Yesterday, today

Yesterday was wonderful, you-full
Today is wonder-less, you-less


Yesterday the sun shone, colours were bright, scents were rich - divine!
Today the sun shines but all feels grey, and the scent of you is fading


Yesterday I loved your motorbike; I was on it with you, sharing a wonderful moment in time
Today I hate it as it takes you away from me


Yesterday I felt satisfied
Today I feel empty


Yesterday I was happy and nothing was wrong
Today nothing is right and I am discontent


Yesterday the food we ate was delicious!  And sharing it with you made my day.
Today food seems pointless - just fuel in the tank


Yesterday I had you here with me and the coming separation felt like it would pass in the blink of an eye
Today you are gone and the days may as well be months






Yesterday I loved you




Today I love you still




Tomorrow I will love you more




And soon we will be together again, the pain of separation obliterated by the strength of love and the ecstasy of togetherness.

A full birthday

It was the Little Big Fella's actual birthday today and he had a BIG one!

After a slow start and a Happy Birthday call from Nanna, I finally got his presents wrapped and card written in so he could open them.  Apparently he liked the Lightning McQueen car and his camera :-D

Then it was time to get a haircut at the hairdresser's for the first time!  We used to trim his hair with the clippers but that has become almost traumatic for everyone, so I decided to try the hairdresser and see if that was better.  I talked it up for the past few days, saying how he's such a big boy and he'll get to sit in his special chair and wear a special cape.  He was a little bit excited about it.

After being super shy (as he always seems to be in new places and/or with new people) and wearing his sad face, he sat there wonderfully still.  And by the end was actually kind of enjoying it.  He LOVED having his hair spiked and was quite disappointed later in the day when the water and his bike helmet made it not spiky anymore.

What a handsome little fella!

When we came home my aunt, uncle and cousin were back from their shopping and the boys played with my cousin's new Nerf gun.

After a minor drama we had some lunch then headed to the water park.  The boys had a ball, especially my cousin.  And we all enjoyed an ice-cream to finish it off :-)

Not quite exhausted enough (rolling my eyes), the Little Big Fella decided we needed to go for a bike ride so we rode, my cousin on his scooter, and played on the beach a little and in the park a little then came back home.


After a bit of a sit down and a glass of red, I headed upstairs to make dinner and the boys kept playing outside.  We had a nice, plain dinner and my aunt added some yummy prawns and muscles to the mix... mmmmmm, yummy!


The boys played a little upstairs then it was shower and bed time and the Little Big Fella completely crashed out.  I don't think he even heard all the story I read him.


And!  Bonus of the month!  The Big Fella is on his way home!  I thought he might come home once or twice between now and the move but certainly wasn't expecting him this "weekend".  Yay!

Psycho, psycho boy

Now, to get into the right mood for this post, you need to read the title again.  Now, sing it to the tune of "Macho, macho man" and you'll be right!


My aunt, uncle and cousin are staying with us for a few days and arrived today just after lunch.  After his stereotypical shyness for a few minutes, the Little Big Fella went absolutely psycho!  He ran around like a mad thing yelling at everyone to "look at me"!  This didn't stop for over 15 minutes and only really stopped because they went for a drive.


We had some quiet time then (unfortunately no sleep though) and as soon as they got back, it started all over again.  The Little Big Fella has totally fallen in love with my cousin (who is 8 by the way) and they played together all afternoon.


Have you still got the tune in your head???


Unfortunately the Little Big Fella then started to get really tired and the psycho behaviour stepped up a notch.  In comes the toy throwing, jumping on the couch, using a very loud not-quite-indoor voice... he was so excited and so tired all at the same time.  We did some quiet telling off in an attempt to calm him down, and a quiet time out with mummy (which worked for a little while). 


By 7:30 we'd all had enough so my aunt, uncle and cousin went downstairs for the evening and the Little Big Fella headed off for a shower and bed.  Well, after he bawled his eyes out because they were leaving!  Even when I assured him they were just going downstairs and he'd get to play again tomorrow, the tears just kept coming!


