Friday, September 30, 2011

Wisdom from the Front Line

It's school holidays.
Which means instead of the mad rush to be out of bed, dressed (apparently I'm not to do the school run in my PJs and slippers!), breakfasted, with bags and lunches packed and out the door by 8am; we get to slowly spread Cheerios across the lounge, slop milk on ALL the kitchen benches, sit on the stairwell to munch toast (so both TVs are in viewing range and you can watch 2 programs at once - my kids are high tech I tell you!) and regularly run up to Mum's room to tell on one of your siblings for some minor infraction of the rules whilst simultaneously breaking about three or four of them yourself.
(Actually this is a bit fun for me - I lie in bed and wait for the next installment and they do not fail me. Every morning at least one child comes in to dob on a sibling for "eating/drinking on the carpet". To get to my room they have to cross said carpet. And they always ALWAYS arrive with a bowl of cereal or a drink of juice in hand. The fun is in lying there patiently and silently and listening to how abhorent their sibling's behaviour and blatant disregard for the rules is, and just waiting for that lightbulb moment when they look down at their own hand and remember the bowl/cup/plate there!)

Anyway, it's holidays. Hour upon glorious hour of drawing, cutting, pasting, play dough, bickering, quarrelling, arguing, throwing things, stealing paper from the printer because Mum surely won't notice we took another three hundreds pieces, drew on them and then put them back, eating anything and everything there is in the cupboard not because we're hungry but because it's there ..... you get the idea.

But I do love that every time we spend a few days together, I learn something new about my delightful offspring. Some quality time is a fantastic way to discover something about each of them, and they never fail to disappoint.

Here's a couple of today's gems, where I just listen quietly and try not to laugh too loudly until they've finished the discussion and left the room. (and then I run off and post it on the internet!)


The Rabbit knows all about childbirth apparently. I did post some time ago about the indepth discussion we had about how Boombah got into my tummy, and how badly that conversation went.
He has not mentioned it since. Not throughout the entire next pregnancy or subsequent 10 months of having another new baby in the house. Not a word. Not a squeak.
I figured I had suitably traumatised him well into his teens, and I'd not need to field any more baby related questions or explanations until about 2017.
Today he told me all about when a baby is born and a doctor immediately smacks it on the back or bottom. Because it's naughty to come out of there and hurt its mother doing so, so the doctor smacks it to make sure it doesn't do it again!


The Honey Girl sang me a beautiful song today. It was one she has learnt at school and sung at Assembly for the other grades to hear. She sings with expression and emotion, and loves to add some hand actions in when possible as well.
Today she sang "I'm Gonna Clap My Hands". And with much feeling and spiritual conviction she belted out that "You are the best friend, that I could ever know.
I lift my hands to You cos you died for me upon a cross.
You took away my THINGS and SHARED 'EM" ......

I thought maybe she meant "sin and shame" - but no, she assured me - Jesus takes away your things and shares them around with others if you're naughty. And off she wandered, continuing to sing about Jesus taking away her things and sharing 'em!

And then she told me that it was rude to stick up your middle finger. Like this. But God could do it because God can do anything. And He'd do it. Like this.


Did I mention we send this delightful child to a private and very Christian-based, Bible-focussed school?!! I do think I might take a peek at the curriculum again - what are those school fees being spent on?!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Long Time, No Post!

So it's been a while since I blogged. A long while.
I have a really good reason for that, I promise. And that really good reason is this -

I am absolutely and utterly exhausted. Tired. Worn out. Run down. In desperate need of sleep.

(Plus I always seem to have a baby on my lap which makes my 2 finger stype typing a little more challenging than normal. It's a gamble if I choose to use fingers on both hands at the same time - the more I type, the greater the lean Gavin gets up, and the faster I attempt to hit those keys and get a few more words in before I have to stop him from tumbling off my lap. So I prop him up against me, find his almost-non-existant centre of gravity again - and we do it over. Add in frequent dummy replacements, knee jiggling and back-patting to encouraging burping, and it all just gets too difficult and I refuse to type anything longer than a few status updates on Facebook!)

But I can actually prove that I truly am super-tired at the moment. And my proof does not involve endless stories of multiple baby-led night wakings; breastfeeding 3 year olds who have named my "girls" after his favourite trains (Thomas on the left and Percy on the right!); nightmares about Iggle Piggle and Buzz Lightyear; bed wettings; toilet training the Boombah and a husband who decides to disappear to the wilds of Africa right when the time comes to teach Son #4 to use the toilet ........

No, my proof of total Mummy exhaustion is a short tale about a happening on the highway today. (it's all safe and ends well, fear not!) Whether it's true or not, I'll leave to your own discretion -I'll share the story but am not willing to totally humiliate myself by stating it is fact....just in case the Rooster reads this (they actually do HAVE internet in Africa, sometimes!) and decides to use it as fodder for stirring me up for the next, oh, 40 years or so!

So.... I MAY have been taking a bit of a trip today, which MAY have required me to spend about an hour and a half on the road, in multi-laned traffic. (not my forte)
And I MAY have been driving quietly along, minding my own business, when I noticed a truck beside me wanting to merge into my lane. Now I MAY have braked to let him do so before realising that he was also towing a large trailer and the options were either he was going to merge successfully - into me - or I was going to need to move.
Now I MAY have been reasonably quick thinking at this moment, and indicated my intnetion to switch lanes and give the truck some space; and I MAY have moved over quickly and let the truck merge.

At this point, the truck driver MAY have waved his arm out the window to me, to acknowledge my quick thinking and speedy reflexes, and in gratitude for my foresight and efforts to ensure his safe and timely journey continued.
I MAY have appreciated the gesture and smiled back, hoping he could see me in his mirror, as I was slightly behind him.

He MAY have waved again out his window at me, which MAY have left me thinking he did not see my beaming smile. So I MAY have nodded to him.

And I MAY have driven along merrily for a few moments, grinning and nodding at this friendly truck driver, and thinking how lovely this whole situation was. I MAY have felt a little like I was in a convoy - me and my "truck" (OK, so it's really an 8 seater people mover, but it FEELS like a truck when it comes to parking!) being accepted with open arms and friendly gestures by truckers across the country.
I MAY have imagined my new friend was on his 2 way radio right now, sharing his good fortune to merge in front of me with his colleagues, and telling them to keep an eye out for me and my blue bus, and ensure I also experienced a safe and timely journey.

I MAY have had my thoughts interrupted when I noticed he'd waved again. So, not wanting to appear rude, I MAY have smiled even more broadly and waved back. Enthusiastically.

Picture for a moment - a glass eyed mother commandeering a blue bus that is empty of children but overflowing with carseats, prams, McDonalds wrappers, plastic toys and books; grinning like the Chesire cat and waving enthusiastically at the truck driving in the lane beside her, nodding her head and mouthing the words "no worries mate"!






And at about that moment, I MAY have actually realised the driver of the truck was actually enjoying a cigarette, and was regularly reaching his arm out the window to tap off the ash!!