keeping cool

So I mentioned that it has been hot around here lately. Well, it's even warmer today. It's very bizarre (and note that I say bizarre and not surreal) to watch the news and see all that snow in London. And no buses. It's supposed to be about 43 degrees, but I can't give you an exact reading because our thermometer is inside. It does say it's 34 degrees and that's with the evap going. A family of magpies are sheltering from the heat on our verandah. They stand in front of our door to make the most of any cool air that's escaping the house and every now and then they warble.
The excursion that Jack and I had planned for a vanilla milkshake and some cake from Ajanta ( a great cafe inCoolamon that also sells jewellery and assorted goodies) had to be changed as they are closed due to the heat. Instead we went to the bakery where the milkshake was okay but the lamington was dry. Even Jack seemed to think so as he built a tower out of pieces of lamington instead of eating it. The trip was not a total loss though. Jack saw Grandma and Grandpa and also got some new Thomas boardshorts (is there no end to the merchandising?) He wanted to change his clothes right then and there on the footpath in Coolamon but we talked him out of it.
This afternoon after his nap, we brought his clam shell inside. It's too hot to use it outside and the Junee pool would probably be pee soup as my father would say. The indoor pool was a hit, especially when experienced while eating an ice cream. Anything to stay cool.

3 generations of tarts

Ever since I made my first appearance in the Manly Daily doing the Mexican Hat Dance and wearing an exceptionally ugly poncho, I've been a bit of a media tart. Things really peaked when I was at A & R and I seemed to pop up in the local rag all the time.

My father also seems to have become a bit of a media tart. It started out quite harmlessly, the occasional appearance in column 8. Then there was the 'great daisy brouhaha' when he graced the front page of the Mosman Daily looking suitably serious and now he appears well, almost daily, in the aforementioned paper due to his work setting up a Bendigo Bank.

Jack, however is going to give him a run for his money. He's currently in the Cultural Guide to Wagga (yes, it does exist and no, it is not blank). Last weekend he appeared in the Daily Advertiser in an ad for storytime at the Library and now he's on a poster at Wagga Airport. That's him dressed as a book lovin' scurvy dog in the bottom right hand corner. A-Harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

we're having a heatwave...

Did I mention it's been hot? Some day's it's been 42 degrees (and for anyone up north and I mean way up north that is 108F - thanks to Amy for that conversion). This has resulted in quite a bit of nudity, mostly Jack (we know who else I'm talking about don't we?) and mostly indoors (think of the sunburn!). Jack just loves doing the nudie thing, I think most kids do don't they? and it makes you go ALOT faster on the slide!

Concentration...

When it comes to reading stories, a good storyteller needs to concentrate no matter what the distractions. Diane was reading to Jack the other day (who was feeling the heat) and she did very well in spite of the distractions.

Playing and sharing

Playgroup has started again this week and what a relief! You don't think about school holidays affecting you if you have kids that don't go to school but everything grinds to a halt. We had a few play dates of course with J1 and Narelle but it's nice to see Jack running semi wild in a roomful of kids like he did on Wednesday.
J1 came over just after we acquired the ute (again) and whilst he was momentarily distracted by the easel, whipping out some masterpieces with his impressive impasto technique, soon the ute beckoned. Both Jacks tried sitting inside resulting in a tussle and a sulky face for the one who missed out. That is until I had a brainwave, lowered the tray and hey presto! Two happy Jacks.

Another cup of Rosy Tea?

It seems funny to me that little kids are so fascinated with teapots, cups and saucers when many people don't use them anymore. I know there was a recent return to quality tea and the proper brewing technique amongst the gourmet set but for us mere mortals it's usually a tea bag bunged in a mug.
Yesterday at the Oasis a little girl had her teapot and three cups in the toddler pool. She was more than happy to refill our cups over and over and over. (That meant lots of fake slurping on my part then me telling Jack to spit out the water - ugh toddler pool water).
For her birthday we got Scarlett a tea set and it's been a big hit. She loves to put everything out on the tray and pour numerous cups of tea. And of course it's imperative to slurp as one 'drinks' their tea. Such fun. Is there an instinct about teapots and cups that kids act upon or is it something to do with Dorothy and all her cups of Rosy tea?

If I want your advice...

From the moment it became obvious I was pregnant (and hadn't just eaten a huge lunch) people were very generous with their advice about pregnancy and parenting. I guess at the stage it was all kind of new so I could smile sweetly and nod and thank them for sharing. And it didn't seem to matter how dysfunctional a person was they still always felt the need to share. So helpful.
And then I had Jack and the advice kept coming. The lovely thing is that it's not friends and family that feel the need, in fact it's far more likely to be people that I barely know. A woman that I was in an aquarobics class with once or twice, strangers in parks and other mothers. Some people are just being nice. Some are simply clueless (Don't leave it too long to have that second baby - Oh gosh that hadn't occurred to me!) and others are a special breed that are trying to spread the gospel of their own particular brand of parenting. There's one mother that I met at the library and she loves to give me advice. Her first tit bit was about how children's books are so confusing for children because the animals are not life size. What? I tried to extricate myself from that conversation as quickly as possible.
Since that day she's had me in her sights and has made lots of helpful suggestions. Last week I ran into her at the supermarket and got a barrage of advice and questions. The tricky thing is that she doesn't always listen to the answer though it's hard to know when this will happen. In a short period (though to me as I stood there like a rabbit in the headlights and Jack quietly stomped on every banana in the trolley, it seemed to stretch on forever) she covered playgroups, toilet training, day care, the need to 'get out' and THE EVILS OF TELEVISION WATCHING. It was at this point that I made my excuses and scuttled away. To the DVD aisle. No just kidding. I hurried off to buy chocolate.
She's a particular brand of mum, a career mum and she thinks she's doing a fantastic job and she probably is. In a time where it seems so many mums don't feel confident about what they're doing that's great but if I want her advice I'll ask otherwise no thank you. Career mums take everything so seriously. They wear the baby vomit brooch with pride and will talk for hours about their gifted child's (they're always gifted) bowel movements. They are the ones that delight in sharing the horror birth or breastfeeding stories and watching with pleasure as a new member of the 'club' squirms in discomfort.
S has suggested that I use his line, "If I want your advice I'll pull the chain," but I'm not sure if that would work so I'm going to try the avoidance technique and see how it goes. If she corners Jack and I I can always tell her we have to go so we can watch Days of Our Lives and (childishly I know) revel in her speechless horror for just a moment.