Wordless Wednesday - Rewind Edition

Rewind: 28/02/2010 Oh how they have grown!

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday today.

Using Style to Avoid Hitting the Books

I should be studying.  I am behind and it is just a couple of weeks into the trimester.

Sadly instead I am watching the Style channel and thinking about going for a swim, it is really hot here in Sydney today (for a change!).

It amazes me where they find these people who appear on "How Do I Look?", are there actually people out there dressing like that? Is it only in America and that is why I don't notice them down at Westfields? Maybe I am one of them and therefore completely deluded!

Next I am going to be deeply invested in the goings on of the team at Glam Fairy.  Now, that's classy reality TV.  Actually now that I am thinking about it, it really should not be on a channel called Style.  There really is not much style on displayed on this show!!

The reason I am not studying is that I have two tests to complete by next week.  I hate tests.  Always have. The crazy thing is if I just read the work and did the exercises, I'm sure the tests are not that taxing as I really like the subjects I am doing this trimester.  I just have such a block when it comes to tests.

Even sitting here typing about how simple it would be to do the work and whizz through the tests has not moved me off the lounge towards the office.

Usually when I am avoiding study I clean the house, but today it is already done. 

What is your go to task when you are avoiding something?

Finally, I am Starting a Week on a high!

I coughed up for a professional job.

I was toying with the idea of a home dye job, but instead I made an appointment late on Friday for Saturday afternoon with my hairdresser, Kylie.  She was horrified when she looked me up and discovered that she last saw me in the beginning of September.  Five and a half months people! Shocker.

I came home with a new do and major attitude adjustment.  It really is true, Mum's NEED to make time for themselves to remain sane.

Taking advantage of being out on my own I also perused shoe stores, lots of them, bought new knickers and scored another yummy denim skirt $50 off the original price.  Love a denim bargain, I a denim gal.

Today the boys and I attended a Princess 3rd Birthday Party.

Princess Cake.

The Munchkin went for a swim in their fountain (as you do), photo bombed (while nude) all of the cake/family photos and came home with Princess rings on every finger. The Little Man had an amazing day with his mates from Pre-School who he has been missing so much and is now planning to play soccer with them (Mum is not so sure about this plan...) on Saturdays for the local club.  They both fell asleep in the car about 500metres from the party house, meaning I had to carry them up the garage stairs to bed when we got home, 500metres further down the road.

The Workaholic cleaned the house while we were out and cooked a yummy dinner.  He has two job interviews tomorrow which is great news.  I managed to get everything organised for the school week before falling into bed to watch Sunday night TV.

Oh so happy, all round the House of O.

How was your weekend?

Homework in Kindergarten

As if it isn't hard enough for a 5 year old to adjust to starting school they send home homework from the second week!

It's not often that I feel strongly about something, but this just ticks me off.

My view is that K-2 is about learning how to read and learn, then from year 3 it is about reading to learn.  To me it makes sense that homework should start in year 3 and that in K-2 should be a low stress, happy, learning time with lots of time for play.

Seriously, my Little Man is missing out on a couple of hours sleep (he still has a day sleep if he is at home) by being at school and I just don't think he needs to come home and do homework after being at school from 8.10am till 2.45.  That's a long day for a little person.

I don't mean reading a couple of books before bed, that is something we have always done, I mean, writing practice exercises, sight word exercises that I need to facilitate and do with him (with strict instructions on different ways to do this), I mean the research I need to do with him for his weekly presentation (last week was the letter M so he took millipedes and we had to research them) or the preparation for his book review that he has to give on his library books each week.  THIS IS KINDERGARTEN and quite frankly I send him to school so I don't have to home school and do exactly these activities.

I've taken a stand.  I send it back in the communication pouch untouched.

What's your stand on homework?

Grey

The roots are so long, they are not
distinguishable in this pic!

My hair is in desperate need of a trip to the hairdresser.  I am trying to work out when I last went and I think it was September!!

The grey is out of control and the style, well, what style?  I have resorted to pony tails and daggy hair clips.

