Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa...

On the weekend we had been out visiting some friends with kids the same ages as ours (our old Mothers Group). We see alot of each other - even holidaying once a year with the group which is most fun. This conversation occurred the next day so I'm assuming there were some discussions going on that night that we weren't privy too.


I overheard Miss's 8 & 6 discussing that age old question: Is Santa Real? So I thought I'd eavesdrop to see what the outcome was.


Miss 8 "Do you believe in Santa?"
Miss 6 "Yeah, do you?"
Miss 8 "Well, yeah. But. Well, yes. I do. If you don't believe you won't get any presents." (Now, we haven't had to pull that old saying out yet so not sure where that one came from, perhaps she's just really perceptive!)
Miss 6 "Yeah, me too. I want presents".


That sums up Daughter Number 2 completely. As long as she gets something, sometime, somewhere - she'll believe the moon is made of cheese if she has to.

And God bless Miss 8 for bringing it up. Now we shouldn't have to tackle that again until this time next year. And where was Master 4 during this exchange? Demolishing the Lego Restaurant that Miss 6 had spent half the day constructing.


In spite of this (and the HUGE tantrum from Miss 6 that followed) we have had an excellent week. The lead up to the 25th December is usually a stressful time. Last year we actually went camping a few days before Christmas, and stayed over the Christmas break - and if you think you're stressed now, try having to hide 3 lots of presents in a tent while camping just before Christmas. And having to leave signs attached to EVERY tree in the caravan park so Santa would know which tent The Dixon's were staying in.

3 Sleeps Left...

Oh what a busy, busy 7 days we have had.

That last week of school was just chaotic - as you ALL would know. It started on the Monday with a phone call from the school saying Miss 6 wasn't feeling well could I come and pick her up?

Sure.

So got her home - "Mum, can I have a towel and a bucket? And can you please put ABC Kids on"?

Miss 6 has a tendancy towards hyperchondria (not too sure where she gets that from...) so I made some hmmm noises and got her the towel & bucket. Then half and hour later she started. And kept going until nearly 9.30 that night. Poor little thing. She just looked exhausted by the time I carried her to be for the last time.

But she was fine the next morning - which was good because her class was having a fun day at school with bouncy castles, face painting and a clown, and she was NOT going to miss that for anything.

Wednesday was Master 4's Pre-Kindy party. That was heaps of fun. First stop was at the icecream van, second stop was to get his face painted just like spiderman's, and finally a visit from the Big Fat Man himself (and of course it had to be my child that loudly let everyone within hearing distance know that this wasn't the real Man but one of his helpers).

At 2.30am Thursday morning I was awakened by a noise.

It's funny how, as a Mum you can wake up immediately on hearing a sound as small as a half cough half dry retch. You can sleep through the sneezes, coughs, snores & other various bodily functions that come from your children, but this small sound can have you out of bed and running to the EXACT right area of the house before you've even woken up properly.It's also funny how, as a Dad, they can sleep right through it all.

There was my poor little man trying bravely (and very unsuccessfully) to not be sick all over my kitchen floor.

That went on until around 4am, until he fell into a very deep sleep. And woke up feeling as right as rain.

I, on the other hand, was feeling very very seedy. I felt like I'd drunk 4 bottles of wine - and anyone that knows me at the moment will remember that I am off drinking almost completely (much to theirs & my disgust). So I dragged all of my healthy children for their last day of school (well, except for Master 4 who has finished his school for this year), dressed in my warmest tracksuit and jumper. I was frozen - and it was 32 degrees celcius. Dropped them off and came back home to bed.

The call came from the school at lunchtime. Miss 8 had decided it was her turn. So up to the school we went to pick up both girls. By then I was starting to feel better, which was good because I needed a strong stomach that afternoon.

And then, to top off a fantastic day - Miss 5 ran into my bedroom, and as the words "Don't run in the house" left my lips, she tripped and fell forehead first into the base of my bed and immediately grew a tennis ball on her brow.

We had a great end to our school year. I guess we've now managed to get rid of all of our bugs so this week will be germ free! We've eaten our chocolate from the Advent Calendars. We've wrapped EVERYTHING we needed to wrap. The prawns are in the freezer. The house is slowly getting organised to cater to 30+ people for Christmas lunch.

I'm really looking forward to having a drink on Christmas Day. This usually wouldn't be a problem for me, but as I mentioned earlier - my body has decided (without any consultation on my part) that I need a break from any alcoholic beverages and water or tea will suffice. I hope my body will understand?

Only 8 Sleeps To Go...

Only 8 sleeps to go and The Fat Man will be here.

THANK GOODNESS!!!

Then ALL the crazyness will stop.

I heard my neighbour this morning (while I was hanging washing out) saying to her youngest, "If you don't start listening to me I am going to call Santa and tell him ALL about it", and I felt some relief.

It sounded very much like a conversation I had with my 3 last week. I'm glad it's not just me pulling out the old I'll phone Santa threat. Master 4 had his Pre-Kindy party this morning and he was the last child to receive his present (out of around 40 or so children). He was starting to look very worried - and I'm pretty sure he was remembering me on the phone to Santa, telling Santa just how naughty he had been. Poor little kid. I actually felt really really bad for him. Then his present came out and all was forgotten.

