TWINVUE

Whirlwind Week

2011-10-29T12:02:00.000+13:00

Reflecting on the week that's been...SATURDAY was so much fun - I drove the kids to Himatangi Beach to meet up with two wonderful friends who came up from Wellington for the long weekend to stay at a bach. We bbq-ed, drank wine and reminisced for hours and it was great! SUNDAY was the day that the All Blacks became the 2011 Rugby World Cup Champions Of The World by a mere point against the mighty French, which will go down in NZ history. MONDAY was a public holiday to celebrate [actually it was Labour Day anyway] and Auckland held a parade in honour of our boys in black, with over 100,000 attending. TUESDAY I had a job interview [fingers crossed!] and Fraz headed over to Palmerston North for his cousin's funeral [age 65,cancer]. WEDNESDAY I attended a funeral too, for dear old Jojo, aged 98, who was my grandmother's best friend and neighbour for most of her life. A gentle reflection of a wonderful life. That evening Erin and I held our Ballentynes Summer Fashion Show fundraising event for Cystic Fibrosis at a local church hall and raised several hundred dollars for the welfare of our branch members. Such a fun night that was months in the making. THURSDAY was a housework type of day, with Bella's school PTA meeting in the arvo, for the school gala on 5 Nov - I have put myself in charge of organising media attention. FRIDAY the heavens opened and I attended another funeral for Mo, aged 43, who lingered in a coma for 10 days after a car crash and finally succumbed to his injuries, leaving behind his 12 year old daughter, Grace, whose sweet words at the funeral had us reaching for the tissues. A huge funeral for a much loved man.

Today is SATURDAY again and I have slept in, read a book for ages in bed, had my porridge at 11am, and have yet to get dressed for the day, which is shaping up to be a beauty. My Dad is taking the kids beach-combing later when the tide is going out, which they are looking forward to and then I'll feed them all dinner at our house, after hosing the sand off them in the backyard! Yay for weekends!!! [Sure hope next week is a tad quieter...]

Day trippers

2011-10-19T22:48:00.003+13:00

These images are from a recent day out at the Tawhiti Museum in Taranaki. It is the best private museum in the country. The family went for a day trip and spent a few hours perusing the awesome displays of farm equipment, and historical events - Maori land wars was a fascinating display. The life-sized models were just as impressive as the many miniature scale models. We even went on the 'underground' boat and became a part of the 1800's era in NZ of traders and whalers. Very realistic! I learned a lot and we all really enjoyed it. This was a part of Bella's birthday, albeit a week beyond the date.

Fame for Wanganui

2011-10-14T13:07:00.003+13:00

This morning I took Bella along to join a group of her schoolmates from Carlton School, to visit 27 Carlton Ave, which is now famous for its innovative and bright Rugby World Cup 2011 decorations. An Auckland ad agency wanted a photo of the kids for an ANZ bank advertising campaign that will begin after the RWC is over. It will feature on billboards at Auckland and Wellington airports and on ANZ bank windows all over the country. This photo is my own, but the real thing may be similar. Bella is standing in the middle, right beside the silver fern.

I emailed this pic and details to the River City Press so it will feature in that paper next week :)

Bella turns 7

2011-10-11T13:24:00.004+13:00

Bella turned 7 today, at precisely 1:10pm, if we want to be exact. Big ups to Aunty Meg who was there at the birth, and my two midwives. Fraz and Lockie arrived a little late, but Bella and I were both in better form at that point so no worries :)

Today my little sweetie was up bright and early - 5:40am [!] - but was happy to go back to bed for a while and at 7am she got her pressies and her parents' attention. Lockie gave her a present a bit later, and all morning she's been getting mail with more presents - thanks Aunties Meg and Jess!! We've had a home movie theatre experience, and the kids have climbed the giant tree in the front yard, although Bella had to be rescued which put paid to that game ;) The cake has been iced and decorated with love and lollies so we will have that particular ceremony soon. Happy Birthday!!!!!

girls' day

2011-09-18T00:16:00.003+12:00

Busy day for young Bella and me - we saw Lockie off on a day trip with the tramping club and then we headed off to town for some stuff - she got her face painted in an ocean scene and we hung out at a local event that produced a large piece of artwork, made up of 100 paintings by 100 local artists, who painted through the day to complete it by late afternoon. Cool to see it all happening.

BTW we are very proud to be hosting the Rugby World Cup 2011 in NZ, hence the flag in the living room window ;) Our city is hosting the USA team so there are American flags flying all over town.

Cystic Fibrosis Chairpersons' Conference NZ 2011

2011-09-16T18:43:00.004+12:00

The beautiful alpine village of Hanmer Springs, in the South Island of New Zealand. Ski fields nearby, plus a large and popular thermal pool complex, great restaurants and cafes, scenic walks, mountain-biking, bungy jumping, etc - great for our conference but I am keen to take our family back here over summer for a more relaxing time. So much I have yet to see here :)

I Am Crap...

2011-09-15T23:54:00.003+12:00

at this blogging thang! No, REALLY crap. Try forgetting I had a blog for 2 years kind-of-crap. Damn you Facebook!!!

Right, changing subject now, here is a pic of me with my great friend Erin, who has Cystic Fibrosis and had a double lung transplant 18mths ago and really rocks! We are at Christchurch Airport, waiting to catch a flight home to Wanganui, after a weekend away in Hanmer Springs [gorgeous!] for CF Chairpersons' Conference 2011. Erin is our branch's Chairperson and I am the Secretary :)

Highlight of that weekend away for me, was the thermal pools, and also the lovely hotel we stayed in and conferenced in.

A Special Birthday

2009-09-04T17:06:00.004+12:00

My twin sis Meg came over from Sydney recently especially to travel with me to our hometown to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of our oldest school friends, Erin.
Erin has CF too, and looks bloody amazing for a lass on the lung transplant waiting list! In fact, during her party, as she sat surrounded by family and friends, she got the call to say new lungs were waiting for her in Auckland! There were many tears shed amid the great excitement - not a party I will ever forget. With her entourage and husband, Erin later went to the airport and was on the plane for Auckland, but before it took off another call came to say the lungs were damaged so the transplant was off - wow - more tears but Erin remained upbeat and completely inspirational. She headed back to the party and we saw her again the next morning for a BBQ at her bro's house. Go Erin - you rock!!!

mucking around at Makara

2009-08-09T20:59:00.002+12:00

On a whim I took the kids to Makara Beach yesterday. It is really on our back door step - only 15 minutes away by car, but in a direction we rarely go! After a winding rural drive along narrow roads, we arrived to find many others with the same idea. No matter; plenty of rugged coastline and rockpools to explore, enough for everybody. We spent more than two hours pottering about [and climbing large rocks!] until we got tired and headed home. A highlight for the kids was finding a driftwood shelter someone had made on the beach, and 3 small carved pumice heads within. Rather intriguing that someone went to the trouble of carving them and then left them half-buried in the sand...

I love our outings - Wellington has so much to offer like this!

5 Days lost in hospital

2009-07-24T18:51:00.003+12:00

Lockie - awoken by me taking his photo as he lay dozing in his bed in the Children's Ward following admission for a partial bowel obstruction. Good timing [well sort of] as this all took place during the second week of the school holidays - less to cancel and work around as we juggled being there in the hospital with Lockie, and being at home for Bella.

Needless to say, Fraz and I only glimpsed each other briefly, in passing, during this time but we both pulled together when it counted and got through it. Lockie was in for 5 days [one of us stayed in each night beside him], and when he was 'going' again he bounced back quickly and we were out of there as fast as possible ;) During his stay he had a nasogastric tube fitted, and IV fluids to keep him going - nil by mouth for 4 days! The medical staff still can't decide the true cause of this problem so they gave us a BIG bottle of Lactulose to keep him going regularly and minimise blockages in the future - sorry if this grosses you out, reader!! All part of the fun of being the parent of a child with cf... Lockie was out in time for the new term of school and several days later it's all a distant memory. One good thing to come of it is that I intend to become a Volunteer to man the Ronald McDonald Family Room at the hospital - a wonderful peaceful haven for parents and family members of sick kids in the wards, where they can go for coffee and food, a shower, a nap, or a rest in a quiet atmosphere, away from the bleeping and constant noise of the wards.

when the sun won't shine...

2009-07-10T22:27:00.003+12:00

Week one of the two-week school holidays is nearly over. We didn't care that the forecast sun never showed up, we were sick of sitting around the house so after lunch we ventured out and drove to the Botanical Gardens, Wellington, NZ. For the next 3 hours we wandered around the entire Gardens - although there were plenty of paths we chose to leave for next time. The kids loved exploring and posed for numerous photos very patiently! It sure beat watching dvds at home with the heater on and despite the 11 degrees outdoors we didn't feel the cold at all - it helps that the Gardens are very very hilly ;)
Hopefully my cherubs will sleep well tonight! [Have been invited to 2 birthday parties tomorrow - on top of two we went to a few days ago!]

Who's up for a party?

2009-07-05T10:11:00.002+12:00

They may be smiling sweetly in this photo but my two darlings are normally busy annoying the c**p out of each other! And the next two weeks of school holidays are looming... Bella has been invited to 4 birthday parties of friends turning 5. Lockie is able to come along to two of them, which helped placate him as he was quite jealous!

The weather is a bit gloomy - we have forgotten what a sunny day looks like :( And it's quite cold, but you get that with Winter. I am planning to apply draught-stripping to the back door and bedroom windows today. And maybe do some baking - that's one way to warm the kitchen anyway. Boy is my life a bundle of laughs!!!

Budding Ballerina

2009-06-08T21:02:00.003+12:00

At 4 1/2 years of age, Bella is very much into dancing so I started her off with ballet classes, four weeks ago and she just LOVES it. It helps that she goes to 'Fairy Ballet' and there is a lot of talk about fairies and the occasional brandishing of wands and wearing of fairy wings :)

In this picture she is wearing her ballet outfit for the first time as it took me a while to get organised and get all the various bits and pieces. As a kid I never thought much of dance as a discipline but even now I love to dance for hours [under the influence mainly] whenever I get the chance.

Lockie is understandably unimpressed with the attention she gets when she shows us the steps she has learned - the mums are discouraged from watching the class although I do peek when I can.

It is all so innocent and sweet, in a world where this is increasingly rare.

What happened to 2008?

2009-05-20T23:02:00.004+12:00

Oops! It seems that I got a bit side-tracked in 2008 - damn you Bebo and double damn you Facebook!! Anyway, I have been inspired to jump back on the Blogger bandwagon by a friend [Kitchen 37B], whose lovely blog really touched me :)

Here are my lovely family whom I love to pieces, and who continue to enlighten me, frustrate me, delight me and surprise me. I took this pic on my husband's birthday at breakfast time.

I wonder if anyone remembers I am here? Who will read this... what will I write about to keep it interesting? Will now go sleep on it.

Happy families

2007-12-31T17:29:00.000+13:00

Well, we all survived another Christmas and it was SO MUCH FUN having my two sisters, my bro and my Dad there to share it with us. And surprisingly stress-free! The food and drink were abundant, the conversation and laughter flowed and plenty of happy memories created. Also, we all took loads of photos to remind us of this rare time spent together.

In this picture, taken yesterday, we had taken a train into the city and walked along the sunny waterfront before heading into the city for lunch and then, on a whim, we went to the movies together. Bella had never been to the movies but was really really good and we all enjoyed the Bee Movie. Then we had ice creams and walked back to the Railway Station, stopping at Frank Kitts Park for a slide and a swing, etc. We had missed the train so opted for a bus back home - although it was at this point that Bella got a bit screamy/tantrumy in the bus and deafened everybody thoroughly as she became more and more hysterical, until we finally got back to Johnsonville - the longest 10 minute journey I've endured in a while! It was getting late and she was just really tired after a full-on day I think, but the other passengers probably didn't appreciate that...

Hanging in there...

2007-12-21T11:11:00.000+13:00

I am starting to feel the strain! B***** power company is breathing down our necks just cos we are a teensy bit late with our bill - and at Christmas too - have they no Christmas spirit?? Stressful. Trying not to think about it too much. Much more fun things to be done! Have wrapped oodles of pressies for under the tree, baked gingerbread and shortbread stars and christmas tree bikkies, and checked with Santa that he will be bringing stockings-full of goodies for the kids.

We are set! My twin sis arrives late tonight, and my brother and Dad arrive Sunday, followed by another sis flying in from London on Christmas Eve - it's gonna be O for Awesome!!!!