The thing is, I just can't get myself to make an appointment because it means giving up some child free time to sit and "chat" to the hairdresser.  I hate hairdresser chat and I have about a million things I'd rather spend my alone time doing.

I'm considering a home dye job, something I have not done for many years.  Any tips?

Adjusting to Changes

2012 has been challenging so far.

image from here

I can not believe we are approaching the end of February and I am still not settled into my new normal.

The Little Man starting school and the Munchkin starting pre-school have meant much earlier mornings and for this little black duck that has been rather traumatic.  I am soooo not a morning person!  The Munchkin is also not a morning person and I think he is suffering the most in this change.  I have to wake him and he holds that against me all day, "Mummy you woke me up!" ALL DAY.

The Workaholic is still between jobs which has been extremely disruptive.  We are used to him being gone at 6am and not home until the boys, and often I, am in bed.  Having him around has been great for school drop offs and pickups when the Munchkin is asleep, but it messes with any sort of routine.

Croup struck the Munchkin down a few weeks ago and I had him languishing on the lounge instead of at pre-school.  He was so generous he passed it on to me.  I of course got a super version of his virus and spent 7 out of 9 days in bed.  So so sick.

University started and today is my first test.  Minimal study has occurred as my laptop is still dead.  I've been too sick to get it repaired.  The Workaholic has given me his to use but it is dying too and drives me mad!!

Frankly, January and February have been total right offs!  I am starting to feel that I am getting on top of the changes 2012 has brought, I am so hoping that by the end of March I will be able to say I am in control!

How has 2012 been for you so far?  Are you having a better time of it than me?

Wordless Wednesday

Worlds most patient Black Russian Cat - Leon
(Wearing Mr Potato Head's glasses)

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday today.

I Declare A Holiday From My Life.

The Munchkin and I have bunkered down on the lounge today.

He is home from pre-school again today.  He is still quite sick and sooky and to be honest, so am I.

Life is throwing rocks at me at the moment and I am feeling battered and bruised.

The world can pass me by for a while.

I need a rest from worries.

Have you ever thought things had definitely hit rock bottom, the worst they can get and things finally start to look up so you relax, just a bit then something else comes along and knocks you right back down again?  That's me today.

So I am have a holiday from life today, in my loungeroom.

Ahhh, The Best Laid Plans...

This little Bub is the one who has started school. Wasn't he cute??
His teacher has already discribed him as a "Big Personality". Hmmm

The Little Man starting school has not gone exactly as I had planned.

I have not started culling toys.

I have not even begun organising the house. If anything it is worse than ever!

It has been so difficult getting used to the early starts and the day flies by so that before I know it I am waking the Munchkin and getting him in the car to hit the traffic of the school run.

The whole week has been complicated even more by the Workaholic being home off and on.  He was retrenched the week he went back to work after Christmas.  He has been splitting his time between a couple of contract jobs and job interviews.  I cannot wait for him to get back into some regular routine so we can aim for the same.  It would also be great to know where the money for this months bills will be coming from!!

I am starting back at University in the next couple of weeks.  At this point nothing I had planned to have sorted before then is going to be achieved and I have an assessment one week in!

Woe is me Huh?

I'll be OK tomorrow but today I'm exhausted and it all seems just too much.  I've been up the last three nights with the Munchkin who has croup and ended up on oxygen yesterday because his airway was so closed off.  He has embraced the Ventolin and is much improved today but I am just wiped.

I'm starting to believe all those wise Mums who told me I would not get into a decent routine until term 3! Say it isn't so?!

How long did it take to get into an organised routine when your kids started Big School?

Wordless Wednesday

Floor Sleeping

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday today.

The School Run is a Killer - Part 2

Hugh would look good in a Potato Sack, but I bet he
doesn't give his school run outfit a second thought!
image from here

The Little Man is loving school, three days in and he is still in love with everything, even his uniform. It consists of shorts, shirt, long socks, tie, hat and a suit jacket. I think we are very lucky that Summer is non existent in Sydney this year, otherwise that would have worn thin very quickly!

