When I went to put Elsie’s lunchbox in her backpack yesterday morning, I found in there her reading diary from last year, a few sheets of colouring in with Indonesian words and phrases written on them and lots of worksheets, mostly unfinished. (No lunchbox though, thank heavens. I have taught her to do that much.) Things … Continue reading Getting up earlier? It works.
Nothing really matters
Anyone ever feel that since you’ve had kids, you're on page 1 and that your partner has skipped ahead and is up around page 27? And that once the kids are in bed, there’s a chance that you might be able to get back on the same page, but you’re too exhausted to even do … Continue reading Nothing really matters
A letter to the woman who drove our children to town this morning
Dear Nasty Lady, How are you? I’m fine. Actually, I take back the ‘how are you?’ because you’d have answered with some sort of pained statement containing an expletive about socks or something about needing a stubby. We really enjoyed the school holidays. It was all very relaxed and fun. I’m sorry you missed it … Continue reading A letter to the woman who drove our children to town this morning
Filling our needs
I remember learning about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in Psychology at uni. Something about food and shelter, which I translated to souvlakis and Naughton’s Pub. Tony Robbins has since named six human needs, arguing that deep down we all need certainty and variety, to feel important and part of a community, to contribute and grow. … Continue reading Filling our needs
I did up her buttons. Apparently I just ruined our child.
We’re late. We need to be out the door. But you’re doing up your buttons. There’s three of them. So we’re going to be at least 30 more seconds late. And I still have to strap you into your carseat and unstrap you when we get there. That’s another 8 seconds. I’ll carry you to … Continue reading I did up her buttons. Apparently I just ruined our child.
The only workout you’ll ever have to do
I picked the hoop up off the kitchen floor before anyone else tripped on it. And before I put it away with all the toys, I stepped into it to and lifted it to my waist. Surely it’s like riding a bike. It’s not. What the? It can’t be that hard. I flung it around … Continue reading The only workout you’ll ever have to do
Is your glass half full?
There’s an old saying, 'Why use a picture when you can say a thousand words?’ Some people get it around the wrong way. This month, Fat Mum Slim has a photo-a-day challenge. She’s given a list of 30 prompts and is encouraging people to get on board and take a photo a day using the … Continue reading Is your glass half full?
Leaving things til the last minute
Take a rubber band. Stretch it. Now place it over an empty toilet paper roll. Staple it there all the way around. Now try to stretch the rubber band. This simple experiment would have helped me last night before I sewed the ruffle on the elastic neck of Elsie's Book Week Parade costume. Three weeks … Continue reading Leaving things til the last minute
My new invention: modified baby carrier
Maeve was excited when we picked up Elsie’s new birthday puppy. ‘I’m not getting a puppy, am I?’ she double-checked as we drove into the breeder’s gate. On the way, we’d shown them a photo of the pup that we were going to pick up. Elsie held the phone, looking at the photo the breeder … Continue reading My new invention: modified baby carrier
Writing by Larissa Patton 