Road Trip Easter

Expectations Exceeded...

The little man was an absolute dream in the car...there and back.

He did however wake up the neighbours at 4:30am...but I made no apologies for him.

The girls had great fun on a very very cold Easter Sunday morning...hunting for eggs around the caravan and tent...

They gathered their share of an obscene amount of chocolate eggs...

All in all the trip went far better than I anticipated...even with a sick Miss C and an unsettled Mr D.

We did all come home with a nasty cough and sleep deprivation and a sugar buzz...but it's worth it to enjoy Easter with family.

Bring on Easter 2012.

Wordless Wednesday

Faux Chenille

A balnket for my little man...made using this tutorial from the ever talented Dana at MADE

Managed to sew all the rows of stitching in one sitting while Mr D slept.

A slight interruption in the midst of sewing however!! A possum fried itself right in front of me.  I saw  a shower of sparks and heard a tremendous bang...and the power went out (I thought I was fried).

3 fire trucks turned up...the possum was still alive, sitting at the top of the pole licking itself...tough little bugger.

Then I cut the rows the following night, again while he slept.

I want to make another one now...with white on the top...using poplin instead of flannelette.

Wasn't that labour intensive...

Wordless Wednesday

Daybook Monday

Outside My Window...The sky is beginning to cloud over and the street is relatively quiet...school rush must be over (uh! no school...it's holidays...oops!), home from work rush yet to start.

I am thinking...that I am a terrible mother. The 12 week old won't sleep for more than an hour at a stretch, the two year old screams every time she doesn't get her own way, and the four and a half year old antagonises her sister and doesn't have an 'indoor voice'. I am going slowly mad and wondering what it is about my parenting style that has generated this result and what I can do to rectify it.

I am thankful for...Miss S being able to get Mr D to giggle madly...she's roaring like a dinosaur...apparently he loves it.

From the kitchen...fairy bread...a healthy and nutritious snack for the pixies and I...far from it, but I don't have the energy to argue

I am going...to tidy the house while Mr Pixies is at cricket tonight...what ridiculous sort of time is 9:20 for a game of indoor cricket?

I am hoping...to get some more sleep. Sleep dep is a nasty nasty menace...It makes me grumpy mumma.

I am hearing...Mr D just beginning to grump again. He has a 10 minute window when I can put him down on the floor. Classic Velcro baby.

Around the house...Miss C has pulled a pile of magazines out of the bookshelf in my craft room, the tent and airbeds are waiting in there for Easter weekend, small pieces of paper everywhere thanks to Miss S who I have allowed to use scissors again, dining table is tidy,

A few plans for the rest of the week...get organised for our Easter trip, remain calm, don't lose my patience with my children or my (non)husband. Clean the house before we go away so I have a nice shiny house to return to...something to make me smile.

A photo to share...she is turning 5 in less than 10 weeks...and is now officialy enrolled in Primary school, oh my...I thought that was something I would never get to do. She is lovely and exasperating and polite and demanding and LOUD!! Love her. Do you think I will miss her when she is at school every week day??

Have a good week!!

Cindy

Working On

An album to document the first year of each pixies life, in photos!

Using these gorgeous overlays from Vol 25.

Very girly...

taking up most of my time in front of the computer...

Wordless Wednesday

Daybook Monday on a Tuesday

Outside My Window...cold and wet...my backyard is the tidiest "room" in the house following a major cleanup operation.

I am thinking...that Miss S was an angel toddler compared to her sister...C is the epitomy of a terrible two year old...I won't deny that it's due to lack of discipline on my part, trying to get her back into line now that Mr D is a bit more manageable...bound to be a monumental task.

I am thankful for...clothes...from Celeste...very very thankful.

From the kitchen...Bagels with sesame seeds! Yummo! Thanks to Aussie Farmers Direct. It's so nice to have food delivered to your doorstep, and I love that on my bank statement it says "payment to stay in bed". CUTE!

I am going...to write sticky notes and put them up around the house to remind me of the things I need to do...my pixies haven't had their hair washed in too long...I keep forgetting bad mumma

I am hoping...that our Easter getaway to Yarrawonga goes far more smoothly than I am anticipating it will. I have set my expectations for a 4 hour drive with a 4 year old, 2 year old and 12 week old very low in the hopes that they will be exceeded.

I am hearing...coos and gurgles and giggles from my little man. Oh so sweet...can't believe he is 11 weeks old already.

Around the house...Girls playing (arguing) in their room, baby boy awake and happily sitting next to me in his bouncy, TV on ABC2, heater on, washing Mr D's new blanket, curtains all open to let the light in, polenta on the floor (thankyou Miss C).

A few plans for the rest of the week...Buy kids sleeping bags, organise 60th Birthday party, organise mothers day presents...and birthday presents, make to do lists, remember to make to do lists!!

A photo to share...a very cute outtake from our mini photo shoot...couldn't decide between colour or black and white!!

Who came up with the great idea...

...of Daylight Savings?

Whoever it was obviously didn't have small children!

Ever since we put the clocks back 1 hour on Sunday morning, the girls have been out of bed at the crack of dawn...6am...and the boy sleeps well (waking every 3 hours) until around 4am, then wakes every 30 minutes or so until 7...at which time we give up and get out of bed.

Ugghh!! I hate it.

Little ones don't understand the concept of time...and resetting the body clock is a bit of a longer process for them. I think Mr D may even still be confused about night and day at this stage. He was sleeping well before though!!

Makes for a very tired mumma and dadda...and a cranky 2 and a bit year old too :)

On a completely different subject...

We staged a little photo shoot yesterday to try and get a decent photo of the 3 for my mums mothers day present...OH BOY! How difficult is it to get at least 2 kiddos to look at the camera at the same time?

I don't really expect the 10 week old to cooperate, but his biggest sister...well she should know better.

We had a bit of a moment there...we butted heads...we are both as stubborn as each other!

This is the best we could do!

One of these photos will be going on a coffee mug for her to use at work...because that's what she wanted.

Wordless Wednesday

Daybook Monday

Outside My Window...It looks awfully cold for early autumn...a giant orb spider has taken us residence in our potato creeper, it spins a huge web every night and catches moths. It's getting so big that it is starting to creep me out a bit. I won't go out there at night to put a nappy in the bin for fear of walking into it's web.

I am thinking...that everything is just a little bit more difficult with 3...and that a bigger gap between 2 and 3 like I planned would have been better...but then we probably wouldn't have our handsome boy!!

I am thankful for...co-sleeping, because even though Mr D woke up every hour last night, he was right beside me and I didn't have to get out of bed in the cold.

From the kitchen...Chocolate Waffles, YUM! S asked for waffles for lunch so that's what we are having. It's been so long since I made these that I actually had to consult the recipe.

I am going...to walk to the supermarket if I can time it right. Hoping for a sunny spell when Mr D is due for a sleep so he can go in the hug a bub for a snooze.

I am reading...blogs, gathering ideas for future projects...when Velcro Baby is not quite as sticky :)

I am hoping...to create a photo book for each of my girls for the first year of their lives. I'm struggling to find photos of Miss S that are good quality. Am learning that my photography has certainly evolved in the the past 5 years, and making me glad I now have a DSLR and a better lens.

I am hearing...Miss S singing 'the opposite song' from this DVD (a new favourite), while she cuts and pastes (she's making a monster).

Around the house...dishes to be washed; floor to be vacuumed; clothes all washed, dried and put away;  baby asleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week...finish washing the windows, do some gardening, enjoy my children, do some sewing (making one of these for Master DS)

A photo to share...my babies...