I wonder if my blog will ever be interesting enough...

For people to follow it??

Obviously I need more witty and sharp comments to attract them.

I'm not sensing much potential for those in what I have planned for today...filling the new drawers I bought yesterday with Rosie's clothes and then choosing appropriate attire and doing my hair ready for a new driver's licence photo.

DVD reviews

As mentioned in a previous entry, I watched some DVDs over the weekend. Here are my reviews.

The Time Traveller's Wife: Insipid and superficial compared to the book. Although I didn't enjoy the book hugely either, despite many positive reviews from friends. When I was talking about it with Chris wondering if I'd missed something, he told me it's because I don't cope with supernatural stuff very well. I think he might be right.

Blessed: Australian movie, full of the usual urban angst which seems to be emerging as one of the main Australian film genres (and incidentally, also seems to be the way to get positive reviews on The Movie Show). It was about relationships between mothers and their (for the most part) wayward children. Deeper than the other one, but I had trouble identifying with any of the multiple characters in it...there were so many I found it hard to keep track.

I don't watch movies very often, but when I do I like it to be worth the effort of staying awake (I have been known to fall asleep in cinemas, much to Chris' embarrassment...)

ANZAC Day

Today was the first ANZAC Day in a long time that I didn't go to a remembrance service. I woke up well after dawn services were over, and then had to play at church this morning so I stayed there with Rosie while Chris took the boys to march in the later parade with their school.

It felt like something was missing from the day. I like to go along each year, even more so since my Grandad died a couple of years ago (he served in PNG during WWII). I never heard him talk about the war at all, so I asked my Mum for some info and she loaned me some books to read about the Australians in PNG during the war. Apparently the battalion he served in(49th) gets a bit of a dodgy rap in most of the literature, perhaps somewhat unfairly given they seemed to have received very little training and support.

However, church was good too. I made a resolution to try to take notes during sermons (thanks to friends Kristy and Anna for the idea!) more often because it helps me take in more information and concentrate on the sermon rather than being distracted by whatever cute thing Rosie happens to be doing. I managed to take notes on about half of it before Rosie started whingeing so I figured that was OK for a first effort. And it was a good sermon.

Last night, I also took advantage of Chris being busy sorting out a glitch in the computer program that does the church accounts to borrow a couple of girly DVDs, which I'll review tomorrow.

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend.

Liam

Is taking up lots of my blog space at the moment. Oh well, I'm sure there will be plenty of time to include the other two.

Liam is going to have surgery in Brisbane sometime in the next couple of weeks to fix a muscle that the doctors think has become trapped from his recent scooter injury and eye socket fracture (blogged about here). Hopefully this will help him be able to look upwards again and he won't have the double vision anymore.

Please pray that it all goes well.

As promised...

The first picture is page 1 of the photo book. By the third picture, which is the last page of the book, Rosie seems to have disappeared from our family and been replaced by another hermit crab...

I decided that the other kids at his work table must a. only have one sibling and b. have pets that they were writing about on the last page. I suppose he didn't want to feel left out.

Liam's photo book

Liam had a relief teacher this week while his regular teacher was away. Yesterday the kids made little books about their families, strangely called "photo books" even though no photos were involved and the kids just drew their family members in them.

Liam really liked this activity. He showed everyone the book when he got home and also read it lots of times since it had lots of his sight words in it. What I thought was funny was that Strike the hermit crab scored more page space in the book than Rosie. Maybe Liam just likes drawing crabs more than he likes drawing babies...

I will make an attempt to get the picture of Strike and the rest of the family in here when I have time. We are off to see the doctors for the verdict on Liam's eye today.

My employer...

...is having a few problems paying its staff. You can read about it here. Fortunately all my maternity leave payments were made before the new system started up. I did get paid a couple of weeks ago through the new system when I wasn't expecting it and I thought it was wrong until I realised it was a public holiday pay that I actually was entitled to. The news isn't so good for those who haven't been paid for three whole pay periods though.

Closer to home, we are continuing our journey on the patient's side of the health system. Liam is still having a few problems with his eye, he is having some double vision and it looks like his upward eye movements are a bit limited since his scooter crash. So we're off to the specialist in Brisbane to see what to do next...and we're praying all will be well in the long term. Thanks to those who've been praying for him.

Task avoidance

Why is it so easy to put off doing stuff?

Here I am avoiding doing important jobs like typing the minutes of the preschool committee meeting and writing some notes for the lecture I have to do.

Looking at the internet and reading people's blogs is far more entertaining...

The hermit crab community

In response to this post about pet escapees on one of the blogs that I've been following, I was reflecting on our history of pet ownership.

