Get on with it.....

So it's 2011 and I told myself I'd be blogging with more frequency and regularity this year... but we'll see I guess.

I suppose I should start this year with a little blog about what's in store for us in 2011!
This year we have HEAPS happening-
First up, I'm returning to study my Graduate Diploma of teaching. Part-time first up with just 2 subjects- I'm studying externally with QUT, so the concept of self-motivaton is a bit daunting and I hope I can keep that red-hot chilli pepper up my rear when it comes to getting things done on time and not at the last minute.

Secondly we are planning on a move back to Brisbane in about October when DH's current work contract is up. So that's a whole plate of hot-potatoes to juggle- pulling Finn out of 4yo preschool late in the year, and needing to find him somewhere in Brisbane for just a few weeks because I don't want him out of routine too long before official prep starts in 2012 with him... we also don't have him enrolled anywhere just yet! Need to get onto that. Then there's the sheer basics of moving as there's no way I'm doing an interstate move ourselves this time (we did it all in a trailer when we moved down in 2007!).

Then there's the fact that in a few short weeks I'll be turning 3-0!! I still feel like a giddy schoolgirl inside (just a very, very tired one- maybe more like a hungover 18yo I suppose).

Finally there's the **Promises** for 2011....

DH and I have promised to go alcohol free for 12months (excluding a drink or two for my birthday late Jan).

I've pledged to not buy any clothes for 12months also. As a result I've just enrolled myself in a children's sewing course... brush up on my ad-hoc sewing abilities and hopefully turn out a few nice items for the boys, though I seriously doubt they will need anything at all, but it will come in handy down the track also.

Now the hardest one for me is no buying yarn for 6months....(excluding one sneaky co-op in April, but I have paypal funds already set aside for that). I have more than enough yarn here, but need to be tough with myself because I'm tempted ALL the time spending a lot of time on Ravelry with all the links, pics and discussion of delicious yarns every day.

So that's the year ahead- or part of it anyway, and fingers crossed a whole lot more blogging will happen too.

Dissapointed

Since Finn started preschool 2 days a week about 10weeks or so ago now we've been working on our choice of language and the way we discuss sharing, making and playing with friends, acceptable behaviour and language etc etc.
We always did, but it comes into sharp focus when he comes home with things from other children, and likewise takes little things from home in with him.

I've recently been really dissapointed on a forum I frequent by the behaviour of some women. Mostly mothers as well, when someone makes a mistake or rules are discussed it just can't seem to stay nice, civil or unpersonal.

Things have spilled over into other areas with people getting nasty and downright rude and personal. Why do we need to call names and ridicule people? I just don't get it.

And why make fun, tease and belittle people? Because they "did it to you". Sound like something your 3, 4, 5 year old might say? Yep... it's really sad.

I'm not perfect- OMG far from it. But I am trying really hard to model good behaviour as much as I can with my children. If we can't control ourselves on the internet where our written word is taken, copied, twisted, re-posted and there for all to see, how can we control ourselves when our kids are around.

It's just sad, really sad. I'd like to think that when my kids get older they won't be surfing the net and find posts I've written full of expletives and derogatory comments about people they don't even know.
That said, I swear, I fart, I burp, heck I even make rude jokes and get REALLY silly sometimes, but I try my best to not be nasty to other people.

A MASSIVE percentage of mum's have mental issues, are on anti depressants, have PND or other problems and often the online world is a haven. My 15yo sister is struggling with big issues and mental illness now as well and I am scared for her that this is the kind of world she's stepping into with all her baggage and there's no one out there for support.
The saddest part is that often it's other women who've been in the same place who are throwing the most mud. Can't they see the damage they might be causing?

Why do women have to tear each other down? THIS is why women don't win reality shows very often (yeah I'm a reality junkie lol). They are always out to get each other, backstab before you get backstabbed yourself. And the blokes just sit around and watch us tear each other to shreds.

So yeah, there it is. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to try my best to ignore the mudslinging that I guess is some sort of entertainment to a group of people.

Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite.....

mmmm smell the bread?

I've been playing around with making my own bread for the family for a few weeks now... not entirely from scratch, but certainly by hand. WOW hand breadmaking is hard work- I won't need to join a gym to work out the arms if I keep this up.

I'm using the Lauckes wholemeal mix and have been adding generous quantities of LSA which makes the bread incredibly delicious. Today though I got brave and decided to try 2 loaves at once and did the wholemeal plus a second loaf with dates, dried apple, apricot, sultanas and dried blueberries.

A certain someone helped to put the dried fruit and LSA into the mix, but mysteriously there was a lot less fruit going into the mix than I thought.... someone LOVES dried fruit and especially blueberries.

We've already gotten stuck into the wholemeal with a warm afternoon snack and lashings of honey, the fruit loaf is still quite hot, but I think a slice after dinner might be necessary!

My only issue is that the whole operation takes a couple of hours and when the heavens suddenly open on 3 loads of drying washing when your hands are covered in dough...... well you know what happens then.....

OUCH!!!

It's been an unsettled few weeks here with little Kai. Poor mite cut his first tooth at 5months and 10days- 16th April. Unfortunately that's not the end of it as the other bottom tooth is very close to cutting and the top gums are bulging too!





So I've been a bit of a mummy-dummy lately, with Kai off his feeding, but constantly hungry only to start a part-feed and give up after 30seconds or so of milk.





Knitting has been minimal due to having Kai with me 90% of the time, but I've just cast on a cute pair of overalls in a lovely super-soft 8ply yarn in shades of blue.




Activities start back this week, with Finn returning to playgroup, dancing and swimming- hopefully I can get the occastional nap back out of him after all this excercise- I've been missing that mummy quiet time lately!



Yesterday we enjoyed making some home-cooked play dough together- Finn's colours of choice were pink and blue (and black but mummy poo-pooed that option). Today we pulled out the playdough equipment and had a great time - home made playdough is sooooo much nicer (and easier to tidy up) than that horrible commercial stuff for sure.

So that's it for now... back to knitting these overalls!

~50~

I've just been down to the post office with the boys. We posted off Nanni's 50th Birthday present- she will be 50 on Thursday 15th April.

She's getting (along with a few other things) a stunning Haruni Shawl I knitted in "blue sea" 4ply ombre silky gradient from Wooltopia on Yarn Collective. The pattern for Haruni is by Emily Ross and is very, very pretty- it's available on Ravelry.

Cordu from Wooltopia creates the most amazing gradient dyed yarns and the blue sea was originally sent to me as a gift by mum, so it seemed fitting to knit it into something stunning to celebrate her 5oth.

Unfortunately we won't see mum for her birthday this year, but we will be in Brisbane a week later and hope to enjoy some cake and cuddles then.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANNI!

The Beginning....

So I'm trying this blogging caper again- last time was a dismal failure.... things just got in the way and I wasn't feeling the love for the blog setup I created and didn't know how to easily (and quickly fix it).

So here I am a bit older, hopefully wiser (or maybe there are just more tools on the web to help net-dummies like me work things out) and ready to get something happening.

Hopefully it will be a little bit of everything- my day to day capers with the boys, knitting adventures, and hopefully a bit of fun too!

So I'm back off to sort out the layout of this thing and get some useable features happening... wish me luck!

Hailey