My Brain Still Works!

Well, I have had quite a break away from my blog just lately - I do apologise to anyone who might have missed me!

I mentioned when I first started this blog that I was in the process of trying to get back into the workforce.

What has followed has been months of looking for a job, dealing with Centrelink (and we all know that's no fun!) and trying to figure out how to make myself more employable after so many years at home raising my family.

I finally took a huge step and have started a course at the local TAFE college, studying Aged Care. I was very nervous in the lead-up to the course beginning (hey, it's been a long time since I was in a classroom!), but I am really enjoying it so far. In fact, at the three week mark, I can honestly say I am finding the course more interesting and enjoyable than I had ever expected to. My classmates are easygoing, interesting people and the teacher is enthusiastic and supportive.

What more can a student (of any age) ask for?

There is a lot to learn and at times I feel like my brain is being expected to hold a lot more information than it thinks it's capable of .... but I seem to be managing okay so far! The title of this post is no accident - I really am pleased to announce that my brain does still seem to work. The great thing is, I can feel my own self-esteem and self-confidence improving with each day. As an added bonus, the Caveman has gone back to school with me at the same TAFE college (although doing a different course) and I have seen the same changes occurring for him. It is exciting for both of us and, for the first time in years, we feel like we are doing something truly productive toward our future.

Of course, the impact on our kids is significant too .... they have had to get used to all five of us needing to be out the door before 8.30 every morning. There is more expectation on all of them to help out around the house (which they are doing, mostly without complaint!). They seem quite proud of us too, which is lovely.

Naturally, there have been times the adjustment has been difficult. We've had mornings when I didn't think any of us would get to where we needed to be, on time. There have been afternoons I've come home and realised I have to pop back out to do a little shopping and I'm just too tired to think about it. A couple of nights ago I had to do an urgent load of washing and get it dry the next day or the kids would have run out of school uniforms!

We are getting ourselves sorted out though and the routine is smoother every day. We have our study times and relaxation times ... and everyone is generally excited and happy about this new phase in our lives.

Not to mention, it's kind of sweet to drop your kids off in the morning and call out, 'Have a nice day at school,' only to have them turn around and call back, 'You too, Mum!'

Around and around we go ...

Our State's capital city, Brisbane, is home to a number of 'toll road' tunnels and motorways. Not that I'm complaining. To be able to coast easily through the middle of the city (or underneath it) and cut out all those traffic lights is wonderful and I don't mind paying for the privilege.

Naturally it's not cheap - and I'm sure I'd be the first to complain if I was driving those roads and paying the tolls all the time - but for those of us who only visit 'The Big Smoke' occasionally, it's a cost we allow for. We have a toll tag attached to our windscreen, so I just top up the account online before we go and the fees are paid automatically as we pass the toll points.

The only problem is that every now and then a new road or tunnel is built and, for 'occasional' visitors like us, it can be tricky to learn which ones to take and how they all connect to each other.

We visited family in the southern suburbs of Brisbane last weekend. Normally we have two options - either go the long way around on the Gateway Motorway to get to a connecting road which then takes us to the right place, or go through the middle of the city. The Clem 7 tunnel goes right under the middle, cutting a lot of traffic lights (and a fair chunk of time) out of our journey, so it's usually our preferred option.

This time we decided to fit in a visit with family members living out past Ipswich before heading to the usual suburbs. No problem, what a great opportunity to check out the new Airport Link tunnel. We piled the kids, the luggage and the dog into the car, programmed our destination into the GPS (that was our first mistake!) and off we went.

We had no trouble finding the tunnel.  In we went, feeling very clever. Until the GPS, which is usually great, told us to 'take the ramp and keep right at the fork'. The poor thing ... having trouble keeping up with our location, it was giving the instructions a few seconds late. So, since we were almost at the fork, the Caveman assumed it meant for us to take the left turn (admittedly, it could have been mistaken for an exit ramp). A few moments later, it became clear we were heading towards the airport - the exact opposite direction to where we needed to be going!

After this unplanned detour we found a place to turn and head back to the city, toward the Inner City Bypass (which is where the Link Tunnel was supposed to take us in the first place). This was going well, until we were going past Queensland's hallowed ground of sporting events and concerts alike, Suncorp Stadium. It was at this point I turned around to speak to the kids in the back seat, forgetting to warn the Caveman which direction our next turn should be. Unfortunately, we missed it. So, our tour of inner city Brisbane included a another unplanned detour, this time over the river and into a quiet little area behind the State Library.

This was getting frustrating, to say the least. We drove back over the river into the city area on a different bridge, missing another turn into the Bypass, before we found an intersection where we could turn and head back past Suncorp Stadium again. This time we paid attention and went where we were supposed to go. In the end, to our surprise, we arrived at our destination only 15 minutes later than we'd planned to.

The experience hasn't put us off using the tunnels on future trips to Brisbane (although we may choose not to bother with the GPS next time). However, since we had also gone through about double the number of toll points I had been expecting, the first thing I did when I got near a computer again was to top up our toll account!

The Joys of Modern!

