another epic straddie weekend

Sometimes, I don't do stuff because it's too much work.  This means I end up not doing stuff that could be good fun, but the idea of doing it with three kids that mightn't appreciate it means I would much rather just put my feet up and watch some imported English tv show.  I'm probably not being all that fair because actually we do a lot, a LOT of stuff, but mostly it's things like endless chores trips to the park, walks to the bakery, gardening and playing at the local water park.  Nothing too fancy.

But Straddie, it's different.  It's very hard work to pack and organise all five of us for a weekend, a military operation in fact, so much so that I insist Will takes a day off so we can go over for at least three nights otherwise it hardly feels worth it.  The list making, the food organising, the Tetris style packing of the car that takes place (secretly I think Will likes that bit), it's all exhausting before we've even buckled up and hit the road, but for Straddie, it's worth it.  Especially when the weather is as blissful as it was a couple of weeks ago.  I mean it's fine if it rains, quite beautiful in fact (I am English after all), but the days of Will and I whiling away rainy afternoons with dvds and chips and wine aren't really an option with three babies.  

So yes, good weather makes it and thankfully, the weather for our last trip was fantastic, and the weekend was made all the more special because it was Hugo's first.  It was by no means perfect but gelato every day made up for the time-outs at the beach, the occasional tantrums, the packing and sun protection that needs to happen every time we want to go to the beach... and oh yes, we even had our first triple-all-boys-at-once meltdown, in the car too, so it was in proper Dolby surround sound - no escape.  And then there was watching the kids play on the beach, chuckling to ourselves that they were only a few metres away but the sound of the surf made them so quiet; even if they were arguing over their buckets and spades, we didn't hear it.  And did I mention it was all bloody hard work?  Then I must have mentioned too, it was totally worth it.

Ah Straddie, you are a beauty.  I'm going to miss you when I finally convince myself to move back to Europe for the snowy winters.  I might even regret it because of you.

first trip to the pictures

Our boys don't watch a lot of tv.  They would if we let it happen, but we don't  and they generally watch about fifteen minutes of Thomas/Octonauts/Pingu after bath time.  Sometimes a PlaySchool when it's been a rainy day and they need some entertainment while I cook dinner.  We've tried to watch a movie with Ollie (Cars) but I think we got about ten minutes into it before the chaos and noise of the over the top animation got to Ollie and he decided he didn't want to watch it.  It wasn't a surprise really, we've managed The Jungle Book and we are also fans of The Gruffalo, but these are sweet, gentle animations.  He's been known to watch Bob the Builder from behind a cushion, so he's not the kind of kid that likes to contemplate anything too stressful.

We'd been thinking about whether it was time to take the boys out to the movies.  The Lorax, we were told by our parent friends, is great!  The kids will love it!  They'll have a great time!  It's such an awesome movie!  OK.  So, we decided to take the plunge and take our boys to the pictures for the very first time to see said movie, despite what now seems to be the obvious indications that maybe we should have waited a while.

I thought it would be fairly tame.  I thought the animation would be gentle, cute, Dr Seuss animation.  I didn't think about it from the perspective of a three year old, and definitely not from the perspective of my boy, who's always been a little sensitive and never really enjoyed anything that might result in overstimulation.  The movie was actually great, but it was loud, full of references that we as adults can process and understand (the music, the images of thunder and lightning, the kid going to find the Onceler in the dark) but that a three year old would reasonably find really quite scary.  Ollie tried his hardest but even with the help of his little comforter and sitting on my lap didn't help, and he seemed positively relieved to say yes when I asked if he wanted to leave.

Max on the other hand, seemed to be ok.  Maybe it's because he was snug on his dad's lap, or maybe he was too young to question what he was watching, although there was a moment when he squeaked a little and needed to be comforted, but on the whole, I think he could have handled it.  But we didn't stay the course.  We left after about twenty minutes, did some shopping, ate our many packed snacks anyway and talked to Ollie about what he didn't like.  Turns out it was the previews.

dots on new year's eve

On New Year's Eve, we made another trip to the GoMA.  I love it there.  This time to see the Look Now, See Forever exhibit by Yayoi Kusama, not that we knew that's what we were going to see, we just got the train there (mainly to entertain the boys) and walked over to the gallery in the rain, to find some awesome stuff.

