Date Night:: It's Love

My littlies have gone for the week up to visit my Mum and Dad. They were BUSTING to go. They love spending time with my Mum and Dad. And I cried.

I welcome the chance for date night, but the house is unusually quiet, and life feels awfully empty without my smalls.

We've called. We've Skyped. I've missed them. I've even kind of missed Tiny's midnight visits.

Nevertheless, Matt and I have enjoyed hanging out together. Date night. Dinner at Fratelli Fresh, meandering the streets afterwards. Window shopping after the shops are all closed. Chatting. Hanging out in book shops. Curling up on the couch watching a movie uninterrupted. An impromptu dinner in the city together.

Tomorrow the little peeps come home and I'm so excited to be spending all weekend with them. I can't flipping wait.

And On The Weekend

We enjoyed a crazed choc-fuelled egg hunt.

My parents are embracing renovation madness (with awesome and inspiring results) and so it was that the Doctor was able to dig for dino bones. Here are his finds. Don't tell the museum because my parents house (and all their new renos) may be dug up for more dino bones.

The Doctor rode in the go-kart my grandfather made for me, yikes, must be about 20 years old!

My Dad called me Johnny Cash.

Tiny slept. Momentarily. And then woke revitalised and ready to rumble. Until she finally went to sleep in someone's arms.

And my Mum and Dad celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary. GO L*O*V*E!

Favourite Past-times? Hanging Out With My Parents

My parents think that because I didn't put 'hanging out with my parents' in my profile, that I don't enjoy spending time with them. I totes do. See above. That's me and my sisters spending quality time with my folks. In matching dresses. That match my Mum's. That's how dedicated we are to hanging tough. Clearly my sister has just broken free from the roller derby to come and hang tough in our matching dresses because she's wearing skates. My other sister just looks plain angelic.

Hi Mum and Dad!

Ramblings of the Christmas Kind

I am so way behind in my Christmas jobs, I haven't even sent any cards. I usually am so well organised and have them sent out at the beginning of December. Not this year! Today I will madly scratch out some messages and madly chase the postman to deliver them, hopefully before the 25th.

Speaking of mail, last week I received a postcard congratulating Matt and I on the birth of our baby boy. The Doctor was born 4 years and seven months ago. It's taken Indonesia post that long to deliver our mail. Wow. It must have circumnavigated the world a few times in those years? The tales that wee postcard could tell!

It's also Tiny's birthday this week, as well as the wrap up of pre-school, and I've also scheduled a wee meltdown for the tail end of the week too. Just for kicks.

I am also getting super excited about Christmas! We saw my Mum and Dad this weekend for a little pre-Christmas festivities, which was fun to the power of fun. We didn't want to leave.

We've had a French family staying with us for a few days. Now it feels like there's a great big hole since they've left this morning. The Doctor had a wonderful time playing with the boys, each morning busting to go in to see them (at 6am, non!), and staying up well past his seven o'clock and calling out 'Bon soir!' at bedtime.

I've been making Suffolk Puffs, or yo-yos. It's easy. It's cheaper than therapy. I likey.

Today is for making sense of where we are at. Where are we at? Can someone tell me? I'd really love to know. And while you're at it, can you tell me what to do next? Merci beau coup!

Little Red

Life as a mama can be full of hum-drum. Working all day every day is draining to every part of me - physically, mentally, emotionally. Anyone who says that being a stay-at-home mum* is not difficult, try it for more than a few days. The novelty will wear off and you'll see that the monotony that can be almost crippling, let alone being called out, yelled at, and constantly requested for food, trafficking tantrums and trying to keep the house tidy (trying is the operative word there).

Malvina Reynolds was an American folk and blues singer and songwriter, as well as a political activist. Try saying that ten times fast. You might know her song 'Little Boxes'. Here's Regina Spektor's version that was used on 'Weeds'.

But the song that's talking to me at the moment is below. I am sure you will know this age-old story. I used to listen to the story on an old record player that belonged to my grand-uncle Silas. I'd lie on the carpet and turn the page when the record went *ding*.

Charge your glasses for all the hard-working mamas of the world. It's Friday. Let's all snaffle some me-minutes this weekend and re-charge your batteries.

* No matter what kind of mama you are, working, SAH, juggling, we're all in this together. I've been both. I can vouch for both. Both are very hard work.

But We Didn't Find A Circus

So we ran away. We're up visiting my Mum and Dad and it feels so good. Country air. Freezing cold nights, chilly mornings, so many cups of tea. The smalls playing in the dirt. Op shops. Cups of tea! Cake! Lights! Camera! Lions.

I've hidden my camera at home so well I can't find it. I always seem to do that. I put things in 'special' places. So 'special' they're soon forgotten. Aye aye aye.

Thanks for all the kind comments. We're all good. I'm giving the first half of July the bird, but the rest is pretty darn good. I made an ace pear butter cake from here, and if you have it - do it, it's totally delightful.

So no photos today. But you'll be ok, won't you? Meditate on the cake. Trust me, it's worth it.

Stuff

image via

When I was in high school my friends and I used to sing well known songs (such as Pearl Jam's 'Alive) opera style. It was the cause of much amusement and made lessons pass a little quicker (not that I wasn't listening up Mum & Dad, it was just sometimes a slow day). Try it. When you're in a bad mood, pick a well known song, and sing it mezzo soprano and try and stay in that bad mood. Bet you can't.

Anyway, I have no idea why I remembered this when really what I wanted to say is, I've been walking a la Move It Like Mike.

I been moving baby. We've been taking in the neighbourhood. Checking out the Autumn leaves. Checking out this and that. Yeah, baby. We all been movin'! But more on this tomorrow.

If you need some motivation to move, listen to this. Gets me every time. I lurve a little bit of Andre 3000. (I've linked to this before, but I can't get enough Andre 3000). Did you ever see Class of 3000? Was it good?

And last but not least, there's a super giveaway (two uber cute softies are up for grabs) taking place over at Pepper Stitches. Check it out.