Twas A Merry Christmas

We had a good Christmas this year. It was extra good because the girls are obviously older than last year and can interact more. And also rip open their own presents without too much help. They were only ten months this time last year so as much as they enjoyed it they would have had no idea what it was all about!

'Santa' spoiled the kids. Chelsea and Emma got a big wooden kitchen and it's perfect. They are always pretending to bake a cake so when I saw the kitchen in target I had to have it for them. It wasn't much fun to set up mind you. I started on it before I got too confused and made Dwayne take over, and it was finally finished two hours later. It was a giant jigsaw puzzle! I'm glad he enjoys building things more than me! He had to put Camerons bike together too so he had a busy Christmas eve.

And then a trampoline to put together the day after Christmas (from the in laws). I'm so glad Christmas is only once a year.

I so love Christmas though I look forward to the food the most, even if I do regret eating too much the day after.

Enlistment Date

I found out the other day when I'll be leaving for the army, and I meant to blog it already but i've had a few dramas going on my way at the moment. Some know what I'm talking about, others well it's such a long story I'll leave it for another day! But all I can say is OMG.......
But anyway... I was standing in the line in ServiceTas the other day waiting to pay for a birth certificate when I got a call from a guy from Defence Force Recruiting. I almost didn't answer it but thought I had better just incase. Lucky I did because he called to tell me they had got a definite answer on my enlistment date. And yep it's the 11th of January. I can't explain all the emotions that ran through me when it actually hit home. Fear, excitement, sadness and absolute terror of leaving my kids.
But because this is moving along so quickly and smoothly (thus far) I feel that this is what I am meant to be doing with my life at this point in time. So as scary as it is, it's probably best that I leave as soon as I am as it gives me less time to get anxious about it and back out.
Dwayne just gave notice at his work so I guess I couldn't now even if I wanted to. So providing I pass my fitness test tomorrow I'll be leaving in less than three weeks.
Deep breaths Amie deep breaths......... :)

D-Day

I just sat here and ate a great big bowl of chocolate pudding and ice cream. Unhealthy I know but damn it was good! I thought I deserved it after a long day.A long day of sitting around waiting.....
Okay yes it is the fifteenth today and so I had my big assessment day with the defence force. I woke up early this morning to get ready and I was very anxious to get to town and get the day over with!
A psych interview, a medical interview and a job interview. With a hearing and vision test thrown in between for good measure. Fun.
Actually it wasn't too bad and I didn't appear as nervous as I had been feeling before hand. I was pretty confident actually. And I aced them all. And they really like me. And I'm really happy. Yes, I was accepted :)
I will either leave next month if they can fit me in or sometime in March. We will have to see. Either way I'll be scared shitless, but excited at the same time.
I'll get back to the matter when I know an enlistment date!
I'm so happy :)

Oh Christmas Tree

So we put the Christmas tree up today. And when I say 'we' I mean 'I'. The kids just got in the way trying to 'help'. They did help a little bit but only in the way of making a mess.
Putting the tree up reminded me of why I was going to put it off for another week or so. Not only the kids making a mess and getting in the way, but I remembered how annoying it was.
With my tree you have to attach every single branch. Trust me it's not fun. And it takes more time than I would like to spend. But it got done. And then I made the mistake of deciding to put the lights on. Only they were all tangled up in one mass and it took forever to untangle. An hour actually. While the kids were playing around me with the christmas decorations. After I had succeeded in untangling the lights (which I nearly gave up with numerous times) I put them on the tree. Only to discover that the didn't work. I guess it would have been smarter to plug them in and check if they worked before untangling them. Did someone say frustrating?
By the time that was done it looked like a bomb of christmas tree decorations had exploded n my loungeroom, all thanks to the kiddies of course. They had fun. I didn't cleaning it up.
But at least the tree is up and decorated now. Now all I have to do until christmas is keep the kids from knocking it over. That'll be fun.

Smiles and Worries

Not much happening my way lately, just counting down the days until my assessment day. It's now less than two weeks away. Eeek. I'm trying to block it out and stop worrying about it but it's not easy when I am consumed by thoughts of it. It's the first thing I think of when I wake up of a morning and the last thing I think before going to sleep at night. And then I dream about it! I have to stop it. In the end whatever will be will be I suppose so I have to stop worrying!

I'm very excited right now because I have recently found out that my sister is pregnant! YAY IM SO HAPPY! :) It was very surprising for us all, especially her as she had decided long ago that she wasn't having any more kids, one was enough. But I think she is slowly getting used to the idea. I really hope she has a girl this time. Though she would still rather another boy. She says boys are easier than girls (funny coming from someone who actually hasn't had a girl before! lol) but from my experience I would say girls are waaay easier than boys. And I've got two. Cameron is way more high maintenence than my two girls put together.
Or maybe it's just him? And other little boys are easier to deal with? But either way I want her to have a girl. I'm thinking of baby shower ideas already and she's only about 5 weeks along!

