tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66230557590783283952024-02-19T14:59:32.453+10:00Little StitchesMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-2215607574012768282017-10-06T06:09:00.000+10:002017-10-06T06:09:57.838+10:00max loves bird
Today, Hugo won 'Star of the Day' at Short Stepperz (with a Z). The boys demolished two giant packs of tofu, disguised as fajitas, because Max won't eat chicken any more because chicken is bird and he loves bird. We also saw and followed very quietly a squirrel nibbling conkers out of their spiky shells. We had baths instead of showers, and Hugo blew Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-62726718364927899802015-03-09T22:20:00.003+10:002015-03-09T22:22:16.629+10:0068 days in
It's hard to believe we are now 68 days into the year, and in just three weeks, my middle will be 5. My middle, the bright little spark of a kid who seemed so out of place during his last year of kindy, I doubted whether he would take to school the way I wished he would. But he proved me wrong. He's settled in just fine, he and his best friend from kindy, without whom I do Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-91167820683555918802014-09-10T21:09:00.000+10:002014-09-10T21:09:00.347+10:00overheard
Ollie: Mum, I love you. I love you SO MUCH I think my brain is going to turn inside out.
(it was just after I gave him a Haigh's chocolate frog I brought back from Sydney)
Mandy Downes: why did dad put you in time out?
Max: because I punched him in the face.
After his first day of school:
Me: So, Ollie, did you miss your brothers?
Ollie: Yes… no wait... I mean no, not really.
Yesterday I Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-34169623724003279692014-09-08T21:05:00.001+10:002014-09-08T21:05:43.999+10:00a wondrous time
If you were ever cautious before becoming a parent, the risk averse type, the kind of person that could never wing it, it increases tenfold when you procreate. The children come along and you start making more lists than you ever made before. The organising itch becomes borderline OCD as you try to control everything, usually without success, thereby making the obsession worse, Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-38909579828925628432014-04-14T21:37:00.000+10:002014-04-14T21:37:20.467+10:00four
It happened. Another birthday. This time it was my favourite son's birthday. He's 4 now. He still loves birds and I hope he always will, although his views on punishment for people who are mean to birds is a little on the excessive side ('stomp on them!').
He's a good big brother to his little baby brother (my favourite son) and he idolises his big brother (my Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-33463471726473626502014-03-29T20:03:00.004+10:002014-03-29T20:03:51.180+10:00captain barnacles
Today, I am so sad. This morning, the life of our newest and gentlest member of the crew, Captain Barnacles came to a grim end.
I hadn't even had a chance to post about what a sweet little presence he was in this little house of ours, how much he made every one of us happy (have you ever seen a 20 month old in love with his pet bird?), how much we realised we should have brought him Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-41217310997529195792014-01-24T20:00:00.001+10:002014-01-24T20:00:14.983+10:00debrief Actually I meant THREE months. So ah... here I am three months later (that last post doesn't count, it's an longstanding entry I scribble the boys' musings to until it's long enough to publish). In three months plenty has happened, thankfully, there's been reason for my absence.
So Noosa and the triathlon in November last year (which Will participated in, I'm not stupid) was a Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-86796909403268349112014-01-24T19:33:00.000+10:002014-02-12T20:27:08.132+10:00overheard (with extra silliness)
('Dad on his bike at the traffic lights on a sunny day' by Ollie. It has a Quentin Blake quality that I love.)
Will: (after Lolsie lucked out with a piece of chicken that fell off the lunch table) It's raining chicken! Lola's dream scenario. What would your dream rain be?
Me: (without hesitation) red wine!
Will: gin and tonic!
Ollie: bulldozers!
Max: remote controlled Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-46941602079517015462013-10-30T19:31:00.000+10:002013-10-30T19:31:07.865+10:00five
Yes, it's been two months since I updated the blog and it'll probably be another two months before the next post. Just like my attitude to the gym (one visit a week is better than none), I'm not going to give myself a hard time for not writing more often, and I'm not going to apologise for it either (hello, is anyone even listening?) because I'm actually totally fine with how things are Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-74911422988875535072013-09-01T00:30:00.000+10:002013-09-01T00:30:03.212+10:00a message from the chop busters
Happy Fathers' Day, Dad. We like to bust your chops and drive you nuts and fight over who gets to sit next to you at dinner. Now that's love. xxxMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-79272789575003336442013-08-31T13:06:00.001+10:002013-08-31T13:07:19.426+10:00approximately 13 months of age
At approximately 13 months of age, Hugo dared to take his first unaided steps. I missed it. I was at the shops, but Will and Ollie looked up to see Hugo take ten or so zombie style steps before they cheered, the commotion no doubt causing him to plop down onto his padded bottom.
Three days later, he did it for me, a personal show, his little arms outstretched, knees locked, hips Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-74087522845540673752013-08-01T12:21:00.000+10:002013-08-01T12:21:17.446+10:00green curry
Here is a green curry of pumpkin, mushrooms, spinach, fresh corn and lentils, inspired by the amazing curries at Brisbane's Kitchen Sanitarium, which has become a regular weekday lunch venue. (Which reminds me, we must go to Taro's again soon.)
Fry a finely chopped onion in a little oil. Add 1/2 jar of Volcom green curry paste (or a sachet of the Mae Ploy brand) and fry for a Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-14030797164477391612013-07-29T20:30:00.000+10:002013-07-29T20:30:01.118+10:00bon anniversaire
On Bastille Day, we celebrated Hugo's first birthday. It was a lovely little event. Even the rain and grey skies didn't detract from how joyous it felt to sing 'Happy Birthday' for the very first time to our little dude (and then again to Lola, who was 10 years old only two days prior).
