Perfectly right now...

Some say the Terrible Twos, the Trying Threes, the F*cked up Fours, the Forgettable Fives and so on until their kids have grown up and moved away because they're parents wished for them to behave appropriately, like adults, without tantrums and not be kids...

The Jelly Bean is well and truly three and a half (next week). He has tantrums and screams and deliberately doesn't listen to me. He chucks stuff. He refuses to eat. Then he refuses to eat anything but fruit toast. Then he refuses to eat fruit toast.

He's three and a half.

I don't want to spend his childhood wishing away the difficulties of his childhood. Especially when some of the times I have, he is the most hilarious, most compassionate, caring, funny, spunky example of humanity that makes me want to freeze time and NEVER let him grow up.

At creche this week The Bean was given a task. It is being assigned to all of the kids in his class/room/group, over the next few months. They have a pet toy frog. Similar, I'm assuming, to the task that may be given to primary school children when they get to take home the class' pet guinea pig or pet bird or pet rabbit. Except without the risk of death. Although, there is certainly still the risk of maiming, but we did ok.

We had to take home the pet toy frog 'Galumph' (yes, named after the song!) for two nights. He also had an exercise book that had been converted into 'Galumph's Story Book'. The children who had already taken him home had written a page in the book and added some photographs to the story of Galumph's time with their family.

I was so excited!

The Jelly Bean would not put him down. He wanted to show Galumph everything. Sleep with Galumph. Take Galumph to swimming. He called Ninna and Papa to tell him he was allowed to take Galumph home for TWO days. Galumph sat with him in the car. The Bean wanted to take Galumph to the beach, but it was raining. So we made pizza with Galumph. The Bean ate his pizza, but Galumph only watched. He prefers pizza with bugs and flies on it. Although he did love the rain.

I felt like a totally involved, educational, project helping mother. I had flashes back to my parents helping me. I could close my eyes smell glue sticks and feel pipe cleaners and hear the falling of glitter. I also flashed forward to all of those same things, yet in reverse.

What a wonderful time!

Then the other night, the Bean peed on my red Turkish rug.

He peed with intent, deliberation and defiance. I was FURIOUS! I shouted at him. I asked him if he wanted me to shout at him some more, he laughed at me. Said no. Then ran away.

RAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then I told him he had to get in the bath, his clothes were covered in wee and I was mad.

I threw guilt at him. I threw rage at him. I threw a yucky tone, angry words, frustration, embarrassment, confusion at him. I went to clean up the rug, he'd taken his clothes off then was running around, half naked, laughing and being silly.

That was it. I told him he wasn't allowed to have a bath, he had to have a shower.

Tears.

Pleading.

Tantrum.

Tears.

"I'm sorry Mama! Please! I'm a nice boy. I'm not a yucky boy. Please!"

I love that punishment for my son is NOT having a bath!

Things The Bean has said:

Yesterday was my birthday. I'd told The Bean the night before trying to encourage him to remember and wake me up with big 'Happy Birthday' kisses and songs and maybe even French Toast in bed. It was a stretch of the imagination, the inherent skills needed and possibly even his height, but one is allowed to fantasise on one's birthday.

At 6:15am.
TB: Mama, I want to get up.
Me: Guess what day it is?
TB: Please, can you turn the light on?

I switch on the light, all smiley.
Repeat, Me: Guess what day it is?
TB: Um.
Me: It's Ma-maaaaa's...
TB looking confused.
TB: Can I have a banana?
Me: It's Mama's birrrrrr...

The Bean was by now looking at me as if he needed to stage an intervention and possibly call the local hospital psych ward.

I was grinning. It was birthday.

Me: It's Mama's birrrrtttthhhh...
TB: It's your Happy Birthday!

I milked him for endless 'But it's my birthday' kisses and hugs every chance I got. He even started singing 'Happy Birthday' without any prompting from me whatsoever.. Twice!

Yaaaaaay!

