Autumn Moon Festival

Chang E and the Jade Rabbit. Chinese folk lore states that both of these characters live on the moon.

Today the girls and I celebrated Autumn Moon Festival. In years past we haven't done much more than read the story associated with the celebration, choke down a mooncake and bow to the moon. The girls do always send a message to their birthparents on this day. It is a day for celebrating family and loved ones and being together. This is typical of ALL Chinese celebrations.

This year we were invited to join some friends on Fort Lauderdale Beach just before the sunset. We all took our own dinner and ate it picnic style. The kidlets all got to make s'mores run and around and play in the ocean as we waited for the brightest moon of the year to make it's appearance. Everyone had so much fun, even the moon. It had so much it even played hide and seek and refused to come out!

We finally saw it as we were driving home and it was absolutely smashing. In the interest of the environment the kids didn't attach wishes to helium balloons or lanterns this year and set them free to get carried to the moon instead they all wrote their wishes on a piece of paper and they were all stuffed into a bottle. The bottle was then launched into the sea.

building tiny sand castels

I just happened to take this at the moment that Lily was bitten by something...nice face huh?

S'mores girl.......minus the chocolate.

Look at all this beatiousness. I think I made up another word.

David swimming out to sea to launch all the wishes of the little ones. 

I have no idea what Lily wrote, it was a message to her birth parents, she told me to read it but I didn't. Rosie on the other hand, wrote, I wish I had a dog. I have one child who is an old soul and one who is just as shallow as all can be. It would be dull if they were the same. The girls agreed that s'mores beat mooncakes any day of the year!

Just laugh

What's the best cure for a week that sucked more than a Dyson? A jolly good laugh. And that is just what we had today.

This week has been hell. It was just the pits to be quite honest and it isn't over until tomorrow so I might be counting my chickens before they have hatched here but we threw caution to the wind and went out this afternoon and ended things up with a good time. It was our local Dragonboat races and as much as I love Dragonboat races I really can't stand the festival that goes along with it but I sort of attempted to jostle our local adoption group into a get together there today so it was important that I make an appearance. The festival didn't disappoint, it sucked.

The girls and I ended up taking advantage of the great breeze that was coming off of the ocean and flew kites instead. Haulover Beach is known for 3 things, it's kites, it's marina and it's clothing optional beach. We hit 2 out of the 3.

We flew our kites at the marina!!!

Aren't the boats fabulous?

racing

Little kite flyer amazed at how high up her kite was

Lily is quite the pro

I love seeing kites in the air

I really couldn't see to take photos as the sun was so bright. This is Rosie's kite

The blimp flew directly over our heads as we were getting back into the car. The Marlins were playing tonight and it was on it's way to the stadium. It made it there much faster than we did.

We only stayed at the festival for a few minutes but we flew kites for a while. By the time we got home it was late and the girls were tired and that is when the giggles set in. Lots and lots of them. I am still laughing now at the things they said. Poor Rosie I just have to wonder if she will ever figure out life!

Her moment to shine

This morning Rosie left the house really excited and so looking forward to the day ahead so I was very surprised when about 20 minutes later when I received a call from the school receptionist. She said that Rosie was very upset and crying because she had left something at home and promptly put Rose on the phone. A very quiet little voice at the end of the phone told me that she had forgotten Gypsy. As I turned around in the kitchen I saw him laying on the floor under her chair. Gypsy is a little dog that she squirrels away in her back pack every single day. She never takes him out but he gives her a sense of security and there he was in the kitchen with me.

I told her I would bring him with me when I went to her award ceremony if that was OK with her. I told her she would be fine and not to worry he would be there later. I was surprised that she was so upset even though I really shouldn't have been. I was shocked to find that having Gypsy with her each day offers her so much comfort even though he never sees the light of day. Gypsy has the same magicial powers that bunny has for Lily, not that Lily will admit to that anymore but not a night goes by that she doesn't still sleep with "the bun" and it's a beautiful thing.

When I got to school I walked up to her and handed him over, she grabbed him and buried him out of sight and then told me that having him with her is like having me there too and it makes everything OK. She said she got so scared when she realised she didn't have anyone and Lily had already gone to her class.

Gypsy saved the day and it was on with the show, the student of the month award ceremony. Little Miss sassy Bloomers was all that and then some. Hah, she was all smiles once again and proudly walked up to the assistant principal to receive her certificate.

the show must go on.

All the kindergarten kidlets that received awards this morning with the assistant principal Mr. Robinson.

Happy girl again

This made me laugh. The ceremony got a little long winded and apparently someone else thought so too. Hmmm, how rude!

