So we visited Santa today…

December 16, 2009 at 1:52 pm (ecology, general mutterings)
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.. and Miss K, my 7 year old sits on his lap and Santa asks her what she would like for Christmas:
“Oh Santa, I’d really love it if you could please bring me a chameleon.”

Santa gave me a sidelong glance and muttered something about checking with me first, but Miss K assured him that I was cool with pets.

Other parents were laughing and making FAR TOO BLATANT comments about how Santa was gonna have a hard time with that one (really people – watch what you say in front of Santa – he gets offended if you imply that he delegates some of the gift-giving to parents).

Anyhoo…

On the way home I’m rounding a corner when I spy a blue-tongue lizard waddling across the road. Now you know how much I worry when I see native wildlife in harms way.

Its past the point of being able to stop safely so I pray that the thing stays still and dodge it before pulling over.  Thankfully it waddled to the middle of the road and stopped so I was able to do a fairly good impression of a large bird and scare it back into the garden of a nearby house.

…and all the while I’m thinking:  “Dammit Santa – she said *chameleon*, not blue tongue!!

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First Day #2

January 28, 2009 at 1:58 pm (Joy, general mutterings)
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Hey my little man, it’s your first day at preschool today. The fantastic, loving learning place that your big sis went to.

You seem far more laid back about starting preschool than your sister …. but I wonder how you will feel when you wave us goodbye this morning and Mrs D and the lovely Ms C take care of you.

I know you’ve been desperate to go to this preschool since your sister went there.  The teachers have known you since you were very small.  I hear you talk excitedly about C&K.  You even excitedly told the people at your old kindy  that you were going to a “better” kindy this year.  I’m not sure what they made of that.

~~~~~

After we dropped your sister at school, we drove to preschool and Mrs D cuddled you as you walked in the door.  Ms C couldn’t believe how much you’ve grown and she took you  to see the peacock that your sister made two years ago – he’s still proudly sitting in the garden even though some of his feathers have been ruffled.

You knew most of the girls in your class, but none of the boys.

~~~

When you came home, you showed as a painting you’d done in blue and red.  It was a monster with a long neck.  He had big red eyes and a blue mouth and had eaten something that we could see in his tummy.

~~~

Ms C wrote a poem for Mum and Dad.  It made me cry.

I’m sure she won’t mind if I reproduce it here:

My Precious One

Today I’ll walk my child to kindy for the first time,
Where he’ll make friends, sing, dance and play, maybe learn a little rhyme.

Part of me feels so happy to see him bravely walk away
The other feels so sad – almost as if her grew up in one day…

For all the years he’s been my companion, my joy and pride,
Not to mention the special nine months I carried him inside.

Day by day his life unfolds,he’s growing right before my eyes
In life it’s true that there are times we  must day our goodbyes.

Today is a big step, not just for my precious one
It’s also a big leap of  faith and trust for his Dad and Mum.

~Christine

~~~~~

I love you my boy.  This is the start of a wonderful education.  Enjoy it.

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A new kind of spider

January 23, 2009 at 1:34 pm (Kids are funny)
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Hubby’s favourite t-shirt  has pictures of large Redback spiders all over it.

(Redback spiders – Latrodectus hasselti – are considered one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia. The Redback spider has a neurotoxic venom which is toxic to humans with bites causing severe pain).

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He loves this shirt, but hasn’t worn it for a while.

So when Mr H saw his dad wearing the shirt last weekend, he madly started  squealing and wildly gesticulating as only a 4 year old boy can.

“Maaaate” says Hubby “What’s the problem?”

“Arghhhh Spiders” says H.  “They are REDNECK spiders Dad – they are soooo dangerous”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henceforth at Casa del Corymbia, the humble but  deadly redback spider shall be known as a REDNECK spider.

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I am a terrible mother

January 17, 2009 at 4:04 pm (Kids are funny, Stuff that cracks me up, general mutterings)
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My kids are funny.

I laugh at them a lot.

Usually, they enjoy getting a laugh and tell Very Bad Jokes to try and get more laughs, never realising that I’m not laughing at the joke, but I’m laughing at them.    Its like watching Alice and the Vicar share a joke at the end of each Vicar of Dibley episode.

Today, I was teasing my daughter (normal) but she just WASN’T in a jokey mood.

So here’s what happened:

Miss K decided that I wasn’t allowed to hug her because I’m currently wearing a tank top and she was worried that my hairy armpits might touch her.  (Now there’s a note I have to add here – my armpits are NOT hairy as I was teased enough during year 9 to know that a lady always shaves).

Anyhoo, I did the unthinkable and mentioned the fact that she’d also have hairy armpits one day …. and maybe, if she was really lucky, she could have a beard like her father (and I said that with a straight face because I derive perverse pleasure from messing with young minds).

Now some of you have seen pictures of my husband.
He has a large beard and he likes to compare his looks with Ned Kelley.  I have to admit there are some similarities.

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But Miss K is no dumb bunny, she laughed and said that girls don’t get beards.

Then I pointed out that her grandmother has a lady mo.

Her face went white and her jaw dropped.

She got hysterical.

Normally she’d think that being like her Dad was super cool, but apparently that doesn’t run to growing facial hair.

She started crying and shouting that she didn’t want to look like a boy and she didn’t want to have to shave because then she’d have “spikes” on her face when the hair grew back.

I started laughing at her which made her even more hysterical.

So now I feel very small for messing with the mind of a six year old…. *my* darling, beautiful, intelligent six year old … but I’m also wondering how bad I would be if I showed her this:

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…and I’m laughing again because I am a terrible mother.

9 Comments