Peep-peeps and chookns

The Big Fella has always been really keen to have his own chickens - for eggs and possibly for meat.  So far we've had two attempts.

A couple of years ago we got 3 chickens.  One disappeared.  Then another.  It turned out that the butcher birds got them.  We decided to get a duck to keep the last one company.  The last one turned out to be a rooster.  It didn't survive very long after that.  The duck went to live with a bunch of other ducks and seemed quite happy every time we saw it.

The Big Fella got a book a little while ago that goes through the specifics of raising farm animals - chickens, sheep, cows and pigs.  He's particularly interested in raising his own pigs to then make his own smallgoods.  But he got excited again about the possibility of having chickens.  He'd arranged to get four "layers" from a lady at work, so he built the chicken yard.  The deal with the lady at work didn't come through as expected.

Then last week the Big Fella went and got a chook from a guy up the road who has a million of them (not really, but it seems like that sometimes).  He caught one and put it in the box then caught another, went to put it in the box and the first one flew out and away.  So he brought the 2nd one home.

He put it in the chook yard and it... flew over the fence into our back neighbour's yard where the dogs chased it until it flew to their next door neighbour's yard.  They have a little border collie puppy who proceeded to round the chook up and bite off it's tail feathers before the chook was finally caught and returned to us!

The poor chook was obviously traumatised and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find a way out of the chook yard (with new fencing wire added to the top section).

In the morning the chook was gone.

The Little Big Fella was absolutely devastated!  The Big Fella was annoyed.

We ended up going a lady's place just out of town.  She breeds several "varieties" of chickens and had some in the incubator.  So we had a look around and a chat and decided we'd get some chicks once they hatched.

The lady called us yesterday afternoon and asked if we'd like to come and choose our chicks.  So this morning the Big Fella and the Little Big Fella went out there to choose our chicks and bring them home.  They ended up choosing three Orpingtons and two Rhode Island Reds.  Here's what they'll look like when they're grown:

The Little Big Fella is in love!  He hasn't been away from the chicks all day, except when I practically dragged him out for lunch with friends.  Everywhere we went (we had some errands to do after lunch) he told everyone about his "peep-peeps" and that they're going to grow into "chookns".

Here's a few pics from throughout the day :-)

Because they're so small (I think they only hatched 24-48 hours ago) we have to keep them indoors for a few weeks.  We also got a nice warm globe for one of our reading lights so they can keep warm under it overnight.  Tomorrow I'm hoping to take them outside for a little while and introduce them to the chook yard.  We introduced them to the dogs this afternoon (very carefully) and the dogs are very interested in them but behaved really well.

So hopefully it'll be "third time's the charm" and this lot will survive, not be roosters and start laying eggs for us in the near future!

Under the Sea

I mentioned recently that I'd be sharing one of the effects of my re-think about being a stay-at-home mum.  Well, today's the day!!!

When I was little, I dreamed of having a themed bedroom.  Maybe a bunk bed with my sister that was built like a jungle cubby, complete with a rope bridge to climb up and a slide to get down.  Fake trees and vines all over the walls and ceiling and a few birds hanging around.  Maybe even a mural painted all over the walls and ceiling!!!  I wanted to feel like our room was a different place.

I've been thinking about similar things for the Little Big Fella's room, but on a slightly smaller scale.  And in creating that fun space, we could learn things along the way.

So last week I collected a few things from the cheap shop and the other day the Little Big Fella and I made some hot glue gun glitter fish.

Some what???

Hot glue gun glitter fish!  We drew fish on coloured paper, then used the hot glue gun to put blobs of glue on them, then tipped glitter on the glue.  Hot glue gun glitter fish!  Ta da!

""I'll take a photo of you Mum!

 The Little Big Fella grabbed my camera for this shot :-D

So we made the fish!  I'd also found some other fishy things around the house that we'd done previously - a fishing game where I'd made paper fish and put paper clips on their noses so we could "hook" them with a paper roll fishing rod, a picture we'd coloured a long time ago, and a seagull that we'd made after playing with one at a local event.

