Haunted from the grave.

Well, I thought live rats running about the house was bad, but let me tell you rooming with dead ones is far worse.

A couple of days after the little rat 'treats' went out things seemed to be going smoothly. On the second or third day after we had put them out I bumped into Mr. Rat in the kitchen, he seemed to be somewhat sluggish and didn't really run away very quickly. I went and got the broom, optimistically thinking I could just sweep him out the door and that would be that. He was still too quick for me and ended up getting into his favourite crack next to the stove. Rats! (he he he) well he obviously won't last much longer now...

The next day, a Sunday, having pretty much forgotten about this encounter, I noticed a slight odour that was not so appealing in the kitchen. It smelled somewhat like food scraps or something that might be rotting and I was in search of it. It was also Sunday morning, we were running late and I was irritable.
"WHAT is that smell?"
I demanded from Shane.
"ARGH!"
I vented my frustration.
"Let's leave and then you won't notice it anymore!"
Shaned snapped, for once he was the one trying to rush me out the door (believe me THAT doesn't happen very often!)

On the drive to church the obvious dawned on me. Having seen with my own eyes one very sluggish rat limp behind the stove the day before
"You know what? That smell is the rat. We will have to get it out after church".

I was right and we did (well when I say 'we' I really mean I got Shane to do it. I think fetching decomposing rats definitely falls in the male 'to do list' don't you?) it was fairly simple. He knew where it was and got on with it. We cleaned up behind the stove and wiped our hands of the whole messy business. Or so we thought.

Ok, I always knew there were possibly more rats out there and so a few days later I began noticing 'the smell' again.
"Grrr"
Ok, we just follow our nose and find the culprit and easy peasy its dealt with. Well, the smell got stronger and we looked for the rat and we looked. We pulled back the stove again and tipped it up and looked underneath. We unscrewed the back of the stove, as that seemed to be where the smell was coming from, pulled out all the insulation on the back of the stove and still nothing! Oh my gosh this smell is driving me insane! It hasn't been so strong that I've contemplated evacuation or anything but its just THERE. Hanging around putting me off doing the dishes, or anything in the kitchen really. In fact it is putting me off housework in general. What is the point of getting the house spick and span if it still smells disgusting? It's hard to convey just how much of an impact this odour has had on my spirits. It has really got me down, really frustrated, annoyed and discouraged. This dead creature is sure rocking my world right now.

I think the smell was the worst on Tuesday and Wednesday...It has faded significantly, but I still get whiffs of it as I am doing the dishes or putting things in cupboards and then the search starts again, the futile search that leads to more frustration!!! It has bothered me so much that I am starting to wonder if it is some satanic plot to throw me off my game just as I am finding myself in a bit of domestic bliss.... Yes, I am happy to say since we have been back in Darwin my housekeeping has reached new heights in consistency and efficiency and I have been feeling pretty pleased with myself. And then this .... this smell is threatening to throw me off my game. Well, whatever and whoever the culprit I will have it known, that this domestic goddess will not be defeated by any rats; dead or alive! SO THERE!

R.I.P rats!

Well I mentioned the mouse population that had had a rave in our spice cupboard while we were in Adelaide correct? Well, it turns out they are actually rats. Mmmhmm. I can no longer turn a blind eye as I have seen mr. happy fat rat twice and there is rat poo in an assortment of unsavoury places.
When we were gone overnight I returned to find rat poo in CHARLOTTE'S COT!! NOooo!! You have overstepped your bounds Mr. Rat. I may have turned a blind eye if you kept your actions more discreet, but this? This is a flagrant violation of human rights! (isn't it?)
We sought advice. and eager to be humane in our extermination we purchased 3 rat traps that are kinda like little tunnel things. They lure in the rat with peanut butter and then it tips over and BANG! the door whams shut and they can feast away and then they are sent away to live in the creek the next day. Happy ending for everyone right? Well turns out there is little need to crawl into creepy tunnels when there are boxes of cereal (ON TOP OF THE TOP CUPBOARD) to get into and enjoy. So that's that. We tried to be kind. To do things win win. No one had to die here. But I cannot, cannot have little rat poos lying around for Charlotte to get into. No doubt she would as she will put anything into her mouth right now and I have fished decent sized bugs out at least twice!I freaked out today coz I thought she was eatingn one (rat poo that is). Turned out it was a runaway sultana from Esther's overcooked fruit loaf. Phew.
So, to cut to the chase, we have bought rat baits. I know they are horrid and they certainly don't sound very humane to me. Yes, I do feel somewhat dreadful about resorting to these means...but desperete times call for desperete measures and believe me I am just about desperete! So don't call the RSPCA on me please. I just want to keep my children safe, honest, I take no pleasure in killing. Hey, I used to have PET rats so believe me this isn't easy for me. But it is time and there will be no more soirees in the spice cupboard at this house. That time has come to an end. I am just hoping that they will choose somewhere easy to retrieve when they take their final rest... I will keep you posted....

