7th January

Today was another stay at home day.  The weather has been terrible, and normally my kids go crazy being cooped up for so long, but they are having so much fun!  I'm on an organising bender, so I'm happy to potter about.  The kids are just happy to play with all their new Christmas stuff and are being ridiculously well behaved with each other - I'm hoping that keeps up!  They've always played well together, but nothing like now.  Sometimes, I barely interact with them for hours.  Ok, I know that kinda sounds neglectful, but what I mean is they are so engrossed with each other and their games - I'm left out.  I'm just the one they come to with that wonderfully whiny voice saying "I'm hungry, what can we eat"  But after loading them up with picnic plates for their latest camping/birthday party/sleepover game, I'm redundant again.  Suits me though, means I'm getting lots of organising done and catching up on whatever I want. 

It's kind of sad now though, knowing that this incredible little twosome is about to be split 5 days a week. 

This afternoon the kids and Duane had a hair appointment, mainly to de-shag Xav and Duane and just to give Grace a "heading to school" trim up.  Man, I can't believe how much the boys have to get their hair cut, they  easily spend more money/time getting their locks tidied than Grace and I.  Xav's hair seems to grow in time with the grass, and with all the rain we've had lately both are growing rapidly!

It's a fight between the kids who gets to go first.  Xav absolutely loves someone playing with his hair, it sends him into a trance and he nearly falls asleep.  I usually place myself within catching distance, as there have been a few time's he's nodded off and slipped.   Back when he had his first hair cut, I was all for keeping "length" and his curls, but now I just tell her to go short as she can without looking prison-like. 

Gracie on the other hand, has only had 3 haircuts in her life.  It's something she's a but bummed about, being the girly-girl that she is, getting your "hair done" is a necessity.  She just had a little trim, getting rid of the fine, wispy ends.  Grace has the most gorgeous coloured hair, it's the exact colour I'd love my hair if I could be bothered keeping up with the maintenance of dyeing.

 

Our hairdressers cat had kittens 5 weeks ago, which could quite possible be some of the cutest things I've ever seen.  Xav took a real liking to one little kitten, and judging by the way he sat with Xav the whole time, the feeling was mutual! I don't think the kids have patted or played with little kittens before, so there was lots of begging and pleading to take 1 home.  Duane's not a cat person at all, so that is never going to happen.  We do have chickens and dogs, so I guess he has a point.

Speaking of chickens.  Ours have been very sporadic with their laying over the last week or so.  Last Monday I spent the morning pacing up and down out side the laying boxes, waiting for another 2  eggs to add to the pavlova I was making.  Not one came through with the goods.  Then today, we saw a random egg up the side of the chook-house.  After closer inspection, we stumbled across a muddy pile of stashed eggs - 19 all up!   Damn chooks had found a preferable place to lay.   On the upside, I've got a ton of eggs to make yummy omeletes and maybe even a big pavlova!

And, just another cute photo to end on.  Xav has become a big lover of mango sorbet.  I bought a tub the other day, but he couldn't eat any as it stung his mouth.  So now he is catching up on all the sorbet he missed out on!  Lucky the tubs only small and won't be replaced for a while.

Weekend activities

I've had a wonderful weekend! A perfect one before life is just a blur of study and exams.

Saturday we made a last minute decision to do a cake smash for my lovely little God-daughter, Lucie. Only 2 months overdue, but still a perfect age to get some super cute photos. Lucie had a few diva moments, which can only be described as hilarious. Nicole keeps on saying how much of a handful she is, and talking about the tantrums she is throwing - I don't believe a word of it! Whenever I see her she is so sweet and adorable - full of cheek and cuteness, with a generous helping of fiestiness!

~~Adorable much?~~

Sunday, after a lazy family morning in bed, we headed to the nursery's to stock up on seedlings for the vegie patch. I'd cleared it out a few weeks ago and topped it up with new soil, ready for the next round of vegies to go in. We bought some strawberry plants, lettuce, spring onion, rocket, oregano, basil, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas and zucchini. I'd already planted some seeds and had a few seedlings ready to go, so they filled in the gaps. We also bought Grace a passionfruit vine to grow in her fairy garden over the arch.

