Our highschooler

I know its probably not very exciting for some people, but today was a big day for us all as Kyla started school at Hendra Secondary School.

She was very nervous as she prepared herself for school, starting with the uniform for the day and the rather large bag full of school books. On the way to school, she shed a few tears and was very twitchy as I left her at reception for her to collect her timetable etc.

I felt very sorry for her as its such a big thing for her to do. This is the first time that she hasnt had any of her siblings around and she is still only 12 and probably the youngest in her class. I totally get how she feels since I also started highschool at 12.

Anyway, when I picked her up after school she seemed alot better and had enjoyed her first day at school 'phew'. These are some afterschool photos that I took of her

A visit from Poppa & the dreaded F word

Well all the kids are back to school and it is a bit weird to be by myself (well with kyla, who starts on Monday).

Poppa took them to school this morning and had a look around their place of learning and seemed to be content on where his grandkids went to school. They have been very happy seeing their Poppa. Yesterday he suggested that the kids take him for a look around our neighborhood and with sunhats and sandals and Maddisyn in her cute fairy dress that Poppa and Granny Robin had bought for her, they trooped off for their walk. As I watched them lead him where they wanted to show him I realized that they were heading towards the nearest park which was about a kilometer, maybe a bit more, down the road. It was also quite 'warm' so felt sorry for Poppa, who body was probly still 3hrs ahead like NZ and not used to the heat like my little gremlins.

AJ got home about half an hour - 45mins after they left and after cleaning out the car, decided to go and rescue his dad from the dreaded walk home. Needless to say, his dad was grateful. After a family dinner of chicken and salad, AJ, his dad and the kids finished the night playing a game of charades. I had been feeling sick the past couple of days so relaxed in my room while listening to whoops of laughter from the lounge.

Tomorrow Poppa and Granny Robin are taking the 4 older ones out for Australia Day, and with Andrew at work as well, its just me and my baby.

Speaking of my baby, he is not enjoying daycare very much. As soon as he sees the place now, his lips start to quiver and he clings onto me like Im sending him to the hangman or something. But as Im told, perserverence with bring the desired results. Makes it very hard to walk away from my crying son though.

The other day we were out for a walk and came across a couple arguing, colorful words and everything. Unfortunately they were going the same way as me and my children and their words were very clear even after we had crossed to the other side of the road. I noticed Ethan was watching them rather intently so changed our course of travel.

Later on that night, the older girls were arguing about the usual stuff and it started getting intense. Before I could intervene ,Ethan walked up to them and got everyones attention by yelling 'FUDGE (word has been edited but Im sure you get the idea) UP!!' With a shocked look, I looked at his dad, who declared 'He didnt say that word, he said something else' and then Ethan repeated it.

That was 3 days ago and after alot of 'naughty's we think we have been able to get it out of his head and out of his vocab but needless to say, we will be alot more careful when taking our walks!!

And so the day has come

Well today after alot of procrastinating & excuses, Ethan went to daycare for the 1st time. I didnt get much sleep last nite due to anxiety about today which I know is crazy since Ive done these 1st days 4 times before, but all the other kids didnt start daycare untill after they were 2 years old and Ethan is the last of our lineage to have a 1st day so..... Im being very silly aye. One of the good thimgs is that my son already recognises the daycare as he has been there many times before & sorta knows the teachers & they know him. He was all gung ho walking in with his bag(that was throwing his balance off but he wouldnt give up) & then we dropped Maddisyn off in her room. He was a bit confused when we didnt do the usual & go out the exit. When he walked into his room he got very quiet (tho still had the prescence of mind to grab an armful of toys) and hesitantly joined in with morning tea. He sat there studying all the new big and little people, in between mouthfuls of yoghurt, every once in a while looking around for mum. After 40mins I thought it was time for me to leave. I didnt want to sneak out on him so gave him a kiss and hug and said goodbye with tears in my eyes. He followed me to the door and in anticipation of a tantrum, I shut the door and hid around the corner. My baby peered through the glass window with a look of confusion as he looked for me, then popped his bottbott (baby bottle) in his mouth and let the teacher lead him to a large pile of toys and sat down to play. No tears no tantrum nothing. Was a bit sad when I realised thaat maybe he wouldnt miss me as much as I miss him boohoo.

