Home again!

SATURDAY
Today we left Adelaide at the most ungodly hour of 5am. The kids were excited about getting up while the sun was still in bed. We hit the road towards our first stop for the night – Coober Pedy.
On our way, we hit some pretty strong winds, which reduced our fuel economy drastically!! We ended up doing about a third of the kms on a full tank than what we could do! Not happy jan!! Thankfully God heard our prayers and the last leg, where we were petrified we wouldn’t make it to the next town on a tank of petrol, was much better – the wind died down a bit and we made it!
We set up camp in coober pedy, and boy what a dust bowl that place is!! No water anywhere, and soooo ugly too!! Holes all over the place, mines etc. Oh well... I don’t have to live there thankfully!!

SUNDAY
Today we left a bit later than we planned, because our travelling companions had never packed up camp before, so were running a bit behind. We made great time however and arrived in Alice Springs around sunset. It’s so lovely and warm here. We set up camp and enjoyed the warm balmy evening with a glass of chilled white. Mmmmm.



MONDAY
We spent the morning at Desert Park – and it was lots of fun. We learned so much about the desert and saw lots of cool plants, flowers and animals. It was a great way to wear out the kids!!






That evening, we headed over to a friend of mine’s place – Kim and Kevin. I met Kim many years ago on a parenting forum (EB)and we have been chatting and interacting online ever since. Kevin cooked the most amazing steak I have ever had. And we enjoyed some belly aching laughs. Then Kevin bought out his amazing dessert – a banana pudding with butterscotch sauce. YUMMM!!! More laughs, more chatting. The night flew by. The kids played well with Kim’s girls. I believe Mop even scored a friendship jewel – which she is thrilled about.

TUESDAY
Souvineer shopping in the morning, and we spent the afternoon at the Telegraph Station. It’s bizarre – a beautiful lush, shady, cool area in the middle of a hot, dry desert!! The kids had a great time playing ball, playing in the drink fountain and having a picnic lunch. We went back to the caravan park for a swim and a relaxing evening.

WEDNESDAY
Happy Birthday to Luke – who is the son of our travel buddies. He turned the big 14 today. We went out to the West Macdonald Ranges and saw some cool stuff. We saw Simpson’s Gap – which was this huge river bed in the middle of a gorge thing. Was really quite spectacular. Then we went to Ellery Creek – which again was a beautiful waterhole. The kids wanted to go swimming but were a bit frightened by the sudden depth and also the extreme cold was a bit off putting to Mop.
Lindsay dared me to hop in by saying if I did, she would. And me not wanting to pass up a dare started stripping off and jumped in. Lindsey and I were crazy!! It was soooo cold. I lost feeling in my body, but it was so refreshing. (said in the way that Miss Bingley says “Miss Eliza, may I convince you to take a turn about the room with me. It’s seeeew refreshing!) Milly, poor baby was very hot and grouchy, so I got out and immediately picked her up, wet and cold. She snuggled into me and settled down quite a bit and cooled down lots too!





We also went to a spectacular gorge with another water hole. That one wasn’t as nice as the Ellery Creek one, but Elijah loved splashing around with Daddy, and Milly sat on the very edge splashing and enjoying the deep shade the gorge provided.



We then followed Nick to a 4wd track and tried our hand at 4WDing. To be honest, it wasn’t that hairy – it was like driving around the tracks on Tyrone. There was one kinda eek moment when we were going up a hill and I was excellerating but not going anywhere! LOL

We then went back to town to have dinner to celebrate Luke’s birthday. I didn’t see this, but while I was walking down Todd Mall, I had my hand bag on my shoulder, and holding Mop and E’s hands. Daz was a small distance away. Nick and Lindsey were walking a fair way behind us, and watched these 2 youths on bikes size me up and edge up to me, they looked around to see if anyone was watching, then saw Nick behind them, so they bolted. Nick reckons they thought I was an easy target – what would I have done, protected my kids or protected my handbag. Nick knows alot about criminal behaviour. He has some family that are crooks, and he sees that stuff. Glad I was ignorant about it at the time. I won’t be walking down Todd mall again in the dark. That’s crazy stuff. What low life would pick a woman with kids as an easy target?? They might have been surprised and found a furious Mama Bear turning on them.

THURSDAY
Today we headed off to Uluru. We arrived mid-afternoon and have been delighted with the place. It’s such a nice campground. We decided to stay an extra day so we can enjoy and relax more. We went to Ayres Rock to watch the sunset but were bitterly disappointed. Clouds spoiled the show. Got some great photos of the sunset though!!





FRIDAY
Today we slept in, then mosied on down to the Olgas to check them out. It was a hot day, so I stayed with Milly in the car with the engine running, while Daz took Mop and E for a walk into the gorge. Ummm... 1 ½ hours later they reappeared, dirty, grimy, sweaty but very choofed with themselves. Elijah had a wonderful time exploring and was free to do whatever he liked. He likes that.







We relaxed the afternoon away, and waited for the sunset – which again was another no show. We took the kids swimming after dinner for a little while and the water was lovely and warm and the kids had a wonderful time. Wore them out good and proper for dinner.
Down at the pool we had a little breakthrough. E started having a tantrum because we were leaving, and he wanted to stay and swim. He started to scream and I tried to explain the pool was closing for the night – and he kept getting more upset. So I calmly said that if he wanted to swim again the next day, then he has to stop screaming and be a good boy and come back to the caravan. He stopped immediately and apologised. No further incident. Normally I would have had to drag him out screaming and kicking and having a huge meltdown.

SATURDAY
We finally got to the Uluru Cultural center where we learned about the Aboriginal stories that surround the big rock. We looked in the souvenir shop and art gallery. Then we headed down to the store and topped up our groceries. I never expected a full supermarket in the middle of the dessert!!
Lindsay made us a delicious lunch – a Tuna Pasta Salad – which I will be making in the future. It’s absolutely divine! The kids wolfed it down too!
We basically relaxed all afternoon, and readied ourselves for the sunset – our last chance to see it and a dinner down at the resort. We chose one that sounded family friendly – since the kids ate free.
We headed down to the rock – and right before the sunset a HUGE cloud went in front of the cloud, blocking our final chance to see the spectacular colors. I was pretty disappointed. Oh well – I guess I will have to go back another year. Perhaps when the kids are older and can do more of the hikes.





We went to the resteraunt where we were going to have dinner – and were horrified it was $47 per head. So we made the executive decision to go back to the supermarket and have a BBQ. I think we spent less than $47 for a feast!!

SUNDAY
Today we packed up the caravan and headed straight out to Kings Canyon. Our campsite overlooks the beautiful canyon. I was a little concerned about the warning signs about dingoes all over the place. I warned Caitlin, and she decided to spend her time indoors and out of reach. LOL.
We took the kids down to the pool for a swim as the glow of the sunset lit up the Canyon. Very pretty!
Later that evening I nipped off to the toilet, I came out and there was a dingo rolling around on the grass 1.5 meters away from me. Then I saw the rest of them, scouring through the camp looking for food. I must say the thought of wild dogs in my camp doesn’t thrill me.

MONDAY
Today was another very restful and wonderful day. This morning we did the King’s Creek hike which the kids loved doing. It took us about 35 minutes to get to the center of the Canyon where we saw some beautiful cliff faces. It was a lovely walk and I took lots of pics. On the way back E wasn’t so happy, he must have been tired, because he kept falling over and hurting himself. He has cuts and brusies all over his arms and legs! We decided to give the Kathleen Springs Hike a miss because of Mr E’s temper.















We spent the afternoon resting and relaxing. Then that evening headed over to the boardwalk to see the sunset on the Canyon. We weren’t disappointed this time!
I was absolutely mortified that evening when I left Milly strapped in her pram outside of the caravan while I nipped in to grab her towel so I could bath her. I hear a knock at the door – a member of staff came to warn me about the Dingoes... and how they can rip apart prams to get what they want. I was horrified! Milly was not left unattended again mind you!
Mop came down with the dreaded virus that our travelling companions have had. She had a bad night, restless with fever and just generally unwell.

TUESDAY
Today we spent the day travelling to Coober Pedy. Nothing exciting happened – apart from seeing a Dingo fossicking through people’s camping stuff for food. I was glad to get away from those dingoes I must admit. Now we are in Coober Pedy and alot colder!!
We have some money issues – mainly to do with the leasing company and having to pay out of our pocket for fuel. If they company doesn’t pay us overnight, we will have to leave a day earlier, which is no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

WEDNESDAY
10am – no money in the account. So we went home.
Some wonderful things happened while we were on the road.
There was a limit we exceeded on our Star Card – which is bizarre, so we couldn’t pay for petrol. Daz checked the bank balance again and lo and behold the money was there from the leasing company! PHEW!
While Daz was in KFC getting our dinner, he saw that the Reserve Bank of Australia dropped interest rates by 1%. This is excellent news!!
And I got a message from a man very interested in our car and wanted to make a time to come see it. Totally good news!
We arrived home at gone 9pm – the kids were showered, bedded, we showered and hopped into bed. It was a long day but a good one.

Now begins all the washing and unpacking!

Milly's first hair cut.

