"Man of the House now"

Something that alot of people say to Morgan is "Now that you are man of the house......" and finish with some sort of advice. Its all well meaning, kind and thoughtful - I understand this; but it disturbs me on a few levels.... and my heart just wrings with his response - which I will share a little further down.

I am disturbed thinking that people believe that there needs to be a man in my house - in order for me to be happy, safe, secure or whatever it is that a 'man' is supposed to bring.  I've always been independent, and perhaps this is a failing or flaw on my behalf.

It saddens me to think that a 10 year old aught to take on any sort of responsibility in 'heading' a family.  Morgan is so mature in so many ways, being forced to grow up with concepts - but in other ways he is just a little kid.. and I want him to stay that ways for as long as possible.  Being a grown up isn't all its cracked up to be.

It saddens me to see Morgan taking on a bigger role within our family unit - the weight of responsibility on his shoulders is clearly seen now.  He worries over and for me incessantly. I am not sure how to stop this; not with the constant reminders from well meaning people that he now "needs to take care of the girls", and that he is "the man of the family".

His maturity makes my heart swell. His response, without missing a beat, is always, "Thanks, but I'm only doing it till Dad gets back and he can take over then."

Blessings be... He will be ( and is growing to be) a magnificent young man.

Our Canungra family

Here are our main pals for the next two weeks. Beautiful Pixie is a mastiff with such a sweet nature. Although she is huge, she is very gentle and the kids have really taken to her already. 

Our main charge is Ally and her seven (yes count them seven) pups.  They are 5 weeks old and growing fast.  Poor love has that haggard mum look - I know it well. The pups need feeding three times a day and Ally needs a break every few hours from the 'kids'.

Last but not least are these two little ratbags. Jazzy - as you can see - never sits still and is bouncing and trying to play all the time. Mini is a sweet little thing, who at the moment prefers to stay in her bed rather than come for walks.. I am sure it will change soon when she gets to know us.

We also have a budgie, a parrot, three chickens and a rooster - but they are pretty low maintenance. 

A New Housesit begins

Its a blessing that we don't have any ongoing bills at this time. The thought of having to meet rent or mortgage commitments sends shudders down my spine - much less utility bills and the like.. phew.. I've been in no shape to get out of bed or talk on the phone for the last 6 weeks, much less think about looking for a job or working.

Although it may seem unsettling to be moving about so often, house siting has been a great experience for us, filling many needs.

Morgan and Lilly have long wanted pets, so now we get to care for a wide range of pets for short amounts of time, and though its heartbreaking to say goodbye to those we really connect with, we know there is another furry heart to meet down the track.

We have had some great locations too - our Gympie one had a creek to explore and so much land to run around in - the kids really lapped it up and loved the 'farm life'.

The housesits we have had have been very peaceful places and given me space to just be and breathe. I was in love with the Pomona mansion... Its kind of fun pretending that the home is yours.. even if its for a while.  Our newest one is for two weeks in Canungra. I'll take photos of the myriad of pets we are looking after tomorrow and post up.

I don't know what the future will hold for us; but I am still in no shape to make any decisions or plan ahead any further than a few days.  With Age out of hospital this week, we need to remain close and at hand to help in any way we can to further his healing and recovery.  The kids miss him so much and I can't even begin to process what is going on in their minds, much less mine.