Christi's Blog

Flying the Coop!

2007-02-08T14:13:00.000+13:00

I'm outta here................

Seriously, I'm done with Blogger and have moved to Wordpress. Seems like a nicer layout there so I've relocated. Here's the new address:

http://nzmommy.wordpress.com/

So update your blogs, bloglines or your blogrolls! Pop round and leave a comment ;)

ATTENTION: Scrappers!!!

2007-02-03T10:19:00.000+13:00

I'm not sure how many of you are following Lisa's new message board but she's just announced the montly comp for February. And up for grabs is a complete pack of any Basic Grey packs that are in stock or Daisy D's complete packs that are again in stock at the time the comp closes. This is a very good deal! Last month was a set of Autumn Leaves clear stamps! Click here to see the details for this month:

---------> February Monthly Comp

I know I have a few friends out there that would be interested in this. But everyone, sign up and give those girls a run for their money ;) What you have enough Basic Grey, you say? Well hush your mouth! You can never have too much! And if you really think you do then enter anyway and you can always give it to ME! LOL, seriously ;)

Yogurt Pops

2007-02-02T16:36:00.000+13:00

I have been making these yummy pops for the girls for the past two summers and this year will be no different! Obviously Kamryn has gotten to enjoy them more because she is older and this year Lauryn has finally gotten to try them. Going on the third summer, I've made my third batch today lol. YOGURT POPS! Full of yummy healthy things for those hot kids in the summer heat! This is the best container I have found for housing these pops and do you think I can find another set???? NOPE! You would think I would learn my lesson on buying more than one cause what if it breaks, then I'm in trouble lol. So what is in these things??? Probably the same stuff that is any fruit smoothie, I imagine lol. This is what I put into these ones in the pic:

*1 little pot of yogurt (peach)
*1 can of mixed fruit; drained (Signature Range is best)
*2 bobby bananas
*Milk; generally I use the empty pot of yogurt as a guide and fill halfway

And that's it! Nothing else added and no extra sugar either. The other day I made strawberry ones and the batch before was banana and plum. Basically the yogurt and milk are my base and then throw anything else into the blender ya want! I can't really give you exact measurements but I've made just the right amount for 6 pops each time lol. What luck! My girls love these! And they would be easy for kids to add whatever they wanted and make them. Lauryn likes putting the tops on and putting them in the freezer! Very helpful, she is ;) My girls enjoy them heaps so thought I would share with others that read my blog looking for something to make with their kids or something to make them for a cool treat ;) Let me know how they work for you :)

Being Models

2007-01-31T15:50:00.000+13:00

Yesterday I got a phone call from Little Treasures (parenting mag for under fives, I believe) saying they wanted to know if my girls were available for a photo shoot next Friday!! Um, of course they are!!! Now for years I have been 'meaning' to put their pictures in and I've just not done it. It wasn't until Hannah got a phone call about Tyler that I thought I would send them in. Well they sent me the papers to fill out before Christmas and do ya think I could find them when the photos arrived???? NOPE! So two weeks ago I sent off for two more forms. And last week I sent them off in the hopes I would hear something but not thinking I would hear something some days later! It's worked out great because they need the girls at Snow Planet (indoor ski slope) next Friday morning. And Snow Planet is only 15 minutes away, so great for us! She said she would send out paperwork (IRD forms) to fill out. That arrived today with a cover letter with the details I already knew. Also it stated in there that it would be my two girls and two other kids and everything would be inside (not actually on the slope). I'm pretty chuffed because I only just sent away the photos but she said they came in at just the right time ;) Now I hope they can get some good shots. If the girls are to be in the mag it will be the one that comes out the end of March. Can't wait! I'm very keen to see how it all goes on Friday. Maybe it's better if Hugh takes them ;)

January Layouts

2007-01-31T15:46:00.000+13:00

Well all the layouts/projects seem to be posted up in the Scrapbooking by Design gallery. If you click here

--------> The Art Room <---------

It'll take you directly to the DT section for the month. If you scroll down you can view each DT member under their name. I kinda did flippsies this month. Last month we were suppose to do layouts and then for January we had altered items. I did my altered item in December and left my layouts until January lol. Have to be different ;)

My Birthday ;)

2007-01-30T00:15:00.000+13:00

Yes, the 28th has come and gone but it's definitely been a wonderful and memorable birthday and one that has left me in smiles for a majority of the weekend. Here's how it's all been:

*First those lovely ladies on that SE board were filling my letterbox with lovely RAKS throughout the entire month of January. Wonderful things were packed in those envelopes ;) Thanks guys :)

*And I must give thanks to Ann who gave me a three day birthday!!! (There ya go, there's ya thanks ;)

*Friday night, Hannah, Ann and I went out for my birthday. First we tried the bar behind work only to find things were no longer as they used to be. So we had some wine and then decided to head into Orewa to Hola! Once we got there, we had margaritas and appetizers! Plus Hannah just had to mention it was my birthday so I could get one of the awesome sumberos lol. Then we had our main meal and got up to leave. Hahaha, I managed to sneak inside without an embarrassing Hola birthday. WRONG! Vicki says 'oh we forgot'. And I said 'that's ok'. But then she said I could still have a hat without the singing. Ok, cool. WRONG again! She yells 'I need a hat!' It was all over then lol. So back to the shop where we enjoyed brownies. And I got to open my lovely gift from Hannah. Now I was aware it was an altered project but she also said it wasn't something I have seen before, she was sure of it. Well I couldn't for the life of me think what it was. And this is what is was:

Isn't if fabulous?!?!?!? I am just gobsmacked everytime I see it. No one has ever done something like this for me before. I was floored and blown away. It's just beautiful and the work that went into it is amazing. I have a very wonderful friend ;) She also gave me a mag, Reese's Pieces and some candles. So sweet! Thanks Hannah! Love ya babe! And on top of all of this Ann and Hannah shouted my dinner as well! It was great! Completely different to last year where I paid for the dinner, drinks and my own damn cheesecake for 4-5 friends!

*Saturday arrived and so did a package from my in-laws. And I opened it then lol. Yes, I can't wait ;) And to my shock it was a bathing suit! Now I know it sounds odd but I'm not one who likes to shop for a bathing suit nor would I think I could find one to fit lol. So this was a huge blessing. I know my MIL read my blog and seen I was going to start looking for one. Well this has to be the most thoughtful gift they have given me! And they didn't clear it with Hugh and I simply love the suit! And enjoyed it much more in the water tonight ;)

*Sunday came (my read birthday, 28th lol) and there wasn't any surprises in store. Hugh gave me my gift earlier in the week which was these cute little guys:

But nothing was made by the girls since they weren't aware of it. Bad hubby! But for lunch we had fried zucchini thanks to Debbie on the forum. OH MAN, that was soooooooo good! And then for dinner we had a lovely corned beef and all the fixins lol. We wanted to head to the beach but it clouded over and start to rain a bit. too much of a temperature drop for the girls as well. Instead we had chocolate muffins. Mine had a candle in it and the girls and Hugh sang Happy Birthday. It was so nice to hear Lauryn singing too. So it was a quiet night in.

*Nothing from my family but a phone call from mom on Monday.

So it was a fabulous birthday and one that has really made me feel lucky for the many things mentioned above. And without Ann granted me a three day birthday, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it sooooooo much ;) Every birthday should be this way!

She Still Doesn't Get It

2007-01-29T16:06:00.000+13:00

So my birthday was on the 28th (more about that in another post) and can you all guess when my mother calls me???? On the 29th in New Zealand because afterall I was born in the States and it is the 28th there today. Same story every year, hasn't changed since I moved here. She can't get her head around the whole concept. Is it really that hard to go out of your way to call on the 27th (US time) to wish your daughter a happy birthday where she is celebrating it on the 28th (in New Zealand)? She says she does it because when Lauryn was born I said it was actually the 10th there. And that is true but doesn't mean we celebrate it on the 10th when we are there. I find it rather cool that my kids can be born on different days lol. However, that doesn't mean that when we are in the States celebrating Lauryn's birthday for the 11th of November, that we will be doing it on the 10th because that is actually when she was born in NZ! I mean, how much sense does that make??? And I guess if mom is ever here celebrating my birthday, she'll be doing it on the 29th here when it is actually my birthday in the US. So she won't be having cake and ice cream or any celebratory things that go along with my birthday on the TWENTY-EIGHT! Ok, honestly I don't really understand how or why this is so hard to get besides the fact she can't just let it go and try to make me happy on the day I celebrate my birthday here! But then I'm sure there is some exception to her thinking, there generally always is.

Locks of Love

2007-01-27T12:39:00.000+13:00

I have decided I want to donate my hair to Locks of Love. This is a wonderful organization in the US that makes hairpieces from real hair for kids under 18 who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. And after looking at the site last night, I realized that your hair only needs to be a minimum of 10 inches from it being pulled into a ponytail or braid. And curly hair can be pulled straight to make the 10 inches which makes me happy ;) My hair is the longest it's ever been in my whole life but most wouldn't know that because I wear it up all the time. And the biggest reason I do this is because my hair is ULTRA thick. So with the curliness and the thickness, it can be a pain on most days. But instead of just whacking it off, I thought I would continue to let it grow throughout the winter until I go home in a few months. I had Hugh check for me last night and from a ponytail to the longest bit, it's 11 inches. Which is nearly half my hair. But then the other half is only 7-8 inches (damn layering lol). So I have a fair bit to grow in the next few months. My hair doesn't grow length real quickly but it grows thickness in a matter of weeks. So this could be interesting but I'll definitely be taking photos cause I know after it's cut, it won't be that long again lol.

***If anyone knows of an organization that does this in New Zealand, please let me know. I know a few people that would be interested in doing this here but we aren't sure if it's done here.***

Man!!!

2007-01-25T00:50:00.000+13:00

Here are outlined issues of late...........

***Ok, first I want to start by saying that Lisa has estahblished a very nice forum and gallery over at Scrapbooking by Design. She has many things on the go with many more coming out or starting up. There are competitions, weekly challenges and sketch challenges. She is also starting up online classes, online crops and monthly kits. I can see her site getting HUGE in the coming months. It's one of the bigger galleries I have seen. If you have a chance, sign up and have a look around. Pop in and start chatting away!

***Yesterday (23rd) proved to be a milestone day for Lauryn. We have been trying and trying to get her used to the ocean water. She isn't keen. Fair enough, I can see how the waves can be intimidating to a two year old. Well yesterday she went right on in and fell a few times and was happy. Got cold quickly but none the less, happy. Then today (24th) it somehow turned to custard. She'd only go out so far and then wanted up. But it was sooooooooo stinking hot today that all we wanted to do was be in the water lol. Oh well, hopefully she'll get there soon.

***Hugh thinks it's 'fun' to mess up things on my computer. I don't think it's so fun nor do I think it's very thoughtful. So he reinstalled something on our computer and now you USB port for my camera doesn't work. It's a Windows issue. Great! Now this happened back in December so I then had to use his computer to get my photos off the camera. A pain but it did the job. Well the other night he gets a wild a hair and decides to have a play with his computer. Guess what happened???? Yep, it no longer works! Great, fabulous! So his answer is to get a card reader. Guarantees me that that will work. Well guess again??? Nope, didn't work. JUST FREAKING LOVELY! I have things I want to sell and a layout I need to send to Lisa on there and I can't get to it because he thinks he needs to do these things. He doesn't! I get soooooooo annoyed with this! Men then they need to change things to make them better. WHY???? It was just fine before you starting 'fixing' things. I'm not happy.

***It's hot! Yes, I know we complain about it being cold and rainy but I'm not a heat person. And there isn't central air here and I soooooooo don't agree with sweat pouring off me in buckets and my clothing sticking to me. To me, that means it's too stinkin' hot! So I didn't go to the gym today. It's air conditioned but by the time I finish 30 minutes I'm dying because your body is so jacked up from the heat anyway.

***My girls have a bedroom that they 'sometimes' sleep in. Kamryn will generally wake every night between midnight-1am and come and get in bed with me. Which is fine, I don't mind but I am always in the middle and it's not very comfortable. If I coherently catch her before she gets in bed, I ask her to sleep on the mattress in the room. Now when she gets up from her room, we have issues. She will either turn on the light to look for things she 'needs', slam the door or leave doors open. Every now again she wakes Lauryn and of course Lauryn doesn't want to sleep in there either. So can ya guess what kinda night tonight is??? Yep, one with both girls in bed with Hugh at the moment while I am still up hoping to transfer when they fall asleep so I can sleep decently in this humid weather.

***Hugh's 'freakin' stinkin' potential job'. Man, it's driving me batty! I understand that good things come to those who wait. But really, how long do you wait? And if they were in need why advertise for a job that they weren't going to fill until the end of January??? So Hugh hasn't gotten a phone call this week. Granted the week isn't over but he made a call today and the guy that they need to convince about the job description is away for a week due back on Monday. Great! Nice to be informed! The guy at the company today told Hugh that both him and the other guy were good candidates but it would come down to this other guys decision. Well of course he is going to tell Hugh that. He isn't going to tell you they aren't giving the job to him or that he is looking better than the other guy. At any rate, we still wait. This is six weeks, folks. I am not one who can handle the unknown for very long.

Anyway, those are a few things. I am sure there are more lol. But that is really what is on my mind at the moment. Fabulous reading there lol ;)

Scrap Video

2007-01-20T11:08:00.001+13:00

This is funny! Maybe I should start calling Hugh a 'scrubby' lol. How perfect is this for us scrapbookers?

Struggling

2007-01-19T23:48:00.000+13:00

I'm struggling with my two girls lately. And every free moment I get, I want to spend it in another room away from them. I take many things for granted with them. The fact that they play well together. The fact that they can contently watch TV without a peep. The fact that if I say 'I'm busy' they walk away. The days Hugh is home, I don't get much me time because we are generally doing things as a family. So when he is back at work, I yearn for being alone or by myself. I'm finding it hard to take the time to enjoy and be with them. I'm finding it hard to do things with them or take part in what they are doing. But there are many things they do that make me love them so much more.

*Yesterday after I got them ready for daycare, Kamryn and I were in the bathroom and Lauryn came in and gave Kamryn a big hug. No reason, just because.
*Yesterday after daycare I was told that Kamryn really looks after Lauryn while they are there. Making sure she has her sunhat on and is ok the whole time.
*They played with their wooden puzzles today and when they put them away Kamryn came up to me and said 'we put them away together, mommy......we did it together'. Making sure she stressed that it was done in a team effort.
*Lauryn often asks me to hold her hand so she can show me something. Today while my hand was firmly placed on the computer mouse, she was trying to lift it herself so I would move.
*Kamryn hurt herself today and Lauryn crotches down to look at her and says 'are you ok, Pookie? It's ok.'
*Putting Lauryn to bed these days means she wants to 'sleep with cow'. This is the rather large cow mom bought her. She picks which end of the bed she wants to sleep at and then throws everything out of the way. She makes sure cow is laying down and lays next to him. I have to cover him up, kiss him and give him a drink of water. And she goes to sleep without a fight. Perfect!
*And I'm still their soft place to fall even if mommy isn't being very soft. One of our cats placed it's paws on either side of Kamryn's head (I'm not sure what Kamryn was doing) and immediately as the cat struck she ran to me crying. It was a pain cry and there were scrathes.

I'm not a patient person. I'm not an over-loving person. I can do touchy feely but usually when someone comes to me for it and even with kids it can get overwhelming at times. I love my kids immensely and hope they know it. Sometimes I wonder. I heard tonight that what happens to a child before the age of 5 really shapes them for when they are older. I can see that in me with certain things. And I just hope I am doing what is best for them and that they are ok. It's all a balancing act, I know. But I don't want them to ever think they weren't wanted or loved. And lately I feel that they could use a better mother :(

Things To Do........

2007-01-19T09:38:00.000+13:00

with your placenta! Five days after my post about Lauryn's life tree and planting her placenta, I read this on Celebrity Baby Blog:

http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2007/01/placenta.html#comments

I'm thinking maybe next time I'll do artwork with it lol. Or not! But hey, maybe that is something to think about for Rachel and Michelle and then you can share ;) The eating one has always disturbed me but after reading the comments, I could probably take it in pill form if my midwife made them lol. Some of the comments are pretty shallow but obviously comes from a lesser understanding of things. You have to scroll down past the photo to read about the placenta. I thought it was interesting since some of things I didn't know about. Happy reading ;)

Job Stress!!!

