Technical Issues...

My printer was making funny noises when I tried to print this morning. I went to investigate. Do you think this will be covered under warranty?

More to the point - what's for dinner? What can I whip up with a tomato, a hamburger bun and a whole chicken ... all of the plastic varierty!

Peter Rabbit's new friend

Naomi has an amazing grasp of vocabulary. Well, we think so anyway! She chats away to herself while looking for things ... "Not this one. No, not this one either...". It amazes me that a 2 year old knows what the word 'either' means, and how to use it in a sentence.

But she does slip up sometimes....

As Naomi was telling me about the rabbit design at the bottom of her Beatrix Potter bunny bowl, she exclaimed "Look Mummy - there's Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottonbud!"

For the record, yes, I have a thing about clean ears.

Mentioning my 'Unmentionables'

I promised to post photos of our weekend away at the beach, which we spent with Ryan's godmother and her sweet son, who is the same age as Miss Naomi. However, the internet is annoyingly slow here in our Small Town tonight, and I have to share one of "those" moments with you first, anyway!

Sweet Hubby is always telling me that I don't do enough for myself (how SWEET is that man??). So when I was in Big W (a variety super-store) recently, I decided to throw caution and the budget to the wind. I had purchased food for the week. I was resisting the siren call of the local craft and fabric store. What better way to reward myself for such thrift than to splash out and buy some new underwear?

And wow, what a splurge it was. A 10-pack of cotton hi-cut briefs ('cos I am certain you want to know every detail of my under-garments), which even sported pretty pink prints on them. And all for A$10.00 ... am I a bargain shopper or what???

So when we get home, I am feeling so motivated that I begin to cull my underwear drawer right away. What a sight - holes, saggy elastic, serious sun-fading ... what a joy to throw them out. It was fantastic, liberating. I felt myself in sync with all my global sisters, full of the joy of putting on fresh, pretty underwear.

Naomi watched all of this in wonder, constantly asking me "Mummy, what you doing?".

I was on such a roll that putting that that bag of awful under-things in the kitchen bin wasn't enough. I had to take them right out to the big wheelie bin, that was on the road waiting for collection. My feeling of freedom and uplifted spirit lasted all the way down the driveway, right up to the point where Naomi ran after me, stood in the middle of the front driveway and yelled, at the top of her lungs "NO MUMMY - NO THROW UNDIES IN THE BIN!!!".

I wished the cement driveway would swallow me up, right then and there.

My wardrobe - the scene of the crime.

Hungry sheep ...

We live in a suburban stree, but right on the edge of town. Two blocks over are the dairy cow paddocks. Naomi loves to see the cows, and we often walk along a public path, beside the fields. At the end of this path is a little acreage hobby farm - large vege patch, chicken run and, just this week, 2 new black sheep.

As we looked at the sheep, through the fence, I said "Look Naomi, the sheep are eating the grass."

She said "yes... must be hungry." Then she thought about it for a minute and said, "Sheep should have eaten more breakfast."

Which I say, on a regular basis... to the 2-year old. Not to the sheep.

Sleep negotiations

Conversation held in Naomi's bedroom last night:

Mummy (as tucking in and giving hugs and kisses) - "Naomi, if you sleep all night in your bed, and don't come in to wake Mummy up, in the morning I will give you sticker. OK?"

Naomi (nestling under blanket) - "Mmm?"

Mummy - "So stay in your bed, and don't wake up Mummy, for a sticker tomorrow."

Naomi (clearly thinking about this concept) - "OK.... wake Daddy".


For the record, she came in and woke me up 3 times, needing to be put back into her bed. No sticker was given this morning.

Does anyone have any ideas for getting a toddler to sleep through? She doesn't wake up crying - she just wakes up, and requires me to be lying on the floor next to her bed, before she will go back to sleep. She has a nightlight, soft music playing, her drink bottle available, etc etc....... I am exhausted, and very worried about what we will do when the new baby comes in 2 months time.

Out of the mouths of babes...

So I had my scan and 19-week check up last Friday. Everything is fine - the doctor tells me that I am having a 'textbook pregnancy'. Which is comforting, I guess! We don't know whether we are having a boy or girl - we had decided not to find out, but it was hard to say 'no' when the sonographer asked... I was watching the baby move on the screen and wondering "Are you a boy or a girl?".

I had to take a ur*ne sample to the doctor's appointment. As all mothers know there is no privacy whatsoever, and as one of our daycare kids is currently toilet training, Naomi has an obsession with toilets and their workings... She was watching as I filled the sample pot. And insisted on carrying it in the car (after I had tightly sealed the lid). She then resisted all my attempts to put it discreetly in our bag as we walked through the doctor's office. Not my girl -- she waved it around and announced to the receptionist, at full volume ... "Toilet! Mummy undies!"

The only saving grace was that, as the first appointment of the day, there were only staff and 1 other patient to see my humiliation!

Nearly as good a story as my friend, who tucked her sample pot in the back pocket of the seat of her car, couldn't find it at the doctor's surgery so did another sample, then forgot about the whole incident. Until her BOSS discovered a little jar of yellow liquid in the seat pocket, several weeks later, as she was driving them both to an important work meeting!

Does anyone else have an amusing 'sample jar' story?? Or do these things just happen to me, and mine?