Reality check

feeds@yuku.com (A and CO) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:32:52 GMT

We go to Woodford the day after tomorrow - 6 nights and 7 days of camping among thousands of people with four children - and I have absolutely nothing organised
I have enough food for a couple of days, so unless by some miracle I manage to do some shopping today (me + shops + pre Christmas crowds + 5 kids = NOT going to happen!) I'll just have to buy food when we get there.
The camper trailer is pretty much ready to go...

Excited - just booked my trip

feeds@yuku.com (xClancyx) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:33:57 GMT

DS and I are off to the USA, Mexico and Canada on 29 January - very exciting! It's taken me ages to make the decision re. dates but it's done now. We'll be away til the end of April, with DS going to school and me doing some research / writing in Canada for about 2 months, after 3 - 4 weeks travel in the States, mostly in the south (where it's warmer, but also where I have a lot of interest). That will include a side trip to Mexico to look at ruins of Mayan and Aztec...

Horror story - feel dreadful

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:45:30 GMT

So I let our budgies out of their cage again a few days ago. And then basically didn't bother putting them back in. It's impossible to catch them when it's light and when it's dark they just flew against the walls until they fell down, so it was quite stressful. They seemed so happy. I decided I'd deal with putting them in the cage when we left on holiday and deal with the training when we got back. They slept on a perch on top of their cage which was on the bookshelves...

Storm warning

feeds@yuku.com (A and CO) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:55:38 GMT

We've had severe storm warnings issued for the past 3 days and each day we've watched the clouds roll right past!!! There's another warning current for this afternoon/evening and it quite eerie here - you can hear the thunder in the distance, see the storm clouds approaching, and there is absolutely no breeze what so ever. I'm really hoping we get a decent down pour this time around. I had to buy water last week - that's NEVER happened before

Oops

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:13:53 GMT

Yesterday I decided to take my dog and my friend's dog for a swim at the lake. My friend's dog - Rufus - is a little Jack Russel cross. So I'm driving down this little road past the lake. Nice weather, all the windows down. Rufus is standing on Ella's car seat looking out of the window as usual.

Suddenly I hear a sound from the back seat. Nothing alarming, just a little scratching noise. Then I check my rear view mirror and see the car behind me brake and pull over....

Party mood

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:05:26 GMT

It's 8am and I should be walking the dog and getting to work. Instead I'm dancing in the loungeroom to party music that people posted to Facebook. Must be the time of year...

Induction

feeds@yuku.com (jeanie34) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:11:24 GMT

Am off to the hospital now, for all the medical crap that goes with induction - not what I had planned in the ideal scenario, but hopefully between now and Christmas there will be a baby report.

Ciao

Personal Video Message from Santa

feeds@yuku.com (LaLa07) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:42:03 GMT

DD was absolutely in awe of the personal video message she received from Santa (even for a little girl is still santaphobic). The look on her face was priceless, and she was nodding back to him and trying to talk to him She even tidied up all her toys after the first viewing *ROFL*

I highly recommend this, if you have a spare couple of minutes (and then don't need your computer for the next half hour as it is watched...

End of term

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:29:10 GMT

The neighbours across the road had a bit of an impromptu end of term party yesterday afternoon. There was them with their 2 boys, the oldest just finished kindy (prep). Then their next door neighbours who have 2 boys at the local primary school and the neighbours from 2 doors down from them, who have a girl who just finished kindy.

Even though Ella didn't go to school-school yet, this week was the last week of preschool and the last week of daycare ever, so it was a huge...

It is the season...

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:06:16 GMT

... to spend. I just bought myself a new tent. Now fingers crossed it will be delivered before Christmas, though it's not vital actually.

And I'm driving to the mall today to get Ella's trampoline. That's over $500 in one day!!! Or about 1/4 of my tax return that I haven't got yet.

PS: It is also the season for behaving like a total DH on the road, it appears. I'm riding my bike to work...

Miserable...

feeds@yuku.com (GollyGosh) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:43:51 GMT

There's been a gastro thing going around dd's school. DD copped it over the weekend, I have it today. I haven't been sick like this in ages and it really sucks. Everything hurts and I feel miserable. Waaah me!

Budgies

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:29:41 GMT

A few days after I got these 2 budgies, I had already started regretting my impulsive purchase. But I tried my best to train them, twice a day, so they would get tame and we could let them fly around the house eventually. Birds in cages make me feel bad. But it's a chore and I sometimes run out of time...

So, I've now handed the responsibility for the budgies over to Ella! She can train them, feed them,...

Trampoline

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:23:16 GMT

I get tempted to buy a trampoline for Ella every year! Now they have one advertised at Toys R Us for $199, down from $460! It looks like it would probably be more sun-resistant than the cheaper ones. And it's an 8ft, which is a good size.

But I've already bought her some presents (Xmas or birthday or both, I still don't know) and I find it too expensive for a gift just from me. And I don't feel like asking her dad to contribute and her grandmother has already bought...

Drumming

feeds@yuku.com (GollyGosh) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:25:27 GMT

Anyone tried african drumming? Maybe at a team building workshop or festival or somethink? I have it in my head that I need to learn this. Is it difficult?

ebay addiction

feeds@yuku.com (A and CO) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:07:13 GMT

My name is Al, and I'm an ebay-holic.
I've bought way too much stuff on ebay the last couple of weeks!!! There was the guitar - which was totally justified as it was a major bargain and it was pick up only and we just so happened to be in the area visiting relatives - I'd go so far as saying it was meant to be!! Then I found a guitar strap for 1c!!! Again - totally...

Things that don't bring on labour

feeds@yuku.com (jeanie34) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:22:33 GMT

(Abridged and cross-posted from my blog)

Today, Nana (my mother), who has been with us for a week to look after 'Salina should I have the unborn whilst school was still in, packed up and took 'Salina out to Granite Glen. She will return when the baby is born.

This means tonight is the first - and possibly the last - child-free...

Hard core

feeds@yuku.com (A and CO) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:46:15 GMT

I bought a guitar yesterday - not because we need another one but because it was easily worth $500 and they were selling it for $50!!! All it needed was a new set of strings, otherwise it's in perfect condition and has a beautiful sound.
And I am *so* hard core, because I played it so much today my fingers started bleeding

Scotty

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:33:17 GMT

How's life treating you? Haven't heard much from you lately.

Gabriela

feeds@yuku.com (jeanie34) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:47:18 GMT

Welcome to TOPF Gabriela - a few of us here with older children - my daughter is 10 and it is an age I am really enjoying.

I am technically not really a solo parent any more, but the girls (and guy) here tolerate me because I have been around a while!!

Surprise party

feeds@yuku.com (Lin) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:49:42 GMT

After I cancelled my birthday party because it stressed me out too much, a friend said we should still have a little bbq at our usual swimming spot on the day I'd originally planned the party for.

She picked me up yesterday afternoon and drove me out to the lake. Then she pulled over on the road in and when I asked why she'd parked there, she got 2 wedding dresses out of the booth and told me to change!

All my friends were there wearing wedding-related clothes...

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