Lockdown 2.0, Days 45 and 46

 It's been a very cold, wet weekend - I have never seen so much water at our place, the path at the bottom of the hill is a river and there's puddles of water everywhere that the ground isn't completely flat. Except for a short walk today I basically stayed inside all weekend, let go of any expectations and had a pretty relaxing, warm, fun and quiet time.

Yesterday morning Tony and I actually found ourselves in the kitchen together with time to have a cuppa and we sat and chatted and drank our tea and coffee, it was really really lovely. We created some patterns with a pencil and compass and then coloured them in while we chatted. This inspired me to get out a wooden spiral puzzle that Amelie couldn't really remember playing with - she and Caitlin and I made lots of patterns with it and had a lot of fun. I had a phone call with an old friend from Leeton - we can't remember the last time we talked, but she hasn't met Amelie so it's a very long time since we've seen each other. We knew each other's kids as toddlers, it's so funny to see photos of them now as teens (or older). It was wonderful to catch up. 

The kids and I watched Howls Moving Castle - Caitlin and I had seen it before, the others hadn't and they loved it. Tony was in and out watching bits of it, it was great to be inside and warm and cosy and enjoying a movie together. We ate popcorn, and some the meringues the girls had made the night before. Caitlin and I then watched slideshows of my photos, and experimented with different soundtracks. I planned to have an early night, so headed in to bed to read. The girls came and joined me and we chatted and laughed, and watched the cat chase her tail up on the railing above my cupboard. I went to bed much later than I'd intended but I really enjoyed the time with the kids.

Today was not quite as cold, but only marginally. Liam and I played War (card game) while he waited for Fall Guys to have enough players so he could show me the game. I really enjoyed watching it and had a go myself later on - I am terrible at it but really enjoyed it. Tony made pancakes while I did the dishes and the kids came to eat, so we were all in the kitchen together, it was fun. Caitlin and I went for a walk during a break in the rain, we waded through the river at the bottom of the hill (almost ankle deep) and went to check out the creek - the highest I remember seeing it. We thought about walking down the back of the property but the track was completely underwater and by then it was raining again so we headed home once we got to the far side of the dam. Tony went for a walk a bit later with Caitlin and Liam - Luna ended up on the other side of the creek (they think she fell in) and was too scared to come back over, so Tony went across to get her - an unexpected winter swim for him! I worked on my photos for a while and on a craft project I'm trying - it was frustrating and not working the way I'd like, so I will need to rethink it a bit. The kids watched some Try Guys and Danny Gonzalez on YouTube on the TV - I was enjoying the humour and suggested watching Schitts Creek because I'd heard it was pretty funny. Amelie loved it, the other two weren't sure and I enjoyed it but really didn't laugh much. I don't know if we'll be rushing back to watch it. Amelie spent a lot of the day chatting to a friend on the phone, managed a bit of a play outside in between rain sessions, and went into her room to watch YouTube when Caitlin put The Block on this evening. Caitlin brushed and braided my hair while she watched, then I came to bed early because I'm feeling a bit flat and figure a restful evening will always be helpful.

We had just over 200 new cases today, after a few days of under 200 - I really hope people keep getting tested and keep following the restrictions so that we have an accurate picture of the data and can hopefully start to ease things (just a little) in a few weeks time.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 37

 I didn't sleep well (this time I got up and tended the fire, then made some t-shirt yarn.  It was a more interesting way to pass the time than lying in bed trying to get to sleep, and I was pretty relaxed by the time I went back) - but I did feel much better. Today my attitude was much more - well if things are going to be bad in the future, I might as well enjoy the present, spend as much time with the kids as I can, doing things we love, looking after myself and my family - so I got on with being happy in the now, and I had a really good day.

Amelie and I played several rounds of Red 7s - we've played before but she didn't remember it, she really enjoyed it this time. Liam joined us for a while. In the late morning all the kids and I went for a walk. We headed over to Houghtons Lane. It was cloudy but not too cold. My hip was hurting a bit and my back still a little tender, so I turned back soon after we got to the road, and the kids kept going (the girls went all the way to the end, and Amelie climbed the gorgeous big gum tree, Liam came back a bit earlier once he'd had enough). 

