random pics

Hello is there anybody out there?

Bear has started playing rugby for the school. His Coach has given him a list of exercises to do each night of course this means that D and Bear compete and carry on whilst Lulu shouts at them. That girl watches way too much Fat Club aka The Biggest Looser ... she loves being the trainer.

Bear also got a new mouth guard. When I picked it up from the dentist it was the wrong colour (there was about a zillion colour options and his was lime green and yellow or some such hideousness). Anyway after the drama to get the mouth guard fitted ... the dentist couldn't get a good imprint mould and so after 4 attempts and the nurse cracking it because he (Bear) had used up all the putty ... the senior dentist came in and did a "special" (I'd say more expensive) mould. Anyhoo I wasn't going through that again (like it was me having putty shoved in my mouth til I gagged 5 times) so we all very happy with his Christmas / Italian coloured mouth guard. The dental nurse said I could send it back and get his preferred colours and I said " Yeah I'm not that kind of parent... this will do just fine".

Ouch

"Parents are the bones on which children cut their teeth."

Peter Ustinov

Dave and I need a few bandaids stat.

Krazy Hair Disco

Lulu went to a Krazy hair disco so I curled her hair in small sections and pinned it to her head so she had little "bobbles" all over her head. Then we spray painted it green and pink.

It was a family activity....

Fashion is hard work.... and yes we did have spaghetti for tea.

All ready to party hearty.



When we took it out it was in crazy ringlets.

and the next day she was rockin the dreadlocks.

Whadda ya want for tea?

This is both the question I loath asking and Dave hates answering lately. Everyone in this fam is a bit sick of our usual dinner options (curry, spaghetti bolognaise, stir fry, casserole, chicken schnitzel .... and repeat) so in an effort to find some different things (bearing in mind there is a huge list of food 3 peeps in my house wont eat) I cooked a new recipe last night... and it rocked and it was easy.

Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup

1 x BBQ chicken or any cooked chicken meat shredded
1 x tin of creamed corn
1 x tin corn kernels

1 litre of Chicken stock

1 x chopped onion

1 x garlic clove crushed

1x 10cm piece of ginger grated.

Fry onion garlic and ginger in a little bit of oil

and then add the rest of the ingredients.... stir simmer for a few minutes and serve.

It was delicious and the kids sort of liked it... Ive yet to find anything my kids "love" to eat (chocolate and coco pops don't count).

The Hurt Locker

I kidnapped David on Friday and took him to see The Hurt Locker because a. I thought he would like it and b. I was too chicken to go on my own.

I really wanted to see this movie because of the Oscar hype and because one of my favourite movies is Black Hawk Down... which I thought The Hurt Locker would be like.

BHD is one of my favs because I reckon Josh Harnett looks like my little brother...

and I just love the watching good actions films with alpha male characters .

I have heard (like on the radio ... I haven't done any authoritative research or anything) that the term the "hurt locker" can be used in two ways , like you would use the expression "in a world of pain" i.e. "If this bomb goes off we will all be in the hurt locker" and also its the place where people at war keep their pain and anguish " like I know its hard Buddy but you have to put it all in your hurt locker and keep going forward". Both are pretty descriptive and apt.

So back to the movie... I loved it and Dave thought it was just ok. I thought it was going to be more graphic (don't get the impression its not graphic ... it is) and more political. I appreciated that it told a fascinating story without having (for the most part) an overt political agenda. It is a fascinating view into the world of some damaged souls doing frightening jobs in the theatre of war. D thought it didn't live up to its Oscar haul.

Have you seen it? What did you think?

My View (s)

For someone who has two capable kids I spend an inordinate amount of time washing up the dishes. We don't have a dishwasher which is a crime (against housewives) I know ... we couldn't fit one in the kitchen which should tell you something about the size of my house.
So back to me... even though the kids take it in turns to do the dishes each night... I find myself standing at the sink looking at this view at least once a day. I sort of like it. And I am sort of going to miss it when we turn the kitchen into the lounge room and move the kitchen to the new part of the house (don't get excited it could take a while to do that... oh hang on that was just me getting excited).

