It's been a while since the last post. Summer is here and hopefully the childrens noses will stop running!

I have started the pottytraining with Heidi. She's 2.5 y now and it seems as if she's ready Today is day 2 and we  have only had 1 accident today. A mayor improvement from yesterday when it felt like Heidi was tinkeling in every single corner of the house.. I did cheat a bit though and put a nappy on when I had to go to the shop. I just didn't want to risk an accident in public yet.

Whilst I have focused on Heidi a lot these past few days, I have also put Chloe on the potty just for her to get familiar with it and the most important thing - if Chloe's doing something Heidi will do it too. 

 Fridaxx

 

Ooooo Canadaaaaa

The kids and I have been sick again... more snotty noses and fevers. I can't wait until winter is over. The days have gotten a bit nicer but it's still very cold at night (somewhere around 5 degrees). Hopefully in a few weeks time it will start to warm up a bit.

Good news! The application for permanent residency has been lodged and now we just have to wait for somewhere between 6-12 months to be approved. Our visa situation has always been a cause of stress everytime Fred changes jobs so this will relief a lot of stress.

Heidi will start daycare tomorrow. 2 days a week to start with. I think it will be great for her. This daycare centre is an Early learning centre which means that once the children turn three they join the '3-year old kindergarten' program with accredited teachers so the days at daycare is structured more in a way similar to what a school would be. Im very excited about this. Not only to get some alone-time with Chloe, it will be good that Chloe  gets some attention, but lately its hard to come up with fun activities for us to do everyday. Now Heidi gets to see something new and learn from others.  

Back to wipeing snotty noses...
Talk to you soon!

kisses from Perth xx

Videoblog August 2010

Party weekend

We have had a very busy weekend that started with a 'grown-up' party on Saturday. It was the annual due for Fred's work and we had organised a babysitter. Luxury!!!  As usual when I get started on the cocktails, I want to continue 'til the wee hours but this time Fred made me come to my senses and we got back home at midnight... It was a good night tho.

On Sunday morning, after a night of drinking, Heidi and I went to Isabelle and Julias house for Isabelle's 2nd birthday party. 14 loud toddlers and 1 hangover. Not a great combo but I made it through. I must say it was a sensational party and Julia had organised heaps of fun things for the kids to do. Pin the tail on the donkey, pinatas and 'jelly-bath'. The jelly-bath was all the kids favourite. Julia had set up a childrens-pool in her backyard, filled it with water and added some sort of soapy-powder and the water had turned in to blue jelly. The kids loved it!! (NOTE: It's winter and it's 25 degrees. Life's tough ;))
xx

 

When Chloe lost her dummy forever

Chloe was not a happy camper last night. Not only is she missing her grand-mother A LOT, we decided to throw away all her dummies and it's now time to start sleeping without a dummy.

When it was time to go to bed Fred put her down without her dummy and it wasn't too bad to start. But when Chloe realised what was about to happen, she completely flipped out. For about 3 hours straight, she was absolutely furious, crying, looking towards the door in her room, demanding that someone would come in and give her back her beloved dummy. When that didn't happen she finally fell asleep. She woke up a few time early in the night looking for the dummy but after Fred talked to her and ensuring her that everything was fine, she went back to sleep.

When we removed the dummy for Heidi, she was about the same age as Chloe and it only took about 24 hours before Heidi had gotten used to not depending on the dummy to sleep. We'll see how quickly 'Arnie' will accept the change. :) 

xxx

Arnie and dirty nappies

My mum and Stellan left for Sweden yesterday... Very sad and the girls were asking for them all night long.

After not changing one single dirty nappy in almost a months time, I now have to go back to normal and start doing it again.. Heidi has not shown any signs of being interested in or being ready to start potty-training so I just have to put on a happy face and hold my breath :) I have been very spoiled over the past month - went to Thailand with Amelie on a girls vacation and have rested a lot. It really great to be able to re-charge the batteries once in a while. 

Chloe has grown a lot over the last few weeks and is really tall now and is sitting up all by herself and waves to you if you ask her. She is quite a little personality and is very curious of everything around her. If there is too much going on around her when it's time to eat, Chloe won't eat at all. And when Chloe has a lot of important things to say, which is a lot of the time, she lowers her voice and makes sounds that reminds you of Arnold Schwartzenegger. Hillarious!! So now we nicknamed her 'Arnie'. :)

Bye for now! xxx 

Baptism at St Kierans Catholic church and other stuff

A few weeks ago we baptised the girls at St Kierans Catholic church. To Heidis godparents in Sweden and Spain - you are still Heidis godparents. The girls will just have an additional set of godparents. The more the merrier!

It was a sunny, beautiful day and I was very nervious. Catholisism is not my faith and I had no idea what to expect... and given that Heidi was getting baptised too and everyone knows that it's close to impossible to get a 2 year old to sit down for more than 5 minutes... and yes, I was right - Heidi ran around the church through out the ceremony and did not want the priest to pick her up or even look at her... She went a bit bananas....

