Sports Day

Today was Junior Primary Sports Day. I'm feeling...

DOG TIRED!

Running in the Batton Race (I think we won this one?)Hurdles - a man on a mission!Beanbag throw, then hop to next hoop... look at that concentration!

Sack Race: look, he's mid-air!!! (We actually won this race, but the first prize ribbons were given to another team... that tried hard. I'm not competitive, but I was a bit ticked!!! Ok, maybe I am a bit competitive when it comes to my kids?!!!

Yes, H did all the running/hopping/jumping around... but us parents had to lead them around and instruct them what to do ... constantly! H's team came 2nd overall. And he only cried once, when he didn't come first in the sprints. It was heartbreaking trying to explain to him that only 3 people can get ribbons on that race. Poor baby was so tired. Not only from the exercise today, but he didnt' get to bed til 9pm, as we had free tickets to see "One night with the king", a new movied based on the biblical story of Esther. Bit confusing (over their heads) for the kids, but was a good depiction.

So it's Chinese takeaway for tea. And a long warm spa bath for me!!!

Koalas, sliding doors, fatness and prams

The strangest thing happened the other night! As we were leaving school, a koala crossed the road, and climbed a gum tree... in SUBURBIA!!! The kids were all excited, and H was screaming "I wanna go pat it"!! I firmly told him, it was a wild animal... we're not at Australia Zoo now!!! (photo above: from Australia Zoo) The next morning, as we entered the school grounds, M pointed above us, and there was a koala asleep in the gum tree on the school grounds! M said it was smaller, so couldn't be the one from the previous night, but it was a long way up - so I'm guessing it was the same one! For those readers not familar with our famous iconic animals, koalas and kangaroos, are found out in the bush, on big farms... not generally in the suburbs! So it was a cool treat to see this gorgeous animal "in the wild"!!



My next thoughts, are on the movie "Sliding Doors". If you've seen the movie, you'll know that it's about a girl who misses her train by a couple of minutes and her entire life takes a different track, as opposed to her catching the train. I was thinking about this concept yesterday as not once but twice I was nearly cleaned up in a car accident! What if I'd left a minute later? Or worse if I was a few seconds earlier? I think its a very interesting subject ~ I wonder where I'd be if....

A mum says to me at school today "Have you lost weight?" I answer "NO! Definitely not!" She says "No, you definitely have, in your legs and your bum". I had to go do something, so that was the end of the conversation. But I was thinking later - "How fat did she think I was before, if she's sure I've lost weight - which I know I haven't?!!" I am the same fatness. Gosh, she must've thought I was pretty fat before, if she thinks she can see a difference?!!!

And lastly - prams. I'm a sucker, and bought a jogger stroller. Can you blame me - at only $51?!! Good ole eb@y! Ok, it was $90 in total, after shipping and insurance - but hey! I'm impressed! I can't give you a photo as its still in the box - and I'm not going to assemble it til we get a referral - don't want it all dusty and crusty!!


I scammed this pic from the ad! Mine is grey, where it shows beige. Looks ok to me?!! Bet I can resell it on eb@y, after use for $50!!!

To China?

I'm not sure if I've mention before, but we bought plane tickets (back in July '07) from a Charity Auction. They were for San Fransisco, but hubs phoned the travel agent and asked if it's possible to use them for China. They said "No worries!"... course they said No Worries - China is alot closer the the US - hence it's cheaper for them!!! Anyway, they expire July 2008. Hubs (who doesn't follow the rumours/boards/cut off dates) was sure we'd be going to China by July 2008. Sadly, that appears quite unlikely. SO - what do we do with these tickets?!! We debated taking to kids to the US, but to be honest - it'd cost us thousands (lots of thousands) - so the other option is sticking with China, and doing a Family Holiday, early next year!

It's a sure-fire way to see the sights, we want to see (The Gre@t W@ll, Xian Terracotta Warriors, and H0ngK0ng D!sney), without the added pressure of being in a group, fitting in official appointments etc. On the adoption trip, it'd be unlikely that we'd go through Beij!ng and I figure if we're going to our daughter's country of birth - we should see the most popular landmark/attraction there!!! Yes, it will still cost a substantial amount of money, but with getting the kids there on Frequent Flyers, and our tickets already paid for - it's HEAPS less than the US option! We are looking at going in April. Winter will be over and the Olymp!cs will still be a few months away.

...Now that I've verbally expressed our plans... you watch, we'll be back for a few days, then have to leave again on our "daughter mission"!!! I don't care - if Murphys Law proves correctly - it'll still be a win-win situation... CC@A speed up, our kids get to see where the amazing country where their little sister was born.

20

20 Months Logged In.

Hopefully not another 20 to go.

