Free Children

After watching one of her shows, Ms Nearly Nine left the TV on, so Parliamentary Question Time was burbling on in the background. Ms Nearly Nine, in another room doing some beading but within earshot, suddenly piped up and said, "I know what they're talking about, Mama." She then proceeded to give me a potted explanation of Australia's cross-media ownership rules, more or less as follows: "If there is a TV station, a newspaper and a radio station, a person can only own one in an area, because otherwise it would be like having all TV shows about teddy bears [the example at hand], newspapers about teddies and radio about teddies, and nothing else."

Succinct, eh wot?

We've been taking it easy for the last couple of days, and waiting for our colds to blow over. After a very lazy day (spent primarily on the couch) on Saturday, my cold was practically gone by the next day, but Ms Nearly Nine's is hanging on. Probably because the only way to get that girl to spend a quiet day on the couch would be to break both her legs first *g* So circus was a no-go this afternoon, although we did wrap up warmly at lunchtime and wander down the road for half an hour on the playground. Then in the evening, Dh took both girls over to his parents' place while I was getting dinner ready, partly for general granddaughter-appreciation time, but also for Ms Nearly Nine to rendezvous with her Auntie A's cardmaking supplies in preparation for Mother's Day...

DH took the elder daughter to a feast in a neighbouring shire on Saturday night, and, as a result of networking there, it looks like he'll be involved in organising a demonstration feast in a nearby town which doesn't yet have its own group. He has run one or two events in the last year or so, and Ms Nearly Nine has been free to help out as much as she wants. While she's not really all that interested in the minutiae, I guess she already has a better view of what's involved in running one than most people! Miss 1 and I might go along to this proposed feast if we can get accommodation overnight, otherwise DH and Ms Nearly Nine will go by themselves and drive back afterwards. I haven't yet taken Miss 1 to a feast, so I wouldn't want the first one to be at a town an hour's drive away without giving myself the option of retreating to a quiet bedroom when it all gets too much! On Sunday, we kitted out Ms Nearly Nine's best friend in medievalish garb (difficult, in that she's quite a bit bigger and more heavily built than Ms Nearly Nine and none of the actual garb fit her) and took her with us to what was supposed to be an informal garbed event, with the usual fighter practice, dancing, singing and general anachronism. Unfortunately it got rained out, and turned into a bit of a political gabfest in the hall in front of the fire (well, heater), so I took the three girls home after three quarters of an hour or so. Dunno when the next event is scheduled, although I'm in the early stages of organising a demo for the local homeschooling group (if it eventuates). We shall see...

Yesterday was almost entirely devoted to menu planning and shopping (I do my major grocery shop monthly, and write my menu plan accordingly). For some reason I was feeling very uninspired, and had to go through most of my cookbooks before I could find enough recipes which a) appealed to me and b) looked like they could possibly be modified to make them acceptable to Ms Nearly Nine. Menu-planning in our house is interesting, as, while DH and Miss 1 (so far) are happy to eat just about anything, I would prefer to eat vegetarian most of the time, and Ms Nearly Nine is just as enthusiastic a carnivore. The answer, more and more, seems to be offering buffet-style meals a couple of times a week. Tonight we had nachos, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options; on Sunday night it was pasta with cheese sauce and a selection of vegetables, tuna, pinenuts, etc. It seems to be working out quite well. The rest of the time I try and either find meals we'll all eat, or provide Ms Nearly Nine a substitute (I save our hardcore tofu or other vegan delights for Wednesday nights when Ms Nearly Nine is visiting grandparents *g*) It means I end up eating more meat dishes or doing more cooking than I'd otherwise choose to, but at least we all have something we like, with absolutely no dramas or recriminations about "eating what's on your plate" or other such rubbish!

Another option, of course, is letting Ms Nearly Nine cater at least one night a week. Last night was her night to cook, and since she wanted chicken schnitzels it meant I actually did have to finish my menu plan and shopping list so we could go and buy them. It was a hard slog, but we made it to the supermarket, and even had fun! Ms Nearly Nine helped me find things on the shelves, and happily scooted hither and yon as I worked through my list with the inevitable recollection of something I'd forgotten two aisles back... She was also busy comparing items to see which was best value for money, with various interesting discussions ensuing. As it happened, she had more of an advisory role during the actual meal preparation, as she had her kitchen hand (me) busy chopping up vegetables, and another kitchen hand (DH) actually frying the schnitzels, while she prepared the garlic bread. But (despite the fact that she then decided she didn't like her schnitzel, LOL), she was very pleased with her efforts.

