Date night

With a two year old and no family in Sydney it's not often that Mr Puddleduck and I get to go out together by ourselves. Any dining out usually involves tag team eating and toddler-chasing. So it was with great delight we set out last night for a dinner where we'd both get to eat at the same time. Bliss.

We stuffed ourselves silly and finished with this simply scrumptious cheese plate. Forgive the shoddy upside down photography ... moving after three courses seemed just a little bit too hard.

Handy hints for toddler travel

Travelling with a toddler is very different from travelling with a baby. While we did a bit of travel with Puddleduck when she was a baby, we realised a fully blown 2 year old was going to be an entirely different kettle of fish when it came to 2.5 hours captive on a plane. Especially when one of us hadn't slept the night before and the other was really quite unwell. We were going to need back up. And lots of it.

Step one: Food.

I know that strictly speaking food gives toddlers energy, but I firmly believe that if you fill them up enough they become a little soporific. Combine that with the hum of the plane and you just might see them drift off to sleep. Bear in mind I said might.

Step two: Supplies.

Make sure you pack plenty of supplies, Toys, books, games - basically anything that might hold their attention for more than a few minutes at a time. When you get to the airport - buy more. You can never have too much. Trust me.

Step three: Bring friends.

Toddlers like companions they can boss around. You tell them that they have to sit in their seat and strap themselves in for take off and landing and they tell their little friend the same thing. Generally this is where they will do lots of yelling at little friend to sit DOWN and stay THERE and wag their fingers in their naughty friend's face so people assume this is how you talk to your toddler. How else would they have picked up such negative parenting techniques?

Step four: Bring electronic entertainment.

The trick here is to look like you want to use it. Once the toddler gets wind you're trying to do something to amuse yourself on the flight they're onto it in a flash. It's the ants pants and bees knees all rolled into one. A guaranteed winner.

Step five: Be prepared.

Have plenty of nappies and wipes handy. You never know who might need changing. And how long that game might distract and amuse toddler.


Step six: Accept the inevitable.

They will fall asleep. The moment you land and not a second before.

Rain rain go away

I'm sure before we moved to Sydney I had heard people rave about the climate. Winters are crystal clear and perfect, summers are warm and sunny. So far though my experience has been that it rains. And rains. And rains.

Every. Single. Week. Since. We. Moved.

Not just the odd afternoon thunderstorm after a hot and balmy day, but steady, soaking rain at least twice a week for the past four months. It's starting to get a bit boring. I'm tired of pant legs getting soaked on the walk to work, I'm tired of raging about people's lack of umbrella etiquette and I am tired of, well, rain.

The odd rainy day is cathartic and restful. Summer storms are spectacular. Constant rain and drizzle is depressing. Frankly, I don't wonder why the Brits are a teensy bit unhinged. If this keeps up I will be too!

Perspective

Isn't it funny the difference a little perspective makes? I can't remember whether it was Mr Puddleduck or I who took this photo - oh no hang on, it was Mr Puddleduck, my iphone was the first victim of the evening - but at the time it symbolised the frustration of trying to dine out with a single-minded toddler who refuses to sit still unless it suits her purposes. We were trying to have dinner with old friends who were visiting from North Queensland and Puddleduck wasn't having a bar of it.

Despite having her own big girl seat and a ready-made audience she was determined to explore. I can't count the number of times the three of us climbed those stairs as Mr Puddleduck and I operated in shifts - one of us following the toddler and trying in vain to convince her to sit at the table for more than 30 seconds at a time, and the other catching up with our friends and trying not to make them regret their decision to start a family of their own.

What could have been a lovely, relaxing evening was tiring and frustrating. Neither of us felt we got to enjoy our time with friends and our thighs turned to jelly after the zillionth trip up the stairs. Throw in wait staff who seemed hell-bent on promoting a new millenium temperance society and we vowed never to try and socialise again with Puddleduck until she was at least 35.

However, after a few weeks we chalked it up to experience. Puddleduck turned out to be coming down with a nasty infection so that partly explained her contrariness (although not her boundless energy) and we realised we were expecting a little bit much of a two year old. So when I was flicking through photos tonight I saw this shot through new eyes - not the tired, grumpy eyes of a Mummy who had spent too much time following a toddler around Circular Quay, but through the eyes of someone who saw her strong, sturdy little miss taking on these step old stairs with the confidence of someone 10 times her age.

I remember her first encounters with steps as she scrambled up our steps on her hands and knees while we hovered nervously. Fearless as always, she soon mastered them and was looking for another challenge. Amazing the difference a change in perspective makes.

Restorative weekend

This weekend was exactly what the doctor ordered. After a few weeks absolutely full to the brim of travel, work and a sick toddler, Mr Puddleduck and I were about at breaking point. Mr Puddleduck was sick and exhausted after holding the fort at home with a sick, whingy and clingy toddler. I was run down and exhausted after too much travel in too short a period of time. Throw in an emergency hospital dash after stepping off a plane at 9am one Sunday morning and it was all a bit too chaotic for words.

I'm not entirely sure what it was about this weekend but it seemed blissful. Everyone was in a good mood (thank heavens for the return of our sweet-tempered little girl), everyone was happy to potter and everyone was simply delighted to be in each other's company. We played all the way upstairs - Puddleduck's favourite spot - we played downstairs and we played outside. We went for walks, we went shopping and we gardened. Even a rainy Sunday couldn't break the spell. In fact, I think the steady drizzle enhanced our ability to relax.

Even the inevitable weekend cleaning tasks didn't raise the usual resentment. All three of us simply pottered around over the course of the weekend. Puddleduck dusted and wiped, Mr Puddleduck vacuumed and tidied and I mopped and filled the house with as many flowers as I could lay my hands on.

We all woke up this morning still feeling refreshed and restored and ready to tackle the new week of work and school. Here's hoping the feeling lasts - or that next weekend is as magical as this one was.

Reading nook

We're fortunate enough to have quite a large and functional attic space in our new house - well, it will be functional as soon as we tackle all the boxes and 'junk' that has been dumped up there because there simply isn't room anywhere else for it. We're slowly de-cluttering though and this weekend I created this little reading nook next to the window. Our 'big' dining chairs don't really fit in our dining area downstairs so I have been busily repurposing them around the house so I was delighted to be able to use two of them in this little space!

With rather spectacular timing (I needed a rest) a lovely storm rolled in and I got to experience just what a beautiful little spot it is to sit and relax on a Saturday afternoon. Even with the windows flung open I was protected from the rain so I really felt part of the storm in all its glory. I think it may become my favourite nook in the house.

Birthday honours

I can't pretend I wasn't thrilled when Puddleduck announced she wanted to go to the beach for her birthday - having moved from a coastal town to a city at least two hours from the closest beach sand and salt air is a rare and much loved commodity in our household. I remember very fondly a trip to the coast at 39 weeks pregnant with Puddleduck for our sixth wedding anniversary. It was cold and windy but that only made it more beautiful.

Puddleduck hasn't been to the beach all that often in her two years but the sight of sand does send her into raptures and beaches with their seemingly endless supply of it are a little slice of heaven in her eyes.

I bought some cute paper cups for our picnic that I thought would be fun for all of us to drink out of - however, as it turns out they made for excellent sandcastle-makers! We all had a ball making random creations and Puddleduck was simply enchanted by the concept of filling them with sand and making turrets.

The best bit though? Knocking them over afterwards!!