Festival

We have had some rain, Yay!, so we have enough water and we can have visitors over Festival. So if you have a baby, aren't sure about camping with said baby and would like to pull up a piece of floor at Chez Johnson, you are welcome.

We have one guest room with double bed, one room with books in it, but plenty of floor space (and a door), and a large lounge dining room which doesn't have doors on it, so you might get visited by pussy cats. There is also a sofa bed in the family room. I have one portacot. I can supply a bit in the way of bedding, but depending on numbers it some might need to bring their own mattress. We are in NZ for the next couple of days so leave a comment rather than e-mail me.

If you prefer to try camping, you are also welcome to drop over to bath bubby, boil some water, use the fridge or microwave etc. We are about 10 mins from Festival site.

Also, if there is something that you really want to attend at Festival that isn't possible with babies, I will probably be here for most of Festival so some short term babysitting should be available most days. I'll probably pop over for Market Day, but that's about it.

Kids Artwork - handy hints

ok - so some of you might not quite be up to dealing with this yet, but I figured I would write about it while it was still in my brain...

Kids artwork - are you drowning in it? Here are some practical tips I've learnt/made up as we have gone along:

1. Fridge - nice & tradional - depending on strength of your magnets - buy lots of heavy duty ones - give them to rellies & friends who need their fridges livened up
2. blu tack to walls - depends on your taste in decor, but works well
3. frame a couple of particualrly nice ones for their room/ your room/ wherever
4. stick one example (we used to get a choice of 3 or 4 of each variety home from daycare) of other nice ones in A4 display folders - usually some folding required, get child to help pick their own faves (may have a different reason to you - if particularly cute reason or answer to "and what's this one" you can write it on the back...
5. Use larger examples as gift wrap - goes down particularly well with grandparents & other rellies
6. chop up & use as outer cards for birthday cards/party invites etc
7. take digital photos of child & artwork or just artwork before recycling/chucking in bin - works particularly well for the painted egg carton variety of artwork which is hard to fold... Also shows you care about it, but don't have space to keep it all. If you're particularly techy you could even make an album or website where the child can look at their own artwork...

Will gratefully accept any other ideas - the sheer volume has reduced somewhat now that we are into doing "activity sheets" at school - but there is still a vast amount tracking it's way into our house...

I swear I just turned around for an instant...

and he was four. I think he had a good birthday yesterday. He fell asleep on the floor in front of the tv at 6.00pm, stirred briefly when I put him in bed and then bounced in to get into bed with me at 6.30am and seemed quite happy. Daddy is home today (as soon as he gets through Customs and on a plane for Canberra) so we will have more celebrations today.

Happy Birthday little one.

Oh and by the way...

We didn't go for a look.

For a rainy day?

Ok, so there we were, merrily pootling around the gorgeous NZ countryside when this sign leaped (I tell you!) over the hedge at us. Naturally, we spent the rest of our holiday wondering "From what, exactly?" We have come up with a few answers, but we feel the mystery is far from solved...

The first and most obvious being:
Maoris?

Hell, save me from them!

Llary the Llama and his girlfriend Llu-Llu?


They have a mean streak.

Hitch-hikers?

Bludgers, the lot of 'em.

The nine-footed-gumboot-wearing-bumkicker

Last spotted somewhere near Waikikamucau (bootless.)

This mo-fo bunny?

Killer rabbits are a menace over there. Shoot Bunnies.

The nine-footed-gumboot-wearing-bumkicker's distant cousin, "Ca-pilla"?

Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about him either, Pers!

Wolves?

We all need saving from wolves.

Tilda Swinton?

It's the red mascara, isn't it?

Brussel Sprouts?

And these are the worst offenders, I think.


Moldovian Grandmothers?

Or bad denistry, you decide...

Themselves?

They look sweet and innocent on the outside.

So in conclusion, we're really not sure what they should be saved from, or even for, for that matter. But it made for a rather amusing diversion from "Mordorrrr" everytime we saw some mountains. Which was frequent.

I've got a new trick

Yes, I'm reading!

This one's a harrowing tale of a small white mouse who has trouble identifying his pet dragon. It all ends happily, I'm pleased to report where mouse and dragon are reunited. The text is a little repetative I must say.

No. Actually the new trick is head control. No more face plants for me!

I'm too old for homework - wahhh

Warning - venting contained, once I get it off my chest I'll be fine but....

Yes the above is from me and not my daughter... I was warned (thanks Mim!) but it's hit with a vengeance. I don't mind the reading every night or the take home and do the cut/colour/paste on the letter of the week even - what I can't stand is the ****ing homework diary! In Kindy! You might be thinking - well that's what you get with a private school - but friend's kids in public schools have the same thing.

