Gotta get a life...

I have learnt a valuable lesson about sending emails. Once you press that button to send one, it's gone and you cannot grab it back and change a word... yeah, I know this is obvious but I sure wished I could have done that last night when I inadvertently forwarded on a personal message that was just for me, to most members of my family. In the clear light of morning I hoped my sister would see the funny side of things and luckily for me, she did. I count myself very lucky that I am not in one of those dysfunctional families where grown adults send each other to Coventry like sulky pre-teens over silly misunderstandings or foolish mistakes. I know of several families like this and I can't understand them at all! Sure, we hurt the ones we love more than anyone else, but the power to forgive is a wonderful thing and who better to practise this skill on but our own flesh and blood?

OK, enough preaching! Last night I found myself watching 'Trading Spouses' on TV and I couldn't tear myself away! The Americans can really do it can't they. Two wives, with EXTREMELY opposite lifestyles were uprooted and swapped over for two weeks or so and boy was it weird to watch. These shows are so voyeuristic but if that's your bag you would have loved last night's viewing. [I've never watched it before, honest!] One woman was a hypnotherapist New Age spiritual-type person from Boston, and the other was a larger-than-life Louisianian OTT Christian-type who prayed aloud constantly and dry-retched violently over imagined smells and had 'bad feelings' about almost everything her new family did and said! She had to call on every member of the Deity and waddle away as fast as she could when brought into the presence of a confused psychic [?]. Wacko. Must tune in next week for the next exciting instalment. No, I mean it!

itch itch scratch

So I'm sitting here feeling so itchy I could scratch...but I don't cos that makes it worse! My mum-in-law suggested today I should cut back on supplements so I will stop taking Fish Oil capsules and multi-vites and see if it helps. I've never been allergic to anything so this is mega-frustrating. I should NOT be developing allergies in my mid-30s!!!!!

Here's Bella with her Bratz drink bottle, wearing jeans and sneakers [for the first time in her life!] and looking scarily grownup I reckon. She loved stomping around the house in these sneakers [hand-me-downs from a friend] and didn't want to take them off at bath-time even. She normally wears sandals or soft leather-soled shoes, so this is a big step-up for her.

I just love watching Bella and Lockie puddling around the house and just doing their thang - I am so lucky that I only work a few hours a week. I just don't know how those full-time working mums do it! When I think back to when Lockie was the same as age as Bella, I really don't remember much, so I am soaking the memories of Bella now deep into my brain - and taking lots of photos and a bit of video footage for luck. Hope it works, this childhood/babyhood thing is so fleeting really.

Really tired now...

Too tired to bother with a photo even. Yesterday I finally succumbed to the germs flying around our house and am now suffering a fully-fledged and disgusting common cold. Am feeling really grotty and exhausted - and today just seemed to drag on and on... brilliant sunny bright day and I certainly felt only like curling up in a ball and sleeping it away. Of course, with two kids to care for this just didn't happen. I nearly got a midday nap but Bella decided she would only take 1 hour herself, instead of her usual 2 hours, so that idea got stymied.

It was the perfect day to go see the 'Goldilocks' play outdoors at Khandallah Park this afternoon, but we didn't get there. A shame as I have been told it's great, and even interactive for the kiddywinkles. Not that Lockie has been into that kind of thing in the past but he's a big boy now. He came home on Friday with a special 'kapai' certificate that he had received in assembly at school, for 'trying hard at everything he does'. His teacher had mentioned that morning he would be getting it, and said he is a model student and very attentive. Chest swelled with pride at that comment! Bless his cotton socks I say.

Have been sorting loads more stuff for selling on TradeMe but have grown tired of loading them onto the website, and have stopped at 20 items [kids' clothes, and books], and have decided I may attempt to sell the rest of the clothes at the Ngaio Plunket Sale, which is coming up next month. I made about $50 at the sale last year and am sure I can do better this year. It's a great concept - I label the clothes with my price, and a code specific to me, and they sell on my behalf and a small percentage of the sales goes to Plunket. Then later I go collect my cheque and any items that didn't sell. So I don't even have to be there on the day, although there are so many bargains to be had that I'll be there for sure.

