Awesome Pair

Dear Peeps,

Once again, you rock my world with your awesomeness!! Morgan is now firmly in charge of washing his and Lillys clothes - knowing how to use the washing machine, to separate darks and lights and put the right amount of detergent in it.

Thank you so much for being great for bachelor Uncle Jamie - who hasn't had much practice in looking after kids - while mummy and daddy went out for the night. I was so attaken back when I called home to give Jamie a message - and you - Morgan answered the phone with , "Hello, Morgan here, how can I help you?" it was a simple message about where dinner was in the fridge - but you took it and managed to ensure Jamie had it and you were all feed the right things. you sounded so BIG on the phone...

We had such a great time at the disco ( your first) Morgan. I wished I'd taken photos of your green spiky hair. I was very proud of you when you went to the dancefloor and bopped up and down. Its a start and an important one!

Thanks Lilly for being such a good girl this week - I am sorry that your punishment of not letting you go to dance class was so severe - but Daddy set it - and we have to be united in this. You can't wait for next week can you. Your stretching is getting really fantastic and I am so proud of your diligence with keeping your toes pointed and your arms stretched straight.

looking forward to a day with Daddy tomorrow..
much hugs
Mummy

Housework

Dear Peeps

As you are growing up so fast, its time to start to instigate set jobs and responsibilities in our daily life. You’ve both been great at helping me out when I ask, but I feel its time to make you more responsible for the house keeping and running of our home. Morgan, you helped me out with the washing today and you were so pedantic with the pegs! thanks

I know that this will only help you in the future, as I know of kids who don’t lift a finger in the home, running their poor mum ragged. I have always ensured you tidy up your own toys – with the rule of one toy or game out at a time. You guys have always been awesome with tidying up your things, especially when we are visiting other people – thank you.

I never thought my childhood was any different to others until I was an adult and spoke to friends about their upbringing. I remember cooking things – mostly biscuits, cakes and desserts from a very young age – probably around 7 to 8 years old. I would have been 10 or 11 when I started cooking dinner at least twice a week for the family. I had the great assistance of my two younger sisters – who are wonderful cooks in their own right. We used to enter our cooking ( cakes, biscuits, sweets and slices) into the local shows – and whip everyones arse! Anyway – the point being that with 6 kids, out of necessity to ensure everyone was fed and house kept at some sort of organization, Mum assigned us jobs in the morning and night and there just wasn’t a discussion that it wouldn’t be done. We had dogs to feed, cows and goats to milk, later on horses to be fed and watered, washing to hang, our own lunches and dinner to make and seasonal tasks surrounding farm work, shearing, mustering, picking fruit or vegetables. I left home at 16 and had flat mates who couldn’t even boil a potato – and lets not talk about their ability to clean or keep house. I want a good mix of fun and games and family responsibilities to populate our daily lives; thus the job list…

Morgan is already able to make me a cup of tea and delights in bringing me a cut up apple or pieces of fruit in bed. Both kids can crack eggs and love to help mix and prepare salads. As Adrian has been sticking to a gluten free diet for some time, I stopped making biscuits and cakes – so the kids kind of miss out on baking with me. Also as we are following a raw foods plan, I no longer cook, so the options in preparing tradition meals at the moment is also lost to them. However, we talk about nutrition and food values on the things we eat and experiment with tastes – so its kept fun and informative.

This week you have kept the dishwasher unpacked, your rooms tidy and the clothes in the laundry. We cleaned and scrubbed the bathrooms and toilets – so they now I hope you have some sort of emotional buy in to ensure they are kept clean. Its worked now for a week and we have a target of a whole month. Lillys reward is going to be her room being redecorated in purples and pinks, lots of fairy dust, frills and whatever else she wants. Morgan is going to get me to paint a mural of jungle animals and vines on his feature wall.

Thanks peeps – for doing your bit to keep things orderly, clean and tidy to live in. You guys ROCK!