If the worst comes to the worst, we will still have our gas bbq to fall back on in case of power blackout...

Oh yeah, big earthquake up Gisborne way last night. Only felt the smallest of tremors here in Welly and in fact, barely noticed it and wouldn't have known it was an earthquake at all if I hadn't seen it on the news and made the connection between the tinkling sound I heard [probably light fittings shaking] and the timing of it. I hear that 15 people had minor injuries and one old woman died of a heart attack soon after. Loads of damage to property though. Need to think about updating our Earthquake Kit. Can never decide quite where to store it - in the garage which is UNDER the house, or in the house itself...hmmm.

Watch out!!

2007-12-15T13:31:00.000+13:00

Have you ever come across anything that puts such heebie jeebies in you that every tiny hair on your body stands on end... like this fine example of NZ wildlife which confronted me in the kitchen recently, to my horror. The New Zealand weta looks rather menacing - check out those waving spiky legs and the LARGE stinger thingy... but I do believe they are relatively harmless. I didn't ask it though - I just removed it as quickly as poss to the great outdoors where it belonged, and managed [very bravely I thought] not to scream loud enough to alarm the kids who were playing outside and remained oblivious to my distress - or indeed the distress of the poor weta. Once removed, I calmed down and reflected on where it may have come from, as I had been doing stuff in the kitchen for ages before I noticed it, bold as brass, on the stove top, possibly with its front leg stuck in the element.

Oooh, I am sitting here shuddering about it still, and this happened 5 days ago! What a wuss I am :)

How to Spend A Summer's Day

2007-12-11T21:22:00.000+13:00

Bella was delighted when I stopped at a local park for a play today. She has the urge to be spun around til she can't walk straight on a regular basis!
We love our 'Mummy and Bella' Days and she's the ideal companion for shopping and cafe breaks! We met our new neighbours at the park today and we were shocked to see the mess that the toddler area was in - clearly some local high school kids had trashed their school text books and spread them everywhere, along with a whole lot of other rubbish... I actually gathered some of it up, including the parts of the books with school library barcodes on them, and returned them to the high school and even showed the office staff photos of the awful mess... call me a busybody but I was really
pissed off. Not fair for the little kids to have to play around such garbage.

Anyway, enough of my ranting. We had a lovely day today generally. Time now for the final episode of the latest series of my fave homegrown TV show: Outrageous Fortune.

2007-12-09T22:26:00.000+13:00

Whew!! So hot today. The hottest this summer so far I reckon [considering Summer officially started a week ago!] I think we got to around 27 degrees Celsius. Anyway, as usual being Sunday, we headed to the beach, only the car trip was pretty roasty and it took a paddle in the sea to cool us down - a rather icy cold sea too, although that didn't deter the surfers today. Fraz had to work today but we didn't really notice his absence as he usually just naps in the car or on the beach anyway! On the way home, eating ice creams, the kids and I decided we would try out some other beaches on our Sundays in the future, like Hataitai Beach, and Balaena Bay, both spotted on our way home from Kilbirnie, via Oriental Bay. Roll on summer daze!!

Busy week ahead, with our cars booked in for warrants, etc - I feel like they are sitting exams and hold my breath that they will pass without it costing us an arm and a leg! Especially this close to Chrissy...wish me luck!

'Old MacDonald Had A Farm...'

2007-12-08T10:53:00.000+13:00

Last week 'Old MacDonald's Farm' came to Bella's Monday morning playgroup! There is a small grassy driveway outside the door and they tied up several small goats, a miniature horse, a lamb, a small pig and an aloof alpaca, and inside they had some rabbits and a chicken. I'm sure lots of the small kids had never seen animals such as these, in the flesh, and there was great excitement. Bella loved the 'big horsie' [about 4 feet tall!] called Dusty Rose, and we helped feed milk to the goats and pig. We really like this playgroup, it's the best in our area I reckon and is very popular, yet never too full that people are turned away. I know loads of the parents who bring their kids there and try to meet a new one each week too. [And at a mere 50cents a week, it's completely affordable!]

Lockie was writing something after breakfast this morning and I sneaked a peek at it later - it was a Christmas wish list and all I could see were the $$$ signs!!! Oh boy. Bella's wishes are a lot simpler - she really wants a blue ball. Yesterday, on a girls' day out [ie shopping and lunch at a mall], we visited the mall Santa, and he spent several minutes chatting to her [despite a restless queue] about eating her veges each night and having Mum report back to Santa that she was being good! She took all this on board, and last night ate several more veges than usual. Thanks Santa!!! If only that logic would work on Lockie...

Christmas is coming...

2007-12-04T14:32:00.000+13:00

Oops...have been a very slack blogger... have switched my allegiance to Facebook and Bebo and BADLY neglected my blog [again]. C'est la vie.

Here are my crazy yet cute kids, posing by our newly erected Christmas tree. We defied our family tradition of not doing things too early and actually put our tree up on 1st December. Shock, horror. So, here we are, 3 days later and it has only been tipped over once. My fault for balancing it precariously on a small table I guess. Sure gave Bella a nasty surprise - no-one else was in the room and we can only guess as to what she was doing when it fell, just missing her. Her screams had me going for a minute - I thought she was underneath it and then realised she was under the dining table, hiding. Anyway, no harm done and it sits on the floor now :)

This morning my friends' gorgeous burmese kitten was the victim of a hit and run outside their home. RIP tiny Tosh - you were the cutest and cuddliest kitten ever. Brought back memories of Hemi and his demise six months ago. We were really distraught at his loss and he was kinda old. Still, you do get quite attached to family pets that have been around 10+ years.

I am so excited about all the family who are making their way to Wellington to be with us this Christmas! The consumerism is annoying to say the least and the kids are easily sucked into it all but what better excuse to get the family together, right? Christmas rules!!!!!

Blogging along...

2007-08-10T09:58:00.000+12:00

This week scooted by too fast! There has been coughs and sniffles to medicate and nurture, life insurance to sort out, end-of-winter sales shopping to do, work, school, daycare, blah blah blah... All good in the end :)

Bella's toilet training is continuing and she is going well, although 'number twos' are still a minor issue [I refuse to make them a Major Issue!] as she prefers to just go in her overnight nappy or her undies... hmmm. Yucky. Unfortunately she doesn't think it's as yucky as I do!

Stormy weather approaching this weekend so we will be hunkering down and staying in mostly. Brrrr.

And Lord Lucan most definitely does not live in Marton, NZ! That's just a stupid prank by a disgruntled neighbour who has been sparring with some poor old guy for years. He's not even the same age or height - yet TV and newspapers have made a field day of the story. Hahaha. Good for a laugh I s'pose.

Friends and fun

2007-08-03T12:45:00.000+12:00

Well, I met up with a few ex-classmates [from 25 years ago] this week, for drinks at a bar in town after work. This was an interesting venture, but just when I was warming up to it I had to scoot over to the movies to meet a friend who had free tickets to 'Because I Said So' [Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore] and needed me to come with her. A fun feel-good girly flick. We were given free perfume samples and choccy pud on the way in too! Can't complain about that... and Fraz certainly didn't when I bravely gave him the pud when I got home, despite having only consumed beer and popcorn since lunchtime and being ravenously hungry. I broke out a frozen packet dinner and it was utter crap. Sigh. If only I was the organised sort with a freezer full of meals ready to be heated and eaten... hahaha.

This morning I had some of my old PIN [Plunket In the Neighbourhood] Group over for a play. Two mums and 4 kids came and we had a lovely time. Bella proved very good at sharing with so many kids [she often surprises me] but things started getting a little hairy closer to lunchtime and a few tears later, they left. Two of the kids are identical twins, who are only two days younger than B. She tends to call them the 'pink one' and the 'blue one' [depending on their clothing of course] - and I too have trouble telling them apart.

Toilet training is going well, with only one or two accidents per day. A bit stressful for me though, having to remember to plonk Bells on the loo every hour and planning outings carefully too - short and sweet as she is not keen on public toilets. She'll be right, mate.

After school today we are having more friends over to play. I hope Bella survives more kids rifling through her possessions again! She is waking in the night regularly at 3am, crying and talking about 'bad dreams', and then she's up bright as a button at 6:15am... oh boy. Can't wait for a newer [and easier] sleep pattern to develop, as it invariably will :) Anyway, by late afternoon she can be a bit wilt-y and weary and prone to tears for no good reason... Fingers crossed she'll behave.

Catch Up

2007-07-31T16:34:00.000+12:00

I have been a naughty girl... abandoning my blog without a word. Sorry to anybody who has been checking in vain to see my latest musings... I'm back now and will try to be good.

In the past six weeks: Bella has moved out of her cot into a 'big girl bed' - [and her cot was sold in record time on Trademe], and now she is in the middle of toilet training. Next she'll be getting her driver's licence... hahaha. Here she is at our Monday playgroup - just as much fun for the Mums as for the kids!

Lockie is going well at school - last night I went to a meeting with his teacher to discuss his progress and it was pretty glowing. He is the Best Speller in his class and is doing exceptionally well at Maths too. His teacher says he has a great work ethic and a logical brain.

Recently, on school holidays, I took the kids up to Wanganui for a couple of nights. My Dad was away but we stayed at his house and hung with the cats anyway. Weather was a bit wintery but we got lots done and really enjoyed it. We will go for longer next time. The whole two weeks of holidays were rather wet but I'm glad we got away for even as short time :)

I took Lockie to see The Simpsons Movie last weekend - we laughed our heads off. He is a big fan of the yellow family - especially Homer. It was a fun time, and we bussed and trained home after that - more fun!

Have booked a trip to Sydney to stay with Meg and attend a two-day conference in October. Can't wait.

Busy weekend

2007-06-18T11:12:00.000+12:00

Saturday! We packed up the car and drove to Palmerston North for a stay at the PNth Holiday Park. Not probably the best place to stay in winter [maybe we'll visit again in summer], but we took plenty of warm bedding and a spare heater - just as well as the one in the cabin crapped out on us. The weather was dodgy but we managed to get out and about between showers and Bella and I took a ride on the miniature railway through the Esplanade - a lovely scenic [but freeeezing!] trip. Lockie and Fraz were off elsewhere when we did this and I never heard the end of it from young L who was completely devastated that we had gone on the train without him. The railway only opened for a few hours on the weekends so he will have to experience that pleasure another trip. Bella and Lockie shared a bedroom and B slept in a 'big girl bed' for the first time ever - she loved it. The real reason we were there was for Fraz who had gigs on Friday and Saturday nights. So he was pretty knackered by Sunday...

Sunday! We were home by around 2pm, after popping in to see Nana's new house in Waikanae Beach on the way, with both kids asleep in the backseat [one in each car as we took two]. Then later, after dinner, I went off to Avalon Studios with a friend and watched the live filming of 'Pop's Ultimate Star', a TV2 NZ Idol spin-off, as the contestants are mostly from past NZ Idol series. There's even one from a past Australian Idol series, Emily, who is very very good. It was really fun and I hope to take Lockie next week to the next filming. There were lots of kids there and they seemed to really enjoy their foray into tv land.

Old friends from YEARS ago

2007-06-10T07:42:00.000+12:00

The other day I got an email from an old school friend inviting me to drinks at a pub in town, a few weeks from now. My two years at Wanganui Intermediate School were probably my fave time at any of my schools. We had a class reunion in Wanganui back in 2002 which was really fun, although obviously not everyone could be there and indeed two of our class members had died a few years before. So it seems several of the class of '81/'82 will be meeting for after-work drinkies and I am really looking forward to catching up again. Will be weird though. 25 years on!!! Bound to be a few wrinkles and grey hairs creeping in... ha ha!

Pink pancakes and Dreams

2007-06-10T07:27:00.000+12:00

It's Sunday morning and I've been up for nearly an hour, owing to my darling husband snoring VERY LOUDLY, dead to the world, having gotten to bed after 5am... so I braved the cold house and made some pink pancake mix in preparation for our normal Sunday brekkie[Teletubbies have a bit to answer for there], and a cup of tea and now I sit before the computer in my jammies and new purple slippers, musing about silly things:

'Last night I had the strangest dream - I sailed a ship to China'... nah, I dreamt I was walking down the street in Welly and bumped into my sis Aud and her friend. Aud was looking really glum, wearing a pretty sunfrock and cardy [this was extremely weird for starters], and sporting a bulging middle. She said she was pregnant [another weird thing as she prefers girls]. Where do these kind of odd dreams come from??? Maybe this was my conscience reminding me that I really don't know what she gets up to in her spare time and should be in touch more. Maybe it is to do with the fact that tomorrow my youngest sister leaves our fair Aotearoa for a long time and I will suddenly be the only sister [out of 5] left in NZ. A lonely feeling indeed.

