Maturity is Overrated.

They say age is just a number, but 

maturity is a choice.

There is a new game in our house at the moment - no, not like table soccer, although the kids are loving that right now too.

It's "Scare people with the toy spider".

We have this little plastic spider which looks surprisingly real, especially if partly hidden or placed on a dark background. A few days ago I came across it in the hallway and yes, there was a moment when I wondered whether it was the toy one or not. I very casually leaned down and picked it up by one leg with an outward appearance of supreme nonchalance, but if it had wriggled I'm sure I would have screamed like a little girl and jumped a metre into the air!

The only reason I knew it was probably not real is that I've been seeing my kids trying to trick each other with the same spider for days now ... every now and then our Cavegirl will stomp out of her room waving the spider angrily at her brothers while she lectures them about not leaving it on her pillow/in her wardrobe/under her bed for her to find. 

Of course, the culprit is always easily identified - the boy in question is usually so proud of their handiwork, he can't help but grin broadly and claim responsibility (which is inevitably followed by laughter and  a congratulatory high five from his brother).

Even the Caveman got in on the act, leaving the spider in the dish rack next to the sink yesterday in the hope that it would frighten me when I went to wash the dishes. Luckily, again, I realised immediately that it was a fake. 

Which brings us back to maturity - a choice my man is not a fan of. We seem to go through the "fake spider" phase every couple of years and he enjoys it even more than the kids do. I've seen him scare a number of people by leaving the toy on a chair for them to find. He doesn't discriminate either - he's done it to family, friends and even people we barely know! 

It's at those times I shake my head and wonder how I came to be married to such a juvenile man . Then I find myself wondering just how he'd react if I happened to slip the spider into his side of the bed tonight? 

Hmm ....  after all, I can't let him have all the fun ;-)

It's Showtime!!

Our town has just had its yearly "Show" ... you know, the event where livestock are paraded around, cakes are awarded ribbons and everyone spends too much money in Sideshow Alley and on showbags. Oh, and nearly everyone goes home with the added bonus of having caught every nasty virus that happens to be doing the rounds right now.

We don't normally go to the show. The rides are expensive and so is the food. With two adults and three kids, it's harder every year to justify the cost.

We decided to go this time though, just because our younger two kids were so keen - and our littlest Caveman hadn't been since he was a baby.

Unfortunately, he was a little under the weather (even before he ran into the collection of viruses already floating around at the show), so we knew it wouldn't be a long visit. We got there mid-afternoon and stayed about four hours. There were a couple of rides each and I even splashed out on a very expensive ice cream cone for my little guy.  His favourite part was riding the Dodgems (or "Dodging Cars", as he called them). I wished we'd got home sooner, before the cool night air had set in, but there really is nothing like the atmosphere of the show at night.

For the older kids, at this age the show is a real social event. Everywhere we turned we saw their friends and classmates. Our Cavegirl, aged 11, was thrilled to be allowed to separate from us and walk around the show with a friend for the first time ever. I'm sure her being away from us was much easier on her than it was on me - I kept my eyes peeled for her at every opportunity! As hard as it is to let them become more independent though, it's also great to see them having a good time with their own friends.

We left the show and bought dinner on the way home - yes, sadly, even takeaway is cheaper than show food.  We were home before the fireworks, which pleased the dog immensely since she really doesn't like them! We can see them from our street though, so that was a great way to end the night ... accompanied by the sound of our poor old girl barking away frantically in the back yard.

Expensive it might be, but no doubt we'll do it again in the future. It adds to the memories for the kids (and, despite our whining, we "big kids" really do enjoy it too!).

Happy to share

Tomorrow is Mother's Day here in Australia. I usually receive lovely little gifts from my gorgeous children and the Caveman makes an effort to get out of bed a bit earlier and help them get my breakfast as well. We don't go overboard, since it's too easy to get caught up in the commercialism of the day, but I always get to feel a bit more special (at least until the kids start arguing!).

This year though, I don't get to have the day all to myself.  Our littlest Caveman was born the day before Mother's Day, 6 years ago.  Thanks to the passage of time (and a couple of leap years), this is the first year his birthday has landed right on Mother's Day. Lucky for him, I don't mind sharing.

We decided to have his birthday party this afternoon, the day before his actual birthday (I figured asking all the other parents to give up THEIR Mother's Day for a 6 year old's party might have been pushing the friendships a little). Plus, I really could do without the extra stress tomorrow, when I'm supposed to be relaxing. Doing it today made much more sense. It has come on top of a very busy week though so, with the party guests gone, I'm now anticipating a foot rub and maybe even a glass of something strong before bed tonight.

I had a funny conversation with my little man the other day.  We were in the car and he had just eaten one of those chocolate eggs with the little toy inside.  He wanted to put the toy together, so he pulled out the instructions to look at.  I asked, "Are you sure you're right with that?  I can help you when we get to where we're going."  He assured me he would manage but then, after a few seconds consulting the instructions in silence, he threw them across the back seat of the car with a frustrated sigh and said, in his best grown up voice, "Well, that was a waste of time."  I asked what had gone wrong and he answered, "Well, first of all ... I can't read!"

Of course, that was stating the obvious - he is still learning to read. This is exactly what I find so amusing though; it's not what he says, but how he says it. He has always been our little entertainer.

His reading is coming along better than he thinks too ... he read every card given to him by his party guests today, with no problems at all.

Mother's Day is fantastic, it's great to feel appreciated by my family. We will have the Caveman's mum here as well, and my own mum knows she will be in my heart even though she lives too far away to visit for the day. This year though, it will be extra nice to celebrate a special birthday as well.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers everywhere and a very happy birthday to my little Caveman xx