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September 30 How the other half live....There's a lady at dancing whose children play with Ceilidh and Connor. They are a very nice family.
Every week, when I am heating up the kids 'gruel' for tea. Her children are eating lovely chinese, or italian or thai from a local restuarant. The kids also do all the dancing, singing lessons, music lesson, kumon and go to a private school - so I certainly knew they weren't short on cash.
Today at dancing the mother was working on her laptop. one of the other mothers were asking what she was up to and she said 'watching shares'. She then explained that she had bought some shares at 9am that morning and at this moment (around 12ish) they were up $600. She said she wasn't going to sell them until they were up $1500.
I said (jokingly) 'oh, wouldn't that be good - that would be the kids dancing fees for the term'. She laughed and said 'Oh yeah, I guess you could look at it that way. I actually see it as my pocket money'
(WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
I laughed (inside I was crying!) and said (very casually) 'so how much did you outlay this morning?' 'Oh, not much' she said '$2600'
(2nd WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
'Ah-hah' I said and I went back to reading my book and inwardly crying!!!!
September 29 Young Young YoungWhat a weekend we had! Friday at 10 we left for Young. It was a nice easy drive of just over 3 hours.
We stopped at Harden for lunch and found a HUGE 2nd hand bookshop. OH MY!!
We went to the motel & unfortunately the pool wasn't swimable :( so the kids just watched tv & played. Then dad & I left to go to the hall to set up for the competition. It was a pretty big job & we weren't back until almost 11pm. The kids we all asleep - which was nice- thanks mum!
The next morning we were there ready to go. I was mentally, physically & emotionally exhausted by the end of the day!!! It was huuuuuge! Darcy did her pdbs (see utube below) and her unicorn contemporary! Connor did his dances & contemporary & did well & cj had her first ever intmediate competition. I was so very proud of her! No mistakes at all on saturday & such a hard section! She didn't ger anything in her dances, but she got 3rd in her contemporary!
Darcys pdbs were soooooo beautiful! What a clevergirl she was! Knees to the front but perfect timing & she concentrated soooo hard!
So saturday was over. Went back to the motel. Again mum & dad had kids & I went out to dinner with the judges ( as it was the SDAA competition). That was fun too.
Then sunday dawned. Back to the comp for the 2nd day. Kids were split up. Cj down stairs, the other two upstairs.
Ceilidh got 6th in the intermediate title!!! She was so excited!! I was so shocked! Plus she won the intermediate encouragement award! Con won 2 of his dances & got 4th in fling ( I would have not placed him,he made a mistake) and 2nd in the pdbs. Comp finished at 2.3- but prize presentation did finish until after 4pm!!
We headed for home, arriving just a little late for the finale of Dr Who. However daddy was taping it, so Con was happy!!
They were so exhausted from weekend that con didn't wake Monday morn until 9am! And I had to wake Ceilidh at 10.15 as we had to leave for ballet!
September 28 I love the ballet...Last Thursday was 'sit-in' day at ballet for the younger two. Miss Dianna has that ballet class now and she is doing the concert dances with them.
The Pre-Primaries (Dee's class) are doing a song called 'I love the Ballet' from Banana's in Pyjama's. It is SOOOOO cute!!! The Primaries are doing a Demi from Pinnochio - 'Ive got no strings' and guess who is Pinnochio...... YEP! Boyo!! Peta or I did that same song when we were about 6!!
I knew he was, i didnt realise the extent of his part until I saw it on 'sit in'. Oh my we have to learn the words - he is the star!!! lol! Here is a photo of Dee with two of her ballet besties (her other one is in the Primary class with Con). Darcy's 3 ballet besties are all the teachers daughters!!!! LOL! We have Elle in the trackies, who is 2 days younger than Dee. We have Nala on the other side - she is Mr Grant's daughter (and Lisa's! lol) Missing from the picture is the beautiful Emi, Miss Jenny's 5 year old. Nala, who is taller than Dee is not 4 until January!!!