What to do with daylight...

2007-05-29T09:54:00.000+12:00

I know what to do with moonlight - sleep sleep sleep. Boy,do I love to SLEEP! Of course, I'm lucky to get enough of it, as you do when you have small kids around the house. And the bloody gym that opens at 5:30am doesn't help either. I had such a good workout yesterday and my muscles are reminding me today that they are there - good to know! I have to resolve to not sleep in so much and get there more often... A possible barrier [oh and there are lots of possibles!] is that I have told Bella I will take the side off her cot this weekend, so she will be able to get up whenever her little heart desires, and she can open her door these days too. Fraz is NOT a morning person and if I am absent [at gym] and she happens to decide she wants to be up at 6am.... I won't be a popular person with my bloke. Tough! [Now that she has given up her day sleeps she does tend to sleep in until after 7am so it may be OK.]

Some of you may be surprised to hear that Bell still sleeps in a cot, but she fits it, so, there. She is only a fairly tiny person still - yesterday we walked down to collect Lockie from school and we saw a small boy with his mum - the lad was the same height as Bella - he was actually 20 months old as opposed to Bella's 32 months...

Recently Lockie and I had his class's Zoo Sleepover and we had a great time. The weather was drizzly and cold in the morning when we walked around the zoo with our guide, but the evening before was divine and very informative. We were able to go behind the scenes and learned a lot more than you learn when you trek around the zoo on your own. We slept in a large function room, on mattresses [marae-style] but 32 kids aged 7 and 8 are quite excitable in a herd like this and it was a wakeful night for we parents [6 mums and 1 teacher]. We did enjoy it but enjoyed getting home and drying out too.

Pretty

2007-05-12T15:01:00.000+12:00

As Bella has just pointed out to me - this is HER tree, at least it is the only tree right outside her bedroom window. Such a gorgeous Autumnal sight. We think it is a fruit tree but have no idea what fruit it may bear.

We invited the kids' Nana to dinner for Mothers Day, and Lockie has carefully wrapped her present and written in her card... I could have won big time if I had bet that she wouldn't come and there we go... still, she has a busy life. It will have to be all about ME instead! We are going to see a human circus in the morning - 'Circus Quirkus' - which should be fun. And I may even get dinner cooked for me [or ordered via a telephone!], so that will be pleasant. I feel absurdly cheated that I have no Mum to buy a pressie for this Mothers Day - commercialism ingrained in my head it seems!

NZSO rules!

2007-05-11T11:41:00.000+12:00

On Wednesday I went to a rehearsal of the NZ Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre. It was an early afternoon affair, with tea and bikkies with the Mayor of Wellington beforehand! The music was just magical and my friend, Judi, and I sat there quite entranced. Time passed so quickly and after a while we had to sneak out to feed the parking meters, and then had lunch and sneaked back in for some more 'musical chocolate' - my term which means it was really delicious to listen to! Later I met my boys over at the hospital for Lockie's paediatrician appointment, where the news was all good and we left the hospital feeling rather pleased with ourselves - Lockie's health is really good so we must be doing something right.

Our house is getting the exterior painted this week [and next] which is a pretty messy and noisy job - at least until the sanding is completed. The all-women middle-aged crew are very nice, and their Pekinese, Ty, very hairy and cute. I don't know if the lawns will ever look the same again though - paint chips and dust galore has decorated the grass with off-white and pink [that's the undercoat]. And there's certainly plenty of dust/dirt/paint chips that creeps inside on a daily basis.

Less than two weeks now until the Zoo Sleepover that Lockie's class is participating in takes place. I have volunteered to be one of the parent helpers who come along. Should be fun! I don't expect to get too much sleep though...

So, lots of excitement going on here!!! How about you?

Another birthday!

2007-05-07T11:26:00.000+12:00

Here are the kids giving Dad some last cuddles before they went to bed, on his birthday. Funnily enough, Frazer was snoozing on the couch before the shot, and again soon after... He'd had a late night the night before and had spent much of the day looking after the kids while I went to our annual National Cf Conference, here in Wellington this year. The 3-day conference is an awesome chance to meet up with other Cf parents and Cf adults, and compare notes, etc, plus hear some excellent speakers on a great range of relevant topics. Next year it is to be held in Taupo and I am determined to get Fraz there too! I met several new people, including a local man in his fifties, who told me he had been diagnosed at age 33. Wow. I have so much to discuss with Lockie's paediatrician when we see him on Wednesday for his regular 3-monthly checkup. Lots of new ideas for us to think about when it comes to Lockie's care and treatments.

Busy happenings

2007-04-24T14:30:00.000+12:00

Bella loves defacing the walls in the backyard - with chalk. And of course who am I to stifle her artistic streak!? Keeps her busy. And the rain deals with it eventually.

We are coping without our cat, although the other day Bella gently told me not to worry, he would turn up soon. Sweet child.

The school holidays are over now, and ended up being fairly busy, for me anyway! I went to the Brooke Fraser concert which was brilliant, and a few days later, on my birthday no less, I took Bella to see Hi-5 in concert. She loved it and didn't want it to end. And then, a couple of days ago I had the best day ever - went into the city in the morning with a good friend, and left the kids in their Dad's charge. We saw the Egyptian exhibition at Te Papa which was fascinating, and lunched at Arizona [delectable], then we saw Fiddler On The Roof [wonderful], and finished off with dinner and a movie in Brooklyn [very relaxing]. I considered my birthday well-celebrated and myself well-spoiled. [It certainly bet my actual birthday evening wherein I drank too much and was rather horribly ill later in the night, and never even left the house. How sad is that!?]

Had a great chat to my twin in Sydney last night, and it turned out her birthday evening wasn't much to write about either. Next year we will be in the same city and do it in style!!!

Yum yum yum!

2007-04-13T10:24:00.000+12:00

This morning it is very rainy and cold outside. So we are being sensible and staying indoors, at least until we have to go out later and do some stuff. I have made some Caramello. My sisters will remember this delish sweet treat - I used an old recipe book of Mum's, with the recipes typed on the back of old Blind Assoc. calendar pages and glued into a scrapbook. It is very well used and covered in food smears, but somehow reminds me of Mum a lot. Here's the recipe should you wish to try it:

CARAMELLO

8 oz butter

5 oz brown sugar

1/2 tin condensed milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 lb crushed biscuits [I used Girl Guide ones!]

Melt butter in saucepan, add sugar, condensed milk and syrup. Heat gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add to biscuits. Press into greased dish. Cut while warm. ENJOY!

My sister Katy was the expert at this recipe in our house, growing up. Yay for big sisters!!

Bot Gardens

2007-04-09T22:40:00.000+12:00

Such a lovely day today - we went to the Botanical Gardens and spent ages strolling through the grounds, playing at the playground and then took the Cable Car down to the shops, and had McDs for tea, before doing it all again in reverse. It was dark by the time we got home. We all had a blast!

The photo of Bella and the Sad Tree Man is at the playground, where a tree stump was cleverly turned into a work of art - the back of the stump features two large tuataras. And the other photo is taken at the top of the Cable Car, with Soames Island in the background, at dusk.

Grim News

2007-04-08T14:18:00.000+12:00

It looks like the end has indeed come for our Hemi... a neighbour called this morning, after Bella and I had dropped off 40 flyers to nearby letterboxes, to say he heard a car brake suddenly a few nights ago and went out to see a man get out of his car and admit to hitting a cat that was crossing the road [by corner of our old street]. They saw the cat limp up the neighbour's driveway - towards our property, but he disappeared from their sight and certainly never made it home... there is a lot of thick bush at the back of our property so he may be in there somewhere.
We are very sad - Fraz and I more so than the kids, as we had Hemi since he was a kitten and he's been with us a long time. We used to joke that he was our first [and hairiest] child.

RIP dear Hems. [Ernest Hemingway S-J!] Condolences welcomed.

Is this the end for Hemi?

2007-04-07T20:52:00.000+12:00

Our beloved Hemi is missing... gone for 5 days now. At nearly 12 years of age he has had an interesting life; he's lived in many many houses [we tend to move a lot], and in 4 different towns, but he has NEVER been away so long without a postcard.
Tonight Fraz was convinced he heard a faint squeaking outside and spent a while out in the back yard with a torch, whistling and calling for the cat, but to no avail.
We have made up flyers with this handsome photo on them and have added his name to the Lost Pets database at the local petstore/vet clinic.
We feel pretty helpless other than that, and keep asking ourselves if we could have done him better. The kids did harrass him frequently, and we don't have a cat flap at this house, which sucks. Plus the neighbours' two cats hang out in our yard a lot, much to Hemi's horror. A couple of days before he disappeared I had to rescue him from the two cats who cornered him, and that must have been quite humiliating for him. He still frequents our old address, as it is only a block away, but even the old neighbours haven't seen him for a few days.

WHERE FORE ART THOU HEMI???!!?!?!

Late summer fun anyone?

2007-03-31T21:12:00.000+12:00

Lockie is pictured here with a classmate, on a day trip to Days Bay a few days ago. The idea was that the kids of Years 3 & 4 would make their own boats and then sail them, and later assess their seaworthiness, etc. Lockie was not at school on the day the kids all paired up and made their boats, but he did spend a lot of time on the weekend at home, tucked away in his bedroom with a box of recycling materials and a roll of duct tape! They went on the ferry from Wellington on one way, and caught a bus back to school later in the day. I went along for a couple of hours before work started in the afternoon. I ended up being the 'class photographer' as Lockie's teacher spent much of the time in a small inflatable boat, retrieving boats that were heading for deeper waters. It was fun, and there were heaps of other mums whom I caught up with while I was there. The weather was perfect - not too sunny, and zero wind - a bonus in our fair city! And warm enough to go into the water, even in Autumn.

Yesterday I juggled the kids' care and went on a day course for work [leaving the house at 7:30am was a shock to the system!], an 'Orientation' course, mostly for newcomers to the City Council. Of the 20 or so of us there, I was the only one working for the Libraries, and nearly the only one who had worked for WCC for more than 3 months! Not sure why I never did this course when I first started, 4 years ago, but it was worth the wait. A few speakers in the morning filled us in on the intricate workings of the various parts of the council, we walked around the Civic Square - and under it even - and we spent the afternoon on a mystery bus tour around several council sites, including Wellington City Archives, Truby King House, and Wellington Emergency Management Office ['Ground Zero' for communications in Welly in the event of a civil emergency.] We also toured the Regional Aquatic Centre [aka Kilbirnie Pool], and got to look through small windows under the water level into the main pools - a bit pervy!

Have a favourite new song at present: 'Maybe' by Opshop. Very catchy. [And a lot trendier than the stoopid song stuck in my head all day yesterday: 'Here I Go Again' by Whitesnake!!]

Incidentally the lead singer in Opshop is a guy who used to sing with an old bandmate of Fraz, a long time ago when we first came to Welly, and 'The Gathering' thrashed their way around the inner city bogan bars. We lived on Courtenay Place at that time. A strange six months of sleeping days and waking nights as I recall. When the band broke up [drug charges against the lead singer had him flee the country or some such drama], the bass player went off and joined up with Jason, the Opshop singer - get it now? Anyway, Shay is doing who knows what now and we're not that interesting either! Ha ha!

Cousins meet

2007-03-16T22:18:00.000+13:00

Here are Lilli and Bella, American and Kiwi cousins, meeting for the first time, this week. They seem quite fascinated with each other and wanted to do/have/eat/drink exactly the same things, at the same time mostly, which was tricky. Lilli and her parents stayed over last night and the girls shared a bath in the evening. There was a little squabbling and possessiveness over the bath toys, but it went well otherwise. Lilli has crazily thick long curly-as hair and this was hard to handle - her Mom wasn't allowed to wash her hair but Aunty Anna was, eventually. She was concerned about the amount of water I let in her ears though, so I have room for improvement obviously.

This morning they continued to copy each other, down to the same cereal and - potential for problems here: the same pair of sandals... Luckily Lilli wears a larger size so Bella was spared seeing her fave Winnie The Pooh sandals on the feet of another. The two Dads and I and the two girls walked Lockie to school, and soon after Lilli and her parents left, but we caught up later for lunch at Petone McDonalds, with the girls' Great Aunt, and they spent ages exploring the playground there. [Bella surprised her parents with her daring on the big steep tunnel slides.]