After stocking up on goodies for the garden, I decided to lead us up the garden path and suggested a drive to a playground in the hinterland that I'd heard people raving about. After about 30 mins of driving, and me insisting that it must be close, Duane realised that the fuel gauge was becoming scarily close to empty. We pulled over into a picnic area and interrupted a party to see if anyone knew where the closest petrol station was - Nerang! So we headed back home, with upset children as they didn't get to visit the "cool" playground as promised. Oh well, another time when we have both petrol and directions!

The afternoon was spent planting the crops. Xav and Grace diligently dug all the holes and delicately placed in the seedlings. The chooks paced up and down the fence line, no doubt planning their attack.

Speaking of chooks, I don't think that I've mentioned it before, but we have 2 new additions. After the passing of Dulcie, my clucky (if only it was for the baby variety!) was eagar to add to the flock. So we headed out to our chook lady to find out about introducing some newbies. Grace and Xav chose a chook each: Grace chose a Red Hampshire and called her "Sassy", whilst Xav picked out a gorgeous grey Leghorn and named her "Jet". We've had them for about 4 weeks now and they have both settled in nicely. They spent the first few weeks looked up in the chook house during the day, watching forlornly as Henny, Silkie and Bertha had free range of the front yard. Our chook lady had suggested keeping them separate to avoid any chicken territorial fighting. We let them out to join in on the weekend, and everyone has gotten along perfectly! Hopefully won't be too much longer and they'll both be contributing to our daily egg supply.

The other project we completed on the weekend was the paper mache volcano that has been on the "to do" list for a while now. The kids had a blast ripping up newspaper and getting messy with the glue. We all laughed and giggled whilst layering up the wet, pasty paper. Duane had the fantastic idea of using the left over black crepe paper from Xav's birthday party as the last layer - saved having to wait for it to dry and then paint! It took a few days to dry, so we haven't had a chance to make it explode - but Grace has asked to take it along as show and tell, so we'll save the explosion for then.

Actually, on the subject of school, there is something very exciting happening tomorrow. My little boy is having his very first day at Pre-school!!! I didn't want him to start childcare until he was three and could go along with Grace and low and behold that time is now! He's going to be going every Wednesday, and although I'm so excited for him to be joining in on the fun times that Grace has, I'm sad that my little baby boy is starting the journey to school. The last 3 years have gone so quickly, and now he's growing up and ready to be learning and playing in a structured environment. Xav's over the moon though, and so excited that finally he gets to stay. He loves it up there, and he is going to have a fantastic time. He told me today that "Grace is going to protect me, and if anyone hits me she is going to give me a cuddle" Awwww....sweet little children! I just hope that Grace isn't the one hitting him!! They have been a bit volatile with each other lately, so I hope that having them together will not create any problems. Xav loves playing with all Grace's friends, especially Cassie, so I hope that doesn't create dramas either.

He's been a bit fiesty this week and Duane and I have had many moments where we say to each other "Good luck to them on Wednesday!". He's such a sociable little boy and very confidant, so I'm not expecting too many adjustment issues on his part - not sure about the tranquil envinroment he invade though!!

Goodbye Dulcie...

~~Silkie with her eggs, Dulcie is in one of them~~

We've had to deal with death this week. Our sweet little Dulcie chook passed away, leaving one very sad little girl. Only the day before Grace and I had been talking and she was getting quite teary when I mentioned that Daisy and Lily were getting older. She said she didn't want them to get old, cause that would mean that they would die and she didn't want that to happen. The sweet little girl was so sad thinking about her dogs not being around anymore. I assured her that although they were getting older, they still could live for many more years.

It was the next day that we came home to find our little Dulcie belly-up in her favourite position beside the swing. We are not really sure what happened to her, she had no marks on her and had been laying for the previous few days. I'm just hoping that it's not something that can be passed on to the other chooks.

