Updated Wish List

Last night I suddenly remembered 2 other things I would like on my wish list.

A Wii game console wouldn't go a miss in this house, which means that I could then get the Wii Fit add on to go with it. Looks like such fun.

I also quite fancy one of those Nintendo DS. I think a bit of brain training is just what I need at present, keep my brain active and sharp and all that etc.

Whats on your wish list?

Wish List

Mother's Day is 1 week away and I have dropped lots of hints to the boys as to what I would like. Not sure whether they will have told Steve, or even be able to remember what I have hinted at...!

So here is my wish list, just in case you bump into Steve during the next week!

Anything by Danielle Steel is always going to be on my list. I have read just about all of her books, but she still keeps coming out with new ones. So the latest book will not go a miss if it came my way.

A new tv for the bedroom would be good too. We currently have one in there, but it is so old, it can't have a DVD player attached to it, as it does not have the outlets for one! Not that we get to lie in bed and watch many DVD's, but would be nice to have somewhere to go and watch something if Steve is watching something that I don't favour!

A new scanner for the computer would be nice too. Steve managed to burn out the other one when he connected the computer up last year!

As all women would like, I too also want a Pandora Bracelet, a gold one, as I am a gold person not silver. This bracelet would be the gift that keeps on giving, as they would be able to buy me new charms each occassion they needed something to buy mummy and all their problems would be solved for years to come. Although occassionally I would like to receive more than just a charm. At the end of the day though, just a good old fashion bunch of flowers would be totally sufficient, given to me in bed with big hugs and lots of sloppy kisses. Oh and maybe with breakfast on a tray?

Cats Update

Prenzel has settled back into the house as if nothing had ever happened!
She actually seems more settled this time. Her and Barney are getting on very well, as if they have been together for ever. A little bit of sqwabbling, but nothing 2 cats don't always do.
They are peaceful and quiet in the evenings, and apart from the odd day when you have to throw them out at 4am, they are pleasant in the house at night.

Maybe the next time we go away, she will stick around and be more pleasant!?

All Day!

Last night I realised that I had nothing planned on the calendar for today.
Yea I thought, I can finally get all the linen moved into the new cupboard.
By the time I went to bed though that had changed slightly, there were several small errands I could run, but they shouldn't taken me too long.

Turns out, Alex and I managed to stay out all day and I am not sure how??
We left the house at 8.20 to take Ben and Steve to work and school.
I left school at 9.15 after catching up with Ben's teacher, saying hi and chatting with my work colleagues who just happened to be at the school vaccinating the girls there today, oh and I also had a quick chat with the lady from the PTA about some books they sold the other weekend.

About 9.30 I ended up down town meeting a friend for coffee, we so needed to catch up because we hadn't seen each other for a couple of weeks, we managed to hash out her twins 4th birthday party for Saturday, so she now feels happier about what is happening.
We then had a quick look in 'The Bra Shop' on the way back to the cars. We desperately tried to show Alex which pieces of lingerie mummy would like for Mother's Day next weekend so he could pass the info on to Steve. Not sure if anything went into his little head?!

I then zoomed across Hamilton to take Alex to a make up swimming lesson because he missed his lesson Monday. He was not the most pleasant student he could have been today. He messed around a lot and at one point I actually gave him the choice of staying there or getting out and going home!

So at 11.15 we were then going across to The Base Shopping area, because we were that end of town, and I needed to check out a shop there that hopefully sold long black trousers for Ben for school. No luck but they did have black socks, which he also needed for school. I also had a look around the shop whilst Alex played in the little play area, helps him stay happy if I let him have 5 mins at something he wants to do.

12.00 and we arrived at Bunnings (hardware shop) to get the paint sorted out because it is not yellow enough. Unfortunately 5 mins after arriving Alex had to visit the bathroom, so that took ages because it was the other end of the store to where we were and the store is a huge warehouse style shop! So we sorted the paint, checked out door stops, found a new shower caddy for the shower wall and checked out new laundry bins.

Now I realised that it was lunchtime (12.50) and we still needed to get to the tile shop, so Alex and I ended up having BK for lunch, this took another 1/2 hour because of course they had a play area and I again knew Alex would stay nice if given 10 mins to play.

After lunch we raced back to the other side of Hamilton and went to the Tile shop. I had sample tiles that needed to be returned and other colours to check out. Found some more samples to bring home and also discovered that they have 25% off all tiles till the end of May, so guess we will be getting the tiles very soon so as to get them cheaper.

Called into the Land Transport office down town to collect some brochures for Parents Centre and then realised what the time was so decided to come home for 30 minutes before going out to school to collect Ben (school ends at 3pm).
Unfortunately, Alex and I hadn't managed to get to the supermarket to get more bread and milk, or the ingredients that Steve needs to make a cake for work, so after collecting Ben we went there.

It is now 4.30, I know what we are having for dinner tonight, Steve needs collecting from work in 20 minutes time and I am out tonight just before 7pm.
Man and I thought I was going to have a quiet day moving the linen into the new cupboard!

Found

Once again we are a 2 cat family.
Yes that is right, the elusive wandering cat has been returned to us after 2 weeks away.

A nice gentleman called today to say that he had been given our details by the SPCA and he wondered if the cat that he had at his mother's house was ours?
Turns out she had arrived there about 36 hours ago and he had took her in and looked after her, fed her and then called the SPCA to see if anyone was missing her, because she was pleasant, well groomed and had a collar on.

