Scarface

A sad and sorry Boo.

Poor little Boo.  He's had a mishap. 

Me, Milly and Buster were parked outside a friends house, ready for a playdate with Mother's Group.  It was pouring with rain, so I unstrapped the kids from their car seats whilst I was still in the car.  I've gotten out and started heading round to the kerbside of the car to get Milly and Buster out and I hear Buster screaming.  Milly had opened her car door and jumped out and Buster had followed.  Only he fell and landed head first into the gutter that was raging with water.  When he got up screaming his face was covered with blood and he was soaking wet.

After getting over my normal panic and paralysis reaction, I picked him up and rushed inside.  After we cleaned up Buster's face we saw that he had a deep little cut to his forehead.  Head wounds like to bleed, so face washers were at the ready to try and stop the blood.  He also had a graze on his head, nose and above his lip.  He'd stopped crying by this stage and had a very sad and sorry look on his face.  I think he was in a shock.  I know I was, and am very thankful one of the mums in my Mother's Group is a nurse with a level head and took charge of the situation.  She offered to go to the chemist and get some steri strips, which are thin adhesive strips which can be used to close small wounds.  I thought it was a deep enough cut that he might need a stitch or two.  In hindsight, I should have trusted the professional.

I decided to rush off to the hospital to get him checked out.  You know what traffic is like when you're in a hurry..........it is slow moving.  It was even slower moving given how much rain was coming down.  I was driving just as cautiously as everyone else on the road, with my precious cargo strapped in his car seat and looking a little confused and still very sad and sorry for himself.  Michael was working from home, so I dropped Milly off and Michael gave me a blanket and a change of clothes for Buster.

I drove around the hospital for 30 minutes.  There was not one car spot available.  I went into the two separate parking stations and lapped them twice.  I was getting so frustrated and by this stage a little teary as well.  I even exchanged words with the parking toll booth guy, asking him what I can do, where can I park, look at my poor child etc etc.  The parking toll booth guy just shrugged.  Aaarrgghhh!!!!!!

I then decided to ditch the hospital and head straight to my medical practice.  Again more parking problems, but at least I found a spot, even it was a little walk.  I hadn't had time to change Buster into some dry clothes and I was also soaking wet from holding him and walking in the rain.  With Buster wrapped in a blanket and cradled in my arms I presented him to the medical practice receptionist who said yes she could get Buster seen by a doctor but it would be a wait (because I didn't have an appointment).  I looked around the waiting room and it was half full with senior citizens.  So we waited an hour and watched as each senior citizen was called by a doctor and five minutes later were out again with their prescriptions filled.  I can't deny I was feeling a little pissed of that the older generation and their refill prescriptions were getting priority over a child with a cut head and banged up face.  After waiting one hour we saw a doctor who had a good look at the wound, cleaned it up and sent us to the practice nurse who put steri-strips on the cut.



Day 2 and a nice little scab is forming.

When we finally got home I collapsed on the lounge and finally exhaled.  By this time Buster was also back to his normal happy self and was busy looking for his next object to jump from.

As for Milly, well she originally denied that she had opened the car door.  She has been spoken to previously numerous times that she is not to get out of the car herself and wait for me or Michael to get her out.  However, one of the mums from Mother's Group had witnessed Milly open the car and get out first.  On cross examination Milly now admits she opened the car door and doesn't like anyone talking about the incident to her or hearing us tell anyone else.  She didn't get in trouble, it was an accident, but hopefully now she will adhere to why we like to get the kids out of the car and the dangers of doing it themselves.

The Wee Man

"Mmm, charming!" I can hear you say.  Yes, there is nothing more lovely than a photo of a toilet, I'd agree.  "And what's that thing on your toilet?" I also hear you ask.  Well, it's a Wee Man.  A toilet training urinal just for boys.  How does it work?  It clips onto the front of the toilet, allowing small boys to urinate while standing up un-aided - just like Dad.  Once a small boy's mission is completed, you just tip the urinal backwards allowing the wee to fall into the toilet. 

A good friend passed this on to us when we had Henry, and he used it a little when he started toilet training.  He quickly moved on to standing on a small step and weeing straight into the toilet, but Buster is a wee man (ie a small man) and he's just a little too wee (ie small) to stand on a step and reach the toilet.