Xav was very nonchalant about it all, suggesting that we bring her inside and he'd "fix" her. Not a good idea considering it would most likely involve prodding with the thermometer, and he doesn't appear to have a very gentle bedside manner. Grace immediately burst into tears and sobbed her little heart out. In between gasping sadness, she gave Dulcie a pat and asked to go inside to make some pictures for her.
She drew the following:

~~Dulcie's house~~

~~Dulcie~~

And then this one which nearly had her Father weeping:

~~The egg that Dulcie came out of~~

We were all there watching as the 3 chooks broke out of their eggs. It was an amazing experience and a beautiful act of nature for the kids to see.

Grace was upset for the rest of the day and night, she was particularly sad that Silkie wouldn't have her baby anymore and that she would really miss her. We had the heaven talk, which confused Grace a little as she figured if Dulcie could fly up there she may as well come back to us! She put her pictures in the box and Duane buried her up at his work.

~~Baby Dulcie

Goodbye sweet Dulcie xx

Chook security

It was 5am and I was sleeping in bed, enjoying lazy cuddles from my littlest baby who had snuck in sometime overnight.

I heard a few strange noises coming from the chooks, but rolled over and figured as Duane was already up, he could deal with it.

The chooks kept cackling and making their loud "honking" noise, then it sounded like a scuffle and I heard the flap of wings and louder honking.

I stumbled out of bed (remember 5am), expecting to find Duane on the couch either asleep or enjoying his Internet time (I allocate 12 midnight-6am to him!) Nope, not around anywhere.

The chooks had fully ramped the noise up by now. I opened the front door and just as I did a black cat slunk under the front gate and ran away. I quickly did a head count of the chooks, hoping that the cat hadn't just enjoyed his breakfast. The front yard was scattered in feathers, but none of the chooks looked injured.

I really didn't think the chooks could get any louder, but they did, especially Henny. She was honking so damn loudly, with her head high in the air and her chest thrust out, obviously trying to look scary to the intruder.

I tried everything to get her to shut up, remembering its 5am and I'm sure the neighbours where not sympathising with the chooks being scared by a cat. She just would not stop. I called Duane, firstly asking what the hell he was doing at work so damn early, then shoving the phone into the open air so he could hear the lovely sound everyone else and I were not enjoying.

Apparently he had gone up early to chip and putt, my guess is its to eat the coco pops and nutri grain that the club supplies for breakfast - not sure whats wrong with the Aldi weet-bix that he gets here?? Anyway, he suggested a few things and none of the worked. She was just getting honkier and honkier (ok, I know that's not even a word), pacing up and down in front of the cats escape route. I threw some seed out, Dulcie and Silkie gobbled it up but not Miss Henny. Bertha had the right idea, after I came out she went back to bed. Smart girl.

I ran inside and raided the cupboards for rice bubbles, normally her favourite. Nope, still damn honking (I'm not even sure if the noise sounded like honking, but I can't think of anything else to describe the lovely-not tones) The 2 other chooks awake gobbled up the bubbles, whilst Henny carried on, not caring about the treats.

Pea, she loves frozen peas. So I raced inside and grabbed the peas out of the freezer, still hearing loud and clear the constant noise. I scattered nearly a full bag of peas all over the front lawn, I didn't care I just wanted the noises to stop.

She started to look a bit interested, the honking slowed down and then became more sporadic. I knew then that I had her weakness. She started lowering her beak to the ground, then shut the hell up, and ate the peas in peace.

I tell you, if I'd had an axe and a jar of Chicken tonight, she would have been dinner.

But the chook lays good eggs, even if she does hide them in the front garden. We found a stash of a dozen the other day that she had layed under the cycad.

The kids didn't not even stir and its 6.30am now, they are still tucked up in bed (Grace in hers and Xav in ours).

On the upside, gosh its beautiful outside in the early morning.

Back in cyberspace

Yippee! I'm back in net land and not a moment too soon - things were getting ugly for me without my beloved computer! My fingers are happy again now that they can tinker away at the keyboard.

My computer decided to have the hissyfit of all hissyfits, apparently the Ram and hard drive both failed. Thank goodness for extended warranty though and now my precious little one is being all fixed up at no expense to me except my sanity as I fret for its return. Dramatic much? Obviously my moaning about being computerless made friends pity me, as I was lent a lovely little laptop to tide me over.