Milly had her first hair cut 2 days ago. She had lots of long bits and her hair was constantly getting in her eyes. She cries her eyes out when I try and brush it and put it in a top knot. So I trimmed it.

She is much happier, and she looks very cute. This is straight after I did it.




On Saturday morning we are heading off for a camping holiday to Central Australia. I won't have internet access while I am away so it will be kinda quiet on the blog front. Don't miss me too much will you?

I'm really looking forward to getting away. I am so incredibly tired from being so busy all the time. It will be good for me to have no stress and just to chill with my family.

I have stacks of quilting books from the library to read and to learn from, I've downloaded about a million digital scrapbooking kits to digi-scrap with - should be good.

Well best get on with packing and cleaning.

See you in a few weeks!

Here comes the bride!

Well Steve and Jas are now married and it was such a beautiful day. I have some photos here to share. Not lots because our camera was lost for the reception. Not to worry, my brother has heaps and will share. I'll post those later on.

For now you get my dodgy ones.

This is the church - it was taken at the rehersal the night before.


The wedding was beautiful! And sooo emotional. I think I spend half of it crying! Jasmine of course howled like a baby most of the way through it. She is a very emotional girl - and it's adorable. She was/is such a beautiful bride and such a beautiful person. I am so glad Steve chose someone so wonderful and so special to marry. I am very blessed to have two such lovely sister in laws.




Anyway.. back to the wedding. Vows were exchanged, - Jasmine howled through most of hers - we videoed her trying to suck it up enough to say them. SOOOO funny!! She's so cute!! Rings were exchanged. Anyway... Then Steve did something so special - he squatted down to Molly - Jasmine's little girl - and said vows to her.




He promised to do the best he could as a step father, to look after her, provide for her, to nurture her and care for her and to help Mummy (Jasmine) raise her. It was such a precious moment - then he presented her with a gold heart on a chain as a reminder of what he said that day. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Debbie (other sister in law) had tears streaming down her face. My older brother - Peter got me. I saw him tear up, then his body shook with sobs. WAAAAHHH!!!




Then Steve announced that it was tradition for a husband to present his wife with an eternity ring on the birth of their first child. He said that they have Molly - so he slipped the eternity ring on as well. It was lovely.



Then they were announced as Mr and Mrs. Such a lovely ceremony. Loveliest one I have been to for ages.

This is my Mum speaking to Jas for the first time as a daughter. I bet my Mum was howling. She loves Jas lots. :) She has a soft spot for her, especially as they were single Mums for the first three years of their daughter's lives. They get each other.







The ceremony was good fun and very cool. The speeches were awesome. Very heartfelt - and of course Jasmine cried all the way through them! LOL. Peter who is painfully shy was totally cool! SOOOO funny!!

The bridal dance was very cool too. They did evolution of dance - and in case you have never seen it, even though it's not them, they did this:

I even got up and boogied. It was a really lovely evening. The kids danced the night away.

Milly slept on and off, but spent most of the time playing with the baby-sitters. Jas organised for some girls to come and play with the kids and keep them out of our hair. Milly had a wonderful time laughing at them for some bizzare reason.




Mop played with the kids, ate lots and danced lots.



Sir E totally flirted and enjoyed being a ladies man. He was the only little boy there - and he knew he looked like a total stud in his three piece suit!



I had a very proud moment. Jasmine's sister is mentally disabled. She has the mental age of a 12 year old even though she is in her 30's. Very sweet girl, quiet etc. Anyway this sister was dancing at the corner of the dance floor by herself. My son, the flirt, came up to her, grabbed her hands and began dancing with her. The smile on her face was so precious and he grinned at her and was shaking his booty. It was such a precious moment for me - because I want to remember that moment forever. Her smile, his smile - them dancing and him treating her like he treated everyone else. Such equality is a rare find in adults. No one else danced with her. :(

Overall it was such a great night and I am so happy for them both!

This is a table cloth my Mum made for the signing table.

Daddy's a comedian.

I'm sorry - but the video I took isn't working for some reason...

Will try again later.

Making waves

Milly Moo is waving. Yesterday she waved to me across the room. I thought it was cute, but praps just a fluke. Today she waves to everybody!



Milly Moo is also on the move. Crawling easily now. Better start baby proofing once again. LOL



Other pics:

"How bout I beat you up now, before you start on me"



All three of the cutes!

A death and a panic.

A valued member of our family died today. Well... not totally dead.. just part of it. The most important part. The dishwasher's pump is dead. Thankfully we are within 10 days of the warranty so we can get it fixed! YAY!! :) The LG guy will be like Jesus, resurrecting Lazurus. DISHWASHER! COME FORTH!!

Ok I am really tired and in odd humour, so bear with me.

My panic moment. Very late Thursday night, I get a SMS from the wife of the Youth Pastor of the church that I was going to go share next friday. The message said "You still ok for tomorrow night?" Umm.. I was confused, so text back with "You said the 19th, please confirm". Turns out the date was wrong - and I had to pull it together for the next evening.

I did. I pulled it together. I rocked up, prepared and I totally blitzed it. I swear my head was like the size of the sun when I left there. I was treated like royalty. A really nice girl looked after me the whole night, I was complemented, and then complemented again by people saying that they had heard someone complementing me. I got given a beautiful box of flowers and some chocolates. I have never felt so valued and appreciated for doing something like this.

I shared my testimony. It was hard. I only cried three times. But I was able to speak into the lives of some abuse victims. I've done my bit, now God can do His stuff.

I also met a girl who is going to start her masters in counselling. I was so excited. We had heaps to talk about and we have agreed that if we run into each other again, we grab a coffee and chat some more. I want to know everything there is to know about it all. She said something really funny - not funny as in ha ha, but funny as in odd.... "You will so get a job easy. you have such incredible life experience. I'm 23, they won't even look at me. I've barely started life." Amazing how having crap experiences and 6 extra years makes me more employable?

I don't want to get my hopes up.... but today a man and his wife came to look at our car. I am praying that we get a phone call saying he wants to buy it.

Nothing much else happening. We are getting ready to go on our trip. I have the dress for Steve's wedding. I found a shop that makes clip-on earrings. (This is a huge deal!! I can't have pieced ears because of keloid scarring.... and have not found any decent clip on earrings that weren't the old lady variety.) I totally went nuts on bling for the wedding outfit.

Today was 26 degrees. Sunny. Warm... I am soooooo looking forward to summer.

And that is the ramblings and disjointed thoughts that I have for today.

Under Where??

A rather amusing incident, which I don't want to forget. And of course to amuse my loyal readers.. LOL

Mop's teacher came out of the classroom after school and waved me over. I was thinking "great, what she done this time??"

"Umm... Mop lost her knickers"

I stared at this teacher.. "WHAT?"

"She was playing on the playground and the teacher on yard duty grabbed her and bought her in, saying she had no knickers on."

I thought perhaps she had forgotten them.

"I don't know...Mop said she flushed them down the toilet."

I was confused. "Say what?"

This teacher looked as equally confused. "She won't talk about it, just said that she flushed them down the toilet. And she was really upset about having to wear a pair of the school knickers." (They are Bratz knickers, no wonder! They are a no-no in this house.)

The teacher asked me to talk to her, since Mop clams up with her. Before I even got to the school gate, I found out the story.

Mop's knickers accidently fell in the toilet. She didn't want to stick her hands in there and get them out. She didn't know what to do... so she flushed them. LOL Another "teach your kids to be independent and problem solve" bites me in the bum yet again!

Kinda amusing really... Kids are the most bizzare creatures.


Father's Day lunch was a hit. Totally fun. I have some photos from the day.

Steve and Jaz - They get married next weekend!!


Granny and Grandad - they have just moved to the big smoke.


This is my Mummy and Dad - note Dad has glitter on his forehead from one of the kid's Father's Day present. LOL


This is my other brother Pete and his Kooky wife Deb. LOL


And just some general photos for you to have a squizz at:

E pushing around his little sister.


"Look Mum! I'm doing a headstand!!"


Milly and Mummy


Righto, well I think that's all for now.

When will it end?

I'm gonna have a bit of a gripe.
I really hate sickness. Especially in the kids. The poor things. I really feel for them.

Milly has a cold, I think she is cutting teeth and has a sore bum - AND conjunctivitus again.

E is getting over conjunctivitus and is miserable - with a runny nose.

Mop complains about a sore throat, and I feel for her, I've had one for two weeks.



I don't mind one of them sick - but when it's all at once, and they all whinge at the same time, and want my attention at the same time it gets a bit much. But it's really TOO much when I am feeling crook too. And I am sick of coughing up a lung every five minutes. Mum said something funny - she said "cough it up, it might be a gold watch.... or a housebrick!" I had to chuckle.



Oh well... thankfully this doesn't last forever. Next time I am going to isolate the sick kid, they can stay in their room for the duration of their sickness so they don't spread it around their family...... That won't work will it? LOL

Onto a brighter note. Tomorrow is going to be 20 degrees!! I'm planning to shave my legs so I can wear some 3/4 pants or a skirt with sandals. I am soooo sick of wearing jeans and trackies.



I've been invited to our "parent church" to go speak to the youth - give my testimony to be exact. It's a girls only affair so that will be good fun. They are having a "blast from the past" theme - where they are going to dress up in fashions from the 20's to the 80's and have a parade. I am soooo going to have a great time!


