There are no photos from last night. I checked the settings and it is set for 24hrs, so there must have been no activity. Good for the girls, bad for my curiosity, unless it was under there, in which case it’s decomposing now or it would have dug new tunnels, but there is no fresh dirt. Hmm.

Husband bought the wrong type of cement.
I put a garden stake near the front of the regal front door of Toad Hall, angled to include the nesting boxes.
Husband filled the accessible opening of tunnels, could be a new foundation for the place!
I found that missing golf ball behind Toad Hall. Husband insists the thieving bastard/s are raccoons, I assumed it would be weasels. He also insists that nothing would be living under there, merely going under and around and around every single night, scaring the beJAYsus out of my birds and touching everything with their grubbly little *dexterous* fingers. Blergh! I need a shower.
I can hardly wait to get out there see what if anything has gone on out there, and see what is on the trail camera memory card besides bad viewing angles under my chin.

As a child I loved the cartoon version of Wind in the Willows. I was always awed when Pan (I only knew who it was when I read the book to the boys earlier this year) put everyone in a trance and the fireflies were in the branches of the willow trees. My boys watch a plastic/claymation version, which I don’t mind, but I don’t know if they are picking up on the magic. Maybe they are too young or maybe it’s because they are stinky boys. I was just contemplating officially naming our chicken house Toad Hall, because I think there are weasels about. Eek!
It has been pretty warm and we were getting one or two eggs a day, and that was enough for a scramble every few days or cookies with real eggs, rather than a substitute. But then there were no eggs. And now for at least 2 weeks there has been no eggs. I noticed some soft dirt mounds around the place and took them to be moles or gophers. I got out some old coffee grinds and shoved them into the holes because I saw that online and it seemed to work when I used them before. But this time, the coffee was pushed back outside. Egad. And not dirt mounds but apparently tunnels. Bloody hell! And now I wonder if those in the tunnels have actually been stealing my eggs, because a golf ball in one of the nesting boxes is gone! (Golf balls or faux eggs in a nest encourage the ladies to put out, because they think someone else has already done it.)
Husband is oot and aboot this afternoon and will be picking up a large bag of concrete, the type that sets before I can get the hose out of the way. I will be pouring it into every tunnel and hole like a woman possessed. If someone crawls their creepy ass out before it sets then fine, Husband can chase them into the blackberry with the business end of something sharp. If, on the other hand, they drift into an oxygen-starved sleep as the concrete hardens, SO BE IT F**KERS.
Sure, I live in the country and there are *things* around, but I am not a lady for *things*. Besides the adorable little field mice in my garage and occasionally my gumboots – which I don’t hesitate to send through all bloody hell with a gauntlet of mice traps every few weeks – I don’t want *things* around, including around my birds. I have worked my lady ring out for fresh eggs for ages, and no wildlife f**ker will get them without a fight. At least, not now that I know about it. To be continued…

…when I didn’t get enough sleep last night (completely my fault), combined with tired kids (my fault, also) plus some of their friends, all running around playing – mostly in harmony – but tired almost 5yo got his poo boots on about, well, sort of everything. There wasn’t enough snacks (they barely eat on any other day when friends are visiting), somebody isn’t listening to me, boohoo, wah wah, etc. All that multiplied by a few days plus Husband away equals a frazzled mama *just breathe*.
After getting nearly 3yo up from a nap after only an hour (what an angel), load all and sundry into the car for friend’s appointment and decline offer of an hour sans kids (wtf??), I push on with my plan of frivolously blowing cash on kid’s hobbies. And that turned out pretty well, actually, as most of what we bought was on sale AND nearly 3yo initiated a visit to the toilet. I decided to press my luck and try my patience again by swerving over to the sports store – to no avail, they don’t have what I want. And yet again to Ross (an old fave) for birthday presents and maybe shoes for nearly 5yo. Dang he can be choosy! I saw a few pairs I would love to see him in, but he is pissy because I won’t indulge his demands for velcro shoes. No chance, Mr! They are for babies or the elderly. But I found a sweet pair for the exotic wedding next month, hooray!
And then what do you think I do?? Reward my tiredness with more hard work, and theirs with dessert *tsk tsk*.
When Sizzler *ssssssssizzlaaaaahh* first opened it Australia it was the bees knees, so cool, so yum! I think they have all but closed there now. When we moved to California, we were sorely disappointed and when we moved to Oregon, I all but ignored the local one. But I poo-pooed my supposedly better judgement a few months back and took the boys there for lunch. Their behaviour was questionable, the food acceptable. We even got dessert. Tonight we went there again, after all that traipsing around and whining that passed for shopping. Their behaviour was at times atrocious, and the food was acceptable. They even had dessert again, bloody ratbags.
Of course, after a day that seemed to my tired mind to sometimes border on chaos (what was I saying about harmony?), nearly 5yo fell asleep in the car, but was awake long enough after being carried hence, to dispute the legitamacy of bedtime, and some caterwauling ensued.
To complete this delightful day, I am awaiting the return of truant Husband so that he may pour some wine and give me a foot massage. I may also run off interstate while he is sleeping, just for a little while.