2007-01-17T19:53:00.000+13:00

Ok, this isn't about my job even though mine is pathetic lol but it's more about Hugh's. Ok, well actually it's not even about Hugh's job, it's more about a potential job lol. Before Christmas he applied for a job in West Auckland. I found the ad online and mentioned it to him but since it was a large jump in pay, he figured it wouldn't be something they would look at him for doing. Well here it is the middle of January and he has had 3 different interviews with this company in the hopes of securing the job. It's down to him and another guy for the position. His last interview was on January 4th and at that interview they said he should hear something by the end of last week. Well the week came and went and he hadn't heard anything. We thought this was a bit slack since they are obviously taking this hiring very seriously. Well Hugh called the recruitment guy on Monday to see if he heard anything from them. He hadn't but had an e-mail to meet them yesterday. He said he would call Hugh and let him know how it went. Well come to find out they are waiting until the Big Boss is back for his before-Christmas-holiday on the weekend so he can do an official interview and make the decision himself lol. Which is fine with us. We aren't in any rush but they have to know we are hanging out to hear something and a phone call to say that is what they were waiting for would have been nice. So we probably won't know anything for sure until the end of the month. That's alright though cause anything that's this good is totally worth the wait ;)

Funny Way to Sleep

2007-01-17T09:43:00.000+13:00

Two weeks ago we went into Lauryn's room to see if she was awake from her nap and this is what we found! And yes, she is asleep!!! How comfortable is that?!?!? I have no idea how long she was standing there like that. But while we were taking photos she would kinda lean and then stand back up but her foot always stayed on top of her other foot lol. I've been told that Hugh used to fall asleep anywhere. He would say goodnight and head off to bed and later would be found asleep in the hall up against the wall! So maybe she has inherited his sleeping pattern lol. I sure hope not!

Immortal

2007-01-13T11:45:00.000+13:00

There ya go, this says it all lol...................

Christi --

[noun]:

An immortal

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

BMI for Children

2007-01-12T11:10:00.000+13:00

Today I stumbled across a BMI calculator for children and teens. I read that once children reach the age of 3, you should start watching what they eat. I agree. We have started this from a young age though so it's not like ours have been getting junk up until 3 when we changed to a healthy diet lol. I think our diet in this house is pretty well-rounded. I'm not a stickler for my kids not having 'junk' or sweets but they get it in moderation. I know growing up that I wasn't allowed to have junk/sweets and only on special occasions. I can't even remember have cake, ice cream or cookies in the house. But my step mother was a bitch lol and not just because of that lol. So once I was of age and able to buy what I wanted, I did. And I can remember telling myself that once I had money I would buy a whole lot of it and eat it all because no one could tell me not to. That isn't where my weight issues came from. That came from depression at 15 and eating whatever I wanted because I was depressed. However, having children, Hugh and I both said we wanted them to have an array of things in their diet so they weren't necessarily 'craving' anything. Hugh's parents did this with him and there is no obsession with food for him. My girls love fruit just as much as they love candy. And sometimes if given the choice of a fruit or a lollipop they pick the fruit. Yes, my girls have M& Ms, ice cream, cookies, lollipops, jelly beans, etc. But they don't have them every day. And even if they did, it wouldn't bother me. You know why? Because they get a regulated amount. They don't get a whole bag of M&Ms they share it. They have ice cream cones. They have a few jelly beans, not half a bag! And ice cream is the one thing I don't care that they have every day. We always have ice cream. It's pretty healthy considering some of the stuff people give their children! So it has fat, whoopee! Kid's need fat, everyone needs fat, just in moderation. When you start telling your children they can't have something because it's bad for you, then they want it. And when they get old enough to have it, they overcompensate for never having it. I think we are on the right path with our girls. And how many kid's ask for raisins, broccoli, olives, oats, corned beef, cabbage, and mustard lol. Mine do! Not only that, our girls don't drink juice or soda. Kamryn's has 1/4 juice with 3/4 water and Lauryn only drinks water. She won't have a bar of anything else, I've tried since it would come in handy when she's sick lol. Ok, so why all the speel???? Because I weighed and measured Kamryn to see what her BMI is. Here's Kamryn's info as of today:

Height: 3ft 7in (109cm)
Weight: 44lb (20kg)

Kamryn's BMI is 16.7 placing her in a healthy weight for her age. I'm happy with that. I myself never worry about fitting into the BMI chart but for our kid's it's probably pretty important just to monitor we are doing the right thing. Obviously the older she gets she will have to be comfortable in her body and not worry about fitting the index as well as long as she is healthy. But as long as I have some control over what comes into this house, I'm happy with that result.

I did Lauryn's just to see since I think she is very tiny (weight wise) for her age. Here's her info for today:

Height: 2ft 10 3/4in (88.3cm)
Wieght: 26lbs (11.8kg)

Lauryn's BMI is 15.1 placing her in a healthy weight for her age as well. I never thought she was underweight but was kinda hoping for a 'make her gain a bit more weight, will ya!' response lol. But funnily enough, she is the same height as Kamryn was at her age now. My mom reckons Lauryn will be of average height (5'6"/5'7") and Kamryn will be 6ft lol. I'm hoping both are about 5'9" and the right weight for height but with meat lol. So even if you don't believe in the BMI index, I feel pretty happy with where my girls rank and it helps me to know that we seem to be going about things the right way ;)

Resolutions

2007-01-11T09:37:00.000+13:00

I try to stir clear of New Year's resolutions each year unless they are scrapbooking related because I feel those are acheivable. With the new year rolling on, I should get them listed. Last year I managed to acheive my scrapbooking goal of 60 pages which I completed by September 13. And the year end see me completing a total of 76. There could be a few more I didn't note just yet but I'm happy with that. This year my goal will be 70 which could prove interesting while being away. And another personal goal was to get on a design team. And I've done that. YIPPEE!!! So now onto this year's goals:

1. Spend less time on the computer.
2. Continue to work on my weight.
3. Save save save for my trip to make it happen.
4. Clean the clutter from my house; sell, give away or throw away.

So I think those are pretty reasonable goals. I have already started everything so really it's just keeping it up and maintaining it all.

As far as scrapbooking goes:
1. 70 pages (double layouts count as 2 pages) by year end.
2. Try out for another design team when my current one ends.
3. Try to get more published.

Again, sounds pretty simple. Last year I was published 4 times, I believe. So hopefully I can double that this year or at least double the amount in one issue. I have a few design teams in mind I would like to try out for but the calls won't be going out until late in the year.

And one of my other goals is to get Lauryn potty trained before we head to the States. I don't mind night time diapers but really want to give up the day time ones. I tried the other day just to see where she was at, and she isn't ready yet. So we'll give her a few months more and then try again. Kamryn was potty trained by 2 1/2 years, so I am hoping I can do the same with Lauryn.

So that's it. I think this year is going to be a fast one for a number of reasons. I do hope summer sticks around for a whlie this year though, cause I'm not really keen for winter to start early since the start to our summer has been pretty crappy. But I have a lot to do this year and hopefully my goals will keep me focused.

Give Blood

2007-01-10T20:30:00.000+13:00

Today Hugh and I attempted to give blood. I say attempted because Hugh couldn't lol. It was on a whim. For a long time I have wanted to give blood but honestly thought I couldn't because of my thyroxine tablets. So on a whim today in Orewa, we went in to see if we could with all the medications we take lol. After getting the ok, we filled out paper work to begin the process. The last time I gave blood I was 16 and it wasn't a nice experience. I actually didn't give any because they couldn't find a vein. And after rooting around in both arms (badly bruised after!), they gave up. I appear to have a slightly rare blood type, B+, with only 9% of the population having it. After you fill out papers you go behind a privacy screen so the nurse can ask you questions and check your iron. Now I get my blood checked every 3 months for my Grave's and Gilbert's disease. So I have gotten used to the needles. But I didn't realize they needed to do a pin prick on my finger!!! That freaking hurts!!! I was freaking out and the nurse (who was male) died laughing. He said 'I'm sorry, but most people are scared of the needle used for the giving of blood' lol. Not me, boy. And that prick did hurt! So after I finished my 'interview' lol, I got as comfortable as you can get in one of those chairs. And after a few short minutes, the needle was in and I was pumping away! I didn't even feel the needle. All I felt was the pressure, it was great! Fabulous! That's how all of them should feel but they don't :(

In the meantime, Hugh was doing his interview and then he comes out and pops in a chair. Well they couldn't get a vein with the normal blood pressure cuff so they had to get out the double wrap cuff to find a stinkin' vein. Even after that, she attempted a jab and it wasn't successful. And then I get my beeps to let me know I am done. Woohoo, five minutes and I was done!!!! And then they moved on to Hugh's other arm and I was up heading for my snack lol. The nurse said 'he'll be joining you soon cause if I can't get it, I'm not trying' lol. And sure enough, a couple of minutes later he was with me lol.

I have high pressurized veins lol. Everytime I give blood for my 3-month tests, it shoots out and hits the back of the vile they are collecting it into lol. So I was glad it was done in 5 minutes. I don't know how much longer I could have continued pumping that damn grip lol. Now that I know we can give blood, I'll definitely be doing it more often. It's one of the smallest things you can do to save someone else's life. And you never know when you will need someone to do the same for you ;)

Our Week Away

2007-01-08T23:20:00.000+13:00

We decided to head to Hamilton for a week the day after Boxing Day. We all really needed a break away. Usually we can only manage a couple of days and then we are back home. And the in-laws don't really have a big enough house to hold us all so I always feel cramped. But none the less we survived even if there were 'issues' a few times. We got to go strawberry picking and to Hamilton zoo. Kamryn and I also took a couple of days to head down to Tokoroa (gotta love that place lol). Leaving Hugh and Lauryn in Hamilton. It was good to get away and catch up with Melissa. Kamryn and Chloe get along sooooooooo much better than they did a year ago, it's amazing! They are like new best friends! It's always been the age gap (Chloe 9 months younger) that has stood in the way. But now Chloe is older and it's completely different. I felt a bit sad for Kamryn when Chloe's cousins came over since Kamryn didn't really fit in with them and obviously didn't know them. But it was really good! And while we were away Hugh took Lauryn to feed the ducks. He said she didn't really feed them but through bread at them or ran up to them with it lol. A week with the in-laws makes me wonder if I can seriously handle 3-4 months with my own mother lol. My saving grace will be that my mom will be working and won't be under my feet or watching my every move lol. (FYI: I really tried to finish Janine's challenge before we went but it was near impossible. I got all but two pages finished. I plan on posting them eventually.) Here's a few photos:

Dig those strawberry clothes!!! They were sooooooooo cute on the day! And my damn camera died just shortly after we started!

Ahhhhh, the zoo. I quite like Hamilton zoo. Obviously it doesn't have as much as Auckland but it's just a nice cute zoo. And they have the new are with zebras, giraffes and gazelles. And you can get soooooooo close! I was shocked at how close you could get. And below is a pic of spider monkeys with babies under their arms. It was soooooooo adorable! This is Lauryn's first time going to a zoo. And Kamryn's third with her last time being in 2004 before Lauryn was born.

Kamryn and Chloe at the Tokoroa pools. I really enjoy the pools there. Kamryn hasn't been to the pool in ages! I guess that's one of the benefits to living so close to the beach lol.

Lauryn and the ducks. Notice how the ducks are fine when Lauryn's back is turned??? LOL. And also notice how cow is right under her arm?

Lauryn's Life Tree

2007-01-06T22:32:00.000+13:00

FYI: The following may contain TMI (too much information) so you are warned lol ;)

Hugh and I decided that one of our gifts together this year for Christmas would be a tree or plant for Lauryn's placenta. (Ok, might want to stop reading there lol.) And yes, it's been in my freezer for 2 years and when we are low on meat it has been mentioned that we should have placenta for dinner lol. Anyway, I am completely fascinated by the female body's reproductive qualities and all that it takes to sustain a pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Kamryn, the question came up about me keeping the placenta and to have it in our birth plan. Well at first I thought 'ewwww, yuck, I don't think so'. Then next I thought 'I wouldn't feel right planting something personal here just to leave it behind'. And I remember when Kamryn was born, my midwife asked if I wanted it and I said no. Then she asked if I wanted to see what sustained my baby for all of that time. Again I refused. I don't do blood and gore very well lol. And I swear I would be a midwife if I could handle the blood and complications of the job lol.

With Lauryn it was different. I was in a different frame of mind. I was 9 days overdue. And every placenta has a 'use by date'. That is why they won't let you go much over your due date for fear of the placenta expiring. I was fine to go 2 weeks over but anything after then a scheduled c-section would have been put into place. So the fact that the placenta fed and grew Lauryn for all those months and still hung on until she was ready to be born herself, amazes me. Such a miraculous thing that happens in every pregnancy and without it we wouldn't have babies. And it's also something that is tossed out in the garbage just as quickly as the baby is born. Well I didn't want this one to go out, so we kept it. Since I had an emergency c-section everything was fuzzy afterwards and I wasn't even sure it got kept. But I was soon reassured it did.

So in all this time it's been in our freezer. With my fear of leaving it behind at this house when we move onto another one. But I decided this year was the year to let go. To move on. Give back to mother Earth. And nurture a little plant like it was nurtured and nourished Lauryn. Nothing was said. No explanations needed. With tears in my eyes, I let go. Let go of my fears for future babies, disgust about my emergency c-section, and worry for my growing child. Holding onto the placenta wasn't helping. We live here now. We lived here when Lauryn was born. It's only fitting that it return to where we call home now.

Our Christmas

2007-01-06T19:24:00.000+13:00

Wow, Christmas was really good for us. It came and went quickly. But honestly, I think this year was the first year since Kamryn has been born that I haven't felt tremendous stress!!! It was nice and simple with us staying home. And all the presents fit under the tree this year which I was happy about lol. We had cooked ham and salads and left it at that. Well of course finishing it off with pumpkin pie and cream lol. Then we took the girls down to the bowling club and let them ride bikes. Lauryn got a new trike and Kamryn had her bike from last year. (I have to confess that Kamryn's bike has been put up for a year with her thinking I threw it away lol. Because last year shortly after Christmas we found her pulling her streamers out of the handlebars. So we told her she didn't need it if she wasn't going to take care of it. And we just forgot about it and she never started asking about it until a couple of months ago. She remembers the whole incident and why it went away but really thought we had thrown it away. So on Christmas we put it back in the garage and she knew it was her bike and thought Santa brought it back lol.) Kamryn did exceptional on her bike. Much better than we thought she would since she hadn't ridden it in a year. It wasn't long and she was telling Hugh that he didn't need to worry about her. It's amazing what a year can do!!! And Lauryn didn't want to try to pedal her bike, instead I just pushed her lol. Then later after dinner we went to Arkles Bay and let the girls play on the beach. What a great way to finish Christmas. It really was a wonderful Christmas and one I would like to repeat every year! Here are some photos from the day. I didn't take many cause it's like the kids' birthdays, you have the best intentions but you never take what you want lol.

My Little Talker

2007-01-05T20:02:00.000+13:00

Lauryn has just grown leaps and bounds in the talking department. She's always said a fair bit but not it's becoming more clear and understandable with less and less gibberish. She's using complex sentences and we can actually talk to her. Sometimes she doesn't follow the directions real well but hell our 4 year old can't even do that lol. And she's a 2 year old like no other, for sure! The age of two has been a real big growth for her in speech as well as tantrums, screaming and 'no'. It's all in there and more intense than I ever remember with Kamryn. Not much is getting through to her these days. But she is a lovely child. She keeps us on our toes, she's funny, she's loving and caring, and she's very helpful. And instead of the 'why' questions we are getting the 'who's' questions lol. Something like this:

L: 'Mommy, who's shirt is that?'
Me: 'It's Daddy's shirt.'
L: 'Who's Daddy's shirt?'
Me: 'It's the shirt your Daddy wears.'
L: 'Who's Daddy's shirt wears?'

And it goes on like this lol. She also mimics Kamryn to a T. Facial expressions and feet stomping too. You never know if you should laugh, cry or scream! Hopefully there is another side!

***And I think her hair is going straight!!! It appears to be losing what curl it had. I'm a little sad but I know it's not the end of the world. But I was sure hoping it would stick around like Kamryn's :(

Scrapbooking by Design

2007-01-05T16:35:00.000+13:00

Ok, so it's been a loooooooooong wait but Lisa has got the website up and running HERE! I also managed to stumble across the message board up and running too!!! How cool! We have all been waiting a long time and I know it's been a BIG headache for Lisa but it's finally nice to see where my new hang-out will be! I can't wait to start seeing my work as a design team member up on the site. It's really all coming together and can feel this is going to be an awesome year ;)

Wow, I Know

2007-01-05T16:03:00.000+13:00

I can see it's been a while but don't worry, I'm not dead lol. Although I'm sure you all weren't too concerned lol. So over the next couple of days I'm going to have a blog overload on posts because I got many things I want to post about but don't want to jumble it up in one post. Then you can be selective on which you want to read too lol. I won't even be offended if you don't read any lol. So for now, this is my start to the new year ;)

Wooooohoooooooo!

