Blogging during the school holidays has its challenges. Like yesterday, which flashed past with virtually no time for personal creativity. I was too busy exploring a fabulous playground we’ve discovered beside the Parramatta River, then lunching at the lovely restaurant beside it, Armory Wharf Cafe. Actually, that’s only the half of it – it was another my infamous over-scheduling nightmares that included the park, lunch, a splash at Ryde Aquatic Centre, me being dropped off in the city to get my hair cut, Husband racing the Sprogs to swimming lessons, Husband returning home and whipping up the Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe I’d left on the benchtop for him …
Just a smidge hectic. So you’ll have to make do with the blog I wrote this time last year. It’s spooky reading things you’ve written a whole year ago and realising you’ve goldfished yourself into exactly the same place in your life. I’ve sworn off carbs again, I’m going to Luna Park tomorrow, I’m still over-scheduling and I continue spending way too much time at Woolies buying recycled toilet paper and free-range barbecued chooks. Fortunately one vital aspect of my life has deviated. I start a job in a few weeks time, which means I’ll no longer be fobbing off charity collectors with my unemployment sob story. I practiced being generous on Tuesday when Lifesavers Australia asked me to buy a ticket in their raffle. I’m quite grateful to them for their beach flags and providing Sprog 2 with ice packs when she gets blue-bottle stings so I agreed to enter, then blanched at the discovery it was $10 per ticket. When did raffles get so ouchy?
Anyway, here’s the blog:
“Now this is more like it. Bugger swanning around in France and Spain. Grocery shopping at Woolies, that’s where it’s at. Recycled toilet paper, a barbecued chook, a nod and smile to someone who seems to know me, but who I can’t place for love or money. Ah, the real world. Bliss. Actually, I was a bit knackered by the shopping. Those 10 hours sleep I got on the first night back barely touched the sides of my crippling jetlag/hangover. Or was it trudging around the supermarket on an empty stomach that did me in? (I’ve sworn off carbs and there was nothing non-carby in the house to eat, I even checked under the chooks’ bums at dawn.) And then there were the playdates I organised for the Sprogs yesterday afternoon … they seemed like such a good idea a month ago, before we embarked on the overseas odyssey. Sprog 2 was so not in the right headspace for a playdate. That was clear from about 9.45am, when she started screaming at Husband to “stop annoying me” after he tried to wake her for the third time. It was quickly followed by hysterical tears every time Sprog 1 played with a toy, which Sprog 2 would immediately decide was the only thing she wanted to play with in the whole house, but Sprog 1 “won’t share, and that’s not, waaaaaaaah, fair, waaaaaah!!!!!” Sigh. I am following up yesterday’s excellent playdate idea by taking the Sprogs and their cousin to Luna Park. Well, you see, they’ve got these annual passes, and I feel this pressing need to get my money’s worth (kind of blown by the fact I didn’t get myself an annual pass, so I have to buy a day pass at full-freight every visit to take Sprog 2 on the dodgems and into Coney Island for her requisite five seconds – excellent forward planning, eh?). I’m letting Husband stay at home and have a rest, because he has to go to work next week, unlike me. He’s also mildly incapacitated by bombing in the very shallow pool at our French holiday house. Bloody lucky he’s not a paraplegic (is what I yelled at him after it happened, closely followed by “How old ARE you?”. I am such a sympathetic and caring spouse). So he will be spending numerous hours over the coming weeks attending expensive physio appointments. Meanwhile, I am enjoying cutting off people who ring up wanting donations/to sell me things by saying, “I just lost my job”. Came in very handy yesterday afternoon, the woman on the other end of the phone was most upset on my behalf. Ah yes, woe is me.”
PS Oh, I’ve also written a blog over a VillageVoices – 6 cute animal cupcakes to bake – it’s a fun school holiday activity for the kids. Easy peasy ideas with Smarties, jelly beans and marshmallows.
Check it out by clicking over to …
http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/6-cute-animal-cupcakes/
housegoeshome 
I seem to have over scheduled my hols this time, too, although not to your level (I bow to the master). Had someone cancel yesterday, due to a sick child, and it was great to have some free time. Most of it was spent with kids moaning and/or fighting but we got past that and went to the local swimming pool. Have you tried Homebush Aquatic Centre? It’s lots of fun and inside so no sunburn. (we almost went there but it lost out in a Scissor, Paper, Rock battle)
We almost went to Homebush Aquatic Centre, but decided to stick with what we knew. Went to North Sydney Pool briefly today. Phew, so hot for early October.