Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Second last day

It is my second last day in the place I have worked for the last four and half years. Most of the time since I stopped being an at home parent. (I loved being an at home parent!).

It is my second last day in the job that I have worked fulltime in since my boy went to school.

It is my second last day in an area (violence against women programs) that i have been working in for 20 years.

It is my second last day.

Hooray!

I am so ready for a change, a fresh start. I am ready to live within 3kms of home, work and school. I am ready for a new environment (university).

I am so ready for a permanent job away from the trials of reapplying every two years or so.

Sob!

I have loved this program and this project. I feel like I am leaving to early that it is just at the toddler stage and i am throwing it into 24/7 day care!

It is my second last day

Monday, March 20, 2006

Sometimes I am amazed

...at the amount I get through in any one day. Today before work I had a half an hour snuggle in bed with Thomas, stripped his bed and did a load of washing, made three lunches, two breakfasts, did the washing up, showered and cleaned and assisted the kid to be ready for school, listened to home reading, showered and dressed myself, took back the overnight dvds to the video store, vacuumed the floor, chatted to the Gaye about a offer we are putting in on a house, took the child to school and drove to work. And this was just a normal day - not an extra busy one or a running late one.. just a normal old day.

Friday, March 17, 2006

St Patrick's Day

The DLB has gone off to school this morning with a banana cake iced in green. He very slowly and deliberately wrote St Patrick's Day and drew a tree with icing on the cake. He was very proud of himself.

He is completely delightful at the moment - he came into our bed sometime around 5 for a snuggle and fell back to sleep until 7 and woke in an excellent mood. His morning bath was filled with bubbles (of his own making) and he stood up in the bath covered in bubbles calling out 'I am bubble man', he made me an 'ice coffee' in a cup (water and bubbles) an old joke from when he was very small and we used to make 'cups of tea' in the bath.

He did try and convince me that I should pick him up early - 'say 2ish mum?' But went of to school happily clutching the cake.

He has decided that the girl he sits next to in class talks to much and he just can't concerntrate. (she is a lovely girl but a bit of a chatterbox) I am so proud of him because he talked to his teacher about it himself. He asked me to talk to her this morning - but it wasn't necessary because she had already decided to move them all around. She said he had been very fair and kind about it - asking the girl not to talk so much first and then talking to the teacher when she was alone. It is great is he starting to feel comfy in this class. The move from Kindergarten (where it all seems like play) to Grade 1 (where he assures me it is all work!) has taken some adjustment.

A busy weekend ahead - with three school parties to go to (I was never this popular at school!) and no doubt some house hunting!

Happy St Patrick's Day to you all

I

Monday, March 06, 2006

What a weekend

What a weekend we had. It was a complete reflection of my life - home, kid, love.

On Saturday morning my sister took the DLB off rock climbing at the indoor climbing whatsit down the road. This was the first half of his birthday present with another visit to come. The DLB loves spending time with this aunt - she is fun, engaged and always up for an adventure.

I woke up on Saturday obsessed with the idea of cleaning the house. Completely obsessed! The whole place felt like it needing sorting and cleaning and I started with the kitchen. Pulled everything out of cupboards and draws and scrubbed and washed. The GO managed to avoid my madness by focusing on the real job of the moment and looking at houses in the suburb we have decided to move to. After screaming around the suburb - looking at houses that were either gorgeous and out of our price range or ugly and on busy roads. We went home and I kept on cleaning the house... which at least made me feel a bit more connected to being there. Having made the decision to move I am finding it way hard to find motivation to clean and fix.

On Saturday night the DLB went to stay at his Dad's and we went to the Sydney Mardi Gras . It was fun - we drank outrageously priced drinks and sat in the Bobbi Goldsmith glamstand. GO said that our patronage of the glamstand was an indication of age. I said that was completely outrageous that it was an indication we had a decent enough income to support the community! Either way the fact that it was ordered, easy and uncrowded was indeed a blessing. I love Mardi Gras. I love the dykes on bikes and the cops who march. I love the dancing marching boys and the pokes that are taken at politicians and others. I love that the people of Sydney (and visitors from around the world) line the streets and then peacefully (largely) leave off into the night for parties or dinner or in our case home! Yes indeed. We did. We had a Saturday evening out, without the small boy, without paying for a babysitter and we were home tucked in bed by 10:30. And before you ask - asleep by 10:40 both (after a lovely cup of tea!). Rage On that is us.

It was lucky in a way really, because I was phoned by his Dad at 5:00am to say the poor darling had been up since 1:00 vomiting. So 5:10 found us in PJ's scuttling across the inner west of Sydney to pick up the DLB so he could share his vomiting around his clan. Sunday the three of us spent on the couch watching DVD's and sleeping!

home, kid, love that was my weekend.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Lovely and normal

It was fabulous last night, Papa (my Dad) came up to stay. My folks live a three hour drive away and I was incredibly conscious of keeping up lots of contact while the DLB was small. I tried to visit every month or so and usually managed to see them more often than that. The first nights I spent away from the DLB he was left with them and he has a lovely relationship with both of my parents (and their dog!).

Things have been a bit - well tense- with my Mum since I came out to her and contact over the last year or so has been rare and not all that pleasant. But Dad has been clear and consistent with me that all he wants is for me to be happy and that he knows I would never do anything to harm the DLB (from this you are getting the hang of my mothers rather different message).

After a very difficult year we seem to be getting somewhere and have had a couple of decent family gatherings over the last couple of months. GO says we have moved from denial and anger to Mum tolerating her presence to now Mum being pretty polite. There is a long way to go but it is movement and so we are starting to spend time together again.

Anyway, my folks have just recently retired and Dad in particular seems to be enjoying the freedom of being able to decide to do something and 'just do it'. A trip to Sydney was required to pick up some legs for a table he is making so he also picked up the DLB from school and hung with him until I got home from work. They made a kite, put some holes in the wall where a picture needs to hang and went out for a milkshake together. The DLB loves doing 'fings with Papa' especially tool type things. When he was smaller my Dad used to wait until he came to visit to mow the lawn because the DLB would sit on a bench and watching him or follow behind with his toy version. Dad used to bring drills and wood with him and he and the DLB would spend ages making a hole in something putting a screw in it and then taking it out again. Thrilling stuff! He admires my Dad no end.

Once when they were sweeping leaves up together early on a Sunday morning and my Mum and I were inside having a cup of tea and a chat, Dad walked past the window with his rake on his shoulder. The DLB had flung his over his shoulder as well and my Dad knocked on the window to get our attention to this. As he walked past (all of two and half with a rake over his shoulder) the DLB knocked on the window in exactly the same way.

Then we had dinner. GO was working a bit late but came home in time to eat hers and have a chat with Dad. It was lovely and normal and normal and lovely.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

A beginning of sorts...

For many years now I have been keeping a journal on and off as my son grows. I am not very diligent at it. I have become good a checking out other peoples blogs thou! I have spent many an hour looking over other parents blogs - particuarly lesbian parents or parents to be. I have graduated from lurker to making comments and now I am starting on my own blog journey.

My family isn't exactly what you would call sterotypical, but it is probably not that unusual. It is certainly filled with love, goodwill, humour, tears and tantrums (and that is just the adults!).

I am hoping that this will inspire me to record more memories and make new blogging friends...