Mmm, traffic jams. It's 4pm and I am on Hoddle St, driving from work to creche.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Geen Dess
Ivy loves her green dress. She calls it Geen Dess. "Wear Geen Dess! Want Geen Dess!" It's a hand-me-down velveteen thing with a zip down the front. Ivy has worn it since she was crawling - a crawler in a dress is a riduclous thing really, but it's short and didn't interfere too much.
I'm not sure why it's Ivy's dress. Most of Hazel and Ivy's clothes are shared. They have a box for t-shirts, one for jumpers, another for pants, and so on. Most items are worn by both girls, but a few seem to have become property of one or the other. The magenta jumper is definitely Hazel's (as she says, "Hazel is wearing the magenta jumper!"), and Geen Dess is Ivy's.
Geen Dess is getting too small. Or is Ivy getting bigger? She must be! Geen Dess is now more of a tunic than a dress, and it's rather tight across the chest.
She wore it to creche last week, and Rena diplomatically suggested that Geen Dess might be nicer to hold and play with than to wear.
So - off I went to Shitcraft to get a pattern and some green fabric. I am making Geen Dess Mark II. The pattern has START written on it, and the instructions are aimed at novices and morons, which is just right for me. I still managed to sew the facing on the wrong way, and it took me 24 hours of puzzling to work out how to do the armholes. Tonight I'll finish the armholes, the side seams and the hem.
I showed Geen Dess II to Ivy this morning, and she called it Geen Dess and wanted to wear it immediately, so I'm heartened. I'd been wondering if taking 10 hours to sew a simple dress was a sensible thing to do, but I don't think I could find a bright green dress in a shop anywhere. Did I mention how saddened I am by kids' clothes? Little girls are expected to dress like grown women, and it gets me down.
If Geen Dess II works out OK, I'll make one for Hazel. I think she might like a magenta one.
I'm not sure why it's Ivy's dress. Most of Hazel and Ivy's clothes are shared. They have a box for t-shirts, one for jumpers, another for pants, and so on. Most items are worn by both girls, but a few seem to have become property of one or the other. The magenta jumper is definitely Hazel's (as she says, "Hazel is wearing the magenta jumper!"), and Geen Dess is Ivy's.
Geen Dess is getting too small. Or is Ivy getting bigger? She must be! Geen Dess is now more of a tunic than a dress, and it's rather tight across the chest.
She wore it to creche last week, and Rena diplomatically suggested that Geen Dess might be nicer to hold and play with than to wear.
So - off I went to Shitcraft to get a pattern and some green fabric. I am making Geen Dess Mark II. The pattern has START written on it, and the instructions are aimed at novices and morons, which is just right for me. I still managed to sew the facing on the wrong way, and it took me 24 hours of puzzling to work out how to do the armholes. Tonight I'll finish the armholes, the side seams and the hem.
I showed Geen Dess II to Ivy this morning, and she called it Geen Dess and wanted to wear it immediately, so I'm heartened. I'd been wondering if taking 10 hours to sew a simple dress was a sensible thing to do, but I don't think I could find a bright green dress in a shop anywhere. Did I mention how saddened I am by kids' clothes? Little girls are expected to dress like grown women, and it gets me down.
If Geen Dess II works out OK, I'll make one for Hazel. I think she might like a magenta one.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Driving Miss Ivy
I took Ivy to my singing thing this arvo. Hazel was home sick with the other Mummy.
In the car on the way home, Ivy watched the trees and buildings whizz past. She wanted everything to be a tower.
"Tower! Tall tower with flags!"
"Yellow tower over there."
"Tower. Might go in a tower. One day. One day. Onnnne daaaaay."
Also, she wanted to have a terrible tedious little book called Aircraft. It's a tiny board book, and each page has a picture of a kind of aircraft (e.g. "Twin-propeller passenger airplane"). It's dire, so it's been banished (with its cousin "Boats") to the car. In the garage we keep a pile of books that neither mummy can stand to read again, and every few weeks the books in the car get put back on the pile, and others are cycled through.
Anyway, anyway. "Aircraft" was in the garage, not the car, so Ivy said:
"Mummy get "Aircraft". Ivy misses it."
Ohhh, she misses it! I think she knows about this because I've been telling the girls that I miss them when they are at creche.
Another cute Ivy story: both girls can now get themselves up onto the toilet seat all by themselves. It helps to have the little step in front of the toilet, but it's not necessary. I've realised that I sing them a few bars of that song that goes "All by myse-e-elf, don't wanna beeeee all by myse-e-elf"... because Miss Ivy now sings it in a strange drone when she's dragged herself atop the toilet seat. "Aw baaaah maaaaah se-e-e-effff".
In the car on the way home, Ivy watched the trees and buildings whizz past. She wanted everything to be a tower.
"Tower! Tall tower with flags!"
"Yellow tower over there."
"Tower. Might go in a tower. One day. One day. Onnnne daaaaay."
Also, she wanted to have a terrible tedious little book called Aircraft. It's a tiny board book, and each page has a picture of a kind of aircraft (e.g. "Twin-propeller passenger airplane"). It's dire, so it's been banished (with its cousin "Boats") to the car. In the garage we keep a pile of books that neither mummy can stand to read again, and every few weeks the books in the car get put back on the pile, and others are cycled through.