Wet and Wild

Earlier this year when I started writing this blog, I was faced with the dilemma of writing how things really were – or to gloss over it and say how wonderful you both were and pretend all was rosy. I chose to write honestly and was determined to vent my frustration out on the blogosphere on parenting tow wild and free spirits whom I had allowed to have independent thought and choice and pushed to gain confidence so much so that at three Miss Lilly now argues about the most incredible things with me and Mr Morgan can not be tricked up with semantics or generalizations – everything must be exact and logical. I am not wishing it that I could write bad things here – it just seems in the last few weeks –everything has been so rosy and I have nothing to complain or whine about.. how nice.

Perhaps I aught to have started writing this when I had poo smeared on walls or golden syrup spread all over the kitchen floor and then used as a skating lubricant up and down the hall way? Ahhh good times as a mum…..

Dear Peeps,

You are once again totally awesome. We continue to go to our classes and I continue to be very proud of how hard you both try in the face of difficulty.
I am very proud of you Morgan for your reading capabilities. I understand that the homework you have been given is boring and easy – but it still needs to be done – and its so quick – we can then get on with much harder stuff. I smile now as I recall you groaning about how your mum makes you do harder stuff than the teachers… you’ll be thanking me soon – really!!
I am very proud of you Lilly – for not only remembering your dance sequence – but I hadn’t realized y ou had memorized mine from the sidelines and helped me remember some steps I had forgotten. I laugh too at y our enthusiasm for Abba songs. I will have to get a copy of a best of for your fourth birthday.

Today we went to Wet and Wild – which is only half an hour drive away. Daddy had an important meeting all day in the house – so we needed to scram. What a lot of fun we had playing in all the water slides, getting wet and floating about on rubber tubes. I was so proud of you Morgan for making your own decisions on what slides you wanted to go on – and for being brave and choosing the Mammoth Falls as our last rides – even though I know you were frightened by how high we were. I am so pleased with both of your confidence in the waves and your body surfing as well.

These half year season passes are going to be so much fun to use!

With much hugs and Love

Mummy

Sweet natures

Thanks Morgan and Lilly for being so great this week and for making today so pleasant for Daddy. I had a workshop to go to all day and Daddy had been feeling a little sick. However, your bright voices and great manners, helpful nature and caring attitude really helped him through the day.

I want to thank you both for using your wonderful manners all through the week. Both of you have shown how caring you have been with each other and really looking out for the whole family. Thanks Morgan for taking responsibility in clearing the dishwasher and helping with tidying up the house

I am also so so proud of you both with your commitment to your chosen activities. Lilly, you have really blossomed in your dance class and try so hard to follow along and grove with the music. You have shown such an interest in gymnastics I have taken you to two classes this week with great results and laughter from you.

Gymnastics classes have been very challenging for you , Morgan and I have been very proud of the way you have coped with each situation. Upper body strength is something that is important in male gymnastics and it is hard to build those skills. You never give in and never give up – even if its really difficult.

I want to thank both of you too for being supportive and encouraging with our commitment to being more healthy with our food choices. Both of you have tried out and eaten things you have never eaten before and in many cases have asked for more. I can see the changes in all of our energy levels and in the sparkle in your eyes.

It does mean more energy on your behalf – which means I need to keep you both active – but its for the best in the long run for everyone.

Thanks for coming along in our journey to health – For anyone interested in what we are doing with out food choices – click here.

My Special Kids

My kids constantly amaze me and I count my blessing to have them in my life. I have heard it said that parents can learn alot from thier kids - and I am reminded daily how true this is. Unconditional love, compassion and passion - thats what Morgan and Lilly bring to me every day. Although this post is more about Morgan - Lilly has been a gorgeous helpful girl all week and I have been so proud of both of them.

No doubt, wherever you live, you will have heard about the horrific Victorian Bushfires ravaging the state. Last night they have a body count of 180 people, with many missing, scores in critcial conditions in hospital - not to mention the uncounted number of animals and birds burnt to death in the path of the fires. You just go numb at the enormity and horror of it - trying to make sense and meaning out of it all. As a girl from the country and the daughter of the bushfire brigade - I know that this fire was lit deliberatly - but indescribably selfish, unthinking idiots - who are probably kicking back in thier comfortable home, not giving thier actions a second thought. I actually wrote a short story about six months ago - based on a fire that went through our district adn re-reading it - it saddens me to know how true it is. go here to read it.