(Actually I've worked out, we've got 84 Logged In days ahead of our Logged In Date, and even if they only allocate 5 days per month, we've got 17 more months to wait - and that's my worse case scenario... so one would assume we're definitely more than half way there? But then you know what they say about assume.... it makes an ASS out of U and ME!!!) I'm feeling pretty assy, as I originally thought we'd be waiting 6-9 months!!!! hahahaha... who's laughing now, jackass?!!!

Six

*sigh* My baby boy is 6. Don't let his cute looks fool you... this kid did not sleep til he was 2 years old, we lived at specialist ENT centres, coz he had constant ear infections... which is believed to have actually made him deaf for about 12 months of his young life... leading to speech and learning difficulties now! BUT... all that drama, is ok, coz he is the sweetest kid alive. He dishes out hugs and kisses, and endearing comments hourly. Comments on how nice I look, tells his teacher that he likes her scarf today, is the first one to comfort a crying child, he has personality and spunk-plus!!! Yes, I may be biased - he is my kid, after all...

His six-birthday (as he calls it), is a 2-day event (see post below for Sat's activities) and today we had an afternoon tea with family and a couple of close friends! 18 kids, all up I think... from only 4 families!!! H-Man had a blast. See his cake below...

The cake was my ultimate frustration. The stupid sponge (store bought... I don't do sponges!) just fell apart as soon as I tried to ice it. The icing was sposed to be grey - and it went navy! If you can't tell... it was sposed to be a castle. I named it "Castle Under Attack" because the cake was caving in all over the place!!! Anyway, I was told it tasted good, and the jelly-moat was a huge hit with the kids. I put "Hershey's Kisses" (courtesy of Gen) all over the top of the cake... that was the "treasure" that the knights were guarding... had to cover a huge whole left because the sponge disintegrated!!!

Love you my Baby Boy.

...Too much cake and icecream!

H-Man is SIX tomorrow! We celebrated with a party at McEmpire today... thinking that would be the easy thing to do! 14 x 5 year olds + 2 10 year olds and about 4 parents... and younger siblings, but I lost count how many of them there was!!! Needless, to say, I need to get another hair colour - I swear I have about 30 extra grey hairs!!! It's the middle of Oct... we're sposed to still have cold weather, right? Wrong... it was a sticky 35+degreesC today (96F). Everytime I book at one of these "fast food" places, something goes wrong. Today, they didn't reserve the party "area" so a family of about 8, were sitting on our seats! I had to run around the restaurant, gathering chairs/stools etc for the kids to squeeze onto one table.... I was not impressed. Apart from that, everything did go very well, and H-Man had an exhausting, sugar-induced fun time!!!

Pre-Party: (yes, his hair is sposed to be like that... he wanted "spikey" hair... unfortunately his hair doesn't want to be spikey!!!)

Pressie Time:

Too Much Cake and Icecream?

Pile on Ronald:

Giving the Big Bad Wolf a run for his money!!!

Exhausted: (his little friend, spent most of the day making "fart" noises with his hands... I have four words.... 6 year old boys.)

Out of the mouth of H-man

H is almost 6! This kid cracks me up everyday with what comes out of his mouth!

I met his Learning Assistance teacher the other day, this was a conversation she had with H:
(T=60ish year old teacher H=my son)
T: H's drawing has really improved. He was drawing a person, and coloured in the face pink.
H: What colour are ears?
T: Normally the same colour as you face or your skin - see, look at my ears, what colour are they?
H: (studies teachers face and ears) You got alotta cracks!
T: Yes, I do have some wrinkles...

I was telling hubs this morning he nearly wet his pants laughing!!! Yep, he's his father's son... has a real way with the Ladies!!!

Then, this morning, H was prancing around the car, and took forever to get in, when he did he says "I'm a ba-a weena" I said to him "You're a bad weiner?!" Which set M off cackling! I said "What does a good Weiner do?!"
H is laughing "NO! Not a Bad Weiner, a ba-aweena" - then I worked it out... "Oooooohhhh a Ballerina?"
"Yes". He answers.


Oooo good. Dad will be so pleased.

M's creative juices...

I think this is sooo funny ~ coz I used to do the same sort of thing in my early teens!

Here is a "photo story" by Miss M:






At least it had a happy ending (sort of!)!!!! Maybe I should be booking her into a Creative Arts School?!!!


PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIDNEY! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT DAY!

Taglee

I hope my Australian Secret Pal isn't reading... Tasha if you are... look away NOW!



















Our theme for next month is "Made with Love"... *groan*!!! I'm not good at making anything! I'll give anything a go, but the general consensus is - I'm not very good at anything!!! I've already thrust upon her, a small quilted blanket, and thought "as if the poor girl needs, another one of my half-a$$ efforts"!!! I was going to paint a canvas - but then thought, it probably wouldn't post very well, and when I was going through Mini's closet, I found the taggie, that Catherine had made me! So, I decided I'd give that a go! I bought lots of ribbon (which I use all the time for pressies and stuff, so it won't go to waste), and decided on Satin for one side and faux suede on the other. (H absolutely loved... still does actually, satin. He scratches at the edges of his blankets - so I really wanted satin coz it's a common fav among the young folk!)



