DIET:
Well so far so good. I don't think I will win prizes for the most dedicated but I have made a positive start. I think just having to actually commit to recording what I eat makes me more aware of what I am putting in my gob - and how much. Portion size is a biggie and I definately don't need as much as I have been eating.
Last night was dinner from the Glenfield night markets & I had much smaller portions than what I would usually have - although I am sure I still overate. Tonight is roast pork with roasted baby carrots & beets, I will do potatoes for the others & maybe a bit of kumara for me.
I am back at work today, I & G are away so I have to provide my own lunch & snacks for 3 days, easy to keep on track although when they get back it will just be salads etc for lunch anyway, I will need to watch portion sizes but that is about it.
OTHER:
Samyson has completed week 1 of CCMT Emerging Talent, loves it & seems to be getting heaps out of it. They have open mic night tomorrow where the students can perform a song, dance or monologue in front of the other students, the tutors & the parents. Samyson is doing Christina Aguilera's Bound to You - I am looking forward to it.
Siobhan & I got to spend the week together last week, it was nice hanging out with just the 2 of us, we had a couple of days where we were quite busy & a couple just blobbing at home, we did baking, went to lunch, went shopping (including the dreaded bra shopping).
I got stuck into work this morning but have to confess to waning a little this afternoon, typically the weather is gorgeous today & I am stuck in the office. Oh well best get back to is.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Busy Days
It seems at the moment there is no time to rest, one or other of the kids seem to have to be picked up and/or dropped off somewhere, shopping, housework, washing etc etc.
The week before last we had a pick up or drop off or something to attend every night. In all fairness it was the year 13 play for which Samyson was on the lighting team so a couple of the pick ups were just to get him after school as they had rehearsals and it was dark so I didn't want him walking home.
This weekend:
- Friday Gary drops Samyson at the mall where he will catch a bus to town with Alika, they will grab some dinner & then head to the Stage Challenge (luckily Alikas mum is bringing them home), Siobhan has a hair appointment at 4.15 which Gary will drop her at then pick her up when she is finished.
- Saturday I get to drop Siobhan at school at 7.30, she is going to a Chinese Cultural festival, I will go the the 8am yoga class (may as well make the most of being up so stupidly early), then I will go to the gym. Home, showered & changed Gary & I are going out for lunch (thanks to Montieths $ 50 voucher), shopping in the afternoon, pick Siobhan up from school then off to friends for dinner.
- Sunday I intend not to do a damn thing, I would like to try & read for a few hours and will probably end up doing insurance policy analysis for a couple of hours woo hoo.
I have been checking on the Landcheck website for Christchurch, every house I grew up in is in the red zone, they will all be demolished. I just read today that one of the hotels I spent many (way too many) evenings at listening to bands will be demolished. Because I grew up in the Eastern suburbs and spent most weekends in the city it is really weird to think pretty much none of it is going to be there. It is not just the places I lived but friends houses, my Godmothers house, the house I baby sat 4 kids in almost every Saturday night for 18 months or so when I was 15. I am supposed to be going down there in a couple of months for a week or so but to be honest I am not looking forward to it. I will go though because I know Mum is finding it hard, the 13 June quake seems to be the straw that broke the camels back. I wonder if Mum & Dad would like to spend a couple of days in Timaru or Hamner - can relive some childhood memories there instead.
Having one of those can't be arsed working days today, I think after spending several hours yesterday writing Financial Advisor disclosure documents my brain is just over it. Still heaps to do so I should stop procrastinating and get on with it.
The week before last we had a pick up or drop off or something to attend every night. In all fairness it was the year 13 play for which Samyson was on the lighting team so a couple of the pick ups were just to get him after school as they had rehearsals and it was dark so I didn't want him walking home.
This weekend:
- Friday Gary drops Samyson at the mall where he will catch a bus to town with Alika, they will grab some dinner & then head to the Stage Challenge (luckily Alikas mum is bringing them home), Siobhan has a hair appointment at 4.15 which Gary will drop her at then pick her up when she is finished.
- Saturday I get to drop Siobhan at school at 7.30, she is going to a Chinese Cultural festival, I will go the the 8am yoga class (may as well make the most of being up so stupidly early), then I will go to the gym. Home, showered & changed Gary & I are going out for lunch (thanks to Montieths $ 50 voucher), shopping in the afternoon, pick Siobhan up from school then off to friends for dinner.
- Sunday I intend not to do a damn thing, I would like to try & read for a few hours and will probably end up doing insurance policy analysis for a couple of hours woo hoo.
I have been checking on the Landcheck website for Christchurch, every house I grew up in is in the red zone, they will all be demolished. I just read today that one of the hotels I spent many (way too many) evenings at listening to bands will be demolished. Because I grew up in the Eastern suburbs and spent most weekends in the city it is really weird to think pretty much none of it is going to be there. It is not just the places I lived but friends houses, my Godmothers house, the house I baby sat 4 kids in almost every Saturday night for 18 months or so when I was 15. I am supposed to be going down there in a couple of months for a week or so but to be honest I am not looking forward to it. I will go though because I know Mum is finding it hard, the 13 June quake seems to be the straw that broke the camels back. I wonder if Mum & Dad would like to spend a couple of days in Timaru or Hamner - can relive some childhood memories there instead.
Having one of those can't be arsed working days today, I think after spending several hours yesterday writing Financial Advisor disclosure documents my brain is just over it. Still heaps to do so I should stop procrastinating and get on with it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
About time to updat
I have not really been the most committed blogger (I read everyone elses then forget to write my own).
Anyway:
SIOBHAN
- Doing great at school, is making friends & the work I have seen her produce is definately improving.
- Got her her first bra a couple of weeks ago Yikes! She is only 11!!
- She is captain of her netball team, she was so excited and very very proud of herself, we are also very proud, she tries really hard, does not miss a practice or a game.
- She is becoming more & more independent, she loves to help in the kitchen & often kicks me out insisting she can do stuff herself.
SAMYSON
- Constantly getting excellent results at school.
