Where's the safety cut-off?

You'd think a $200+ kitchen appliance would have a safety switch, wouldn't you? Who knew that it was possible to accidentally lift the beaters while beating? And how fortunate it was my mistake rather than that of one of my multitude of helpers and that chocolate cake mix tastes just as good licked from the bench tops as it does licked from the bowl!

Definitely an un-goddess-like moment!

How does your baby grow?

11 1/2 weeks and counting - but he still fits the wonderful Canadian longies! They've been so wonderful!

The Little Prince usually joins us for dinner - it's one of his more interactive times. It's a rare night that he doesn't wake just as dinner is being served (tonight he was exhausted by the Wiggles event!).

An angel for the tree

An angel who likes to sample the Christmas baking - what a sweetie!

Briar Rose had her favourite friend over for a sleepover - Ginger Rose was in 7th heaven with all the sleepover girl fun!

The Wiggles are in town!

As a pre-Christmas treat I took Ginger Rose and The Little Prince to the Wiggles live in concert! It was great value because we were able to take three of us for the price of two!

It was wonderful being so close to the action, and the energy was brilliant. I was worried that Ginger Rose might not have watched enough Wiggles DVDs to really enjoy the show, but she loved it! She was able to sing along and dance and call out to her friends on stage.

We had a sudden fall in energy midway through the performance, but Ginger Rose was happy to sit and eat some rice crackers.

We were SO close to the front that we were covered in sparkles and coloured paper - The Little Prince took the indignity very well! I had a fantastic time, and think Sam makes a fantastic Wiggle. The Wiggles have come a long way since I took the Ginger Ninja and a baby Possum to see them in a church hall in a small country town!

Baking day

We made three types of cookies as presents for teachers on the last day of school:
Cowboy cookies
Little BT's cookies, and
Gingerbread cookies.

Decorating the gingerbread was great fun - though Ginger Rose was a constant menace, circling the bench in search of loose bits of chocolate.

We sent tins full of cookies for the main teachers, and plates of cookies for teachers who we didn't see as much of.

Of course, we ate far too many cookies ourselves...

Santa 2007

Some families go to the mall and spend up big on Santa photos. Not this family. We prefer the budget option.

Grandad B and Nana R treated us to a meal at their club, and there just happened to be a Santa in the function room...

We crept up on him. First Ginger Rose. Then Briar Rose carrying the Little Prince.

Briar Rose really is brilliant with the Little Prince - competant and caring!

Is it just me, or did Santa look a little overwhelmed by the time Possum snuck into the scene? Unfortunately, the Ginger Ninja felt it beneath his dignity to join the rest of the children.

But perhaps there'll be another Santa before Christmas and I can convince them all to pose nicely at the one time...

Last concert of the year...

We arrived an hour before the performance and hung back under the trees in the shade. The area directly in front of the stage is deserted not only because of the sun, but because of the industrial strength sprinklers that periodically popped up and drenched their neighbours.

Possum is visibly relaxed on stage.

By concert time, some hardy souls had ventured onto the grassed areas, but as the ground was still soggy and there was a gentle breeze under the trees, we (and most of our neighbours) remained at a distance.

4 concerts in 24 hours...

What a life - this was The Little Prince's fourth concert within 24 hours - a flute concert, two carol services then the Canberra Youth Music end of year concert.

As you can see, he takes audience participation seriously.

So do I.

This was the view from under my tree. A little haven of relaxation while Briar Rose amused herself with the camera.

The Ten Week photo

The Little Prince is a whole ten weeks old already! He's starting to really appreciate his toys and loves Grandma E's ladybug with its crinkly legs and mirror almost as much as he loves his moose with the big eyes and soft nose.

So - who does he look like? Opinions, please!

Carols at Jerrabomborah

Carols at Jerrabomborah were much bigger! We were very grateful for the reserved parking because the streets were full for blocks in all directions.

Briar Rose is the third checked uniform from the left, and Possum is up behind the girls in red. The orchestra and massed choir were very impressive, and it must have been a real thrill for the younger ones to have been looking out over such a crowd, with all the lovely flickering candles.

They finished the carols with some very impressive fireworks that helped wake up Ginger Rose and the Little Prince for the drive home. It was a very sleepy carful that finally pulled into the drive at 10.30pm, but a cheerful fast food dinner at 10.40pm with all participants (except moi) asleep by 11pm.

Asleep and dreaming of two lots of carols to come tomorrow, no doubt.