I'm hoping that tomorrow, after a good sleep, he'll be able to play a little more sedately... well, more sedate on a scale I guess because there's little chance of him actually being sedate!  If not, I think we'll employ quiet time outs with mummy a few more times and try to keep the peak excitement down a bit.


Psycho, psycho boy
He's got to be, a psycho boy
Psycho, psycho boy

A lovely, sunny day

The Little Big Fella and I have had a good day.


With some sunshine lined up for the day, I got all the washing on the line this morning.  We did a few other bits and pieces around the house then headed out to visit my grandparents.  They are holidaying in a little town about 30 minutes away (they live just out of town here).  We found where they're staying and pulled up to see them sitting out on the verandah, thoroughly relaxed.


Because it was a new place, the Little Big Fella was a little shy to start with, even though Poppy is one of his favourite people in the world!  He settled in after having a sit and hug on my lap while talking to Poppy.


We had some yummy lunch (Nanna had made some green tomato relish and I had some on my roll... divine!) then headed out for a walk along the beach path.


It is so lovely and relaxing there!  The sun was shining brightly but we were walking in the shade (absolutely perfect!), the boats were moored around the inlet, everyone we walked by was friendly.  It was just beautiful.


My Poppy is a character.  He's one of those old men you just love because he's cheeky and lovely and friendly and basically deaf and it's just adorable.  No matter where you go with him, he'll run into someone he knows and have a good old yarn to them.  Or if he doesn't, he'll have some cheeky conversation with a checkout chick.  He just loves talking to people!


Poppy bought us all an ice-cream at the shop (does that say "holiday" or what???) and we wandered back to the house they're staying in.  All the adults were pretty tired but the Little Big Fella was full of beans and made Poppy play with him and his cars.  Poppy ended up going and having a little nap because he was exhausted.


And I have to say that, even though he was FULL of energy and made us all pretty tired, I was so proud of the Little Big Fella today.  He was polite and well-behaved and his wonderful little self all day.  He didn't even complain when I went to vote (thankfully we had a very short line).  And I was watching him this evening thinking how much I love him and what a wonderful little person the Big Fella and I have made (and are making).


And on the topic of love, I wanted to say thank you to all of you!  Firstly, thank you for being my friends (and family, but they're awesome friends too).  I have been SO blessed to have had the opportunity to meet so many different and amazing people.  Each of you has added something unique to my life, even if we only met for a short time.  Thank you!


Secondly, thank you for reading my blog.  I'm still amazed that people keep reading what I'm writing!  And more than that, lots of you have said that you enjoy it and have made some awesomely encouraging comments!  That's definitely a boost in the happiness journey, I gotta say :-)


Thanks for reading my "blah" and encouraging me when I'm down.  


Thanks for reading my deeper thoughts and responding with respect and alternate points of view.


And thanks for laughing with me and helping me find my happy side again.  As they say, "laughter is the best medicine".

Washing machine walking

You know how they apparently used to say "dead man walking" when they walked people to their death sentence?  I'm saying that to my washing machine!


It's been an awesome machine.  It's had to deal with an awful lot!  Mechanic's work gear, nappies and nappies and nappies, general washing, big blankets... it has worked hard!


But now it has started to walk.  It bumps around and bangs against the wall (making our whole house reverberate with the noise).  And it's walking itself forward every time.


Washing machine walking... I think it might be about time for a newbie!

There is a time for everything

My mum used to sing a song based on a passage in Ecclesiastes (a book in the Bible) that is running through my head tonight:


There is a time for everything, and there is a season
God has planned everything and he has His reason
A time to laugh, and a time to cry
A time to be born and a time to die
There is a time for everything, everything


I went to a funeral today for the partner of someone I used to work with.  It was incredibly sad.  I know, all funerals are sad.  But, even though this is only the 3rd I've been to, it seems that some feel an awful lot more sad than others.  And even though I only met the man once, I could hear and feel the pain felt by his family, and my heart broke for them.


