Takeaway with a side of Attitude

We are completely kitchen-less at the moment while we wait for work to begin on our new, improved, one million percent more functional kitchen. Everyone seems to feel quite sorry for me, and truly the house is a nightmare, but actually I see it as quite a convenient excuse not to cook. My main tip for getting by without a kitchen? Takeaway!

So far we've ordered in three nights, had one pub meal and another dinner cooked for us by our dear friend S. Tomorrow we have a babysitter lined up and the following night I'm out for dinner with the girls, woohoo! W is covered by some stuff I've frozen and H only eats about four things so we're getting by.

Meanwhile I was having a chuckle the other day when I came across the term "threenager", apparently coined to describe a three year old with the attitude and behaviours of a teenager. That is SO age three in our house, complete with eye rolling (!!), dramatic folding of the arms and an absolute air of authority on every issue.

"I can't have the green cup I NEVER have the green cup, the green cup is not my favourite I TOLD you," *eye roll, dramatic sigh, arms folded across the chest, pout*

Would you like a scowl with that?

I kind of feel like I did my time with H getting through that 18-30 months terrible two-ish period, and she is generally pretty well behaved now albeit still INSANELY headstrong. I mean I just don't think I've ever been as committed to anything as she is to, say, her inability to eat food that isn't yellow. But still, three is a funny age. Loving, kind, clever, hilarious. But SO. MUCH. ATTITUDE.


I am dreading the actual teenager years, where the attitude will be partnered with a general hatred of everyone and especially me. So I'll remain grateful for my little threenager for now!

Is this phenomenon confined to girls? Or can boys roll their eyes at three also?!

Z x

Whispers from the Universe

Do you ever feel like the universe is talking to you?

You know, like when something odd and coincidental happens (you think hard to remember the name of an old school friend, and run into them the following day), and then happens again, and then a whole lot of dominoes either line up or fall down and you think okay, what are you trying to tell me?

This has definitely been happening to me lately.

I've been tired because J has been travelling for work, and I've been lonely and stressed out. Small, strange coincidental things have been happening - I talked about someone I hadn't thought of in a long time, and the next day found out they were having a baby. My Dad and I struggled to remember the name of that former female premier and the next day Kristina Keneally was on a morning TV program. My Mum is looking after a patient at the moment who, almost 90 years ago, sat in a hospital bed next to my Grandmother as they were both treated for polio. She remembered my Mum's grandfather, who she never met, and told stories of him.

Yesterday morning, I opened all the blinds and windows in H's room, which is at the front of the house. At almost that exact moment, I heard a huge BANG from the street below. It sounded like an accident - I vaguely hoped no one had been hurt on the street. Of course, time proved it wasn't just any accident. It was the sound of someone running into my car, so hard that it needed to be towed. GIANT GROAN.

Meanwhile, some things are falling into place. Planets are aligning. Every day is full of annoying little setbacks but the big picture things are taking shape.

So yes, universe. I hear you. I see you. I know there are bigger things out there than just me and my relatively insignificant existence.

Just keep my car out of it next time!

Z x

A Really Good Day

I've come to understand that "witching hour" (which is not in fact an hour but generally the period just before dinner until bed time) is 90% responsible for all bad days.

Mornings are pretty nice in our house. Sadly W continues to wake at a completely inappropriate hour (sometimes pre 5am…) but one can easily recover from this injustice when he is at his morning-happiest, full of smiles and chatter. It's also good as he wakes at least an hour (sometimes two…sometimes three) before H, so you get to spend some alone time with him as well as enjoy a cup of tea, catch up on emails and the like.

Hearts can be heard sinking when H wakes up within an hour of W, but generally we get a good period of time to come to terms with the day before breakfast is demanded and the general three year old onslaught begins. Anyway, by the time she wakes up W is almost ready for his first nap which occurs daily from 8am-10am. This is always another easy period of the day with just one lucid child to care for, and usually said child follows me around pretending to be a princess/mermaid/ballerina while I do the morning chores and then we have a little play (I'm the shopkeeper…I'm always the shopkeeper).

Generally by the time W wakes up the house is tidy and we're all dressed and ready to head outside. Sometimes we'll go to the park or walk up to get groceries. Yesterday for example we walked to the tile shop to order tiles for the new kitchen (yes!) then all sat down to lunch at our local French cafe, which was VERY civilised if I do say so myself. I caught myself thinking what a LOVELY day we were having.

When we get home from our daily outing W has another nap and H and I apparently have a "rest time", which is almost never a rest time. Occasionally she pesters me enough that I let her watch TV. Usually there is more of the following me around/"helping" me while I get dinner on. Very, very rarely there is actually rest time.

By the afternoon, things begin to get fractious. H as mentioned has generally NOT had any rest time and is tired and whingey. She can't decide if she is hungry or bored. Something hurts, but she's not sure what. Meanwhile W has only recently dropped his third nap of the day so by 4pm he's also getting grumpy - but he won't nap. Suddenly at 4.45 the shit really hits the fan because oh, H IS hungry and WHERE'S HER DINNER? and W is also hungry, and really tired actually and Mummy has a headache.

But of course H doesn't want what's on the table for dinner, she wants the dinner she refused last night or will refuse tomorrow, and W is REALLY getting tired now and oh wait he might have a meltdown, let's get him in the bath but quick before he…oh yes he's peed on the bed. And H doesn't actually WANT a bath tonight Mummy she thinks she'll skip it and oh wow, today is a really crap day!

So now H is running away from me while I try to get her dressed and W has REALLY kicked off the screaming, which is really disconcerting as he rarely screams…just at 5.50pm every night when we're in this exact predicament.

And just as I'm cursing J for NEVER being home at this time and cursing everyone ever for simply existing, things are suddenly calmer. W is guzzling a bottle and drifting off. H is dressed and picking out books for us to read. And I listen to her happy, ridiculous chatter and look down at my tired, perfect baby boy and am finally able to reflect that today, like most, has been a really good day.

Z x