- Auditioned & got accepted into Variety Voices which is the new youth choir associated with Variety Club. They are aligned with Cadbury's at the moment as a part of the "Sounds of Joy" campaign. Samyson & 6 others have been selected to be in the studio on Friday to record some of the sounds for the final cut of the song then the 13-18 year olds are performing at Sylvia Park Mall form 12-1, he has a lead part in the song.
OTHER:
- Gary went to Christchurch the weekend before last. He came home on the Monday & by all accounts was lucky he did get home, firstly there was the ash cloud from Chile which grounded all but Air NZ flights - usually we fly Jetstar but he manage to get cheaper Air NZ ones when he booked. Then, there were 2 more earthquakes on the Monday a few hours after he left. I had actually considered extending his stay by a few days but a large credit card bill changed my mind - thank goodness.
- Mum & Dad felt the earthquakes, Mums nerves are a bit shattered & I think she feels a bit guilty that they have really had no damage yet others are living in appalling conditions & having to shovel liquefaction from their homes for the umpteenth time. Dad is a taxi driver & it is pretty dire for them, not much work at all, then chuck in a bloody ash cloud and hardly any flights in or out (he is one of the airport drivers & they pay a fortune to be allowed to do this).
- I am supposed to be going to visit them for a week later in the year, unless the earthquake lessen significantly I don't know if I will be going, Siobhan is already telling me she doesn't want me to go.
Anyway:
SIOBHAN
- Doing great at school, is making friends & the work I have seen her produce is definately improving.
- Got her her first bra a couple of weeks ago Yikes! She is only 11!!
- She is captain of her netball team, she was so excited and very very proud of herself, we are also very proud, she tries really hard, does not miss a practice or a game.
- She is becoming more & more independent, she loves to help in the kitchen & often kicks me out insisting she can do stuff herself.
SAMYSON
- Constantly getting excellent results at school.
- Auditioned & got accepted into Variety Voices which is the new youth choir associated with Variety Club. They are aligned with Cadbury's at the moment as a part of the "Sounds of Joy" campaign. Samyson & 6 others have been selected to be in the studio on Friday to record some of the sounds for the final cut of the song then the 13-18 year olds are performing at Sylvia Park Mall form 12-1, he has a lead part in the song.
OTHER:
- Gary went to Christchurch the weekend before last. He came home on the Monday & by all accounts was lucky he did get home, firstly there was the ash cloud from Chile which grounded all but Air NZ flights - usually we fly Jetstar but he manage to get cheaper Air NZ ones when he booked. Then, there were 2 more earthquakes on the Monday a few hours after he left. I had actually considered extending his stay by a few days but a large credit card bill changed my mind - thank goodness.
- Mum & Dad felt the earthquakes, Mums nerves are a bit shattered & I think she feels a bit guilty that they have really had no damage yet others are living in appalling conditions & having to shovel liquefaction from their homes for the umpteenth time. Dad is a taxi driver & it is pretty dire for them, not much work at all, then chuck in a bloody ash cloud and hardly any flights in or out (he is one of the airport drivers & they pay a fortune to be allowed to do this).
- I am supposed to be going to visit them for a week later in the year, unless the earthquake lessen significantly I don't know if I will be going, Siobhan is already telling me she doesn't want me to go.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
hair today Gone tomorrow
Today at approximately 2.15pm Samyson went from this:
To this:
It was part of a fund raising through the school for the Sweet Louise Foundation which supports women with secondary breast cancer.
He is a bit gobsmacked I think at the moment, it will take some getting used to, he had more hair when he was born. He raised a couple of hundred dollars. Gary & I were there to see it & even Siobhan came along.
There were about 15 of them altogether including 4 teachers (2 went as far as a number 1) and 4 girls all of who had quite long hair.
He is a bit gobsmacked I think at the moment, it will take some getting used to, he had more hair when he was born. He raised a couple of hundred dollars. Gary & I were there to see it & even Siobhan came along.
There were about 15 of them altogether including 4 teachers (2 went as far as a number 1) and 4 girls all of who had quite long hair.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Fished as a part
Saturday night Samyson went to Forbidden Broadwaywith the Riegels. I dropped him off at their house at 5 & they took him out to dinner before the show.
At 7.28 I have the following text conversation with my 13 year old son:
S; I just had a shot. Lol
Me: Of what?
S: Lemon cream stuff
Me: I assume non alcoholic?
I didn't get a reply & thought nothing more of it, was quite confident the people he was with were not plying him with tequila shots or bottles of wine.
Anyway about 10.30 they drop him home, Meg gets out of the car giggling (perfectly normal for her), then Samyson gets out, stumbles between the cars & over to me at the door way slurring his words & hugging me saying "I love yooooou Mum' and falling at my feet. Doris leaps out of the car & says "I have to explain ..."
At that exact time Samyson was on the ground beside me & I farted (classy I know) - act over.
Poor Doris is trying to explain & the kids are pissing themselves laughing.
Apparantly the place they went for dinner provide a complimentary drink of Limoncello and cream at the end of the meal. She said there was only a tiny bit of Limocello in so she figured it wouldn't do the kids any harm*. She had no idea Samyson would text me then put on the drunken act so I would think he was trollied.
It was a brilliant act, poor Doris couldn't get out of the car fast enough to explain he was not in fact pissed he was just acting, I assured her I guessed Samyson was just playing around & that I a) had no problem with them having a wee drink like that at the end of a meal (all part of growing up & learning to be responsible), and b) I did not think for 1 minute they were plying him with hard liquor.
Sometimes that childs acting skill are too good.
* I would have made the exact same call with the teens and assured poor Doris of this.
At 7.28 I have the following text conversation with my 13 year old son:
S; I just had a shot. Lol
Me: Of what?
S: Lemon cream stuff
Me: I assume non alcoholic?
I didn't get a reply & thought nothing more of it, was quite confident the people he was with were not plying him with tequila shots or bottles of wine.
Anyway about 10.30 they drop him home, Meg gets out of the car giggling (perfectly normal for her), then Samyson gets out, stumbles between the cars & over to me at the door way slurring his words & hugging me saying "I love yooooou Mum' and falling at my feet. Doris leaps out of the car & says "I have to explain ..."
