'Ello 'ello

Thought it would be nice to update. Although when my sister was here looking after Anakin while I began my new job on Thursday she cleaned up the kitchen and lounge spotlessly proving to Greg yet again that I waste far too much time on the computer and after the barrage of flack I copped for not being as mad-keen on cleaning as Nick I angrily responded by vowing "I'LL NEVER LOG ON TO MY STUPID FRIGGIN BLOG AGAIN IF YOU WILL JUST SHUT UP!". But anyway here I am. Goes to show how much I bullshit in the heat of the moment. But seriously sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth.

Anakin has taken The Arts by the neck. Particularly dancing. You should see him go, it's so cute. He goes soft at the knees and bobs up and down while he sways his body and his head about. And his arms breeze about all over the place. It's a whole body thing. And he's not entirely happy unless everybody in the whole house is joining in. Same with drawing - he hands out crayons left and right and implores us all to "Draw! Draw!"

Izzy is enjoying the privileges of Grade Seven: Sitting in the back seat of the school bus. Having the only veranda in the school to hang out on in the morning and at lunch. He's only been for one day but he thinks Grade 7 is going to be a breeze. I'm actually looking into what study is involved in becoming a Dental Technician as he thinks this might be a career prospect for his future. (Finger crossed, I'm definitely going to need those services in my old age! Hell, I might even do it with him!) We're being a bit hasty I know (the kids only just getting his first few pimples) but he's always initiated conversations about his job opportunities and it's a step up from managing EB games and living in my basement (I don't even have a basement) which has been his vision for himself for the last 6 months or so. Thankfully he's progressed from there.

We had a long weekend in Cairns with Greg's family. And we also got to catch up with Izzy's Aunties (Paul's baby sisters). Greg got to go fishing. I got to go to the opshop, Izzy bought a slingshot and Bubby got a new honky-horn for his bike, so we were all happy.

I also raided The Warehouse and bought lots of cool trinkets and novelty stationary stuff for my Grade 2/3EB treasure box. (It's been changed to a composite class!) I meet them all next on Wednesday. That'll be great. I made up a rap we can sing as kind of an affirmation in the mornings. It goes:

Two Three E B are smart and strong,
We try our hardest all day long.

We never complain when it's a-bit-of-a strain.
Coz we love to exercise our brains.

Our bodies get a work-out daily,
Jump-rope, running, circuit training.

You'll never find us in detention,
Because we get so much special attention.

It took me about 2 minutes but I thought it fitted nicely with the Smart Moves initiatives for this year.

I finished Jesse's book. It's ingenious, funny and really, really honestly written. I'm so proud of him and now I understand why he always came across as a bit full of his own self-importance - it's coz he deserved to be. I didn't know he had it in him, but I'm sure glad he knew. It's a classic - I hope he writes more! It'd be outrages if he didn't. I can't wait for my brother to read it now, so we can go on and on about it together. It's SO quotable. I put it on my favourites list in my profile. Gotta jump - Bub's just woken up. XX

7 Things

Greg is still in shock about the big black gravedigger Jamie failing to produce one of his two immunity idols to save himself from being voted out in Survivor. Every now-n-again, out of the blue, he screams out "WHY?? WHY DIDN'T HE USE IT!!!" My brother gave us a heap of episodes which we have been watching in between some of the best tennis games I've ever seen in my life! It's all very convenient coz right in front of the telle is where the aircon is and the coolest spot in the house.

I've been tagged to name 7 STRANGE THINGS ABOUT ME, it's going to be a bit hard coz I'm not really that strange:

1) Me and a friend saw a UFO at almost ground level in the middle of the night. I have also seen a group of hungry, creepy looking alien things which I didn't mention to anyone until about 2 years later because I had it in my head that if I did they were going to come and get me. (No, I wasn't on drugs.)

