My husband does 90% of the cooking, 70% of cleaning and washing, and generally is able to do more physically for our kids than I am.

My mother drops the kids at school each morning, helps me with shopping when needed, and picks the kids up again after school.

Alaina Giordano has lost custody of her children in a family court ruling, because she has stage IV breast cancer.
Which, from what I saw, seems to affect their day-to-day life less than CFS affects ours.

Watch this video, and tell me if you think that you would continue to have custody of your children.

I know I wouldn’t.

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Grandma!
Do you know what Mummy and Daddy do at night sometimes?

Now, imagine the thoughts going through my mother’s head.

Does she really want to know what her only daughter and her husband get up to together at night?

Has Mr Bump been peeking through his parents’ bedroom door?

What exactly should she say if he has seen something best left unmentioned?

Grandma, to Mr Bump: What is it, sweetie?

(cringing ever so slightly)

Mr Bump: They stay up until midnight, watching TV!

Grandma: Oh…

(sagging against the fridge in relief)

Mr Bump: I can’t wait until I’m grown up and can do that.

We’ve all learnt something new about chicken pox this week, so I thought I’d share it in the hope that it would save your child some suffering.

The new information on how to treat chicken pox is to keep the skin moist, to avoid sores drying out and scarring. This also helps to stop some of the itching.

So, since calamine lotion and bicarb soda are drying agents, they’re no longer considered the best treatment.

We chose a combination of products to help the Bump get through this week of major itching.

1. An antihisthamine

This helps to reduce the rash by limiting the body’s reaction to toxins.

We chose Phenergan, because of its’ sedative qualities, and gave the Bump the recommended amount for sedation. It didn’t put him to sleep (but that’s just him), but it did relax and calm him.

2. A bath additive

Soaking in something to soothe and moisturise the skin will stop those itchy sores from becoming dry and itchier.

Pinetarsol was recommended by our local chemist (who is also a friend), and although it turns the bathwater a “pee-yellow” colour, it’s been very effective. It took the redness right out of the Bump’s sores, and he had a pretty good night’s sleep afterwards.

3. A lotion

Something to relieve the itch and moisturise the skin between baths is important, too.

Our chemist friend told us that Pine Tar is the best product for this, and we can use it afterwards to treat the kidz’ excema and mozzie bites.

This is Wren’s investiture ceremony for Cub Scouts.

She has been waiting for this night with such anticipation, and she’s so very proud.

As are we.

Our Wren is the only girl in a troop with two sixes (is that the right terminology?).

There’s another girl being invested(?) next week, but I believe they did Wren’s first
because she came along before any other girls, which kind of takes guts at 8.

{just think of all those boy germs!}

Good on you, Wren.

You look great in uniform!

• requests that the lounge cushions be reassembled,
• sloppy wet kisses,
• scolding for mud-throwing,
• praising for sharing,
• cuddles,
• fetching drinks,
• tickles,
• orders to clean up lego now please,
• cleaning up spilt drinks,
• smiling at silly jokes and…

Well, you get the picture.

And I fell in love with this beautiful poem.

Song for a Fifth Child

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Only, I needed just the two babies to become the mother whose house is so shocking.