At that exact time Samyson was on the ground beside me & I farted (classy I know) - act over.
Poor Doris is trying to explain & the kids are pissing themselves laughing.
Apparantly the place they went for dinner provide a complimentary drink of Limoncello and cream at the end of the meal. She said there was only a tiny bit of Limocello in so she figured it wouldn't do the kids any harm*. She had no idea Samyson would text me then put on the drunken act so I would think he was trollied.
It was a brilliant act, poor Doris couldn't get out of the car fast enough to explain he was not in fact pissed he was just acting, I assured her I guessed Samyson was just playing around & that I a) had no problem with them having a wee drink like that at the end of a meal (all part of growing up & learning to be responsible), and b) I did not think for 1 minute they were plying him with hard liquor.
Sometimes that childs acting skill are too good.
* I would have made the exact same call with the teens and assured poor Doris of this.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Something positive
The last few days the kids have both come up with some quite surprising comments.
Firstly Samyson on Wednesday, he had Theatresports which ran til 4.30 & he intended to walk home but it was raining so he sent Gary a text to come & get him. Apparantly on the way home he told his Dad that he is quite glad he is not doing NYTC this show because he gets to hang out a bit more with his friends & also we get to do family stuff too. This from the kid who on Sunday was whinging because he didn't want to go out with us to the Zoo & MOTAT.
Because Samyson was going to be late home on Wednesday Siobhan had to walk to Garys work after school instead of catching the bus. She informed me the next day that "since Dad enjoyed the company" she is going to do that every Wednesday. This from the girl who went to school on Friday in tears because I did not have change for the bus so told her to go to her Dads work and she was upset because she couldn't hang out with her friends on the bus.
I love the fact that they enjoy spending time as a family and I also know it will not be long before they will be spending more & more time with their friends.
I have been spending some quality time with Samyson lately as we have been getting up & going for a walk 2 or 3 mornings a week, it is only about 20 minutes but it is nice spending that time with him, some mornings not much is said & others there is lots of chat.
Anyway this weekend is busy, I have to sort out some books to donate to a group having a garage sale raising funds for Christchurch, Gary wants to go to the Pascifika Festival, I have Samysons school shorts to pick up from the repairer, goodness knows how many loads of washing to do, Samyson to be dropped at his friends in Parnell at 5 on Saturday & presumably picked up either form there or the theatre (he is going to Forbidden Broadway his friend Megs sister Kate is in it). Sunday I am hoping to get to yoga, probabaly finish the washing I did not get done on Saturday & hopefully get some time to read.
Firstly Samyson on Wednesday, he had Theatresports which ran til 4.30 & he intended to walk home but it was raining so he sent Gary a text to come & get him. Apparantly on the way home he told his Dad that he is quite glad he is not doing NYTC this show because he gets to hang out a bit more with his friends & also we get to do family stuff too. This from the kid who on Sunday was whinging because he didn't want to go out with us to the Zoo & MOTAT.
Because Samyson was going to be late home on Wednesday Siobhan had to walk to Garys work after school instead of catching the bus. She informed me the next day that "since Dad enjoyed the company" she is going to do that every Wednesday. This from the girl who went to school on Friday in tears because I did not have change for the bus so told her to go to her Dads work and she was upset because she couldn't hang out with her friends on the bus.
I love the fact that they enjoy spending time as a family and I also know it will not be long before they will be spending more & more time with their friends.
I have been spending some quality time with Samyson lately as we have been getting up & going for a walk 2 or 3 mornings a week, it is only about 20 minutes but it is nice spending that time with him, some mornings not much is said & others there is lots of chat.
Anyway this weekend is busy, I have to sort out some books to donate to a group having a garage sale raising funds for Christchurch, Gary wants to go to the Pascifika Festival, I have Samysons school shorts to pick up from the repairer, goodness knows how many loads of washing to do, Samyson to be dropped at his friends in Parnell at 5 on Saturday & presumably picked up either form there or the theatre (he is going to Forbidden Broadway his friend Megs sister Kate is in it). Sunday I am hoping to get to yoga, probabaly finish the washing I did not get done on Saturday & hopefully get some time to read.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Robinson Kids
How cool are my kids & my niece & nephew....
On the Friday before they went home I got home to find a card on my chair from the 4 kids thanking me for taking them places & doing stuff with them when I came home from work at night and for not being cranky even though it was sometimes difficult (their words). They gave me a bunch of flowers & had bough me a bag & some chocolates. They all did this off their own bat & with their own money.
I was so impressed what good kids :-)
I took them all to Rainbows End the next day & they had a ball although Siobhan didn't like a couple of the rides, she did get back on one of the scary ones so I was really proud of her.
I was sorry to see them go but it was nice to have my house back.
Gary was away this weekend so I took the kids to Lone Star on Thursday night for dinner, we had homemade smoked chicken pizza on Friday & roast chicken last night (Gary doesn't eat chicken so we don't have it very often).
I took the kids to Pokeno yesterday to get some meat, they of course had ice cream & we looked around the market & bought a few veges & other bits & pieces, all in all a nice way to spend a morning.
Best I get back to work now.
On the Friday before they went home I got home to find a card on my chair from the 4 kids thanking me for taking them places & doing stuff with them when I came home from work at night and for not being cranky even though it was sometimes difficult (their words). They gave me a bunch of flowers & had bough me a bag & some chocolates. They all did this off their own bat & with their own money.
I was so impressed what good kids :-)
I took them all to Rainbows End the next day & they had a ball although Siobhan didn't like a couple of the rides, she did get back on one of the scary ones so I was really proud of her.
I was sorry to see them go but it was nice to have my house back.
Gary was away this weekend so I took the kids to Lone Star on Thursday night for dinner, we had homemade smoked chicken pizza on Friday & roast chicken last night (Gary doesn't eat chicken so we don't have it very often).
I took the kids to Pokeno yesterday to get some meat, they of course had ice cream & we looked around the market & bought a few veges & other bits & pieces, all in all a nice way to spend a morning.