2006-12-23T09:50:00.000+13:00

It's nearly 10AM and BOTH of my girls are still sleeping! I can't believe it! But that doesn't mean I can do anything if I want them to continue to sleep lol. Although I can be online and not feel guilty lol. But in all fairness they had a late night last night and didn't get to bed until nearly 10PM. We went out and did a casual shop through Farmers, The Warehouse and then finished up with some baking shopping at Foodtown. Then after that it was finally near dark. So we went in search of Christmas lights. Franklin Road was pathetic last year and we did that long drive into the city at night but it wasn't even worth it. The locals around here do just as good a job if not better! So we found two roads that were lit up in lights and the girls just loved it!!! We rolled the windows down so they could see them really well. They were just sooooooo excited! It was awesome! My heart was breaking just to see them so happy. It was perfect! Then on the way home Kamryn said 'I think we need to go home now because I'm tired' lol.

Santa & Layouts

2006-12-21T10:21:00.000+13:00

I finally managed to get the girls to see Santa yesterday. I was hoping Hugh would get to go but he had an interview so it was just me. The girls were fine though and I kinda worried about how Lauryn would react. She didn't freak out or anything. Showed him cow and was fine sitting on his lap. I think since Kamryn was fine with it then Lauryn was ok with it. That seems to be how it works lately. She is taking her cues from Kamryn lol.

And now moving right along with Janine's challenge. It seems that I have a lot of journaling happening more than photos. I find it hard to not have photos on pages lol. But here is #6 and it's really about a memory for grade school when I never got to sing my favorite song at any of the concerts. This is something that always comes to my head as a memory so I feel better knowing it's down.
And #7 was fun! Kiwis do Christmas completely different to Americans. And I like the American way. Americans seem to get more into Christmas where it isn't so apparent here in NZ with kiwis. I don't think I have ever heard anyone out in stores or around town utter the words 'Merry Christmas' without being prompted first. Kinda sad :( So this one is about my cold and sometimes snowy Christmases versus the Kiwi BBQ and beaches Christmas.

#8 is about my family and how I make my immediate family our priority for Christmas. I don't like being made to feel like we need to be somewhere on Christmas. Christmas is for my girls. Waking in the morning to a tree full of presents and just the whole feel of the day and not being rushed to be somewhere. I will continue this for as long as I can. Makes it less stress-free this way ;)
This one is about Christmas cards. And I would have liked to have done a page about how I was organized and timely with getting Christmas cards out. But I didn't do any Christmas cards. So instead I thought I would scrapbook about the ones I have received and how this year we have had the most Christmas cards in my six years of being here.

And finally #10. Mom will appreciate this one if she sees it lol. When I moved in with mom at 15, there were many things that were new and different to me since I hadn't lived with her before or spent much time with her. One thing mom likes to do at Christmas time is watch 'It's a Wonderful Life'. She usually gets razzed about it and I used to watch it with her. And, Mom, Hugh hasn't seen it so maybe next year he can watch with you ;)

Fed Up

2006-12-20T20:11:00.000+13:00

Man, I thought Christmas was suppose to be a time of good spirits and happy people. I must be living under a rock cause it sure doesn't appear that way here on the Coast. I give up man. Over the years, I have learned and taught myself to move on from people's actions and not to point out the faults. You never know what kind of day someone has had so they don't need you pointing out something they are doing wrong. I can just continue on. This person doesn't disrupt anything in my life so why should I give them a hard time so they can feel worse????

Today is not my day. I've been feeling sick to my stomach all day. Not sure what is up. It's like my stomach is hungry but I'm not hungry and it's painful. I decided to head to the gym anyway since I know I probably won't get to go over the week and Monday/Tuesday. Well it was busy so I jump in where I could. So I grab a machine between two women. And as I get going it says 'change stations now', well I continued on with the machine not even thinking to move since I just got on it. Well the lady next to me says 'you are suppose to start on a platform' and I said 'I've never been told that'. So she tells the lady behind me to do that machine cause you don't want to miss it and she would move down. Whatever, I just kept going hoping she would finish soon. Now had that been me, I would have moved down, did what I had to do and then come back to whatever I missed. No big deal. But obviously she thought it was and I was intruding. Then as I leave, two ladies go through the door as I walk out. So I hold the door open for them. Do you think there was a 'thanks' or 'thank you'? Um, that would be a no. Cause god forbid they actually utter any manners or politeness from their bitchy lips! And then people are always talking about how kids these days have no manners. I wonder why!!!! Cause the adults can't be bothered using them either. Then I go to get fruit next door and looked at getting some strawberries. Well 5 punnets had fuzzy mold on them!!! Now you know it's been there a while and like they couldn't have been removed. I mentioned it at the counter and she said thanks there will be fresh ones tomorrow. But it was said with a bitchy attitude as well. Is it too much to ask for fresh produce??? Especially when I am paying for it? And I just hate going to the gym when there are heaps of people there. I just don't feel like I fit in at all. Not with all the women excercising in their necklaces, bracelets, makeup, hoop earrings and flash joggers. What's the point? When I'm there I feel small, a nothing, like I'm nothing but a fleck in the way. No one there knows me. No one there knows my life. But yet if I don't do something 'right' (which was never told to me or have I seen myself) then they feel free to tell me I screwed up. Bugger off! I don't need it. Shut your damn mouth.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-16T13:32:00.000+13:00

Hannah needed her Santa hats back so I needed to get photos of the girls in them. I just haven't found the right time to get them done. So did it today so I could get them back to her. And I love how they turned out! Just beautiful! Here is my fave but you can view more at my photo blog here ---------------> CRN Photo Blog

Beach Pic

2006-12-16T13:09:00.000+13:00

This is how I imagine our summers to be.
On Tuesday we had a fish 'n' chip night with Lauryn's daycare at Arkle's Bay. It was a nice evening. We went down at 5 and stayed for an hour and a half. We sat under a tree in the shade and enjoyed our fish 'n' chips. Kamryn was overly keen to get on the beach and play in the sand. As a result she didn't eat much but was hungry when we left. Lauryn was a little unsure. She would venture over to the sand for a few moments then come running back just to make sure everything was ok. And just to reassure us lol. A few times Hugh walked them down to the water. Lauryn isn't keen on the water yet. Hopefully she'll be better with it this summer. And amazingly while we were there, Kamryn and Lauryn just naturally played together. There wasn't any fighting, pushing or screaming. They just played. Played in the sand and collected shells. It was awesome and it's how I imagine our times on the beach should be. Not always as such but it was very peaceful that day.

Our Sunday

2006-12-11T15:22:00.000+13:00

With Hugh back to Thursday-Saturday work we try to make good use of our Sundays. This Sunday was the first and we just kept going lol. We headed out to a toy sale in Mairangi Bay. Got a few games and other bits, $24 later. Then on to Factory Frames at Vega Place which we were shocked to see they had moved to Apollo Drive. So then we popped in to Wendy's drive through for a quick value meal lunch. Then we headed off to Apollo Drive to Factory Frames. They do really good work here and have really great prices. We needed to get a name frame framed. We had one for Kamryn when she was only 3 months old and only just got around to doing Lauryn's from Sweet P Gifts. We were at Factory Frames longer than we liked because one of our favorite framers was back from Australia so we had a catch up. She was gone for 3 years so didn't even know about Lauryn. After Factory Frames we headed to Triton road to check out the new Scrapbookers Delight shop. Couldn't find it :( So stopped in at a factory giftware sale around the corner while Hugh went to look for the scrapbooking shop. At the giftware sale I got Lauryn a cow piggy bank which is sooooooooo cute! And Hugh was back and told me the scrapbook store was closed. Then we headed into Albany to have a look at the new toy store where EdEx used to be. I was on a mission here. When I stayed at Rachel's in December 2002, there was a map in her son's room. It was a world map and it was huge but it was a kid's map. Very very cool! Well after years of looking I haven't been able to find one. So Dale gave me a tip that they had some. Since it's been so many years since I was at Rachel's, I can't remember if this is the same one or not but we got it anyway. It's soooooooo cool! Hugh will get it laminated and then it will go in the girl's room. Then of course when you are in Albany at this shopping area you have to go into Pumpkin Patch and JK. LOL, ok, maybe I just have to! Pumpkin Patch had some cute things but nothing I could afford :( But JK had the cutest strawberry clothes ever!!! And when we take the girls strawberry picking, I like to have them wearing strawberry clothes lol. Don't ask why, it's just something I think looks very cute in photos! So I bought 2 pairs of denim capris, two strawberry tops, a strawberry print fabric belt, a strawberry night gown and one beach towel lol. And they had cute matching strawberry shoes but nothing in my girls' sizes :( And then after all of that, like that wasn't enough, we headed to get our Christmas tree. That was fun. Lauryn was past it by then. We got home about 3PM, put her to bed and then decorated the tree with Kamryn. It was a very long Sunday. But I at least feel like we accomplished something ;)

Some Things..........

2006-12-06T23:00:00.000+13:00

I've managed to finish Janine's 3rd day of Christmas. I think I will skip #4 until closer to the end of the month. Our calendar tends to fill up weekly instead of monthly and I would like to see what things happened in December years from now. Anyway, I'm really happy with this one and you just gotta love that Crate Paper Twirl paper. Yummy! Such beautiful colors! Now I'll try to get onto #5 and #6. Haven't looked at #7 yet ;)

I'm a sucker! I mean, I'm a sucker for cute bears. I can't help myself. Over the years I have practiced more restrain just because we don't have room for them. But Christmas bears (well nice ones) seem hard to come by. And I like having them sitting under and around the tree. So look who I found yesterday??? He's just gorgeous and was only $20! Usually the Ty Classics are $40 so I was totally impressed with this bear. And Ty bears feel oh so lush. They are just soooooooo soft and cuddly. Perfect! This little guy is Fargo and he'll be joing the other Christmas bears when we get our tree.

And here's another awesome find! Tip Top is making this limited edition ice cream and it's sooooooooo yum!!! If you love gingerbread then you are going to like this. Chunks of gingerbread cookie in vanilla ice cream. YUM!!! I love their cookies 'n' cream and this is similiar to that with the gingerbread. And such cute packaging. Gotta love that gingerbread man ;)

Recovery?

2006-12-06T10:25:00.000+13:00

Man, what a grouch!!! So on Monday the doctor said Lauryn was doing better in that she no longer had the puss on her tonsils. He said we were doing everything right with altering with Pamol and Nurofen and things should be getting better. Well yesterday (tuesday) she didn't have any temps but man what a grouch! Nothing but crying and whinging all day! Only wanting Hugh, no one else. So I had to put her in her room for a while yesterday, had enough. Today is no different. Wants Hugh to carry her around or she cries and screams over every little thing. So she will be going to daycare today so they can deal with her! But I hope this doesn't come back around any time soon either.

And on a much nicer note lol, I got my kits for December and January yesterday! Yippee! I have heaps to do over the next two months. Love what Lisa has sent and I'm just so impressed with how she puts these together. Will be fun ;)

12 Days of Christmas

2006-12-05T10:53:00.000+13:00

Janine started this scrapbook comp on December 1. I signed up for it hoping I could finish all the layouts by the end of the month. I'm at a point where I'm bored with my scrapbooking so thought doing this comp would be a good way to still scrapbook but getting some fun things done too. I'm taking the Christmas route on it. I don't have nearly enough Christmas pages so decided to devote an entire 8x8 album to this challenge. I've had fun with my pages. And now here they are:

Hopefully I'll keep on top of them. I have the pic for #3 printed so just need to sort out some papers. Thanks, Janine, for a wonderful competition! It's great fun ;)

Tonsillitis

2006-12-03T15:05:00.000+13:00

Our day was pure crap yesterday. Hugh took Lauryn to the doctor on Friday and was told her throat was red and swollen. She had a fever throughout the day and wasn't eating much and just wanted to be held. The doctor said if it wasn't better by Monday then she need antibiotic. Well yesterday we noticed her breath was smelling which wouldn't be a symptom if it was viral. But we thought we would just continue on and head off to Christmas Wonderland for the kids to see. We left the house about 6PM with Hugh refusing to drive so I did. As we got past the Albany exit (about 25 minutes from home), she started throwing up. Non-stop! So I had to exit real quick and pull over. Poor thing threw up all over her car seat, cow, and clothing. And of course we had nothing to change her into because she hadn't been throwing up. So we went to Milford A&E and the doctor right away told us she had tonsillitis. So we got the antibiotic. Then off to the Warehouse to buy Lauryn some clothing and have a look around. By the time we left it was getting dark so we headed to Birkenhead. We get there and park and then we see the queue. Hugh does his 'everyone look at me' speech of how he was tired and smelled of vomit so he didn't want to be standing in line for an hour. And he always does this in a louder than normal voice so people stare which pisses me off. It's like he wants someone to come up to him and go 'you are so right, you do look tired and man you really stink so you should just go home'. But it always makes me look like a dumb ass. So we head home which pissed me off cause I really wanted Kamryn to see all the trees. And on the way home Lauryn started to throw up again by the poo-ponds. Had to pull over again. Got home about 9:30, gave her Pamol and she throws up again. Had some Wendy's cause I only had fries and mint Scorched Almonds all day. Lauryn ate some of the bun and a wee piece of chocolate from her advent calendar. And she managed to hold it down. Gave her more Pamol at 10:30 and put her to bed. Kamryn went to bed shortly before Lauryn. Well at midnight Lauryn was still awake and Hugh was sleeping in her room. Well we all moved to our bed where Lauryn slept on the covers and she was fine until she started throwing up at 2:30 again. And so far today things have been ok. Well I just mean she hasn't thrown up but she hasn't eaten much either. It's really been rough on the wee mite and she wants nothing to do with me now. So it's all about daddy lol which is fine cause I get it throughout the week. And I had a good two days of cuddling because she was sick so now it's his turn lol. I just hope this doesn't last too long.

Lookie Lookie!!!

2006-12-01T23:48:00.000+13:00

Lisa has posted the DT layouts on her blog! How nice and refreshing to see all the hard work revealed! I guess this can be considered my first job as part of a design team! I know Lisa said we could put up sneek peaks but I wasn't sure how to go about it. I will try better next month if we are allowed. When I got the Girlfriend papers, I have to admit, I was a bit scared lol. But I have absolutely loved using them!!! So much so that I couldn't stop at the one layout with the papers lol. And what I liked about Lisa's kits is we all got something different and they were extremely extremely well organized. We didn't know what each other had even though Jo and I talked about what each other got lol. Roll on next week! Can't wait ;) What a lovely way to finish my night after work!

Yum Fun

2006-12-01T10:33:00.000+13:00

Lately in the Nelson household we have been enjoying beef enchiladas. YUMMY!!! My kids really love it which is odd since Kamryn doesn't generally like anything that is a tad bit spicy. Obviously I don't make it that spicy for them and just add chili sauce to mine after they are done. But look at this dish?!?!?!? Doesn't it just make your mouth water???? I reckon I have Mexican blood in me somewhere lol. We generally have this once a week with fried corn! YUM!

This morning we played a game of Blue's Clues. Kamryn asked the other day if she could play. I have a hard time getting my head around thinking of something we can do and then leaving clues for it. Then last night as I finished mom's Christmas gift, it dawned on me! So I printed off some pawprints and went around and stuck them on a pencil, an envelope, and a Santa ornament. As Kamryn found them this morning I drew them on my pad of paper (don't mind the drawings lol). Then once we found all three we sat in the thinking chair. Together we figured that Blue wanted her to write a letter to Santa!!! Obviously I had to help her figure it out lol. So we will be doing that today when Lauryn is sleeping. I found this thing on the post website for writing letters to Santa. If you write one online then you can get one sent to you in the mail! Just remember to leave your e-mail address out. So I'll put in Kamryn's info so she can get a letter from Santa. I think this will be the first year she will get one from him. Go here to check it out ---------> LETTER FROM SANTA

Oh Marriage........

2006-11-30T11:05:00.000+13:00

Isn't it grand??? Alice from SE announced that she got engaged on her birthday. Then Julie asked about our proposals and how they happened. Thinking about our life pre-kids had me thinking all day yesterday. Man, how things have changed in 5 short years! I never would have thought I would still be living in New Zealand. I never thought we would be this fortunate to have two beautiful girls either. I think there are things I would have done differently (ie: buy a house, travel more) before having kids with Hugh but I surely wouldn't want my life any other way. Hugh and I have struggled for a good part of our marriage. Not a bad struggle but more a struggle of finding out who each other is and accepting that and moving on. Coming together for the sake of our family and putting what's best for them first. I am thankful I have Hugh in my life. Never in a million years would I have thought I could meet someone that has the same values and virtues that I have. And that without one of us, we aren't complete. I know that, even if the picture isn't so clear some days. We both want the same things for our kids, respect the same things and our wordly views are pretty in sync. And being married to him and living in New Zealand has helped me to be who I am and at peace with that. I think for years I struggled with being who I was. Not fitting a mould or people thinking I wasn't really being me but in reality, I have been. Being with Hugh has made that easy. Easy because we just are together, there's no pretending, no acting.......it's just how we are together. I'm not keeping appearances or fronts for the sake of others. And Hugh has made me a stonger better person. Even though the road to self-discovery wasn't easy nor does it continue to be easy but I have no internal knots that I need to deal with any more. And at the end of the day I know I have a husband who I gel with on many levels and I can't see my life without him.