Yes, there is a time to die, a time to mourn and weep.  But it can be an incredibly hard thing to bear.


In contrast, I spent a little time with my sister and her two boys this morning, and then with a friend and her 1 week old baby and two other children this afternoon.  The joy of new life was especially poignant after observing the despair of grief.


One night while I was painting cars over the past weeks, I watched "Eat, Pray, Love" again.  One line gets me every time I watch it.  It goes something like, "The funny thing about weddings is that they make us think of ourselves."


And I wondered today if the same could be said of funerals?  I don't think it's quite the same because at weddings we (girls especially) tend to watch those getting married and reflect on how we would or did do it differently.  Whereas at funerals, we can only observe the experience for those left behind, not the person who has actually died.


So, rather than imagine what it would be like to be dead, I found myself imagining what it would be like if one of my parents, siblings or husband died.  (Thankfully my imagination didn't go anywhere near my son, because that could have caused a scene and a half, which would have been entirely disrespectful!  As it was, I got quite teary - especially when the bagpipes played.)  And I hope that, when I eventually have to live through the loss of my nearest and dearest, I will be able to remember and re-tell the awesome experiences I've shared with them.


But more than that, I want to be able to share more of my love and myself with those I love now!  Because I'm not dead yet, and neither are they.  And we have so many more awesome memories to make!


Now is the time to say, "I love you".


Now is the time to give that big hug.


Now is the time to share a meal, or a coffee.


Because now is the time to live and to love and to share.


So that when the time to mourn comes, there is more joy in recollection to counteract the pain of grief.

I woke up as a blonde...

In summer, my awesome hairdresser helped me decide to go blonde (well, okay, not quite blonde, but light for a brunette with dark eyebrows anyway).  This is me the other day at the Little Big Fella's birthday party:

And this is me tonight!

I'm a darkie again :-)  I wasn't quite ready for it (it's not cold enough for dark colours!), but I needed my colour to be closer to my natural colour.  Why?  Because I got a text this morning from the Big Fella, and there's a chance we'll be moving in about 6 weeks!  After talking to the Big Fella on the phone tonight, there's also a chance it'll be months still.  Sigh.


I'm not desperate to move, as such, but to live in the same house as my husband will be wonderful.  And to have an end to the uncertainty would be sooooooooo good!


Applications have been put in for housing through the Big Fella's company, so now we're waiting to see if we've been approved, and if so, when we can move in.  Waiting, waiting, waiting some more.

Here comes the rain again

After a brief little reprieve of dry, cloudy with a few sunny breaks over the past day or two, the rain has returned.  And it doesn't look like it's going anywhere until the weekend at the earliest.  Bleuch!


Actually!  The Little Big Fella will be at daycare for the next two days!  What am I worried about???


And I have a hair appointment tomorrow (yay!).


And I'm going to a funeral on Friday (boo!).  But I do think rain is appropriate for a funeral.


And on the weekend, when it may be sunny (or at least dry again) we'll probably go visit my grandparents on their holiday (they live just out of town and are holidaying about 20-30 minutes away).  The Little Big Fella will probably wet a line with Poppy, which will make them both VERY happy :-D


Speaking of happy, I got to have a chat with my mum on the phone last night.  I love my mum!  She is definitely an awesome woman and someone I look up to in so many things.


But she made a comment and I'd like to clarify something.  Yes, the party cars took ages, and I wouldn't do it again, but I enjoyed making them!  I'm really proud of what I ended up with (well, what the kids ended up with).  And I got to sit and paint, which I quite enjoy, while watching movies and listening to music that my fellas don't normally want to watch or hear.  It was good!


(Side note:  I must remember to put the bins out tonight.)


I realised how not little the Little Big Fella is the other day!  We moved his steps downstairs for the party - the ones he uses to go to the toilet and wash his hands.  And we forgot to bring them back upstairs.  Turns out, he's big enough to not need them!  OMG!  Not little at all!


