I’ve heard it said that being a mother is like having your heart beat outside your body for the rest of your life. I agree with this statement as Master 4 took my hand today and kissed it. Like a confident Frenchman he smiled as he did it and told me he loved me and that I was beautiful. He looked straight into my soul, … Continue reading Pieces of my heart
I was fortunate enough to get out of the house to attend a social engagement today; a morning tea fundraiser. It’s not my usual thing, but I’m not one to pass up the opportunity since I am normally house-bound and complaining about it. I only knew a couple of people at the event, which was fine enough, I am happy to make small talk with … Continue reading Morning Tea
I try to tidy the house as I go through the day. This means just putting things back where they belong so it’s not such a big job at the end of the day. I’m talking about books put back on the bookshelf, pots and pans off the floor and in the cupboard, lower-shelf pantry items put back in and the Tupperware cupboard re-stocked. Sometimes I … Continue reading Tidying up and the grand dreams of a neat home
Last night I went to bed at 11:30 pm. The whole house was quiet and nobody stirred as they usually do right as my head hit the pillow. I lay there wide awake waiting; waiting for the cries that snap me to attention. My mind raced and I could not settle. It seemed that even when given the opportunity I still could not seize the … Continue reading Sleep who needs it? ME!
Last night I swore that I had done my time bent double over the side of a cot patting someone to sleep. My eyeballs hung out on my cheekbones and I folded my body over and into the cot like a serpent; my top half was right in the cot so I could be close to Master 1. I could hear his rattly breathing and … Continue reading Teething and Ruby Tuesday, how the Rolling Stones can help
We live in a small house. We are a family of five and we have one toilet. I have spoken about my family’s poos before here and here, but I would like to know just how we can all need to go at the same time. The first time this happened Mr Magentafrog was doing his business when Master 4 urgently needed to go. So I … Continue reading Five people, one toilet and why does everyone have to go at the same time?
Family dinners out are a challenge no matter which way you tackle it. When our first son was born we smugly continued to have dinners out at clubs and restaurants. We’d get dressed up, I’d breastfeed before we left home and then we could rock him to sleep in his pram at the table. We marvelled at our marvellous parenting skills. What was all the fuss … Continue reading How to dine out with children and survive to tell the tale
Master 4 is somewhat curious about boys and girls at the moment. No. I need to be clear. He’s obsessed with penises and vaginas. We have had many discussions about genitalia and I have tried to explain the differences in an age-appropriate way. That is to say that I use the anatomically correct names but I try not to go into the scientific details of sexual … Continue reading Vaginas, Volcanoes and Fossils
I love my place. It’s the dry season and one of my favourite things to do is sit on the deck under the tamarind tree and just let the breeze gently buffet me. I’ve always liked to do this. As a child I would lay on a rocky outcrop near my childhood home. I liked the heat from the rocks warming my body like a … Continue reading Lazy bones on the deck
It was peeling from exposure. Its once flat, smooth surface was blistered and split. Its voluptuous, varicose legs were tired. They looked as if they should belong to an old woman who just wanted to go home and sleep. Its four drawers gaped different amounts of indifference. Their handles were dull, sullen rings dangling from the drawers’ bottom lips. The entire thing was decorously marked in red … Continue reading The Desk
Becky says things about things and other things
the online journal of Karen Charlton-Mills
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