The Christmas Road Trip

I'm sure I have mentioned before one of my major weaknesses - that of patience.  I have none, or very little of it.  In a previous post I discussed a characteristic that my five year old daughter has of being loud. I think she inherited this from her father's side of the family.  When Jim and I first started dating I really noticed how loud everyone spoke.  Perhaps it was more the fact that my father mumbled in his boots half the time.  In fact, my father mumbled so much that when we were in the United States on two separate family trips, Mum and I had to translate for him.  It was the accent coupled with the mumbling that was the problem.

Nyah in Nyah

Anyhow, Christmas this year was spent with just our small immediate family. It was our first Christmas spent this way.  Christmas morning brought with it the usual excitement for the children, however this year, Nyah was most excited about our planned family trip to a place north-west of Melbourne called Swan Hill.  Many asked us why we chose to go to Swan Hill.  It was a bit like getting out the map of Victoria, closing our eyes and going where the finger landed on the map.  When we first moved to Melbourne we learned that there was a small town called 'Nyah' in Victoria.  We had promised our Nyah that we would one day make the trip up there so she could have her picture taken with the town sign.  Swan Hill is a little more populated than the little town of Nyah so we chose to head to the New South Wales border to see the mighty Murray river, explore the pioneer township of Swan Hill and make the short drive to Nyah.

On Christmas Eve, Jim and I rigged up a wonderful contraption.  Not having a portable DVD player we improvised.  We took the end of the broom off the broom stick and slid the iPad onto the middle of the broomstick.  We then sat the two ends on the driver and passenger seats, fastening the ends to the seats using scarves. We then took our little portable iPhone and iPad dock and speakers which synchronised via Bluetooth to the iPad. The kids had their own little theatre in the back of the car.  Jim and I felt quite pleased with our creativity.  The hour and a half of movie watching in the back of the car, coupled with the hour nap was bliss.  As for the other two hours of road tripping it was a nightmare. 

As a child I longed for the company of siblings to do things with.  I was one of those children that just wanted to make instant friends with other kids so that I could play, have fun and interact with someone my own age.  My children have each other and of late (about the last month or so), they seem to delight in fighting with each other.  In the back of the car they poked and prodded, pulled hair, scratched, snatched and all the in between.  I'm gob-smacked by this behaviour.  I find it really hard to understand and in a confined space, having not been naturally blessed with the gift of patience, the road trip was turning this momma into a humbug.  It was a wonderful way to dispose of any Christmas Spirit.  I wont even start on the volume of our screaming children.  I will give a small word of advice though.  Should anyone contemplate having more than two children, be sure to get a car large enough that you can always have a space between the children.  I would even go as far as selecting very carefully the companion in which you choose to have your posterity with.  For example: if you are one who has the characteristic of stubbornness and persistence, marry someone who is meek and humble.  That way you are less likely to end up with a posterity that has a double dose of both stubbornness and persistence.  'Lord, bless me with patience, without the trialling of it please'.

Christmas lunch for us consisted of a brief stop somewhere around the half-way point at a tiny little park in the middle of nowhere.  Jim pulled out the crackers, delicious chesses and dip, the croissants and fruit.  It was all very simple.  I'm sure part of us missed the pavlova, cassata, cheesecakes and fresh raspberries and cream, but the small chocolate at the end of our country dining seemed to top things off.















Oh the joy of finally being at our destination.  Home for us for the next two nights was the Big4 Swan Hill Park.  It is a recreational park with caravan sites and cabins to suit the couple and family.  When we opened the door to our small cabin, Nyah was delighted to discover bunk beds.  She jumped atop one of them, selected her bed, lay down and declared "this is life".  The park has a swimming pool, jumping pillow and a waterpark.  One of the ones with a waterslide, a huge bucket and all the sprinklers and water squirting things you could hope for.  It truly was a kids paradise when accompanied by the beautiful hot weather we were able to enjoy.  It was a delight to see the children running around freely, enjoying the outdoors and each other's company. 

We went across the Murray river to cross the border into NSW via a punt.  It's a special raft-type thing that you put your car on and float across the river (about 100 metres).  There wasn't much on the other side of the river but we had to have the experience due to the fact that it's apparently the last punt in the country. 


On the banks of the small town of Nyah

Jim's 'Murray River Cod'.

We got to visit the small town of 'Nyah'.  We stopped there on the banks of the river for morning tea.  The Murray's water is brown and murky, but the large gumtrees, occasional weeping willow and the wildlife tend to make it very beautiful in its own right.  You certainly can't compare it to anything like the majesty of Niagra Falls or the Lake District in the UK, but it definitely has its own unique beauty.  The water had dropped a fair bit since Victoria's wet winter.  We noticed a small fish - to which we are calling a Murray River Cod (we really have no idea what kind of fish it was) - trapped in a puddle on the bank.  I felt sorry for the thing.  I knew that the puddle would eventually dry up and the poor fish would die a slow miserable death.  It was my idea that Jim would be its saviour and throw it back in the river where it belonged.  Three keen children peered into the small pond to watch their father attempt to rescue the fish.  It was very slimy and each time Jim thought he had a grip on it, it slid from his grasp like a slippery bar of soap.  Jim wore him down though and was able to throw him back into the river.  I imagine he felt to echo the words of Nyah -  "this is life".  We hoped he got to enjoy of bit of it before getting hooked by the keen fishermen who were enjoying the Murray in their dinghies on a hot summer's day.