Yawn, now it is time to go to bed - alone, as Fraz is out gigging tonight. He better not wake me when he comes home in the middle of the night... Maybe if I wasn't still breastfeeding I could take some drugs for my fuggy head and actually feel better [or not I s'pose - those Codral-type drugs make my mouth horribly dry, from distant memory].

Teletubby Crazy

Yes, Bella is nuts over those stupid Teletubbies. OK, she didn't buy this t-shirt, so I do indulge her in this obsession - 'feed it' if you will. Anyway, she's pretty happy as you can see by the photo. She has not seen them on TV yet, but has a stuffed Tinky Winky that talks, and a few books. They are soooo mindless and don't even speak proper English... what is the attraction I wonder? "Eh-oh! What's that? Oooohhhh".

It seems that I am NOT tasty to insects, at least not as much as I thought. I am still suffering from red itchy welts, mainly on my legs, but now have decided that they are actually HIVES, which I have never had before and could definitely do without. Sooooooooo itchy!! Forked out for some anti-itch cream at the pharmacy which does a feeble job really, but better than nothing. Am scratching my head over the cause though. Presumably it's something I'm eating, but dunno what... On advice of a friend I am off tomatoes and strawberries. Anyone got any other ideas?? Am keen to get a solution to the cause as they are pretty unsightly as well as being damned itchy. They are still popping up at a rate of 2 - 3 every day...

Lockie brought home a box of fundraiser Cadbury chocolate bars from school yesterday. Last year we got two boxes and am pretty sure we polished off most of the bars ourselves. Fraz took the box to work today [minus only 2 from last night!] so hopefully he can persuade the boys there to buy some of it. I would have taken a bunch of choccy to work today but once more cannot go as the caregiver's child has conjunctivitis so Bella can't go there. My kids [touch wood] have never had this affliction and it sure sounds yucky. Bella is still a bit snotty anyway, so it's best she doesn't spread those bugs around. Keep it in the family I say - Fraz and Lockie are sniffling a bit so good on ya Bell for sharing! 

Good News, Bad News

I've had loads of compliments on my weight-loss efforts since school started back this week, and I've caught up with lots of the other mums from school. This is very heartening and made me realise that I can feel motivated to continue when my efforts are validated by others...oh dear, shows how affected I am by my peers' opinions, even at my age... Not that I feel that old of course.

On another subject, I have recently suffered from 4 [yes, that's right, 4] mouth ulcers at the same time. Three of them were in the front of my mouth, below my lower incisors, and they caused exquisite agony whenever I talked, ate, brushed my teeth, kissed or smiled! They seemed to last for far too long - about 10 days - and I even contemplated going to the doctor, but at $62 a visit I decided to suffer [and moan about it] instead. I would have to be near death to justify spending that much money on a doctor's appointment. [Thank you Dad for your offer of help - they're all better now]. Thank goodness the kids only cost around $12. I suppose I do go to the doc about once a year - but only with a long list of complaints, so I feel I am getting my money's worth. I'm not being a miser [really!] but we just can't afford this 'luxury' on a regular basis.

My other whinge today would be about the 22 itchy bites I have somehow sustained over my lower body recently - including a cluster of 12 in the small of my back. I'm a bit concerned that the cat's brought some fleas into the house, but no-one else has bites so maybe I'm just really tasty. A friend has suggested applying some roll-on deodorant to ease the itch, something to do with the aluminium content. I can tell you all it doesn't seem to be working - maybe Rexona is not the right brand...any more bright ideas out there??

Bella is enjoying our twice-daily visits to school. She roams around the classroom in the mornings and today we inadvertently started a impromptu orchestra 5 minutes before the bell rang for the start of school - Bella found the box full of musical instruments and soon other kids drifted over and there were woodblocks tapping, tambourines jangling and triangles tinkling away - we actually missed the school bell ringing with all the racket we were making. Oops, I may get labelled as a troublemaker [for once in my life] even yet.

Oh my hair!

Just had to post this photo of Bella in the bath - her expression is so damned cute! Her hair is really curly when freshly washed [necessary every day], but soon straightens out once she jams a hat on it... 