Kamryn has been talking about marriage lately. ALOT, really! So I realized last night that I could show her our wedding video. I showed her today and she kept saying I looked beautiful.....awwwwww, such a sweetie! There are things you miss when you watch your wedding video after 5 years. I didn't realize how intently Hugh was looking at me during the whole ceremony where I was watching the celebrant as he talked. I don't know if I was nervous of Hugh's gaze or if I just didn't take notice. I didn't realize just how long the song wsa that I was walking down the aisle to. It didn't help that it stopped playing the moment I walked through the door lol. And to look at everyone that was there, to see the difference 5 years has made to them. I had butterflies the entire time I was watching. But Kamryn liked watching it and it will be interesting to see in years to come what she thinks of her mom on her wedding day. I said to her today that that would be her and Lauryn one day. She said 'you mean, I get to marry Lauryn'. LOL, not quite ;)

Rewards

2006-11-26T09:45:00.000+13:00

We started Kamryn on a reward chart on Wednesday. Well actually we started both girls. Lauryn's is very simple but we knew she would want to do it since Kamryn is. It's gone really really well!!! I am HUGELY impressed by the response to this and that they are doing it. Kamryn wakes each morning asking what's the first thing she needs to do for a sticker! Lauryn does what I ask to get her sticker without any problems. Man, I have been more relaxed and less stressed in 5 days then I can last remember! Clothes and toys are picked up all for a little sticker on a chart! And we have noticed Lauryn helping Kamryn pick up more without any encouraging or griping from us. And at the end of 7 days they each get .10 cents for every sticker they have. Cheap I know but they don't know much about money yet. Kamryn knows you need it to purchase things but that's about it. And when we go into the $2 shop there is always something she wants so this is a way for her to earn it. She has 6 'jobs' so .60 cents a day, I think is pretty darn good! She also gets one bonus day a week. She gets to pick a movie from the video store is she gets 3 days in a row full of stickers. But the bonus sticker can be taken away. We don't threaten removal with the others since she has earned them fair and square. But we have to have some bargaining power ;) Like I said, man, it has really worked very well and I am soooooooo pleased and I don't feel like I am on top them to get something done. They know what needs to be done and we just remind them. Ahhhhhhhh, hope it doesn't wear off too soon ;)

Annoyed!

2006-11-24T09:02:00.000+13:00

To all of you that have pop-ups for your comment section, it sucks!!! I can't view all the comments at all! And I can't even change the size of the box to be able to view them. What a pain! So I have to guess what has been said and assume in my reply that I am spelling things properly. And yes this is an option so it can be changed lol. I'm not stating I expect you to, I'm just saying don't think you can't do anything about it ;)

Disco - tonight is the kindy disco/dance/silient auction. I have to miss out :( due to work. And yes, I could miss work but I only work one day a week so I think it's important that I don't miss out on that one day lol. But it sounds like it will be heaps of fun!!! The silient auction alone is worth going, not that we have any dosh lol. And it will be cute to hear the kids sing. Maybe I'll practice with Kamryn today and try to get Hugh to video tape some for me.

Scrapbooking - I have done two layouts. Ok, completely finished one (had a rubon problem!) and finishing the other one today. Yep, I'll get pics to you, Hannah ;) And I'm trying to figure out how to get a 'sneak peek' shot of my layouts for Scrapbooking by Design. When I attempt it, I get too much of the photo and there is quite a lot of glare.

My Back - thanks for everyone's concerns re: my back. It's the same problem I had back in October. But this time I requested something stronger than Brufen which I forgot I had lol. So he offered up Codeine. I didn't turn him down lol. I'm managing quite well considering I couldn't even move when it happened. It's such a pain though cause I know it's there and I'm being extra careful doing anything. And I'm getting the pain up the left side of my back to my ribs and down the back of my left thigh. I'm getting surges and tingles. Sucks :(

Ok, this was only going to be a post about the annoying pop-ups but obviously I had more to say ;)

Kamryn's New Do

2006-11-23T11:26:00.000+13:00

Well once again it has come time for Kamryn to have a haircut. Generally I just trim the ends and I'm done with it. But when I did this last time, I realized that the ends were getting harder and harder to find in the many layers that she has. I mentioned to Hugh that I wanted to even up the layers and actually stagger them properly. He said maybe wait until next time lol. I think he was more worried I would do a hack job lol. I finally reached the end of waiting. I couldn't take it being frizzy and knotty any more. So I cut it! And I LOVE it! Man, I should have done this earlier! I can't stop looking at it lol. It's just soooooooooo cute!!! Of course we still get knots but nothing like before and it's very fitting for her face and a girl her age. Now should I tackle Lauryn's???? Hugh may have a heart attack lol. What do you think of her new 'do'????

(**Before and After shot: not that I have to explain but I will lol. The before is on the left and the after is on the right. The one on the left was taken a couple of weeks ago for our Diversity Lotto application, so we needed her to be serious lol.**)

Back Out - Internet Down

2006-11-22T23:07:00.000+13:00

Well it appears that our internet has been down for all of today. Nice! Not that I needed to be on it but it's very frustrating when you want to look something up online and can't do it. Or that you can't even get into your damn e-mails!!!!

Then just before dinner while reaching to pick some junk mail off the coffee table, I threw my back out!!! I am dying, I swear! I am in horrible excruciating pain! Can barely walk, sit, stand. When it happened, I just fell to the floor unable to move. And believe me, I wasn't doing anything over the top while picking up the paper. This is worse that the hip/back pain I had some months ago. So I've been laid up on the couch all night with a hot wheatbag on my back. It's a good thing that I already had a doctor's appointment made for tomorrow but I am just hoping I can manage the kiddos on my own tomorrow. I can't bend at all so picking things up or picking Lauryn up will be a struggle let alone putting her in the car. Kamryn may have to miss kindy. So if I'm missing in action for a bit this will be why. And now I must go to bed before I kneel over in pain :(

Rant

2006-11-21T10:20:00.000+13:00

The more and more I read about the States, the more I reckon I need to either stay in New Zealand or move to Australia (the happy medium lol). It appears that it's getting so that you can't even shit in public without the proper authorization or commitment that you won't show skin to ogling bystanders. It amazes me that attitudes of some in the States which appears to be the majority any more. It's ok for women to parade around in barely nothing on or attend festivals topless or show their tits for a meer bead necklace. Oh wait, this is America we are talking about and that's all of the above is sexual so that is ok and of course it has it's place in America. But see a breastfeeding woman on a plane, restuarant or park bench and it's obscene behavior. In the words of Dr. Phil, we have the tail wagging the dog here!!! How backward is this???? Of course breasts can be sexual things but that wasn't their intended purpose. If it was then there wouldn't be milk coming out of them!!!! Why should women have to even cover up in public??? Ok, fine if that makes you feel comfortable as the breastfeeding mother but why do it just to make others around you comfortable? They should be ok with it. Why take offense to it??? I'm glad that in New Zealand I haven't met anyone trying to tell me not to do it in public. There are times I covered up for various reasons (more early months) but the older Lauryn got it didn't bother me. It's difficult enough to breastfeed without having people pass judgment on you for doing it at all or in public. Get over it, people! Find something more important to complain about; ie the war, poverty, Hurricane Katrina victims, guns in schools. I mean really, does breastfeeding even rank up there with those????? Build a bridge!

Layout Published

2006-11-21T10:10:00.000+13:00

Ok, I know this isn't ground breaking news but it's finally out. I didn't want to post until I had actually seen the copy. Here's my layout that was just published in the Up2Scrap mag. I'm hearing/seeing more that kiwis are getting less and less published. Or maybe it's more there are just as many kiwis as there are aussies. Anyway, I am pretty happy with my published layout this time and I got another full page all to my lonesome lol. And my buddies, Hannah and Ann, were published as well. It was such a pleasure to be published with both of my friends and to see us all in the mag. I hope they try for more as their work is definitely worthy ;)

Engagement Photos

2006-11-14T20:07:00.000+13:00

Mom sent me a link for Shaun and Dawn's engagement photos just over a week ago. I've only just now gotten around to removing the watermark on them. Well first Hugh had to figure out how we could save them lol. So here they are. My bro looks like jolly ole Santa Claus with those cheeks of his! And you must remember this is the first time I have seen Dawn. The two of them are going to have kids with some seriously blonde hair! And of course there is Leelee. Her name is really Alyssa but they call her Leelee and I guess that's how it's spelled ;) Kamryn said she looks nice and she thinks she pretty and would like to play with her lol.

You Always Love Me!

2006-11-14T19:21:00.000+13:00

This is just a small conversation I had with Kamryn the other day that I want to keep record of and what better place than here ;)

Me: Kamryn, come here a minute.
K: Yes, Mommy?
Me: Guess what?
K: You have to ask me something?
Me: Nope.
K: You have to show me something?
Me: Nooooo.
K: You have to tell me something?
Me: Yep.
K: What is it?
Me: Guess?
K: Ummmmmm (long pause then looks at me with bright big eyes), you love me???
Me: YES! OMG, how did you know that is what I was going to say?
K: Cause you always love me!

How cute is that ;)

Lauryn's TWO!!!

2006-11-12T10:03:00.000+13:00

So it's been here and gone. Our little wicked princess is now two! What a day! She woke up on the wrong side of the bed so it wasn't a lovely start to the day. After 3 bowls of cereal, I got her dressed in her gorgeous pink dress. Hugh said the headband had to go cause she looked like John McEnroe lol. We opened her gifts next. She quite enjoyed this part of it. She was saying 'more presents' every time she got another one. And Kamryn would try to help and she would scream 'I do it!' or 'no'. She got a cow, 2 summer outfits, My Little Pony shoes, a zoo magnetic set, Disney Princess blocks, a board book, a Wiggles DVD, a musical jumping matt (which is sooooooo cool and educational!), a Care Bear, a mommy and baby pony set and a wee little stuffed sheep from Kamryn. Then after presents it was cake time! I made a cow cake which is my first ever shaped cake! I turned a pig from Hannah's cake book into a cow. LOL, I think it turned out rather nice. Hannah had the idea of putting 'grass' (green coconut) around it which turned out really cool and tasted yummy with the cake! Lauryn didn't have any problems blowing out the candles and of course I could only find fluorescent yellow candles lol. She blew each one out individually. She did a wonderful job! She enjoyed 2 small pieces of cake and plenty of M&Ms. And then we went outside for photos. And as a scrapbooker, I pride myself on getting the best shot. Well it's near impossible with Lauryn. She rarely looks at the camera and when she does it's a cheesy grin all the time! And making sure there was plenty of video (does anyone do this any more???) and pics, I think we covered most of it. So in less than 2 hours her birthday was over :( I'll do some reflecting later and write down a few bits about the last year. But for now we will struggle on with the emerging two year old!

Bonita Returns!!!

2006-11-09T22:09:00.000+13:00

After a very long trip from Snells Beach back to the Coast, Bonita finally made it today! I was glad to open the box and see two Bonita's sitting in there all new. So I snipped the tags off and started to wonder what I could do to rough her up. Well it was raining today so that helped. Then I took her out to the drive and rubbed her on the pavement lol. Then I put some food on her face and cleaned the kitchen cabinets with her. Oh and drenched her in the tap lol. But she still looked a bit too clean. Hugh went to pick Kamryn up from kindy and we put Bonita by the front door on the matt. And I tell you what, the reaction we got from her was one I could never put into words or explain very well. I could hear her outside but I was playing it cool. I heard her say 'Bonita's home!'. Then she same in the house (I was acting busy), she said 'mommy, Bonita's back'. I turned around and she just started crying. She said 'she's all wet'. I think she was a HUGE mix of emotions and the true emotion she felt for her little kitty coming back was priceless. I even cried with her cause it seriously tugged at my heart strings. So we wrapped Bonita up so she didn't get cold. And now she is asleep in her rightful place with Kamryn. I'm just glad we could bring her back to her ;)

My First Ever DT Kit!!!

2006-11-08T14:23:00.000+13:00

Well this morning sitting on my front step was my very first ever design team kit!!! I was sooooooo excited!!! We knew to be expecting them because Lisa told us they were coming out. Lisa has done a steller job putting these together and upon further investigation I know we all have different stuff so I'm sure she spent heaps of time on getting these together. I'm very impressed with what I got and am very eager to get started! I'm not sure if I can post photos of what I got so for now I'll keep it to myself ;) Although Miss Hannah has seen it :) I am so looking forward to doing this for a whole year! This is seriously a dream come true and Lisa has been excellent! Now we are all just hanging out for the website to start working :)

Poker

2006-11-07T23:21:00.000+13:00

Every Tuesday night you can always find Hugh and I sitting on the sofa watching poker on ESPN lol. I know, it probably doesn't seem like the sort of thing I would be into but I am. I must add too that I don't know how to play poker either lol. But I like watching. This is a game that is 95% luck! You can bluff all ya like but at the end of the day it's all about your cards. So really it's anyone's game; from the amateurs to the professionals. It's all up for grabs. The last couple of weeks we have been watching the World Series of Poker Main Event. Last years winner was an Australian (and I'm really over hearing 'ozzie ozzie ozzie' every damn ad break lol!). It's fun to watch the cocky ones getting eliminated when they think they can't be. But what's even better, is once you get down to a certain number of players left everyone is in the money. This one guy had barely saved $2000 in his life and he won $1.1 million at the age of 23 and left at number 12 or something. The main prize is $12 million. Even some of those in the 20s that were leaving with $494,000 sounded good to me lol. I'm not sure what the buy in is though. I told Hugh that my goal was to be a professional by the time I'm 40 lol. Guess I have to learn the game first. I reckon I would be a hard one to read but think I would have problems with betting and taking risks. Ok, so maybe it's not a realistic goal but if you have the luck of the cards then anything is possible ;)

What a Weekend!!!

2006-11-06T16:11:00.000+13:00

My weekend seemed to be pretty short. It didn't feel like there was much going on but Monday always seems to come to quickly! Friday night I had to work and after everyone had left, I stood outside with Ann until midnight shooting the shit and bitching about nearly everything ;) It's always good to catch up like this since I have to maintain a certain amount of restraint while I'm working. (Hush your mouths, Ann and Hannah!)

Saturday was a complete mission! We had pictures at PixiFoto at 11AM. Well of course I am the one that gets everyone ready. My hair wasn't playing along so I put it up and I don't generally like it up for photos. My fat face stands out too much lol. They were running behind. So we got there a couple of minutes after 11 and didn't get in until nearly 11:30. Which is fine but Lauryn just doesn't cooperate at all. She doesn't know how to smile for a camera lol. So after 12 poses, we had a look around the Warehouse, as you do when you are there! Back home at 1:30. Lauryn down for her nap and Hugh and I decide to crash as well. Kamryn drew pics and played with Little People in our room while we slept. I was beat!

Up at 3PM to get ready for the big Guy Fawkes display at Snells Beach. Meet Hannah at their place just after 4. We get to Snells Beach which I am guessing is about 30-40 minutes north of here. I get out of the car and feel a bit cold. I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt and didn't even think to bring a sweater or the girls extra clothing. Great! There wasn't much for our kids to play on there. There was a large bouncy slide but Kamryn was too scared to go on. I found some smaller yard toys that they played on but that was it. I wasn't impressed with the lack of things there was for our kids. So we had dinner on the hill which was kinda cool. I felt like we were at Woodstock or Lilith Fair lol. While I was sitting there, I was getting a bit cold. So I managed to convince Hugh that we needed to walk to the Warehouse for some much needed clothing and/or blankets. We found 3 blankets, 4 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of fleece pants for the girls and 4 lollipops for the kiddos all for under $15 lol! I was quite impressed with myself! And I bought my first pair of toe socks. First pair I ever wore too! And the fireworks didn't start until 9:30 which I wasn't entirely happy about. Kamryn can stay away until about 9 but never much more past that and Lauryn is generally asleep between 7-7:30 so this was a push. But the fireworks were cool! Kamryn said to me 'mommy, this is like a dream come true' which I thought was soooooo sweet! And Lauryn loved them too! Usually she screams with loud noises but this was all fine. On the way back to the car Kamryn dropped Bonita (this is a much loved cat that she takes everywhere) so Hugh went back to find her. He wasn't able to find her and so she broke down. I felt really bad cause I couldn't do anything for her. I told her I was sorry and she said 'it's ok, mommy, it's not your fault, I dropped her'. It wasn't long after that that Kamryn fell asleep. We got home about 11:15.

Sunday Lauryn woke before 7AM and woke up Kamryn. What a hell day we had! Both girls were tired but neither wanted to sleep. Lauryn just wanted to cry and scream and complain. Only had a two hour nap but needed a longer one. Hugh and I spent about 2 hours trying to find another Bonita. Finally find one in Christchurch and ordered two just in case lol. Kamryn asked Hugh if he would open the door for when Bonita comes home. Hugh told her that she would have to use the cat door like the other cats but he felt certain she would be home but it might take her a while. She really thinks she will be coming home. I heard her telling one of her toys today that she wasn't lost and she would be home but it might take her a while lol.