This is my other view.
No this pic isn't arthouse... its just my craptastic photo skills... flash would be good. Its from my treadmill... I look out to the range (actually I look out to a lot of trees) but I can hear and sometimes see the cars travelling along the range... I'm going to miss this view too.

Running / jogging / walking / coughing up your lunch on the treadmill gives you a fantastic opportunity to consider your view...

and I like mine (even if I don't have a dishwasher).

Clever captions would be good

Don't mess with the competitive Nanna!

I have no words.....

So pleased we have a pool to run around, I wonder what other uses it has.

...And now you take this bit of mess and add it to this bit of mess and eventually when we get bored Mum will come along and clean it up.... oops that looks like it might stain... oh well.

Thoughts of the random kind

• I have a bookmark that has a quote by P.L. O'Rourke that says
  "Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
  

Just for the record if I cark it tonight... I wouldn't. I would swap him for a 5 bedroom apartment on the river in New Farm ... maybe.
I saw the author of this book on Oprah (where she got to speak for about .4 of a second !) she sounded interesting so I thought I would check this out. She also wrote a book called "I was a really good Mom before I had kids" which is a genius book title.
This book is a self help manual for women who are struggling to balance being a mother and a wife (don't try to find the equivalent for men , they are thin on the ground). I thought it was pretty boring , although there is hilarious little snippets called "dirty little secrets" that will probably have all mothers and wives nodding their heads.
Call me a nerd but I love self help books. I like being told what to do. I like thinking someone else has got the answers. I read books like this because you can sometimes pick up little hints or advice that make your life better. (Its why I love family blogs too because the wisdom of good mums is pure gold). I struggle(d) with being a mum and a wife (like finding the energy to be a good mum and a good partner) especially when the kids were little. The combination of the kids getting older and practise at juggling the roles of parent and partner has me a more settled person (not too mention paying a nice lady to listen to me whinge). The thing I love about books like the ones Trisha Ashworth writes is that you can read them and NOT FEEL ALONE.

• Channing Tatum use to be a exotic dancer... I know!




• Lara, Pup and the Fev. This deserves a whole post cos I'm so mad about the way Lara Bingle has been massacred by the Australian press... but the kids are whining for something, breakfast probably, so I'm just going to say .... Do you remember what it was like to be 22? I do and it involved a lot of vodka and some pretty dodgy choices. I feel sorry for Lara (as sorry as I can be for a lingerie model) and I'm glad that my 22 year old choices were never broadcast to the world.


• I have 4 kids this weekend .... we are looking after David Brothers children . Its been good so far except for last night when the little one wanted her Mummy and there was a lot of tears...I was thinking I may have to deposit said child back to "Mummy" but reading a few books and getting David to act like an idiot calmed the situation down.


• Bears cricket grand final today ... Good luck Bear ...well done Mummy and Daddy for getting through the season...specially mention must go to Mummy who got the whites "white" every week and Daddy who did most of the travelling to ovals.


• Lady Antebellum.... I am loving this band. Hopefully the FM radios don't discover them and overplay their music so we all end up hating their sound through no fault of their own (hello Taylor Swift).
  

and finally

• Channing Tatum use to be an Exotic Dancer.

Dear John

Dear Channing

Thank you thank you thank you. I could not care less if you never win an Oscar / bafta or any metallic statue. You Rock. For 2 hours and 11 minutes I couldn't take my eyes off you... you made me laugh and cry and swoon (mainly swoon) and I really hope you are signing up to do more movies where you surf without a shirt and look manly carrying a large gun. It would also be good if you could do a movie that has another crying scene 'cos that melted my cold heart and was worth the price of admission alone. It goes without saying that if things don't work our between you and the Mrs ... and you fancy living in suburbia... with a couple of kids and a whopping mortgage ... I could totally be your perfect match.


Dear Amanda,

Even though I HATED Mamma Mia and I think you are given the crappiest story lines in Big Love... you have hit the jackpot in this movie. For most of it you are luminosity personified on screen and joyous to watch... you make me want to grow my hair long and invest in a curling iron. I will try to forgive you the fact that you got to do the pretend offtymagoofty with Channing.


