Well, my little princess turns 2 tomorrow, but as daddy has an rdo today, we are celebrating today at home, and we'll have a few friends and family over at the weekend.  Granny (my mum) left a present for her and she got a couple of cards in the mail, so that was the first item of business.  Her brother very helpfully helped her open them and told her she had to wear her new dress straight away!

OK - How come on my computer it is up the right way, but on here its crooked?  I'll try another one.  Bella opened her next present from mum & dad - the new huggies drawing table, with crayons and a colouring book, plus some wiggles books:

AAGH!  It's done it again!  Her big present will come tomorrow - must go as child screaming!

Well, what a day.  DH went off to the VW nationals at some ridiculous hour this morning and we were up late preparing a stall - starting teh day tired did not help.

Chatted with R over breakfast - "we are going to church this morning, what kind of behaviour do we expect at church?", offered an incentive for good behaviour (taking his new bike to the park).  This used to work, but now I get "well you should not take me to church as I am good at being noisy and it is not fair to ask me to be quiet".  mmmmm....  Discussed it further, got there and the behaviour was atrocious.  I did not want to give him the satisfaction of being taken outside and i was on my own so just put up with it - getting very angry, mind you.  So, we did not go to teh park and the only reason he got morning tea was that he helped clean up.  The trouble is that he is leading B by example, so I have 2 naughty children - not one!

Then we got home, and he tipped out more things - made him pick them up.  The trouble is his sister is now doing it and doesn't seem to understand picking things up afterwards, so it seems unfair.  They messed up my room - which I hate!  Then they stripped all their clothes off in the middle of winter and went running around naked!

Then this afternoon he has been beautiful - so well behaved, quiet, affectionate and helpful.  He even commented to me that he started the day badly but then had been good this afternoon, but could not tell me why - his only excuse was that we should go to the park before church.  Interesting idea - except we are always running late as it is.

So, I am just trying to work out what is going on - why the misbehaving and the disobedience and defiance, when I know he can be the most lovely child.  Next question is what to do about it - this week I have yelled at him, reasoned with him, encouraged good behaviour, sent him to his room, taken toys away from him etc...  But nothing seems to impact him. Why? Where has my beautiful boy gone?  How do I get him back?

Mmmm - another evening spent tidying up!  I made R tidy his room before bed and I told him the longer it took the less stories - so he only had one story and surprisingly went straight to sleep!  He has got too clever - his latest one is "I'll clean it tomorrow", knowing that "tomorrow never comes".  Grrrr. Anyway I stuck to it - it is just getting very tedious.

Bella had her third day at family day care - often the third is the worst.  But, still no tears - "bye mummy".  However when I got there to pick her up - a running hug and she was at the gate raring to go.  Still, I'm guessing it was tiredness as much as anything.  Her day care lady is lovely and loves her - she says she is so easily pleased, very sociable, very determined and stands up for herself (go girl!) - the only thing is that "rest time" does not seem to exist in her vocabulary.   So, of course she fell asleep in teh car on teh way home!  And that being as late as it was, I have only just got her asleep again now!  I'm exhausted.

Downer for the day - been selling on ebay to boost income (see our store above) - have already had 2 non-payers and feel a bit ripped off by a buyer who altered the postage amount on checkout, to way below what it should be.  Grrrr....  Very frustrating - and it makes you wonder if it is really worth it!  All the time and money spent - for very little income.  Oh well, must do something I guess.

I'm off to bed now - good night!

Well, for an hour and a half, we sat there!  I wouldn't let him go anywhere else, and he wouldn't pack up. Stalemate.  We were both busy - he reading the books he should be putting away, me on Minti (nagging him every few minutes).  So, after an hour and a half I took away his favourite toy and said it was not coming back until he packed everything away.  Still too hard.  So i helped again and reminded him what was at stake (his castle).  Eventually after much frustration and tears we got there - it only took all morning! 

I hate this !  I hate arguing and yelling, reasoning, begging - to get him to clean up his own mess.  The frustration on both ends is palpable and the stress in this room is strongly discernible.  So what do I do about it?  I am sick of cleaning up mess made for the pleasure of making mess - if he wants to make it, fine, but why should he be able to just walk away from his messes and trust someone else to clean it up?  Not a good lesson for life!  But is it worth all this angst and stress?

Well, I have worked out probably why I was feeling sick the other night.  I had salmon mousse for lunch.  I bought it after the x-ray and ate it straight away.  Not realising until yesterday that it was already 2 days out of date when I bought it!  Doesn't that drive you nuts?  I didn't even think to check, when I bought it.  I didn't think they could do that.  Grrrr....