Best I get back to work now.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My Baby is at college
My boy started college today, he is pretty excited. He told me he wasn't nervous but I noticed that when I dropped him off he kept spotting people he knew and sounding rather relieved.
He has started the year with a great attitude, he wants to work hard & get A passes in all his subject so he can hopefully get scholarships when it comes time to leave, he is also looking forward to taking advantage of the extra carricular stuff such as theatresports & the comedy school.
We started the morning off with him & I going for a 20 minute walk and having breakfast together.
Tomorrows instalment - Siobhan goes to intermediate.....
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Visiting Relatives
My brother in law Paul is visiting for a week. Gary & Paul are spending the time working on the stock car & I have to work so the kids pretty much have to amuse themselves.
Samyson seems to have taken on the child minder role but is feeling a bit challenged. According to Paul his kids are not fussy eaters & will eat anything - yeah right!!! Still, since they live in Christchurch we don't get to see them much so it is kind of nice.
I took them all to Browns Bay for a swim last night, Paul hates water so he never takes them & I am the only person we know of that is allowed to, needless to say they had a ball. Got them fish & chips for tea.
Tonight I will take them for a drive to see the sights, sky tower, one tree hill etc. Apparantly Mikayla wants to go to KMart, I guess I can take her to Albany tomorrow night although I suspect she may be disappointed to find out it is just like the KMart at home.
I have promised to take the 4 of them to Rainbows End on Saturday, last Saturday of the school holidays, can't see that being a whole lot of busy, still they cannot come up here & not go.
Kids back to school next week.
CHRIS H asked if I was looking forward to it. I am in as much as I have to work so it is hard to find stuff for them to do. They tend to come to work with me a lot so I get to hang out for a bit during the day & have lunch with them (and put them to work stuffing envelopes, taking the mail to the post box etc).
We went away for a week & half then I had the next 2 weeks off so I hung out with the kids, Samyson had CCMT summer school for 2 weeks so I had Siobhan home with me for a week by herself which she loved, we tried to relax and did one "treat" each day. The next week she was going to come to work with me but she discovered one of her friends was in the school holiday programme at the local school so she ended up there for 3 days.
Samyson starts College & Siobhan starts Intermediate so that is kind of exciting too - in a "it seems like only yesterday they were starting primary school" sort of a way.
Samyson seems to have taken on the child minder role but is feeling a bit challenged. According to Paul his kids are not fussy eaters & will eat anything - yeah right!!! Still, since they live in Christchurch we don't get to see them much so it is kind of nice.
I took them all to Browns Bay for a swim last night, Paul hates water so he never takes them & I am the only person we know of that is allowed to, needless to say they had a ball. Got them fish & chips for tea.
Tonight I will take them for a drive to see the sights, sky tower, one tree hill etc. Apparantly Mikayla wants to go to KMart, I guess I can take her to Albany tomorrow night although I suspect she may be disappointed to find out it is just like the KMart at home.
I have promised to take the 4 of them to Rainbows End on Saturday, last Saturday of the school holidays, can't see that being a whole lot of busy, still they cannot come up here & not go.
Kids back to school next week.
CHRIS H asked if I was looking forward to it. I am in as much as I have to work so it is hard to find stuff for them to do. They tend to come to work with me a lot so I get to hang out for a bit during the day & have lunch with them (and put them to work stuffing envelopes, taking the mail to the post box etc).
We went away for a week & half then I had the next 2 weeks off so I hung out with the kids, Samyson had CCMT summer school for 2 weeks so I had Siobhan home with me for a week by herself which she loved, we tried to relax and did one "treat" each day. The next week she was going to come to work with me but she discovered one of her friends was in the school holiday programme at the local school so she ended up there for 3 days.
Samyson starts College & Siobhan starts Intermediate so that is kind of exciting too - in a "it seems like only yesterday they were starting primary school" sort of a way.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Update time from a slack blogger
Well it has been a while.
NAPIER:
Had a good time away although it was a bit hairy for the first couple of days as there were strong winds which are NOT conducive to an enjoyable camping experience. Gary was just about ready to pack up & go home again. Having said that, he was in a crap mood for a large part of the time anyway.
Highlights:
- the audio self tour of the old prison, it is a fascinating place with a really interesting history
- Ocean beach. The beaches in Napier themselves are rubbish but about 5-10 mins out of Havelock North you go on this windy road & come around a bend at the top of the hill & voila a beautiful beach.
- Vineyards (of course), that was the one thing I insisted that I wanted to do while I was in the Hawkes Bay, spend a day visiting wineries. I loved Moana Park, talking to the winemaker, his knowledge & enthusiasm was awesome. The same with Church Road, the guy there was great. Mission Estate is a stunning place, I could have stayed there for hours (in actual fact we didn't taste any wine there as it was busy).
- Splash Planet, what a way to spend a day. I put my Big Girl Undies on & went on the hydroslides, something I have not done since I was a kid. I even went in the covered one (not a wise idea for someone who is claustraphobic. The kids had a ball & we got to act like big kids.
We have Gary's brother Paul & his 2 kids visiting for a week. The kids get to hang out & I will try to get some time off work or at least leave early so we can go & do some stuff as the Dads will be working on the stock car most of the time.
In other news I joined Weight Watchers on line & in 2 & 1/2 weeks I have lost a grand total of .... 800g, yes that is it. I suspect my portion sizes may still be an issue & I am also sure that although I am counting my wine, my glass is a little (lot) bigger than 150ml. This week I am going to have a couple of days with no alcohol to see if that will kick start things. I only joined for 3 months at this stage so it would be nice to see results. I thought I would struggle with accountability but I have a 13 year old who keeps me on track & won't let me cheat when I log my daily food. Both kids are good at reminding me to go online & fill in my tracker.
Finally, the last 2 weeks Samyson was at Summer School, he got a partial scholarship to CCMT Emerging Talent school. It is a week of intense workshops then a mock audition on the Saturday. The next week is preparing for a show which they performed twice at the Bruce Mason on Saturday. A really good show & Samyson got great feedback from all his tutors, they told him he had talent & he grew so much during the course. He got so much out of it and is already talking about doing it again next year.