Home again, home again jiggidy jig!

I am home! Back in Darwin. I had a really lovely, refreshing, fun and relaxing time in Adelaide with all our friends and family. It was great, everything a holiday should be and another thing that is great about the holidays; coming home again. There is nothing like being away for awhile that makes you appreciate even more the place you call home. Even if that home does smell like mould on your return...The house was tidy just very musty. We spent the next two days going nuts unpacking, cleaning and washing things. Shane really got stuck in! He took everything out all the dishes, cups, pots and pans and washed EVERYTHING before cleaning the cupboards and putting them back. We are hoping that this will unsettle the mouse population that seemed to have had a rave in our spice cupboard while we were gone, well that and the mouse traps should do it.

It actually has been kinda fun, reorganising and cleaning thoroughly. It feels good start fresh on the year with these sorts of things. I LOVE the new year! I always have loved getting the new stationery at the beginning of term 1 at school, writing my name on things, covering books, the empty pages and the expectation of learning new things and making friends...Gosh its fun! I am really looking forward to being able to do all that school stuff with the kids one day. But in the meantime I make the most of enjoying my new diary for the year and pondering all the things I am looking forward to in the coming months as I fill out its pages. I love how there are so many new beginnings in life, there always seems to be a fresh start coming, just when you need it. I think God knows the humans psyche can only bear so much. We need newness like we need breath. His mercy is NEW every morning. God is fresh and ever present each day and the knowledge that he is with me and goes before me as this year is unfolding is really the most exciting thing of all. So, happy new year everyone!! I am planning to continue to blog faithfully this year and I hope you will all join me in my journey and allow me to share in yours. xo.

I'm a survivor!

I'm going to make it, I will survive, keep on survivin'! (gotta love that song) Yes I am a survivor! I have 3.5 sleeps left to go of the Darwin 2008 build up and I think I can safely say that I am going to make it! I do believe everyone who got through November in Darwin, sanity intact, is worthy to receive some kind of award (maybe a giant ice-cream) as I have recently been told that it was the hottest Darwin month since January 1991!!!!!! AH! That explains a lot. I am actually quite relieved to hear that as it really did seem unbearable at times- worse than normal, though you just never really know and its hard to remember what last build up was really like. I think it is like labor pain, you block it out and then say 'it wasn't really that bad, now was it?' YES IT WAS!! But this year actually WAS hotter than usual, so I am hopeful that that is the worst it will be for another 18 years...

Now that I am so close to escaping the heat for a few weeks I thought I should make part two of my build-up edition a reflection on things of a more positive nature, in relation to life in Darwin. I do feel highly priveliged in a way, that God should call us to live here. As though we have some extraordinary capabilities not usually bestowed on the common man. Perhaps it is his way of fast tracking my character training, which I would like to believe is indeed taking place amidst all the sweat, mold and cockroaches. Yes I feel somehow honoured that he thinks I can hack it, yet I know truly all credit goes to him. Any 'hacking' it that has been achieved is thanks to his power being made perfect in my weakness. However, I do retain a certain smug sense of achievement, is that wrong?

I must say something else I do appreciate about the heat is exercising in it. That may sound crazy I know. But think about it. You EXPECT to sweat and be hot when you are exercising and there is something really satisfying about doing so when you are working hard. I have enjoyed riding the bike home from Shane's school. The warm wind, the beautiful clouds, excellent biking paths, lush green trees and gardens really make it a pleasure. And, as I said working up a sweat feels good. I feel like the climate is working with me in my bid to lose weight. (its working up a sweat when you get up to take a trip to the loo in the middle of the night that doesn't feel so good, but this is positive reflection time, so I won't go into that).

One more thing (yes I am at the end of my positives already!) that I really love about the build-up; is the sense of comaraderie that you have with your friends, heck even strangers! Going through extreme weather really bonds you with others. Talking to others and hearing how they are struggling, coping/not coping makes you realise you aren't alone. We tell stories of how we flip out tying kids shoelaces between the air-con house and the air-con car (;P karin) or how we lost it and kicked in the laundry basket (yep that one was me), or we just want to chuck it all in and move 'down south' (i.e anywhere else in Australia)! It is a good reminder that in general, in life, there is always someone else going through the same thing you are. There are people who know EXACTLY how you feel. I think in Darwin I am closer to my weaknesses, which brings me closer to God and closer to others...At the end of the day, I really love that.

A bunch of us Darwin girls, enjoying the incoming wind and rain!

