Yes and not a drop to drink.

I promised the children if they could be good for all of the school holidays we would set up the big aquarium that has been in our back shed for the past 9 years. We have had 3 little fishies living on our kitchen bench for the past year and shock horror the novelty of them has no worn off and we have only had 2 deaths in that time. At the moment we have Fanta, Spider Fish and Christmas Bubbles, will leave you to work out who’s is who’s there but the children are super fond of them all the same. Not saying they have been good for all the holidays but heck I did manage to use this at times when they were being true little stinkers.
So today was the day, I tell you it is a very uneasy feeling pumping 150 litres of water into a big glass tank in your office…….with all that you hold dear just a small soaking away. We have what could be called an open plan house…..translate to mean not many walls so space for things on walls is at a premium and I am also kind of thinking that they might be a little safer more out of the way than in the direct line of fire, football, cricket bat, skipping rope, all out war…..you get the idea!
So back to the tale…..tank is filled with water and only small amount made it to the floor with the hose in and out but so far so good. Time to turn on the pump, it is the new fangled type that sits on the floor under the tank and works it’s little heart out, not in sight makes for more fish room and a pretty tank. So it is all hooked up, I do the disgusting suck on the hose to get a good flow of water happening and then turn it on……. just guess how much water can come pumping out when the o ring has perished and it is not sealing water tight…….i am screaming at the children to turn it off while trying to stop the flow, turning the power off does not help when there is a good syphon happening and the water just keeps on coming. It took many old nappies, always on hand with small people about and half of the linen closet to get all the water off the floor, we are lucky that we have floor boards so no great damage…….comical yes, the children found it very amusing, me sitting in the puddle of water trying to stop water spewing out of a pump by holding it against me only to have it shoot out the gaps with force.

A new o ring is on order and will be here in a few days……so I can sit and look at 100 odd litres of water, some artfully placed rocks and plants and imagine my new fishies that can keep me company…….Oh well at least it was a nice warm day for getting wet and I don’t need to mop my office floor for another week.

My little man starts school tomorrow……sob and after my heart gets pulled out my little princess then has her 1st time at Kinder…….too much for one day…..happy, sad, just too much to go on in one day and as from tomorrow our lives will be different, a good different but different all the same, and a small part of complete innocence in master H’s life will be no more…………they grow so fast, too fast at least scrapped memories can last a lifetime.

Happy Tuesday Everyone and to all the other school Mummies tomorrow…..Hugs to you

Linda XXXX

That about sums up how I am feeling at the moment, just really tired.

It has been a huge week in our little household and I am starting to feel it. This super woman’s cape needs to be taken off for a few days to recharge the super powers while I just try to be Mummy for a few days.

I am sure I still owe lots and lots of emails and I will get there, I can not believe I have over 400 emails to get through and I have got to most but the few that have come in over the past few days I will attend to over the next, I do hope that is OK, just feel that I have spent all my time doing that and not enough time with the little ones that really need me at the moment……sigh, if only we did not need sleep then all would be well.

Had a lovely BBQ lunch with my Mum and Dad today to celebrate Australia Day, was nice but little Miss D was falling asleep so home we came so she could have a proper sleep in her bed for a change, poor little mite has been dragged all about the place over the past few weeks with no school and us doing things that cut into her sleep time. She will cut her sleeps out soon enough but for now I still enjoy a few minutes of peace and good concentration while she is napping. Things will get easier with school starting this week…….sob, sob…..more on that tomorrow, my little man…….happy, sad, and as I type this sleeping and snoring on the couch at 5pm, lol bless him…that does not happen too often.

A quick share this is a little back to school project I did for the Fiskars blog, I scrapped, I can at times get something done. Anyhow we live with clipboards on a kitchen wall, they are there for all sorts of thing, school, shopping, jobs, guides….now little Missy is staring Kinder this week too…..even bigger sob and a highlight for her is her own clipboard on the wall………pink pretty and even if I do say so myself am chuffed with how this one came together, and D loves it…..not that we will see it again for the next year with the amount of art work that she will churn out but it is there all the same.

I have used Heidi Grace goodies and paper, I know I do use them a lot but I am a Fiskars Girl but I also love them and no I am not just saying that. They are very nice indeed and great value for money.

Prima Flowers and Basic Grey Letters with glitter paint to make it all sparkly for a little 3 year old. Heidi grace letters and ribbon, heart pins….

I even spend a good amount of the afternoon today scrapping with the children, was fun, messy but the results are really good, so Happy Mummy Happy children…sigh all good.

Thanks for looking and Happy Australia Day everyone,

Linda XXXX

Just a very quick note to say Thank You so much everyone.

The response has been overwhelming and I am deeply touched. I am also a total emotional wreck tonight and need my bed……only problem is I am far to wound up to sleep. I do know that I need to chill a lot!!!. I will reply to all your lovely emails tomorrow  and those that called thank you so much also…..it really is very touching to know there are such special people that take a few moments to send over happy thoughts.

And also a huge thanks to the lovely Gabbie who has worked her magic yet again and got the site up and running again after a very big meltdown. It seems only so many people can try to long on at once before nasty things happen.

