What a ridiculously crazy week!!!! The Little Big Fella has finished his first full week of school (9 days, done and dusted), and I finally had a day at home, alone! And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Although, I did clean the oven for the first time since we moved here (almost two years ago), and I hate cleaning ovens, so I guess saying I "thoroughly" enjoyed it is a bit of a stretch. I do enjoy being able to see through the glass front and seeing that the racks are silver, not black.
Anyway, the Little Big Fella is definitely enjoying school. He got up on Saturday morning and put his school uniform on, and was quite disappointed to be told it was the weekend and he wasn't going to school for two days.
Over the past two weeks it seems like someone (thank you Miss I) has flipped a switch in our son's brain.
On the first day he was writing his whole name (with a little reminder/help). We'd been trying to get him to do that over the entire summer break!
From day one he started telling wildly imaginative stories that take 10 to 15 minutes to tell and are incredibly detailed.
He sat down and coloured in a page, choosing the right colours and basically staying inside the lines. He has never done that before! He'd always pick whatever colour he felt like at the time, colour a little bit, then scribble all over the page, then quit.
He drew a picture of himself, Daddy and Mummy for the first time ever! Previously I've seen him draw eyes, nose and a mouth, but not whole people, and never specifically naming anyone.
Every time we pick him up from school, he's done something different and learned something new and wants to show us what he's done. He's SO enthusiastic!
And then we get home and he wants to practice some more!
The other night we were reading a Spiderman book, and we worked out that he knows most of the letters! Already! In nine days!
We had a parent information session on Tuesday evening and his teacher, Miss I, showed us what the kids will be learning in one term (10 weeks). I was floored! I am amazed at not only the volume, but the depth of what they'll be learning in such a short time. And that they have the capacity to learn that is simply amazing.
Although I know there are negatives, I'm loving that he's in a composite class. There are 24 students in his classroom; 13 Preps, 8 Grade 1s and 3 Grade 2s (I think). The biggest advantage is that that older kids are showing the new Preppies how things work and what they are aiming to achieve. Which, so far, is absolutely inspiring my Little Big Fella.
The other night he sat at the desk and "typed" on the laptop. Then he asked me to read it back to him. He laughed when I read his gobbledegook.
He's had some of the older kids reading to him in class and he's so eager to be able to read himself! And he's very keen for me to read to him each night (regardless of how tired I may be).
The one thing Miss I mentioned he needs to work on at this stage (when I asked her) was not interrupting others when they talk. Which is fair enough. As an only child, we've allowed him to interrupt us, mostly because it's easier. So we've been making a point to help him learn to wait for a break in conversation at home. He'll get there :-)
I'm still waiting for the day he says, "I don't want to go to school today", or, "I have a tummy ache". I know it will happen sooner or later. But I'm so stoked by watching him grow in front of my eyes, and simply be excited about everything.
It is awesome.
Showing posts with label beginning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beginning. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 February 2014
Friday, 31 January 2014
Starting school
The day had finally arrived. After weeks of asking, and marking days off on the calendar, and talking and preparing, it was finally the first day of school for my Little Big Fella.
At 6:30 a little head popped up beside me in bed.
"Mum. It's school day today!"
Really, I'm pretty lucky he woke that late!
But thus began the interminable wait for 8:15, when the Little Big Fella could finally say "it's time to go, Mum!"
We took the obligatory photos, and a couple of videos (oh shoot! I haven't sent those to Grandma yet! Sorry Grandma! They're coming as soon as I've posted this!).
I took several hundred photos (I love multi-shot!) but still couldn't get a single one with both eyes open! Sheesh!
Side note: don't you think it's crazy that a school with a black and yellow colour scheme specifies white socks in their uniform???? Seriously? Have you ever had a child who can keep anything white clean???
Anyway, following in my own mum's footsteps, I'd decided that the Little Big Fella would make his own school lunch from day 1. So the afternoon before, he made his sandwiches (one with jam and one with honey), put some fruit and yoghurt and some snacks into his lunchbox and put it in the fridge, ready to go in the morning.
Obviously he needed a little help, but even in the four days that he's been going so far, he's significantly improved! And I can see a day in the very near future where I won't be wanted or needed for lunch-making at all!
My mum is a very smart woman :-D
Amazingly, the Big Fella wasn't working until well after school started on the first day so the three of us walked (a whole block!) to school, with the Little Big Fella just about jumping out of his skin with excitement!
As we got closer to the school, the Little Big Fella's hand found its way into mine and I realised he was getting a little nervous, probably because of the large number of people hanging around.
But we found where to put his bag and books, then found and put on his name badge. His teacher said good morning and the Little Big Fella responded without doing his faux-shy act.
Then we spotted his best friend and life was brilliant from that point on. Another friend who will be in their classroom but is in Grade 1 (it's a composite Grade Prep/1/2 class) was asked to help them get settled.
The first bell went and minor chaos ensued. Kids were running everywhere, parents were saying goodbye, teachers and helpers were trying to direct everyone to the right place...
The Little Big Fella gave us hugs and kisses and then he was inside, sitting on the mat beginning his learning career.
And I was so immensely proud of him! He took to it like a duck to water. He wasn't afraid. He overcame his brief nervousness. What more could a Mummy ask for?
And because I knew he was okay, I was okay too. How could I not be okay when I was so proud?
Throughout the day I often wondered what he was up to and what he was learning and who he was playing with and if he had enough food and if he was still okay. And when it got to 2 o'clock I started to get excited! Only half an hour before I could go and pick him up and hear his stories and find out what he'd loved about school.
And he did love it! He'd done some drawing, and he'd written his name, and he'd played with his friends. He showed me the magnet toys in his classroom (ironically, he'd loved playing with those at Super Carer's place when he was so much littler), and where his table was with his name on it.
How could a mother's heart not melt?
After all the loooooooonnnnnnnggggg nights, the hard days, the tears, the struggles, and the laughter, the fun, the games, the highs... we have reached one of the points of evaluation of parenthood and we've done our job - our boy is ready for school and therefore this stage of life without us. Good job parents! :-D
We have just finished our first week (four days) of school. We're a bit tired and overwhelmed by the changes this new life is bringing. So Friday after school was party pie and movies time.
But we've seen our son super-excitedly showing us how he can write his own name (you could basically read it too!). We saw some of his classwork (including a piece about the class rules, where his response was something along the lines of "class rules keep us safe otherwise we'd be dead"). We've learned about "mat manners" and the importance of doing what your teachers tell you. And we found out there's a fridge to put his lunch and drink bottle in.
It's been a huge week! And the coming weeks are going to be just as big, with the start of swimming (both through the school and privately), Kindysports, tuckshop, P&C meetings, and Show and Tell.
It's exhausting, but it's also kind of fun and definitely exciting too. And watching the Little Big Fella grow in such a short time is amazing! I'm loving this new stage of our lives.
At 6:30 a little head popped up beside me in bed.
"Mum. It's school day today!"
Really, I'm pretty lucky he woke that late!
But thus began the interminable wait for 8:15, when the Little Big Fella could finally say "it's time to go, Mum!"
We took the obligatory photos, and a couple of videos (oh shoot! I haven't sent those to Grandma yet! Sorry Grandma! They're coming as soon as I've posted this!).
I took several hundred photos (I love multi-shot!) but still couldn't get a single one with both eyes open! Sheesh!
Side note: don't you think it's crazy that a school with a black and yellow colour scheme specifies white socks in their uniform???? Seriously? Have you ever had a child who can keep anything white clean???
Anyway, following in my own mum's footsteps, I'd decided that the Little Big Fella would make his own school lunch from day 1. So the afternoon before, he made his sandwiches (one with jam and one with honey), put some fruit and yoghurt and some snacks into his lunchbox and put it in the fridge, ready to go in the morning.
Obviously he needed a little help, but even in the four days that he's been going so far, he's significantly improved! And I can see a day in the very near future where I won't be wanted or needed for lunch-making at all!
My mum is a very smart woman :-D
Amazingly, the Big Fella wasn't working until well after school started on the first day so the three of us walked (a whole block!) to school, with the Little Big Fella just about jumping out of his skin with excitement!
As we got closer to the school, the Little Big Fella's hand found its way into mine and I realised he was getting a little nervous, probably because of the large number of people hanging around.
But we found where to put his bag and books, then found and put on his name badge. His teacher said good morning and the Little Big Fella responded without doing his faux-shy act.
Then we spotted his best friend and life was brilliant from that point on. Another friend who will be in their classroom but is in Grade 1 (it's a composite Grade Prep/1/2 class) was asked to help them get settled.
The first bell went and minor chaos ensued. Kids were running everywhere, parents were saying goodbye, teachers and helpers were trying to direct everyone to the right place...
The Little Big Fella gave us hugs and kisses and then he was inside, sitting on the mat beginning his learning career.
And I was so immensely proud of him! He took to it like a duck to water. He wasn't afraid. He overcame his brief nervousness. What more could a Mummy ask for?
And because I knew he was okay, I was okay too. How could I not be okay when I was so proud?
Throughout the day I often wondered what he was up to and what he was learning and who he was playing with and if he had enough food and if he was still okay. And when it got to 2 o'clock I started to get excited! Only half an hour before I could go and pick him up and hear his stories and find out what he'd loved about school.
