It Takes A WILD Imagination

Its been a day of ups and downs. I'll write about the 'ups' today because they were hilarious. The 'downs' can wait for another day - or maybe never.

Take a look at this photo and tell me what you think he is dressed up as. Don't think of anything obvious....

You guessed that he was a 'knight' right? Isn't it obvious? The helmet, visor, chain mail gloves and sword!

I was asked to call him Sir Dragon but I told him that a more appropriate name for him would be Sir Talkalot. 

And now, here is Adrian's imagination at work. It isn't the best photo but focus on the backpack and the gas mask.

Do you see a scuba diver? We didn't get it for awhile even though he was saying that he was going under water. The mask was initially separate and it was Aaron that made the connection and used a belt to tie the mask to the backpack. 

These two episodes had me laughing long and hard! And it made me feel good that they have this crazy imagination. 

Wordless Wednesday - Squatters

I like to think its because part of our life in Palembang has left a lasting impression on Aaron and that he has passed it on to Adrian. 

For more Wordless Wednesdays, visit My Little Drummer Boys.

10 Things To Shed

Believe it or not, I actually like de-cluttering and re-arranging. I should also mention that I can't stand messiness - it makes me grumpy, impatient and I tend to start blaming other people for random things that go wrong. Sometimes warning shot is usually fired at Richard when I feel messiness building up but that usually goes unheeded and then I blow up and start a full scale clean up of everything all at once. Other times, I just make a long list and enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off as they get done.

I came across a list in a Coles recipe magazine today. Its coming from an angle that I don't usually work from   and I'm not sure if it will be all that effective for us but I thought it was a good list. Here are the 10 Things To Shed...

1. Old cassettes, records and videos. Yes, I think its about time I throw out the two Milli Vanilli cassettes I have. 

2. Books you'll never read again. I actually don't have much work to do here because I never collected many books and used the libraries instead. So, the ones I do have, I really want.

3. Anything you have spare of, from potato peelers to egg timers. But what if one of them breaks down? By the way, my spare kitchen timers have been put to good use - one of them is used to time a time-out and the other is for timing TV watching time. 

4. Receipts and tax records more than seven years old. Well, nothing I can work with there since we've only been here 3 years. 

5. Worn-out rugs, cushions, towels, sheets and doona covers. This one is going to be fun. Old, grubby tea-towels are on my target list. 

6. Posters you've had since childhood. WHAT?! NKOTB have to go? But what about the prized Indiana Jones poster on my old bedroom door - I had to fight my brother for that one. Someone also gave me a framed canvas poster of the Romeo and Juliet movie with Leonardo DiCaprio that I've never really liked - thats still around too. 

7. Instruments you never learned to play. I have one violin, one cello, one piano, one recorder, one ukelele and two harmonicas in this house. I have learned to play them all but I don't have the time to. 

8. Sports equipment that is never use. We don't have a problem there :)

9. Half-burnt down candles, dried up glue sticks, old greeting cards. OK, at the risk of letting you all know how cheap I am, I have to say that half-burnt birthday candles should be alright to hoard. I have actually used the same birthday candles for Aaron's, my dad's and Adrian's birthdays. Aaron's and my dad's birthdays were celebrated here in Australia but I took the candles with me to Malaysia for Adrian's birthday in December. Too bad I forgot to bring them back again. 

10. Magazines older than 12 months. Oops! We are so guilty of this one. In fact, if I got rid of all this, we would suddenly have a lot of extra shelf space. 

I Need To Learn Yet Another 'Language'

I thought that if I invested the time in learning about all things to do with trains, I'd be set for life with a second toddler boy. Aaron was crazy about trains and I remember needing to go find out what all the different parts of a train were called. I had to draw so many trains that I can now do it in a way super fast way that my pencil doesn't even need to leave the paper. And of course, I know the names of all of Thomas' friends!

Unfortnately, it doesn't look like Adrian is a train guy. Its all about construction equipment with him. These days, I'm trying to draw excavators, cement trucks or cranes. Today, I read to him about an all hydraulic powered ride on trowel. I'm not sure what he understands from it all but he sits there and listens attentively as I try to read about it without using my fairy tale voice. 

I don't mind this at all but I do feel a little sad that all my efforts on trains are now not going to be used.
This will be something new to learn about and I like the challenge of trying to be able to identify all the many different types of specialised equipment. Adrian is still better than me at the moment because Richard has been talking to him about the big construction equipment for some time.

Richard doesn't know when or how he did it but he keeps getting sent these magazines filled with advertisements for construction equipment. We get a new one every month - lucky Adrian. 

"Old People's" Radio Station

I can distinctly remember feeling very grumpy in the car because my mother wouldn't let me listen to the radio station that I liked. She was driving so she got to pick what we listened to - music from the 60s or 70s (I wouldn't know) and lots of talking! This must have been when I was about fourteen and I can also remember wishing that the same song would come on the radio, over and over again. The DJs were hilarious and didn't talk about boring stuff like healthy eating or a cash only lifestyle.

