wordless wednesday-feeding ducks

Play along and add your link to My Little Drummer Boy

What book would you take with you

Today at church the minister asked what book would we take with us if stranded on an island...excluding the bible. People named some books which included gardening, cooking, how to make a boat. The minister said you can often tell what people are interested in and what their passion is simply by asking that. I could see that by the answers that were given, then wondered about what i would take. My initial reaction was a jodi piccoult book but then i thought well, once I've read it that's it. a cooking book would Be ok but really, i don't think it has island food recipes. Gardening...i hate gardening. Imagine gardening on an island.

So i really don't know. ideally a scrap book would be great, or even just a photo album to look at photos. i do like personality books like raising your spirited child or Why we act the way we do because i loooove to analyze myself and others. But I'd have to have others on the island with me to analyze lol. So re reading that sentence I'm thinking that my passion is people and personality's lol

So ...what book would you take with you?

Join in with FYBF

Things I am grateful for 28/8/11

Play along with maxabella loves and let us know what you are grateful for

This week I am grateful for...

* wireless internet...so I can blog in bed

* friends i can visit and stay at their house for the whole day and feel so at home I make my own cups of coffee

* sunny days so Dh, kids and I could have a picnic in the park during dh's lunch break

* new friendships that move along great

things i know - washing

I've never worried about washing, just threw it all in. That was until i read domestic guru so this post is things i know about WASHING...

Play Things I know with shae at YAY FOR HOME

* i know i at least separate linen/towels from clothes

* I wash in omo sensitive to prevent skin reactions

* the kids clothes are separated from adult clothes

* I wash every day and find it so so boring

* I should separate my whites and maybe our clothes will look better

* I wash every day and find it so so boring

* DH doesn't think to wash unless i tell him too

* When I'm lazy I put clothes in the dryer

* I'm scared to use napisan with the kids clothes due to miss 4's ECZEMA

* I wash every day and find it so so boring

* If the dirty clothes aren't in the basket they don't get washed..(dh doesn't often get all his clothes washed)

Five question friday 26/8/11

Click  five question friday to play along and linky link up. this is my first week playing

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?

i bought 2 cakes for my sister to celebrate her 1st anniversary of her h leaving

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

deep blue orchestra were playing in town last week, i would have loved to go

3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?

least fav...the washing . it's so monotonous and done every day because if i miss a day i've got to do double the next

 

fav...at moment is vacuuming. it jsut makes everything look so clean

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?

 

clothes for sure. who wouldn't want new clothes

 

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?

 

never had miracle whip so mayo it is, and i actually prefer whole egg mayo :)

 

i look forward to seeing other's answers

morning tea

miss 4, bless her little soul, prepared morning tea for us on the weekend. I was sick with the gastro bug but could not miss out on this

writers workshop-top 10 reasons why I'm glad I'm done with school

For writing prompts click on WRITERS WORKSHOP . I can't figure out how to get the link in my side bar so will add it once i figure out how.
I chose top 10 reasons why I'm done with school

#1 Can do away with the ugly hessian bags our mother used to make us get because they were cheaper. I hated them and felt even more reject by having one. The best bit about it was you could write all over them, other than that...damn ugly. By yr 11 I was able to buy a normal bag but the damage was already done

#2 Not having to worry about answering questions in class and having the whole class look at you as you slowly go redder and redder then wonder why on earth did you even answer that question when you knew that talking out loud in class would embarrass the hell out of you

#3 I don't have to study anything i find useless. Algebra...never used it, Pythagoras theory...never used it, science...it stunk too much in the classroom to even want to concentrate.

#4 I hated catching the bus and thinking everyone was talking about or looking at me. Either paranoid or up myself I guess but i had such low self esteem I honestly thought people were laughing about me whenever i heard anyone laugh.

#5 I don't worry now about whether I fit in or not. It's such a big thing to fit in to the right group, and even then you still have to keep to a standard. I never fitted in anywhere really. I flitted from group to group never feeling totally comfortable in any one group. One group in particular I really didn't fit in too. One girl even said I was different to them because I didn't talk about the same stuff as them, and didn't go to party's etc. I tried hard to be cool like them but knew i wasn't. Unfortunately I have to see them all over again as their kids start school with Miss 4 next year. As for fitting in.....I don't care now, I make friends easily and I feel comfortable with the friends I have.

#6 I was always the shy quiet one who never spoke out of place, never spoke my mind. Therefore kept alot of things to myself, kept myself to myself, and people never then got to know the real me. I wish I was then who I am now as I'm not afraid to speak up.

