SLIGHTLY A BIT FAMOUS
I've been profiled by Arts Hub. Lookit.
STRANGE NEW TOY.
The Cherub is a very focussed child. He knows what he wants, what he really, really wants. The item that he weally, weally wanted (directly after he really, really wanted the stupid football card album) was a toilet plunger. Yes, you read that correctly. My 6-year-old has been asking and asking us if he can have his own toilet plunger. So eventually, we gave in and let him spend some of his own money on one.
This is not because he dreams of being a plumber, mind. Actually he dreams of being a Dalek. He is already planning his Dress-Up party for his birthday (in OCTOBER!!!) because he plans to be a Dalek for that. I'm yet to find out what else he is expecting to bring that costume into being. Did I mention he is very focussed? Also, I'm not supposed to know this but he is writing to Santa's elves because what he really, really wants for Christmas - and he's pretty sure his parents and grandparents aren't going to be able to manage this one but he reckons the elves will be able to knock one up for him - is an Invisibility Cloak, just like Harry Potter's.
BIG QUESTIONS
Speaking of which, the Climber recently booked me in for a Bath Chat (that's where he and I have a good old heart-to-heart while he's in the bath and no annoying, nosy little brother around eavesdropping), and he completely blind-sided me by asking, very matter-of-factly and prefacing it with I just want you to tell me truth, whether Santa was real. Apparently 2 of his good friends had been discussing it with him. I had no smart answers, and he is 9 after all, so we discussed the matter frankly. This then led to and the Easter Bunny? Ah that's me. What about the Tooth Fairy? Yep that's me too. [pause] And God?
I think he and I are both a bit sad about this, but you should see him now, being the terrific big brother by Bolstering Belief in Magic Beings for his little brother's benefit, it is quite lovely.
ON YA BIKE
The kids and I did our very first bike ride all the way to school, 5 kms away. I towed Cherub on the way there because I didn't want to be late, but on the way home (uphill) I fortified them with a milkshake first and Cherub rode by himself the whole way. They were so good and did really well. We hope to do it once a week (weather permitting) but we seriously need to work out the luggage because I did the ride home (uphill, did I mention?) with my handbag and some fruit & veg in the basket, Cherub's schoolbag on my back and Climber's schoolbag on my front, and now that I am slightly a bit famous I do not wish to be a packhorse, thank you.
JUNIOR PICTIONARY
We had a family games night on Saturday, and had what should have been a very good fun game of Junior Pictionary. Particularly given The Cherub's superb appreciation of toilet humour. This is what he looked like because the clue he's just drawn was nut and everyone knows *nuts* are hilarious. (I may have set him off slightly by suggesting that the pipe he'd drawn was in fact something else all together.)
We kept changing the format to accommodate the different skill levels of both children so that it was FUN for everyone, and not highly competitive, (winning came down to dice-throwing in the end, not drawing or guessing skills) but I have to tell you that the Climber is a terrible loser, in a get sad, try not to cry and the game is ruined sort of way, and if anyone knows what you're supposed to do to make a kid a better loser can they tell me please because I haven't a clue and it's driving me crazy.
ANOTHER BLEEPING BIKE DRAMA
I am this close to telling Fixit to get himself a car because I am O-V-A-H the continuing saga of the motorbikes. To recap for those of you not living it, he had the ball-shaking bike accident and that meant his nice new good bike was written off and he only got $300 back for it after finance was paid off, so then we had to dip into meagre savings to buy Nell's Ex's old bike for cheap, but it's been sitting in Nell's garage for 2 years and it's not running so well, which meant that Fixit has been disappearing mentally and physically from the family circle while he tries to sort this out. Then he admitted defeat and sent it off to a shop to be professionally examined. Meanwhile a kind friend generously loaned his motorbike to Fixit. Then on Tuesday night some idiot in a car backed into it while Fixit was in at the chiropractor and didn't even notice, so Fixit came outside to find his friend's bike on the ground and some exactly matching paint scrapes on the car in front of it. Fancy knocking a whole motorbike over and not noticing! So even though I was teaching that night I had to put the kids and the camera in the car to come down and document the paint evidence and then he sat there for another 2 hours until a cop showed up and they found the car's owner. So with all that drama going on, I ended up having to bring the kids with me to the Tap Hall, where they sat quietly reading and drawing while I taught class. I think they quite enjoyed it. To cap off an evening of drama, Cherub's third wobbly tooth was hanging by a thread so rather than go through any lost or swallowed tooth agony, I yanked it out before we went home.
