When I posted my last post I was just happy to see some rain. I had no clue of the extent of it. I had no clue that we would lose our power for two whole days, something that has never happened before, and we were the lucky ones. As I lay in bed listening to the wild winds and torrential rains I thought of the people out amongst it all, risking there own lives to ensure we are safe.
We didn't leave our house for three days and after the initial shock (the kids) of no power, we settled into a happy rhythm: playing board games, drawing, colouring, crafting and a game of shops that lasted four solid hours. We read stories by torchlight and ate an early dinner by candlelight. Our cheese and tuna toasties, a rainy day favourite and our Sunday morning pancakes were cooked on the barbecue. I washed the dishes with a sponge and a small bowl of soapy hot water that had also been heated on the barbecue. It was quiet.
When the power came back on, we were shocked to see the news. After a couple of days without power, phones or computers, we sat glued to the TV for hours. There was a real sense of deja vu, was Queensland really going under water again? I was a little shell shocked, not at just the flooding of Queensland but by what mother nature had thrown our way over this entire holiday period: extreme heat and catastrophic bush fires, and now devastating rain, cyclones and tornadoes!
A high priority for my 'year of the homemaker' will be to make up a 'survival kit'. Luckily, I love to stockpile, we were never going to stave if stranded, but what if we needed to leave our home in a hurry, what would we take? Would there be enough petrol in our car? Probably not.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be getting some ideas, checklists and survival items together. There is some good advice here, here, here and here. That's a start.
Do you have a 'survival kit' ready to go? I'd love to hear about it.
What have you packed in it? What do you think is the most important?
The kids went back to school on Tuesday. Three people rang us on Monday and told us our school would be closed. But early the next morning I double checked our schools website: "Newsflash! (yes that's what it really said) School will commence as usual". There was a mad dash around, as I realised that I wasn't as ready for school as I had first thought.
It was strange leaving my children at school, knowing that they are absolutely fine and knowing that I am absolutely not. Year one and two, how did that happen? Where have my babies gone? Wow, year one and two!
It has been a strange, short week, with petrol stations without petrol and shops without ice-blocks, fruit, milk and bread. It is hard to start our new school routines, with everything so out of whack. I haven't bothered to set my alarm this week and yesterday morning the kids watched morning TV until a minute before leaving for school. There is usually a 'no TV before school rule.' We are easing into this new school year slowly. It is still too hot for routines. It is still too hot to sleep.
I have been feeling strange, out of sorts, some say it's the heat, other's other there is a bug going around, everyone says they are feeling out of sorts too: unwell, faint, nauseous. Then Miss Moo Moo was sick today, minutes before walking out the door for school, she threw up everywhere (and I mean everywhere). It was strange to have my days plans changed again so soon. Appointments were cancelled, lists were abandoned.
How about you? How are you settling in to this first week of school?
