Wandering

Today we stayed in our pyjamas until 3pm, and when we did all wake from our afternoon naps we got active. We went for a drive to the Anstey Hill Recreation Park. Today I looked for a different entrance and as you can see (click on the picture for a clearer image) we were rewarded with spectacular views. The whole of Adelaide spread before us. Next time we will go when the weather is fairer. We'll take a picnic rug and some company to share the view.

Attitude

Zac usually thinks about a complex task or tricky situation and gives up before he has begun. This week Zac has not done this in two situations when a drama is most likely to have developed in the past. One of these instances is pictured above. He made a complete train track with multiple lanes all by hisself. And to make the train track game less dramatic he has gone back every day and quietly repaired any track damage before playing some more.
The other instance of damn this week has occurred during homework time when Zac has to read his reader. Usually this part of the night starts with a while lot of drama. This week he has just knuckled down and read. No excuses. I don't want to jinx it, but I hope this is the beginning of a new attitude. A new Zac.

Language Warning

Zac spent tonight washing walls. He had been busted for scratching graffiti into our kitchen table. The positioning of said graffiti was most unfortunate as it sits just above the dinner plate position at the head of the able. Through a stroke of luck, however, Mick was not sitting in his usual position at the dinner table this evening. I was. My first reaction upon seeing the offending indentation was to draw in breath sharply. Zac's knee jerk reaction to my uncharacteristic dinnertime behaviour was to announce "I didn't do it." How could he know what he hadn't done if he had in fact not done it. Clue number one. Clue number two was the repetition of the phase "I didn't do it." I didn't need any micro expressions to tell he was lying to me. Clue three came by way of a spelling test. I asked Gus to spell the offending word and he had to ask if it had a big 'c' or little 'c'. (It's not that word) Gus was exonerated. Zac made an attempt to cover his tracks by writing a lower case where the graffiti had an uppercase, but his 'k' gave him away. His handwriting was a match. Now to the punishment. This was no ordinary misdeed and so needed a less than ordinary consequence. So I gave Zac the Enyo washer and told him to wash walls until bed time. With a minimal amount of posturing he did and in the process confessed his crime and entered into a productive discussion about restitution. An hour later and many walls washed he went to bed and I avoided a dramatic meltdown, his and mine. Some time today I was asked to ponder the question 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?' I can now say that I feel proud that I handled a stressful family situation without threats or raised voices (screaming) or smacking. So that when my Visiting Teachers came over (I had forgotten they were coming) as the children were all going to bed I did not have to explain the tension in the house. Instead they were surprised that I was already laughing about the matter.

Exhibit A:
Do not scroll down if you are easily offended or if me posting this will change your opinion of me for worse.

Lost

this is a picture of me 60cm (2feet) from the computer screen

I am blind.
It's official (self diagnosis).
I need my glasses to get me through the day.
I've been without my glasses for two weeks now as I wait for them to be repaired. I broke the arm while trying to clean them.
In the last two weeks I have been managing with a distinct squint. (Is it noticeable?)
This post is decidedly snappy as my attention span is significantly decreased because of the energy required to edit text.
Now for the viewer survey:
Do you think the squint will leave me with any lasting facial creasing?

Birthday Girl

Poppy had her 3rd birthday on Saturday with fairy cakes and princess dresses. She was definitely princess for a day (or two). She loves her 'Punzel dress all the way from 'Mareica from Ailish and Aunty 'Wistie'.

Having Poppy in our family has been such a joy and a surprising blessing.

I have been watching her closely these last few weeks that I have been at home on holidays and seen her mature from toddler to preschooler. She dances and sings her way through every day. Her repertoire of songs has increased from Twinkle Twinkle and Baa Baa to self composed pieces about love.

I was not allowed on her party boat last week coz I made her super mad but after I made her awesome birthday cake (see Kristie never too poor for birthday cake) I'm certain I'm back on the party boat.

Seriously thanks to family and friends who helped make Poppy's picnic a fun affair. Poppy got a present from her friend Mia and she insists on carrying it with her every where. The horse, Maximus, comes in the car just about everywhere. Sadly he has suffered a sex change and is now an unnamed girl horse. However seeing Poppy play and sing and laugh has made me grateful for the good memories I have of my childhood and made me remeber how great it is to be a child. I hope to be able to preserve her innocence and childhood for a good while longer. Tough to do, I'm sure, but well worth the effort.

New rules

For 4 years I've been feeding Gus what ever he wants for dinner. Nuggets, frankfurters, plain pasta, with a small piece of broccoli or cucumber to appease the veg gods. This has been working for him. Of late it has been working for me less. Gus' iron levels are sickeningly low and lets face it he's 5 now and can do with a little more variety in his diet.

So Sunday night the new regime was brought in.

No yelling - Children or Parents

No smacking.

Mum will serve everyone a reasonable portion of the same meal.

Everyone will eat a reasonable portion of said meal.

Bread and butter are the alternative when a reasonable portion is less than sufficiently satisfying.

Not eating a reasonable portion will result in 'bed time'.

