Husband: “Good King Wensas last looked out, on the feet of even…”
Milla: “More Daddy, more!”
Husband: “When the cars went round about…lala lala la la”
Me *smirk*: “Yes, more Daddy, more!”
Husband: “Mummy’s turn”
Me: Brightly shone the moon that night, hum, hum, hum, hum hmmmm…”
Thank goodness for Google and plain old Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town!

On Saturday all three kids had had long naps and I was feeling brave, either that or foolhardy and so I decided to take them to our local Carols by Candlelight at the Werribee Mansion by myself. To say I took a mountain of stuff would be an understatement. I had the pram, a big bean bag, a rug to sit on, two blankets to snuggle in, a bag of food, a nappy bag, a bag of jumpers and jackets and Wrigglebot took his guitar and Squirm her dolly, and I was the only adult. As I drove in I smiled sweetly to the parking attendants and wrangled a close car park due to three kids and only two hands and then Husband, who was working there, came and helped me unload and get settled.

The kids loved having a picnic dinner and midnight snacks (when it was dark) and running around with their friends before it started. And then it began with concert bands and choirs and dancers and the nativity procession. Wrigglebot and Squirm danced and clapped and waved their fake candles and eventually snuggled down into any lap they could find. A big thank you to family and friends who sat with us and helped me out. The kids especially loved the camels and the police marching band.

The only disaster was when ‘The Little One’, who was exceptional the whole night, pooed. I didn’t have a torch, it was pitch black and it had leaked onto his grow suit. I don’t think he has ever had a nappy blow out and it had to happen then. I laid him on the grass and did the best I could with friends helping and then discovered that I didn’t have any spare clothes in the nappy bag and so he snuggled in a blanket with only a knitted jacket on for the rest of the night.

The kids finally got to bed at 11:00, for little ones who are usually in bed at 7 they did so well and we all had a great time. Even though it is always harder to have kids around it is extra special to experience Christmas with them. It was their latest night ever and they wouldn’t even fall asleep in the car on the way home as they kept clutching their candles had to talk about everything that they had seen on their magical night.

I want Christmas to be a really special time for our family. We get so busy around this time but I want to start some traditions that teach the kids what Christmas is about and are also a lot of fun. So the next few posts will probably be about things we do here around Christmas time.

On Tuesday we went to the city (or Daddy’s city as it is known in our family). Many thanks to Cousin Jess, or as Squirm calls her Uncle Jess, for accompanying us. We took the train in, which is in itself a huge adventure, then we trammed it down to Bourke street and had a look at the Myer Windows. When I was growing up we would always go and see the windows at Christmas time so I was interested to see what the kids would think as the windows don’t really hold their appeal for me anymore. They were entranced, it was great. Squirm loved the dancing ladies, Wrigglebot liked the soldier and mouse war and ‘The Little One’ just liked the fact that he got to chomp on an apple all morning. We then grabbed lunch and headed down to a park near Fed Square and then trained it home again. We weren’t there long and it is difficult with three little kids but we had fun and they are still talking about it every time they see a train.

Sometimes you come up with solutions that are so simple that you think you are either a genius or lacking in intellect for not thinking of it sooner. Wrigglebot gets up early in the morning and comes into our room. The rule was that he had to wait until it was light outside but that is getting earlier and earlier until last week it was 5:30. I was not impressed. We needed a solution. We thought of an alarm telling him he could get up, set late enough that it wouldn’t wake him but Squirm is a prolific sleeper and it would wake her up. And then we thought about a light alarm so the light comes on and he can get up but they are quite pricey and hard to find.

We looked and looked for something and then it hit me, all we needed was a timer with a lamp plugged in so $7 later he has a light that comes on at 6:45 that tells him it is okay to get up. It is working a treat and I dare say I’ll start moving the time later and later just because I can and for that I am claiming genius status, why not?

It’s been raining a lot but the kids don’t seem to mind.

The good thing about having kids is that Husband can do things he wants to do that would just be weird if he didn’t have kids with him.

Wrigglebot fashioned a boat to sail on his lake of a sand pit.

I’ve just come home from Wrigglebot’s kinder orientation. He did so well and can’t wait till the mummys don’t stay. I had to go and have a cup of tea with the mothers while the kids concentrated on their playing and I have never been so bored in my life. The kids got to climb on things outside, draw, do puzzles, listen to stories and sing and I had to sit there and listen to mothers. Now I know I’m a mother as well but I like to think that I don’t talk about Tupperware, dieting and the best place to buy cheap kids’ clothes incessantly.

