Today was a MUCH nicer day

It is amazing how much nicer the world can see after 6-7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. As much as I love talking to people, particularly the munchkins, if it is between the hours of 11pm - 6am (+/- an hour or two), it doesn't leave me in the best frame of mind.

Today Georgia's OT (occupational therapist) Mary called in for a session. Georgia hasn't seen Mary since the start of school. After yesterday's not too fun day, I didn't have high hopes for the session. But ever brilliant Mary managed to get 1/2 hour of work out of Georgia - hooray!! Then it was off to school for our big G in time to catch the end of the weekly Tuesday morning assembly.

We are very lucky to have a wonderful nanny, Sarah (aka St. Sarah!), to look after Ethan each Tuesday and Thursday. She also drops Georgia off at school and picks her up from school, drives Ethan here and there through the day, helps me in any and every way possible....she's a real treasure.

After dropping G at school, Sarah took me to an optometrists appointment, took Ethan to the park and then onto his first ever Kindermusik session. Sarah tells me that Ethan enjoyed the music so we'll be enrolling him for Kindermusik from next term onwards.

Thanks to my altercation with a magpie in 1985, the changes in my eye are watched, by my optometrist, like a hawk.....pun fully intended :) Today I had to have my pupils dilated and the optometrist wants to see me in another 8 weeks to check them again :( It's been quite a long time since I've had this type of test so I completely forgot I wouldn't be able to read, my eyes would be very glare sensitive and I'd be next to useless for a few hours. My wonderful parents collected me from the optometrist's office, brought me home and I decided since I was useless, I might be productive and lie down. I woke up two hours later. It never ceases to amaze me just how restorative a few hours sleep can be. There should be more of it!

Much to my delight and surprise, Georgia had a great day at school and came home raring to go down to the park with Sarah and Ethan and give her scooter a run on the bike path. I love being completely redundant when Sarah is around!

Luke is still struggling with his cough/cold/snuffle. He only has to make it until Friday afternoon and then he can look forward to a HOLIDAY.

p.s. We've been Blessed to have a nanny here since February 2007 when Ethan was 3 months old. Tenai (our travelling companion), Melissa (the great reading teacher), Autumn (our fashionista), Aurelie (the French delight who taught us about tunnels), Super Sarah and St. Sarah have all brought so much to our family and without their help, we'd have been lost. Each girl has taught us something different and for that we are SO grateful. Hi girls....we love you all!

Some days are diamonds, some days are.....coal?

Apparently the 'real' version of the song goes....'some days are diamonds, some days are stone'. But as my darling husband forever tells me that diamonds are just petrified coal, and I might add they are VERY pretty coal at that, I figured my take on the song had to be 'some days are diamonds, some days are coal'.

Today was a coal day for me. A really quintessential Monday where the day seemed to be just a little too challenging.

* Yes Georgia, the wonderful new playground at Ethan's daycare is great but now let's go home and change your sopping wet school uniform BEFORE you go to school as the rain soaked playground has now led to a rain soaked you.

* Yes Mr Pool shop man, $400-$500 for a rebuild of our pool filter is just fine......if only my surname were Trump. No, I didn't say anything after fine....just go ahead and do it.

* Would you believe I only came into Coles for two bottles of milk and I'm leaving with $90 worth of groceries AND a $50 visit to the Chemist? Note to self.....listen to Mum who tells me about the great discount Chemist warehouse she and Dad use. Otherwise get salary debited directly to Chemist.

* Why after spending $90 on groceries can I find NOTHING in Coles that appeals for dinner? Ring husband. He suggests steak, sausages and salad. Alleulia for easy to prepare, cook and we have it all in the fridge/freezer. Why did I need to go to Coles?

* Pick up Georgia from school. Georgia is exhausted and hasn't had a great day. I speak to her teacher and I leave sad. Some days I can handle hearing about everything Georgia didn't or couldn't do. Today was not one of those days. Ring Georgia's AVT (advisory visiting teacher....aka Wonder Wendy) and cry out my frustrations.

* Come home, do the washing, have a nice long chat to my neighbour Anne who is a very wise woman, see the smile on my daughter's face after she gets up after an hour power nap, listen to Ethan giggling with his trains, hug the husband when he arrives home after a good day....and realise that coal isn't so bad after all???

Today I temporarily forgot to remember how lucky I am. All little things just seemed to pile up and for a little while, feel overwhelming. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully it'll be a diamond!!

