Quick quick gotta get a post done...

Helloooo there, I'm still here! Due to some technical issues I have not been able to spend the massive amounts of time on line that I would normally do.
So what have i been doing since we last spoke..here goes:
Couldn't get windows to load on the computer, spent a day trying to sort it, managed to copy documents and photos on to usb stick in safe mode before having to reboot the computer back to an empty shell again.

Took another day to reload all the programs I need, find my fav websites again to bookmark, clear the 35 emails that had arrived in the time I was off line, download all those annoying programes you need to function like Adobe and AVG, find the right driver for the printer and checkout facebook.

So finally getting back on track with the computer, but then had a sh*tload of work to catch up on, meetings to attend, workshops to run and oh yeah a house to look after. The days just ran away laughing.
So this week was gonna be the week of bloggers catchup, my own and others, but then Neil dropped a huge steel beam on his foot and is now off work for 10 days.

While I can sympathise with his pain I just wish he would get out of my lounge on MY days at home! He is totally messing with my routine! You know the one, get up grab a coffee, check the email, facebook, pinterest and fav blogs, get the kids ready for the day, drop them off and run a Playcentre session. come home grab another coffee, repeat morning routine, run around like a mad thing at 2.45 before everybody starts to come home to clean the house, take a breath, cook tea while checking facebook status again. Try doing that without burning tea!

Other achievements lately have been the toilet training of Ethan aged 5, the sleep in own bed training of Ethan age 5, the first school visit of Ethan age 5, phew this kid has really got it happening at the moment.

But he is handling it all well, and is more than ready to start school at the beginning of 2012.

I've started my xmas shopping in earnest now, as opposed to browsing through the junk mail making mental lists of what to buy. If I didn't buy another thing my own kids would be covered on xmas day at least. Its a shame I have to keep spending more precious money on everybody else now. Just got the rest of the family to do now. Any ideas on what to buy a 50 year old husband with a bad foot? LOL a ticket back to work!

I've also managed to pare down my roles in Playcentre to just President of two centres, Assn Education Convenor and Grants officer, supervisor 4 days a week, and Tutor. Yep should be able to fit that in around an ECE degree study schedule of supposedly 25 hours a week. Just gotta get rid of the toy library and the parent support group at school and I'll be rolling in time.

So don't worry things will be back to normal soon, I hope!

Have you noticed?

Have you noticed my new header, made my me! Thanks to Simone Graham over at greatfun4kids.com for giving another great tutorial on blogging. She makes it so easy.

This month I will be tutoring twice a week for Playcentre. My first workshop last night went well with 6 trainees and lots of learning and sharing happening including the biscuits!

Thursday will be a bit more challenging as I'm tutoring postive guidance for kids for the first time. I'm studing hard to come across as knowing what I'm talking about. I should tell them to do as I say not as I do though. I'm the mother who lets my kids have biscuits before dinner and even if they don't eat their dinner they still get pudding LOL. I also melt at the first sign of crying and spoil my kids rotten.
I'm also the mother who worries that they don't get enough vegetables so grates carrot into everything...well almost. Its easy to hide in mince and on pizzas too.
Another point in my favour is having spent the last 5 nights sleeping in the lazy boy with Ethan on me so he can sleep without coughing all night. Am feeling kinda ragged but he is starting to improve and is starting to play with his toys again. We might venture back to Playcentre tomorrow for a play.

Thank God its Friday!

After a week of coughing my lungs out, and still running around after my kids I am so ready to light the fire and settle in my comfy chair with a good book and watching Burlesque (purchased from Video Ezy for $14.99 today)  for the weekend. I was going to go out with the Playcentre ladies tonight but just feel too under the weather (and such rainy dreary weather it is too) to go anywhere.
Today was spent on a mini working bee at our local Playcentre. the lovely Lions men came with a big digger and dug out a LOT of muddy dirt from under our new playground so the bark can go down next week. Jac and I weeded the gardens and kept the kids out of the way and the whole time is was drizzling, but hey the end result will be fabulous!
I'm so envious of my friend Ree who is currently swanning around Brisbane with her lovely Hubby attending a scrapbook expo. I'm sure she will be back with cases and cases of new supplies for her already bulging scraproom. (sigh she has a whole room for her stuff....I wish!)
Hope you all have a great weekend and that Morgans birthday goes well for you Denise.

What a Manic Month!

I've just come to the end of a very manic month and am enjoying a rare day at home just cruising and catching up. I've just waved Neil and Molly off on a hunting trip to the coast so thats two less family members to cook. clean and run after LOL. Neil has known for weeks that he was going away but still left everything until the last minute to pack...1 hour before leaving! He just called back and picked up his sleeping bag which he had left behind. The nights are cold even with Molly to cuddle up too.

Ethan uses Molly as a pillow all the time!

