The Brick House

* I got up and immediately argued with B because she hadn’t put the washing up away last night like she promised she would “before bed”, and then tried to make out like the fact that she’d gone to sleep on the sofa somehow meant that she hadn’t failed to keep her word. B stormed off into her room, and apparently went back to bed. Came out an hour or two later and apologised and (eventually!) did it. Also fed the chooks and took out the recycling bin (but failed to empty it and bring it back, although admittedly that was because she got distracted after K let H out the front and B had to catch him) and hung out some of a load of washing, but apparently she had a tummy ache whenever she stood up. I banished her to her workbooks if she was going to be unhelpful, so she did a fair whack of them in between watching more Ranma 1/2 episodes. That was what she did most of the rest of the day, actually *sigh* Since she was being so unhelpful in the morning, I unilaterally called off the HS swimming meet-up, which was probably a good call anyway since it was sunny but blustery and cold. We also had another fight in the afternoon about something just as stupid, ho hum…
* I spent an hour frying pancakes for everyone, did the washing up, tidied the kitchen a bit, put on and hung out two loads of laundry, brought in and sorted all the dry stuff and put some of it away, read The Folklore of Discworld and pootered intermittently, ranted on my blog and invented a word new to the internet, read to small people, chased small people around the garden, sang many many songs, and had an extremely silly conversation with K in which the leaves from one of the trees were brainsuckers, except for some of them which pooped more brains out into your head once the suckers had been past. I did not expect it to take such a hold upon her imagination when I first made a throwaway remark about brainsucking leaves, although perhaps that was naive of me…
* K played in the garden, drew and wrote, read books to herself (she has memorised most of the Hairy Maclary books by now and sits there and recites them while looking at the different books), and played a balancing game with a ball on a plate, but mostly she spent ages asleep on the floor of her bedroom, wrapped in a sleeping bag. I suspect she may be coming down with something. She brought out the Playschool Useful Book and we sang lots of songs out of that.
* H spent a lot of time outside, climbing stuff, which was okay until he fell off the top of the chicken tractor onto his head *sigh* He had a long nap again over lunchtime, but when he was awake brought me lots of books to read, danced to my singing and enjoyed lots of bouncing rhymes, flumped off the coffee table onto me and onto his sister, pushed the pram, explored bits and bobs all over the house, and played with K for quite a while.

Everyone was getting grumpy after about 6ish so I took the littlies for a walk to the busstop to meet Daddy. E was late, but it was still a nice outing, and a way to exhaust some energy from the daughter who had had a three hour nap! She ran up and down the hill path at least a dozen times plus galumphing to the busstop and back, and went to bed quite early, so either she IS sick, or it worked… We also pottered about in the tunnel, dropped bits of stick through the grate into the storm water drain, and H was constantly distracted and fascinated by passing bicycles and cars. Eventually E showed up, and I headed off an incipient meltdown from K by drawing her attention to some fluffy seedheads. We looked at them in various stages of development, tugged one apart to look at the fluffy seeds, and then set off for home, looking for new seeds as we went. We found one other tree with obvious seeds, which were the whirly helicopter kind, and had fun throwing them around. Need to re-introduce a H-proof nature table, I think…

Since E was going out for a movie, I let him make dinner and mostly wrangle munchkins while I hid and read a book. H went to sleep almost instantly after dinner, E managed to put K to bed before he left, and B has completely ignored me in favour of Ranma 1/2, so it’s been a quiet evening…

Nothing new to see here – cross-posted from my el-jay for ease of reference.

E took the car to work today so he could pick up two second-hand office chairs he had rescued from work, so we had a quiet day at home. B remembered the existence of her workbooks and spent the morning ploughing through them, interspersed with playing LinCity and watching episodes of Ranma 1/2 on YouTube. I spent the morning ploughing through the laundry, reading to the littlies, and reading The Folklore of Discworld. Mum picked up the girls at around 1:30, and I made a cubby house for H out of a sheet and some chairs, which he lay down in for approximately thirty seconds then ignored for the rest of the day (it was a hit with K when she came home, at least, so it wasn’t totally wasted effort!). He was slightly more interested in the basket of model animals I brought in, and even played with two together for a few moments instead of just chewing on them. From giraffe to allosaurus, they all say “grrAHHHrr!”. He also liked making the crocodile’s jaws go snap! snap!, but it palled as entertainment pretty quickly.