Daz and I are in seperate beds at the moment.... no we aren't on the rocks. Daz can't keep quiet at night, and I really am suffering with lack of sleep. So he has moved into the lounge temporarily and I have the bed all to myself. I am loving the sleep and the silence. It's funny... I have the whole bed, but yet I sleep on the very edge of my side??? I guess I am used to having Daz in the bed taking up lots of space. :) I kinda miss him though. I often put my hand out half asleep to touch him.. and he isn't there. :( I don't miss his "talking" though!! :)

Well that's it from me. I might grab the miserable Milly and go curl up and have a rest with her... the older two are watching Bear and are happy as pigs in mud. At least two of them are happy.

blah blah blah blah de blah

Hiya,
Not much really happening on the home front. I thought I better update just in case Melissa444 was checking my blog. HI MEL!!! :)

Let's see....

E hasn't had a meltdown in a while which is really awesome! It's making our lives easier. He saves them for Church. Great one son! He is soooo ready to learn to read. He knows his letters and phonetics. I'll sit down with him one day and start showing him out to join letters together to make words. He's going down the same path as his big sister - trying to read before they turn 3.

Mop is settled well into school life and is really enjoying it. For the last few days she's gotten a bit of an attitude on her "Don't you speak to ME like that!" - I bite my lip, send her to her room for being so insolent... then laugh quietly. She argues and argues her point, even if there is none. She claims the opposite of what you just said, even if it's wrong - and there is no telling her. She's 5 - God have mercy on me when she is 15!! She is a real chip off the ol block.

Milly is as cute as a button. She learned to splash in the bath last night. SOOOO funny!!! She's crawling forwards now when she has a reason to. Like on Monday, she headed forwards straight for the bin. Clever clogs! Daz has just informed be that she is busting out of her size 0 clothes.... GREAT!! It's impossible to get size 1 winter stuff now. Better start scouring Ebay.

Me - I'm in the process of Spring Cleaning, rearranging the storage space to be more efficient for 5 people. I love Spring Cleaning!! Throwing open all the windows, giving everything a thorough clean and tidy. I was up this morning at 5am, not by choice mind-you. Daz has been talking in his sleep lots lately, and I just can't sleep when he does. Anyway, this morning I got heaps done in the kitchen while the rest of the household slept. Hopefully this afternoon I can catch a Nanny nap.

My eggs are starting to feel the need to be released once again. It will be quite a task to convince Daz that having another baby is a good idea. I don't really want to "convince" him - I would rather him WANT to. I know we need to stop sometime, but I just don't feel like the family is complete. I guess we will see as time goes on. Plenty of time to add another one later I suppose.

I'm also a tad ticked, for ages now I've had my link to Domestic Guru in my sig on EB. Got a PM from the Sig police telling me to take it down. Because I am selling E-books, it's now classified as a business... forgetting that 99% of the content is FREE!! :( So I can't help people on forums anymore by directing them to this site, because it would be considered advertising. But I can't argue with the person who made this decision - because I am making a very small profit from my website. Hardly enough to brag about, just enough to help cover costs and make a phone call or two. LOL

Speaking of E-books, I released my Spring Cleaning and 4 month Organiser a few weeks ago. I am so proud of these two books. They look amazing.

On Sunday is Father's Day - I'm hosting a lunch here on Sunday with the family. It should be good fun! Just waiting to see if the weather will be good so we can eat outside... if not, oh well. Mum is taking me to visit Pops at the cemetary on Father's Day, so it will be nice to see where he is buried and to say hello. I've not been ready to go for a while, the very thought of it filled me with dread and I used to feel like I was drowning. For the last 6 months, I've wanted to go visit Pops, but didn't know where he was buried. It was hardly something I took note of on the day he was laid to rest. I was too busy trying not to kill certain family members for being such insensetive prats.

On Saturday I am heading out with Mum to buy THE dress for my brother's wedding. With some advice from Ziz on what kind to look for, I am going on a hunt. I was thinking of going for a green dress, not bright green or aqua, just a brighter kind of olive if that makes any sense. I hope I find something. I have the kids clothes for the wedding. E looks ADORABLE in his three piece suit. I'll take pics on the day of the kids in their finery and you can see them for yourself. Only 2 1/2 weeks until the wedding now.

Saturday night Daz is going to hit the town for the bucks night. He should have a great time. I'll spend that time cooking for the next day. Hopefully there is a good movie on TV that night too! :)

Well I best get going, MOPS on this morning, and I need to pack snacks and bags etc.

Urrrghhh... thank goodness coffee is at MOPS. I am going to need it!!

Busy times and a new blog

Hi everyone!!

Well it's been a crazy few weeks as usual... I'll walk you through the family news.

Daz is Daz. Nothing to report except that he is working very hard, picking up extra work because I am pysically unable to do it.... more about that later. He's going well though which is good. Good news and a huge answer to prayer, his skin which was a mess a while back is looking really good. It doesn't look like he has Excema and psoriasis much anymore. It looked like he had burns and scars all over his body at one point. Poor guy.

Mop - developed a fear of the dark which I am told is part of settling down into school life. We made some Angel spray, bought some angel notepaper to write notes to the angels and a angel figurine (well Mum bought this for her) to remind her that she has angels looking after her and to chase the imaginary monsters out of the room.
She has settled into school life well. Her teacher is pleased with her progress and she is flying through reader levels at a fast pace. She enjoys school and playing with all sorts of new friends.
She recently came home with "gold priveledge" which is for excellent behaviour - she is off on an excursion and has a present and I think casual clothes. I'm very proud of her.
Mop did have a bit of a rough transition. She started hitting and pinching other kids - but that stopped pretty quickly. Not that it excuses the behaviour, but she wasn't coping with people in her personal space. Line up time and floor time where the kids are all on top of each other seemed to make her hit out at others. She also refused to answer the teacher's questions so it made her think that Mop has no reading comprehension. I beg to differ!! The girl has a medical encyclopedia which she comprehends more than me!! So I had to talk to Mop about why teachers ask questions etc. Seemed to have made an impact because she is moving ahead well.

E - at the moment he is in his room having a meltdown. The first meltdown we've had for a while. This week his language skills have greatly improved and he is able to communicate so much better. We have ditched the pram which he hated and shopping with him is alot easier. We have rewards on hand to reward his excellent behaviour.

Milly - she is on all fours, rockin' and ready to roll. She can move her legs in a crawl motion (forwards) but her arms haven't gotten on with it yet. She is still surprisingly mobile and get from A to B easily.
Her words are "Mum-mum" "Da-Dad" "Nan-Nan" and "Bub-bub"
She squeals with glee and has huge gurgling chats to herself and to anyone who will listen. She is a true H child - talks and talks and talks!!
She knows who Mum and Dad are - because when she went to Daddy, she put her hand on his face and said "Dad-Dad" then pointed to me and said "Mum-mum" She's a clever clogs.
She is also sitting up!! She often falls over though because she is a mover and groover and headbangs and rocks. LOL

Then there's me.
Well... healthwise I am in a pickle. I have had a bunted wrist for a while and it's getting worse and worse. Finally got to the doctor and I am booked in for scans and stuff. The thing is I can't squeeze, turn, pick up, press, pull with my bad arm... which means it leaves me one handed. It's stupid and very annoying. Daz has had to pick up for me where I can't do it. Poor man.
Then there is my asthma... it's still out of control, so I am now on high level steroids to try and do something from the blood stream in to try help the tubes. It seems to be helping a bit. I also had a blood test this morning to check for pneumonia and other diseases... wonderful.

I've been working hard on my E-books and I am so proud of the ones I released today. Working with an editor, she has helped make them look soooo spiffy and wonderful. Today is the 4 month e-book and the spring cleaning e-book. The next e-book will be the annual one so I am working towards that as fast and as much as I can.

I am also making Christmas presents this year so I have been working on and deciding what I am going to make etc. I'm having a great time so far with creating and crafting. It's a fun busy!! :)

I also started a new blog: http://www.skipperscreativeexpressions.blogspot.com/

This is a craft blog - so I keep all my digi scrapping and craft stuff out of this blog and just keep it to family life and news etc. And if you are interested in seeing what I have created, better bookmark this one to check out every week or so.

Well I better hop to it. I need to get drugged up again, and then get on with the day.

Love from Skip

Happy Birthday Mop - and some Photos.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOP!!

This morning Daz went out to brave the crowds at the Target Toy Sale. I stayed in bed where it was warm and cozy. I awoke briefly when he came in at 2:30am - then crashed again... until 7:50 am.... ARRRRGHHH!!! Mop had to be leaving for school in half an hour and we hadn't done her presents.

I helped her dress and got her ready for school... then we sat down and gave her her presents. A big girl bike - not a trike. A new Bible, a torch, some Disney Fairy stationary... and she loved it all.

Tonight we will celebrate with the family by having Dinner at a Cafe nearby. A nice quiet day.

I can't believe she's 5!!! Where did that time go? This time 5 years ago I was in labour!! But this time 5 years ago my whole life changed. I became a Mummy for the first time. I knew that my life would never be the same again, I am still mesmerised by this girl. I adore her and I am so proud of her.