Soon we will head off to Mokau, in Taranaki, for a few days. When I say we, at the moment that excludes Bella and me, as I have work commitments and Fraz doesn't feel he can handle sole care of two kids at once. It's a five hour drive from home, although Nana and Lilli and her parents will be there too. It is supposed to be a chance for the two families to hang together, but frankly, it's a bloody long trip to do this, when our house fits everyone quite nicely... Still, it's not our holiday. We would have chosen somewhere closer! [We have changed our minds many times about how to do this trip so everyone is included, but in vain. We figure that the toddlers won't remember it anyway.]

Enjoyed watching 'Rude Awakenings' tonight on the box, as usual. Love NZ dramas and there's plenty of drama [and dubious acting] in this one. A few glasses of vino didn't go amiss of course. Got Fraz through it at least!

Last night I went out with Lilli's parents, to the bar in the city where Frazer's band was playing. It was a good night, although as the driver I only had a couple of drinks early on. Ben Hazelwood, a finalist for the last NZ Idol, got up and sang with the band for several songs. He was very good and the crowd was appreciative, although I wonder if many recognised him. Apparently he's a friend of the drummer's girlfriend, which got him a place on the stage in the first place, and then he wouldn't leave!! I had a nice chat at one point to a couple of lads in kilts. I only understood half of what they said, with their broad Scottish accents, which was quite funny. A bit sleep-deprived today, but that's the pay-off, with young kids, and a night out.

Back to normal

2007-03-12T12:36:00.000+13:00

Lockie is fully recovered and back to school today...phew! His operation was uneventful, and presumably successful - they left some resorbable (?) packing up his nose to control the bleeding and I think it should be 'resorbed' in a day or so, and hopefully he will breathe easier from now on. His hospital stay was so very disruptive to our normal life, that we are all happy it is over. He vows never to return so we will see what we can do!

I ended up staying overnight with Lockie for one night, and he had Fraz for one night, and was by himself for two (we stayed til he was asleep and came back early in the morning). In his shared room were a few other boys, all a couple of years older at least, and this meant that lights out didn't happen before 9:30pm each night... he was pretty tired and ratty by the time he came home. And sleep was a bit disturbed by his beeping IV machine beeping intermittently through the night - loud enough to wake everyone nearby, but not loud enough to alert a nurse, without someone calling for one...grrr. Earlier in his stay a nurse had admitted that they were supposed to predict when an IV machine would need attention and get to it first, before it started beeping. Someone should have told the night nurses this.

We donated a couple of board games to the Play Specialist's stash. It was the least we could do I felt. Lockie also made some art to hang on the wall there. When we left the hospital, on Friday morning, we stopped by The Warehouse and picked up a Hot Wheels racing track that Lockie had been promised, and upon arriving home we wrestled with the construction of the damn thing for nearly 40 minutes. (It lies in pieces again for unknown reasons and I have promised - foolishly - to put it back together by the time he arrives home from school with a friend).

Today our Boston rellies arrived, exhausted but happy to be here at last. Little Lilli is so cool in person, and Bella was very excited to see her. (Both cousins have been primed to meet each other for the first time). Lilli is just a few weeks older, and seemed to find Fraz rather fascinating - he looks quite a lot like his bro, her Daddy. They dropped in here for a while, then went off up to Otaki to sort out their jetlag and we will see them again in a couple of days. Bells was quite sad to see them go. As they were leaving she asked where 'the brother' was - as if Lilli would have a big bro like her! Ha ha.

Human Pincushion

2007-03-06T20:37:00.000+13:00

Poor Lockie. He's had such a tough day. I arrived with Bella [who shortly after left with Fraz], late morning and Lockie had been nil by mouth since the night before. An ultrasound scan was scheduled for 2pm, after which he would be allowed to eat. Anyone who knows my boy would know that he is not a pleasant person to be around when he is hungry... so, by the time his scan happened [2:45pm...] he was ropeable. Blubbering and threatening to leave, snot everywhere, a real mess, very unhappy and fed up. The scan was pretty interesting - we saw his kidneys, spleen and liver. It only took 10 mins thank goodness, so we then hurried him back to the ward for FOOD! An hour later, his hunger sated, his headache gone, and his physio done, he was a much calmer happier kid. Another drama that occurred during the scan debacle was the attempts to insert an IV shunt - yesterday's one in his hand went bad and further attempts on further veins didn't work, but they finally found a non-collapsing [we hope!] vein in his arm and he didn't actually feel the needle go in. A big sigh of relief went out around the treatment room when it succeeded, biggest of all from Lockie.

Oh, and he no longer has his single room [with bed for Dad] - he's been shifted to a shared room [with 4 other boys], as a sicker child needed his room more. This time there is only an old lazyboy for Fraz to sleep in, so he is going to come home once Locks is sleeping. Hope that works. A real shame that he can't have a parent stay there to comfort him if he wakes in the night.

Action Stations!

2007-03-05T22:45:00.000+13:00

Ha ha. 'Action stations' was something I recall hearing a lot as a kid. So daggy.
This morning I took Lockie off to hospital, for his first admission since birth. He was pretty cool about it although I embarrassed him at the nurses' station by suggesting he needed a single room, owing to his 'snoring and farting problem'. They had him down to share a four-bed room, but soon changed that. The real reason I wanted his own room was that they came with a bed for a parent to stay over, unlike the shared rooms, where a lazyboy chair may have been the only bed-like piece of furniture for an adult over-nighting on the kids' ward! His room is quite good, and comes with a tv and video on the wall too. Fraz came in to see him around lunchtime and I was home for Bella's afternoon nap, then brought her in too. She thought the place was pretty all right - loads of toys! There is a great outdoor playground too, so they teared around there for a bit. Lockie had loads of energy to burn after sitting around most of the day, as various medical people came in and listened to his chest and prodded his tum and drilled me about his medical history - again and again and AGAIN. I really felt interrogated in the end and tripped myself up with the facts I'm sure - I wish they'd just written it down and SHARED with each other... I wonder if this will happen again tomorrow. That's the trouble with a public hospital I guess - there are always people in training who need to practise on real live bodies, with their superiors hovering over as they nervously examine the patient - and then the superior does it all over again!

Lockie's nasal polyps op is in a couple of days, so will keep you all posted... Fraz is staying over tonight and when I called at bedtime, things were looking good. I expect Fraz will have spent the evening in the Ronald McDonald Family Room, just along the corridor, and a very lovely welcoming place for family members to hang out.

Decorations

2007-02-27T22:00:00.000+13:00

Bella took great care to peel these little stickers off a toy car and apply them to her face. She used a mirror, and announced to me 'I am beautiful'. I was enchanted and agreed with her. Daddy thought so too.

She sometimes follows Fraz and Lockie around and calls them 'my boys'. She gets upset if they go out without her, and really enjoys the excursions they all three go on sometimes. But she is also really delighted to see me when they return home - it's a win-win situation as far as I'm concerned. Bless her little cotton sox.

Summer Daze

2007-02-26T21:22:00.000+13:00

This image is close to the one on my library card. It is taken on the pedestrian bridge between Civic Square and the waterfront area in Wellington. Lockie and I were there on a beautifully sunny Sunday, looking around for Fraz and Bella, who it turned out were eating Maccas for lunch at Courtney Central! We found them in the end.

In a week, Lockie is being admitted to the kids' ward for a minor op, although he'll be in for several days, as the op carries a risk of pneumonia because of his cf. He is anxious, apprehensive and nervous - not a great combination of feelings for a 7-year-old at the best of times. It is his first admission, so everything is a new experience for him. Of course, we will be attempting to make it as 'fun' as possible! I have a few tricks up my sleeve...

In about two weeks, rellies from Boston will arrive for a two-week holiday, including our 2-year-old niece. Lilli is only a few weeks older than Bella, so we can't wait to see them together. Bella is prepared to play with her and possibly share her toys. Hope she remembers when the time comes... she can be quite possessive of her stuff. I hope she'll be over her endless cold by then too.

I feel like my whole family is making plans to go and have big adventures overseas! Actually, it's only two sisters and our Dad, but that's a lot. All I can do is say wow and how cool for you. Sigh. My time will come one day...won't it?

Sunny Days

2007-01-28T20:56:00.000+13:00

Oops, there goes January...flying past at the speed of light. This pic is taken at the beach beside Freyberg Pool, at Oriental Bay. A sanitised version of the kind of beach we frequented as kids; totally man-made, and freshly swept and sifted as we arrived in the carpark nearby. But it was also Bella's first introduction to sand as not confined to a sandpit. Yes, I am a slack mother, not to have taken her to a beach before the age of 2! It's not as if we are not surrounded by multitudes of beaches here, it's just that we never got around to it. She had a ball anyway, and is still talking about it, days later. Lockie enjoyed himself too, and he and a friend dug a deep hole that had many of the other kids on the beach wandering over for an curious look.

Today we picked up a set of bunks for Lockie's room, that I bought from Trademe. Lockie insisted he would sleep on the top bunk tonight, but I just found him transferring himself to the bottom bunk, 90 minutes after I turned out his light!

Today Bella decided to forgo her nap - although she did spend an hour and a half in her cot at naptime! I could hear her singing and chatting to her toys the whole time, as I willed her to go to sleep from the next room. Funny kid. I finally went in and rescued her and she announced 'it's morning!'

This morning Bella became convinced that her Aunty Meg was here - she spotted me lying in bed after breakfast, having sneaked in to see Fraz as he slept in. She must have thought I was Meg then, because she looked at me and said "you're daddy's friend" and then ran out calling "Aunty Meggie's here!" That was pretty funny, and even though I told her I was her Mummy, she didn't believe me!! Later I got up and she asked me to come and find where Meggie had gone. We went outside and saw a Qantas plane passing overhead - I said Meg was on it, going home. Not the first time I've been mistaken for my twin but the first time my child had insisted she was right!

Fun and games

2007-01-08T21:07:00.000+13:00

This afternoon we had friends over to play - we've known this family since shortly after moving to Johnsonville more than 5 years ago, when both our sons were small and starting Playcentre. Now we live in different suburbs and our kids attend different schools but there's still the great connection you have with great friends, even when we don't catch up very often anymore. The boys put a silly show on for us Mums and Bella, who clapped and laughed appropriately at their hilarious antics. Later, when they had gone home, Bella decided to dress-up too. She shed her fairy clothes just minutes after I snapped this photo though.

Oops

2007-01-02T20:09:00.000+13:00

Feeling a bit twitchy tonight. It turns out that when we went with broadband a month ago, we didn't anticipate the increased usage that would happen as we thrilled to the speed and convenience of it all... now we are way over our monthly limit and I am nervous about connecting at all! Too bad though, it's been so long since I blogged that I find myself feeling a bit shy about it all.

Well, Christmas was a blast, with my two sisters and father staying for several days, and much food and booze consumed by all. Loads of lovely pressies opened and enjoyed, especially by the kids whose bedrooms need to be rearranged to accommodate the large amount of loot they received from generous rellies. Everyone remained well-behaved [except for me having a couple of PMT-inspired meltdowns in the lead-up to Christmas Day!]. The weather has been, for the most part, absolutely atrocious and practically wintery, very ho-hum. Still, when there's a break in the weather on any given day, you'll find Lockie zipping outdoors and playing on his trampoline - until he gets too cold that is.

Bella has been unwell - viral gastroenteritis no less, since a few days before Chrissy, and for a week after also. Poor mite. And poor me having to change so many disgusting nappies. She's all good now, which is lucky as she decided to undress herself for her bath this evening, including a poo-laden nappy... in Lockie's bedroom for unknown reasons... oh boy. I cleaned up the mess and later told him about it - he announced then that his room 'smelled of dung'. Great. He thinks his sister is a horse/cow/sheep.

Back to work tomorrow, and Lockie possibly to his Nana's in Otaki for a couple of nights. Ahh, peace. I may even go in early to work and help with the huge backload of 'returns' that will be piling up over the long weekend. I will also be setting up a display in the Adult Fiction section, of 'Banned and Challenged Books'. Hope people will borrow them... I haven't done many displays so have some credibilty to build there ;)

!!!!!!

2006-12-17T22:40:00.000+13:00

I've noticed recently I seem to be suffering from exclamationitis... so apologies to any readers who find that REALLY ANNOYING. [Much like writing in CAPITALS and using ... at the end of too many sentences]. Not that I intend to mend my ways, I just want to point out that I am aware of the problem!!

