Scaling the Heights

When you have tall people in the family, you get used to 'hiring' them out to strangers.

It isn't unusual for us to be approached in the supermarket by shorter people, asking if my husband can get something down off the top shelf for them. He always says yes and usually jokes with them that they, in return, should get him something from the bottom shelf, 'so I don't have to bend all the way down there.'

Last week, it happened with my teenager. We were in Brisbane and had called in at Hungry Jacks to grab some lunch before driving home. I was standing in line with my boys, waiting to order, when I was approached by an older woman who said, 'Excuse me, would I please be able to borrow your son?'

My boy is 195 cm tall, so I figured it would be for something height-related. It turned out the lady's grandson, a toddler, was stuck inside the very top of the structure in the HJ's playground.  She had asked the girl behind the counter for help, but the girl didn't think she'd be able to fit in there (my teen, apart from being tall, is also very slim).

So, off went both of my boys to help. My Littlest Caveman was able to get right up inside the structure himself and find exactly where the toddler was. The poor little thing had managed to get all the way up there to sit in the 'helicopter' seat, but then couldn't get back down. Once they had located him, my bigger boy was able, with some maneuvering, to get himself up there to retrieve him.

On a side note, it's actually quite funny watching a tall, lanky teenager trying to bend his body around all the twists and turns in one of those playgrounds! There is a reason the rules say the maximum height for children to play is 120cm.

He managed to get the little boy down, bit by bit, through the structure - much to the relief of the toddler and his grandma - then we had our lunch and drove home, feeling very proud that we'd been able to help.

The real bonus for my big boy, of course, was that he got to climb around in a HJ's playground ... he hasn't been allowed to do that for years!

Cat seeks New Humans

Our cat, the lovely Miss Emmy, unintentionally found herself the centre of drama last night.

She had appeared at the back door limping, with her front right leg held in the air and her paw at a strange angle. That was enough to send the household into a bit of a panic. Nobody knew what she'd done, but it didn't look good.

I was just finishing work when the Caveman rang to tell me, so I drove home and we organised a quick trip to the Veterinary Clinic (on a Sunday night. Thank goodness for our Vet's after hours service!). The poor cat yowled all the way in the car - she doesn't enjoy car travel at all.

The nice young vet, Anne, got Emmy out of the carrier cage and put her on the floor to see how she walked, but it was difficult to tell at that angle exactly what was wrong. So, she picked her up again and tried to set her down on the examination table. It was at this point that I noticed something strange. One of Emmy's claws was hooked up on her collar.  I didn't think anything of it, just leaned over to release it and said, 'Oh, poor thing, her claw's hooked."

It was as I unhooked it for her, and she sat it down perfectly neatly on the table, that it suddenly hit me ... that had been the problem the whole time.

Well, how embarrassing. We looked at each other rather sheepishly and then all burst out laughing - even Anne! It was such a relief to know that Emmy was okay, but we couldn't believe that was all the problem was. Luckily, Anne was fantastic about it. I think we lightened up her night somewhat (after all, a vet who has been called in to work Sunday evening is obviously not usually dealing with such a lighthearted situation). She checked Emmy over thoroughly for us afterwards, just to make sure she was okay after having her claw stuck in the collar for so long, then thanked us for the funny story and sent us on our way. No charge.

Our poor cat was grumpy with us for a while afterwards though ... and who can blame her? Fancy owning such dumb humans that they don't even realise when your claw is caught in your collar, then they take you for a car ride (which they know you hate), only to let a stranger look in your mouth, listen to your heart and stick a thermometer .... well, you know where.

I'm sure Emmy was glad to have her paw set free, but she did give us the 'silent treatment' for the rest of the night!

Taking The Plunge

We went to Aussie World the other day - a theme park on the Sunshine Coast - where I discovered I'm not as young as I used to be. I mean, it sounds obvious right? Of course we're all getting older. But some things (like roller coasters!) do rather bring the point home.

To be honest, we almost didn't go at all. The weather that morning looked like it was going to be awful. It was overcast and miserable, with regular heavy showers at our place. We talked with the kids about the possibility of leaving our excursion for another time, but they weren't keen, so we decided to take our chances and go anyway.

Then we were hit with heavy rain on the drive there. REALLY heavy. Like, 'can hardly see the car in front' heavy. There was much discussion in our car about whether it was worth continuing. In the end, we agreed to make the final decision once we were there and standing in the car park.

As it turned out, the car park was lovely. The skies were grey and threatening above, but there wasn't any actual rain falling. We spoke to a staff member, who assured us that rain wouldn't shut the whole place down - one attraction was closed due to the wet weather, but most of the others would stay open regardless. On this information. we decided it was worth spending our money and heading in...

Where we proceeded to have a great time! I haven't been to a theme park for decades and I love the whole fairground atmosphere. Sideshow alley, Dodgem Cars, a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, mini golf ... there really did seem to be something for everyone, The Cavegirl had been there before with friends, which was a bonus for her - she knew exactly what she wanted to do and loved showing the rest of us around. A lot of our enjoyment also came from watching the Littlest Caveman enjoy his first experience of a theme park. It turns out he's a bit like his Dad, not too keen on anything that makes his stomach 'feel funny'. The two of them particularly enjoyed the mini golf and Dodgem Cars.