Now that we have got all the mushy stuff out of the way... let's get onto some photos!!

Here we are finally...

MOP'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Before Party Day - I painted and decorated Loot Boxes. They were painted in slightly bright pastels with glitter all over them. They had a fairy stuck on the top

I popped some butterflies and flowers inside the box and when the Fairies arrived at the party, the first thing they did was decorate them. They had a ball!!

... and here is their masterpieces!

Here are some pictures of Fairy Land

I painted the Fairy's faces: here is Mop looking rather magical in her costume and her face all done up.

Here they all are looking very beautiful:

Here is Daz's creation - he did such a great job on this.

MOP'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

That's all for now.

A Huge catchup!!!

Hi everyone!!
It's been so long since I last blogged. Life has been utterly and completely crazy!!

Let's start with the family news.

Daz: he's going really well. He's loving his new job, even though the trek there and back is twice as long as his old job. But they move to a new premises next year perhaps which will cut the travelling time back down again. So that will be nice.
He's been busy lately trying to salvage the laptop hard drive contents because a certain young lady with chubby strong legs, kicked the laptop off my lap and the hard drive broke.

Me: Not a great deal worth talking about. I've been busy but I can't really talk about doing what. I can say I have started a new craft. And I am making something for someone for Christmas. But I can't give anymore details than that, because family members read this blog!
Church stuff is keeping me busy. I'm back on the preaching roster, and it looks like I am on monthly now. That is good.

Us: We purchased a new car a few weeks ago. A Hyundai Terrecan. A nice 4wd for towing and for comfort. It's a 7 seater so the kids are loving the extra space. This will come in handy for when we take off to the Northern Territory at the end of September with friends.

Mop: Starts primary school on Monday. I'm pretty nervous actually. She is fine, nothing phases her because she is so confident. I'm just scared she will be a really naughty kid and get in trouble all the time. On her transition day she shoved a kid. *blush* I was horrified. Her preschool teachers said it wasn't anything to worry about, she was the big fish in the class and she often pushed kids around to direct them and lead them. Nothing malicious... but still... biting my nails.
She had her 5th birthday party last weekend. A fairy party. It went really well. The kids made fairy loot boxes, they did a treasure hunt and swapped their "treasure" for a bead to make a bracelet. Beads went everywhere, but they had so much fun. I painted their face and sprinkled "fairy dust" in their hair, and they all looked so beautiful in their fairy costumes. I have glitter all over my house, but never mind. It was such a wonderful party and all the kids had a wonderful time. When I get my lappy up and running completely I'll post photos of the occassion.

Elijah: when he's not pure sunshine, he's having a meltdown. They are happening more and more lately. A friend suggested that he may be a very intelligent boy with lots going on in his head and he was struggling to express his thoughts, so he just screams like a banshee.
He is talking alot more and he is really mischevious, affectionate and adorable. He has an impish grin and loves to be chased and tickled. He likes to color in as well and for a 2 year old, he's pretty good!!

Milly: Cut her first tooth last week and is in the process of cutting her second. She's an ok teether, a bit grouchy, but eh, we can live with that.
She said her first word. "Mum Mum" - it was nice waking up in the morning to hear it from the cot - almost a call out of "MUM!!"
She is commando crawling... backwards.. and ends up in all sorts of strange places. She rolls around, and is trying to get on her hands and knees. I've seen her do it once. She's a very strong little girl.
She is very placid and laid back. Thank goodness.... I don't know what I would have done if I had another feisty one!! She's pretty relaxed about everything. She reminds me of Caitlin, happy to entertain her self for hours on end.
She has taken to solids well and loves to eat. Ahhh a typical Skipper child!

That's all I really have time for at the moment.
I'll try update more often... now that the craziness seems to be dispersing a little.... only a little.

Love from Skipper

The Spiritual musings of Mop

"Elijah can be very clumsy sometimes..... but that's ok, he still loves Jesus"

EH???

"Mummy, the music at (insert church name here) is very loud.... that's so Jesus can hear it better!"

I love it!! The things kids think are hillarious.

Just a short post today.
Things are going incredibly well. I preached today on the first half of the beatitudes. I think it went really well. I've been really busy working on the message and I'm happy with the finished product.
The opportunity to study counselling is now at the very tips of my fingers. A load of things have changed, which means I can have a Bachelor in counselling in three years! I am still deciding and weighing up my options and of course commiting it to prayer. I've been incredibly busy looking at all that and making sense of it all.
We are going away this weekend to Moonta Bay. Hopefully Daz will get some fishing in and we will spend some time doing fun things with the kids.

Anyway I better scoot.

School, sleep, Salt, sweethearts and the like...

It's been one of those months. Incredibly busy and exhausting, but fulfilling.

Ok what's been happening?
1. Daz got a voucher for his 30th birthday for a photography session and we had that last Saturday. We see the photos tomorrow. It was kinda fun trying to get E to smile and co-operate. What can I say? He's two! Milly needed a nap dead on photo session time, so we let her power nap for 10 minutes and she charmed the socks off the woman who was taking shots and she was just divine! Can't wait to see the work tomorrow.

2. Church stuff has been happening! We have officially become Salt Church Playford - which means we have a new Senior Minister. It's all good. I can't wait to see where God leads us in this exciting new adventure.
We've had a worship service, and a youth service is being planned. I'm lined up to preach twice in the next month. Lots going on!

3. We have been having interviews with Mop's Reception teacher and principal over the last few days, getting ready for her to start next term. This term we are going to be busy gathering up all her stuff ready to start. Uniforms, lunchboxes, drinkbottles etc. It was lovely today with the Principal, she remembered me from my days there and gave me a huge hug. My goodness she makes a HUGE difference to the school. The place is really different.

4. I'm not sure why, but Milly isn't sleeping through anymore. She decided that she wasn't going to do it anymore, then she does once, then she doesn't again. I'm tired and feeling the exhaustion. I have been spoiled with a full nights sleep from my other two from early on. Tonight I am going to start "dream feeding" her to see if that makes a difference

5. Steve and Jas had their engagement party last week and it was a really nice affair! Jas's Mum outdid herself, the food was divine - gourmet cheeses, fruit platters, quiches etc. Mop gave me heart failure when I caught her drinking from other people's glasses. I saw her skull a drink that was next to a beer bottle - the liquid in it was yellowy... I smelled it, and was relieved that it was apple juice!

Bit of a bummer, our car has a leaking fuel tank, so it's off at the mechanics at the moment. Thankfully Mum has loaned us her car so we can drive around. The kids won't fit in the back of the 2 door lancer... well they could, but no baby seats would be able to fit in there too!!

I think that's about all that is worth a mention.

Right, off to a dinner party at Pete and Debs. The kids will get to have a play so that will be nice for them.

crazy times!

It's all been happening!!!

Last Sunday our church took the vote to become a Satellite Church of Salt. So we now will be a campus of Salt Church. It's a good thing - resources will be shared and we will be run by people who know how to successfully run a church (as a business).
The Senior Pastor of Salt took Daz aside and asked him to be on the Salt board - and he accepted! So Daz had his first meeting this week.

Daz started his new job this week as well and so far he's settling in well. He hasn't got into the product yet so it's all early days and learning curves at this point.

We also finished building our veggie patch last weekend (FINALLY!!) and this weekend we planted it out with strawberries, spinach, thyme, rosemary, parsley, leeks, parsnips, basil and tomatoes. So I can't wait to reap the rewards of this labour in about 16 weeks time! LOL.

It's so satisfying finishing projects off - though strictly speaking it isn't finished yet, Daz needs to finish building the fence around it to keep the kids and the dog off to give the poor plants a small chance at survival.

Not sure what our next project is, maybe redo the drive way?? Who knows!?

We are planning to go away the first week of June with some friends. Daz will have a fishing friend and I won't be lonely when he goes off to catch me some squid and crabs! The friends have 3 kids too all similar ages to each other so it's going to be lots of fun for all of us.

We caught up with these friends (Robynne and Trevor) twice this weekend. They all came round for tea on Friday night, then Robynne was making a roast chook and invited us to their place tonight (Sunday night). Robynne makes THE best roast chicken I have ever tasted. It's just divine!!! So we quickly accepted that invitation. Would have rocks in our head to say no! LOL

We have a Worship Service coming up for Church next weekend and a board lunch, it's ANZAC day so we will also be working on projects as well as remembering our fallen soldiers of course.

Mop has been a right royal social butterfly - she attended a birthday party this week - the birthday girl was someone she knew from school and I didn't know the parents or anything so it was a first for us. When I got there, I felt a bit of the odd one out, because all the Mum's and kids were part of a mother's group and knew each other that way. But they quickly included me in the conversations and were so friendly. I was invited to join their group and they took my number down so they can call me to come to their next meet. How kind of them!! I definately will be going along to that. One lady who is a bit older than me, was very encouraging about me going to study. She's an Ecologist - very fascinating lady.
Mop also had her cousin over to play for most of a day last week - Emma. The girls had a wonderful time, and messed up the bedroom so they could tidy it up again.... ok WEIRD!! LOL. Apparently Emma was so worn out, she took two days to recover! LOL.