Like this exhibit, The Obliteration Room.  It's a totally white room, white everything, couches, dining table, coffee tables complete with cups and saucers, computers, bookshelves, even a working white piano.  As you went in, each child was given a sheet of stickers to stick anywhere, ANYWHERE!  So much fun.  As you left, you had to check the soles of your shoes for little stickers to make sure you didn't trample them all over the rest of the gallery.  The GoMA.  It's a seriously cool place.

the year in review

I went back to work after giving birth to my littlest boy and to my surprise, loved it, I joined a gym and kept it up, we had visitors from England, we broke a fridge, we bought a new camera and took a million photographs, we edited our photos and backed them up responsibly, we realised we need a holiday but didn't have the time to take one, we escaped the floods but friends weren't so lucky, I baked a cheesecake and made a pavlova, both for the first time, we lost a baby and cried and cried, we learned our son is crazy for puzzles and our other son is a cheeky little devil with a naughty streak that is adorable, we watched movies, so many movies, I watched my husband become an actual architect, I used my KitchenAid way more than I thought I would, I Skyped my parents every week, sometimes twice, I missed them terribly, we didn't always try a new recipe every week but we always ate good food, I loved watching the royal wedding, missed England and her countryside, visited the GoMA at least twice, we still haven't managed to get out to dinner but we had an awesome party for Will's birthday, we decorated our garden with 800 fairy lights, we said goodbye to Sue, but hello to Emma and Clasein, I had the most awesome birthday week EVER and ate at my favourite restaurant with my favourite person, we visited a zoo, our house was a zoo, I discovered patience, then lost it again, I became a little more like my mum, we ate McDonalds for the first time in years and regretted it, I got to know my sister as my friend and lamented the years we spent apart but realised it's better late than never, our boys' birthday parties were awesome and it didn't rain, we didn't send Christmas cards this year, but I've been good at keeping in touch with those I love, we became really good at doing the kids' packed lunches in about 10 minutes, and kept on top of keeping house, I worried about how I'm doing at work but found out they think I'm ok, I playdoughed, painted, tidied, read to my sons, our boys started sharing a room together, we only broke a few baubles this year, I wished I had read more books and had more haircuts, we had Christmas at our house with my friend Kate, I learned the names of lots of vehicles, we repaired our lawn and now our garden looks fabulous, I got cross with my boys more often than I would have liked but always ended the day with kiss and a cuddle, I started and ended the year very tired.  But so happy.

Come on 2012.   I know you are going to be great.

seaworld

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned to Will that I was keen to take the boys out to Seaworld.  Of course, Will has been wanting to do this for months.  He is the Number 1 Big Kid in my life so he needed no persuasion.  Then I discovered it was the last day of a sale on VIP Passes to the Gold Coast theme parks, giving us entry three different parks to June 2012 for not much more than the cost of entry to one park.  So we did it.

I'm not a huge fan of theme parks, but Seaworld is different.  It's a little dated, but it's full of awesome sea creatures that I knew my little Octonaut wannabes would love.  And they did.  The aquarium was an amazing, cool tunnel of sharks, little fishes (why don't the sharks eat them?), stingrays, coral... we spent a while in there, the kids were mesmerised.

The highlight for me, and possibly the children was the dolphins.  The dolphin show was awesome (Max squealed, actually squealed with delight at every twist and turn) and it was the perfect opportunity to get the kids to eat their packed lunches while they were distracted (not a fan of theme park food and prices).

