What on earth do I do all day?

Yesterday I was greeted with a wry smile and a 'So what did you do all day?'
Most would automatically think it would come from my lovely hubby (and most often than not it does - if he is feeling a tad risque and wanting to see how close he can come to his own demise) but today it came from my 7yo daughter.

So for you precious, when one day I let you have free access to the Internet and you stumble across this blog, I will outline my day for you to hopefully explain why I didn't get around to much housework and why the house pretty much looks the same as when you left for school.

5.20am - Alarm goes off to get my sorry arse out of bed and on the treadmill. I can no longer exercise during the day as your twin brothers do not have a daytime nap. I do not want us to end in a tangled mess against the wall so I have to get up before you are all awake. I hit the snooze button a couple more times and finally get on treadmill 20mins later. I read somewhere that being fitter is supposed to give you more energy. Its three months in and I am still waiting for more energy to arrive.

6.30am - Hot, sweaty and finally awake I enter the kitchen to start making you and your sister's lunch for the day. Your sister and brothers are up and in full swing and I after I turn on your light and wake you up I have to go back in/yell out to get out of bed another five times before you actually grace us with your presence.

7am - All four of you are at the table and eating breakfast when I remember I haven't ironed any uniforms for today and rush off to do that. You are all fighting over something and not eating your breakfast as usual. I have to keep coming back out to break up fights and to hurry you all along.

7.20am - Jump in for a quick shower, only to be constantly interrupted by someone dobbing on someone else for doing something that they shouldn't be. You still haven't got dressed yet and are playing with your Lego. Manage to wrangle your brothers out of their PJ's and into clean clothes for today. Coax/wrestle your sister to the toilet before I can argue with her over what she wants to wear this morning.

7.45am - Tell everyone its time to go and to get into the car only to find out nobody has their hair done or bags packed. Nobody is moving and we are running late. Try to organise the last of the shopping list and all shopping trip paraphernalia. We are running so late!

7.55am - Five people finally ready and everyone is strapped in car when I remember about replacing the chook's water after their worming solution yesterday. Stop car mid way down driveway and sprint to chooks yard only to find they haven't touched it and replace with water. They drink it happily the feathered bitches! Realise dog hasn't got any water either and do that on sprint back to car.

8.20am - Get into Canberra and sit in traffic. Thankfully I remembered to make a tea in the car mug so I get a liquid breakfast today - as I still can't have a shower AND breakfast on the same morning - just doesn't work. Finally get you to school, wish you a good day and sprint back to car to high tail it back to preschool in Murrumbateman to drop your sister off by 9am.

9.15am - Finally make it back to preschool, drop your sister off, go and collect parcel, post some letters and head to Yass to go grocery shopping.

9.45am - Make it to Yass to do jobs with your brothers in tow. Decide to park at supermarket and walk down the street for some fresh air. Change library books and attempt to get everything on your list for your Easter Bonnet parade next week. Try to coax the creative juices into flowing as I can't get half the stuff on your list and I try to come up with another design on the fly. Head back to Supermarket 1 and let boys run as they don't have double toddler trolleys. Takes 5 times longer as I have to constantly put things back on the shelves. Back into car to make it to Supermarket 2 and morning tea for the boys as I forgot that in the rush this morning.

11.40am - Make it back home after stop off to get manual wormer for chooks which the store didn't have. Boys are finally sleep. I leave them in the car while I unpack all the groceries.

12.15pm - OK I admit it - I sat on the couch and put my feet up to read my new library book while the boys were asleep. I am knackered after being on the go all morning. This is the first time I have managed to actually sit down with a book during the day for AT LEAST the last month. I am such a lazy person.

12.45pm- Boys wake up and I make them lunch. Check emails and unpack and repack dishwasher.

2.15pm - Head off to pick up your sister from preschool early so that we can be at your school to pick you up on time. Spend the next hour or so listening to the three of them fight in a small confined space. Radio keeps getting louder.

4pm - Finally home again. I feed you guys afternoon tea, let the chooks

5.20pm - Managed to wrestle you all into the bath while dinner is still cooking. Forgot to put rubbish bins out and madly run around collecting rest of the rubbish from house. Once I get you guys out and physically dress three of you, I run the bin down the front. Come back and continue to help you with your homework and reminders about news group preparation and recorder practice in readiness for the following day whilst still prepping for dinner.