My boy is a yank

I think my children may watch too much television. Well maybe just Cameron. And maybe it isn't that he watches too much tv as such, rather that he is so easily influenced by what he watches.
Not that the way he is influenced is necessarily a bad thing. It just reminds me how quickly and easily children can pick things up. Actually in this case it's quite amusing.
I think Cameron is turning into an American. Yep. A yank. Half of the shows he watches are American so I guess I'm not surprised. It's just funny listening to him talk as his Australian language is being replaced by more eastern words!
Here are a few of the things he says:

"Mummy I'm going on a vacation" For those non-australian readers we aussies rarely use the term vacation. To us it's just simply a holiday.

"I need to find my flashlight" we call it a torch.

"I need to get the girls a diaper" we call a diaper a nappy. (actually this one is my favourite it is very cute coming out of his mouth. He even has me saying diaper!)

"Sidewalk" - we call it a footpath.

I'm actually waiting for him to start saying "pacifier" instead of dummy. But as the girls no longer have dummies there is probably a good chance that he won't mention it. Unless he's pretending the girls or himself are babies. Like he does quite often come to think of it.

The things my boy says always make me smile. Or laugh. The other day as I was changing Chelseas nappy he was beside me (always curious is he) and asked me why she had a big bum and a little bum! I'm giggling just writing this.
Actually I suppose it's a step up from when he was very concerned that they didn't have any bits at all because theirs had apparently "fallen off".
He'll understand it eventually I guess!

Torn

I've been meaning to write this sooner but I keep forgetting. I got a call from a recruitment officer in the army about a week or so ago to arrange for me to have an assessment day.
Even writing the words "assessment day" scares me a little. Two interviews and a full medical assessment in the one day spanning four plus hours IS pretty scary. To me anyway. Because it means one of two things: the complete changing of my (and my family's) life, or no change at all. The difference between a better life or staying as I am.
Joining the army is without a doubt the biggest decision I have ever made, and it isn't one I take lightly. To be honest it's tearing me apart. I wonder every day whether I'm making the right decision or not because when it comes down to it, it'll be my kids that make or break it.
I'm doing it for myself as well as them, but as much as I try to visualise it, right now I can't imagine leaving them for a long period of time. Let alone three whole months, which is how long I would have to leave them for to complete initial basic training. I would then get a week or two to spend with them before leaving again to complete employment training.
Any stay at home mum could probably never imagine not seeing their children for that long. And I know it's not their whole life, only a small chunk but to me it is like an eternity. And I have to decide if I can do it.
There are so many upsides to joining the army lifestyle wise that my kids will thank me for (hopefully). And they will get so many more opportunities than they will get if I don't join. I would rather they grow up seeing the world as opposed to staying in the same area year after year and just getting by.
But if I do join then it takes me away from them. My kids are my life, and them three little things that I'm trying to do it for are the three things holding me back. Because I love them so much. I wish it were easier!!
But back on topic my assessment day is December 15. hopefully it goes well and there are no problems that hold me back and stop me getting any further. And I have to start studying hard! Because the interviews aren't exactly a walk in the park. You have to know EVERYTHING not only about the jobs you are applying for but about military life, pays, postings, deployments, badges, rank etc.....
argh! Lets hope I make it through it.

Lights, Camera, Action WIGGLES!

Some acrobatics

Romp bomp a chomp

The look on Cameron's face when the Wiggles first came out

Waiting for the show to start

Well Sunday was the big day. The day Cameron and I had been anticipating for months. It was Wiggle time!

I woke up Sunday morning with a Wiggles song stuck in my head already and from then knew there was no hope in getting rid of it. When Cameron woke up I reminded him what day it was and he was very excited. Up until we left that morning all I heard from him was "are we going to see the Wiggles now?"

You can guess by the time we actually arrived at the Silverdome (where the show was) he was pretty excited. We had to get there early knowing how busy it was going to be, but boy did I underestimate it. I thought we'd be one of the first cars in the car park but to my surprise we ended up with one way down the bottom in the overflow carpark. With hundreds of cars still behind me. And that was an hour early!

The show started at 11 o clock so we had some waiting time but all was okay. Cameron didn't get grumpy having to wait at all. Our seats were perfect. We weren't exactly front row, but we were front row on the side section (which was a little further back from the stage than the middle section), which meant we had no one in front of us and had no trouble getting up from our seats to dance. Halfway through the show we got up from our seats and went and sat on the floor closer to the stage anyway which was great.

I loved the expression on Cameron's face when the Wiggles actually came out on stage! I suppose he would have been thinking wow they are actually real!

I have to say, they put on a brilliant show. It wasn't only very entertaining for the littlies, but for all the grown ups also. Especially when they kept throwing in comments about their age. Cameron had a blast clapping and singing along, so it was definitely money well spent! I'd take him again definitely and the girls next time too.

