is quite extraordinary how often he puts them on the wrong foot. You would think that as independent events he’d get it right 50% of the time - its actually more like 10%!
He gets them on and no amount of discussion, cajoling, or hastily made promises will get him to change them over. He responds more and more firmly every time - “Me Big, big boy, I do it!”
So there they are in the back yard; a fairy princess/ mermaid or Snow White in her plastic heels and Little Bro careering around proudly with his left shoe on his right foot and vice versa. I’m hoping they grow out of it before any permanent damage is done!
dress up box, kids clothes, kids shoes
Posted in Daily post | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
Toddlers and preschoolers are hungry all the time. I figure it’s related to their frantic activity levels! If I don’t feed Big Sis and Little Bro something every 30 minutes the result is a meltdown of enormous proportions - so we never stray far from home without a carrier bag of snacks!
Visiting a friend the other day I immediately emptied the contents of my snack-bag onto her kitchen bench. It consisted of; a half eaten packet of rice cakes, some leftover watermelon from my fridge and a packet of sultanas (also half empty). My friend leaped on the sultanas - “Thank God, I’d run out of them, they’re my ‘get out of jail free card’!”
Before kids I’d visit friends with a box of Swiss chocolate, a special cake from a bakery or even a bottle of wine! Now I bring my kids and whatever (healthy) snack food I have in the cupboard, even if it’s half eaten!
As my host arranged the feast on some brightly coloured plastic Ikea plates it reminded me of those offerings you find in shop doorways in Hindu countries; pieces of fruit, tiny little meals of rice and a few incense sticks arranged on a gold or silver tray.
That’s how I’ll see it now as I gather my things together for a visit. It will be an offering, not to Ganesh or Hanuman, but to our own little elephants and cheeky monkeys - arranged for them on Swedish plastic by their faithful servants!
food for kids, healthy snacks, Hindi gods, Ikea
Posted in Daily post | 1 Comment »
Monday, February 4th, 2008
As parents of 3 small children we don’t get out much! There is no shame in that. I did however experience an almost overwhelming urge to strangle (with her own hairdryer cord) a young hair salon assistant who after observing me breastfeeding through a haircut (not easy let me say) - and comforting a small baby over a blow-dryer says, by way of conversation; “Are you going out tonight?”. The only response I could think to this was - “Yeah love, do you know any clubs that I can get in with a Baby Bjorn”?
This isn’t quite as ludicrous as the wine shop owner, who after observing me with 2 kids in a double pram, and a baby in a sling navigating myself through his shop makes conversation - “So, are you going out tonight?”; “Yeah mate, and I’ll leave this lot in the car, what could go wrong?”
We did however find a way to get out recently. By taking a combined holiday with another couple with kids and taking turns going out! It was brilliant. Being out of condition I did, however end up with an unusual injury, a red blister on each elbow.
This was from sitting at a table with a white starched table cloth and resting my elbows there as I told nice long stories and using my elbow as a fulcrum as I sipped wine.
They were nasty blisters - but definitely worth it!
elbows, getting out with kids, hairdressor, wine
Posted in Daily post | 5 Comments »
Thursday, January 31st, 2008
It’s been a long time between posts. With holidays and other commitments the blog has taken a back seat - and I’ve really missed it.
I have lots of little scraps of paper at the bottom of my hand bag recording blog-able moments with our little tribe. Unfortunately on closer inspection most of them are indecipherable and incoherent! I’ve also lost count of the number of times that I’ve uttered those words - “There’s a blog in that!”.
I’m not the type to make new years resolutions, but if I was I’d probably make them in February. That said, they would probably go something like this:
1. I really, really am going to redesign my website.
2. I am going to post at least twice a week.
Wish me luck, and stay tuned!
blog, regular posts
Posted in Daily post | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 10th, 2007
We are connoisseurs of craft at our place. I scour the discount stores for all the cool stuff - glitter, stickers and tinsel. Feathers are a real favourite for Big Sis and I recently uncovered a stockpile of $2 tubs of multicolour feathers! I was delighted with them, as was Big Sis (and Little Bro for that matter) - but as a sat down to decorate some cardboard tiaras I made the mistake of examining them closely.
