First thing in the morning

As you know, I am an early bird - not always by choice, and sometimes much earlier than would be ideal, but this morning I slept in until 6.30am.

I love those mornings when I wake up first.

Before Paris utters her "morning" with her big grin and "sleep well" and starts telling me which of her numerous stuffed toys shared her cot as she hands them out - although it is hard to knock Green Teddy, Blue Teddy, Puppy and Baba off the charts.

I am always EXTRA careful when I fill the jug and get my ingredients together as her bedroom is next to the kitchen, and it doesn't seem to take too much once the sun is up and the birds are squarking.

Before 'Salina starts hacking.

She has had a persistant cough for a few weeks. That is nothing new. The only sort of cough she ever seems to get is of the persistant variety.

Three years ago, she was so sick from it we even went to get a nose swab to see if it was Whooping Cough. According to that test, she wasn't - but if you ever wanted to torture a child, I now know how.

Two years ago, she was pretty sick from it and we now have a wide selection of "try this" courtesy of several doctor visits, pharmacy assistants and our main medical source of information, my mum (trust me, most of the area I come from considers her their main medical source - and awesome pharmacist who may not always remember where the Christmas decorations are, but can pronounce and know what those long words at the side of every one of them mean).

Last year, the same.

This year - well, I was slack this year, because I bypassed the several doctor appointments route and went straight for the medley of elixirs we have used in the past. As she had camp, I did go and get them all labelled by the local pharmacies. As she got worse two nights before camp I did seriously contemplate ruining her primary school ending and keep her home, but she improved and I let her go. The report when she got home was she was fine except for the last night. Since she got back, not so much, so I finally put on my good mother hat and took her to the doctor. Doctor mentioned that Whooping Cough was back (which we had read in the school newsletter) and not to rely on the immunity of "ten years after vaccines". We went and got blood and, what hey? Shut the stable door, she has Whooping Cough.

Worst mother in the world award right there.

So she needs her sleep. In her sleep, she isn't coughing.

I love listening to the fans and the birds and the waves and the silence as I have my first cup of tea.

I occasionally have a second at lunch, but the first of the day must always be tea. My father is a great believer in that strategy. Do you know, he has been married to my mother for over 45 years and always takes one in to her when he gets up? She doesn't get to it when it is hot, which is no doubt her long-marriage strategy.

I do drink coffee - that is reserved for the second cup, the cup when I first get in to work (sometimes they are the same thing)...

Must go - I hear a "mummy, mummy" from Paris' room, so time to go and do a soft toy stocktake.

How do you start your day in an ideal world?

If this is Wednesday...

it must be November.

Just dusting up around here and look at this, I have a blog. I used to love it and tend it with care, but now it lives most of the time covered with weeds and morning glory pretending to be beans - oh sorry, the metaphorical analogy with my garden just took over...

So, 1023 days in and what has happened?

Well, just before it kicked off, I went with my sister, her kids and Paris to a family gathering - I learned

1. I have a wonderful sister (I learn that often);
2. I have a verbose family (like that is a surprise);
3. Paris does warm up eventually with familiar faces (and surprised us all by voluntarily seeking Nana's lap - although she may have worked out Nana had fish on her plate and Paris LOVES fish); and
4. car journeys with a back row of little ones are doable for several hours, but hell if you go over that threshhold by an hour or two

'Salina had a very important social engagement to attend that weekend (some 12 year olds have weekend sleepover parties for about a dozen of their nearest and dearest, and she was nearest and dearest enough with this particular birthday girl that she was included in the organising committee, apparently) and so V had to hold the fort with Eddie - I don't think he was too put out with the solitude.


While not traditional in Australia, having US connections means that we do Halloween adventures - with excellent Halloween costumes courtesy of Gramberta.

V took 'Salina and a friend trick or treating, while Paris and I stayed home and played in "mines room".

'Salina was a Zombie (its funny, the photos of pre-teen Zombies never turn out quite as cute as little pumpkins) and her friend appeared to have been dragged through the bushes backwards.

I myself was dressed as a grumpy mother - but the time one-on-one with Paris in "mines room" went a long way to iron the grump away.

Along came November

On the 3rd, there was a very important event to celebrate...
... and we inched that bit closer to having a teenager in our house.

'Salina had a week at school camp and came back about two years older.

Paris is twenty-three months old now, and can jump, tantrum and make jokes. She still has a passion for "mine's room" but now Summer is upon us, swimming is a new favourite.

Not much of a post - I am afraid that life is just flashing by at the moment, with occasional "pin down and do"s going on here and there, but with work and V's study and the last weeks of primary school and just plain growing up going on, it is far too busy yet mundane to grasp the moments and reflect - which is what I plan to do once I have worked out how to compartmentalise the busyness of it all!!!