Till tomorrow

Linda XXXX

I have been debating with myself should I post this or not but well you can now see what side won. It is going to be a very exciting day tomorrow as I am off to the radio station 3AW to be presented with the Small Business Award live on air by Neil Mitchell and the state minister for Small Business.
I am ranging between overjoyed to wanting to throw up and close to tears. It is so exciting and please don’t get me wrong I am over the moon to have won but there is also a small part of me that says me…..why me, why am I so special, but then the other part of the brain the more logical one is saying yes you and if you can help someone else that finds themselves in the situation that I did find myself in and manage to build something worthwhile and meaningful that has to be a wonderful thing.

I have never really sought out the lime light, always been happy to work in the background and get the job done. I am more than happy to stand in the front of the room and teach the scrapbook class but at the same time I am just as happy walking round the class helping people and just getting on with things.  All that has ever mattered to me is my family and close friends and after that it just all sort of pales away. That is why tomorrow is so huge for me, for a few minutes at least I will not be the one just sitting there I will be the one out there……….scary.

I do have to say over the past year or so I have been challenged with so many things I never thought I would face, do, achieve but  somehow I have got through, no I have been lucky enough to face them all head on and it does feel pretty fine to know that I have achieved things I never thought possible. It was not something I ever asked for but now I am faced with it there is no point shirking away from things, just face it, deal with and move on.

Children are all fine and are very proud of Mummy…….I am not sure that the younger 2 really understand it all but would love to be able to see their little faces when my voice comes out the little radio we have in the kitchen…..It is nice to be appreciated though even if it is only for a few minutes.

So if any of you are at all interested I will be on 3AW tomorrow 693 on the am dial  between 9-10am and I am sure it is cast on the web too just follow the links, mind you I am to challenged in that area to know how it all works, just as well I know how to scrap!!!

I don’t think I have slept more than a few hours at a time over the past few days…….it just is so huge and processing it all is more than I seem to be able to do. I hope this time tomorrow night I will be able to reflect on it all smile and know I did good.

So please send me over some positive vibes, or happy thoughts, and I will give you all of the details tomorrow night.

Lastly thanks to all of you my customers and friends, that have helped me on this amazing journey, long may it continue.

If you think you can,
you can,
If you think you can’t
you won’t

Happy Sunday everyone,
Linda XXXX

Yes all well may not be well with the world but finally things are Ok in my little part of it.

Lay By’s all found and wrapped, I am not exactly sure that what I have got is what I put on lay by, ie slightly different colours I think i t’was more of a case of them re packing them with what they had in the store but I am beyond caring and it is over…I really have had enough and just want it finished.

Thanks to everyone that sent me messages to hope all was OK here I really do think that is a huge nightmare for a lot of us that our Christmas things will vanish after we plan so far in advance to make it easier……not!!!

I still have got all of the family gifts to wrap but there is no big panic with them and small people can see what is happening there. Have poor G totally fooled and I am so looking forward to seeing her face on Christmas morning, she so badly wants a wii she may burst if she does not get it, down side is she knows we can not afford one this year…….hehehe or at least that is what I have told her for the past 6mths but cashed in a huge amount of freq flyers no they are not from flying more like shopping but got enough vouchers to buy a wii so she will be blown away. It is not for her but a family pressie must say I am looking forward to playing too should be fun.

Other than that not a huge lot happening, the weather is just scary at the moment, the rain has just been so heavy, I can not remember rain like this ever…….most of our gravel drive is now 2 blocks away on the end of the street corner but at least that is the only damage that we have had, a lot of people around here have had far worse so I am thinking us lucky there…..now just need foxtel cable to work again can only stand so many DVD’s in one day.

We have the fish and guinea pigs from kinder for the holidays, throw in our fish, cat and crazy dog 3 children and welcome to the zoo…….it is fun to have them and the children love them that is until them get pooped on and then it is more like toxic waste and they then do not like them, guinea pigs sure do poop a lot too, little poo factories…I know too much information sorry.

OK best go and wash small people and return poo factories to cage.

Happy Saturday
Linda XXXX

Yes that is right I am mighty miffed.

I left the children with my parents yesterday to go and pick up the Christmas lay by’s  only to find that after spending 45 min in line that they can not find my lay by’s. I am not happy in the slightest. I rang up to let them know I was coming 5 days in advance you only need to give them 3 days notice and they are not sure where they are. They can not tell me if that are in the store or the mysterious holding place but assure me that they usually turn up……..not exactly what I need to hear a week away from Christmas. When asked what happens if they do not find them I am told oh we usually give you your money back and you can just pick something else out…..mind you what was picked was on sale and I am sure they will not be the same price now that is if I can get the same.

Trying not to stress and I know it will all be alright somehow just really grumpy about doing the right thing and this happens. I guess the only good thing is it happened this weekend and not next weekend so there is a few days to sort out this mess.

Other than that all is well, super busy but that will get a little less this week. Harry finishes Kinder on Tuesday with his concert should be super cute so that will be fun. Not sure about my little man being old enough to start school next year and then have my baby start kinder time enough to dwell on that after I get my Christmas pressies sorted. Think next year I should just forget the lay by bit and go shopping early December and do the lot. Someone remind me about mid year when all the Christmas lay by sales start to look the other way.
Happy Sunday everyone,
Linda XXXX

Please just let the ground swallow me and put me out of my misery.