September 27 YoungThis weekend I am in Young with the kids & mum & dad. The champi0nship I run has been m0ved here this weekend,just 4 this year. Thank g0odness 2day is over! Im exhausted! What a day! We have the l0cal c0mp 2mrw, which w0nt b as stressful 4me as Im just helping out. Here r my 3 in their outfits! Darcy is pegasus if u were w0ndering! September 26 Hats and Gloves...Well we all know that a 'proper lady' has hats and gloves when they go out!!
Yesterday we went up to a shop near Smithfield. It is a big warehouse that buys out lots of other shops that have closed down.
It's called 'The Big Shed' and the things the bloke has there are weird and wonderful. I went up for 8 Primary prizes and $160 later I left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bought quite a few xmas presents, I bought a zillion pairs of awesome school socks for Connor -will last him to higschool. I bought $10 worth of white socks for Mum to sell on he dancing stall. I got Connor the most beautiful 'baggy green cap' for him to wear tos school next term, a gorgeous woven panama for Ceilidh and a beautiful boater hat for Darcy.
Plus these very cute gloves to put away for school next year.
Well I got home and I went to show Mum and Dad, before I knew it Dee had put on the hat and gloves and thought she was just delightful! She wouldn't take them off all afternoon, in fact the hat came to ballet with us too!
September 25 Poked and Plucked and Pruned....For the last 6 weeks I have tried - without success, to get my eyebrows done. Ive tried to find 5mins when at the shops but I would either have the kids with me, no 5mins or the shop would say 'yes come back at 2pm' and that just wasn't an option.
Then, on Monday when at my Yummy Mummy Y-Weight Class we were talking about having time for 'us' and it not always being about the kids. At that point, I noticed on the counter a beauty brochure for a place in Rosemeadow. And they did eyebrows for $5 and 1hr facials for $25!! I decided that for $30 I would find an hour this week and get it done!!
I also need to get my hair cut this week as my hairdresser is due to have a baby in 3weeks time. I go to her house to get it done, so it's much cheaper than a salon.
So - yesterday I spent $55 and for that $55 I got a facial, a haircut and my eyebrows done!! Pretty good hey!! Plus, my face doesn't feel quite as droopy today! LOL September 24 Food for thought - or should I say 'Food for Prayer'I stopped into Macca's for a coffee on my way to my Judges meeting on Sunday.
It was pretty busy and I was chatting to the man behind the counter about it.
He said that atm Macca's is quiet during the day - but once it hits 6pm - OMG - it is absolutely HUGE - queues out the door - BECAUSE OF RAMADAN!!!! Amazing that that has to go into their rostering plans hey!! I guess around Merrylands that makes sense - it would be similar for all of the West I suppose. September 23 I love it when....You see something in a movie that is EXACTLY what you pictured in your head when you read it in the book.
Usually, like most avid bibliophiles when I see a movie version of a book I am always (at least) a little disapointed, at least at first....
Yes I love the P&P mini-series and OF COURSE i love Colin and the whole Mr Darcy experience, but there are parts that JUST AREN"T RIGHT... The same with Harry Potter, although I am less disapointed with that now as we have seen the movies so much that when you re-read the book now you tend to have the movie in mind and it warps to that rather than the opposite.
This is one reason I am glad that my beloved FRANCIS books aren't movies. As much as I WOULD LOVE to see FCoL on the screen, I enjoy much more my 'mind movies' when I am reading the books,or listening to my audio tapes. Now - in December the TWILIGHT MOVIE comes out!! (I hear yay-ing from Tabitha & Brissemum right at this moment! LOL!)I just went and checked out the official site, then went and did some trolling to see what else I'd seen Robert Pattinson in - he was Cedric in HP. This led to that led to this and I saw the '2nd official trailer' for Twilight. In it is the section where Bella almost gets hit by the sliding car. I LOVED watching it. It was just JUST as I saw it in my mind (cept that I believe the car ended up more on Edward than it seems to in the trailer) and the LOOK that he gives her at the end. Im just imagine him thinking 'oohhhh she smells SOOOO good - I need to bite her!!!!!' I know there will be bits that Im not happy with - thats only natural as it's someone elses interpretation. Just hope there aren't too many bits...
