In which I don't win parent of the year...

When I first became a parent I had visions of creating a childhood bubble free from the trappings of our consumer culture.  My house wasn't going to be full of plastic crap, my kids weren't going to watch TV, the words 'control' and 'crying' were never going to be used adjacently in a sentence coming out of my mouth and I certainly had no intentions of bribing my children.   I guess it's easy to be idealistic in theory.  Reality is somewhat more difficult.

I can count the number of times I've slept through the night in the past twelve months on one hand.  More often than not I (or Mr) spend several hours in the middle of the night tending to wakeful children.  When it comes to sleep Minty operates by the motto, 'outwit, outplay, outlast'.  In fact come to think of it Minty would probably make the ultimate survivor contestant.  She eats virtually nothing, would happily go for weeks without bathing, loves to go to the toilet outside and has more stamina and determination than anyone else I've ever met (adults included).  

Anyway, I digress.  Frankly it's difficult to keep high parental standards when you're extremely sleep deprived.  I've already broken my commitment for Lent.  The past couple of days we've watched more TV than I care to admit.  If I was going to make excuses I'd tell you it was because everyone has been sick, we've been cooped up in the house and I've been having trouble even keeping my eyes open let alone coming up with meaningful activities to keep the kids occupied all day.  But no one really likes excuses, least of all me.  So all I can do is wake up tomorrow and try again.  Try not to resort to ABC for kids, try not to operate on a short fuse, and try not to be that parent who garners scornful looks from strangers for her out of control children.

Pictures on our way to the doctor.  I thought I was being a responsible parent seeing as the kids have been sick for 3 weeks.  The doctor on the other hand seemed to think I was this lady.

In which things are up in the air...

With the way things are developing at Fukushima it is looking as though our trip to Tokyo is increasingly unlikely to go ahead.  I can't imagine what it must be like for people living in Japan waiting for this to all play out.  I can't stop thinking about the people who work at the plant and have to continue frantically trying to avert disaster, in the face of the threat of radiation, injured coworkers and the tragic quake and tsunami that has no doubt affected their families and loved ones.  I think I'd just be in the foetal position somewhere sobbing.

Speaking of being unable to function… I'm currently operating on four hours of sleep (for the second night in a row), and seem to have finally succumbed to the horrible cold the kids have had for the last three weeks.  I'm officially too tired to eat dinner, or write anything remotely comprehensible about what's been going on around here, so I'm signing off and going to bed.  Catch you all on the flip side.

In which I give you a peek at our walls and Turi is starving...

You might remember back when I decided to paint my bedroom navy blue.  You'd be forgiven for thinking we never actually went through with it seeing as I never posted any photos.  Truth is after we had stripped all the wallpaper and finished the painting I was totally over the project and never went any further.  I got busy, life got in the way.  So we're still using our mismatching doona cover, there are no pictures on the walls and the only decorations are the toys the kids drag in there and our clothes that they constantly pull off our open shelving (which I had intended to replace) and strew around the room.

On the up side, I love the new colour.  It is warm and inviting and makes the room a lovely place to sleep.  Plus it is really fun to photograph in there - really switches things up.  One day I will get around to 'dressing' the room, but in the mean time we will just try to enjoy the space in all its unfinished glory.

All these pictures were taken in our bed (very early) this morning.  In case you're wondering, Turi is flipping out because he wants another piece of toast.

In which 'tomorrow' finally arrives...

I really should know by now that if I promise to post something 'tomorrow' something is almost guaranteed to prevent it happening.  After my last post both the kids came down with a nasty virus - fever, loss of appetite, runny nose, cough and a complete inability to sleep unless splayed in some kind of uncomfortable 'cuddle' in the 'big bed'.  I haven't slept in three days now because the kids have been taking it in turns needing to be tended to in one shape or another.  And now to top it off Turi has developed some very nasty looking hives all over his body and started vomiting.  So basically my house is like some kind of leper colony… good times.

