Merry Christmas

Christmas by Michael Leunig

I see a twinkle in your eye.

So this shall be my Christmas star, and I will travel to your heart:

The manger where the real things are.

And I will find a mother there

who holds you gently to her breast;

a father who protects your peace;

and by those things you shall be blessed.

And you will always be re-born;

and I will always see the star

and make the journey to your heart:

the manger where the real things are.

May you and yours have a magical Chirstmas, and may 2007 be a year of immense peace and abundance for you. With love and hope, from our family to yours.

Freya, Stephane and Will.

Fat people labels!

Ok, I am fat, so technically within my rights to post this!

Read and discuss...my thoughts to be added later.

link

brown paper packages tied up with string

these are a few of my favuorite things (from this week at any rate)

*WE are in the single digit part of the countdown to christmas

* W is old enough to stay awake and look at the christmas lights when it is actually dark!

*W's christmas concert today...so unbelievably cute!

*A package I sent to a friend in the US finally turned up, and she loved it, and it made her crappy day more bright.

* Po Po and Koung Koung are on their way- reinforcements! Whoot!

*W's new habit of saying "as you know" and "as you can see", which utterly cracks me up.

*A parcel arrived from Mexico via Canada, and much hilarity ensured...Please see photo evidence below *and thanks Kate and Andy!*

Just had to leave the dinner table and post this little W'isim!

W; Actually, I can't eat anymore of this chicken bun...I don't actually like the onion and ginger in it....

Well ex-cuh-hu-huse me...I didn't realise you were chaneling one Gordon Ramsey...

And again I shake my head and ask, who is this kid?

Oh this was a fun read!

And quite timely, given what happened in Woolies today.

W had picked up a "Pirates of the Caribbean" book to read while we were in the queue. Once the lady was done scanning groceries, I told him to go put it back...so he got down and went and put it back.

To do this, he had to move down past the trolley in the queue behind us. He looked up at the trolleys owner, said "Excuse me please" and put the book back. He came back and said "excuse me mummy, I want to go to the tractor now, ok?" and I said "sure buddy" and off he went.

The lady behind said "I wish mine would behave like that!" and the checkout lady said "it's so nice to see a child with manners!".

I said thank you, and then walked away thinking "You didn't see all those times when I called him back and made him ask for things nicely." "You didn't see the death stare and severe talking to he got the first (last, and only) time he said "shut up" to me. His behaviour is a combination of his sweet spirit, and consistency...Like Rachel Hunter told us, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen!"

The Great debate

Ok, so this came upon my mind today, whilst trying (and failing) to convince W that napping in the car is THE way to go, and that all the coolest kids nap in the car...

So we are driving along, W is playing with his dinosaurs in the backseat, and I am doing an excellent job of that most wonderful of feminine gifts, multi-tasking. I'm driving, listening to the radio, and thinking about the philosophy "Everything happens for a reason"

I was thinking back over times of trouble and stress in my life, and thinking "man, I have lived some life!" Then I got to thinking about how, if someone else were living my life, it would be quite easy for them to draw the conclusion that perhaps it was all to hard, and that maybe there wasn't a heck of a lot of point to it.

That made me feel grateful, for a lot of things, but mostly for having been raised in a way which taught me some powerful and sustaining truths, which I truly believe have shaped who I am, and how I view the world.

These are the all prevailing thoughts which are what fly through my head in the not so great times;

From Nana Lucas;
1;If God wants your attention, he drops a pebble. If you ignore the pebble, he drops a rock...Don't wait to get hit by a piano.
2; If no-one ever broke a plate, the crockery plant would go out of business.
3; Just by living her life in such a dignified way, but at the same time, not being all "holier than thou", she taught me a lot about the difference between being a woman and being a lady.

From Nana Paige;
1; There is room in every one's life for a little wallowing- channeling your inner Eeyore every now and then ain't such a bad thing.
2; You really do feel better about yourself and your place in the world when you give something back.
3; It is possible to cure the world of it's problems, provided you do so in collaboration with your best friend/s and over a cup of tea.

From my Dad;
1; God will provide
2; God loves a tryer
3; God isn't some puppet master, up there pulling strings...Life is what YOU make it.

From my Mum;
1; When you love your kids, it never leaves them, even when you do...When she died, it was right on the back of that horrible teen angst, selfish stage...
Even though I felt like I hadn't liked her for a really long time, there was a deep, abiding love there. Even through all the trouble we had, and the harshness, there was a foundation of love, which I don't think anything could have changed. I only pray I'm establishing as strong a bond with W.
2; It's never a good idea to store up hurt and anger and sadness...They're a poison, and eventually those feelings will find a way out...either with you, or in spite of you.
3; You only get one shot...Each day you're here, you are writing in the book of other people's lives, you're building memories, and creating a legacy for yourself. As cliched as it might be, I know that, because of the circumstances of her life, I live mine differently. I take risks, and holidays! I stop cleaning to snuggle my son. There is always time for one more story, and one more song.

