Losing yourself

I read a lovely little article recently by a bloke who stayed home to look after his child for a year, while his wife went back to work.
Apart from the usual observations - hey, it isn't all coffee and cake with the other mums! - it contained a passage that still resonates with me:
"I felt as if I was becoming invisible. But then I realised one very important point - that it wasn't about me. As a parent, I'm meant to be invisible. It's the child's turn to step onto the stage, into the limelight. My role was backstage - quiet, unassuming, with no dreams of glory."
He's absolutely right, of course.
Being a stay-at-home parent means you become invisible to the world. It's a point I've trying to explain to people and they never seem to get it. Your hopes, your dreams, your job, your life gets put on complete hold.

Me likey haircut

It's taken about a week, but Ari's new short 'do is growing on me.
After his disastrous boca* a week ago, the newly cropped Ari is as cute as ever. He now looks like a real little boy, not a baby.
The other day I was pushing him on the swing and he just looked so big. I could hardly believe I used to push him on the same swing when he was a little baby. My baby is a big boy now (sob).


*Ballarat people call a haircut a boca. Don't ask me why.

Hose Mania

I'm beginning to wonder if my son isn't some kind of obsessive compulsive.
He loves brooms and dustpans and seems to sweep stuff constantly. But when he's not sweeping, he's obsessing over taps and hoses.
We walk to our local playground daily and the five-minute stroll down takes a good ten these days because hose boy has to stop at every house and stand there pointing at the hose and/or tap in the front yard.
This bizarre behaviour is almost always accompanied by the sound effect "Ssshhhh!", as if making a water shooshing sound.
A quick bit of Googling and my mind's been slightly put at ease. According to two different parenting websites, this kind of compulsive behaviour is perfectly normal for a toddler. It's apparently his way of making order in a world that is constantly changing for him.

The coolest band ever

I'm seeing so few gigs lately that I feel the need to bang on about them when I do.
On Sunday night I went along to see The Strokes and it reignited my love for them. They played incredibly tight, the atmosphere was fantastic and the crowd went NUTS. At one point Julian Casablancas said the Festy Hall crowd sounded more like a stadium.
They sounded amazing and looked so cool - these were guys who were wearing skinny jeans in 2001 - they are the epitome of cool. The last time I saw them, Julian was a bit of a mess - he looked like he'd just had enough of playing the same songs over and over.
This time he looked like he was actually enjoying himself.
Seeing them reminded me just how good they really are and how dreadfully BORING some of the most hyped music today really is. Hands up James Blunt and The Killers...

Ari's first haircut

After much pondering on the subject of Ari's long locks, we decided last night to go the hack with the clippers.
The results were...not good. Apart from Ari hating every second of it, it was sort of a half-finished job, thanks to my panicking about how short Rob was going with the clippers.
The result was my worst nightmare - a sort-of bowl cut. Well, no son of mine will ever have a bowl cut.
A quick trip to a local hairdresser today finished off the job and it doesn't look too bad. It's very short and quite a shock to the system, considering Ari's former mullet (think Krusty the Clown, not Jason Gillespie).
Now my boy looks like one of those kids you'd see running around with a dirty face on a British council estate in a Ken Loach movie.
As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of his new look. I'm just not sure if it's me not wanting to let go of his little baby curls, or the fact that he now resembles some kind of street urchin.

Ten things I learned from watching LoudQUIETLoud: A Film About the Pixies

1. David Lovering is a cack. An amateur magician, metal detector enthusiast AND a rock drummer. With the strangest dress sense.
2. Crazy as she may be, Kim Deal is STILL a rock goddess. She was my female indie rock idol and I'm pleased to stay she still is for young rock chicks today. And she has ace hair.
3. Frank Black is a funny, funny bastard. He's also a fat, fat man.
4. Joey Santiago is just a nice guy trying to provide for his young family.
5. The guys hardly ever speak to each other - even when they're in the same room.
6. The band is so very, very loved and they seem quite unaware of how big they still are.
7. That I must be the only person in the world (besides Rob) who hasn't seen their reunion tour. This is a great shame.
8. The songs still rock, big time. Joey's guitar sounds great and Frank's in fine voice. He can still scream.
9. The Deal family seem like a pretty tight unit. Kelley Deal travels on tour with Kim and their folks seem really nice, caring people.
10. How unique the Pixies really are. I know it's been said a million times how influential they were, but there really hasn't been another band sound like them since and I don't think there ever will.

10 things Ari does

1. Stops at any store that plays music at any shopping centre and dances on the spot.
2. Takes a drink of water/milk and says "ahhh!"
3. Spends a good couple of minutes putting the plug back in the hole in the bath once the water has gone down the drain.
4. Stops and says "oooh!" to any home with a garden hose out the front.
5. Says "YUM!" loudly to any food he's really happy with.
6. Climbs up a big slide at our park all by himself.
7. Points out every plane and helicopter in the sky and follows them until they are out of sight.
8. Picks up flowers and petals and puts them in his pram.
9. Yells his version of hello to every person we pass in the street. If you pass us up close, you'll always get a big smile.
10. Walks up and stands on your lap to hug your head.