Luckily I had called and informed them that she was missing last week and they in turn placed her on their 'lost and found' board.

Let's see how long she sticks around for this time!

Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a national public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand. This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same national day, but making reference to both countries in its name.

The Gallipoli campaign
When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a Federal Commonwealth for only thirteen years. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stale-mate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Istanbul and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This shaped the ways their citizens viewed both their past and their future.

Every April 25 there are dawn services held all over the country to mark the significance of this day to New Zealand history.

Kindness

One of the cats, Prenzel, has gone for a walk!

We always guessed that she was a wanderer, but never thought she would prove it to us within 8 weeks of having her.

But what gets me, is that there are still some kind people out there!

We have put fliers in peoples mailboxes this week and we have had 3 calls about it. Now people don't have to call but I was really touched that they took the time to call and say they had seen a cat like ours around in the last hour, day or week.

The boys don't seem too bothered that she is not here. They know she has gone for a walk but they are not all that upset by it?

I do miss her, she is so cute. But if she is a wanderer then maybe she doesn't want to live here. I don't want to go away for the weekend wondering if she is still going to be here when we get back each time?

Barney is not at all bothered that she is not here. She is ruling the place like this is what was meant to be!

Life

I keep coming up with things to write about when I am out and about, but by the time I get home and get to the computer then I have forgotten what I wanted to write about them!
But having said that, I actually don't have the enthusiasm for it at the moment.
I have noticed that occassionally I find that life gets all too much and I can't think straight and I guess this week is one of those weeks.
The house is a tip due to the bathroom being done.
The workmen are coming in day by day or every other day and so therefore, nothing can be put away because it just has to be dragged back out again.

The week is not panning out quite like I wanted so things are getting all jumbled up, so bear with me whilst I am not around. I know I have some things to tell you about from our holiday last week but they can wait.

Steve and I have a date night on Thursday, so I will concentrate on looking forward to that because it is our first one in quite a while!

For a Reason

I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason.
It was meant to be as far as I am concerned.
Ok I haven't quite found the reasons behind the really bad stuff like death, destruction and war, but there has to be a reason somewhere?
If you go for a job, then if it was meant to be yours then it will be, but if not then someone had a better plan for you.

Sadly my brother has just lost his job. I kinda wish it wasn't meant to be but it is that typical saying "when one door closes another one opens" well that seems to be just what is happening with him.
He had a big talk with our dad last night and already several little options have come to light, now ok, nothing may come of either thing but it gives him hope. It allows him time to think things through sensibly.
He has already thought about a different direction, something that flows on from some things he is already doing on a part time basis as a hobby. So even though it is not nice, maybe this was meant to be, this was the push he needed to change direction.

When he moved to New Zealand just over 18 months ago, it was on the understanding that I sponsored him for his visa and this meant he was not allowed to claim benefit from the Goverment for the first 2 years.
Well now he is unemployed guess who has to support him!? Well at least according to the Goverment.
Maybe I will send him a food parcel at the weekend, isn't that enough support? 1 a month for the next 6 months should see him through nicely?

Bikes

Ben has been slowly learning to ride his bike without training wheels.
When we were here several weeks ago we took 1 of the wheels off.
He wasn't entirely happy about riding it that way, but he managed and all was going well, that was until the remaining wheel broke.
So this week our mission, if we choose to accept it, was to get Ben riding his bike with no training wheels.

I think we may have managed. he can ride his bike with out training wheel once he gets going, but he is having a little trouble getting started.
He just has to learn how to push him self off and keep peddling at the same time.
Practise, practise, practise....

We have the rest of the week here at the caravan, so we are not going anywhere. Plenty of time and space to practice.
Oh and incentive too....as lots of the other kids are riding without training wheels and he doesn't want to be left out! What more incentive could any child need?

Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to Lucy,
Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to my cousin Lucy, grand old age of 22 today

Holiday

We are currently having school holidays at the caravan, well at least I am with the boys, Steve is at home working.
Feel a little like a WAG (wives and girlfriends) as currently at the site there are several families here without husbands, as they are back home working. The pool yesterday was filled with mums and kids but no dads!
The weather has been kind to us and the kids are spending the whole time outside running around and riding bikes. I am loving that because I have never had so much time on my own and not had to worry about what they are up to or had to come up with entertainment continuously.
The other side of that coin is the fact that by 7pm everyone is so tired they fall asleep very easily and sleep most of the night. It was 7am when we all woke this morning. My type of holiday.

I have noticed, however, that due to being away my blogger reading list is mounting up each day. Of course I have to pay to use the computer here, so I have a whole heap of blogs to catch up on when I get home!

Over the Easter weekend the campsite was full and we managed to get several games of cricket going. Well the best you can get when the average age is about 6 yrs old! But anyway, everyone that joined in had a blast and seeing as one of the games lasted for 3 hours! it was just a continuous rolling game. People came and went, parents dealt with kids and still there was always someone to keep the game playing. The kids had a blast, but then so did all the parents that joined in. We had some very budding cricket players in our midst. Some good throwers. Watch out Black Caps we are grooming the next intake for you!

Hoep you Easter has been as much fun as ours?

Holidays

Happy Easter to you all.

Hope you have a good holiday for however long you have available.

Hope you have fun at the egg hunts you attend and don't end up gorging on too much chocolate!

Manners

Where have all the manners gone in the world?
Are parents just giving up on teaching their kids about a simple little thing like 'please and thank you?'

Is it pc to not use manners now?