Today I borrowed a trailer and drove across the city to collect a sofa bed I had won on Trademe [yeah, yeah], and found myself manoeuvring the damn trailer on an Island Bay hillside cul-de-sac lined with parked cars - in reverse. Mini-nightmare qualities there, but I am proud that I avoided digging up the grass verge or dinging any of the cars. I did have to retie the ropes a couple of times before I made it back to J'Ville, but it was all worth it in the end. Even though Bella saw me putting on a jacket 10 minutes before I actually left the house and when she realised I was going out without her she spent the time crying 'me wanna come' over and over, in her bedroom. Fraz tells me she eventually sat down and read a bunch of books there and came out later, quite happy.

When I was home and the sofa was in-situ and we had all tried it out, Lockie then threw a major wobbly because Fraz had suggested they go out somewhere together. He whined so much I was begging him to go too. In the end, Fraz left alone, and Lockie sulked in his room, probably thinking nobody wanted him around. I told him I loved his company but just thought he'd have more fun out with his Dad, and this seemed to mollify him. We had a big hug for ages and for once, Bella didn't try and butt in and claim me as her one-and-only. I forget sometimes that it must be tough not being the 'cute little one' in the family anymore. Bella does get a whole lot of attention and Lockie misses out at times. When school finishes later this week I have planned a special day with him, with movies and shopping on the menu, plus a haircut for Lockie!

Today I helped Lockie to make special placemats for our Christmas Day Lunch. [Admittedly he did suggest I give him some pocket money for that, but I pointed out that everyone would be so proud of his creative efforts that that should be reward enough!]

Lockie lost two teeth yesterday. These teeth [lower central incisors] had been wiggly for TWO MONTHS and I was sick of them. He just wouldn't wiggle them out. Anyway, one fell out when he woke up so we saved that one for the Tooth Fairy, and he did actually lose the second one at a birthday party he attended at lunchtime - he thinks he swallowed it* along with a mouthful of sausage roll. At the same party he got blue streaks in his hair and freaky tattoos. He loved it, although nearly didn't go as he got stage fright. We even dropped the present off earlier in the morning as he was adamant he wasn't going. Luckily the birthday girl's Mum had said he was welcome to pop in anyway, so we did.

*We wrote a wee note to the TF pointing this out. He got $2.50 for them, which he was quite satisfied with :) No gaps in his mouth to whistle through though, as a new tooth had grown in behind the two loosies weeks ago.

Bella has taken to exclaiming 'Oh my God!', which doesn't sound right from the lips of so small a person... all my fault so shall have to curb my exclamations it seems.

Trying to be an angel

2006-12-16T06:59:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I did a Random Act of Kindness. Call it the Christmas Spirit infecting me. I do like to do nice things for strangers sometimes, a) because it makes me feel good and b) I like to make others happy and also c) I hope that they too might spread some kindness around. You know, when a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it triggers a hurricane on the other side of the world, or whatever that saying is.

Anyway I was down at the shops with Bella in her mountain buggy and decided to bug the guys at the bike shop and get the tyres pumped up. They were lovely about it, so I then went to a nearby bakery and bought them some cream buns for their morning tea.

I remember several years ago when I worked at Wellington Hospital I befriended an lonely old lady who came in often, and we always chatted a bit. She lived alone nearby and a few times I popped a small box of chocs and a friendly anonymous note into her letterbox. Looking back, I really hope she didn't think some whacko was stalking her...

RAK are such simple things to do. Unselfish acts, just going out of your way a bit, for strangers. Hard to classify really. Being courteous on the roads may qualify. There isn't enough of that these days certainly. I used to occasionally take a plastic bag along when taking the baby for a walk, and pick up rubbish from the street as we went. The other day at the Mall I picked up a few items from a shop display that had tumbled into the way of passersby. Took 5 secs and meant others didn't have to manoeuvre around them. [The shop staff were crazily busy]. Now I sound like I'm bragging about my saintliness! Not so, I just want to spread the cheer...cheesy as it sounds.

Have a lovely day at work Meg, a shame about working on the weekend but hopefully time will fly by, and bring you closer to coming over to NZ!

Ally, if you read this, I'm sorry I was a slackarse and didn't contact you on your birthday...big Happy Birthday to you!

And Aud, when you receive a small package from me, consider that your Birthday gift, even though I forgot to add a note or card... am posting that off today! xxx

New beginnings...

2006-12-08T08:36:00.000+13:00

So, here we are, in our new house. The virtues of this house are many and varied; suffice to say we are loving it! It's just generally bigger and sunnier, and the backyard is great. The trampoline has had a bit of use, although today it is so dreary and drizzly that it will get a wash instead. Which is not a bad idea as it appears to be a target for birds practising their pooping aim...

The move itself was not so stressful as I had imagined it might be, although, there are several boxes still waiting patiently to be delved into and emptied. May do something about that today...or not. Didn't get a redirection order organised at NZ Post - the fact that they now charge for it does have something to do with it, plus just haven't got around to it. Oops.

Yesterday would have been Mum's 63rd birthday. I guess she'll always be young[er] in my memory. The only good thing about dying before your time, perhaps. I've taught Bella to call her 'Grandma', when she sees her in photos. I remember that when Lockie was younger he thought she was called 'Diane' because she had 'died'. Kid logic again.

Tonight is Bella's childcare centre's Christmas Party, complete with Santa. Should be interesting as she is not keen on the old guy in the red suit... even when he is bearing gifts. Lockie is off to his school disco tonight too. Yesterday he had to sing a carol to the class as his weekly homework. He chose 'Jingle Bell Rock' and said it went really well. Maybe we can get a rendition out of him on Christmas day for his aunties!!

Take Your Positions

2006-11-22T21:35:00.000+13:00

Tonight the battle commenced. The battle to get Lockie to eat his dinner that is. This afternoon we took Lockie to see his paediatrician for his regular check-up. All went well, until we somehow got on to his lack of appetite at dinnertime. The Prof suggested we offer him the same food as we are all eating and send him to bed hungry if he refuses it. Common sense maybe, but we have never actually done this and instead I would make him his own meal, effectively making two dinners each night. I'm talking about a boy who will eat a VERY limited range of food. With Frazer and Lockie both present when the Prof talked to us today, I resolved to Get Hard and start to address the problem properly. So when we got home I made dinner, and an hour and 10 minutes after we had finished eating, Lockie finally stopped his loud ranting and raving and sat down to consume a [small] portion of spag bol! Small miracles, as he has never bothered to even taste it ever before, and it's a dish we have every week. He was rightly proud of his efforts and went to bed smiling and relaxed. Whew! Day One is over... I'm hoping his confidence will grow as he finds that the meals I cook aren't too bad after all :)

Masterpiece

2006-11-14T12:41:00.000+13:00

Lockie has produced this lovely waterslide with Jerry, about to zoom down! It is a school 'news' project - to create a model of your favourite piece of playground equipment. He is so very proud of it. Except, he has seen other models brought to school this week and his apparently pales in comparison to the [parent-assisted] creations of wood and wire... I feel for him. He put his heart and soul into this slide and I didn't help him beyond the occasional encouraging comment. Now he feels it's not that great. I hope his teacher sees that he did it all himself and praises his efforts accordingly.

I bought a food processor on the weekend [Trademe!] and this morning attempted my first recipe using it. I made Honey and Sultana Scones and the mess I created was astounding. Flour and sticky goop covered most surfaces including myself and the machine made some odd grunting noises as I added the 3 cups of flour down the feed tube [missing the tube mostly]. When the scones were finally baking, I noticed the last line of the recipe stated that it should only be attempted using the Super version of the machine I had...oops.

I am soon going to attempt to put Bella down for a nap. She has been most reluctant to do this lately and a couple of days ago she actually untucked herself, took off her shorts and NAPPY and ended up sleeping butt-naked, and wetting the bed of course. Yesterday she practically skipped her sleep owing to the fact she had tumbled on an armchair at lunchtime, hurting her arm. She made such a huge fuss about it for so long, that I gave her some Pamol and then drove her to the A&E at Kenepuru Hospital, fearing the worst. She napped on the way, for barely 10 minutes, and when I woke her in the carpark, she was FINE. No pain, crying or whinging. I tested her - "wave to Mummy with two hands!" - and ended up confusing her, but was satisfied there was nothing wrong with her. What a palaver. My little drama queen...

Rest In Peace

2006-11-11T18:06:00.000+13:00

Two days ago was the 7th anniversary of my Mum's death. I spent the day [at work] feeling strangely lost. I vividly remember the day I got a phonecall from my brother-in-law to say she had suddenly passed away. I felt so choked with shock and despair I could barely breathe. It was like my life [as I knew it] was over. Of course, it wasn't really over, but a few months later my first child was born and discovered to have CF and my grief really hit me then. Mum would have known how to comfort me - she had the knack of saying just the right thing, and her humour was guaranteed to make me smile through my tears. I sure hope I can be a Mum like that to my kids when they are grown.

This morning Belinda Emmett passed away in the hospital my sister works in in Sydney. We had watched 'Rove Live' last night and I feel deeply sad for Rove's loss. He's such a likeable character, it feels awful to imagine his pain at his wife's passing, not that I can.

What a sad little blog! Sorry folks. Will be chirpier next time!!!

Just Like Daddy

2006-11-08T18:17:00.000+13:00

Bella was singing 'You Are My Sunshine' as she strummed on her Dad's guitar. She knows all the words too!

Today I splashed out on a trampoline [yay for Trademe] as we will soon have a yard worthy of one. Lockie is excited and bouncy already, although he'll have to wait a few more weeks to try it out. Bella isn't really up with such things as tramps so she's going to be in for a lovely surprise.

Bella's most favourite caregiver at her daycare centre is leaving tomorrow. This is quite a blow for all the parents too, as Dao is a favourite of many of the kids. Hopefully Bella will latch onto another of the teachers there soon enough.

Happy

2006-10-31T21:53:00.000+13:00

I have just helped Fraz go through a performance review for one of his staff. Now he reckons we should each do a review on our marriage! YIKES. Luckily I was checking my Trade Me sales at the time and he got bored waiting and plugged in his guitar [and headphones] so I am off the hook for tonight. He has the day off tomorrow so will be up till all hours happily plucking the strings. As for me, I have had a couple of wines and am merrily tapping away hoping for not too many spelling errors. Nothing on telly, I have checked out what Wanda is up to, always interesting in a nosey kind of way, and also Jess of course. Am feeling at a bit of a loose end as I am not out tonight [obviously], unlike the previous 4 Tuesday nights, when I was pretending to be a Karaoke Contest judge in the city. We decided on a winner last week and now it's all over :(

Today I received a cardi [yes that's right!] in the post, the first Trade Me win I had achieved in many weeks - have been trying hard not to spend money online this way. Anyway, it's really nice and just what I wanted for my librarian role. Maybe some bifocals that balance on the tip of my nose would be useful...

We move house in 4 weeks and I CAN'T WAIT. It's not far from here, I can see it from our letterbox in fact. I really like all our neighbours so that's a good thing.

Small dilemma happening for my tipsy self - do I feel like chippies or chocolate? Or maybe more wine? Determined to get up at 5:15am for the gym so maybe not more wine...

Fisherboy

2006-10-22T18:12:00.000+13:00

Here is Lockie with his catch - a trout weighing 538g and measuring 30cm! The biggest of all the trout caught by him and his friends this morning. The rain may have been pouring from dark skies but this did not deter our Lockie. He had a great time but now we have to work out how to gut the thing and cook it up...oh boy.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home, and later we popped over to see some friends for a wine and a catch-up before tea-time, [and a spot of Playstation for Lockie!].

P.S. I have now cooked the fish and it was very tasty - Bella and I sampled it happily but the boys wouldn't even taste it: 'we caught it, you eat it'.

Saturday Movies

2006-10-21T16:58:00.000+13:00

This afternoon Lockie and I started watching 'Madagascar' on DVD, while I was doing his physio, then Bella woke so I parked her on the couch with a bowl of popcorn until we had finished and we joined her there, once the curtains were pulled against the grey day outside. We had a lovely time, although the similarities between the storylines of this movie and the recently released 'The Wild' were rather obvious. Brought to mind the twin-like qualities of two other animated movies: 'Antz' and 'A Bug's Life'. I'm sure there are others I haven't thought of. What's with that anyway?