So how come I only ever seem to update this blog when we're all cold-ridden? Miss 1 has mostly gotten over hers, although she's still using up about a tree per day in tissues (doesn't help that she's also getting both sets of first molars coming in at the same time - the drool is phenomenal). Now I've been struck down. I'm mostly okay, except for the sinus headache and the feeling that small rodents have been piddling in my ears. DH got up early this morning (well, 8am is early for him) and took over daughter-wrangling, to let me go back to bed. I slept til nearly eleven, whereupon my head merely felt like it had been detached in the night and filled with warm glue, rather than concrete. Ms 8 has it too, although rather more mildly. So we're not too badly off.

The three of them have just finished farnarkling, and headed out to do some shopping. Ms 8 is about to be inducted into Cub Scouts, but before she can she needs a Cub Scout Shirt, so they've gone off to find one. They're also investigating the price of tents, with a view to replacing DH's dome tent (dating from the days when he used to attend Festival without a wife and daughters) before our next SCA camping event. There are various other errands contemplated, I believe, included the quest for lunch. So I shall be here for a while, gently waking up and contemplating what part of the horror of this house I shall turn my attention to when the coffee runs out...

We had a couple of thrifting windfalls this week, including rocking up to one op-shop which was having a booksale with all paperbacks at 10 for $1. Ms 8 was thrilled to discover an entire shelf of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books, and bought forty of them *g* I was also pleased to discover the first 8 of Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. I'm not a huge fan of McCaffrey, but I haven't read most of these books for fifteen years so I figured I would buy them, read them, and then probably go trade them at the fantasy/SF bookshop for something new. I've been trying to read The Pope's Elephant, the first of two non-fiction books DH bought me this week as a (very belated) birthday present, but haven't been able to get into it due to the onset of cold-symptoms, so something light and fluffy and requiring absolutely no intellectual effort seems like just the right fit.

Ms 8 (or perhaps Ms Nearly Nine would be more fitting these days) decided this week that she wanted to be a Goth, so we've also been looking out for suitably black clothes which actually fit her - not an easy task, actually. Most girls' stuff for her age/size is still too pretty-pretty or grungy for her tastes. However, during our thrifting axpeditions we found a crushed velvet skirt, another skirt patterned with Chinese dragons, and a black top which met her specifications, which is a start. She has now decided she doesn't actually want to be a Goth, which is a slight relief because I had no idea where to start with the whole make-up thang she was asking about. I don't wear any make-up myself and wouldn't have a clue about how to use it, so I'm glad she's decided that she just wants to wear all black clothes instead *g* She's growing up fast...

I've been feeling recently that we've been getting into a bit of a rut when we're at home, so on Thursday night I pulled out the small wooden table-top loom I found a few months ago (at an op-shop - where else!) and my book on weaving. We started out yesterday rethreading the loom, which was quite tricky. Ms Nearly Nine bought a drop spindle and a bag of unspun wool at Festival, and learning how to weave seemed like a logical extension of that interest. If we ever get the darned loom set up, I'm sure it will be! Then she decided she wanted to get the workbooks out, and drew up a Plan for how many pages of each she wanted to do each day. I'm slightly doubtful that her concentration span is up to that much bookwork every day, but we shall see. We did some reading, handwriting and spelling at various times yesterday - Miss 1's assistance is not hugely conducive to lots of seat work either! At least she likes being read to, and Ms Nearly Nine quite likes reading to her - thanks to a year at school and almost a year of school-at-home, she prefers to read without adults around (although she's mostly gotten over that around me since we started unschooling) and Miss 1 is a suitably uncritical and adoring audience.

Other than that...hmmm... Ms Nearly Nine took a break from circus for most of last term, but has been offered her place back this session, and taken up the offer. We're investigating starting back with swimming lessons after a couple of years' break from formal instruction, and I'm also researching karate and basketball. She's started planning her upcoming birthday party - a sleepover, pizza party and movie marathon with her two best friends (did I mention this whole growing up thang?). I finally found (thrifted, of course) a pretty little vintage mirrored dressing table and stool for Ms Nearly Nine, after looking in vain for one for two years. After complaining with the utmost lack of tact imaginable that I am not as good a cook as her grandmother (Ha!), Ms Nearly Nine has been deputed as official Chef every Monday night from now on, which she is highly excited about. She has been cooking breakfast every morning since to hone her stove-top skills *g* I've been baking muffins, tweaking a new recipe and making use of the mini muffin pans my BIL gave me for Christmas, and the heart-shaped silicon muffin tray my MIL gave me just-because. Miss 1 has been trailing muffin crumbs from one end of the house to the other, and Miss Nearly Nine says she must have one of the heart-shaped ones each time because that way' she's eating my love for her. Awww...