And he did love it! He'd done some drawing, and he'd written his name, and he'd played with his friends. He showed me the magnet toys in his classroom (ironically, he'd loved playing with those at Super Carer's place when he was so much littler), and where his table was with his name on it.
How could a mother's heart not melt?
After all the loooooooonnnnnnnggggg nights, the hard days, the tears, the struggles, and the laughter, the fun, the games, the highs... we have reached one of the points of evaluation of parenthood and we've done our job - our boy is ready for school and therefore this stage of life without us. Good job parents! :-D
We have just finished our first week (four days) of school. We're a bit tired and overwhelmed by the changes this new life is bringing. So Friday after school was party pie and movies time.
But we've seen our son super-excitedly showing us how he can write his own name (you could basically read it too!). We saw some of his classwork (including a piece about the class rules, where his response was something along the lines of "class rules keep us safe otherwise we'd be dead"). We've learned about "mat manners" and the importance of doing what your teachers tell you. And we found out there's a fridge to put his lunch and drink bottle in.
It's been a huge week! And the coming weeks are going to be just as big, with the start of swimming (both through the school and privately), Kindysports, tuckshop, P&C meetings, and Show and Tell.
It's exhausting, but it's also kind of fun and definitely exciting too. And watching the Little Big Fella grow in such a short time is amazing! I'm loving this new stage of our lives.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Up the mountain
Yesterday we didn't have anything planned for the day, so the Big Fella suggested we see if someone could look after the Little Big Fella so we could go fora ride and give me a bit more learning experience.
One of my friends graciously agreed and (after a false start with the Big Fella's battery) we headed off.
We decided to go up to the Tablelands because it's a bit of highway riding, a bit of country road riding, and a bit of twisty-turney mountain riding.
I definitely need to get a full-face helmet, rather than the one I have, which only has the face-covering shield (or whatever it's called). My cheeks get a little blown around and go numb after a ride on the highway! And I got a butterfly stuck in it, which was rather distracting.
Oh! And I almost ran over a couple of snakes! One was slithering across the road (maybe 1.5 meters long) and the other we decided must have been dead because it was in the same position on the way back.
We had to avoid cattle, including crazy mother cows and their skittish calf babies.
It's a really nice drive up there, which you kind of notice a bit more on a bike. You also notice the change in temperature much more!
The ride up to the tablelands reminds me of the drive up to Olinda in the Dandenong mountains (east of Melbourne). They're different plants, and a different climate, but it has a similar effect and it makes me smile every time.
The Big Fella told me I was riding well and took the corners at good speeds, especially considering the lack of visibility. So that was encouraging.
By the time we got home I was completely exhausted though! I suspect doing a workout beforehand probably didn't help. But it was definitely a happy exhausted - I really enjoyed the ride and I'm looking forward to getting my full license so that I can just ride whenever I don't have the Little Big Fella with me.
I got a call the other day from the place that does the Q-Ride course/test. Apparently I'll need to do at least one lesson with them because they don't do automatic bikes in the Q-Ride testing, so I'll have to learn to ride a manual. That's okay, and it's probably a good thing, but I'm pretty nervous about it. Trying to keep a bike upright, while learning to change gears, and keeping everything else happening at the same time is a bit overwhelming. But I learned to drive a manual car, so I'm sure I can learn this too!
So I'm hoping to get my full license before we go to Melbourne in March! Look out Melbourne :-D
One of my friends graciously agreed and (after a false start with the Big Fella's battery) we headed off.
We decided to go up to the Tablelands because it's a bit of highway riding, a bit of country road riding, and a bit of twisty-turney mountain riding.
I definitely need to get a full-face helmet, rather than the one I have, which only has the face-covering shield (or whatever it's called). My cheeks get a little blown around and go numb after a ride on the highway! And I got a butterfly stuck in it, which was rather distracting.
Oh! And I almost ran over a couple of snakes! One was slithering across the road (maybe 1.5 meters long) and the other we decided must have been dead because it was in the same position on the way back.
We had to avoid cattle, including crazy mother cows and their skittish calf babies.
It's a really nice drive up there, which you kind of notice a bit more on a bike. You also notice the change in temperature much more!
The ride up to the tablelands reminds me of the drive up to Olinda in the Dandenong mountains (east of Melbourne). They're different plants, and a different climate, but it has a similar effect and it makes me smile every time.
The Big Fella told me I was riding well and took the corners at good speeds, especially considering the lack of visibility. So that was encouraging.
By the time we got home I was completely exhausted though! I suspect doing a workout beforehand probably didn't help. But it was definitely a happy exhausted - I really enjoyed the ride and I'm looking forward to getting my full license so that I can just ride whenever I don't have the Little Big Fella with me.
I got a call the other day from the place that does the Q-Ride course/test. Apparently I'll need to do at least one lesson with them because they don't do automatic bikes in the Q-Ride testing, so I'll have to learn to ride a manual. That's okay, and it's probably a good thing, but I'm pretty nervous about it. Trying to keep a bike upright, while learning to change gears, and keeping everything else happening at the same time is a bit overwhelming. But I learned to drive a manual car, so I'm sure I can learn this too!
So I'm hoping to get my full license before we go to Melbourne in March! Look out Melbourne :-D
Friday, 20 December 2013
ScooterShell rides again!!!
Before I had the Little Big Fella, I used to ride a little 50cc scooter to work at the backpackers. It was so much fun and cost me something like $3 a week in fuel.
It was also where I got the name "ScooterShell".
I just found a photo of my little old scooter. It's not a great pic, but gives you the idea of the size.
You gotta love the tough expression, hey?
Well, when the Little Big Fella came along, it was time to ditch the scooter. I ended up getting an awesome camera with the money :-D
But today I'm back on the road and am, once again, ScooterShell!
The Big Fella has bought me a brand new scooter for Christmas. The idea is that I can ride it to work and free up the car, as well as reducing our fuel costs. The new scooter is a tad bigger than the old one!
It's shiny and zippy and has SO much room and is fun and quiet and comfortable.
The Big Fella drove it home and I was just a bit jealous. Okay, I was very jealous. But because I'm on my Learner's, and hadn't ridden in four years, and the "bike" is so much bigger and heavier, we decided to let him do the hour drive home.
But once we got home (and put all the shopping away etc.) it was my turn!
Seriously, it is SO zippy!!! I turned the throttle a little and was suddenly doing 60kms!!! You should have seen the smile on my face :-D
I need to do a little practice at the slow stuff though. I nearly dropped it twice on the first drive around our little town, both times when I was going slow and turning right. I can't wait to practice some more!
Oh! I forgot to tell you it's a Honda Forza 300, for those who want to know.
And it really is kind of heavy. I just couldn't get it onto the centre stand without the Big Fella's help and I was so frustrated about it. But after showing my new baby off to my neighbor, I finally worked it out. I literally jumped up and down and did a little dance.
I'm hanging out to have another ride tomorrow! This afternoon the Big Fella had to go to work and we ended up having the Little Big Fella's best friend and his brother here until bedtime. Even though we were having fun, I was itching to ride!
But tomorrow is a new day and the Big Fella will be home and you can bet I'll be riding around our little town, getting used to my new scooter. I can't wait!!!
It was also where I got the name "ScooterShell".
I just found a photo of my little old scooter. It's not a great pic, but gives you the idea of the size.
You gotta love the tough expression, hey?
Well, when the Little Big Fella came along, it was time to ditch the scooter. I ended up getting an awesome camera with the money :-D
But today I'm back on the road and am, once again, ScooterShell!
The Big Fella has bought me a brand new scooter for Christmas. The idea is that I can ride it to work and free up the car, as well as reducing our fuel costs. The new scooter is a tad bigger than the old one!
It's shiny and zippy and has SO much room and is fun and quiet and comfortable.
The Big Fella drove it home and I was just a bit jealous. Okay, I was very jealous. But because I'm on my Learner's, and hadn't ridden in four years, and the "bike" is so much bigger and heavier, we decided to let him do the hour drive home.
But once we got home (and put all the shopping away etc.) it was my turn!
Seriously, it is SO zippy!!! I turned the throttle a little and was suddenly doing 60kms!!! You should have seen the smile on my face :-D
I need to do a little practice at the slow stuff though. I nearly dropped it twice on the first drive around our little town, both times when I was going slow and turning right. I can't wait to practice some more!
Oh! I forgot to tell you it's a Honda Forza 300, for those who want to know.
And it really is kind of heavy. I just couldn't get it onto the centre stand without the Big Fella's help and I was so frustrated about it. But after showing my new baby off to my neighbor, I finally worked it out. I literally jumped up and down and did a little dance.
I'm hanging out to have another ride tomorrow! This afternoon the Big Fella had to go to work and we ended up having the Little Big Fella's best friend and his brother here until bedtime. Even though we were having fun, I was itching to ride!
But tomorrow is a new day and the Big Fella will be home and you can bet I'll be riding around our little town, getting used to my new scooter. I can't wait!!!
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
My first day
I got a phone call yesterday, just before lunch time. The HR and security processes are finally complete and when can I start two weeks training, full-time?
I'm sorry, what????
Yep! After weeks (okay, it's been months, but who's counting???) of waiting, the bank is finally ready for me to start my potentially long career with them.
Of course, I freaked out a little. Even though I've been semi-prepared for this, the actuality of it has been somewhat overwhelming. Working out the logistics of caring for the Little Big Fella, and the fact that we only have one car, and the Little Big Fella has a fairly full schedule... well, it's been mildly stressful.