I had to return to the school 2 hours later for a meeting about Lily and when I walked in the office Sumi, the receptionist was so concerned about Rosie. When I explained what had happened she just smiled.Sumi has such a soft spot for both of my girls and is a sweet heart. She decided to ring me, Rosie didn't ask her too. She said Rosie was actually shaking so before she sent her off to her class she gave her a drink of water. Sheesh, she'll be heading to the office all the time now. My girls really do have a fabulous group of people in their school and this year it has just been kicked back up a few notches.

Little Miss Sassy pants

After going to bed last night as a wild child Rosie woke up this morning wonderfully refreshed and quite happy, thankgawdforthat. In fact she looked like this,

Sassafrass



And the reason she was so, ever so incredibly over the top happy, is this,

her hair is finally long enough for a pony tail. Well kinda sorta.

Look how long and tall her neck is when she stands so proud so that you can see her kinda, sorta ponytail.

She was one proud little sassbag this morning and kept shaking her head and saying, I feel my ponytail when I do that. Boy am I glad that the wild child took a leave of absence for the day, she wore me out.

My Yin ate my Yang

It's rare that I ever feel tired and beat up but this week has been one of those weeks, yes I know it's only Wednesday and today has been a particularly trying day.

Rosie has been in such an annoying mood all day today that by 7.00 o'clock tonight I decided she really needed to go to bed. Lily looked at me and said, Mum you do know that it is only 7 don't you? To which I replied, "Shhhhh".

Yep, I'm going for mum of the year again. I honestly believe that Rosie removed the part of her ears that hears today and tossed them willy nilly into the air with wild abandon. Wildchild did not listen to a word anyone said. Not one. She just threw caution to the wind and decided to rebel. It didn't get her far and she didn't like the consequences but she tried it. And then she tried it again and then again. WTH?

Even reverse psychology didn't work on her today she was hell bent on driving me bat sh*t crazy.

I just hope that when Wildchild opens her itty bitty eyes in the morning all traces of hell bent are gone. If they are not I just might try wine for breakfast.

Night all.

Shopping with meaning

The holiday season is just around the corner. Halloweenie is next month closely followed by Thanksgiving and then Hannukah and Christmas. This year I have decided that all the gifts that I buy will be gifts that give back in some way shape or form.

It seems to me that if you don't go nuts and buy a kazillion dollars worth of gifts then the holidays are a bust and you have failed miserably. I don't buy into that consumerism, never have, never will, however I do like to buy gifts for family and friends but more and more I want my gifts to have meaning. It's pretty easy to find places where you can buy gifts where the profits all go back to help others.

One of my favourites is The Starfish Project. 

The Starfish Project was established in 2006 to empower exploited women in Asia. The Project developed a socially responsible jewelry business in order to provide women with alternative employment and a range of holistic care opportunities. In 2011, the project has grown to support approximately 35 women in 2 different cities, primarily through the jewelry company where women have taken on new levels of responsibility and leadership, and are able to provide for their families through meaningful employment. The Starfish Project also provides opportunities for women to heal and grow through counseling, vocational training, language acquisition, family education benefits and health care access, as well as providing housing in our women's shelter. The Starfish Project is committed to restoring hope for each woman that enters its doors.

Another favourite of mine is the Show Hope Organisation. Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. 'Nuff Said. They don't have a huge assortment of merchandise but they have a few things that can make great gifts including my favourite T-shirt. I have added the Show Hope Button to my sidebar, just click it and you can be magically transferred to their website.

Another way to make spending your money count is by shopping through the website Ordinary Hero. My friend Nancy is still fundraisng for her little man Jon Jon. At the moment she is hoping to win a grant, yes you read that correctly, win a grant through Ordinary Hero. Just click the link to see how you can help buy doing a little shopping. Really shopping!

Gwen Oatsvall is a wonderfull, wonderful woman, friend and frankly quite a hero. She has founded with a group of ladies, 147 Million Orphans and all the proceeds from the sales of their merchandise goes to help orphans.

I think that gives you a good starting place and if you have some favourites PUHLEASE leave them in the comments. As you can see I am partial to sites that help orphaned children and China so leave those links first.

Pure admiration

When Rosie saw Andy at swimming and saw that he was wearing medals she wanted to know what they were for. I told her she had to ask him so she did. Andy has just come back from San Juan where he competed in the Special Olympics.

The medals are the ones he won. Rosie was so impressed, so very very impressed and asked if I would take her photo with him wearing his medals. Andy is used to people wanting pictures of him wearing his medals and is always happy to oblige.

Congratulations Andy, you are amazing. Not only is he an incredible swimmer but a truly wonderful human being.

Not my forte!

I have no idea why I/we try and bake. None!

