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An open letter to Miss Charlie:

Miss Charlie, you are an amazing girl with such a vivid imagination. You are bursting with creativity and clever ideas. When everyone else is thinking logically, you’re thinking in the abstract. At just six years of age you’ve already progressed to development stages well beyond your youthful years, a feat that not even Piaget could have accounted for. You should be so incredibly proud of this. I know I am proud on your behalf. Your level of maturity and sage perspective makes it an absolute pleasure to spend time with you. Everyday you make me smile and laugh and ensure that I rethink my viewpoint on most things. I look forward to listening to all of your interesting stories from your adventures at school. Also, don’t tell anyone, but I especially love the 3pm school pick up because it rationalises my longing for ice cream. I mean if you’re eating ice cream then I figure I can too right?

My only wish, and I say this out of the kindness of my heart,

is that you stop trying to turn me into a vampire.

I of course more than willingly do Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny and all of your imaginary friends. Sometimes I convince myself that there is a Sock Fairy that has a thing for creating odd socks, and I often wish for a Cleaning Fairy that would magically sweep her wand and make everything sparkle. Come to think of it, I even have a resounding belief that Fairies really are out there flitting about in the magical woods. Despite this, I simply won’t do ‘vampires’. Yes Twilight is a pretty cool story. Yes Dracula is a classic and puts forth a solid argument (not that you’re old enough to have read the rather imposing tome). But I simply can’t possibly believe that vampires exist. I know this because if they did, Edward Cullen would already have been mine. I would be enjoying an ever-lasting lifetime of sheer angelic beauty, unparalleled senses and a love story like no other. I am sure of my convictions.

So please, and I cannot stress this enough, please stop trying to bite me and turn me into a vampire with your razor-sharp vampire fangs. It’s kind of weird to have you show your teeth and hiss at me. My blood does not taste sweet, it tastes metallic and I’m sure would be rather unpleasant to drink. Please stop refusing to eat all food except that which resembles blood, you’re doing my head in and making meal times even more difficult to plan than they already are. Furthermore, please stop trying to bite yourself! Your precious skin will thank you for it when you’re older. Most of all, regardless of the benefit of hindsight, it’s just simply not worth the pain and heartache.

Keep in mind my requests, give it some thought and see what you think. You should find that I’m not really asking too much of you.

Yours truly,

Nanny SheCanDo.

Home alone and unsupervised.

I don’t think so. No really, it’s not true. Despite the assumptions made by most people on the other end of the phone.

No wonder I’m often apprehensive towards answering the phone. There’s nothing worse than having the person on the other end say,

“Is your mummy or daddy there sweetie?”

Um no. Matter of fact, they’re not. I’m twenty-two. I just have a sweet sounding voice. Got a problem with that?! Yeah that’s right. What you gonna say now, huh?

… I had another brilliant experience this afternoon. Really brings together the argument to get rid of the fixed line altogether and just stick with mobiles. At least then you (I) can screen calls. And by screen calls, I mean not answer any calls. Yep, guilty as charged. I’ve been known to not answer calls whilst having my phone right in the palm of my hand.

“I’ll simply call them back later!”

I say to myself, trying to rationalise my somewhat strange phone etiquette. Though can you really blame me after having routinely gone through the above mentioned seriously awkward conversation.

Any one else had a similar experience?

Fighting the crowds to meet the dolphins.

So we went to the beach today.

Yes it was hot. Yes it was super jam-packed and busy. Yes we had to fight the crowds to find a car-park and then fight off the same crowds for a little peace of sand (preferably in the shade).

But my gosh it was beautiful. A picture perfect day. And well, I guess that’s kind of what I did. Take pictures. That’s what happens when you’re snap-happy. The pistachio gelato may have influenced that slightly. Just saying.

p.s. It was Bubba’s first time at the beach. Congratulations to her, what a milestone. Way to get her started on a true Australian past time from such a young age. It was an introduction that she’ll remember for a lifetime. The fresh salt air, the cool breeze blowing, the harsh glare of the light coming back off the water, the greasy skin coated with thick heavy layers of sunscreen, the sand between her toes. The sand all through her bag. The sand mysteriously finding its way into any number of drink bottles. The sand in her glasses and sunglasses and their respective cases. The sand all through her coin purse. The sand throughout each individual page of whichever book or magazine she may be thumbing through so that as she turns the page it crinkles and becomes sticky. Come to think of it, she may as well just prepare herself to have sand go everywhere. And anywhere. Because that’s just what it does…

No, that gritty feeling in your mouth is not toothpaste. It’s in-fact sand.