But, most of the presents are done. I still need to make sure I have enough for Miss 6. I'm pretty sure I have forgotten all about my middle child this year so will need to do a stocktake tonight and make sure. I have even managed to out-do myself with my Mother-In-Law, who is THE hardest person on Earth to buy for. She is going to be either very very happy or very very disappointed this year. I'm voting for the first.

Our Schools First Christmas Carols Evening

We had a HUGE day yesterday. It was the official opening of our school. It opened in Feb this year and has been such a great school. So yesterday all the official VIP's turned up in their lovely frocks and suits and spent an hour telling us how lucky we are to have our beautiful new school.

Well, they were right - we are lucky. The teachers are excellent, the classrooms are state-of-the-art (as you would expect with a new school), the children are really welcoming & seem to watch out for each other. We haven't had any of the problems we've encountered over the previous 2 years so we're very happy.

So, the VIP's came. Everyone was on their best behaviour and the kids all sang their brand new school song that one of the teachers had penned, and our musical guru (who seems to channel Peter Allen he is THAT GOOD) wrote the music. I have to say I had a wee tear in my eye, thank goodness for sunnies.

Then the VIP's left (after a grand tour of the school) and we stayed on until 6pm when the last assembly for the year took place (by this stage we had been at school for 4 hours - that's dedication for you). The teachers were awarding their class book awards and that was followed by Christmas by Candlelight (or battery operated candles as the case was). I have to say that was the most fun of the evening. Listening to 300 kids singing their little hearts out to Silent Night, Holy Night - and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer was just about the best thing a parent can ask for at this time of the year. Oh, and my favourite was Aussie Jingle Bells
http://www.jaybees.com.au/carols/ausjinglebells.html

We were home by 7.30pm and the kids were in bed by 7.35.

Now, the following evening, we have 3 very grumpy children who are on their way to bed at 6.30.

My First EVER Published Article...

I have had my first foray into the world of writing - well, writing for a wider audience than myself that is. I have started writing for a bookselling blog. Here is my first attempt:
Bookshopblog.com


I was asked to write a minimum of 400 words. Now I have NO idea how much I'm writing when I get on here so I had a wee count & came to around 500 average. Easy I thought. I can do this.


So I started writing. Did you know that at the bottom of every word document there is a word tally? I had no idea! I was actually counting them individually

As I said, I started writing and looked down to find this magical number looking back at me. It said 695 words. WOW. I actually typed that many words without pausing to think about it. And it wasn't too bad. Just needed a wee bit of tweeking and viola! Done.


So, I emailed it off to The Man, who edited about 5 words and pressed the PUBLISH button. 


How excellent. I am so chuffed, and just a wee bit scared because he wants another one in 2 weeks!

Miss 8 Loves Her Insects!

Miss 8 is developing a very different personality than we expected. 

I know it's difficult to work out what sort of person your child is going to be from a young age but I think a Mum can pretty much suss out her child's persona very quickly. I guess we kind of need to know because we have to work out what their "currency" is. My sister is working that out for herself with my gorgeous niece Miss 2 (but that is another story). My point here is that Miss 8 has had a bit of a rough start to her life. She (thankfully) is the most independant & sociable of the 3 - but it all could have been so different. This is why this personality quirk of hers just cracks me up.

Read on...

Miss 8's class at school is learning about insects. Discussing spiders. Nurturing worm farms. You know, that sort of lovely creepy crawly thing they do at that age.

She had been at school ALL day and I was picking them up from their classrooms when I heard a very loud shriek from behind me. I turned around to see Miss 8 putting her hand back in her school dress pocket. When I asked her friend (who looked like she was about to faint) what was wrong - she told me Miss 8 had a cockroach in her pocket.

"A cockroach? WHAT!"

Miss 8 (a little defiently too which I kind of liked) pulled out the dead cockroach she had "saved" from the house yesterday (after I had killed it). She had decided, since they were studying Micro Monsters at school, that she would bring it in for show & tell. But the teacher didn't get around to show & tell today, and she forgot all about it sitting in her lovely school dress pocket until the bell had gone for end of school. 

This was when she decided it would be a good idea to show & tell.

It just makes me love her even more. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty. She wants to learn about the icky, gross things in life & nature. She's the kid that will pick up Jelly Fish in the river and freak out everyone else. She will rescue crickets she finds in the house and take them (and their sticky feet) outside. She doesn't care that no other girls do this sort of thing and I think it's absolutely FANTASTIC.

Perhaps she's going to be a Scientist when she grows up.

Or a Greenie...

Miss 6 Wins!

The kids entered a colouring in competition at our local toy store.

This is nothing new. They enter competitions ALL the time. Mainly because Miss 8 loves to fill in her address details and will do it on any form she can lay her hands on!

We never win anything. We only enter them for Miss 8's obsession with completing forms.

But this time we actually won. Miss 6's entry was pulled out (and I'm still a little suspicious about this but we accept with grateful thanks) and she won an Australia Girl Doll

So all are happy in the Dixon household.

Well, except for Miss 8 ("Why didn't I win? Mine was better"), and Master 4 ("Can I have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?")