I had naively assumed that craft feathers would be acrylic, probably manufactured in some elaborate feather making machine. However, on closer inspection I determined that they probably once originated on a live bird. I then checked where they were made and saw it was China. Now, I don’t imagine those birds were kept free range, leading happy and healthy lives before their feathers ended up in the dye pot! And where were the rest of their little bodies destined? The mental image I conjured of this kind of craft farming was not pleasant, also the words “bird flu” flashed through my mind as I looked over to see Big Sis tickling Babies face with a particularly long pink feather!
My horror reminded me of the moment on The Simpsons when Homer finds the organised crime bosses milking rats and selling it to the school! With a shudder I snatched the feather from Big Sis and said in an overly firm manner - “Not near faces!” She looked at me wide eyed, replying - “But mummy the feathers are so beautiful!”
One day, I imagine we will be sourcing our kids craft activities from free range, organic craft farms. Local, of course, to cut down the craft miles ;). But seriously, the poor birdies! Not near faces Big Sis, please, not near faces!
feathers, kids craft
Posted in Daily post | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007
I try not to write too many posts about my kids toileting. Tempting as it is, I’d hate them to have to search out therapy aimed at kids whose parents excessively blogged about their toilet behaviour! You laugh, but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere - just a google search away!
Despite this, I feel compelled to share our progress along Little Bros’ road to toilet training. We started to discuss matters but until today he has seemed a little uninterested for my liking. I suspect, being boy, he was thinking - “What’s in this for me? Don’t they understand that nappies are so convenient!”
Today, in an effort to hasten things along, I bought a packet of chocolate freckles. As I packed the groceries away I had my back to them and I started to explain - “Now, I’ve got these chocolate freckles as a reward for Little Bro, if he does a wee or poo on the potty then he can have one”. Before I’d got all the words out I heard a scurrying behind me, I turned from my unpacking to see that Little Bro had pulled his pants down, flung his nappy across the room and was struggling onto the potty which Big Sis had retrieved from the bathroom at what must have been the speed of light.
As Little Bro sat, Big Sis negotiated. First she talked commission. Her argument was that she was crucial to the success of the whole plan and as key personnel should receive a reward at least equal to Little Bro. Then we talked numbers. She got me to agree to a freckle for each hand for a wee, and a freckle for each hand plus an extra one for the mouth for a poo!
Once finalised she cheered from the sidelines while Little Bro spent the next few hours producing wees and poos in the potty in unnaturally quick succession!
My advice to any parent looking at toilet training is simple, forget the books - just don’t spare the chocolate! Oh yeah, and never negotiate with terrorists or 4 year olds!
chocolate freckle, potty training, rewards
Posted in Daily post | 7 Comments »
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007
I apologise for the lack of posts over the last little while. Each day has become an endurance event. I use the term “day” lightly, as really they are 24 hour cycles with no distinction between day and night. The problem is that there hasn’t been a period of longer than 3 hours where every family member has been asleep for the last month. You don’t have to be a Guantanamo Bay torturer to predict what this can do to parents mental state, but enough complaints!
Today I drove the kids into DSO’s place of work (or at least where he puts in half his time - before returning home when it really begins!). I might add it was more successful than the last time I drove in to “show the baby”. The baby in question (and I wont name names) pooed through 2 outfits and one baby car seat in the way in - so she had to greet fans dressed only in a nappy and singlet with suspicious yellow stains on her arms and legs!
Anyway, during the car trip 2 of the 3 kids fell asleep. I swear if had been all 3 I would have pulled over, locked the door and shut my eyes! As the child awake wasn’t so talkative I listened to some music and started thinking - why are all these songs about love before you become a grown up? Love, before you realise what it’s all about? You know the lyrics, mysterious strangers, time walking along beaches, the heartbreak when it doesn’t work out.