Over the last few days we've been re-creating the Little Big Fella's room, watching under the sea movies and reading fishy books :-)

The entry to our Under the Sea world :-)

Blue cellophane waves really add to the feel of the room
(and with the temps starting to hot up, they make it feel cool like the water too)

The "seaweed" is some raffia, the cut out fish are from the game, and the coloured paper is the hot glue gun glitter fish.
And the toys are normally in the blue box :-)

And our seagull (who will have to move when we need to use the fan :-D)

I've got some other ideas to add to the room and heaps of ideas for the future (jungle, space, beach, pirates...).  So far it's fun and the Little Big Fella loves his under water world.

In other news of the day ;-)...

The Big Fella made some garlic pork sausages today that taste awesome.  I helped him stuff them into the skins and then he smoked them in our new smokehouse/BBQ.

AND... yesterday we had a bit of time in the garden pulling weeds, planting the herbs out from the pots into the vege patch, mowing, whipper snipping, fertilising... it was exhausting!  But it's looking great:

So that's what we're up to at the moment.  And I'm a bit exhausted so I'm heading to bed :-D  Then on to the next episode in the adventures of ScooterShell and the Big Fellas!!! ;-)

Daddy, I love you

Back in May I dedicated a post to my Mum.  Well, I've been planning to do this for a while, and seeing that tomorrow is Father's Day here in Australia, it's time to do a post for my Dad.

I was really lucky because my Dad worked from home for most of my growing up years.  That meant he always had time for me.  Even with three siblings, I always felt like he had time for me.

Dad spent a lot of time in the car over the years!  He drove me and my three siblings to school when it was wet, various friends' places and events and all the things that kids and then pre-drivers get up to :-)  And he was always happy to do it!  I don't recall him ever complaining about it, or even being slightly grumpy.  I'm a bit in awe of that actually!

I think my strongest memories of my Dad are the times that he drove me to dance classes.  It would be just him and me in the car most of the time and I could pick his brains about anything.  We had a great, communicative relationship anyway, but driving time was the best!

I was certain my Dad knew everything, because, like most little girls I guess, my Dad was my hero!  And he did have an answer for all my questions!

See, Mum was my practical wisdom go-to person, but Dad was my philosophical wisdom go-to person.  And I loved exploring the goods and evils of the world with him, the whys and wherefores of schoolground politics, how I should react to the mean boys or nasty girls, or the boring teachers ;-).  Dad was a pastor so I also talked about all aspects of Christianity with him too.  He explained stuff that was way over my head in ways that really made sense to me.

Dad also ran (with Mum and some other people) a primary (elementary) school aged youth group.  It was so fun!  It was kind of based around Scouts so we did lots of games and stories, but also learned life skills like map reading, lighting fires, rescuing people and basic first aid.  I was always so proud of how much Dad knew and how well he taught it, and that my friends got to see how lucky I was.

And I always knew how lucky I was to get the Dad I got.  I knew, without a doubt that my Dad loved (and still does love) me!  He gave me time, knowledge, patience, wisdom, computer skills, and a framework for viewing and evaluating my life.  There is no way I would be the person I am today without my Dad!

We had lots of fun with Dad too!  He instilled in us a love for playing cards and board games.  I'm pretty sure almost every school holidays included us all playing Rummiking or Threes together.  And those times were full of laughter. 

And, of course, the days out in the bush running around, following Dad rock jumping along rivers and creeks, lighting the fire and cooking snags (sausages) for lunch, then finishing off with some toasted marshmallows or damper with lots of butter and jam.

Dad always had music on in the house too. The radio or a cassette (showing my age), and always a whole range of music - international music, Christian, pop, rock, and others.  I don't think we had much classical or opera in the house, but I love the range of music that he introduced me to.

When I was a pre-schooler, Dad flew small planes and I remember flying with him when I was only 3 or 4 and feeling so safe, even when the plane got a bit bouncy from turbulence.  Thanks to him I've never been afraid to fly!

As I got older, my Dad was still the person I went to if I was feeling blown about by the world.  He is a rock of reason and comfort.  The times I've felt like I had it all figured out and then the rug gets pulled out from under me, Dad has been a solace, helping me to find my feet again.