But as promised here are some finished sewing projects…

A beanbag for Minty - made with Heather Ross Far Far Away II.  I made the outer cover with a zip so I can remove it and wash it as needed.  All seams are reinforced because I really don't want to be finding little beans all over my house.  I have plans to make one for Turi and maybe another to sell (if I ever get around to it).

An ooshka for Minty.  I won a couple of face panels and the pattern in a giveaway from Lisa before Christmas and have finally gotten around to making one (because you know how efficient I am).  Turi has fallen in love with it, but thankfully Minty doesn't seem to mind sharing.

And a few better pics of the puppet show shorts I talked about in my last post.  I think I'll be making a few more pairs of these.

apart

Fresh from reading this post, I decided it was about time I bit the bullet and finally put the kids in together to share a room. Neither of the kids are sleeping particularly well at the moment so frankly I thought it couldn't get any worse. So tonight we dragged Minty's bed into Turi's room and popped them both in for sleepy time. Things appeared to be going remarkably well and after a short 10 minute settling period all was quiet and I shut the door leaving them to it.

I was feeling very optimistic about the whole thing as a sense of peace and calm appeared to descend upon the house. But just as I settled down on the lounge with a copy of 'Monument' magazine an ungodly scream was heard from the bedroom. I ran to investigate and discovered Minty on the floor with blood pouring from her mouth. After a quick survey of the crime scene it would appear that Minty pulled the floor lamp over to Turi's cot and attempted to climb it in order to 'join him'. It seems that some time during the ascent she slipped and smashed her mouth into the edge of the cot. Over an hour, and a lot of tears later I had the two children settled once again… in their own rooms. I think we'll leave our two mountain goats in their own rooms at least for one more night.

These photos are of Minty decorating her own mug. This was a fabulous gift that Minty got for Christmas. The kit came with a mug, special crayons and some black and white pictures that could be transferred onto the mug for colouring. After decorating you can make the image permanent by filling the mug with water and microwaving (afterwards the colours are a lot more vibrant). Mint had lots of fun with this - note the concentrated tongue circling! Thanks Simon and Katya!

why I hate daylight savings....

Conversation at bedtime...

Me: It's time to brush teeth and put your PJs on

Minty: But the sun hasn't gone to bed

Me: Well in the summertime the sun stays up later and so it isn't always dark when we have to go to bed

Minty: But it isn't summer it's spring

Touche Minty, touche.

Portrait

If only all our nights could be this peaceful...
Photo taken by my better half and made fancy by me!

sleep

If someone were to make a doll of me right now, it would come with pre ratted hair, two interchangeable outfits (pyjamas and a tracksuit) and when the belly was squeezed it would rotate between shouting the phrases 'what part of no don't you understand!', 'don't touch that!', and 'no, no, no, NO, NOOOO!'

A combination of a debilitating cold and a husband away on business meant that the family had spiralled into a level of sleep deprivation I wasn't even aware was possible. Minty and I were averaging around 3 hours of fitful sleep a night achieved only as Minty, fighting it every step of the way, succumbed to complete exhaustion at around 4am each night. But the wild horse has been broken. Last night Minty slept all night in her own bed, and for the first time in months she has had an afternoon nap today (albeit with the aid of some cold medication!). I am fully aware that we may go back to the horror of sleeplessness again tomorrow but I am basking in the peace and quiet today.

mish mash...

Here is a random, disjointed collection of thoughts because (you guessed it) I am once again operating on no sleep, and this written chaos is reflective of my state of mind.

Turi cut his first tooth last night and frankly from the amount of screaming anyone would have thought he was enduring the final stages of labour and begging for an epidural. Talk about low tolerance for pain. I swear if he wasn't so dang cute I'd be telling him to whack some bonjella on it and suck it up. But then I see those sweet little eyes and I can't help but feel a little sorry for him.

Minty is up to her usual antics. Lately she has started nagging to go surfing. She takes all her clothes of and when she is stark naked declares, 'I'm all ready to go, get my surf board!'. Heaven knows where she got the idea that nudity was appropriate beach attire. I blame the shots of scantily clad women on the ASP world tour.