Tomorrow Lockie is going to fish for trout somewhere in Brooklyn. Yes, that suburb that is up a hill. Hmmm. Should be interesting. Will keep you posted.

It is Labour Weekend and yesterday Lockie's school had a 'Teacher's Only Day' so everyone gets 4 days off school, instead of the usual three. Handy. Except the weather is yuck. Typical holiday weekend!

Gym Bunny

2006-10-09T10:55:00.000+13:00

On Saturday night I took Lockie along to a party at my local gym. It was an early start and we didn't intend to stay long. The party was a birthday celebration for the gym and there was the enticement of the drawing of a $16,000 cash prize too, to which I had an entered my name. We got there after the band had finished [Mickey Finn, appropriately as it was an Irish theme] but there was still plenty of food and drinks to go around. The prize draw was long-winded and convuluted and in fact 5 names were drawn and each one had a go at winning the big prize, although 4 scored a Mystery Prize and one won $160 cash. And THAT WAS IT! Everyone packed up and started to go home. I felt cheated and ripped off! What about the 16 grand? Upon asking, it appears that the advertising posters mentioned only a 'chance' to win, with no promise that the cash would be won. Not good enough, and I know several gym members who thought it was a crock of shit too. As it was, Lockie, who spent the first half an hour whining that he wanted to go home, spent the next half an hour playing on the equipment [under my eye of course], especially the treadmill. And then a staff member kindly handed him [and a bunch of other kids] a gym backpack, and we discovered it had a gym cap, headphones and drink bottle inside. That cheered him right up and we went home in time to meet Bella getting out of the bath - still early! Not much of a night out... Fraz had to go out later so I got comfy on the couch with some wine, pineapple lumps and Donnie Darko.

Move over Megan Alatini!

2006-10-04T12:44:00.000+13:00

For those who don't know who she is, Megan Alatini is on the panel of judges for the latest edition of NZ Idol. I was in her place last night [not really!] when I helped to judge a Karaoke competition in a bar in the city. Fraz was supposed to be doing it but sent me along instead. I was up for it and laughed my head off at the wannabe Idols as they warmed up the mike. And then the competition started and I was all seriousness, of course. At least, I hid my giggles behind my hands. The girl we chose to win [bar tab and entry to the final in 3 weeks], was very happy. She did Whitney Houston a treat! The Elvis impersonator didn't look too happy at not getting a placing and the worse performer left with his entourage before the competition finished. Can't please everyone. I'm thinking of doing it next week... I got free drinks at least.

I'm Back

2006-10-01T12:12:00.000+13:00

Eeek! I have forsaken my poor lonely blog for far too long!

Now to remedy that, I will skim over my recent trip to Sydney. Meg was a wonderful hostess and made sure we kept very busy - we spent 8 days shopping, drinking/dancing, sightseeing and walking, plus numerous hours on public transport getting about the city. Lockie would have loved the trains I reckon, but we were kid-free! I really enjoyed seeing 'Varekai' by the amazing Cirque du Soleil, we saw an art exhibition by a highly acclaimed sort-of distant Swiss relative, visited many beaches, and the Sydney Aquarium with our cousin Ally and her two kids, and of course, I brought back loads of pressies for the family. In fact it was touch and go that I would be able to close my bulging suitcase.

Fraz seemed to have coped very well with his stint as sole carer of the children, with the help of his mother at times. I am toying with the idea of booking another week away in Sydney in fact.

Home now, after a week of extreme holidaying [for me anyway], life is back to normal, and I have just survived the first week of the school holidays relatively unscathed. One more week to go. The weather, so lovely and sunny and HOT in Sydney, is totally shite here, so maybe we will see some sun soon... PLEASE!

Spring has Sprung!

2006-09-01T15:47:00.000+12:00

This morning I decided on the spur of the moment to take Bella to the Wellington Zoo. We arrived shortly after it opened and spent two hours roaming the exhibits in the sunshine. These two otters were delightful as they squealed at us for food. I think they mistook me for a zookeeper as I was wearing a black cap. Bella loved seeing the animals, including the lions, tigers, giraffes [we were only two feet from them with nothing between!], sun bears, kangaroos and meerkats. I was sad to see that Cairo the camel had died since my last visit there. Bella adores 'Alice The Camel' song and I wanted to show her a real live Alice. We had a really pleasant time. I think Lockie will be annoyed with me though!

My Soccer Hero

2006-08-28T14:06:00.000+12:00

Lockie is shown here proudly displaying both the medal he received at his soccer prizegiving yesterday, and the two sock puppets he created right before bedtime ['Ben and Lisa']. Bella was fascinated by them and a little afraid! This morning I had the medal engraved for him and have promised to deliver it to him when I collect him at the end of school today - so he can quickly show it off to his friends. I'm pretty sure the engraving cost way more than the medal... but it was worth it. He reckons he won't be playing next year but hopefully he will change his mind by next Winter. Not that I can blame him for not wanting to play - this is the harshest winter we've had in years. Wellington hasn't dipped below zero officially but the fields where Lockie plays soccer are sub-Antarctic as far as I am concerned.

I took Lockie to see his paediatrician last week for his regular 3-monthly checkup and all is going well. In fact, the Prof was delighted with his progress and the fact that he has been fairly well this winter - often a really hard time for Cfers it seems. I always feel a wave of relief when I hear this kind of feedback and can come away from the hospital smiling.

I went out last Friday night with two of my oldest girlfriends [not old old, I am older!], and we had a bite to eat up Cuba St followed by a drink at Kitty's and then boogied the night away at Boogie Wonderland, a really fun bar next to the Paramount Theatre on Courtenay Place. Haven't had so much fun in too long. A Ceroc dancing class had just finished before we got there and we watched in wonder as the dancers continued to monopolise the dancefloor with their wild shimmying and dipping, partner-swapping constantly and keeping us guessing as to who was actually with who! We even entertained the notion of returning another Friday night and joining in but I'm not sure any of us are quite that bold...

A Tale of Jif Misuse

2006-08-20T21:40:00.000+12:00

Gee, I just can't resist posting cute photos of Bella on my blog! [A shame about the dirty sneakers though.] She's just so adorable... except this morning I was in the shower and Daddy was in charge of the kids and Lockie came in to tell me how she had picked up a bottle of Jif and sprinkled globs of it all over the kitchen floor and herself, and was starting on the living room before she was discovered! Fraz did an admirable [for a fella] job of cleaning it up but I still had to do a fair bit of scrubbing to get it off the carpet. I said to Bella, 'look at you', to which she replied 'I'm a messy girl', very matter of fact about it!

I decided not to take Lockie to soccer this morning as he is on antibiotics for a cough and also, I just couldn't be bothered. Woke up feeling apathetic and empty for some reason. I really really wanted Fraz to take the kids out for a while but he only took Lockie. I realised that a bit of retail therapy was in order so packed up Bella in the car and went to Westfield Queensgate for a browse. Came away with a pair of jeans for me and a little kiwi toy that makes REAL kiwi noises when you squeeze his tummy. The latter was a bribe to get Bella through me trying on copious pieces of clothing in the changing rooms of three different shops! We dropped in on Fraz and Lockie and then headed home for lunch and naps :)

I caught up with a couple of old friends I used to party with a lot years ago, before marriage and kids [of course], last night and it was great to see them. One was housesitting in Northland and we met there - there's a lot to be said for being single and unfettered, Jo! The house was awesome.

Only a few more weeks before I'm relaxing, shopping, partying, and most importantly, sleeping in [!] in sunny Sydney...can't wait. And can't wait to see my twin of course!!

Just like Maisy Mouse

2006-08-08T19:33:00.000+12:00

Bella loves to brush her teeth in the bath, but only once she's opened her Maisy Mouse book to the right page!

Lockie played soccer on Sunday, for the first time in a month [weather woes,etc] and I nearly wet myself laughing at times! The best bit was when he was goalie and all the action was at the other end of the field, and then a wee voice could be heard asking "can I have a little help here please?" - Lockie had managed to half-collapse the portable goal posts and was trying to hold them up - and then the ball was heading his way! A couple of Dads rushed over to sort it out while I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to stop cracking up. He had a great time, despite the wintry wind and freezing drizzle that was falling. Last weekend he simply refused to go at all, to our horror. Not sure why he changed his mind this week but it could be he couldn't face his parents' ranting and raving about it!

Monday already?

2006-07-24T12:58:00.000+12:00

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

2006-07-17T13:50:00.000+12:00

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?

2006-07-16T15:10:00.000+12:00

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

2006-07-15T08:34:00.000+12:00

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.

#@!!#

2006-06-28T14:24:00.000+12:00

I am not very happy today - I took a carload of clothes/shoes/toys, etc to the Johnsonville Sally Army Family Store and was treated with disdain... the two young women behind the counter were interested when I said I had a load of things to donate - until I mentioned that a few of the toys were left over from a recent garage sale. I was told 'we don't take ex-garage-sale stuff as it is mainly poor quality and we have to end up dumping it'. They seemed to presume I was giving them a carload of junk apparently. This was insulting to say the least! Sure, the toys were a bit the worse for wear and I was happy to chuck them myself, but most of the things I wanted to give them were clothes culled from my wardrobe, and clothes and shoes the kids had grown out of...not stuff I would consider junk. I decided to leave - I told them I would not be back to their store and they smirked bemusedly - and I went to the Mary Potter Hospice Shop in Tawa instead where I was greeted with smiles and delight by the dear little old ladies who worked there. They helped me take the things from the car and thanked me sweetly. I recommend this place!!

Unfortunately I still have a bad taste in my mouth from those Sally Army tarts, hence I am blogging my frustrations out. I have since heard from another friend who had poor customer service from the same place. Sorry about the whinging, people!!

Hello Lilli

2006-06-24T14:44:00.000+12:00

Bella is saying Hello to her cousin Lilli, in Boston. Although it was actually late at night in that part of the world and little Lilli was in bed - she's a few weeks older than Bella. Fraz doesn't catch up with his little bro much so this phonecall was a welcome one.

Today I had my Garage Sale. The weather was pretty dreary and it rained on and off all morning. The first punters only arrived half an hour before the advertised time and carted off $40 of stuff straight off so I was happy with that. A friend came over to help me out and Lockie was dropped at another friend's house as Fraz went to work - so it was just the 3 girls doing the biz. Bella pottered around the garage and got a bit underfoot at times - she just said 'sorry' a lot, very cutely, and nobody minded. We must have had at least 70 people come through over the next three hours and sold quite a bit. I made about what I expected, so it was all good. The rest of the stuff will be given to charity next week, and the de-cluttering will be complete! Feels good. Now I just have to go out in the cold to remove the signs I posted around the streets...brrrrrrr.

Queen of the Castle

2006-06-12T13:40:00.000+12:00

Here's Bella at a friend's house. She adored this castle at the bottom of the garden, built by my friend's father, for the kids. A step up from your regular cubbyhouse! The picture doesn't show but it really looks like a castle.

This morning I looked out the window to see our front lawn littered with much of our neighbours' recycling, released from its green bins by a helpful stormy night...yuck. That's the trouble with living at the very end of a cul-de-sac - the wind blows rubbish into our garden on a daily basis. At least the rest of the street looks clean... On a brighter note, the recycling collectors actually did clear much of the stuff off our lawn.

Bella appears to have fallen for one of The Wiggles - Murray. Maybe he's just the easiest to say - she calls the yellow one Egg, although most of us would know him as Greg.

Thinking aloud

2006-06-10T07:00:00.000+12:00

Somebody wants to read my thoughts! Thanks Jess :)

Yesterday I had a cord of firewood delivered and spent a while stacking it into the garage. A friend came over and helped - although I wasn't keen for her to help as she is pregnant. Later in the night Fraz and I finished off the job and he even got the axe out and had a chop - 'just to see what it's like' - come on love, it's wood...what do you expect? Feel smug now that we will stay warm and cosy this winter, and even fed the fire last night way more than it needed...

I am part-way through the list I had of jobs to do for Lockie's health - Day 1 of the Food Diary is complete [and what a crappy diet he has - not a fruit or veg in sight!], and we have handed over a sputum sample for luck, although still haven't tackled the other end one. Have also managed to miss only one dose of his Augmentin in the last week - he even takes a tablet to school for lunch. They are BIG tabs but he's such a trooper - I know some adults who would have trouble swallowing pills this big, but not our Locks.

I am one step closer to the Garage Sale - Lockie will go to his Nana's in Otaki for the night [or two], so now I need to book a newspaper ad, or maybe just make a big cardboard sign to hang near the shopping mall - seems to be the done thing around here.

