Bit of a pat on the back

to me. I got my 5000 word essay submitted AND I had a whole three minutes to spare. That's impressive even if I do say so myself. And what's more I was very happy with it, which is always a bonus. That subject was Law and the Internet and it truly is fascinating. Every single day since I commenced the assignment the content changed and morphed along with the happenings of the day, as is the nature of the internet - every day something changes, something is added, and a new avenue opens up.

It's very hot today. Thank you captain obvious. But seriously, I moved from the tropics down to Victoria in order to get away from the heat, and today I think was 39 degrees. But at least there wasn't the oppressive humidity with it. I think we moved at just the right time too as David and Goliath hurricanes (Anthony and Yasi) are doing their best to set far north Queensland in their sites and batter the living crap out of it.

I've been through one cyclone. Ului. And I have never experienced anything like it. Windows didn't smash and roofs didn't fly off, at least not where I was, but the noise was astounding. It was something like standing underneath the engine of a 747 as it powers up for take off. For 13 hours. Lexi screamed pretty well the whole night and Tabitha, being quite the opposite of how she is now, slept through the whole thing. Actually come to think of it that was one of the few nights in her life when she actually slept through. Interesting. Maybe she needs a mega white noise thing happening to soothe her off to the land of zeds. Who knows. Mine is not to understand why. I must say though I am concerned with these cyclones up north. I worry for the safety of those who will be hit by it, and I just know there is some poor woman or women who is due to go into labour any day absolutely petrified of what might happen in the next few days. I was 7 months pregnant when we had the mega flood in Mackay many years ago and I was terrified then!

We had some visitors today and the kids got to play with some of their cousins. That was another strong contributing factor in us remaining in Victoria rather than moving back to Queensland. Since the kids were born they have lived far away from family, and with over 20 first cousins and a truckload of aunts and uncles I think they have just missed out on a bit. It is lovely to know that now we can all be involved in the family events and the kids can grow up knowing their cousins, not seeing them every once in a blue moon and wondering where they fit in in the grand scheme of things.

Tabitha fell off her seat a lot today. I'm not quite sure why today more than usual. I think she is getting a little more adventurous and confident, yet still not too footsure. Usually she's a bit of a goat, can stay upright and negotiate her way through everything. Lexi is the opposite. Clumsiest child on the planet.

I had another little milestone pass this morning. I hopped on the scales. Before I fell pregnant with Lexi I was very happy with my size and weight and although I wouldn't change having had the kids for the world, I do miss the body I once had. But today I finally cracked 70kg. That's huge considering I have been stuck above it since about week 8 of the pregnancy with Angus. I still have quite a way to go, but I am getting there. So of course I celebrated this fact by getting KFC and a bottle of champers. As you do.

I'm sitting here typing this and I think I forgot to wash the kids faces when they had their bath. Interesting. Random things pop into your mind. Actually I'm almost sure I didn't wash their faces. But I think I may have done it after they had dinner. Oh I really don't know, I'm sure it won't be terribly detrimental to their development if one night their faces aren't washed. Although with the amount of splashing that went on in the bath I'm tipping a fair amount of water ended up on both faces. Add to this the tears from Tabitha as she was removed from said bath. She loves the bath. Hates getting out of the bath. She throws a tantrum, which is incredibly interesting to handle when she is in the bath with her sister and the legs start flying, and bear in mind the sheer slippery factor of a bath and the edge of the bath covered in water, combined with the toys in small child's hands, the protruding tap, and I tell you it's like formulating a complex attack strategy. I know it's a phase but my word it's annoying. And you second guess yourself too...is this the right way to handle a tantrum? Would it be more effective if I did something differently? Has she seen me get upset and I have somehow contributed to what she does in these little tantrums?

It's funny, Lexi is a prime example of how I can tell what I should and shouldn't do. She is a little parrot, and she has a memory not unlike her soft toy Emmy. The elephant. In the bath yesterday I said to her "remind me we have to put bubble bath on the shopping list". "Okay mummy" came the response, with a big smile. Today I'm doing up the online shopping list and Lexi pipes up "bubble bath mummy". Freakish, truly freakish. She also remembered paper towels and apple juice, but then again she says apple juice every shopping list time because it is her favourite thing in the entire world. She did a wee on the toilet the other day and I asked her what she would like as a little 'reward' for being such a good big girl. The answer? "Apple juice". Yep. She does rock.

I'm not studying tonight. At all. I'm actually sitting here in the heat, typing up this bloggy thing with a glass (actually it's not a glass, it's a plastic but if you won't tell I won't) of champers celebrating the completion of the 5000 word essay today as well as the 2500 word one the other day. I still have two more to complete this trimester (we have three trimesters a year now instead of two semesters....basically just another way of saying two semesters and summer school....). Once those two are done then wow, amazing, I only have five more subjects left! Each with at least two or three assignments. Glutton for punishment. Incredibly.

I vacuumed yesterday with both girls standing watching me. Tabitha usually freaks with electrical things. I couldn't make a cake which required creaming the butter and sugar for ages because Tabitha would scream blue murder. Yesterday was different though. They laughed at me. Why did they laugh at me? I'll tell you why. I couldn't find the extension part of the handle so I had to kneel while vacuuming, so I knelt my way around the house pushing the little teensy tiny vacuum handle sucking up all the rubbish and dead spiders and flies (there are a lot of spiders and flies here and I go through far too much fly spray because I hate having bugs in the house so they end up dying all over the place). I guess it must have looked funny to them, but I tell you it was such a workout. I'm going to keep the shorty pole on from now on, I was absolutely sweating by the end of it. Not quite the same as when I took the bins out, but a little more than when I brought the bins back in.

Squeaks in the background I must away for now. Toodle pip.