After the show we walked all the way back to the car ready to go, but we didn't actually realise that we wouldn't be going anywhere in a hurry. My goodness was their some traffic! I pulled out of the carpark ready to go, and then we stayed in that same spot for nearly thirty minutes! No one was moving, and the cars that could eventually move weren't letting anyone else in. Of course I did :) Really what was a few more cars in front?

Because there were two shows that day, one at 11 and one at 2, before the people from the eraly show had even left the car parks everyone coming for the next show was trying to get in. Argh! complete chaos!

But all in all it was a good day!

Excitement Building.....

Dwaynes gone to poker, the kiddies are in bed, and now all there is to do is relaaaaax. And wait for Ghost Whisperer to start at 7 30. Love that show!
And this weather! I'm so glad winter is well and truly over. Even though it's getting closer to summer now and we've only just started having more nice days. So much for spring.
It's been so warm some days now that I actually got the kids water slide out over the weekend for them to play on. Cameron had been begging me for weeks to get it out so he finally got the chance. The kids loved it. And with the hose connected up to it and some dishwashing liquid poured on it it was super slippery.
To see the girls try and walk up it (our yard is on a bit of a slope) was hilarious. I even had a go myself which they thought was amusing.

I can't believe how close to Christmas it's getting! 50 days and counting! I love christmas. Maybe not the cost of it all, especially with three kids, but the whole atmosphere and the excuse to over indulge is great. And Cameron understands now who Santa Claus is, and what he does, and he's getting excited too. Although he asked me today why Santa doesn't come on people's birthdays. Which I think is a reasonable question since people get presents then too. He's so cute sometimes.

And ANOTHER thing I'm super duper excited about lately: The Wiggles. They are actually coming to Tassie and I'm not really sure who is more excited about this one, Cameron or mummy hehe. I bought the tickets months ago (and finally received them after weeks of being stuffed about. But that's a whole other story) and next Sunday is the big day.
It is meant to be their best show yet, and they don't come to Tasmania often (the last time was over three years ago apparently) so it's a pretty big thing.
Oh and yes I'll be taking my camera and taking lots of piccies!! Well if I'm not too far from the front anyway :)

Chasing ducks

Took the kids to punchbowl reserve today as I had all three with me. I thought the girls might like it since they'd never been. Emma chased ducks around (she never actually caught any but she tried!) and Emma was running aound and tumbling down the hill. And Cameron was trying to climb giant rocks. They had a blast playing in the sun with their Nanny, Poppy and Uncle who were there too. It's so nice to finally be getting some good weather so we can get out and do more. Hopefully its just as nice next weekend so we can do it again.

Chelsea

Cameron (don't worry there's someone holding him)

Chelsea

Emma and Chelsea

Emma chasing some ducks

Cameron

Emma

Training....

Well it's been a pretty quiet day as Cameron hasn't been here. The in laws picked him up this morning and are bringing him back either tomorrow evening or Sunday. Hopefully Sunday! hehe. Not that I don't enjoy having him around the house but it's just sooo much more peaceful when he's not here!
Emma and Chelsea are still high maintenence but not nearly as much as when Cameron is home. The in laws are taking him to the Longford show tomorrow, which will be nice for him. It's a very family orientated show which is good.
And I'll be getting my backside into gear and doing a full day of training. I'm looking forward to it! I didn't go for a run last night because Dwayne went to poker, and I can't tonight I'll be doing the grocery shopping instead (how unexciting), so I told my dad I was coming up to train with him.
I suppose I haven't actually mentioned it on here but....... I'm joining the army. Yep you heard right. It's something I have always been interested in, but since having kids it's something I didn't think more of.
Dwayne and I discussed it and we decided that if I wanted to join the army he would become a stay at home dad. He doesn't mind, and I think he'd be great at it.
So I've been doing my best to get fit so I can join. I've been to a careers day and am now waiting on notice of an assessment day which, by the end will tell me whether or not I've been accepted. I'll go into more details about things at a later date.
But for now I'm concentrating on getting as fit as I can. So bring on tomorrow! Oh and my dad and brother are also joining, hence the reason I am training with my dad :)

Loser

Well I've been watching bathurst today and I regret to inform those that don't already know that Ford lost.

I know. It's tragic.

So long winter!

I went out for dinner with my friend Stevie last night. She had birthday presents for Cameron so I took him along. She wanted me to take all the kids so she could see them but I didn't really want to handle all three of them out for dinner on my own without Dwayne's help.

Amazingly, Cameron behaved himself all night. I was very impressed to say the least. He can be an angel when he really wants to be!

It was nice catching up with Stevie, and getting out of the house. Better than the usual Wednesday night in. We'll have to do it again sometime. Maybe with Emma and Chelsea though, to be fair. I always love catching up with friends I don't see often.

I went hiking again last Saturday, and took Chelsea with me this time. I know you're probably thinking she's too little to be able to walk so long on her own over rough terrain. But I had her in a backpack, and she loved it! Not to mention it was extra exercise for me, as I was feeling pretty slack as I hadn't gone for a walk or run for a couple of days. It wasn't a huge hike, but two hours with a toddler on your back is long enough! My shoulders were killing me by the end. Tough stuff!

