Bogan Wheels

Yesterday the professor and I went to the growers markets in wagga where we indulged in some highly calorific offerings. We then had a bit of time to spare before our movie started (Wall-E) so I joined the Toy Library. We picked up some new wheels for Jack and some things to go with his clam for $2 each. Oh how I love a toy library. I did get some funny looks on the way to the car. A granny on a scooter was checking me out. I think she wanted to drag me.
Surprisingly Jack was delighted with his temporary wheels (how could he not be?) and has spent much of his time since yesterday hopping in and out and steering and reversing (easier than forwards apparently).
Anyway here are some pics. I didn't dress him to match the vehicle - he was already wearing a flanny. All he needs is a pack of winnie blues tucked in the sleeve. Or a 2 litre bottle of coke.

New friends

It's been a busy week for Jack and I (S is pretty much always busy in the exciting world of his phd). Grandma and Grandpa (the Mudgeegong ones - I must really have a word to Jack about coming up with some different names because it does get confusing) came back from Queensland, we both had a play date on Tuesday and also went to the marvellous Little Big Day Out (more on that later).
Last year Jack and I did a thing called Baby Bounce. Oh, that doesn't sound very good. It was a programme run by wagga library for 0-12 month olds and involved rhymes, songs and books. It was very, very good. There were a few yummy mummies, who immediately recognised that I was not one of them (was it because one week my fly was undone? babies are good for blocking that until you get a chance to zip up) but there was a nice mum also with a Jack who turned out to live not far from me. We swapped phone numbers with a plan to catch up and then never got around to it. Then a couple of months ago, after another dispiriting playgroup, I ran into them at the supermarket. Phone numbers were once again exchanged and we promised to catch up. Then Jack and I got sick and didn't call. Finally over our Papal Flu (please refer all questions about this to my father) I found the phone number and decided to make contact. Only to be beaten to the punch on the very same day. Arrangements were made, rescheduled and finally we caught up on Tuesday. Jack and Jack played inside and out and Narelle and I had a great chat. It's nice to meet a normal mum. And I think the Jacks had fun too. It just gets confusing if one plays up and gets chastised and the other gets the "what did I do?" look. We're scheduled for another play this week.

doing the watering

Jack's so fond of watering that he decided to do some at Mudgeegong too. He also got out his rake and hoe and did a bit of maintenance. It was a damp trip home in the car.

Quality control

Another thing Jack did today on his very busy day was make his first batch of cupcakes. I think he has decided that he is in charge of quality control and stuck his finger in each cupcake before and after they were cooked. Some of the cooked ones had big craters in them. I got him a step to stand on so he could supervise the whole process, which he took to mean eat as many cupcakes as he could. Most enjoyable!

A very busy day

Today was a very busy day. We went to the botanical gardens in Wagga. The miniature railway was running (only every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month) and I thought Jack would appreciate it due to his Thomas obsession. We arrived just in time for the last ride before lunch, paid our $2 and hopped aboard. Thankfully we were all wearing the right footwear. We later heard some women in gladiator sandals grumbling that they hadn't been allowed aboard (enclosed footwear only). We scored a nice little steam train that tooted and hissed as it whizzed along the tracks around the gardens. The railway, which is run by volunteers, was fun and I think Jack liked it, not that you can tell from the photos as he looks very serious. Probably wandering what I was doing with the camera.S and I enjoyed it.After the train we went to the playground (which was chock full of bogan kiddies) and the zoo. The zoo is not particularly exotic and is seriously smelly but the kids like it. Jack pointed a lot and said, "This!" He was quite happy to admire the animals from afar but not so keen on getting up close. Much to our horror he was quite taken with the peacocks but refused to make his pig noises when we saw the pigs. We were expecting an empty pen but the pig has been replaced. We'd heard that the last one had been stolen allegedly by someone of 'pacific islander' appearance who was having a hangi. After the zoo we fed some ducks and picked up some hints on parenting bogan style (make lots of loud, empty threats).

Spring!

It's been spring here for a month and there have been lots of blossoms blossoming and all that sort of stuff we associate with warmer weather (including dust storms). But really the best indication is when you notice how much frolicking is going on around here. No, not us it's the lambs which are popping up or should I say out everywhere and leaping around in the sunshine with their cute little helicoptering tails. Too cute for words, so here's a pic or two.

Toot! Too Much Thomas (with apologies to Jane A)

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a toddler in possession of a television, must be in want of a Thomas wardrobe.

It all started with the two
boxes of Thomas clothes,
or maybe it was before
then when Jack received
two Thomas books (Jack
and Gordon of course)
when he was born. I had
been told that a mother I
knew had been scolded
by her son for not intro-
ducing him to Thomas
early enough. At the time
I was sceptical, but after
a week of Jack insisting
on wearing at least one
item of Thomas clothing
a day, though the more
he had on the happier he
was, I am beginning to
think it is true.
Jack is obsessed
with Thomas the tank
engine. My parents
bought two boxes of
Thomas clothes at a charity auction. At first he just played with the boxes and spent
a lot of time unpacking and packing them all day long. Then something
clicked in his brain and he started taking notice of what  was on the clothes. He'd point
at Thomas and say, "This!"
Now when he finds a Thomas t shirt or pair of underpants (yes, they do make them and don't
put them on your head for a laugh as Jack does not find this amusing) and demands to be
dressed in them. This is resulting in some very strange outfits but a very happy boy.

And the funny thing is that we borrowed the DVDs of Thomas thinking that he would love them. He got excited when he saw the DVD case and carried it around everywhere but when it came to actually watching Thomas, he lost interest pretty quickly. Well the stories are strange and rather dull, not even Ringo narrating can save them.
So as the professor suggested to me, it's all about the branding and I think she's onto something.
How else do you explain that an eighteen month old can recognise the ABC logo?