Dear Zarraffa Coffee Guy,

It is as embarrassing for me to say as it is painful for you to hear "Can I have a Grande, Skinny, Decaffeinated, Mocha , triple shot, extra hot, no cream" Just build a bridge and get over it.

Also it may be a pain that the checkout operator forgot to tell you it was a take away order... but really there is no need to throw my chicken wrap into a paper bag with no love at all... its not the wraps fault you work at Zarraffa Coffee.


Dear Mrs Tatum,
I have four cautionary words for you ... Mr and Mrs Smith. If I were you (oh if I were you....) I would be steering the hubby towards more art house films that involve more working with Helena Bonham Carter and less pretend offtymagoofty scenes with pretty young starlets.


Dear VYC,
Thanks for last night. Sorry about the seating snafu... How about next time we go to the moves you chuck a completely disproportional tantrum about other patrons not unreasonable behaviour... Thanks this would make me feel less like the emotional spaz I am.

Finally Dear John Soundtrack
You are all mine

Love E xxx

Back to High School

I went "back to High school" last night ... it was as bad as I remember it being.

Bears High School held a "back to School " night for new parents. I only found out about it yesterday as Bear "lost" the invitation sent out two weeks ago telling parents the details of the night. Of course there was no time to get a babysitter so Dave "offered" to stay home and I went to relive Grade 8. It both sucked and rocked ... just like the first time round. Not actually seeing the invite, I had no idea what the night entailed. I presumed (hoped beyond hope) that it would involve a welcoming prayer, a nice cup of tea (and homemade bickies) and a quick chat with Bears teachers who would all thank me for bringing such a handsome, well mannered , hard working child into their lives....all wrapped up before 8.30pm so I could be home on the couch in time to watch Big Love.
It started at a time of night I am usually sitting on the couch in my pjs ordering children to get me another drink of cordial or bring me the biscuit barrel... so I arrived at the school and know no one , I sit by myself in the hall (just like High school) pretty soon we get put into the class groups our kids are in and get handed a timetable that we will have to keep for the next two hours. Listed on the timetable are the classrooms we have to find... in the dark ... all over the school campus... I get lost (just like High School) and pissed off with other members in my class who all seem to know one another and carry on like they are the part of the in crowd (just like High School). My first class was Woodwork/graphics ... I'm not making this shite up. The teacher asks us to put on protective gloves and start filling down the little plastic disks on the desks with the files (?) in front of us. When I did Grade 8 woodwork (you know the first time) I actually slipped with a drill and ended up with a huge whole in my uniform skirt just being about about 1 cm from DRILLING INTO MY LEG....I then got through the rest of High School Woodwork by not going near a drill and by chatting up the boys in my class and asking them to complete all my projects... not really an option last night so I soldiered on and I amazingly finished my plastic disk/keyring in time to take it home. Then the bell rings and its off to our next class, by this time Ive caught on to the fact that this night is all about walking a mile in our kids shoes and experiencing school like they do. I hate David at this point.
Next is English Class and I get to sit next to another "student" who knows no one ,we break the ice and exchange a bit of info about our kids... and I get told off for talking in class. English Class involves listening to a piece of music from the Lion King and thinking about how it applies to our child's "Circle of Life" . We get a limited amount of time to jot down essay points and then have to finish the rest as homework. Choice.
Next is Science Class were we have to get into pairs (I'm picked last so there's a nice flash back from 198something) and do a science experiment that illustrates a chemical reaction. It goes well I don't blow anything up or spill the acid on my partner. .. but I do have an urge to fiddle with the Bunsen burners.
So off to our last class... Maths. I may or may not have cheated shamelessly off the "student" sitting next to me because it was A) 9.25pm AT NIGHT and B) I HATE MATHS. Finally the bell rings and we are excused for the night... I'm exhausted. The combination of trying to find the classrooms, not knowing anybody, trying not to ask stupid questions in front of the class and generally being back in Grade 8 has done my head in.