Chelsea actually fell asleep half of the way too. I don't know how! It was a bumpy ride but I suppose it's lilke being in a pram or a car, only a little rougher. I'm taking Emma next time. She was at home with Dwayne having a daddy day. And Cameron was with the in-laws.

I love that the weather is getting better so we can do more things out doors. Glad to be rid of winter I'll tell you that!

Happy birthday my little man

Birthday morning

Blowing out his candles

Reading a card. Yes a kid that is interested in the card before the present!!

Well I've been really slack with my blogging lately haven't I?! It's terrible I know but I've had a lot going on lately. Decisions being made, life changes and all that stuff.....

And Camerons birthday!! My little man turned three. THREE! It's hard to believe that he's this age already where has the time gone? It seems one day you're holding your little baby in your arms the next they've grown into a little person. A little person with a big personality. With a lot of attitude! lol But I guess that's kids for you!

Cameron turned three last Wednesday and we had a little birthday party for him on the Saturday after, which he was very excited about. (It meant more presents you see). We hired out the playcentre down the road which was great as I'd rather the kids making a mess of somewhere else rather than my own house. And there were lots of toys and things to keep the kids entertained.

I did my best to make Cameron a decent looking birthday cake for his party. I think it turned out ok seeing as it was my first cake decorating attempt ever. Not that it was particularly hard (a number 3) but I'm not the artistic kind. So simple worked well I think!

A great day to be had by all. Minus the part at the end when we were leaving and I was locking the place up when stupid me set off the security alarm! Arrgh not good! I set the alarm and then decided to go and double check whether I'd turned the oven off or not, but didn't disarm it before I walked back through the door.So obviously the alarm went off.And geez it was LOUD. Honestly how stupid can some people be?

I was waiting for the police to come round the corner and arrest me or something! lol I managed to disarm it but not until after what felt like forever of a high pitched alarm.

And all Dwayne could do was shake his head at me. Never mind helping me or anything!! Well I will learn my lesson for next time!

jumping castles and pub meals

Birthday Boy

Cameron on the jumping castle

It was my nephews birthday on Saturday and he had a little party at the playcentre in beauty point to celebrate turning three. Cameron was excited about going and even more excited about the jumping castle that was going to be set up.


It was nice to get all three kids out of the house for some fun for a change instead of getting out to do the usual shopping and running of errands. And they had fun. Connor (the birthday boy) got spoilt, but he seemed more interested in all the food rather than the gifts he recieved!


Camerons birthday is next Wednesday and he'll be having his party (on the Saturday after) at the same place, but minus the jumping castle. Not that kids mind. I can't believe he'll be three! He's growing up so fast!!!!





Dwayne and I went out for dinner Friday night with his parents, and his brother and wife. We only went to the local pub but gee it was nice! It was only the second time we'd been out to the pub together since I fell pregnant with Cameron!! Looong time ago! We don't get the chance to go out together much. We usually take turns going out with friends while one of us stays home with the kids. So yeah, it was nice


We only managed to do it because of some lovely people that had the kids for the night. One stayed with my parents, one stayed with my sister, and Cameron stayed with the in-laws (he came to dinner with us but went home with them). So we got the chance to stay out for a couple of drinks afterwards. And we went home to a quiet house and actually got a full nights sleep! Amazing I know. Except that my inbuilt alarm clock (brain) still woke me up at 5:30 in the morning. But at least I didn't have kids jumping all over me.

Hiking in the rain

I am EXHAUSTED!! I went hiking today with my dad. I'm trying to get fit as I have some big stuff coming up in my life. That is, if I decide to definitely take that direction and not be scared of change. I won't mention what it is yet as I'm just getting used to the idea myself, but in time I may tell people of the happenings! :)
Anyway back to the hiking bit. This wasn't any hike, this was a 35km round trip kind of hike. I don't know how long that is in miles, but in kilometres it's pretty long. And I'm pretty proud of myself for doing it. It was freezing cold and raining but I was going to make myself do it no matter what. So not long into it I was saturated but I didn't feel the cold and wet for long because we were moving so much.
I didn't realise there were so many tracks out the back of trevallyn, where the dam is and the gorge. And talk about rough terrain. Every track was like a running river, and muddy, rocky and slippery. I lost count of how many times I tripped over rocks and steps. I nearly went down an embankment/cliff a number of times I suppose we could have walked some easy trails but that would be doing it the slack way. And I wanted to push myself.
And push myself I did. And I'm glad I did. Mind you I was ready to keel over and die by the end, but I felt so good about myself. Now all I need to do is do that a few times a week plus more and I'll be as fit as I want to be! Not that I'll get the chance more than once a week but I'll exercise as much as I can in the time between.
I think I'm going to sleep well tonight!