You know how sometimes you say things without really thinking about their meaning?  I tell my husband and son that I love them all the time, but I don't necessarily think about what I'm saying.  Which I think is fine, by the way.  But tonight as I was saying goodnight to my husband on the phone it hit me how much I really do love him.  He is a gem in my life and incredibly valuable to me.  My life would be is dull without him.


I'm obviously processing all the little bits and pieces today.  Sorry for such a scatty post :-)

What do I do now???

Well, now the party's over.  There are no box cars to make, there's no food to prepare, no little bits and pieces to get together.  Everything has been cleaned up and put away.  And because this has been my focus for the past few months, and even more so the last two or three weeks, the question becomes, what do I do now?


What do I do now when the Little Big Fella has his nap?


What do I do now in the evenings?


What do I do now with all those spare moments in my day?


And the answer today is... bludge!


Yep!  Bludge!


Because I can and there is nothing pressing that needs doing!


Because I wasn't 100% well over the last few days and now I'm feeling mostly better and can enjoy doing nothing!


And because the Big Fella will be qualified at the end of this week and can apply for housing, which means we'll probably be moving sooner rather than later.  And everyone knows moving's a b!tch and I'll be running around packing and cleaning like a madwoman soon.


So I'm taking this one day to sit back and relax.


Read blogs and surf the net.


Enjoy the cool-ish weather without wild winds or crazy rains (they're coming back tomorrow anyway).


And I think I'll try to Skype my parents this evening because I haven't spoken to them in too long and they have just been around Tassie for two weeks and I want to hear more about it.


Yes, today is a nice, slow, recover and relax day for me.  Hmmm, I might even read a book!  Oooooh!  That sounds good!

Bonus: Completed Party Cars

I thought you might like to see all the cars a little closer up.  The photos aren't awesome, by any stretch, but you can see each one okay.

 Back row (left to right) is Mater, Red, Doc Hudson, Chick Hicks, Filmore

Front row (left to right) is Luigi, Lightning McQueen, Finn McMissile, Flo, Sally

 Here's a bit more detail for Chick, Filmore, Flo and Sally.

I did a post previously of Doc Hudson, but here's his finished version again.

I was particularly happy with Lightning McQueen, and so was the Little Big Fella.  He spent a while playing with him so I took some extra photos of them too :-)

We ended up putting t-shirt material shoulder straps on each one, so the kids didn't have to hold them up.  The good thing about this was that we could tie a new knot if the straps were too long.


And, as I mentioned in my other post the kids put black plastic plate wheels on (I'd put little holes in first and we used split pins to attach them), and they made little number plates.  Some of the kids also put stickers and coloured in their cars so they all went away quite individualised :-).


I was very proud of my efforts, but I'll never do it again because it took WAY more time than I expected and added more stress than I think is necessary for a kids' party.  Hopefully it's good fun for all the kids - they each took their car home :-)

The Cars Party

I know!!!  I've been absent for over a week!  Well, after planning for months, (and not sleeping enough over the past week or so) the party finally happened on Saturday morning.  And, despite the rain and no real indoor options, it was pretty good.

The cars were a hit!  The kids seemed to enjoy putting the wheels on them and making number plates to stick on the back.  Unfortunately it was raining from just after the party started so we didn't get to race them.  But the kids all took theirs home, so hopefully they'll get to enjoy them there :-)

The Little Big Fella got some amazing presents (some of which will be put away until after we move - gotta love toy circulation).  The Nerf gun and Octonauts DVD have both been well used already.  He did crack the darkies a few times, as toddlers are wont to do at birthday parties I guess, but overall had a good time.

The cake looked pretty good (we had a minor ashphalt leak in production that didn't show up too badly in the end) and everyone seemed to find it yummy :-)

Because of the weather, everyone was kind of crammed into a couple of dry places - under the carport (where the arty stuff was happening), under the patio (where the food and presents were) and in the downstairs bedroom/lounge where we moved the car mat and cars to.  I think a few of the kids (the Little Big Fella included) reacted a little to the high ratio of people to space so by the time we'd had some food, done the cake and opened presents, almost everyone was ready to go.  We handed out the party bags and most people headed off.  We'd planned the party for 10am to midday but we had everything packed up by 12:15!