Today it rained, then it rained and just to be sure we were all good and soaked it rained some more. It rained yesterday. A lot. This whole neighbourhood is flooded. Yesterday my driveway was shin deep so the rain today was just not needed and made going anywhere really difficult.

Jacob decided to bake a huge and somewhat decadent chocolate cake with the girls. Of course I ended up being the one doing most of it which is hilarious because I don't bake. I didn't know he did either.

After lots of measuring, mixing, stirring, pouring and bowl licking  it was finally time to put the cake in the oven. Once it was baking Jacob and the girls took off to the store and left me to clean up. I sent him a text at one point to tell him that the smoke alarm had gone off but all was well. He didn't respond, so I didn't think he believed me. Hah the second they came back in the house they did.

The girls were complaining and coughing and spluttering and kept coming into the kitchen to look in the oven. At one point Lily said, "Oh,that can't be good" and I noticed flames but for some reason they didn't register. yes I know that sounds strange but for a split second they didn't.  Then they registered. I opened the oven door and there was an inferno. Lily leapt back I threw the door shut and get this, the man of the house screamed. Screamed like a girl. I just looked at him in disbelief. I have never known anyone so useless under pressure.

I quickly turned to Lily and said, " What do we do when there is a fire?" She also failed miserably this time. I had no more time to waste so I had to deal with it.

Lets just say that for as antsy and nervous and hyper as I am on a daily basis I am the one that you want on your team when the chips are down. Within seconds everything was under control. The fire wasn't out but it wasn't winning. Within a couple of minutes, job done!

Most importantly I saved the cake. It got a little charred but nothing that wasn't salvageable.
My camera was right there and for a split second I thought about a photo but didn't quite have the nerve to stop, turn around, pick it up and take one.

As for the stove, I am not sure if it is OK. I won't know until tomorrow when I attempt to cook dinner. I think that the heating element probably got fried, well charred! I cleaned it and it all looks OK. Nothing actually melted. If there is a loud bang tomorrow when it heats up then I know it is time for a new one, if not, then all is well.

My house reeks and we opened it up and ran all the fans on high but with the rain storm outside there was just no air moving.

Oh and if you don't own a fire extinguisher I suggest you buy one.

Just another day in Dawnland.

Strong like.....

The saying goes, strong like ox but in Rosies case I think it is more, strong like lamb. Today at swimming they were doing strength building exercises for their arms. They were not to use their legs at all and in order to do that they had to hold this funky looking float that was shaped like a dumbell between their legs, rendering them pretty useless.

I was laughing quite a lot as Rosie was powering her way through the pool with her arms so they must be a whole stronger than they look but her legs must be as puny as all get out cos the float kept flying out of them. She is doing quite well and I can see a big difference in her strokes now. She is starting with butterfly which is the hardest for them to master and is getting really quite good at breast stroke  but her legs are still pretty funky. ( and before anyone in my family makes the comment I will......but they aren't as bad as mine when I do it, apparently)

Chicken Legs. Barely able to hold the float

oops, lost it

Doing better and pulling herself up really well.

The photos are all taken through glass and they come out horribly.

She tries so hard and gives it her all.

A cold front...yippee

Last night it was so cold that the kids and I had to wear thick socks, gloves and jackets and even with all of that we were still feeling the nip in the air. it was fabulous. Yes, you read that correctly. Here in Miami, in the middle of September we were bundled up as if we were in the middle of winter.

Did I mention that we were at the local Ice Arena? Oh, well we were.  The girls school had a fundraiser for the PTSA there and when I signed us up it didn't even enter my head that it would be freezing cold, that was just an added bonus. We had so much fun.

Within moments of arriving Lily took off on the ice with some of her classmates and would only stop to say hello every now and again as she and her friends flew by. They would all say hello as they shot by at the speed of light. Rosie kept us moving at a much slower pace, think snail, for most of the evening. She finally gained some confidence and asked me how to go a little faster. I am no ice skater and only know how to go forwards, I can go fast and can't go backwards and sadly have no idea how to stop. I just hit the rail. As a kid that didn't bother me at all. Now it seems a little more intimidating as I fly into the wall.

I showed her what she needed to do to pick up speed and off she went. She loved it. Thankfully she didn't ask me how to stop, she would just slow down or sometimes she fell before that happened.

I kept my phone in my pocket but still only managed 2 pictures. Moving targets with flashing disco lighting does not easy picture taking make. I have lots of black ones and tonnes of blurry, "I think that's Lily" types ones.

Happy girl has finally mastered skating

a very blurry Rosie. I would like to blame it on the speed she was going but not so much.