We hadn't planned on starting toilet training yet.  We needed to do a bit of reading as a refresher, as it has been a while - in fact it has been since Henry.  We didn't need to train Milly, she wasn't interested and refused.  In typical Milly style, she decided when she was ready and just toilet trained herself.

It all came about when we were getting Buster ready for his bath and he kept saying "toilet now, I go toilet now".  So out of storage we found the Wee Man and set it up.  Buster is a very observant child and he stood in front of it knowing what to do..... but nothing happened.  Two days after setting up the Wee Man, Michael was getting Buster's bath ready and he turned around to find Buster had in fact done a wee in the Wee Man by himself.  So very proud.  He has since followed this up with another successful wee, but that is as far as we have taken it.  Only at bathtime do we encourage him.  I'm not really sure that he knows when he wants to do a wee, he certainly never tells us when he's doing a poo.  But I can assure you, we will be celebrating with pride when we say goodbye to nappies. 

Until then, Buster remains our wee little man.

Back to school

The 2012 school year has begun and it didn't quite start off with the bang we were expecting.  This year Henry is in Year 1.  Returning to school after the long Christmas school holidays, we thought he would be excited to see his friends again.  Instead, first day back he was quite teary and wouldn't get out of the car.  Bless him, he said he was scared.  The anxiety of the first day back and knowing his best friend was still on holiday and he would be in a class with different kids was a bit much.  After much coaxing and almost begging, I got him out of the car and in through the school gates.  He clung to me until the bell rang, and once it had sounded a different Henry emerged.  It was the Henry from last year who was happy to be back at school and he confidently went to sit in his class line ready for assembly.  Phew, what a relief!

Then it was my turn to be anxious.  It turns out Henry was being put in a composite class with Kindergarten kids.  It is a class made up of 10 kids from Year 1 and 10 kids from Kindergarten.  My first thought was why is Henry back in a class with kinders.  He got an excellent school report last year and is a high achiever.  I recognised some of the other Year 1 kids in his class and knew they weren't underachievers either.  His teacher held an information morning for us parents to learn about what to expect during the year and she explained the kids were specifically chosen for the composite class because they were independent workers. 

School has only been back a couple of weeks and Henry is already blossoming.  I think he sees himself as a bit of a role model to the kinders in his class, and why not, he is a great kid. 

Milly is also back at preschool.  This year she is attending three days a week and is in a room of 20 kids where the focus is on school readiness.  She is super keen to start school and could have started this year.  We decided to hold her back a year because although she is socially ready, starting school isn't about surviving, it's about thriving.  Emotionally, she could do with another year at home.

Milly's lunchbox and snack bag.  She likes a love letter in her lunchbox and her snack bag to be decorated differently each day.

And what of Buster?..... well he is at home with me.  Three days a week he now has me to himself.  He'll start preschool next year and then I'll be free for a couple of days a week.  I won't know what to do with myself.  Oh yes, I do..... I'll just enjoy some peace and quiet.

 

Happy 'Stralia Day

Australia Day - a national public holiday.  Here are some snaps taken that day.

Queen of the night

For me to go away for one night takes a lot of coordination.  It is such a rare thing for me to do that I only do it in exceptional circumstances.  When PJ Harvey announces a few concert dates in Sydney, I classify this as an exceptional circumstance.

For me to attend the concert required Michael to change is working days from home, and my Mum to look after all three children for two half days.  I'm so grateful to them that they could do it.

I caught an afternoon train down to Sydney and met up with my brother Corin after work.  He was coming to the show with me.  Corin took me out for a beer and then to dinner at a yummy Japanese noodle place.  We had a good catch up and a laugh and then it was on to the show.

I've seen PJ Harvey play four times (wish she would tour Australia more often).  Each concert has been different.  The last time I saw her she played at the Sydney Opera House with no other muscian's on stage.  Just her and a dozen instruments and she even had a little chat with the audience.  The time before that she had a band of three behind her and it was much more like a rock concert.  She was animated and danced about the stage.  This time it was different again.

The stage was blackened out with spotlights on her three piece band and a spotlight on PJ.  She was only visible in the spotlight when she sang and when she stopped singing would walk out of the spotlight.  She didn't say a word to the audience until she introduced the band at the start of the encore and that was basically it.  It was a very theatrical concert.  More like a performance piece than a rock gig.  The staging suited the material she was performing.  It was eerie, dramatic and I thought she was mesmerising. 