Four days in and we are experiencing a level of success that, quite frankly, I thought was not going to be possible in such a short time.

Tonight Gus ate 1 whole ladelful of vegetable soup. I wont kid you there was much discussion about how he didn't like the look of it and how he wasn't hungry and how he was going to go to bed if he had made no effort to eat/taste the soup before everyone else was finished their meal. About 2 3rd's of the way through the meal Gus broke and tasted the soup. Hallelujah. One small bite deserves another and before too long the meal was finished.

Gus is stubborn but most of it's for show. While he was eating he would make faces to show his apparent discomfort in eating the soup but there was a definate twinkle in his eye that told me it was just for show. Cheeky.

Summer Fruits

The holidaze have been a real treat.

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I have had time to regenerate and reflect. The regeneration part has worked so well that I am fealing more energetic and more positive about me in my body. Feeling positive has definately been aided by a successful first week on the scales. I lost 2.2 kg this week. And thankfully birthdays have never bothered me so turning 34 last Sunday was nothing but a reason to get together with family and celebrate. Good times.

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The time for reflection has been positive too. I've been inspired by a friend who writes at 7 cherubs to be more conscious of my relationship with my children. I've been making some plans (nothing concrete yet) to make time for relationship/family building activites. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Now we are on the count down to the school term and I'm beginning to panic that there are so many things that I haven't made time for and now have to find a way to fit them into the last two weeks of the holidays. It's a good thing I have a new found energy. Mutiple play dates and morning teas are on the agenda.

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I'll be in touch.

Cheeky Chops

A couple months ago Zac was interested in taking some picture. This is not the amazing thing because he often enjoys photo journaling his life. What made this photo session memorable was that Gus and Poppy were so amenable to being models. Gus became especially creative with his posses. I've made some of the better pictures from this day into a collage.

Watching my weight

I (Mick and I) got an awesome treadmill for Christmas. I've totally been working it but maybe I've also been working the Christmas cheer just little bit harder.

So now I'm watching my weight with the help of the inter-web-thingy.

I signed up for Weight Watchers and now we can all watch my weight together.

Go team Dee!

Women of letters

Graphic Art by Tara Nielsen

Women of letters is an inspiring forum that is bringing the art of letter writing to a new audience.


There is something intimate about letter writing. Somehow it is easier to convey tone in a letter than an e-mail/SMS/update/twitter. Maybe it's because the medium is different and the sense of personal sacrifice is inscribed in each word that is painstakingly placed with the pen. Then there is the commitment to fold, seal, address and post the letter that says "My thoughts on this matter are valuable and should be given due consideration."


When was the last time you thought enough to write a letter and post it?


I once wrote one to my father. I knew not where he was and I had come to a point in my life where I was more than a little bit tired of carrying baggage that I had been constantly repacking 'just in case'. So I wrote to him and put a stamp on it no address, return or otherwise, and posted it. Cathartic!!

I like to think of blogging as a sister to letter writing for the time and consideration spent in editing topic and content are genetically similar. Posting may not be as time consuming to the blogger but it is as equally deliberted as that moment when you let go of the letter at the post box. You know, just before you let go and send it on it's way you think "Is this right?"

sick

I have a pet peeve.

I can't stand it when people say they have the flu when clearly they have a mild to moderate cold or sinus trouble.

I have another pet peeve.

It bugs me that I can get through a whole year of work with minor illnesses that don't justify days let alone a day in bed but on the first night/day of holidays I'm so sick I just want to lie in bed all day.

I think I might have a severe cold or maybe even the flu.

two

Two months until Christmas. I'm looking forward to School holidays, beach days and balmy nights.

three

Gus has been at school for three weeks now and he couldn't be happier. Before he got there I admit that I was worried. At home he would do just about anything to get out of storytime or any reading activity so you'll understand my surprise to find that he has soaked in an amzing amount of information. He's definately a kinesthetic learner who learns on the move and boy has he been moving. Everyday he's got something new and different to tell me about what happened while he was away. My heart is full to the brim.

iv

I nearly didn't make it to work today because I think I broke my toe last night and could barely walk this morning. Thankfully year 2 mainstream students don't need me to chase them or carry them or generally keep up with them in the same way as Special Ed students do. In my (soon to be) old job I would have had to have a day off. Today when I couldn't keep up with a particularly spirited student she kept skipping back to me like a little yo-yo. In class I just had to hang about at the front of the class and all of my subjects came to pay respect to Queen Dee of the Hop-a-long's.
We had a great science lesson. We made cornflour gloop because our subject this term is matter so the lesson was about how combining matter can lead to some very interesting results. We made so much mess I am very glad we experimented outside on the cement.
It's going to be good to be a teacher.

5

I've been living in two worlds. For one week each fortnight I am a pauper and I travel to and from work on the express to city bus. I get on at the Modbury interchange after lining up with all the other meercats. Then bury my nose in the flesh of my fellow sardine (thankfully a fresh bunch, not stinky). I briskly travel to the school from the bus stop in my 4 year old deadly treadlies (sneakers) and trade them for a small heel a little closer to my destination.