Meanwhile I, remembering how much I loved roller coasters as a teenager (and completely ignoring all the times I threw up afterwards), laughed heartily at my husband for being a 'wuss' and agreed to go on more adventurous rides. Bad idea. This is what made me realise I'm getting older. It turns out any rides that make my stomach drop really don't agree with me anymore either. There was one I went on, with my girl, which left me feeling very green afterwards.

Probably the only adventurous ride I did enjoy was 'The Plunge'. It was still scary though, when it came to the big drop. See that picture above? That's the Caveman and me braving the ride together, although you can't see us for the splash. Luckily, you can't hear us either. I'd like to say I screamed all the way down, but what I actually did was let out one big swear word all the way down. The Cavegirl assures me the word is quite audible on the recording she took too, although I haven't watched it myself yet.

Despite this, I would go on The Plunge again. I could enjoy the big drop now that I've done it and know what to expect. I also enjoyed the Dodgem Cars and the mini golf (and I stopped laughing at my husband for avoiding the roller coasters).

And you know what? It didn't rain once!

Twelve Days of Panic

School is over for another year - yay! - and everyone is gearing up for Christmas. We are twelve days out from the big day as I write this, just long enough for me to be worried about whether we'll get everything done in time.

I still have presents to buy and wrap, decorations to put up (the tree is done, so that's something) and the house to clean. The 'lived in' look is good, but we don't want our guests tripping over toys and shoes when they walk in the door.

Then there's the lawn to mow, now that we've had a few days of rain and the grass has put on a growth spurt that would put a teenager to shame.

That's all without even considering the food for the day. Everyone contributes, but I still have to organise my part. The great thing about this is that I have help - the Cavegirl loves to create in the kitchen. Not just a mess (although she does that too), but actual food! We just have to do the shopping for the ingredients and she's set to go.

The tricky thing is in organising everything around work commitments. This is a new challenge I'm facing this year. Anyone who has been following my blog knows that being back in the workforce is a fairly new thing for me (I did a little happy dance when I reached the 6 month mark at work a couple of weeks ago!). In previous years, I had so much time to devote to getting Christmas organised and I would usually start well in advance. Putting presents on layby at the shops in October, or ordering gifts online with a month still to go. I would spend weeks 'creating' a personalised calendar on the Big W or Harvey Norman websites for our parents, simply because I had the time to do it. Last year I ordered calendars for four different family members - and each one was different - as well as Christmas cards with a photo of our family on the front to send to everyone.

This year I just haven't had the time. With my work roster, and the Caveman working as well, Christmas really has crept up on us. Neither of us work for companies that close down over the holiday period either, so it is a case of organising things as we get the opportunity. I have no idea what most members of our family would like this Christmas and I haven't even sent all my Christmas cards ... and they're from the shops - no photo this year!

The important thing, as I sit here thinking about all of this, is to appreciate the little things we do have time for. We might not have sat for a family photo, but we are all together. We will have Christmas lunch with extended family on the day and have a fantastic time, as we always do. As with every other year, no matter how well organised it is, or how many presents are under the tree, the most important thing is spending it with the people we love.

That's what will be remembered - and hopefully I'll be forgiven if I have to resort to giving everyone a pair of socks bought the day before!

It's the White Time

I have ignored my blog for a while, mainly because this time of the year gets a bit hectic.

School is finishing up, so there are exams and assorted commitments for the kids, as well as getting organised for Christmas - which is coming up fast!

One of the activities keeping us busy right now is the cricket season. Both my boys, as well as the Caveman, play cricket every Saturday during the warmer months of the year. (Personally I think they should only play in Winter, since it's so hot here, but Cricket Australia haven't put me in charge yet.)

Every Sunday my clothesline is a sea of white, with three sets of long pants and shirts - the 'whites' that they all wear to play cricket.

A lot of people find cricket boring to watch. I know I certainly do sometimes! Although, it doesn't help when our life seems to revolve around it every Summer.

The Caveman asked me once why I don't seem to enjoy cricket as much as I did when we first met. My answer was, 'That was before I married it!"

Of course, now I'm a Cricket Mum as well, so it looks like I really am stuck with the game for the long term.

The thing is, I do mostly enjoy watching cricket. I especially like watching my boys play - I guess motherly pride overcomes boredom! I used to find it difficult to watch my teen play when he was little, worrying about him not doing as well as he'd like, or even getting hurt. It's not so bad now that he's older. He plays in the senior competition with grown men and he's quite capable of matching it with them.

The littlest Caveman is still fairly new to cricket, playing in an under 9's group. He loves it so far and, with the training he gets from his big brother in their backyard games, he's probably going to be very capable too.

I do occasionally suffer from cricket overload, when all the male members of the family play on the weekend and then want to watch it on TV through the week as well (and as any fan will tell you, a cricket match is not a short game!).

