Fridays Fabulous Five 26 February

As usual friday is a fabulous day of the week.

This weeks Fabulous 5 on Friday are

1.  My first scrapbooking page in nearly two months and I love it.

You can find the credits here at Nuts4Digi

2.  My favourite feeling in the summer is feet in the sand.  It just gives me that feeling of relaxation.

My family are happily posing for this shot.

3.  We have had the most marvellously warm summer and I will be sorry that it soon be autumn.  Anyway camping had its funny moments and this was one of them.

We borrowed some old camp stretchers for the children to use.  As you can see one stretcher could not cope with DS on it.  When this shot was taken he was busy sleeping soundly

4.  I was looking back at what I was trying to achieve this year and thought that I should look more seriously at the point I made about a date night.  So I am off to look here and do some research.  The titles look worth reading more into.

5.  Finally for this week.  I just love learning more about journaling and how I can enhance things. Over at AUDacious there has been a weeks free lessons on making great journaling.  I know it has already happened but I am going to be sure to go back and particpate anyway.

Smile

I got grumpy this week.  There was no particular reason for this just one of those moments I guess.  Not that people dont do these things but I thought that it was time find something smile about/ with. 


Hmmmmmm yet to find it.


Then I came across this quote

Seize the Day!.  Enjoy the moment.




and decided to do just that.

Okay my children dancing to You Tube helped.



Have a great day.

Wordless Wednesday 24 February

Summer at its best, looking out at the Corromandel Peninsular, New Zealand.

Camping

For the first time since returning to New Zealand March 2006 we have been able to organise respite care for Hayden and go away on a summer holiday.

Much to our other childrens delight we decided to go camping.  So with tent, bbq and bedding off we went to the wonder Hahei.



For many New Zealanders camping is nothing new, it is more like part of the summer culture to go camping.  For our children it was a first time experience as all their other holidays had been in appartment accommodation with all the whistles and bells to go.

Our camping experience was in full outfitted camp ground.  Which is great for me as there are two things that I simply must have when camping; a flushing loo and hot running shower.  I can deal with the unpowered site we had but the children could not get their head around what it was going to be like without electricity.

The things they missed

1. CD player in their bedroom

2.  A fridge to keep the drink cold

3.  Lights to read by at night

4.  Curtains to darken their bedroom

That was all.  Can you believe it.  I have to say that the dishes was a novelty.  DD asked 'who or what was going to do the dishes' as we walked to the kitchen with dishes and tea towel in had.  When I told her we were she thought that I was joking.  I guess I have made a mistake by having a dishwasher that needs to be stacked............No never, I love my dishwasher and how clean things look at the end of the cycle.

As for me.  I love the quality family time you get when camping.  I love the back to basics feeling that prevails and that there are no distractions that modern life brings.

Photos will follow when my software arrives later this week.

Monday Menu 22 February

Well my computer issues have been significant and I hope that once the last of the things still to be fixed are dealt to I will be able to blog regularly and get back into things.

As for my Monday Menu.  I am still doing all my cooking on the bbq.  It is summer and I think why not.  Life is too short to spend my precious free time cleaning a kitchen so all of this is cooked on the bbq's hob or plate.

Monday  Stirfry sweet and sour

Tuesday  Dahl with flat bread

Wednesday  Cornfritters with advocado salsa

Thursday  stirfry thai style

Friday  Pizza

Saturday  spaghetti bolignaise

Sunday leftovers

Havc a great week

Monday Menu 15 February

This weeks menu includes the need to use up some steak and kidney we have in the freezer.  So I thought that I would make a crockpot meal with a potato top.

Monday Steak and Kidney crock pot with pototo top

Tuesday beef stirfry 

Wednesday flafels

Thursday  meatballs and spaghetti

Friday cheese quesadillas with salsa

Saturday  steak and salad

Sunday tuna burgers.

Fridays Fabulous Five 12 February

Let me link you up.

Five favourite blogs to visit are in my house are:

1.  First up is be AUDacious blog.  I love the variety and passion that is bought to blogging.  I love the hints for great journalling and the lovely way the author has with words.

2.  I love actions for my photoshop.  Well I like the idea of them so when my computer comes back I am going to teach myself how to make the most of the photos I have taken by visiting CoffeesShop

3.  Something with diverse posts just keeps me coming back at Small Notebook

4.  Not for me but my children love this site and I love the fact that the it is very safe.  FunBrain

5.  Finally the blog that is inspiring me to be organised.  I'm an Organising Junkie

So go out and visit some of these.  There just might be something that takes your interest.

Something to ponder

I guess the problem with having an empty diary is that I achieve less than when I am so busy I cant finish everything.  This is highlighted to me by this quote....


"The problem with doing nothing is that you don't know when you're finished." 


Now to get busy doing everything I wished I had time to do before I get so much work I will not have any days off during the week.  I have made a list of things that I would love to do this year.

1.  Complete a womans ten km walk.

2.  Read a novel a month.

3.  Discover a new music single that I love every month.

4.  Work out how a date night with my husband will work in our house and put it into action.

5.  Introduce the RAK idea into my house for my family as a start.  Make a list of the little things that will bring smiles to their faces.

Thats it for today.  Have a great one.

Wordless Wednesday 10 February

An image of summer.  Don't you just love it.

Those little moments

It is just one of those moments in my house.  DS1 has come home in a really bad way.  That usually means that he is uncontrollable.

Now it is very difficult to say this but since Hayden suffered his medical emergency this time 2006 his life has been irriversably changed in many ways.  Without listing the many things that are now medically wrong with him his cognative ability and behaviours are significantly altered too.

So back to today.  He has just thrown a major tantrum (for a 7 year old) and now that he is getting taller, 110cm, and stonger they are difficult to contain.  In this state he usually throws things around the house, climbs the fences and runs away, and does everything little thing that you can imagine to hurt and damage the people and things in our house.  The only solution we have is to contain him in his room for a short period or until he stops.  Which ever is safer.

The difficulty is that this cognative skills are that of a two year old with the strenght of a 7 year old.

We have come to realise that he is unable to congnate consequences and in the end we have secure him to keep him and us safe.

We have tried a myriad of other solutions, none with success.

So i sit here thinking of the stress building inside of me and how I promised myself to embrace life and not be an emotional eater.  Instead of eating I am sitting at my computer.  It seems to be working for the time being and I am not eating needlessly.

Next I am off to put on some great music and read a book for 10 minutes or so.  Reading is something that I have discovered that I not done nearly enough of in the last few years.  Why, who knows but I love reading so I will try and find time to do more of it.

Monday Menu 8 February

Sadly my computer issues are continuing but here is todays menu.

Monday  Vegetarian Thai Red Curry with noodles

Tuesday Fajitas with beef

Wednesday  meatloaf and vege

Thursday  meatball and spaghetti

Friday hamburger with tuna paddies and salad veges

Saturday  pizza

Sunday  leftovers

My blog

My poor blog has been neglected.  We went on holiday and when we got home I had inherited some computer issues.  I still have those issues lingering and sitting here using my husbands lap to post so there will be no photos and I havent created any pages.  Fingers crossed the computer guru can work out what my issue is so I can get back into the flow of things especially when my husband is on a long haul trip.