The girls school has a new Principal this year (again) and she is really adding a positive energy back into the establishment, one that hasn't been seen there for nearly 4 years. Fingers crossed things are going to stay this way. Many of my friends have taught with this lady in the past and the reviews are very, very mixed but as a parent I can only find great things to say about her.

What a great night we had. Now both the girls want to go back again. I do too I just wish those disgusting grody skates that you rent were not so painful on the tootsies.

Involuntarily winking at people

At 8.20 this morning I decided that my day was not going very well and that it could only get better from this point out.

After I drop  the girlies off at school on Thursdays I head straight for the grocery store but as were were snaking our way through the drop off line I realised I had forgotten the shopping list and would have to go home. It's really not a big deal as we live super close to their school but the traffic at that time of day is ghastly.

Once home I ran into the house and as I was running I noticed that my feet or rather my shoes were making 2 different sounds. Bummer, I must have worn through the heel on my favourite black sandals. First the shopping list and now my favourite shoes.

Thankfully I looked down.



This is for you Val.

Close, but as they say, no cigar.

The shopping list was a blessing in disguise because as much as nobody would have noticed the shoes they would have noticed that one shoe made a clop-clop noise and one was silent. I would have sounded like a mono-pod.

So off I drove in matching shoes right into the thick of traffic and then it started, the involuntary twitching in my right eye. This happens to me when I am uber stressed. It either starts in my lip making me look a little like Elvis with that freakish lip thingy that he did or it happens on my eye lid making me wink at people. Today was my lucky day and it hit my eye. So I walk into the supermarket with my head held low and someone immediately says hi. I look up and wink at them. Egads.

I have a feeling that today is going to be stellar day. The kids are going to be walking 3 feet behind me pretending that they don't actually know me and this evening when we have a PTSA event well I can just imagine how much fun it is going to be with the oddball parent that winked at everyone.

It's a damned good job I have the personality that can pull this kind of crap off. Sheesh if this level of stress keeps up until December I'll look like I have Tourettes.

Sinking feeling

When you are a kid you just can't wait to grow up. Now I want to be a kid again.

I want to run and hide and pretend that yesterday afternoon American Airlines didn't release it's huge furlough and termination numbers. I want to pretend that on December 16th, just 9 lousy days before Christmas 1440 people from Miami aren't going to be unemployed. Anyone hired after 1997 is either terminated  due to the company subcontracting their jobs or being furloughed. Ugh.

Someone wake me up on December 17 please. Until then I am going into denial. If you were hired prior to those dates you have to worry about being bumped by someone who has more seniority than you. That means just because you have your job, by the grace of your hire date, someone with higher seniority might want it so, SEE YA.

 Until then we know nothing. The company isn't talking to it's employees. It's all a big hurry up and wait game. It's not looking good. 2 days ago it was an entirely different story.

I better stop writing now as I am about to drop the F bomb.

Getting a head start

Yesterday afternoon the girls decided they wanted to get a head start planning their Halloween costumes.
Once they had made their decisions Lily decided to dress like this just for fun.

I have no idea why it is crooked. I have turned it in iphoto but when it shows up here it is sideways again. so you will have to turn your head
SORRY.

The dreaded sleep study update

A few months ago I mentioned that Jacob was going for a sleep study and then I never mentioned it again. He failed the test and did need a CPAP machine which wasn't much of a surprise. I think the bigger surprise is that it has had very little affect. The man still sleeps all the time because he hates the mask and the machine. I don't really blame him it's one heck of contraption to have to sleep with.

He is slowly, oh so freaking slowly, trying to get used to using it. He wears it a few hours here and there and once he does I am up for the night. A few of you mentioned the white noise that the machine gives off. Are you kidding me? White noise? OMG, it's like sleeping next to someone with the death rattle.

I rue the day I ever suggested he take the damn test. At least when he snored I could just kick him and he would stop but now that thing and him make so much noise no one can sleep. Both the kids are scared to death to see him in his mask. Yikes what a nightmare. LOL

His test results showed that he held his breath minimally, more when he was on his back than on his side and for very tiny periods but he woke himself up constantly with his snoring. That was his biggest problem. I would agree with that. The man can snore. I think the throat surgery would have better alternative for him. He still snores a tiny bit with the mask on. How can that be?

I now average 3 hours of sleep a night and he still sleeps most of the day. Something about the sleep study seems to have failed..............MISERABLY.

Next time I have a hair brained idea to improve the quality of someones life and enhance the overall lives of our family especially in the form of an ultimatum I think I shall keep it to myself and take a nap instead.

I know I couldn't sleep with this contraption stuck to my head and that's a fact.

Not Jacob, image borrowed from Google images.