Well, that was twenty two years ago and I think I have officially switched over to the "old people's" radio station. I tend to switch between two radio stations. One of them has a tag line of "music from the 80s, 90s and now", which makes me think that this is probably the equivalent of whatever my mother was listening to. The breakfast and afternoon pick-up time broadcast almost always talks about something to do with family, health or finances. The other radio station I flick to plays the latest hits, repeatedly. I do like quite a bit of the music that comes on but I don't like it that I sometimes hear the same song three times on the same day. Also, the DJs there all sound like they are twenty and sitting around with their friends at a McDonald's. Today, the big discussion was what one of them should do with the tombstone that he came across while out jogging in the morning.

I definitely prefer the" 80s, 90s and now" radio station and probably only listen to the other one because of some hidden desire to be in that targeted demographic again. When did I get this old? I have become who my mother was. Radio stations aren't the only thing that I've noticed about my ageing process. There is also sensible clothes and shoes, the yearning for uneventful days spent at home and the desire to wake up early. Notice how they all can be tied to the arrival of children? Maybe I'll grow younger again after Aaron and Adrian have moved out but by then, my body would have been permanently aged and I'll have to deal with physical "old age".

It must be the tiring day I've had dealing with yet another round of illness in this house that has brought on this bleak outlook of the future. I'm sure its not going to be all that bad.

Mini 'Olympics'

We have been enjoying watching the Olympics as a family. My strict TV watching schedules have been thrown out the window for these 17 days and we have a new Olympics season only habit of watching TV after dinner and staying up past the usual bed time. I'm probably setting myself up for some protests after the Olympics come to a close but I'll deal with that when the time comes.

The school has had two days of their own 'Olympics' too. Yesterday was for the under 6s so I took Adrian along. His class of toddlers were representing Australia so they were all in yellow. There was a parade of the athletes (and their parents), an opening speech, the athletes oath and even an official opening by the Queen. 

Today, it was Aaron's turn. It was a long day in the sun for Adrian and me! The teachers were extremely hardworking and planned out a full day of sports fun for the children. It was well organised with all children have several turns at all the events.

I don't know if this is in keeping with some Montessori philosophy or not but competition was clearly not emphasized. It was all about participation and there were no winners. This was good if you think about all the disappointed, crying or sore loser children that the teachers didn't have to deal with but I do think that the kids need some sort of an introduction to competition so they can start learning to deal with it now. 

Its Friday tomorrow and I have one final, full day for this week. I really need the weekend!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Phew! Sometimes he acts so "grown up" that I start to think that he's seven. But thankfully, he only turned six today.

Obviously, as the proud mother I am, I couldn't have wished for a more wonderful child. He's sweeter, smarter, kinder, funnier, gentler and more loving that I ever imagined he would be.

Six hours old

 First birthday with a present from his Godparents

 Waiting around for his 2nd birthday party in Palembang. 

3rd birthday party in Palembang with the neighborhood kids.

 4th birthday here in Brisbane. We spent it by the beach and had a fish and chip lunch.

And here he is today with one of his birthday presents, "Treasure Island". 

The Good, The Bad and The Downright Disgusting

Well, the good and the bad things were keeping me from blogging but in the end, it was the disgusting that has given me this time to sit down now.

The good stuff actually happened last weekend. I have a tiring but very satisfying weekend at
Aussie Clog. Its a weekend of clogging workshops during the day and socials at night. I left the house at 7am on Saturday morning and didn't get home until about 11pm. And then I was off again at about 7.30am on Sunday morning. Richard looked after the boys the entire time and supposedly, they never even asked where I was. I don't mind, I hardly thought of them the entire weekend.

The bad started on Monday morning with the start of a cold for Adrian. By night time, he had it bad and we were up all night because his nose was all stuffed up. That went on for a couple of nights which meant that there was a cranky toddler about during the day time. On Wednesday afternoon, Aaron started to say he had a tummy ache. That sounds a bit vague doesn't it? I thought he was just saying that because he didn't like his lunch and didn't eat it. Unfortunately, by Thursday evening, he had diarrhoea and was vomiting.

And finally, we get to the disgusting bit. Adrian started saying "I don't feel better." My mommy radar must be malfunctioning because once again, I didn't think much of it. I thought he was imitating Adrian and paid no attention. Well guess what? I have been vomited on three times this afternoon. The big, gushy type - IYKWIM. I was covered! After a whole day of washing and cleaning up while dealing with kids that don't feel well, I did the only sane thing and told them that they could watch TV. So, there they are, and here I am.  

But, its going to be dinner time soon....do they need to eat? I better go figure something out.