Better go wake the kids - I hear Bella chatting to the toys in her cot but Lockie is bound to be sleeping in - what a great idea...it is Saturday after all. Sigh. Today we are hanging out with a friend who is a single mum with a son in Lockie's class. Not sure what we'll do - Lockie suggested we could 'go to The Warehouse and then McDonalds', but I'm sure we can do better than that. [These are activities that Fraz sometimes does with him on a Sunday and it's win-win for Lockie!]

A few thoughts

2006-05-31T22:18:00.000+12:00

I am reading a very interesting book called 'Rare Moments', by Jeanette Wilson, a medium who moved from the UK to NZ a few years back and published this book last year, following her first book, 'Medium Rare' which I have yet to read. It is fascinating stuff and extremely good for the soul - she doesn't believe in 'death' and says our loved ones who have 'passed on' are around us and often may appear to us in our dreams, to let us know they are alright. I love the thought of my Mum and grandparents being close by me; it's really comforting. Read this book yourself if you think I've lost the plot, and you decide... Jeanette is a very spiritual person but freely admits she was a sceptic for much of her life, until 10 years ago. She has recently published another book named after her TV series of 2005, called 'Dare To Believe'.

Lockie and I went to his 3-monthly checkup at the hospital today, and, after parking halfway up a curb [kerb?] in the parking lot, owing to the severe lack of parking spaces - like about 50 other cars incidentally - we were seen straight away and very thoroughly. We had the usual 5 other medical people in the room, along with the paediatrician, but Lockie is used to this and performed ably. I sometimes feel I should take notes as we are often there for a good 45 minutes and a lot is said and discussed. I have three tasks to complete over the next 3 months - get a stool sample from Lockie to be tested [my least favourite task!], keep a food diary for 3 days and send to the dietician to analyse [this is just a drag], and call the paediatrician after two weeks of Lockie being on a new course of antibiotics to tell him how it's going. Game on.

I think I'll have a Garage Sale. Not sure what I will be making cash for but there are a few options. I spent a couple of hours this morning clearing clothes and toys out of wardrobes in all the bedrooms, and put them in the garage [funnily enough]. Quite a 'cleansing' experience really. But I can see that I will have to lose Lockie on the day of the sale as he will not part easily with his old toys. I will have to rope in a few friends to help me.

Today I cuddled a sleeping newborn boy [birthweight was 8lb 14oz incidentally!] for nearly an hour - my neighbour's third child. He is 8 days old and as he dozed in my arms I briefly imagined I was holding my new niece instead. His mum didn't mind! Later when I was sorting stuff for the garage sale I took a few useful baby items over to her and they were well-received.

Whew this is getting long! Last thing to mention is that I took my car for a WOF today [it's been a BUSY DAY], and it failed because of one tyre needing replacing. Just gotta find the locking nut so they can remove the wheel now... My WOF ticket was so faded I didn't notice the date and see now it expired nearly 3 weeks ago...oops.

Water water water!

2006-05-27T18:27:00.000+12:00

I took Lockie to the Karori Pool this morning and he had a great time. He practised doing somersaults underwater for ages. Bella and I didn't go in the water as she has a cold. The place was full of littlies and way more Dads than Mums in the pool. No harm done there for spectators like me!

We came home for lunch and Bella was just down for a nap when a friend turned up and offered to take Lockie swimming at J'Ville Pool with her granddaughter! He was keen so headed off with them for the afternoon and I had a nap myself :) Aaah, bliss.

Funny faces

2006-05-27T18:21:00.000+12:00

Bella and Lockie were making 'beds' on the lounge floor this evening. Lockie likes to sleep in his sleeping bag at night occasionally, although he rarely lasts more than an hour before slipping into his bed!

Another rainy bleak Wellington day. We went out for a bit, we got wet. End of story.

Shock! Horror!

2006-05-23T15:41:00.000+12:00

Once I reached page 200 of my book I discovered that the heroine [Anna] is actually a widow - she's 33 and was married for less than a year. So now I'm depressed. Marian Keyes does that though: she writes with a hilarious quirky Irish style and throws 'serious life issues' into every one of her books...but I still like her stuff anyway. Just not sure if it's really 'chick lit'.

'Tis raining and bleak this afternoon. Spent much of the morning sipping tea and chatting at a neighbour's house, with another neighbour who is awaiting the birth of her third child - she's a week off her due date. Our 3 littlies played together nicely [mostly]. Bella was thrilled to get her hands on a full-on wooden Thomas the Tank Engine set-up, although she pretty much demolished it. The owner [aged 3] was very good about it. He wants his Mum to have a baby girl so was very sweet to Bella.

Red in the morning

2006-05-21T22:10:00.000+12:00

I took this photo around 7:20am today, as I wanted my family to see it too, only I was the first one up. Had to mix the pancake batter you see. We always have pancakes on Sunday mornings and I could mix them with my eyes closed - sometimes I nearly do.

This morning was Lockie's second time at soccer, and once more he excelled in enthusiasm and even kicked the ball a few times. I even nipped away for 20 minutes in the middle to go to the shops - don't worry, I put a team member's grandparents in the picture first, and I'd told Lockie I'd be doing this - he didn't notice I was gone anyway. I had to book a haircut for him as the shaggy dog look was getting beyond a joke. So we trotted down to the mall after soccer, and left a short while later for home, one of us looking very trim and tidy, and the other looking windblown and a bit scruffy [me]. Spent the rest of the day pottering around the house - Bella is so good at doing her own thing, which is lovely as I can do my own thing too, and we are each comfortable with that. She comes and goes from the room, often pushing a doll in a buggy, or in a shopping trolley, with a bag over her arm, waving goodbye as she passes through. Cute as.

I am reading the latest Marian Keyes novel ['Anybody Out There'] and I am worried I'll be unable to get through it before it's due back at the library. I waited several weeks to get it on reserve so cannot return it late as someone else will be waiting for it. In my defense, it is nearly 600 pages long and the fattest book I've read in a long while. BTW, its main character is called Anna. Nice.

Watched 'Narnia' again tonight on DVD with Fraz. Not as powerful on a TV screen but still a gorgeous movie. Lucy is so adorable. We borrowed it from new friends we have made. They are fresh to Wellington from New Plymouth so I'm going to help them find their feet in the area if I can. They have two boys and a baby on the way. The eldest boy is a week younger than Lockie. They've played together and may become friends hopefully. A pity they go to different schools though.

Big Red Car

2006-05-16T16:42:00.000+12:00

Here's Bella in her Big Red Car, checking out the stamp on her hand that she got at Story Time at the library this morning. Today a good friend gave us this Cozy Coupe car with its top missing and quite a bit of scuffing and fading, and she LOVES it. As I write this, Lockie is pushing her around the house endlessly - she hasn't figured out how to push it along herself, Flintstone-style. He really wants to drive it himself, but I am trying to convince him that he is just too big.

Fraz is away tonight in Auckland at a managers' conference, and he has given Lockie the role of 'Boss of the House'. Funnily enough, Lockie realised this was a thankless task only 5 minutes in and handed the power back to me... No, but seriously, I had a lovely Mothers' Day on Sunday, with chocolates and a tiny glass Guardian Angel from the kids, and a gorgeous dinner from Frazer. And Lockie and I hung out all morning at a special viewing of 'Narnia' at The Penthouse, and then picnic-lunched at Mt Vic Lookout, although we had to eat in the car as icy rain was falling at the time. A great day!

WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

2006-05-11T07:09:00.000+12:00

I wanted to be the first aunty to blog about my brand-new niece! She is a beautiful baby girl, named Elizabeth and she lives far away in sunny(?) London, and was born on 9 May. Hearty congrats to my awesome big sis and her lovely hubby and Elizabeth's big sis too. Have heard no details so am waiting in anticipation of them, as we mums must stick together in sharing our birth stories with each other!

Fraz's Bday Drama

2006-05-07T20:18:00.000+12:00

What a man! Here's my Dad, perched high in the mountains of Nepal, looking quite comfortable in these snowy surroundings. This picture was taken on a recent trip there with a bunch of like-minded NZers. I have yet to hear all the stories but I'm looking forward to that. My Dad is awesome!

We are almost back to full health in our house and not a day too soon I say. A few boxes of tissues and several days later, Bella and I are nearly over our colds and coughs, and this week should hopefully be a 'normal' one, with me going to work and Bella to childcare, etc - unlike last week.

This morning I took Lockie along to his first session with the North Wellington Junior Soccer Club - he is in the Nursery Grade [!?] in a team called The Wolves, and was all kitted out with soccer boots [cleats!], shinpads [compulsory], and long thick socks to keep out the pre-winter chill. It was a drizzly morning with icy winds so it was with some trepidation that I went along. Contrary to my expectations Lockie had a great time and we parents had lots of laughs watching the kids gang up on the ball as they had a couple of 10-minute 'games', and a couple of sets of 'ball skills' [happy feet was a cute one]. Frazer had lit the fire at home so I was able to thaw out eventually. Not surprisingly, Lockie wasn't cold at all after all that racing around. I was delighted to find we can recoup all our costs for Lockie's sports from Breath4cf.

Yesterday some b****** broke into Frazer's car while he was at work, smashing a window and rifling through the glovebox. It was parked in a parking building in Lower Hutt, where he always parks. [This happened last year too, in a nearby caprpark.] What is it with the Hutt? Anyway, it's more a nuisance as nothing of value was taken, and insurance covers the smashed window. Ironically, it meant Fraz got home late from work, and this delayed his BIRTHDAY DINNER celebrations. What bad luck to have this happen on his birthday!

Cherub

2006-04-27T22:29:00.000+12:00

Today I took a walk in my lunchbreak, through a park next to my work. It was sunny, but I could smell a familiar dampness emanating from the bush that signified that rain had recently fallen. The gravel crunched pleasingly under my sneakers and several tuis were warbling busily. I watched as one sang on, the cottonwool quivering beneath its beak, oblivious to my presence for a moment, before spying me and flitting to the safety of a further branch. To complete the tranquility, a hidden stream merrily babbled, as streams do. Felt quite meditative. I don't often do this without my children and it was refreshing to not speak to anyone.

It has been a while since I managed to get myself sorted to blog. I have celebrated our birthday since then, and my dear twin has spent 10 days here with me - oh what shopping we did do! Unfortunately for her, the last 5 days of her holiday Bella was ill with gastroenteritis and this consumed a lot of my time and energy [cleaning up all the vomit and poo...]. My twin was extremely good about that and just the most helpful person I could have asked for. A BIG THANK YOU!!! Now she has returned to the land of Oz and I am planning my trip to go visit her there later in the year. I have a few misgivings about leaving the kids alone with their Dad for a week though. Shall just have to get over it - what's the worst he can do??!?! [Don't answer that - I don't want to know!]

BTW, when I show Bella this photo of herself she calls it 'bubba' and looks quite bemused when I tell her it is herself!

Counting down the days

2006-04-11T21:18:00.000+12:00

Bella has survived her first week at daycare [all two days of it!] and I feel hopeful that she will be good from now on. Not that I don't expect angst from her at drop-off time of course. I'm sure she feels it is her duty to make me feel guilty at dumping her while I swan off on my own and do adult stuff.

Anyway I am hanging out to hang out with my Sydney sis - and she'll be flying in in only a few more days...yippee! Bella said her name quite clearly yesterday so that's cool. Bella is popping out all sorts of words now - she learned 'shadow' and now pipes up with this every time she spots her own one. So clever. I love the way toddlers have unique personalities - this never fails to fascinate and surprise me, cos they are so little and barely speaking [English that is] and yet they have so many little 'ways' already. Bella cocks her head to one side and raises her hands in a questioning gesture as if she requires an answer from me. People who don't know her often comment on how clever she is to be walking, etc, as if she is a lot younger than her 18 months. I know she's little, but not that little surely!?

Keeping Bell Happy

2006-04-02T22:16:00.000+12:00

In a few days Bella will start officially at a local childcare centre, for two days a week [their minimum]. She has spent a few half-days there over the last week, to help settle her in, at which time she refused to eat the lunches they offered, nor sleep for very long. Not a promising start, but it can only get better, right?!? She was really pissed off with me when I left her each time, but was notably happier when I returned to collect her. Helps assuage my guilt at dumping her there and scurrying off to the gym... of course I'll be scurrying off to work instead this week.