Simple Sunday

Hah, I managed to pull off yet another very simple day. I woke up at 5 something due to a thunderstorm and my first thought was, Ohh cool I hope it's still raining later, and it was! So once the girls were up and had breakfast we went out for another rainy run. It wasn't as torrential as yesterday but it was rain so that meant fun.

After swimming I ran a quick errand. The girls have been playing "slings" and pretending to have broken arms for the last 2 days with some really old scarves and I forgot they were wearing them when we went to run the errand.

This is what greeted me when we got out of the car:

it went from being a sling to a Von Trapp family accessory. 

I took one look at her and burst out laughing. I begged her for a photo and then dared her to enter the shop like that. She didn't, phew, thank goodness. Crazy child. After lunch we headed to the Grove for a walk around the park. I wanted to take the bikes but met a little resistance so I settled with walking the park instead. Lily Von Trap left her head scarf in the car :-)

Annoyed that they have to take time from throwing stones into the water to pose for a photo.

So it wasn't quite as still and quiet as yesterday but close enough. The girls are off school tomorrow for Rosh Hashannah so I'll shake it up again then.

Speed bump

It seems that once the kids return to school that life moves at warped speed. Every once in a while I just yell S.T.O.P. because it isn't natural to run at full pelt for weeks on end like a manic hamster on a wheel. Today was the day. I didn't know that today was going to be the day it just happened that way.

Rosie woke up early and I was already up, it's a new thing with me, I can't sleep. Lily got up shortly after her so once they had had breakfast I decided to go out for a run. Not sure where that idea came from but it seemed like a grand one at that precise second. The girls wanted to come with me on their bikes and I thought it would be a good idea. We were minutes from the house when the heavens opened but since there was no thunder (unusual for here at this time of year) I asked if they wanted to keep going. Of course they did! It was pouring and we were soaked. I ran a couple of miles and they rode along with me. The puddles got deeper and they we had more and more fun. By the time we got home we were drowned, hot and happy. Seems that I can run a whole lot further in the rain.

After we showered and changed they just seemed so happy playing with there toys that I was able to do things that I wanted to get done in the house. No one cared about being anywhere. We did make it to Rosie's swim class but after that we came home and played Monopoly until dinner.

Tonight we climbed into my bed really early and watched a movie. Shhh, don't tell a soul but I broke all my own rules and actually let them eat popcorn in bed. It's was the microwave kind in a bag so it didn't have butter on it, I haven't lost all my marbles yet. Both girls were fast asleep by 8pm tonight and will probably sleep for 12-14 hours. Once they actually stop they sleep so much better.

Sometimes I just have to throw a wrench in the works and call it quits. Life flies by. Their days are a blurr and a flurry and I think it is mad. Is everyones life this busy or is it partially where we live, I really don't know.

Tomorrow I might try a repeat of today. Not exactly the same but the gist would work out fine. I actually hope it rains in the morning so we can go for another wet run.

Rosie

Ever since she school started, 3 weeks ago, Rosie has been very into her studies. She sits and writes her letters, or makes up stories or does maths problems all the time. Lily was doing something today that must have been disturbing her studies.

I found her sitting all by herself and looking like this.

It was all right for her to chatter away but not for us.

Mail call

Rosie arrived home from school today to find that Arthur or as she says, Arfa, our mailman, had delivered a big box just for her. She opened it with great speed and was just as happy as happy can be to to see what was inside:

1pair of xxxs swim fins
2 competition bathing suits.

She wasted no time trying everything on and the fins were first. It never entered my head that they could possibly be too big..........................but they are. I don't know why considering her history with footwear that I didn't think they might be too wide, I just didn't. Who has ever had a hard time with flippers, you just put them on and off you go. Off you go that is unless you have Rosie's super skinny feet. These might as well be wellies they are so big and spacious on her. ARGHHHHH. She still loves them.

Gaping flippers how novel.

She loves her flippers big or not.

Next she tried on the suits. First came orange, not a surprise to me. She loved it. Ditto the teal one. The fit her too and really well. She ever had to wriggle to get the orange one over her shoulders. They stretch like crazy in the water so they need to be a bit snug. Lily adjusted it and gave it a thumbs up. Rosie didn't want to take them off and cannot wait to hit the pool this weekend.

All ready for the team.

Show off

When we were at Lily's swimming drills tonight I talked to one of the coaches about her fins and she said to use socks with them. So we immediately searched online for swim socks but they don't make them for little kids so she will have to wear ordinary athletic socks with her fins. Oh how dorky is that going to look? That's just wrong....my kid is not going to be the team nerd!I guess she is cos it's lack of choice. How can you make feet fat?