NAPIER:
Had a good time away although it was a bit hairy for the first couple of days as there were strong winds which are NOT conducive to an enjoyable camping experience. Gary was just about ready to pack up & go home again. Having said that, he was in a crap mood for a large part of the time anyway.
Highlights:
- the audio self tour of the old prison, it is a fascinating place with a really interesting history
- Ocean beach. The beaches in Napier themselves are rubbish but about 5-10 mins out of Havelock North you go on this windy road & come around a bend at the top of the hill & voila a beautiful beach.
- Vineyards (of course), that was the one thing I insisted that I wanted to do while I was in the Hawkes Bay, spend a day visiting wineries. I loved Moana Park, talking to the winemaker, his knowledge & enthusiasm was awesome. The same with Church Road, the guy there was great. Mission Estate is a stunning place, I could have stayed there for hours (in actual fact we didn't taste any wine there as it was busy).
- Splash Planet, what a way to spend a day. I put my Big Girl Undies on & went on the hydroslides, something I have not done since I was a kid. I even went in the covered one (not a wise idea for someone who is claustraphobic. The kids had a ball & we got to act like big kids.
We have Gary's brother Paul & his 2 kids visiting for a week. The kids get to hang out & I will try to get some time off work or at least leave early so we can go & do some stuff as the Dads will be working on the stock car most of the time.
In other news I joined Weight Watchers on line & in 2 & 1/2 weeks I have lost a grand total of .... 800g, yes that is it. I suspect my portion sizes may still be an issue & I am also sure that although I am counting my wine, my glass is a little (lot) bigger than 150ml. This week I am going to have a couple of days with no alcohol to see if that will kick start things. I only joined for 3 months at this stage so it would be nice to see results. I thought I would struggle with accountability but I have a 13 year old who keeps me on track & won't let me cheat when I log my daily food. Both kids are good at reminding me to go online & fill in my tracker.
Finally, the last 2 weeks Samyson was at Summer School, he got a partial scholarship to CCMT Emerging Talent school. It is a week of intense workshops then a mock audition on the Saturday. The next week is preparing for a show which they performed twice at the Bruce Mason on Saturday. A really good show & Samyson got great feedback from all his tutors, they told him he had talent & he grew so much during the course. He got so much out of it and is already talking about doing it again next year.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
I'm a Wus
Things that have made me cry in the last week or so:
- Glenfield Intermediate School prizegiving, the speeches from the teachers & the college heads Samyson getting the performance cup (even though I knew he was getting it)
- Windy Ridge graduation - right from the karakia welcome to the speeches & seeing all the familiar faces of parents that the kids have gone thru school with knowing that now Siobhan has left that is the end of my involment in the school. Siobhan looked so pretty & grown up = tears, the reading recovery teacher retiring = tears
- Siobhans school report, she is noted as "below expected level" in maths & reading (although she is now reading at her age). But the best bit was she got "A" in every subject for effort, plus in the other categories were all either "consistantly" or "usually", not one "developing".
- Samysons report, B for effort, above average for all subjects and the comments that are usually not so good relating to his stroppiness etc were almost non existant.
- teling the kids how proud I was of their reports
- watching U Choose 40 & seeing the video to the John Lennon Christmas song (Samyson even got teary at that one)
I am sure there has been more. I think I need a holiday.
- Glenfield Intermediate School prizegiving, the speeches from the teachers & the college heads Samyson getting the performance cup (even though I knew he was getting it)
- Windy Ridge graduation - right from the karakia welcome to the speeches & seeing all the familiar faces of parents that the kids have gone thru school with knowing that now Siobhan has left that is the end of my involment in the school. Siobhan looked so pretty & grown up = tears, the reading recovery teacher retiring = tears
- Siobhans school report, she is noted as "below expected level" in maths & reading (although she is now reading at her age). But the best bit was she got "A" in every subject for effort, plus in the other categories were all either "consistantly" or "usually", not one "developing".
- Samysons report, B for effort, above average for all subjects and the comments that are usually not so good relating to his stroppiness etc were almost non existant.
- teling the kids how proud I was of their reports
- watching U Choose 40 & seeing the video to the John Lennon Christmas song (Samyson even got teary at that one)
I am sure there has been more. I think I need a holiday.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Home Sweet Home
I had a lovely time in Christchurch with Mum & Dad, it was very relaxing (although did seem to involve a lot of food & alcohol).
Had a couple of meals out and I even managed to take Mum to lunch at Sweethearts at Berry fields where I got married, it was a lovely sunny day and we sat outside and had a glass of wine (of course) and a yummy lunch.
Heaps of shopping (I didn't spend TOO much).
I only felt 2 earthquake aftershocks that I know of and was surprised there were probably 20 or so while I was there. I thought I would feel every little movement so I was quite pleased it was not as unnerving as I expected. Mum said a lot of people are still really jumpy which is no surprise.
On Sunday after lunch (before ice cream, afternoon drinks & then dinner) Dad took me on a tiki tour of some of the worst earthquake damaged areas. It was quite sad to see especially the empty houses. We drove past our old place in New Brighton Rd, Mum said she had seen some cracking on the games room/garage wall but when I looked from the other side, it had been red stickered I think (may have been orange) but either way I think it will end up being pulled down. Part of the house was over 120 years old.
The family coped perfectly fine without me, I did miss Samysons band in the Battle of the Band heats which was a bummer, Gary said he was really good. They took Taryn with them since she had been helping in our garden on Saturday. I can buy the DVD of the heat so I guess I will have to do that. Unfortunately they did not win although one of their guitarist got most compelling performance. Samyson reckons they actually gave it to the wrong one as both the boys look similar and the one who got it wasn't actually really doing much :-)
Samysons friend from NYTC Sam Verlinden got best vocal - no surprises there he is a fantastic wee singer, plus most of the bands had been together rehearsing for months rather than the 2 or 3 weeks ours had.
Back home & I have been flat out, Friday night we all went to Rocky Horror on stage, it was awesome & the kids loved it (thankfully some of the more salubrious moments went totally over Siobhans head). Saturday they kids had costume fittings for Seussical and then we took them to Waikaraka Park Speedway for the fireworks - awesome awesome display. Ended coming home earlier than anticipated as they had a problem with the lights and had to cancel the rest of the racing.