At the weekend I was in Rotorua for my mum's birthday party and I nipped out to the local store for some supplies and whilst I was there I witnessed 3 counts of parents demanding from their kids rather than asking nicely!

1 person I followed out of the store (she was leaving at the same time as me, I wasn't actually following her!) and watched her as she put her bag in the car. She then turned to the 2 yr old with her and said "get in the car" no please with it at all.
The child sort of ignored her and then she tried again, same result. Then in a fierce voice she more or less demanded.
Now I am not saying that the child would have jumped to it if she had said please, but what happened to trying?
What happened to keeping this parenting lark stress free and friendly? After all, yes we are the parents but we are not the dictators, the children are people in their own right and deserve some respect otherwise they will grow up with none!

Some come on guys, lets remember to say please and thank you to our kids, it may for a while feel like you are constantly saying it, but they do get it eventually at some stage.
I am beginning to feel like all the manners and values my parents instilled in me are now lost and I don't like it. Maybe I am old fashion in my outlook on life but manners is such a simple little thing that people like, so let's look at keeping them around.

Goodbye

Goodbye to the shower and the vanity with the black tile surround.

Goodbye to the pink bath.

Goodbye to the sink that had no working hot water tap.

Goodbye to the black lino on the floor and the black vinyl wallpaper with little pink flowers.

Hello to the nice builders, plumber and electrician who are now installing our new bathroom.

Death

Last week, as we were driving to collect Steve after swimming, Ben sat in the back of the car and told me he was never having anything to do with daddy ever again! Typical 5 yr old thing and I thought not much more of it.

On further discussion, he listed everything he does with daddy and said he was never doing them again. No sitting next to him, no wrestling, no reading books, no playing etc, you name it he wasn't doing it!
I asked if he was talking to daddy and he said "maybe tomorrow"

I was quite shocked, I wondered exactly what Steve had done to warrent such exclusion from Ben's little 5 1/2 yr old life?

But what Ben told me was the reason for this sudden departure from his life was more of a shock than anything I was ever expecting............he had decided to exclude daddy from everything because daddy was going to die and there would be a funeral.

I was gobsmacked. I felt like someone had just twisted my heartstrings and said 'welcome to the rough side of motherhood'
I had a quick discussion with him whilst we drove across Hamilton to collect Steve, explaining that yes one day daddy would die and that yes there would be a funeral, but that hopefully Ben would be at least Steve's age before that ever happened.

When we collected Steve from work, before I drove off, I told Steve about our little conversation. I got Ben to tell Daddy why he was not having anything to do with him.
Whilst he was telling this, I sat there with tears rolling down my cheeks.
Steve was more concerned with me to begin with, he wanted to know what was wrong, but then I said "ask him why he doesn't want anything to do with you?"

And so Ben told him he was going to die and there would be a funeral.
Steve was a little taken back, but again reiterated exactly what I had said to Ben earlier. Reassuring Ben that he could still be part of daddy's life, as daddy was not going anywhere.

We did decide to mention it the next day to Ben's teacher, as it was obvious it had come from school. Ben said they had discussed it during news time!
The teacher informed us that no it hadn't been discussed during news, but that one of the little girls in the class had sadly lost some family members a couple of weeks ago and she was having a very hard time getting over it and she was still quite angry. She said she would make sure they had a healthy discussion about death as a whole class because she was aware that this little girl was mentioning it to all the children during break time and upsetting some of them.

I know this is something that we can't avoid, and I am happy for Ben to know about it. I know there is never going to be a good time in his life to bring up death. It was just the sudden way he was dropping Steve from his life that got me.

Fall Back

Tomorrow morning we have that wonderful pleasure of gaining an extra hour in the day.

Yes we are in that transitioning faze from Summer to Autumn and our clocks are falling back.

It will be nice to actually go to work in some daylight, seeing as how I am usually at work at present just as the sun in beginning to start shining.

Now if only we could get the boys to understand the 'extra hour' in bed part and actually stay in bed for the extra hour!

Yea right, like that will ever happen. Guess we will be having breakfast at the normal time, just with the clocks saying a slightly earlier time!

Our Saturday

So what have we been doing today?

Well last weekend Steve and Alex tidied up the flower bed out the front of the house. Alex had a ball and also got filthy dirty!

Today I managed to get at least 3 loads of washing done and out to dry in the beautiful autumn sun.

Our new gazebo for the caravan arrived during the week, so we got it up to check it all out, before we go for the Easter weekend.

And I managed to get some autumn colour to put in the freshly organised flowerbed, so Steve and the boys, oh and Prenzel the cat, got down to business and put them all in for me.

Hope your Saturday was as much fun as ours?

65th Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy 65th Birthday to Grandma,

Happy Birthday to you.....

Big party on Sunday, so hope you have a good weekend.

Twilight

Yes we had the Twilight movie here and yes we have had the books but not to the extent that I think others have had them!

I have started to read the series, yes, I know....where have I been? Why has it taken me so long to catch up with Bella and Edward?

There just wasn't all the hype here in NZ like there was in the US!

I knew about The Twilight Movie at the end of last year from reading everything that Julie wrote from My Journey to Family.

I then googled it to find out what was so special about the movie? Only then did I find out it was taken from a book that had been written and caused so much ho ha amongst the ladies.

It came out in NZ just after Christmas, but there was no hype, no special previews, no crazy girls going silly in the sun waiting for the midnight showing or anything like it.

