my very own teenager

Mackie has turned thirteen!
I am filled with wonder at the way time has passed, growing up has happened and I still feel like the 25 year old I was way back when.
The rock-climbing birthday party was ACE. It was fun and energetic and friendly and I got to meet a couple of kids from High School that had been mere names without faces for the past year.
Gee they were all very sweet and polite and nice.
One great thing about this age is that when they order a whole HEAP of food at the celebratory dinner, they actually EAT it! They were starving!
At past parties, the food (while it causes stress and grief for the parents) is almost unecessary because the kids are all so keyed up they barely touch it.
Other great things this week have been the devouring by me of a book due for release in May called The Winter Of Our Disconnect by Susan Maushart and a visit from the builder who will undertake our renovation shortly and the filling of our hallway with the detritus of a camping weekend.
Yay. It's all good.
If you have ever watched your kids and their addiction to media grow and flourish in scary ways, and the erosion of family harmony take hold, then Susan Maushart's book is one highly entertaining piece of brain fodder for you! I polished it off last night, after dedicating every spare moment to it on public transport etc.
"That was great!" I exclaimed at 10.30.
It was funny, it was reassuring, it was informative. I guffawed on the train, I chortled in recognition in the lunchroom and I have thoroughly enjoyed every page.
When my little darlings were very little and I was in the haze and maze of new motherhood, I read Susan's then book entitled The Mask Of Motherhood. It spoke to me, deep down in my exhausted, resentful heart. When I spied her latest offering on the lunchroom table I grabbed it, sure that she would again speak to me in a language I would understand and she did not disappoint.
Because I worry, I fret, I feel certain I should KNOW more, DO more in parent-land, but Susan gets it too, she knows what I'm stressing over and she's been there recently!
I have just this week hung up my school lunch-making gloves and backed off!
Not packing the swimming bag.
Not setting the table.
Not unloading the dishwasher.
And camping....I've been to Rays, gas bottle's filled, new tomahawk purchased and I'm off to stock up on marshmallows. Have a great weekend.

I know, it's been ages hasn't it?
I just haven't had anything to say. I still don't really. Everything's just rolling along. Kids are good. The big high school boy is cruising in towards the end of first term and gradually coming to the realisation that HE is actually responsible for getting his own projects done. For example, when the teacher sets a piece of work that they can hand in at the end of term....it means that the project should in fact take ALL term to complete to the satisfaction of the teacher, not..here's a project for you to start and finish in the final week of term. Or how about this curly one? It's not FAIR, when you fall behind in the maths homework, they just KEEP GIVING YOU MORE!!! Shock horror. They don't magically make the overlooked homework disappear. Last week apparently Year 7 was EEAASSSYY. This week, mmmmm not so much. He was pretty proudly telling D that he had completed the entire Simpsons game on Nintendo DS. But I think maybe just maybe he should have been doing a bit more homework. I know that a lot of parents don't believe in homework. I am a bit of a girly swot in that regard though. I know I did many things to avoid doing homework but I worry about that feeling of falling behind. I HATE the feeling that things are building up and up. There is a lot to be said for chipping away at the big jobs so that they don't overwhelm you.
Pepper the girl. We have discovered a technique that so far is enabling her to remember her spelling words! What a revelation! Last week she got 10 out of 10 for her spelling. This week the words are much harder, all those tricky 'ie' and 'ei' words. I have my fingers crossed for her today. She had a big project last week that required a few big sessions to complete. I was so proud of her when she took it to school last week, all finished, and heaps of the other kids had to have the due date extended to allow them to finish over the weekend.
In other news, we had a lovely but chilly camping weekend down at Skenes Creek for the Labour Day weekend. There was a flurry of trips to the op shop for socks because I took this book away with us. It's available at Dymocks in Collins St Melbourne (along with lots of other fab books of course) Good fun. There are no finished sock friends at our house for me to show you.
I have been whiling away the evenings with quilt on knee. The pink and pretty quilt called 'Lorna' is coming along very nicely. The hand quilting is almost complete. I estimate one or two more nights might get it done. D has discovered the joys of playing Carcassonne online. It's very time consuming and exciting. Certainly keeps him very quiet. So, the quilting is the perfect background activity. Here are a few shots of progress.

party party pepper

Firstly, here's my daughter stage-managing a photo with her friends. She is a movie director in the making, no doubt about it!
We DID it!!!
We managed to get to Luna Park on a beautiful sunny day with our darling girl and eight of her friends. It was a great thing to do and I am so glad we waited that extra week.
They arrived at 12 at our place for a boring sort of a lunch. I think they were hoping for fairy bread...but no. We decided to be a bit sensible and put on a spread of tiny mini bagels, ham, cheese, carrot sticks and dips. There were some chips and lemonade because we're not some weirdo anti-party food freaks. I was just thinking about the "upchuck" factor on those rides.
After lunch we skippity-hopped down to the tram stop, doing a headcount every two minutes.(although where they would go missing on a five minute walk I don't know)
They were a little embarrassing in their loud exuberant ways on the tram, but luckily there weren't too many other travellers with us.
At Luna Park they were absolute angels. They carefully negotiated who was to go on which ride, though for the most part they all went together on everything. Only one kid sat out for a while on account of a scream induced headache.
I thought I'd planned the time reasonably well to avoid the purchase of overpriced, fat and chemical laden crap whilst there. I stuck to my guns and didn't buy anything to eat (they had water!!) but there was a bit of "I'm hungry", "can we get fairy floss?", and amazingly "I always have my dinner by now" (at 4.45pm) It was only 4 hours for god's sake. Am I the worst mother ever?
Anyway, starvation aside, we left at 5pm, ran for the tram which was conveniently waiting for us, and made it home for the most delicious, divine and delectable gelati cake from Trampoline.
Is it my imagination or are kids just fussy little pains these days? The base was a slab of blood orange flavoured gelati, with balls of lemon, choc therapy, and wild berry. Wow. But I had to ask for a show of hands because as soon as they saw it, they started with their whiny little demands. It's a friggin nightmare....I don't like berry...I ONLY eat chocolate....I'll just have a tiny bit of lemon.....whats this orange?Oh I don't like that.....I'm not a big fan of sprinkles????!!!!!
I felt like a drill sargeant "OKAY..HANDS UP WHO ONLY WANTS CHOC...WHO ONLY WANTS LEMON?
At one point I yelled out SHUUUUUT UUUUP! It's true.
My apologies to those parents who never lose their cool.

And, there are no words to adequately convey the horror and real devastation that so many poor Victorians went through last week and continue to go through in their fight to deal with the bushfires that have ravaged their homes and families. I think nearly everyone I know has been reduced to tears this week while listening to the radio coverage. My heart goes out to you all.

just for d

Just a quick message for D who I know is reading the blog from a distance.
Kate Ceberano is on Spicks tonight and she is looking quite gorgeous. By the way..did you see her in the bra ad at the bottom of our street on your way to the airport?
And about the earrings...I know you said you like them, but it's not quite as interesting as random men in bookshops telling me they like them, is it?
Can you imagine? Oh, big news..tonight my husband said he liked my earrings.
Thanks for reading D. As you can see, I haven't been inspired to blog at great length during your absence. Too busy pining you see, and sending you text messages.
Isn't this photo a little chinese-y. Look how young they were once? They are so looking forward to getting their Dad home. (even if only to get a day off school)...(and presents)
Baby's called James, not John. Kiss kiss.