Now that I'm all grown up and married and have a child of my own, I'm still inspired by my Dad.  As he and Mum go out and re-create their life in many ways, Dad inspires me to discover and re-discover the things I love; To expand my horizons and stretch my boundaries; To reconsider the things that I thought I'd written off and see if they actually still fit me; To value friendships, old and new; to dare to live the life that I've been given.

My Dad is a romantic and writes great letters and cards.  Birthdays, Christmas and other card-giving occasions always included specific mentions of the things he loved about us or was proud of or thankful for.  I don't know about my siblings, but it always makes me feel so special and loved.

Dad isn't a handy man - he doesn't fix things or rebuild cars or much along that line.  But he taught us what he did know and always made me feel loved.    And I think that's THE most important thing for a father to do - make sure your kids feel special and loved, and know that you're proud of them.

Dad, you score 100% on that one!  I love you so much and am SO grateful to have been blessed with you for a father!  Being this far away has its particularly sucky parts, like not being able to share a great meal and bottle of wine with you tomorrow.  But I want you to know that I value the impact you've had on me, and the love you give.  You're still my hero Daddy and I miss you so much.  I hope you have a great day tomorrow and I'm looking forward to calling you and having a good ol' chat :-D  I love you heaps!

This IS my life

I always thought I'd be an awesome mum.  I thought I'd be the crafty, cooking, smiling, super-calm 50's style super-mum.  And while I think I'm a pretty good mum, I'm certainly not living up to my (original) expectations.

When the Little Big Fella was first born, there was a long period of time (about 2 years) where I would have said most of the time I hate being a mum.  Thankfully, that has changed.  Now I only hate it sometimes ;-)

I recently applied for a job that I thought I was perfect for.  I did an awesome application then... nothing!  No calls, no e-mails, no letters.  I didn't even get an interview.

I mentioned a week or so ago that the Little Big Fella received an enrolment offer for kindergarten.  As well as being so excited about him growing up, I wasn't sure how it would logistically work if I was working full-time, given the kinder hours.


I'm getting ready to do a challenge with Fit Yummy Mummy starting next week, and I've been thinking about my goals within that.  The side effect is that, between FYM and not getting a job I thought I was perfect for, I've also been thinking about my life and what I love about it, but also what I'd like to change.

And I came to the realisation that this is my life!  I am a stay-at-home mum. So if this is my life, shouldn't I live it instead of waiting and hoping for something else?  I mean, I won't get these years at home with my son again! I want to make the most of them!

You know, there are so many negatives about being a stay-at-home mum.  The household income is dependent on one person, you rarely get to go to the loo on your own, your life is consumed with bodily functions (bleuch!), there's a huge amount of pressure to shop well, cook well, clean, educate, entertain, don't use the TV as a babysitter, be happy when your significant other gets home, continue your education, be "present" in every moment of your child's daily life, look after yourself and on and on and on.  There is guilt lurking around every corner because, no matter what you're doing there's something else that you should be doing!

But I've been reading a couple of blogs lately that have reminded me of the privilege that I'm currently enjoying as well.

• I get to set my own timetable
• I get to do all kinds of activities with the Little Big Fella
• I get to be his best friend (for now)
• I get to make a home for my son and husband, I get to do things when it suits me (like exercise, shopping, random day trips when the Big Fella has days off)
• I can more strongly influence the health-i-ness of the food in our house
• I get to have "play dates" with all my friends (it has nothing to do with the kids!)
• I get to be silly and laugh and see the world through a little person's eyes again
• I get to be there for every milestone and achievement
• I get to cuddle and kiss away the hurts and fears of my little boy as soon as they occur
• I get to influence every aspect of his life and be the example of what he could be (scary but somewhat inspiring thought)
• I get to ride a motorbike and hear him laugh and giggle
• I get to tickle him and hear that wonderful sound all the time
• I get to plan awesome activities and adventures for us to do
• I have the time to spend with other people whenever they're available, which would be particularly tricky if I was working and had to "fit them in" around work, cooking, cleaning and "family time"
• "Family time" is all the time!
• I get the joys of having animals around the place - and it is a joy because the Little Big Fella loves them so much
• I appreciate the awesomeness of time alone, pampering, shopping for anything other than food, long, hot showers etc. much more when I get to have them

There's plenty more, but I don't want to make you all green with envy ;-)

In the next few days I'll be sharing with you one of the effects of all this thinking.  Both the Little Big Fella and I are pretty excited about it and I have other plans along similar lines for the future!