After the concert it was back to Corin and Yin's place.  When I woke up the next morning I got to have cuddles with my gorgeous nephew Casper, who was excited to show me his toys and tell me stories.  Then it was a bus into the big smoke and back on a train heading north for home.

Christmas - Part 4 of 4

Another three hour drive and this time we crossed the NSW border into Queensland.  Destination this time was Toowoomba to stay with Michael's sister Libby, her husband Michael, and their three children Aisling (9), Rory (7), and Ciara (5).  The last time we all saw each other was Christmas 2008 when they came to us in Newcastle.  It was a long overdue catch up, a great chance for the cousins to all play together, as well as their first meeting of Buster.

Within the first few hours of our arrival there was an incident.  The type that stops a parent's heart.  The kids were keen to get in the pool, Michael had gone off to get changed into his swimmers and I went down to the pool with the kids to supervise.  Buster was still fully clothed and just wanted to continue his fascination with dangerously teetering on the pool edges, throwing in all the pool toys.  This was his kind of fun.  I was already on high alert watching him, when Michael entered the pool area.  Then Buster picked up a pool noodle and stepped too close to the edge to throw it and fell in.  A split second of panic and fear from me thinking "this is it, this is how kids die the silent death of drowning, my Buster is going to die".  I screamed "Buster" and before I knew it had jumped in the pool fully clothed to save him.  Michael had also dived in and come up holding Buster who was a little shaken and crying, but breathing and ok nontheless.  It all happened within seconds and I was in shock for a while.  Buster on the other hand was fine and wanted to continue throwing things in the pool.  Michael put him in his swimmers and Libby gave him a life vest, and Buster continued his holiday happily throwing things in the pool, and us slightly less nervous if he fell in again - which miraciously he didn't.  I went to bed that night insisting Buster sleep with us so I could feel closer to my little man.

I think it is fair to say that the cousins all got on very well.  Buster loved the extra attention he was getting and played up to it.  He is a cheeky little rascal and needs no encouragement, but it was truly wonderful watching the kids playing together.  I never experienced growing up with my cousins who all live overseas, and I don't want that for my children.  I want them to have a strong sense of family and their extended family and be close.

Rory.

The artists Milly and Ciara.

Swing set.

We celebrated New Year in Toowoomba.  Well sort of.  It was a funny old night.  The town was putting on fireworks at 7.30pm.  Henry didn't feel well and had gone to bed before 5.00pm.  The two Michael's had had a couple of beers and me a glass or two of wine, so all unable to drive.  My Michael volunteered to stay behind to watch over Henry and put Buster to bed.  Libby's Michael also stayed at home.  So me, Lib, Milly, Ciara, Rory and Aisling went to the fireworks.  Ciara had a little meltdown over which shoes to wear, and Milly then had a meltdown about getting in the car and having to sit in a child seat.  I couldn't get over how similar in personalities and temperament Milly and Ciara were. 

We almost didn't make it to the fireworks on time, but found a park just as the fireworks had started.  I have to say it was a great display.  Firework after firework was let off.  They just kept going and going and going.  They didn't have any flashy fireworks, but what they had they had plenty of.

Then it was back home and trying to stay awake to bring in the New Year.....and no one did.  Me and Libby were in bed before 9.30pm, and neither of the boys made it to midnight either.  Yes we are a bunch of sad old farts!  On the plus side, when we woke up early the next morning to the sounds of children, none of us had a hangover.

The nail bar.  The girls and Buster get their nails painted.  Buster chose a hot pink colour for his first day and then black for the next.

 

Three gorgeous girls.

I was so relaxed by this point in our holiday I had forgotten about getting family photos.  Which is a shame because I really would have liked one of all the cousins together.

We had such a great time in Toowoomba.  It really is a beautiful city and again we were spoilt by our hosts.  Big thank you to Libby and Michael for having us.  Thank you to Aisling for giving up her room to Henry and Milly, as well as being a great helper wrangling the kids.

From Toowoomba it was a very, very long drive to Coffs Harbour where we stayed the night with my Dad and Tracey and then headed home to Newcastle the next day.  It was a fantastic holiday with lots of great memories created.

