Never been big on reading instructions. Guess I’ve figured if they print them in type that small then they are probably not worth reading, right?
Where I’ve discovered a possible exception to that rule – instructions on medicine.
A couple of weeks back Princess Ella wasn’t feeling well. She was complaining of a sore stomach and we’d determined that was because it was an inordinate amount of time since she’d been to the toilet. Instructions came that I was to buy some medicine to encourage a trip to the toilet before returning from work.
As instructed, I returned from work with said medicine and I was smart enough to read the required quantity before administering it.
Only after delivering the medicine did I read this: “It may take 6-8 hours to take effect’’.
Now, I’d administered the medicine at 6pm.
Oh crap. Literally.
I thought, I’m gonna be up in the middle of the night with Ella when this kicks into gear.
Sure enough, at 2am the call from Ella comes. We stagger into the bathroom and she proceeds to explode. I’m sitting on the floor, she’s sitting on the toilet and I’m saying “Are you finished yet?”. A feeble “nooooo’’ is the answer I get on repeated occasions.
Sitting there on the cold, hard floor of the bathroom I then vow ALWAYS to read the instructions.
Is not reading the instructions a male thing? Do you read the instructions?
SOME days, being a Work at Home Mum (WAHM) and Stay At Home Mum (SAHM) leaves you tearing your hair out (usually the grey hairs if you’re rather skilful). You’ve heard it before, but it really is the hardest job in the world. Sitting at an office desk is child’s play.
With Baby Holly battling a cold, there’s no such thing as sick leave. The boss is unlikely to give you a pay rise. And it’s hard not to be distracted by the crumbs on the kitchen floor when you’re either meant to be making that business call, blogging or feeding a hungry mouth. And that coffee break? What coffee break?
However, there are some real advantages too:
The incessant ringing of telephones is no longer. Unless your four-year-old constantly has this conversation with herself using a shoe: “Brrp, brrp, Hello? Nan? Yes, yes, I know. I’ll be right over. Polly put the kettle on and we’ll have a Milo. Oh Nan, you’re so funny. Bye.’’
You don’t have to endure the workmate who eats their lunch at their desk and makes loud chewing noises. Eewww. Although, it is replaced with li’l princesses who spill their food ALL. OVER. THE. FLOOR.
Gone are the rumour mills. You know that workmate who wants to start a rumour about everything and everyone. And, when you’re not in earshot, most likely you. (By the way, I did not sleep with the boss. Well, the old boss, anyway.)
Not being told what to do all the time. Mind you, I do have one person in my ear constantly asking: “Mum, can you get me something to eat? I’m hungry’’. “Mum, can you play Snap with me?’’ “Mum, can you make me a pina colada with one of those little umbrellas and ice?’’ OK, so maybe not that last one. If I had stayed on at my workplace, my boss would now be my hubby. So I’m not escaping the boss regardless of where I “work’’.
There is no longer a commute to and from work every day. Not to mention the cost of parking. All I do now is reverse myself into a chair. Or the couch. With a laptop atop my lap (hmm, think I’ve been reading too much Dr Seuss).
You don’t have to work back late. Note the words “have to”. OK, so I’m the first to admit I sit up every night blogging or doing my PR biz. However, the kids have been bathed, fed and had bedtime books and songs. Hubby is busy watching An Idiot Abroad, so what else is a gal to do?
Most importantly, you don’t have to put up with other people peeing on the toilet seat or not flushing properly. Sorry, but it had to be said.
Are you a WAHM or SAHM? What do you miss (or not miss) about working outside of the home?
TODAY I was hoping I’d be posting about what I was going to wear when I met Princess Mary next week. Instead, you get to hear about another Tasmanian princess – the Princess Theatre at Launceston in the State’s north – as part of the My Tasmanian Backyard series. Yesterday The Bloke in The Shed received an invite (plus one – aka me) to lunch with Prime Minister Julia Gillard (yeah, whatever) and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (woohoo!).
Except he declined. What? I know. It seems getting from Tasmania to Canberra and back in the hours the girls are in childcare is just a bit beyond Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar.. Why did I have children again?
So while I’ve just forgone an entire week’s worth of princess posts, here’s a post about a more child friendly princess that will still tickle your fancy. And might I add that she turned 100 this year. She’s looking mighty fine for an old duck.
Is that a cheesy grin, or what?
On Sunday she hosted fairies. Now you wouldn’t get that in Canberra. Actually, maybe you would. The fairies in question happened to be THE Fairies – Harmony, Rhapsody, Fairy Minuet, Barnaby, Elf and Wizzy.