Come on song writers of the world - how about some lyrics for when it does work out? The love you feel when you return home from work and find your beloved in her tracksuit, covered in baby vomit, but retaining her sense of humour? Or the sense of deep connection when you see the your lover pace the room singing “Ba Ba Black-sheep” for the 20th time to the child in his arms?
How about when you know you picked the right one and that you have created people together (who’d have thought it possible?) Even the surge of passion when you go for your first post-partum grown up dinner and you sit opposite your lover in a nice restaurant with no one asking you to take them to the toilet and not having to remove the salt and pepper from the table.
I lay down my challenge to the song writers of the world - enough adolescent love lyrics, let’s hear about the real thing!
Baby, parenting, Sleep
Posted in Daily post | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
I used to be a girl who traveled light. I’d even avoid a handbag when going out at night by wearing clothes with enough pockets for a credit card, some cash and a lipstick.
Things have drastically changed as now I’m one of those mums with a double pram bigger than the average 4 wheel drive. It’s actually 3 wheeled, high of the ground, with an infinite number of recline positions for the kids, shopping baskets underneath and wallet and mobile phone pockets at the back.
Yesterday I did my first shopping and “gingerbread man” trip with all the kids and Dog in tow. It was like packing for a camping trip and it crossed my mind that really the twin stroller is a new urban assault vehicle. Here is a list of supplies:
- Dog lead
- Bags to pick up dog poo
- Change bag, complete with nappies for 2 size of children, wipes and nappy bags
- A change of clothes for the baby in case of enormous poo or vomit (have you noticed how often poo features on this list?)
- Hat, sunnies and sunscreen for Big Sis, Little Bro and me
- Water
- Snacks for kids including rice crackers and sultanas
- Colouring books, textas and a matchbox car for entertainment in cafe or when required
- Shopping list due to sleep deprivation short term memory problems
- Wallet, phone, keys
- Jackets/jumpers for all kids in case it gets cold
- Muslin cloth to protect baby from the sun
- Pegs to secure muslin cloth over pram
I swear if there was a national emergency we could just pull the urban assault vehicle over rig up the muslin cloth and sleep underneath, fully equipped until the situation passed.
Big Sis (who walks next to the pram these days) eyed the preparations but commented that we would be in trouble if baby needed some milk. She said - “We would have to stop and you would have to sit on the footpath and feed mummy!” Indeed we would Big Sis - until I can find a way to strap a fold-able breastfeeding chair to the circus - Indeed we would!
newborn, prams, wlaking with kids
Posted in Daily post | 5 Comments »
Sunday, November 4th, 2007
I promised a follow up on this issue - yes, we made it to the Park Hyatt! The baby was just 24 hours old and DSO, baby and I were in a hotel limousine cruising along the flower lined path towards our 5 star hotel.
I felt like Liz Hurley, Posh Spice or Madonna - post-partum and off to recuperate in style. Mind you, I bet I made a bigger dent in the room service menu than any of those girls!
The room was huge with a sitting area and enormous marble bathroom. Best of all it was circular so Little Bro could do lap, after lap after lap. The kids went crazy. They visited every day and we’d take them to the pool, then they’d come back and have a spa in the room - capping it off with a room service lunch (everything came with french fries of course!)
Big Sis in particular really took to the luxury. She told everyone she met about mummy and the “hospital/hotel”. I suspect some of our neighbours thought mummy had been admitted to some sort of private clinic!
Today Big Sis asked if I’d have another baby. When I asked why she responded immediately - ” I want to go back to the hospital/hotel!”. We all do Big Sis - but having another baby to get there is a false economy, trust me…
birth, hospital stay, maternity, park hyatt
Posted in Daily post | 5 Comments »