Micayla Lally

Big boys have recently gotten into bmx racing. It is a fun sport with a supportive, family environment, and I don’t mind dragging myself and 3 boys, plus a carload of snacks, bikes and helmets around a few times a week to watch them ride their hearts out. If nearly 3yo would get on a Stryder bike, then our evening races would be complete.
To “keep the merriment going” (Husband’s favourite movie) I got BMX Bandits from itunes for the boys to watch, but the actual plot was more than just radical jumps, so we haven’t watched it very often. Anyhoo, one of the main characters is a girl named Judy and I was browsing Craig’s List the other day and saw some bikes EXACTLY like Judy’s, so I just had to get them. I was ripping the big turns, jumps and dirt corners, etc, last weekend and ate shit big time, so one of my knees is pretty sore and scabby right now. The point of this ramble, is that when we got home and I got cleaned up, the scraped knee was sort of deep in places, and that night and the next morning it was throbbing a little and hot. I took 4 probiotcs twice a day for a few days, but I could see the knee getting better just a few hours from the first dose. My knee now is just a scabby mess, but has no redness or extra warmth, and is only sore because I caned myself, not because I have a nasty infection. Probiotics have been amazingly helpful for fending off infections as well as keeping my belly healthy.
Earlier this year I was chopping random vegetables for party snacks when I dang near chopped off the end of my finger, boo! The veges did not get bloody but I must have got onion juice or something in the cut because it also got hot and puffy the next day. The cut itself healed properly, but the finger was bloody sore. Enter the probiotics. Cleared up the heat, redness and swelling in a day or two without visiting the doctor for antibiotics. As a stay -home parent, I can ill-afford trips to anywhere with 3 boys in tow if I want to maintain my sanity, and occasionally my dignity. So add those to the list of PROs for probiotics.
In other news, 6.5yo has consistently been inconsistent in the bathroom, but probiotics *hallelujah* has helped him considerably. Probably within the last year, he has also had an insightly itchy ass, and no amount of gawping bystanders or red-faced comments from moi can deter him from jamming fingers and scrunched underpants in and around to relieve it. Poor sausage. Enter a probiotic strain for yeast, and voila!! No fingers have ventured south since we started it!! ‘Tis the most poignant miracle for a mother as the season of school photos approaches, *sniff*.
And while I’m oversharing, I also take a yeast-specific strain of adult strength probiotic because I get itchy fingers (so random?!) When I eat too many wheat/gluten products or sugary treats. That is really too bad because I seem to live for these types of foods.
Anyhoo, thus ends my testamonial to probiotics, friend for my whole family’s intestinal woes and general infections. Get on board with and get healthy!