Dr Suess rocks!

Every single day I get to read aloud to children. On average I read 15 books per day. While I try to mix it up a bit with books from the library and home I tend to fall back to my favourites. Generally these are ones I read or heard when I was growing up. Kind of a culture thing really. Last night I read Bad Jelly the Witch by Spike Milligan to the boys. I have a neat copy that is written in Spikes handwriting complete with spelling mistakes and his own illustrations. There are even some of his child's illustrations. My boys loved Fluffy bum the cat, Dingle mouse and Mud wiggle just like I did as a child. Hands up if you grew up listening to this on Sunday morning on the radio!

Another favourite that has just been released is Flick the Little Fire Engine. I love stories that include singing and I reckon I do a fair rendition of Flick the little Fire Engine. Its nice to pass these stories on.
Who remembers Lion in the Meadow and the Tiger Who Came to Tea, those are both a must read at least once a week on my list.

My children also now ask for a "story from my mouth", these are stories from my childhood. Last night it was about how we didn't have seatbelts in the cars and how we could lay down to sleep in the back seat, and how you had to wind the windows down with a handle. We even had a car that had a crank handle that my step dad had to wind sometimes. Now that is showing my age. The boys love these stories and are building up a set of firm favourites.

My favourite books to read, not only cause they are fun stories, but because they help keep your brain awake are Dr Suess stories. I love love love the Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. Did you know Green Eggs and Ham was written on a dare to Dr Suess. He was told you couldn't write a story using only 50 different words. I think he pretty much nailed it.

I do wonder though why a mother would leave her two children at home alone and why can't I have a cleaning machine like the Cat!

Other people like Dr Suess as well...look what I found on the internet....

I love this idea for twins!

This would be great as a story tellers hat.

I'm loving passing on the love of reading to lots of preschoolers...its an awesome pasttime!

Lately at Playcentre we....

have been body painting...or at least the children have. It all started with facepainting both by me and some self work by the kids...

Sisters, Janine and Simona, are the queens of  scarey facepainting

 

Then we moved on to legs. Mattie models the blue smurf look!

No, Ethan has not been shot, this is his body painting...he's a miminalist....

Compared to Dan the tiger, who continued on to a full body paint once his trousers were removed. 

This session ended with most kids having a full wash down in a bucket of warm soapy water before going home.
The following session they wanted to do it all again but we persuaded them to paint their reflections in our huge mirror at the end of the centre. It was much easier to wash the mirror than a trillion kids again. LOL!

 Simona paints on the dolls after I had painted her. 

 

The kids have even painted me sorry no photos available...LOL. Now I wonder what we are teaching them letting them do this...to be future graffiti artists or perhaps make up artists for horror movies!

Wordless Wednesday - October round up

Drinking the milk at the end of breakfast is a must!

Who needs toys when you have a cardboard box

Ethan plays with balloons on his birthday

Ethan with cousin Amy and Lily doing the actions to 5 little monkeys

I think our letter box needs painting after Neil waterblasted it!

Western playing the PS2 how unusual??!!

The kid checking out the kids at A&P show

Neil building the Molly proof fence, gang headquarters would be proud!

Ethan considers his career options....

Shop keeper?...not Indian enough

Ethan had set up a shop at Playcentre yesterday, so this morning I extended the idea and made a real shop for him, I had to play shopper…(no issues there!) and he fetched what I asked for and put it in my bag. Service just like in the old days. LOL. He really enjoys pretend play spending half of his days as Spiderman or Superman and after getting the spotty dog out of the toy library again he is also a dog too. He told me he is Molly’s Dad. Not sure how you get a chocolate lab from a Dalmatian.

Rabbit?, could possibly be the Easter bunny

Ladybird?

Hoon, very possible if he's like his Dad!

Fairy....hopefully not!

Cow? another possible he does seem to have a fascination with cows!

Spiderman! What every 4 year old aspires too...being a super hero!

Don't bother to think about what you will be when you grow up Ethan, just enjoy being a boy! Love you long time Mummy.

Wordless Wednesday - Fun At Playcentre

This is called bubble painting, you blow and blow then lay a piece of paper on top to make a pattern. Kids often suck though so lots of adult supervision is needed. 

Facepainting is a favourite activity of mine, I manage to do it most sessions.

Yes we really do give kids saws and hammers! Ethan aged 2

The worm farm is a favourite with the kids, thank god for rubber gloves!

Ethan spent a lot of time in the baby corner when he was a baby, but spends even more time there now, he loves babies!

The sand pit, these diggers are the cause of lots of fights! Western at 4

Pet Day at Playcentre, Ethan took Dog a.k.a Balto.

Snail races are an annual event!

Swings that make you dizzy and your hair stand up

This is just a small sampling of what we get up to at Playcentre, its the place for fun fun fun and mess too!