Over all it went ok and the lovely godparents Nola, John and Shevoun did a great job and both kids got baptised in the end.

Chloe has started eating solid food now and I swear this is the worst stage in their development. The pureed food just goes everywhere!! Today we tried a bit of pureed pumpkin and Chloe decided it would be great to blow bubbles with it and so she did and we had pumpkin puree all over her, me and the entire kitchen. Lovely!

Heidi speaks more and more and the other day she just started to count to 10 in english, followed by doing the same in french. I must admit, I havent practiced counting all too much so I was a bit surprised. Sad to say she learned it watching tv.

Heidi repeats everything you say now so it's important to watch your language around her so she doesn't pick up anything she shouldn't. :)

We are trying to teach Heidi to be polite and she knows she has to say please and thank you. She also knows to say 'excuse me' but it comes out as 'excuuuufeeeeee'. Very cute!

Bisou from Perth
xx

Viva Vacation!

Don't you just love the feeling of waking up on the first day of your well desirved vacation! The first thing you see is the bottles tax-free alcohol you bought just before bording your flight and you know that those bottles will be empty before the end of your stay. And as a result you will have gained about 10kgs. Maybe not only from the alcohol consumption but from all the fantastic, exotic and fatning foods you're going to try. But at this stage, the first day of vacation, it does not matter one bit.

Bali was absolutely fantastic! The people were great and Club Med was nice. It felt great not having to cook every night and the only worry I had to put myself through was were my next cocktail came from or whether I felt like going to the spa or do a class of Pilates or play golf.

On the first day at Club Med, Fred ran into a friend of his from Perth. The friend was there with his family too so the boys ended up drinking a few nights away when the kids and the wives were tucked in for the night.

The kids had a wonderful time at the Kids club and the staff there was amazing. We never had any tears dropping the girls off or picking them up. Not from the kids at least :) We never left the girls at the club a whole day. Most days we picked them up after their after-lunch-nap and then we spent the afternoon together. At the club. the kids had different activities planned everyday. One day it was 'fish feeding', the next it was a treasure hunt and the next was sandcastle or boat building. We hired a nanny for Chloe so she could stay in the kids club too. The nannys name was Toma and had 4 children of her own. She was so great with Chloe and Chloe liked her a lot. It was not too hard leaving the girls everymorning as I knew they were well looked after and would have heaps of fun all day long.

At night we went to dinner but before that we had an appero at the bar. They had live music there and Heidi really loved to sing along and dance. But I mean really loved it! At the end of our stay Heidi recieved a medal for 'Best dancer'. (I have to mention that Fred got voted 'Best dad' which was something that made both him and me very proud :)) )

I have to admit that this vacation was well needed for all of us. Fred has been working a lot, having a little bubby and dealing with 'the terrible twos' have been tireing so just doing nothing for 10 days was perfect for us. Fred and I got to rest, play some golf, I went a spa a few times (Baliwis spa). Amazing! If you havent tried hot stone massage before, try it! You'll feel devine :))

So yeah folks, Bali was a real treat and if I get my way, we'll go back next year again. Poolside bars, beaches, spas, shopping, golf, 5 star accomodation - Im a simple girl :))

Love,
Team Drouin

Daycare and decorating

This weeek has been looooong! We haven't done too much and I have been extreemly tired. Not sure why... I have been to the gym a lot so maybe I've used up all the energy there.

Heidi and Chloe have started to love going to daycare at the gym. Heidi is really nice with all the other kids and has learned to share without througing a tantrum. It is really good that the ladies at daycare teaches the kids how to behave and that it's not allowed to run amock. It's good that Heidi hears that from someone else than me.

Chloe is just a little miss sunshine and smiles all the time. The older kids at daycare loves her and if they could they would take her home with them. Chloe is a very sociable baby and very easy going. Heidi was too when she was little but I think Chloe is even more so. I guess with the second child, the child is just so thrilled when someone pays them attention so they basically take what they get :)

On Friday Ellie came over to help me with the girls and I went out to check out some furnitureshops and some wallpaper and paintshops. I found some lovely stuff!

I got an oval, bronze antique mirror that is to die for. I will post some photos ASAP. I also had time to check out some wallpaper for a few feature walls around the house. So much to choose from. Im all confused! Diane, I need you for a design consultation! 

Anyway, we're only a few days away from going to Club Med in Bali so you'll hear from me again once we're back!

Hasta la vista bitches!

Fridaxx 

Happy easter!

Fred had to go to Brunai last week but made it back just in time for easter. We haven't created any family traditions around easter yet but I have to think of something for next year. I was thinking about doing an easter egg hunt with the girls but they are a bit to little yet.

