Mama Chameleon

Tuesday, May 30, 2006





Mother Guilt and other Bits and Bobs
Why the title?
I sent my Diva to school this morning without administering her cold and flu medication, and without tissues.
So she will probably have the sniffles all day with only a sleeve to catch the drips!
And I really hope no one notices that her hair band is dark purple instead of the uniformally a uniform, it saves a lot of time and agony we would spend deciding what to wear, but this is one of the few drawbacks.


Big Mama, Hubby and the Car Update: While we come to a decision about what to do about a car (seeing as mine is no longer functioning! Arrggh!), friends have loaned us their 3rd car (they live on a farm with another family) for as long as we need it. Such a blessing.
Roly said this morning: "I could hardly sleep 'cause of you guys arguing last night about the car!"
HUH!?!
We had been discussing our options, the pros and cons. And we thought the kidlets were all asleep!
Voices were not raised, though we did have a couple of differences of opinion.
My hubby likes a good debate and I have learned to verbally joust with him! I am not nearly as good, but I can hold my own.
My poor Roly had really been concerned, as he often sneaks into the kitchen for a drink etc and must have overheard us.
So I said:
"Well, did you see the two big hugs Mum and Dad gave each other after we talked??
Roly : No...
Me: Did you see Dad race Mum to bed, and see how Dad cheated by shutting the kitchen door so he could get there first?
Roly (with wide eyes at Dad's lack of sportsmanship): No.
Me: Imagine that! What a good sleep you must have had!
Post Script: Apparantly Hubby had lots of ribbing about poor sportsmanship on the way in to school today

Roly update: Roly is going on an excursion with his stage (all of grades 5 &6) on Thursday. It is a two day bonding excursion with adventure sports and group tasks. For those who pray, we dearly hope he has a straight forward time away with no niggling concerns to overshadow the fun he can potentially have. He is so looking forward to it!


Spindles update: A while back I mentioned that Spindle's naturally easy going nature had changed a little, with burst of unexplainable tears and anger. That has all calmed down. In retrospect, I think timing and my approach to him had a lot to do with it. Timing works for all of us and I need to improve in that regard. When Spindles starts something he gets so immersed in it, and probably needs a five minute warning that we are about to do homework etc, so it doesn't come as a rude shock.
Whatever the cause, he is back to easygoing Spindles.


Diva update: Like I earlier mentioned Diva has a cold. She is presently enjoying reading anything she possibly can, which is fun to watch. She has her own library card now and finds going over to the library to choose a book exciting. Reading is such a huge part of the boy's' lives (and their parents') so I am happy to see that she might be morphing into a bookworm too.
Apart from that, Diva still loves being outdoors more than anything,' taming' the chookies, trining Lucy the dog and taking pics of them.


Topsy Update:
His favorite animal sounds to make: elephant and rooster
Favorite games: Peekaboo and'is this a hat?" where one trys on all sorts of crazy items as a hat, only to have them fall off one's head while Topsy giggles uncontrollably. He then attempts his version of the game (which means he holds those same objects over his head, refuses to drop them, or maybe does not know how, and still chuckles proudly.
Most exciting advancement: he now comes running for cuddles! Yeah! He likes me!
An Outing
We went out for lunch yesterday. It was with some people that I really wanted to be able to chat with in a relaxed way.
Chat?
Relax?
Hah!!
:{
We ate outside in their gorgeous patio, surrounded by the wife's handmade mosaics and well-tended plants set in stunning pots. It was like a mini Morocco !
A very simple but delicious lunch was set on a crisp blue and white tablecloth.
Topsy had just had a long nap and was ready for lunch.
Everything was going swimmingly...

...until my normally gregarious and smiling baby refused to eat anything (unheard of!), opting instead to toddle around the garden, exploring with excited chirps. To my relief he just patted the plants' leaves benignly.
They were not his quarry.
Instead he grabbed up great handfuls of the horse manure-fertilized soil they were planted in.
His intention with said soil?
That became evident when he proceeded to stuff his cheeks to bursting with the stuff. It was as though he had suddenly developed a ravenous hunger and thought he was scoffing down quality chocolate.
*10 minute clean up.*
Our hostest told us not to stress because anything Topsy did around their yard, their cats and dog already do regularly, so I took a deep breath and tried to immerse myself in the conversation !
But when Topsy staggered in the general direction of the prized rose garden, both hands outstretched in gleeful anticipation, my grilled gourmet sandwhich dried up in my throat, and I had to step in.
*5 minute diversion attempt*

Our hostess (L) brought out a big basket of toys, but no!, that would have been too easy.
And of course, I could not sit and listen to a word anyone was saying while my son lurched towards the verandah steps (just a three step drop!)
*5 minute conversation halt as Big Mama places Topsy as far away from the adults as is safely possible and sprints back, so we can get a sentence in, as he barrels determindly towards us. Oh My! When did he learn to jog? That 5 minutes turned into 2! *
Eventually we formed a barricade and contained Topsy within a space. We set him up with the basket of toys, a drink and some of my grilled gourmet sandwich.

After flinging the sandwich on the ground, he screeched and whined and moaned and cried and pouted.
I kept insisting "He is never usually like this."
To which everyone nodded politely (probably thinking 'likely story' all the while)
And then without rhyme or reason, he went silent and became very occupied.
After a couple of minutes, we all visibly relaxed. Or I should say, we women relaxed. The men had been totally oblivious the whole time. (LOL!)

The sheen of sweat I had worked up from careering around our hosts' acreage like a demented Dunlop bunny, dried.
We chatted and laughed and coffeed.
It was so nice, like old times of being able to relax at someone's house.

Then inexplicably, our coffee mugs started to move. I grabbed at them before they slid past us... ...and stared in mute horror down at the tiny chimney sweep responsible.
Two blackened hands grasped the talbecloth, smearing its crisp blues and whites with inky smudges.

The next few minutes is a blur (for which I am grateful), but it seems that somehow Topsy had gotten into the mosaic glue (!!!!!) and then proceded to discover the left over soot and ash from the outdoor fireplace (!!!!!!!!).
His hands had a thick covering of dried sooty glue that would not budge. Though he had tried. Little hands had smeared smutty trails around the pale brick of the patio.
Now this is only a brief summary of the 2 half hours we were at our friend's place. It felt like a day, I tell you.
I could not have ben more relieved to say goodby to a place.
Topsy had cheered up considerably by the time we readied him to go.
Our clever boy must have known it was 'bye bye' time, cause he cheerfully waved a freshly plucked basil plant at our hosts, scattering soil from its roots all over the white tiles of the patio.
:{ (Yes I can laugh about it now, but yesterday I was pulling my hair out!)
The reason for his earlier grumps was revealed last night.
A half gallon of drool and four nappies full of runny poop later, we discovered his sore gums. It appears that his one year molars are on their way!

Posted by michelle :: 11:58 am :: 7 comments links to this post

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