#7 The anxiety I had (and think I still carry) from turning up to school each day and hoping my friends would be sitting in the same place and that I would be able to find them.  Of course I don't worry about that now but i do have anxiety and control issues today lol

#8 Not having to attend sports carnivals. For a non sporting person they are pretty boring. Why can't schools have music carnivals instead

#9 I hated the in between weather lol, as I worried would I get too hot or cold and didn't know whether to wear summer or winter uniform, jumper or not jumper

#10 Working your butt off to do the HSC and realise you don't even need it all the time. As one teacher said and I'll never forget...the hsc is like a sneeze in nature


So there, that's why I'm glad I'm out of school. I hated school, hated the whole conformity thing etc. If only I knew then what i Know now, that once you leave school it's a whole new world, one where you can be yourself.

wordless wednesday-blocks creations

Play along with my little drummer boy

Here are some of my kids block creations

things i am grateful for

 play along, write what you are grateful for then add yours when you click on the picture above

This week I am grateful for...

- chatterbox behaving really well and not feeling stressed abotu being a step mummy

- my sister's kids and how much my kids love their cousins

- friends at church who sat with bub, miss 4 and little man so i could play violin

- lunch in the park on a lovely day with bub and a good friend

wordless wednesday- strange barbie dolls

play wordless wednesday with my little drummer boy

miss 4 set her dolls up like this. the last photo however is how i found barbie on the bathroom floor

things i am grateful for

Another group one. This is my practice one as the week has ended and it should be done on saturdays. So I'm going to do the week prior

Things i am grateful for for week 7-13th august:

- My sister who babysat at last minute

- miss 4 loved her come and try days at big school

- miss 4's best friends mother decided to put her daughter into the same school as miss 4

- Saturday night dinner with 6 other girlfriends

- my physio friend who referred me on to my chiro to get my wrist fixed after 1 yr

- that bub is learning new words and the best one is cuddle

- that little man hasn't had as many major tantrums

things i know -or don't know

Click on the picture to play along

So today it's about things you don't know :

How to cook a yummy cheap meal every single night

what to do with the kids on a rainy day

why my family can't hang up towels

why dh  struggles to put dirty clothes in the wash lol

i didn't know there was a seriously queer lady in american who has baby dolls that are life like and she treats them like babies.

what would it be like to not stress about things lol

sometimes things are never what they seem

I'll be honest and admit that sometimes I find it so hard to be a parent. I often dream about my time as being single, living in my little 2 bedroom flat, having so much freedom. I also had the body back then, could wear what ever i wanted and secretly knew I looked pretty good. I spent money on what ever I wanted to, went on holidays if i felt like it. I'm glad I had that time to experience and remember.
Then I fell pregnant. Wasn't exactly planned to say the least but not something I'd ever take back. EVERYTHING changed. I worked as a director in child care at the time and the expectation was so high. So many people said oh you're a natural you'll be fine. You work with kids you'll be a great parent. You have so much experience this will be second nature for you etc etc etc.Well to be honest I was so scared. Baby;s scared the daylights out of me. I never knew what to do with them. Being a parent is NOTHING like being a child care worker. I had such high expectations to live up to.
Even now I feel people expect more of me because of my child care back ground. I even expect more of me. I feel my kids should be better behaved, that i should always think of exciting things to do with them, that i should be able to teach them more how to write their names etc at an early age. But as it is none of that is the case. They are reasonably well behaved, sometimes I do exciting things with them but it's hard with 3 different age groups, and well I've tried getting them to trace their name and the alphabet but they had no interest.
so, fast forward a bit to the point of this blog as I have really rambled on more than what i was going to.....
Sometimes the mundaneness of parenting really sucks. Day in day out, same thing, same challenge, same fights, same washing basket, same saucepan etc. In the last 2 days I've spoke separately to 4 other women who have all felt this way. I didn't bring it up at all with them, they initiated the topic. The one that really got me was today. I rang my friend (N) today to see if she'd like a visitor. The conversation started as me : hi how are you ? N: hmmm just surviving my kids today. Conversation carried on and she said it was fine for me and bub to visit. I got off the phone and at her expense i felt normal. Her honesty was great. I've always felt N to be the mother who had it all in control, who ALWAYS did exciting things with her kids, who took her kids everywhere and never worried about it, and who would never have a bad day with her kids. So to hear this I thought wow, it's amazing how we always perceive things but they are never what they seem. We had a great chat about our feelings as mums and how we love the fact that we are so blessed to be at home with the kids but some days it'd be nice to just have that recognition, that thanks, that reassurance to know you are doing it all right.
Today I read someone else's blog and two things she was really spot on with for how i felt were...

