Gotta love Melbourne. Nice and warm one day, absolutely freezing the next! This is the city we know and love! As much as I don't like the cold, I was getting really scared that we were going the same way as last year - 4-5 30+ degree days in October, before Spring had really kicked in! Hopefully we are coming to the end of the drought, although it usually means another extreme. I remember as a little girl a huge drought, and then have flashing memories of city streets flooded up to the windows of cars, and hail the size of tennis balls. what to do but sit, wait and see what nature delivers next!

Hubby had the day off today - his work gives them a day off for their birthdays (what are they, schoolkids?!!!) He had to take his dad out this morning, then we went out bowling this afternoon. We had heaps of fun, but know next time to get Rocco a game for himself. We decided against it this time, because we thought he was probably that little bit too young, but we all ended up sharing our turns with him, which led to some 'fantastic' scores, I don't think. Jenna was a real sweetheart and shared with him almost every turn. They were so cute pushing the ball down the alley. One went so slow we didn't think it would make it!

Well, gotta get ready for my late night TV viewing - and for work tomorrow, I suppose!

I'm so proud of Jenna. She has been doing gymnastics on Saturday mornings since the start of the year and really enjoys it. She started doing it because she wanted to do acrobatics (she loves jumping, tumbling, getting up high etc.) but you can't do that until you are a fair bit older, so we did gym instead. After a few weeks the teacher had a word to us about Jenna's ability. She was only 3 at the time, but the teacher was already talking about when she was 6 or 7! Freaked us out a bit, but we thought we'd just see how it goes.

Now today, the teacher wanted to have a chat about next year. She wants Jenna to go and be tested for the Artistic team. Um, a bit scary - we don't even really know that much about the higher levels, and she is only 4! I asked Jenna what she wanted to do - when she found out it meant she gets to do work on the high beam, she was very excited. Now we have to see how it all goes, and really discover how into gymnastics she is in the long term.

As for Rocco - can't say anything but NAUGHTY! He was up at 6.10 this morning, so we made him sleep today - he slept about an hour and 45. We spent the afternoon at the beach, where they were running marathons up and down the beach. Was he tired tonight? NO! He stays in bed for ages, then starts coming out - it's only then that I find Jenna's been getting in bed with him, and he's ok until she falls asleep, then he starts mucking around again. Didn't finally fall asleep until about 9.15 tonight! Honestly do not know what to do with that boy!

Don't know what I'm talking about - I'm sitting here with my brain shutting down, but I still don't go to bed  - gee, I wonder where he gets it from?!

What a great way to end a full on week. Jenna went on her very first excursion yesterday, to a farm. Most of the parents went with the kids, but I couldn't because I have no-one to look after Rocco. Jens was so excited, until we were about a minute away from kinder when she started to panic about the bus. The scare on the tram really got to her, and she was anxious that the bus would leave people behind... Got her calmed down, and she was paired with her best friend for the day. Anyway, when they came home, the first thing she said to me was 'Mum, I don't want you to come on the next excursion either'. Nice! She had a great time, milked a cow and told me heaps about what she learnt. Best of all, she didn't panic and realises that the bus is ok.

As for Rocco and me - we came home, had something to eat, played outside for a bit, then slept the day away! So nice. Note to self: only stay up late when I can get a sleep in the next day!

Today was flat out as well - taking my mother-in-law all over the place to do her shopping, getting Jenna, dropping another oldie off, and then THE BEACH. I had promised the kids we would go this afternoon for a play. Jenna wanted to invite friends, but we ended up going by ourselves. We are so lucky to live so close to the water (about 15 minutes with traffic!!!). The kids packed their own beach toys, and were excited to go to a different beach than usual. The loved digging holes and dipping their feet in the water - only briefly as it is still freezing (I wasn't as brave as them!). They were so sweet walking along the sand together, holding hands and chatting. Rocco just adores Jenna, and was copying everything she did. Only stayed for about 45 minutes, but tomorrow is meant to be quite warm, so we are going to head to our favourite beach - the water there is only shin high (on the kids) for at least a kilometer, and is always so clean and clear.

Can not wait. Just hope the monkeys sleep well tonight, because they were well and truly stuffed tonight, but still managed to  muck around for a while! A nice weekend to all, I hope!

Well, my little man is starting to settle down a bit - the threat of taking the stool out of his room is making him stay in bed a bit more, and the fact that he scared the poops out of Jenna the other night when he tried to climb in her bed made him leave her alone a bit too. Saturday he had to have a catch up sleep in the day - 3 hours!!! Of course, we paid for that - late night and early morning. This morning when I got home from work, he was not a happy camper. He kept crying and hada tantrum over nothing. Calmed this down by (1) he climbed under his bed and calmed down a bit and (2) took him to the mirror to show him what sad Rocco looked like. After that, he went to bed and slept for 3 hours again. Tonight, though, he only got out of bed 8 times (a lot less than usual) and did stay in bed awake for a while without annoying anyone.