And beyond that, it was all that you'd expect it to be.

french festival

We went with friends to the Brisbane French Festival at South Bank over the weekend.  As someone who adores all things French, it was a bit disappointing.  I was hoping for more food, more music, more stripy shirts, better weather...  But it was free, we ate crepes and the joie de vivre came from the kids having an absolute blast running around like maniacs and now Ollie is obsessed with the 'ferrist wheel'.  You wouldn't guess they had such a good time from these photos.

new friends and another big day

I have to admit to really not liking Thomas and his friends, that moody old Fat Controller and the repetitive nature of the stories which almost always start with an engine blowing his or her own trumpet, screwing up the delivery of whatever to wherever, being told off by the Fat Controller and then being put to rights by another engine.  Boring!

But Ollie (and I suppose Max too, although he's not nearly as vocal about it yet) loves Thomas, almost as much as he loves the Octonauts, and he can spend ages playing with his train set, linking up the trains and their cargo, pushing them through the tunnel and around the bend and up the hill.  He'll often ask for help putting his train tracks together (and his pa is the master of that game) and even little Max loves to plonk trains down at the top of the hill and watch them fly down the track.  It's so sweet to watch them play together, especially since it doesn't always end up with them bickering over who gets to play with which trains.

On Saturday we discovered that the postponed-because-of-the-floods Day Out with Thomas event at the Workshops Rail Museum in Ipswich was on for just a couple more days, and so today we decided to take the boys out to meet Thomas, his friends and The Fat Controller.  It was a total success, Ollie was such a good little boy, he loved clambering up into the trains, sitting in the driving seat, checking out the most awesome model railway (very cool), queuing to see Thomas, listening to the (slightly creepy) Fat Controller telling stories about Annie and Clarabel and toddling around, taking in the scenery, the history (maybe) and the awesomeness of the giant engines.  He really seems to be in his element at this kind of thing (lots to see and do) and not just because it was Thomas themed.  We didn't do much learning about the history of Queensland's rail, but there'll be time for that (and I get so excited about the places we haven't visited yet).

So, at the end of another long weekend, as we look through the hundreds of photos of the three days gone by, it feels like we did loads and kept on top of things and managed to have a weekend that was enjoyable and exhausting.  Again.

21st century kids

This morning, on Day 4 of the extravaganza that is the Five Day Weekend of Easter 2011, we decided to take the boys (and ourselves) out to the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.  It was the penultimate day of the 21st Century and 21st Century Kids exhibitions that everyone's been raving about and that I've been looking forward to seeing but until today, haven't had the energy (or time) for.

We went to South Bank on the train (a highlight for the boys - not just Ollie, but Max too, who seemed to love the trip home in particular, bouncing around on the seats and giggling all the way), and walked over to the GoMA.  Ollie took a bit of persuading that he should walk rather than be carried, but he got into the swing of things once he realised he would be seeing his favourite things - you know, fountains, drains, water features, drains.





And it was seriously very, very cool.  It made me remember how much I love wandering around art galleries and museums.  I miss the freedom of taking your time looking at everything interesting, and it is so exhausting taking two kids under two and a half years old out to this kind of thing, but it was still great.  The kids seem to get so much out of it, it's all new to them and because of that, the experience is new for us too.  Max took it all in his stride, didn't complain once about being in the pram for most of the afternoon and I think he genuinely loves to people watch.  Ollie must have asked 'What's that?' about a hundred times, and I don't think I knew the answer once, but it didn't seem to matter.  He ran around, resisting the urge to touch everything, making the most of what he was allowed to touch (this interactive Lego exhibit was probably my favourite) and not peeing his pants once.  Not once.

When we got home, I asked Oliver what the best part about the day was.  His answer?  The drains.

little big day out

We just got back from a morning of chaos, balloons, jumping castles, tv heroes (well, for the other kids anyway, Ollie was none the wiser), ill fitting wigs, bad singing and overpriced hot chips at the IGA Rhymes festival.

I knew it would be this way so I didn't expect too much from it.  I guess the point was to get out and do something a bit different and we actually had a reasonably nice time, but probably no nicer than we would have had if we'd just headed out to the pool for the day.   I can't say anything very positive about the acts, the singing, the dancing and the format of the event, so I won't, but Ollie had a good time wandering around, spending most of his time on a jumping castle and touching the St John Ambulance.  Max looked a little bewildered but he seemed to take it in his stride.  We'd planned to meet with friends of ours but in the madness of a million people and a trillion kids and a few too many flouro outfits (just like Big Day Out), it didn't happen, so we ended up doing our own aimless thing, which consisted of avoiding most of the acts and letting Ollie lead the way.