It was a movie, it came out on a Thursday like all others and if you knew to watch it, then goody for you.

So while you are all still going gooey over Edward dolls, we still have people who are only just discovering the series, in written form, let alone know there was a movie made!

It is due out on DVD here soon and I am sure there will be a bigger uptake on this than the movie at the cinema mainly because the books are everywhere, people are now talking about it and most people have read the books.

Me, well I am now on book 3. Yes I am enjoying them, they are different. Although I did find book 1 a little boring, book 2 was interesting and I am now only at the beginning of book 3.

I will get the movie out on DVD from the rental store when it is available. I am interested to see it now, but am glad I have read the book first!

Cat Training

How do you train a cat??

We have placed a cat door in the garage because ultimately the cats will be outside during the day and also have somewhere dry when we go away over night etc.

The cat door is in situ but now we have to get the silly things to actually use it.

We have shown them the door several times, we have pushed them through it and also enticed them out of it.

We have shut up all the garage so the only way out is via the cat door but alas they must be too stupid to come through it!

They quite happily sit in the garage and stay there.

Ok we have only done this for an hour or so, so not sure what will happen if we left them there all day and then they decided they needed to wee etc.

Probably find we would come home to a mess in the garage somewhere.

So if any of you have any wonderful ideas on how to teach a cat to use a cat flap, then much appreciate a few pointers!

Fines

The other day I was sat at the side of the road waiting for Steve to collect me after work.
The road I was waiting on, is occassionally a 2 lane road. It actually has a clearway at certain times of the day. Mainly when everyone is rushing to work and then in the afternoon when everyone is rushing home again. When it is not a clearway, then you can park for up to 60 minutes at a time along the road.
The clearway on this road is a relatively new thing, couple of months, and it has always amazed me that there is still a traffic warden (TW) on duty in the afternoons!

The other day, I sat observing the TW as he waited for the tow truck to come and collect an obviously well over due parked car, that was also blocking the clearway.
He was about 150m away from where I was sat.
Suddenly this green car stopped just past me and parked. The guy got out and crossed the road to the Police Station.
Now if the guy had come around his car, then I would have immediately warned him that the TW was so close, but alas he didn't!
So I sat there watching the guy cross the busy road at the same time that I kept turning and watching the TW walk down towards his car.
As the TW passed by I commented "That will cost him!"
He just smiled at me as he passed.
Suddenly the guy came rushing back across the road and talked to the TW.
Would you believe the TW let him off. Yea for him.

When he walked back past me he said "We can sometimes be nice on a Friday afternoon"
This time I just smiled, but then added "Well when my husband picks me up in a minute, I'll get him to pull in to the Movie store here!"
His reply "I would, otherwise it will cost you $105!"

So there suddenly was my answer to why they still have a TW on duty every evening on the clearway. They only have to ticket 1 car and his wages are paid for!

Still $105 is a massive amount to park your car for 2 seconds to run across the road to the police station to pay your other fine!
For all you guys from the USA, that means $210 to you!

Is It a......?

Is it a bird? No

Is it a plane? No

It is a turtle.....

Yep that is right a turtle, and it is a hot air balloon, which is part of the Balloons Over Waikato.

An annual ballooning event held here in Hamilton. This is the 10th year they have held it and it is such fun seeing the balloons floating past every morning on the way to work.

However yesterday moring they were right outside the front door. I almost felt like if I was taller I would have been able to reach up and touch them!

This shot is very deceiving, this was taken from accross the street and they definitely were not that close to the houses! Just looks that way!

In the background you can just make out a birthday cake balloon trying to get over the trees. This was in honour of the 10th birthday of the Balloons Over Waikato.


Here you can just see the Ladybug balloon creeping out from the trees.

Busy Week

I know it seems like I haven't been here all week!

On Tuesday my dad had his operation for his Prostate Cancer, so I had the lucky time of spending over 10 hours up at the hospital with my mum.

Dad's op was very successful and he got to go home on Friday.

So for most of the week I have been looking after the family, working and then visiting dad.

Ben didn't get to see grandad on Thursday, so at 7pm I quickly rushed him up to say hi, because I knew dad was going home the next day and Ben would be really miffed if he didn't get to say goodbye. Glad I did have a late night with him by taking him up, because he definitely enjoyed seeing grandad one more time knowing he was going home the next day. Ben likes to know what is happening and then he is more relaxed.

For the rest of the week I have been working.

I am now well settled into my new job as Vaccinator with the community programme, going around all the schools in the area vaccinating the young girls with the new HPV Vaccine (Cervical Cancer)

Some of the young girls are fun to chat with for 2 minutes, some are dramatic drama queens and some just plain don't want to see us!?

I am enjoying what I am doing and really am glad I decided to have a change of scenery for 6 months.

Not actually sure what I am going to do job wise in October when this contract ends? But for now I am not worried and I am looking forward to having 2 weeks off over Easter.

Bribary!

Ben had to have some antibiotics the other week. Nothing new here, as he has had them many times now.
Although he absolutely hates taking them. We can actually have a stand off with him for 20 minutes, all while holding a spoonful of medicine, before he will open his mouth and take the medicine!

So Grandma had an idea of maybe, god forbid, bribing him to take it all?
So I did!
I got some of the toys from my wardrobe, my own personal toy shop where I keep spare stuff for just this sort of thing, and placed it on top of the fridge.

We added a chart to it, and as he took his medicine, we ticked of the appropriate time and day.

One of the days had a star by it and when he successfully reached this point he got a toy.