Put on the walking boots

Well I didn't end up taking Cameron to the aqautic center again on Saturday. My sister was going to come with us with Connor her little boy, as well As my friend Mel and her little girls, but they were all sick. So no swimming obviously.

Instead we decided to go hiking, even though it was meant to rain in the afternoon sometime. We went up to Duck Reach power station with my parents and started from there. It's been raining lots so the usually calm river had turned into flowing rapids, and I couldn't wait to take Cameron over the bridge to see it.

He loved it though he seemed a bit wary crossing it at first. We walked up the steep stairs and along some tracks. Cameron did a good job walking and climbing. He nearly made it all the way to the top without being carried.

It was lots of fun, and great exercise! Hopefully the weather will be good next weekend so we can do it again. And for longer next time. Mind you we walked for a couple of hours at least which was good. I need to get fit so this should help!

Swim time

So I ended up taking Cameron to the aquatic centre, and took my sister and my nephew with us. Cameron absolutely loved it. This is a pic of him and his cousin grinning for the Camera before he got into the water.

He was a bit unsure when he first got in and was shivering like a leaf but insisted he wasn't cold. He warmed up though and had a blast. He went down the slides on the playground in the middle of the water but DID NOT like the giant bucket above the playground that fills up and dumps water on people. Every time the warning bell went off he refused to go in that direction. But other than that he had a great time. And so did mummy! I forgot how much fun swimming is. Im taking him again tomorrow. Fun fun!

My little chef

Dwayne has a day off tomorrow which is good news for him but even better news for me. It means I can go to town with only one child and he gets to sit at home and babysit! Lucky him! I'll take Cameron with me because I'm thinking of taking him to the new aquatic centre in Launceston. I'm not really one for swimming but for his sake I suppose I can throw on some boardies and a t-shirt (no you will never see me in bathers, let alone a bikini or the like. After 3 kids are you kidding me?).


It's meant to be really good up there and there is supposed to be a giant bucket in one of the kiddie pools that fills up with water and then tips it over everyone. Cameron would love that! I'm not going to tell him about it yet though incase I change my mind. It all depends on the weather and my mood. Usually I just go to town, do what has to be done, and then go. So we'll have to see.


I went and saw the movie 'The ugly truth' last Friday night with my sister and her neighbour. I have to say, it's the funniest movie I've seen in a while. It was hilarious. I went and saw 'Bruno' too when it was showing and I really would not recommend that movie to anyone. It was in very bad taste and I don't think I'll want to watch it again ever.


Cameron and I made caramel slice the other day, so I could take his photo and put him in a little chefs competition. He really enjoyed helping me and the slice turned out beautiful. Better than shop bought or so I was told. All compliments to Cameron of course! He loves to help me cook. I might let him make some cookies with me over the weekend. My little chef in training :)

Wind and rain go away.....

Just a short post tonight folks as it's been a pretty uneventful week. I'm really getting sick and tired of tassie weather. I just want the wind and rain to be gone and bring on spring! It has been so windy here (overnight especially) I keep thinking that a tree is going to fall on our house! Either that or the house is going to blow away completely! lol Not likely I know but when you're lying in bed at night these thoughts do cross your mind! And living on a hill doesn't help as we cop more wind then others! I can't even leave clothes on the clothesline overnight as some of my clothes have been known to fly off and into the next door neighbours yard. No underwear thank goodness but I haven't taken any chances since!
I came across a really good site the other day. http://social.kidspot.com.au/home.php
It's loaded with info on everything to do with raisng kids and being a parent. And it has forums to add your own opinion and blogs to read. I read a funny blog from a mere male dad today about how he bought some lego off ebay for his kids and thought he'd boil them to sterilise them. It didn't turn out to be such a good idea... lol
I'm not really one to join parenting sites and have my say but this one I actually like and might help me with my fussy kids. Until next time.... xoxo
Update: I probably should have given you this link http://www.kidspot.com.au/
If you're not into the whole forum thing, this is the home of kidspot. It has recipes, info etc.... The other link is for the social side of it where you can chat with other mums and have your say.

Cheeky little girls

Not much to be said on todays happenings. It was just another usual day at home, but I did snap some pics of Emma and Chelsea when I found them like this.......

They climbed up into one of their highchairs, lifted the tray and both squeezed in beside each other. They thought they were pretty clever. And pretty funny!

Todays Pics

Grumpy Bum

Napping on the couch!

Cameron showing off his toys

Emma

Chelsea

Kisses?


Maybe not! :)

Shopping we did go...

Well I had a good weekend. And a peaceful one. We didn't have Cameron for the whole weekend! The in-laws decided to have him which was nice! And it made it easier for Dwayne and I as we had some serious shopping to do! It's tax time, and that means goodie time!

Well maybe not the kind of goodies others might choose to spend their money on, but goodies to us. It meant I could finally buy a tumble dryer. Hallelujah! I've been waiting for one all winter so I couldn't wait to go out and buy one. And we thought it was time that the girls could change from cots to bigger beds so I was excited to pick some out also. And a day out for Emma and Chelsea would be good for them.

