#1195 School pancake day

I was sooo sure of myself when the fellow Mum brought it up yesterday.

“Have you heard about the big brekkie they’re doing?”

I laughed. “Oh yeah. I don’t have an issue there. Even if baby girl wants to go I’ll just tell here she’s usually sleeping at that time!”

Ha. I was soooo sure. I mean, she wouldn’t even want to go… who would want to go, if you had to get up earlier than normal to get to school just for a shared community breakfast?

I wasn’t even that sure what day it was happening.

She wouldn’t wanna go… would she?

Of course she would. Because as I soon found out, minutes after being so secure in my morning plans with that other Mum, the kids were let out and baby girl exclaimed excitedly – “Mama! We’re having pancakes tomorrow!”

So it WAS Friday.

“No you’re not. We’re not going.”

Sad face. “Awwww!”

Promising her pancakes on the weekend didn’t seem to help either.

It appears, the teachers had revved them all up right before pick-up.

Those rascally teachers.

So guess where I found myself this morning?

Eating pancakes with baby girl.

You know, when I made the calculations, it wasn’t all that hard. I didn’t even have to get her or myself up at an earlier time – we got up at the same time, and did all our getting-ready-for-school things, bar having breakfast, and then headed to school to arrive right after the hotcakes were flipping.

There were pancakes upon pancakes, fruit platters upon fruit platters, and I helped myself to a canteen hot chocolate to keep me warm in the morning winds…

And you know, it wasn’t all that bad. It was actually pretty cool. I mean hot. 😉

#1159 Thursday Night In

How on earth could I be celebrating a Thursday night in, for ALL of us?

Why, that would entail ALL of us being off tomorrow…

It may be school holidays for some… but it is also Good Friday for the rest of us 😉

Ahhh.

Watching Bachelor in Paradise with wine in hand, gasping intermittently at what is happening on-screen, with the 4 of us all sharing the couch – Hubbie, baby girl, me and Mister F! – well it was pretty cool.

A pretty great night, chilled on the couch and the best part? Relaxing in the knowledge we don’t have to get up early… none of us!

And despite the love hexagonal dramas, Mister F slept through it ALL. 🙂

#1143 Making and Baking

Today on her Pupil Free Day…

where baby girl was at home with me, rather than at school…

She found herself making

And baking

What a great opportunity today was to start on the Easter hat she will don for the parade at the end of term this Friday. It was a leisurely actively both chosen and imposed, for I have realised the sarcasm evident from the mouths of parents when they jokingly show overwhelming disdain for yet another project they have to help their child with.

Sure she decorated most of it, I helped with the fiddly bits of course… and it’s the fiddly bits that are the worst. I attached the strips to the bonnet the wrong way and it was showing up white, instead of green…

(Face palm).

PEEL OFF. Again we start.

We got there, in the end. And she was so super pleased with herself, she did her own little impromptu hat parade around the house.

And then of course, there were the scones.

I don’t know if it’s just unlucky coincidence that last time we made scones she was also sick. I don’t know if that means the act of planning to make scones make her sick (as I had planned on scones for today from last week) or if in fact I somehow predict on a subconscious level she is going to be sick, and therefore wish to protect ourselves from the fact by baking something homely and comforting to combat the unwelcome cold.

Nevertheless, the jam and cream upon pillow-y pieces of goodness made her happy. She lavished the spreads on generously, and if anything, the scones and hat made her forget she was sick… she was really only having, a well-timed day off.

#1132 The new black and white brood

It is a Friday night in March.

I am with baby girl, putting away laundry in her room, when I hear the familiar siren from the other room. Hubbie is flicking channels.

I haven’t heard that siren since September.

“Go and have a look at the TV,” I instruct to baby girl with a smile playing on my lips. “Go on.”

“Huh?” is her automatic response, but she does suit. Comes back utterly confused.

“Come with me.” She follows me back into the room. I point at the close-up of the player with his black and white striped top.

“Who’s that?”

Pause. “Magpies.”

Yep, footy is back. And the highlight of the night was her sheer dedication to them.