A friend rang me in the morning with a computer question then we chatted for a while. After lunch I had a lovely long Facetime call with a a friend who I hadn't talked to in ages - it was great to catch up. Later in the afternoon we had a Zoom call with my sister and her kids - we played cards with my nephew, watched my niece open her birthday present from us, and chatted to my sister for her own birthday. I think I'll try to do that a bit more often. I then had a friend call by the front gate on his way home, to drop off  some groceries that I hadn't been able to get in Healesville or Yarra Glen. Nice to have a brief, in-person contact to round out a very social day by lockdown standards!

Tony brought home lots of parcels from the post office - including some stickers and room decorations that Caitlin had ordered online, a care package for her from a friend, and a big box books from the library for me - very exciting! (Our library is sending out holds to members, and filling the box with other books based on our borrowing history. I got lots of fantasy novels and some historical fiction - most of them books I haven't heard of before so I'm looking forward to exploring them).

We got takeaway pizza and pasta from Yarra Glen and watched more of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I'm really enjoying it - and it's a fairly easy show to just watch bits of, although the kids tell me it's even better when watched in order. After dinner I had my Friday date with myself - I had a big bowl of ice-cream, Baileys and nutella and read my book in my room for an hour. It was quite blissful.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 36

 I slept badly - although I got up and did some writing which helped pass the time and I was much more relaxed when I went back to bed. My back was a bit twingy during the day but an improvement on the past couple of days. I had hoped to do another strength training session with The Compound - wasn't quite up to it today, hopefully I'll manage one next week.

I got a good handle on the dishes today, they've been mounting up a bit, as our dishwasher still isn't working - I significantly reduced the pile today, listening to my favourite music and chatting to the kids, and it felt good. Caitlin and I had a loud and fun game of Spit - I thought she was going to beat me in only 3 rounds, but I fought back and we played for ages. Amelie and I did some number puzzles, and Caitlin brushed and braided my hair. I spent some time sorting stuff in Amelie's room - we were looking for her DS and eventually found it, after finding a lot of other things that we'd been looking for as well. The girls and I watched 10 Things I Hate About You, and I made roasted almonds and a Raw Paleo Fudge. I went for a walk across the creek - a beautiful sunny afternoon although a little windy. I chatted to a friend on the phone for a while then listened to my audio book. Caitlin dyed the bottom of Amelie's hair purple - it looks fantastic!Caitlin and Liam went for a bike ride. Amelie watched some Avatar: The Last Airbender and we all watched bits of it with her. I did some work on my course and Caitlin cooked nachos for dinner - delicious.

I had a look at the graph of new cases for the first time in about a week. It looks better than last time I looked at it - the trend does seem to be heading down. I started to worry though, it feels like we'll be in lockdown for a good while longer and even once restrictions ease, the virus is still going to be around, there doesn't seem to be a good options for the future. I got a bit down about it all, then felt really bored and restless for the rest of the evening. I've been feeling really good for a while now, so a bit of a slump isn't too bad. I'm hoping a better night's sleep tonight will help.

Lockdown 2.0, Days 34 & 35

 I didn't post yesterday because I had a sore back and by the evening I just wanted to lie down and not think. It felt a lot better today although still twinged occasionally and I was very careful to not do anything to aggravate it.

I had big plans yesterday to get a lot of tidying done. I started the day playing Hanabi with Amelie (we bent the rules a little and nearly won, it was a lot of fun (with lots of laughter) and my back was so sore that at times I couldn't concentrate on the game. I scrapped my plans for the day, took some anti-inflammatories, and spent about 90 minutes in the bath, listening to music and relaxing. I had a lot more movement once I got out, and I felt well enough to cook the sauces for the vegetable eggplant lasagne I had planed for the evening meal. A friend called by to pick up some eggs (our chickens are giving us 4 a day so we are pretty well stocked). We had a brief (masked and distanced) chat in the carport - it was exciting to see someone outside of our immediate family.