We found a good deal on a 6kg dryer which was good, and found the cutest beds, and a matching tallboy to go with it. Nice wooden ones which will hopefully last them a few years! We actually found all the things we needed at the first two stores we visited, but thought we'd shop around for a better deal. But of course we ended back where we started. Isn't that always the way?

I think the girls enjoyed their day out with mummy and daddy. They even had their first kids club meal from Hungry Jacks. They loved it of course. What kid doesn't like hot chips and nuggets? And they were so much easier to deal with without Cameron. There was no jealousy and tantrums, just them getting a bit restless in their strollers.

So a good day shopping it was! Cameron came back yesterday afternoon and within minutes the house was turned upside and in chaos! But no surprises there. He is such a full on little boy!!!

Aren't their new beds the cutest?

Sick Kids and Tigers

Not a very eventful day today. It was quite boring actually so ther's not much to be said on it, but I did have a good day in town yesterday shopping. I picked up some clothes for the kids in Target ata bargain price which was good. I found the cutest little matching jackets for Emma and Chelsea, really adorable. I love it when there are sales on.

Poor Cameron went to bed with an ear ache tonight. He was sooky at dinner time and he barely touched his food (though nothing new there) so I didn't realise that he wasn't well at first.

It wasn't until later when Dwayne was out the loungeroom with him that he noticed he'd been holding his ear for a while. He thought that he might have had something in his ear at first.

My boor boy must have really been in a lot of pain but he was trying so hard to be brave. His little lip was trembling but he didn't let himself cry. I gave him some nurofen and he went to bed early which his daddy to snuggle for comfort so he's all good for the moment.

The girls must be coming down with something also. Their faces were hot and flushed and they were very cranky this evening so I gave them some nurofen too and they were asleep within minutes of being put to bed. It must have helped which is good.

On a happier note though, here is Cameron's cuteness of the day. I was in the kitchen doing the dishes this afternoon and Cameron came running in with a pen in his hand. Now if he has a pen things usually aren't good (trust me, some damage was done with a permanent marker the other day!). Anyway he says to me "Mummy she's a tiger!" and it wasn't until I took the pen off him and walked into the lounge room that I realised what he meant. There was Chelsea, her face covered in stripes of black pen. There was the 'tiger'. Sometimes all you can do is shake your head and laugh.

Scrambled Eggs

Well it was another typical day in this house of chaos today. The day started out the same as usual with the kids hanging off me crying as I'm TRYING to drink my morning coffee. At 6:30. No child would dare sleep in past seven o clock in my house. That would make mummy too happy. But better to be drinking my coffee with kids hanging off me than to have no coffee at all I guess. Oh I'm quite the optimist aren't I?!
My mischievous children decided to make scrambled eggs today. And I don't mean the kind you cook in a frypan. I mean the kind that end up smashed all over the floor. Or floors I should say in this case. Twice. I should have learnt my lesson from the first occurence today but silly me thought they wouldn't dare do it again. I was wrong.
You see the thing is that I have an outside laundry. Yes my laundry is outside, completely separate from the house. Which doesn't actually worry me much as, because it's winter and the dirty washing is piling up because of lack of sunshine to dry the clean stuff, I can have as cluttered a laundry as I like and it won't be seen.
The downside is that my kids seem to know when I am headed to the laundry. I don't know how as I try to sneak out the door as quickly and quietly as possible without them seeing me. But they do. And in the one or two minutes I am out there they see it as their chance to do as much damage as possible inside.
So today the eggs copped it. The first time I came back inside (after I swear was less than a minute!) I found the fridge door wide open and there were a couple of eggs smashed on the kitchen floor. That didn't exactly make me happy but at least it was the kitchen floor which is lino and not the carpet, which I was grateful for.
The second time however was worse. This time there was smashed eggs on the carpet in the loungeroom, and whatever eggs weren't smashed had cracks in them and were slowly seeping. Mummy was NOT a happy camper! I took the eggs off the kids and chased Chelsea down the hallway trying to get the block of cheese off her (which now had bite marks all over it) and quickly ran to clean up the mess on the loungeroom floor.
I was PRAYING that the yolk wouldn't stain the carpet. If it was my own home I wouldn't have been praying so hard, but seeing as we rent I was a little worried to say the least. I didn't need stained carpet to go on my reference. Luckily it didn't stain but I wasn't very happy. I then had to change the girls' clothes as they had raw egg all over them and they had been eating it. So that was nearly a dozen eggs wasted.
Now you're probably wondering why I don't have a lock on my fridge right? Well the truth is I have had THREE locks on my fridge but a child lock will only keep a child out for so long. Cameron learnt that instead of trying to open the fridge door and not getting anywhere with it, if he could pull hard enough on the side of the lock then he could rip the whole thing off. I can't seem to win! I haven't bothered buying a fourth lock now since there's no point I'm just hoping he will grow out of the stage where he needs to look in the fridge every 5 minutes!!