It was a good weekend full with lots to do. The kids were super good on Saturday. Better than I could have hoped really considering I had to wake Lauryn to meet up with Hannah's family. But Kamryn and Ethan played so well together. It was nice. It was good watching them running around together and having fun. Lauryn got into it a little bit but for the most part she was cuddling and sitting with us. And believe me, Bonita will be returning this week. I'll have to roll her in some dirt and bang her up against the wall a bit so she kinda looks like the old one and Kamryn doesn't suspect anything lol.

Back on Track?

2006-11-01T16:10:00.000+13:00

Not really lol. I have lost the plot where my weight is concerned for about 4 weeks now. I've still been going to my weigh-ins though, kinda half-heartedly. Knowing I have gained weight. For the last two, I hadn't lol. And seriously, I have not been exercising like I should, not eating the right portions and junk has slowly crept in. So imagine my shock when I weighed in at 1.4kg (3lb) lighter today!!! ROFL!!! I soooooooo thought I gained those 5kgs I lost back with the unhealthy food (ie seadogs lol) and cookies/candy and little to no exercise. Hugh reckons I'm not as bad as I think I am. I'm not sure. I think I've been pretty bad lol. But it dawned on me last night that I have 10 months to go until my trip next year and I would really like to just be comfortable on the plane since it's a looooong trip! And months are slipping away fast and before I know it, it will be on top of me. So I am hoping to keep that at the tip of my brain. Hopefully I can find the track and keep on it ;)

***Disclaimer re: my post yesterday. I don't know if anyone was offended by what I typed yesterday. And if you were, then I'm sorry that you were offended but with every blog you read you have to realize that it may actually contain things you don't like or don't agree with. We are all different and that's just how it goes. I won't pretend to watch what I say or even try to make my blog PC, that's not what I go for here. I put up what is annoying me, bothering me, what's happening in my life. If any post hits a nerve, then remember you can choose to not read my blog or to respond. You can close your window to my blog at any time you so see fit. Doesn't offend me one bit. I don't take offense to most things and those that I do, I try to remain out of. Unless it is someone that isn't open to other viewpoints, then I can get a bit on the defensive side. But that's more about realizing there is more than just your side, regardless of if you believe I'm right or wrong. I'm pretty open-minded so there isn't much that will shock, shame, scare, upset or piss me off. It takes a lot to do that ;) ***

Halloween Downer

2006-10-31T19:17:00.000+13:00

Man, the older my kids get the more ripped off I feel about holidays here. Yeah yeah yeah, I'm American and of course we do everything big there but just a little excitement around this country would be nice. I think many in New Zealand have the wrong idea of Halloween and what it represents. It's not a devil's day or something to do with the occult. It's fun. I grew up with it being a fun time to dress up and go and knock on people's doors for candy. We also went to costume parties or local get togethers where best costume got a treat out of each age category. We had hay rides and haunted houses too. And as I got older, it was more about the scare which was awesome. I remember one year, we went around and hit like 5 haunted houses in one night. It was the best!!! For me it's just pure fun. Nothing satanic about it.

In New Zealand (or well here where I am at) there is nothing organized about it. Kids wander the streets at different times throughout the day. No porch lights on to let trick-or-treaters know they have candy to give. Nothing big at all. This year Kamryn has been asking to go and I feel gut-wrenching horrible at the thought of her knocking on someone's door and them saying 'sorry, dear, we don't have candy', or 'sorry, dear, you don't do Halloween' or 'sorry, dear, we don't celebrate the devil but here's some literature from the Bible'. Ok, this hasn't happened to her but I know of people that have done this. So wouldn't it just be easy and save disappointment by just putting on a bloody light??? And set the time for it from 7-9PM or something??? I remember our streets being abuzz with all the excitement. Kamryn will get to witness this all next year. Lauryn may not quite want to do it at that age but I'm sure she will jump on board with Kamryn. Kamryn is going to love it!!! I know. She has been asking all day to go. All we did was go to the library for storytime but they didn't do anything special either. They got one lolly at the end! Woooooohooooo!!! Whoopty doo! Hugh is out there right now with her cause I just came home and cried. This sucks. It sooooooooo sucks! Next year she will love it so much and will want to do it when it comes around again in New Zealand and it's just not even going to compare on any kind of level. Sometimes I wish this country wasn't such a drag :(

Unexpected News!

2006-10-31T14:45:00.000+13:00

So I have some unexpected news to share. OH, and before you all start wondering, no I am not pregnant and it's not my news lol. My mom rang today to say she is getting married!!! Can you believe that?!?? This is a woman that said she wouldn't get married again lol. She reckons they've been together for 10 years so it's time lol. I reckon she's been with Doug for 10 years so why make it official??? It supposedly doesn't change the outcome of my inheritance anyway ;) Supposedly Doug asked her to marry him while they were on vacation at Punta Cana (Caribbean) earlier in the year and I'm only just finding out about it cause she got her engagement ring. But yet my brother was privy to such top secret info. I'm pretty shocked by the news but it's cool too. And now mom and Doug and Shaun and Dawn can celebrate their anniversaries together lol. Ahhhhhhh, bliss! Best of luck guys and congrats *hugs and smoochies*!

Here's My Entry

2006-10-30T22:42:00.000+13:00

Now that everything is over and done, I'll share my DT entry for Meg's DT call. I was pretty pleased with myself on what I did. I don't do altered projects well but then I was hit with a ton of bricks for this one. I had it done in 3 days but I absolutely love it!!! And I liked the perspective of my double. And my single, is well, my single lol. I really put a lot of focus and hard work into this entry so I'm pretty pleased with it. Thanks for looking! (Click the photos to enlarge. The 12 month one has playing cards that correspond with the months, ie: 1st month, ace and so on. I used the suit of hearts for them all. I did newborn and her first birthday to cover the whole year.)

It's All Over

2006-10-30T10:39:00.000+13:00

Meg's DT was announced last night. I had an epiphany yesterday that I wasn't making the team. I kinda figured that once it had been announced that I made Lisa's DT that I would be out of the running for Meg's. Fair enough. I guess there is always next year. Congrats to the girls who have made it! Two of the ladies haven't been active long and I don't even think I've seen Jo on the board. So this could all be interesting. It would have been nice to see my buddy Ann make it or Ilka. Heads up, girls!!! There will be more to try for. I was rooting for you both ;)

My stint on Embellished Idol has come to an end. Pretty pathetic really. The only vote I got this round was my own lol. But I thought my layout was pretty good. That's what happens when you journal too much, I reckon. People immediately look away and they just want to see the cute photo and something light and 'over the top'. I am the only one that took the dream ('in your dreams') literally and nearly everyone else went along the lines of 'never in my dreams did I'. And then it was something mushy. I'm not generally a mushy person so that wasn't going to be the route I took. I have to say I was pretty shocked by the final numbers of the round though. Makes ya wonder. Oh well, another thing to mark off my list of 'no longer a worry'.

So in many ways all this news has been a relief and I'm not stressing over an announcement or the next challenge. I can focus on more of my work and the Scrapbooking by Design DT. Now I'm anxiously awaiting Lisa's kit for the month!!! Can't wait to get started!

Tonight's the Night

2006-10-28T22:39:00.000+13:00

Well we have managed to cut out a night time video for Kamryn for about 4 days now. It seems to be going ok. She doesn't pitch a fit when we tell her no. There's just a few rule changes happening at the moment. And this happens to be one of them.

Also tonight was the night I decided it was time for her to sleep in her actual bed in Lauryn's room. So this proved interesting. After she had her dessert on the couch, she headed to bed. Not until I had a wee talk with her first. We decided that on the days that she doesn't go to kindy, she can have a special video in mommy and daddy's room if she is good in her bed the other times. So once I put Kamryn into bed she was fine. Didn't budge. It was Lauryn that got up 10 times and played and came to the door. I figure it will be like this. I also figure there will be nights when they keep each other up. But I know they will sleep even if it ends up being on the floor lol. They can't go all night without it. I'm not sure about the mornings though. Lauryn gets up and plays just before 7 or there after (doesn't make me happy but I can hear her through the monitor). Kamryn generally sleeps until 8. So I'm thinking Kamryn might have some early mornings to look forward to! It's good getting her out of our room but I have to admit that I quite like having her just within an arms length as their room is on the opposite side of ours. It's the paranoia in me lol.

Tonight also has me thinking about a banner. I tried figuring out how to do it but my head just can't sort it out. Anyone want to do one for me lol?!?!? I had a hard enough time putting in Jo's blinkie lol. Ok, off to bed without a child in the room!

It's Announced!!!

2006-10-26T13:03:00.000+13:00

Ok, so I have been trying since 9Am to post on here that I got on Lisa's DT!!!! I actually got a phone call on Tuesday like 2 minutes after getting off the phone with Melissa and just thought it was her ringing to add something. But nope, it was Lisa! I couldn't believe it! I was floored! And I surely wasn't expecting her to decide so quickly either. So I've had to be mum since Tuesday which has been hard. I didn't even tell my mom, just sent her the link ;) Thanks for all the congrats I have received already. It was great opening my e-mail and seeing so many posts and e-mails. I have wanted to be on a DT for a long time and just now that I found the confidence to go for it. I'm glad I did. I don't know many of the others on the team. I know Andrea but that's about it. I am in the Embellished Idol comp with Jacqui and her entry on Lisa's blog is actually one she did for the comp. Now I'm sooooooooo anxious to see who Meg picks! I told her I would be more than happy to help her in her selection but I don't think she will take me up on it ;)

Getting Anxious!!!

2006-10-24T20:20:00.000+13:00

I'm sitting on pins and needles to know what is going on! So Lisa's DT deadline was Friday. I made sure to send mine in Friday morning before heading out for the weekend. Then when I returned home on Monday, I read her blog to discovered that my entry hadn't actually made it to her. So I resent it which she e-mailed back to let me know it went through that time. Relief! I was a bit worried I missed out. So now it's a waiting game! I can't stand the suspense!

Miss Meggy-Poo's DT deadline is Thursday which I am completely anxious about as well. It's a scary thought putting your work forward to be considered for such an awesome thing! I think Meg is taking the time to make a decision over the weekend. So I'll be waiting it out hoping for word next week.

I have to say though I am completely relieved I got both turned in and on time. Besides the wee mess up with Lisa's. I was stress-free for a while. Now I will just continue on my Embellished Idol journey which appears to have turned into Big Brother with allowing 3 evictees to come back aboard. So there are many things going on and crossing fingers I am lucky ;)

The Loooooooooong Weekend!

2006-10-24T13:26:00.000+13:00

We went away for Labour weekend to Hugh's parents in Hamilton. We don't usually go away that weekend because every nutto is on the road. But I needed to get away. With Hugh working 52-54 hours a week and my one work night a week, I was dying to get away even if it was to the in-laws! Well here is a run down of my weekend, which was a bit intense with Lauryn constantly crying for any and every reason!

Friday:
*Met Hugh in Kingsland at 4:10. No worries getting into the city.
*Sat in traffic for about an hour and 10 minutes just trying to get out of Auckland and we got back on the motor way at Greenlane!! Traffic didn't clear until Papakura! Pathetic.
*Melissa arrived as soon as we did.
*Chinese takeaways for dinner. YUM!
*Melissa and I stay up until 5AM talking ;)

Saturday:
*Melissa and I out shopping. I acutally bought some much needed clothing for myself.
*Hugh took the girls to buy Pawpaw two new fish for his new cleaned pond. Kamryn enjoyed picking them out.
*Melissa left just after 3PM to head back to Tokoroa.
*Wanted to take some photos but it was windy and cold.
*Relaxed most of the day with kids in bed at 8PM.

Sunday:
*Got up and started getting ready for photos which were at 11AM.
*Took two hours to get everyone ready.
*Impossible photo shoot. Kamryn was sick so didn't smile and Lauryn was the biggest grouch ever!!! I was fed up after 10 minutes and completely fed up by the time we left about 30-40 minutes later. And was pretty pissed once I seen the price list. She took photos if her digital SLR and a 4x6 costs $50 and they go up about $50-75 when you go up a size! All the effort for nothing!
*Got to have a two hour nap while Hugh's mom watched the girls.
*Dinner was miserable. Since it was late the girls just ate something before bed. All weekend Lauryn kept saying 'done' but not actually eating anything and Kamryn was just hovering over her food without eating. A few threats and they finally finished!

Monday:
*Pack everything up to head out. Lauryn woke up at 6 or something ridiculous. So was completely exhausted when we left at noon.
*Stopped in at KMart for Hugh to get some much needed pants. Lauryn complained, cried and screamed the whole time we were there.
*Left KMart and Lauryn fell out.
*Lauryn woke at Pokeno as we stopped for a BIG ice cream.
*From there the girls carried on annoying each other and being loud.
*Had to stop in Auckland to get Hugh's car. He took Lauryn with him.
*Home just after 4.

It was a decent weekend away. Kamryn started getting sick on the way down. Sneezing and scratching her throat. She was sick all weekend and not feeling good. Lauryn was a complete BRAT! I had enough of her all weekend. I got tired of her complaining and saying 'done' or 'more' or 'hungry' but all she wanted was junk. And having both of them in the car even for a 2 hour car ride was horrible. And getting stuck in traffic on the way down was the worst! I'm kinda glad to be home but wish I could be home without Lauryn lol. Shame I couldn't have left her somewhere. She's just rattling every last nerve I have!

Soooooooooooo Tired!

2006-10-23T22:42:00.000+13:00

Yes, that's right, it's 10:30 and I'm heading to bed. This is probably a record for me. Most nights it's midnight lol. I was going to update on my weekend tonight but I'm just too dang tired to even type or recall most of my weekend. It was, um, interesting and it was nice being away but I was soooooo relieved to be pulling into our drive this afternoon. So off to bed for me and hopefully an update tomorrow ;)

Tagged!!!

2006-10-20T07:09:00.000+13:00

Man, I haven't been tagged in many aspects of the word but lovely Hannah has done just that. So here is my list. Figured I better get it done before the loooooooong Labour weekend lol!

1.Things that scare me:
- someone taking my children (kidnappers/perves)
- dying before I'm ready
- being alone

2. People who make me laugh:
- Melissa
- Kamryn and Lauryn
- The girls of Friday night ;)

3. Things I hate the most:
- back talk (can you see this is about Kamryn lol)
- Hugh's work scedule at the mo
- my weight :(

4. Things I don't understand:
- some friends
- my husband lol
- why I never feel good enough

5. Things I'm doing right now:
- thinking of answers to these lol
- looking at the screen
- listening to the dryer

6. Things I want to do before I die:
- watch my girls grow to the age of 75 ;)
- travel more to the States
- own a house

7. Things I can do:
- scrapbook
- find a bargain lol
- bake

8. Ways to describe my personality:
- fun
- conversational (is that a word?)
- open

9. Things I can't do:
- ski
- curl my tongue
- come up with a list of likes and dislikes lol

10. Things I think you should listen to:
- the laughs and giggles of children
- your heart
- white noise

11. Things you should never listen to:
- bad mouthing
- complainers
- one opinion

12. Things I'd like to learn:
- kite surfing
- how to be a better mother
- how to mother effectively without Kamryn catching the brunt

13. Favorite foods:
- chocolate
- ice cream
- Mexican

14. Beverages I drink regularly:
- water (all day, every day)
- coke zero (once a day)
- cocktails (once every two months lol)

15. Shows I watched as a kid:
- Sesame Street
- Saved by the Bell
- The Jetsons

16. Persons I'm tagging:
- Meg
- Ilka
- Michelle

Have fun ;)

Body Spray

2006-10-19T11:26:00.001+13:00

Yes, second post already today and it's not even 11:30 lol. I may have another one before the day is out. Afterall Hannah tagged me yesterday ;)

So you know your mom loves you when she sends you 8 bottles of body spray lol. Ok, or it was just me looking at the Bath & Body Works website and e-mailing her my order lol. But she still didn't have to send all 7 bottles I requested with one surprise scent lol. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing like this stuff in New Zealand. This is amazing stuff! When I came to New Zealand six years ago, I brought with me kiwi and raspberry. And they were gone over a year ago now. I didn't use them often since I had a thing for Tommy Girl for a loooooooooong time! But when I ran out I was devastated! These bottles are 8in (20.5cm) tall and 6in (15cm) of it is liquid. Sweet smelling delicious liquid. Liquid that I would probably be tempted to lick off anyone's body, that's how good it smells lol. And here is what I got:

*Black Raspberry Vanilla
*Coconut Lime Verbena
*Tropical Passionfruit
*Coco Cabana
*Mango Mandarin
*Pomegranate Martini x 2
*Plumeria (my surprise one)

I picked all those summery scents and I've sprayed every one of them to see how they smelled lol. HMMMMMMM, YUMMY!!! I might just have to give one of the Martini ones away ;) So this is what is making my day today. OH and the fact that all of mom's 3 boxes have arrived safely lol. Yes, she is on top of things this year. She has sent Halloween costumes, Lauryn's birthday items and some Christmas for both girls. But what is important here is that I will no longer stink ROFL!!!