 

On the Pyap

We visited briefly the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement.  It was a hot day so we decided to just take a trip on the Pyap paddle steamer.  It was an hour road trip and well worth it.  along side that section of the Murray at least, it is so dry.  The old gumtrees, the riverbank and the dryness reminded me of some of Albert Namatjira's paintings (a famous Aboriginal artist).  He started out quite traditional in his artwork but is most famous for his Australian landscape paintings.

 

 

We almost lost Tori overboard on the Pyap.  If it wasn't for the captain who was giving commentary via microphone as we paddled, she may have taken a dive.  Only takes a brief moment with that girl of ours.  She is extremely quick and her climbing is first rate.  I think the poor old captain was freaked out by the whole incident because it seemed to take him a while to catch his breath after that.

With all three children in toe we departed out country escape bound for the big smoke via the town of Bendigo.  I didn't mind Bendigo.  There was something about it that reminded me of Launceston.  It had a very similar feel - bogans and all.

A lovely old school in Bendigo. 
The park here is stunning.


I had downloaded a movie for the children thinking it was would be a regular 120 minute film but alas, it was only about a 25 minute film.  It was a long journey back to Melbourne.  Really there is only so much of 'I Spy' a mother can take.

All in all it was a lovely time to be together.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the time out and the different surroundings.  Our next journey will be in April to Adelaide.  This time with four children.  I've been told it's an 8 hour trip.  I feel sick just thinking about it.  Perhaps I can talk that banker husband of mine into purchasing a mum van.  That way I can separate the children so that there will be no poking and prodding along the way.  And we can install a DVD player and the little TV's and they can have naps and the journey will be swell. 

I'm Just a Mum

I can't adequately describe how it feels to be a mother to my three children. I really don't think there are words fitting enough.  Well at least not in the English language.

Nothing I describe here will be out of the ordinary for many mothers but I feel obligated to pause to make record of some sweet little moments I had today just by being a mother. 

This morning I was awoken by a beautiful little girl who came into my bed for snuggles. She climbs onto my bed, then pulls back the covers, wiggles her little body in next to mine and then pulls the covers up to her chin. She then throws her arms around my neck and gives me multiple kisses. 

Later this morning during one of my nesting moments I decided I was going to assemble Levi's new bed. It's a space saver bed that was given to us by a family in our ward. Nyah's double bed fits neatly underneath Levi's new bed. 

I was struggling to hold the pieces of the bed and screw them together, so I called on Nyah to give me a hand. She stood there and very helpfully held things upright to make it possible for me to do. We tidied hers and Levi's room, getting rid of excess toys to donate to children less fortunate than ours. We vacuumed and dusted until their room looked a picture and then the three of them decided it was fun jump all over the newly made beds. I could see their delight, but alas, my weary body and mind was not impressed. I was the fun police and put things to an end. I was taught that beds were for sleeping in and if I wanted to jump on something, there was a trampoline outside. My children have a trampoline. Inferior to the one I had as a child, but a trampoline none the less. 

It came time for naps, that blessed two hours of relief for a mother whose eldest daughter does not shut up. She is wonderful, her character beautiful but why oh why does she need to be so loud? All of the time. She knows only one volume and all talking and continual singing is set to that volume. That constant noise can sometimes do your head in, thus nap time can be a wondrous thing. 

In my attempt to avoid cleaning the toilets, I decided on a change in the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen needed a thorough clean so I did that, and then proceeded to rearrange the dining table and chairs. We have an eight-seater dining table that stretches the length of our dining room. Levi rides Tori's small bicycle around and around the dining table crashing into furniture and putting dents in things. It was my genius to remove two of the dining chairs, putting them in storage in the garage and then swivelling the dining table horizontally, butting one end up against the kitchen bench and placing three chairs on each side of the dining table. As soon as Nyah came down stairs and saw the new arrangement, the first thing she said was "good idea mum now Levi can't ride the bike around the table". I thought to myself 'this child is brilliant'. 

Tori often awakes from her afternoon nap with an unpleasant lingering aroma in her room. I am always greeted with a red rosy-cheeked smile, and crazy bed hair. The way she calls out "mummy" in her husky little voice (apparently caused by sinusitis), simply melts me. She looks up at me with the purest of pure eyes and I reach into her bed to give her a hug. she is the one child that will hold on to you tightly for a real solid hug. They are the best. 

When Levi awakes from his nap, he usually wants cuddles for at least 20 minutes. Although sometimes inconvenient I relish at this opportunity. The two of us go and sit on our nice big couch, Levi placing his thumb in his mouth and his cheek up against mine, then with his other hand, he will gently rub my other cheek or run his fingers through my hair if not tied in a ponytail. 

At this point it will only be a few moments before Tori and Nyah want in on the cuddles. Tori and Levi will fight for prime position on my lap which sometimes ends in tears. Nyah cuddles from the side, she knows it's safer there. Meanwhile I wonder how child number four is coping in the womb with all the rough and tumble going on with his brother and sister. Then a thought comes to my mind, 'how on earth am I going to fit another one on my lap for cuddle time?' 

When I first fell in love with Jim I didn't dream of that love growing and multiplying the way it has. I remember being pregnant with Levi and thinking 'how am I going to have enough love to go around?' I had it, and it just keeps getting bigger. With each little spirit that joins our family, my love for Jim increases. 

The day to day tasks of being a stay at home mum can be taxing and often less than exciting as far as the eyes of the world can see, but each little cuddle, cheeky expression, sassy comment, loud song and/or look of innocence, reminds me of how blessed I am to have three little ones (and another on the way), call me 'mummy'.