Easter eve magic

So I've just gone about scattering way more chocolate than is healthy for 3 children to eat in what will likely be less than 12 hours. Thankfully I've managed to put a fair bit of it away (ie I've scoffed it) to lessen the pain tomorrow. It got me thinking anyway about my commitment to the whole Easter bunny game. I love the Christmas magic and will defend my right to lie to my children about FC to the death but we've never really gotten into Easter Bunny. I recall the easter 5 years ago, when Mark had to go outside with a cricket bat to reassure our, at the time 2 year old, terrified son that the Easter Bunny wasn't hiding out there waiting to get him. A story my now 7 year old son found hilarious this evening, lol! Anyway, my kids are very much into it and I have a feeling that if I drop the ball on this particular fantasy then the rest will fall like a house of cards and I'm in no way ok with that. My lovely daughter lay awake for hours this evening listening for sounds of the bunny (one has to wonder what on earth she thought she'd hear!) and I know there will be much excitement in the morning until the sugar low hits. Ride the wave hey?!

Yes I know that easter is about so much more than chocolate, the 'real' meaning of these type of holidays is something I always struggle with as an atheist. I really don't have a problem with celebrating them, I see easter and christmas as cultural rather than specifically religious, especially when you look at the pagan origins. Easter kind of sucks for us in the Southern hemisphere in that regard. It's supposed to be about new life, spring etc and the reality is that everything's dying here or at least going to sleep for the coming winter. And the question is, what do I tell my kids. Well, this year I haven't brought it up. Fact is I just haven't had time to think about it, too much going on to have deep discussions with my 7 and 5 year old about different meanings of easter/ spring/ autumn equinox! In previous years we've discussed the christian version of easter as well as what the egg symbolises with pagan background (well as much as I know about it, which is pretty much nothing!). We did, however, dye/ paper mache the eggs in the photo. At least that's something :P I also bought 3 baskets from the op shop for collecting in the morning. Ah well, maybe next year I'll have more time to research it all in advance and start easter traditions/ rituals that don't only involve chocolate. In the meantime, the kids still fell the magic :D

Random

Laying in bed with foo having a booby marathon with a high fever and reminiscing about my now three year old looking almost the same at almost the same age (an earlier post, can't do the fancy link on my phone).
Where does the time go? Seems like just yesterday...
Anyway, sick foo means no work for me tomorrow. Suspect this is a slow down sign for all of us. Life is way too busy with renovations and easter and..well 4 children and a cat really! So, trying to enjoy snuggling my little hot water bottle nourishing him with my milk and resting myself. Way too much to do this weekend (5 day long weekend!) to have sickness in the house.


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Location:My bed

lots going on...

blink and a month has gone by...
We've been super busy renovating. Our kitchen is mostly in. just working on the trimmings, wall shelving etc and then onto the laundry, deck roof and painting. Not much time for blogging. When I finish in the evening it's usually close to midnight and I'm trashed!
Big news is that it's all in aid of selling our house for a move to Brisbane. Exciting times!

Insanity

That week at the end of the school holidays where everyone else's kids are back at school and mine are not. That week where I have nothing left to give and they know this, taking advantage of it. That week, by the end if which, my children really want to go back to school to get away from their crazed mother. This one is extra special because I haven't been to work in over seven months and am extra specially crazy.
I love my children but oh my goodness I love them more when I'm not with them 23/7. *sigh* ok back to it before they kill each other..


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Location:My house

another chuck out

It's Tuesday! My blog has become boring, I realise, but I want to get this habit going so stick with me ;)
Today is a bit of a failure. I had a pile of things to give back to friend this morning but I let her leave without them, bugger. I am going to her house tomorrow and WILL take them then, so baby rocker and bumbo will be gone. The jolly jumper frame did go however so my children will no longer be beating the crap out of each other with long steel poles- win!