2) I sabotaged my reasonable looks at highschool. I gave myself (and let others give me) severely bad haircuts, I wore glasses I didn't need, black eyeliner as lipliner, huge baggy clothes, performed my own piercings... I wasn't self depreciating, I was just a punk who wanted to be a geek.... a really bad combo, but I still snagged the hot guys ;). I think I've progressed in the fashion stakes since then and even unleashed my potential hotness on occasions.

3) I've never eaten a Big Mac.

4) I hitchhiked non-stop for about 3 years. I only had two dodgy experiences one French guy wanted to give me a kiss. No go. And I told one dude he needed to let me out coz he was off his face on speed or something and couldn't drive safely for shit. I ended up driving his car for him! Probably saved him from plowing himself into a semi-trailer.

5) Trains make me horny. I love travelling in the sleeping berths and wanna take my man with me one time so we can go at it the whole journey (except for when we're lounging in the club car and dining in the dining car of course).

6) When I was extremely drunk, I pashed the fat sweaty bouncer who was about to throw me out of the venue just to make a quick getaway in her confusion.

7) I can't stand my stupid name.

I tag Tiff, NG, JT, Winey, Ruth, ltwis, and Kim (if you haven't been tagged already.)

One for the Ladies.

I thought I better put this picture of Mark Ruffalo here to counteract all the ugly dudes NG has been posting on her blog lately ;)

All Good

Let me say a big thank-you to Chris. Without your generous donation of a big-old-brumby of an aircon' which Greg promptly mounted into the window I would be sitting in a puddle of sweat right now, instead I'm quite comfortable thank-you...until I go outside...

Greg is back at work after his 3 weeks off, the In-Laws have moved on and Izzy is off with his cousins watching a movie today so it's just me and Bub chillin' in the aircon'. Anakin is 18 months old on Saturday! I wanted to compile a list of all the words in his vocabulary so far but he tries his best to imitate every new word we teach him now so it'd be a pretty time consuming and impressively long list!

All Izzy's books are covered and his pencil cases in order and everything is packed ready to go back to school. Year Seven!! I can't believe he's a senior this year! I've been doing some of my own preparation as I start work a week from today, with two pupil free days and then every Wednesday from there. Each week I will be taking Year Three for one hour of Science, one hour of Computer, an hour of Art/Craft/Construction/Technology, plus we will be having a half hour of fitness and reading groups for half an hour. I think the kids have RE on my day so that will give me a little break as I have a half hour yard duty at big lunch as well. They'll be busy, busy days for me that for sure! It will be exciting to get stuck in! Plus Nick has decided to come here to look after Bubby so that will save me a lot of time running around in the morning.

I'm currently on day four of my new eating regime. It doesn't involve too much change really but I'm hoping it will help shift my extra 4 kilos. I've made myself two simple rules to stick by: Eat only raw, unprocessed food until midday. And eat dinner as early as possible and then not another thing after that. That way I have a good 13 or 14 hour fast through the night. For breaky I've been having a big mango first thing, followed by a little plate of dates and brazil nuts. Then for lunch I've been making a big sandwich on wholesome bread which I stuff with lettuce, cheese, hummus, left over veges, grated carrot..everything that looks good... sometimes it's ended up way too big and I cut it in half and have the other half for my early dinner!

Bubby's got a very cool little playground happening outside with his cubby, and the sandpit Greg set up over his holidays and the swing hanging out of the lychee tree so even with his new-found love of The Wiggles it's been hard keeping him inside out of the heat - most of the day I'm being dragged around the yard, sweaty, stinky and sandy. I've been meaning to take some photo's to post (of the chook shed as well) but that will take the synchronisation of a bright sunny day and the yard looking nicely mowed and that kinda doesn't happen too much 'round here.

Quicky Question

I have a habit of using my toes to do things most people might do with their fingers. Greg finds it particularly distressing when I'm lounging in the passenger seat of his car poking around with my toes at the buttons of his car stereo. Quite accurately I might add. So, may I ask, according to another, what is one of your annoying habits?