We ended up going back outside, and I actually did something about the abysmal state of mess in the garden, other than whinging and cringing. Now that the weather has cooled down I’m going to try to spend some time outside each day this week, with the aim of making it look slightly less reprehensible. B has taken over the front garden but has refused (very sensibly) to have anything to do with the back garden until it’s actually tidy and she can just start planting. Given how much weeding and planting she’s done out the front, and how signally little of either I have done this year, I can live with that. When E came home he did some more tidying up as well. It needs some serious mowing and whippersnippering which I can’t do while supervising the littlies (at least that’s my excuse), and will have to wait til the weekend when we’re both home.

After K returned, she and H played together very companionably for most of the afternoon. I don’t believe they actually destroyed anything in the process either, which is a nice change. My very favourite moment (and one which made me curse that we have no camera!) was when the two of them were sitting in the dining room together, looking at a Dr Seuss book each. It was so adorable to see H turning over the pages and pointing at the pictures (the characters all say “grrAHHHrr!” too) in imitation of his beloved big sister. Not to mention that he actually sat still for ten minutes without having his bottom glued to the floor. In less agreeable news, he has also figured out how to open the kitchen gate – a whole year earlier than did – and is so strong that the only way to keep him from opening it is to adjust it as tightly as possible every. single. damn. time. you go through, which is already getting old. I think I’m going to have to accept that he can get into the kitchen now, which will mean finding a way to lock the cupboard under the sink, and maybe finding a new place for the bins to live. Given that the kitchen is the size of a shoebox and the adjoining laundry is less than half that, there ain’t many other options, dangnabbit!

Saturday

B was out at the farm overnight. K was picked up by Pa in the morning, while I was out op shopping and then having brunch. E looked after H, including putting him down for a nap. We ended up going out to the farm later than planned (around 3:30 instead of 2), with the aim of taking the little two home late enough that they would crash in the car and be transferred straight to bed. That didn’t quite work out, but we had a nice time at the farm anyway, with cake (for K’s birthday-in-advance, seeing as mum will be away on the actual day), playing in the blow up car-shaped pool then doing races around the house to exhaust everybody, and finally flumping in front of K’s birthday DVD of Hairy Maclary.

Sunday

B was at the farm overnight; they had to take Annie (the horse) back to her owners’ place in the afternoon. In the morning I did more laundry, and E rearranged the green shed. He started tidying the living room in the afternoon til he realised it was part time we’d been planning to go to Baronial Day. I piked out of that due to extreme knackerdosity (after fuck-all sleep thanks to a certain teething munchkin), but E took K off for the last part of the activities and the pot-luck feast. H and I stayed quietly at home and went early to bed.

Monday

B was at the farm overnight. Mum dropped her off at pottery in the morning, and Kate gave her a lift to German, so I didn’t have to go out. Instead I had a JB meet here, although only Ange and Michelle made it. K and M’s son Jack had a blast playing together, although Sam and H were a little less compatible. I had to kick everyone out so I could fetch B, who as usual didn’t want to be fetched, so the three of us ended up having lunch from the bakery before she was ready to go. Then she came home and watched Ranma episodes for the rest of the day. K and H pottered about.

Tuesday

B got up and played LinCity, the Sims analog on her computer, since I had gotten E to disconnect the net cables last night so she couldn’t get sucked into endless Ranma episodes again *rolls eyes* As she had asked me to do the night before, I reminded her frequently and loudly about getting started on her workbooks, and at about 9am she disappeared into her room. I heard noises which suggested that a certain amount of cleaning up was being done as well, but haven’t been in there to look…

K has played outside and in her bedroom, on unknown pursuits. H has pottered about and whinged because he hasn’t been getting endless mama milk… Sigh.

Tuesday

B: Went out to the farm with Nannie for another riding lesson on Annie. It was decided that Annie is not suitable. Also rode Smoko.

K and H: read books, playdough, Duplo, doll and pram.

Wednesday

B: Rode Smoko and Annie, fell off both of them. Scouts.

K: I read the first chapter of Gumbles on Guard to her. Crafting with pipecleaners, paper bags and general drawing and writing.

K and H: Duplo, saucepan orchestra, playing with glass pebbles in a bottle, garden, water play table, doll and pram.

Thursday

HS group activity was Clean Up Australia Day at our usual venue, followed by a picnic and ballgames. There wasn’t much of a turnout but fortunately B’s three particular friends were all there.

