Our Australian Adventure

This blog is like waiting for a bus - none along for ages, then two come at once.

I thought I'd post a few more piccies and give a bit more of an update of life in general......... bored yet? You will be!

On Wednesday's Darcie goes dancing. They laughingly refer to it as 'Jazz Ballet'. I would (more accurately, I believe) liken it to a room of twenty, five year olds with no co-ordination, stomping about like hippos wearing pink tutus! Darcie LOVES it and comes out every week convinced that she's like her namesake Darcey Bussell. (As an aside, we've renamed Darcie 'Little Miss Stuffett' - she ate her Muffett whilst she was waiting! Whenever you look at her lately, she's shoving something into her mouth!). After her first lesson, she informed me to buy her the uniform immediately, as she would be dancing until she retires!

Last week, however, she had a minor breakdown and a mini-retirement, claiming she couldn't possibly go dancing as she was 'exhausted'! I ask you? Five and exhausted? What will she be like by the time she's in her thirties with six kids, done three loads of washing, made six packed lunches, done two baskets of ironing and hoovered the lounge all before breakfast (and probably still gets moaned at by her hubby for forgetting to remind him to take his mobile with him when he left the house!).

This week, she was back on track though and was thrilled to be rewarded with a certificate for showing up - I'm sorry, that should say enthusiasm and effort!! I don't think she could have smiled any wider (she probably would have swallowed her head :-) So I have one very happy daughter this week.

Adam, on the other hand, was the picture of unhappiness today. We had a meeting in Perth, so we had to put him into childcare for a few hours. He's been there before and went rigid with fear and dread as soon as we approached the security doors. The Warders (sorry, childcare staff) are very nice and are used to prizing Adam off my shoulder now with expert ease. This week, it only took ten minutes for the indentations of his fingernails to 'pop out' of my fleshy arms! He would have got an Oscar for his acting today. He was totally grief stricken. There was sobbing and snot and everything! I hid round the corner for five minutes and was upset to discover he'd stopped! How quickly they forget? Felt like popping back round to pinch him - I warrant at least a half hours upset - I'm a GREAT mum! It didn't help that he fell asleep into he car before we arrived at the childcare place, so it kinda crept up on him. He wore himself out by stealing the ham sandwich I made him for lunch out of his lunchbox whilst Paul and I were involved in a 'double or quits' game of 'trust the sat nav, or not?'. A game we play frequently where we question the superior knowledge and guidance of the satellite navigation and try to fool it, by taking an alternative route. Good job she's pre-programmed with a patient, calming voice. She must feel like screaming out sometimes ' for F*&s sake - I said LEFT. Why do I bother? Why do you ask me in the first place if you're not going to listen to me??!!!'

Anyhow, we got to Perth eventually (we succumbed to the greater intelligence of the woman squeezed into a microchip and drove where we were told) and had the meeting. The guy from ADT treated us to lunch too, which was very nice - they had a whole bowl of melted milk chocolate and marshmallows with cocktail sticks that you dunked. I REALLY had to restrain myself from having a Dawn French moment when she put her whole head in the chocolate fountain! Wouldn't have looked that professional I guess!

When I went back to pick Adam up from the prisoner camp, he was asleep. Strapped in a buggy - apparently he's lashed out at another toddler when they dared to touch his hat and had to be restrained.............. only joking. He was really knackered, but kept rolling off the bed, so they put him in the buggy and he went out like a light. So I woke him up and carried him out to the car and he gave me the FILTHIEST looks ever! He is very much like me and will hold a grudge for as longs as is humanely possible. He whinged and moaned all the way home and scowled so hard at me that his eyebrows completely disappeared under a fold of forehead! He hates me! He spent the whole hour on the way back telling his trains what a bad parent I am and how nasty was I to put him in childcare without his complete compliment of rolling stock!

If you say to Adam that we're going out and get in the car, he rushes over to his train table and scoops up as many of Thomas's little pals as his chubby arms will support. You daren't not take them - it's just not worth the face! His personal best for a trip out is four large engines, two smaller ones and three tenders. He knows them all personally and heaven help you if you try and sneak one in your pocket when he's not looking - he has x-ray vision!

Paul went to the shop tonight while I took the kids to the beach (well, Sam and Darcie - Adam would rather have his fingernails pulled out with pliers than venture anywhere near the beach. He has asked me to write and petition the council to have the beach tarmaced as the sand gets in his sandals and the performance of his rolling stock is compromised). Paul was really sweet and brought back chocolate eggs for us all and dished them out in an 'Oscars' fashion. Sam got an award for doing good singing at school today (he was the best behaved and tried hardest in his class), Darcie got hers for her excellent Hippo - sorry dancing yesterday. Adam got one for being a good boy in childcare. and I got one for being an all round good egg!! Paul was most gutted at 7.30 when he realised that he's forgotten to get himself one and no-one would share! We love you, you are our provider and protector - just DON'T ask us to share our choccy!

Speaking of eggs, we're having our Easter Bunny hunt this year by torch light as it's too hot during the day. It won't be much fun discovering twenty pools of chocolate round the garden where the Bunny dropped an egg. Can't wait. Must make sure that batteries are fully charged in the torch, otherwise we'll end up with a chocolate egg with eight huge legs!!! :-)