Then the next week I go from dog house to penthouse.

For one week every fortnight I get to drive to work in a little piecce of heaven. Let this picture speak a thousand words.

The school holidays are over

These holidays the cousins spent a lot of time together. Play days and sleepovers were the order of each day. There was even one day when I was in charge of every single child while their beautiful mothers were working hard. What made this day so memorable to me is that my Zac didn't injure, beat up or generally lose 'it' at the expense of the safety of any child in our home. Yay Zac.

This is a photo of them all together on that day. A commemoration of Zac's triumphant day. Xander was in the photo until he scream and cried and bucked himself off the couch.

Every other day of these holidays this:

is where I have spent a couple hours each night.

Reading and typing have been the only items on my holiday 'to do list'. With 4000 words due in the last two weeks and an exam in three weeks with my final piece of evidence of learning (a 50 page powerpoint) due at the same time I have had a fair amout of work to do.

But the end is in sight. If only I didn't have to worry about one minor detail...getting a job.

Have a great 4th term everyone.

Gus had a birthday

Gus is pretty cool. He was born with all the patience God was going to give him and he used it all up in the first thee years of being here. I have to admit that I helped to run his resources low. Like when he would wake up from a sleep 4 hours after his last feed and wimper as if to say 'I'm here, please don't forget to nourish me.' I would be busy dealing with Zac's latest drama and would say to Gus 'Just a minute.' A minute would turn into and hour and I would hear Gus wimper again as if to say 'No really, don't worry about me. I'll wait here until you have time to feed me.' I would feel so bad when I realised that it had been 5 hours since his last feed that I would nuzzle him and let him suckle til he was full to the brim. I would sit with him a devote my whole being to him and completely ignore the little 2 year old using my shoulders and head as a climbing gym. So now he is five he is quick to anger, yet as equally quick he will turn to show me affection.

For example I'll stub my toe in the kitchen and cry out in pain. Gus will leave his 'time-out' spot and walk into the kitchen having heard my cry and ask me "Do you want a kiss Mum?" How can I refuse him.

He's funny too. He was telling knock knock jokes at three and at five he still loves a good joke telling session. He'll hide something before I walk into a room and as he looks at he his eyes will dart to the hidden item. He can't help it. He gives it away everytime. But he laughs and thinks it's all great fun.

I hope he remains as loving and tender as he is today and I hope he gets a refill on the patience soon.

Too Chicken to Post

Hello Neighbour

I'm really sorry to bother you but I feel impressed to let you know that either yourself or someone of your acquaintance performed an impressive burn out at the corner of *****St and *****Gr last night. I do not wish to quash the youthfulness of the driver of the vehicle but I ask that this person be mindful that my husband is a shift worker and as a parent of three young children he seriously covets what little sleep he can catch. The antics of the driver last night disturbed his sleep and I ask that you or your acquiantance please refrain from this type of behaviour in the future.

Thank you for your consideration.

Just because you asked so nicely L-J

I'm getting much better at this teaching gig. Since I last posted I have done another 25 days of teaching practice and I have learnt so many lessons. I have a new mentor teacher and a new classroom. This time I am teaching the year 4 girls. They are beyond gorgeous and every morning when they say prayer (Catholic school) at least one of them prays that Miss Vojnovic (me) will have a nice day. They also pray for the dead loved ones of friend's families. Like one girl's mum and the teacher's cousin every week if not evey day. They have not a single deceitful bone in their bodies combined. For example today I took in money for the introduction to this topic for maths and when they had finished handling the $100. $50, $20, $10, and $5 bills and discussing then I moved onto a different subject and left the money sitting in plain site at the front of the class (I know , stupid) but when I realized my mistake I went to get the money and it was still there (all of it!) (I know, unbelievable). Hearts of gold. These pictures are of the display we made today to mark the beginning of our space project. I'd like to thank Corrie for looking out for some science stuff for me eventhough she has been super busy summer studying and getting her class ready for the new school year. And thanks to mum for fielding all my phone calls of late about resource stuff.

'Our Solar System' title is all glitter.

We added some whimsy to our solar system with martians and various other fantastical space objects.

The planets are to scale (sort of) as though the sun were 4meters in diameter.

Reflect, reflect, reflect.

I learnt my first two big lessons in teaching last week.

1. don't try to fit a whole unit of work into one 45 min lesson



2. don't do a really cool activity with 1/4 of the students and not think the other 3/4 will really want to do it too.

Other than these two biggies I'm learning a lot from my two mentor teachers. Today Amanda taught me that not every moment needs to be a teaching moment. Some task are for discovery. I have been watching two very good teachers over the last three weeks and my stress pendulum is starting to shift. I don't spend so much time in panic mode anymore. I'm beginning to spend more time in 'I could probably do this' mode with short burst in panic mode before I put on my teacher inner voice and say 'I can do this. I don't have to be all knowing and all wonderful. These girls have been doing this job for a very long time. I'll get there too.' And most times I believe it and when I don't I fake it.