So this morning I left my Fellas home together and returned to the working world for the first time in four years. I was SO nervous!
Would I be able to get my head back into work mode?
Would I be as good as I think I am?
Would I be overwhelmed by the amount of information I need to learn?
Would I get there on time?
Yeah, I was definitely nervous!
But it was a good first day! I got the impression that I'll fit in pretty well, I got there on time, and my work brain did switch on. As did my study brain because I spent an awful lot of time reading information and answering questions! Which also meant I ended up with a tension headache, which, thankfully is almost gone already.
My body is not used to sitting still for that long, either! At lunch time I walked up the road to a park and my legs definitely enjoyed the stretch.
Apparently tomorrow I'll be doing some more online learning in the morning, then I'll start learning how to be a teller. I'm looking forward to the challenge of it, and getting back into a customer interaction role too.
I really want to acknowledge my friends, too. The Little Big Fella's best friend's mum took him with them (after his final Prep Transition afternoon) to their swimming lesson, then to the park, then home today. Tomorrow another friend is taking me in to work so that the Fellas can have the car. Our neighbour is looking after the Little Big Fella on Friday and taking him to the school's swimming carnival. And a bunch of others have offered to have him over the next two weeks.
I am so grateful.
Those four little words really don't express it well enough though. I wouldn't be able to accept this job without them because there are no casual childcare options here. And with the Big Fella's crazy work schedule, it just wouldn't be possible without them.
So thank you to all of you!
And obviously I want to acknowledge the Big Fella too. He's kind of been thrown into this as well. So now, as well as working crazy shifts, and attempting to sleep sometimes, he gets to experience the joy of predominant carer. And he's doing an awesome job of it.
Us mums sometimes get so caught up in the stuff that we think is important, that we don't allow the dads to do important dad-stuff with our kids. This week my Fellas have been for a drive to the wood mill, visited friends, done yard work, smoked meats and a bunch of other stuff that I would never do with the Little Big Fella. And seeing the way they relate to each other is enough to melt my tough mummy heart :-)
Anyway, enough rambling. I need to go get stuff ready for tomorrow, and Saturday's fundraising BBQ, and Christmas. Okay, that's not all going to happen tonight! But it's definitely time to get off the computer (actually, I'm on my tablet because the computer died this week) and get moving.
I'm sorry, what????
Yep! After weeks (okay, it's been months, but who's counting???) of waiting, the bank is finally ready for me to start my potentially long career with them.
Of course, I freaked out a little. Even though I've been semi-prepared for this, the actuality of it has been somewhat overwhelming. Working out the logistics of caring for the Little Big Fella, and the fact that we only have one car, and the Little Big Fella has a fairly full schedule... well, it's been mildly stressful.
So this morning I left my Fellas home together and returned to the working world for the first time in four years. I was SO nervous!
Would I be able to get my head back into work mode?
Would I be as good as I think I am?
Would I be overwhelmed by the amount of information I need to learn?
Would I get there on time?
Yeah, I was definitely nervous!
But it was a good first day! I got the impression that I'll fit in pretty well, I got there on time, and my work brain did switch on. As did my study brain because I spent an awful lot of time reading information and answering questions! Which also meant I ended up with a tension headache, which, thankfully is almost gone already.
My body is not used to sitting still for that long, either! At lunch time I walked up the road to a park and my legs definitely enjoyed the stretch.
Apparently tomorrow I'll be doing some more online learning in the morning, then I'll start learning how to be a teller. I'm looking forward to the challenge of it, and getting back into a customer interaction role too.
I really want to acknowledge my friends, too. The Little Big Fella's best friend's mum took him with them (after his final Prep Transition afternoon) to their swimming lesson, then to the park, then home today. Tomorrow another friend is taking me in to work so that the Fellas can have the car. Our neighbour is looking after the Little Big Fella on Friday and taking him to the school's swimming carnival. And a bunch of others have offered to have him over the next two weeks.
I am so grateful.
Those four little words really don't express it well enough though. I wouldn't be able to accept this job without them because there are no casual childcare options here. And with the Big Fella's crazy work schedule, it just wouldn't be possible without them.
So thank you to all of you!
And obviously I want to acknowledge the Big Fella too. He's kind of been thrown into this as well. So now, as well as working crazy shifts, and attempting to sleep sometimes, he gets to experience the joy of predominant carer. And he's doing an awesome job of it.
Us mums sometimes get so caught up in the stuff that we think is important, that we don't allow the dads to do important dad-stuff with our kids. This week my Fellas have been for a drive to the wood mill, visited friends, done yard work, smoked meats and a bunch of other stuff that I would never do with the Little Big Fella. And seeing the way they relate to each other is enough to melt my tough mummy heart :-)
Anyway, enough rambling. I need to go get stuff ready for tomorrow, and Saturday's fundraising BBQ, and Christmas. Okay, that's not all going to happen tonight! But it's definitely time to get off the computer (actually, I'm on my tablet because the computer died this week) and get moving.
Saturday, 16 November 2013
Another step
This week my Little Big Fella took another step in growing up. On Wednesday afternoon, he had his first Prep Transition Day.
Here in Queensland, Australia, children can attend kindergarten in the year before school. In most cases the kindy is a separate location to schools, but sometimes they have their own area in a school.
The first year of "official" school is called Prep and my not-so-little son will be starting that at the end of January next year. To help the kids get used to the school and the routines and rules, they're joining with this year's Prep students for three afternoons this term.
The Little Big Fella is pretty excited about going to school next year. They've been talking about it at kindy and we've talked a bit about it at home as well. And we've spent some time at the school for various events since moving here, including Kindysports this term, the school fair a few weeks ago and other events since moving here last year.
He has a lot of friends at the school already, and knows most of the kids who will join him in Prep next year, so he doesn't seem to be anywhere near nervous about it all.
In fact, when we arrived at Prep Transition the other day he didn't even turn around to look at me when the teacher came out and told them what would be happening. She asked if he wanted to give me a kiss and cuddle! It's such a contrast to dropping him off at kindy, where he still wants me to come in and sit with him for about 10 to 15 minutes before he's happy for me to leave.
We have two more Transition sessions over the next two weeks, and I'm hoping it goes as well as this one!
During the hour he was there, Miss I, his teacher, read them the book, "The Very Cranky Bear". It's one we've borrowed from the Library previously, and I'm certain they've read it at kindy a few times as well. It's a really good book.
They got to do a painting after that, and told Miss I what their favourite part of the book was.
When he came out of the classroom at the end, he was SO excited and wanted to tell me everything they'd done.
Instead of going home (the Big Fella was sleeping), I hung out in the canteen with our next door neighbour. I saw all the Prep kids holding hands with the Transition Preps, going around the school and showing them where everything was. It was gorgeous! I wanted to get a photo, but didn't want to distract the class so you don't get to see how cute they were. Sorry!
Now I need to start thinking about school uniforms, backpacks, pencil cases and so on. Hello Christmas stocking fillers and presents :-D Yep, this marks the start of practical Christmas presents like socks and jocks!!!! Mwah ha ha haaaaah!
Here in Queensland, Australia, children can attend kindergarten in the year before school. In most cases the kindy is a separate location to schools, but sometimes they have their own area in a school.
The first year of "official" school is called Prep and my not-so-little son will be starting that at the end of January next year. To help the kids get used to the school and the routines and rules, they're joining with this year's Prep students for three afternoons this term.
The Little Big Fella is pretty excited about going to school next year. They've been talking about it at kindy and we've talked a bit about it at home as well. And we've spent some time at the school for various events since moving here, including Kindysports this term, the school fair a few weeks ago and other events since moving here last year.
He has a lot of friends at the school already, and knows most of the kids who will join him in Prep next year, so he doesn't seem to be anywhere near nervous about it all.
In fact, when we arrived at Prep Transition the other day he didn't even turn around to look at me when the teacher came out and told them what would be happening. She asked if he wanted to give me a kiss and cuddle! It's such a contrast to dropping him off at kindy, where he still wants me to come in and sit with him for about 10 to 15 minutes before he's happy for me to leave.
We have two more Transition sessions over the next two weeks, and I'm hoping it goes as well as this one!
During the hour he was there, Miss I, his teacher, read them the book, "The Very Cranky Bear". It's one we've borrowed from the Library previously, and I'm certain they've read it at kindy a few times as well. It's a really good book.
They got to do a painting after that, and told Miss I what their favourite part of the book was.
When he came out of the classroom at the end, he was SO excited and wanted to tell me everything they'd done.
Instead of going home (the Big Fella was sleeping), I hung out in the canteen with our next door neighbour. I saw all the Prep kids holding hands with the Transition Preps, going around the school and showing them where everything was. It was gorgeous! I wanted to get a photo, but didn't want to distract the class so you don't get to see how cute they were. Sorry!
Now I need to start thinking about school uniforms, backpacks, pencil cases and so on. Hello Christmas stocking fillers and presents :-D Yep, this marks the start of practical Christmas presents like socks and jocks!!!! Mwah ha ha haaaaah!
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
On to the next stage!
I was rather nervous this morning. And I didn't really sleep so well last night either.
Why?
Because last night I was cramming.
Yesterday I was called in for two job interviews (at different businesses) today. So yesterday evening I attempted to get my head into "interview mode" and remember all the great things about me as an employee. I read a few websites about job interviews and came across those stupid "behavioural" interview questions.
