It's been a while

A while? 4 months in fact since my last blog. Anyone would think I had fallen off the face of the earth. For those that care, I am in fact alive and well.

Crash is enjoying school and is now at the top level of his readers. He had to get to level 8 by the end of the year and he's there now. He reads everything, including my emails so I might have to start writing in code. I won't write backwards though as he sometimes reads things backwards without trying. We had a school disco recently and Crash was up on the stage getting his groove on. So was I sitting on the sidelines watching. All I needed was a plastic cup of booze and I was set.

Rowdy has now turned 4. Rowdy is an interesting little character. He's been having extreme mood swings and causing us no end of grief. We've put it down to the hormone surge that seems common at this age. At one point when his head was spinning 360 I just thought he was an alien sent to torment the daylights out of us. Rowdy is going to be at preschool 4 days a week after the school holidays. Here's hoping he's ok with it. We even started a reward chart to try and improve his behaviour - he gets a star for getting out of bed happy. I'd like that for me, but instead of a star, perhaps I could have a bottle of wine. Imagine that, every time I got out of bed happy, a bottle of wine would appear on my doorstep. Cool. Needn't be wine. It could be chocolate, or new shoes, or a leave pass for a night out. I'm not fussy.

And so it's school holidays. As of this year our whole life revolves around the school timetable. It's taken some getting used to. Crash is home for 2 weeks and after things to do. I'm having some time off and tomorrow we're going to the movies to see Marmaduke while Rowdy goes to preschool. Shhhhh, it's a secret, we're not telling him because he'll crack the shits and his head will spin. Later in the week we'll go bowling, or fishing, or whatever. And then there are all the kids who want to have play dates with Crash. Yeah, I think we'll fill the days pretty easily.

Train Ride

Aaah yes public transport. How I missed it. (to be read with a huge amount of sarcasm).

My car was being serviced on Wednesday so Mr Chic kindly drove me to work. I then declared that I would walk to the station and catch the train home in the evening. Clearly I was on some kind of mind-altering drugs when I suggested this. It ended up being a 25 minute walk to the station, most of the walk there was no path, but merely rocks. At one point the road seemed to be vertical and I was thankful that I was walking downhill. My feet were not happy, my knees were not happy. But I made it to the station with plenty of time for the train.

I decided the safest place to stand on the station was in front of the station police-station (oh yes I'm serious). The station isn't that rough really, I'd just never been there before, well not for about a million years.

The train arrives and I choose a seat next to sleeper-boy, disappointed I didn't have a window seat. The train was an express and in 2 stations I'd be getting off. However that was in 45 minutes time so I really wanted a window seat and space to myself. Next station and I had a seat to myself, a window seat and it was on the left hand side of the train. Perfect. Now I could relax.

And then I noticed the music, and the clinking of bottles. Was I aboard the electric pub train? *sigh* ok, so the music is loud but it's ok, actually it was a mix of rock music which almost prompted me to ask the owner what the song was as I was almost enjoying it. Almost.

We meandered along the edge of the water, such a pretty view, past the station the size of my car, I day-dreamed about living across the river, totally isolated from the world. I thought the train should slow down so I could try to spot fish amongst the oyster racks and enjoy the tranquility. The tranquility in my mind anyway. The background noise to this was a hard rock song which I believe went something like "die motherf***er die", yes that did seem to be the common reoccuring line.

In and out of tunnels which totally took me back to my childhood of catching the same trainline to the city in the school holidays with my dad. I was always excited by the tunnels. Now they just make my ears hurt. Or perhaps that was the music.

Over the rail bridge and we start the climb up the hill. More tunnels. Oh a new song. Hmmmm much like the previous one. I knew I should have brought my ipod. Sweet relief, the music stops, oh he's on a phone call, no the conversation is not even interesting.

I look out the window, such beautiful bushland we live so close to, it goes for miles, you can hardly see the last bushfire's damage.

The phone call ends, the music starts back up, 'shhhht' a drink gets opened. I could go one myself.

Extreme Opposite of Sydney

I no longer work in Sydney. It's bliss. I no longer drive in peak hour traffic. I'm looking for 6th gear instead of being lucky to make it into 3rd. I drive fast and am in the car for less time. I drive past rivers and boats and over mountains. I get to work and instead of inhaling smog and any other virus known to man I get to smell salt air and green grass combined with the scent of horses as they gallop past on their morning run.

There may not be a big Westfield but I'm still close to shops.