Suddenly I'm really excited about this life I'm living.  I feel like I'm in control of my own destiny again (I've been a little "blah" the last few weeks, and overly negative) and it feels good!  I'm looking forward to my journey again!!!

Not a baby anymore

On Sunday morning the Big Fella went for a quick drive up the highway to see if there was a shoot on.  He loves shooting clay targets, particularly in skeet (a specific set-up and combination of target releases) and was a bit excited when he discovered that it was on.

When he got back he asked if the Little Big Fella and I would like to come out to the range with him and we decided that we would.  After a quick run around getting our things together we headed off.

The Little Big Fella has been around the Big Fella and his guns for as long as he can remember I guess, and the Big Fella has already told him that some of the guns in the safe will be his when he's older.  Unsurprisingly, when asked if he'd like to shoot a clay target, the Little Big Fella was rather excited!

Father and son walked out onto the range before everyone was ready for the skeet rounds.  They set up a clay target, sitting against the tufty grass then walked back five or ten metres.  Daddy knelt on the ground and held the shotgun up and the Little Big Fella pulled the trigger for the first time ever.  Do you think he enjoyed it???

My little boy isn't so little these days!

The other day his bike got a flat tyre so the Big Fella patched it up for him.  To do that, he had to take the training wheels off the bike and when he was putting it back together today, he asked the Little Big Fella if he wanted the training wheels back on.  Amazingly the Little Big Fella said no!  So, the bike went back together without training wheels.

I've been watching the Little Big Fella riding lately and noticed that he rarely used the training wheels.  They were mostly a stabiliser for him to get started, and even then they were a bit more of a hindrance than a help.  Well, my "little" 3 year old took off like he'd been riding without training wheels all his life!!!  Especially for his grandparents, I took some video :-)  I've edited it so that it's not so boring ;-)

It all makes me teary, I'm so proud!

I took him to the park to have a bit more space to ride and practice.  As expected, he fell off and grazed his elbow.  After a bit of a hug, he wiped his tears away and went at it again.  Unfortunately his tyre went flat again so he had to stop riding.  This caused way more tears than his fall!!!  Pretty much all the way home!!!  Turns out, the skids he's learned to do have taken off all the rubber on his tyre so the tube had nothing to protect it.  The Big Fella is so proud that this is the cause :-D  Can't say I'm too upset about it either ;-)

To cheer him up we got his little 50cc motorbike out and went for a ride up the hill and back.  It worked a treat and was awesome fun too!!!

Have I mentioned that I'm enjoying this "living in the country" thing?

This evening the Little Big Fella decided he wanted to "write" and he accidentally did a figure that looked a bit like a D.  I've been showing him the letter D over the past few months (his name starts with D) so I got all over excited, "Oh look!  You did a D!!!  Awesome work!" etc.  Then we did some more, just to push the point :-)

He's just not a baby anymore, and it won't be long before he's not a little boy either.  And I'm not sad about it at all.  I love watching him grow and learn and discover!  A good friend of ours used to say that his boys got more interesting the older they got, and I can totally see what he meant.  If the Little Big Fella is only 3, imagine what else is in store!!!

A whirlwind visit

I got a phone call from the Big Fella just after 4am.  "I'll be home in about 10 minutes."  So began our whirlwind visit to our previous home town.

This bit needs to be read at fast speed, all in one breath.  Imagine you're reading a speedy race story to a toddler.  Ready?  Go!

Pack the last bits, get the Little Big Fella up and in the car, drive 7 hours, shopping, visiting my Grandparents, sleep, visit SuperCarer, shop, Grandparent's for lunch, clothes shopping and arvo tea with sister, dinner at Grandparent's, sleep, a million errands and shops, Grandparent's for lunch, visiting for the arvo, everyone at Grandparent's for dinner, sleep, pack everything up, breakfast, drive 7 hours home, Little Big Fella to bed, SLEEP!

