I just got here, and now I'm leaving again ...

I know, I know, I know ... I just got back !!!

Prepare to gasp in shock, horror and amazement (those of you who know me well) ... the King clan are going camping. Real, honest, in-a-tent camping. For. a. whole. week.

The rugrats and the MOTH are racing six days out of the next seven. We're headed north to Christchurch, and holiday season accommodation prices being what they are, we had the option of either borrowing a friend's tent, or not going at all.

The MOTH, super-organised man that he is, started packing on Tuesday. We're onto Version IV of "The List". And my helpful and eminently sensible suggestion that I type the list out so we can read it more easily, and include columns to tick when we pack each item, and again when we pack to head home, was met with laughter and sniggers of amusement.

When we first floated the idea, S looked appropriately vague and pink and asked "What's camping ?" ... it not having been a word that ever featured in her vocabulary before. Now that we have explained what camping actually is, the rugrats are appropriately excited by the whole concept.

I think it was the thought of living somewhere with no shower that appealed, but we burst that bubble with the knowledge that the camping ground comes complete with shower block (which means somewhere to plug in my hairdryer !!!). The fact that it also comes complete with heated swimming pool has softened the blow for them somewhat.

So we're heading off bright and early tomorrow morning, complete with tent, bikes, and small children. Before then we're heading out to spend the evening with friends celebrating, in a low-key home-by-half-past-midnight kind of way, the coming of the New Year.

Love to you and your loved ones :) Be good .... enjoy your New Year's celebrations, have a drink for me ... and above all ... stay safe !!!

Boxing Day ...

Cheat post this one ... just a few pics of the incredibly amazing weather we were blessed with on Boxing Day ...

S pretending to be a super-hero !!!

K trying to hide in a rock !!!

Oh yeah, and me ... trying to act like I don't want my picture taken !!!

Catch-up, Part IV : Wherein we celebrate Birthdays ...

My mum's birthday is Christmas Eve. So we drove up to Oamaru on Saturday afternoon, and went out to their favourite restaurant to celebrate her 60th birthday !!!

Way back a long time ago, my mum and I used to go to church for Midnight Mass. Obviously, geographical circumstances have prevented that from happening in recent years, but this year we were able to go. Honestly compels me to admit that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I used to ... I don't know whether it was the unfamiliar church, or the different service, but it completely failed to engage me on any level at all. I enjoyed being there with my mum though ...

Back home we stuffed the rugrats' Santa stockings hanging in front of the fireplace, ate the carrots, drank the milk, crumbled the cookies ... and went to bed :)

Now, I firmly believe I must have two sets of children. The ones I could cheerfully give away to the first person who came to the door or drove down the street that agreed to take them. And the ones who continually amaze me (not that the former ones don't amaze me, but in a totally different way).

Six-oh-five am on Christmas morning the rugrats woke up. I know this, cos I woke up the second they did (my folks' cottage not having any internal doors bar the one to the bathroom). One by one they crept through the lounge, stopped, continued on to the toilet, crept back, stopped .... AND WENT BACK TO BED !!!!

At six forty-five we caved and let them get up and open their presents (we usually make them wait until seven). It was fabulous to see them with their other set of grandparents, but weird in a way, because it's not the usual.

So all in all, a pretty good Christmas. A lot quieter than usual, my family being tiny in comparison to the MOTH's where we usually spend our Christmases.

And as we're only here for two years, it's not going to happen that often ...

Catch-up, Part III : Exercise, but not as we know it ...

Brrriiing, brrriiing ....

"Hello ?"

"Hi, it's me. Hey, want to come aqua jogging after work tomorrow night ?"

"Ummm .... "

Kassi's don't do water. We don't do swimsuits. And, as a rule, we don't do exercise. Combine all three, and it's pretty much like asking the MOTH to eat cauliflower cheese ...

However, in the interests of giving new things a try, I went out the following lunch time and bought swimming apparel. The first time, I must say, I have ever tried on a pair of togs and not felt like bursting into tears.

Anyway ... long story short (I did promise to keep these short !) ... aqua jogging rocks !!! I'm especially fond of the "not having to put your head under the water" aspect of the whole thing. And apparently it's really good for toning your butt ... what girl doesn't need that ?!?!?!?

Catch-up, Part II : We had visitors ...

The week before Christmas, just for one night.

The MOTH's folks have bought a business. Still up north (unfortunately ... wouldn't it be just the greatest if they moved down here to keep us company ?!?!?!?) but the owner / head office is in Invercargill so they had to come down and do the meet-and-greet and sign the papers.

They could have done a there-and-back-in-a-day thing ... but instead they flew to Invercargill, rented a car, did what they had to, drove two and a half hours to see us, stayed the night, and flew out from Dunedin the next morning.