I however am waaaaay over the school run.

On top of the traffic issues, I am not coping with the school run fashion parade.  This is three days in. What am I going to do say, next week?  It is a serious issue (it is in my head).  We chose a local independant school.  I budgeted for school fees, uniforms (including, 4 bags! WTF?), text books, stationery, extra curricular activities and sport.  I forgot to budget for my wardrobe.  There are no Mums in their PJ's here.  Even wearing two outfits I like because they are deceptively casual, adding accessories, my best 2 carat zircs in my ears, slapping on make up at an obscenely early hour of the morning and, wait for it, seriously I can't believe this bit either, blow drying, actually styling, my hair (OK those of you who know me IRL, pick yourselves off the floor and read on).

I actually woke The Workaholic yesterday morning to get his approval on my outfit. Who am I???

I. AM. DYING. HERE.

I am NOT a fashion conscious person.  I like tunic tops and skinny jeans with lots of stretch.  I like a handbag that fits stuff in it and does not cost as much as my laptop.  I don't read Vogue.  I get my hair done when I get around to it (my grey roots are about 8cm at the moment...).  Most of all I like a bargain, which means I buy it at the end of the season, not when it is in fashion.

I am trying to be Me, which in normal circumstances does not give a rats arse what people think, but the problem is, I went to an independent school so  I know what blending in means for the Little Man.  Or is that all smoke and mirrors?

Help! I need to work this out before I go insane!

What's your take? Are you a fashionable school Mum? Is it important? Who to?

The School Run is a Killer - Part 1

You betcha.

As if four schools in a 500m radius, in small residential streets is not bad enough, some knuckle head decided that the first week of school for the year would be a great time to close a main access road, the one that is the least residential.  They also cordoned off about 2/3rds of the kiss and drop spaces for our school and the school across from us.



This mornings traffic, half an hour before school starts! 
The school is still a kilometre away. In the afternoons it is worse because this
 street has cars parked on both sidesleaving only one lane of traffic!

Can you believe this?  I am still astonished.  This afternoon I arrived 20 minutes before the first kids (k-2) come out.  I still parked in the next suburb, literally.  Yesterday I was about 10 minutes early and I may as well have walked from home I was so far away (I would in no way be considered walking distance, I mean if I caught the train it is two stops away).  The Munchkin almost passed out from running up the hill being dragged behind me, he could not even climb into the car when we got back to it with his brother.

I took this car required car pick up and traffic into account when we were deciding on schools.  I did not expect that the main road would be closed causing a funnel effect up a single lane street.  One Mum told me it took nearly 40 minutes to get through it once they got to their car yesterday.  I was saved that by parking soooo far away and the luck of ending up facing the better direction for getting out of the gridlock.

And, our school just got bigger.  Expanding several grades by extra classes this year.  On top of these extra kids, our Kindergarten is almost entirely new families.  There are just three kids with siblings already at the school.  That's 50 new cars in a single grade!

Currently K-2 finish 20 minutes before years 3-6 and if kids in K-2 have siblings in a higher grade they go to ASC for the extra time so their Mum's can pick them up together in one go.  Technically it should mean we get a parking space, run in, pick up our children and dash back to the car and drive away leaving spaces for the next shift.

It doesn't work like that.  The bigger kids leave by a different gate. Today as I passed, almost 10 minutes before K-2 are due out, that is 30 minutes before their kids would be out, I counted 23 Mum's at that gate already chatting away.  When I got around to the K-2 gate there were less Mums waiting there!  Obviously we have not worked it out yet, but seriously why would I want to be there that early?

I have better things to do than spend half of my afternoon chatting inanely at the school gates.  It is hard enough to get there by 2.45!

How does the school run treat you?

And what do those Mum's find to talk about for 40 minutes?  Please do tell.  I am now fascinated.

Wordless Wednesday

Mega Slug Carnage thanks to my improvised snail pellet delivery system
(Chinese food container with a door cut into it)

 

 

 

Linking up with Trish from my Little Drummer Boys for Aussie Wordless Wednesday.