I know that nothing will ever come before my child, and my time with him. The world of adults- work, socialising, holidays, fast cars etc will always be there...my baby will be 3 1/2 for the blink of an eye. Plenty of days are coming when he will be embarrassed to be seen with me...I have no wish to throw away these precious days when I am the centre of his world. I cherish so much the honour and responsibility I have. It honestly (for all it's drama filled blogs) is the greatest, scariest, most fulfilling thing I have ever done...and something I don't think I'd be anywhere near as passionate about if it weren't for the lessons taught by my mum's passing.

Wow, that's a lot! (hey, it was a long drive, and he NEEDED a nap!) I guess my point is that, I absolutely believe that all the good, bad and plain ugly experiences of my life so far have taught me one over-riding lesson.

It's worth holding on through the times of crushing pain, self doubt and just plain hurt. Those are the times that teach you who you really are, what is important, and who you can count on.

They cement your relationships, and erode the ones that weren't worth it anyway. Those are the times that change you for the better. Those are the times that make you sound wise and impressive when you write a blog : ) Let me know how I did!

Drama drama drama!

So, having been out of action (no playgroup, no parks, no pre-school) for a week, W itching to get back into "life" as he knows it...only now, we have been sidelined again *sigh*

But more on that later...First my rant!

W, suffering from cabin fever, decided to chanel one, or possibly both, of the Gallagher brothers, and do his best rock star impersonation on Friday morning. The scene; Freya stands at the sink washing up. W plays in the playroom with carefully selected, highly educational and stimulating toys (ok, he had the chopsticks we use when mixing noodles, and he was being a ninja)...

Cue the sound of the backdoor opening, followed by a mysterious, yet somewhat disturbing scrapping sound. Being the negligent mother she is, Freya ignores this, and calls W back inside.

Fast forward 2 hours, and the pair are preparing to leave the house, for W's "back to the real world, 1 hour playtime", with friend T

Freya; What the hell!?! W, what is this on the side of the car?

W; I don't know mummy!

F; DON'T GIVE ME I DON'T KNOW! WHY IS THE (PETROL CAP AND SIDE OF THE) CAR COVERED IN SCRATCHES?

W; I was bored mummy, and I wanted to write "baddies leave this car alone"

F; rants about the stupidity of this notion to W (internally) and externally says " I am very dissapointed that you would do something so silly! What do we write on?"0
W; "paper"

F; "Is the car made of paper?"

W; "no, metal"

F; "Should you have written on the car?"

W; "no"

F; "blah blah blah don't let it happen again" style speech

W and F go back into the house. F gets a cloth, and attempts to buff off scratches...they don't buff, but rather remain on the car, looking somewhat smug...W walks to his playroom, picks up his guitar, smashes it from above his head to the floor, and shouts "ROCK AND ROLL!" before looking at F, seeing the look on her face, and putting himself on the "naughty mat"

The pair then go back outside, enter the car and drive away, arriving a short time later at T's house.

Freya and W exit the car and walk towards T's house...Freya turns back to lock the car, and has a mild heart attack.

F; Oh my gosh! W, what the heck is on the other side of the car?

w; where?

F; Um, there, and there, and there (repeat x 10)

w; *looks nervous* I'm sorry about that mummy.

F; *bangs head into wall and mentally totals up costs for a major buff and re-spray*

In summary, W has decorated every panel of the car, in about 2-5 cm white gouges...Fabo!

So, I put that behind me, kiss W goodbye, go to my appointment, thinking I have had my share of drama for the day.

Return an hour later, pick W up, say goodbye to T's mum, wave etc...Then hear a constant sniffing. Turn around to see my 8 days post -op son sporting a geyser of blood from his nose, which is now all over his face and arms. Get tissues, try and keep him still, wait for it to stop. Get through the box of tissues. Still not stopping. Take off his shirt and use it to catch blood...still not stopping. Hmmmmmm.

Call the baby sitting agency, cancel my job which I am meant to start in two hours. Pick up Steph from bus stop on the way to the hospital (by which time, blood has stopped) Spend a thrilling 2 1/2 hours in ER, then W is admitted for overnight observation.

He finally falls asleep at 11pm, having had such adventures as not being able to find a vein in which to insert IV line, an allergic reaction to numbing cream, and his first ride in a wheelchair. He is woken at 2am for panadol, 4am for obs (during which, in his sleep, he punches a nurse on the nose, and talks about pirates and star wars droids) and 6am, again for panadol, by which time he is up for the day.