Now we are back at home, the car has been unpacked, everything has been put back in it's place.  The kids are busy playing with their Christmas presents and Michael has another day of holiday before he returns to work.  Before long Henry will be back at school starting Year 1 and Milly will be at preschool three days a week.  It doesn't take long and time really does fly by, which is why it's important to stop and take time out. 

Happy New Year everyone and wishing you all a terrific 2012!

Christmas - Part 3 of 4

Next stop on our itinerary was Inverell to visit Michael's parents Janet and Peter.  There's not much to do in Inverell, so it was the perfect place to relax.  I even managed to read a book (can't remember the last time I did that).

Henry and Milly lived in the pool.  Their swimming lessons have paid off and it was great to see their confidence in the water.  Buster on the other hand did not want to venture in.  Instead we were all on red alert as he walked around the edges of the pool throwing in pool toys, or leaned over the pool edges to grab pool toys so he could throw them in again.

Ta-da!

A rare moment in the water with GrandJan.

Al fresco.

Just outside Inverell is a place called Green Valley Farm.  Michael had always described it to me as a small farm with freakish animals.  And when I say freakish, I mean cows with two heads, sheeps with five legs, deformed dead animals in jars and the like.  Not the type of place I've ever been keen to visit.  Janet and Peter said it had improved a lot and had plenty of things for the kids to see and play on, including water slides.  A quick look at their website confirmed it wasn't as scary as I had imagined, so we ventured out for the day.





Entering Green Valley Farm you need to walk through a small museum. The museum was actually quite interesting and had historical bits and pieces from the 1800s from the early gold miners and fossikers. Then I came across the dead animals in jars, and what looked like home done taxidermy gone wrong in the way of a two-headed lamb, a calf that looked like a pig, and siamese wolves - the freakish bit. With my face cringing I managed to make my way through the entrance and to the gardens and play area of the farm. Phew!

There was heaps of things for the kids and us big kids to play on. Old fashioned rocking horses, huge slippery dips, huge swings, gardens and a lake to walk around, farm animals, and a giant trampoline. But we were all really waiting for the water slide to open, and when it did it was a tonne of fun!

They have a shaded water park for the toddlers, and mini water slide for the under 6s.  Then there was the big water slide.  There was just the one, but it was long and curled down the hill it was set on.  Henry loved it and surprised us by showing no fear and going down on his own many times.

Only time Buster got in.

Milly was happy and loving this water slide until another girl landed on her, bringing an end to Milly's water slide adventures.

The big water slide.

My ice cream Grandad!

Aside from all the time spent in the pool and relaxing another event happened in Inverell.  Henry lost his second tooth.  It had been on the wobbles for a long time and we were convinced it would come out before Christmas.  The tooth fairy found him in Inverell and he was a happy chappy.

Mind the gap.

And just before we left Inverell for our next stop, it was time for another attempt at a family photo and this one was more successful.....eventually.  Thanks to Janet and Peter for letting us disturb their quiet life with our excited children and for their gracious hosting.  I'll be trying to work off that Mangomisu dessert for weeks to come.

Buster sit down, it's time for a family photo.

Everyone smile.

The Hobsons.

Christmas - Part 2 of 4

It never fails to amaze me how much stuff you need to pack when holidaying with children.  It doesn't seem to matter if you're only going away two nights or two weeks, the amount seems to be the same.  Michael does an excellent job of packing the car and finding gaps to fill with our belongings.  I never envy him this job, and he probably doesn't envy me putting everything away when we get home.

So with the car packed and us all ready, off we set on our Christmas holiday.  I had been looking forward to getting away for sooooo long.  After a big year of school, markets, Michael's work and commute, this was our time to get away for more than two days as a family.  

Wired for sound and visuals.

I'm not going to lie.  The portable DVD players were brilliant.  The drive to Coffs Harbour was going to take 5-6 hours with minimal stopping.  We didn't hear much of a peep from Henry, who only stirred from watching his DVDs when he was restless.  Buster watched Milly's movies with her and had his afternoon nap.  And Milly was mostly content, but needed a little whinge every now and then, and always seemed to be hungry. 