Growth spurt

The last few months have found Rosie on a humongous growth spurt, not physically but mentally and emotionally. Until recently I could spend hours and hours sounding out words to her as we read a book and the very next day we would read the same book again and the words that she recognised not 24 hours before were now totally foreign once again. It didn't faze be as I am a big believer in "each in his won time".

It appears her time has come. During the last couple of weeks in school she has learnt and remembered more than ever before and is taking off like the proverbial bat.

Another area where she seemed to march to her own band, forget drum, was in drawing. Whatever she drew just all looked the same whether it was a picture of me or a bat, or a rocketship or a fairy princess. I hated it when she asked me what I thought it was because honestly, I had absolutely no clue whatsoever. That seems to be changing also and for the better. The other day she came home from school and with a great flourish produced a drawing from her back pack. She told me she had done it in art class. I looked at it and noticed that there was a note from her art teacher on the paper also. I then asked her if she had drawn it or if he had. She told me she had and was most indignant. I said, that I knew she coloured it but who actually drew the people and she insisted that she did. So I attempted the question from a different angle. I was so surprised at her drawing that I really thought that the teacher had done them for her. (yes, in hindsight I know that really sounds awful but you didn't see her people, people)

It seems that the little timid, scared of her own shadow, child is finally coming into her own and I really couldn't be happier for her. I don't think she'll ever be loud and bossy, who knows perhaps she will but bossy isn't pretty anyway. Everything is falling into place at once for her and I am surprised that her head isn't exploding. She even asked me if she could ride the bus home from school because not many kids in her class do and she is worried that the school bus driver might get lonely.

This is the one from school that I didn't think she had drawn herself.

This is me and Rosie. 

aw, she cracks me up.

I can't believe we did this **

**This post would have made a whole lot more sense if I had actually attached the video.

I went to my photo albums earlier to retrieve a photo for facebook and realised it was gone I then noticed that all of my albums have been changed around. As I swore like a sailor at the kids for touching the damned computer, I came across this little gem. (oh have no fear both kidlets were in school when I swore at them).






I really can't believe that I laughed quite so heartily at my own child's misfortune. Oh heck, who am I kidding yes I can.
Just this evening while we were eating dinner she was futzing around with her food and I asked her to, PUHLEASE just eat it.
 Rosie: Is it chicken?
Me: No, it's cat.
Poor Lily nearly split her sides laughing and I had a hard time keeping a straight face. Rose had just put a piece in her mouth and truly didn't know what to do next.
Me: Not kitty cat just some old outside smelly cat.
Lily: Probably Siamese. (she knew she wouldn't know what that was)
Rosie: I don't think I should eat it. I don't think I like cat.

And with that Lily and I just cracked up laughing. Maybe you had to be here cos it was really hilarious. Of course it backfired on me and it took about 10 minutes for her to believe that it truly was chicken.

Studious little child

Hah, this kidlet is wasting no time racking up the accolades in the classroom. Rosie's teacher asked if I would mind waiting for a moment today so that she could have a quick word with me. Rosie and I stepped aside and waited for the rest of the kiddies to leave and then Ms. Valle called us over.

Rosie has been chosen as Student of the Month with the character value of, Responsibility. Aww, how cute is that. Rosie doesn't have a clue what it all means but she is quite proud anyhow.

Mummy look, I have this flashy piece of paper and it's all good stuff.

I even got a prize for winning this paper, pretty cool don't you think?

She was sent off to the Treasure Box in her classroom to pick out a prize, she chose a kazoo. At the end of the month she will get an award during an assembly. Good job kidlet.

I couldn't stand the cuteness.

Rosie had her swimming lesson today for endurance and I nearly jumped out of my skin with giddiness when they broke out the flippers. She has been begging to swim with flippers for months but there's a little problem, her feet are too "flippin'" small. I can get them from the swim supply stores online at a hefty price but for her to just have them for knocking around in it's impossible to find. They have to have a special kind the ones that adjust around the heal are not for this kind of swimming. When she saw them her face could have lit up the night sky.

She put them on and off she went...........swoosh. I was so happy for her and was glued to the glass and forgot about the camera. By the time I remembered they were almost done with them so I only have a couple of seconds of video.

Swoosh.

She was flying

                          When it was someone else's turn this is what she would do the whole time. Any ideas?  
She was checking out her flippers under the water.                                  

She was so happy not just to have them on but also as they were her favourite colour, orange! I was surprised that they were orange and not red as the ones that I have seen online for her are red. When she got out I asked her how it was and finally after a gushing about how fast she was and how much fun it was she admitted they kept slipping, they were too big for her. Tonight I have placed an order for xxxs flippers by Speedo. They are going to be so small and diddy. (it's ironic as they are the same as Lily's and from the same online store but they cost more than double the cost of Lily's. I guess they are a speciality item due to the size.) I'm also ordering her first Speedo suit. I'll need a magnifying glass just to find it.