Sunday Siobhan was in the Glenfield Santa parade so I dropped her off then went & helped out on the school cake stall for a few hours, took Samyson to rehearsal as he had to be there at 1 & then got back to the park for Siobhans aerobics group post parade performance.
Back to work today so it will take a few days (or weeks) to catch up.
Had a couple of meals out and I even managed to take Mum to lunch at Sweethearts at Berry fields where I got married, it was a lovely sunny day and we sat outside and had a glass of wine (of course) and a yummy lunch.
Heaps of shopping (I didn't spend TOO much).
I only felt 2 earthquake aftershocks that I know of and was surprised there were probably 20 or so while I was there. I thought I would feel every little movement so I was quite pleased it was not as unnerving as I expected. Mum said a lot of people are still really jumpy which is no surprise.
On Sunday after lunch (before ice cream, afternoon drinks & then dinner) Dad took me on a tiki tour of some of the worst earthquake damaged areas. It was quite sad to see especially the empty houses. We drove past our old place in New Brighton Rd, Mum said she had seen some cracking on the games room/garage wall but when I looked from the other side, it had been red stickered I think (may have been orange) but either way I think it will end up being pulled down. Part of the house was over 120 years old.
The family coped perfectly fine without me, I did miss Samysons band in the Battle of the Band heats which was a bummer, Gary said he was really good. They took Taryn with them since she had been helping in our garden on Saturday. I can buy the DVD of the heat so I guess I will have to do that. Unfortunately they did not win although one of their guitarist got most compelling performance. Samyson reckons they actually gave it to the wrong one as both the boys look similar and the one who got it wasn't actually really doing much :-)
Samysons friend from NYTC Sam Verlinden got best vocal - no surprises there he is a fantastic wee singer, plus most of the bands had been together rehearsing for months rather than the 2 or 3 weeks ours had.
Back home & I have been flat out, Friday night we all went to Rocky Horror on stage, it was awesome & the kids loved it (thankfully some of the more salubrious moments went totally over Siobhans head). Saturday they kids had costume fittings for Seussical and then we took them to Waikaraka Park Speedway for the fireworks - awesome awesome display. Ended coming home earlier than anticipated as they had a problem with the lights and had to cancel the rest of the racing.
Sunday Siobhan was in the Glenfield Santa parade so I dropped her off then went & helped out on the school cake stall for a few hours, took Samyson to rehearsal as he had to be there at 1 & then got back to the park for Siobhans aerobics group post parade performance.
Back to work today so it will take a few days (or weeks) to catch up.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
School Camp
Had a good few days at camp. I must admit, it was a day too long, I was a bit over it by Thursday afternoon but probably due to the weather rather than the kids.
It was organised differently this time, each adult was given a specific activity which was rotated so we had one in the morning & one in the afternoon, the groups of kids then came to our activity. The plus side was that if you got a group with some of the more um - "challenging" kids, you only had to put up with them for an hour or so at a time.
Generally the kids were fantastic, there were a couple of little shits but what do you expect with 160 odd 12 & 13 year olds?
Lowlights:
- a bit rushed & disorganised especially on day 1
- no camp staff on some activities which I think should have had them as the parents had to teach the kids & if we didn't know then they were not getting the best out of the experience.
- the weather was a bit crap (raining on & off Wednesday & Thursday)
- MatthewM breaking him arm on the BMX bikes whilst I was the parent in charge (believe me there were a couple of other kids who I would quite happily have injured)
Highlights
- meeting the kids & getting to know them
- seeing how some of them had changed & matured since year 7 camp or in some cases primary school was the last time I saw them
- Being pleasantly surprised by some of the kids I was expecting to be a pain turning out to actually be some of my favourites.
- the overall good manners from all the kids when doing the activities and also when dishing up their meals to them (still a few who need to learn to say Thank You but generally only ever needed one reminder)
- the parents accommodation was great (Carolann & I shared a room), we had our own showers & loos so did not have to share with the kids, plus we actually had a full kitchen (wish we knew that before we went)
- the camp food was actually pretty tasty and plenty of it, the kitchen staff were lovely (usually the people who run these kitchens make the dinner lady on Jamie Olivers school food show seem sweet & kind)
- Carol Ann & my detour to Tirau for some shopping & a stop in Cambridge for Gelato (Thanks to Mike for agreeing to pick the kids up from school so we could do that).
The biggest & best part of it all was when I got home & Siobhan came flying down the drive and flung herself at me and gave me the biggest hug ever and told me all night how much she had missed me AWWWW :-)
Oh - and wine!!!!! Not allowed alcohol at school camps these days so was glad to come home to a nice bottle.
On the Thursday night one of the teachers managed to get hold of a TV set so we got to watch the final of the netball - what a nail biter!!! It was a good way to finish the night but I think most of us were so would up after such a nailbiting final we took a bit of time to get to sleep.
It was organised differently this time, each adult was given a specific activity which was rotated so we had one in the morning & one in the afternoon, the groups of kids then came to our activity. The plus side was that if you got a group with some of the more um - "challenging" kids, you only had to put up with them for an hour or so at a time.
Generally the kids were fantastic, there were a couple of little shits but what do you expect with 160 odd 12 & 13 year olds?
Lowlights:
- a bit rushed & disorganised especially on day 1
- no camp staff on some activities which I think should have had them as the parents had to teach the kids & if we didn't know then they were not getting the best out of the experience.
- the weather was a bit crap (raining on & off Wednesday & Thursday)
- MatthewM breaking him arm on the BMX bikes whilst I was the parent in charge (believe me there were a couple of other kids who I would quite happily have injured)
Highlights
- meeting the kids & getting to know them
- seeing how some of them had changed & matured since year 7 camp or in some cases primary school was the last time I saw them
- Being pleasantly surprised by some of the kids I was expecting to be a pain turning out to actually be some of my favourites.
