Conversations Grown Ups Have

My sister, Salad, is 5 years older than me. We shared a room growing up and I remember her taping our room in half once, with only a narrow pathway to navigate the room. It was big enough for two feet, I know this, because she stood there and taped around her feet. She also used to eat in bed and we'd be plagued by ants in the summery heat of Southern NSW. I also stole her CDs, her clothes, and most of her things really. I just wanted to be like her.

Suffice to say, our childhood conversations didn't really amount to much. She was wonderful when I performed at the final assembly of the year when I left my high school at the end of year 9. She played the guitar for me, and loaned me a dress that she knew was my favourite.

Now that we're (much) older, we are great mates. We talk most days on FaceTime and it's such a delight seeing my nephew grow up, as I'm sure it's great for Sal to see Millie & Pippa too.

However, I got to thinking about the subjects of our conversations now - aside from the requisite baby poo questions. Recent topics have been:

• How much we both love broccoli
• What food to send to family daycare?
• Baby sleep? HOW? HOW?
• How to make tabouli
• The best way to clean a bathroom
• How exactly we each clean our bathrooms (I have 1, she has 3!)
• Our 'bad mother' stories

Let's reflect here. THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN A BATHROOM? Sweet Jesus. The glamorous life of Stay At Home Mums.

I love it. I love her. I wouldn't change a thing, except to make her live next door. I yearn to have my family close, but I have to balance that yearning with the knowledge that we all have very different lives in very different parts of the world, and if we all lived in the same place (again), we'd be miserable.

That said, I'd still make her live next door. To me. Here in Tasmania.

FYI, if you scrub the toilet and wipe down the sink and mirror every day, bathroom cleaning isn't that daunting. Scrubbing the glass shower walls however? I want a maid.