I have to say, the Big Fella was AWESOME!  He'd been up in the night but after a little sleep-in helped so much in putting everything out and getting all the food ready.  And after the party, he'd pretty much packed everything up before I'd even turned around!  I married a good one :-)


We spent the afternoon bumming around on the couch watching movies and footy and Octonauts and all went to bed nice and early.  Overall it was a great day!  Happy Birthday Little Big Fella!

Am I crazy???

The Little Big Fella's party is this weekend coming up.  And, even though I'm excited about it, and I'm super proud of the cars I'm making and everything, I think I'm crazy!


I haven't had enough sleep in almost a week because I've been up painting (and watching movies at the same time) until 11, 12, 1....  When you're awake around 6 almost every day, that's not enough sleep.  Or maybe it's just not enough for me?  I used to need a minimum of 9 hours to function well.


And I wonder why I'm doing it?  Is it really because I think the kids will love it? That's definitely part of it.  But then I wonder if I've become one of those parents that have to do the biggest, bestest parties for their kids.  Am I being competitive?  If so, it's not with the other mums I know, it'd be with my sister who has done some awesome parties for her boys.  So then, I guess, I've never really grown out of sibling rivalry.  I wonder if I ever will?


Last week an acquaintance wrote a comment on Facebook that they couldn't catch up with their friends because they were so busy.  They were taking their three year old to gymnastics, dancing, swimming, kindy and music lessons.  And, after I mentally flipped out that a 3 year old was so ridiculously busy, it just made me wonder if we're losing the plot.


As parents, who didn't receive a manual, we seem to be constantly bombarded with messages of what we should be doing with our children.  And with those messages come the fear


that we're not going to be good enough


that we'll damage our children


that they'll not be able to achieve greatness or they'll miss out on opportunity.


Maybe it's just me and my perfectionism.  But I get the feeling that others have the same worries.


I am constantly trying to remind myself that I am not perfect... okay, that one's pretty obvious to me every day :-D.  But I cannot be a perfect parent (whatever that looks like), because it's impossible.  I will make mistakes and my son will most likely tell me that he hates me at some point.


BUT!


I can and will love him unconditionally.


I can and will give him hugs and kisses every time he lets me.


I can and will do my best, and read and learn so that my best can be better than it might have been.


I can and will be the best me I can be so that I can give him what he needs from his mum.


And I will be going to bed now so that I can continue to be crazy in preparing this party :-D  (Yes, I'm using hyperbole!)  Goodnight all!

Generosity ROCKS!

Yesterday Super Carer was incredibly gracious and collected the Little Big Fella for daycare, then dropped him back home in the evening.  Which meant I had a whole day to get stuff done on my own :-D


So, I dropped the car at a friend's workshop.  Driving it was awful!  It revs the guts out of first gear, then SLAMS into 3rd and won't change gears again.  Thankfully, most of my route was a 50km zone and I only had 1 set of lights.


I walked from there to the shopping centre and did a bunch of errands/shopping then hauled all my bags onto the bus home.  I took a backpack, thinking I'd fit it all in there.  HA!  Full backpack plus a massive, cheap plastic bag that kept attempting to trip me over (thanks Warehouse!), and another couple of plastic bags of food (I knew I should have taken my cloth bags!).


Then I spent the afternoon finishing off two more party cars and almost a 3rd one (while watching movies of course).  I also have two more that I shaped, taped, undercoated and drew details on in the evening.  Yay!


When Super Carer brought the Little Big Fella home, she offered the use of her car today, because she knew she'd be home all day anyway.  So I took her up on the offer - I really needed to do a good grocery shop!  She came and picked us up, even though she was hit with a cold overnight, and we dropped her back at her place.  Then we did it the other way around after lunch.  How awesome is Super Carer?  I mean, to not only let us use her car, but to also drive back and forth from her house twice, while feeling sick!  Seriously!  She's awesome!