Well, thanks for all the news. Its a complete pain in the nose about Fixit's bike.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have no idea what to suggest with Climber's 'loser' issues. It must be very trying.
And, oh, my heart broke just a tiny bit with the bath chat. Did you answer the God question?
What a great post!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the piece on you, how great! I love your answers too.
Fantastic ending, with the note to the tooth fairy! Your kids are great.
The only way to teach Climber not to be competitive is to make the winner's prize unattractive. ie. The winner has to clean the toilet!
I can't talk really. I'd knock you down off your chair if it meant winning. :)
I too want your answer to the god question I'd be impressed beyond words if you said "yep, I'm god too, so watch yourself kiddo!"
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd had the wit to say Yep, that's me as well to the God question, but the truth is, I was bit knocked sideways by the whole conversation and not thinking well. We just discussed how a lot of things people used to explain with religion are now explained by science.
ReplyDeleteI too wish you had said yes to the God question. I have it all lined up for when my children actually ask me (eight and 11!)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that about Climber's bike. I didn't realise the finance part turned out that bad. Crap.
ReplyDeleteI think with the losing you might already have the answer with his attitude to Santa et al up above: sometimes it's nice to lose if someone else wins, make other people happy, etc etc, noble and the better person, actually this sounds pretty sucky now that I write it down. WE'RE ALL WINNERS!!!1! *waves hands in air*
Can I pleeeeeeease help with the dalek costume ?
ReplyDeleteAwesome catch up!
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have enough news there.
ReplyDeleteYou have to post the Dalek costume when it happens, because that plunger is a fantastic start.
Lovely profile, oh famous you!
Good god, I so love your boys! I can so see Caleb in desperate need of a plunger and then POppy would have to have one on principle. I have he same loosing drama with Caleb and I find it so hard too.
ReplyDeletewait...so your saying you're NOT God? Like, so, then who is?
ReplyDeleteOff to check out your profile piece.
J.T. is a really sore loser too. We have tried to make games more about having fun, than winning, and we have not, since they are a bit older now, let them win. But if he loses, or in general, something doesn't go his way, he is usually in for a major melt-down. I think it may be tied to his ADD, but I'm not sure. In truth it drives me CRAZY and I'm very impatient with him about the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteLove that picture of Cherub.
wow what a week! congratulations on the fame - it's a great article :) do you think an old chook with a dodgy disc could do tap or would it be too risky for said dodgy disc?? it sounds like such fun.
ReplyDeletemy oldest was a sad loser until i had a chat with him and said it was just a bad as being a grumpy bad loser and made everyone feel horrible. i do think it's all part of growing up though and he will get better as he gets older.
i'm not looking forward to having to admit the santa/easter bunny/tooth fairy thing to my youngest - he has stern views on fibbing and is likely to sue....
and finally boo tot he horrible motorbike scraper - did he have insurance?
oh and o forgot to add that youngest has had his own plunger for a while an takes into the shower with him for running repairs - just in case :)
ReplyDeleteack! my word verification is 'methy' - i don't like that at all
Ooh! I'm so pleased you got your sewing machine!
ReplyDeleteI have a sore loser too, maybe it's an eldest child thing? Different reaction, (more explosive) but boils down to the same thing.
I like Ms Brown Mouse's answer to the God question.
I totally understand that a small boy would want a plunger. When Pip was that age he desperately wanted an old fashioned hand beater - you know with a crank handle. He spent many hours whisking nothing, just watching it work. Cheap and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI wonder where Climber gets his competitive streak? Any insight into that??
If the lad gets a whisk he's well on the way to becoming a Dalek. Yes, we had Dalek wannabees at our house a couple of years ago.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I knew I loved your family and this has just been confirmed by the fact that I just adore that apostrophe in Cherub's note.
ReplyDeleteYou could never never tell that I'm an English teacher, could you?
well that explains why he walked into tap with a toilet plunger and gave me a withering look when I asked what it was.
ReplyDeleteGood, solid, smile planted on this dial, after that post. So impressed at the fame thing. And the toilet plunger makes complete sense. Connect Four has almost entirely cured my middle of all losing ish-ews, but I'm not entirely sure why, so I shouldn't expect that will help any.
ReplyDeleteI needed Cherub and his plunger last night when the dishwasher packed up. If only you weren't on the other side of town!
ReplyDeletePoor little fella with his chicken pox. Basil will be all grown up before it's safe to come over and visit him.