Learning Curves

We learnt some valuable things last night. K learned why one should not juggle the sugar container... and we learned that even plastic can smash on the tiles. We also learned patience... we learn that a lot around here but dammit, why so many refresher courses??? Kieran's second Kindy session was the bomb. I had the morning from hell as the muppet was tired. He was in bed by 11 and I woke him at 1:10 and we skidded into Kindy at 1:28, beating check in cut off by a minute. Damn, I am GOOD! He had a brilliant session. I also dropped C of at Nakita - she's a saint, that Nakita, and hit houses for Census. I did good. What with those houses and my evenings work I was looking good to achieving my targets. I was until a state of emergency was declared anyway. I cannot fathom what Christchurch is experiencing right now. The pain, and trauma and the constant, ongoing fear as the city continues to shake. It made me hold my family a little closer to my heart. Guess who's getting Skyped tonight :) I am digging out blankets and clothes and we are making a $20 donation. It's all we can afford but we feel we need to make it. We also need to get our disaster kit set up!

9 months in, 9 months out

Yup, old Fang has cut his first tooth at the ripe age of 9 months. He spent 4 days of angst driven sleepless nights letting us know how unimpressed he is with the situation. The tooth is now above the gum and can be seen clearly - and may I add he has a wicked bite! In other news... he has also officially been out as long as he was in - that's my boy :) What to say about young Cameron.... well, he is the apple of his brother's eye. K delights in his "bath with friends" and now that C can sit, travel about the floor and seize toys is able to steal much more interesting toys - though he does now give a replacement toy. C is happy, laughs a lot, loves his "mummum" and daddad" and is trying to say cat. He is a born drummer and I am seriously thinking about getting him a drum for his birthday in May, as he gravitates to these whenever he sees them. He loves music, and books, and snackin's. He is a FINE feeder, inhaling food like a champ, and is a happy, giggly, relaxed little love of a baby! He also enjoys having his brother crawl into the cot with him and tickle him and blow raspberries on any bodypart he can reach. We love you Cameron!

Sniff

Alas, I am STILL sick. The coughing has begun to ease off praise be!! We headed out to Olympic Park on Sunday which K thoroughly enjoyed. Much dashing about ensued. K's second session at Kindy did not go well. He was too worked up to sleep despite my best efforts, and Kindy was a tearful series of tantrums. I staggered out of there feeling very low, and indulged in a little weep later that afternoon as K spiralled down into an exhaustion fuelled meltdown. I have had to tell Plunket that I can't do as much as time pressure is hitting me re SMNZI, TCANZ and Census work. I have been playing with different flours for my bread and pikelets and am happy to report that my Chia, cornmeal and oaty pikelets are a winner with the boys. My yoghurt, oats and Chia bread isn't too shabby either :)

This morning I was running the stroller walk. It was a nice walk, and we headed by the Lucinda orchard and the library playground. K was very good at walking and had a nice sleep - my cunning plan worked! Today we had another Kindy session. This time I left K there and returned half an hour before the end of the session. K was apparently a little low, and requesting my presence but settled nicely after afternoon tea. He had settled so well he didn't want to come home with me :) C relished the chance to hang out one on one as I baked bread, did my census homework and wondered how K was doing...Good times.

I have some sacks of flour for Ruth on the floor. Every time I think of dropping them off I realise Ruth's mom is at work and in the evenings we are busy babywrangling.... Might see if Chris wants to drop them off tomorrow. Bandit, that lucky devil, has a vet appointment at noon tomorrow so I will drag self, toddler, cat and baby to the vets... oh happy day! And then... my census workshop from 3-9pm

Hack Hack Cough Cough

Today was K's first afternoon of Kindergarten. Despite neither C nor K having an afternoon nap it was a good session. K positively raced for the Kindy gates. Once there he found a toy oven and played blissfully before moving onto the climbing frame, sandpit, blocks, musical instruments and toy kitchen in quick succession. There was a sticky moment where he decided to leave the afternoon tea mat and play instead.... many tears ensued due to the lack of sleep... C managed like a champ but we left a little early as C was knackered. He was in the car for approximately 40 seconds befre he was asleep. K is looking forward to his next session. I am looking forward to getting into the morning session!

In other news Chris found his memory stick. He had lost it on the 8th and I had been tearing the house apart looking for it. It was especially saddening as I am still sick, and was desperately yearning for sleep - sleep I had to forgo to search for the memory stick. So, no sleep, and house looks like the police tossed it. Sucks to be me!

We romantic fools......

Well, still being as sick as a dog wasn't a good sign for the day. I can't believe it's been NINE YEARS! However, it was a beautiful sunny day where children frolicked and cats snoozed....likewise babies. C had such a long afternoon sleep in fact that I had to abandon my idea of a succulent roasted chicken on a bed of ratatouille and summer veg and dripping with a roasted onion and apple gravy. A flying visit to the Mad Butcher's gave me lamb steaks and I had already made a pumpkin pie for desset, OMG those boys of mine are just pie loving fools for pumpkin pie!! Chris strode through the door and whipped out...... a card and a present. He was going to buy flowers then saw Big Bang Theory season 3 and got that instead.... how I love that man! I do like the occasional bunch of flowers but prefer something that lasts a little longer. And then as we gazed lovingly at each other Chris announced that he had lost his memory stick.... and we hunted high and low for it, giving up at 11pm..... Yup, that's us, the last of the romantics

Plaguepit

Not too much to say apart from the fact that I became ill on Friday. This was distressing as my life seems to fall apart when I am sick - house becomes a shambles, the boys run riot etc. Chris made the weekend even more exciting by attending a wedding on Saturday. It was apparently lovely but I wasn't there :( He was gone from 2:45 - 10:30pm.... kidwrangling while sick is NO FUN. On sunday he moved the computer downstairs..... the house is STILL a disaster zone. And we didn't do our big shop on the weekend so are light on groceries. Monday was a Playcentre day, the first back after the break. K wept when it was time to leave... poor lad. Then yesterday we hit Playcentre in the morning and Kindy and library in the afternoon.... BUSY day :) My census documents have arrived and I have homework to do before the training session next week - 3-9pm. Chris will be taking a half day off then haha. I am also working on the SMINZI database, and corodinating the yearly meetings and getting the invoices out.. all in the next 2 weeks. And thinking about it.. I have a Plunket meeting tomorrow, and a TCANZ meeting coming up shortly too. I must also get Cameron's christening sorted asap.

baker-iffic baggages

It's always nice to be wanted... and it's nice to be told that you are being given a job. Yup, I got the census job. 6 weeks, $1300. Before tax, but still... it'll pay for Chris's root canal. Managed to get 2 sets of minutes done and am working on the database. C's sleep is more rubbish than before, but we have started our gently gently sleep training. Tonight he chose to go to sleep on me upright rather than feeding down as is his wont. So, a step in the right direction. K was a right little horror at the coffeegroup but staggered off and had a nice 2 hour sleep. C was asleep in the stroller as we walked home from coffeegroup, and you could hear little growly snores coming around the hood. It sounded like a small fuzzy bear was curled up inside - and was very cute. Tomorrow I will pop in to the census office and get my docs signed off and get allocated my area. Chris suggested that I do a regular update on recipes that I try and make up - so I may just do that!! We call ourselves baggages in this house. This came about when I was tickling C's tummy and calling him a baggage. K, perched next to us, piped up with "I is a baggage too! And mummy is a baggage and daddy is a baggage." I solemnly agreed that we are a family of baggages. His latest little trick, when thwarted by his father, is to point at the door and say "Daddy! Go to work!" Lord knows, daddy's been tempted :)