Laughing gnome

Pat yourselves on the back and carry on consuming

On-line carbon counters appeal to me in the same way that calorie counters do... provoking guilty fascination and a persistent nagging knowledge that I really ought to do something about my consumption. So when I read this, I thought I might check out how to "learn about ways to reduce emissions, and contribute to one of the least addressed and most important ways to combat climate change -- protecting existing tropical forests" here. It turns out that you can "offset your own emissions" by donating money to help save rainforests in South America. I can't deny it's a worthy cause, but the implications make me feel kind of sick (so maybe I'll just fly to Bali to meet all my mates for a chat about how people with less money than us could reduce their emissions).

I don't yike being grizzled at...

Recently J's grizzling, whinging and constant demands have reached a point where I have started to grizzle and whinge and demand back. I know this is not good parenting. The situation has been escalating. It sucks!

At 5:30AM I used a line that I think came almost verbatim from a Diane Levy book... very calmly and seriously... "Okay, because you've got a nasty cough, I'll get you some milk now even though we don't usually have milk in the night (well, not that bit), but from the morning I will not respond to any requests unless you ask nicely in a reasonable tone of voice." After I delivered the milk I also added, "and even if you ask properly I might still say no," (just to cover my butt, like). I have tried this approach before. It didn't work.

This morning, unstead of howling "Mummy mummy, I want you, Mummy I want you now" on high volume repeat from the bedroom, a rather bemused looking J staggered out to the kitchen and even attempted a smile. I said "Would you like me to put the milk on your ricies now?" J said "Yes please" and wandered off to my room where he likes to eat breakfast. We didn't have an "I want" or "I don't want" until I was buckling him into the car seat (20 minutes late as usual).

"I want something to eat" he whined.

"Remember, today I'm only responding if you ask me nicely" I replied (smile slipping off into a parallel universe).

"Could I please have a snack."

"Okay" I raced back into the house and hurriedly washed a small handful of blueberries (J's absolute favourite food) and dumped them into a bowl.

Back at the car... "I didn't want that, I don't yike those."

"Okay," taking the bowl away and starting the car.

"Noooooooo", howled J, then paused... "Could I please have my blueberries?"

How come it worked today? Can I keep it up? Tune in for the next thrilling episode of stressed suburban single Mums on caffeine.

And for the record, T, who is a happy baby, whooped and hooted all the way to Turitea...

"We dont eat whales..."

"... 'cos they are very 'spensive, eh Mummy"

Dr Bunny sounds funny...

The under-twos are practicing for the Christmas party at the moment, and I'm often feeding T at creche at mat-time, and songs tend to stick in my head, so I go back to the lab singing a jolly jingle...

"Mrs Bunny looks funny when she twitches her nose,
Mrs Bunny looks funny when she wriggles her toes,
She's got two floppy ears and two big feet,
I love Mrs Bunny 'cos she's so neat.

Mrs Bunny stretches.
Mrs Bunny flops.
Mrs Bunny hops and hops and hops and
Mrs Bunny hops and stops"