I've been lucky - Saturday and Today a friend of Jenna's took her out for the afternoon, so while Rocco slept, I felt like I was alone. Went insane cooking all day Saturday, and got dinner prepared at 12 today, so it only took 20 min to cook tonight - this meant we could go to the park later and stay until nearly dinner time which the kids loved.

Rocco has been so funny this last week - he has started calling his dad 'stinky gross bum' which is hilarious. when I was getting dressed on Sunday he came to ask me for milk - I told him to just let me do my hair and I'd be there. He left, then popped his head back around the corner and said 'nice bum' with a big grin. He's been super smoochy and his sense of humour has just gotten funnier. Between him and Jenna it's like being at a cabaret that does stand up comedy during intermission  - I absolutely love it.

I've gotten used to the 5am starts again, and back to the kinder routine. Don't really like the kinder attitude that comes home, but that's part of growing up I guess. Jenna's still my best girl with the biggest heart - just getting too old!!!

Oh well, better keep going - Survivor's on later and still have other stuff to do! (No matter how long it's been going and how late it's on, I still have to watch it!!!)

Well, Rocco is still stuffing around at bedtime, but I am not staying with him. Closing th edoor totall yon him every now and then gets him to stay in bed - he absolutely hates the door closed! On the other hand, he has been annoying Jenna. He's realised he can climb in her bed, so he either gets in her bed, or she gets in his, but most of the time (kinder nights) I make him leave her alone. Because he is not sleeping most days anymore, it only takes about an hour (!) for him to nod off. Today, a different story. Of course, he gets very tired after a couple of days with only 10-11 hours at night, so today I made him sleep. Big mistake. 3 hours later....needless to say, he is still awake now!!!

Took Jenna back to the doctors yesterday about her poo problems - now we have to see a specialist next month to check if there is something else causing her pain and difficulty, or if it is mechanical and will get better. She still has her swollen gland in her neck (it's been 2 weeks) - we're still leaving it and hoping it goes away. She's enjoyed her first week back at kinder, and has a big week planned next week - we do therapy with a boy Monday, then kinder, Tuesday is a friend's party, Wednesday is kinder and another party, Thursday her first excursion, then kinder and a VEG on Friday afternoon. As well as all that, I have to take my father-in-law to drs Monday and Tuesday, and my mother-in-law shopping on Thursday and probably Friday. Better get to bed early (as if - before 11.30 would be good).

went back to work on Wednesday - massive mess and stuff ups by work 'mate'. She's a total fool, and got in serious trouble with the manager while I was gone. She was supposed to train someone working with her, but just complained about him being slow, etc. anyway, she told me the boss said she could be charged with harrassment if she didn't stop - she must have said a lot more and often for that to be the case. Then we get another person to train on Wednesday - when I asked her if she could run through something with newbie, she wouldn't do it. A real pain in the *** - mind you, she's 46 with no children, no husband and no full time job. When I asked her why no f/t she said 'I just want to take it easy'. Another example - she asked me my son's name - when I told her it was Rocco, she flat out laughed in my face and said 'you're kidding, no way, that's an Italian name'. Um yeah, my husband is Italian!!!

anyway, I digress, a good week excepth for the fool. the kids had fun, half the week was cold and half warm, lots of park and play, and a day of cooking today. Rocco helped me make chocolate brownie muffins - he was so proud. they are delicious too!!!

What a stuffed up day! Normally the time changes don't make much difference around here, but because everyone went to bed late last night, all got up late this morning (9.00 for me and Jenna!), so had a late start on the day. Our Sundays are very routine, so we all got thrown around a bit. Then tonight, it was very hard trying to tell Rocco to go to bed when it was still light - he always asks and checks if it's dark yet at bed time!

Put him in his bed again, he started crying straight away. After putting him in 4 times, I closed the door properly, and didn't go back in. Heard him sobbing away for a while, then it was quiet. Didn't want to go back in in case he wasn't asleep. After a while, Jenna comes out to tell me she thinks Rocco's asleep now - in her bed. She put him in with her and put him to sleep, but then had trouble getting herself to sleep. She's such a sweetie!

Well, I better start getting up earlier in the mornings - back to work on Wednesday (I've had a month off), which means I have to get up at 5am again!!! Dreading the thought!!!

Have a good week!

After the late bed last night, Rocco decided 6.00 would be a great time to get up this morning (after the usual 12.30-1.00). Forced him to sleep today, but shouldn't have, because he didn't get to sleep until 9 again tonight. We were going to pack the cot away, but he got really upset - we'll give it a few more days.