And speaking of beach attire... I am smitten with these french patterns. I pretty much love all of them. I was thinking I might buy this sweet dress (see picture below) and this one to make some beach coverups for Minty in time for summer. I'm wondering whether it's going to be a problem that I don't speak french??? Also thinking I need to start tying Minty's hair up in a tiny top knot… tres joli!

It's my mum's birthday on the weekend and I'm going to make her a cake (well some cupcakes to be more precise). I'm having a little trouble deciding on what flavour to make and thought perhaps I could put it to you good people for a vote. The cake contenders are as follows:

1.dark chocolate cupcakes frosted with mint chantilly cream

2.brown sugar vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting

3.orange marmalade filled cupcakes

4.lemon buttermilk cupcakes filled with lemon curd and topped with cream cheese frosting

Cast your vote in the comments section bellow (mum your vote obviously has a bit more swing).

When I was googling for cake inspiration I came across this (found here)…

I think it is perhaps the most horrifying cake I have ever seen… and yet I have this odd desire to make it. Let me know if you have an upcoming event for which it would be appropriate and I'll whip one up. I'm thinking bachelor party, poker night, kegger, or USA themed costume party, though mum if you'd like to forgo your cupcakes I can always whip you one up for the weekend!

4 hours sleep and another ice-cream cake...

It's been a whirlwind of a long weekend. Back to Melbourne on Saturday for my dad and bro-in-law Alex's birthdays, one of my good friends came down to stay with us on the island on Sunday and Monday brought a visit from my oldest sister and (her son) the kid's cousin Nick. On top of all this fun and festivity, little Turi is battling a horrid cold and will not sleep. As any parent knows, babies have an issue with mouth breathing so a stuffy nose is disproportionately distressing for the whole family. I am currently averaging about four hours sleep per night (and not in one block), so if this post makes very little sense and lacks wit and insight that is my excuse.

Onto more interesting topics, of the cake variety...

My dad seemed quite excited by my first ice-cream cake adventure so I decided to surprise him with one for his birthday. I had to restrain my natural tendency to go a little over the top with flavour intensity (more is more is generally my motto) as mum had advised me to keep things classic. So I went with a layer of chocolate and a layer of vanilla ice-cream topped with chocolate ganache. Both ice-cream recipes were from David Lebovitz's 'The Perfect Scoop' (oh how I love this book!). If you want more detailed instructions on how to make an ice-cream cake I've written about it here. I won't repeat myself again lest I bore you all.

For decoration I stencilled the letter E (because E is for excellent and incidentally also my dad's initial) on the top with icing sugar. Stencilling is one of my favourite ways to decorate a cake. I think it adds a sophisticated touch. To do this you basically just draw or print out your design (I used Renaissance font) and then use a craft knife to cut out all the black sections. It is probably a good idea to make the stencil out of something sturdier than regular printer paper if the design is more complex. Lay the stencil on the cake and dust icing sugar with a fine sieve. Carefully remove the stencil. If you get some runaway icing sugar flecks you can attempt to brush them off with a pastry brush. I'll share with you another cake stencilling idea tomorrow.

Happy birthday dad and Alex! I hope you enjoyed the cake!

Rage remorse...

Photo (once again) from Uncle Ross - I don't have a camera this weekend so I had to reach into the archives for this picture of the husband with Minty.

I confess, I was in a foul mood yesterday. The washing machine has broken down, my home phone hadn't been working in two days and the vacuum clogged and wouldn't work either. Both the kiddlets were on sleep strike for the day and as a result were behaving wretchedly. To top it off my husband was set to be away for the entire weekend photographing a Christening in Cobram, taking both my car and camera with him. Let's just say I might have been a little snarky and possibly took things out on the said husband. I may or may not have made one or two snide comments about how I was going to have to ride into town on my horse and buggy to send a telegram.

Today I feel a little ashamed...

My lovely husband stayed up late last night (even though he had a 5:30am start and a six hour drive ahead of him) to fix the phone and when I got up in the morning I discovered he had cleaned the kitchen, put the dishwasher on and (here is the clincher) bought me a king size Toblerone and put it in my secret chocolate stash location on the top of the fridge. He even arranged for his mum to drop us off dinner so I wouldn't have to cook tonight (thanks Diana!). We've been together for just about ten years but it's days like today that I remember why I love him so much, and why I am such an arse!