You know the ones! They normally start something like, "tell me about a situation where you...".
God I hate those!
Ask me any question you like about my skills or approach and I'll come up with a decent answer. But ask me for specifics and my mind goes completely blank!
I haven't worked full time in over 4 years!!! And in the meantime, I've had a baby. Haven't you ever heard of baby brain??? I'm sure it deletes all memory of everything you've ever said or done!
And then there's the "why do you think you're the best person for this position?" question.
So this morning I was nervous.
The first interview turned out to be more like a job description. She told me about the role, I asked questions, she asked a couple of really easy skill-based questions, and it was over! She said she'd call in the afternoon and let me know.
The second was an interview at the NAB (National Australia Bank). I'd done an interview back in March and didn't get the job. But I was told that I'd interviewed well and they'd like to keep me on their files in case another position came up.
I got a call-back at the end of June, went in for a chat and didn't hear much until mid August, when I was told that they hoped to start training me for a relief position at the start of September. Nothing happened.
Then yesterday they asked me to come in for another interview today because the relief is in our closest town and the next largest town as well, and the manager there wanted to know more about me and meet me herself.
The first interview in March was the behavioural style of interview. So you can imagine my complete relief when they said it wouldn't be that style of interview!!!! Yay!!!!
We had a chat, I answered questions, I asked questions and by the end of it the other manager approved me for the position. The local manager then told me about the process that happens now and it looks like I'll be training in about three weeks time!
So, I'm going to be a Customer Adviser (that's "teller" to most people) for NAB.
Which means we, as a family, are moving in to a new stage of our lives. I won't be a 100% stay-at-home mum anymore, which will change the way some things are done. Add that to the upcoming start of school for the Little Big Fella (in 4 months) and we have another change to our family dynamic!
The Big Fella decided that we needed to celebrate so we went out to lunch at one of the local pubs. Then we went and bought a new blow-up pool (the old one had a hole in it), came home, mowed and then put the pool up under the shade and had a swim.
I called the other place that I'd interviewed at this morning to tell them I'd accepted another job. Know what she said? "I was just about to call you and say you had the job!"
Guess it's just time for me to get back to work ;-)
Why?
Because last night I was cramming.
Yesterday I was called in for two job interviews (at different businesses) today. So yesterday evening I attempted to get my head into "interview mode" and remember all the great things about me as an employee. I read a few websites about job interviews and came across those stupid "behavioural" interview questions.
You know the ones! They normally start something like, "tell me about a situation where you...".
God I hate those!
Ask me any question you like about my skills or approach and I'll come up with a decent answer. But ask me for specifics and my mind goes completely blank!
I haven't worked full time in over 4 years!!! And in the meantime, I've had a baby. Haven't you ever heard of baby brain??? I'm sure it deletes all memory of everything you've ever said or done!
And then there's the "why do you think you're the best person for this position?" question.
So this morning I was nervous.
The first interview turned out to be more like a job description. She told me about the role, I asked questions, she asked a couple of really easy skill-based questions, and it was over! She said she'd call in the afternoon and let me know.
The second was an interview at the NAB (National Australia Bank). I'd done an interview back in March and didn't get the job. But I was told that I'd interviewed well and they'd like to keep me on their files in case another position came up.
I got a call-back at the end of June, went in for a chat and didn't hear much until mid August, when I was told that they hoped to start training me for a relief position at the start of September. Nothing happened.
Then yesterday they asked me to come in for another interview today because the relief is in our closest town and the next largest town as well, and the manager there wanted to know more about me and meet me herself.
The first interview in March was the behavioural style of interview. So you can imagine my complete relief when they said it wouldn't be that style of interview!!!! Yay!!!!
We had a chat, I answered questions, I asked questions and by the end of it the other manager approved me for the position. The local manager then told me about the process that happens now and it looks like I'll be training in about three weeks time!
So, I'm going to be a Customer Adviser (that's "teller" to most people) for NAB.
Which means we, as a family, are moving in to a new stage of our lives. I won't be a 100% stay-at-home mum anymore, which will change the way some things are done. Add that to the upcoming start of school for the Little Big Fella (in 4 months) and we have another change to our family dynamic!
The Big Fella decided that we needed to celebrate so we went out to lunch at one of the local pubs. Then we went and bought a new blow-up pool (the old one had a hole in it), came home, mowed and then put the pool up under the shade and had a swim.
I called the other place that I'd interviewed at this morning to tell them I'd accepted another job. Know what she said? "I was just about to call you and say you had the job!"
Guess it's just time for me to get back to work ;-)
Thursday, 12 September 2013
Already???
It's the early part of September, which is the first month of Spring in this part of the world.
Given that little bit of information, can you guess what this is?
I doubt you'll need it, but would you like some thinking music?
Maybe a little elevator-style?
If you're frustrated, you might prefer a little head-banging, double bass-drum pedal, metal-style music.
Okay, enough guessing time because it wasn't that hard, was it?
You got it! We have our pool up already!!!
And yes, the Little Big Fella played in it for ages before asking me to move it into the sun, so it is warm enough for it.
Coming originally from Victoria, I'm used to it still being rather chilly at this time of year. The sun starts to show up and the flowers are starting to bring a bit of cheer to the long, grey winter, but the thought of swimming is just ridiculous!!!
There are a couple of bad things that go with the start of swimming season.
The first, and mostly likely to be dramatic in the next few weeks, is that our pool has a hole and won't stay up. And we can't put an awful lot of water in it either, because it just makes the air go out faster and then the water pours over the side and floods the yard.
The second, and most likely to be dramatic over the next few months, is that our local pool (in the next town) was discovered to have been built over about 200 (now)skeletons. Given the history of Australia, it seems likely that it's an Aboriginal burial, quite possibly from a massacre by white people. Yay! (Yes, that was definitely sarcasm.)
At the moment, it means that the pool won't be opening for a while. Which also means no swimming lessons for the Little Big Fella this summer. And he loves swimming lessons (well, swimming in general) so that's a pretty big bummer.
But just like that our swimming/summer is here. Thankfully our lounge room airconditioner is being collected by a friend today and will be installed some time soon.
Which is particularly good news for my Fellas, because I can get rather... cranky when I get too hot!
Given that little bit of information, can you guess what this is?
I doubt you'll need it, but would you like some thinking music?
Maybe a little elevator-style?
If you're frustrated, you might prefer a little head-banging, double bass-drum pedal, metal-style music.
Okay, enough guessing time because it wasn't that hard, was it?
You got it! We have our pool up already!!!
And yes, the Little Big Fella played in it for ages before asking me to move it into the sun, so it is warm enough for it.
Coming originally from Victoria, I'm used to it still being rather chilly at this time of year. The sun starts to show up and the flowers are starting to bring a bit of cheer to the long, grey winter, but the thought of swimming is just ridiculous!!!
There are a couple of bad things that go with the start of swimming season.
The first, and mostly likely to be dramatic in the next few weeks, is that our pool has a hole and won't stay up. And we can't put an awful lot of water in it either, because it just makes the air go out faster and then the water pours over the side and floods the yard.
The second, and most likely to be dramatic over the next few months, is that our local pool (in the next town) was discovered to have been built over about 200 (now)skeletons. Given the history of Australia, it seems likely that it's an Aboriginal burial, quite possibly from a massacre by white people. Yay! (Yes, that was definitely sarcasm.)
At the moment, it means that the pool won't be opening for a while. Which also means no swimming lessons for the Little Big Fella this summer. And he loves swimming lessons (well, swimming in general) so that's a pretty big bummer.
But just like that our swimming/summer is here. Thankfully our lounge room airconditioner is being collected by a friend today and will be installed some time soon.
Which is particularly good news for my Fellas, because I can get rather... cranky when I get too hot!
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Melbourne trip - Part I
In case you missed it, the Little Big Fella and I have just spent 12 days in Melbourne, Victoria, visiting family and friends. It was a very busy 12 days! We had an absolute blast!
Amazingly, we ran into one of the students from my college in Melbourne at our little airport! Talk about unexpected!
Here is my boy inside the terminal. And that's our plane outside (although I doubt you can see it).
And here he is on the plane. I bought a bag of lollipops to help us settle the pressure in our ears. Probably wasn't necessary, but we enjoyed it :-D
Here's the view from our window!
I hadn't really told the Little Big Fella what take off is like, but he loves going fast, so when the plane started picking up speed along the runway, he turned to me with the most excited expression on his face and said, "Mum! It's going really, really fast!!!!"
Needless to say, he enjoyed flying.
There were only a handful of people on this first flight and the Little Big Fella got the hostess onside immediately. She then offered him a juice, before we'd even taken off!
When we got to Brisbane we found the gate for our next flight and settled in to have a bit of a picnic on the floor, watching our plane through the window.
We saw our bags go on the plane.
Then we saw a bit of fuss around the tarmac.
Then we saw our bags come off the plane.
Uh oh!
An announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, there is an engineering fault on your aircraft. At this stage we do not have an estimated departure time for you."
Awesome.
We continued our little picnic, because, let's face it, there's nothing you can do in that situation but sit around, try to be calm, and wait to be told what's happening.
On the way to our gate, we'd run into a guy from the Starlight Children's Foundation who was signing people up for donations. They grant wishes for seriously ill children - everything from meeting a sports player, to a shopping spree, to a trip to Disneyland. I'm pretty sure they granted my cousin a wish several years ago when she had leukemia.
