Monday, April 29, 2013

It's (a kind of) magic?

Ember was in the bath yesterday when she did a "bottom burp"...

Em: (giggles) I did farties! 
Me: I know, I saw the bubbles.
Em: Farties in the bath makes bubbles.  That's maaaaagic, isn't it Mummy?
Me: Well, not really.  It's science.  Farts are air, and when you release air under the water it makes air bubbles.
Em: No, it's magic.  Lots of things are magic.
Me: What do you think magic is?
Em: Magic!
Me: Magic is mostly things we can't explain. Things that we know why and how they happen are science.  Like bubbles, and how plants grow, and why the sky is blue.
Em: I know why the sky is blue.
Me: Why?
Em: Because that's its colour! (pause) Magic bubbles!

Sometimes conversations with Ember just make me realise how little I know...

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Delusions of Cinderella

Today is ANZAC Day in New Zealand, which is a public holiday, and Ember and I decided to make Anzac biscuits.  We needed golden syrup, so we popped round to Mum's (aka Nana Jay's) to borrow some.  Her small dog, Kanji, was very stinky, and Ember was delighted to "help" give him a bath while we were there. Poppa John arrived back home just as we were leaving...

Em: (to Poppa John) We gave Kanji a bath!
Me: (to Nana Jay) Ember and [her friend] M ended up having a bath today too, because they did some painting and ended up painting themselves.
NJ:  I'm sure they did.

This conversation continued as I was strapping Em into her car seat, and in the car on the way home:
Em: I painted on my tummy by accident!
Me: I don't think it was an accident...
Em: Why? Did you saw me?
Me: No, but it's pretty hard to paint dots on your tummy by accident.
Em: Mummy.  I'm very sorry but I did do it on purpose. 
Me: That's ok.
Em: Are you cross at me?
Me: No.
Em: You should be cross at me, because I did it on purpose.
Me: Well, it's not the world's greatest crime.
Em: But I did it on purpose.
Me: Do you want me to be cross with you?
Em: No.  (pause) Why do you always get cross at me?
Me: I'm not always cross with you!
Em: Yes you are, you say "Darling! Wash the floor!"
Me: No I don't!
Em: (laughing) Yes you do!  You say "Darling! Wash the floor! Darling! Clean the kitchen! Wash the table!
Me: I do not!
Em: I'm just tricking you Mummy.  Shall I trick you again?
Me: Ok
Em: Mummy! There's a monster about to eat you! (pause) Just tricking!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Trees have all the luck

We were up at Starship (the Auckland Children's Hospital) today for Ember's MRI scan - it looks like she has the all-clear, so we've been discharged from Starship and will now be seen by the visiting oncologist at Waikato once a year.  Hurrah!  Ember and I had some great conversations (she wants to live at Ronald McDonald House, where we stayed last night), but this one in the car coming home was a particular classic.  It came completely out of the blue; I hadn't told her off or anything...

Em: You can do everything you want to do Mummy?
Me: Um, no... What do you mean?
Em: Well you're a grown up, and grown ups can do everything they want to.
Me: No we can't.
Em: But just kids have to do what the teachers and their mummy and daddy say.  Grown ups doesn't do that.
Me: Grown ups have rules they have to follow too.  We have laws, and there are things like manners and customs too. It's a bit hard to explain, but we can't do anything we want to do.
Em: Oh.  Just trees and leaves can do everything they want?
Me: Yes, I suppose they can.
Em: Why?  Because they just sit there and say hello and wave their leaves at us?
Me: ...yes, probably...


Saturday, April 6, 2013

A lesson in sharing

It's been a while since my last post, but certainly not because there have been no Emberisms, more because of illness and lack of time.  I had three days in Auckland for work in late March, followed by a family wedding during which I got a nasty flu-like virus, then had to have a week off work, and then spent most of Easter recovering as well.  Ember got it too, but all she had was a slightly raised temperature which a paracetamol/ibuprofen combo knocked on the head very effectively.  She revelled in being sick though, telling everyone she met "I've got the germs.  My mummy gave me the germs!"

The wedding (my cousin's) and celebrations took place over two days, so we stayed at  little pub hotel  in Clevedon for a couple of nights.  My mum and 'Poppa John' stayed in the same hotel. Ember was delighted to meet up with her big cousin (second cousin technically, but who's counting?!), ten-year-old Isabella again, and Bella took Em firmly under her wing.  They had such a good time that Em was determined that Bella should come and have a sleep over with us...

Em: Can Isabella come for a sleepover?
Me: Yep, we'll see if she and her Mummy or Nana can come to our house in the school holidays maybe.
Em: No, I want her to come for a sleepover tonight!
Me: She can't Em, we're staying at the hotel, there isn't enough room.
Em: Yes, she can sleep in the bed with us.
Me: Ember, you, daddy and me are already sharing one double bed, there really isn't room for anyone else, and I'm sure Isabella wouldn't want to do that anyway!
Em: She could sleep in Nana's room!
Me: No sweetie, Nana and Poppa John are already in there, there isn't room.
Em: Isabella could sleep in the middle!
Me: No, Poppa John needs his space.
Em: Well I'm going to ring Preschool, and they'll tell him he has to share!

Needless to say, Isabella did not have a sleepover that night, but "I'm going to ring Preschool and they'll say you have to share" has become a bit of a catchphrase around here!