- the overall good manners from all the kids when doing the activities and also when dishing up their meals to them (still a few who need to learn to say Thank You but generally only ever needed one reminder)
- the parents accommodation was great (Carolann & I shared a room), we had our own showers & loos so did not have to share with the kids, plus we actually had a full kitchen (wish we knew that before we went)
- the camp food was actually pretty tasty and plenty of it, the kitchen staff were lovely (usually the people who run these kitchens make the dinner lady on Jamie Olivers school food show seem sweet & kind)
- Carol Ann & my detour to Tirau for some shopping & a stop in Cambridge for Gelato (Thanks to Mike for agreeing to pick the kids up from school so we could do that).
The biggest & best part of it all was when I got home & Siobhan came flying down the drive and flung herself at me and gave me the biggest hug ever and told me all night how much she had missed me AWWWW :-)
Oh - and wine!!!!! Not allowed alcohol at school camps these days so was glad to come home to a nice bottle.
On the Thursday night one of the teachers managed to get hold of a TV set so we got to watch the final of the netball - what a nail biter!!! It was a good way to finish the night but I think most of us were so would up after such a nailbiting final we took a bit of time to get to sleep.
Monday, October 4, 2010
School Holidays - week 1
Well it is into week 2 so I had better record what happened in the first week so I can recall.
Monday & Tuesday the kids were at Carolanns camp. They came home Tuesday night with cookies they had made & iced and stone sculptures. Both tired & cranky as they had little sleep.
I had Wednesday off work as I had a Dr appointment so figured I could spend the rest of the day with the kids. We went shopping at Save Mart, I got a jacket, Siobhan got a really pretty dress, a Hannah Montana T shirt & a pr of pink trousers, she has pretty much lived in the t-shirt & trousers since. Samysons friend Gabe came over for a couple of hours & he & Samyson practiced the duet they are going to do for All Stars this week, it sounded really good, I love listening to the kids practice, especially when they don't go all shy & silly.
Thursday they came to work with me in the morning, I dropped them off at Sylvia park & they went to the movies after which they had lunch at the food hall. I was most disturbed to find out the next day that an hour before I left them at the mall there had been an armed robbery!!
Friday, both at work with me for the day, chilled out & watched DVD's, one of Ian & Geraldines neighbours kids, Andrew was here also so he & Samyson played chess & watched a DVD.
Weekend pretty quiet, Saturday I told Siobhan she needed to practice her audition piece for All Stars and she packed a monumental wobbly. Later Gary & I went out & did some shopping, the kids were at home, supposed to be practicing. I had 2 texts from Samyson asking where were we & when would we be home, when I rang he said Siobhan was in a shitty mood and could I bring him something deep fried & covered in chocolate to compensate.
I arrived home to find peace had been restored but in the middle of the lounge was a dining room chair & on the chair was a desk lamp, Siobhans balloon poodle wrapped in electrical wires, a steak knife, a shot glass & a note, the note read;
" Next time you leave me with her - the poodle gets it.
PS The vodka bottle is now empty"
Obviously Siobhan was particularly difficult, still she had her audition piece and was learning it, somewhat fittingly the song is "pieces of me".
Monday & Tuesday the kids were at Carolanns camp. They came home Tuesday night with cookies they had made & iced and stone sculptures. Both tired & cranky as they had little sleep.
I had Wednesday off work as I had a Dr appointment so figured I could spend the rest of the day with the kids. We went shopping at Save Mart, I got a jacket, Siobhan got a really pretty dress, a Hannah Montana T shirt & a pr of pink trousers, she has pretty much lived in the t-shirt & trousers since. Samysons friend Gabe came over for a couple of hours & he & Samyson practiced the duet they are going to do for All Stars this week, it sounded really good, I love listening to the kids practice, especially when they don't go all shy & silly.
Thursday they came to work with me in the morning, I dropped them off at Sylvia park & they went to the movies after which they had lunch at the food hall. I was most disturbed to find out the next day that an hour before I left them at the mall there had been an armed robbery!!
Friday, both at work with me for the day, chilled out & watched DVD's, one of Ian & Geraldines neighbours kids, Andrew was here also so he & Samyson played chess & watched a DVD.
Weekend pretty quiet, Saturday I told Siobhan she needed to practice her audition piece for All Stars and she packed a monumental wobbly. Later Gary & I went out & did some shopping, the kids were at home, supposed to be practicing. I had 2 texts from Samyson asking where were we & when would we be home, when I rang he said Siobhan was in a shitty mood and could I bring him something deep fried & covered in chocolate to compensate.
I arrived home to find peace had been restored but in the middle of the lounge was a dining room chair & on the chair was a desk lamp, Siobhans balloon poodle wrapped in electrical wires, a steak knife, a shot glass & a note, the note read;
" Next time you leave me with her - the poodle gets it.
PS The vodka bottle is now empty"
Obviously Siobhan was particularly difficult, still she had her audition piece and was learning it, somewhat fittingly the song is "pieces of me".
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Lady gaga is in the house!!
Last night was the Glenfield Intermediate School talent contest.
Samyson was in a lyp sync group with 3 others. They were doing the Lady gaga/Beyonce song Telephone.
I know he put a fair bit of effort into it especially his costume because it was an expensive trip to Save Mart.
He was also MC for the night with 2 other girls. so his act was last.
Anyway, cue music and then onstage comes my son dressed in platform boots, leopard skin tights a fur top & hat completed with a blond wig. It was a fantastic performance he worked the stage & the room (even going off the stage and playing up to the judges) everyone cheered when they finished.
He stayed in character for the final MC part then the judges came back with their decision - HE WON!!!!! You should have seen the look on his face, talk about shock, he did not think he could because he was also MC and only entered as a bit of a laugh.
Unfortunately I do not have any photos so I have asked him to get some of his friends to email some to him.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Weekend Highlight
On Saturday afternoon on the way home from doing the grocery shopping (just Siobhan & I), she turns to me and says " Mum, I like it when we do stuff together".
How sweet is that?? I then ended up playing Pictionary for 2 hours - how could I not.
