Jen - Off we go

Bags are packed (Thanks, Dan!), taxi's booked and will arrive in five hours to take the lot of us to the sunnier climes of Cairns and the Torres Strait. The kids are ridiculously excited. See you in a couple o' weeks!

Dan: can has fever

Felt crappy and lethargic all day, and was assuming it was just general under-caffeination. Got home to discover I had a light fever (as does Jen).

I don't think you can get fevers from not enough caffeine, but I don't plan on risking it.

Jen - Musical Education

The kids are getting edumacated this evening. Dan downloaded some old music videos and played them for the kids at dinner time...

Charley Lownoise & Mental Theo - Wonderful Days
Mr. Oizo - Flat Beat
Apollo 440 - Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub
Underworld - Born Slippy

Some old favourites.

Dan: mistaken for a grownup

Xmas was lots of fun, with all three kids now fully comprehending the gift extravaganza that is Annual Gift Giving Day. I was mistaken for an adult, and got cool things like a coffee machine while everyone else got all the lego. Ate entirely too much and am now suffering from a surfeit of tasty food.

Dan - In the navy!

We hopped in the car yesterday and drove down to Jervis Bay to see Evil graduate today. Was very cool to see her in her fancy uniform, and the kids had a great time - mostly due to the novelty of the long distance travelling and sleeping in a motel.

Jen - It begins...

Dan and I were cleaning off the whiteboard a bit tonight whilst the littlies played around our legs.

Suddenly, Elora holds something up to me and says "What is it, Mama?"
I look down and she's holding up a plastic card. Dan's corporate card, no less.
"What?" exclaims Dan. "How did she get that?"

She'd managed to reach into the leg pocket of Dan's cargo pants and sneakily grab it out of his wallet all without him noticing.

It begins. The daughter raiding her father's wallet. We just didn't expect it quite so soon!

Dan - Longweekendtastic!

After the Easter long weekend I was a bit worn out, and decided to have another one. Starting today. Admittedly, it's also because of the horrors of school holidays this year (there's no vacation care for preschoolers, but also no spaces in childcare, so we have nowhere to send Superguy Dragon, which means Jen and I have to do a lot of staying at home, and grandmothers and Aunties are being conscripted en masse to look after him). Should be a bit easier next year, when he can go to vacation care, but I'm expecting to burn through a lot of leave this year.

It was an interesting work week, though, fitting a week's work into two days.

Dan - birthday shenanigans

We skipped Dante's birthday party this year (due to the One Birthday Party per annum rule), so I decided to take him to the movies with a friend or two. Which somehow turned into 4 friends and a bonus sibling. So I took six boys for lunch and to see Monsters vs. Aliens today, which was a lot of fun. The boys were good fun, and no trouble. Then we went up to see Jo and Vee at their get-together at the Coopers arms. All in all, a long and exciting day. Came home to a worn-out looking Jen, Atty, and Elora. Not sure what they got up to while we were out, but they were a lot more tired than us. I'm still looking for the keg and other evidence of the party they had while we were out.

Also, saw a 4WD drive into a wall this morning for no good reason. Have to call the police tomorrow as a witness.

Dan - Packing Fu

Spent yesterday doing a massive cleanup of the garage/shed in order to make space for more furniture from the family (Tim & Janet are renovating). The sheer awesome power of my packing-fu surprises even me - I cleaned out about 8 square metres in a previously "full" garage.

Now I ache.

Dan: Stranglers

Saw the Stranglers at the UNSW Roundhouse last night. Very exciting - they gave an excellent performance.

They were down two of their original lineup - the singer/lead guitar was replaced in 2001 (ish), and Jet Black, their drummer, was having a rest (he's 70-something years old); but the rest of them gave an awesome performance.

And I was on the edge of the mosh pit, which had a median age of about 40 :)

Dan - house not destroyed

Went to inspect our house in Darlington. We were happy to find that the large quote for repairs and cleaning wasn't because it had been deliberately trashed, just rather enthusiastically lived in.

Dan - school's back

It's the end of our first full week back at school - Dante and Atty were at school all week. We're all exhausted and cranky, and we'll be resting hard this weekend. Hopefully we'll be able to recover despite the cruel and unusual heat the BOM has planned for us.

Dan: Dante's adventures in MMOGs

Dante has discovered his first MMO game - Moshi Monsters. It's a silly thing where you create you monster, and it wanders around this little world, and you feed it and get it stuff, and meet up and chat with your friends' monsters. All pretty simple, and entirely within the browser. But he's so keen that he has decided to spend his pocket money on a 1-month membership. God help us when he discovers WOW.

Dan - back at work

After 4 delightful weeks of holiday, I'm back at work this week, and very tired. Looking forward to the long weekend.

We went to the Olympic Park pool this afternoon - kids had lots of fun, but the lifeguards seemed to be in a bit of a mood.

Dan - Happy New Year!

Happy 2009, folks! It's been ages since my last post, a lapse I humbly apologise for. Enjoying 4 weeks off work, seeing lots of friends and family. Spent the day putting together and painting chairs, and taking the munchkins off to see the fireworks (or, as Elora has been calling them, spiderworks).

Dan - Single Parent for a weekend

Jen and Elora were away in the Torres Strait for a long weekend, leaving just me and the boys. Had a good weekend, apart from the endless fighting between the lads. Jen's out again tonight, at her sewing class, so I've got three cranky monsters tonight, but I got them to bed nice and early (they're still grumbling half an hour later, though...).

Fortunately, I haven't been attacked by moths.

Dan - back into the routine

Dante's back at school, and his extension classes have started again, so we're back into the weekly busy routine. Work's busy - I'm hiring again, and the next six months look ridiculously busy. On the bright side, I'm planning the family Xmas getaway (to Hawks Nest, maybe, this time).

Poor Jen spent all day ill (see her blog for more details), so the kids and I have been pottering about the house all day, actually having a quite pleasant day. Though Dante might be coming down with the lurgy (complaining of illness this evening; we'll see how he is come morning). Squishy also has a stomach bug, and has been chundering around the house.

Dan - scootin'

Figured I try a new way of getting Dante to school on time - riding the razor scooters from Redfern up to school. Figured I'd save 5 minutes or so, and thus get to school on time. But, no dice. Not only did we get The Slowest Train Ever, once we got scooting, Dante had to stop every couple of minute for a rest or a drink or because the Moon was in the Seventh House and Jupiter was aligned with Mars.

So, we got to school late anyway, and I think taking the scooters saved us about 30 seconds. Don't think I'll bother with that plan again.

dan - it's official, they'll let anyone on the road

So I've been sick all week, and yesterday arvo I remembered that I'd booked my DQT for this morning, and so had to quickly read the handbook and hope that a single quick read through would enable me to pass. I had three kids jumping on me while read it. And then last night I couldn't get to sleep until 3:30am due to coughing and my general malaise. But I passed anyway, despite nearly sideswiping a virtual motorcyclist in the test.

Yay, no more P-plates for me!

Dan - another day at home

We're still all ill - fevers rampaging though the house, coughing from all and sundry, and general miserableness and crankiness. Seem to be on the mend, though. I'm almost over the fever, as is Dante. Jen and Atty are still burning up, though Elora seems mostly unaffected.