And it was so lovely to have a car for the morning!  We got the shopping done, went to Bunnings for three more party car boxes (and a bit of a play), dropped the shopping home then visited my sister and nephews for a play.  It was so good to see them - the boys haven't played together in weeks and my sister and I haven't had a chat in ages!  And she was graciously lovely and provided a yummy lunch for us too!  (And she even put up with us taking forever to leave when her boys needed to get to bed.  Thanks sis!)


Although the Little Big Fella was pretty tired by this stage, he didn't sleep.  Sigh.  After a while I let him up and we bummed around a bit.  Then he decided it was bike riding time.  I expected a 5 or 10 minute ride so didn't pack much in my bum bag (daggy, I know, but it works - especially when I have to lock up his bike and put him in the baby seat because he doesn't want to ride anymore).  We ended up riding to the train park and playing with a bunch of kids there (yes, I play too!), walking along the beach for a while then taking the longest time ever to ride home.


Now I've had dinner my patience levels have returned and all is good :-).


You know, I'm always by generosity.  Generosity is rarely expected (which is kind of sad I guess) and always appreciated.  I really loved the big random-acts-of-kindness push that went around a few years ago.  How much love and joy was spread around with that??


I love to be generous to others (although it's something I think still needs improving in my life) but it took me a long time to realise that allowing others to be generous is just as important.  When I'm generous to others, I love it when they don't make a huge fuss but accept that generosity.  So I try to do that when others are generous to me too.  Sometimes, it's really hard!


I've known some super generous people so far in my life.  Not necessarily financially (although that always seems to be part of the make up of a generous person, even when they're flint!), but always in heart!  Their depth of caring and empathy inspires me to be more than I am, and to impart something extra into the lives of those I love, and even strangers around me.


And have you ever noticed how being generous with your time, spirit or money always makes you feel good?  Which could be seen as a pretty selfish reason to be generous, but I think it's just sowing and reaping/karma/what goes around comes around/whatever you want to call it.


And given that I'm trying to make 2012 a happier year, I could probably be a little more deliberate about being generous.  That could seriously add to my happiness levels.  Yeah!  I think I like that idea!  I'll do it!  I'll look for more opportunities to be generous in attitude, spirit, time and money.  I can do it!

Baby gecko

We have a baby gecko living in our office at the moment.  I'm pretty sure mummy gecko lives under the fridge, but she's a bit more shy.


Anyway, the last couple of nights while I've been painting the party cars, baby gecko has been running and jumping around the room.  He drops from the top of the wall down onto the desk or drawers.  And he's quite curious too.  So last night I thought I'd take a few pics to show you.  Maybe I should name him?

Stranded

I had my first attempt at something mildly mechanical today.  My car broke down on the weekend and the Big Fella wasn't able to fix it because he couldn't get parts.  So he ordered the part and showed me what to do when it arrived.

The part arrived and I checked that it was the right one.  So far, so good!


Now I just had to remember where I was supposed to put it.  Ah!  That's right!  Just under all those black hose-y things.

Got my tools together and away we go!

Look!  I even got mechanically dirty doing the job :-D


So I got the part in with no hassles then took the car for a test drive.  Start driving up the street and it sounds good.  Then it doesn't change gear into 2nd.  Bugger!  Keep going a little and it CLUNKS into 3rd.  Double bugger!  Our miracle part that we've been waiting for hasn't fixed the problem.


Given that I feel like I've been locked in my house for the past two weeks (between illnesses, weather and broken car) I was feeling rather despondent by this time.


I messaged the Big Fella to let him know the bad news and he was on lunch break so called me back.  We formulated a plan but I'm going to be car-less for probably at least another week.  Sigh.


I've considered the whole self-development angle of being car-less but basically it just sucks.  Thankfully we have friends and family that have offered to help us out in various ways, and that makes me feel loved and looked after.  And I think I'm going to become a little better acquainted with the public transport system around here (which, after living in Melbourne, is pretty pathetic - but it's better than nothing!).


