Month: October 2010

Silver linings and all that

So yeah, last week kicked my butt big time. One of those weeks I’ll look back on with a shake of the head and a loud exhale of air.

But there was good in there too. The phone call from a Sydney Children’s Hospital social worker who is going to action some things for me.

The most ridiculous care package of magazines, a DVD of the first episode of the Australian Grand Designs, a card of kind words and another CD tackling something else I’m dealing with from the lovely Leisl.

I won a magazine subscription over at Woogsworld.

I joined the crew of Boombahs over at The Fatty Boombah Club and decided enough self-loathing is enough and if I am that fucking miserable about my weight to go and do something about it. I lost 4.5kgs in one week.  I posted about that here. I have never lost that much weight in one week ever. I don’t expect to ever repeat it either, but it was the start I needed. 

You know that first big meeting at the Pain Clinic and how something had unsettled me? I had the follow-up meeting today. It went for over an hour, talking about Oscar, things that we find challenging, changes I have seen (this was really interesting because there have been loads) and some ideas to help us as well as talking about other agencies who might be able to assist. I had walked away from the first meeting feeling judged, that we didn’t fit their criteria or something, that there’d be a big red flag on our file as a family in crisis or failing to cope.

So, at the end of our meeting today, when the psychologist and physiotherapist said to me that what they see is an incredibly capable mother who adores her children and is very skilled at identifying problems and in-turn problem solving I was, well, I was really touched. The psychologist said that after the initial meeting their view was that we were doing such a great job and that their role would be to simply provide some icing on an already well-baked cake.

Bloody typical. I walk away from a meeting feeling judged and inadequate and meanwhile the real situation is the complete opposite.

These guys are there as another resource for us and that is so bloody refreshing.

Sunday saw us finally return to some level of business-as-usual with Jasper having an extra dance practice for the upcoming end-of-year concert and Felix having his best mate’s birthday party to attend.

Jasper and dance. He loves it. Sunday’s extra session was unique in that parents were allowed to stay in the room. It seems a strange quirk of dance school etiquette that parents are not allowed to stay in the room for the whole lesson. Weirdos. Anyway, I’ve kinda got a total girl crush on his teacher, Miss Jen. She can totally wear those weird not-quite-harem pants with her metallic multi-coloured hightop Adidas sneakers, kicky singlet top and incredibly good haircut. She is awesome with the boys (can you even imagine getting 25 5-7 year old boys to all face the same way let alone do dance moves in unison?), seems to be having fun and well yes, girl crush.

So it stands to reason I totally embarrassed myself on Sunday, going up to her following the lesson and telling her how amazing she was and how much I appreciated her energy and effort. Yep. Creepy.

Felix’s best mate was going to have a pool party for his 11th birthday. Of course if it had been on Saturday it would have been sensational w/ high 20s and crystal clear skies (until the thunderstorms). But it was on Sunday. When it was about 12 and rainy. So they had a change of venue and held it at the gymnastics centre they are heavily involved with. It now appears Jasper and Grover will be starting gymnastics lessons. And also – Oscar and Felix did a gym program at another centre from when they were wee until around Year 3. Oscar hated the foam pits, freaking out if he ended up in one, paralysed in fear as to the sensation of it and how the hell he’d get out. So you can imagine Chef and my shock when there he was on Sunday, bounding down the trampoline and into the foam pit, AND climbing out over and over again. Progress comes in the strangest of forms. 
These delightful images are evidence of my foray into the world of hooking. Also known as crochet. I’m rather enjoying it as I can now produce a square in a couple of hours tops. And you know me – always in need of instant gratification.
***** 
It appears that despite a week of antibiotics Grover and Jasper have been hit with some cold/flu/croup bug and indeed my tonsilitis returned with a vengeance today. We’re all back at the GP tomorrow. This will be my fourth round of antibiotics in about five weeks. Wicked.
*****
Onward!

New Favourite – Best kids CD ever




I think the second song just broke my quarantine with four children for five days fug. 


Potty Time makes me laugh out loud


Biscuits is a sound in a singer I love to hear


I think I’m in love with Morton


Nothing is my favourite by far and I am now trying to find out more about Steve Foxbury.



The week that was

I would be blogging about the week that was but the Blogger won’t let me upload the images I want to run with the story.

And dudes? this post? Without totally unrelated images? SO FUCKING DEPRESSING.

Come back later.

A happy post! Jasper turns 5!