In the afternoon I had my Yarra glen homeschool GRoup Zoom meeting so I was able to lie down on my bed and rest some more while I chatted to 2 of the other mums. I'm really loving this fortnightly connection - and glad I dropped it back from weekly, that was feeling a bit overwhelming. At 4pm I drove down to HEalesville to pickup my milk - the dairy is doing a drop off there once a week so we can still buy their delicious milk. HAlfway there I realised I had forgotten my mask - I had a scarf in the car so I used that instead. I will get a pack of disposables to keep in the car for us all in case we need them.

Tony and Caitlin and I went for a slow, short walk, then I put the lasagne together and spent the rest of the evening on the couch. THe kids and I watched Mulan (which i always find exciting because I worked with one of the animators when I was in Tennesee) then I headed straight to bed.

Today I had no plans, but feeling a bit better meant I was able to get some tidying done, and I made lemon butter. I also did a fair bit of writing in the morning. I had a long phone chat with a friend and got ALL the washing folded - now we have room to sit on the small couch again and everyone's clothes supplies are back up. I went for a longer walk this afternoon (our medium length walk). Caitlin walked and Liam rode with me. I got very tired at the halfway point, came home and got straight in the shower, when I got out I felt so weary so spent the rest of the day on the couch, doing my puzzle, talking to Mum, working on my photos. The girls had Guides and CHeer training, and they played a lot of SIMS today. AMelie spent time on the trampoline and Liam did alot of work on his pull ups and chin ups.

I have been avoiding the news still - the only thing I heard was that Auckland is locking down after 4 mystery cases have been detected. Good job NZ For getting straight onto the problem.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 33

 Number of new cases going down, number of deaths going up. There's a whole confusion of emotions every time that happens. It's heartbreaking to think of the families of those people who have died, and I hope that the upward trend o deaths starts to change very soon.

Today I had energy all day, I didn't have to sit down and rest at all (although I made sure I stopped to eat and drink and chat rather than just be on the go all day). Liam and I played cards (Burn) in the morning - we were going to sit outside while I had my cup of tea because it was a beautiful sunny morning, but by the time my tea was ready it was foggy so we stayed inside. The fog didn't stop Amelie though, she was out on the trampoline in fog and sunshine. I got quite a bit done in the yard, the kitchen and my bedroom, catching up on some tidying up that I haven't felt up to for a while. I talked to Mum on the phone and reassured her that we can help with Dad's care if needed - taking him to appointments, picking up medication, talking on the phone, whatever will help. It's really hard for her to be caring for him without any practical support, I wish I could do more but it's a tricky, difficult time to be sick.

I had a lot of fun mounting one of my photos on mat board for a friend, and put together the rest of a care package for her, and a birthday present for my niece. Physically working with my photos for the first time in many many years was enjoyable and easier than I thought it would, and it brought back a lot of memories. I chatted with a friend on the phone and then went to Yarra Glen to post the gifts. I popped in to the the chemist and IGA while I was there - it was busier than I expected it to be, maybe I hit the coming home from work crowd (it wasn't crowded, but it felt more like a regular Monday afternoon (4.30pm ish) than I thought it would. Caitlin and I went for a walk once I was home - we got back after sunset, and there were some gorgeous views on a very clear evening as the sun went down.

I cooked a gnocchi vegetable bake for dinner then we all watched the Grand Final of Ninja Warrior (while Facetiming some friends who were also watching). There was lots of screaming at the TV and lots of nerves - one of our favourite ninjas (Ben Polson) completed the course and won the series - very very cool 

Lockdown 2.0, Day 28

Numbers were bad again today. Record number of cases and deaths in Victoria (725 and 15 respectively). The word is that it might get worse before it gets better. I know that it could take a while for each lot of new restrictions to have an impact. But numbers like that are hard to sit comfortably with.

Tony has his permit for work and there's a few changes in his workplace so that everyone has less contact with people. Caitlin and I have started taking our masks with us when we walk on the property, in case we have to talk to one of the vineyard guys (we'd mainly been walking after they left so it didn't matter, but we're walking in between the rain this week so it's been during working hours mainly.)