School holidays started this week and Mop misses being with her school friends. She is happy to play lots and home, but I think she gets bored when E goes down for a nap. She has been really good this last week, and has been helpful and a real joy.
E has been pure sunshine as well. Only one meltdown this week and that was because he was tired and hungry. He's so affectionate and is really warming up to people he doesn't know very well. He's a real blokey boy - he is happy around other men and will hover around them and want to do blokey things with them. This doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's natural for them to want to be around men and their influence. (Also their strong arms to lift him up to touch the roof!)
Milly is growing up so fast. She is divine. So good!! She's too good. Yesterday I was planting stuff in the veggie garden and forgot all about Milly - then I suddenly remembered, dashed inside and she was crying - she had been crying for some time. Evil Mummy moment!! I felt so guilty.
Her only imperfection is that she is not sleeping too well and wakes up from a few times a night to every half hour. I am tired and really wish I could sleep through. She refuses to sleep in her cot and will only sleep in the porta-cot in our room. I am trying to fill her cot up with my "smell" by putting worn shirts in there to stink it up. I'll keep trying. But so far it hasn't worked. She can't sleep next to me forever...

Anyway this is the latest shot I have of her.... AWWWWW



The best Bad Mother moment was when E somehow managed to get the baby Panadol from the back of the bench, get the child proof cap off and drink some. Thankfully the amount he drank was minute in the grand scheme of things and he was ok. I was so mad at him and myself - I had to put him in his room for a while because I wanted to scream at him. Poor kid - he was just being a boy. I was so mad at myself!! Well now the baby Panadol is in the top shelf where he can't possibly reach unless he has Inspector Gadget legs.

Anyway it's late and I am off to bed.

G'night!

Finally! A moment!!

Hello everybody! The Gypsy folk are home again. We had a wonderful time on our holiday, and I will copy and paste my holiday journal afterwards.

We are all well.

Milly - 4 months old now. Smiling, laughing, sits strongly and her legs are very strong. Still feeding her myself which is a huge accomplishment - there were times I thought she was finishing up with me. Thankfully I have Donna and Sue, my very own Lactation Support Network! :)

E - Having more meltdowns lately, but I figure Ehh.. he's two. He's just exercising his freedom of speech. When he isn't melting down he is so sweet and lovely. He is the president of Mum's fan club. He adores her - and he LOVES it when he is to go to Nanny's place. He is talking alot more now and singing songs. So cute!! My favourites are "Smooze me!" (Excuse me) "Good manners!" (when someone or him says please and thankyou)

Mop - back into school and getting ready to launch into a transistion program for Primary School. She loves her friends and has a best friend now. I hope she settles into PS just as well and makes friends fast. Mop has shot up and is a very tall girl with legs up to her ears! Doesn't get THAT from her Mummy!

Daz - it's his last day of work tomorrow and then he starts up with another company on Monday. I have high hopes that the new company will appreciate his skills and talents and offer him opportunities and job satisfaction.

Me - same ol. I've been tired because for 3 nights Milly has been waking up every half hour. Last night, praise be, she slept all night and I feel human again!!

I'll put pictures in later, because I only have an hour and a half until I need to pick Mop up from school and I have at least 3 days worth of housework to do.

Here's my journal!

12th March
Today we got up at ungodly hours of the morning – ok 7ish and headed off into the sunrise towards Broken Hill. It was a pretty uneventful day. The kids travelled well – enjoying their new toys and new DVD players. The caravan park in BH had a pool so we all went swimming – it was stinking hot and so it was nice to cool our hot, tired bodies. Milly wasn’t that impressed with her first swim.
E refused to go to sleep so I ended up bringing him into my bed to sleep. I pity his wife to be. He throws himself around, arms whacking me in the head and little legs being draped over my back. I ended up crawling into bed with Daz until he took pity on me and moved him into his own bed.

13th march
Today we got up again very early and headed towards Bourke. Today because of lack of sleep, E was a right royal pain in the bum. He was snotty, grotty, snarly, cranky and manky. Not fun at all. And because I had very little sleep (I had a nightmare) we were both not happy campers.
We arrived in Bourke at the most wonderful caravan park. The place was practically empty and we enjoyed the space and their lovely pool. Caitlin was very brave and moved away from the edge with her floaty on her back and started to swim. I was so proud of her. E decided that his ring wasn’t so bad afterall and chose to get into it on his own and enjoyed kicking his legs and cooling off.

14th March
Today we drove to Charleville. I used to live there about 10 years ago, so it was good to see all the changes that have happened. The town looks relatively unscathed from all the flooding that happened 2-3 months ago. It’s all lush and green – unlike home which is dry and dead. We desperately need a good rain-fall!!
We met up with Amy, a friend of mine and I introduced her to my beautiful baby girl and the kids had a blast outside climbing up and down the stairs, swinging on the gates (that Amy taught them to do!) and running around the HUGE backyard. We had a pizza dinner from the new pizza shop and then head back to the caravan park for an early night.
The kids went to sleep really quickly so all in all it was a good night.

15th March
Today we drove a whopping 800 and something kms to Brisbane. We actually made excellent time. We arrived in Brisbane early evening. The scenery on this stretch is amazing. It’s never boring because it’s so changing. Daz and I played guess the crops. The crop growing is extending further and further west, which means we had more fun trying to guess!
Our arrival in Brisbane was just wonderful. We are staying with my best friend Bec and her husband Nick. Bec’s sister Cat (my bridesmaid – and practically like a sister) so we are having lots of fun. Cat is newly engaged to marry a cute dude from Bali. They are just waiting on his fiance’s visa.

16th March
Urrgh, how much sleep can I function on?? I had a huge attack of vertigo, which means I was laying in bed and it felt like I was on a boat in the middle of a rough ocean. I got motion sickness and threw up during the night. Milly was waking up every hour for some reason too and needing resettling. In the end I woke Daz up to take over so I could sleep. I got 3 hours.
We went to church with Bec and Nick which was really nice. It is a huge church with lots of kids and families. It was nice when Mop talked at the top of her lungs – no one cared. Because all the kids were!
The afternoon was a nice relaxing afternoon, doing nothing in particular.

17th March
How delightful waking up to the rain falling! It rained today – and it was just perfect. Somewhat humid – but it was soooo fun getting caught in a torrential downpour at the Big Pineapple. I quickly covered E up with the sun shade in his pram, and Bec, Mop Daz and I huddled under our boot door. E got mildly wet the rest of us were somewhat damp for a while.
We visited the Big Pineapple and The Ginger Factory. The BP was ok, not much to look at, though Mop liked climbing to the top of the pineapple. Oh and their Parfaits were to DIE for! Caitlin was eyeing off the pineapple special, so Aunty Bec spoiled her and they bought one. We all had some, since it was soooo huge. For a photo op, I even pretended to feed some to Milly – and will sit back and watch the perfect mother’s brigade tut and carry on. Ok so I was feeling rather mischevious!
The Ginger Factory was absolutely WONDERFUL!! Their shop has so much stuff – I even found the PERFECT handbag – which I really wanted, but I didn’t want to outright ask for. You know, guilt and all that. Anyway – we went on a tour of the factory and it was so interesting! Then we had a tasting session and all I can say is YUMMMM…. Daz and I bought all the ginger products that they used in their cooking and will be attempting to make the delicious samples ourselves.
We went on a train ride around the factory through all the lush rainforesty gardens. It was sooo beautiful. It was 3:30pm by the time we got out and we headed straight home
We got home quite late, and the kids were bone tired. So it was a matter of feeding, bathing and bedding and then we had a pretty laid back evening playing games. We played Articulate. Nick, Cat and I were the winning team! *victory dance*

18th March
Today was a good day. We did some shopping in a huge mall, and then headed to the Golden Circle factory, where we stocked up on a years worth of canned pineapple and other cheap stuff produced in that factory.

19th March
Today we went to Sea World. We were there practically all day, but we still didn’t see everything. Never mind, I guess as the kids get older we will be able to do more, and move at a faster pace. I guess when they are 10-12 years old, they will want to miss the Sesame Beach!
There was a water part of Sesame Beach where Elmo’s space ship shot water out all over the place, giving the kids a safe and great place to cool off. Milly even got a few splashes in. Then Daz took Mop on a few rides. I stayed with E and Milly near Elmo’s space ship. We watched a water ski show which was pretty impressive. We gave the Sesame St show a miss because Daz checked it out before and felt that Mop and E would be bored with it – and E being bored is not a good thing for anyone!!
We all enjoyed the touching pools – which are small rock pools which give us a chance to feel various sea creatures. We touched starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Caitlin was a bit apprehensive but E got totally into it. He was surprisingly gentle and loved touching these bizarre creatures.
Then we went underground to view the shark tanks. We were there for ages. Elijah was mesmerized! I have never seen him be so quiet and in awe of anything like that. He usually gets impatient when we stay still. Caitlin kept busy referring to the fish charts and trying to find the corresponding fish. I love aquariums like that and was happy to just stay there for hours! The coral, the rays, the sharks, the colorful fish. It was just beautiful.
E had about 3 major meltdowns because he is incredibly tired. But apart from that it was a great day and we came home tired but stoked with the day.
Daz had a boys night out with Nick and they went to watch a documentary on Apollo stuff which sounds really interesting. I stayed home with Bec and Cat and put the kids to bed and watched a girlie movie and ate chocolate.