Wicked Dreams

2006-10-19T09:44:00.000+13:00

This morning (early morning) I was dreaming that I was in labor. Now, folks, I'm not even trying to get pregnant so I'm not sure where this dream came from. But everything was happening and it felt real. I could feel the contractions and the pressure from baby's head. I was at the hospital. And walking into the hospital was the first time I got to meet my midwife. And she was Asian and pregnant. Not as pregnant as me but noticably pregnant. I can remember her giving me an internal exam and pushing her fingers further inside to feel the baby's head. I could feel how painful it was and her saying 'nope, baby is still high'. I then asked her for an ultrasound to see if the baby was breech since Lauryn was. She did the ultrasound and the baby was fine. We did not know the sex of it but during one contraction I can remember her saying 'come on, let's get this boy out'. And I lost it. I just cried and cried and cried saying 'I don't want a boy'. It was shortly after that, that the dream stopped. I don't remember giving birth to the baby. It all felt extremely real though and I could feel the pain in my stomach as I was having this dream. It just makes me think about another baby and if I want to go through the pain again. I was strong with my two girls but I think the older I am getting the weaker and wimpier I'm getting lol. So who knows what this all means???? Jamie might ;)

Things

2006-10-17T10:35:00.000+13:00

Well there's a few things I want to mention here today. So I'll just get into it!

1. Sooooooooo I have made it to round 4 of the Embellished Idol comp and the gallery can be viewed here. Contests rules stop me from publishing my layouts here on my blog. Just click on the round you want to see and I'm nzmommy. I was sad to see Kelly go as I think we were the only NZers in it. *hugs* Kelly!!! I was pretty impressed with my minimalistic layout and I'm just happy it was enough to get me through to the next round. This next one should be easy enough for me to do which is a minimum of 3 photos and 2 pattern paper. Deadline is Friday, so need to get on it! However, I don't think I will win. You can soooooooooo tell it's a popularity contest and since I don't know anyone on the board, I doubt I have a chance. But it is fun each week seeing the new challenges and getting some pages scrapped!

2. I breathed a BIG sigh of relief last night when it was announced that Matt and Indira will be going through to the final NZ Idol next week. I'm soooooooo happy! For weeks upon weeks we have been waiting for Aroha to go. I CANNOT stand her! She has HEAPS of growing to do and needs to get over herself. And honestly, I just love when Indira sings! I love how she dances and really gets into a song. I love Matt's voice as well but I find it hard imagining him as the NZ Idol. We shall see!

3. Well I have one DT entry done! I sent everything to Meg last week in the hopes of relinquishing the stress involved and the pleasure of knowing it's complete. I'm very happy with what I turned in!!! And I know the very few who have seen my altered project were quite impressed with it which makes me happy as I just don't do altered items lol. Now I just have to submit to Lisa's which I have to do by Friday.

So that's about it! Nothing else at the moment. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Hugs

2006-10-14T15:47:00.000+13:00

Cool video here -------------> FREE HUGS COMPAIGN

What a cool message! At the beginning I felt sad that he wasn't getting hugs. Then it became contagious! I'm a huggy person. I would probably hug everyone I met if I didn't think some people thought it 'weird' or 'odd'. I also like long hugs. Well not real long but longer that just getting your arms around the other person and then letting go. I think many people I hug here think it's 'uncalled for' lol. Oh well, too bad, I like hugs so if I see you next be forewarned ;)

Kite Surfers

2006-10-10T23:55:00.000+13:00

There are many reasons why I love living on the coast. There are a few reasons why I don't but now having a few good friends is starting to turn that around. But one of the coolest reasons for living here is kite surfers!!! This is the coolest thing ever!! Since you can see down onto the beach/water from our house, you can see the kites. At dinner on Monday night, the girls and I watched the kites out our dining room windows. So I thought as a treat we would drive down to the beach for a closer look. I've never seen them up close before but it was sooooooooo cool to watch! I love it when they come out of the water or when they lose their boards lol. One guy even did a somersault flip! It's totally cool! I took photos too and at one point I had to 'pretend' to be taking photos of the scenery so they didn't come asking me questions lol. The girls loved it! Kamryn didn't want to leave and Lauryn kept saying 'kites'. I know in Orewa they also have the ones where the kites are attached to little go-carts. I think they are called blow carts but I can't be certain. And they are cool too watching them drive up and down the beach and getting up in the air. If I were brave enough I might give it a try lol.

What a Mission!!!

2006-10-09T11:09:00.000+13:00

Wowser!! So I spent my entire day on Sunday reorginizing and decluttering my scrap room. I just had enough of not being able to put things in places or that every time I got around to doing a page there was never any room. I knew what the problem was though. I needed another shelf. And more containers!!! So off to the Big Red Shed!!! We spent a while looking at containers. What I really wanted was a spice rack with glass bottles but they no longer had that style. So I bought 2 small glass jars, about 5 small-size containers and 6 film size containers. OH and I can't forget the gorgeous suede boxes I found too!!! I love 'em! I got stuck in and pulled EVERYTHING out. And I mean everything! I felt like everything was cluttered or stashed somewhere but I didn't have it organized real well. Hugh's mom gave me this portable file box which I hadn't managed to get in until yesterday. And it's awesome! I can hang all my files in it (before I just set them in a basket) but since it has a lid, that means I can also put things on top. I reorganized my rolly cart with just stamps and packaged alphas. And just overall decluttered, filling one trash bag completely up!!! I threw away heaps! And I'm getting rid of some old stuff that I haven't used in 3 years lol. And here's the finished product! It's sooooooo nice being in her now ;) (It probably still looks a little bit messy to some but trust me, it's not lol.)

So Sick

2006-10-06T10:57:00.000+13:00

I still feel like shit! So I have decided to visit the doctor this afternoon. It's been a week now. I remember being this sick with Lauryn and that was 2 years ago. And I remember not seeing the doctor because I didn't think he could do anything for me. It took 3 weeks to come right! I'm just drained. Tired, sneezing, coughing, hacking, irritated eyes. You name it! I haven't done much this week at all. The girls have probably watched entirely too much TV but I'm spent. I have Lisa's DT to still sort out. I know I just need the single layouts as I have an awesome altered item but I can't even manage a decent single! Meg's DT is nearly finished. I have the harder ones done and out of the way. I just need to do my single. The way I'm feeling right now, I think I am going to blow my chance on Lisa's. With my hip hurting, I can not sit for long periods of time so that doesn't help when you are trying to scrapbook. Maybe after seeing the doctor, he will give me something to help me feel instantly better lol. I'm tempted to cancel work tonight but I'm taking off in two weeks so I'm trying to soldier on!

Another Weigh-In

2006-10-04T15:48:00.000+13:00

So today was my bi-weekly appointment with the nurse. I have been dreading this appointment. With my last weigh-in I was soooooooo stoked to jump into another 2 weeks but my body had other plans! Shortly after the appointment, I started my period. And we all know how we feel about exercise then! And now I've been sick since last Thursday, so nearly a week and I just can't muster any energy. I've also got this hip/back pain that has been killing me for 5 weeks now. The nurse said today that if it was a muscle it shouldn't hurt this long so if it's not better by Monday, I'm suppose to go in. But last night it was so bad I couldn't even sit down. So I've been dealing with all of this for 2 weeks and I know I had a BAD two weeks. She weighed me first thing and I gained 600g, just over a pound. (Sorry, Hannah, thought it was a kg lol.) But she said it could just be hormonal so hopefully two weeks will prove more weight loss. But she did a waist measurement and I was blown away!! I lost another 4cm from my waist in 2 weeks!!! I couldn't believe it! That's where it's at for me! I know the kgs are going to go slow but it's nice to know the cms are just dropping. So that's 15.5cm since I started back on August 11. I'm pretty happy about that.

Now onto my baby! So Lauryn is FINALLY cutting her top eye teeth!! Man, I don't think I know any other kid that has taken this long to get them! I wasn't even sure she ever would. But it explains heaps; the drool, the snotty nose, the screaming. And there is no sign of 2 year molars either. But if we are lucky she'll teeth with them for a year before they break through lol. And once again she has asked for a bottle today. Whoever said she would forget was lying! It's been over a month now since we stopped the bottles and every now and again she still asks for one. I feel bad for her. She still isn't drinking milk, she's a feather-weight. I weighed her yesterday and she only weighs 11kg (24lb) so she falls under the 25% mark in the Plunket book. She's just small. She can still wear 12-18 month stuff and some 2s are just too big. She'll be 2 in a month! I do want her to get back on the milk. I don't care what anyone says, it is healthy for them especially at these growing times.

Tacos

2006-10-02T14:36:00.000+13:00

Finally the Mexican food as come full circle! I've never been one of those mothers that caters to their child's wants with food. I remember my ex-SIL making her two girls completely different dinners to what they were having cause they didn't like it. I swore I would never have kids like that. It's good I live in New Zealand then because there is such an array of foods to eat here. So mine have tried everything we eat.

We tried tacos when Kamryn was little but she never really took to them. And from my small mention in another post, we had them a few days ago and Kamryn loved them and so did Lauryn. Friday night I asked Kamryn what she wanted for dinner and said tacos lol. And I think she has asked every night since although she was pretty happy with corned beef on Saturday night as it's her favorite lol. So last night we had tacos and man, you would have thought this was the girls last supper lol!!!

We did bigger tortillas last night and Kamryn still ate 1 1/2. We made them with chicken which she isn't too keen on but she liked it. Hugh made Lauryn's and then cut it up. Which she always unrolls and picks the stuff out then eats the tortilla. But when Kamryn was on her half, Lauryn wanted more. So Hugh made her the other half and didn't cut it this time. He went to hand it to her and she snatched it from his hand and took a BIG bite out of it!!! I went to get the camera and she said 'I like tacos!' lol. Too funny! And she ate the whole thing and didn't take it apart. I just can't believe how well they eat when we have them. Lauryn will eat some of the meat with spice but Kamryn won't. Likewise, Lauryn will eat salsa but Kamryn won't. So here's some photos.

On the Ball

2006-09-30T17:48:00.000+12:00

I know my trip to the States is exactly a year away but I can't help but getting excited about the prospect of purchasing my tickets in the new year. Hugh and I had a big conversation about how the money saving was going and how many weeks he can manage to be there with us. It was great! It was refreshing to see that we will definitely be able to manage the trip. My original date for leaving was the 15th of October and I've managed to talk him into the 26th of September. I'm working on the beginning of September but he says no more talk of leaving earlier right now ;) So we'll see. As it stands we will leave the 26th (obviously will know more once tickets are bought) and come back on January 5th. I'm soooooooo excited about going back and being able to show my girls where I lived. I haven't been back in 6 years but it will be 7 by the time I go. Hugh is going to meet us in November around the 19th and then we all fly back together. I'm sure it will be hard for him not having us around but he is hoping to get in more work while we are away to come maybe a week earlier. I'm just so relieved that everything is go. I was originally meant to go this year but that fell through so it's nice to know that everything will happen next year. Obviously some things still need to be sorted out like getting the tickets, making sure Hugh can get off for 8 weeks (even though he has the time we aren't sure they'll let him go that long) and hoping that Melissa can house sit. And yes, with it being a year away many many things can change but as it stands now, I can sooooooo see myself back home next year enjoying some fall weather and some awesome shopping and food!!!! ;)

Potty Mouth

2006-09-28T17:08:00.000+12:00

So Lauryn has this thing for the word 'damnit' lol. Yes, I know where it comes from but she says it often. We just ignore her usually but lately it's getting a bit out of control lol. Like when I give her a kiss at night when she is all tucked up in bed, the words out of her mouth are 'move, damnit' lol. And then today while using chalk on the drive she said 'shit'. I can barely remember Kamryn saying bad words but it wasn't for long and never as often. So I'm not sure what to do in this instance. Ignoring her doesn't seem to be working, damnit ;)

And More Photos.....

2006-09-25T13:51:00.000+12:00

Butterfly Creek

2006-09-25T13:17:00.000+12:00

We finally managed to go!! We were meant to go last weekend but the weather was not good. So at the last minute, we packed up to go. It was a wonderful day yesterday and there were quite a few people there. We made decent time in too. I think it only took us like 50 minutes and it's out by the airport. So we decided to do the whole combo thing. Our entry covered the butterfly house, the small farm/petting zoo and train ride. First we went to see the much anticipated butterflies. As you walk through there are aquariums with fish, seahorses and a lizard. Lauryn loved that part and kept saying 'oh fish' and getting all excited. Going in to see the butterflies was cool! There were butterflies flying everywhere. Everywhere you looked there was a butterfly. Oh, I must mention the heat. It was very warm and humid in there! It was 30C (86F) and the humidity was 65%. And it was much smaller than we thought it was going to be so by the time we made our way around, I was sweating buckets lol. It didn't help that I had jeans on lol. But there were some amazing and beautiful butterflies to be seen. And Kamryn was ever so patient waiting and hoping that a butterfly would land on her. But it didn't happen. Hugh seemed to be the only one fortunate enough to have a butterfly land on his shoulder. One of the coolest parts of the butterfly enclousure was the nursery they had set up. It was awesome and it was good for Kamryn to see a butterfly cocoon. There was one butterfly that was virtually all the way out and you could see the green cocoons shaking just waiting for a butterfly to emerge. It was neat. And there were plates set around with fruit on them for them to eat.

Then we had a walk through the little animal farm. That was neat. There were piglets, lambs, calves, chicks, alpacas and a baby goat. Inside the little barn they had guinea pigs and rabbits. Kamryn got to hold a baby guinea pig. They are pretty cute. They also had baby rabbits but she sees them pretty regularly so wasn't over the moon with them. And Lauryn was beyond tired so she screamed and wailed everytime she got told off. Even for small things like 'put your foot down' lol. Next we had some lunch. We took our lunch. We weren't sure if you were allowed but we didn't want to pay to eat there. I have to say too that we didn't let the girls play on the playground. We wanted to do the train ride and get home so we didn't let them play. Kinda felt bad about it and it wasn't covered, so it was pretty warm. So we waited around for the train for 30 minutes. There were some very rude people there that day. We were going to leave Lauryn in the stroller (trying to get her to sleep) and ride and we had been waiting before anyone else showed up. Well as soon as the train driver arrived, people jumped on in front of us so Lauryn and I weren't able to go. Hugh was pretty pissed and almost left then because people are so damn rude. I seem to notice it more and more here. And after the train ride, we headed home. Neither of the girls slept and I have to say it was the longest trip home ever! We didn't get home until 4PM and put Lauryn to bed. She got up about 6 and was starving. Had a pancake before dinner. We had tacos for dinner which were a hit! Kamryn had 1 1/2 and Lauryn ate a full one with lots of extra cheese and meat lol. And then they were in bed by 7:30! What a day!!!!

Not a Creature Stirred

2006-09-23T09:56:00.000+12:00

So it's 10AM and both of my girls are still sleeping! I woke with a fright at 9:30 wondering why no one was screaming, yelling or saying 'mommy'. So I told Hugh to run and check on Lauryn quickly as I was worried about what was going on. He came back and said she was fine. She must have gotten up and then went to sleep on the floor. So I got out of bed and then decided to wake Lauryn up at 10. I went in there and she didn't wake easily. She got up and gave me kisses and hugs and said 'fell, floor, hurt cheek'. LOL, so I'm assuming in all of that she means she fell on the floor and hurt her cheek lol. Who knows. But she was really tired, she probably would have slept for another hour! Kamryn didn't wake until 10:30 and I think she only woke up because she heard me in the kitchen making pancakes. She's been asking for pancakes all week so I decided to do them this morning with strawberries and blueberries. I did ask Hugh what he gave them last night for them to sleep so long lol. And do you think that could happen through the week when I really need them to sleep? Um, no.

Second Weigh In

2006-09-20T13:04:00.000+12:00

Well the day has come! And my appointment was at 11 which I got in shortly there after and I didn't get out until noon! Ok, so I had to have that 6-monthly pap and a breast exam as well. So my weigh in went well. I lost another.............*are you ready for this*.................2.7kg (nearly 6lbs)! So I'm pretty happy! I've been walking on the beach for about 30 minutes for the last week and when I do my exercycle I've increased it by 5 more minutes. I'm even *tempted* to start running on the beach. TEMPTED though. I haven't convinced myself yet that no one will be watching or gawking at beached whale running up and down the beach lol. So two weeks for the next weigh in. I'm pretty happy with this week since I wasn't as good as I should be. Can't wait for the next appointment.

