Wordless Wednesday 31 March

My installment.  Just a little autumn maintenance with a broom and vacuum cleaner

Life has it's little surprises.

As my loyal blog readers would know my DS1, Hayden, is disabled.  Amoung many of the things that challenge his life, is his ability to socialise and make friends.  This does not seem to be an issue to him and we don't necessarily add it to the long list of other things that already are significant challenges. 

Anyway this little challenge means that he has no play dates or sleep overs or other invitations like other children.  He does not know that this happens for others so not a problem.   It was the biggest surprise then, when I get this phone call, out of the blue, from the parent of a child in Haydens special class inviting him to the birthday party of their son.  Well you could have knocked me over with a feather.  This is a first ever moment in Haydens after life that he has had such an invite.  (The after life is opposed the life he had before he suffered his medical event). I am pleased that this mother thinks that Hayden is friendly with her son.  Hayden was very excited to see he had got a letter in the post inviting him.

I guess that this will be a moment to remember. 

Life is full of unexpected little surprises.

Here is a page I made.  It might just explain how Hayden has no social skills.

The credits can be found here at Weeds and Wildflowers

Monday Menu 29 March

Well it is monday and here again is my menu.......hopefully saving my sanity again.

Have a great week.

Monday  Spahetti Bolignaise

Tuesday  Grilled Beef Fahija

Wednesday  Itallian sauce and pasta (something new to try this week made from scratch

Thurdsay  Easy Macaroni and cheese

Friday  Pizza

Saturday  bbq with meat, potato and salad

Sunday  Left overs.

Just now....

Just now...


Outside my window....it is a typical autumn day.  A little grey, windy enough to to dry the washing and warm enough to know that it is not winter and yet not summer.

I am thankful for...each day and all the wonderful things that happen

I am wearing...a long skirt and t'shirt

I am remembering... how long DH has been away and how great it will be to see him tomorrow.

I am going...to make the last of the long list of phone calls that have been seeking my attention.

I am currently (still) reading... nothing. I am too tired at night to do so but cant wait for the holidays to arrive as I have two books to read and make up for the months between January and now when I have read very little.

I am hoping...that I am full of positivity this weekend.

On my mind... is how long it will take to sell our how so we can get on with things.

Noticing that... I need to take more care of myself.

Pondering these words...A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

From the kitchen...I am glad that I make a weekly menu plan.  It means that I dont need to think too hard in the evenings.

Around the house...I need to use the vaccuum cleaner that is sitting in the middle of the floor.

One of my favorite things... using my valuable free time wisely.

I'm creating...a special album for DH as a surprise.

A few plans for the rest of the week...to make a list of things to do during the holidays and plan some seriously fun times that dont necessarily cost too much money.

Mothers

My mother is a wonderful person.  She is just the sort of person I wish to be when I get older :-). 

We, in our family, were lucky enought to almost all be present to help her celebrate the milestone of a 70th birthday.  The celebration was just in the style that she loves, nothing too big and posh, just small and intimate with the people that really mean the most in her life attending.

So when I reach my 70th year I hope that I will be a busy and happy person, one who is selfless and humble and a person who is well loved by her family.  Fingers crossed they are not shoes to big to fill.

Here is a page I made in tribute

The credits and more journalling can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Wordless Wednesday 24 March

Wordless Wednesday again.  This photo just taken today.

Isn't it odd

I had the oddest phone call today.  Odd in a good way I mean.  Next year a branch of my family, which immigrated to New Zealand from Lebanon over 120years ago, is planning a reunion.  For the first time some keen sole is endeavouring to put together a complete family tree of the two New Zealand branches of the family.  The rest of it is very difficult to find as a lot of the part of the world the information is found in seems to have been in a state of conflict for many decades.

Anyway, I respond dutifully to the email requesting information and the next thing I am talking to an unknown cousin for an hour on the phone.  It was like we had known each other for years. 

Now I have been left with a long list of dates to gather together.  That will teach me for talking way too much.

I wonder if they all have the big noses, curly hair (I cut my curls all off), and olive skin.

Monday Menu 22 March

Finally here is my Menu

Monday  Freezer meal thanks to Mum

Tuesday  easy meal 

Wednesday  Middle Eastern Pizza

Thursday  Salmon and rice patties with salad

Friday   Vegetable Nachos

Saturday  bbq with baked potatos and salad

Sunday leftovers

Nothing especially special.  These are all Weight watchers recipes.  Unfortunately I can not locate them all on line.
Wednesday and Thursday are new meals to us so I hope they go down okay with the children.