On Saturday night we were invited to the Beach family for baby Caylas birthday party. We ended up staying until midnight and danced to good 'ole swedish schlager-music. We all had the best time. There were tons of kids for Heidi to play with and apart from pushing a 1 year old baby over (the baby touch Heidi's red blanket and Heidi flipped), Heidi was nice and played really well and we could relax. Chloe played a bit but once we gave her her dinner-bottle she fell asleep and didn't wake up until the morning :)


The rest of the weekend was just family time. We went to Nola and John's house for brunch on Monday which was really lovely. Heidi loves to go to the Kitis house and she loooves their daughter Ellie. Heidi made Ellie an easter card with feathers and everything. Very cute!


We just got back from the Child development centre to weigh Chloe. She has put on a lot of weight and has those lovely, chubby thighs. I love it! She weight just over 6500g and she seem quite strong and can almost sit up by herself with minimal support. She has started to roll as well and she is grabbing everything she sees. Not long until she crawls :)


We're going to Bali on the 17th and I think the whole family really needs a vacation. Fred has his recontructive knee surgery as soon as we get back so it's good to get back to Perth rested for that.




It just never stops does it?

Bisou
Frida & Co.

My home is my office

Some days, the reality of the life as a fulltime mom and housewife hits me in the head like a sledgehammer. Every day of my life is mapped out by the childrens naptimes, meals and with a few lovely tantrums to interrupt our daily routine to make it all a bit more interesting.

At the moment my home is my office and I am the office manager. I don't have a job to go to. I can only activate my brain to a level involving playdoe, fingerpaint and my little pony and I need complete authority in my home otherwise I will lose my identity and purpose completely. I need to have control over the situation and have a routine. It's like a safety net and I know - if we stick to it, the day will be pretty good.

Then the weekend comes and daddy is home......

And as fun as it is, adding an additional person and additional will to the equation is not always easy.

The girls and I know that every day we nap at a certain time, we are out the door at at a certain time and we eat at a certain time. We all know what is happening next so we are prepared and can end each day on a happy and balanced note.

On the weekend, now we have another mind to question my dictatorship. A mind I can't put in time-out - eventhough it's tempting at times - and things tend to get a bit rocky. Before we leave the house manic cleaning of the kitchen has to occur, last minute bathroom breaks, searches for lost wallets just to name a few.

As a result we're going to have a late start leaving the house and as a domino-effect our daily routine is out the window. The afternoon will be hell and/or Fred starts to free-style the girls naptime and puts Heidi to bed when it's not the right time and the same result - an unbareable afternoon.

Family life and motherhood is hard and I wish we could live closer to our families and get a bit of help when we need a break.

Eventhough I have been quite negative in this blog doesn't mean that Im not having the best little girls ever and the best husband ever. I wouldn't change it for anything!

Love

Fridaxx

The days after the storm....

I have never seen anything like this! I know, I am a bit dramatic sometimes but honestly, the girls and I got stuck in the storm driving home from the city and it was like being in the middle of one of those natural disaster movies like '2012'. I was really scared...

So, hales sized big as golfballs were coming down smashing the car from all angles. Rain was pouring down and soon the streets were completely flooded. I had to park at the side of the road and try to get out of the wind so we ended up next to a wall for about 20 minutes until the hales stopped. Good thing we have a big car so I could drive through the water masses without getting stuck. I think the worst driving in the storm wasn't really the wheather, it was the other people driving. People were driving really fast, without lights on and most trafficlights were out so I was just expecting getting hit by another driver at any second.

We got home in one piece in the end and the thunder started. Chloe was sleeping through all of this - go figure - and Heidi and I went upstairs to hide away in our bedroom. After a while I hear a noice from downstairs and we head down to the kitchen and we find a 3 m long crack in our kitchen celing and water is just pouring down! I try to find bucket, pots and pans to put under the leak and I am really freaking out at this stage. Once this was done I sat down on our steps in the lounge room with my head in my hands. Heidi comes up to me and puts her arm around me and kisses me on the head and says 'Sorry mama, it's ok'.

It seems like the insurance will cover the damaged to the house and the car but we're still awaiting a confirmation. Fingers crossed.

Hasta luego

Frida and Co. xx

Silly-string made a comeback

Silly-string is the best! Fred found his old disco-stuff and it was perfect for Heidi's birthday bash! The party was a success and we had a wonderful day with our friends by the pool and the kids had a blast! Chloe didn't have the best day so we took turns taking care of her in her nursery.. A combination of teething, wind and too much attention made her upset and that was that. Still, it was a great afternoon.

I decided early on that I didn't want to overdo it this year and end up spending the entire day in the kitchen. I ordered the cake and just made cupcakes and preperade a fruit and cheese platter. It was perfect!

The cake turned out to be quite special in the end. I ordered from this random place I found online and when the woman rocked up with this cake I almost died! It was perfect! I have never seen anything like this before. Check it out!

I started to decorate the pool area when Heidi was having a nap. When she woke up I took her downstairs to show her. She saw all the baloons and stuff she lit up and said - 'Birthday!!' (she speaks mostly in english... She understands swedish and french but almost always replies in english) She has been to a few parties by now so she know what was going on :)

And finally, here are two photos of the Drouinettes. Chloe is 4 months in this photo and Heidi is about 6 months. Do you think they look alike?