Flashback Friday on Saturday

Yesterday was my niece's 14th birthday. 14!! Oh my God. I was witness to her moment of birth and I tell you it was totally off the radar as far as awesome experiences go. Her little body sprung out in front of my eyes at exactly 11 past 11am on the 11th of the 1st - definitely rates as one of the top days of my entire life. I was so thrilled at being her Auntie - here are some pictures to prove it and others that show me and my sister the day she was born. These days she's a talented artist, brilliant with animals, a natural green thumb, gives her mum plenty of headaches, has a cleavage, wears makeup and kisses guys.

As has become a tradition my sister and I took her shopping in Cairns with some of her girlfriends. Strictly a girls day out. Yet again I was out and about minus the little "hipwart". This year the whole little posse of princesses bought themselves matching tiaras and got around like a bunch of mini-divas. Which of course they are. Me and Nick hung out at the health food shop buying Macca powder, herbal toothpaste and fibre tone and when I was desperate for a nice big slab of chocolate cake at a coffeeshop, because of my very health conscious company, I was semi-guilted into a punnet of blueberries and a salad from woolies instead. Needless to say I'm still hanging out for that piece of cake.

I got to do some back-to-school shopping for Izzy, which has been explained here once before as being one of my favourite kinds. I bought Anakin a beautiful boardbook by Graeme Base titled "The Waterhole" and a watering can for his sandpit. Plus I spent some time on a futile mission driving around trying to track down the particular mobile phone the birthday girl wanted.

Well in between this paragraph and the second last one I got that piece of cake I was hankering for, along with an all you can eat buffet. Groan.. I hate the feeling of being overfed. Today I restocked my pantry with masses of nuts and dried fruit and the fruit bowl with mangoes and bananas so tomorrow I think is a good day to start exercising some portion control, eliminating the processed food and cutting back on the sweets.

Bubby cut one of his eye teeth last night. They've been bulging at the gums lately and this morning I could tap the tip of it with my fingernail. He'll find those real handy for munching up all the brazil, hazelnuts and almonds he loves to munch on all day long.

Izzy and his cousins' latest saying is "how about a rope around that fresh neck". I dunno where on Earth that one came from but as with everything they rave on about I find it totally catching.

Izzy's back! YIPPEE!!

I left Bubby and Greg and the in-laws at home on Monday and took the trip up to Cairns to meet Izzy at the airport. Mum and two of her linedancing friends departed for a holiday in Sydney that afternoon so it coincided well and I was able to take them all up to the airport as well. We had a bit of time on our hands when we hit Cairns so I was able to pay a visit to my favourite op-shop where I snagged some bargains, while the ladies had a cuppa at Gloria Jeans. Then I had another leisurely 4 hours to idle away in between dropping the girls off and going back to pick Izzy up. They say time flies when you're having fun, and it did.

I went to visit my gf and her daughter (who loved the black JustJeans jumpsuit I thrifted for her). They were a little suprised to see me so far from home without Anakin, but we made the most of it by having a beautiful (uninterrupted) vego meal, followed by my first ever marathon session of Singstar. That was loads of fun and when, against the odds, I beat Tiff singing The Cure's Just like Heaven I gave her shit saying that was because I was the bigger fan. She hated me for that which gave me a good laugh...

Anyway at the airport I enjoyed watching everyone's excitement growing as they waited for their friends/family/lovers to arrive and seeing all the cuddles they received at the end of their wait. I could of guaranteed I wasn't going to get any cuddles off my young man - he's primary love language is definitely not physical touch and sure enough when he trudged up the ramp with his backpack on and I went in for a hug he brushed me off saying "Now, now Mum. It was only 2 weeks." He was glad to see me though and talked my ear off half of the two hour drive back home. Which was a good thing as I've only been getting about 5 or 6 hours a night lately and that drive was a total killer!