I know I rely on it way too much, but it wasn't until I didn't have it that I realised that I may be relying on my laptop just a little too much. Just as an example, I had to make a call to Tas and instead of jumping on the computer and looking up the number on Whitepages.com I had to do it the old fashioned way. Problem was, I couldn't for the life of me remember the directory number. Now I really should have just checked in the phone book, but forgetting about this archaic resource tucked at the back of the cupboard, I text a friend in Tasmania to look the number up in their phone book. All up this little exercise took way longer, thanks to my lack of Internet access.

Apart from not being able to look up things, being offline meant I was a little lost with what to do of a night once the kids are in bed. Normally I'd sit on the lounge flicking between websites and researching my latest fads. Instead I returned to watching TV, and with a few exceptions, most of it is crap. After not watching it for ages, I really noticed how violent and horrible some of the shows are and couldn't believe that a lot of the ads for these shows are shown at time that kids may be watching. Thank goodness my kids only watch a few select shows very rarely. Some weeks pass by without the Tv even being turned on before the kids are in bed. I have been letting that watch idol of a Sunday night, even though Casey got the boot last week and Grace is devastated! I have discovered the show "United States of Tara" and have set up my recorder to tape that each week.

Anyway, I'm back online now and have had a lovely time catching up on all my blogs, paying dreaded bills and trawling through facebook updates.

I figure that me having access to the Internet actually saves us money. Yep, if it wasn't for google and all its wonderful information I wouldn't have been able to practice my veterinary skills on Henny the chook. Ok, probably not a very smart move, but I think we have had success and saved $$ from not having to go to the vets.

I noticed last week that Henny had been limping a bit, upon closer inspection I realised the reason. Her foot had a huge swollen lump that was hot to touch and looked very uncomfortable. I called the breeder and she suggested that I put her on some ab's to hopefully fight of the infection, she also advised not to eat her eggs whilst she was on the Ab's. Luckily I had an un-opened bottle of liquid ab's in the fridge (no idea why it hadn't been tossed already??) from when Grace was having tummy pains. I'd gotten the script filled and was waiting to see if a uti was confirmed until I gave it to her, luckily she didn't need it. Getting henny to take them wasn't too much trouble, she loves rice bubbles so I soaked it in a bowl and sectioned her off from the other chooks to eat. We did this for 2 days, with no signs of improvement.

So after getting access to a computer, I consulted Dr Google and diagnosed Henny with a case of "bumblefoot". Apparently its a staph infection that is fairly common in poultry, usually entering the system through a cut/scrape or bruise. After a bit more searching, I came across step-by-step instructions on how to perform the surgery yourself. Now I'm generally quite squeamish about things involving a mixture of cutting, blood and pus, but the thought of saving myself $300++ at the vets was very appealing. The website promised that it wouldn't hurt the chicken and the vets don't even use an anaesthetic for it.

So, the surgery area was prepped, hands were scrubbed and the Penney theatre was opened. Duane went and plucked Henny from her night time sleep and she was bought in. I'd read (thank God for Google!) that flipping the bird (literally!) over onto their back and stroking the breast bone would put them in a slight trance, making the surgery easier. Duane was on chicken holding duty and under strict instructions to keep beaks and claws away from me, he was to take the wrath of any chicken crankiness.

I scrubbed her foot pad with betadine, then went in for the first step - cutting it open. Ok, this was a little tricky to start with, but soon enough we had an opening. Pus poured out, it was both disgusting and satisfying knowing that I was ridding Henny of all the horrible poison. I had to massage around the opening, trying to get all the pus out and also to look for the abscess. After much squishing around, finally a little white kernal thing came to the surface. I got it to come out, along with more pus and blood. I figured then that it was all out, so started to put on the tea-tree oil but started to come over very dizzy. I had to leave Duane to finish off as I contemplated vomiting up in the bathroom or passing out on the floor. I finally staggered up to my bedroom and layed down to fight of the overwhelming urge to purge.

Duane doused the wound in tee tree oil, then put her back out in the hen house. After half hour or so, I was feeling better so went back on trusty google to double check that I had done everything right. Seems I should have bandaged up the wound to stop other infection from entering, so the theatre was set up again and once again Henny was dragged from her sleep.