I heard that a company was taking a ship container down to one of the communities where 1000 people had lost thier homes and that it was leaving the next day. I kicked myself for the huge clean out I had done in Dec - thinking that I would have nothing let to give. However - we went to every drawer and took things out - stuff that we don't need, who needs so many fancy bras, who needs all those tops or shoes - when someonelse has nothing?

The thing that set me off was Morgan. He brought me his monkey. Its one of those returnng favourite toys - he has had it since his first birthday - it always stays on the bed ( where favourite toys are allowed to sleep) and although Buz Lightyear or Bob the builder might be the flavour of the month for a while - the monkey never leaves. He has velcro on his hands so that he can put his arms around you and hug you.

I wrote his words on a card and cried for about 10 mins afterwards. I still tear up when I think about it.
"Please look after this monkey. He is my favourite -but you need him. I hope he makes you smile. Love Morgan 5 years old."

Bye Bye monkey - boy have I got alot to learn about gratitude and giving. These are the magic moments of parenting.

Dancing and Activity

Dear Peeps,

I am so proud of you both. Morgan, you have slipped straight back into school and have settled in beautifully. I have spoken to your teacher and she is so delighted with you and your progress – it makes my heart swell. I am so delighted too that you have been invited to a birthday party too and have friends you can wave to and play with now. Your keenness to walk to school is wonderful and we walked three times this week – despite the rain! We have been exploring some after school activities for you and I am so happy you are looking forward to gymnastics and was so desperate to sign up for multi sports before school . It does mean we have to be walking up to school by 7.30am – but it will be wonderful to see you progress through the ball and bat sports to find a passion in physical activity. Your little shiny face today when you came back from a grueling bush walk with Daddy was enough to make me cry. I will make sure those photos you took while you were out goes up in your photographic blog.

Miss Lilly – what can I say? You got off to a shaky start with your dance class – but after some encouragement from those kind girls who are assisting your teacher, you were spinning and twirling with the best of them. I am really impressed by the class format – a bit of dance, a few games, some stretching – a great little mix to keep everyone interested – and the best of all – Barbie stickers at the end. You were so proud of yourself at the end and haven’t stopped talking about it. Just wait until we get your proper shoes next week!

What a delight you both have been this week – and a reminder that you are both maturing and growing up so much – so precious I must savour every moment.

hugs Mummy xxxxxx big kisses to you both

Stanthorpe Show

Dear Peeps

A little late this week – but we have been up to Grandmas for a few days. She lives out on a farm and doesn’t have fancy things like the internet. Our reason this time was to go to the Stathorpe Show – a rural fair and one which has a 133 year old proud history. Mummy and all her brothers and sisters grew up working and playing around the Sheep pavilion. Grandma and Grandad have been involved in running events and exhibiting within the sheep and wool area for over 30 years.

We had such a wonderful time at the show – going on the dodgems, the jumping castle and watching all those big scary rides. I have no doubt that Miss Lilly would have loved to go on them all – but at just under 1 meter tall you are about 30 cms too short my love.

Although we went a little overboard with the sugar stakes- with a bag of fairy floss and the longest licorice strand I have ever seen, you guys ran it off balancing on logs and running about the grounds discovering new things.

Thank you Morgan for being such a big boy and being able to take Lilly to the toilet when she needed to go. You are showing such maturity looking after your little sister. Thank you both for making sure you stayed with me all day. There were so many strange people around I was quite nervous about losing you as we wandered through the crowds.

We loved watching the sheep dog trials and the horses jumping, thought the fashion parade wore a little thin, you both sat through it so Mummy could enjoy it.

We had such an exhausting day, you fell asleep beside me on the grandstand, all snuggled up in your sleeping bag and pillows. It was a shame as despite vigorous rousing, there was no way you would wake up to watch the fireworks. They were so fantastic.