Anyway, the guy had given the Little Big Fella a balloon, and he and a couple of other kids were playing with it while we were waiting. I think some of the older passengers got a bit annoyed about it, but it kept the kids happy so I thought it was fine.
After not long at all, we heard another announcement saying that we had been moved to another plane at a different gate and would depart an hour after our original flight time.
I called my parents (who were picking us up at the other end) and let them know the good news. Given that our last attempt to catch up with them ended with me and the Little Big Fella in a car accident, this was definitely a much better outcome!
We had a bit of time so I stopped and bought the Little Big Fella an ice-cream for dessert on our way to the new gate.
But I have to say, I'm still recovering! I'm looking forward to Tuesday because I'll be home, alone - the Big Fella will be at work, and the Little Big Fella will be at kindy. I'm looking forward to just having some time alone, being quiet and restful and doing everything or nothing for a couple of hours.
I've finally sorted through all my photos. Unfortunately none of them are particularly good (mostly because we were often indoors, and because I used my phone instead of my camera), but at least you'll be able to see some of what we got up to.
This was the first time the Little Big Fella has been on a plane (that he remembers - we went to Victoria when my youngest sister got married... when he was 1). And he was SO excited!!! We were counting down for about a week, and he wanted to go to the airport as soon as we woke up on Friday (the airport is an hour away and we didn't fly out until 3pm!).
I'd checked in online, but we still needed to drop our bags at the counter. The lady was so lovely and let the Little Big Fella push the button to send our bags out to the plane!
Amazingly, we ran into one of the students from my college in Melbourne at our little airport! Talk about unexpected!
Here is my boy inside the terminal. And that's our plane outside (although I doubt you can see it).
And here he is on the plane. I bought a bag of lollipops to help us settle the pressure in our ears. Probably wasn't necessary, but we enjoyed it :-D
Here's the view from our window!
I hadn't really told the Little Big Fella what take off is like, but he loves going fast, so when the plane started picking up speed along the runway, he turned to me with the most excited expression on his face and said, "Mum! It's going really, really fast!!!!"
Needless to say, he enjoyed flying.
There were only a handful of people on this first flight and the Little Big Fella got the hostess onside immediately. She then offered him a juice, before we'd even taken off!
When we got to Brisbane we found the gate for our next flight and settled in to have a bit of a picnic on the floor, watching our plane through the window.
We saw our bags go on the plane.
Then we saw a bit of fuss around the tarmac.
Then we saw our bags come off the plane.
Uh oh!
An announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, there is an engineering fault on your aircraft. At this stage we do not have an estimated departure time for you."
Awesome.
We continued our little picnic, because, let's face it, there's nothing you can do in that situation but sit around, try to be calm, and wait to be told what's happening.
On the way to our gate, we'd run into a guy from the Starlight Children's Foundation who was signing people up for donations. They grant wishes for seriously ill children - everything from meeting a sports player, to a shopping spree, to a trip to Disneyland. I'm pretty sure they granted my cousin a wish several years ago when she had leukemia.
Anyway, the guy had given the Little Big Fella a balloon, and he and a couple of other kids were playing with it while we were waiting. I think some of the older passengers got a bit annoyed about it, but it kept the kids happy so I thought it was fine.
After not long at all, we heard another announcement saying that we had been moved to another plane at a different gate and would depart an hour after our original flight time.
I called my parents (who were picking us up at the other end) and let them know the good news. Given that our last attempt to catch up with them ended with me and the Little Big Fella in a car accident, this was definitely a much better outcome!
We had a bit of time so I stopped and bought the Little Big Fella an ice-cream for dessert on our way to the new gate.
Eventually we boarded (after another 20 minute delay, we think there were staffing issues this time) and took off. On this flight we were in a set of 3 seats, and the poor guy sitting with us (who was awfully lovely about it) had to put up with "excuse me" followed by a question or comment from the Little Big Fella every 5 seconds until they turned the seatbelt sign off. Then I turned the portable DVD player on to distract him.
When we were almost in Melbourne the Little Big Fella finally fell asleep. Which created some interesting dilemmas getting us out of the plane, because getting a backpack on when your 4 year old is asleep on you is kind of tricky!
We found mum and dad (the Little Big Fella kind of woke up, then didn't really sleep again until we were at their place - almost an hour away), collected our bags and headed back to their place.
I lived in Melbourne until 7 years ago, so it was kind of fun and strange to drive through it that night - seeing what has changed and what hasn't.
My parents have since moved house and it was lovely to see their new place in person. It really suits them!
So, after a little drama and a lot of excitement, we were finally there and it was time to sleep. Lots of big days were coming up!
Monday, 24 June 2013
Overcoming fear
I think the Little Big Fella had just turned two years old when he got his first bike... motorbike, that is. The Big Fella bought it and "tested" it at work:
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And the Little Big Fella loved it from Day 1!
He literally did (and does) sit on it and pretend to be riding!
So either the Big Fella or I would jump on the back with the Little Big Fella and take him for rides around the yard, or just up the road to a big paddock, or around the lagoons.
At that point he was riding a pushbike with a handle on the back. He couldn't steer in a straight line, so we had to "adjust" his trajectory for him.
Over time he's gotten great at riding his pushy. He and I used to ride along the Esplanade on our bikes, and he even got to the point of riding over the ramps at the park.
When he ruined his "old" pushbike (I'm not sure toddler bikes are designed for skate ramps), the Big Fella bought him a really good BMX-style bike. It's tough and should last for at least a couple of years. Unlike his previous bike, which had back-pedal brakes, this one has handle-bar brakes.
During our rides together on the motorbike, we'd gotten to the point that the Little Big Fella did the majority of the steering and throttle control.
So now the Little Big Fella had developed the ability to ride in a straight line, and the ability to use handle-bar brakes, and an understanding of how to use the throttle. In theory, he could ride his motorbike all by himself.
In theory.
The problem is, he was too afraid.
The Little Big Fella had the skills he needed, he just needed the confidence in his abilities.
The Big Fella tried forcing the Little Big Fella to do it on his own. But that seemed to make him more afraid. He tried coercion, to no avail.
How do you help someone overcome their fear?
Sometimes the solution is to build that confidence little by little.
The Big Fella somehow got the Little Big Fella to sit on the motorbike all by himself. That in itself was a bit of a feat!
Then Daddy got his son to keep his feet on the ground and move forward just a foot.
And then a little bit more.
And then a couple of big steps.
And then a couple of metres.
And then along one side of the yard.
And then he was off! (Cautiously.)
The dogs thought it was great fun running around with him (possibly the most exercise they've had in a little while!).
The Little Big Fella was so impressed with himself!!!
Daddy started riding my pushbike around to keep up with the Little Big Fella, but then decided that his big motorbike was a much better idea!
The Little Big Fella wanted to show me, and then he wanted all his friends to come around and see him do it. And then he wanted to ride all yesterday, and all of today, and will probably ask first thing tomorrow morning!
The Big Fella was so impressed and excited that he called his parents, then my parents (who are part of the Ulysses) to brag.
It is definitely a momentous day in my son's life!
The whole process got me thinking a bit about fear though. The Little Big Fella had what he needed to move forward, but fear stopped him for months! And I wonder how many times I've let fear hold me back. And how many times others have helped me moved forward, little bit by little bit, until I realised I could do it on my own!
Maybe it's time to take a leaf out of my son's book and overcome a little (or big) fear.
.jpg)
And the Little Big Fella loved it from Day 1!
He literally did (and does) sit on it and pretend to be riding!
So either the Big Fella or I would jump on the back with the Little Big Fella and take him for rides around the yard, or just up the road to a big paddock, or around the lagoons.
At that point he was riding a pushbike with a handle on the back. He couldn't steer in a straight line, so we had to "adjust" his trajectory for him.
Over time he's gotten great at riding his pushy. He and I used to ride along the Esplanade on our bikes, and he even got to the point of riding over the ramps at the park.
When he ruined his "old" pushbike (I'm not sure toddler bikes are designed for skate ramps), the Big Fella bought him a really good BMX-style bike. It's tough and should last for at least a couple of years. Unlike his previous bike, which had back-pedal brakes, this one has handle-bar brakes.
During our rides together on the motorbike, we'd gotten to the point that the Little Big Fella did the majority of the steering and throttle control.
So now the Little Big Fella had developed the ability to ride in a straight line, and the ability to use handle-bar brakes, and an understanding of how to use the throttle. In theory, he could ride his motorbike all by himself.
In theory.
The problem is, he was too afraid.
The Little Big Fella had the skills he needed, he just needed the confidence in his abilities.
The Big Fella tried forcing the Little Big Fella to do it on his own. But that seemed to make him more afraid. He tried coercion, to no avail.
How do you help someone overcome their fear?
Sometimes the solution is to build that confidence little by little.
The Big Fella somehow got the Little Big Fella to sit on the motorbike all by himself. That in itself was a bit of a feat!
Then Daddy got his son to keep his feet on the ground and move forward just a foot.
And then a little bit more.
And then a couple of big steps.
And then a couple of metres.
And then along one side of the yard.
And then he was off! (Cautiously.)
The dogs thought it was great fun running around with him (possibly the most exercise they've had in a little while!).