1. Mothering is harder than it looks.
2. As bad as the moments can be with your kids, the worst moments are the ones where you face losing them. No matter how much they do your head in, the thought of a world without them is unbearable.

So maybe i should just lower my expectations of myself and be real about it all because even the people that look like they have it all together all the time don't necessarily.

more first words

as i gave bubs a cuddle a said cuddle, she then copied me by saying dudda

when you say night night she says ma moo

she has very good listening skills as when i say we are going now she grabs my keys and heads for the door.

i just love watching her learn it's so cute

things i know

play along with shae



This is a new thing I've started so I'll see how I go

I know I have to make rissoles

I know the clothes won't dry until I put the in the clothes dryer but forget each time until the washing machine beeps

I know my son reeeeaaally needs a sleep because he is becoming a handful and doing silly things

I know there are tim tams in the fridge and I could have one if i get off the lounge

I know this is my first time doing things i know so really have no clue what i am doing lol

come and try days at big school

Day one of come and try day at big school....I drop bub and little man at my sisters house so i can totally focus on miss 4. Miss 4's best friends mum rings to say she is going home to get best friends hat. So i tell her I'll wait. As i drive closer to the school i see lots of mum's and come and try kids with school bags. I feel anxious as all i packed was miss 4's lunch box so make a quick dash for home to get her bag. Best friend waited for us at the front office where we were also greeted by a year 6 student who introduced herself and ask miss 4 what was her name. She took us down to where all the other parents and children were. We went over to the table and got a name tag for miss 4 then waited fir instruction for where to go. luckily miss 4 was in a group with 2 of her preschool friends and a little boy she went to day care with. she was more than happy for me to leave, i did however have a lump in my throat. I was meant to go grocery shopping but a better offer of coffee from a friend i hadn't seen for a while got the better of me. The whole time I'm wondering how is miss 4. We get back to school after coffee and wait for the bell to ring. i was so excited to see miss 4 and hear about her day. she came racing out of her room and grabbed her bag and ran over to me. she dumped her bag and ran off to play!!So i knew she had a positive time. A teacher (who is also the mother of one of miss 4's friends) informed me that miss 4 is very confident and independent. I wasn't sure how to take that as it can be interpreted different ways but I'm thinking it's a good thing.
Day 2....leave earlier than we should "just in case" and thank God we did. Get all kids strapped into the car turn the key....click click click. Crap, flat battery. take a breath and ring DH. i say honey, i need you to come home RIGHT away and start my car please. he says i was actually just on my way there to grab my drill. YAY!! So he gets here, uses the battery pack to start the car and tells me all is good. So i drop little man at day care (yes the one up the road from big school), hop back in the car and click click click. I ring dh back up and tell him i need him again. Lucky for me he was actually driving up that road. He leaves the battery pack with me this time. Meanwhile my sister texts me and says be careful and get car checked before our holiday as she had a dream about a car getting stranded with lots of kids in it. finally we get to school. I park next to miss 4 bestfriends car incase something happens again. We have to go to a different classroom today which is just as exciting. But...on the way i stumble upon the bitches i went to high school with. There were 2 of them, both had sons. I got a major stare down by one of them and all the awful feelings i had from highschool came gushing back. i felt sick. But no, it's time to focus on miss 4. lucky for me the car started fine. For my short time at home a had a friend over and discussed my negative depressing feelings about the bitchy girls. I almost considered changing schools for miss 4 but realised it's not about me, and i could see on her face how happy and confident she was. Stuff the bitches. One of them wears skirts, with socks and shoes that look like school shoes. how ugly!
Get back to school, it's freeeeezing cold as i wait for miss 4. i see some mum's I know so stand and have a chat. also see the bitches again, get the stare again but who cares. Miss 4 comes out happily and we head off to preschool. Her bestfriend was going too so they walked in together. The teacher was doing an explanation to the group for a special fathers day painting. Miss 4 and best friend disrupt the whole group, the teacher is trying to get their attention again. Best friends mum and i have a little giggle about it.
That afternoon as i was on my way out of the driveway my sister rings to ask if my dh is working near her house. but he's not. i ask why and she tells me her car is stuck.... at her son's school....with all the day care kids in it (there was her dream). I remember the battery pack is in my car so tell her she will have to wait until i pick up miss 4 then will go straight to her. all was good.
day 3....last day. Miss 4 wasn't too impressed about it being her last day. Best friend and her take each others hand and walk in. Best friends mum and i had arranged to take the kids to macca's afterwards so the kids were really looking forward to that. Both girls had a ball at school and a ball at macca's. Little man also loved best friend and a week later still talks about her and says she's his best friend. too cute.
All in all miss 4 loved her come and try days and can't wait to go to school.