10 year old check up

The dreaded day arrived regardless of how much she wished it wouldn't, and believe me, she wished.

Lily was surprisingly chipper this morning and as soon as we arrived at the incredibly busy doctors office I asked exactly what tests they needed so that Lily could prepare a little more. (My brother suggested that I ask if they could do the same tests from a urine sample and my Auntie suggested that they let Lily do her own pin prick but I knew I would have to wait and discuss these options with Barbara so I needed to be prepared). Thank you all for the suggestions.

First off: height and weight. She is 66lbs and 54.5 inches tall. She gained 8lbs last year and grew 3 inches. A little more weight was suggested especially with all the swimming as all she has is muscle. Holy guacamole the child has grown like a weed and after a very thorough "inspection" from her pediatrician it appears she hasn't started her growth spurt yet. There is a chance that this girl is going to be taller than me after all or at least the same height as me. Do I need to tell you how happy that made her? No I didn't think so. Lily said that she is a shorty in her class and Barbara went on to explain the Tanner Scale and how lots of the girls in her class are probably nearly finished growing and how she hasn't even started because in her words, "she's not even knocking on the Tanner Scales door yet" in fact "she is only walking up the pathway".

They talked diet and health and exercise and school, and friends. They talked and talked about everything. I came into the conversation rarely. Hobbies, clothes, any problems, health issues, you name it they discussed it. Then it was time for the dreaded pin stick. We talked about her reaction to that news and Barbara pulled up her stool and went in to great detail about being afraid of things and how it is normal. She also said that at least twice a week she gets kids that go into her office who want shots and she finds them a lot more disturbing and thinks they need help. It made Lily giggle, especially since she rolled her eyes so far back in her head. She thinks Lilys fear is normal and manageable. If it gets worse then Lily will talk to someone. She then decided that since it is acceptable within national health guidelines to check for anaemia and cholesterol every 2 years that if Lily wanted they would skip this year with the understanding that it HAS to be done when she is 11. Lily agreed, imagine that. She then went onto explain that she WILL NOT allow her to skip a shot if it compromises her health. That Lily cannot take oral antibiotics so if she gets sick she has to get a shot, no choice. Lil' nodded.

She then suggested that the nurse come in with a needle so that Lily could just see it and see how tiny it is. At first Lily was nervous but I asked if I could see it so the nurse came in and the Doctor left. The nurse was so sweet and finally Lily touched it and looked at it but didn't actually speak. Barbara was amazed that she even touched it.

So she got through today. BUT she didn't have to deal with her fear and I am not sure if that is good . Kidlet was as white as a ghost, she looked sicker than some of the sick kids there.

The great news is she is as healthy as a horse. She is average height on the U.S. charts which is shocking to me and not so average with weight but that's ok, I think it's better that way. We left  with a very relieved child who vows not to get sick at all this year so that she doesn't have to see her again.

Happy go lucky is back again!

Afraid of needles

I don't think I have ever written these words before: Lily is afraid. Actually she is terrified.

Somewhere, somehow she has developed a completely irrational fear of needles. It started about 2 years ago and now I can say it has peaked to the point that by definition it is a phobia. And she has her annual physical tomorrow.

I have researched and researched her concerns and typically there is something that happened to start it but for her there was no one incident. I even asked her if it was when she got her ears pierced and the doctor slipped and pierced the very bottom edge of her ear by mistake and then couldn't get the earring out and had to tug and tug and tug. But that wasn't it. She says she doesn't know what happened. She absolutely loves her doctor so that's not it. She did say she hated seeing Rosie getting shots when she had her heart surgery but that was so long ago and she doesn't think that was what did it. She also saw Rosie hooked up to every machine known to man, post surgery and it didn't faze her at all and the hospital had therapists on hand to talk to siblings about what was happening.

Last Sunday in the car I gently reminded her that she has her annual physical coming up this week and she went silent. I checked on her via the rear view mirror and saw her crying her eyes out and breathing really shallow fast breaths. I whipped the car over and told to Jacob to drive and I hopped in the back seat with her.

I started deep breathing exercises with her and also muscle relaxation techniques and was able to calm her down but it was no easy task. The crying continued for a good 10 minutes.  She is terrified. Now to most of us this is ridiculous and she needs to pull herself together and I agree BUT when you are scared of something it just isn't that easy. I typically wouldn't have any patience at all for this behaviour but for 2 reasons I do. One: this is Lily and she doesn't make a fuss, she isn't scared of ANYTHING ever and two: I have been petrified, to the point of passing out, of dogs for a large portion of my life so I know what it is like to have an irrational fear. You truly cannot control it. You know it is crazy but you cannot help yourself once the fear kicks in and the adrenaline starts.