6pm - Four kiddies seated at the table, and silly me, I thought you would all eat the spaghetti bolognaise I made for dinner. You ate it, but your brothers didn't, and I spend the next half an hour trying to get them to eat a mouthful and stay at the table whilst finishing my own meal. We finish, I pack up the dinner plates and go out to feed the chooks and water plants in the greenhouse. Notice that the sky is a bit grey so head back to house to get harvest basket, head back to veggie garden and gather all the ripe tomatoes I could find to put towards the passata I will hopefully make tomorrow.

7.15pm - Gather you all into bathroom to clean your teeth, then off to bed to read books to the three younger ones. Finally get them in bed and come into listen to you do your home reader for the night.

8pm - Think I have finally got you all off to sleep. Deep breath. Kitchen and house in general is a mess so I give it a quick clean but honestly couldn't be stuffed so I put the kettle on instead for a cuppa. Sit down with said cuppa only to realise your PE shirt is still in the wash. Get up hang it out and call a friend to ask the name of what manual worming solution is. Tea goes cold.

10pm - Finally crawl into bed after feeding dog, putting a load of washing on delay to start the following morning, making jelly for lunches tomorrow, sorting through today's mail and giving the floor a quick sweep. I try to read some more of my library book but am nodding off after two pages. Book down, lights out, sleep.

I.am.knackered.

So my dear girl, that is what Mummy did all day today.

And today was a relatively quiet day.

World Down Syndrome Day

Today is World Down Syndrome Day, and for the first time, is now officially recognised by the United Nations. You can read more about it here.

The 21st of the 3rd was chosen because it represents 3 copies of the 21st chromosome which is unique to people with Down Syndrome. It is a time when we can all raise awareness of people with Down Syndrome and their families and advocate for their rights, inclusion and well being in society.

I LOVE SOMEONE WITH DOWN SYNDROME

My youngest daughter, who is now 5, was diagnosed at birth with Down Syndrome. It was a massive shock for us as we were young parents (28 and 29 respectively), and had had the tests which indicated we were not in a high risk group. But our little cherub decided to grace our family with her presence, and I could ramble on here and say how every day has been wonderful, which it generally has been, but it is also bloody hard work. She has endured eight operations in her five short years here, and continues to have allied health specialists assist her to achieve tasks that most kids achieve without the blink of an eye. BUT...she still achieves albeit a little slower than her peers. And she is a very valued member and willing participant of her preschool and school communities. She is starting Kindergarten next year, and although Miss Independent is ready and raring to go, mummy is not :)

I am a very, very proud mummy of my little girl. Despite the medical setbacks she has had, she has taught us more about life, love, patience and each other than I possibly could have imagined. She has enhanced and brightened our lives and I am so thankful that she has chosen us to be her family.

So lets celebrate World Down Syndrome Day and the beautiful diversity people with Down Syndrome bring to our community. If you don't know someone with Down Syndrome, get out there and get involved! You will be glad that you did!

For those of you in the Canberra region, The ACT Down Syndrome Association is holding a T4321 get together this Sunday 25th March, 9-12pm at Glebe Park stage area in Civic. There will be activities and cup cake decorating on the day. Come along and have a wonderful picnic in the autumn sunshine!

Autumn Harvest

Today we finally managed to get out into the garden. It was a beautiful warm sunny autumn morning and our crab apples and claret ash are starting to change into those awesome autumn hues. We harvested the now meagre crop of almonds (no thanks to the cockatoos and mother nature), removed most of the fruit tree netting and managed to pull up and shred all the old corn stalks for the compost.

In the garden we harvested some eggplants, our first red capsicums of the season, some of the of last remaining zucchinis, a couple of straggly beans and some cayenne chillies. And after scouring through all the rogue tomato bushes across our block, look how many tomatoes I came up with! Better late than never I guess :)



Guess who is going to be cooking up a storm in the kitchen over the weekend?

My unloved soggy veggie garden

We had over 8 inches of rain last week. 8 INCHES!!!!

Luckily we are on a hill as it is very very squishy underfoot. But as I am typing this it is starting to rain AGAIN!! All I can think is Mother Nature must be very upset - that is a lot of tears!

Because of the weather (yes I am going to blame the weather here) I haven't given my veggie garden the love and attention it needs. It deserves really. Its been doing its own thing and growing wild, untamed, and I have only been visiting to feed and put the chooks to bed. And to take the odd veggie for dinner.

So I am posting some pictures to hopefully encourage me to get out there and plant the winter seedlings that have just about outgrown their little seedling trays.

OK motivation - hit me with your best shot!