Isn't it amazing how ingrained technology is in our lives?  It's not just computers and the internet, but our mobile phones as well.  I commented to the Caveman just a couple of weeks ago that it's almost hard to remember back to when we couldn't just check our in-phone calendar for appointments or to send a quick text to each other with a reminder to pick up a bottle of milk on the way home.

This is a technique he, in particular, is very fond of.  He often adds to my grocery list, even while I'm standing in the supermarket - usually with a text message along the lines of, "also: tomato sauce, dog food, paper towels", or whatever the items might be at the time.

A hundred years ago (or maybe it just feels like it!), before we were married, we had no way of getting these all-important messages to each other. If I was shopping and missed a couple of items, it was just too bad. If he was about to leave work and we needed milk, I couldn't tell him until he had arrived home. I love the fact that we can get messages to each other so quickly and easily now. It saves on petrol (not to mention the grumpy mood that might ensue when somebody realises they have to drive back out for one item!).

I often wonder about the "good old days" ... when people had to make their own bread, do all their laundry by hand, scrub the floors on their hands and knees and wipe their backsides with newspaper. A lot of the nostalgia is usually from the generation who were children then, not the ones who actually had to do the endless cooking and back-breaking chores (speak to one of them - trust me, they love their automatic washing machines and vacuum cleaners!).

Now, I personally don't mind making bread by hand, but I'd get pretty sick of it if it was a daily chore instead of an occasional fun activity.  My washing machine is easily my favourite household appliance, closely followed by the fridge.  As for toilet paper, well, I'm sure no one regrets that little invention!

When I was a teenager we lived for a while in a house where we had a proper "outhouse" - since there was no indoor toilet - as well as an ancient copper tub to have a dip in (that was just for fun, there was actually a bath in the house), an old-fashioned combustion stove to cook on ... and we even had a wringer in the laundry, which we had to use for the washing.  It was an unusual thing for someone of my generation to experience, and was great fun at times, pretending to live in the "olden days", but I'm not sure it was so enjoyable for Mum!

It's nice to be nostalgic about times gone by, but there are plenty of conveniences available now that none of us would be too keen to give up. Indoor toilets, for one thing, are great (it was no fun walking to that outhouse on cold, rainy nights!). I love the fact that, on the weekends, I can put a load in the washing machine, do the floors and then spend time with my family - I'm not tied up with never-ending chores like my own grandmother was when she was raising her seven children.

Getting back to technology, very few of us would be happy to go back to the days before the internet  - having information at my fingertips is still an amazing thing to me. As for mobile phones, I have one, the Caveman has one and our teenager has one. It means he can contact either of us if he needs to be picked up in a different spot after school, or at a different time.  There are people who moan about technology taking over our kids' lives and how "we managed fine without mobiles when we were kids, why can't they?". Of course, the same people comment that it can be dangerous for our kids to walk anywhere alone anymore. As with anything, it's a matter of weighing up the options and deciding what is best for you and your own child. It's all about balance.

As long as we still encourage them to be kids - enjoy their outside activities regularly and have time away from technology where possible (and maybe I'm just blessed, but I don't know many families who don't already do all that) - then this generation will turn out fine.

No doubt, when they are older, they will be reminiscing about their own "good old days"!

... Z Z Z Z Z Z Z ...

I can hear my dog snoring. There is a hallway and a door between us right now, but her rumbling can be heard clearly by all in the house.

I think it's an age thing - as she gets older, her "sleep sounds" are definitely getting louder. It doesn't matter that her bed is outside the back door ... even when the Caveman and I go to our own bed, which puts an extra room and two doors between us, I still hear her.

This makes me think about bedrooms and sleeping arrangements. We are currently living in a three bedroom house, which can be a little too cosy at times. We unfortunately can't afford to upgrade just at the moment, so the two boys have to share a room. Most of the time this works well - it has encouraged a close relationship despite their eight year age gap. Very often, if our littlest Caveman is feeling a bit out of sorts, he'll scramble into his big brother's bed for the night.

The only problem this causes is that, if big brother is away overnight (as is the case tonight), our little guy becomes quite insecure about having the room to himself. He is so used to having someone else in the room that he has trouble settling in there on his own. Luckily, it's usually easy to get around this issue by letting him spend the night in his sister's room - he gets a mattress on her floor and thinks it's a great adventure.

Admittedly, this doesn't actually take away his discomfort about sleeping on his own, but it does make life easier for us.

The funny thing is, our last house had four bedrooms - so he was used to sleeping on his own there. It's just, since we've been in a smaller house for the past couple of years, he has forgotten how comfortable he was with that. Now, however, our older boy is a teenager and would love to have his own personal space again. The plan is for our next house (when we can afford it) to be a four bedroom again, so that all the kids can go back to having a bedroom each ... and our little Caveman will have to adjust.

When I tried to gently explain this to him, his response was, "What if we get a house with five bedrooms?" I told him that we don't need five bedrooms, four would be enough. His reply? "But, if we get five bedrooms, you and Dad can have a bedroom each as well." I laughed and started to say that wouldn't be necessary, when he leaned closer to me and whispered, "Then you won't have to listen to Dad snoring at night time."

Since the dog isn't the only one snoring more loudly with age, I have to admit he has a good point there!

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