Anyway, anyway. "Aircraft" was in the garage, not the car, so Ivy said:
"Mummy get "Aircraft". Ivy misses it."
Ohhh, she misses it! I think she knows about this because I've been telling the girls that I miss them when they are at creche.
Another cute Ivy story: both girls can now get themselves up onto the toilet seat all by themselves. It helps to have the little step in front of the toilet, but it's not necessary. I've realised that I sing them a few bars of that song that goes "All by myse-e-elf, don't wanna beeeee all by myse-e-elf"... because Miss Ivy now sings it in a strange drone when she's dragged herself atop the toilet seat. "Aw baaaah maaaaah se-e-e-effff".
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
We are not in Cairns
Instead we are in Melbourne, in the cold, in the rain, with snot.
Ivy has conjunctivitis, Hazel has it again, Trudi and I have new colds, and so does Ivy. Not sure if Hazel has the new cold or the old cold. Not sure that it matters. We are a mess.
We are really glad that we cancelled the Cairns trip. We would have been travelling on Saturday, which was a particularly low day for all of us. The girls would have had no nap on that day. Cos we were home, they napped for over 3 hours - and then slept 11 hours at night.
Hazel and Ivy have a new thing - they say that they are "a bit scared" about whatever it is that has scared them. "Ivy bit scared of the balloon" is a common one. A balloon that is bobbing around in a breeze always gives her the heebies. Hazel is testing the phrase. She looks around to see what to finish it with. "Hazel bit scared of... the couch." Hazel bit scared of... the floor."
Ivy has conjunctivitis, Hazel has it again, Trudi and I have new colds, and so does Ivy. Not sure if Hazel has the new cold or the old cold. Not sure that it matters. We are a mess.
We are really glad that we cancelled the Cairns trip. We would have been travelling on Saturday, which was a particularly low day for all of us. The girls would have had no nap on that day. Cos we were home, they napped for over 3 hours - and then slept 11 hours at night.
Hazel and Ivy have a new thing - they say that they are "a bit scared" about whatever it is that has scared them. "Ivy bit scared of the balloon" is a common one. A balloon that is bobbing around in a breeze always gives her the heebies. Hazel is testing the phrase. She looks around to see what to finish it with. "Hazel bit scared of... the couch." Hazel bit scared of... the floor."
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sick again
Again and again and again.
This time it's a cold that's turned into conjunctivitis for Hazel. The poor little possum is really foul. Snotty nose, snotty eyes... really grim. This morning she was weeping quietly as she sat up in bed. She was such a disaster that I just gave her a shower to clean her face.
Ivy got the cold first, but she's recovered nicely.She could do with a bit more attention though. Hazel is so pathetic that Ivy is getting less than her usual share of sunshine.
We are really really hoping that Hazel is better by Friday morning. That's the time that we have to decide whether we are going to Cairns next week. If she is still festy, we won't go. No point trying to have a nice holiday when one of us is miserable and waking many times each night.
This time it's a cold that's turned into conjunctivitis for Hazel. The poor little possum is really foul. Snotty nose, snotty eyes... really grim. This morning she was weeping quietly as she sat up in bed. She was such a disaster that I just gave her a shower to clean her face.
Ivy got the cold first, but she's recovered nicely.She could do with a bit more attention though. Hazel is so pathetic that Ivy is getting less than her usual share of sunshine.
We are really really hoping that Hazel is better by Friday morning. That's the time that we have to decide whether we are going to Cairns next week. If she is still festy, we won't go. No point trying to have a nice holiday when one of us is miserable and waking many times each night.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Still making sourdough
When we go to Cairns next week, I will take a little jar of sourdough starter for Trudi's cousin. I hope the starter performs well in a different city. Higher temperatures, higher humidity...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Running builder!
Ivy loves the Bob the Builder book that I got from the Salvoes. The book has been banished to the car so I don't have to read it ever again. Ivy reads it on most car trips.
Ivy likes the book so much that she has decided that she is a builder. I think Hazel started this meme... one day, all of a sudden it was Hazel the builder, Ivy the Builder, Mummy the Builder, Minke the Builder, Nanna the Builder. Hazel moved on, but Ivy was captivated. Ivy Builder!
Ivy likes to narrate her actions. As she spins, "Ivy spinning! Turning Ivy! Turning turning! Turning builder!" As she runs, "Running builder!"
Today at creche I heard her narrating, as usual: "Jumping builder! Jumping jumping!" I mentioned to a carer that Ivy is a builder. Then Ivy crouched down to get to a toy, and because her jeans were coming down, there it was: a tiny little builder's crack.
Ivy likes the book so much that she has decided that she is a builder. I think Hazel started this meme... one day, all of a sudden it was Hazel the builder, Ivy the Builder, Mummy the Builder, Minke the Builder, Nanna the Builder. Hazel moved on, but Ivy was captivated. Ivy Builder!
Ivy likes to narrate her actions. As she spins, "Ivy spinning! Turning Ivy! Turning turning! Turning builder!" As she runs, "Running builder!"
Today at creche I heard her narrating, as usual: "Jumping builder! Jumping jumping!" I mentioned to a carer that Ivy is a builder. Then Ivy crouched down to get to a toy, and because her jeans were coming down, there it was: a tiny little builder's crack.
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