The drive was pretty good and when we arrived in Coffs we were all happy to finally have the holiday begin. We were all staying with Dad and Tracey (Corin and family arriving later that night), and the kids were super excited to spend some time with Grandad and Nanna Trace, but probably more excited that the build up to Christmas was reaching its climax.

Christmas morning, dressed, fed and ready to open presents.

On Christmas morning, the kids emptied their stockings and kept themselves amused whilst us adults got organised.  Henry was keen to open some presents, but like all the kids was pretty good at being patient and having to wait until after breakfast.

Just when we thought we might get started Corin had to take out some garbage.  Then there was a knock at the front door and who should stroll in ...... Santa Claus of course!  He'd forgotten to put a present under the tree and had popped back to deliver it and seeing he was there he thought he'd hang around and hand out the presents.

Santa was very orderly and everyone had to take turns in opening a present. It was a shame Corin missed it. He really did take a long time putting out that garbage.

Look Boo, it's Santa.

Dishing out the pressies.

 

Thanks Grandad and Nanna Trace for my laptop.  I love it!

 

This is the best Christmas ever!

With presents all opened it was time to prepare ourselves for the main event - Christmas lunch.  Dad and Tracey are both such great cooks that I don't know anyone who doesn't look forward to a meal at their place.  They are generous with their food and wine, as well as generous with the true Christmas spirit.  They had a couple of friends join us for lunch who otherwise would have spent Christmas alone.

Christmas cocktail.

An Aussie Christmas.

Aside from Christmas, on our other days in Coffs we ventured out to the beach.  Henry and Milly loved being in the shallows jumping waves with Michael.  Buster didn't want anything to do with the water and spent his time chasing seagulls or digging sand.  If he saw a ripple of water approaching he would sprint up the beach in a panic out of it's way.

THE HUCKERS TOURNAMENT 

Whenever myself, Corin and Dad are together at Christmas time the Ludo board comes out and we play a version of Ludo called "Huckers" until a champion is crowned.  Traditionally this happens on Boxing Day, and we play as many games as required, that is until one person has won two games.

Corin, Dad and I used to play Huckers with Grandad from when we were kids until he died.  It was he who taught us the Huckers rules, as it was taught to him when he served in the Navy.  Michael now fills Grandad's seat and we play for a trophy filled with some of Grandad's ashes.  We play on the original Ludo board given to my Grandad and Nan as a wedding present in the 1930s.  A lot of swearing usually accommpanies the playing of the game, and it was noted this year that swearing was almost non existent.  We put this down to Corin and I now being parents and having curtailed our langauge.

And so the battle begins.

 

Dad retains "the ashes".

On the morning of our depature there were some solemn faces.  We had all enjoyed the Coffs Harbour part of the holiday and although looking forward to our next port of call, repacking the car and driving for three hours isn't always easy with three young children.  Also not easy was trying to get them to pose for a photo with their cousin Casper.  No one wanted to participate or oblige.



Not another family photo.

And there ends another Christmas.  Another Christmas of us all together, healthy and happy.  Many thanks to Dad and Tracey for their hospitality in housing and feeding us, and keeping us hydrated.

The Bartley/Hobson family Christmas photo 2011.

Christmas - Part 1 of 4

Christmas for us this year was to be a travelling affair.  Christmas Day was to be spent in Coffs Harbour with 'the Bartley clan' (Dad, Tracey, Corin, Yin and Casper).  Seeing as we were in the area, well three hours drive away, we were also to call in on Michael's parents in Inverell.  To top it all off, we then planned to cross the border into Queensland to visit Michael's sister and her family in Toowoomba.  But before we were allowed to depart, Nanoo needed her Christmas time with us and the children.

Finding a day to get together proved a challenge.  I was busy with markets and/or baking for said markets, and Mum was busy with a multitude of Christmas get togethers with friends and extended family.  On finally agreeing a date, the kids got excited, knowing they would be getting some presents before Christmas.

We had a lovely Sunday BBQ dinner with Mum and Peter.  The kids received presents to help with the holiday to come.  They each received suitcases, and Henry and Milly each got a portable DVD player to keep them occupied (and silent) on the long holiday drive. 

Peter had pitched a tent in the backyard, so the kids entertained themselves dragging their suitcases about and pretending they were on holiday, whilst us adults enjoyed a beverage and conversation.