Just One of Those Days.

I had a day like none other yesterday.  I dont think that it could have got any worse if it tried.  Without boring you with the detail I put together a little something to help everything seem in context.

The credits for this can be found at Nuts4Digi here.

Fingers crossed tomorrow will be greatly improved.

Wordless Wednesday 17 March

Just growing wild

I'm Hurt

It is great to see that when one of my children hurt themselves I have two other nurses ready at hand to help.  They prepare the recovery space, gather the necessary teddy, give the necessary hugs and head forthe box of plasters.

I just the the compassion and empathy they show even for the small things

Monday Menu 15 March

Another Monday and another menu to keep me on track.  The challenges are when I am working and DH is away, which is the case this week.

Monday   steak, baked potato and salad

Tuesday    easy night with food from the freeze

Wednesday   Fresh tomato auce with pasta

Thursday   best beef burgers homemade with salad veges

Friday   cheese quesadillas with salsa cruda  the link is not exactly what I am making but very similar

Saturday    salmon pot pie

Sunday   vegetarian nachos

Fridays Fabulous 6 12 March

Welcome to fridays and my fabulous finds

Here is something I love.  I am constantly reminded that Hayden just will never learn things that we, the rest of us, take for granted.  What I love most of all is shown in this photo.  The sheer pleasure he is getting from the fact that he thinks that he is skipping successfully.  We have to put ourselves in his shoes to see the success.

The marvellous Lindsay Jane has a new kit out and it is just fabulous.  Take a look

I just love finding inspirational quotes.  So here is a link to my favourite one Lessons from Geese

I have been trying to be inventive with the food I cook but keep the calories under control and make life easy all at the same time.  So I am always on the look out for smart ideas put succinctly.  So here is a link for cooking and freezing with some ideas.

Finally a favouite page of mine from this week.

The credits and journalling can be found here at Nuts4Digi.

Starting the Day

Our day starts like many with the hustle and bustle of prepartion for the school and working day.  We, of course, have uniques challenges and routines, that help Hayden get started for the day which add an extra dimension, but really breakfast, music, speech/drama practice, tidy bedrooms and chores are all there.

I have tried to be really organised which in turn creates for a happier and smoother funtioning start to the day.  This is especially important when my DH is away.

1.  I have a list on the fridge of the chores for the children to do and roughly in what order they need to be done in.   This means very little thinking needs to be undertaken and the expectations are already set in place.  But I really love this idea in the esty shop.  Perhaps I need to invest in some magnetic paint.

2.  Breakfast is always the same during the school term. It is predictable.

3.  The little moments I spend with each child as I get them out of bed at 0600hrs.  This is when I make sure they feel happy about starting their day.  Our little moment before the whirlwind Hayden is up.

4.Lunches are prepared the night before and finished in the morning. 

5.  Bags are put by the front door when packed then everyone knows that they are ready to go when everything else is completed.

So we try and welcome the day with smiles on our faces and happy endorphins floating around and if I am lucky the washing on the line before we all step foot out the door.

Wordless Wednesday 10 March

Nothing like an honest birds eye view.

Getting Organised.

When my husband is away I notice how organised I need to be so help life function smoothly especially when I am working like I am this week for 4 days.  These things are especially important as Haydens morning rountine to eat, and be medicated takes 2 and a bit hours.  Very little can get done in this time.

So here is my list of the things I do to stay organised.

1.  I run a full and up to date diary

2.  I plan my menu every monday, check out my posts, so that my supermarket shop is accurate and I am able to cook without having to think the dreaded question "What shall we have for diner?"

3.  I do at night what I might ordinarily do in the morning.  Things such as lunches prepared, washing washed and ready to hang for the morning, all communication books etc filled in.

4.  Diner is cooked if need be the night before.

5.  I make use of my lunch breaks at work to make necessary phone calls.

6.  The children have chores which will help them know what is happening in their day and help the day run smoothly.

Monday Menu 8 March

Not much in the linking this week as it needs to be easy when DH is away and I am working.  I have managed to keep the fridays meatless each week which has been one of my goals this year.