On another note, we had an awesome sunset here tonight!  These were taken from my back doorstep.  Enjoy!

Behind the times

After sleeping on a foam mattress on the Little Big Fella's floor the night before, I decided he needed to sleep in his own bed, on his own all night last night.  So, when he woke at 4 I stayed in with him until he fell asleep.


Now, the latest we have woken up since he's been in our home has been about 7am, maybe 7:30 once.  So I never set an alarm these days.


With the car out of action, we were planning to catch the bus to swimming today.  To catch the 9:05 bus, I wanted to leave the house at 8:45am, to allow enough time to "toddler walk" to the bus stop at the end of the street, and enough breathing time in case it was early.


I woke up and thought, "it looks like we slept in a bit" but didn't worry, given that "sleep in" is normally no later than 7.  I stretched and got up, looked at my phone and...


nearly fell over!!!!


It was 8:30!!!!!!  Oh shoot!  Guess we're not catching the bus today!


So we changed plans and booked a limo :-D.  See, in our town it's actually cheaper to book an around-town limo than a taxi to get to the other end of town.  Makes me laugh though - catching a limo to a swimming class :-D


When swimming finished we had almost an hour to get changed and get to the bus stop two and a half blocks away.  I was a little anxious because anything with a toddler takes between 2 and 4 times longer than normal.  But we made it with a couple of minutes spare AND we'd been able to go past the cement mixers, diggers and motorbike shop!


The Little Big Fella loves going on the bus!  We've only been twice before today and he just gets so excited.


We had a bit of lunch and some quiet time after that.  I was tired, even if the Little Big Fella wasn't!


A bit later in the afternoon I realised that I hadn't posted the birthday cards for my family and friend this week.  I'd hoped to post them on the way to or from swimming today.  So I thought I could ride my bike with the baby carrier on the back.  Unfortunately, the Little Big Fella didn't like this idea.  He wanted to ride his bike!  He was quite insistent.  So I decided to let him because there was over an hour before the post office closed.


As always, anything with a toddler takes so much longer so it was a frustrating ride there.  The Little Big Fella likes to stop and look at things as he rides, which is fine if we're just out for a ride, but difficult to live with when you're trying to get somewhere before it closes :-)


We made it there and then had a basically pleasant ride back (except for being rained on for a couple of minutes while we looked at chooks in someone's yard).  I'm thinking the Little Big Fella will sleep like a rock tonight with all that walking, swimming and riding!  Which hopefully means another 1, 2 or 3 more completed cars for the party!  And I might watch a movie while I'm doing it too!  That'd be nice!

Rainy day distractions

Last week the Little Big Fella and I were stuck at home because we were sick.  On the weekend my car broke and the Big Fella didn't have the parts to fix it straight away (I'm going to attempt to fix it when the part turns up in the mail this week - no doubt you'll hear about it).  And the weather is... VERY wet!


So, what to do when you've been stuck in the house for over a week and you can't go visit anyone?


Well, we've watched a couple of Mickey Mouse movies.  The Little Big Fella loves Mickey Mouse!  And I really like that he does.  They're such innocent shows and can be very funny.  They're quite different to today's shows that try to teach kids something or are weird or violent.  They're just plain entertaining! No doubt I'm showing my age here, but that's bound to happen :-)


We've baked a slice.  The Little Big Fella was very upset that we weren't using the beaters today, but happily stirred the dry ingredients (and only spilled them a few times).  He didn't really like stirring once the wet ingredients went in though.


We did a puzzle (it makes animal noises when you put the pieces in!) and played with jumping plastic frogs.  We even played with some hooks that the Big Fella was given for tying things down on cars/trucks.


Then, when the rain slowed a little, we got our big golf umbrellas and went for a little walk!  The Little Big Fella loves umbrellas and has worked out how to put them up and down on his own.  On our little walk we even "jumped in muddy puddles" (the gutters) just like Peppa Pig (ABC2 kids show).