Enough of you have been reading long enough to remember Jasper’s pregnancy and arrival so are probably just as befuddled by the fact he is now five. FIVE! Going to school next year. I mean, didn’t I just have him?

With not a grain of originality I thought I’d share with you five things about the mighty Jasper.

1. His favourite colour is pink.These are the buttercake w/ fresh strawberries mixed through (on his suggestion) topped with buttercream icing and sprinkles cupcakes he took to kindy on his birthday.

2. After a brief run of requesting penis cakes we were back to his favourite animal – the ladybird. At least we didn’t have to revisit Scary Thomas the Effing Engine this year.

3. This child of contradiction. Fiercely independent but always in need of a snuggle. My all singing, all dancing jazz-hands Jasper who has a pretty short fuse and will happily thump a brother, hard, if they annoy him/look at him/touch him/touch his stuff. A ray of sunshine full of stories and laughter with a flip-side of contemplation and serious silences.

4. He still adores trains. These last two days he has spent way too long on YouTube watching clips of model trains. He has moved on from Thomas the Effing Engine and The Polar Express has not been on in the house for about a month (gasp!) but the ending of Back to the Future III is getting a lot of airplay and while I can only endorse the original Back to the Future I can understand the love of a) a train that explodes and b) a train that flies.

5. After years dedicated to the white, the off-white, the beige, the taupe diet Jasper has decided that maybe other foodstuffs are worth investigating. It’s not game on as such but dudes, it’s progress.

Here he is with one of his presents – a pink treasure box full of pirate treasures – gold coins, rubies, diamonds and the rest (from his cousins) and his Grandpa, Chef’s Dad. There is something infectious about how family is the world to children. It makes you re-evaluate your priorities don’t you think? These holidays just gone Jasper went to my Dad and Stepmother’s on his own for the first time. He stayed for two nights and was dirty with me when I arrived to pick him up because he wanted to stay longer. He will often request a phone call to Nana and Grandpa to arrange a day – on.his.own – with them and this warms my heart.

And that I think is the biggest thing about the Mighty Jasper. When he arrived he changed the whole dynamic of our family. He brought us all together in the pure love and joy that is so unique to a newborn baby. We called him our ray of sunshine and Felix once tearily said to me, ‘I love him so much I don’t know what to do with it’.

On our recent sojourn at K’s there was a brief moment one afternoon when Jasper wanted me to lie down with him. He told me that he wanted a sister too and in fact wanted four of them. I laughed gently and told him that was not going to happen and oh, the real tears that he cried. It reminded me that Felix was five when I fell pregnant with Jasper and that I can’t believe another five years have passed. 

Happy birthday my beautiful boy, may the world always be as wondrous to you as you make ours.

Today

We have not had to go to hospital!
WOOT!
It appears Oscar was reacting to the antibiotic. I spoke at length with the GP on the phone this morning (she was so good) and we’ve started him on one which is gentler on the stomach but bloody hell, that kid has dealt with enough this year.
Felix’s throat swab results are back and yes, it’s official, he has whooping cough.
Felix’s coughing fits last night were not a patch on Monday night’s.
The boys spent today watching The Last Airbender and The Karate Kid – the new one with Will Smith’s son in it, which I actually thoroughly enjoyed and think is so.much.better. than the original.
There was also an attempt at making slime, which resulted in bowls of what look suspiciously like half set green jelly.
Jasper accidentally whacked me across the face with his Poppity – the stinky bunny rabbit he takes everywhere. still.  – which gave me a shock and made me cry.
Which made him cry.
But for me, the shock of that thwack kinda opened the floodgates and I just sobbed and sobbed on and off for about two hours.
Then fell asleep for an hour.
Then went and did the grocery shopping.
Then bumped into a mum from school who told me virtually the WHOLE of Years 5 and 6 and been felled with The Cough.
That’s roughly 60 kids.
So thank you school secretary for saying to me yesterday we were the first ones she’s heard of to have it.
Then I came home and cracked the shits about the state of the house – lunch plates still everywhere etc and everyone knew I meant business.
Dinner however was not until 8pm.
Do you know what kids are like when they don’t eat dinner until 8pm?
Ughgly.
The bigger boys are now in bed.
The little boys are in the bath blowing bubbles at each other.
It will end in tears shortly no doubt.
So you see, the sun did rise, another day did dawn and we have lived to tell the tale.

Onward!