September 22 Why wont they sleep in when they can!!!!???Every day for school it is a trial getting the kids up....
Saturday's for dancing - the same deal.
There were no plans for early Sunday morning soooooo I let the kids stay up until close to 10pm Saturday night watching their channel on TV. I read until after midnight and expected to be able to sleep in until about 8.30, then get up, have a leisurly breakfast, quick shower and get over to my meeting. HAH!
I woke up at 6.45 because I could hear voices in the distance - mens voices... I got up - CON WAS UP WATCHING TV!!!!!!!!!!! I said 'GO BACK TO BED!!!' He said 'Nahh - Im not tired!!' So I went back to bed, but couldnt get into a proper sleep. Lucky, cause by 7.30 they were ALL UP!!
WHAT THE!!!!!!!
If they would get up of their own accord by 7.45 on school days I WOULD LOVE THAT!!!! Instead of my screaming at them and shaking them 10 times! :p IT's now 8.15am on Monday morning. Their school clothes are laid out, their brekkie is made - i NOW have to go and wake them up *sigh* LUcky schoool is 2 mins away! September 21 My Little Artists!Casey and Danman have moved into the flat downstairs that belonged to Dan's Grandfather,Oscar.
They were really only just getting settled into it before they came over for their holiday. Casey had said to me how she wanted some artwork from the children for the walls. We had 10weeks to do it........... On the day Casey left (Tuesday) I raced home from work, via Kmart, bought 2 (wanted 3 but they had run out) canvas' and some brushes. CJ had rung me when she got home so I had her finding the paints and setting up on the front verandah.
They had a lovely time (and it made me feel guilty for not letting them paint more often) Here are the pieces they presented to Case at the airport (that she had to try and fit into her already overweight luggage!)
We hope they go with your rooms Case and Dan!!! xo
September 20 Weather Kids!!On Friday we had to get up at FIVE AM in the morning!! ARGGHH!
It was because we were to be on the Today Show's live weather cross. It was part of the Children's Festival at Bankstown, and the kids were very excited about it. Problem being that we had to be there at 6.30!! My 3 were actually really good and happy to get up - surprisingly!!
Leanne's Noah wasn't happy about it though :( Glad he did - he got the most air time!! :)
Now, this video is actually from my phone, off the tv - so I apologise for the poor quality! It's the best I can do atm!
September 19 You Can't Take My Mum Anywhere! :)Yesterday Mum, Darcy and I went up to school to watch Ceilidh in the Stage 2 Oracy Competition.
Ceilidh and her class mate had been chosen to represent their class in the Stage 2 (years 3 and 4) section.
There were about 12 kids that did speeches.
They had to recite their prepared speech and then they had to do a 1 minute impromptu speech.
Ceilidh's prepared speech was on 'My Aunty Casey'.
She was lucky, her teacher is mad about speeches and had done lots of work with Ceilidh on it. Plus we had practised at home (but of course, Mummy knows nothing - we fought constantly when I gave her suggestions!!)
She did it very very very well. I was so proud of her. She spoke slowly and clearly, and with expression, and hardly used her notes. I had walked over to video it (see below! - sorry if you can't hear her properly, my camera is stuffed, I had to use my phone).
When I got back to our seats Mum was SOBBING. The lady and man next to mum were looking at her strangely and I had to lean over and say 'Casey left 2 days ago - so it's all a bit emotional at the moment!' THey nodded their heads in understanding! lol Ceilidh's impromptu speech was on 'Friends'. She did a good job. A bit short and a bit flustered but not too bad really.