Worked a treat. Even though he argued with us about taking it once or twice. We just casually would say to him "which toy was it you wanted?" and then the medicine got taken nicely and promptly.

Who said you can't bride them everynow and then....?

PS - 2 days after writing this post, Ben is back on antibugs and there are now more toys on top of our fridge!

Magazines

When I got engaged last year I of course acquired several Bridal Magazines.

Nothing ever actually jumped off the page for me, but I did get a few inspirational ideas about things I liked.

6 months later and I finally cleared the magazines from under my bed this weekend just gone.

I looked at them long and hard and racked my brain to see if I could think of anyone I could pass them on to??

There had to be someone I knew who was getting married?

Would you believe, no one!

So with despair I walked to the garage and placed them in the paper recycle box.

Today I have had the awesome pleasure of retrieving them from the garage because my Cousin Lucy has just annouced today that she got engaged over the weekend to here boyfriend Gareth.

Yea, so happy, they are so great together.

So even though she has told me it will probably be end of 2010 before they actually get married I am really happy that I finally have someone to pass these magazines on to. I mean they are really expensive and such a waste to chuck out when they are useful for many years after you have brought them.

So congratulations to Gareth and Lucy, so happy for you both.

Birthday

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Claire,

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to my one and only sister in law Claire.

Hope you have a good day.

Homework

Ben has a small amount of homework every night from School.
It always consists of reading a little book and going through the new words of the week.
Simple words like "and, I, have, said, here"
He is doing really well with them all, although of course they are now getting harder and it is taking a little bit extra to learn them.

Steve is amazing, he sits with Ben to do the homework and he is fabulous with him.
Now I would like to one day train as a Primary School Teacher, but I sometimes think Steve should change his career path, I think he would make an awesome teacher, although I do already know he is a great teacher because he was a Nurse Educator when I first started dating him.

He just seem to have the knack with teaching Ben how to do things, although sadly he sometimes lacks the patience with him and I feel this would ruin the teaching side.
But for us at home, well I can't wait for Alex to start school so he can have his super duper dad help him with his homework.

Insomnia

Yes, I have insomnia!
Well in fact I have a drug induced insomnia, so as soon as I stop taking the drugs then hopefully the insomnia will go away....!
And seeing how the doctor has agreed to me stopping the steroids (drug of effect) then hopefully the world will be a much better place tomorrow morning at 4am?

Because, even though I had been warned about the possible black dreams and marriage breakers side effect, nothing quite prepared me for the effect at 4am this morning!
As far as I was concerned this morning the whole world could just disappear.
Steve was the root of all evils and the boys were not much better.
I had no time or life and I really just wanted the whole of my life to go away and let me start again.

Now I am currently aware that I have too much on my plate and I am scrapping parts of it away as we speak to get back to something I can manage, but I am not one to actively voice my expressions of help until it is way too late, by which time I then suffer in silence and wonder why no one has picked up on the fact I am not coping?

My other bug bearer this morning in my torid moments was 'when was it my time to be sick?'
If the boys are sick, then I stop everything to look after them.
If Steve gets sick, he gets over being sick and I keep the life trundling along.
When I get sick, I still have to remember the cat has to go to the vet, the boys have swimming and that the toilet really can't be left in that state for another day!
It made me realise that in fact I should have said something yesterday to Steve and let him know that in fact it would have been much better if he had stayed home from work to look after Alex, because looking back I don't think I was in any real fit state to be doing it!

But then hey, where would all the fun be if we didn't have drugs to wack you around the head everynow and then and make you realise that some things need to change?!

Oh and do you know that C4 (music channel in NZ) has a programme running through the night called "Insomnia" how apt!

Prostate Cancer

At Christmas, my dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer (PC).

There was nothing to suspect this at the time, no pain or symptoms. He was diagnosed purely by a routine blood test taken as part of his on going 'Well Man' check at his doctor's.

Pretty similar to women being diagnosed with Breast cancer after having a routine mammogram.

The blood test checked his PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) Levels, which is only produced by the prostate cells. This test, if above normal, gives indication of changes within the gland that therefore need to be followed up further with a Urologist (Surgeon who specialises in problems of the urinary system)

He needs to see a Urologist because the prostate gland (walnut in size) is located beneath the bladder in the male pelvis, the urethra, which drains urine from the bladder, passes through the prostate. The glands main function is to provide nutrition for sperm.

There are several different diseases of the prostate thus the reason to get a follow up to see eaxctly what is going on, whether it is cancer or not.

PC is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths amongst men, after lung cancer, although it is rarely diagnosed in men younger than 40.

In Australia, 1 in 11 will develope PC by the age of 75

In the USA, over 230,000 men are diagnosed with PC each year.

About 10% of PC runs in the family. So like Breast Cancer if there is an immediate family history, then routine check ups are adviced.

Over 600 men die of prostate cancer every year in NZ - this is directly comparable to those figures for breast cancer.
Over 2,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year.
Prostate cancer is now the prevalent form of cancer for NZ men.

So what is my dad doing?

Well he has been followed up and he has seen a lovely Urologist I know here in Hamilton.

He is now scheduled for surgery in 7 days time to surgically remove the prostate gland.

He is reasonable young (65) fit and healthy, so after the initial surgery and a little time of quiet and taking it easy, then he should be bouncing back fine, although that won't mean he will be playing squash 3 weeks later! He wasn't playing squash 3 weeks before so forget the after!

