Hellooo.. It’s Me and Mister C…

Hi there… We hope the rain has been good for your gardens and animals (pets) everywhere; we surely needed it, but now I think we’ve all had enough for now… I can report, our four new baby chooks are thriving and doing all the right things (eating, sleeping and doing lots of pooing!); the rain has been difficult (but nice at the same time) juggling the old and new girls; they are too small to integrate yet. No sign (thank goodness) from any of the baby chooks, of any rooster features, crows or feathers (yet!) … We wanted to send a BIG shout out, to everyone who is undertaking the ‘Relay for Life’ over this weekend. We have all been touched by cancer; be it for ourselves or a loved one (miss you, my Fix-it Dad today and every day…). Our hearts go out to the families, who are experiencing their journey right now; you’ve got this and you always have support behind you…

Happy Halloween! (for yesterday). Mister C has been home unwell most of the week (the girls and I have now succumbed to the bugs too- uh-oh! …); he and the girls have reminded me every day it was coming up; and to not forget to get some spooky goodies, for our treasure hunt yesterday! Husband and I are not big fans of the whole ‘go to stranger’s places to ask for lollies thing’ (‘trick or treat’). As a small tradition (didn’t want the kids to miss out), we usually make spooky cupcakes and light a few pumpkin candles (in our marvellous plastic pumpkins!). In the afternoon, we set up and had a fun spooky treasure hunt together (thanks for hiding the loot Husband); the hunt had to be indoors yesterday, due to the rain; so we could still have some HAPPY sugar (not TOO much- as Mister C would have climbed the walls by the end of it!)…It did seem that flossy must have munched a bit too much candy too, as she was not interested in much dinner!

All sitting around the dining table Friday evening; Mister C said, “How many days till Halloween, Daddy?” … “It’s tomorrow!” we all chorused … “Oh, really? Well, we NEED to go pick a huge orange pumpkin, and cut a big spooky face in it! Why do we do this on Halloween, anyway, Daddy?” … “Oh, not sure my son,” Dad replied; “I think it’s an old tradition from Ireland (Husband knows all!); where people began carving scary faces out of big turnips, to frighten away the dreaded soul of ‘Stingy Jack’ (sounds creepy doesn’t it?); and it has strangely continued on to nowadays.” … “WOW!” cried Mister C; “Can we make one hundred spooky pumpkin head’s right now, Daddy?”…

We hope you had a fun day, doing what makes you really HAPPY! Here are a few Halloween jokes to have a giggle with your family… 🎃

Why didn’t the skeleton go to school? … His heart wasn’t in it.

What monster plays tricks on Halloween? … Prank-enstein!

What kind of music do mummies love? … Wrap music.

What room does a ghost not need?… A living room.

How do you fix a cracked pumpkin?… A pumpkin patch.

(Courtesy: https://redtri.com/funny-bones-halloween-jokes-for-kids).

Okay, let’s go back to 2017 (I know-we are nearly done!) … I recall last blog; we were in mid-June; surviving a very cold Winter and blizzard conditions. Being a health care worker (registered nurse), I was always proactive on getting the ‘flu’ vaccination, through my various work places over the years; while also remaining proactive on staying on top of immunisations, and maintaining a current vaccination record. This year, I diligently had the ‘flu shot’ at the end of June; I was warned it was a ‘big one’- due to the multiple strains developed, to counteract the various types of ‘flu’ bugs that were currently evolving in our environment. Unfortunately, (whether it was due to an incorrect administration or the new strain) within an hour or so, I developed a severe reaction to the shot; along with terrible pain down my right arm (couldn’t move my arm), and a large raised bruise on the affected arm. The pain was so severe, I couldn’t work and ended up going to A&E (thank-you) for medical attention.

The next week I had a review of my reaction with the local Infection Control officer (thank-you); it was then sent to the appropriate authorities for review (TGA). Husband commented, “The last week since Wife had her flu vac, she has been in considerable pain down her arm and neck. She went to Emergency during her shift and needs to wait for longer healing; I had yesterday off on carers leave to assist.” (thanks, Husband for your help and support.) Without family in these times of need, life would be very difficult; our mental health could certainly be affected by this too (mine was starting to crack) … In all the years of having the vaccination, I have never had a reaction (perhaps a very small lump on occasion); it did however, put me off the following year (little did we know-years later, we are now all mandated to have the flu shot and are still waiting for the Covid vaccination… I wish there was a vaccine for the dreaded and annoying common cold too!).