I had another good day today, even though I got tired easily and needed lots of rests. I played Kaboom with Amelie, had a great walk with Caitlin, chatted with Liam about the games he's been playing (mainly Getting Over It), watched Gilmore Girls (we're getting so close to the end), chatted with Mum and 2 different friends, worked on my photos and my course, had an afternoon bath and read my book. It was another cold day, with alternating rain and sun. Late in the afternoon Amelie saw a rainbow that looked like it was in the vineyard, so we went chasing it. As we got closer it was consumed by the rain clouds to the east - disappointing to lose the rainbow but it was so beautiful out there. The sun was shining from just above the western horizon, and there were thick grey clouds to the east and south, and there were water droplets on all surfaces. The three kids and I hung out towards the front of the property for a good while, talking, laughing, climbing trees (well, the kids climbed, I took photos of them and of the vines and mountains). The big kids went in and Amelie showed me her favourite places to climb and explore.

We had beef stroganof for tea and watched The Princess and the Frog then all headed towards bed.

Lockdown 2.0, Day 14

Today was hard. Numbers are way up - over 500 for Australia, most in Victoria. We’re 2 weeks into lockdown and things aren’t getting better. It’s scary and worrying.

I woke up with my head all stuffy and my throat scratchy. Caitlin woke up saying she felt really sick - she’d been heading that way for the past couple of days. I feel like mine is hayfever, hers might be too or she’s just exhausted, or she’s picked up a cold from somewhere... but it’s not worth assuming that and being wrong, so we went to Healesville to get tested. It was a bit odd having it done on the same room I do karate in...

Liam and I had a fun morning playing games - Othello (he’s pretty good but hasn’t beaten me yet - probably the only game o can say that about!), Flux, Burn and Kaboom. Amelie joined us for a while too. After Caitlin and I decided to go and get tested he was a bit worried so went to his room to play on his computer and stayed there for the rest of the day. Amelie spent a lot of the afternoon on the trampoline and playing with Luna. Caitlin and I watched Gilmore Girls, she did some sewing and i researches website and storage options. The girls and I went for a late walk and played with Luna a bit more. The dam was beautiful in the post-sunset light.

We’re all a bit on edge. Caitlin and I both became more anxious as the evening went on - a duet session at the piano had us laughing hard and helped quite a bit. I had a bath and Caitlin talked to friends- I think we’re all a tad stir- crazy and feeling anxious and it caught up with is all today. The house is a mess and I feel like I have a massive list of things I want to be doing and m not getting to - hopefully tomorrow I’ll either be able to do some of them, or stop worrying about them!

Going away and feeling better

My energy returned slowly after my day of rest, and 5 days up at Mum and Dad's helped me restore my emotional energy a little. They were away, so we had the house to ourselves and shared with our friends who brought their caravan up and spent the days with us. The kids had a wonderful time, playing iPads, lego, zoo animals, the piano, swimming, watching movies, playing hide and seek and other games they made up that involved toys and stairs and upstairs and downstairs, bike and scooter riding, card games, talking and thinking and learning and laughing. The adults also had a great time, helping with all of the above, and doing puzzles and reading and chatting and relaxing. It was perfect timing for a low key trip away, and I felt much better once we got back.

Since then we've had a few quiet days at home, one of them with Tony here all day which was wonderful (he's still been working long hours, nearly every day). We had a really busy day yesterday, with all 3 kids visiting the dentist (teeth all doing well), then meeting friends at the museum for a very fun afternoon, then visiting my sister and her family before they go to England next Monday. The kids had a great time playing with their cousin - who calls Caitlin 'Cake', and the other 2 'more Cake' (possibly some combination of Caitlin and cousin?) - they love playing duplo and cars and trains with him, and being bossed around by a 2 year old. He is pretty cute. Once we left the kids all voted for Subway for dinner (I had been thinking we'd go to McDonalds, but without hesitation they all asked for Subway) - it takes us ages to order by the time 4 of us decided what we want and how many drinks etc, but it was tasty and fun and everyone was happy with their order.