Well.... she got THIRD!!!!!! She was so thrilled!! I am so thrilled!!!! The girls that got 1st and 2nd were AMAZING and we knew they would get that. So Third was like FIRST in my eyes!! She now goes on to Zone!!!!!! LOTS OF PRACTISE ON OUR IMPROMPTUS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN! So if you see CJ anywhere give her a topic and make her speak on it for 1 minute please!!!! :) September 18 The Price Of Cheese!I did my fortnightly/trinightly shop yesterday.
Since the last time I did it - prices have gone up....
I went to buy those 'Le Snacks' for the kids. I never buy the 'real' brand. I always buy the generic. they used to cost around $2.99. Yesterday in Franklins they wanted $4.50 for them - OMG! I freaked. And guess what, we didnt get them!!
I was over getting milk and margarine. I like to buy the light milk and margarine and at Aldi they are the same price as the full cream ones. But at COles, Franklins and Woolies it costs more to buy light - HOW STUPID! So, I was just getting normal margarine when I noticed that there was one that was half price - because it was almost out of date. I bought 10 of them and have frozen 8!!
The lady who was packing the shelves was chatting to me about how things have gone up so much recently. She said that she was unpacking blocks of cheese the other week and they were $4.50 and this week they are over $7!!
And then, when I was at the register there was an elderly man in front of me. And it was obvious, looking at his shopping that it was his regular items for the week or fornight. He had in his hand a $50 note. When it was all done the order came to $57. He looked at the register, looked down at his bags and back at the amount. You could see his brain ticking over 'but I didnt buy anything different than I usually do' and yet - his order was up by over $7.
It is a BIG worry. September 17 What's with this weather?Monday was HOT! It was 28 degrees! Summer uniforms, coming home sweaty.
Tuesday was cool and very very blowy, jumpers for school Wednesday is bloody freezing and the kids are wearing their parkas to school again & long pants! September 16 Bye Bye Casey.........Today Casey leaves to go back to Germany. Im actually writing this Monday and Im getting all teary writing it. It has been phenomenally wonderful to have her home, even for a short time. We love you so much Casey and it will be hard when you are gone again.
So I am going to try and make this blog a happy one (seeings as I have tears streaming down my face whilst I write this.) She leaves at9pm tonight, so we still have this arvo with her (I am going to work and the kids are going to school, she still has goodbyes and last minute things to do, so we can see her from 3pm onwards.)
Here are some beautiful shots of the kids & the family & me with Casey whilst she was here. You can click on each photo to see a bigger version of it.
SEE YOU HERE AGAIN IN FIVE YEARS TIME CASEY!! MAYBE YOU WILL LOOK 20 BY THEN!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxox September 15 perth!I have just gotten home (about 2 hours ago) from Perth.
It was a lovely weekend. I really had a wonderful time examining and judging and being treated very special all weeekend.
Plus, I met up with Ali, who now lives over there and LOVES IT! I think she is a Perth girl for sure!!
Friday I arrived at 9.20am and started examining at 11.30. That finished around 6pm and we went back to where I was staying (Subiaco) with a family friend of the DanceTeacher. We had a lovely yummy dinner, 3 glasses of red wine & a sticky (Which I learnt was the term for dessert wine!) and collapsed into bed.
I slept in until 8am and then got up and had a yummy breakie and chat before I was picked up to go to the competit and judge. Started at 10 and finished that by 3. Went back to Laura (the teacher's) house for the arvo and we watched 'The Seeker - Dark is Rising' which was good to see as Im mad fan of the books and I have wanted to see the movie but was told how shocking it was. It wasn't too bad - as long as you didnt expect it to be LIKE the book!LOL
Then we went out for dinner with the families from her dancing studio at a pub in the city. That was YUMMY! I had fall off the bone lamb shanks!! YUMMO!!
Got back to Suby and to bed and read for 2 hours, got up at NINE AM this morning and then went and met Jacquie and her girls, and Alison at C15, a cafe. Had the most dDELISH pancakes for brunch! Then Jacquie took me to the airport. OH - Got to see "Get Smart" on the way home - it was good. I liked it! No way would I have gone to see it at the movies, so it was good to watch it on the plane!