20th March
Today we decided to head to South Bank – which was a bit disappointing because the Aquativitie section wasn’t going. That was the best part of the whole place! Oh well – then it poured with rain so we headed back home.
That night Bec, Cat and I headed out for a night in the shopping center for a girlie night. I got a stack of cosmetics and a pair of new jeans. Then we headed to a coffee place for a drink and a chat. It was loads of fun. Oh and I’ve started drinking wine again which is just wonderful – after the last feed of course.

21st March
Good Friday – we decided to take the kids to the park for a play. Then we headed to Sizzlers for a late lunch. Now fellow Adelaidians, don’t get jealous… but I ate cheese bread, salads and yummy apricot and white chocolate pudding. The kids loved it.
We pulled out the PS2 – and played Buzz and Singstar. You should hear Cat belt out a tune – especially Working Class Man – she makes you laugh so hard you have tears running down your legs. 

22nd March
Today we shopped all day. For business attire for Daz since he needs it in his new job. He looks mighty fine in his new threads. Bec and Cat took Mop off my hands and they had her all day – they painted and went shopping. All kids were absolutely stuffed come bedtime – so they screamed and carried on until they were shoved into bed.

23rd March
Today was our last day in Brisbane. We spent it down at Calloundra – we swam in the public pool – well actually the kids and Daz did. It was cold and I was busy feeding Milly. The kids had a ball!! Very lovely afternoon. We went to McCafe for a coffee and let the kids play on the equipment. I was so proud of my kids. E managed to climb all the way to the top of the equipment and Daz had to climb up after him when it was time to come home. Mop handled a bully child very well and firmly. I chuckled to myself and then left them to it. No need for me to intervene.
Bec, Nick, Cat, Daz and I all talked about the possibility of going to either Bali or Samoa for next Easter together. I personally think Bali would be great because Cat’s fiance’ is from Bali and he would be a great tour guide, and know when we are being ripped off etc. And they could catch up with their family as well. Oh and for once I would love to have a relaxing holiday – no cooking, cleaning, get a massage down on the beach, shopping, temples, volcanoes, and all sorts of other things.

24th March
Today we spent the whole day driving to Musswellbrook. We arrived at gone 10pm, Nige helped us back the caravan in, a quick catch up with Leash and then we all fell into bed, exhausted.
25th March
Today we went to the Hunter Valley Gardens. I swear that place is heaven on earth! It is just divine! The kids were pretty tired from their late night, but they managed to get around the place alright. It’s too hard to describe, but believe me, it’s a beautiful place. The kids got to touch, smell and run about and enjoy the great outdoors.
That evening, we played games with Leash and Nige. I was secretly impressed with Nige – the stuff he knows!?? Amazing… We all had a great time!
26th March
Today we went shopping, then stopped into Maccas for lunch, where Nige met up with us. The kids played on the equipment while we gasbagged. Then Leash took the kids off my hands for an hour or two while Daz and I went to our favourite winery. Yum yum YUM!! I love Arrowfield Wines. Best wine EVER!!
That night Leash, Daz and I belted out some tunes on Singstar, then when Nige came home from his meeting, we played Buzz and ate an icecream cake I made.
27th March
We left Muswellbrook and headed to Canberra. We stopped in on a winery that do fruit wines. Yum!! We bought a few then headed on. I could taste the pineapple wine for ages. YUMM!!
We arrived in Canberra fairly early in the evening, and we stayed at Ann and Marc’s. They have such a lovely home. We gasbagged all night and then I had a pretty bad sleep because Milly kept waking up. I ended up bringing her into bed with me where she had a huge chat at the top of her lungs.
28th March
We spent the morning with Ann and Marc, the kids got to play with their girls and they had a good time. Then we took our caravan to the park we were staying at and headed off to see Glen and Bee (Darren’s best man). They were such gracious hosts, and gave us afternoon tea. Bee whisked the kids into the veggie garden and showed them how to pick cherry tomatoes. The kids absolutely loved their garden. Elijah picked and ate (which they didn’t mind because they had too many as it was!) I am convinced that the kids will love a veggie garden of their own, so we have bumped that project to first in line when we get home.
Then we went to Craig and Christie’s for dessert. It was lovely to catch up with them and Mop was stoked to catch up with their daughter. Craig revved Elijah up and tackled him and tickled him and I have never seen Elijah laugh so much.

29th March
Today we drove to Balranald. Nothing eventful happened. I drove through the Hay Plain… BOOOORING!! It was a nice caravan park and we ate chicken and chip dinner by the river.

30th March
Today we drove home.

So Long! Farewell!

Righto, I'm off on holiday. I won't be back until the beginning of April. Got a huge trek ahead of us. First to Brisbane, then the Hunter Valley and then Canberra - then back home again.

SOOOO looking forward to the break. I am physically and mentally shattered. It's been a busy few weeks.

Ameliah was dedicated on Sunday and then we had the immediate family over for lunch afterwards. It was very fun.

It has been really hot this last week, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of it letting up. So we are going up north to cool off!! :)

It shall be fabulous. Will tell all when I get back.

Very serious instruction.

I got a new stroller the other day. And the instructions that came with it were absolutely HILLARIOUS.

I thought I would share some of the funniest ones.

1. For your child's safety must be of good belt.
Does this mean whip em if they dare budge from their seat with a belt? :)

2. The baby more than six months old should be avoided, by the use of shoulder up.

3. Reminded not to let their children out of the courthouse or legislative seats war.
Yes I'm serious. Make em sit in there untill they confess - or launch a nuclear bomb!

4. When all children, caregivers should be conducted
Can you imagine a toddler with a baton??

5. Car is not moving, the wheel must be stopped, and to avoid a dangerous slide in.

6. Click the correct use of bicycle use, to avoid any risk of the occurence.
Does it stir up a feeling of paranoia in you? Does it?

Regular checks your baby carriages, whether screw lossening, aging parts, materials and vehicle sutures ruptured, and when necessary to timely replacement and maintenance.

7. Should avoid undue influence or strong - they affect life

8. The rotating bodies to apply to remain flexible rotation.

Now I don't know about you but ruptured sutures, influence and rotating bodies just makes me a little wary on using this stroller!! LOL

There are some gems in these instructions, but unfortunately not precious enough to keep. I'm chucking em out now.

DH said it's worth buying chinese made things just so you can laugh at the crappy instructions. I wonder how they translate? Make it up as they go along? Or try to find the most whackiest sentences just to mess with our heads?? Either way, I had a good chuckle. I hope you did to.

I've been tagged....

My ol' mate Donna just tagged me. So I am "it"...

The question is Three reasons why you blog?

Hmmmm...

1. I blog to record the happenings in this house - to record memories of when the kids were just kids. To remember when E first smiled or when Milly took her first steps. I wanted the kids to know what they were like when they were younger - and what I was like when they were younger. If anything should ever happen to me, Daz knows to print this off as a book, and to give to the kids to read all about me, and all about me as their Mummy. It's a way of preserving the memories - especially when I am old and prone to forgetting.

2. I blog so I don't have to make up fancy newsletters, and have lengthy phone calls and emails to distant friends (which I do NOT have time for!) My friends who live interstate and internationally just have to click on my blog link to see what's been going in in this household. That was one of the reasons why I started blogging in the first place - so that Kimbo could see what I was up to whenever she could get online.

3. I blog because I can type a heck of alot faster than I can write. I'm a time saver - wasted time and effort annoys me. So writing half a page in a diary would take about as much time as it takes me to type 2 x a4 pages. Do the math.



So now I have to tag 3 people. That's the deal. So I tag...

Sue, Jo and G.

Right I am outta here dudes.
Mwah.

*sigh*

Just a little post from me today.
Today I went on the college that I plan to go to, to study counselling - and discovered that they have changed the length of study from 5 years full time to 6 years full time. This is because in 5 years time the Aussie Counselling Association place thingamabob will not take members who have not done a graduate course.... hence the 6 years.

AND the cost of the course has gone up by almost a grand, so paying for it is going to be very interesting.

I won't be able to work full time on this course until Milly-Moo goes to school which is 5 years time. So I will be studying FOREVER!! :(

I'm just worried that I'll do what I quite often do - start it and not finish it. Or lose heart and pike out....
What if I don't pass the "psychologically sound" test at the end of 5 years?? :)

It's ok - I am arming myself with as much information as I can to understand and to push myself onwards, regardless that I could be a student when I am 40 years old!!

It's a bit of a leap of faith...

That's all I wanted to say..

PS: Like my new layout?? Ain't it purrddy? Daz complained that he couldn't see the "About me" part - but I figure he knows about me, so it doesn't matter. LOL If you want to know about me - read my blog. :D I personally prefer the flowers and butterflies!

So much wonderful stuff has been happening!!

It's been a fabulous week for me. I feel like I am floating!!