I fiddled around, then realised, I'd be sewing the pins into the middle of the taggie, and wouldn't be able to retrieve them! So I re-pinned, sewed and *voila* my TAGLEE was born...

(the colour on the ribbons haven't come out perfectly, in the photos - they are all bright primaries, and a couple of textured gold ones - and I used a couple of "velvet" ribbons - I can't stop scratching these ones!!! LOL!!!)

Now, these are "trick" photos, coz my sewing is rather woeful, and there are several tucks on the black side... but black covers everything, doesn't it?!!! It proves that it was "Made with Love" and not "Made in a Sweatshop!" I gave all the ribbons a good tug, and by some miracle - they are all sewn in good!!! So that's my greatest achievement today (other than getting out of bed!) What did you do?!!

Logged In

DAYS

Bad blogga

I've been a bad blogga. It's been nearly a week, since my last post!

I'm TIRED!!! Whilst entertaining my folks, running the kids around to various holiday programmes, sewing the binding on (to complete) the quilt I made for my folks (did I say it was Queensize?!!), and don't forget WORK - and of course, the "girls shopping days" with my Ma... I'm knackered! I don't even have any cool photos or anything (hey, I can't beat the drop-dead gorgeous chicks in the post below?!!!)

I got THE best bargains today! Took my Mum to the local "outlet" shopping mall, and SCORED! My Mum splurged and bought 2 pairs of shorts... meanwhile I purchased:
A gooooorgeous super-soft pink knitted poncho (size 2) ~ for Mini
Matching super cute be-jewelled jeans (size 2) ~ for Mini
Baby headband ~ for Mini
Cool mini-backpack style handbag ($15!!! - thought it'd be good when I'm carrying Mini around! So that one is stashed in the cupboard for later)
Funky white shoes ~ for MOI!
Tweety handbag (for Christmas) ~ for Miss M
Champion sports shorts ~ for Meeee! Look out Summer ~ my glow-in-the-dark white legs are coming!!!
"Cars" beach towel ~ for H's mate, who invited H to his birthday (I did buy him some Cars to go with the towel... I'm not a completely "boring-practical" Mum, you know!!! And I bought the kid lollies too!!!)
Ninja Turtles Tee ~ for H
PRICE? Under $100!!! Sweeeeet!

Too tired to find camera to take pic... so you'll have to take my word for it!

Also, ages ago - CC@@ updated their site - it's official FIVE puny days of files were allocated in the entire month of September. Bugga. Not very hopeful for much more in Oct, as Chin@ closes for at least a week, for a National Holiday. Maybe we'll go to Chin@ in 2009? Can't believe it. Just too suckie to comprehend.

Happy Birthday Dad!

My folks flew in from interstate, on Friday. We caught up with my younger brother for dinner, as it was his birthday. Saturday we sat around watching Pride and Prejudice, the BBC (240 minute!) version! And Sunday was Dad's birthday.

There's a bit of a funny story regarding Dad's birthday. About 3 months ago, I was flicking through my calendar in the months ahead. "OOOoooo! Dad's 60 this year! I'd better organise something!" So I checked flights/accomodation/car hire etc, for all four of us, to go "surprise" visit them. It came in close to $5k, which was about $4k more than I really wanted to spend!!! So, it occured to me, it would be a lot cheaper, and more practical to pay for them to come here!!! So I contacted their boss, and asked if he could have the time off for his 60th, I was going to surprise them with flights, and throw a surprise party on his birthday. The boss agreed, that would be great. So I went straight online, and booked two return flights for them. I emailed one of my brothers (also interstate) and told him what I'd done, and asked if they could come over for the weekend of Dad's birthday. He wasn't sure. He'd just started a new job, and all. In the background my sister-in-law is saying "Isn't he 59?" I said, No! He's 60! I asked T, and he said, maybe check our employee records, coz Dad used to work for us! So I did. He's 59!!!! OH NO!!! I've booked the flights, started planning a surprise party!!!

I sent the flight itinerary to Dad on Fathers Day, with a Happy Birthday message too! He was very surprised and they were very grateful! I decided to go ahead with the party, this is what i wrote on the invitations:
"The flights are booked and paid for, so we're having a Surprise 60th party! He will be very surprised, because he's only 59!!!"


Alot of people were away this weekend, so only about 18 people were able to come. But it was just perfect. Dad was rapt. I put the number 59 & 60 candles on his cake, he was a bit confused, he just thought everyone was there for his (59th) birthday! I proceeded to explain to everyone, (including Dad - he had no idea, about my mistake!) the whole story!