Other things we've got up to in the last several days
- LiAM and I have played cards a lot - it was funny, a few times I started to suggest that he play a different card to the one he chose - then remembered that his strategic understanding of the game is as good (or probably better) than mine, so I kept quiet, and sure enough, he ended up winning doing things his way. He can think a long way ahead in a game and really understands what all the moves mean
-Tony took Amelie to McDonalds on his day off, she was so thrilled to have some time alone with him
-LiAM and I went for a walk around the dam and explored plants and animals and mud and animal tracks, and talked about all sorts of things
- we've watched lots of Heartland, which has sparked discussion about childcare, parenting practices, relationships, horses, jobs, responsibility, friendship, trust, script writing, decision making
- LiAM has played a lot with his Skylander figures, making up a game for them to play with each other and creating a score sheet for them
- More and more often LiAM is saying 'does this say '....'?' instead of asking 'what does this say?' when he sees text on screen or on a sign
- Caitlin has been helping Tony make some wine with some of the local grapes that weren't picked for use this year
- We've been reading random fact books and learning all sorts of interesting trivia
- lots of talk still about planets, dwarf planets and star constellation
- Caitlin had a sleepover with a friend, and the rest of us visited other friends for the afternoon, the girls played dress ups and did puzzles, the boys played playstation games, and the adults chatted
- we're going lots of planning for our big trip which is coming up rather fast

Rest day

I was exhausted yesterday - maybe 6 weeks of Vintage catching up with me - and I only had short bursts of energy, and spent a lot of the day lying on the couch or sitting propped on my bed, and the kids brought their games, books and conversations to me.

- We looked at more of the Guinness World Records Gaming Edition book, flicking through to find random facts and records, and then going off on tangents from each of those, discussing the game and record and the people who attempted the record and things we knew about the game ourselves and what records we would be interested in and so on
- We did a heap of quizzes - geography, Disney movies and characters, mythical creatures
- From the mythical creature quiz we looked up Gorgons (one clue said that Medusa was a Gorgon, and we've come across Medusa in lots of places, and Gorgons in our Titan game, but didn't realise they were linked) So we read up on Gorgons, and Medusa, which took us to Perseus, and then looked up a heap of information about his story, discussed how it was similar and different to the Percy Jackson movies, then looked at his constellation in the sky, which lead to looking at heap of other constellations of mythical people and figuring out which ones we'd be able to see in the Southern Hemisphere
- We played cards, 2 player games and 1 player games with people watching. LiAM beat me three times in a row at his favourite game and decided to leave it at that (I love playing with him, his strategy is sound and I can only win if I play really well AND have good cards)
- the kids played with Duplo animals and blocks for ages
- Caitlin did some more painting
- Caitlin went to our neighbours and hung out there for a while, and rode her bike back (she'd left it there during the week)
- I had a bath and finished reading 'Ender in Exile' (the direct sequel (although written after the rest of the series) to  Enders Game - I'm very keen to read the rest of the series, I really love the way they explore responsibility (personal and collective), morals, whether the ends justify the means, and how different characters feel about that. And it's a great story.
- Tony came home from work mid afternoon and had a nap, once he was up he watched a bit of TV with us (one of the episodes of Australia's Got Talent that we'd all missed during the week)
- Tony and Caitlin went for a bike ride
- Tony and Caitlin went and picked some grapes and are going to make a small amount of wine from them
- Amelie and I played Hungry Babies, Disco Zoo and ABC Solitaire on the iPad
- LiAM and I watched Superman Returns - I'd seen the end of it before but couldn't remember the earlier bits. I really enjoyed it, even though I did pick apart some of the special effects that weren't realistic enough.
- LiAM and Amelie played with their Skylander figures (not on the playstation, just as figurines on the table)
- Caitlin played Coffee Shop and other games on cool-mathgames.com
- Caitlin and I talked a lot about horses, the ones she is looking after, the ones in the other book I'm reading (Silk Route Adventure, where a lady is riding a horse across the central asian countries), the horses she'd like to have and those that she's met in other places
- I read a chapter of Brisingr to everyone - we've read it so infrequently so far and the story hadn't really got going so it was easy to forget to go back to it - but it's picking up now and we're all keen to keep reading regularly again

It was a pretty full day even though I spent most of it resting, and I'm hoping that it will have help me recharge and feel more energetic today.