Big School

Miss 4 is starting school next year. I had my heart set on sending her to a particular school since she was born. This school was on the other side of town, about a 20minute drive. I even enrolled her. Then I heard the school was getting too big so started to think about other options. I had doubts about the school we are actually zoned for so asked ALOT of people about it, and not one person said a bad thing which is good. I was still hesitant though.
Little man goes to day care once a week jut up the road from the zoned school and miss 4 kept saying there's my school, without me even having said anything to her. That was a bit of a fluke i think. I went in anyway to enrol her and she seemed so excited which was great. So then all we had to do was wait for her come and try days, which involved 3 days of 930-12pm , leaving your child at the school and they sit in with the kindergarten classes.
One week before this i found out we as parents don't stay with them. we leave them there, on their own. I nearly died. leave my baby girl at a massive school with no child safety gates!?I prayed I'd instilled enough sense into miss 4 to stay put. I also found out this same day that her best friend from preschool was also going to this school. Her mother decided that week and i was over the moon.
i assessed miss 4's clothes a few days before and thought there is no way she can turn up to school in daggy clothes. The clothes she loves to wear are tracksuit pants with a skirt of them, and a long sleeve shirt with a t shirt over it. I love her character like that but maybe just not for her first few days. So i bought a pair of jeans, a knitted vest, a pink ballerina top and a pretty pair of shoes. However, it dropped by about 8 degrees for her school days so she was unable to wear the shoes, knitted vest and ballerina top.

milk allergy and behaviour research

allergies and ADD

milk free

the emotional turmoil of milk allergy

there's a few, will add to it

the bedroom wall

It's ugly. Picture it......you wake up after a not so great sleep. You have been up to the baby to give her a bottle, she pukes on your pyjama top. So you go back and fumble around in the dark to find another one before you hop back into bed. Nudge hubby a few times with your elbow because he is snoring. Shut your eyes then miss 4 calls out, mum! muuuum! mummy!! muuuummmmyy!! i'm calling you!! come here mummy!! you stumble back out of bed, bare feet on the cold floorboards and make your way to her room. She wants her wheat bag heated up. So you stand infront of the microwave for the 2 minutes it takes to heat the wheat bag. ok done, go back to bed. Kick hubby because he is snoring really loud. Start to drift back to sleep. then little man starts to cry. kick hubby a bit harder to let him know little man is crying and its' his turn to get up for a change. slowly he gets up and gathers himself to get to little man's bedroom, the whole time you're thinking you'd have been there and back by now. He goes finally, quietens little man, goes to the toilet, comes back. You've stayed awake the whole time to make sure all was good. Dh goes back to sleep instantly. You take a while. Morning hits and you wake up to the ugliest wall. poo yellow colour. I said to dh it's no wonder we wake up feeling like shit lol. So many times i've been tempted to paint it but don't know the first thing about painting and i know dh prefers to fix the walls up first before putting a coat of paint on. I think about what can I do to make the bedroom look better. Not alot comes to mind. Find some material and try to make the white roman blinds look better. Nearly fall off the chair hurtingg my wrist and getting a massive bruise on my leg while trying to get the material up. Which in the end looked ugly so i took it back down. Instead I get bub and we head into town to look for anything i could find to put on the ugly wall to make it look better. I'm racing against time now because i want to have it all done before dh gets home but meanwhile i have to pick miss 4 up from preschool. Miraculously i get it done and am secretly pleased with the outcome!!

dairy free update

this won't be long as my head still hurts from sinus pain.
we haven't gone totally dairy free as in we still allow some foods with milk protein in them. but we;ve cut out milk, yoghurt and cheese and any other big dairy items.
the changes we've noticed are:
* less aggressive
*getting dressed was a major issue, he would always kick, scream, punch etc. now he even gets his clothes (unless he gets distracted with toys on the way)
*more responsive to discipline. still has his moments but no is no and he doesn't kick the doors down (very rarely anyway)
* don't know if it's just a fluke but he is eating better at night time meals

so they are great changes. he is still full on, like most boys, but the aggression is less.