20 days to go, the chocolate junkies and TGIO.
20 days to go until we leave for (not so sunny) Queensland. It would be flooding, wouldn’t it? In our choice of destination. UGH. At least there are 20 days for it all to dry up and it WILL dry up or there is going to be trouble! Now I’ve said that, I’m not exactly sure how much trouble I (squishy, jelly bellied, 30 something woman) can inflict on an entire state but it sounded good, threatening, scary, don’t you think? No? Oh well. Maybe I’ll just take it out on David, afterall, Queensland was his choice and the floodgates haven’t opened in Fiji, now, have they?
Seriously, we are looking forward to it. 20 days is not long to have to wait. We just have to get organised and that is going to be the hard part, I think.
Yesterday we went to AJ’s semi final match against Singleton. It was a close game and after full time, it was 1 goal to each side. So we went into overtime. Again, no one got a goal (although it was SO close on many occasions and had all the parents on tenderhooks on the side of the field). Finally we went to penalty kicks and, although AJ’s team, The Bellbird Bombers, played a mighty game, they lost to Singleton. The boys were devastated but we were all proud of them. They worked so well as a team and played like champions! I know I couldn’t run around kicking a ball for almost two hours without needing some kind of medical assistance afterwards. AJ rallied well and is now looking towards the next season when he has been promised a place as a midfield player, instead of a sweeper (which he found incredibly unfulfilling).
Before the game, we stopped to get some supplies and I picked up a Cadbury’s Dad bag for Dave as an early Father’s Day present. As we climbed back into the car, Noah, who had noticed the purple bag started running through his food mantra. "Gubem, narnar, hartee," and then we heard
"clock - o -lart"!
Clockolart! He had identified the purple Cadbury’s symbol as chocolate!!
As we approached the field both our chocolate junkies were complaining bitterly because the sweet had not been forthcoming. David bribed them into the stroller with the promise of some choc buttons and with that the fun began. I’ve never seen chocolate disappear so fast. By the time I called it to an end, Ivy and Noah had consumed a whole roll of the buttons! When I said enough, they cried and whinged and begged for more! The only way to stop it was to redirect them to the playground, with the big girls. Oh dear. We had such good intentions when we started parenting eleven long years ago.
Today is Sunday, a day of rest. It’s a TGIO day. Thank God It’s Over. I’m talking about Star Struck. Tuesday and Wednesday rehersals, all day Thursday, Thursday night (it was a fantastic show - I highly recommend it for next year), home at 1am, then back on the bus at 8am for a matinee and a night performance, home again at close to one then back again for a Saturday night show. To 
say that Imogen and Madeline are exhausted is an understatement. They had a ball in the performances, of course, but the mornings were reduced to a series of bickering (amongst themselves) and tears from being so tired and overwhelmed. As much as they enjoyed themselves, I think they are glad for it to be finished with for this year too. This morning they have dragged themselves out of bed and are quietly slothing around the house…well, not now, now they are cleaning out the bus with the other kids, in preparation for our trip but they were very slow to get started today. For early risers, like Immy and Maddy (think 5:30 am since they were toddlers) a 9:30 wake up is a BIG sleep in. 
I think it will take a while for them to get back into the swing of things but what an experience for two 11 year olds who live in the boonies! Lily is going to try out next year so we might have three little performers in the house. Until next year, Star Struck!