Tonight he went to his bed, then the cot, his bed, Jenna in his bed, in her bed, back to his bed, in and out of bed while I was in the shower, until finally I sat on the end of his bed. He didn't talk to me or touch me, just wanted me there. Pretty cute though - got to hear all his bedtime conversations. Mostly revolved around cars, trucks, and both going boom (having accidents). The phone rang, and he sat up 'Bone, bone, bone'. Husband answered it, so Rocco lay back down and told himself 'Dad get bone, mum not get bone, dad get bone' then went back to car chat. Love his sweet little voice, but hope he starts getting to sleep a bit faster tomorrow night! Won't make him sleep tomorrow and try to wear the little bugger out!

Jenna has said a couple of funny things this week that I just have to share:

1. Did you know I have more fingers on my hands than toes?

2. On the train, she interpretted the symbol for not holding the doors open to mean 'no star jumps on the train'.

3. Not so much as what she said as what she's been doing - one morning they both got up (6.00 - we refused to get up until 6.30!) and kept themselves busy. Then I heard the stool in the kitchen moving and had to see what was going on. Jenna had gotten up into the pantry, got down the cereal - up pretty high - got them both bowls and spoons, and had everything set up, but couldn't open the cooked apple, so needed help. They were so sweet sitting at the bench together making brekky - unfortunately, they can't do it properly yet because they both have hot water instead of milk with their cereal!

God I love them, even when they drive me to insanity!!!

Rocco got his big bed tonight - the excitement lasted from when it arrived (5.00pm) until he finally fell asleep (9.00!!!! - usually 7.00). The excitement started yesterday when he saw all the linen on the line (washed the new stuff), and when he saw all the cars, we didn't hear the end of it!

For the moment, the bedroom is really squishy - 2 single beds, a kid's wardrobe and the cot don't leave much room to manouevre. We've decided to leave the cot in for at least a few days so Rocco can have a bit of choice about being ready for the bed. He desparately wanted to sleep in it tonight, but after 10 minutes, decided the cot was for him. 5 minutes later he's calling again and really wanted to get back in the bed, so back in he went. Unfortunately, he decided that he needed me - he usually says 'bye mum' when it's time for him to sleep, but when I said goodnight to him and asked if his eyes were closed (key last words), he says 'not bye mum'. I caved and decided to sit on the end of his bed for a while, before pretending I needed the toilet. Little smarty pants - when I said I was going to the toilet, straight out he says 'back mum'! I left and didn't come back, so 10 minutes later - here he comes again. Put him back in bed quite a few times, before relenting and staying with him until he fell asleep (about 5 minutes after all that).

I know I could be creating a problem (re:him not sleeping alone), but I don't want him waking Jenna up, and there really is no space to be able to keep going in and out at the moment. Also, when we went away he had to sleep in a bed, and for the first three nights we stayed with him, then he was sleeping alone, so hopefully it's just a matter of adapting to the new bed.

Anyway, boo hoo - no more babies in the cot!!! We all love the cot - it's so big, comfy, nice and CONTAINED! It also means the end of nappies soon, and lots of independant little people running around, which are the upsides. Let's just see if he stays asleep all night, and whether he gets himself out if he does wake up (he usually does - probably only 10 times  in his life he's slept all night!).

Jenna and Rocco have been wanting to go on the tram for ages - Rocco especially, who checks if it is at the stop every time we go past! Today we decided to tram to the city and train home. The kids were so excited and ready to go in record time (after Night Garden, of course).

All was good, until the tram driver stuffed everyone around. We'd gotten on with the pram and settled in (we are at the end of the line, so you usually wait a while for him to go). Another tram pulled up behind, so the driver told us all to get off as the other one would leave first. Off we get, with the help of a kind woman, only to be told by the other driver to go back to the other one because he was going to the depot. That was fine - Jenna got herself on the tram again, and the woman was helping me lift the pram on, when the driver started closing the door on us! We tried another time, then backed off. He closed the doors so he could move forward one metre! Poor Jenna - she was screaming her head off and crying - she got such a fright because she thought he was going and she was on her own. Because she wasn't sitting down yet, she hurt her back a bit as he jolted. We got on, and she calmed down, but halfway she started panicking about getting off - she thought that she would get off and we would get stuck on and she would be left behind again! Anyway, we managed to get off without drama, but I don't think they want to go on a tram again anytime soon!

The rest of the day was spent walking along the river, playing at the park, having lunch and being amazed that there are still kind and decent people around - we were going down some stairs, and a guy jogs out of nowhere, carries the pram down for me, then goes back up the stairs and jogs off. He wasn't even going our way, but came over to help. (I don't normally take the pram out, so I don't know if this happens to other people, but I was so happy and pleased to know that there are still decent people around!)

gotta go, Jenna's tram nightmares have begun!