Karate, Guides, friends and car service

This is the first full week of school term and all our activities are back on. On Tuesday we mainly stayed at home. We played Titan, played Minecraft, watched TV, Millie and I watched some Pokemon, we did Sudokus, played cards, played with Barbies and pillow pets, jumped on the trampoline, Millie did some more drawing, we read books. In the evening we went to karate - Amelie came with as Tony was at work - she could have joined in, though chose not to yet. She watched from the side and played on the iPad. I really enjoyed being back - I was a little worried about my knee, but I'd warmed it up before we got there, and strapped it, and I was very careful doing kicks (it meant that I really concentrated on doing them correctly), and it was fine. There was one leg sweeping move that one of the black belts was teaching us that looked too risky for a questionable knee, so I sat that one out - one of the things I love about this dojo, that no one is expected to anything that they are not comfortable with. The kids played in the playground after karate which for Amelie especially made the evening much more fun.

After karate we popped into Coles for more chocolate milk and a snack, then home for a late dinner of potato wedges and dim sims. Tony came home after we did, and had some dinner then went to the shed to practice his darts for Wednesday night. He's trying to get to bed a bit earlier because he's working so much, so I'm doing more of the helping everyone get into bed part of the night, which means I'm going to bed later than I usually do, and then waking up later as well. I think I'm getting the same amount of sleep, just at a different part of the night, and it's taking me a little bit of time to adjust.

So Wednesday morning I didn't wake up until 8.10, and I was dropping the car off to be serviced at 9! I quickly cleaned everything out of the car and grabbed something quick to eat (raspberries and cream). H had come over to be with the kids so I took the car down, then walked to the bus stop in the rain which was quite pleasant. I thought the next bus was at 5 past 10, but there was one at 9.30, so I was home again within 40 minutes of leaving. All the kids were up once I got back and H was getting them breakfast.

H and Caitlin spent most of the day sewing, making a halter neck top for Caitlin. It was very cool to watch the process, as neither of them had done it before and they didn't have a pattern, and they worked together to figure it all out as they went, and tried different ideas and adjusted as necessary. The top is beautiful and looks well made, I was impressed and inspired by the way they just had a go and worked it out. H also helped Amelie make some clothes for her barbies, and they played with the dolls for a while. The kids played Minecraft with H and watched some TV. I was able to a heap of tidying up and cleared most of our kitchen table which was quite exciting, haven't seen that much of the table for a while!

In the afternoon V came over to play with LiAM, they tried to play Jetpack Joyride but we couldn't update our copy, so they played Minecraft and then went outside on the trampoline and swing. I had a cuppa with R, then she took Caitlin with her to get S from school and go to S's swimming lesson. I caught the bus back to Healesville to pick up the car (which now has a new battery, hurray! Hopefully we won't be stuck unable to start the car anymore for a long time now). H had got the kids ready and I piled everyone into the car on my way back through. I took V home and left my kids at his place, H and I took Caitlin to Guides then H drove home. I had a good chat to L while I watched her boys on the trampoline, then back to pick my kids up and a quick cuppa, then picked Caitlin and some friends up from Guides, dropped the friends off and then home. It felt like a complicated afternoon, but it worked quite easily and everyone got to be where they needed to be and had a good time.

We had a bit more food, Caitlin did some more puzzles, we watched Heartland (they are now showing Season 3 on ABC3, which we have seen on DVD but not on TV, so we were quite excited) then Amelie and I went into the bedroom to watch Pokemon until she was tired enough to sleep. I was in and out with the others while she was watching.  Caitlin watched a movie about horses. LiAM did an online survey that asked for a 6-11 year old boy - I was reading the questions for him and he was able to read about half of the answers, picking up a few new words along the way. Tony came home while were all still awake and was able to help LiAM get to bed and we all made it to sleep a bit earlier than the night before (although still quite late). Actually Caitlin has been reading a lot in bed too, so she's going to bed with the rest of us then reading for an hour or two, she's immersed in the sequel to The Princess Academy and she's really loving it.

Homeschool Group, karate, movies, dinner

When the kids woke up on Thursday morning they lay in the new bunk beds and listened to Caitlin reading to them - she was reading a book about a cupcake fairy and they were all fascinated.