How'd you do?  Did you make it in one breath???

We had an awesome time and it felt like a holiday... maybe a holiday on speed?  It was great to catch up with my family and a couple of friends (never enough time for that though!).

Here's the slower version of the week:

We left our place on Monday morning, after having had the Big Fella's Aunt and Uncle stay on Saturday night.  They live in France and are having a wonderfully long holiday, including several months in Australia.  We were lucky enough to be the first family they stayed with here :-)  We had a wonderful time with them and have received an emphatically enthusiastic invitation to come and stay with them!

We got a photo of me and the Big Fellas, a first in a couple of years I think:

Yep, time for a couple of good photos of us I guess!

I won't put our photo of them on my blog because I didn't ask their permission.  But if any family members would like to see, e-mail or Facebook me and I'll send it to you :-)

After the phone call on Monday morning, I got up and got myself and the rest of our things ready.  Just before 5 I woke the Little Big Fella and told him it was time to go to Poppy's house - he was up in a blink!  Then it was into the car and off we go!

The Big Fella had worked all night and by the time we got to the first town he was ready for a break.  So I jumped in the driver's seat.  I'd only had about 4 hours of sleep myself, so 2 hours down the road I realised I'd started phasing out and did a little swerve.

I pulled over at the next little bit off the side of the road.

It's SO easy to keep pushing yourself when you're driving.  Or maybe it's just me?  But to pull over, get out of the car and walk around it a few times makes such a difference!!!  I grabbed something to eat as well and I'm pretty sure that helped too.

There were heaps of roadworks on the way down, which meant a lot of stopping.  For some reason, this particularly irks the Big Fella, although it doesn't tend to bother me a huge amount.

We got into town around midday and did a quick spot of shopping before heading to my grandparents' place where we would be staying.  I was really tired by this time, but I love being with my family!  And it is really awesome to see the Little Big Fella and Poppy together.  They adore each other and I really hope my little boy gets to remember how much, and that it's not just about the tractors he gets to ride, the playground or playing golf.

On Tuesday we got to spend the morning with SuperCarer, while the Big Fella went to the dentist.  For some reason SuperCarer and I really hit it off from the start and we became friends, so hanging out there for the morning was awesome for both me and the Little Big Fella.

My nephews and the Little Big Fella's other good friend were there for the morning so it was one big playtime!

The Little Big Fella playing with his cousins in the sandpit.

When it comes to food, these two are peas in a pod!  It's ALL about the food ;-D

It was funny watching the Little Big Fella playing in SuperCarer's yard because he's so obviously taller than the last time I watched him play there!  And taller than the other boys.

When I said "10 minutes then we have to go", the Little Big Fella's friend said to me, "I don't want him to go!  I miss him!".  They'd had such a fun time together and it really was sad to have to say goodbye.

After a bit of food shopping (gosh I miss the selection, quality and prices we had there!), I dropped the Little Big Fella back at my grandparents' with the Big Fella.  Incidentally, we'd come down so that the Big Fella could get a root canal done, but there was a slight miscommunication and they couldn't do it without a preparatory appointment. So it looks like we'll just have to go back, probably before Christmas... darn!!! ;-)

I'd planned to have lunch and spend the afternoon shopping with my sister, but she'd come down really unwell the night before.  So I did a bit of shopping on my own.  My first purchase was a new belt, because I was down to the second last hole on mine and the tail end was hanging out everywhere!!!  Gotta tell ya, that feels awesome!

Part way through the afternoon I got a call from my sister saying she was feeling slightly better and should we meet up for a coffee and a bit more shopping?  Of course we should!!!

Have I mentioned that I love my family?  I must be hormonal tonight because I've been tear-ing up as I've been writing this post and preparing the photos.  My sister and I are only 14 months apart and almost always shared a bedroom.  As you'd expect, we fought a bit but we've mostly been best friends.  I think adulthood has put a bit of a dampener on that, but I miss her like crazy (and my other siblings too, by the way).  So I thoroughly enjoyed spending the afternoon with her.