We got home in two pieces (well, there are two of us, after all!) and we had such a wonderful, dreamy, relaxing time. And to any normal person, that sounds like a great, fantastic holiday. But I am one of those people that don't actually know how to relax. I don't actually stop for very long, very often. But Malaysia, my friends, has allowed so much in my little mind and body and soul to change. And I've learned how to slow down! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

The last few days in Malaysia were great even though we were ready to go home. The final week away we moved around quite a bit, Penang, Melacca and KL in a matter of eight days so by the time we got home to our own beds we were pretty stoked with the prospect, although I did find a little person huddled up next to me, obviously for warmth, at 3am. Your body quickly forgets how cold a Melbourne winter can be!

But enough about the weather, honestly, BORING MUCH!?

The things that The Bean has since talked about in regards to Malaysia are quite clearly the most important parts of travelling, in fact, they are all essential to travelling if you would like to look at the root word closely. His favourite parts of our trip were:

• The planes
  
• The cable car - train in the sky without wheels
• The hire car
• The taxi to...
• The boat
• The taxi
• The Citroen
• The second hire car
• The Penang Bridge
• The plane
• The taxi
• The boat
• The special bike with the flowers and the music on it
  
• The bus
• The train
• The other very fast red and white train
• The train inside the 'aeroport'
• The plane

I think you may get the idea...

I've also noticed, that my Jelly Bean might have actually grown up a little bit while we were away. Now most mothers don't actually witness such things as they spend so much time with their children and growth tends to be a gradual phenomenom. But he looks taller (remarkable considering the lack of food he's consumed in the past two weeks) and he is speaking more clearly. He's asking grown up questions. He's talking in fuller sentences.

He's pretty much a big giant man.

And he's got the travel bug. As do we both, now, again. He wants to go back. Me, too.


Things The Bean has said:

1. I was in the toilet.

TB: Mama, there was a blue racing truck and it got stuck.
Me: Ok, why?
TB: It was on the edge of the road and it got stuck and it couldn't get out. And the man had to check and it was because there was green poo in the wheels.
Me: Nice.

2.
Me: What do you want to eat?
TB: Fruit Toast.
Me: Anything else.
TB: And some brown yoghurt
(The label is brown.)

3. Looking out of my bedroom window.

TB: Where's the swimming pool?
Me: We don't have a swimming pool. And if we did it wouldn't be in the driveway.
TB: Where is it?
Me: We don't have one.
TB: Mama, where did the swimming pool go?
Me: Honey, we've never had a swimming pool at our house.
TB: Why?
Me: What are you talking about, why?
TB: We need to go back to the hotel.

4.
Me: What do you want to eat?
TB: Sausage Rolls.
Me: Is that all?
TB: Yup, with sauce on the side.

5. In Ninna and Papa's car on the way home from the airport.

Ninna: Did you have fun in Malaysia?
TB: Yeah. I love 'alaysia.
Ninna: Where did you go?
TB looks at me. I whisper in his ear.
TB: Langkawi.
Ninna: Oh, did you like Langkawi?
TB: Oh no, Langkawi's gone, the boat took it away.

Ninna and Papa laugh.

Me: What?
TB: The boat took it away.

*Click*

Me: The boat we went on to Penang.
TB: Yeah, it took Langkawi away.

Penang and Melacca or Melaka or Malaka or however it's spelled...

UNESCO can't really be wrong, when it comes to these two towns, the remnants of the Old World has been seen as something beautiful and something to keep beautiful. Penang has its in a state of lovely decay, some buildings are stunningly restored and some are heartbreakingly falling apart. Malaka kind of does it too much. There's not enough decay here, there are a lot of US tourists and it doesn't seem to have as much character. For me. I'm not a travel expert/writer, but I loved Penang more...



But one shouldn't compare, each to their own and all that jazz...



Lah!



Things I've learnt in Penang and Melacca/Melaka/Malaka:

1.There is a balance between decay and beauty, we are all beautiful in our own way, as we are all dying...

2. Adventure comes in many shapes and sizes, I'm proud to have experienced quite a few while being here (please see number 3).

3. How to drive in Asia

4. 120 feet tall statues of Buddha are VERY big.

5. I'm a tonic! :o)

6. Mountain roads that don't actually go anywhere and don't lead to fabulous lookouts are still fun to drive on. Particularly with good company.

7. A very old, orange Citroen, a bucket of water and a pink sponge are some of the funnest items for a three year old to play with.