Once everyone was up, Millie and I played a game where she was my pet puppy and she kept turning into a statue, and when she came back to life she could walk on her back legs and talk. Caitlin spent some time sorting out her photos on the computer, and messaging with a friend. LiAM played with his skylanders (not using the PS3, just using the figures to act out stories).

In the afternoon we had Yarra Glen homeschool group. We had 11 families there so it was very busy. The family we visited on Tuesday were there, as well as most of our regular homeschool friends and several new families. The kids played in the sandpit, on the play equipment, did craft with glue and glitter and straws, read books, played Minecraft and Terraria and on DSs, rode scooters and the Ripstik and ran around a lot. The parents chatted lots and played with the kids and helped with craft and it was a very social day.

After everyone else left we wandered up the street and bought some fish and chips for dinner. We were eating in the park but were visited by a wasp and Millie was very scared so we moved into the hall. Once we'd eaten LiAM got changed and we all got ready for karate - Caitlin returning after a break for the 2nd half of last year, and Millie attending for the 1st time (she has been waiting to start for about 6 months, she was very excited). It was great to be back - I had been a bit worried about my knee but it held up fine, not really even a twinge (I made sure I stretched REALLY well at the start). LiAM and I started working on our gradings which are coming up in April (I'm nervous already, although a term of working on the moves and combinations should help me feel more confident). Caitlin had some one on one help and the trainers were impressed at how quickly she picked everything up. Millie received an introduction to karate with another boy who is just starting, and after a while it became a bit overwhelming and she took a break. She came and copied me for a while but mainly sat at the side and watched - she'll try again next week. I liked that at the end of the session the guys called her back in to line up for the last bit and weren't worried at all that she had sat out half of the lesson.

Yesterday Caitlin woke me at 6am because the hot air balloons were taking off outside our house. There were 3 of them, one fairly close to our yard. Even though I've seen it lots of times now, it is still exciting to watch the balloons inflate and then slowly take off and drift over the vines. While we were watching I watered the plants, then Caitlin joined me on my walk.

We spent a quiet day watching movies and playing games. We watched Despicable Me, Racing Stripes, The Grinch, the Tale of Desperaux, and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Millie and I curled up on my bed to watch that one). Millie and I played vets, she was the vet and I brought her soft toys to her for check ups. LiAM and I played cards and then the girls joined in as well. We played some more with the counters and LiAM with his Skylanders.

In the evening we went to Tony's work for a pre-Vintage dinner. The kids played tennis on the tennis court (Tony and one of his workmates joined them for a while) and rode their scooters/rip stik in the carpark, while Tony and I chatted and ate. The kids joined us for some food then played in the yard, danced to the music, chatted to people, climbed trees. Millie played her iPod when she'd had enough and fell asleep on my lap. We were there until almost 11pm, it was a pleasant evening and nice to touch base with everyone before work gets really crazy.

Our last relaxing weekend day for the summer?

Originally Tony was supposed to work yesterday, so it was a pleasant change of plans that meant we had him with us for the whole day! It's great starting vintage with the whole family well connected and communicating well, although we'll miss him a lot once his hours start to go up.

The kids played together a lot yesterday, on the iPad or playing imaginary games - last night there was a long involved (and loud) game that started as a family going on a picnic and ended up being a spy type adventure. It was fun to watch while I was getting ready for bed.

LiAM watched the final collection of episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds and the rest of us watched bits and pieces as we were interested (I stayed for the final battle, it was exciting and down to the wire and wrapped up the series quite nicely). Millie watched a couple of Barbie movies in my room, and I stayed with her and watched Mermaidia Fairytopia. Tony and LiAM and Millie played Terraria on and off, and LiAM tried to watch more YouTube videos but our internet allowance has been reached so the speed is too slow - very frustrating. While everyone was watching movies Tony and I had a round of Letters and Numbers (like the tv show, I have one of the books and we play infrequently, when we get 20 minutes or so quietly together during the day). It's very challenging and lots of fun to play against each other. We each have our strengths, and after each round we work together to find the best solution to each question. It's also helping me learn my multiples of 75...