I had a nap in the afternoon (E was home sick) during which B spent ages playing with H, then H and K shut themselves in the bathroom and got everything soaking wet.

Friday

K: played on the computer, then in the garden.

B: read in bed til after 10am. I finally got her up to fetch the eggs for me – Blackie is broody and having finally discovered where she is laying, there were 15 eggs!

The ACTEWAGL men came back to remove the plastic from around the pole.

B put out some of the laundry then had a shower and got on the computer.

H had a half hour nap while I had a shower. B put away the washing up, put her clean clothes in her room, and hung out the rest of the first load, then hopped back on the computer.

K: musical toys, My First Scrabble, back out into the garden.

B, K and I cut open a couple of huge pinkish-red galls we found on gumleaves by the cubby house. The had small red larvae in them. We left the rest on the tree to keep an eye on them as they grow, except for one which K brought in to stay in a jar.

I wrestled with trying to print B’s passport application and got it done just in time to send her off with Nannie to meet up with her father to get it signed. I did not cope very well with the rigmarole of trying to get the bloody thing to print and poor B copped most of that, after I dragged her away from the puter to look after H, who did not want to be looked after.

Fed small people lunch. H had a half hour nap, then K and H spent ages puttering in the garden – mostly in the sandpit, but K ate more peaches and H pushed around the laundry trolley and climbed on the tricycle. I did more laundry, including sorting everything from the floor and all the baskets and suitcases and bags in the playroom and living room, and putting half of it away.

I read them a few books and K did some writing then got back on the computer. H fell asleep on my knee and was distraught when I had to wake him up to let K in from the front, so we snuggled on the sofa and (after I’d done some meditation and breathing to redirect my energy) we had a lovely soothing bonding time instead of more frazzled shouting and lack of coping. Walked down the hill to meet Daddy but he was too quick for us and by the time we’d put on everybody’s shoes, he was most of the way home.

E helped K clean her bedroom while I made dinner. K (and E) helped me put away her clothes when I triaged them.

ACTEWAGL workers came round to fix the burnt pole in the back yard – had to remove some of the fence to fix the problem but they said they’d replace it afterwards (I haven’t checked on what they did, since I forgot about it after we had gotten home).
I went through the HENCAST newsletter and RSVPed to the activities B was interested in. Checked with my mother whether she would be available to supervise B and K at ice skating next month if K was interested in going on the ice (yes).
Pottery and German.
MiniQ for K and H.
Library – read books, borrowed books.
Op shopping – bought little chicks for Easter craft, embroidery cotton, Zoingo Boingo, handbag for K, dress for B, toy phone for H, abacus, bracelet.
Home- pootered, then cleaned dining room/play room, had argument, B did stuff in her room then came out and helped.
B: watched lots of Ranma, played on Howrse and Horse Isle, played games, posted on Joyous Children, looked up BOM website when it was raining, did some gardening in between rain showers and downpours.
B: helped with the sorting of piles of crap on the dining room table.
K: playing with fluff from the dryer, including dunking it into water and using it as a sculptural medium. Also started drawing different animals today – I remember a mouse and a rabbit but I’m sure there were more…
B & K: watched a mini documentary on an Indian company which employs rag pickers to collect plastic bags then transforms them into fabric for making handbags etc (linked from CAA Oxfam catalogue).

TBC with Wot We Did On Our Holidays, by Me.

B – played on the computer and watched lots of Ranma episodes; also worked on her letter to Nanny Frog and put away the washing up for me.
me – washed up, read lots of books to K and H
H – understood complicated instructions – “go around the table and climb up on the other chair”
K – long imaginative game about it being Cassie’s birthday; brought in “The Essential Aussie Kids Songbook” and we sang through that

– lunch –

B – did maths wkbk, read (entirely by herself) an article about 13yr old boy and 15yr old girl becoming parents (by way of a cautionary tale!), watered animals
me – laundry, mucked out bunny, cleared floor in dining room
H – played in garden
K – played in garden, looked for eggs, drew and wrote lots of books and birthday cards
K – on computer playing Sesame St videos
B – on Meerkat (doing ? – probably playing Howrse or watching Ranma)
K – did an alphabet dot-to-dot without any assistance and got every letter in the right order bar one which she missed out

– dinner-

K – pottered around being grumpy that no one was paying her any attention; more singing with me, then bed
B – computer