8. The Jelly Bean's favourite colour is pink.

9. The line "Five Ringitts!" shouted out of the mouth of a three year old is one of the funniest things ever!

10. The Jelly Bean loves fish.

11. What people are on the outside and what they are on the inside is often very different...

12. The Penang bridge is very very very long.

13. The world for Penang is Balance.

14. Things that are beautiful and polished aren't always the most interesting things.

15. Mosques are excellent in the middle of Chinatown.

16. Bright Salmon may have been a cool colour to paint things back in the day, but Melacca seems to have a little too many Bright Salmon buildings!

17. The Jelly Bean loves boats.

18. One should always clap when passing under a bridge.

19. Tattoos in foreign countries can be ok.

20. The Jelly Bean and I are very pasty.



Things The Bean has said:



TB: I want to go home.

Me: Back to the hotel? Are you sleepy?

TB: No please Mama, I want to go on a bus and on the BIG aeroplane and I want to go back to our home.

Me: In Chelsea?

TB: Yes please..... Mama, look at THAT SPACESHIP!!!

Langkawi - Live Simply

I have never seen a truer statement in my life - Langkawi - Live Simply! It was written on a really ugly hessian bag at an awfully touristy souvenir shop, so I refrained from buying the bag, but the message has stuck. Langkawi, that was going to be a three day stop to figure out where to go/what to do next has become a six day hiatus that I truly don't want to end.

We leave for Penang tonight on a ferry. We will arrive late, so hopefully The Bean sleeps on the boat, so we can have an hour or so at the night markets that are on Friday and Saturday evenings. It is Saturday, right?

Here are the things we have learnt in Langkawi:
1. Money = Stress (Therefore the opposite must also be equally true)
2. Malaysian people love children. Honestly and truly (which I'm aware means the same thing). The Bean has never been touched by so many warm and welcoming strangers in his life. He seems to be good JuJu so pinching his cheeks, touching his head, stroking his pasty white arms happens countless times a day.
3. Rain really does exist, it's not just a myth we hear about in Melbourne. 'When it rains, it pours' has a whole new meaning to me.
4. Smiling and being friendly is something that Australians could learn from Malaysians.
5. People from every different background can live harmoniously together, it's true, I've seen it.
6.It's ok to visit the cable car (or 'The train in the sky and it doesn't have wheels and it goes on a string' as The Bean calls it) twice in three days. Despite weather conditions, fog clouding the view or distance to get there. It's fun to ride on.
7. Slowing down is good for you.
8. Mosquitoes = Evil
9. $3 AUD can buy the best breakfast you've ever dreamed about.
10. Jordanians/Indians/Malays that want to steal your baby to look at a fish, ride on a motor bike, play football or run into the sea really do have the best intentions. They want to make children smile.
11. Trusting people is ok. As long as you trust your gut at the same time.
12. BeDazzlers are still an acceptable accessorising tool.
13. Food is a divine pleasure of Allah/God/Vishnu/Buddha/Zeus/Thor and any other deity you can imagine.
14. I get more interested in Islam the more I visit Islamic countries.
15. Vegemite in a tube, chocolate milk, ice cream, spaghetti bolognese and banana milkshakes are valuable sources of sustenance.
16. A very small bag of cars, with a few tiny plastic dinosaurs chucked in for good measure, can entertain in any emergency situation.
17. When you go on an Island Hopping 'Cruise' exchange the word 'Cruise' in your mind before you go. Any of the following words will do as suitable replacements - 'Rush', 'Scream', 'Speed', 'Splash', 'Bounce' (It's true, did you know that boats can hit bumps???) or 'Adventure'. We chose to use the latter.
18. Hold on to the boat, with as much strength you can muster, when you are on an Island Hopping Adventure.
19. Monkeys either REALLY like or REALLY dislike plastic bags. Either way, don't carry one when they are in the vicinity. They will attack you. Plastic bottles and camera bags are also potential victims, although not as equally as tantalising.
20. Leaving paradise is a sad prospect. Although, the knowledge that it exists makes our world a better place. Hopefully a reminder that smiling and slowing down can happen anywhere. If we so choose.

Things The Bean has said:

*Insert loud rooster noise*

TB: Quick Mama!
Me: Hmmm, grrrn, huh?
TB: It's time to get up. The rooster just said so! He said, 'Get up Mama, the sunshine's out!'