Micayla Lally

I have found a lady who does wonderdul clothing alterations, she would have been a ‘dressmaker’ in the olden days. Today she is mostly a complainer who does alterations on the side, but her work is very dependable. I have been rewarded for trusting her with some cocktail dresses, a more casual affair and now some dresses I have not worn in 6 years. Such a long time not to have worn such lovely (and expensive) dresses! Another reason I like her is that she is straight to the point, and also, she told me I’ve lost weight. I have a different haircut now and was wearing more fitted clothes, which is what she could see, I think, but I’ll take it. Actually, I’m pretty sure I have put on weight since I saw her last, but let’s not get into that.
My name is Micayla, and I’m a carb- and sugar-aholic. I love me some extra calories. I have been very good, actually, not buying those amazingly delicious twix/mars/muskateer bars for ages – they are full of the “chemicals” I have told the boys we must avoid, but I have made my own pure chocolate decadent whatevers, and also bought the pure versions from the natural food stores. I cannot resist having treats when the boys do, and sometimes when they don’t. Nearly 3yo is allergic to wheat/gluten, so it is impossible to share the mint slices, tim tams or caramel crowns because youngest can’t eat them so the big boys shouldn’t either, therefore… You get the picture.
Changing poor habits isn’t always easy, even when there is a wedding on the horizon in exotic locales. Strengthening the ill-used willpower muscle is hard to do one does not make time to practise, “we, neither of us, perform to strangers”.

Micayla Lally

I took a class in Portland with The Lovely Ms Dayna Pinkham of Pinkham Millinery, and now I love nothing more than buying wooden bowls and platters from Goodwill to use as molds for making hats.
I have made one or two for myself but have also done a few for family. I am still learning (and remembering) and try different fabrics all the time.
A few months ago I went out of my zone and offered to make a hat as a silent auction item for Husband’s rugby team, and of course I had left the last few things til the NIGHT BEFORE, yay. But I am very happy with the end result. Micayla Lally

I have been pining after one of those days when everything just works. One of those days when I have more energy than the kids, as much patience as they do cheeky plans, and perfect timing to boot. Today is not one of those days.
Nearly 3yo usually takes a dump every morning just about 8 o’clock (that will play havoc when school starts next month!), so instead of accommodating him in diapers this morning, I thought to take him to the bathroom and see it through. One hour later, I have run out of poo lyrics and patience as well, so I scramble in the shower then we all scramble to leave the house.
The car won’t start. It seems to be the battery. Husband rushes back from morning meeting to take the big boys to the last swimming lesson, cue tears from nearly 3yo. The roadside assistance guy can’t charge the battery because every-dang-thing in my car is electric and drains the battery even before the engine starts. Husband rushes back home and swaps 3 carseats into alternate vehicle so I can finally drive away to somewhere, then he does more whatevers before a different roadside truck comes back with a bigger jumper cable or something, then husband drives around or leaves the car idling while he does yardwork or SOMETHING. Anyhoo the car better f**king work properly because anytime something goes wrong, it happens when Husband is out of f**king town, and you know that is in a few days.
Driving away to somewhere is difficult for me if I don’t have navigation, and I’m not one for phone nav. The alternate vehicle has no sat-nav, so I have hastily scribbled down some notes on a torn piece of brown paper grocery bag – in lead pencil, what was I thinking?! Peering at brown paper at highway speeds is reckless! Ever the ambassador of ‘getting shit done’ we make it to the craig’s list guy’s house and spy the two beauties we have come for. He invites the boys to use the swings, me to ravage his fig tree and throws a third bike in for free. He walks us around his property, shed/shop and man cave and we make it back to the car unmurdered – it is a miracle and all is right with the world again.
Perhaps tomorrow will be that perfect day, or better yet, Sunday, when the aviation museum has hot air balloons launching at dawn. Actually, that sounds like a lot of work. I think Tuesday might be the perfect day, when all the boys are in summer camp (sounds like reason enough) and I have grown up appointments and errands to take care of. Or I could have a nap – that sounds perfect. Micayla Lally