I re-checked the wound and realised that another abscess kernel was in there. According to my instructions, these all had to be removed to ensure the infection cleared. I then realised that another area of the foot looked like it was infected, so I went in for the second cut and clearing out of the wound. Cutting this one was a bit tougher, so I soaked her foot in a salt water solution for 10 mins to make it easier to cut. Finally it was soft enough, so the incision was made and all the gunk cleaned out. After all the gory bits were over and done with, it was time for the bandage to go on. Now, trying to get a bandage to stay on scaly chicken legs is not that easy. My first attempt fell straight off as soon as Henny stood up, so it was time to bring in the big guns. Masking tape and kiddy bandaids. I bandaged all around the claws, then went round and round and round and round and round with good old reliable masking tape. This baby was staying on.

So, there is my first attempt at chicken surgery. I wont start offering my services until Henny has made a full recovery, which hopefully happens by next week.

~~Henny not looking too impressed with her flower bandaid~~

Quick update

I started this post a few days ago and for some strange reason whenever I save it as a draft it publishes. It's just a lazy update on whats happening in the Penney household at the moment.

Me - I joined up to Weight Watchers last night and I am determined to loose at least 7 kgs, hopefully 10! I've always hovered around 67kgs, but after having Xav its slowly crept up to around 74 (even though my scales say 72kg), so I thought it was about time to stop calling the extra kg's "baby weight", (especially since my baby is now 2! ) and do something about it. So my mil and I joined up and Nicole is going to come along next week too. It'll help having each other to stay on track and keep motivated. Plus, I'm going to pay a month in advance at a time, so having already paid will keep me going back as I'd hate not to get the value out of it. I'm hoping to loose 1/2kg a week, and hopefully by Christmas I'll be under 67. I don't find following weight watchers all that hard, I did it just before I was married and lost 10kgs quite easily, getting down to about 57kgs. I just have to remember to drink lots of water, watch my portions sizes and make an effort to exercise more. Sounds easy hey? My weigh ins are on a Thursday, so in an effort to keep myself accountable I'll put my stats on every Friday. Crap, now I have to stick it out!

I am also getting very excited about the upcoming birth of Bubba Dew. Trude been one of my best friends for over 10 years and I feel so honoured and privileged that she has asked me as a support person to her birth. She is looking & feeling fantastic, especially considering she is 41 weeks tomorrow. I set up a "guess the stats" game, and every ones birthday guess has been and gone - except for Trude. The crazy girl is wanting to go over, she's even hoping to make it to 7/8/09, which takes her to 11 days over her due date. She has been desperate to avoid family birthdays, but after midnight tonight it's a clear run, so really she can go any time. My psychic abilities are crap, every night for the last week I have thought "tonight's the night", and every night nothing happens.

I feel like a lovesick teenager, obsessively checking my phone for the call out, even calling it from my home phone just making sure it works. Just thinking about her & Murray becoming parents makes my eyes spring leaks. Seeing them meet their little boy for the first time and witnessing the moment where they go from a couple to a family is going to be so precious. I have tried to describe to them how amazing birth & parenthood is, and I'm sure they think they know. But it truly is something that you just don't get until you've done it. nobody can explain to you the immense feeling of love as you've never known it before. I also can't wait to meet their precious little boy - he has chosen a very special family to join. Gosh, I know this little fella is going to send my hormones spinning - but I must stay strong and keep repeating, "In a few years, In a few years".

Grace - She's being a typical 3 1/2 y/o and perfecting which buttons of mine to press. Man, she drives me batty sometimes, mainly with the whinging and constant chatter. Shes asleep beside me now and looking like an absolute angel who could do no wrong. She is lovely, caring and thoughtful most of the time, it's just a few times in the day that she has me hollering like a mad women and ready to ship her off to boarding school. I know that at the moment my patience is thin with her, not really sure why. I think it has a lot to do with being together so much. I love spending time with her, but really the only break we have from each other is on a Tuesday and snippets during the week. I'm going to have a chat with Duane and arrange for 1 afternoon that he takes the kids out every week. he normally does, it's just these last few weeks we have been doing things around the house of an afternoon, but I'm finding I want some time home by myself.