Carols at Gungahlin

The school choir looked great, but starting the evening at 5.40pm in full winter uniform was not so comfortable for them!

Ginger Rose and The Little Prince enjoyed having enough space to run around and enjoy themselves. There weren't many people at the Gungahlin carols, which meant no queues to speak of for the friendship farm, helium balloons and meeting the friendly reindeer and elves. We had to leave before Santa arrived.

Possum was the Little Drummer Boy and enjoyed it so much that much of the 40 minute drive between venues was spent pleading a case for drum lessons.

A friendship farm on a pleasant summer's evening is hard to beat for a preschooler. Especially when the animals are clean, well-rested and very tolerant of small people wanting to stroke them.

Because I have to add photos

Ginger Rose took this photo of Grandad just about to finalise the repairs on his property, before dashing home to sail in the Commodore's Cup.

Saturday morning TV. Oh the squalor. See those four shoes on the ground? And the two socks? And the giant bucket that once contained popcorn and was so wonderful it had to come home from the movies with us? And the book due back at the library?

Just remember that it's only two misplaced items per child in the photo.

And oh my wonderful wonderful Little Prince. Developing right on target (he "talks" and bats at his toys) and able to put himself to sleep when left forgotten behind the couch while I gave Ginger Rose a bath, put on yet another load of laundry (choir performances require full school winter uniform which get rather damp and smelly when worn in summer) and composed the previous blog entry. As far as babies go, he's a total dream!

Why am I so silent?

Let's just say I can't remember the start of the week, except that it had Possum singing at the Senior Concert, me showing 4 lots of tenants through Dad's property and answering at least 20 phone calls and emails before finding a tenant and organising a lease, our phone system, hub and at least one network card were fried in a lightening strike, and despite numerous attempts I didn't make it to the supermarket or library.

Last night was Possum's Middle School concert, which he tried to avoid:

Possum: "I don't want to go because I do NOTHING - I don't NEED to go..."
Dh: "Are you seriously telling me that you had parts in the Junior School AND Senior School concerts but have nothing to do in the Middle School concert?"

So, he went and sang in two choir performances and operated the IT and sound system for the Year 6 play. Nothing to do.

Today, I'm taking a breather and a strong cup of tea before we have Ginger Ninja to a flute concert rehearsal before lunch, the concert after lunch ("Bring a plate" - how I've come to dread those words!), before Briar Rose and Possum need to be at the local Carol service at 5.40pm for a 6pm start, then we run to the cars and drive like, well, mothers late for school events to get to the absolute other side of town in time for the radio broadcast of their Carol service.

In the meantime, Dh goes to his annual Christmas dinner without me. :(

Tomorrow, Possum sings at a military graduation (we skulk in the local vicinity before returing to collect him), has a short break for lunch, then needs to be onstage by 1.30pm for another performance. I have cancelled his basketball match which was scheduled in between the two choral performances. Mean Mum strikes again.

So, I'm counting my blessings:
1. Yesterday's downpour, while drenching three loads of washing including some very absorbent nappies that are still dripping, watered the garden for us.
2. Ginger Ninja delivered 16 pamphlets to 390 houses yesterday in 30 degree heat, and quit the pamplet run so I can reclaim the dining room.
3. Dad's new lease paid for last night's Chinese.
4. I have too many blessings to count!

Orientation day

Friday morning was orientation day, so all four older children were at the same school for the first time! Briar Rose was a fantastic big sister, helping Ginger Rose into her school uniform for the first time. Of course, Briar Rose is an expert as the uniform is a hand-me-down from her!

Ginger Rose really enjoyed school, and was disappointed this morning when she wasn't able to go again. Her teacher taught Briar Rose for kindergarten and is an absolutely wonderful teacher - kind, patient and always smiling. I can't imagine a better start to schooling.

And the real domestic goddess is...

Grandma L, who drove 5 hours to get here to mind the children so I could get some work done with dh! In between minding five children she's also brought in and folded the washing, given the baby his first bottle, hemmed three pairs of dh's pants, cooked dinner, and even shopped for and prepared a truly delicious salad for dh and I to take to a dinner party tonight while she looked after the children. I think that's my week's quota of domesticity used up in one day!

Today she measured the Ginger Ninja for the jumper that's been languishing unknitted in my UFO cupboard, discovered that he will need a combination of two sizes, and has already made an impressive start on the actual knitting.

But it was truly scary to discover that my bed had been remade and looked as though it belonged in a hotel! We're just glad she uses her powers for good...