We went to the supermarket today for the fortnightly shop, it was a rather big shop as I try to only do a good shop every 2 weeks, works out so much less than popping into the shops for a little of this a little of that….and a lot of chocolate. Anyhow back to the story at hand, as I said full trolly 6 loaves of bread and all of the staples for the next 2 weeks with a few Christmas things thrown in for good measure I am sure you have the mental picture of what I mean.
Time to pay, open purse and it is empty…….no cash, no credit cards, drivers licence no anything of any use. It at about this time that a very naughty little boy starts to back away as I have the caught in the headlights kind of panic look on my face. If that is not bad enough there are about 10 people in the line behind me just wanting me to move so they can pay for their shopping. If only the floor would swallow me and take me away from all of this. Manage ti find a very old eftpos card but have no idea if there is enough cash to cover the shopping and then there is the small problem of remembering the pin no…even worse when you have a hoard wanting you to hurry, nothing like a little pressure to throw on top of a nightmare. I managed to get the pin on the 3rd attempt, now have a nasty little overdraw fee on the card and my 2 youngest children know just how angry Mummy can get in a public place whilst trying to remain composed as best as one can.

There is no TV or playstation till Friday and I do have all my cards back with the cash. It is bad enough that they did it but the bit that really gets me is they know they are not allowed to touch my bag or my computer and they just ignored me and did it. I know that it is all part and parcel of being children but oh my why me and why did I have to find out that way………….will the earth please swallow me up and hide the shame of it all.

I expect at some point I will be able to see the funny side just not going to happen today, think a very stiff drink may be in order, Oh well at least it is a lovely day and I don’t have to go back to the supermarket for another 2 weeks, they may have forgotten me by then, but not likely after today.

Have a Happy Wednesday all,

Linda XXXX

Warning:
Proud Mummy Moment coming.

I had to go to school during the week for a drug ed type night but it was the children educating us if that makes any sense. Instead of listening to the children being taught all about substance abuse they have been taught it over the past month or so and this time they put on a presentation to the parents.

I am the 1st to admit I was not in a good mood about going, apart from having to get my Dad to come and look after H&D I was not at all well and just did not want to be there. I also feel that you should know that Georgia is shall we say not the most gifted of children as far as her academic life is concerned. It has been a struggle from the very start and I hate to think of the extra time money and tears that have been shed over her lack of understanding in the class room. There is not any real problem apart from the useless teacher we had in her 1st year and have been playing catch up ever since. Teacher left the school after 1 year so you get what I am saying there. So it is just a battle, she wants to learn and is a passionate reader now she can and just loves books, just home work takes us 3 hours instead of 2 and she just seems to work so much harder than her friends to get the results. I guess down the track she will understand what it is like to have to apply yourself to what you are doing but when you are 11 it just sucks……..

So back to drug ed night………my baby got up in front of a room full of about 50 adults and the same amount of children and gave a speech…….it was a full page of dialogue and she spoke in the clear articulate voice that everyone could hear and did not even look at her notes once. I just sat there gob smacked and have no idea where it came from, I think I would have put in at least one wrong word or a umm or a ahhh but nothing. When it was all over I had a brief chat with her teacher and she said that she does it all the time in class and is not fussed about who she speaks in front of and does not use notes etc etc…….

She thinks she might like to be an art teacher when she grows up……..I think she may be well on her way, is she can have a room full of people eating out of her little hand to teach something like art that she loves……..hehe wonder where she gets that from…….she will be doing exactly what she loves most. On the way home she said it was so much fun to get up and say things in front of everyone and how much she loved it. My little mouse has come so far from the child that wanted to vanish because she could not understand what she needed to do in class.

Here end’s the proud Mummy moment for the week. Am feeling much better and almost back to human again, noting worse that a Summer cold when the weather is lovely and you are just sick. Have been busy getting together the Christmas Pav collection and Yum..have also added some lovely little ribbon packs with Perfect Pink, Beautiful Blue, Racey Red Lovely Lilac and Gorgeous Green under the Ribbon Rainbow section, and yes they are lovely. Am just putting together another chipboard order for a new company so with some luck that will be in store before Christmas…..not that it is far away now.

Have a good night everyone,
And a Happy weekend to you all
Linda XXXX

I am very bad blogger but more to the point I am sick and I want my Mummy…..

The problem there is my Mummy does not want to come near me in case she gets it…LOL I don’t blame you to tell you the truth. It started yesterday with Harry telling me he had a sore throat soon followed by Daisy……..Me not soon after and finish off with Georgia 1st thing today. It is just a yucky cold bug thing nothing too serious just enough to make everything blah.

Have just finished off the flowers for this month……..WOW…….Bright and bold, just what I am not feeling at the moment but with a bit of luck and some lovely codrals all will be well tomorrow at least it had better be.

Now I am off to recover, hate feeling like this………here is to a better day tomorrow.
Linda
xxxx