That’s the beach for you. Heaven in liquid form.

Enjoy. Love it. Live it. Look after it.

Pushing up daisies.

Musings from Miss Charlie…

You know, you’re pretty young to be an adult.

Well yes I guess you could say so. I am on the very young side of “adulthood”.

So then how come you get to be my nanny?

Well to be honest, the best part about me being young and also being your nanny is that I get to have so much fun with you! You wouldn’t be so happy if I looked really old and didn’t like jumping on the trampoline or didn’t like your jokes. A person who looks after you and is called a “nanny” is very different to your nanny and poppy who are daddy’s parents, even though we have the same name.

Good point! You know, you’re pretty smart for a “young adult”. How old are you again?

(Insert a 2-minute guessing game of “higher”, “lower” of ages ranging from seventeen to forty and finally settling on the jackpot of twenty-two).

Twenty-two! That’s like, sooooo old! Are you sure you should be jumping on this trampoline?!

… Jeez thanks Charlie. You’re just full of love today aren’t you. I better be careful. At this rate you’ll have me lumped in with the oldies and pushing up daisies before I even hit my prime. And here’s me thinking I could just cruise along. Watch-it, blink and you’ll miss it.

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School Holidays: 10 Things The Kids Are Looking Forward To

Oh no, oh no, oh no. No, no, no! This was my reaction this morning when I realised that today was the last day of term. It seems that our beloved Friday Fun Day has coincided with that time again; school’s out. You see, as of 40 minutes ago, school holidays officially started. Of course the girls are all super excited. Me, well, maybe not so much.

10 things The Kids Are looking forward to these School Holidays:

Froot Loops // Yes I’m sad to say that ‘eating Froot Loops’ currently holds the number one spot

Going to the horses // and having daily horse riding and dressage lessons, getting all messy in the mud and enjoying the fresh country air

Play dates // oh so many play dates. I should just give up on all cleaning and tidying now. It won’t even last 5 minutes with a house full of kids

Pool parties // the benefit of having an indoor heated pool means that all your friends want to come to your house in winter

The Justin Bieber movie // oh gosh. Please, no.

Arts n Craft // and attempts to burn down the kitchen with the kid friendly baking sessions

Board games // bring on the epic long battles of Monopoly

Snuggles on the couch // and all day Twilight movie marathons

No uniforms // being couch potatoes and staying in their pyjamas all day

The outings with me // visits to the Zoo, the National Maritime Museum (for the twins) and the Science Museum (for Miss6), picnics at the park and even some retail therapy

Things That I’m Not Looking Forward To These School Holidays:

Losing my peace // and quiet during the day. And for an entire two weeks. On the other hand, I do get some more company. Even if it does mean more of the same nonsensical chatter. I can do that, no problem. I’ve been told once or twice that I’m a little miss chatterbox myself!

Well that was a rather short list for me. I suppose I’m craving the company from the kids. Who’d have thought! It’s going to be a jam-packed couple of weeks but one hell of a fun roller coaster ride. Everybody better get on board!

Seeing as it’s Friday Fun Day colliding with the last day of the school term, our afternoon is going to be pretty spectacular. Bring on the ice cream, chocolate, these fresh baked berry muffins, afternoon dance sessions to Katy Perry and Beyoncé, takeaway pizza for dinner and much more. Jealous? I know you are! I may just have to reward myself with a glass of wine tonight (or four) for getting through the school term. Care to join me?

Do you have a routine for the holidays? Do your kids look forward to them all term? Are you usually knackered by the end of it or do you love the extra company? Wine.. red or white?