Monday already?

What a gorgeous sunny weekend we have had. Now it's Monday again. They keep on happening. But so far so good - Lockie was on best behaviour this morning - he is trying to earn a new book which I have promised him at the end of the week, providing he is good that long! I'm kinda hoping he'll realise that being good has its own rewards e.g. happy Mummy, calm atmosphere at home, more cuddles and less shouting, etc. We'll see anyway... I am prepared for setbacks along the way.

Last week Lockie had his first swimming lesson and all went errr... swimmingly! Bella was interested at the goings-on in the pool too, although not enough to want to get in, which was, for once, a good thing. We are all looking forward to tomorrow's lesson.

Bella had her own 'first' class too - she is a 'Dancing Dot' on a Friday now. It was so cute to see her Incy Wincy Spider-ing and banging drums to a rhythm and shaking shakers, etc. Of the 6 kids her age there, she is the smallest, and [in my humble opinion] the most bold, and naturally musical. Of course, all Mums think this way so never mind me. I was really proud of her though and feel I have her childcare centre to thank for her ability to follow instructions when it comes to action songs. She can fool people who see her small stature and think she is much younger and therefore less capable.

Today at our playgroup I met a man who has bought a house in our neighbourhood and moves in soon. He has a one-year-old son, and his wife works full-time. He's a Brit [there's loads of them at playgroup], and we have several mutual [English] friends. His son has just started to walk and was toddling around the room and landing on his bum frequently. When he ventured near Bella I noticed that they are the same height! We are sorry our old neighbours are moving out but it'll be nice to have fresh faces in our street, even tall people. [I have nothing against tall people and sometimes I put on tall boots and join them!!]

Yawn... another early start for me, so am tempted to have a wee lie-down while Bella is napping. Why not.

Spooky stuff

I have been devouring a book these past few days that I wanted to blog about...it's called "Don't Kiss Them Goodbye" by Allison DuBois. [I think the title alludes to the idea that one doesn't need to say goodbye to a dying loved one - so much as 'until we meet again'.] It is the true story of the woman who inspired the TV series 'MEDIUM'. A fascinating read. This book was published in 2004 and she has recently published a second book [not sure of the title].

I like the thought of my Mum and grandparents dropping by to visit me and my family [invisibly]. It really makes me smile. I no longer think aloud 'I wish Mum was here to see the way Lockie is so smart and Bella is so funny' - I am convinced she can see them as clearly as I can. It would be fascinating to be psychic or 'mediumistic', but possibly over-rated - like those people who say they'd love to have a twin - if they actually had one they may not feel that way. What am I saying - there's nothing better than having a twin!!!! Being able to see dead people would have its fair share of stress though...

Alligator Wrestling anyone?

I had a weird dream this morning - right before the alarm woke me up. It involved me bravely wrestling with an alligator while my sis [Meg] hurried my kids to safety. I've been trying to 'interpret' it ever since. Maybe I have found a new inner strength, or my sessions at the gym have inflated my ego along with my muscles...who knows. It was pretty cool anyway. Just can't figure out why I was wearing yellow rubber gloves at the time though.

This morning I realised that the swimming togs I had bought in summer had never seen light, so, once it was confirmed that Lockie's soccer was cancelled [boggy pitch probably], I took him to the Karori Pool instead. It was pleasant and Lockie had fun as always. He starts 'water confidence' classes in a couple of days at our local pool and has mixed feelings towards the idea. He's never had swimming lessons before and is unsure of how much fun they'll be. His friend is joining him at the lessons so I'm sure it will be fine. I think the classes are kept small - only 5 kids at a time.

Ramblings of a Crazy Mother

Bella loves to call me 'crazy mama' these days. Not sure how that started. Kids are intuitive though, and she hasn't learned to lie yet...

Well, the school holidays are almost over and I feel I may have let Lockie down a bit. I'm not one of those Mums who are endlessly creative with entertaining their kids. I do kinda leave the creativity to Lockie - and he is a creative and imaginative kid generally. Only, I have let him watch a bit much telly [he's a Pokemon fan now, much to my horror], and let him play a few too many computer games too. The weather has been awful, Bella has a chest infection so my promises of a trip to the pool were nixed, and I've just not been in the mood to be 'fun'! I guess I 'must try harder'...maybe next school hol's will be better.

Fraz's Granddad passed away last week, on the morning our 'family holiday' was scheduled to start. We don't normally go away all together and it turned out this time would be no exception to this rule. Fraz decided to stay home, with Lockie, and Bella and I skipped up the line to Wanganui, with a delay on the way of a night at Foxton Beach [thanks Ju!!!] as the road was closed at Whangaehu due to flooding. We only stayed a couple of nights at my Dad's but it was restful and had me resolved to return again soon. Bella seemed to enjoy having my full attention too.

Then it was back to Wellington, in time for Granddad's funeral. A short, but emotional service. It was sweet to see a number of the caregivers from his resthome there too. I guess that can be a tough job and they might get attached to the oldies and be saddened when they pass. Resthomes have had a bad rap lately so it's good to see there are still good people in these places.

I rather like the look of the Malvina Major Retirement Village here in Johnsonville actually. They are extending it at the mo, with a spa, sauna, gym, theatre, etc, being built. Not that I need to worry about it for another 40 - 50 years! Ha ha!

Lockie has just informed me that 'blue-ringed octopuses are deadly', a fact I was unaware of previously. So it's true, your kids can teach you things.