The Little Big Fella was so impressed with himself!!!
Daddy started riding my pushbike around to keep up with the Little Big Fella, but then decided that his big motorbike was a much better idea!
The Little Big Fella wanted to show me, and then he wanted all his friends to come around and see him do it. And then he wanted to ride all yesterday, and all of today, and will probably ask first thing tomorrow morning!
The Big Fella was so impressed and excited that he called his parents, then my parents (who are part of the Ulysses) to brag.
It is definitely a momentous day in my son's life!
The whole process got me thinking a bit about fear though. The Little Big Fella had what he needed to move forward, but fear stopped him for months! And I wonder how many times I've let fear hold me back. And how many times others have helped me moved forward, little bit by little bit, until I realised I could do it on my own!
Maybe it's time to take a leaf out of my son's book and overcome a little (or big) fear.
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
It's finally here!!!!
I'm sorry! I really wanted to post this yesterday, but it just didn't happen. Such is life, yes?
We have been car-less for pretty much a month. Some amazing people have loaned us their vehicles over that time, or driven us to events, and made us feel very loved and cared for.
But yesterday, after several weeks of excitement and much messing around and confusion, our new car finally arrived! (Do a little happy dance!!!!)
It's so big and comfortable and luxurious, and I feel like royalty being in it!
What is it? Well, we do live in "Cruiser Country" :-)
Yes, that is my son cleaning the brand new car. It came on a car transporter, and by all appearances, it passed at least one cattle truck on the way here. And because it's my first ever brand new car, I wanted it to be clean, so we cleaned it.
So, the car is here, we think it's fantastic, and we're really happy with our decision.
We took it for a bit of a drive today, you know, to run the engine in (or something like that!). It definitely got the tick of approval!
The Little Big Fella is (obviously) wearing his Spiderman suit, but he also has his headphones on. They would be the wireless headphones that go with the DVD player in the ceiling (did I seriously just write that???).
Okay, so I feel like I'm just bragging, but this is the first time I've ever had a brand new car, so I'm just a little excited about it. And it's such a cool car! It has some amazing features, and it's so comfy, and it's lovely to drive, and I can't believe it's ours!!!!
We have been car-less for pretty much a month. Some amazing people have loaned us their vehicles over that time, or driven us to events, and made us feel very loved and cared for.
But yesterday, after several weeks of excitement and much messing around and confusion, our new car finally arrived! (Do a little happy dance!!!!)
It's so big and comfortable and luxurious, and I feel like royalty being in it!
What is it? Well, we do live in "Cruiser Country" :-)
Yes, that is my son cleaning the brand new car. It came on a car transporter, and by all appearances, it passed at least one cattle truck on the way here. And because it's my first ever brand new car, I wanted it to be clean, so we cleaned it.
So, the car is here, we think it's fantastic, and we're really happy with our decision.
We took it for a bit of a drive today, you know, to run the engine in (or something like that!). It definitely got the tick of approval!
The Little Big Fella is (obviously) wearing his Spiderman suit, but he also has his headphones on. They would be the wireless headphones that go with the DVD player in the ceiling (did I seriously just write that???).
Okay, so I feel like I'm just bragging, but this is the first time I've ever had a brand new car, so I'm just a little excited about it. And it's such a cool car! It has some amazing features, and it's so comfy, and it's lovely to drive, and I can't believe it's ours!!!!
Monday, 11 February 2013
Chook'n eggs!!!!
YAY!!!!! We finally got our first egg today!!!! (I'm just a tad excited, can you tell?)
The Big Fella went downstairs this afternoon, just before we left to pick up the Little Big Fella from kindy, and there was this little egg, sitting on the grass at the bottom of the stairs! Look at it! It's so little!!!
So now we have the added task of looking around for eggs each day... woo hoo!!!! Pity the chooks don't like the chook house.
The other hilarious thing that happened today was this morning. The Big Fella and I were sitting on the couch, taking a little break before facing the next task.
I heard a noise and couldn't work out what it was. I looked out the door and saw both dogs lying down. Nope, not them.
I heard the noise again and still couldn't work it out.
A couple of minutes later I saw our female dog, Choccie go over to the dog house. A moment later I saw a flash of feathers. Our Rhode Island Red chicken had chased the dog into the dog house, pecked her and effectively kicked her out!
I nearly cried laughing! Our chicken thinks it's a dog??? Hilarious!
So it turns out that the noise was the chicken pecking the dog house, probably looking for spiders and bugs I guess.
In other, non-chicken-related news, the Little Big Fella did great at kindy again today and then did really well in his swimming class this afternoon. We've been asked by the teacher to practice his freestyle arms and breathing motion at home so that he can catch up with the other (bigger) kids in his class. Am I a proud Mummy? Yes, I am :-D
The Big Fella went downstairs this afternoon, just before we left to pick up the Little Big Fella from kindy, and there was this little egg, sitting on the grass at the bottom of the stairs! Look at it! It's so little!!!
So now we have the added task of looking around for eggs each day... woo hoo!!!! Pity the chooks don't like the chook house.
The other hilarious thing that happened today was this morning. The Big Fella and I were sitting on the couch, taking a little break before facing the next task.
I heard a noise and couldn't work out what it was. I looked out the door and saw both dogs lying down. Nope, not them.
I heard the noise again and still couldn't work it out.
A couple of minutes later I saw our female dog, Choccie go over to the dog house. A moment later I saw a flash of feathers. Our Rhode Island Red chicken had chased the dog into the dog house, pecked her and effectively kicked her out!
I nearly cried laughing! Our chicken thinks it's a dog??? Hilarious!
So it turns out that the noise was the chicken pecking the dog house, probably looking for spiders and bugs I guess.
In other, non-chicken-related news, the Little Big Fella did great at kindy again today and then did really well in his swimming class this afternoon. We've been asked by the teacher to practice his freestyle arms and breathing motion at home so that he can catch up with the other (bigger) kids in his class. Am I a proud Mummy? Yes, I am :-D
Friday, 8 February 2013
Times are a-changing
This week was the Little Big Fella's first "full" week (3 days) of kindy.
On Monday he cried when I left. As in, bawled his poor little eyes out. Gosh that's hard for a mother to take! Even though you know he's going to be fine, and will probably stop crying as soon as you're out of sight, it tears at you.
Of course, by the time we picked him up that afternoon, the Little Big Fella was telling us how much he liked kindy and that he'd had a good day.
As we were getting ready on Tuesday morning, the Little Big Fella turns to me, with a quivering lip and says, "Mummy, I'm going to be shy at kindy today".
I turned to him and asked, "why? You said you had a great time at kindy yesterday."
After a little discussion about the things he likes at kindy, and the kids he plays with, I suggested that he try not being shy at kindy and see how that goes. He reluctantly agreed.
At kindy I signed him in and we put his things away. One of his friends came over and obviously wanted to play with him, so I encouraged the Little Big Fella to play, said goodbye and walked out. I didn't hear him cry, but thought there might have been a quivering lip.
On Wednesday morning at kindy I signed him in and we put his things away. He dragged me over to the reading room, where another boy was doing a puzzle. The Little Big Fella watched and then tried to help (I'm not real sure the other boy wanted help, but what's that got to do with anything???). When the puzzle was done, my Little Big Fella turned around, gave me a kiss and a cuddle and said, "Mummy, it's time for you to go now".
Have you ever had conflicting emotions? Right then, mine were an internal fist-pump, and my heart breaking (okay, I'm being a little melodramatic - but I did feel slightly rejected).
I think I might have found the right words to explain what's going on. For almost four years, I have been everything to my Little Big Fella, and he has been almost everything to me (Big Fella not excluded, of course!). Now, all of a sudden our lives are beginning to diverge. Of course it's a necessary, healthy thing, but it's still a bit of a shock to the system!
On Tuesday, on a whim the Big Fella and I decided to go to our closest major town. We got to spend almost six hours exclusively together!
There were no interruptions, there was no whining, there were no additional requests for the bathroom when we only went 5 minutes ago!
We even got to go to an Irish pub and have lunch together! It was SO pleasant! We even got to order food that the Little Big Fella probably wouldn't eat without complaining (and certainly not without making a huge mess!). Bliss, I tell ya!
I attended a CWA (Country Women's Association) meeting this week as well. The CWA is all about supporting people, especially women and children, in rural environments. They do all kinds of things, depending on the area and the needs they become aware of.
After my stay in our old town in December, I realised that I need to be doing something that helps people in one way or another. Because the playgroup will be using the CWA hall, a few of us decided we'd join the CWA and try to contribute through that avenue.
Speaking of the playgroup, I've been enlisted as Treasurer for this year. And I'm looking forward to being a more formal part of that group.
I've also applied for work, and even if I don't get this particular job, I'll be looking more seriously for part-time employment.
Last year I feel like I was kind of treading water - waiting for the move, slowly getting to know people here, working out how things work around here, waiting for kindy to start.
This year I feel like changes are happening that mean I'm moving forward again. And I think I'm ready for that :-)
On Monday he cried when I left. As in, bawled his poor little eyes out. Gosh that's hard for a mother to take! Even though you know he's going to be fine, and will probably stop crying as soon as you're out of sight, it tears at you.
Of course, by the time we picked him up that afternoon, the Little Big Fella was telling us how much he liked kindy and that he'd had a good day.