All in all a really great weekend!!!
Im off to Queensland in a month. Im looking forward to it, but I know it won't be a relaxing one like Perth was! September 14 D's CardSeptember 13 movies on the plane!Well, i had go0d intenti0ns of sleeping on the 5hr flight 2 Perth. Alas that was n0t 2b. The m0vies came on... First was the new Indiana Jones movie. Oh w0w! I loved it! Ive always been mad on the Indy movies & c0uldnt believe I'd missed it at the cinemas. It ties up l0ts of things fr0m the 1st movie through. Marian is in it! Plus the same puns & jokes that have made us laugh & gr0an 4the last 20years! If u r an Indy fan, go c it! After it was over I th0ught Id read my book. But an0ther m0vie started. Jackie Chans 'Forbidden Kingdom'. Now Im n0t mad on Jackie Chan movies but theyre nae bad & always clever. This one was no excepti0n. Having seen Mummy 3 at the movies Wednesday, lots of the imm0rtal magical chinese bits were the same. Plus it was parodying 'Monkey' lots (so Mark will enj0y that) & l0ts of Kung Fu Panda ( so Con will enj0y that! So will Sam, but n0t if its M rated!) We also watched a special preview & interview of Australia. Casey will be jealous of that ( & I enj0yed the Hughy perve!) Dunno what we will get on the way h0me. The b0ok was t0tally wr0ng 4 this trip. Maybe I can read my b0ok & listen 2my mp3! Then again, maybe it will be MammaMia & i can scare the plane with my singing! Wo0ho0! September 12 Festival DanceLast night and the night before we had no racing off to RG straight from school. The children came home from school. Played with the neighbours, watched tv, had dinner up at the kitchen bench!! SHOCK HORROR! we were like a normal family!!
The reason for this was that both kids are in the school dance troupe and it was the Liverpool Area Performing Arts Festival. So, they had to be over there at 6.15 on Wedn and Thur night (after being there all day Tues for a dress rehearsal and all day Wedn for a mattinee perfomance).
Mum, Dad and Case went on Wedn night. Mark, Dee and I went last night.
I was actually pretty good. I was expecting shite - and I was pleasantly surprised!!
The kids dance was great. Not the best on the night, but definitely up there! They had a lovely time and were all chatty and happy before and after the shows!! I dont have ANY photos because we didnt get to see them in costume except on the stage and our seats were too far back. Case did take a video - so i might be able to get some stills off that (can I have a copy of the video please case!!)
September 11 Some People......I really hope that if something happened to me, or to my family or to my friends in the street that someone would stop and help...
Today Mum, Dad, Casey, Dee and I had just come out of the movies in Ctown. We were walking back to the car and I glanced across and down the road (about 100m away) . I saw a man fall over and he didnt get back up. I looked and looked and thought 'OMG, that Man is sick' I shouted and the family and dumped my bag (and child) with dad and ran across the traffic to get to this elderly man. Case came running too.
THERE WERE CARS NEXT TO WHERE HE HAD FALLEN OVER. YOU COULD SEE HE WAS TRYING TO MOVE AND HE COULDNT AND THESE PEOPLE SAT IN THEIR CARS AND DROVE OFF............ By the time we raced across a car had stopped and a lady arrived at him the same time we did.
He was ok - it wasn't a heart attack (which was what I thought as we were crossing to him).
We think he tripped and couldnt' get up. His face was pretty beat up, he had smashed it on the footpath. We got him sitting up and had tissues on his face to stem the blood whilst I ran 000. He was pretty disorientated and worried about his two shopping bags, poor man. The ambulance was about 10mins, and they were really lovely.
He was a bit dizzy still and so they put him in the back of the van to treat him and ice him up.
We left with thanks from the ambulance officers and crossed back over to the car.
I shiver when I think that that man is someones grandfather, someones father and NO ONE STOPPED TO HELP HIM when they were RIGHT NEXT TO HIM!
WRONG WRONG WRONG |
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