We have contractors working at our house, so I have been oganised to the point of getting dressed asap in the morning, instead of the usual swanning around in my awesome vintage jammies til 5 minutes before we have to leave the house. I have also been putting shoes on to complete my outfit (staying classy) just like the Fly Lady recommends (she is a cleaning wizard), so that I may be more inclined to clean the house. I have been polishing my sink so the kitchen doesn’t look as messy (because that’s half the battle), but the rest of the house is a bloody mess! Shoes just aren’t cutting it for me. I think it’s also a combination of lack-of-crazy in the background plus just the right time in my lady cycle so I don’t mope around (like I am now) and actually give a shit. It could also be part of the procrastination equation – finding the floor capacity of spread out crap versus people’s need to walk and not break ankles.
Husband will be thankful I have not found the exact value of the floor capacity, and he will be thankful that we can see more of it. The shoes did not help but a bit of impetus did. The thing about impetus, though, is that it comes and it goes, much like my attention span. Micayla Lally

July 14

“I’m supposed to be sleeping but almost always get my inspiration when I should be drifting off. Also, I recently said to myself that I would start writing shit down because it doesn’t come back to, it goes down my grey matter drain…

So. I haven’t written for months, and I think that much of what I wrote before is on the negative side. What can I say that is completely positive? My boys are beautiful, angelically beautiful. They love each other and have great temperaments.

And now? Let the circus begin. We drove to san fran w 2 preschoolers, a baby, us and MIL, then we drove back. Husband went to vegas for a bucks weekend (bachelor party), and mum and I moved us into a NEW HOUSE. Haven’t sold the old place, moving things from there to here is an ongoing process. Organising holidays and play-dates non-stop, trying to introduce semi-solids to a breast-happy 7month old, contemplating a 4th baby WTF?? Yeah, that’s right. Sheesh”

Well, the 4th baby will forever by a sore spot, but the rest of it has worked out pretty nicely. The boys are still angelically beautiful, especially, of course, when they are sleeping. And I have made the creepy parent habit of checking on them before I go to bed, even though they are capable of pulling up their own blankets. Almost 3yo has the temperament of a 3yo, so sometimes that is tough, but it is funny to see him collapse in anguish over a toy or a tv show or a whatever. I’m sure he hates me laughing at him but it is just so funny, all the more so because he is adorable. And then when he gets angry and yells at me for laughing, oh you poor dear.

We STILL have not sold our old house, but have a new agent and they seem to know more of their shit than previous agents, so that is promising. Our old house was burgled a few years ago, and it must have only happened 4 days before I went over there to collect some things that we hadn’t brought over. What an awful feeling, and my parents have had their house burgled a few times, woe! I felt bad at the time because I felt awful but also I felt bad because they had experienced it multiple times. Also, I had only just brought my nice jewellery box with jewellery !inside it! to the new house a week or so beforehand, eek! We ended up getting renters, so I have not worried about the house since, but now they have moved out so the painters are there, garden guys will be, then hopefully the dang place will be sold. It really is a gorgeous house, and I had forgotten how lovely it was until we went over there the other days to give the realtor some keys. Honestly though, I couldn’t imagine doing the things we have done in our current house, in the old house.

We have had holidays aplenty in the last nearly 2.5 years, and just came back from Australia a few weeks ago (oh my goodness, is it really only that short a time??), and will be going to my brother in law’s wedding in Europe soon. Actually, boys are part of the wedding party and tried on their blue linen pants today. Totes adorbs, but itchy as hell for them. I am attempting wedding shirt shopping tomorrow morning…

In terms of play-dates, they are just as frequent as before, even though big boys are older, youngest also now has his own set of friends, so we are still in the thick of it. As 6.5yo goes into first grade next month, I am not sure if he will do play-dates with new friends or sports sign ups, or what. This is the part where I start to juggle, I suspect. At least right now, or next month, I will still be able to allocate swimming for nearly 3yo while nearly 5yo is at preschool and 6.5yo is in “big school”.

Sometimes I wonder about “big school” for myself, but I don’t make time for the rest of the crap I have to do without making actual legitimate deadlines for myself outside of the home. And since I don’t get off my a-s-s to go ahead and just write my book/s, I don’t want to write about writing instead. And actually, I have bookmarked a whole bunch (such an american-ism) of free courses on iTunes that I have not got around to reading anyway. So for now, “big school” will just be for the little kids.