Everyday this week we have worked on breathing exercises and relaxation. I have also taught her to look at me and only me, in the eyes and focus.

Even Rosie has got into the act. The other day she appeared with a pair of tweezers out of her doctor kit and pinched Lily's finger, telling her it would only hurt that much. The tweezers were plastic so they bent as she pinched and of course felt nothing like the real thing but her intentions were good.

Yesterday morning as Lily got ready for school she got really snotty over her socks, of all things. Once I told her to get a move on she got really flip, so I scolded her. I failed to realise that she was worrying about Saturdays' appointment. It wasn't until later that I put the two things together. When I put her to bed last night she asked if I could stay with her for a while. She was afraid of her appointment again. I stayed with her on her bed and let her talk it through.

She is the most rational 10 year old I have ever met and she knows this makes no sense and it makes it worse for her.

If any one has any ideas at all please give me a heads up. It's no fun living life with a phobia and it isn't possible to get through life without getting a shot every now and again. Oh and all she needs this year is a pin prick in her finger!

Oh and this is a kid who carries an epi-pen everywhere she goes. Maybe she's forgotten that it contains a needle!

(this photo has nothing to so with this post it is just one of my favourites of her and shows her looking a lot more care free than she does at the moment)

Pulling out my hair?

I know it is ridiculous to stress out of over this blog but the fact that is is slowly disappearing is making me nuts. The other day a friend of mine asked me why I know longer write it.
WHAT?
She then told me what she thought my last post was, so after a little detective work I went back and worked like a lunatic, non stop for 3 hours, and think I may have found the problem.

Is it back?

Is the side bar back?

Or once again am I the only one who can see it?

If you scroll down are there posts again?

Thank you so much for answering this impromptu survey.

Management!

Imagine

Imagine for one moment that you are living the perfect life. You have your beautiful children, some grown, some still babies and know in your heart of hearts that you have it all. You are thankful because you never knew it could be this wonderful. You know you are lucky and don't take it for granted.

One day all of it comes crashing down around you with the diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Your world stops, if only for a moment so that you can catch your breath and fight back your tears as you look at your youngest daughter who is now in a fight for her life.

This is the reality of so many parents and is the reality of someone that I have met through blogging. Hailey is a beautiful little girl and has this horrible disease. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and also Leukemia Awareness Month. Can you help spread the word?

This is their story, please take 9 minutes out of your day and watch this video. 9 minutes is nothing, Hailey lives this with her family every second of every day.
Every little donation helps.





You can follow Trisha's blog here

If you remember back to when Lily donated her hair, this is the little girl who inspired her.

Thank you for caring, how can you not?

There's always one

The kids and I love to play Wii. We really get into it and have loads of fun. We've had the console for about 4 years so we've built up quite a large range of games. It never fails that when we play we end up laughing our heads off. The kind of laughter that leaves you gasping for air.

Lily was the cause of the laughter yesterday. Miss Competitive is actually a good sport when it comes to Wii but she does try her best so when I saw her boxing skills yesterday I was reduced to heap of giggles. I managed to pull myself together long enough to whip out the video.

What on this planet is this? She swoops to the side with the grace of a Gazel. She's meant to be dodging a punch, people, not doing ballet. And what is with her little bottom doing all that wriggly stuff? I have no idea. Heaven help her if she really ever needs to punch anything, it will be hopeless. Oh my word I just love this, just love it.


After we had played for a bit Lily decided we all needed to find out our Wii Fit Age so we had to the test and get weighed and measured. Something weird happened when Rosie weighed in:

Fat kid ???

32.5lbs and at the risk of being overweight??? 

I swear if you are super duper skinny and look like a bone when naked when your BMI is tested the machines get screwed up. A few years ago my step brother Chris had to have his annual physical for the British Army and the man is like 17 ft tall and weighs 100lbs. He is skin and bone and as fit as a fiddle. Once it was complete he was called aside and told he was verging on obese. Are you freaking kidding me the man has to jump around in the shower just to get wet. Both he and Rosie are painfully thin so how in gods name can they be at the risk of over weight. Anyhoo, my little Fatso was really impressed to hear for the first time ever, that she is a porker. Stupid machine.
Oh and just in case you care, my Wii Fit age is 37...oh yeah . Oh that's right the stupid machine is broken. Damn.
I really love my Wii Fit too The kids love it as well as there are loads of things that they can do along with me. It's hilarious fun. That is the one that measures your fit age and your BMI, albeit poorly!