Oh, and Santa. Anyone would think the big guy in red was part of The Beatles, considering the reception he received.
The old theatre is exactly what you’d expect to see in most cities – old grand buildings with exquisite detail,
Looks much more impressive in “real life''.
elaborate seating, beautiful lights
and red velvet curtains. The Princess Theatre, under the Theatre North umbrella, has featured some of my favourite concerts while an entertainment journalist. We usually got treated to far better seating than we did on Sunday too.
See the dots on the stage? To be honest, despite being as far back as was possible (because someone booked the tickets too late), our vantage point was still impressive. This wasn’t our first concert at the theatre this year either, having also watched The Wiggles. You’ve got to love a man in a skivvy.
And a dinosaur in pink.
Conclusion: Entertainment buffs will enjoy the variety the theatre offers, with everything from children’s entertainment, theatrical performances, concerts, comedy and school productions. There’s little fear of numb bum with comfy seating and the slope of the theatre making viewing easier – important for someone who’s shorter than a Melbourne jockey.
Highlights: Seeing Ella have the entire aisle to herself to bust a move. If only Rhapsody was close enough to see her triple twist, which led into a back flip and finished with the splits.
What does it cost: This depends on the show. See the site for the latest concerts and prices.
Attractions nearby: For The Wiggles, we arrived early and had a picnic at City Park – also known as the Monkey Park to locals. It has plenty of area for the kids to run around, Japanese Macaque monkey enclosure, a miniature train for children to ride on, duck pond, barbecues, play equipment, clean toilets and the John Hart Conservatory. It’s within walking distance to the theatre.
EVER read those Pick-A-Path books (also known as Choose Your Own Adventures) when you were a kid? I was so obsessed with them, I even wrote a couple myself. I was about 10 at the time, so they were stellar reads. One was about a birthday and never actually went anywhere. No wonder a publisher didn’t pick it up.
Anyway, last night I felt like escaping my world for someone else’s. My day had consisted of taking Princess Ella to the doctors after her condition saw her not eating for nearly 24 hours. Finally throwing nutrition out the window to concentrate on sloppy, but highly desired food by a pre-schooler, I opted for Snack Packs. Remember those from your school lunchboxes? Yes, we’re stuck in the ‘80s today.
Well, it seems, when a snack attack hits you, you know you’ve got the facts, ‘cause nothing does it to you like a. Snack. Pack. True story, because Ella ate the lot.
Anyway, back to wanting to escape my world. I’ve stumbled across a version of those Pick-A-Path books, but in blog form. It’s not exactly genius, but this is how it works. You pick your path via whichever comment on a post most appeals to you. Who knows where you’ll end up.
Laney from Crash Test Mummy
Laney stops at a roadside cafe, sitting in one of those big vibrating massage chairs just as bub needs a boobie juice. So she whips one of her girls out. Can you guess what happens next? Click to find out. Then, either pick your favourite comment from her comment section or come back and follow my choice. Which path will you choose?
Di from Mummy Di-alogue
Laney’s friend Di feels she’s losing her cooking mojo after overdosing on too much Junior Masterchef. Aren’t we all! She recalls those days when someone’s cooking ineptitude was equated to not being able to boil an egg. Or water in some cases. One morning she tried to cook a boiled egg and failed. Twice. Do you know what she ended up having instead?Go read her story, then decide if you’ll continue with one of her commenters or come back. Choose your path.
Anne from Domesblissity
Di has a friend, Anne, who likes to kick up our heels – with kids TV/movie songs. You’ve Got A Friend In Me from Toy Story 3 is on her happy feet list. Just excuse me for a while I have a little listen…. OK, back with you. Can you guess what else might be on there? Go see if your fave’s on there, then pick your path.
Jennifer from A Sampler
Anne leads us to Jennifer, who continues in the arts sphere. Jennifer steps inside her own neighbourhood to share a piece of street art. Not hers, by the way. One of the messages written on the wall is “Rest in Piece’’. Like Jennifer, I’ve got no idea if ‘Piece” is a spelling mistake or some new term going down with the youth today. I’m still stuck in the era when things were “rad’’ and “sick’’. Can you tell what “Rest in Pieces’’ means by looking at the art work? Feel free to keep picking commenting paths and make your own journey. For me, this is the end of the road tonight.
It seems “narly” art and muddled spelling were all I needed to brighten my night. I chose just the right path for me. Till tomorrow night’s journey…
Did you read Pick-A-Path books? Where has your blog comment hopping taken you lately?
RIGHT now, Baby Holly is in the midst of Wonder Week 46. So you can only imagine how grateful I was to get hold of the updated, fatter version of the worldwide bestseller The Wonder Weeks book. Yes, the sanity saver book I go on about on this blog, Twitter and Facebook all the time.