The picture above was taken on a lunchtime walk - 5 minutes from the office. Next time I go there I'm taking a handline.

Signwriting Fail

This is the sign that is on the trailer of a lawn guy who mows one lawn in our street (Mr Chic mows 9). I've shared this on facebook but I had to re-post it here. It never ceases to make me laugh.

Me Emotional??

I am hopeless. Truly. It takes nothing for me to burst into tears or at least tear up at something - a news article, an advertisement, my boys doing something sweet, it really doesn't take much.

Crash started school a few weeks ago. He loves it and was instantly at home in the classroom. The whole drop off on the first day took us about 15 minutes. Too easy. Too fast. I held it together until the walk back to the car when I lost it completely.

Mr Chic tells me that a kid in Crash's class had been held down and punched in the toilets at the school by 2 other kindy kids. I was in tears. And I wanted revenge. Crash is now best friends with this little boy and the friendship they have is so cute and special. They greet each other all the time with a big bear hug. It melts me. Thankfully I don't see it as Mr Chic does the school run or I'd be crying daily.

Crash got a little package from his teacher with a little note. It was very cute. I read the note and lost it. The note came with a pile of little things, a tissue, stickers, Hershey kiss, lifesavers etc all in a little snap-lock bag. This is what the note said. I attempted to read it out loud but had to pass the note to Mr Chic. He just looked at me like I was a lunatic.

Welcome to KP

The items in this bag have special meaning:

The cotton ball is to remind you that our room is full of kind words and warm feelings.
The chocolate kiss is to comfort you if you feel sad.
The stickers are to remind you we all stick together and help each other.
The stars are to remind you to shine and always try your best.
The money means you are valuable and special.
The tissue is to help you dry someone's tears.
The rubber is to remind you that everyone makes mistakes and that it is okay!
The lifesavers are to remind you that you can always come to me if you need to talk.

His teacher is a sweetheart. Me? I'm just way too emotional.

a letter of thanks

After spending months job-hunting and getting more and more frustrated with recruitment agencies, I landed a position and then wrote a letter to the owner of the recruitment agency expressing my views. Here is that letter. (please excuse the quality, for some reason I failed at cut and paste).

Training for Motherhood

It occurred to me whilst folding laundry (oh I lead an exciting life, I do), that someone should have given me a list of things to do before having children, and if I could cope with those things, then I was more likely to cope being a mother.

This is my list but feel free to add any recommendations!

1. Fill a squirty bottle with urine and spray throughout the house and car (it's a smell you really need to get used to)
2. Shove a biscuit/piece of toast into any available opening - such as a vcr (if you still have one)
3. Smear your work clothes with wheat bix immediately before you leave for work
4. Leave matchbox cars, marbles and other random toys throughout the house and navigate the walk to the kitchen in the dark without hurting yourself
5. Buy an industrial sized washing machine and dryer
6. Read a children's books whilst mentally somewhere else
7. Love craft and be able to turn an egg carton into various animals using only the contents of the pantry (and incidently I have 2 boys hassling me to 'make fish craft' right as I type this)
8. Empty a bag of sand into your car
9. Take a couple of puppies to the supermarket and make sure puppies don't destroy anything or wee on the floor
10. Dress an octopus
11. Set an alarm clock to wake you up at regular intervals during the night. At one of those times, empty a container of curdled milk all over your bed and the carpet and then clean it up and change the sheets.
12. Play a Hi5 cd on repeat in your car, and your house if you can.

Enthused and Ready

So finally I'm back on the blog. Blog people, not bog. It's taken a couple of days into the new year but I've eased my way into my resolutions - which this year started as 'I refuse to make resolutions' but now it's a simple 'move more, eat better (and less) and drink less'. Simple. I've even been on my treadmill twice already. I know, it's a miracle.

I discovered though that my jogging shoes were actually causing me a recurring blister so I bought two new pairs today. No excuses now. I'm actually itching to try them out so when I had the blissfulness of having the house to myself for an hour or so, I thought............... I might look in the cupboard and grab a chocolate or two and get on the computer. D'oh!!

Move along now, nothing to see here. Oh well, I'll do an extra 15 minutes tonight. Promise.

Ok so 2009 is gone for good and good riddance too I say. I start my new job next Monday and I'm super excited and just a teeny bit nervous. I must say it will be nice to be driving the opposite direction to all the poor commuters travelling south to Sydney. I shall wave my hand in a queen-like manner and laugh 'ha ha ha suckers!'.

I hope all my readers have a fantasticly bouncy 2010!