She has been very sweet lately and learning lots of wonderful things at pre-school and her new playgroup. Duane and I both been going along with her to the playgroup, which she absolutely loves. It's at the Steiner school and runs from 1pm-3pm on a Thursday. It's lots of singing, storytelling, craft as well as inside and outside play. The kids also make their own bread rolls which are baked during the session and ready for them to eat on the way home. Whilst the kids are playing the parents do craft. Duane took her last time by himself and got stuck sewing a felt whale, which I thought was hilarious (he didn't!). This week I started finger knitting a flower garland that Grace will wear at the Spring Festival.

Grace is also loving pre-school and is really starting to feel comfortable there. She is still only going one day a week, but from next year it will be 2 days. The teachers are always telling me how great she is and how much she loves doing all the outside things. She's always wanting to visit the worms, play in the veggie patch and potter around in the garden. Apparently she is always polite, friendly and willing to help with anything. The kids are encouraged to help clean, cook and prepare the food - which Grace really enjoys doing. Last Tuesday she told me that she spent most of the indoor time polishing the bookcases - sounds thrilling. Maybe I should save the fees and just have her do my housework!

The Dogs - The dogs nearly got the boot the other day. I woke early before the kids and thought I'd head out for a cup of tea in the peace and quiet. All was happy in my world, until I noticed random bits of green and yellow plastic all around the dining area. On closer inspection I realised it was my LIMITED EDITION Silicone cupcake moulds, damn dogs had dragged them of the bench where I had left them last night after making individual apple pies. Out of the 6, 5 were now laced with canine teeth marks - and even though Tupperware has a fantastic guarantee, I really don't think that being used as a dog chew toy comes under normal wear and tear. Those bloody dogs better hope that research keeps getting released sprouting the benefits of pet ownership, or their time at the Penney residence could be nearly up. Man, why don't' Labradors ever grow up. I mean they are 7 & 8, surely they should be out of the stage of chewing things up? Lucky they are cute most of the time.

The chooks - Well turns out 2 of the babies that we hatched were roosters. Kinda gave it away when the both started wanting "special" cuddles with the other chooks, well actually it was their Mum they harassed the most. Sounds a little incestuous, but I guess technically she was just the incubator as it wasn't any of her eggs so really they weren't related. Either way, chicken sex & crowing was not a good combo to have happening in the front yard. I didn't mind the crowing, but I'm sure the neighbours weren't too impressed with the 4.30am wake up calls. So Frizzle and Da were shipped of to Duane's friends farm and apparently have fitted in well. Also was goof to know that the guy doesn't eat chicken - not that he would get much of their skinny frames. They have the run of a huge area and lots of hens to hit on, so perfect for them. I do miss having them around though. Although they weren't tame enough that we could pick them up, they were both friendly and also beautiful looking roosters. Frizzle is a "frizzle" breed, with beautiful soft brindle coloured feathers that actually grow backwards. Named by the children of course because of the breed, original hey!

~~Frizzle with Da in the background~~

Da is the other chicken, who had a name change after the humping and crowing incidents. Grace had called him Trudy, but after turning into a rooster we change the name to Da. Why Da? Well Xav likes to mess around with people, and insists on only saying "Da" when he is around Trudy, even though he can say a gazillion other things. Da is a small brindle bantam that in the sunlight is a green/black colour. He was the gentleman of the hen house, always waiting outside on dusk to make sure all the other chooks were tucked up in bed. Only once everyone else was in did he head off to bed.

~~Da, Frizzle and their incubater Silkie~~

The other chooks are all happy. Why wouldn't they be though really. They get to wander around out the front from the crack of dawn, eating the kids breakfast leftovers and any other food scraps that they choose. All we ask from them is an egg a day and to stay out of the veggie patch - otherwise everything else is free reign. They really are fantastic animals to have though. I initially was hesitant, thinking that chooks would need a larger area but they are fine on our little 800sq suburban block. Sending the kids out to collect the 3 eggs a day is a big bonus, and then cracking them open and seeing clear egg white and a big orange yolk. Nothing beats it.

I often catch Henny & Bertha nestled in a dust whole, looking like a couple of old bitties having a gossip:

~~"You don't say Bertha!~~