Be still, keep quiet

I have a little bowl of prayer cards [encouragement cards, upliftment cards... I can't remember what they're called - a little visitor of ours, who was staying here once, took the instruction sheet from the bowl and I never found it again] in our entrance foyer. The LGBB likes to poke around in them and occasionally, she'll bring one to me and tell me, "This one's yours, Mummy."

Today, she pulled out the purple one for me on the top. And the blue one for herself. Given her stellar efforts of late, I believe it ought to have been the other way around. Lord knows she needs a bit more of the purple card and a little less of the blue *eyes turning skyward to the Heavens*

Gabbin' with Lol

In our continuing foray into the daily 40-minute hair-tear that is Dressing the Independent Toddler, I ensured I was ready this morning. Ready and had nothing else to do, so that I didn't grow impatient while the LGBB procrastinated to her heart's content while "dressing" herself.

I tossed her undies over to her and said, "Okay, put your undies on please."

Without hesitating, you know what my 3 year-old did? Bent down, picked them up (never taking her stare off me and with an impish glint in her eyes).... and put them on her head. How can I argue with that? They're on, aren't they? Literal Lolly then fell about laughing at herself. Hey, if no one else can appreciate your humour, it's healthy to at least enjoy it yourself, right? It was hysterical and we both had a good belly laugh. It was, honestly, one of the funniest things I've seen in a while. Sorry, Rove...

Reminds me of the story Steve's mother loves to tell about the time when he was about 5 and was asked to blow his nose. So he jutted his bottom lip out and blew air up to his nose.

See what I have to put up with?? Now there's TWO of them!!

Oh, aren't they so funny. Blah, blah, blah.

At the risk of my life (and this post may disappear...)

(when he finds out I posted this, that is)

I give you just about the nicest thing ANYONE has EVER said to me.

It comes off the back of Steve's 20 year high school reunion, a get together of nearly his entire year (including some of the earlier drop outs) and the turnout was strong. He was able to piece together some of the good times he'd had but has forgotten - a trait of an uber-genius, I think, is sometimes that tendency to do away with "inefficient" information from the brain to make room for more current, short term memory stuff. Just the way he's wired, I guess.

So. To today. And the email I received, after quite ashamedly spending the last couple of days sort of mulling over my own not-so-great-times with Steve and wondering if he had any regrets, now that he'd caught up with lost buddies, old flames, brief flings and so forth.

The confirmation that, yes of course, we are a team. He and me.

Hi Girl,

Been looking at lots of photos and talking to people from High School over the last few days.

Had several conversations on Saturday night about sliding doors and how peoples lives ended up where they did.

Anyway I said it to them and need to say to you how happy I am that I took the doors I did and I have You, Ella and Lauryn in my life.

If I do not email you now I will forget to tell you between dishes and sleep.

Love Lenny

And so I just need to say, when he reads this entry, a big hug and a thank you are awaiting you. Y'know. Just in case I forget. Or snap at you as soon as you walk through the door. It's not you I'm snapping at. I'm snapping at me, being snappy, when I know you've lost a little bit of that girl you used to call Girl more often. We've both changed. Sometimes, on the surface, it doesn't feel like it's "for the better".

But in the long run, with you I know I have been enriched in my life.

And you'd better be serious about doing the dishes.

Banking on her logic

Last week, the LGBB received her first bank deposit book. I explained to her how she could count the money in her piggy bank, then take her coins to the bank and give the bank teller a deposit slip with the amount in her piggy bank written on it. The teller would keep her money at the bank for her so that she could keep filling it.

The LGBB listened earnestly to my explanation. She was suitably impressed at the suggestion.

Then the conversation turned to what she might like to save up for.

Me: What do you think you might like to buy when you save up all your money from your piggy bank?

LGBB: *without much pause, saying decidedly* A car. And a bigger piggy bank.


I. LOVE. HER.

My very most favourite one of all

It's a little known song (and only the short 1:50 version is on the album, Thriller) but I looooooove this and cannot ever get it out of my head when I hear it. Which, thanks to the LGBB's ongoing obsession with the one-gloved wonder, is daily these days....

The man was a supreme talent. Straight up.

The ungrateful wench

I'm just feeling like the worst person in the universe today. I am so resentful of my head being invaded hour upon hour upon minute upon second of every damn day - what isn't filled with work of one kind or another is taken up by this little person who never, ever seems to spend any time on her own. Why can't we just be here, existing, for just a few minutes without having to talk to each other??

We've certainly hit another "stage". Just curious: is there one that is recognisable by the incessant "No"s to anything you suggest? Or anything that doesn't involve your input, I should clarify. And whining like the sky is falling down at every little thing? The only distraction is TV and that is too much of a trap for me to fall into on a long term basis. Sometimes, a day will pass and I'll think, 'Gee, she didn't watch anything today' and that is far too rare these days for my liking.

I feel so awful for wishing she would go away - to another room... hell, I'd be happy for 3 metres - but I need space. I have other things to think about (all directly or indirectly related to her health and wellbeing, like washing, shopping, cleaning, cooking) and I have just HAD THE HELL ENOUGH today.

I can't do it today. I'd create a sibling, I think, if I could. Just to satisfy my nagging curiosity that she and I would be better off with another person in the house. I think I would opt for siblings fighting than having her hanging off me every day for the past 3+ years. I wouldn't mind so much if she moved away and entertained herself every so often. And I guess I should be flattered - heck, I've got to be the ONLY toy she's never grown tired of - but aaaaaaaaaaargh, god, I cannot play one more game or wait while she slowwwwwwwly takes her sweet time doing *whatever* and knowing I am the captive audience of one.

Help me! Fecking drowning today and not liking it one iota.

Plotting

"One day, my pretties... One day. MOO-ha ha ha haaaa"

The LGBB ponders her next move with the pawns below, on a trip to Eureka Skydeck in Melbourne, the highest residential building in the world (unless you count the tower on that pesky Q1 building on the Gold Coast, apparently...).