As we were getting ready on Tuesday morning, the Little Big Fella turns to me, with a quivering lip and says, "Mummy, I'm going to be shy at kindy today".
I turned to him and asked, "why? You said you had a great time at kindy yesterday."
After a little discussion about the things he likes at kindy, and the kids he plays with, I suggested that he try not being shy at kindy and see how that goes. He reluctantly agreed.
At kindy I signed him in and we put his things away. One of his friends came over and obviously wanted to play with him, so I encouraged the Little Big Fella to play, said goodbye and walked out. I didn't hear him cry, but thought there might have been a quivering lip.
On Wednesday morning at kindy I signed him in and we put his things away. He dragged me over to the reading room, where another boy was doing a puzzle. The Little Big Fella watched and then tried to help (I'm not real sure the other boy wanted help, but what's that got to do with anything???). When the puzzle was done, my Little Big Fella turned around, gave me a kiss and a cuddle and said, "Mummy, it's time for you to go now".
Have you ever had conflicting emotions? Right then, mine were an internal fist-pump, and my heart breaking (okay, I'm being a little melodramatic - but I did feel slightly rejected).
I think I might have found the right words to explain what's going on. For almost four years, I have been everything to my Little Big Fella, and he has been almost everything to me (Big Fella not excluded, of course!). Now, all of a sudden our lives are beginning to diverge. Of course it's a necessary, healthy thing, but it's still a bit of a shock to the system!
On Tuesday, on a whim the Big Fella and I decided to go to our closest major town. We got to spend almost six hours exclusively together!
There were no interruptions, there was no whining, there were no additional requests for the bathroom when we only went 5 minutes ago!
We even got to go to an Irish pub and have lunch together! It was SO pleasant! We even got to order food that the Little Big Fella probably wouldn't eat without complaining (and certainly not without making a huge mess!). Bliss, I tell ya!
I attended a CWA (Country Women's Association) meeting this week as well. The CWA is all about supporting people, especially women and children, in rural environments. They do all kinds of things, depending on the area and the needs they become aware of.
After my stay in our old town in December, I realised that I need to be doing something that helps people in one way or another. Because the playgroup will be using the CWA hall, a few of us decided we'd join the CWA and try to contribute through that avenue.
Speaking of the playgroup, I've been enlisted as Treasurer for this year. And I'm looking forward to being a more formal part of that group.
I've also applied for work, and even if I don't get this particular job, I'll be looking more seriously for part-time employment.
Last year I feel like I was kind of treading water - waiting for the move, slowly getting to know people here, working out how things work around here, waiting for kindy to start.
This year I feel like changes are happening that mean I'm moving forward again. And I think I'm ready for that :-)
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
First day of kindy
Wow! It's finally here!!! My Little Big Fella started kindergarten this morning (the year before starting school) and he woke up SO excited!!! We've been counting down to this day for about a month, and talking up how much fun he'll have and all of that.
Last week we had a "meet and greet" at the kindy to meet his teachers and classmates. It was a fun hour and he was so enthusiastic afterwards! (He decided to wear his Superman suit - he's on a major superhero thing at the moment)
Over the past couple of days I've labelled all of his kindy clothes, lunch box, "school" bag and so on. And last night I made his lunch and packed it into his new lunchbox (that was a jigsaw puzzle if ever I've tried one!).
This morning I got up a little earlier than normal. I wanted to make sure everything was ready and that it wasn't a stressful morning.
At 6:07 I heard someone moving about. Then there was the telltale thumping run down the hallway and my Little Big Fella was in the kitchen asking if today was kindy day. He was so excited he wanted to put on his backpack and go right then and there :-D
So we eventually got him in his new kindy clothes and took some photos for you all :-D
And then, all of a sudden, it was time to go!
Because of the weather around here lately, the Big Fella was home from work today (you know, it's kind of hard to drive a train when the track has been washed away!) so we all got to go together.
It was slightly organised chaos at the kindy, with kids and parents everywhere, trying to work out what they were supposed to be doing and signing kids in, and finding the lunch fridge and saying goodbyes. The Little Big Fella headed straight for the sandpit and was quite happy, thank you very much!
But then all the kids had to go inside and sit down on the mat. I took him inside and sat him down but he suddenly went all "shy". I can understand though - he's never had to sit down on a mat before in his life, he didn't know anyone there, and Mummy was about to leave. I quickly took him outside to give Daddy a hug and kiss goodbye, gave him a hug and kiss, popped him back on the mat and told him I'd stand at the door for a minute and then we'd go.
This was obviously my mistake.
He was fine until, after about a minute, I smiled, waved and blew him a kiss. Suddenly the lower lip trembled and his hands went over his eyes and he was crying. He ran out and hugged me and I tried to tell him it would be okay.
Thankfully at that point one of the teachers came over and asked him if he'd like to help her get the paints ready for everyone. And that was it! He was off and so were we!
I've been waiting for kindy to start for months. I love my son very much, but I've been hanging out for some time alone.
So imagine my surprise when I got about half way through the day and realised that I'd been feeling grief! I nearly fell over the mop I'd been using to keep myself occupied!!!
Today is the first in a long series of letting go moments, and the realisation that one day my Little Big Fella won't need me was a tad overwhelming. I guess especially so because I wasn't expecting to have any maudlin-style thoughts either.
Anyway, the day was filled with attempting to food shop in a half-empty store (more on that in another post), house cleaning, lunch and rejoicing in the return of the internet to our house.
Then, all of a sudden, it was time to go and pick the Little Big Fella up again!
When we got there he ran up and told me he'd had a good day, and I got to collect his first (of many, I'm guessing) kindy painting. He even asked when he gets to go back to kindy, so it was obviously a good day.
It was quite hot today so we decided to go for a swim at the pool before coming home. We had such a fun time playing together in the water and it was SO nice to be cool after such a hot day!
There was lots of laughter too, because the Little Big Fella was racing the Big Fella from me to the steps of the pool. Regardless of what happened, the Little Big Fella declared, "I win!". He even directed the Big Fella to swim toward me from the steps, before launching off me to the steps and claiming to win the race!
We ended up having an early dinner because we were all quite hungry. The Little Big Fella had a shower and was in bed before it was even dark. But he wasn't really tired yet.
Just then we got a phone call from one of his friends' mums, asking if we'd like to go to the park and have a play.
So we did!
We ended up having a play for almost two hours. The sun was down and the lights were on and the boys still wanted to keep playing! They're really good mates, and seem to have a similar approach to playtime :-)
When we got back home, the Big Fella informed us that his parents had been on Skype and desperately wanted to talk to the Little Big Fella about his first day of kindy. So we quickly contacted them and had a chat before packing him off to bed.
I read him a couple of books and as he was laying down to sleep he told me a bit more about his day. Apparently he'd read a book about dinosaurs and had been "teached" during rest time because he didn't have a sleep.
I feel so satisfied tonight. My little boy is growing into an interesting, fun person and I'm awfully proud of him.
Last week we had a "meet and greet" at the kindy to meet his teachers and classmates. It was a fun hour and he was so enthusiastic afterwards! (He decided to wear his Superman suit - he's on a major superhero thing at the moment)
Over the past couple of days I've labelled all of his kindy clothes, lunch box, "school" bag and so on. And last night I made his lunch and packed it into his new lunchbox (that was a jigsaw puzzle if ever I've tried one!).
This morning I got up a little earlier than normal. I wanted to make sure everything was ready and that it wasn't a stressful morning.
At 6:07 I heard someone moving about. Then there was the telltale thumping run down the hallway and my Little Big Fella was in the kitchen asking if today was kindy day. He was so excited he wanted to put on his backpack and go right then and there :-D
So we eventually got him in his new kindy clothes and took some photos for you all :-D
And then, all of a sudden, it was time to go!
Because of the weather around here lately, the Big Fella was home from work today (you know, it's kind of hard to drive a train when the track has been washed away!) so we all got to go together.
It was slightly organised chaos at the kindy, with kids and parents everywhere, trying to work out what they were supposed to be doing and signing kids in, and finding the lunch fridge and saying goodbyes. The Little Big Fella headed straight for the sandpit and was quite happy, thank you very much!
But then all the kids had to go inside and sit down on the mat. I took him inside and sat him down but he suddenly went all "shy". I can understand though - he's never had to sit down on a mat before in his life, he didn't know anyone there, and Mummy was about to leave. I quickly took him outside to give Daddy a hug and kiss goodbye, gave him a hug and kiss, popped him back on the mat and told him I'd stand at the door for a minute and then we'd go.
This was obviously my mistake.
He was fine until, after about a minute, I smiled, waved and blew him a kiss. Suddenly the lower lip trembled and his hands went over his eyes and he was crying. He ran out and hugged me and I tried to tell him it would be okay.
Thankfully at that point one of the teachers came over and asked him if he'd like to help her get the paints ready for everyone. And that was it! He was off and so were we!
I've been waiting for kindy to start for months. I love my son very much, but I've been hanging out for some time alone.
So imagine my surprise when I got about half way through the day and realised that I'd been feeling grief! I nearly fell over the mop I'd been using to keep myself occupied!!!
Today is the first in a long series of letting go moments, and the realisation that one day my Little Big Fella won't need me was a tad overwhelming. I guess especially so because I wasn't expecting to have any maudlin-style thoughts either.
Anyway, the day was filled with attempting to food shop in a half-empty store (more on that in another post), house cleaning, lunch and rejoicing in the return of the internet to our house.