*sigh* SO, we are home again, with antibiotics. We are all set for another week of cabin fever. Once again, W will miss all his activities, a birthday party, his turn of taking home the family book, and a lot of other things which are very important to a boy who is 3. I am all set to start rocking in a corner, mumbling things under my breath, and crying into my tea! At least the house will be clean!

Now, to make this a somewhat more cheerful post, random cute shots of the "rudolph" cupcakes we made last week.

Cracked pots

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a
pole, which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and
always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk
from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and
a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own
imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had
been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it
spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself,
because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your
house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on
your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's
because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your
side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the
table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this
beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the
good in them.

Hospital yeah yeah!

W's first trip to hospital this week...Thankfully all went well (aside from one slightly bitchy anesthetist, who got my hackles up- patronising cow) and W's reaction to having an IV, and coming round from anesthetic (not pretty).

If he were any more fit, he'd be dangerous. Now the fun part begins- trying to keep him "quiet" and "rested" for the next week! He's off school, and contact should be restricted to family members only for the next week...so please just excuse me as I go quietly insane in the corner- no playgroup, no pre-school, no parks, no shopping AAAAHHHHHH!

Please enjoy our photo montage of what we are calling "The Hospital Experience"

W and daddy, upon arriving in day suite W in the "holding zone", just prior to Op

Back again! Op is all done, W is FINALLY calm! W showing off his "machine

"W, it's time to turn off the TV"(which has cable, and thusly channels you have never seen before!) But hey...we get to go home in the morning!

And finally...here is what a boy who had an operation 2 days ago looks like...

Spidey and Supes...kicking the butt of illnesses everywhere! :)

Seen and Heard

*whinge* It isn't warm, it's cold... and even colder on my little body! (about his bath)

*when listening to Wiggles (song ends with "What do you dream about?) Nothing Greg, nothing at all!

* I need to do a wee, and I wouldn't mind some privacy!

* It's not funny! Oh for pete's sake!

* Do you know Mummy, when I was your age, I was lots more sensible!]

* Oh, I like this shirt! Is it Italian? (shirt features in photo above)

*(after having his hair cut, the barber put some gel in his hair and spiked it up a bit); Hey! What's this funky hair? I wanted flat hair I said! (followed by a flattening of aforementioned hair)

W has also developed a little snazzy dance, as a result of getting a toy which plays "I like to move it move it" I am trying to download it somewhere so you can all see, as it's quite funny.

Lest we Forget

For The Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.


Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.


They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.


They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.


They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.


But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;


As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon

We took W to the Remembrance Day Service, which was held at the war memorial in the city. I have never been more proud of his behaviour.

We went the day before to see where it would be. We talked a lot about the symbols and traditions (poppies, the last post, 1 minute silence), and how there would be lots of returned soldiers there, who were remembering their friends.

When we arrived and the ceremony hadn't started, we walked through the field of remembrance, and looked at all the crosses. We looked at the medals of returned soldiers, and watched the marching band prepare.

Once the ceremony got started, W was very solemn, taking it all in. When people were laying wreaths, he listened to the music, and said "That's lovely music, they're playing the music "sad" because of all the soldiers who didn't come home."

We listened to the ode of remembrance, and then we heard the last post (I'm fine until they play the first note, and then the tears start). At the conclusion of the ceremony, we all sang the national anthem. W got it word perfect, and stood very patriotically too, much to the amazement of the Canadian tourists next to us.

Giftedness

My hot button topic for this week! I am 100% undecided about where I sit on this issue...I have been reading about this, and thinking about it throughout the week.

At present, I am looking at schools for W. His teachers thus far are telling me that he is "smarter than the average bear" (he don't get that from me, that's for sure, must be his Asian genes!), and the Monty teachers have suggested getting him tested prior to him starting school, so that we have a better idea of where we are at.

I am so torn on this issue. As a teacher, I look at some of the things he does, and think "meh, that's a little special, but you aren't the next Einstein",but as a mum, I look at him and think "You are the most splendiferous scholar who ever drew breath! Huzzah for you, my little prodigy."

I live in perpetual fear of being one of "those" parents...The ones who turn up on the first day and demand a diversified program, which will stimulate and challenge little Tarquin's every need, fearing that he may *gasp* spend more than 2 seconds un-occupied.

The flip side is the very real parental fear that he won't get the attention he needs, that he wont be challenged, and that he will become bored and switch off from school.

I literally lie awake at night, tossing and turning over this, projecting into the future...What if I make a poor choice for him? He'll never learn to read, he'll drop out at 15, and take up an apprenticeship in a mechanics workshop in *insert undesirable suburb here* ... from there he'll get involved in a car re-birthing racket, and then he'll go to jail and turn to other men for comfort ! He'll get tattoos and the needle will be infected, and he'll catch HIV and die young and alone, AND IT"S ALL MY FAULT! If only I had chosen school A, where all the children go on to work with the UN, and make significant contributions to society!