Now - I need some answers!  I want to know why my son must make such huge messes?  Two days ago, while I was incapacitated he took every item of clothing out of his drawer (looking for his Dash outfit, which is not even in there!), then every item of clothing out of his dress up cupboard.  I was too sore and tired, so I just yelled and left it.

Yesterday DH came home and R had taken every book off his bookshelves.  He wanted bunk beds for him and Bella - logical, huh!  So, DH yelled and made him tidy his room up before dinner.  They got all the clothes away before dinner, and then said we would do the rest tomorrow (yay!).  DH yelled quite a lot and made R do all teh work.  Lesson learned you would think, yes?

Today as I sit here and read Minti, he has taken every book off the bookshelves in teh lounge room - fortunately I stopped him at the first shelf.  He sits there and giggles when I yell at him.  So I sent him to his room - "No, I don't want to".  So I picked him, smacked his bottom and carried him to his room.  Then he comes to me and apologises.  I thanked him, gave him a hug and took him back to the bookshelf, saying he must pick them all up.

So. now I sit here typing and watching him sitting looking at his books, but not picking them up.  "I can't - it hurts my back".  I am going demented here, is this some kind of torture children create for their parents?  What do I do next?  SO much for not yelling and keeping calm (see advice).  What will get through to him?

Well, my foot is ok, so long as I keep off it - after a while it starts to ache badly and I must stop and sit - hard life hey?  So, I enjoyed sitting watching teh kids outside today - sitting in the autumn sun, dozing I'll admit.  It was lovely - listening to the birds and watching the kids play together (mostly nicely).  The toe has gone black and blue and hurts more than the rest of the foot, so if anything is damaged it would be the big toe.

The only upset has  been my darling son, who was devastated!  He put his Dash (Incredibles) outfit near the fire to dry. As he sat there and waited for it to dry, it was taking so long, so he put it ON the fireplace. MMMMM - of course mum comes along and finds this ooey gooey orange and black goo on the top of the fire - the remains of the Dash oufit.  After many tears and begging me to fix it, he rang Daddy to ask Daddy to fix it.  Poor Daddy!  Anyway, he was eventually distracted by talk of his birthday party - now only a month away.  Thank you for birthday parties - and haven't there been some great tips on parties in the Q&A lately?

One of those days!  Was getting breakfast ready this morning - R's first week of 3 days at preschool - jigging to the Wiggles as you do (luckily not holding B for once!)!  When my foot slipped!  Down on my ankle I came.  Couldn't move!  At home alone with 2 kids - what do you do??  Sat there until I could put weight on it, then kept going.  Got R to school, went to the dr - possible break, went for an x-ray.  No obvious break, but wait for the report.  In the meantime, Rest, Ice, Compression bandage and Elevate!  With 2 kids are you kidding?  By preschool pickup I was in agony and couldn't walk.  Took some Panadeine (dr said ok even though I'm still feeding B - only once a day!)  Limped around, arguing with the kids, finally got them home in relief!  I could sit at last and rest it etc...  Lit the fire, got dinner out, turned tv on and waited for dh to come home.  Of course B climbs up for a feed - first time she's done that in weeks!

I am dopey from the painkillers and fall asleep on the lounge.  Of course a riot breaks out.  B stabs herself in the face with a pair of scissors (she took from the drawer of the computer desk) and R takes every item of clothing out of his drawers.  6 o'clock I ring and DH has not even left work yet (a 90 min drive).  So, I get dinner on, and get firewood in, hobbling around.  Now I feel sick and tired - is the nausea from the painkiller or the fish I ate at lunch??  Either way I have had enough.  Now B is crying herself sick literally, over a lip balm I bought for R and he has put out of erea7ch9i.  wSo to calm her down I cuddle her and now she is helping me type - the first smile either of us have had all day66778   cccccccf 6vtj

Even though it is still technically autumn, we have been thrown into winter this weekend - I would not have been surprised if we got snow it was that cold.  So, to celebrate (or mourn) the coming of winter, here are some "autumn" pictures:

oops!  how come it is doing that?  Anyway, I can't turn it for some reason.  So, here goes the next one!:

If you've learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius! This little treatise on the lovely language we share is only for the brave. Peruse at your leisure, English lovers.

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail

18) After a number of injections my jaw got number. 1

9) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

Our calm regime seems to be working (see advice).  We are getting more done, less stress and on the whole less confrontations.  Yesterday R was only sent to his room twice - and today not at all (yet!).  That is a big improvement.  Obviously some of it is to do with age as well as being determined and strong willed, but the big difference I notice is that he is less violent.  He has been very rough on his sister and that seems to be improving (after many discussions, punishments etc...) much to my relief. 

Otherwise he has been lovely - lots of hugs and "i love you"s.  He even told his sister this morning he loved her and was a bit put out that she didn't reply straight away.  Of course she said "love you" back, then pulled away from him and ran to mummy.  Funny girl...