1. After being told for the last year that there was more than likely not going to be a mid-year intake for Reception 2008 - I got a letter in the mail on Tuesday saying that there WILL be a Reception class, and will you please confirm Mop's placement. WILL I EVER!!! That girl has been aching to get to school forever, and I have been too!!
I spoke to her pre-school teachers, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
"She is more than ready" they said and went on to explain that socially she is up there with the kids her age and intelectually she is fine. They had run out of materials for her to use. So they were as excited as I was. They are excellent teachers and I hope E gets them when he goes there in a year or two. (When he can handle being left places)

2.

This handsome couple is my brother Steve and his partner in crime - Jasmine. I got an SMS this morning saying "She said yes!" - WOOHOO!! He proposed this morning and she accepted. Jasmine is a wonderful girl and I think he has impeccable taste. She's a good friend, and so much fun to be with. She will fit into our family perfectly. She already cheeks my Dad! :) They are going on a cruise - they left for Sydney today, so I haven't seen the rock yet, but when they get back I'll have a drool.
Jasmine has a little girl from a previous relationship, and I get and instant niece. She is a delightful little girl, and Mop just loves her. They get along so well. Mop has loved her since Molly was born!! Mum is excited that she has another little girl to love as a Nanny.

3. After what seems an age of being under-appreciated and struggling to get anywhere career-wise, Daz handed his resignantion in yesterday and accepted another offer of a job in a bigger and hopefully better company. It's exciting stuff - and a bit terrifying all at once!

4. Milly-Moo, my delight, laughed at me yesterday. Her first ever laugh! She has been smiling since 6 days old, and talking not much after then. But yesterday she let out a chuckle when we were clapping hands.





She is such a delight to us. She is so easy going (unless someone's annoying her - or she's hungry, then she exhibits her Skip-like-feistiness) and she is so good-natured. She sits back and plays contentedly while the rest of the family move around her. She only cries when she is hungry or tired. She makes us all very happy.
She started sleeping right through the night a few weeks ago, so I am a very well rested Mama! :) I am SOOOOO lucky!!

PSSST... I know I said no more... but she makes me so clucky for another baby!!

5. I am continuing to lose weight. Check out my motivation poster I made myself.



I bought some new clothes today because I am sick of my pants falling down!! I am feeling good, and when I firm up my tummy and butt and legs, I'll look alot better!!

See what I mean it has been a fabulous week??


Other family news:
E is talking more and more, and hasn't screamed at all for ages. He's really different when he is on his own - when Mop is at school. He plays quietly and happily on his own, he likes his own company and potters about entertaining himself. I barely know he's here when Mop isn't making him yell by torturing him as big sisters do.
Mop is a real little Miss. I don't know whether to yell at her or laugh at her at times. She is pretty feisty and mouthy - I shake my head at times and wonder where on earth she gets it from. ;)

I've been doing a bit of scrapping and am very happy with some of the stuff I have done.











Signing off now... with a huge smile on my face.

The A-Z of me part 3

D is for

Daz
The love of my life, my sweetheart, first love, first committed relationship and other firsts which I won’t go into here.
We met while I was doing a make-up job for a musical “Two From Galilee” – he was in the chorus. I don’t really remember the first time I laid eyes on him, but I certainly remember when he caught my attention. How could I possibly not see a hunky man who stipped his costume off while wearing bright red jocks?? I mean it was like a flag for a bull. Hello honey, over here. YOOHOO!!! I saw him. I didn’t know where to look, and I felt a blush creep over me…. But that sight of him was burned into my brain for all time. Now I get that picture on a daily basis!
I can’t remember the first time we talked, all I remember is that we did talk and got on very well. From then on we were friends – for 8 long months we developed a really good friendship – both of us wanting more, but wondering if the other felt the same way. August 8th 1998 I finally had enough of wondering and outright asked. He was relieved, and he finished the job – we were an item! 2 years later we were engaged and a year later we were married.
Daz is a handsome hunk of man. Tall, dark, lean, has incredible legs and hips, oh and his shoulders – well… they are biteable.. don’t ask. When he really smiles his whole face lights up. He has a cheeky laugh which sounds a bit like Ernie’s laugh – no kidding. He has a chuckle, which I hear often and on very very rare occasions, he has a big laugh. I love his big laugh.
Daz is the most patient man I can think of – when it comes to me. The poor man probably has to put up with a great deal, yet he is so patient with me. He doesn’t fight with me – he refuses to in fact. He doesn’t think it’s necessary. So we discuss things like rational human beings when we have “issues” – I have never been in a screaming match with him. I have yelled at him, told him off, spouted off – but he doesn’t respond to that. It’s great!!
He’s also a very intelligent dude. He knows lots, and is pretty cluey about technology and all that. But when it comes to cars, repairing things around the house, plumbing etc…. he has no clue. That’s ok, we can’t all be good at everything. Besides, I am glad he is not a tinkerer in the car – I don’t have rough, huge fat stubby “work hands” with grease under the fingernails touching me. I have smooth, long slender fingers that are clean and neat. Just the way I like them.
He is my complete oppostite. He works slowly on things, I get them done quickly and efficiently. He finishes what he starts – I struggle to do so. I am firey, quick tempered, outgoing and he is cool, calm and reserved. How on earth he fell in love with me, I will never know. But he did…. SUCKER!! J

D is for Domestic Guru
I am one. I can turn a house that is cluttered, dirty and disorganised into a clean, tidy and organised home – if I am given free reign that is. I have helped lots of people get their homes and lives into gear and offer advice on my website – the things that have helped me or things I have learned.
I love to experiment with different methods of cleaning and report on them. I would love to know what works and what doesn’t. And why should everyone do these tests eh?
I am proud of my website and hope one day it will be huge – full of information that will help people spend less time cleaning and more time on the more important things in life!!
And for those who have no idea where to find it http://www.domesticguru.com

The A-Z of me.... part 2

B is for

Best Friend/Bec

Bec has been my best friend for 10 years. Before I had even met her, I had heard about her… and not such nice things either. The day I first laid eyes on her I remember it well… the sun was pouring into the church windows, giving it a yellowy glow through the curtains, and up bounced a very smiley blonde girl.. There was an immediate connection. We were such kindred spirits. We loved the same things, we had lots to talk about, we found the same things funny. We both loved Doris Day, I Love Lucy, romantic soppy movies, Anne of Green Gables and lots of other old style movies.
I ended up living with her and her family for a while before I got married. It was lots of fun living with her. We never argued – probably because she is so laid back. I would do anything for her – in fact I did. I watched Titanic 3 times in one day with her the day she got it, because she loved it so much. I don’t think I’ve watched it since! LOL
She is an awful tease. When I first met Daz and thought he was pretty hot, she paid me out so much and in front of him too! Lucky he was so vague and didn’t see it. The poor girl heard me nearly everyday wondering if he liked me or not. She used to scoff and say “Are you blind?? You should see the way he looks at you!”
She put up with me practicing my beauty therapy on her, she let me wax her, put make up on her and do all sorts of other things. She seemed to love it though, she would almost fall asleep while I did it. And I put up with her learning to play the violin (aka dying cat), trumpet (aka elephant in labour) and the oboe… OMG how bad do those instruments sound in the first few weeks.
Bec was by my side the day I was married as my Matron of Honour. She had to perform the most awful tasks and she did it most cheerfully. She held my hair back while I puked in the street from sheer nervousness. She held my hoop and dress up while I pee’d. She threw me the best kitchen tea I had ever been to! It was so much fun!! I remember my cheeks ached from laughing and smiling.
She was one of the first person I told I was pregnant with Mop. She was so excited for me!! I was given the privilege to throw Bec’s baby shower and I had loads of fun doing it! She was the first to find out I was pregnant with Milly Moo – since I was at her house when I did the test. Her whole face lit up and she was so excited for me. Even though I wasn’t very excited at the time. She was very positive about it and it helped me accept it very quickly – even though I was in disbelief for a while!
Bec is the most beautiful woman. She is so kind and so sweet. She is very intelligent and creative. She plays the flute and sings like an angel. She has an incredible smile and is so patient. She loves my kids and she is the best honorary Aunty in the whole world.
She recently moved away to Brisbane and I miss her a lot.

I have lots of friends, but Bec is different. She has my heart.

Beauty Therapist
I was one. I studied for 3 years in TAFE and then launched out into the world of beauty to work for a few years. I discovered pretty quickly that this wasn’t the career for me. I did like doing make up for weddings and working with hair dressers to turn the bride into a Princess. It was so much fun!
I ran a salon as part of a hairdressers in the city for a year but the business never really took off. Besides the salon was in a corner in a side street, no-one knew it was there. My last job was in Price Attack close to home. I enjoyed working there, then fell pregnant and was puking too much to work!


C IS FOR

Christmas
My favourite time of year! I love decorating the tree, I love baking Christmas goodies, I love making gifts and buying gifts. I love wrapping my kids stuff up and putting it under the tree. I love filling the stockings. I love being with my family on Christmas Day. I love the kids (cousins) all playing together, enjoying each other’s company, while the adults sit back, all full and content and watch them.
I love my MIL’s baked goodie platter she makes every year. It’s soooo yummy. I love Daz’s work’s Christmas Dinners. I love Christmas Carols and listening to www.xmasradio.ca every year. I like the sounds of chimes and bells filling the shopping centres. I love the Christmas decorations in the malls. I love checking out what new Christmas decorations are for sale. I love seeing our neighbours Christmas lights.
I love surprising my husband, and I love hearing his “wow!” I love making my Mum’s Christmas present – because I know that she really appreciates it and genuinely loves what I make. The more tears that fall as she inspects what I made, the more I know she loves it.
I love making Christmas Crackers for my family. I love Christmas breakfast. I love the Christmas fruits of the season.