OK, so that may be a touch dramatic, but who among us isn't nursing some scar from childhood...body image, friendships, school issues...ARGH! This is what they meant when they said once the kids are here, you never stop worrying.

I found this article/blog entry, which really made me think...There is a college down the road, where children can start tuition at 4 1/2. Are those parents pushy? Are they trying too hard to give their child an "artificial edge"? Or are those of us who aren't enrolling our kids not giving them every chance they could have?

At the moment, my thinking is this; W hangs out at Montessori, which he adores, and would be going to in any case. We sign him up to *school down the road*, which runs the IB program, which I like, because it teaches kids HOW to think, not WHAT to think, as well as offering a great deal of extra curricular stuff, and the uniform colours look nice on W (a huge factor in any school choice). So he goes there and if all isn't wonderful, I start looking again. Simple huh? URGH!

The joys of boys!

Please find enclosed, for your...what? Um, amusement? sympathy? reflection?...a picture of the massive lump on W's head, which appeared there due to his utter excitement over the possibility of an ice block. He was running to the bathroom to wash his hands (after handling a headless, dead Indian Minor bird) and misjudged the gap.
In other news, we saw the ENT the other day, and W is scheduled to have his tonsils out on November 23rd, at the Women's and Children's Hospital. The doctor is super dooper nice, and we are now reading lots of stories about hospitals and what goes on there.

Not much in the way of anything else, so, again, for entertainment value, let me show you what is considered high fashion to my son...In the picture to follow, W is a policeman, with his guard dog...The glasses serve no purpose, other than to be supremely stylish! Please excuse the mountain of ironing in the background. It's so hard to find good help these days!

Hurdles

W had a great weekend at Little Athletics. He got to try high-jump and hurdles, and his two friends, Fraser and Harry were around too. S got some great pics on the day, which I will try and insert here!OK, so there were more, but anyway, that one is cute! That's him doing the hurdles.

All in all, a pretty athletic weekend. I went in a 9km walk, to raise money for breast cancer research. We walked along the river Torrens, the weather was great, and there were a heap of baby duckies and swans- gotta love spring!

In other news, my dad is on the move again. He has just got a new job in Darwin, and will be moving up there in December or January...Looks like young W will soon be climbing Uluru in his school holidays.

He (W) is STILL having tonsil issues. We go on see the specialist on Thursday, and I'd appreciate prayers and good wishes...while it isn't anything too serious, it's still a bit of a stress when your little people are sick.

I am having LOTS of fun getting ready for Christmas. I am thinking about food and decorations and presents and wrapping and songs and....*Breathe!* I think this Christmas will have a really lovely feeling, as we'll have a big family gathering, S's parents and aunt and uncle...It will be a full house, and, aside from thinking about all the cleaning up to do before they come, I can't wait.

A small quote here, which will only mean something to those of us lucky enough to know one Mr L Hutchison;

Me; I'm just writing the address on W, just wait *writes on card and mumbles to self* Unit 304, 6-8 .........Rd

W; That's unit like a place, right mama? Not Unit the person?

at which point I crack up laughing...W only knows Lee as Unit...comedy!

later on (about 30 minutes ago) he comes out with " Look at me, jah jah jah, I'm a big Unit!" - crazy kid.

His other funny story from this week, (I think perhaps again from observing some "adults" in action) was that he was driving 2 cars around, and "talking" for them (pretending the drivers were talking to one another;

Car One; Let's go out together

Car Two; OK

Car One; Aaaaarrrghhhh! Crunch!

Car Two; You dumb dumb! That's what happens when you drink too much beer! You go all crazy and silly!
Car One; *spins in circles and makes random weird noises*

Car Two; You're just a big fat dumb dumb *drives off in disgust*

To quote Mike Moore " I think there's something in that for all of us..." and to quote Jerry "Until next time, take care of yourselves, and each other"

My very cool friend Jo (two mentions girl, don't go getting all "ego" on me!) sent an email to her girly friends, concerning Dove's Campaign for real beauty (you can read about it here)

I went to you tube and watched the Dove TV ad's (which you can do here). I fair dinkum lost it...I sat there watching the ads in tears.

Why? So many reasons...I want to take each one of those teenagers by the hand and tell them that all the high school stuff, the bitching and scheming, the "who kissed who", the "you aren't good enough because" is not the stuff of real life.

I want to tell the little Asian girl who wishes she was blonde that she looks so adorable the way she is, and that I would love to have skin the colour of hers.

I want to tell the little chubby kid with a missing tooth that she is cute as heck, and I want to punch anyone who says any different.

I want to keep my little guy by my side until he's so secure and prepared and stable that it won't matter if the world hates him, he'll still hold his head up...
Only I know that even if I had him with me every day for the rest of my life, he's still going to come up against people who seek to do him harm. It's not my job to shelter him; it's my job to give him the tools he needs to cope.

