Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Firestarter

I am typing this in the comfort of my very warm and toasty house. Very, very toasty. I have built myself a blazing little fire.
The reason for the poxy photo of my rough head and otherwise awkward looking self is that I need this as proof for Mr Secondstitch that I did in fact get a fire going in his absence. And we can just say that this was one of many great fires I lit and not, say, a one off I persisted with this afternoon knowing that he will be home in 2 days (he's been away for 12 days I think this time. Will be home for 2 days and 2 nights and then off again) and checking out that fireplace for evidence that it has been used. Being a typical blokey bloke he loves a good roaring, way too hot, make everyone sweat fire.
But my Girl Scout skills are incredibly limited and I'm pretty crap at getting a good fire going. It is a very time consuming exercise for me. I use lots of newspaper/firestarters to get it going and it doesn't usually last. One of the oldies about town here advised me to use 'a splash of kero' to make it easier, but I just don't know that I'm ready for that kind of excitement in my life.
So anyway I got the stinkin' thing going this afternoon, and I have the photographic evidence.
I do love to have the fire, but if I could just have someone else to cut the wood, chip up the kindling, clean the fire place out daily, and get up in the middle of the night to throw another log on so it's nice and toasty in the morning - I'd love it a whole lot more. In other 'handy Mum' news I also fixed the washing machine today. I loaded it up last night to set it so it would start itself while I was still asleep this morning, but when I went to close the door it just wouldn't close.
There was this little very rusted out spring at the bottom of the door bit which had broken off at one end, hanging down. Door could not close. So my first plan was to just rip it off altogether, it didn't look that vital. But it wouldn't come off.
Do you see it. It's that caterpillar looking thing hanging down, looking like it's trying to escape my filthy load of (not quite) whites.

So I just need you to know that if this happens to you - this is a problem which can be fixed with Blu Tack. Easy. I'll let you know how long it lasts.
Is there anyone else out there who has to have a child lock on their fridge? We have had one pretty much since Ruby was old enough to walk, but I have never, ever seen one on anyone elses' fridge.

We have two real little fridge raiding bandits on our hands here. And you have to use the lock for it to work, LOL. I am always forgetting. And when I forget we have things like Ruby indulging herself with an entire punnet of strawberries in the time it took me to put Clary to bed last night! And this morning while I was hanging the washing out they both treated themselves to some post-breakfast apple pies.

Here they are. Little turkeys.

They are absolutely terrible to just helping themselves to little snacks when that fridge is not locked. And I can't lock the pantry so it's just open slather there. I don't know what to do. They're very sneaky.

And, just because, a picture of Clary trying to master the art of getting sunglasses on.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Days like this.

It was one of those days today. The kind of day where at, maybe, half past nine in the morning with one child glued to the television and the other wandering aimlessly around with porridge, yogurt, banana, and who knows what else plastered on to his pj's and in his hair, and the mammoth mess that comes with coming home after a few days away all over the lounge room - the friendly, local Avon lady knocks on the door. Yay. And she's not the kind who just collects her catalogue and leaves, she's comin' on in for a chat.



It was one of those days where you go to the pantry and pull out a bottle to make yourself a nice refreshing all natural (yes, I'm sure) lemon cordial, and in doing so knock out one of the pegs holding the top shelf up and watch like it's happening in slow motion as the entire contents of the top shelf cascade out, clunking you on the head before it all hits the floor. A large glass bottle filled with rice smashed - glass and rice everywhere. Broom is missing in action. Find a little dust pan brush but no dust pan. Get vacuum cleaner. Vacuum up half the mess before the vacuum cleaner stops working. The little 'switch self cleaning hepa filter' or whatever it is, is flashing so I take that out and flip it round. Still doesn't work. Decide the barrel is just too full so pull that off and somehow open it before I get to the bin and half a kg of rice and about a weeks worth of other floor scum (which is a lot in this house) all over the floor.
Kids want to play in it.
Clary does play in it.
Empty the rest of it in to the actual bin.
Clary picks piece of toast with vacuum cleaner scum on it out of the bin and tries to eat it.
Decide to try and get the kids to have a sleep so I can sort out the vacuum cleaner/glass, rice and scum-on-floor problem in peace.
Kids don't want to sleep.
I shut the door on them and tell them they are not allowed to come out.
Five minutes later figure I better go and let them out.
We have one of those cheap full length mirrors in our room, the kind you get from Bunnings and I think they're designed to be attatched to your wardrobe, back of the door or whatever. Except if you're lazy and just couldn't be bothered like me, you just lean them up against the wall. Hang on, we had one of those mirrors. Don't anymore. Kids knocked it over and, I figure, they must have jumped on it. Mirror side down, backing side up, so no injuries. Also no vacuum cleaner to clean up all the little shards of glass.
So close the door on that room until further notice.
Get hepa filter out of vacuum cleaner and clean in luke warm water (as per instructions) with toothbrush (not in instructions but I just couldn't see any other way to do it). Wait for that to dry and put back in. Still doesn't work.
Rice and crap being spread all through the house.