Samyson has now gone off to ski camp for a week, he was so excited he got out of bed as soon as I asked him this morning, usually it is a 15 minute battle. Even Khan is all excited, he turned up at 7.30 this morning toting his backpack checking I was still taking him to school. The weird thing is, the boys did not actually have to be at school until about 11 if they didn't want to as the bus was leaving at 11.30 to take them to the mountain but they both wanted to go early!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
When will it stop
The last few weeks seem to have been a constant round of drama (orientation, rehearsals & audition) plus School (parent info nights, visits, enrolments parent teacher interviews x2).
Samyson is going to Glenfield College next year, we had pretty much decided he would anyway but he was making noises at one stage about Westlake even though we are out of zone. As it turns out, the week we were in Paihia we missed the info nights for Westlake & one of the others he was considering, however once we went to Glenfield he seemed keen and moreso after the school tour.
Samyson was sick yesterday, he came to work with me but after throwing up twice I took him home, I don't know what caused it but he was a s good as gold this morning, in fact he was a fair bit better by last night.
Siobhan had netball on Tuesday, because it was a 5pm game I could not go and according to Gary she was brilliant, best game he saw her play. A few of the parents also commented to him - typical when I go to watch she doesn't play that well. She now thinks that she wants to do the netball program in the school holidays instead of All Stars. Having said that, the way the funds are at the moment, they will be doing the 2 day Caz Camp & nothing else, All Stars is $ 200 each & netball $ 150 plus the $ 170 for the 2 of them to camp. - none of which I have at the moment. Plus the $ 400 I need to finish paying for Ski Camp for Samyson. In my next life I am having cats not kids - they have to be cheaper.
Tonight we are off to Tibeca for dinner, Martin is organising it to celebrate the acceptance of the financial proposal to creditors being accepted. Good excuse for a flash meal out anyway.
A weekend of rehearsals & housework, will the fun never end.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Food Show
Gary & I went to the Food Show yesterday, I love going to the preview day, there are less people there so we get to try everything without getting pushed & shoved & the Exhibitors have more time to talk to individual people.
As usual we spent too much money but we got some yummy cheeses, dips, chilli sauce for africa including one with the rather disturbing name "Bhutt Burner", definately not one I will be trying.
Friends for dinner tomorrow so we will be able to sample the wares, Gary is going to spit roast but I am not sure how that will work because it is orientation for Seussical from about 1-4 and he wants to go to the swap meet at Waikaraka Park plus Samyson wants to go to the college for a look around, also from 1-4, not sure how that is all going to work.
We had Siobhans teacher parent interview last night, she is doing really well at school and they are confident she will be ready for intermediate next year (I wasn't). We have some stuff to work on at home so I will make sure I do some with her each night.
Samysons interview next week, that will be interesting because a bit of the old attitude had started to slip in last time so hopefully he has knocked that on the head.
Prawn curry for tea tonight, I have been looking forward to this for ages, I don't care what everyone else wants, if they don't like it they can have a sandwich as far as I am concerned.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I have a teenager
Last Thursday Samyson turned 13 - how the hell did that happen. I now have an official teenager!! I am sure I am waaay to young.
First week of the school holidays (although it was week 2 for us since they had an extra week when we were in Paihia). Monday & Tuesday both kids were at Camp Maynard with Carolann, a friend who runs a kids holiday camp there. They get dropped off 9am on Monday & picked up again 6pm on Tuesday. Samyson and Carolanns daughter Taryn are team leaders since they are year 8's. If they keep it up, in a year or so they will be able to actually take some of the activities.
Siobhan had a ball, apparantly lost the plot a bit on day 2 as she does when she is sleep deprived. Wednesday to Friday they were at work with me so they got to watch DVD's and stuff envelopes.
Today Samyson is at home & Siobhan next door at Laura's hanging out with Khan. Apparantly he was a bit bored last week at home so was happy to have some company.
Khan came over yesterday & hung out for a while then Taryn & Jayden came down while Mike went to pick Carolann up from scrapbook camp (she runs this a couple of days after the kids camp). There were 5 kids running around outside playing some sort of game that involved shooting each other & yelling - a lot. Probably drove the neighbours nuts but at least they were outside in the fresh air. When Mike & Carolann got home we went to their place for a drink & ended up staying for dinner of leftover roast lamb, veges & cheesecake from camp, fantastic, I didn't have to cook.
The rest of the week the kids are at NYTC All Stars Holiday programme so they have been practicing their audition pieces, Siobhan in particular has put a lot of time & effort into hers. Hopefully it will make the final cut into the show.
Having spent the last 3 or 4 hours trying to fix the friggin computer at work & download my upgrades, I have had enough & am going to knock off early.
Good night.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I thought my life was busy
As much as it drives me nuts all the running around to practices etc, I have it easier than some.
When I went to pick Samyson up from rehearsal last night, one of the Mums mentioned that they were thrown into a big panic because of a fire at one of the schools as it threw their whole routine out. She then proceeded to list the schedule which included, dance, soccer, drive thru McDonalds, NYTC rehearsal and something else I can't recall. She had it down to 10 minutes blocks. A couple of the other parents were standing there nodding in agreement saying they have the same problem that they have to pick the kid/s up from school then spend the next 3 or 4 hours ferrying them from one activity to the next - and this happens 4 -5 days a week for some of them!!!
I know a lot of these NYTC kids are extremely talented but seriously, when do they get time to do homework or just relax. One of the boys mentioned his Mum is going to talk to his teachers about reducing his homework load as he finds it too much with his other activities (not only does he do NYTC but gets involved in other shows as well, he is currently doing Macbeth with Stage 2 - he is 11!!!)
We always said that the kids can get involved in 1 sport & one artistic (music drama) activity each, no more. That was more than enough practices and rehearsals for a kid.
Sometimes I wonder if we are restricting them too much but apart from the costs, we are 2 full time working parents, it is difficult enough to get them where they have to be especially if it is on the other side of Auckland or if two have to be at different places at the same time. In my opinion they need time to themselves just to relax & do their own thing and time to do their homework at a reasonable time instead of late at night after several activities or first thing in the morning while trying to get ready for school.
Anyway I am looking forward to a weekend that has no time constraints all, we eat when we get around to it, go where we want & do what we want when it suits - Bliss.
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