Survival Mode

(Dedicated to Dad, who suggested I write about this, maybe it was his ploy to get me to stop complaining...)

Oh the joys of living in Darwin. Let me count the ways...Wait, that's right I can't think of the joys at the moment because my ability to respond positively is being hampered by the pool of sweat that I am currently sitting in. The exercise ball which I use as a desk seat is currently stuck to my legs by sweat. Yes the air con IS on, the fan IS on full bore and I am sitting in a dark room at night, sweating!! Move to Darwin ITS GREAT!!! AH AHHHA HHHA HA HAHAHHHA!!!!

Some days you go a little insane living in Darwin. It is the silly season, troppo time, mango madness, whatever you call it, no matter which way you look at it, it's a tough time to be in the tropics. A few weeks back I was thinking 'this is about as bad as it will get, its not too bad, this is fine, i've aclimatised, i'm coping great'. And then the weather man decided to bump it up a notch. I am not sure what the humidity levels are but I can tell you it is already 31c at 8am. Mornings are the toughest, humidity is at its highest, there is rarely a breeze and you have the whole day ahead of you! The only hope of relief is a down pour of refreshing rain. When it pours it pours and it is a heaven sent oasis of cool. I have some friends who keep a close eye on BOM (bureau of meteorology) they have a cool map that shows where the clouds are, and they ravenously watch and hope for rain. The best time of day for it to rain is the mid to late afternoon because then its not likely to get hot again before the sun goes down and then it might be a few degrees cooler overnight. The problem is if it rains during hte morning and the sun returns its about twice as bad as the drenched roads start steaming up and the humidity soars. Of course the best thing is when it rains all day and all night for a few weeks-monsoon time! However this is unlikely to happen until late december. Until then we can only hope for short term relief and survival mode techniques, some of which I will now share with you.

Christy's Build-up Survival tips

Live in a house with airconditioning THROUGH OUT. We don't and I really recommend this as something to assist with your sanity. My way of workign around this is by shutting up the house (working better now with my new block-out curtains) and letting the bedroom 'cons do the rest. This works ok, it IS a lot cooler than outside but I am still sweating.

Do as much tidying up the night before. As I mentioned it is hottest in the mornings, which is when I usually get the most house work done. However with the humidity being extreme and having two littlies to tend to, its good to wake up to a tidy house- one less thing to push you over the edge.

Keep the freezer stocked with ice blocks and icy treats (and flannels, according to mum...) Shane just arrived home with the requested frosty fruits which is pleasing on the palatte as well as the body temp. You just have to eat them very quickly!

Shave your head. I haven't yet done this one, but I am sure it would help as my head gets soooo hot. I opt for keeping it up instead, but you never know...One day...

Get out of the house. This is probably my number one trick to survival. Yesterday I left the house at 7am to drop Shane at work. I had almost literally just gotten out of bed, but I grabbed a few things and we got in the car. I didn't return until after I had picked up Shane. I spent the day at my friend Tenny's, who, as well as being good company, has a beautiful air conditioned home. So we camped there for the day and my mental health was better for it. Thanks Tenny!

Shower. When the girls are off to bed midday I usually have shower and change clothes. So refreshing. A blast of really hot and then cold (ok we don't get cold, lukewarm) water and out under the fans in my towel and I almost feel cool for a few minutes. You need to towel down thoroughly otherwise its mere minutes before you can't work out what is shower dew and what is fresh sweat. It sorta helps me feel like the slate is wiped clean and I start again mentally. Doing things in the heat, any stresses and frustrations start to build up (therest that word again) and you can bubble over at any moment. So a shower is a good way to stop that pressure cooker, or at least slow it down.

Keep your eyes on the prize! Yes it is 1 week and 6 days until I and the girls depart for Adelaide. I am not even daunted a the thought of taking the two of them, on my own, in the middle of the night, on a 3.5 hour plane ride with two seats for the three of us. I think I would bus it on my own with them just to get some relief. So yes, I am counting down the days and trying to stay focused and stay sane knowing that it won't be long and I will be wearing slippers and cardies again.

Well that is what I can think of at the moment, there are more I am sure and maybe I will do a second installment sometime soon. It's really the number one thing that is on my mind right now; surviving the build up. Its amazing how the weather can affect one's mental state to such an extreme. It's not just me either. Pretty much every single person you talk to is struggling right now. I guess that in a way helps make you feel better. Knowing you are not crazy and you aren't alone everyone is struggling and the shared burden of the build up makes it somewhat easier to bear. All I know is, even Shane is complaining, so it must be bad! Pray for us!

Jam Joy!