We had two cats before we had kids. I really liked the cats, maybe because their personality was similar to mine (ie. independent and rather selfish..) but Chris was allergic to cat hair so he was less keen. One of our cats was hit by a car and badly injured so he had to be put down, and the other one ran away during one of our moves and despite several sightings we couldn't catch him again.

So now we have hermit crabs. We started with five around eighteen months ago and that number then worked its way down to one earlier this year. I'm not sure why the others died, they didn't all go at the same time so it could have been any number of reasons. Having read in a library book I borrowed about hermit crabs that they like company, a month or so ago we bought another two so that Dora (the Explorer...she likes to climb things...and no, we don't know her gender, that's just an arbitrary decision) would have some new friends.

Her response to the new arrivals was to bury herself in the gravel for a couple of weeks. For a couple of the previous guys that was the beginning of the end, but since they do also bury themselves to molt and change shells we weren't sure what she was up to. Just before we went away she reappeared and now seems to be bonding very well with the new residents. I keep seeing her climbing around and following one of them which is slightly cute to watch.

Good things about crabs are that they tend to be fairly placid, they don't eat and drink much (although the new pair are proving to be exceptionally good at filling the water dishes with gravel, digging underneath them and turning them over) and generally they don't escape. Except when forgetful owners (me) leave the lid off their home...Fortunately we found the one that managed to get out...but only because we heard its shell bouncing as it tried to negotiate the stairs.

I like having pets. Chris is keen on having a dog but I think that a dog needs lots more work than crabs do. He would also love a big aquarium full of African cichlids. He had one when I first met him and I did think those fish were pretty cool. They had heaps of personality as well as being pretty to look at. Maybe the time has come to expand the pet family again...

Home again

We had a great time. It was interesting going back to a place where we had lived for so long and seeing how much things had changed, or in some cases, stayed the same. Port Macquarie is a beautiful place. Chris and I first met there (and first became parents there as well) so it will always be a special place for us.

Now I'm busy sorting out all the emails that came in while we were away. Listening to another new song we are going to learn at the church camp. This one has a "whistling" part that is being rewritten for our saxophone player, but I'm a bit disappointed that all the whistlers in church aren't going to have their opportunity to contribute...

Next task is to see what all the bloggers I'm following have been up to while I was away.

I don't like packing

Why can't everything just put itself into a bag? And while we're at it, could the bags please put themselves into the car as well?

Sigh...better get back to it...

A slow day

We needed one after all the busy and stressful days this week.

We borrowed lots of books, magazines and DVDs from the library this morning which usually keeps the kids quiet for the rest of the day.

And I worked my way through Mozart's variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (or whatever the French title of it is) on the piano. It's been years since I played it and the music seemed to have become easier to play. Maybe all this playing at church is actually helping me to improve?

I'm about to listen to a song that we are going to be learning at our church camp in May. It's pretty cool how we can sing so many psalms to modern musical arrangements now.

Liam is talking again

Things are getting back to normal, non-stop chattering has now resumed. Thank you God!

Aidan and I did some laps at the indoor pool earlier this evening. It was very relaxing, even when he got bored swimming laps and decided to entertain himself by splashing me with water whenever we went past eachother.

Off to play some piano to continue the relaxing vibe...

Feeling a bit lonely...

Don't feel much like going into detail...

I'm an introvert, mostly I'm quite happy doing my own thing, but at the same time it hurts to be excluded.

Enough of the pity party, I'll go and find something more productive to get on with, like getting the washing off the line and finding something to have for dinner.

Rosie's blog post

ebdm,d/id,/tf fmnj``````mnk l,` df``c (by Rosie)

Sorry, couldn't resist. I thought a post with some light relief was needed.

Scary parenting moments...

Liam is home again, he's very quiet and a bit sleepy. It's disconcerting since he usually talks non-stop. At the moment we have short bursts of chat followed by long silences, which I think is normal with concussion. He has the ugliest black eye I've ever seen, it's so swollen he can't open it and it has stitches all around it. I'm not good with blood so I'm not looking forward to having to put ointment on it when Chris goes back to work tomorrow.

We were planning to head to the beach for a few days next week. Now we have to see the doctors on Monday so they can decide if the fracture in his eye socket needs surgery (still too much swelling to see). We are praying we can still go.

I guess it's a normal reaction but when Aidan went to get his bike out today, I felt tense. I wouldn't let him ride at all yesterday. We live in a cul de sac so the worst thing I ever thought might happen was that one of our neighbours might not see the kids riding around as they were driving in or out of their driveways. We trained the boys to watch out for cars and they have been great at getting out of the way when someone is coming or going.