I must remember next time someone asks me if I want tickets to this type of thing that we'll be better off at the park with a picnic and our friends, but I suppose it's trying these things that makes us wiser.

Another weekend is nearly over.

steam train sunday

Last Sunday we went on a steam train ride around Brisbane's railway.  It was, of course, to indulge Ollie's fascination (or even obsession) with all things train/car, but I do think we adults probably enjoyed it more than he did.  We started the day by meeting with our friends and their children for breakfast at Roma Street Parklands, which seemed like a good idea until you remember that going out for a meal involves engaging the kids at the table for at least as long as it takes to eat their food.  In reality it's not quite so easy, so most of breakfast time involved shovelling french toast and croissants while running around after the toddlers in the group.  It was fun though, and I guess if you think about it from Ollie's perspective, it is rather dull having to sit at a table when you're surrounded by parklands.

After a bit more waiting around that I would have liked (it gets a little tiresome trying to keep Ollie away from the edge of the platform when it's the only thing he wants to do), the steam train arrived, toot toot, and we all boarded for an hour's journey.  The train was really very beautiful, gorgeous old coaches, leather seats and painted blue (like Thomas, as every child exclaimed when it came into the station).  Though our journey was cut short to compensate for the train running late, we did manage to go through some leafy areas of Brisbane and not just the warehouse districts.

Ollie loved it.  He loved standing on the railings between the carriages, running around and most of all the old timey latches on the windows.  We all came back home tired, a bit sooty and glad we'd made the effort.  Toot toot!

paniyiri greek festival

Just after Oliver was born, I remember feeling like I couldn't really leave the house.  If I wasn't breastfeeding him, Ollie would be sleeping, and we were so keen to get him into a routine that worked for him and for us that for the first 3 months, we didn't do much apart from feed and sleep.

So when Will suggested we go out for the day to the annual Paniyiri Festival which celebrates all things Greek, I surprised myself with how enthusiastic I was for it.  It may have been the promise of grilled haloumi, dolmades or spanakopita and sure, when we got there, food was the only thing on my mind, but it didn't detract from a most welcome day out with our little boys.  Ollie too loved the food, dolmades in one hand, haloumi in the other, and Max was a good little guy, happy to be strolled around, napping when he needed to.  The music was loud, the barbecues smoking and the dancing made me want to come home and watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding (again) but most of all, we all got out of the house for a lovely, sunny afternoon.  Opa!!

stella + moon

Yesterday, I visited another talented friend who recently started up her own beauty business and treated myself to a pedicure in her new and lovely space in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.

Having previously been a regular client, I hadn't seen Katrina in over two years, so yesterday was as much about sharing news and catching up as it was about giving myself (and my feet) some long overdue attention.  I was also keen to see her new space, which she shares with artist Antonia, located in a cute little art deco building on the corner of Kent and Brunswick.

Stella + Moon is a lovely place, the lighting and outlook of Katrina's room was pretty even on a rainy day.  She's filled her room with things that she likes - the best formula for giving a space comfort and character, and together with details such as the gorgeous pressed ceiling and her choice of artwork on the walls, it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with her, being pampered and sharing our news of the last two years.  (It really didn't feel like it had been that long since we last saw each other.)

A lovely afternoon.

splash!

It can be a difficult day when we are stuck indoors.  Ollie appreciates getting out of the house and he loves water play, whether it's his swim class, a frolic in the surf or splashing in (and eventually tipping over) the dogs' water bowl (always amusing for him).

Rocks Riverside Park in Brisbane is a good little escape, with plenty of different pools and wading areas and shade near the water for heavily pregnant mums to sit under.  Really cute (if a little scary) to watch Ollie captivated by the older, bolder kids.