In this photo she is clutching a bowl that she was banging with a spoon and nearby is her bucket which she fills with toys and carts around the house. She is nearly 18 months old now, and still has only 5 teeth...I look every day for more but no luck so far. A friend has pointed out [on more than one occasion] that she has quite large teeth, to which I reply that they fit her perfectly. When you think about it, a baby's teeth need to be a bit largish as they keep them for several years and a big 6-year-old with tiny teeth looks a bit odd.

Sunday Fun Day

2006-04-02T21:52:00.000+12:00

Lockie kindly let me photograph him on his brand new physio table. It's a massage table too, as the guy who made it mentioned when he dropped it off last week. That explains the face hole at one end [Lockie thinks it's pretty funny!]

He was real keen to have his physio for the first few days, and even wanted it more than twice a day. Of course, this hasn't lasted and he is back to moaning about it like normal. It folds up neatly and we leave it in the hall, although today Bella managed to pull it over on herself which gave her quite a fright. It's pretty heavy so I squeezed her limbs to feel for broken bones but luckily she was fine. Apparently babies are born with 300 bones, and by adulthood they only have 206. [Thanks to Libra for this handy info.]

Today Lockie's school had a fair ["Fun Day"] and he and I cruised down there and had a great time. He tried out several of the attractions - lucky dip, 10-pin bowling, merry-go-round, bouncy castle, gumboot toss, candle-dipping, jeeps [he drove and I helped and we both giggled a lot!], and tile smash - he knocked down all 4 plates and got several small prizes and was very very proud of himself. Later we had saussies from a BBQ and fudge from a sweet stall. All typical Kiwi school gala stuff and I only spent $20! Not that we came away with much, but it was loads of fun for both of us.

Later today Fraz took Lockie out for tea and they came home with "Maybe Tomorrow" single from Goldenhorse on CD. Lockie's school is learning this song and he sings it at home often. Now Fraz is going to teach him how to play it on his guitar. Gotta feeling Lockie is going to follow in his Dad's musical footsteps...

Swashbuckler

2006-03-26T21:16:00.000+12:00

Here's Lockie on his way to a friend's pirate birthday party today. The eye-patch was removed in the car a few minutes later, but the bandana stayed put for hours. He had a great time, and later in the day Frazer taught him another chord on his guitar, so that's 3 he can play now - enough for a tune! He looks so little behind his guitar, despite it being a half-size model.

Last night I went to see Bic Runga at MFC with my friend Judi. We got there a bit late and caught the last song from hilarious support act 'The Flight of the Conchords' and wished we could have seen more. But then Bic and her studio band came onstage and blew us away. She sang all the songs from her new album 'Birds', and many more familiar songs too, finishing with my favourite, "Drive". I can't say enough good things about Bic - she has such a unique, almost haunting voice and her songs are just beautiful. A multi-talented woman - she can even cut hair - namely my littlest sister's!

It was sunny today - this is noteworthy only because it's rained every day for the past week [at least] and everyone's been grumbling about Winter arriving early, etc. The rain is supposed to return tomorrow. Typical.

Morning After

2006-03-18T07:30:00.000+13:00

I actually went out on St Patricks Day last night!!! This is rare for me and I had a groovy time on the sticky dancefloor of JJ Murphys with 2 friends whom I first met exactly 8 years ago, at a gig of Frazer's then band, Zoo Station. I don't see much of them these days but we'll always be friends. It was worth the half hour queue to get in and all the bright green clothes people seemed to feel obliged to wear. I actually forgot the occasion so was dressed more demurely [what an old fart!]
My boots were great though, and Bella loves them. Yawn, am a bit sleep deprived now. Hopefully I can get away with a quiet Saturday today.

I'm finding this blog thing more of a chore than I should, and I feel absurdly guilty about it. I mean, it's pretty self-indulgent to rattle on about my kids, my complaints, and books I read! But that's just the nature of it I guess. Once I do get around to it it's fun. And I occasionally get a comment from a friend about how much they enjoy reading it and this makes it all worthwhile.

BTW, I read a good book recently - The Children Of The Dust, can't remember the author. A woman I work with said she had studied it in 3rd form English, so I thought it might be worth a try. It's set over 55 years and chronicles several generations of Britons, starting with the nuclear war that all but destroyed the entire world. It's really hopeful at the end though. I couldn't help thinking that it would make a great mini-series....OMG I am a product of too much TV viewing...

Guitar Man

2006-03-10T22:06:00.000+13:00

Here's my boy - Mr Guitar Man! Well, Fraz has finally succumbed to pressure and bought his son a geetar. It's a half-size model and I forget the brand. Anyway, Frazer and Lockie have worked their way through 2 music theory books to get to the stage of actually handling a real live guitar, and Lockie is so proud of it! Not that this makes him any more likely to practise it, although he has told a friend of mine that he prefers to practise his guitar over watching Playhouse Disney channel on TV...yeah right. He's lost a couple of picks already down into the soundhole so it rattles a bit. [He won't accept help to get them out]. To those who are astute enough to notice, it's a left-handed model, because the poor kid takes after both his parents in that respect. It's a bloody bugger to get hold of decent left-handed electric guitars apparently, or so Fraz would tell it, and he should know, having played guitar for about 26 years now.

I like to think Bella may also be musical - she chimes in quite tunefully when I sing 'Five Little Ducks Went Swimming One Day'. And she too is handy with a guitar pick - when I can persuade her to keep it out of her mouth...

Today I took Bella over to the house of the new woman who will be minding her one day each week. She has a daughter a few weeks older [but several cm taller], and loads of lovely toys. Bella was interested in the place but only if I was in view. I sure hope it works out OK as Bella was so settled at the last caregiver's but that only lasted 6 months. I have put her name on the waiting list at a few childcare centres but at least two of them were reluctant to even put her name down - as if their current waiting list was miles long and I would never get a place! I insisted anyway. Apparently next year the Govt. has decreed that we can get 20 hours free childcare per week. Sounds good, but I've been advised to get Bella's name down at as many places as practical to ensure she gets a place somewhere. Hmmm. Seems quite political.

Lockie saw his paediatrician a couple of days ago and he has given him on a course of antibiotics [to kick a persistent cough] that requires me to wake him at 6am to take a pill, and for his teacher at school to administer two doses also - they've gotta be on an empty stomach which is actually quite hard to work out. It seems he normally eats a lot more frequently than fits the prescription needs. 3 weeks of this better be worth it...

At least the check-up was a good one. There's a new treatment for CF pioneered in Australia [hypertonic saline] that is being discussed at the next NZ CF Conference in Christchurch in May and Lockie's paediatrician is very interested in this subject and the possibility of good benefits for young CF sufferers like Lockie. Sounds good.

Big Girl now

2006-03-07T14:01:00.000+13:00

The smile on her face says it all - Bella loves her new stroller very much. She never used to look twice at the doll [bought for Lockie a few years back] but now it serves a purpose! After I took this photo she tried to climb into the stroller and suck on baby's head... Turned out she wanted a breastfeed. Easy mistake to make?

Bell has been unwell for over a week now, with nappy woes and a short temper being the main symptoms. Also, waking in the night has been a regular thing lately [yawn!], but the last couple of nights she's pulled it together and slept through. I dropped into the doctor's surgery with a poo sample for testing last Friday but it turned out it went missing [like who would possibly want to take it??!?!] so we did another one this morning. She's got a bit of upheaval coming up over the next couple of weeks as her Thursday caregiver is [sob sob] having to call it quits as her own work hours have changed. So it's the last day with Fiona this week, and next week a day with another friend, and then hopefully I can settle her in with yet another friend on a temporary basis until I can get a place sorted at a local childcare centre. It's enough to make me want to give up work but as Jo pointed out - I really do love going to work, so will persevere and hope for the best.

Yikes just noticed it's after 2 and Bella is still napping, so will need to wake her and shovel some lunch in before the school pickup...

Peekaboo

2006-03-01T21:57:00.000+13:00

Yesterday Lockie whispered to me [Bella was in the room too], that he didn't really like Bella at all. I said surely there was one thing he liked about her, but he couldn't think of a thing. What's that about I wonder - how long does the sibling jealousy thing continue? Despite this, he often tells me how cute she is and gives her kisses and hugs, so I'm not too worried. Personally I can't see a thing not to adore about this wee girl! She's been a bit unwell with a tummy bug lately, but is still chirpy and happy mostly [when she stopped vomiting!!]

Have just finished a rather riveting book, if not a grim and ghastly one: 'I Choose To Live' by Sabine Dardenne. She is the 22-year-old survivor of the Monster of Belgium, Marc Dutroux, who kidnapped her at age 12, and kept her as his sex slave in hideous conditions for 80 days, before her rescue. He had previously raped, tortured and murdered several other young girls, with the complicity and full knowledge of his wife... I vaguely remember the media stories about this case, back in 1996. Not a happy book obviously. Makes me want to lock up my children away from harm almost...lucky I'm not the paranoid sort.

Gotta get a life...

2006-02-24T12:22:00.000+13:00

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

2006-02-21T12:50:00.000+13:00

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...

2006-02-18T22:03:00.000+13:00

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

2006-02-16T13:05:00.000+13:00

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

2006-02-10T12:27:00.000+13:00

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!

2006-02-07T13:03:00.000+13:00

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

2006-02-07T12:43:00.000+13:00

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

2006-02-06T11:26:00.000+13:00

'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

2006-02-04T14:03:00.000+13:00

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...

Sun Bunny

2006-01-28T22:27:00.000+13:00

What a gorgeous hot day we had today! Not sure how hot, maybe 26 degrees or so, anyway, this photo was taken after 5pm and there was still a lot of heat in the sun. Bella refused to get into the paddling pool but was quite content to play with it from the safety of terra firma! Earlier, Lockie had been running in and out of the sprinkler on the front lawn, with lots of squealing and shrieking, before he finally soaked in the pool for a few minutes [it had warm water in it] and then headed indoors. It took a bit of persuasion to get Bella in for dinner though. Sure hope this lovely weather continues.

Only about 9 more days till school holidays are all over. Boy that's gone fast! Lockie is sooooo looking forward to his birthday party next Saturday. Have to dredge up some enthusiasm myself - my little boy is growing up too fast. Can't believe he's nearly six.

Happy Hi-5

2006-01-24T11:57:00.000+13:00

Bella helped me unpack the groceries the other day and developed a fascination with the pack of bog rolls. She found she could easily drag them around the house, and sit on them when she tired of this. I eventually managed to pry them from her grip but she wasn't too happy about it. Mean ol' Mummy.

We recently went to see the kids' favourite TV performers "Hi-5" in concert. Somehow we ended up sitting in the very front row, centre stage, just a few feet from the stage! This was great as our tickets were for upstairs in the gallery, but we were told 'go find a seat over there' [pointing towards the front of stage downstairs] when we asked for directions to our seats. Lovely stuff we thought, although I cursed the fact I had left the digital camera in the car as I figured we would be too far from the stage to bother with it... Lockie and Bella loved the show and I enjoyed it too, despite the absence of Kathleen, who was 'a bit unwell'. She was replaced with Noni, who was very good. I wonder though whether Bella just thought it was a particularly large TV screen, rather than real people on a stage. She never said a word to this effect of course, so I shouldn't presume anything.

I admit I was a bit disturbed by the appearance of Charli - she was positively skeletal - her head looked too large for her skinny little body, like a lollipop on a stick... in earlier videos we have, she is the 'fat' one of the group, i.e. has the most normal body shape, but not any more. Must be what marriage has done for her?! She looked happy enough, but she is a role model for young girls...

Bookworm

2006-01-15T21:50:00.000+13:00

I have read another book I wanted to mention on my blog at the risk of appearing to be a complete bookworm! It's "Behind Closed Doors" by Ngaire Thomas. It tells the story of Ngaire's life with the Exclusive Brethren, in Auckland, and the eventual excommunication of her family and the struggles they overcame after being cast out from all they had ever known. It is a really fascinating insight into a subject I knew nothing about. This book was first published in 2004, and is still extremely popular in NZ - at least at the library - I had to wait several weeks on the Reserves list to get a copy. And then I read the whole thing in a day - very very interesting reading to say the least. It is the only book of its kind on this subject. Find a copy and read it now!!!

And now for something completely different - Bella can say some words!!! [She is 15 months old now for those who are struggling to keep up]. She can say 'glasses', 'crackers', 'carrot', 'milk', 'hat', 'peas', 'car', and the usual Mama and Dadda of course. Actually, to be totally truthful, her versions of most of these words are only translatable by me, but that's a start I reckon!