Sun sun sun

Here is Lockie under the brolly on the corner of Cuba and Manners Malls, downtown Wellington. He and I had just seen 'Chicken Little' at the movies [both loved it], and were heading over to Frank Kitts Park for some Waitangi Day festivities. We were almost there when Lockie spotted some pedal boats for hire in the lagoon next to the park so, after I dragged him over to see one song performed on the stage [huge appreciative crowd], we had to backtrack and indulge the birthday boy with a boat ride - I had to do most of the pedalling though, as Lock's legs were just a midge too short. Then we just had to have a big gorgeous ice cream [yay for Kaffee Eis!!] before heading home. As we drove along the quays towards Central Railway Station I spotted Frazer and Bella at an intersection!! Swerved across two lanes into a handy dandy parking space, yelled out the window to get their attention, and we joined them for a stroll along the wharf. Pretty cool and windy by then [for a change!], so we all trooped home. Shit hit the fan soon after, with Lockie and Frazer's play-fighting taking a turn for the worse - Fraz was bitten very hard on the arm, and he in turn combed Lockie's hair 'too roughly!!' which caused tears and tantrums... OMG, how silly can one family be... Lockie managed to wipe his tears away to eat some birthday cake, but was in a fine grinch of a mood for the rest of the evening. He complained: 'no-one loves me' and 'this is the worst day of my life', to which no response was acceptable to his majesty! Talk about drama queen - definitely from my side of the family, but it must have skipped a generation, because I'm not like that!!!?!?!

Anyway, today he is back at school, after 7 weeks of long, mostly-hot summer, and it feels peaceful yet weird to not have him here. I miss the little blighter! Two big parcels arrived from Australia and England today, so that should help to persuade him to walk home from school - it's such a lovely day I don't want to be stuck in a hot car. He went happily into his new classroom and barely waved goodbye - unlike one kid who ran out of the classroom screaming for his Dad, begging him to take him home! Quite distressing to watch - bit of a lump in the throat for me, but his dad was embarrassed for all the mums to see that performance.  

Waitangi Day tears

'Celebrate NZ' this plum tells me...a freebie at the supermarket this morning, when I was doing an emergency stop for nappies, with Bella, who was wearing her last one. She is crying in this photo because I wouldn't let her have the plum until the picture was taken. Aint I mean. Now it bears several teeth marks, but has since been discarded by the young madam...

Today is officially Lockie's 6th birthday, and it has started well - he is zooming around the house on his new scooter very happily - Bella beware as he can't use the brake yet. I am soon putting her down for a nap and then Locks and I will zip into the city for lunch and a movie, and later Fraz and Bell will train in and meet us at Oriental Bay. Better bloody be sunny, grrrr, unpredictable summer weather...

Anyway, Happy Waitangi Day, Happy Birthday Bob Marley and most of all, Happy Birthday Lockie!!!!! [Although he wasn't actually born until 6:25pm, so I tell him he's not 6 quite yet. This is greeted with typical disdain, as I would only expect from him.] 

Birthday Excitement

This morning we celebrated Lockie's 6th birthday with a party for him, his baby sis and 9 little friends, at Lollipops Playland. It was a great success and we parents sat around after the feast was consumed, nibbling on the crumbs they left, and saying how great it was that they could all run around and play without constant adult supervision. Aaaahhh. And there was even a girl [pictured with the kids] who looked after the morning tea and refilled their cups with Sprite and offered more food, etc. Felt almost luxurious! Bella sat in her chair long after the others had rushed off to play some more, nibbling cheeseballs [yucky fake things - she loved them!], and popcorn and sipping milk. After she had had enough, one of the mums followed her around so I had a relaxing time of it. A bit later Lockie opened his presents - DVDs and Bionicles featured strongly there, and we divvied up the cake to take home, and the loot bags - which Lockie made himself very proudly. By this point, Bella was yelling blue murder and Nana was wrestling with her, trying hard to distract her while I loaded the car boot with Lockie's haul of pressies. Paid the bill and left - whew - dropping off one of Lockie's mates on the way home, and now we are RESTING. We need to do this because there is another party that starts in - oh dear - 15 minutes - better hurry - for Lockie's friend Tom, who is also turning 6. [Tom also attended Lockie's party so those two will be STUFFED tonight I bet.] I will have to go wake Bella to get going real soon and she will NOT be impressed...