Well, what a treat! I had breakfast in bed (soggy cornflakes made by R and bacon & eggs made by DH).  Then, a lazy day - church, followed by a light lunch (made by me), a video, a rest (ended by a lovely cuddle from my son) and a light dinner (made by DH).  Very relaxing - even aside from the constant confrontations with my son (nothing new).  We did have a discussion about having a nice day with mummy, but R still gets too wound up and doesn't know when to stop.  However he did make me a lovely scarf, which he proudly shows off:

Then, to share a quickie from last night.  I am rapidly sickening of the bed-time battles, so when they asked if they could set their tent up to sleep last night, I agreed:

2 little signs that my 2 are growing up - R made them brekkie this morning while I was lying in bed still - yes, I have cornflakes everywhere, but that is a minor problem.  Then B came in to tell me something, which I couldn't understand.  I repeated what I thought it was and she very clearly said  "Mummy, I said (whatever the word is)".  I couldn't believe it.  She has been putting a few words together - ie 3-4 words, but this week has really been putting whole sentences together.  They grow up so quickly!

Well, Bella started family day care yesterday.  She was great - no tears, she just looked at me and said "play".  So that is what she did - stayed and played.  No worries in picking her up - so that was great!  However today she has been very clingy and got upset at a friend's house when she lost sight of me, so I guess it has affected her more than it seems.  I hope she'll be as good next week.

R has also been offered an extra day at preschool, so I have reworked the budget and on paper it seems ok.  Whether it will be in reality we have to see.  I think it would be good for him and means he gets one day with his best friend and some other friends with whom he'll go to school next year.  It also means one of my rest at home days now is gone and we have a drive to preschool instead.  Oh well...

Now we just need to able to live within our budget!  Hopefully with the extra time free I can now do more to make soem money - we'll see!  Trying to run a small business from home is not easy and I never seem to find time to work on it, so hopefully this will help.

Anyway, must go - a million things to do!

Well, it has been busy, but there have been some magical moments, which I'd like to share. 

When we woke up on Monday having been away all weekend, I wondered what the flash of red was outside, so I pulled back the curtain to discover our Japanese Maples had gone red over the weekend.  They are beautiful!  Witness photo number 1!

Last night, after dinner, Bella grabbed my hand and said "winkle".  Bemused, I let her lead me - all the way to the back door.  "Door", she ordered.  Once open, she led me through it and outside, past the car.  Then she looked up "star", she said "winkle".  Amazing!  She wanted to see the stars twinkle, so she led me outside to see them.  Gorgeous!

Then tonight we lit a bonfire - to burn off some rubbish.  Being Autumn now we can burn off!  So we snuggled outside in the cold, watching the fire (though the kids wouldn't stay still for long). 

Then we cooked campfire food (though we did it in the oven - cheats!)  - damper, potatoes and sausages.  Royston made the damper himself and it tasted great (surprisingly)!

Well, back again - it has been one of those weeks.  The open day was ok - the fire brigade turned up and the newspaper turned up - and there was just me there!  Others slowly trickled in, and we had some new faces, but half of our regulars didn't come!  So that was a bit discouraging, but I am sure that it is the time of year.  I have had DH home sick for three days and B has bronchitis.  She was meant to start day care today but with her nasty cough I cancelled - and she has hardly coughed today at all (saved it all for 4:00 this morning).  Oh well.

At least having DH home meant I could have a sleep this afternoon - I needed it.  B slept too - about 3 hrs worth for her, which is amazing.  I went & picked up R and had a long chat to his teacher about some things concerning me.  She was very helpful and reassuring.

But teh days are just not long enough and the sleep cost me some valuable time - the house is a disaster, I need to list more stuff on ebay, look into some other selling options, get ready my market stall for Sunday, make some deliveries and do some assignments for teh 2 courses I am doing.  This is crazy - just why do I do all these things??

Then on top of it all, I let the kids make fairy bread this afternoon - great idea! not!  we now have sprinkles all over the room!  At least it was fun - and can be cleaned up relatively easily.  Have to clean it up soon or it will give our unwanted pet (mouse) more food!

Last night while trying to clean out the ventolin nozzle so B could breathe, I came across a mouse on the kitchen counter.  His tail was caught in the trap - I stood and looked at him for ages, telling myself I needed to dispose of him, but I couldn't do it! What did I do?  Released his tail and let him go - crazy woman!  Funny how I can happily set traps for them, but can't do the deed myself when required  (he was so cute - even if he does leave poo all over the place).   Silly woman!  I'll regret it tonight when I hear him running all over my kitchen again, missing the 8 traps I've laid for him - grrr....

Oh well, on that lovely note, must go and get dinner on.