I want to hope that God sends us only sons. I am utterly terrified of having a daughter, and all the issues that come along with that- the emotions, the feelings of self doubt, and the body image thing. I feel more equipped to land a 747 in an emergency, than I do to parent a girl...

Most of all the ads made me cry for me, and for how much life I've lost, and how much time I have wasted, crying over things people have said or done.

I cried because at the end of the day, nothing about how you look should matter, but yet somehow it still does. You are judged before you even open your mouth.

The world has people who are tall and short, fat and thin, brown and yellow and pink and a mixture of all those things. We spend so much of pre-school teaching our kids that colour and appearance don't matter, and then they go to school and some superficial little snot tells them otherwise.

How do we immunise kids against all the crap which bombards them, which tells them “wear this and be cool!” “Eat this and be happy!” “Drink this and be surrounded by friends!” Most of all, how do we tell them that, even though the geeks and fat kids and disabled kids don’t get noticed or accepted very much, that they will probably grow up to be the coolest, most well rounded people you’ll ever meet?

I wish I could give those teens a crystal ball, so that they could see that the “cool” kids, who want to be models and actresses, will probably end up working in an office, and partying into their 40’s, at which point they will realise they are past it…and will more than likely end up at Mosman rowers for “grab a granny” night.

So what is the answer? Gosh, if you figure it out, I sure would love to know!

Avalanche

I saw a sign outside a church today, which said "no single snowflake feels guilt over an avalanche".

I can't decide if it means that the world has gone to pot, and therefore none of us should feel guilty about our actions, and carry on as we are (which seems unlikely, given that it's a church after all, part of their role being to encourage us to better things) - or if it is sarcastic, and it is meant to make us think about how our actions impact others.

The second explanation seems more plausible, but then why is the church being snarky? Why not just go with "love one another" or something more straight forward? Feel free to let me know your take on it, as it's got me stumped!

W started pre-school today, which he is in raptures about. He has a new table, with 2 of the same people from last term, and 4 different. He was a bit sad because he wanted to sit next to Harry, but it didn't happen. Oh the hard knocks of life, they do start early. He's getting very excited about Christmas, seeing all the decorations in the shops...It's hard to explain that the stores are getting ready a touch early, and that it's still 2 or so months to go!

He's still got tonsil issues, we were at the doc today, and back again on Friday...After 3 rounds of anti-biotics! If it's not fixed on Friday, I am contemplating taking them out myself!

I was talking to my good pal Jo the other night (HI!) and we were talking about how much cooler things, specifically fetes, seemed when you were a kid. This led on to a discussion about seeing the world in a childlike way, and I remembered an article I'd read and saved...It really captures the feeling of seeing things through their eyes, so I thought I'd share it here- enjoy! (the part in blue makes me cry!)

Fire Truck! Fire Truck! Fire Truck!
By Edwin Brauer October 26, 2005 Issue 41Â?43

Look, out the window! A fire truck!
I've seen drawings of fire trucks in my picture books, of course, but how could I have ever known how pale and insignificant those crude representations were in comparison to the real thing!

Fire truck! Oh, great God in heaven, fire truck!
This has got to be the most moving of mankind's creations, and perhaps of nature's, as well. This whirlwind of sensory input is almost more than my tiny mind can process!

Mere words cannot begin to convey what I am feeling! This incredible, life-changing, soul-shattering wonder is... Why, it is beyond description! Run! Run to the window as fast as your giant legs can carry you!

Whatever you are doing right now, place it aside for a momentÂ?it can't possibly be as important as the opportunity to see a fire truck with your own eyes. This is quite possibly the greatest experience of my life thus far.

How do I even begin to describe its magnificence? First off, it is bigÂ?bigger than anything I could ever imagine! Secondly, it's painted an incredible, alarming, eye-catching red! Thirdly, it makes the most attention-grabbing sounds: whistles, bangs, gearshifts, bells. And that siren! Of all the noises, the siren is surely the best! I wonder if, somehowÂ?but no, surely notÂ?unless...

Well, could I? Could I possibly? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE... No, that's not right: It's high-pitched enough, but missing some crucial... OOOOOOOOOO... No, again, it's got the booming quality, but lacks the screechingly irritating aspect of the higher register.

Wait! What if I combine the two, in an alternating series of high- and low-frequency modulations, and belt it out at the top of my lungs? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO,EEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO! That's it! That's the same noise that the fire truck is making! EEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOO, EEEEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOO! EEEEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOOOO, EEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOO!

Oh, God. I could make this noise all day! I never want to do anything else! And nowÂ?am I really seeing this? It can't be! Surely there are not colorfully dressed men with powerful bodies, brave expressions, and purposeful toolbelts hanging off the side of the fire truck as it careens around the corner! If this is a dream, let me never wake.

