Bubble Wrap!!

It was so obvious I was kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner.

I received a package at work and the contents were wrapped in bubble wrap. The premium large bubble stuff. Don't get me wrong, the small bubble version is good and has its place, but the large bubble variety is much more rare and makes a better sound. I was sitting at my desk idly popping a few of the bubbles and then it occurred to me that I have two little kids at home who have never experienced bubble wrap.

My dad sold safety equipment for years and some of it was packed in bubble wrap. I remember, as a kid, trying to get my hands on a corner of it while my other siblings were popping away. The sound is just so oddly satisfying.

How could I have failed as a father in such magnitude? It made me contemplate other basic joys in life that I neglected to give my children. Sure, they have both seen the ocean, eaten creme brulee, and traveled on a plane, but bubble-wrap! This was a huge oversight.

I need to get back to basics and figure out what else my kids are missing out on.

-They haven't been towed around from place to place in a little red wagon
-They haven't been in a hay barn
-They haven't held on to a live fish with their bare hands
-They haven't done very much rolling down hills
-They haven't ridden on a riding lawn mower or a tractor

And that is just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head. There is so much to rectify.

Mother's Day

It seems like I spend more time with my kids on Mother's Day than on Father's Day.

The one gift I can give my wife that never fails is the gift of sleep and silence. Sure, Hallmark and coffee commercials will tell you that you should get your kids out of bed, make an elaborate breakfast and then have the whole family bring it into the bedroom and wake up mom with smiles and hugs. And I am sure there are some perky families out there that enjoy this--ours is not one of them.

No, the best thing I can do is to get the kids out of the house and feed them some breakfast so they are not running around like a pack of spider monkeys.

Australia has two bread shop franchises that are everywhere. They are the Starbucks of the bread world: Brumby's and Baker's Delight. It is consistent with a culture that enjoys savory treats as much as sweet. I much prefer Baker's Delight, because they have wonderful chocolate scones and sweet chili scrolls. But as fate would have it, there is a Brumby's close to our house so we will have to adapt to their offerings.

Cole usually goes for the Cheese and Bacon roll and as demonstrated below, he just eats all the good bits in the middle.



Cora loves the croissant and she will suck on its buttery goodness until it dissolves in her mouth. It doesn't sound like the ideal way to eat a croissant, but it works for her.

on the road again

It doesn't feel like a Monday. We just left Coffs Harbour, which is half way between Brisbane and Newcastle. Tom Petty is in the CD player letting us know that he is free falling and the kids are in the back seat trying to sleep in the contorted positions that only car seats can provide.

Thursday the moving guys came to pick up our stuff and pack it into a moving truck. It is the first time in my life I have not treaded on the goodwill of friends to help me move and actually paid people to do heavy lifting. I felt useless and when I asked if I could help the movers let me know that not only would I be of no use, but I would actually impede their progress. So I was stuck sitting on the kitchen counter reading a book while our stuff was tagged, wrapped in blankets and crammed on the truck.

We cleaned up on Friday and drove to Newcastle and then spent Saturday with Mary's brother Chris and his wife Carol and now we are on the last leg of the trip. We expect to be in Brisbane tonight.



A few tanks of gas, a couple of meals at McDonalds and one bout of car sickness from Cora have gotten us this far. About six more hours of driving and we will be at our new place.


*we just saw a billboard saying "Welcome to Yaegle country!" Mary and I have no idea what that means.