Transition Tremors

I'm not sure if I'm enjoying the transition from toddler to boy or what is sometimes known as the "terrible 2's". It seems that Henry has already learned that whingeing and whining gets attention from someone, anyone......who cares as long as he gets it. He's also throwing many more tantrums and outrightly refusing to do anything he's asked to do. He just shakes his head and says "nope" and runs off.


Maya and I took him to the park today. The park that has all this great new "small child" friendly play equipment. Henry's excitement lasted for all of about three seconds before he decided he wanted to run far far away from us. He had nowhere in particular in mind. It seemed his sole purpose was to have us chase after him just to prove he was able to manipulate us into doing whatever he wants us to do. We eventually got him back to the play equipment and he promptly spied some young boy sliding his matchbox cars down the slippery slide. Henry obviously thought it a great opportunity to add to his car collection and ran over and grabbed one just as it hit the dirt. The poor kid stood there looking at Henry like he wasn't sure whether to just beat him over the head and grab his car back or to wait politely until someone came. I tried to encourage Henry to give the car back but he just kept saying "nope". I had to use force to pry it from him. This elicited an almightly scream and enough tears to end the drought.

Some people don't believe me when I tell them that Henry is capable of such bad behaviour. My mother especially chooses to block her ears when I tell her such things. In her eyes he could do no wrong. EVER. To her he's perfect. To her he's angelic and beautiful and charming and smart. I guess I need to get her to take him to the park and make him give back some other kids' matchbox car.

Considering a new future

I've been throwing around a few options for my future. Study....work...study (half an option if I win lotto)...work....stay at home mum (not really an option because no one pays you to do this).

While searching online for a job this is what Henry did to the loungeroom floor...

If I was being paid cleaner/child carer rates I might not be so upset by this daily rearrangement of my living space.

Supernanny would say I should have been paying attention to him and not jobhunting. That's easy to say when you're getting paid Hollywood rates.

Goodnight Trucks

Just the other evening Henry was sitting (remarkably) very quietly playing with his trucks. He was saying "night night trucks, go sleep" and when we looked down to see how he was tucking them in this is what we saw.
All his trucks turned upside down. That is apparently how a truck should sleep. Last night he did this again with all his trucks and then went and got his papillow (pillow) and blankie (blanket) and covered them ever so gently and then lay right down on top of them.

Rabbit Proof Fence

My sister found this photo of herself, my brother and me with our father when we were obviously very young. When I showed it to Maya she said we look like kids from the movie Rabbit Proof Fence.

I have no idea what she means.

When a Battery Hen can't produce a decent egg

Some of you know that out of desperation I've had to take on some work that produces a desire to cluck like a hen. This is work I did for years, years ago. Years ago it suited me and meant I could be a little more flexibe. After I left it though I made a promise to myself never to do it again. Sometimes though promises have to be broken. When there's baby chickens to feed and there's no good free range grazing ground then mother hen must go to the factory. The factory has walls lined with cubicles and telephones and computers and mother hen must take her seat in one of these cubicles and don the headset and dial random telephone numbers and cluck politely while she requests that people interrupt their meal time to answer some ridiculous questions about toilet paper. This kind of mass egg production pays reasonably well but is about as exciting as a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond.

The hens are taken from their cubicle occasionally to be given a statistical run down of their egg production during that shift. These little meetings with the head rooster are supposedly used to provide feedback and offer support and advice on how you can produce more eggs. The client pays a lot of money for the egg production apparently and if you produce less than ten eggs an hour you might need to be retrained on how to lay more productively.

I might not be so cynical about my new position as mass egg producer if I felt that my previous skills in egg production hadn't been overlooked. But alas they were. I have had to endure endless hours of unpaid training for a job I can do with my hands tied behind my back. I've been the head rooster who gives the statistical run downs but that apparently counts for nothing. I'm just hoping that having to mass produce is only a temporary assignment. At least battery hens are allowed to have water at their desk.