Of course I wouldn't have missed it for the world... and its a great big fat reminder of how much Bear is getting through each day. So when he is comatose on the couch surrounded by cups and plates of half eaten afternoon tea, showing no particular interest in doing his homework or speaking in complete sentences... I will try to cut him a bit of slack, he has after all survived another day in Grade 8.
Also when I sat down to do my English "homework" I cried... Our homework is to compose a letter addressed to Bear detailing how we feel as parents as we watch him on his journey through life. The opportunity to complete that letter was worth every minute of reliving the highs and lows of Grade 8.

PS I know who will be going "Back to School" when Lulu hits High School... Starts with D and rhymes with avid.

Seeking the Sun

It has been raining here for weeks. David's Dad and his partner Joy came and visited us over the weekend and it wasn't the best weather but we still had a ball.

We ate and pulled faces when our sister wanted to take pics.

We compared download speed

and cuddled up with Nanna and had favourite stories read to us (and introduced Nanna to the Velvateen Rabbit - Lulu's fave).

and nicked Poppies cool Sunnies (sorry Poppie).

Saturday was really wet so Dad and Joy took the kids to the movies... and Dave and I did what grown ups do when find themselves with a quite empty house ... talked about the kids and read the weekend papers...

Sunday rolled around and we decided to head to the beach to find some sun (or be outdoors in the rain). We found the sun, the surf and sand at Noosa and had a fantastic time swimming and eating and window shopping.

Some visitors are hard work (for me) Dad and Joy are the complete opposite... and I can honestly say we all had a really wonderful fun weekend.

Listen here

About 6 months ago I asked my facebook friends (all 20 of them lol) to tell me their favourite bands/singers/music. I was actually trying to put together a running program but I was also interested in new music in general. I am so sick of what is currently on my ipod (maybe I have a short attention span ...nooooo). Well it was *crickets* I tell ya (except for my oldest sister who suggested Nickelback.... Oh please let her be joking).

Anyhoo the Lovely Amanda (yes that is her real name) suggested that I listen to the Starlet Shaggers album Continuum and also a chap called Mr Ray LaMontagne. Excellent advice Lovely Amanda - my ears thank you.
So I am going to try again to solicit music advice.... please please please (desperado) tell me your favourite artist on your ipod or an artist you have discovered or album you love.

In return I will be like Molly Meldrum and tell you what I am listening to at the moment and what you should do yourself a favour and get into.

In no particular order

Guy Sebastian new album "Like it like that". The singing Fro is back and if you like Micheal Buble this album is worth checking out

Mumford & Sons "Sigh no More"

David Grey "Draw the Line"

also I got the single "everybody hurts" off itunes by Help for Haiti... watch this clip on youtube and if you are not crying by the time Robbie Williams appears check your cold cold heart for a pulse.

BTW I am in love with Rod Stewart.

also I reserved Adam Lambert's CD at the library ... He was on SYTYCD last night singing "whatdoya want from me" (poor lad has bad acne and a spelling problem) and I thought it sounded like it could be a good running track.

Also I am love love loving Powderfingers new album "Golden Rule" and especially lyrics like this from the single Burn Your Name

I want every single soul to know

That I love you for what you are

So I sound the bells that praise your precious heart

I just LOVE it.

Ok I'm going to waiting here 24/7 for your music suggestions... so get on it.
Thanks

Ex

PS ANY suggestion would be great whatever the genre ... one of my favourite cd's is a mix my cousin (the priest) made for me of Christian rock and pop and soul. I'm like one of those Swankers (with a silent 'S') who say their tastes are eclectic...

Marching on

Our family calender / organiser has an uplifting quotation for each month and March 2010 has this:



Today I will be thankful for this beautiful day,

I will live with passion,

give with kindness and love completely.

I will find strength in the things that bring me joy,

and express how I feel honestly.

Know that I am exactly where I need to be on my journey.





I though it was a fantastic quote and a great reminder on focusing on the good stuff in our lives.

This photo is just some of the good stuff in my life.

(David, Bear and my nieces playing Monopoly in the Camp Kitchen on our trip to the Bloomfield Track Far North Queensland 2007)