Look at their hats! They have the most wonderful hats ever made! I must acquire a child-sized version of such a hat! They are the most large and most yellow hats I have ever seen. That's it: My fate in this life is sealed. I must become one of these men.

Nothing will ever sway me from this goal. But what a spectacle it is! You must come and look upon this immediately! This fire truck is blowing my mind. It is as if God Himself has created this piece of machinery just for me!

But it will not be here long. It is driving away. It grows quieter and quieter as it recedes from my visual field and... It is gone. It was only here for one fleeting moment, and you never even saw it. This is the greatest tragedy that has ever occurred. My faith in the universe is shaken to its core by the magnitude of what you have missed. If only you had listened to me. You may never be able to comprehend my experience, for I have seen the fire truck, and I will never think about anything else again as long as I live.

Huh? What is... Why... Afgh! Airplane! Airplane! Mommy! Airplane! Don't bother with those towels! Don't you see? Look! There is an actual airplane in the sky!

Not much news...It is H.O.T again today. Right now it's half past 8 in the morning, and we're up to about 30 degrees! There are a lot of fires going on, but thankfully we're fairly far away from any bushland, so no real danger at the moment.

One of S's fellow employees was robbed over the weekend. The front door was kicked in, which I find really scary. I'm not sure of any details yet, as to what was taken. They were insured, thank goodness, but it's the sense of invasion which must be so awful for them.

You are meant to be able to shut the world out when you close your front door, and to know that someone was in your space, touching your things...I wish I knew what I could do or say to help.

Today is Thursday, which is library day. We go to the "book" library, which is awesome. They have a throne, murals all along the walls, and a huge choice of books and DVD's. Then we head down to toy library. For $30 a year membership, you can go and choose 2 new toys every week. At the moment we have the Road and Rail and a wheelbarrow, both of which have been great fun.

I am very much looking forward to Monday, and the return of pre-school! Funny how when I was teaching I loved school holidays, and now I can't wait for them to be over!

Things that make you go awwwwww

Little man had his first bash at little athletics on Sunday. It was fairly uneventful (and us turning up an hour late may not have helped!)

They ran a mini relay race and played some parachute games. After a talk with the coach, the group went on a cool down jog...What's so "awwwww" about that I hear you ask?...

Well, one of the little guys next to W fell over, without being noticed by anyone else. He turned around, saw him, ran over and helped him up.

Some of the other Mum's saw, and we all exchanged that "aawwww!" look. I felt so proud of my little man, and the great sportsman ship he's showing already.

Not much other news. Watching "brotown" at the moment. S doesn't think it's that funny, but I'm all for anything which takes the p*ss out of Kiwi's.

Most of my favourite shows are on SBS or ABC actually. I like Spicks and Specks, Glasshouse, The Chaser and the IT Crowd.

Since Thanksgiving is coming up (this weekend for Canadians I think??) I thought I would list the 5 things I am most greatful for right now;

1. My sweet, handsome, funny, clever little man.
2. The other guy who lives here :P
3. Living in a democratic country
4. Fresh produce
5. Being in a position to stay home and see all the cool stuff W does.

Inspired

It was my birthday yesterday... Only 2 more years in my twenties, better make the most of it huh? Very quiet day, take away and "Syriana" on dvd. Lots of calls and texts from my delightful friends and family. I was really touched that everyone remembered. I was feeling a bit like I was "out of sight and out of mind", but then I got a whole bunch of texts at night, and felt much happier.

These are things I've found on the web, which I find beautiful and inspiring, and I thought I'd share them with you;

NY children
26 things
Human Clock

These are things which make me crack up;

Mentos and diet coke- to music!
Evolution of Dance

And some, "wow, that's a great time waster" sites;
virtual fireworks
backwards writing
Oliver

HOT!

Dot points, because it makes things seem more interesting!

• It was really flipping hot today. 35 by 11am, the hottest October 4th in recorded history
• W had white sauce on his cauliflower tonight; his first try of it; he was not too impressed
• We had a rental inspection today- I forgot how stressful it is having someone evaluate your "homemaking" skills. (we passed by the way)
• Sent off my goodies for the candy exchange- sending stuff all the way to MA, in the good ole U S of A.
• Feel really sad about the Amish shooting, more sad than I would otherwise. It just seems as though they (Amish) have chosen to actively pursue a life away from all the drama. They seem to want to live as simply and drama free as they can, and then this sort of thing comes knocking at their door. All things of this nature are tradgic, but this seems to be more disturbing to me.

