Flying the Coop!

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!!!

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

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

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

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 ;)

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

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

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!!!

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

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

Struggling

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........

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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.