Yesterday I read the sections I hadn’t covered in the original version as my fussy baby displayed the three Cs – cranky, clingy and crying. Oh yes, fun times here. The updated version extends beyond the original eight Wonder Weeks to now feature 10 of these fussy, pull-your-hair-out periods in a baby and toddler’s life.
What I’ve loved about the book is it’s a real eye opener to why these cranky pants periods can be so frustrating for babies… and parents. They’re kind of like growth spurts, but for the brain. The book sells itself on exactly what it does: helps you to learn how best to stimulate your baby or toddler’s mental development and turn the hair-pulling phases into leaps forward. It never tries to make you believe it’ll turn your baby into a genius. You’ll need Mozart for that.
I only read the original book each time we were about to embark on another leap to see what the next lot of cognitive growth had in store. So, having now read the entire book, these are the things I loved most about it:
It not only explains why things are happening, but also what you can do to help your baby through it. It means you’ll enjoy your baby more and learn how to better cope.
It’s broken into the different developmental leaps, making it easy to digest. Each “Week’’ is also broken into smaller categories. Plus, it’s written with the everyday parent in mind. Even this sleep deprived mama found it easy to follow.
You’re able to connect with your baby better through the gentle games and activities suggested.
It’s packed with quotes and experiences of real parents (and let me tell you, they’re pretty honest), making you feel less alone during the challenging periods. The book is like your parenting support and instils you with greater self confidence.
There’s a My Diary section to allow you to record your baby’s progress.
The new edition means all those people who wished it was about more than just babies can learn about the developmental leaps right up until 20 months.
The book reassures you that every baby is different. So if you baby isn’t doing it “by the book’’ or what another baby of similar age is doing, that’s OK.
My favourite line from the book is: “we have shown that every baby is `reborn’ 10 times in the first 20 months’’. Lucky we don’t have to go through the labour part as many times.
The book was written by Dutch author Frans Plooij and his wife Hetty van de Rijt, who passed away in 2003. The pair researched parent-baby interactions for 35 years. When Hetty died, the first draft of the last chapter of this revised book was ready.
While there is an app now available for iPads and iPhones, my only suggestion for the author is for it to be released as an ebook. As a breastfeeding mum, my Kobo eReader is lighter to hold and doesn’t require physical page turning while feeding bub.
If you want to learn more about the book, you can:
You could enter the giveaway and score a copy for free.
UPDATE: COMPETITION CLOSED…. To go in the draw to win one of four copies of the new extended version of The Wonder Weeks (ranges in price from $65.95 at Angus and Robertson to $27.62 at The Book Depository) or one of two apps ($1.99 on iTunes), simply tell us three words to describe your baby or toddler right now. The giveaway closes Monday, September 19 at 7pm and a winner will be drawn randomly and announced on this blog and via Facebook and Twitter. Australian residents only. Limit of three entries.
Want extra entries? Then here’s how you can up your chances in the draw. Each task is worth one extra entry, but must be included as a separate comment (or it won’t count).
Click the Facebook button below and share this giveaway with your Facebook friends. Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Facebook’’.
Click the Twitter button below and share this giveaway with your Twitter followers (Twitter handle is @ThreeLil). Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Twitter’’.
AND the winner of two nights in a one-bedroom Medina Apartment, valued at $1000, is…
A very lucky person indeed. Oh, and did I mention the fineprint states they have to take me on their holiday too? 😉
Having just returned from two nights in Hobart (more on that tomorrow), I’m stuck in holiday mode. Not exactly the pina colada and two-piece bikini style holidays (I have kids – and a post baby belly – after all), but just a break away from the grey winter that’s about to descend upon us. Here in Tassie, it rains for nine months of the year and drips off the trees the other three. So you need something to look forward to.
Dodgy iPhone photo of Ella and I out to dinner in Hobart.
We’ve whittled down our holiday plans to three locations – shopping and food in Sydney, theme parks and food on the Gold Coast or shopping and food in Melbourne. Hmm, decisions, decisions.
Now, before I head off to make a pirate outfit for Princess Ella for child care tomorrow (oh, the joys of motherhood), the rather lucky Medina Apartment winner is…
Congratulations! I’ll be in contact soon. Hear Mum Roar said:
“I would choose Melbourne CBD. Never been, and want to go! Tweeted and shared on facebook.”
Enjoy Melbourne!
Don’t forget to head over to our inaugural Aussie Giveaway Linkup for more exciting giveaways, including Ugg boots, earrings, $100 vouchers, DVDs and years supply of tampons.
