my-speck

i'm pregnant and it's going to be a rollercoaster

Ekka Time August 14, 2013

Filed under: activities for kids,family,Parenting — rakster @ 9:01 am
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Petting the animals

It’s the time of the Royal Agricultural Exhibition, or Ekka as it’s known.

We haven’t taken the kids so far, cause it is typically busy and a bit full-on, but the lure of the baby animal nursery, where there are hundreds of little animals in an enclosure won out: you can walk right in and feed, pat and generally get close to them.

So C took the morning off work and with his rules of “no carnies, no show bags”, we ventured forth.

And it was fun!

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The kids got initiated into the famous Ekka strawberry icecreams…

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Strawberry Ekka Icecreams

 

being gentle with the chicks

 

 

 

Tree Climbing August 8, 2013

Filed under: family,playing,Raising a Child — rakster @ 9:20 pm

Little O loves to climb…

In the big tree in Fairfield

 

Today we had a doctor’s apartment and afterwards there was a special request for a park stop on the way home.

And this is where he hung…

 

A little rest May 2, 2013

Filed under: exhaustion,family,healthcare,Parenting — rakster @ 8:12 pm

Little Miss L is a bit under the weather.

 

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But happy she has dogs on her jarmies.

 

New household members April 19, 2013

Filed under: activities for kids,development stages,emotion,family,Parenting — rakster @ 7:19 am

Our new household members arrived last night.

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Our kindy/daycare ran a hatching program for all the kids to see and we have adopted four.

You have never seen two more excited children when they arrived home last night. And this morning the excitement is still palpable.

Here’s hoping we didn’t get any roosters!

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Pink Dinner is a winner April 9, 2013

Filed under: activities for kids,cooking,eating,family — rakster @ 7:45 pm

You just never know what will happen at dinner time…

Most nights little O picks at his food and has to be coaxed into even tasting most new things. We try to just relax about the whole thing, and not wheedle or cajole, but some nights we resort to it in frustration.

Generally we do try to eat around the kids too: by that I mean making meals that they like or are not as spiced as we might otherwise eat.

But tonight I decided to just cook something I felt like cooking. Actually a bit of experimentation.

So beetroot and yoghurt sauce + lentil pilaf.

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And for once I has a son who ate without complaint, telling me that it “tastes great when I put all of it in my mouth at once!”

Who didn’t look like he was loving it, but for some reason tonight just decided to soldier through.

And gleefully declared at the end of the meal that he is looking forward to purple poo tomorrow.

 

Potty time October 30, 2012

Filed under: family,healthcare,potty training — rakster @ 12:42 pm

We dragged the potty out of the storeroom a few weeks ago. I’m optimistic that although L is only 16 months, as summer approaches we can get a little potty action in.

So we’ve been practising sitting on the potty. She loves it: it’s like a ride with handles, and she can sit on it while her brother is in the toilet. Awesome for her (not so awesome for the parent who needs to remain in the bathroom while the three year old poos… Lots of grunting and not a great smell, all accompanied with incessant chatter)..

Two nights ago while getting in the bath, just as O did a poo, L shouted “wee wee, wee wee” and demanded to be in the potty. I obliged. She sat there for a minute, then said, “wee wee” and got off. And promptly did a big turd on the floor…

It’s difficult being a parent: having to say, “good girl” in an excited and encouraging voice whilst at the same wiping up freshly deposited poo from the bathroom floor with the one free hand (the other making sure so stray 1 year old hands enter said deposit)..

Anyway,I put it down to fluke or just good timing.

Cue this afternoon, another clear “wee wee, wee wee”. We went and had a sit for a few minutes. Then suddenly she stands up, hops off the potty and, yep, you’ve got it: poos on the floor again.

Repeat simultaneous cleaning and congratulatory remarks.

Aaah.. Moving forward!

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Another birthday and a robot cake adventure June 26, 2012

It’s been a crazy week of birthdays… A quick post to share a photo or two.

We celebrated O’s 3rd Birthday in the park on the weekend with a robot and rocket party.

What does that look like? Lots of big refrigerator boxes all joined up to make a robot spaceship, decorated with stickers and stick-ons. Filled with small children popping their heads up through the funny windows and openings. And crawling between all the adjoining boxes like crazy.

In the spaceship

Lots of fruit for morning tea.

the spaceship has landed in the park

And, of course, a robot cake. Which the smallest one managed to swipe icing off while I was trying to light the candles!

Robot Cake!

Happy Robot Birthday my beautiful boy!

 

First Day June 13, 2012

Filed under: development stages,emotion,family,Parenting,Raising a Child,work — rakster @ 8:40 am

Today is my first day back to work! A new job where I actually have to go into an office.

And this is who I’m leaving behind…

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And for the record, the inside of a bus in Brisbane looks the same as about six years ago when I last caught one to work.

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Girraween … May 30, 2012

Filed under: camping,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 2:47 pm
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Girraween National Park, on the border of QLD and NSW, south of Warwick, was the destination for our camping trip last weekend.

It was great.  Lovely crisp days with amazingly blue endless skies.  Freezing cold (like minus 3 or something) nights.  We were joined by some great friends, and did some wonderful walking on both days.  The photo below is up at the top of The Pyramid.  It is a steep climb/walk straight up a granite-faced rock.

 

Did I ever mention that I’m not so keen on heights?  Not petrified, but not enamoured with them either.  Climbing up for me was a big challenge.  I don’t like going up steep inclines where I feel one false move could mean I slip to my death.  Which is a bit of an exaggeration really, as the granite face of the rock is really grippy and if you fell you’d probably just end up with a lot of gravel rash.   But nonetheless, rationality doesn’t come into it all that much for me when I’m trying to climb.  Going down is fine.  I can see where I’m going to fall then so it’s not an issue.  Figure that.  Anyway, with a lot of support and encouragement (and assistance by handing the baby in the backpack right on over to G for the full trip up and down) I made it all the way up and that is us on top.  Glorious!

 

at the top of the rock - The Pyramid - Girraween National Park

It was absolutely freezing at night, and little Miss L came down with a bad case of gastro which made nights in the tent (wearing all our clothes and with limited bedding) pretty tricky (you can see where I’m going with this but I’ll spare you the details), but the days made up for it.

Yay for camping!

🙂

love M

P.S. and we still use our macpac backpack all the time – I just got another one so we can do stuff like this and carry both kids at once. wonderful.

 

Eating : a balancing act May 22, 2012

Filed under: cooking,eating,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 9:46 pm

I had to take a photo tonight at dinner to remind myself and record the fact that my son will eat dinner.

On occassion.

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If in a restaurant.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Grrrrrrrr.

I have made the same meal at home (pad thai) plenty of times and he won’t even try it.

And here he is not only serving himself a whole plateful, but eating it too!

I’m happy and frustrated simultaneously 🙂

 

Love Mum

P.S. The 11 month old weighs the same as the 2yr 11 month old in our house.