Then, all of a sudden, it was time to go and pick the Little Big Fella up again!
When we got there he ran up and told me he'd had a good day, and I got to collect his first (of many, I'm guessing) kindy painting. He even asked when he gets to go back to kindy, so it was obviously a good day.
It was quite hot today so we decided to go for a swim at the pool before coming home. We had such a fun time playing together in the water and it was SO nice to be cool after such a hot day!
There was lots of laughter too, because the Little Big Fella was racing the Big Fella from me to the steps of the pool. Regardless of what happened, the Little Big Fella declared, "I win!". He even directed the Big Fella to swim toward me from the steps, before launching off me to the steps and claiming to win the race!
We ended up having an early dinner because we were all quite hungry. The Little Big Fella had a shower and was in bed before it was even dark. But he wasn't really tired yet.
Just then we got a phone call from one of his friends' mums, asking if we'd like to go to the park and have a play.
So we did!
We ended up having a play for almost two hours. The sun was down and the lights were on and the boys still wanted to keep playing! They're really good mates, and seem to have a similar approach to playtime :-)
When we got back home, the Big Fella informed us that his parents had been on Skype and desperately wanted to talk to the Little Big Fella about his first day of kindy. So we quickly contacted them and had a chat before packing him off to bed.
I read him a couple of books and as he was laying down to sleep he told me a bit more about his day. Apparently he'd read a book about dinosaurs and had been "teached" during rest time because he didn't have a sleep.
I feel so satisfied tonight. My little boy is growing into an interesting, fun person and I'm awfully proud of him.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
New Year? Bah, humbug!
You might have noticed that I like the Christmas period... just a little bit. But when it comes to New Years, I am so bah, humbug!
I've been trying for three days to write a 2012 review and/or 2013 plans post but it's just not working for me. I'm not a new year resolution kind of gal, and generally I'd rather go to bed early then wake up with the sunrise for the New Year. So, seeing that my heart just isn't in it, I'm moving on!
Yesterday the Little Big Fella "discovered" a bunch of little presents in a box from my parents. He'd already opened it on Christmas Day but didn't really pay attention at the time. But on discovering paints in the box, it was on!
We got out the messy mat and an old t-shirt of mine to protect his clothes then I let him go for it with the paints while I took photos :-D He ended up painting his fingernails (guess what Mummy's been doing lately that's slightly unusual!) and getting it all over his hands!
For some reason I've also had a bit of a clean out bug over the past week so I've been going through the cupboards and drawers and tossing lots of stuff into bags for the Salvos. So far I have three and a half garbage bags of clothes and linen, about 3 shopping bags of toys and a bag of Christmas decorations all loaded up in the car for the next time I go in that direction.
I also started copying all of my photos from CDs to an external hard drive today. Seriously big job! Mostly because I get distracted :-D I got to remember lots of fun times so I thought I'd share a few of them here:
Oh! And I saw an idea on Facebook just before Christmas where you write down things that make you smile throughout the year and put them in a box. Then at the end of the year you get to look at what a great year you've had! So I started that tonight.
Wanna know what I wrote about?
Of course you do!
I wrote about the Little Big Fella and I having a jump on his new trampoline for about half an hour this evening, when he probably should have been having a shower. We laughed and giggled and tickled and crashed into each other and had a great time.
Yeah, that's a good memory :-)
I've been trying for three days to write a 2012 review and/or 2013 plans post but it's just not working for me. I'm not a new year resolution kind of gal, and generally I'd rather go to bed early then wake up with the sunrise for the New Year. So, seeing that my heart just isn't in it, I'm moving on!
Yesterday the Little Big Fella "discovered" a bunch of little presents in a box from my parents. He'd already opened it on Christmas Day but didn't really pay attention at the time. But on discovering paints in the box, it was on!
We got out the messy mat and an old t-shirt of mine to protect his clothes then I let him go for it with the paints while I took photos :-D He ended up painting his fingernails (guess what Mummy's been doing lately that's slightly unusual!) and getting it all over his hands!
For some reason I've also had a bit of a clean out bug over the past week so I've been going through the cupboards and drawers and tossing lots of stuff into bags for the Salvos. So far I have three and a half garbage bags of clothes and linen, about 3 shopping bags of toys and a bag of Christmas decorations all loaded up in the car for the next time I go in that direction.
I also started copying all of my photos from CDs to an external hard drive today. Seriously big job! Mostly because I get distracted :-D I got to remember lots of fun times so I thought I'd share a few of them here:
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| You've seen this one before, but here's my little boy learning to ride his motorbike. |
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| My 21st birthday! Isn't this cake cool? Unfortunately the staff at the restaurant threw out all of the toffee pieces :-( Fun night though! |
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| This is Alvin. He was one of our first attempts at owning chooks and ducks. Yeah, that didn't turn out so well! The first three chicks all died, then Alvin was all alone so he moved to a new place with lots of ducks. |
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| The Big Fella and I remember this photo being taken. It was one of the most awkward moments EVER! We were keen on each other but not together and our friend who took the photo kept trying to get us to stand closer together. Awkward. |
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| The Little Big Fella was mucking around trying to get into one of our large suitcases around the time that the Big Fella was driving back and forth from here to our old place. This photo makes me smile, but feel sad at the same time because it reminds me of how much we missed the Big Fella when we were living mostly apart. |
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| Obviously our wedding. We had so much fun that day and I thought he looked SO handsome in his suit! |
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| This is my Big Fella trying to catch my sister's bouquet! |
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| When we still lived in Victoria I danced with these girls. For this concert we were dressed as dolls and danced to Gwen Stefani's "Tick Tock". |
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| Here's my Little Big Fella in his first week of life! |
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| The Big Fella and I lived with a couple in Darwin for a few weeks before we moved to our last town. The couple were in their 60s and 80s and were hippies. The bathroom that we used had about 12 or 14 of these little frogs in it all the time - they're only about 3cm long. One day I was showering and screamed! One of them must have been on my facecloth and had jumped onto my tummy!!!! Once I realised what it was I laughed. |
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| Here's my biggest fish catch ever! A barramundi :-) |
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| I finally graduated - it took me about 6 years and I didn't quite complete my degree so graduated with a diploma. |
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| These are my grandparents - my Dad's parents. I was stoked when I came across these photos on my CDs! |
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| And in the front here are my other grandparents - my Mum's parents. And all of my Aunts, Uncles and cousins celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We all stayed together for a weekend to celebrate, and dressed up for a bit of a fancy dinner on the Saturday night. |
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| Here's a rare photo of us together - I think it's at Mossman Gorge. This was definitely the worst holiday we've ever had, but it was good to see the photos and see that we actually had some good times amongst it all. |
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| Lining up in the plastic bags are some of the staff where I worked. The students got to throw plates of cream at them :-) |
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| This is one of the Big Fella's favourite places! A Polish deli with all kinds of meats and salamis and smallgoods. We sometimes went here (it was about an hour from home), bought a whole bunch of things from this deli, and some breads and dips and whatever else caught our eye. Then we'd find a park or just take it all home and eat it together. |
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| Here's my best friend! This was at my goodbye dinner before I left Victoria. |
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| This was a constant source of amusement when the Little Big Fella was younger. He'd often grab the vacuum cleaner from me to suck up his hair, skin, clothes or whatever. It brought a lot of giggles :-) |
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| This is one of the first times the Little Big Fella and I cooked together. It's also the time that he fell backwards off the chair and bumped his head. I ended up calling 13 HEALTH to check what I should be looking out for (in case he had a concussion) and they put me through to the ambulance. The ambos were absolutely wonderful, and the Little Big Fella was back to his normal self by the time they got there (of course!). |
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| This is the Little Big Fella on the "Little Red Tractor" with Poppy. This is one of his absolute favourite things to do when we visit Poppy and he normally starts asking as soon as we get there (often before we've even walked in the door). Luckily Poppy likes it too :-) |
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| The Big Fella and I went to IMax 3D last time we were in Victoria (before the Little Big Fella was born). There happened to be a group of school kids in the theatre with us and I screamed more than any of them when the shark appeared (it was a sea movie). |
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| The Big Fella decided to smoke some meat using his BBQ. Unfortunately he "smoked" the patio too - putting a hole in the roof and also on the side, behind the BBQ :-D |
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| Ever wondered why I call myself "ScooterShell"? This is me on my scooter, long before the Little Big Fella came along. I ended up selling it while I was pregnant, and bought and awesome camera instead. I loved my scooter, and one day I'll have a big one!!!! |
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| I was a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, before we moved to Queensland. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed meeting lots of different people. |
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| This is my Dad on the trampoline when we were kids. Nothing like a parent jumping :-D |
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| This is Poppy with his motorbike and sidecar. When we first moved to Queensland we stayed with my grandparents for a couple of months and the Big Fella helped Poppy re-paint his bike and sidecar yellow :-) |
Oh! And I saw an idea on Facebook just before Christmas where you write down things that make you smile throughout the year and put them in a box. Then at the end of the year you get to look at what a great year you've had! So I started that tonight.
Wanna know what I wrote about?
Of course you do!
I wrote about the Little Big Fella and I having a jump on his new trampoline for about half an hour this evening, when he probably should have been having a shower. We laughed and giggled and tickled and crashed into each other and had a great time.
Yeah, that's a good memory :-)
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