Know what else I enjoyed?  Trying on clothes and, instead of deciding if they'd do, I got to decide if I actually liked them because they looked good on me!  It was literally the most fun I've had clothes shopping in years!

I went back to my grandparents' place where the Big Fella made Thai green curry with squid and prawns.  It was SO yummy!!!

While we were at my grandparents' place I read books to the Little Big Fella at bedtime, which I haven't done much at home for a while.  We both really enjoyed it, and I think he went to sleep better as well.  I think I'd like to re-implement that at home!

By Wednesday I was tired!  For some reason I didn't sleep well in my grandparents' bed and had weird dreams at the end of the night too.

The Fellas and I spent the morning running errands around town.  We had 9 stops to make!  Now, anyone who doesn't have a toddler, 9 stops is a bit of a pain but no big deal, right?  Add a toddler and it becomes... stressful.  After about 4 stops the Big Fella was getting a little angsty so we tried to short-cut as many stops as we could and only get the necessary person/people out of the car at each stop.

One thing we did pick up was a smoking BBQ, which the Big Fella is awfully excited about.  It is a wood/coal fired BBQ but it also has a smoking box off to the side, so you can cook your meat with hot smoke rather than direct heat.  Given the Big Fella's inclination towards salamis, hams and other cured meats, it's no surprise he's excited by this too.

I was a bit worried by this stage though.  We'd bought a fair bit of stuff and I wasn't sure we'd be able to get it all home, even in our awesome ute!  Never fear, the Big Fella will find a way :-)

The afternoon was taken up with visiting.  We dropped the Big Fella off at his old work shed, then the Little Big Fella and I went and visited some friends at that end of town.  We had a taste of Whoopie Pies for the first time.  They were okay but I'm not sure that I'd be super excited about them.

It's SO good to catch up with friends.  Even though I was exhausted, I felt somewhat invigorated by my visit.  You know, new friends are great, but old friends are priceless!

We got back to my grandparents' place just before my sister and nephews arrived.  Yet again, there was a lot of running!!!  My sister had brought the boys' bikes and one for the Little Big Fella and they had a ball riding around and later playing footy with my brother-in-law.

Of course, being boys and cousins, there had to be a moment of silliness ;-)

We had pizza and white chocolate caramel mudcake for dinner, as well as lovely conversation.  Oh!  And before that we had a beautiful sunset, looking out over the sugar cane fields:

And I can't resist adding these photos too:

My Poppy

My Nanna

My hubby :-)

Eventually we had to put three tired boys to bed (and the adults) so my sister, brother-in-law and nephews headed home.  Sigh.  I'll miss them.

Thursday morning we got up and packed up, had a lovely breakfast then hit the road.  We decided to take the back roads home and it was a lovely trip!  The Little Big Fella had a good sleep, and I'd bought him a new DVD so he was quite content in the back seat.

We didn't get home until just after 5pm because of a couple of extra stops.  I was feeling really tired and a bit ill.  My body hasn't had much in the way of wheat products, or much fat I guess, for eight weeks and it was seriously reacting to the pizza and mudcake I'd enjoyed the night before :-(  And I'd pulled a muscle in my shoulder/neck when moving shopping in from the car on Wednesday too.  All in all, I felt pretty shocking.

Anyway, we unpacked the car and fed the Little Big Fella (neither of us were interested in eating), then put him to bed.  After a lovely hot shower I was gone too!  Although the Big Fella slept great at my grandparents' place, I thoroughly enjoyed my own bed again.

There's no place like home!

Out of time!!!

This is going to be an annoyingly short post.  I'm really sorry!  I want to tell you about the last couple of days, including an overnight visit from the Big Fella's Aunt and Uncle, helping a friend out with cutting her son's hair, collecting eggs from the Big Fella's trainer's house, and some other little funny bits and pieces of our daily life.

But, alas!  We're going away for three or four days and I still have to pack, do the dishes, and get myself ready for our 5 or 6am start, and it's already 10pm!  Sigh!

So, you'll have to wait in painful anticipation until our return, and on Thursday (or Friday, depending on a few things) I'll update you on the whole lot and completely satisfy your curiosity about what's been happening and what's about to happen!!!

Until then my friends!!!