So what can you all do?

Help raise awareness of this silent disease. For men all it takes is a simple painless blood test to check their PSA each year. Due to infections etc in the prostate then a high reading does not always indicate cancer. However it is easier and safer to follow up with a biopsy and have an infection than to ignore it and have PC. So next time someone you love, who is over 50 is having a check up, then get them to add checking the PSA Levels to the test.

Men are well known for ignoring health issues, they are known for not going out of their way to have things done. They don't keep up with the latest findings and then decide to rush out and have that test or peocedure. We need to casually remind them of things everynow and then!

There is currently a challenge being undertaken by 4 guys downunder.

On 19th April 2009 4 of us will set out in a bid to become the first 4 man crew to row the Indian Ocean. We will be competing in the inaugural Indian Ocean Rowing Race to raise some much needed funds and awareness for man’s number one killer, prostate cancer. All being well the race will take approx 60-70 days and will see us cover approx 3,568 miles (5,742 kms), from Geraldton (Western Australia) to Mauritius...that's a long way and a long time to be sat on our prostates!

Go check out what the guys are doing and how they are getting on.

Cat Update

Prenzel is back from the hospital and a lot more full of beans.
She has been desperate to get outside, but the SPCA told us to allow her at least 10-14 days before letting her out!
Today she managed to sneak past Alex as we were coming in and I did not have the energy to chase her so I just let her go!
She is having a ball. She is leading Barnie all round the garden, investigating, using the veggie patch for her business etc.
They both keep coming back to the backdoor and lounging in the sun.
So I think maybe when we are home, if she wants to go outside then she is free to do so.
I think it will make her happier and maybe settle easier.

Only thing is I now have to go and find her to give her her next dose of medicine from the vet!

Hospital

The cat is in the hospital.

Our latest addition to the family, who is called 'Prenzel' by the way has not been well since she arrived on Tuesday. She was fine for the first day but then slowly she has stopped eating and has not been having pleasant poo's.

She is getting along with Barnie very well now, and they are tolerating each other nicely.

We took her to the vet on Wednesday and they dosed her up with pain relief and extra stuff. She ate a little when she got home, but has really not touched anything since.
Unfortunately she poo'd in our room 4 times during the night, not pleasant, and has become a little too laid back for our liking.

So we called the vet again today, explained all that had been going on in the last 24 - 48 hours and they made us an appointment.
10 minutes later the phone went, and it was the vet herself to say that she would like Prenzel to be brought in to her, not for the appointment, but to the hospital so she can observe her over night.


Ben helped me and we took her off to the cat hospital.
Ben was all very worried, he wanted to see where she was going and even told me in the vets that 'he was going to miss her tonight!'


They will call tomorrow to let us know how she has been over night and then hopefully, if they can get her to start eating and drinking they may let her go home tomorrow afternoon, if not maybe Monday. They want to assess her for IV fluids, extra drugs she may need and also what is happening with her insides to create so much poo.

She is so cute and unfortunately we have all fallen in love with her just in 3/4 days, so hopefully she will come right very quickly.


I'll let you know what happens and when she comes home.

Junkie

I feel like a junkie!
I went back to the doctor's yesterday, I was feeling so crap, I needed to.
He listened to my chest again and decided that he could hear something on both sides at the bottom. So mentioned pnuemonia or a chest infection and proceeded to does me up with pills!

Today at breakfast I felt like a junkie! I had to take the following.....
1 x Augmentin (antibiotic)
1 x Prednisone (steroid to help dry things up)
1 x Vitamin (makes sure I am getting some good stuff)
2 x Panadol (pain relief)

Oh and did I let you know I am horrid at taking tablets, so breakfast was a long process.
To add to this, the steroid is making me wake up at about 3am and it is difficult to get back to sleep. So the nights are getting longer and the days are getting tiring. Oh yea and it is also drying up my cold so breathing through my nose is such fun in the middle of the night!
Man I will be glad when this starts to go away and I am feeling more like my old self.

Sick

I have had enough!
I have had a persistent cough for 4 weeks now and I am knackered!
I have been feeling ok with a nasty cough.
Had lots of people getting concerned when they hear me cough, but other than that apart from being extra tired in the evenings I have survived.
But alas not now....
I am tired, always aware of my breathing, still coughing, which in turn is hurting my ears, my throat and my whole body because my muscles have had enough of the coughing!
I am loosing my get up and go because it is running away from having had enough.
The doctor has checked my bloods and they are fine, waiting for the result on my throat swab and they say it could take about 2 weeks to get the results on whether I have whooping cough!

So today I finally took a day off work to just sit down and relax on my own for 5 minutes.
Unfortunately Ben was sick in bed last night so there are 2 loads of washing to get done.
We are out of cat litter, so need to go to the supermarket later this afternoon
The house is a mess and we have cricket at Ben's school tonight (last game of the season luckily) so dinner will be on the run and we won't get home until after 7pm!

Am I able to say 'STOP' yet and just step off the world??

Book Giveaway #2

Mary over at Owlhaven is giving away another copy of her wonderful book she has written.

Pop over sometime and check it out

Sandwiches

Where on earth does a 3 1/2 yr old get his sandwich choice from?
I have always offered them a variety, cheese, jam (jelly), ham etc.
I can understand cheese and marmite, love it myself so no worries.
I have even introduced them to the good old PBJ, not that it is a popular choice here in NZ but hey, open to all things.

So where does Alex get the idea for cheese and jam (jelly)?