“Collingwood! Go on Collingwood, win!”

I looked at Hubbie, grinning wildly but also playing fair. “Hey, I’m not telling her to say that!”

He looks over at her. “You know you can go for another team too.”

“True,” I add. I turn to baby girl, about to play devil’s advocate. “You know, Tato goes for a team called Hawthorn, and they have a really good winning streak.”

She doesn’t skip a beat. “Tato goes for Hawthorn, and WE go for Collingwood.”

Oh God I can’t help laughing.

“I want Collingwood to win! Collingwood beat that team!”

“Oh honey, when it comes to winning, Collingwood isn’t always the winner. But when we barrack we don’t do it for the winning, we do it for the PASSION.”

(Which is just as well considering tonight’s score).

And after last year’s Grand Final debacle, where she witnessed about 10 people screaming at the TV in our home, decked out in magpie colours, for about 2 hours… well the moment was pretty much engrained in her…

I think black and white, and a decent dose of family devotion, is engrained in her now.

Speaking from experience, it’s pretty awesome, and one of the best way’s to bond. 🙂

GO PIES.

Photo by Hossein Ghaem on Unsplash

#1041 Chaddy shopping 4 days before Christmas

Am I mad? Yes. Yes, maybe I am.

I ventured out today with baby girl to Chadstone, arguably the biggest shopping centre precinct in the southern hemisphere.

At the end of a week, on a Friday.

Without Hubbie.

To shop.

4 days before Christmas.

Oh, the horror! She’s mad, mad I tell you!

But, I went in with a certain mindset.

I was in a really good mood. Sparkling, really. And I said to myself –

“Look SmikG. It might very well be hell in there. Getting in, getting around, and then getting out. And you have a child. Just expect the worse, and go with the flow.”

Along with my little pep talk, was my new little brand of awesome, being my recent Christmas-for-me purchase, my Be. Bangle.

For days when, you know, you need a little extra, you need that little bit of background encouragement, reminding you that all is good.

For days when you need to remember, simply, ‘You’ve Got This.’

And boy did I HAVE IT. If this is my track record with bangle, then damn, I am sleeping with the thing for the sweetest of dreams, because…

BEST run in.

A fairly decent car park that didn’t take long at all to find.

A subsequent 4 hours where baby girl and I shopped ’til we dropped.

And then, an easy exit.

WHAT?!?! Are you freaking kidding me?

Yep. ALL TRUE.

Christmas shopping pretty much done, and I am super grateful to say the least. 🙂

#985 Not just any Friday

It may have been just an ordinary day today for most people. But it wasn’t for us.

And sure, Fridays are a hell of a lot more fun that all of those earlier weekdays, and yet, it still had special significance beyond being that fun ‘end-of-weekdays’, day.

It was Hubbie’s birthday, and while he still had to partake in the ordinary and work, we did our damn best to make it a little special.

Baby girl and I surprised him by showing up at his work in the morning with cake.

And at the end of the night at home, we brought up yet another cake, a tiny little mini one, lit up with a blue candle and EVERYTHING, and sang to him.

Photo by Audrey Fretz on Unsplash

♥♥♥

We did our best to make him feel happy, and special… but I think the best thing he got was baby girl telling him it was his birthday, repeatedly, and jumping into his arms.

It’s worth having a birthday, just for that. 🙂

#978 Red Wine Friday

You know what is better than red wine?

Red wine on a Friday? No, BETTER than that (and it ain’t red wine on a Saturday either…)

Red wine… on a Friday… when you have abstained from it for SO LONG.

AHHH. That first sip just hits you right there. And then you wonder –

“My love… Where have you been all this time?”

(And why the hell didn’t I bring you to the party sooner?!?!)

Drinking a glass at the end of a long day, a long week, to “cheers!” the beginning of night and the happiness that the weekend brings… well it is more than necessary. It is obligatory.

I think I may need to bring my ‘friend’ to the party, tomorrow night too… 😉

#hubbielovestomatosauce #noseriouslyhedrinksit