Portrait

*shock* "What's this control crying you speak of?"

Nearly wordless week: Monday

I'm in the process of a major declutter, scrub down and clean out of the entire house. Since this process is a bit time consuming there might be a few less words on the blog this week.

We've finally converted little Minty's cot into a big girl's bed. She's spent a fair amount of time dismantling her room, reading books from her book shelf and sleeping on the floor. Here's hoping for some sweet dreams for the little ones tonight.

defeat

I put the side back on the cot. I know, I know consistency in parenting is key. Whatever... I'm tired.

Inferno (not the disco kind)...

Photo (taken by Uncle Ross) from the archives... just some inspiration to remind me why I'm bothering to redecorate

I am convinced that one of the nine circles of hell is reserved for people with bad taste. There, sinners are forced to spend all eternity stripping ugly wallpaper. I've spent the weekend in my own personal hades, attempting to remove the revolting floral wallpaper from my spare room. The previous owners seemed to have some malevolent desire to impose their aesthetic on subsequent owners. Whoever put the wallpaper up used glue as though it was going out of fashion and even went to the extent of wallpapering the cornice. As awful and gruelling as it's been, there is something cathartic about unveiling the blank canvas below. There is still a lot of work to be done but at least all the wallpaper is off now.

In other news, we have taken the side off Minty's cot. Tonight is her first night 'loose' in the house. I've lost count of the number of times I've taken her back to bed. So far she has requested: fruit, baked beans, bread, a drink, the toilet, daddy, a story and lego. I have been cast in the role of 'bad cop', daddy of course is starring as 'good cop'. Touch wood... it finally seems as though she might have fallen asleep, two hours after bed time.

crepes vs. pancakes... let's get technical

I think yesterday's celebration pancakes were somewhat premature. We had the night from hell last night with Turi waking up almost hourly. Then because I was so fried I overslept until 8am only to wake and find a very distressed Minty had wet her bed. Lately she has decided she really doesn't like going to the toilet in her nappy so if she can't make it to the potty in time she will take off her pants and and wee… nice. So this morning was spent washing out her stuffed toys and blankets. When I returned from hanging everything on the line I discovered Minty sitting behind the curtain eating a shell (yes that was not a typo, I said a shell). Later Minty dashed out the door and started running bare foot down the street only to be caught by a passer by on their morning walk. This pretty much set the tone for the day.

So today instead of celebratory cooking, I am baking a mile high chocolate pie to sooth my nerves. I'm spreading the recipe across two days so I'll post tomorrow with some photos and the recipe.

I've had a few requests for the buckwheat pancake recipe we made yesterday. To be honest I'm not a huge recipe follower when it comes to early morning cooking. I tend to just go by eye. Basically I just put in the flour with two eggs and then add milk until I get the consistency of thin cream. For the flour ratios use roughly 2 parts buckwheat flour to one part plain flour. Whizz it up in the KitchenAid and then let it rest for a while to relax the gluten in the plain flour (buckwheat doesn't have any gluten) before cooking. And yes for my pedantic readers, these are technically crepes not pancakes since they don't contain any raising agent and were cooked on a crepe pan.

If I am feeling particularly energetic and can be bothered following a recipe, or I'm trying to be super-mum this is my go to recipe for hearty healthy pancakes. It comes from a book called 'The Pleasure of Cooking Collection: Crepes and Pancakes'.

OATMEAL BUTTERMILK HOTCAKES

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup instant powdered milk

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups buttermilk (or milk soured with 2 tablespoons lemon juice)

2 eggs beaten

2 1/2 cups one-minute oats

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the water, powdered milk, honey, buttermilk and eggs together.
Stir into the oats, flour, bicarb soda and salt.
Let stand for 1 hour
For each hotcake drop 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased surface and cook until bubbles appear on the top. Turn over and cook other side.

These are really tasty and have a slight honey flavour so you can even eat them without toppings.

Join me tomorrow for a slice of pie.