It was scary feeling so helpless and knowing that we couldn't make it better, most of the time we can fix things for our kids but this time we needed help. It reminded us that all we can do in these situations is trust God. Aidan and I said lots of prayers for Liam yesterday while we waited at home to hear what was happening. And it also reminded us that we should always be trusting in God and not ourselves, not just at frightening times like this.

The outcome could have been much worse so I am so thankful to God for the doctors' skill in handling the situation and that they think the long term outlook is fine for him.

Yesterday while I tried to stay calm, I was reading Simone and friends' interesting discussions on sin here and here and in too many other places to link to. I don't think I've analysed sin to the depth that they have although I am currently reading a book called "Respectable Sins" which is giving me some uncomfortable moments...but it also reminds me constantly of how amazing God's grace is.

Liam is hurt

Liam had a fairly impressive fall from his scooter this morning. He is currently in hospital having a cut near his eye stitched in theatre, and he is also pretty concussed. That was a bit more scary than all the scraped knees, hands and elbows we have been seeing for the past couple of days.

Fortunately his brain scan was all clear (yay for helmets) and they don't think his vision will be affected long term.

He will be staying in hospital overnight. Because I am breastfeeding, his Dad gets to stay with him.

I know no one reads this, but if anyone is, please pray for him.

So I'm married...

...but I don't have the right paperwork to prove it, apparently.

I'm doing a one-off lecture at Southern Cross University in a few weeks' time. They needed to see my marriage certificate to prove my identity. I took what I thought was my marriage certificate to them last Thursday.

Today Uni admin call me to say the certificate I gave them (from my church) is commemorative only, not a certified copy, so I need to apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages to get a "real" one before I can work for them.

So tomorrow's fun school holiday activity is a trip to the local Magistrates Court to show them all the identity documents and pay lots of money so I can get the real thing ASAP. From the list of fees and charges, it looks like just under half of the money I am going to earn from doing the lecture is going to be what it costs to get the right certificate.

I've never been into a courthouse before, maybe it will be interesting? (clutching at straws here...). I think the kids will need to be bribed with food rewards so they will behave...

I love Monday public holidays

We usually go out for a picnic somewhere. Today it was to Mullumbimby, then on to Minyon Falls for lunch. I took some photos...since I'm not using the auto functions anymore and just shooting manual, most were rubbish but there were a couple of good ones that with camera and computer editing might end up looking OK. Happy with that, considering the kids (except Rosie) are really not interested in doing anything much in front of the camera except making silly faces.

It was a fun day. It was nice (mostly!) to just be together as a family.

Easter

We're not doing much for Easter here, except eating more chocolate than we need to. Chris made up a treasure hunt for the kids to find their Easter eggs (we do this every year) but other than that, and going to church, it's been a quiet day.

Yesterday I read the Easter message/advertising in one of the local free papers from one of the larger Pentecostal churches in town. The title of the column was Easter: The Power of Forgiveness. I read on to find it included a couple of quotes from lesser known theologians Suzanne Somers (an American sitcom actress from the 80's if it's the same person I'm thinking of?): "Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself" and Norman Cousins (I don't know him at all, does anyone else?) who said "Life is an adventure in forgiveness."

Jesus did get a mention though: his life, death and resurrection "empower each of us to fully forgive and experience complete forgiveness in our own life." Which I think is actually Biblical but could have been better backed up by references from the Bible itself rather than Suzanne and Norman. Like this one.

Birthday party fun

Liam went to a birthday party today for a girl from his school who was turning 6. He was the only boy from his class there, the only other boys there were her little cousins.

When I arrived to pick him up, he was busy eating jelly from a cup and watching the birthday girl open her presents with her extended family. All the other little girls he knew from school were playing tea parties in one of the bedrooms.

I asked him if he had fun...he said he enjoyed jumping on the trampoline and eating the Freddo he got in the Pass the Parcel. He really did seem to have had a good time, so he must have jumped and eaten a lot in three hours.

This could be the last girl's party he goes to before the whole boy/girl germs thing starts up and he won't get invited to any girl's parties for many years. I'm glad he enjoyed it.

And so now it's time to get the Easter bunny into gear here. Happy Easter to everyone! (on the very remote chance that there's anyone out there who is reading...)

Time for a blog renovation...

So I deleted all my old posts which were way too long and boring.

Mmm...now need to think of more interesting things to say.

School holidays have started, so far so good. Church this morning, made hot cross buns this afternoon. Have almost got them right now after five attempts this week...and we only bought one packet of ready made buns this year. Last year we started buying them after Christmas so we were well and truly over them by the time Easter came.

I need to prepare a lecture for some Uni students in the next few weeks. Presenting it will probably be more fun than writing it although the topic is fairly basic and has a pretty broad scope...

Nothing like restarting the blog with a massively exciting post, is there?