I have sure never offered that combination to him! I know his grandfather likes it, but he hasn't been to stay for quite a while now and Alex would never have been old enough when he last stayed to hear him ask for that!

The wonderful minds of a little guy!

Sickness Update

We took Ben to the specialist the other day to get his ears checked out.
Turns out he does have Glue Ear, but they are not worried at all.
They think it all stems from the major ear infection he had at the end of October last year.
They tested his hearing and have found no problems with it at all.
They said this is what confirmed it for them. Kids with Glue Ear usually need follow up treatment because they loose their hearing in the affected ear, whereas Ben has perfect hearing.
So they are happy to just sit back and watch.
I have to take him back if he has any discharge from the ear or complains of pain and they maybe want to see him in a years time just as a check up. So on we go with life and just step over this little bump in the road.

On the other hand though, I have had a nasty cough for just over 3 weeks now. It is breath taking and very tiring.
So I whisked off to the Dr's and they did every test available. I am now on Ventolin to help me breath, Prednisone (steroid) to help dry things up and give me a quick boost. They took a throat swab to see what is there and also took some blood to see what is circulating. Would you believe they are goign to test me for Whooping Cough!
I am fully immunised and so are the boys, but apparently it is flying round NZ at the moment. It is known as the 100 day cough in adults and you don't get the whooping sound you just have a persistent cough.

Will hopefully get the results today or tomorrow, and then I will know if I am on antibugs, like Ben, to clear up what ever I have.

Oh and as mentioned Ben is on antibugs again. Came out in more spots and so more drugs. Unfortunately we have had to resort to bribary to get him to take it. More on that later.

Logically Thinking of The Young

Over at Owlhaven, she was commenting on what one of her 6 yr olds had said about swimming. It was the perfect conversation of logic that come from the young.

It made me remember a conversation I had with Ben (5) just a few days ago. It went sort of like this....

Ben: Did you have a seat like mine when you were little mum?

Me: You mean the booster seat on your chair?

Ben: Yes

Me: I don't remember darling, but probably. You will have to ask Grandma and Grandad?

Ben: Ok. Was I around when you were little?

Me: No, not when mummy and daddy were little like you.

Ben: Oh, so who were my parents when you were little?

Me: Well you were not born yet.

Ben: Was I still in your tummy then?

Me: (trying not to laugh) Sort of

Ben: Could I talk when I was in your tummy?

Then the other one joined in.....

Alex: Did I talk when I was in your tummy?

Me: I don't know, did you talk? Does a baby talk?

Both of them: No, a baby cries lots!

Latest Addition

Here is the latest edition to our family.
She doesn't have a name yet, although it is now Ben's turn to choose one, think it might turn out to be 'Prenzel' but will confirm that when we know.


Of course Barnie and her are getting along like a house on fire.....not!
But hey give them chance and maybe oneday the will end up loving tolerating each other!

Glue Ear

Ben has Glue Ear. I thought we had managed to pass by all this seeing as he had made it to school, had not had hardly any ear infections and has no real problems, apart from his pronouciation of words!

So when the ear nurse told us he has glue ear, we were a little shocked.

I googled 'Glue Ear' and this is what I got.....

Glue ear is when fluid is present in the middle ear, an air-filled space, behind the eardrum.
It is different to an ear infection when the fluid in the middle ear is infected, and the eardrum is red and bulging, causing fever and earache in your child. When an ear infection has resolved, this infected fluid becomes sterile but, it is still present. This is glue ear. The eardrum in front of this fluid is no longer red and inflamed.

We have an appointment today with a specialist. We decided that even though we only got diagnosed with this problem last week, we were not messing around with his hearing.

We may need grommets or we may just need a long course of antibugs (think I would prefer the grommets, at least then we don't have to fight with Ben morning and night to take his medicine!)

So will keep you posted as to what the specialist says this afternoon.

Book Giveaway

Mary over at Owlhaven has written a book.

Yep that is right, a whole book.

It is called "A Sane Women's Guide to Raising a Large Family"

She says it "shares the story of the growth of our family, as well as the hints and tricks I’ve learned over the years that help me stay sane as a mother of many. I’d never claim to have all the answers, but having a large family has forced me to become more efficient."

Mary is married to John and is the mother to 10 children, 4 arrived via the natural stork and 6 lucky ones arrived via adoption. They are all hers and she loves them to bits, in fact her oldest has just got married, so life is forever changing in that household.

Even though I do not have a large family, this book looks rather interesting from what I have already read via Amazon.

Mary has several copies of her book to giveaway each week, so stop on over there sometime and take a look for yourself.

Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day.

Did you know that? No neither did I.

My calendar mentions it, but I had never heard of it before.

Turns out it has been celebrated since 1909 as a way to celebrate for the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Started as a political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries (primarily Russia and the countries of former Soviet bloc). In some celebrations, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love to the women around them in a way somewhat similar to Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day mixed together.

So did we all get flowers, did the men even realise that it was a special day for us??

Don't think so....!

Earth Hour

Do you guys know about this?
Me neither until I heard about it on the news.

Turns out they want us to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday 28th March

Found the following on the Earth Hour Website....

This year, Earth Hour has been transformed into the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming.
For the first time in history, people of all ages, nationalities, race and background have the opportunity to use their light switch as their vote – Switching off your lights is a vote for Earth, or leaving them on is a vote for global warming.

WWF are urging the world to VOTE EARTH and reach the target of 1 billion votes, which will be presented to world leaders at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009.