Not only do you need to add the date, the title of the reader and the running total of the days that reading has been done - you have to come up with a comment! Arrrrggghhhhh...

Now those who have more enthusiasm for this than me are probably wondering what's the fuss. Hmmm let's see. Threw a tanty cos she had to read instead of watch TV - probably not a good look, therefore into homework diary as "wants to go fast therefore looks at pictures not words...".

A kindred heart has written an ever so more elegant version of this rant in the Feb edition of Sydney's Child and I am so exactly there in terms of both the sentiment and the more profound changes noted by the author. Homework standover tactics do not need to start in Kindy - why aren't kids allowed to be kids anymore?

Tips, Anybody?

We have 3 sleeps till our trip for two weeks in NZ. Just wonder if anyone's got any cunning advice or tips for o/s travel with a crawling 10 month old. We're going to Canterbury Faire, so sleeping in a dorm's probably going to be interesting, as we won't have a porta-cot with us.

We survived!

I just thought I'd publicly thank the boy for being so fabulous over the weekend.

We went to Queensland for the weekend to introduce him to the rest of the family. I'd prepared myself for a sleepless two days and screaming on the plane. But there was no trouble at all.

I fed him when the plane was taking off and landing to stop his ears hurting. On the way up he slept in Tops' arms. On the flight home he lay in my lap and made friends with the tray table...at least I think that was what he was smiling at.

He had no trouble sleeping in the porta-cot. I suspect that it being hours past his regular bedtime on the first night helped him to sleep soundly. I also think he was comforted by the fact that we were in the same room as usual.

He charmed the whole family. He puked all over grandma and smiled heaps at the nieces (6yo and 2yo).

Now we are back and having a rest day. But thankfully it wasn't the stressful occasion that I was dreading.

Hooray for well behaved family.

Is it possible to take children out to dinner?

We went out for dinner, with the kids, last night for the first time in years. I think it's fair to say that by the time dinner arrived we were wishing we hadn't. At least without a strait jacket or restraints to hold Charlie in his chair. He was determined to go for a swim in the pool just outside the restaurant (motel restaurant in town that had been recommended). D took him outside to look at the pool, while explaining why he couldn't go swimming (ie you can't swim yet little man) and turned around to find Charlie in the process of stripping off. Finally he got him back into the restaurant with promises that he would behave, only to have him run off again, several times. So I just wanted to ask, is it possible to take small children with you when you go out to dinner, or should we just give up?

Nappies - reviews

Hi people,

I need a new brand of nappies.

We started with the huggies newborns (up to 5kg) since they were the cheapest. We grew out of those in 3 weeks.

Then we used the huggies infants (4-8kg). Now technically we aren't too big for these yet, but they just aren't able to take the ...erm... volume. We've had a few messy blowouts.

We've upgraded to huggies crawler (6-11kg) but these look massive on him.

So I'm looking for a disposable that is midway between these sizes. Also, in the bigger sizes, I don't think huggies is the cheapest anymore but I haven't had the leasure to stand in the shop and do the calculations.

Right now we are in cloth nappies thanks to a nappy service present from my ex-workmates. They aren't too bad but require a little extra attention since they don't have the space age technology to store moisture.

So what have you people used?

I suspect one nappy is pretty much as good as the next these days, but there may be some brands that are better than others.

Youngest mother ever was a 5 year old Peruvian girl

Check it out on snopes

This was one of those disturbing things someone sent me when I was pregnant, in the hope that I might stop whingeing.

I have one of 'those' children

you know the type.
the ones who

bite

I was one and this morning Oliver showed signs of continuing the tradition.
Middle of a temper tanty, I picked him up and held him and he bit me on the shoulder.

Oh yes, he was very popular then.

I had hopes that he would have a lot more of MrNw's temperament, but it appears otherwise.

Oh the horror

The gap has started

Yes - wobbly tooth no. 1 has gone (thanks to an extra tough gingerbread man). Wobbly tooth no. 2 is going any day now... And yes the tooth fairy did her bit (thanks to Shirley Barber, my advice - avoid this author as loooong as possible - she can draw, not write).

I'm guessing we'll be singing "all i want for Xmas is my 2 front teeth" next year...

"All babies are in the 90th percentile"

according to Coz.

Which makes my boy perfectly average.

JR went for his 8 week check yesterday and scored 90% or more on all the tests. Yes, I've produced an over achiever. Who would have thought! :)

He looked so cute in the little weighing chair. Damn I wish I had the camera. He's 6kg! Some of that milk must be staying down... He has a tendancy to coat one of us in milk at least once a day...