Monday  Crockpot Steak and Kidney with vege

Tuesday  Beef wraps  (like cold meat and salad for children)

Wednesday  Bbq chicken with baked potatos and green vege

Thursday  stirfry chinese style

Friday  flafels

Saturday  We have a family function to go to so we are out.

Sunday....Meatloaf and salad.

Fridays Fabulous 5 March 5

No time like the present to get on with the Fabulous 5

1.  I have been have EHD issues.  The real point is that everything I had on my desk top computer was off it as it has been in getting fixed.  I thought, stupidly, that nothing else could go wrong.  How wrong could I be, at the same time as my desk top was out being fixed my EHD failed.  Yes 6 years of photos, my heart died....well just about did.  I spent a week and a half thinking of all those photos and memories gone.  How wrong could I have been.  Thanks to the wonderful Marten, my computer geek, 99% of EHD recovered.  I am so happy.

2.  Sometime life is funny.  This page is just one of those moments.

The credits can be found here at Weeds and Wildflowers

3.  I have found some wonderfully relaxing music to listen to in the last month so here are my recommendations to relax to and chill out.

I belong to you by Muse

Warwick Avenue by Duffy

As I Am by Alicia Keys

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

Better Together by Jack Johnson

4.  I came across this wonderful acronym  I hope you like it

R  Remind yourself of all the things you are doing that might be making you feel anxious

E  Explain to your Mum what you are feeling and what might be causing you to feel anzious

L  Lay  out a play with your Mum to hlep you take control of the situation

A Applaud yourself whatever the outcome, because you are trying and will succeed eventually

X X-hale inhale breath in slowly and deeply through your nose, and then breathe out slowly through your mouth.  Do this two to four times to help you RELAX

I think I might pin this to my fridge for everyone to read.

5.  Finally a great quote to finish with

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile. ~Author Unknown

And this memory always does that for me.

The credits can be found here at Nuts4Digi

Putting the Zing Back

Yup that's it.  I am trying to put back or even add more zing into my house.  Life has had its pressures in the last few years years for us.  Really since Hayden got sick we have been busy with the rest of life and adjusting our life and me trying to keeping our nuclear unit safe. 

I have decided to change that now that it has been 4 years since all the drama of Hayden started.  I have been thinking that my DH and I need to make time and find energy to add more zing into our marriage.  Not that it is in trouble but really needs a little.......spring clean ....I suppose.  So I visited many a site around the www came across one that gave me heaps of ideas just to spring board off.

So I have made a plan and when my husband goes away for work I am getting back to putting little notes in his case.  Send him little special email messages etc while away.  You can't do a togetherness moment while he is sitting London and I am stuck here in little old New Zealand.



Then I have set aside one night for us for the 3 days he has at home before he goes away for 13 nights.

Ah now you can see why I need to plan and even plan to be spontaneous.  When DH is at work he is away for lenghts of time ranging from two nights to 13 nights.  Just part of the rhythm of our life.

So watch out I have a plan and now to get the by in from DH.

Children and the Internet

I have to say that my children don't get  much access to the computers in our house but I can see the time is coming that this is about to change.  So the summer holidays was a time to lay out some ground rules for operations that we all could negociate to a happy point.

Here they are

1.  No Google searches without Mum or Dad present

2.  Only use pages that are bookmarked in Favourites

3.  Use is a 20 minute time frame once a day.

4.  Do downloading at all.

5.  No sharing name, phone number, address or photos with anyone on the internet.

6.  No joining anything.

7.  One child at a time on the computer.

So I was wondering as my children are still at primary schoo,l if there is anything that I have missed off the list and if so what.  So far it has worked well enough.  I have set up each child with their own window on the computer and their own bookmarks.  I have parent controls set age approapriately and really the last thing that needs attention is to bring the computer into the family space so it can be easily seen.

The consequece is in the rules.  Break the rules loose the use of the computer.

Wordless Wednesday 3 March

Another installment of Wordless Wednesday.

Have a great day

Monday Menu 1 March

Another week and another menu.  The menu is on the fridge and the children have been checking it out.

Monday  Steak and vege

Tuesday  Fajita beef style

Wednesday spaghetti and meatballs

Thursday  beef curry stirfry

Friday  Pizza

Saturday  Noodly dinner  its a home invention special.

Sunday  Leftovers