Excuse Me....!

When school finished at the end of last year, all the artwork for the year came home.
We usually go through it all and decide on the good pieces and this then gets pride of place on the notice board in the dining room for all to see.

However this year I didn't manage to get through the bag of art until we came back from holiday.
Alex had created a star in the classroom which was obviously the childrens way of saying that they are awesome little stars in their own right and these are some of the wonderful things I can do.

Alex's was very well done and looks so cute.
I read all the sayings on the back with eager enthusiasm.

• I am good at playing soccer
• I like reading
• I am good at Judo
• I like playing on my playstation....... excuse me...!

Back the bus up a little.....I enjoy playing on my playstation....
Playstation, what playstation? We don't own a playstation!!

Is this his way of informing us that he would like one? Or did he just follow what others were writing in the class?
The powerful mind of a 6 yr old. I will never try to understand it.

e-Books & My Wishes

A little behind the time, New Zealand has just recently launched the Kobo, an e-book device.

You can only buy it in one store in NZ and it is through their website that you can down load the books. You do still have the ability to download to your PC as well.

Steve mentioned the other day, as we were packing to go to Auckland, that I could do with a Kobo, as I packed the library 3 large books into the bag.
So whilst in Auckland I sought one out and had a play.
It was nice, the concept was good and the size and weight was reasonable for what it is, although there were one or two features I didn't like.

The other evening Steve was on the computer and happened to come across the Kindle, the more world wide version of the Kobo.

Unfortunately to begin with it is not available in NZ as a hand held device, although you can download to your PC.

Upon further reading I decided I actually liked this device, it is actually going to hit NZ shores at the end of August. But unlike the NZ Kobo, this has a better selection of material available for it online.

I have also seen the ipad.

Now this gives me the ability to have Kindle on it, which I think is a good thing as then the device is actually used for other things and not just reading a book.

However I do also wish to have something else and that is a laptop computer.

As I am currently undertaking some new study I wish to have something a little more portable and user friendly than my PC at home in the study. I will also find it useful for my work when all is completed.
The boys are starting to take more of an interest in the computer too, even if it is just to play games on, I believe it is not long before we are going to have to consider another PC at home, I feel a laptop would be a suitable solution.

It would fit with the family in that we could have it to take with us when going places and I do like the ability to be able to do computer work in someother place than the study.

I would be able to have Kindle or Kobo on there and although it is bigger and bulkier than either the Kobo or Kindle, I like the fact it has multi functions that would make the device more financially viable.
We would get more use out of the laptop for the $1200 we would be spending than we would from the $299 for the Kobo or the $300 odd for the Kindle or even $800 for the ipad.

If I was suddenly given the ability to obtain any of the above then I would choose the laptop, I am a reader but not enough that I feel I need a device especially for it, when I can have a laptop and still use the programme but get some much more use from it.

Although if money was no object then I would go for the ipad and the laptop, but then who wouldn't?