The nurse remembered us too.... or at least she remembered the tie-dye.

Bugger!

Hi guys, happy new year and all that. I've buggered up. I went to move my blog to Beta and it's moved this one as well (probably clicked somewhere without realising). So now we've got three contributors and everyone else has disappeared. I will send out the emails again to everybody now. Sorry about the annoyance...

Dear Mummy

Dear Mummy

I have been working on a little project for some time now (no it's not in my nappy) and I am pleased to announce that I have produced two teefs. You will find them on my bottom gum in the middle and I will bite hard if you put your finger in my mouth. (Consider yourself warned). I also want you to know that although I haven't bitten you on the booby yet, I reserve the right to do so without notice. Please don't scream too loud or you might hurt my ears and/or upset me. Please note also that any attempts to wean me at this time will be met with shrieks of outrage and big sad eyes. Also any attempt to move my cot out of your bedroom so you can't hear said shrieks of outrage will end in both your children being awake half the night. Face it Mummy, I've got all the aces.

I will also be clamping down on any spoons or other things put into my mouth. Including fingers belonging to my brother, who shouldn't be putting his fingers in my mouth anyway cause who knows where they have been.

I am working on the crawling thing. I quite like the drag myself along the floor 'crawl towards the booby' thing we have going at the moment and think it's silly that you are embarrassed about showing Grandpa and Grandma how I crawl. I like being naked and showing off. I can't see what the problem is.

luv Gemma

She hasn't bitten me yet, but I just know it's going to happen. I'm scared. Those little f**kers look sharp. At the moment the only way I can get her to crawl is to expose her favourite 'snack' and watch her little eyes light up. Needless to say this won't be demonstrated at the Xmas lunch. It's probably a good thing I don't get drunk.

Little sister's revenge

D and I are waiting for the day that Gemma can take on Charlie and win. We suspect it won't be long now. She got in an early victory yesterday when Charlie, lying on the floor, had Gemma lying on his chest and was bouncing her up and down. She giggled and giggled and then 'cheesed'. On Charlie's face who, unfortunately for him, was laughing at the time. You can imagine the rest.

Just one of those difficult times when you are trying to be sympathetic, while trying not to collapse laughing at the same time.

The Great Santa Debate...

Personally, I've never been a big fan of Xmas - but kids naturally are... The excitement, the lollies, the sparkly stuff, the lollies, the holidays, the lollies ad nauseum. Which brings me to the Great Santa Debate - do you, or do you not, perpetrate the whole Santa myth? We don't in house for a variety of reasons - lying to your child, materialism of Xmas being about presents, the threat of "being good" for presents only and not for general contribution to niceness and wellbeing, not being churchy folks, a strange man coming into your house in the middle of the night... We developed our "Santa" answer fairly early on - that Santa is a tradition and represents Xmas which is about showing how much you love each other etc.

Does it work in the face of marketing, school, peer pressure, christmas carols, well-meaning adults, and general chaos of life? Not a chance.

Our daughter knows there isn't really a Santa (or pretty much insert make-belive kid's character - tooth fairy, easter bunny), but she believes in Santa. The classic recent quote was "Mum - you're a grown up so you are not allowed to belive in Santa Claus, but I'm a kid, and kids are meant to."

So on we go with 12 days to Xmas left... ho bloody ho.

A sign of the times, sadly...

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but man have I been busy lately...

So anyway, on the Friday, I took Pers to swimming lessons and one of the mums there had her pregnant sister with her who was taking photos of their little girl. I just happened to have my camera, so I asked her to take some shots, which she did and you can see them over on my blog.

On the Saturday, we went for a make up swimming lesson and my parents were with me and had just bought a new digital SLR, which they were keen to try out. My stepdad's the photgrapher and he got a few lovely shots of Pers and I during the lesson, which are lovely and only have Pers and I and sometimes the instructor in them. We finished the class and went out to the little splash pool and my stepdad took some more shots, when eventually, one of the lifeguards came over and asked him not to.

My stepdad got a bit offended, as we were the only subjects in the photos and no other children had been photographed, not even in the background. I actually thought that no cameras were permitted in the changerooms and didn't realise that this extended to the rest of the pool. But I explained it all to my stepdad and he complied, albeit sadly. He asked the lifeguard "What about swimming carnivals?" to be answered with "No photography is permitted at swimming carnivals." "So, what about the beach?" "If you take photos at the beach and you are seen by a lifeguard, you will be asked to stop."

Wow.

Sad, that the scum of the earth have spoiled it for the rest of us who would like to cherish but a few small memories while our kids are kids.

Armpits.