From my mp3 playlist;

The songs which make me run (hahahahahaha!) ; Places to Go - 50 Cent, Klubbhopping- Klubbheads, Let me entertain you- Robbie Williams

The songs which make me smile/ have fun memories; Video- India Arie, Breathe- Faith Hill, Jellyhead, House of Love- East 17, pretty much all the TLC and Boyz to Men songs too!

The songs which make me think; Samsonite Man- Alicia Keys, Johnny- Craig David, Into Temptation- Crowded House, Gospel Medley- Destiny's Child, Cowboy take me away- Dixie Chicks

The songs which make me cry; I hope you dance- Ronan Keating, Travelin' Soldier- Dixie Chicks, The Dance- Garth Brooks, What do I do with the love- Dru Hill, Mockingbird- Eminem, Goodbye my lover- James Blunt...

and this one, which makes me cry, because we sing it at least once a day, and I can imagine that one day the sweet little boy snuggled up in my lap and listening to me sing, will be all grown up, and far away!

Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) Dixie Chicks lyrics

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"

Pirate's sail and lost boys fly

Fish bite moonbeams every night

And I love you

Godspeed, little man Sweet dreams, little man

Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings

Godspeed Sweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out

Superman's in pajamas on the couch

Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse

And I love you

Godspeed, little man Sweet dreams, little man Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings

Godspeed Sweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars

God bless dad and thanks for the stars

God hears "Amen," wherever we are

And I love you

Godspeed, little man Sweet dreams, little man

Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings

Godspeed

Godspeed Sweet dreams

Public holiday!!

What happens if you cry, and then rub your eyes, after touching the tyres on the car... I told him he'd turned into Batman.


Whoot! Gotta love a long weekend.

We went to Henley Beach, walked from one jetty to the other, had lunch at the coffee club, and then walked back to the car. Weather was glorious.

Aside from that, pretty quiet day. Steph made wontons!

Homesick

:(

I miss my friends! I miss the friends I saw at least once a week, I miss the friends I played netball with, I miss the friends I knew were there, even though I didn't make much of an effort to keep in regular contact, I miss "the boys", I miss everyone!

I miss my little house, where I brought my baby home to, where he took his first steps. I hate going bck to renting, it feels like a step backwards, even though I know it isn't really.

I miss having people around for dinner, even though we didn't get to do it that often. I miss knowing my way around.

I miss my family, and I miss the people who were so close to me, that I consider them family, even though they aren't.

I miss my neighbours, I miss Macquarie Centre, I miss Playdays, I miss playgroup, I miss the little shop. I miss the Mediteranian resturant...I miss everything!

I am having a hard time being new in town today. Most days it's ok, but today it's not.

Crazy comments from the little dude (not all today, more of an archive situation);

• W;I'm fed up! I quip! (me; what are you fed up with?) I'm fed up with your attitude mama...What's attitude mean?

• There you go, my silent lady (upon bringing me a pepsi max)

• S; Sit down on your bottom W! (he was mucking around on the couch and being a pest) W; I can't, I'm allergic to stuff...like angry adults.

• (after S had a haircut)- I like daddies long hair, not this new spikey hair, it's just too funky for me to look at.

• me, to S; "you're a dork!" (in response to some lame thing he said) W; We are dorks! Daddy and W,we are both dorks together!

• and finally, my favourite; *sings* This old man, he played one, he played nick nack on a drum, with a nick nack paddy whack, give a dog a bone, this old man came rolling home...Mama, is this song about Uncle Tom? COMEDY!

And of course, today, it is with great sadness that we announce that the mighty swans failed to triumph today. Still, it could have been worse...We could have lost to Adelaide, making life here somewhat unbearable! There's always next year hey.

Not much news for us. Being the saddo's that we are, S and I played board games and watched Iron Chef...I went for a lovely walk along the river torrens this morning, saw all the new baby ducks...so fluffy and cute! Heading into a long weekend (good) and school holidays (not so good, parks and usual hangouts packed with the dreaded "big kids" who are rough and tough) and of course no playgroup or pre-school...Let the fun begin!

Time for a rhyme

Little man is somewhat obsessed with rhyming words this week. He walks up and says "what about this one- car and far" and so on and so forth. He was waiting for his dinner, and we were talking about things. There was a pause in conversation, and I said "so whatta you know, Joe?" (afterwards I had to explain to him that yes, I knew his name, but that know and Joe rhyme, which is why I said it).

Later on, once dinner was finished, he dropped his plate into the sink, turned to me, and said "so whatta you know, ho"...try explaining why that's funny, but why he can't say it outside of home.

Not much in the way of other news. We went to playgroup today, and had party food, because it's the start of school holidays. We're heading off to the markets to get some yummy food tomorrow. I love market day! So does little man, he loves nicking fresh fruit samples from all the sellers, as well as samples of anything else he feels like asking for!