I don't feel too bad, on the weekend, I went through probably a couple of metres (quite literally!) of filing including all the paper work from the NICU course. It took me a whole day and I totally filled the recycling bin, felt very good! We actually got our room pretty clean, which lasted all of 5 minutes. It's now full of baskets of clean washing again *sigh*

Chuck out Tuesday

Yes it's Monday. I could lie and say I'm early but I'm super late. I did in fact DO the throwing out on Tuesday however.
So...something that has been building up a long time...the sock basket. Talking to others it seems everyone has some sort of odd sock pile. For me it started as a shopping bag and it's grown through several moves to the point where I had a washing basket FULL of odd socks. Some of which hadn't seen their best friend for 5 years or more! I emptied the entire basket onto the lounge room floor and employed the talents of my two biggest to find the pairs.

Their attention spans helped with probably half of them and then my three year old whirlwind joined in throwing the socks all over the house. My resolve faltered, I was getting bored with it myself. So. I gathered all the left over odd ones. I threw them all out! (Well there were a few that were recent and I don't think had even been worn, I saved about 6 say). It was strangely liberating, I found the matching sock for one of my wool playgroup socks a couple of days later and threw it out without hesitation. I have vowed NEVER to let them get to that stage again and will be having a monthly sort and chuck session!

I got started on this Tuesday's chuck out already and I have a few things to pass on to a preggo mama tomorrow. I'm really enjoying a weekly throw out :D

Chuck out Tuesday

Yes it's Wednesday, I know. Let's just pretend...
In an attempt to de clutter and have a serious sort out of what we need to aid big things coming (more on that later) I'm going to throw out/ give away something every week. Hoping that the outgoings are more than the incomings and by the end of the year...well we'll at least have less shit!
So last week's chuck out Tuesday I took several bags to the op shop. Yesterday I gave ALL my teeny baby clothes away including cloth nappies. A few teary moments but mostly relief to have a bit more space in the garage. It was a heap of stuff...poor M's station wagon boot was stuffed. Mark was very proud, lol! However, it barely made a dint tbth. SO next week I think I'll continue with garage stuff!

back to normal

It's been a busy month since last post...
It started with a pinched nerve in my neck. It was absolutely revolting, the worst pain I've ever been in. My neck actually felt fine, it was my shoulder and arm. Horrid nerve pain with constant spasming in my arm. At one point Mark wanted to call an ambulance! It was a week all up with lots of drugs and not being able to be alone with the children. I couldn't even pick up the baby and feeding him was agony. Poor Mark had to make Christmas dinner, he did a stellar job!
It meant that we had to delay our Brisbane trip. We were supposed to leave boxing day but there was no way we could with me unable to move my arm (there was a little improvement but I still couldn't hold the baby!) so we decided to leave on the 28th instead. I was MUCH better by then thankfully, we did consider just cancelling the whole thing. Fast forward to 5am on the 28th, car all packed, just to load the kids. I went to wake the big boy to find him vomiting in his bed! On to the princess and she was looking very green and complaining of a super sore tum. I was ready to give in then but Mark wanted to keep going so on we went. By the time we'd made it through town we'd stopped three times to empty vomit bowls and it pretty much continued on the same until about 40 minutes our of Broken Hill when the baby projectile vomited and the toddler had diarrhoea. We decided to just stay in Broken Hill for the night. If things weren't drastically better by morning we'd go home. Of course by that night the kids were keen for a maccas dinner so much better. The baby had awful nappies but was as smiley as ever so Mark packed up the car at 4am to try to make up for the time we'd missed on day 1. I woke up at 2.30 with it. OMG I hate to vomit. I decided we'd go on given the kids were better quickly and we managed to do 1000kms that day with me feeling much better by the end. Day three was positively pleasant although the amount of water about was pretty shocking.
We had a great holiday there, probably our best ever! Unfortunately my baby who likes to stick his fingers in everyone's mouth gave everyone gastro but thankfully it was just one day. Kids cried the whole way home, they miss their cousins :( Relatively uneventful trip home other than sadly missing catching up with friends in Canberra :( They had one child vomiting and we just couldn't face another gastro! And a scary drive through a flooded road just out of Brisbane.
Mark back at work today, so our first official day at home alone. Sorry for a boring update but needed to get it out :P