After an hour I was exhausted from being polite and pretending to be interested in Tupperware and that if lids don’t fit you can get brand new replacements and that six rice crackers and a jar of salsa is only one Weight Watchers point. I was about to start an impromptu game of charades because then at least one of the other mothers wouldn’t be able to talk and then it ended. I realised though that it doesn’t really end. This will be my lot for the next twenty years or so as I am forced to socialise over my kids. Maybe everybody was just being polite though and trying to validate the nominated Tupperware queen. In view of that I’m trying to think of some questions to at least make next time more interesting. I’m thinking, ‘What do you see your mission in life as and how does Tupperware fit into said mission?’  That should provoke discussion and win me friends right?

Toilet training has started in our house – for the third time. Every time I think Milla is ready to take it on, and me I should add, she just doesn’t seem to get it.
Milla is the sort of kid who would sit in her poo all day with not a care in the world and since toilet training started, again, she cares not in the least that she has wet undies. She could sit in those all day too.
I know she won’t be starting school in nappies but the way we’re going, it’s not looking too promising!
Anyway, though i’ve read every article, book, magazine and even watched Elmo’s episode of Potty Time I am still none the wiser as the teacher.
Any tips would be most welcome, including those relating to readiness, as I would love to finally get one out of nappies – and stop slipping in all the puddles.

Sorry Squirm has been sick so I have been rather preoccupied with a little girl alternately lying on my lap and then throwing up. Squirm is little for her age and so when she gets sick and can’t keep any food down it always makes me a little concerned. For two days she literally lay around and slept, threw up and whimpered. She didn’t even talk and needed to be carried everywhere.

It was difficult but at the same time it’s kind of what being a mother is all about. She only wanted me and she wanted to snuggle and be held and be taken care of. It made me feel privileged to be the one that she wanted to vomit on. And she is one of the few people who I don’t mind if they vomit on me. We have that kind of relationship. She even peed on me in shock after vomitting on me and I just felt special.

So she hasn’t really talked in three days it was as if she had vomitted all her words out along with her food and then today she was better. And she talked nonstop. The dam burst and it could not be contained. She chatted, she sang, she asked question after question without waiting for an answer, she talked to herself, she talked to her dolls, she talked even if nobody was listening. It was like she was a wind up toy, her lips were moving at a furious pace all day. She didn’t even nap because she had to keep talking to Wrigglebot. So for future reference if my daughter is ever silent it’s likely she is sick and you better prepare yourself for when her words return.

We are just back from a little holiday on the coast. Now the locals where we holiday are quite affluent. Where I go to the park in tracksuit pants and a hoodie smeared with snot and baby vomit, they appear pristine in designer exercise wear. You know the perfectly matched running leggings with top which conceals all of the bra strap. They must only put on their clothes to go out or else their babies just don’t leak like mine do.

Anyways I was at the park trying to juggle supervising three kids. Squirm was on the slides, Wrigglebot was at the skate park and The Little One was strapped into the pram. I was doing well until Wrigglebot came and told me he had to do poos so I quickly assessed my options and started pushing the pram toward the toilet. Wrigglebot was desperate and pulled at my pants and before I knew it they were down around my knees. I quickly pulled them up and glanced around to see two of the affluents looking at me. I had mooned them. They had seen my bare bum. There was a connection now, they smiled at me, I smiled at them and then I knew I could trust them to watch Squirm while I trekked to the toilet.

There are all kinds of ways to make friends, maybe next time you could try this way too.

So as part of getting my life somewhat back into order, a health nurse has been visiting my home on a weekly basis.
She’s wonderfully supportive and kind and I look forward to her visits. It’s like having a close friend come regularly for coffee and a really good yarn.

Each week she sets up mini tasks for me to work on until I see her next. They are simple things like cooking two meals on one night so I have a cooking free night and more time to relax. This is great and it works!

The very first week my task was to lie in bed every night and think of a ‘Sparkle Moment’ that happened that day. A ‘Sparkle Moment’ is something which occurs that makes you either smile or laugh or feel good inside.
I did this task too and loved it so much that I decided to write them down so I could look back on them one day.

I wanted to share with you my chosen ‘moments’ for the last seven days, here goes:

1. Milla read That’s Not My Teddy to Finn – she knew it word for word and much to my delight – she used expression!
2. I had a big, deep bath with my gorgeous babies – and no one did a poo.
3. Milla decided that rather than have her day sleep on her big girl’s bed, she would sleep with her shoes in her cupboard.
4. Finn rolled from his tummy to his back, both sides – and better yet, he rolled back again without screeching for me to save him.
5. I got a job to design wall art for the sleep school I will be attending next week with Finn (and that’s a whole other story!!)
6. I had a hot cup of tea today! (I know, simple things!)
7. Milla called out to her dad as he was leaving for work: “Bye Daddy! I love you as much as cake!”

Hopefully I’ll be able to share more of these with you at length, though now I must run – a little girl has woken amongst shoes and needs my full attention once again.