I'm such an idiot sometimes!!! Thankfully a good time was had by all - and Dad thought it was hilarious!

So Happy 59th (and 60th - coz I'm not buying tickets for you next year!!!) Dad!!! (he has nuts in his mouth... hence the funny smile!!!)

3 Generations of Girls! Good grief I'm looking like my Mother more everyday!!!

(H took this photo! Not a bad effort from a 5 year old?!!! Although this was about the 6th attempt to get all our heads in, all smiling, and no-one blinking!!!)

Duck!!!

The pink Duck has flown all the way to Australia! I-Con, you are a preicous pearl! Thank you so much for a reminder, that our girls are valuable assets?!!! The girls have never been for a Mammy, lets hope they have a machine small enough?!!

**Huge Thanks** to all those who posted advice on my last post! Remarkably you have set my mind at ease. Like Janet said, with only 5 days worth of files being allocated, we've still got a LONG time to think about what things will be best on our trip to China. I think the SLOW boat to China, has broken down? Any good mechanics out there?!!

Blog Question

I've read on a few blogs, that while folks were in China, they had difficulty posting to a "blogger" blog? I set up my "In China" blog aeons ago, which subsequently was "redecorated" into the Quilt Room... and gathering dust, whilst we wait to actually BE in China!

Anyway, the reason I ask is... I am in a dilemma... do I use my "free" China Room blog, or do I pay $75 and go to a "Journal hosting" mob, and send them emails from China, and not have the stress, whether blogger will work, plus get the added bonus of getting the journal on CD?

My other dilemma is (yes, this is all very pathetic, I know...if only these were my only "issues"?!!) - I've decided (I think) to leave the laptop at home, and use internet cafes or the hotel's business centre, to download my photos to my stick drives and blog - one less thing to carry, and my laptop is my "office" too, so it'd be devasting if it got lost or busted.

And here's yet another mindless worry, I've been thinking about... a baby carrier. Ages ago, I bought a "hip carrier" (we applied for a child up to 18 months, thinking our child will be a toddler, hence a hip carrier, not a front carrier) which I thought was just the best thing since sliced bread. Now I'm panicking that our child will be too small (kids have to be able to sit unsupported to use this carrier) ~ so now I'm lusting over a "Mei Tai" type carrier, but am worried I won't know how to get it on, or that she'll fall out, because the straps are tied, not in a buckle.

And, I hate to say it, I still think about her name... constantly! Is it better to choose a name, or wait til we see her and know her Chinese name?

Any thoughts on the above issues?

I hate it when T is flat out with work... I just sit around an obsess over ridiculous things!!! Our daughter is not ridiculous, it's just ridiculous, that I'm stressing about things that don't affect us now! I hope this all passes soon. It usually does.


Answer to yesterday's question: Yes! M did get her ears pierced... OOooo the drama of it all! I wish I had a video camera. After 12 months of her nagging, I had to convince / persuade her for nearly 10 mins, that it'd be ok, and wouldn't hurt (too much!).

**EDIT: NEWSFLASH ~ LOOKS LIKE CC@@ HAS ALLOCATED A WHOPPING 5 (FIVE) DAYS WORTH OF FILES, TIL 30 NOV 2005. Yes, you read right, 5 days. LORD - GIVE ME STRENGTH!!!!***

Spring Break!

It's school holidays again! Yay!!! I LLOOOOOVVVEE school holidays! No routines, sleep in, no making lunches before I've even had breakfast... ahhhh... lovely!



Yesterday was a public holiday, so most shops are closed, and most entertainment places (like the cinemas and beaches, are jammed packed!) so we stayed home! We went to the park to kick the footie at the park, but that was it! Oh yeah, and H got some practice in, riding his "2 wheeler"... the kid is nearly 6, and still isn't riding a 2 wheeler... it's embarrassing!!!



I had lots of "work" errands to do today, so had to drag the poor kids along. H got a haircut, and M's nagging finally wore me thin... can you see what she had done?

Will post the answer later!


**EDIT: Oooo! I just remembered something M said today, that cracked me up... maybe you know that answer to this one? She says to me today

"What I don't get, is, why do the animals that only eat meat, not eat
themselves?"!!

Out of the Mouths of Babes?!!!

Thought for the day

"But if we hope for what we do not see, then we eagerly wait for it with perseverance"
Romans 8:25

I read this verse the other day, and can't get it outta my head. I laughed when I first read it ~ "eagerly wait" ?!!! I'm eager, and I'm waiting, but I'm not overly eager about waiting!!! So I figure, this is a timely revelation?!!

I'm still trying to figure out the perseverance part... Is waiting for a really long time, because you can't do anything about that, classified as perseverance?!! I think there's still alot I need to learn?

I hope you received some enlightenment too!!!