Red, blue, white balloons and streamers were everywhere. Everyone who came made anMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-10273676882772806882013-06-27T23:16:00.000+10:002013-06-27T23:16:00.795+10:00l'invitation
Here it is, an invitation to le premier anniversaire d'Hugo! First things first, while this did involve me bossing my husband around in the traditional manner while he sat in front of his iMac, this is pretty much a rip of something I saw on t'internet. Do I care? Not really. I'm a working mum to three preschoolers (is there such a thing as a non-working mum?) with Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-91095633852238962222013-06-27T06:25:00.000+10:002013-06-27T06:25:00.266+10:00year 8
This is me and my husband, starting our eighth year of marriage. Undoubtedly the last five have been a test of our resilience and ability to juggle more than we thought we could handle, but it's also been a very positive journey so far, and one which I cannot complain about. With good health (the value of which can't be underestimated), a happy home and enough challenges to provideMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-51422424716639844282013-06-26T11:00:00.000+10:002013-07-02T08:43:43.160+10:00overheard
Ollie: I'm lovely, mum, because I keep making you things
Ollie: I'm giving myself a headache, everything in my brain is all jumbled up, my thinking wires have snapped!
Ollie: Mum, in my head there are LOTS of BIG love hearts, all for you.
Ollie: (after I'd been cross with him) Dad, I'm so sad, all the love hearts in my head for mum are disappearing.
Me: How many do youMandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-86189857391574089702013-06-21T20:00:00.001+10:002013-06-21T20:00:21.324+10:00this phase
About a week ago, I breastfed my littlest boy for the last time. I didn't realise it at the time, but I've known it was coming. I went back to work, expressing lasted a little while, but mainly, the breastfeeds have been restricted to night feeds and the occasional morning feed; so, it was only a matter of time before it'd be hard to sustain the one or two feeds a day he was Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-59606604495435217672013-06-06T15:26:00.000+10:002013-06-06T15:27:26.210+10:00june already
It's become my thing to muse over the passing of time. I think it means I'm officially grown up, because it's all grown ups ever did when I was a kid (that and spend ages standing on front doorsteps saying goodbye to their grown up friends when we were leaving their houses). I've said it before, but the passing of time is never as apparent as when you have children in your life, Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-30193222351263265982013-05-25T06:31:00.000+10:002013-05-25T06:31:00.251+10:00decisions pt 2
My parents, the grandparents of my children, live 10,276 miles away. As if that didn't make it awesome enough, in that same place, there are seasons, twinkly yuletides, explosions of spring and seemingly unending grey skies, save for a few broken weeks in the summer when it's glorious, and there are two days in each one, and every fat bloke embraces the blue skies and lies bare Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-83520174806297256992013-05-23T21:27:00.001+10:002013-05-23T21:33:22.156+10:00decisions, decisions
It's been a month of decision making. Big decisions and little ones, too. Deciding to buy a new mattress (totally wish this decision had happened sooner), deciding to replace our crappy old stove (which also resulted in replacing our kitchen bench top), finally deciding on the colours for Hugo's quilt (and accepting it won't be ready for his first birthday) and deciding which Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-19206620490173920392013-05-07T19:27:00.000+10:002013-05-07T19:27:00.474+10:00bird day
The themed party has become the standard in our house. I used to think themed parties were a bit over the top, unnecessary, I mean the theme is birthday, the food is cake and the decor... it's the cute-as-pie kid! But then I realised how much fun theming a party can be, especially when the theme is picked for you by that cute-as-pie kid that doesn't know what is Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-79253689005823292752013-04-30T21:05:00.001+10:002013-04-30T21:08:21.464+10:00a good month
It's the end of April. Almost a whole month has passed without a post, and I couldn't let that happen. In April, we had Max's awesome bird-day party (it deserves its own post I think), my 37th birthday, complete with bunting and spectacular cake, my dad turned 60 and I couldn't let these things just slide, as if they hadn't happened, when really, they were almost Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-52854115639914949912013-03-31T21:28:00.000+10:002013-04-14T10:18:28.536+10:00three years
Max, three years around this sun, three years of those eyelashes, of being companion to your big brother, of being the laughing, joyous little soul in our lives, three years of fuzzy haired wonder, thank yoop! Just when I think I know you, you come out with something I couldn't have predicted ('birdie party mum!') and just when I think I know you again, you remind me, you're not Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-20788184707640722912013-03-28T19:40:00.002+10:002013-03-28T19:40:52.869+10:00snippets
When we downloaded our last batch of 'real' photos, taken with our Nikon SLR, I realised how little we use it and how much our phones have become the main tool for capturing life's little moments. The downloads went back months, and almost all of them are of Hugo. How he's changed in the last couple of months. No longer a baby, but a bouncing, chirpy, cuddly little Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6623055759078328395.post-32150634864309161992013-03-03T06:00:00.000+10:002013-03-03T06:00:01.909+10:00going forward
Despite the flurry of the last few posts, it's been difficult to find the enthusiasm to keep the blog going lately. The last couple of months in particular have been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster, my ever lingering anxiety elevated by amongst other things, changes in breastfeeding patterns, preparing for my return to work and coming to terms with Hugo being looked after by the Mandyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04044099373689393554noreply@blogger.com0