Yes, Jam! Who would've thought making a small batch of strawberry jam would evoke such feelings of absolutely domestic bliss? Well, I suppose I did have an inkling... I was thinking home made jam would be a nice 'stocking stuffer' this year and the idea was lingering in the back of my mind... Then the unthinkable happened. Strawberries were 98c a punnet! Rarely do they fall below $3 and they looked no worse than normal! This was the time, the obviously ordained moment for my jam fantasies to become a reality. So I bought five punnets and some jam sugar and headed home full of warm thoughts of good things to come.

I had to kind of scrounge around for jars. I had a couple of baby food jars which I thought was a PERFECT size for a stocking gift. Cleaned up a ginger jar and then I emptied out the contents of my almost finished 'rhapsodie de fruits' conserve to accomodate the delightful decadence on its way. I was SO thorough in washing and sterilising the jars on the stove (as you can see in the photo! Proof!) I am sure this puts any would-be recipients at ease. The recipe I used was one from (of course) my domestic goddess cook book, courtesy of the lovely Nigella Lawson. Her food wonders never seem to cease (Nor do mine for that matter)! Strawberries were hulled and cut into twos or fours and into the pot with about the same weight of jam sugar (!) and about a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, which apparently serves to make strawberries strawberrier. Sounds good to me. So away it bubbled looking positively glorious! It was probably simmering for about half hour when I figured it was ready, the syrup seemed to have set somewhat. I filled up my jars, all the while smiling with glee at how lovely it looked and would surely taste. Lids on my super-clean jars and in the fridge.

Now there is a really happy ending to this tale. How could it get any better? Well you see, that evening we were having friends over for dessert. I had planned a lovely cheesecake (Nigella express) a refrigerated one that is fantastically good. I was planning to top the cake with the specified 'rhapsodie de fruits' cherry conserve (mmmm) and then I suddenly was struck with the genius and beautiful serendipidy of the situation. I can see you are beginning to put two and two together. I CAN USE MY JAM TO TOP THE CHEESECAKE!!!! Wow. Talk about domestic goddess?! I did have a reasonable amount left over in the pot, it was more syrup than strawberries but still delectable. And so it was. You will have to ask the Garners what they thought of the final product but I can assure you, it was a thing of beauty, not to mention the taste. Linger on that thought as you hurry into the kitchen to start making jam and cheesecakes. It is as rewarding as it sounds.

To slap or not to slap?

So you think this blog is going to be about corporal punishment and the pros and cons of this culturally sensitive debate? Well, you are wrong. What I wish to share with you today is the violent predecession of the untamed toddler heart, namely, Esther Rayner. Ok, I am not going to lie to you or make it sound better than it is. Esther hits other kids. There I said it! Sometimes I even think she enjoys it. Shocking, I know. I don't think there is anything much more distressing than to see your child inflict acts of harm on others. It flies in the face of all that I desire for her. She is acting out exactly the opposite to my wishes. It is upsetting, it is frustrating and it is challenging! I know how the other mums must be feeling because I know how I feel when Esther is the victim. It doesn't take long for a kid to get in the bad books, or not be wanted because of his behaviour and I am very sensitive to this fact. It is unavoidable, nobody wants to hang out with you if your child is going to hurt their child. So I feel the intense pressure to hurry Esther out of this 'phase' ASAP!

The last couple of weeks I have been watching her like a hawk whenever we are with other little kids, at times even sacrificing my catch up time with friends to go and 'play' (aka supervise Esther) with the kiddes to make sure all goes smoothly. I have really been feeling stressed about this. At play group two weeks ago I believe Esther hit EVERYONE at playgroup, at least once. ARGH! I was feeling pretty tense that morning. As I put Esther in the high chair for the fifth 'time out' that morning I assured everyone that I was starting a toddler course the following week. Talk about embaressing.

I have been having lots of talks with Esther as we drive places on our way to see friends. I talk about being kind and not hitting, being gentle, sharing, coming to mummy if you need help etc. She repeats back a lot of it and it seems like she is understanding. Yet when she is in a situation and something isn't going her way- watch out! Just when I start to wonder if we can ever go out in public again I begin to see some glimmers of hope. On Friday we had Zoe Giltinan over for the day and there were no angry outbursts. As we were driving Zoe home she exclaimed cheerfully at the sudden realisation 'Esther doesn't hit me anymore!' What lovely encouragement, and how sweet that 3 year olds are so forgiving. I wondered if our 'talks' with Esther were finally paying off as that morning before Zoe arrived, I told Esther she was coming over to play. Esther immediately responded with; 'Don't hit peoples' and followed it up with the more specific 'Don't hit Giltinans'. Yes, I couldn't agree more. And I am praying that we have turned a corner and the worst is over. Hoping our vigilance is paying off in this area. For anyone reading this and your child is going through something similar-I feel your pain!