I hate Christmas pudding and cake! LOL

Caitlin
My darling first born. She was born after a 13 hour labour. She was a drama queen the moment she was born. She was whipped into the neonatal ICU and caused a whole lot of worry and stress for the doctors, nurses and her poor ol parents! Thankfully she got better pretty quickly and after less than a week in the hospital, we took her home.
Caitlin - well she is the most funniest and most feisty little girl I have ever known. She is so much like me it’s not funny. She looks like me, acts like me, thinks like me – it is so scary at times.
She is very forthright and if she has an opinion and she has no problem in sharing it. She recently told me I have “wobbly bits” – thanks sweetie. Mummy is only stretched out all over the place from having you kids!! She talks all the time – seriously! She talks while she plays, talks at the table, talks in the car, talk talk talk. At times she drives me mental, but at other times, listening to her when she thinks no is listening is fun.
She is strong willed and stubborn. She’ll fight me if she feels strongly enough about it and flat out refuse to do what she is told. She chooses the consequences because her will is made from iron. This could be a good thing – she may one day have a faith that is so strong and she will not be easily shaken or moved. I hope her stubbornness is shaped into a strong character. She has excellent leadership skills and qualities. She is quite bubbly and outgoing. She will talk to everyone and loves to have fun. She is easily excitable, and I often find her dancing like she needs to wee, but she doesn’t she says “I’m just excited!”
She says the funniest things, and I can’t remember them all, but usually it’s pointing out the obvious or telling the truth that we find so funny. Caitlin is also very intelligent. I’m not being biased either. She was reading before her third birthday. She now can read most words an 8 year old wouldn’t be able to read. She has great understanding as well of what she reads. She is always wanting to learn and I find trying to keep her stimulated enough quite difficult. I’ve started reading to her from a huge collection of Bible stories, which are quite indepth. If you ask her today why God made the air before everything else, she will tell you why. I bet a lot of you didn’t know that if there was no air, the rain that would fall would be like machine gun bullets being fired, and would destroy the earth! She knows that. We read it last night in her Bible books.
She is eagerly looking forward to “Big School” and can’t wait to be learning more and having lots more friends. She is also a very routined girl – and quite anal about it. Everything is done in order. If you dare mess that order up, she gets quite upset about it. We have probably created that rod , since we have always had a routine for the kids, so they knew what to expect and what was coming up. This is good because we don’t have to fight her to put her to bed, she knows that after teeth, prayers, cuddles, it’s bedtime. She’ll try to lag it out like all kids do! LOL
Mop is a very lovely little girl, and a real joy to me. I enjoy her fire and her passion. I love to see her laugh, and have a wonderful time. I love to hear her sing, and read to me and herself. I love to see her pictures that she draws and the notes that she writes. I burst with pride a lot at her accomplishments and the things that she knows. I love how she is planning to go to Uni – and she is 4 ½ years old. I love how she talks about growing up and having a pink Barbie car – now that’s MY girl!!

Church
I have been going to church ever since I was born. The first place I went when I was freshly out of hospital was church. Nowadays I am taking my kids to church and wondering how on earth Mum kept us quiet for so long. It’s tough going!!
Church takes up a huge chunk of our time. We go there Sunday’s, we have music practice on Tuesdays. We are the music directors there and are responsible for our music team. Thankfully we have a wonderful team behind us who are so supportive and helpful in every way they can be.
I also preach and lead the communion at times. I haven’t for a few months, obviously because I have been heavily pregnant and a new Mum. I hope I am on the next roster, because I really enjoy doing it.
Church is a place that is filled with family. There are strange old Aunties, stinky Uncles, favourite cousins, gentle Grannies, sweet Mum’s, practical and helpful Dad’s and brother’s that you can give a noogie too and they will tolerate it. When I step into our church, I know that we are going to have a wonderful rellie bash. People I know and love will be worshiping the same God as I do. Hearing the same message I do. Going in the same direction I will be going. It’s a great place to be.

Cooking
I love to do it. Always have, always will. I love to experiment with new dishes and try new flavours. My husband never complains about that!! I love having dinner parties and entertaining so I can try out a load of new dishes on them. I love cooking magazines, cooking websites, recipe books and anything to do with cooking. I love kitchen gadgets and appliances that make life easier in the kitchen.
I am in love with my food processor. It certainly was money well spent. I use it almost daily.
I suck at making cakes though, for some reason they just don’t work as well as they should. But I make a mean cheesecake!

Cleaning
I don’t particularly enjoy all aspects of this, but I do like to find ways to help make this job a lot easier. I started a website filled with some of my knowledge (still more to come) to help other people make their home neat and clean. www.domesticguru.com
I would love to be Australia’s version of “How Clean is Your House?” If any of my blog readers ever hear of an audition for this role, let me know!! I would be very happy going into other people’s homes to re-orgnaise, clean it out and make it a place they can relax in and be proud to have visitors come through.

Caravanning
My latest enjoyment in life. Caravanning. We have one now, and I love towing our little holiday home behind us to wherever we want. Our next holiday will be to Brisbane to see Bec and Nick and I can’t wait!!!
We have been all over Australia in our caravan and it has travelled many kms. My favourite thing to do in the caravan is in the middle of Australia, in the middle of dust, dirt, heat and flies – is to make a lovely lunch for my hungry family, and eat it in there – all you can hear are the flies on the outside, the wind, and the occasional passing semi-trailer. Bliss I tell you.

Coffee
I love it. My favourite type is Harrods Columbian coffee, I also like Nescafe Gold for instant coffee. I can’t stand any other instant. I love Gloria Jeans. I just love coffee. I try not to drink lots of it. Because I have been addicted once. Never again. Have you tried coming off a coffee addiction??

The Encyclopedia of Me.... a project.

Over the next few months I will be doing an A-Z of me - a project inspired by Jo. I think it speaks for itself, so no need to explain...

So here goes...

A

.. is for Ameliah
Ameliah is my third baby and my last baby. She is currently 4 weeks old. She was a surprise baby - I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but God knows - and he knew that we would fall madly in love for the third time with this sweet angel.

... is for Ally
Ally is my black and white feline. She dribbles when you pat her, she wipes her smelly ass on you when she gets up on your lap for a cuddle, she mooches you something shocking - and she is a dear sweet cat. She also has an attitude like a freakin princess - but she is a lovely little thing. We rescued her from being put down and adopted her into the family. She saunters around like she owns the world - and she really does own the world.

... is for Asthma
I have it. Not badly, but enough to drive me mental when I have a cold and other respitory conditions.

Happy New Year!!

Christmas and the New Year have been and gone. I'll give you the last week in December in bullet points and in a nutshell.

• Had a nice Christmas Eve with the inlaws. We went out for dinner to the Midway Tavern. Ameliah projectile vommitted all over me before we left when she was pooping. LOL
• Christmas morning we had a lovely relaxed breakfast then got the kids to open their presents.
• Elijah chucked a few wobblies because he was over Christmas before it even began!! LOL
• Mop had a wonderful time and enjoyed all her new things.
• Milly-Moo slept alot.
• Christmas lunch was with my family and it was just wonderful. Everyone loved the food and the set-up.
• Mop gashed her head open on the bedside table when she was spinning on her bed. Don't ask. She came out with a huge deep gash and I totally freaked. The waiting time at the hosptial was too long so we called a locum. For about half an hour I was shaking her alot, trying to keep her awake. In the end the locum did come, her sleepiness had worn off and he slapped a bandaid on and left. :S
• For the week after Christmas we went to Marion Bay for a mini-family holiday. My parents and my younger brother were there. It was a lovely week, despite the heat, the kids refusing to sleep and more injuries Mop had. (she really is a clutz this week!!)

Daz might be going overseas for work. It's a bit scary. A week or two on my own. It's such a wonderful opportunity for him and he would be crazy not to go, but I'll miss him. I will have to take up a few projects and work like mad on them so I don't crawl into a corner, wimper and curl up in the foetal position. LOL

New Years Resolutions are:

1. Lose 10kg by my 30th birthday. (21st December)
2. Go walking at least 3 times a week (either out of the house or on my strider)
3. Become Skipper again - take off my Mummy hat for an hour or so and go spend some time with my friends. Learn to socialise with adults once again!!
4. Really get into adding more info onto Domestic Guru - aim to get that e-book written.
5. Try 2 new recipes a week
6. Get on top of debt and stay in control of our finances
7. Stay on top of our home maintenance. (it would be good to finish our started projects)
8. Socialise more as a family.

Happy New Year everyone.

My clever child......

6 days old and she is smiling!!! No it's not wind, it's a true blue, dinky -di smile!!! She kind of smirked at me when she was born, but this is a real "we have a connection" smile.

Today we put on her very first cloth nappy. A very kind friend sent me a stack of them, along with all sorts of goodies, including a sling! The nappy does make her look a little bulky - but thats coz she is a skinny chicken!