Words are inadequate to describe how good it was to see them again, especially as it was totally unexpected and I had no idea they were coming (the MOTH is very good at keeping secrets, dammit !!!) ...

K was upset when they left because of the shortness of their stay, but I tried to remind him to be happy that we saw them at all, rather than focusing on the fact they were only here for one night :)

Interesting that they've now been to see us the exact same number of times my folks have since we moved here seven months ago ...

Catch-up, Part I : Fun ways to scare your husband ...

A week out from Christmas, suddenly develop a huge appetite (and I mean "finish-dinner-look-for-the-next-meal" type hungry) ...

Casually mention in passing "I'm two weeks late" ... *

Watch the blood drain from his face ...




* Obviously I'm not now, but sheesh it was funny at the time !!!

I know I've been slack ...

I realise I can't very well hassle V and tease her about having "the blog that time forgot" when I'm guilty of the same crime. Pot calling the kettle black and all that kind of thing.

I wish I could say it was because there's been a lot going on around here over the past few weeks, but that isn't strictly speaking true either.

Admittedly I felt guilty that I wasn't keeping in touch with my friends, some of whom I have basically stopped emailing and communicate solely with through conversations in the comments section of their blogs.

I guess the truth of the matter is that I just got bored with blogging. And yet "bored" isn't quite the right word either. I guess "chronically unmotivated" is another way of putting it. I found other things to do with my time that didn't involve sitting in front of a computer screen. At home the computer set-up is such that it means I have to sit with my back to the rest of the family in the lounge, which is extremely anti-social.

And at work we have been, if not exactly banned from, strongly advised against, using the internet for personal reasons due to the escalating costs involved. So no go on the internet there either ... not even on rainy lunch times when it's too wet to go out and there's nothing else to do.

So I've been away ... but now I'm back. Batteries re-charged, raring to go for the New Year ...

I've debated how to catch-up on the few exciting things that have happened around here lately ... lots of little posts, or one big gigantic one ... and I've decided to go for the lots of little ones ... for those of you with limited attention spans. You know who you are (grin) ...

Tact is NOT his middle name ...

So I'm getting dressed this morning and K walks into the bedroom.

K : "I really like that top Mummy ..."

Me : (Awwww, that's so cute ... he's learning to compliment women on their appearance ... he'll be a succesful sensitive teenager yet !!!)

K : "... it makes you look much thinner than you really are"

Ouch.

Sometimes there is just no answer ...

While turning the light out last night, I ask the MOTH “Any idea what the weather report is for tomorrow ?”

MOTH : “No clue, but Toni* had her hair down ... and it’s curly”

Me : "You just know I'm gonna be blogging this, right ?!?!?"



* weather chick recently voted New Zealand’s sexiest woman

He's a strange lad ...

K has just turned eight. A very bright eight. A reading-age-of-eleven-and-a-half type of eight.

So can you imagine my surprise when, offered the choice of Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, or a book on rocks (the rugrat likes rocks, can't go anywhere without bringing home half a ton of them) as something he might like for Christmas, he stated ...

"No thanks. Can I have a real Winnie the Pooh book ?"

Real, as in before Disney and the stupid red Tshirt. Back when Pooh still ate elevenses (which K is very taken with, mainly because it's another opportunity for eating !) and Rabbit came out with comments like ...

"You have to admire a person who can spell Tuesday, even if he can't spell it right"

It's the little things ...

Did I also mention that I love the fact that we have red and green reindeer mugs and plates that we unearth at this time of the year ?

Even regular coffee tastes Christmassy in a reindeer mug :)

I love this time of year !!!

No, not the madding crowds and people pushing and yelling and fighting each other for car parking spaces and the overwhelming advertising and the general feeling pervading the shopping malls that you need to spend copious amounts of money to show people that you love them.

I love ...

... putting up the Christmas tree (even if this year it isn't a real one - the MOTH isn't too happy, but it's eight feet tall and symmetrical and you gotta love that) ...

... fairy lights and tinsel garlands in the front hall and stockings hanging on the hearth in the lounge ...

... red and gold candles and the smell of cinnamon ...

... sitting on the curb at the side of the road in the hot sun for an hour to watch the Santa parade go past, and a six year old who turns to you with huge awestruck eyes as the last float goes past and says "Is that the real Santa ?" ...

... I love that she still has to ask ....

... the eight year old boy who, when taken into a toy shop to show us what he wants for Christmas, spends fifteen minutes pointing out toys he thinks his sister would like ...

... a Christmas wishlist that says "whatever you want to buy me" ...

... looking forward to two weeks holiday and going camping with my family (not sure about how much I'm looking forward to the camping portion of the equation, but I'll try anything once) ...

Most of all I love that I have rugrats !!! I read somewhere once that you never fully appreciate Christmas until you have children to share it with you ... and it's getting better :)