This meeting will determine official government policies to take action against global warming, which will replace the Kyoto Protocol. It is the chance for the people of the world to make their voice heard.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from.

VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community.

A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet.

Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

We all have a vote, and every single vote counts.

Together we can take control of the future of our planet, for future generations.

VOTE EARTH by simply switching off your lights for one hour, and join the world for Earth Hour.

Saturday, March 28, 8:30-9:30pm.

Now I am not sure on the time. I know that there is an activity at the Universitiy that night and Earth Hour has been incorparated into that, but I am not sure if the time mentioned above is just the New Zealand time or the whole world time?
Looks like it will be a fun night out anyway.

Proud Again

When Ben first started school I was given a little advice by the ladies I worked with at the time....
'Join the PTA' they said and your child will always be looked after at school because the teachers look out for the kids of the parents who are active at the school.

Unfortunately due to other committments I have as a volunteering person, joining the PTA is not something I can do at present, but after yesterday I don't think I need to worry?!

As we arrived at school, Ben said hi to one of the teachers walking in. She commented to me that usually it takes the teachers a while to get to know all the students but that there was no problem of that with Ben! Because Ben knows all the teachers, personally, and always says hi to them. Turns out that is Ben, he loves the company of adults and always feels secure knowing they are there for him to talk to if he needs them. He has lots of friends at school, but it is lovely to know that he is also very comfortable with the teachers as well.

Just after I had dropped Ben at school, he came running past me on his way to the office. He was the leader in his class so therefore he got to take the attendance record to the office.
He was full of life and beans when he went past and one of the teachers turned to me and said "your son is awesome, I think he is great!"
What better compliment could anyone ever ask for about their son?

Christmas Presents

It sounds like all we do in this family is celebrate an occassion and then delay the actually enjoyment of it until later on?

Well for Christmas last year, Grandma and Grandad gave the boys vouchers to buy themselves something when they knew what they wanted.

Of course they had no idea that they had these vouchers and so they have been in my handbag since Christmas Day.

Finally at the weekend I decided we would take them to the shop and let them look at the toys. We didn't actually tell them they had money to spend, again they are too young to understand that yet, but it was just nice to be able to say 'Yes' when they asked if they could have something.

They perused several things and then finally I found some 'Hot Wheels' Car stuff. They had lots of track that you make loop the loops with and send the cars flying. The boys thought this was all good fun and came away with a nice little supply each.

Alex got 2 things with his money. 2 things that build into a track and have a loop the loop, one sets a plane flying as the car goes around the loop and the other the car jumps at the end of the track.

Ben managed to get something quite huge. A series of loop the loops all around itself, like a roller coaster. The car zooms through the maze of track and then shoots up a jump and lands back in the motorised starting area and then races off again, all on its own.

I managed to get a small video of it running. What is so funny is that the cat loves this toy! She happily sits there with the boys watching the cars zoom round and round. Occassionally she will put out a paw to try and catch the car, but she is content to just sit and watch.
Can't get video to load at present so will try again later

In fact when the boys finished playing the other day, she climbed on in and tried to get the cars moving again! It was so cute to watch.

Birthday Presents

For Steve's Birthday last year, I know sounds really bad but you have to remember that his birthday is actually on Dec 26, so not that long ago!

Well I got him tickets to see Billy Connolly. Yes the one and only, comedian extraordinar.

I had never seen this guy live before and after a little prying last year, I discovered that Steve had actually seen him on stage before, but I knew that wouldn't matter.

I bought the tickets last November (they sold out within days) and we finally got to see the show last week.

It was a blast, very funny and so on the ball.

He spent most of the night relating to New Zealand and seeing as he has been here many times in the last couple of years, he knew what he was talking about.

A few places had me laughing so much I was crying, but overall a wonderful night out with a lot of laughs.

Life

So I have started my new job, well I have had lots of education towards my new job. We actaully start the vaccinations in 2 weeks time. But so far so good.

Steve is busy as at work, he also suddenly has lots of education that has come his way, so nights of study and long days at work.

Ben is at school and loving it all, well apart from swimming! Yea I know, the boy that loves swimming is not enjoying it at school, turns out, after some investigating, that he is finding school swimming cold and boring. He is so much more advanced than they are doing.

He has new words to learn each week and we are progressing nicely with them.

Things like "I, we, and, went, mum, dad, got, a, it, at"

He will be reading before we know it!

Alex is still loving Daycare, although he does get a little clingy when we go to leave, but we are not worried as we know he has a ball 5 minutes after we have gone.

Today is not a daycare day, so after 2 weeks of fulltime, I think he is looking forward to a quiet day at home with mum.

The cat is progressing well and you would have thought she had always lived here! She is a very big suk and has made herself right at home. We have no worries with her and have even started to let her explore the garden. She loves watching the boys play with their toys and even tries to join in. Will tell you more about that in another post. Oh and Alex has choosen a name for her, well he gave the cat the name and it seems to have stuck.....the cat is called "Barnie"

Or in Alex's world it is called 'Barnie the Cat' because he also has 'Barney the Dinosaur!'

Ben has accepted this because he knows he is allowed to name the next cat we get hopefully this weekend

Blogging just seems to get a backseat at present, but it doesn't help that we lost internet connection for 36 hours due to all the rain we had at the weekend! But now I am not at work fulltime maybe I will be back online a little more.

So that is our family this week. Look forward to catching up with all of you during the week.

Have a good one.