Mummy Guilt

Today was a long day. Well actually it was mostly the morning really the second half of the day was better. But this morning was one of those mornings. You know the ones consisting of moody, destructive children who didn't want to give their mummy a break! Yep that kind of morning!
But ah well you get that. Me, I get a lot of it.
But that aside right now i'm feeling pretty guilty. I did something today and I'm feeling terrible about it. I jammed poor Chelseas fingers in the bathroom door. Even writing it now i'm wincing. I've never seen her in so much pain it was horrible trying to console her. It was a complete accident but that isn't making me feel any better. I was coming out of the bathroom with Cameron as he'd just been to the toilet and the girls were standing outside the door (as usual) and I went to pick Chelsea up, as her pants were around her ankles, and close the door at the same time and her little fingers got in the way. :(
I feel like the worst mother in the world her cries seemed to last forever. She's okay now but boy do I feel bad.
Parent guilt argh it gets to you!

But on a happier note here is a quote from Cameron that made me smile today. I was changing Emmas dirty nappy and Cameron was beside me having a stickybeak. He must have obviously smelt it as he says to me "Oh mummy what you feed her?!" Hahaha He never fails to make me smile with the things he comes out with xxx

Haircuts and Scrapbooks

Cameron showing off his newly styled hair

And again


At the hairdresser before his haircut

I went to town again yesterday (yes twice in the one week can you believe it!) and I took all the kids with me. Well obviously I had to as it was a week day. I promised Cameron a haircut so I took him to get one, and I promised Melissa I would go to her scrapbooking party, so off to town I went.

I'd never done it before and didn't think I would find it interesting but it was actually a lot of fun! I think it's going to be my new hobby. It's something I can be creative with without really stuffing up! As those that know me know I am not exactly an artistic person, so this is a good thing! The next time I'm in town I'll be buying a scrapbook or two and some things to get me started. I didn't realise how expensive it would be but I think I'll be able to buy on the cheap and still make it look good. I know kmart has a big range which probably isn't as expensive as elsewhere.

I put some more toys on layby for christmas and Camerons birthday too. And after searching for forever I finally found the movie Cars for Cameron. It's his favourite and I've been wanting to buy it for his birthday so he can watch it whenever he wants, but everytime I try to find it it's not there. Very annoying. So I sent Catherine in search of it in kmart yesterday and she found one copy. One! You'd think there would be more in stock wouldn't you?

So anyway I snatched it up and it's now sitting on top of my wardrobe waiting for Cameron's birthday to roll around. Which isn't til September mind you but he's going to love it when he gets it. And so am I - no more watching it part by part on youtube! It gets a bit annoying after a while when he calls out to me every 10 minutes to click on the next part of the movie! xxx

Towning It

I went to town (launceston) today and took Cameron with me for some one on one time with mummy. He needs that sometimes. And so do I! It's nice to spend time with my kids separately without them all competing for my attention. The girls stayed at home with their daddy.
Not a huge day in town today. I had to do the obligatory grocery shopping so not very interesting. I was going to take Cameron to get a haircut but decided it could wait until during the week sometime. It seems that there are weekend rates for haircuts these days!
I also went to the Kmart toy sale for a squiz. I didn't take Cameron with me I left him with my mum because he would have wanted me to buy everything in the shop otherwise! Not that he seemed to mind he was happy to watch me go!
There weren't many things I was interested at the sale. Compared to last years one it was pretty slack but I did put a few things on layby for the kids including a Fisher Price Fun 2 Learn Cool School Learning System for Cameron. It's a keyboard for the computer that he can use for fun and to learn at the same time. So he should like that come Christmas time hopefully! Not that I have any idea on what to buy for the kids this year! I try to plan ahead but I just have no idea!
But anyway apart from that not much else was done in town. I stopped at hungry Jacks on the way home and bought the boy a kids club meal as a treat, and to try to keep him awake for the ride home. Not that he ate much, no surprises there! I ate more of it than he did!
xxx

Trust The Teddy Bear

Hallalujah and praise the lord! The best thing has happened - finally! My little munchkin girls (also known as ratbag one and ratbag two) Emma and Chelsea have learnt to go to sleep without mummy and daddy. Can i get a woop woop?!
Ok so I realise that this probably isn't very interesting to other people but this is a big thing for me! My girls are 16 months old and up until now they have refused to fall asleep unless they were in Dwaynes and my arms or snuggled up beside us in bed.
But I thought it couldn't stay that way forever and they needed to be a little more independent so we lay them down in their cots, gave them their dummies. kissed them goodnight and left the room.
This didn't work straight away.