Thought I'd also take the time to say here that there are things that happen in my day which remind me of my friends, and I thought I'd share them here;

when out walking- I'm thinking about Kate, because I'm listening to tracks from Wild 1, like JellyHead and On The Bible

when wearing Tommy girl- I'm thinking about Tristan and the late 90's in Berry St

when at playgroup- I'm thinking about my bud Jill, and about Cathy, and wishing they'd move to Adelaide

when in the op shop- I'm thinking about Joey, and how I'd love to have a bargain hunter here with me, and of course, I have a few group photos near the door, and so I see them and think of everyone often.

Tuesday

The sickness verdict is in...an ear infection and tonsillitis. Fun and games! Hopefully he'll start to feel better soon.

Funny quote from the boy today; My tummy hurts! (me; it's probably trying to tell you that you need to go to the toilet) So he wanders off, and the next thing you know, I see him looking down at his tummy, and saying "You know, if you'd stop telling me all the time, I might have a chance to listen!

Not much in the way of news and reviews. Looking forward to the weekend! C'arn the swans!

To pad out this post, I thought I'd post the top 5 places I'd travel to right now, upon winning unlimited money and childcare of course!

1.Canada - heard it's beautiful,and it'd be great to catch up with Kate!
2.Gallipoli- I've always wanted to go, almost a bit like a pilgrimage really.
3.Bora Bora
4.The maldives.
5.Africa- I've always wanted to go on safari.

Stupid Government!

Ok, let me preface this by saying I am grateful to live in a country where I can write things like "stupid government" without fear of retribution. Many people don't have that freedom, which is why I am also grateful to the supporters of Amnesty International, who work to fight human rights abuses worldwide.

On with the rant!

Got 3 letters from Centerlink about Family Assistance today. On one of them, they took the time and effort to write and let me know that they overestimated my child care benefit payment, and that I now had to pay them back, to the tune of $0.00... Righty-o. So you paid someone's salary for the 20 minutes or so it took to look up information and format the letter. You then paid to post the letter to me, just to let me know that I owe you...Nothing?? Top work there guys.

That little incident came hot on the heels of a summons for Stephanie Siao, who is ordered to appear in court , to contest an unpaid fine... for an un-registered (and obviously invisible, and self caring) dog, in a council we don't even live in.

Gah. Bureaucracy sucks!

Little guy was up again last night, another fever. Have kept him home from pre-school today. He's ok, not too inactive, and still eating well and mucking about. I'm like the walking dead today, pottering round the house at half speed. Head off to the airport this afternoon, as Steph has been up in sunny Brisbane for the day (lucky bugger!) It's FREEZING here today...12.8 degrees as I write!

Sunday Funday

So our mystery date was at Comix, Adelaide's original comedy cellar...The food was crap, the drinks were overpriced, and the comedians were overall pretty funny. It was my first comedy club experience, and I think I would go again, but eat somewhere else...I am also thinking it might be fun to go and see some comedians during the fringe festival, which I am really looking forward to. If anyone is planning to come visit us, I highly recommend coming during the fringe, it's awesome!

Anyway, we came through the front door after our date, to hear a little voice calling from his room. I went in and he was shivering so much I thought he was having some sort of fit...Took his temp and it was fine (36.9), so I sat with him for an hour, all wrapped up in a blanket, and sang to him. He looked up at me and said "mama, I love it when you scoop me up, and snuggle me, and sing me that lullaby" AWWW! So that's how to melt hearts at 1am, just in case anyone is wondering. He spiked a fever, so we dosed him up and he slept with us, which was fine. No fever this morning, but he's very tired and shy, not himself at all.

We went to Little Athletics, and signed him up to Tiny Tots, which runs each week from 9-11. They do running races, egg and spoon games, balancing, as well as junior versions of things like discus, highjump etc. Junior is in a group with 3 kids he knows from pre-school/playgroup, and the other kids all seem pretty good.

First post!

Man I hope this works!

So the idea of this blog is to keep everyone up-to-date with the life and times of our little crew, down here in Adelaide, perhaps with some witty, observational humour thrown in.

I also plan on including photos, jokes, and quips from the little guy, who talks some of the funniest nonsence I have ever heard!

But, just for today, I will keep this short, in case it doesn't work.

What's news for us?

The Swans won and made it to the grand final! WHOOT! Part of me wants the Crows to beat the Eagles today, just so I can gloat when Adelaide loose to the mighty red and white...but part of me hopes the Eagles win, just for a better and more exciting match when the Swans win next week...Oh the agony of indescision!

We are headed out tonight on a "mystery date" to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary...Looking forward to that.

If it doesn't rain tomorrow, we are going to give Junior a crack at Little Athletics, which I think he'd enjoy. In the afternoon, I am heading off to watch "The Devil wears Prada"...a friend from playgroup had free tickets...

So there you go people, that's what's happening in our world!