I had to really dig deep to get us home in one piece. I don't like driving at night at the best of times but on Monday night it was absolutely bucketing down with rain the entire way, so I was crawling along at 80ks, there was heaps of confusing roadworks, I couldn't use the high beams coz it was making my eyes hurt with the headache I had and I was dead tired. I felt like Elias from Clerks II, blinking too much with my head bobbing around strangely. I tell you I was sending out some prayers for the stamina to get us home to our family all right. Which I managed.

My boobs where rock-hard after having missed a couple of Anakins feeds and he woke up on cue just as I stumbled in after midnight. Izzy was glad to collapse in his own room too.

Anyway. Greg's been flat out building a chicken pen so I'll be a happy lady when that rooster is saftely cooped up away from my exposed ankles. And as everything he builds it is of superlative construction.

Accidents

Me and Bubby went up to the shed this arvie to see what Greg was up to. We found him hunched down with his back to us and at first I thought he was working out some measurements on the concrete floor with his builders chalk as he often does and I said "Hey! What are you doin'?" As I came closer I noticed he wasn't figuring out anything, he was buckled over in a pile holding his bleeding face. He reckons "I've hurt myself, leave me alone, I need a couple of minutes." Oh shit. Not good. I kind of hovered around a bit trying to give him the space he needed to recompose and to stop feeling the need to throw up, then he let me have a quick look at what he'd done. Jesus and Mary! Let's just say he's lucky he's still got his left eyeball.. He was testing out the floor to ceiling punching ball he'd just hung in the shed and he's a 100 kilo's of muscle, he would've been thumping it around with some force - anyway the clip that is suppose to secure the rubber strap to the floor bolt broke and flung up and smashed him fair in the eye. His eyelid was sliced open and bleeding and there was this concentrated area of swelling that was just sticking so far out. He wasn't game to open his eye at that stage. The outside of it was messy enough. His parents were due any minute and here he was sitting in Anakin's cubby with a lump of ice on his mutilated eye. I tried to cheer him up and told him I didn't think his astounding good looks were going to be messed up for too long.

I'm okay. Thanks for asking. I'm kinda use to it with Greg. He gets into fights at basketball and comes home via the ambulance station with stitches in his face and black eyes. He roles his ankles scrimaging. He capsizes his boat in the croc infested river and calls on me to ring the coast guard from some tiny little sandbar that's probably disappearing with the tide. Once I was sitting in a stairwell when he fell over the hand rail about three flights of stairs above me and landed right in front of my eyes, missing me and my gf by about three centimetres and taking out some other poor innocent bystander. As if the crunch of his backbone as he landed on it wasn't enough for me to handle, he got up momentarily before passing out and cracking his head on the ground. At that point I became a hysterical. That was really the worst sound I've ever heard. I thought he was going to be a paraplegic. He already had a bad back! At the moment he's also limping around on two very sore feet. He sliced the bottom of one wide open on a roofing screw, slipping across the wet shed roof. (I hope he never falls off that - it's over 4 meters high!) and he cracked one of his ankles while he was up there as well.

To tell you the truth my dad was just as bad. It seemed like it was always something with him too. He'd just be recovering from a serious motorbike accident when he'd run over his foot with the mower. He'd get bitten by a poisonous snake just after barely surviving a bought of leptosclerosis.

It's a bloody wonder they're both still alive.

Poultry. ARGH!!

My nerves are in tatters. Someone fetch me a Nervine! That friggin' big rooster has crowed about 40 times in the last hour and it's like 20 to 6 or something! I went out there to scatter some grain and try to shut it up and it just stalked me all over the yard - running at me in this zig-zag pattern trying to bite my ankle. I let out the little chicken as a distraction (not that it worked!) and just made it back inside. It strew itself over the thongs I'd kicked off on my way in and glared at me. It's a complete fruitcake! It stands at our front door and looks in at us all for hours on end. Oh fark there it goes again, and again. The neighbours are going to hate us. It wouldn't surprise me if that rooster goes missing at some stage and then they'll ring us and invite us over for a big dinner of chicken and sweet corn soup or something. I would've done it already myself except that my niece is a vego' and already warned me that she'd never speak to me again. One of our two little chicks died yesterday. Me and Izzy read in a book that 10% of your poultry can die for no apparent reason. It was really hot yesterday, I think it died of heat stress. So now we've got one lonely little chick still wandering around looking for her friend and one crazy sexed-up rooster - a couple of misfits. I never should own animals - it always ends up disastrous.