Night One: I felt like the worst mother in the world hearing their cries and knowing how worked up they were getting. I went in there a few times to let them know all was good and mummy wasn't far but they needed to sleep. It was really hard to do this. Chelsea finally gave up and fell asleep but Emma was another matter. So i gave in and let her snuggle with me.
Night Two: Pretty much the same thing but after a while they gave in and went to sleep.
Night Three: Not much different. Sent Dwayne in after a bit. He came back out and they were quiet. I asked how he did it and he said he gave them a teddy bear to cuddle. I couldn't believe it!
Night Four: Crying was only a little bit before I gave them their teddy bears and they fell asleep!
Night Five (Tonight): Lay them down with their teddies and they were asleep within minutes! Success!
I tried it today for their nap time and it worked also. Now all they need to do is sleep through the night! I have tried this before without success because I always feel like the worst mother in the world for letting them cry. I'm glad we all made it through this time though.
I love the person who invented the teddy bear very very much! :) xoxox


Oh and heres a cute little tidbit for you.

Bathed the kids today and getting Cameron out and sitting him in front of the heater he says to mummy. "I don't like baths, they too wet"!!! How cute is that? And this coming from the boy who asks me all day long can he have a bath yet? Oh my kids make me smile.... :)

Snacks and Vacs!

So i'm sitting here in front of the computer eating avocado and tomato on toast with just a sprinkling of pepper. A halfway healthy snack, we'll just pretend it's not white bread! I know others would have something to say about that! The kids are in bed and Dwayne is off playing poker, the usual thursday night routine.
I'm pretty proud of myself sitting here eating my halfway healthy snack, as I turned down my usual thursday night oh so creamy valhalla icecream. Although it was very tempting when Dwayne asked me, as thoughts of jaffa, old english toffee and chocolate flavours flashed through my mind. I could do with something sweet right about now too. But I already ate chocolate pudding today so thought I should go without!
Not a very eventful day today as far as things go. Unless you count the kids blowing the vacuum up. Well it wasn't them using it when it happened but I will say it's their fault! I caught them tipping their bottles of water on it yesterday afternoon and wiped the water off, thinking that it was just on the surface and not much. Apparently that wasn't the case because when I turned it on this morning I smelt something burning, and it took a few seconds to realise where the burning smell was comng from. I turned it off pretty quickly when I saw a spark. It didn't go boom but I won't be turning it on again in a hurry!
Damn I wish I didn't tell Dwayne not to bring me home icecream because of course now I'm craving one.........!
UPDATE: so he walks through the door with a HUGE caramel fudge icecream with wafer cone. Damn him for not listening! but i love him so! mmmmmmm

Cute!

It really makes me laugh the things my boy comes out with sometimes, and the things he does. Two year olds are so unpredictable and good for a laugh! Cameron made me smile today when he was sitting up in front of the computer watching my songs playing on yahoo.
He kept on turning and pressing the buttons on the keyboard saying something over and over, though I couldn't understand what to begin with. All I knew was that he was pressing the keyboard and making things pop up o nto the screen evrywhere which, needless to say wasn't making mummy very happy!
So I walked over to tell him off for the tenth time only to have him tell me simply that he was 'dj-ing'! He'd been singing out DJ every time he pressed a button! And there I was thinking maybe he was saying CJ (christine) or just muttering in kid speak. I have absolutely no idea how he would know what a dj is but he must have picked it up somewhere and it was very cute. I couldn't tell him off after that could I? Just had a bit of a giggle to myself.
Little moments like that make being a mother really worth it!

In The Mood To Bake?

So reading a certain someone's blog about lemons and baking has gotten me in the mood to bake. Problem is I don't have lemons to bake with. Or anything else for that matter! But never fear baking will be in order sometime this week. Perhaps my choccie pudding that Dwayne loves so much? Or something different...? Will have to look up some recipes on Taste I think to see what I can find.
I do look forward to some home made lemon butter coming my way though (hopefully)! That certain person may have to make a little bit extra! For the kiddies of course! Who can deny the younguns some lemon butter for their toasties!! Okay and maybe just a little bit for mummy............ :) xxx

Argh!

If anyone out there has any ideas on how to get fussy toddlers to eat please let me know!!!! Frustrating.......

Goals...

So I have been really focusing on what I want out of life lately. I have goals set for the future but I think it's going to take a lot of time before I get there. And mind you there are a lot of days when I think it's never going to happen so why hope anyway. Having kids so early has definitely put things on hold for a few years, but if it wasn't for them I wouldn't even have the goals I do have, so really I have them to thank for it. And them to be thankful for :)
Today was one of those bad no hope days. Not terrible but a little bit stressful. If only kids could live together in harmony all of the time. But when you have three fussy toddlers who don't want to share with each other, get jealous of anothers attention, and not eat any of the food you put in front of them it makes for stressful days for mummy. Harmony? No not bloody likely! :)
But going back to goals and things to be thankful for, it is all them . I love my kids dearly and if I didn't have them I probably still would have no idea what to do with my life, or what direction to take. So no matter how bad some days can be, I'll always know that my kids are what make me the person I am. A person with a goal. And now that I have that goal, all I can do is aim for it, for my sake and theirs. So here's to that!! ;) xoxox