We've put up his little teepee in the lounge for him to eat his snacks in, and he's been drawing on a little portable whiteboard that the Big Fella used to have at the workshop.

After lunch, I didn't even bother trying to get him to sleep because we hadn't done enough running around for him to be anywhere near tired enough.  Fingers crossed for an early night tonight!


The little boy from next door came over for a little play then we went for a walk to the corner store for milk.  Normally, if I went by myself, it would take about 10 to 15 minutes to walk there and back.  An hour today!  Sometimes it can be really frustrating to take a toddler with you.  But, thankfully I didn't have to be anywhere in particular so it wasn't that big a deal.


We did a bit of this and that for the rest of the afternoon and then it was dinner time already!  Followed by shower, "In The Night Garden" (ABC2 kids show that finishes with everyone in bed) and then off to bed with a book and a chat to Daddy.


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For those of you who are squeamish, don't read this bit!


The Little Big Fella was walking around without pants on this afternoon for a little while.  I turned around and saw his finger moving from behind him to his mouth!!!!  ARGH!!!!


"Did you just put your finger in your bottom then in your mouth?"


"Yes."


"Argh!  Don't do that!  It's yucky and can make you sick!"


He does it again and runs away to my room and climbs up to the other side of my bed, leaving "finger prints" on my cotton blanket.


Obviously I chase him and make him wash his hands, VERY well, but ew!!!!!  I can't imagine how that he can think that's a good thing!  And now, because I've reacted, he'll probably do it again for a while!
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Okay, it's safe to read again :-)


You may be aware that there's a nearly-cyclone in South East Queensland today that may become a cyclone in the next day or two.  Because of the amount of rain, the highway has been cut off South of us.  And because we live in a town of paranoid morons, there is now no milk or bread, or "staple" foods left in town.  Probably no fuel either (thankfully I filled up the other day, and my car isn't working anyway, so it doesn't even matter).  We got our milk from the corner store today and we have yeast in the fridge to make bread, so we'll survive.  


But it just bugs me that at the slightest sign of being cut off, or if the stores are closed for public holidays, people around here go nuts and buy 6 months worth of supplies!  We have a "run on the bank" at the supermarket every time!  Come ON people!  Have a little sense!  Yes!  Buy what you need but don't be stupid about it!  How about a little consideration for the rest of your community?


Oh!  But that's right!  We live in a selfish society who no longer think about anyone else or their effect on others.


Sorry, I'll get off my little soapbox now.


At least I still have the internet!  It's given me a few more ideas for things to do with the Little Big Fella if we're stuck here for much longer.  And I'm about to have a chat with my sister-in-law and her partner, which is very exciting!  I love technology :-)

The party cars

At last!  The post you've all been waiting for!!!  I've finally finished taking photos of a car in progress so I can show you what I've been doing!


My original ideas came from a pinterest pin http://bktribe.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/disney-cars-birthday-party.html and the link to the tutorial.


So, here we go!

So first I drew the shape of Doc Hudson then added "tabs" and cut out the side, keeping the long edges attached completely at this stage.

The next stage was to fold the "tabs" over and shape and stick the long sides down.  Some of the boxes were quite thick so needed to be glued as well.  I also made sure all rough edges were covered with masking tape so that the kids (mostly 3 year olds) won't cut themselves.  Cardboard cuts don't make for a fun party :-).

The next stage was to paint the whole thing white.  On a previous one I didn't do this and the result was less than satisfactory.  I used a white gesso paint which is also a primer (the coloured paints don't get sucked into the cardboard, so you end up using less).

Add a few details in pencil, then do the main colour painting.

And finally, add all the details!  I'm SO stoked with the results!

I'm trying to decide whether to add straps to hold the cars up,  or let the kids hold them up by themselves.  Oh!  And we'll be adding black plastic plate wheels at the party - the kids will collect them from Luigi's Casa Della Tyre :-)


So there you go!  I have 2 complete, 3 getting their details and 5 to do from scratch.  And 2 weeks till the party!  Wish me luck!!! (I think I'm crazy!)