Anakin is just about the happiest person I've ever met. First thing in the morning he sits up in bed with his eyes still closed and starts grinning like a lune. He's not even awake properly and he's in a good mood already. He's just all about good fun. His Dad has finished his sandpit now and put up a swing near his cubbyhouse so he's got an awesome little playground happening outside.

He misses Izzy heaps. He points to the planes in his picture books and says "Plane. Izzy. Daddy. Paul." Yes, very correct - Izzy gone to visit his Daddy Paul in a plane. He starting to attempt 3 syllable words now and says "lawnmower" and "motorbike". He's smart as well as happy!

Gotta go, the in-laws are coming from the opal mines today and we haven't seen them for 6 months or so. I have to go make up a big batch of energy slice and make sure we're well stocked up on tea and biscuits and jam...

Flashback Friday IV

Until I can get my scanner working again I can only flashback to my earliest digital folder, January 2005. This is a pic of me and my oldest best GF at Lake Eacham. We had driven the long way from my place to hers and stopped at lots of waterfalls and creeks as we traversed the range. We all really enjoyed the drive, seeing the sights and braving the freezing, fresh mountain water.
And this is our stop at the Mungali Creek dairy farm. Wow the kids have really grown in that 3 years! Onward and upward!

Restart computer..

Well if one of my New Years resolutions was to give the best side of myself to my man and be the most caring and generous and wonderful partner and lover I can possibly be, I wouldn't be off to much of a start I can tell you that!

I think I've called him a Dickhead once or twice already and I KNOW I've called him a Toolhead a couple of times. I muttered other horrible things in his general direction and it's only the 2nd!! It's just that every now and again the mood to become a man-of-action mysteriously takes ahold of him and he gets things done that he has been making idle promises of for the last 6 months or so. And when this miracle happens, it becomes apparent to him all the things that he thinks I should be doing with my precious time, so he starts trying to be the boss of me, which no-one gets away with and so instead of hearing my praise for everything he's accomplishing he hears "Don't (beepin) tell ME what to do with my time!" and "I already cleaned out that cupboard 3 weeks ago so leave me alone you (BEEEP)!" Anyway it's not very nice of me coz the attitude I give him is about 10 times harsher than what he'd ever dole out. I think I'm suffering from PMS and I just need to take a deep breath and start over. It's just that he gets to go out to the Basketball whenever he likes, he gets taken fishing for whole days at a time, he passes on his responsibility of the baby whenever it takes his fancy to drink and smoke cigarettes with the neighbour, I gotta make the most of my free time in little chunks the best I bloody can! I get a lot of things accomplished WHILE Bubby's awake and nobody is going to make me feel guilty for sitting on my arse while he's asleep!! SO THERE!!!

Speaking of sitting on my arse and being a lazybones - the tennis is back on telle. YAY!! I love watching Perth's Hopman Cup (I'm going to make it there one New Years!!) and the Auzzie Open and all the tennis in between!

Yesterday for New Year's I set up the slip-n-slide, Bubby's wading pool and a big blanket full of toys underneath the cubby outside, some nice comfy outdoor lounges, a coffee table with tea and fruit and shortbreads and red wine. Rounded up some Mums and kids and had a great afternoon in the shade. The kids went flat-out sliding the whole time while we got to sit around chatting with our feet up. A scenorio that will definitely be repeated a few times before the school holidays end.

Gotta go to the newsagent! I feel incomplete without a 2008 calendar!