She Gets It From Her Father

Tuesday, January 06, 2009 Posted In , , , , Edit This 7 Comments »
C has bionic ears attuned to specific frequencies. If you open a candy wrapper fifty feet away from her, she will move with Edward-like stealth, and be at your side within seconds. A couple of strands of hair lift in the breeze and there she is. "Ohhh... can I have some?"

She can also hear the ice cream lid being removed and soda being poured into a glass. If I want to eat anything that contains sugar, I have to distract her with some ploy, remove myself to my bedroom, lock the sound proofed doors, get in bed, cover my head with multiple blankets, and carefully... carefully peel off the wrapper.

KNOCK, KNOCK, BANG, BANG.

"MUM! What have you got in there? Can I have some?"

Every time.



Who Turned Off Halloween?

Saturday, November 01, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
Did you get a memo from the Halloween Poobah saying Halloween is cancelled?
We left the house at around 7pm to go trick or treating. There was NOBODY around! People told us we were their first t.o.t ers! We walked down the street, turned the corner and emptiness! We checked our phones, ok, we got the date right. We checked the time, we're not too early. Shrug. Oh well.
We were quite prepared to be the only Countess Dracula (yes, it was a late name-change for C.), Rugby player with stripey socks and Nerd, oops I mean Scientist. The Ice Queen was at a party so she didn't come with us. Me? I went as a Tired Housewife...

The Ice Queen hates this pic (she didn't have all of her makeup on yet) so don't tell her I put it on here.

The geek/scientist... gorgeous!

Rugby man, "Take the picture already, I want to go!" Me- "Hang on, I haven't quite got the whole rubbish bin in the shot."

"Smile Countess!".... "No."

The kids were too scared to walk up to the house so HE came to US!

Posing with "It".
I thought this was an actual person on the roof ready to jump on us!

Some decorations were truly scary...!


So anyway, it took about 45 minutes for more Halloweeners to join us on the streets. Even then, there were less than half of the people we saw last year. It was a mystery..... until we drove past the Pumpkin Patch. There must have been HUNDREDS of cars overflowing the carparks. It was free night from 6 til 9. Can you imagine kids choosing to play on jumpies rather than go get candy? Our kids were like, "What's up with THAT?"
So then we found out that Great Oak High School had a game blah, blah, whatever... (can you tell I'm a diehard football fan?) so that's where the other half of the population was. Mystery solved. Halloween is intact. Too bad.

Here's the damage...

We decided to go with "The Bribe". One rule only - No Candy Purchases To Be Made With Bribe Money.

So, final tally, Ice Queen, 210 pieces = $10.50
The Countess, 151 pieces = $7.55
Rugby Man, 146 pieces = $7.30

I have to shell out $25.35 and I have bucket loads of sugar but I still feel like a WINNER!

Candy, anyone?

Final Words on the Matter: Yes on 8 vs. Ignorance

Friday, October 31, 2008 Posted In , , , , Edit This 1 Comment »



My daughter had an altercation with a couple of kids at school who objected to a "Yes on 8" sticker she'd placed on her binder. A girl started hitting her until C. forcibly held her hands down. C. told her she had the right to speak and asked the girl why she was so angry. The girl said, "Because you're going to vote yes!" (Oh such an intelligent reply...not.) C. calmly told her, (among other things) "I am not going to vote. I am ELEVEN!"
She had to similarly take care of a boy she caught scraping the sticker off her binder. She reported him for vandalism and he got detention x 3 for his efforts.
On the other hand - she had many requests for stickers from her friends and now there are six of them walking around with "Yes on 8" stickers on their binders!

My last thought on the subject: When I was eleven, I didn't know about same sex relationships and the first time I saw a same sex couple, I was twenty! (Remember? New Zealand!)
I am sad for my children, for the innocence lost. Can we just let them be kids for heaven's sakes? Can we let them grow up without confusing them with gender issues? And, if they choose to, can we allow them the freedom to stand up for their rights be it on the street with a "Yes on 8" sign without grown men and women giving them obscene gestures?

Do I sound angry? I am SO FRUSTRATED! Don't tell me you aren't! I won't be voting because I am a permanent resident and not a citizen but I have to live with the consequences just like you do!

I am lucky I have my daughter and others like her to teach me how to handle myself with dignity or I might be tempted to SCREAM at someone!

Update: MM. took the kids this morning to join the volunteers putting doorknob signs on pro 8 homes to remind people to vote on Tuesday. They were told that cars with "Yes on 8" stickers have been spraypainted and keyed. He said that they had to go out in pairs this time because individuals are being physically accosted by the 'Nos'. And just last night these people were handing candy out to children!
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