How old is too old?

While driving around running errands today, we were listening to the radio & the presenters were talking about a lady overseas who gave birth to her one & only child through IVF this time last year... at the age of 67!! This sparked a debate, with the question being 'How old is to old to be having babies?' This topic intrigued me as it was something I hadnt really thought about it, though I have to admit that when I read about people in their late 40s having kids, it seemed sad to me & not quite right. But really, how old is too old? 67 is too old I think. So many things to consider if your thinking of having kids at that age. Apart from the obvious health issues for mum during pregnancy, but personally knowing how much energy you need to chase a toddler, how would you have the stamina to do so at that age? I dont want to sound judgemental but this lady has no family, hardly any friends & very limited income, & lets face it, probably entering the last part of her life cycle. So where does this leave her little girl? If shes still here when her daughter is 15, will she be needed to look after her 82 year old mum rather than hanging out with friends, going out on dates & basically being a teenager? Maybe the little girl will be lucky & mum will live to a ripe old age without much care needed at all, who knows. But a big risk to take I think, condemning your child to the very real possibility of losing mum at a young age & never remembering the love of a mother never mind the fact that this little girl has no family other than her mum.All because mum decided in her twilight years that it was time to have a baby. I think its irresponsible given the personal circumstances of this particular lady. We all have a fair idea of when someone is too young but with the technology available to us today, if you can do it, there really is no age that makes you too old to have a baby is there? Just a thought.

Growing pains

1st off I would like 2 thank everyone 4 their birthday greetings 2 Kyla yesterday. She had a very good day & has been stuck 2 her mp3 player that we bought her ever since. Wow cant believe that shes 12 years old. It amazes AJ & I that we have been parents 4 that long. We have watched Kyla grow 4rm a baby, 2 a toddler, 2 a preschooler, 2 a schoolie & now a teenager. Are we really that old? (you dont need 2 answer that shanley!)
We are in the middle of a clash of personalities in our home at the moment. It seems that 4 some reason all the kids personalities have shifted a little more in2 maturity & they r all trying 2 assert themselves in2 or hang on2 positions in the family... all at once.
Kyla is demanding a lot more freedom, independence etc, Kaytlynn is expecting alot more from us, both emotionally & materialistically. Liam & Maddy are trying 2 hold on2 their little kiddies tags while trying 2 cope with what is expected of them at their appropriate ages. And Ethan has totally changed his routine in2 1 that suits him regardless of our objections 'sigh'.
And in the middle of it are their parents, trying 2 be supportive, give them what they need while keeping ground rules in play. Not an ez task I assure u, especially with 5 of them. I have 2 admit that Im glad that I had all my children at a young age. I think it would kill me 2 be running around after Ethan at the age of 35 while trying 2 cope with the rest of them. I applaud all u 30+ plus mums (& dads!) just starting their families. U have more stamina than I think I would had I started (& finished) any later.

Spoilt baby......