And now the pap. Since I had bad cells 6 months ago they recommend you go every 6 months until things are normal again. So today was the day. And apparently it's hard to find my cervix lol. I know I have one cause I had two kids lol. After many positions and different sized speculums, the exam was finally acheived while I was laying on my side. That's a new one for me! And she even used a condom! That was nice, right???? Sorry if this is all too much information! So next was the breast exam. I requested one simply because I have this pain in my left breast that is horrible. It's not constant nor is it consistent with my period or ovulation. So after a good feel, she could tell there was a thicker area on that side where I said it was hurting. Now I am being referred to have an ultrasound done for it. Which I'm fine with. Just to put my mind at ease over it but it does mean a 2 month wait since we will be using the public system. She did tell me a couple other things that I did not know. One was that women under the age of 40 have more dense breasts so there for it's near impossible to see anything with a mamogram. And second in women who get breast cancer under the age of 40, it tends to be more aggressive. All of which I wasn't aware. So it will be a while before I know something.

DTs, Bottle, Bubba and Bed

2006-09-19T16:44:00.000+12:00

Ok, no DTs is not some sexually transmitted disease lol. As if I don't have enough on my plate, I am signing up for more! Some how I don't think Hugh working 54 hours a week and running kids here and there and taking care of home is enough.

DTs (design teams):
Among the numerous comps at SE forum that I have been entering, I've also been trying to keep up with the NZ Dare Blog. Also at SE I have a circle journal on the go and I have been participating in a card swap. Then Meg (yes, that woman!) goes and puts of a DT call for SE which ends the end of October. So of course I have to give this a go. The thing that stops me from entering some is the damn altered project part of the requirements. But I came up with an awesome idea for this one which I am completely happy about. Then reading Kelly's blog the other day, I see that Embellished has a comp on for Embellished Idol. So I figured I would give it a go. It's only 8 weeks with a new 'task' each week. So that kicked off this week. And then Lisa at Scrapbooking by Design (the one that hosted show your worst/best/first layout from the other day) also has a DT call out which ends mid-October. Again, one I would like to try for but there's that damn altered project again! I can't get away from it! So today I get another fabulous idea for a project so after kindy I was running all over getting photos. WHEW! What a day and it looks like I am going to be ultra busy! I might have to pull out of the card swap, Lynda, sorry.

Bottle:
Lauryn had her last drink at 1PM on Thursday lol. Really, she should attend meetings! So that was her last bottle and now she won't drink milk at all! I can scare her into having a few sips but then she says 'I done' and hands me the cup. I know Kamryn went through a stage where she stopped drinking milk after we took the bottle away. I just want her to come back to it. We are only changing her diaper like twice a day and I don't even have to do it first thing in the morning cause there is like no pee. I talked to Plunket and she said not to worry and a toddler isn't going to let themselves get dehydrated unless something else is going on but there isn't. She is acting fine. And no I don't think she gets enough calcium so I hope this milk dry spell doesn't last long. And she's just not drinking enough water to substitute, in my opinion. And she won't drink any juice either not even 3/4 diluted. Never has drank it. Oh well, I am going to cross my fingers that she comes back to milk.

Bubba:
We have always called our girls bubs or bubba. I used to think it was soooooo weird since it has to be a New Zealand thing but I definitely adapted it when I had Kamryn. My mom thinks it's odd since bubba sounds pretty redneck back home (re: Forrest Gump; Bubba Gump Shrimping Company lol). But lately Lauryn has been saying it which is sooooooo funny. Today leaving kindy she said to Kamryn 'stop, bubba'. Or she just walks around and says 'hey bubba'. Very funny!

Bed:
Ah, bed! I made an executive decision on Thursday night of last week. Yes, the same day we took the bottle away from Lauryn. I was putting her into a big bed. I figured she is probably old enough now and I got tired of the way the girls' bedroom was set up. So on Friday while Lauryn was at daycare, Kamryn and I changed the room around and took one side rail off of Lauryn's cot. This was a sad day for me. No longer a baby in need of her protective cot. And when Lauryn got home from daycare, she was pretty happy that she could climb on to her bed. And there was no looking back. She has slept fine in it. No falling out and no fits to get it. She's been great! She will climb into bed, hold the covers and then pull them as she 'scoochies' down to get comfortable. Fabulous! I don't think this could have gone any better, really. So many changes for my little girl. I just wonder what she will think about potty training this summer.....

Look at This.......

2006-09-18T11:14:00.000+12:00

I was reading my baby blog today and read a post about Cindy Crawford's daughter posing in swimsuits. So I had a look. It wasn't until after I looked that I realized the post said 'Please note that the photos have made many readers uncomfortable, so please proceed with caution.' And they are right!!! I wasn't so shocked over the first one but the second and third are just wrong! And finally the fourth was fine too. But my mouth just dropped with the string bikini and the topless shot. Her daughter is only 5 and the topless one is definitely implying adult behavior in a sexual way! How sad! Now I know, to each their own but seriously! Are these swimsuits just too adorable to NOT let her daughter pose with them on??? Come on! Our girls don't wear bikinis and I surely haven't seen a string bikini for girls Kamryn's age before. Now, our girls do wear 2-piece bathing suits which is completely different to a bikini. To me a bikini's top is reflective of someone having breasts. When I see the triangle cuts on the tops, I just wonder why it's even like that. They don't have any breasts to put in them. We don't have anything that ties around here. They go completely around or clasp at the back or the neck. But I will keep my daughters out of these type of bikinis for a long time or as long as possible.

First Layout!

2006-09-17T11:41:00.000+12:00

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this but heck it's for a package of goodies so I can't resist! Lisa has a draw that ends today (sorry, Hannah, only just found out about it) and all you have to do is show your worst/first/early layout. I've gone with my first. I started scrapping in June 2003. The main drive for me doing so was for Kamryn's 1st birthday. I wanted to start before she was born but didn't know how to begin. I dabbled a bit with this in the States in 1998-99 but nothing like it is now. Back then I did an 8.5x11 album and everyone seemed to be doing 12x12 but it also seemed WAY expensive.

So in June, I remember heading off to my beginner's class. I had been buying few bits here and there and knew I wanted to do Kamryn's first Easter pics. I went armed with my pics and some Fresh Cut's Easter eggs. And this is my layout. I was sooooooooo eager to get into it that I had to try a bit of everything; shapes, punches, deco scissors, raffia, pens, letter templates, ripping! I couldn't get enough! I really wanted to do more with my page. But I was extremely happy with this page. Estatic! I was hooked from then on even though I knew I would be. And of course as you get better over time, you look back and wonder about those 'beginner' layouts. I did redo this page. Well adding more pics and the appropriate journaling which turned out better but I won't ever destroy this one. This is my start. And I have to say, there are probably only about a handful that I really wonder 'what was I thinking' but for the most part I really like my pages. (And I sooooooooo can't stand shape templates! I don't think this should even be taught in a beginner class. I think they do it just to get you to purchase the cutter and templates. When I taught my beginners class I could never use the cutter or even encourage my students to buy one.) So here I am showing the 'then' and 'now'. Boy, I've come a LONG way!

***ETA: I meant to link back to Lisa's blog so have done it now.***

Cancer

2006-09-16T00:06:00.000+12:00

Dale has breast cancer. I'm quite devestated by this news and have been upset about it even though I am trying not to be. She's been hanging out for 2 weeks waiting to hear the results and she was told this week. They are hopeful that they have caught it in time and that they will remove the lump in 4 weeks time. I really didn't think it would be cancer but when she told me tonight I had to ask again cause I wasn't sure I heard right. Then I just started crying. She says she is doing ok and feeling fine but she isn't sure how she will handle radiation. On the way home I tried not to think about it. But when I walked through the door, Hugh was up and I just let loose. I don't think I've ever had anyone this close to me heart-wise and friend-wise be diagnosed with cancer. So for now we are hanging out and I'm hoping I can take her mind off of things for at least the next 4 weeks.

Metal Page

2006-09-14T15:26:00.000+12:00

(This post isn't to take away from the grommet one below. I just realized I finished this last night and wanted to get it up before I could no longer bother lol.)

Ok, so I finished another layout for the NZ Dare Blog. I'm finding it easier to complete these now that it's a 2 week thing. I just really don't get the time do get it done if it's one week not to mention all the other challenges or comps I'm in! So here's my page. I had fun with this one. There probably isn't enough metal on it to win but I think there is an adequate amount lol. I bought this sheet of metal from the Warehouse the other day that was just right. That's what's behind the main photo. Using scissors I was able to cut it and bend it and then ran wire through it. I think it looks awesome!!! I'm pretty happy with it and love the colors. It's not often I get to use orange but I love when I do.

No Grommets

2006-09-14T14:55:00.000+12:00

Today we had an appointment with a doctor in regards to Lauryn's ears. Intially we figured she would need them put in since she's has 3 ear infections in 2 months and the last one wasn't cleared with antibiotics. But I have to say that since she has been off the antibiotic two weeks ago, she has been better. No snotty/runny nose and pretty happy. We have had the odd day where she has been a pain like Saturday. She still isn't sleeping straight through the night but again that could be habit now more than anything but I'm not going to let her suffer with her ear still being inflamed and red. Anyway, one look at her right ear and he said it was pretty gross with mucus and blood. But he then stuck this air syringe thing in her ear to see if the eardrum was working. And it was. He said her eardrum is functioning completely without any issues and that is what the concern is when considering grommets. He said most GPs will see the redness and mucus and right away think they need to see someone about grommets but unless they have one of the air bulbs then they can't see for sure how or if it's working. So his suggestion was not to have a grommet put in. Her left ear is completely fine. I'm happy with this decision. Obviously if her eardrum was not working properly then we would get the grommet put in. He also had some questions for us about her speech and interest in things. That hasn't declined. At the end of the day, it was our decision to make. I feel it's unneccessary at this stage. He said he certainly wouldn't recommend grommets now since we are going into summer. Since she should be better through summer. He also mentioned there were a few things we could do to help her with the mucus and blood build up. One is to stop giving her a bottle. Which I was going to work on this summer anyway but now is a good time. And two, to take her for walks along the beach so she can inhale the salty air to help dry it up and clear it away. So we'll be doing this. When you live only 5 minutes from the beach, that should be simple enough. And another great thing is if we have any more issues and need to see him, we don't need another doctor's referral. We can just call and make an appointment for him to see her and reassess her again. And obviously if she is sick then we treat the symptoms as you would any illness and keep watching the ears. He also said grommets weaken the eardrum as well and if she would need another one, then it makes it even more weaker since they would need to put in a bigger one. I'm not one that turns a nose up to intervention or scares easily when it comes to things needing done for my children but I also don't 'overdue' things either. I don't like over giving them antibiotics if their little bodies can heal themselves. Nor do I feel the need to put a grommet in her ear yet since everything is fuctioning normally. So for now we will hold on tight and hope her wee body can fight this and hope that the changes we instill will help her to improve as well.

Job Interview

2006-09-13T15:54:00.000+12:00

So my husband has a job interview at 5PM tonight. I'm sitting on pins and needles about it. This could be a big step in his career. He isn't quitting his current job and is only looking to do part time or casual work for this other company. It's a big step in that he will get to learn how to run a bigger printing press. Right now he runs a 4-color one and he's also ran 5- and 6-color ones before but never an 8-color. And that is what this job is. We are hoping he gets the chance to take on this job simply for the experience. There aren't many 8-colors in NZ and most people luck into the job because they already work for the company that has one so they just advance someone. Hugh doesn't have that opportunity at his current job to run this press. He knows there are 2/3 other people applying for the job as well. We are just hoping they don't have more experience than Hugh. He called me and I asked if he was nervous about his interview and he said he isn't thinking about it but he is thinking about how he will spend his first paycheck lol. And that's because I told him if he gets the job then his first paycheck can be all his to do with what he wants lol. He's wanting to buy a guitar so I'm hoping he really sells himself in that interview. An hour and seven minutes and counting..............

Acceptance All Around!

2006-09-12T16:05:00.000+12:00

So I got this e-mail today that says................

LAYOUT ACCEPTED

Yes, another one of mine has been accepted for Up2Scrap. I'm rather excited! And this will be a first where I am published along with my wonderful friend, Hannah! Yep, that's right, she has one being published in the same issue! And no, sorry, I can't show you said layout, so keep a look out for the mag! I'm very happy with this layout too.

Hola!

2006-09-10T15:56:00.000+12:00

(Before I start, Ann has sworn me to secrecy where the SE board is concerned but I didn't promise anything about my blog ;) )

Well after much mucking around and a change of dates, we were finally all back on for heading to Hola! on Saturday night with Ann and Mal. Since I had canceled earlier in the week they made plans to have dinner with their neighbor. So in the end it was 6 couples at Hola! It was nice. We had a table inside reserved but it was quite a nice night and they had the burners on outside so we decided to sit out. Besides I wasn't quite sure how rowdy Mal was going to be ;) But it was all good! We placed our orders and had some wonderful conversation. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a looooooooong time! Mal is such a crack up and I completely enjoyed the night. Diane was a wonderful addition too and she just jumped right in without flinching an eye. Trevor didn't say much but he got a lot of ribbing from Mal. He is just so funny and made the night, really. I wasn't too sure how the conversation would flow or if we would have some dull moments but we didn't. There wasn't one dull moment! And after 5 strawberry margaritas I was getting that 'alcohol headache' that ya get when you aren't used to drinking lol. But it was all good. Things are a bit fuzzy today but not too bad. And the food was awesome! Wee Ann couldn't handle the minimum amount of spice on hers and I think at one point she was nearly choking lol. OH and you all should see the sombrero that she got because it was her birthday lol. That was definitely worth the pic that Diane took that I wish I could get from her to show everyone! So we rolled in about 11:30. So it was a good night and they basically kicked us out but they had to be happy that we sat outside ;)

(See, Ann, that wasn't so bad.)

First Weigh In

2006-09-06T14:11:00.000+12:00

Well today was one of my follow-up appointments with my weight nurse. This if the first time I have weighed since I started. I did fine with cutting my portions but still had a bit of trouble cutting some things out. But even so I did cut the quantity at which I ate them. I also only managed to get 3 days of exercise in (period and being sick hindered that). So with all of that, when she weighed me I lost 2kg (4.4lb)!!! And my goal was only 1kg a month with losing 5kg by January. She is being pretty lenient with me as well. There are many other things we can cut but we are taking this slow which I am more than happy about. So two weeks again until my next weight in. Crossing fingers I have a good 2 weeks!

Father's Day

2006-09-03T23:20:00.000+12:00

These things always seem to sneak up on me lol. Yesterday the girls and I went out and got Hugh some new tees only a man could love lol. I told Kamryn she could make him a card. Once we were home and Lauryn was in bed she immediately remembered about the card. I wrote 'Happy Father's Day, Daddy' on it and she drew herself on the front and drew her and daddy on the inside kicking a soccer ball. Pretty cool for my sweetie girl. Then we made a dessert with sponge fingers, mandarins and custard (good fun for kids her age!). Once Lauryn was up, she went and hid her card in one of the drawers in her bed. Then later when Lauryn was down for the night, we wrapped up daddy's t-shirts. She said she wanted to hide it. So she hid it under her table. Not sure why she thought that was a good place but it was fine with me.

And the on to the big day, today! I got up with the girls and figured I would let Hugh sleep. Kamryn and Lauryn were content playing and Kamryn let me know that they would tell me when they were ready for breakfast lol. Well it wasn't long and Kamryn said she wanted to give daddy is present. So I reminded her to get her card and to go and say 'happy father's day, daddy' and she did! Hugh loved his card and got a bit teary over it. It's really really nice seeing Kamryn free-draw now. It's amazing really. After that it was eggs for the girls and omelettes for us. Yum!

And I have to say that Hugh has done a complete 360 from Wednesday night. (those that I have talked to know what I am talking about) He was helping with everything today and even helped me clean the outside windows (it was a gorgeous day!). It was just a really nice relaxing day at home with no rushing around or needing to be anywhere. Just perfect.

So My Brother's Getting Married.......

2006-09-03T12:29:00.000+12:00

Can anyone guess when they are getting married????

Mom called me last week and told me that Shaun was getting married. Ok, figured it would happen eventually. Well then mom says they are getting married in May! What?!?!? I will be there in October next year and they can't wait 5 months? Mom just gives her speech of 'it's their wedding you can't say much'. Now I realize this but come on. Five months??! It's not like I was asking them to postpone it for 2 years lol. Obviously it's not important to him to have me there. I haven't posted on my blog cause I wasn't real sure the date was set.

I talked to mom again today and she said it was most definitely going to be in May. Because they are going to try for a baby in like Feb/Mar and didn't want to wait until late in the pregnancy to get married. Whatever. She may not get pregnant right away anyway. And they are having a small wedding so what does it matter if she is 9 months pregnant lol. This will be her second marriage and she already has a 5 year old daughter. I think they have known each other quite a long time but they've only been together like 2 years, I believe. So I appears that we will miss the wedding and will also miss the last opportunity for my girls to ever be in a wedding as well. Like I said, obviously we aren't important enough.