Each Winter, I always count down the weeks of the cold weather; I am a ‘February baby’ and love the glorious Summertime (where has Spring gone in 2020?). My ‘mental milestones’ were (and still are) Husband’s birthday at the beginning of June (and Winter), other family’s birthdays mid-July (mid-Winter); and Widy’s birthday (eldest daughter) mid-August, to signify the end of Winter (nearly). Doing this, always helps me to stay focused on getting through each week of the coldness; while (happily) mentally prepare for the warmer weeks to come…

Widy was our bright spark in those cold days (and still is today); with the cold weather, her birthday was always tricky (not able to go to the local pool over this time!); but we always made a fun party indoors instead. As I have previously blogged, Widy usually became sick or hurt herself in sport somehow over her birthday (her twin saying ‘hi’- we believe!). This year, it was the month of sickness in our house-hold! I recall a few days before Widy’s birthday, I was feeling very tired and developed severe chest pains late one night! It was my turn to be sick over Widy’s birthday (how strange huh?). Husband commented, “On Thursday late at night, Wife started getting bad chest pains, so wound up going to hospital by ambos at eleven pm, she came home later the next morning very tired. I wound up taking the Friday off on carers leave, thankfully she is ok, with a check-up booked in GP rooms later in week.”

Widy was turning the big thirteen; we were looking forward to having a few of her close friends from year six at school, over for a sleepover and ‘make-up’ party. I was feeling a bit brighter, and didn’t want to cancel the party (we were so looking forward to it). It ended up being a wonderful weekend (one of the best really!); the girls were lovely and SO well behaved (WOW! I know! Thanks girls!). Widy had a lovely time, it was great to see her so relaxed with her friends. Over the past weeks, we had left Widy by herself at home, for a short period of an hour or two (mainly due to various GP appointments we were all having at the time); this also helped Husband and I out. With Widy getting older, it was good for her (and us) to show responsibility; while have some space to herself (as she loves nowadays a bit too much!). It was a good milestone for her to reach turning thirteen; no more after school care or school holiday program after the New Year…

We made it through to the following week, only to have all the kids and I, including Husband this time (which was rare); he always said, “I never get sick!”, were all SICK!… We all needed numerous GP visits and scripts for oral abs, to rid nasty chest infections and never-ending coughs (so much fun right?). We could only hope that things would be better next year around, with those dreaded Winter bugs… Through these busy days with sickness, Mister C was up and down with his mood and behaviour. Husband recalls, “Last night (mid-August) at about 230am, I was dozing and a bit restless. I heard Mister C crying and went upstairs to him; I gave him lots of reassuring hugs and resettled him. He told me he had dreamt a bad dream, ‘Mummy was pushing a green button that caused me to get shot?!’ In his dream he had to, ‘go to Mummy to find out if I was alive?’ Strange dream huh?”… I guess Mister C had stress from being sick and not sleeping well, due to cough and cold symptoms; of which could make any child dream some bad dreams?… Even to this day, Mister C dreams many vivid and clear dreams (hence our Mister C ‘dream diary’ on our blog); he can recall to the exact detail the next day… Luckily, we made it through (as usual) with the ‘house of sickness (as it became known); in time for Mister C to start the Kindy program at the local public primary school; where the girls also went (lots of stories there!)…

A Word from Mister C…

In the kitchen, after school last week; Mister C walked in, with a big grin on his face and said, “Why is ‘Garfield’ so round and orange, Mummy?” …  “Oh, I’m not sure, my son,” I said smiling. “Maybe it’s because ‘Garfield’ loves food; remember he LOVES lots of lasagne!” … “Oh! Yes, just like Daddy; he LOVES lasagne too!” … “Yes” I said, laughing; “’Garfield’ is a ginger cat; which means his fur is orange, like this type of breed.” … “Oh, he’s just like me!” Mister C replied, giggling. “I have orange hair and so does Daddy; but I’m not round like Daddy is! I LOVE ‘Garfield’, Mummy; can we swap an old chook girl, for a young, round ginger cat today, please?!” …

Stay tuned…

I had a memorable and productive meeting, with our new format designers in ACT on Wednesday (thanks very much!). Our second book is in the hands of our format designers; it is very exciting to soon see the finished cover and interior of the book- stay tuned for more updates shortly… Stay tuned also, for more Mister C stories of starting Kindy, and our much needed getaway to Mollybook early October- yay! 😏