Tony took the 3 kids to Yarra Glen park in the afternoon for a play with some friends, and I spent a few hours tidying up and organising things, and also made a very yummy chocolate tart. The kids and Tony had hot chips while they were out, so we all grabbed bits and pieces to eat as we felt like it through the evening, rather than having a sit down dinner (I had some yummy cheese and tuna toasted wraps). We all played cards (the 5 of us) while we watched the men's Australian Open tennis final, then I went and lay down (while the kids were playing their game) and once they'd calmed down read the Bear books to Millie (and the others) again.

Movie, chickens and swimming

I've been waking up earlyish again lately - between 6 and 7 usually - and I've been going outside and watering my plants, then going for my walk. I hadn't been walking much over the past couple of months and it's wonderful to be doing it again. Going that early too I often get to see the sunrise or close to it, and see the early morning clouds reflected in the dam. There are often kangaroos still up on the dam wall at that time, and the ducks are just waking up. It's a great start to the day and I think it's helping my energy levels and my anxiety overall. (I've had a few anxiety attacks this week and the walking definitely helps me keep things in perspective).

Millie woke up not long after I got back from my walk yesterday, and she sat on my lap while I checked email etc and she played on the iPad. Then we moved onto the couch together which was more comfortable. She was looking at something to do with the moon in one of her games and asked what it was called when it was a certain shape, so we looked up moon phases and chatted about how it changes, what it's called, why we can see what we can. The other two kids eventually wandered out, and we all curled up on the couch and watched 'The Princess and the Frog'. I was feeling very sleepy and dozed in the musical sequences, and managed to watch most of the rest of the movie. A very relaxing way to spend the morning.

Caitlin had commented that our little chick was getting 'so big' after she didn't see it for 3 days when she was away on horse camp. I thought she was imagining it - the chick still looked tiny. However when I went to check on the broody hens yesterday and discovered 2 more brand new chicks I could see what she means - the new chicks are TINY and the older one has grown quite a lot. I love how excited we all feel whenever new chicks are born, even though we've had it happen quite a number of times. They are so incredibly cute and tiny and we all love watching them. We really enjoy watching them grow up too, discovering what colouring they are going to have, and whether they are a hen or a rooster - Caitlin and I discovered yesterday that the 4 month old chick which we were sure was a hen is actually not - he was practising his crowing so looks like he was not the bird that laid the tiny egg we found the other day.

Being Friday, Tony was home around 2pm which is always lovely. He played Terraria with the kids for a while, then he and I played Donkey with Millie. Tony had a nap while I played Go Fish with Millie. I had a lie down myself (still feeling sleepy) and the kids played Test Match and did some drawing. Caitlin was very keen to go for a swim and it was quite a hot day so when I got up we rushed around and headed back down to Healesville outdoor pool. (At first I felt like it was too much effort, and felt that we'd planned to have a day at home so we should stick to that. Then I realised there was really no reason for us not to go, part of having a sparkly, joy filled life is to take opportunities when they come up, so it was ok to change our plans and do something that one of us really wanted to do. I'm so glad I chose the joyous option and not the default option.) Tony came with us too. Millie and I played around in the shallow end of the big pool, she practiced swimming out to me from the steps, and was also a dolphin who loved to eat catfish and I was the human supplying her with the catfish. The other 2 kids found some friends - two boys who had been in the Chicken Little play with Caitlin last October - and played with them and bit tyre tube up in the deep end. Tony and I each spent a bit of time with the big kids and a bit with Millie, then Millie put her backpack on and came up the deep end with all of us. We stayed until closing time (6pm) (we'd gone quite late), then bought pizza and went to the Train Park to eat it. It was a lot cooler by this stage and sitting outside felt lovely (apart from the wasp who wanted to share our dinner). After eating the kids and I walked the labyrinth, trying a few different techniques, then played Hide and Seek and then 40-40.

Back at home people played Terraria, I looked up some Terraria information for LiAM, Caitlin played minecraft and looked up dresses on the internet, Tony and I put away the camper trailer, we watched the cricket (quite exciting, Australia won in the last over) and the tennis then wound down and made our way to bed.