Happy Mothers Day

We may wake this morning feeling like it's just another day and in many ways it is. We'll wake to the sounds of our children and maybe grumble a little because they've woken so early and all you wanted to do on this, your morning, was sleep in a little longer. But when they wake and say "cuddle mummy, give a kiss" and land a big sloppy sucker on your cheek you'll soon forgive them. You'll realise that all the hard work you've put in has been worth every second. They bring you breakfast in bed and a handmade card and your heart melts.

When they feel you've had enough rest, usually after ten minutes, they'll start. "Mummy, breakfast, podge". "Mum can you help me clean my room". "Mummy, poop!", "Mum, will you take me to the shops? I really need a new dress and a new pair of pyjamas and a new pencil case and a new pair of shoes.......". "Mummy, chocolate pleease". "Muuuum, have you washed my jeans?" "Mummy read it book".
You'll look at the clock and realise it's not even yet 6am. You've thought about taking the day off work just to be at home with them but you're thinking that going to work is really the only way you're going to get any rest. Just as you're thinking this they come in and beg you to stay home with them because it's Mothers Day. Even though you've just started at a new (or returned to a crap job you did years ago) you give in and say "Ok". You call your employer and leave a message saying you won't be in because you're throat has closed over. Your kids breathe a sigh of relief. You look at them and think you've done the right thing. Just as you're starting to again revel in the beauty of motherhood one of them spills their milk all over the carpet. The other rips all the toilet paper from the toilet roll just for fun.

Your employer calls you back and tells you how important it is that you be at work because you haven't finished your training even though you've done the same kind of work for 12 years. She says they have a lot to teach you still. She suggests you take a soother. She says you also need a medical certificate for a closed over throat. You smile and say ok but you really just want to stuff a rag in her mouth so you no longer have to listen to her. The guilt you feel about not showing up for work eats you alive all day. Then your mother sends you an email . Something about pigeons being there for their babies. Something about how mothers are the ones the children look to for their comfort and to be there when they come home from school and how it's mother's who teach their children values like honesty, integrity and virtue.

How is taking a day off work teaching them honesty, integrity and virtue?

I justify it like this: No one should have to work like a battery hen. Especially on mothers day.

Farewell

Yesterday we farewelled Grandpa. Right about now he should be arriving home and we hope he makes it safely. It was a wonderful opportunity for us all to spend some time together, getting to know each other. Henry took to him like a duck to water and will miss his morning "podge" (porridge) sessions he so lovingly shared with Grandpa. As soon as we win lotto we'll be heading to the States so the rest of Henry's overseas family can get to know him too.

Any podge?

When podge is more than just a breakfast food......

Kittycat ride from New Farm park

.....and the opportunity to act like a tourist comes to an end.

City Botanic Gardens

Interesting note: the Mangroves that grow along the river here only arrived during the 1974 floods and were washed upstream with the rising flood waters.

Banks Street Reserve

Where the city embraces the bush

Burleigh Heads, Greenmount, Coolangatta

It's such a shame that these beautiful beaches have to be the focal point of the overcrowded, overgrown, and otherwise ugly Gold Coast. If it weren't for the beaches and hinterland I would NEVER go there. Driving there is a nightmare and without the beach the Gold Coast would just be a concrete jungle.

Ipswich Railway Workshop Museum

This place is way cool. Not only because it has all kinds of trains and is steeped in history but because it is the coolest interactive museum I've ever been to.

Southbank

Mt Glorious

Bellbird Grove

The kookaburra that ate the ham right out of the sandwich which was in the hand of grandpa Richard

Bellbird Grove lies north west of Brisbane on the way to Mt Glorious. It's a beautiful, serenely quiet spot. I've often driven by the sign but never made the turn to take a look. There's a 1.5 klm walk through the bush which has been designated with input from aboriginal groups. The bark huts are of course not original but serve as a reminder for all those who walked there before us.

the life of an overfed kangaroo

...more Boggo Road