Luckily, the Caveman understands that both I and our Cavegirl get sick of cricket at times. He tends to be careful about how much he watches on TV and is teaching the boys to be considerate about it as well. And in return, we will go along and watch their more important games when we can.

After all, every player deserves to have their own personal cheer squad ;-)

Dying for a Clean Up

"I've decided I need to pretend I'm dead," I announced today. Naturally, the Caveman was concerned ... but it's not that I actually wish I was dead, it's just that it will make cleaning the house easier.

Let me explain.

It's Spring Cleaning time, if you go in for that sort of thing. I don't usually, but I feel we are due for another big clean-out right now. I'm not too worried about washing the curtains though, I'm more interested in getting rid of stuff. I wouldn't say we're hoarders, but we tend to be a bit slow about throwing things out that we don't need or can't use anymore. This wouldn't be a problem if there were only one or two of us in the house, but with five? There is always more clutter coming in than there is going out ... not to mention the general untidiness that three kids can create on a daily basis.

It's also a pet peeve of mine to have someone walk in after I've cleaned and announce, 'Wow, this is clean!' It's like saying, 'Wow, this is usually a mess!'. I already know I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper, so having less in the house to start with would be a big help with my everyday cleaning. Very often, simply removing some clutter can make the biggest visual impact.

In recent years, my own Mum has whittled her belongings down to only what she needs. I am always impressed when I visit and her house is so tidy. Of course, she has no children to clean up after anymore (and I remember what a mess we used to make!). Every now and then she has another big clean-out and gets rid of even more stuff. Her theory is that, by doing this, she is saving a lot of work for her children when she dies. It's a sound theory too. When the Caveman's father died a few years ago, we took all of his things into our house - furniture and all. It was crowded. We had an entire room we didn't use for months, because it was full of his stuff. No one could do anything until the Caveman was ready to deal with it, and it can be difficult to sort through belongings that you have grown up with and associated with one person your whole life. Throwing those things away can feel like you're throwing away another part of the person you're already missing so much.

When we finally got to it though, it turned out there was a lot we were prepared to let go of. In fact, it was a great lesson for us - discovering that there was no need to hold onto things to 'remember him by'. Our memories of him were what really mattered, along with photos and just a few little items that are genuinely sentimental to us.

So, my plan is to copy my Mum and do my clean-out accordingly. It will take time, because the Caveman and I are both working now, but it has to be done. We have too much stuff of our own which, if I'm honest, is not going to be special to anyone else in the long run.

Hopefully, by the time I die, the kids will have full houses of their own - in which case, the last thing they will need is more of our crap in their way!

A Lasting Impact

It's time for Literacy Week in Australia ... when primary schools everywhere celebrate books and reading. Today is the day, at our school, that all the students are invited to dress up as a character from a story book.

Now, the littlest Caveman isn't much of a reader, so I really thought it would be difficult for him to settle on a character. I expected him to choose something from a tv show or movie. There tends to be a lot of that on dress up day, plenty of Darth Vaders and Jack Sparrows on the school oval - but that's okay. They are still characters from stories, even if they didn't start out as books.

I started nudging my boy to think about book characters a couple of weeks ago, knowing that it could take a while to come up with a character that he: A. has heard of and B. is prepared to dress up as.

Then, tragedy struck. One of the brightest lights in world entertainment, Robin Williams, passed away. This news came as a huge shock in our house ... the Caveman and I have always been big fans and had made sure our kids knew who he was too. As more details emerged about his death, I was struck by the fact that someone who had brought so much joy to millions of people around the world should have been so troubled in his own life. The media was flooded with stories about Robin and the lives he'd touched, as well as many really important articles regarding depression. If any good can come of his death, maybe it will be more awareness of just how serious depression can be and the importance of losing the stigma associated with mental health issues.

For us, on a 'fan level', we felt the need to immerse ourselves in his work. We watched Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam and Flubber in quick succession. It was great, as if watching his movies was keeping him alive for us (and we have plenty more to watch yet).

You might wonder what this has to do with Literacy Week? Well, at some point, Peter Pan popped into my head. I suggested it to my little man and got the horrifying response, "Who's that?"  I was mortified. How could he not know Peter Pan? Admittedly, it had been a while since we'd read the story, or watched the movie, so it was clearly time to remedy the situation. Out came the 1953 Disney movie, which we sat and watched together. A true Classic. This then led us to also watch our copy of Hook. It's not a great movie, there is so much about it that could have been done better ... but I don't think anyone one else could have played a grown-up Peter Pan as well as Robin Williams did.

As it turns out, not surprisingly, my boy chose to dress up as Peter Pan for school today (and I think he's put more of the Hook version into his portrayal than the original).

Meanwhile, as for Robin Williams himself, he will always be around. I won't make any pretense of grieving for him, not in the true sense - nobody could possibly be as affected by his death as his own family and friends. He certainly made an impact on the rest of us though, and I will always enjoy watching his work and genuinely hope that he found his peace in the end.