A girl, VlRGIN, Mum and a boy

Last night I had a lovely night out. My friend Susan, with whom I originally crossed paths with back at Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) primary school back in the 70's (yes, like last century!) and have crossed paths with often since, and I went out to dinner. In three hours, we had a drink, a lovely dinner at The Gap Tavern, compared notes on our munchkins (we both have a boy and a girl) and managed a trip to an ice creamery on the way home for a much needed (cough, splutter....ok..maybe not needed but very yummy) dessert. I am so lucky to have such great friends.

During the night, I was worrying about luggage for our forthcoming trip. I've tried to find out whether the pull-ups Georgia wears are available in New Zealand. So far I haven't been able to find out. Reading that excess baggage was $10/kg, I rang the good folk at VlRGIN BLUE and told them my concerns about the cost of carting the jogging stroller Georgia uses when she can't walk any further, her pull ups + all the other medical type stuff that she needs. In typical VlRGIN fashion, no problemo they said. Apparently there is an area of this marvellous airline that deals with passengers who have special needs. I told them what we'd be taking because Georgia is Georgia, they noted it all on our booking and told me that if any excess baggage does apply, it won't apply to Georgia's special stuff. HOORAY FOR VlRGIN BLUE! Got to love them! Hopefully tonight I can sleep without luggage nightmares.

Anyone who knows me knows that my sister and I are fortunate enough to have the most amazing Mum on the planet. Although I am lucky enough to see Mum (and Dad too!) a few times a week, I don't often get to spend an extended time with her. So today I did.

Whilst Luke and the munchkins were off to a playground to spend time with his Mum, Jill, I grabbed the opportunity to have four lovely hours with my Mum, Jan. We popped in and had 2 minute look at a local fair (yes, it really was about 2 minutes....in, look, out!), we hit the Outlets down near the Airport for a few hours (who would have thought the car park down there would have been quite full at 10.15am on a Sunday morning??) and then we wandered home via a local shopping centre. To recover from all the walking, shopping and talking, I needed a two hour nap afterwards! Keeping up with a 71 year old is hard work!

And a boy. That would be my 'Buddy' Ethan. The pic at the top of this entry was taken tonight. I just love, love, love the little chambray look pyjamas he's wearing so I had to snap a pic of their last wear. They are a size 1, way too small for him and they will be off to a new home this week. But not before they were immortalised in pic for all to see. And yes, he's holding one of his many dummies that I loathe, detest, hate and despite. Yick.....horrible things. Blah!!

He wouldn't let me hold it while I took the photo so we compromised. He took it out of his mouth and smiled for me and in exchange, he could hold it and then after I'd stopped looking, no doubt it went back in his mouth. I'm sure negotiating world peace would be easier than putting an end to the dummies will be when the time comes.

The Big Blue Whale from Prep A

Georgia's class, known as Prep A, spent last week making a BIG blue whale. It was done for a competition run by the National Geographic Channel.

The masterpiece can be viewed at:

http://natgeotv.com.au/programmes/custom/whale/ListSchools.aspx?Id=1434&Target=49

Not that it matters but as far as I can see, Georgia isn't in any of the photos on the website.

As an Accountant who doesn't have an artistic cell in her body, I wouldn't have known where to start with this, let alone come up with something so impressive whilst being 'helped' by 25 little Preppies. How those teachers are AMAZING!

Happy Big Blue Whaling!

Pictures of Georgia taken on the swing set at my parents this morning.

I was really impressed watching Georgia jump up onto the monkey bars today. Not bad mobility for the girl who didn't crawl until she was 2-1/4 and walk until she was 2 years and 50 weeks.

p.s. Yes, that would be the swing set we gave my Dad for his 70th birthday as what else do you give the man who we couldn't figure what else to give him!

p.p.s. I think I need Blogger layout lessons! No doubt perfection will come with experience?

Enjoy the pictures of Ethan that I took this morning.

Typical Ethan - cheeky smile + Thomas couture!

p.s. To state the obvious, I found the add pictures button! Yay me!

I'm here!!

I've finally done IT. After reading blogs for years and, thinking about blogging for years I've finally set up my own little blog. Knowing me IT will not be brief or succinct so I shouldn't call IT little.....but let's walk before running.

It was Kylie who inspired me to finally do IT. Kylie has a blog that I've devotedly read since her first Princess was born. I was telling her recently how much I LOVED following the happenings in her world. She turned around and said how much she would like to follow what I write. I was surprised.....and very pleasantly so might I add.

So what to blog about. The obvious choice is the munchkins. If I can work out how to add photos, you'll be viewing pictures I took of them today. If I can't work out how to add pictures, I won't be telling anyone about the existence of this blog until I do :)

So much more I could write about......like the excursion Ethan and I took to the bakery this morning. A good Mum would have gone to the fruit shop and bought up but Ethan and I hit the bakery and weren't we glad we did?

But time is passing so more another time.