& annoyed siblings.
I have an extremely bad habit of spoiling my youngest child. What Ethan wants, Ethan gets. Some of the time I realise Im doing it & do it anyway, other times I guess its just habit. Over the past few weeks AJ has told me that the other children were starting 2 comment about my bad habit, & not in a nice way. So what does mummy do? Keep doing it. Becoz mum gives him everything, baby expects every1 else 2 do the same thing. Dad wont, brother wont, & now sisters wont either, so what does baby do? Throw a fit, pull hair (loves that trick with big sis Maddy), smack & pinch. Now I admit I growl him if any of those things occur, even I cant let him get away with that.
But 2day he wanted Maddys learning laptop & she wouldnt give it 2 him. So he pretended he wanted love 4rm her & 1nce he was in her arms, he bit her on the shoulder & grabbed a fistful of hair & brought her 2 her knees (as told 2 me by my crying daughter). He got duly scolded 4 his behaviour & Maddy got comforted 4 her hurt. Unfortunately my other daughters had had enuff & sat me down & gave me a good talking 2.
Hell what could I say? 'U spoil him 2 much mum. Thats why he does that!' What could I say, no? 'Why do u do that?' So I sed coz hes my baby, but this time round that sounded so pathetic, even 2 me. 'What are u going 2 do about it coz we rnt happy with the way he acts!' Yea coz its all my fault. The rest of them 4get that right up untill a few months ago they spoilt him as well so dont they get 2 shoulder some of the blame? Apparently not since they are his siblings & allowed 2 & Im his mum & responsible 4 his upbringing & discipline. Sometimes Kyla is 2 on2 it 4 my own good!!
So I promised 2 tone it all down but that wasnt enuff. Since Ethan is 2 young 2 be punished 2 what they think is appropriate, I promised 2 write this on our blog & admit 2 every1 that Ethan is a spoilt brat due 2 his mum.
ps. I think that while I admit my part 2 his attitude, I dont take full responsibility, only about 90%.

Grrrr

We now have become a family of 9 thanks 2 people who wana give away unwanted pets & advertise them 4 all 2 c (I no, I sound like Im whining. Well thats coz I am!!) Having a nice arvo relaxing & reading the Saturday paper with Andrew & I see this ad. Dummy me say to myself 'Oh no!!' & Andrew hears me. Hes deaf in 1 ear & usually u have 2 talk loud 4 him 2 hear but this time hes like 'watcha looking at'. 'Nothing' I say, while trying 2 scrunch the page up. Unfortunately he nos me 2 well & once he realises Im browsing thru the pet section grabs it off me. 'GIVEAWAY 15mth old pet RAT' & all was lost. LJ had told his dad he wanted a rat so strait on the phone he went & now we have a rat. OK hes cute, been trained well, doesnt bite but still.... When I met Andrew back in '94 he had a pet rat named Onyx & before that my best friend in school, Shanley, had some, 1 4 a short while (a sad story) so I dont have anything against them. Just didnt want another pet, especially when we have a 9kg cat roaming the house! Liam has named him Splinter

Summer Storms

At the moment I am sitting on my back deck watching the sky light up & listening 2 the loud rumbling of the thunder. One of the things I love about Australia is the summer storms. Its an amazing show some nights tho the thunder does scare the kids sometimes, its so loud & bass-ey. At times it sounds like a big bomb going off right outside our window! We seem 2 b in a good part of Brisbane coz even tho these storms knock out the power or hailstones the size of golfballs fall in some places, we are usually relatively unscathed 'sigh'. I tried to take a couple of fotos of the forked lightening but unfortunately it was 2 cloudy 2nite so was only able 2 get shots of the bright sky, (taken without the flash) & they didnt come out 2 bad. The top photo is the storm just starting, & the 2nd shot is about 45mins later.

A few pics

We had a good day out 2day at the local park. The kids were happy 2 b out of the house 4 a while as we had kept them home the last few days becoz of the heat. Cant remember it being this hot at the same time last year!! Ethan was sposed 2 start daycare 2moro but Im not ready yet so have put it off till next week, bad I no. He is cracking us up at the mo. Well me & the kids. He is alternating calling AJ dadda or Andrew (Androoo) which is really p*****g AJ off but cracks me & the kids up. He also calls Liam 'LJ' so I guess his vocab is coming along quite well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE xxxxxx

Happy new year everyone. Hope you all had fun seeing in the new year. AJ & I ended up staying home with our children & Kyla & Maddy were awake on the stroke of midnite with us. Needless to say they both had an early nap 2day. We are looking 4ward 2 the new year as its going 2 b a very special 1 4 us. Alot is happening in July with our wedding & seeing Andrews family at the same time, then back 2 NZ on Labour Weekend for my fathers memorial & hopefully home 4 xmas as well so alot of saving etc 2 b done between now & July. Then of course in April will be the much anticipated arrival of baby Ruby. Such alot going on & the year has only just started 'whew' :)