7 Pieces of Patter Paper - OH MY!

2006-09-02T16:02:00.000+12:00

Well the NZ Dare Blog is at it again! This time the challenge is to use 7 pieces of pattern paper on one layout. When I read that, I thought "oh that shouldn't be too difficult". But I was wrong. Way wrong! I couldn't get my head around how to even get started. I knew the pictures I wanted to use so I hunted for the papers. I initially took a piece of white card and started to cover it with blocks of patterned paper lol. What a dork! I just couldn't figure out how to do this. So I finally decided on strips. I decided to show the white card (something I don't think I've ever done) and also thought I would dig out my deco scissors. Also I grabbed my Making Memories ledger paper and had Kamryn write her name. (She's getting very good at this and fast!) And this is the end result. One I am quite happy with and even happier that it these pictures were HUGELY important to me and I'm glad they are scrapped!

Kintaro Walks Japan

2006-08-30T15:17:00.000+12:00

I love the Amazing Race! I try to watch every time it's on. This season was great! As it finished with BJ and Tyler as the winners, I wondered a bit more about these hippies. I did a search on google and found some obscene pics of them with the Frat Boys which I'm sure were all in fun. But I digress! After a little more searching, I came across Tyler's girlfriend's blog and his website and myspace. I was interested to read that Tyler did a doco in Japan on a walk he did from the southern tip of Japan to the northern tip of Japan on a search for his father's birthplace. I watched the movie in it's entirety here. It was fabulous! Japan looked so beautiful! Japan isn't on my top list of places to visit but after seeing the doco I am more intrigued. People seemed extra friendly and I loved the sights. I have a cousin stationed in Japan and it would be nice to go and see him. Tyler and BJ had the most wonderful personalities of anyone on the Amazing Race this season. I loved their overall attitudes about life. I'm thinking of becoming a hippy ;) Can ya all see that???? These are guys I would LOVE to hang out with. Such a good time! This is how I imagined Hugh to be before I met him and while he was living in Germany. He tells me this is wrong lol. Oh well, a girl can dream. Have a watch of the movie and let me know what you think. There needs to be more people like these two in the world, especially here in New Zealand. I feel this country could use a bit more 'fun' in it!

Birthday Calculator

2006-08-28T15:55:00.000+12:00

My FIL, Nick, sent me this link for the Birthday Calculator. It's pretty cool! Definitely scrapbook worthy! One thing I found funny was that my girls were born on the same day there were conceived! That's pretty freaky! Obviously the conception date can be out for various reasons yet I still thought it odd. And my Chinese year is wrong. It said I was a snake but after looking it appears I am a horse just like I thought all along. Hugh and Lauryn are monkeys and Kamryn and I are horses. Also at the bottom of the page there is a place to click to find out what your name name says about you. All very cool info. I'm even thinking about making a small cd for the girls with the top songs of their year. Check it out and let me know what you think ;)

Butterfly Creek

2006-08-27T22:48:00.000+12:00

Obviously I have been living under a rock! Having young kids, I am always keen to do things with them that we wouldn't normally do. But I have to admit that I find it hard to 'know' things to do. Or I don't know of things. And that aggrevates me more. Cause really, how many times can ya go to Auckland zoo??? Ok, for kids probably many, but I would also like to take them to see other things and enjoy other experiences.

Well looking at blogs last night, I came across Lesley's. In her blog was a stunning photo for a blue butterfly on her sons arm. Her blog mentioned that she took her kids to Butterfly Creek. I wasn't sure where Lesley lived only that she lived in New Zealand and she didn't mention where it was in NZ. So I figured, like most things, it was on the South Island somewhere. Well how happy was I to get a message on my blog saying that Butterfly Creek is by Auckland Airport!!!! HOW COOL!!! This is something Kamryn will thoroughly enjoy. And the fact that just maybe a butterfly will come and land on her as her all ready to go and see them. I'm even just as excited. So we are planning to go in 3 weeks time. We are hoping the in-laws can meet us there as we are sure they will enjoy it as well. So check out the website and if you can think of other things this small family could enjoy with their 4 and nearly 2 year old daughters, then please let me know! I don't have many ideas ;)

Weighty Issues

2006-08-24T14:23:00.000+12:00

So I've taken the step towards losing weight by changing doctors and working on a weight program through the practice. This hasn't been an easy decision for me. Since being diagnosed with my thyroid condition in 2003, my weight has just sky-rocketed. But all my old doctor could tell me was 'it's not your thyroid, eat less and exercise more'. Whatever. I would do that with little to no effect in losing weight. I felt this was it. This is my life. I sensibly know that I can't have another baby being the weight I am. I don't want to get pregnant at this weight. So after talking with the doctor that Hugh and the girls see, I realized I needed a change. I now see Dr. Hall along with the rest of my family. He filled me in on a few things. He let me know that my thyroid isn't the problem. He did let me know that my metobolism is such that it makes it near impossible to lose weight and that anything that causes me to gain (ie: pregnancy) is likely to stay on. Which is true. After both of my pregnancies, I never lost the weight I gained. So I couldn't handle another one now knowing this info. He did mention that some people just can't lose weight and I could be one of those but he would certainly do what he could to help me. And as a medical professional it was his job to try. Those were words I had been waiting to hear for nearly 3 years. No one has wanted to help. No referrals or programs. I literally felt stuck and that always leads to eating more. So the options available to me are an in-house program they do or a dietician. I'm starting with the in-house one and seeing if we can pin point where my problems lay.

For a week I had to write down what I eat. Well, me being me, I felt like it was my last supper of good things lol so I binged. Then yesterday was my appointment with the nurse. Obviously she knew and I knew that the sweets/candy/chocolate had to go. I wasn't silly, I knew it would. Overall she was pretty happy with what I had eaten. So for the next two weeks I have to work on cutting portions and no junk. And she isn't making me cut breads just yet. YIPPEE! So I'm up for the challenge. She was also happy that I was exercising. Which I have for about 6 or more weeks now. We are being reasonable with this program. I am ultra stoked I am getting proper help now and that someone can work with me on this. And I know it's a long trek, I'm not silly. So we have set my goal at 1kg a month. Which is comfortable for me. Of course I would like to lose a bit more than that per month but I would rather lose more than my goal than be under my goal. And I've been so disappointed in the past about things not moving that I didn't want to put false expectations on myself. Dr. Hall told me it would take 2 years to lose the weight. I figured as much. That is why I said I want to get pregnant again in 2 years. And no I won't be stating my weight here but when I start losing the weight I'll be posting how much I lose so I'm sure ya all can add that up ;)

Oh Things!

2006-08-23T15:37:00.000+12:00

So here's a new layout. I haven't done much in probably nearly 3 months but I'm hoping to change that. I've signed on for some challenges and a circle journal so I'm hoping things get better for me. Here's a link to my online gallery too if anyone is interest ------> C's gallery.

I often get these great pics of the kids that I never know what to do with. Looking through a mag, the other night I saw some pages with conversations and things kids have said. I've never done something like this. I record them because I do want to scrapbook them but sometimes I forget it's there and get caught up in the 'oh how sweet my daughter is' philosophy on my pages. So I worked on this yesterday and finished it last night. Everything on the page was written one time or another in my blog. So it's great having that as a reference. I even came across some of Lauryn's baby babble that I want to do and some conversations Kamryn has had. So now it's good to know I can scrapbook these photos like this without having to come up with some enlightening sentiment to go along with them. OH, I made the paint chips but how cool would it be to be able to get 'cheeky', 'princess', 'one-of-a-kind' and 'beautiful' in paint colors???

Guilty Pleasure

2006-08-20T13:03:00.000+12:00

There's this blog called No8 Wired - NZ Dare Blog where they put up a new dare every other week (was once a week). I've looked at the layouts that have been put up and thought it would be nice to participate but with Hugh working 52 hours a week or more, I just don't get the time to finish them as the deadline is on a Wednesday with the new dare being announced on a Friday. But the last dare was posted with a two week deadline which has made it easier for me to complete it. So here is my 'Guilty Pleasure' layout! I had fun doing this even though it was a 'bit' hard confessing a few things ;)

PS: There is HEAPS of journaling! My guilty pleasure is kids clothing lol. I love shopping for my girls and I've admitted a few secrets that I don't know that some people even know lol. So I'm not going to post the journaling here, sorry.

So Who Got One???

2006-08-17T22:58:00.000+12:00

The all elusive NZ 2004 five cent piece??? Wow, can you believe all the hype for one little 5 cent coin??? Well I don't have one. Kinda pissed. I had one in my possession and walked out of the house a couple of weeks back and spent it. Not on purpose, just forgot I set them aside for a reason. I wanted one for Kamryn's birth year (2002) and one for Lauryn's birth year (2004). Well I have Kamryn's but not Lauryn's. Looked on TradeMe. HA!!! It's over $50 for that wee little 5 cent coin! We called a coin collectors and we can get the entire 2004 coin set for $155! Seems better than paying $75 for one coin lol. So I have a few people on the hunt but have a feeling anyone that finds one will be hording it for themselves.

Hush Your Mouth!

2006-08-17T22:49:00.000+12:00

Well Miss Rachel had to mention the fact that bad things happen in threes lol. So first it was the repairs to our car and then our washer dying. Now it appears we owe the electric company $400! We got a bill in the mail yesterday that said we were in credit to them for like $1000. Hugh was like sweet, we don't need to call them they'll sort it out. Today we got a bill saying we owed them $500 and something. After one very loooooooooooong phone call, it seems that someone came out and replaced our meter back in January :O What the heck!!! So for months they've been estimating our account due to the last meter number only to have a man come out here last week and realize the the numbers don't match. So we have under paid them. Great! We never authorized a meter change nor could we since we rent. So right away we got pissy with the landlords wondering why they never notified us of a meter change. After talking to the landlords they said they never authorized such a thing either. So now we are stumped as to why the meter was changed. At any rate we owe them $400 for under paying them for 7 months. Just lovely! Not only that, after talking to the landlord tonight Hugh found out that if we don't sign another 1 year lease then our rent goes up $30 a week!!!!!!!! What the hell! So right now we are unsure on what we are doing.

Living at the Doctor's

2006-08-15T11:39:00.000+12:00

Wow, I feel like Hannah did just before she left for Canada!!!

Tuesday - Kamryn missed kindy because she had a cough and had thrown up that morning. Figured it wasn't anything major.
Wednesday - Took her in to the doctor because she was snotty, coughing and had stuff coming out of her eyes. He said it was viral but if her condition worsened to bring her back. The stuff coming out of her eyes was just the cold because it wasn't coming out her nosy real easily and it didn't have anywhere else to go. And kids this age don't spit it out, YUCK!
Friday - I had an appointment with him. I switched doctors and had a few things to talk to him about plus needed my thyroxine refilled.
Saturday - Kamryn's eyes seemed to be getting worse so off to the doctors again. Now she has an ear infection. And antibiotics are prescribed! Yippee! She is totally different the next day.
Sunday - Lauryn wakes up around midnight crying. Go in to calm her. Seems ok. Wakes a few minutes later and throws up everywhere!!! After a bath and another bottle, she's down.
Monday - Kamryn is fine for kindy but Lauryn has the thickest and greenest snot I've ever seen coming out her nose. Off to the doctor again. I figure it is another ear infection hence the snot, the vomiting the night before, and she's been waking at night for the last 5 nights. Doctor confirms. No playing around this time. She prescribes the same antibiotic that cured her last one.
Tuesday - Lauryn still has thick green snot coming out but she slept through the night. Let's hope it doesn't take too long to go away.

So yes, I am over sick kids! More than over it. To top everything off I've got a bit of a sore throat, waking each morning hacking away! So I've not felt the best either. And I have been feeling like we live at the doctor's office. It's just a good thing that the girls visits are free and so are the prescriptions.

When It Rains.........

2006-08-13T22:43:00.000+12:00

It never fails! I have a HUGE trip coming up next year. Ok, admittedly not until October 2007 but we still need all those months to get the money together for me to go. And what happens that always happens???? Our car went in for a oil change and check to other various parts that help make a car run lol ;) and then were told we needed $500 worth of repairs. Lovely! After a few phone calls Hugh found he could get it all done at two different places and save us $100. Plus he got to drive a flash 2006 Tiida last week which was ultra awesome! We *almost* pushed for more repair work just to drive this thing around lol. Then Saturday, the washing machine died! Of course it dies on the day that EVERY item of clothing in Kamryn's dresser is dirty lol. Luckily we bought a new one the very day it died on TradeMe (only used 10 times) for $320. Called around and a brand new one was going to run us $600 anyway. Well we don't have a van or truck to get this washer. Hugh called a 'friend' who said they don't lend their vehicles. Fair enough but whatever! So Hugh asks if he would help him go and pick it up and he said no they had church. Again fine but he didn't volunteer to help him later either. Pisses me off that people are like this. Can't help a friend but I'm sure if the church called and needed it then it would be ok. So I no longer consider this person a friend. It's not like we were going hotrodding in his van, we are a family who needs a washer. Just aggrevates me that people are like this. Can't help because it doesn't benefit them in some way! So Hugh will hopefully get the work van tomorrow (Monday) and pick the washer up late for me to use on Tuesday. Nothing like 4 days of laundry piled up. And that's 'if' he can get the van. So the money has been going out just as fast as it's coming in. But we are just happy it's happening now when there is the extra money instead of when we don't have it.

Oh Wow!

2006-08-09T14:42:00.000+12:00

So once again I had my heart break in a thousand pieces today. When you are a mother, this seems to happy probably more frequently than you like. But last week I decided on spur of the moment that I was going to put Lauryn in daycare this week.

Here's a bit of side info that is kinda pertinent to the situation:
Kamryn started kindy on the 17th of July. She goes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. We were keeping Kamryn still in daycare one day a week (full day on Friday) until she was adjusted to kindy. We just wanted something to still be familiar without dropping her in the deep end. Last week I went to drop Kamryn off and noticed there was maybe 10 kids. They can have up to 20. Now this particular daycare has kids from newborn to 4 (generally) all in one area. Which is fine with me and I think it has helped Kamryn learn to react and play well with kids of all ages. But when I walked in last week to drop her off I noticed that there was only one girl around her age and she is 3. So not even real closely in age. That sealed it for me. I didn't see any more reason to leave her there. She jumped right in with kindy and hasn't looked back so it was time for daycare to come to a halt. But instead of just taking Kamryn out, I wanted to put Lauryn in but two mornings a week. After looking at the schedule they said it was fine and she started today. Now that everyone is caught up lol I'll get on with today!

I have thought about Lauryn attending daycare. Sure Hugh and I have gone over it again and again and again but I don't think I ever really thought it would happen. So once everything was confirmed, I just left it. I didn't overthink it, I didn't get upset, I didn't contemplate withdrawing her. Then the day came, today. MAN! I rushed around getting everyone ready this morning and out the door. I showed up at daycare and left Kamryn in the car and got out Lauryn. Once inside two staff members greeted us reassuring me that she would be fine. I didn't think she would be but was struggling to let go myself. As I stood there I could feel Lauryn shying into me. As I was confirming my mobile number with them, Cheryl took her too to do an activity. No screaming or crying. As I go to leave, I give her a hug, kiss and say goodbye and still no reaction. As I am leaving I just start crying. Ange says 'she'll be fine, Christi'. I know this but it doesn't stop my heart breaking in a million pieces.

When I get to the car, I just let it loose. Kamryn says 'why are you crying, mommy? cause you will miss Lauryn?' And I said 'yes, I will miss Lauryn'. Then she said 'but she will have fun, mommy!'. This coming from the wee girl who has been to the same place so I knew Kamryn was right but it still hurt. I know this is something that will help her to grow as a child. She doesn't have much interaction with kids her age nor other adults. It's just us. And being the outgoing child she is, I figured she would jump in. I think my problem is that she is our youngest, my baby. She's no longer under my wing as such and is now going to be influenced by a great number of people not just her mommy. When I went to pick her up, they were outside playing. She isn't used to some of the equipment there so I stood and watched without her knowing I was there. She climbed around with ease and made little cheerful noises as she did so. Man, I bawled again!!!! This time seeing her in a new light. Seeing her as Lauryn, the little confident girl that is ok without mommy and can have fun all her own without her big sister. She is growing up. No matter how much I want her to stay my baby, I know she can't. And that hurts. As I walked through the gate, she didn't see me. When she did she came over to me and gave me a hug and kiss and I said 'did you have fun?' and she said 'have fun' and then wanted down.

This is hard. What an emotional rollercoaster. I was reassured she was fine and there weren't any worries. She happily played and chatted away. Never cried or whinged. And cow and blanket sat peacefully on a foam chair inside where she put them. And as I picked her up to go, she threw a fit and arched her back not wanting to go. So obviously she likes it ;)