So you may have figured out that I have just put in any old unrelated photos with this post. Yes. I put them in a) because I figured my description of this day has been boring enough, do you really need pictures to go along with it?? and b) to remind myself that today was just an off day and life generally really is pretty bloody fabulous.

This is Ruby and I dancing on the table.
And this is our dress up case. It's completely overflowing and we need a bigger one. I just love this case though because it's red with black pinstripe corduroy type fabric on the outside and that lovely pink lining inside.

oh, eventually the vacuum cleaner started working again. Thank God.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Brisbane this time.

So we've had another little trip away. Brisbane this time. Went down because my Dad was in hospital, he had to have a shoulder replacement. I get pseudo pain every time I even think about it. Ack. He's doing OK though.
We stayed with my sister while we were down there and as my kids wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning we went for a little drive early one morning. Out to Shorncliffe Pier. I was hoping to catch a spectacular sunrise but unfortunately it was utterly overcast that day. Still, it was nice to be out there. I took the kids in their PJ's, just covered them up with coats. Ruby insisted on taking her little roller bag which was, of course, filled with toys.
Clary was fairly content just to look around. He's a thinker.
We went back later that day and I tried to get some pictures of my nephew. It was the end of a long day and everyone was a little tired and cranky so I only had about 5 minutes but I got a couple, at least.
I love this bassinet which I found at an op shop in Rockhampton before we moved. And Bailey is ever so cute. He got over the whole photos thing pretty fast. This is his 'glum' face, I think.
Catch you again tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Back.

It's been a while since I posted, the days just totally get away on me. We had a good trip up to Mackay, very long drive, but still pretty good. One of the pluses of our long trip was that we found the best parents room in Australia!! It's in one of the shopping centres in Rockhampton, it's brand spanking new so it is super clean, clean, clean. If you have kids then I'm sure you are aware of how many filthy parents rooms there are out there. Uck! But in addition to being new and clean it also has
a) mobiles hanging above each change table to try and help amuse your child while you are changing them
b)wipes are supplied!!! (although I'm sure this won't last forever)
c)in the seperate little rooms for feeding it has huge activities centres attatched to the walls to entertain your toddler while you feed the baby
d) it also has cages, oh sorry, play pens, set up with TV (on the wall) and little tables and chairs
And, also another thing which I guess won't last, it has free toys!!! Yes, little plastic frogs, which was just so handy as frogs happen to be the most favourite and bestest thing in this house at the moment.
Anyway I just thought I'd mention it in case anyone else finds themselves on the road up that way, looking for a nice, clean, safe place to change the babys' butt.
It's been a bit cold here the last week or so, with that nasty sneaky breeze hanging around. So yesterday when we went over to visit my sister we sat out in the yard for a bit and soaked up the sun. This is my little niece Abby. She's so cute.
Then we had a little trip to the park in the afternoon. Clary sat on the swing for ages watching the men doing the roadworks, he was completely taken with them. Eventually though, the excitement of it all was just too completely overwhelming for him and he had to have a little camp. Poor little sausage, he was just pooped.
It was a fantastic park with lots of cool stuff. It had this monorail type thing which ran on pedal power. Ruby, of course, wanted to go on it again and again and again. Which would have been OK if only the seats on it were a little bigger and the pedals a bit further away. It didn't seem to have been made for adults. Not the best picture here. Yes, if they could just tweak the design a little bit it would be the perfect work out for Mums at the park.
While we tried everything out, Clary just snoozed on, dreaming about trucks and diggers. And my sister gave him the bunny ears.