Well, we are just about better! Phew! That was not fun!
Topsy is the only one with a slight fever still, but he ate today and actually got off his couch.
It has been a really hard couple of week for Topsy. He has looked sooo sick, not that he complains at all. He has been very clingy, and asking me to 'sit' with him all the time (and when I was sick too, that was fine by me!) The two of us just lay on the bed watching Barney and the Wiggles.
You know, I had some funny things to write about our illness last week, but as I started to write, I have just decided I won't, 'cause I can't tell them right and they probably won't seem all that funny to anyone else! Arrgghh.
My brain is actually to foggy to continue. I am sorry guys, but I will leave you with a couple of pics of something I bought to do with Diva (might I add, she has decided it is not something she is going to be good at!!!!)
Don't laugh. It is certainly not a MamaMentor creation, i know, but I am rather proud of my eighth of a square! It is supposed to be part of a quilt, but I think I will extend it to just be a scarf!
The funniest part was the 10 minutes it took for me to work out how to do the slip knot in order to begin to cast on! The step by step instructions had me boggled. i tried over and over, laughing helplessly as my young daughter lookedon in pity and horror!
We had to resort to the instructional video *!!!!!!* to work out the slip knot and after that it was pretty smooth sailing
Here are the 3 brothers, the PJed older 2 doing Topsy's fvorite thing with him!
They did not know I would be happy snapping, so this photo captures them attempting to flee! haha! Escape is futile!
And these are the new posters Diva has added to her door. Diva loves animals and finds Bindi the Jungle Girl fascinating.
This is just a quick thankyou post going out to my parents! The past two weeks, our family have been feeling miserable! Beseiged by at least two separate colds and apparantly 2 different strains of high temperature viruses, I have been viewing life through a very dimm wattage. Hubby was away this past week and a half doing his Master's in Sydney. So the other night when I probably should have taken Rolly and Diva to the emergency room at 2:00 in the morning, I myself was sporting a temp of 39.1 (102 for the Americans)and really couldn't think of who to contact at that time of night to have come and sleep over with the other two. So we didn't go, we just struggled through the night together. The past three days have really been a depressing blur of being freezing cold, then suddenly unbearably hot; wracking coughs; just waiting next to the clock, waiting for it to again be time to be able to dole out the next lot of medicine that gives us all an hour or so of real relief. Neither Demazin nor Dimetapp have been able to touch the slimy green factory of nasal mucus that is our family! I think that if I saw Topsy without two shiny rivulets teeming from his nose, I would notnot recognize my own child! He has honestly had a runny nose since the first week I started teaching, all the way back last term!
Any ways, you get the picture? Or shall I go on.... LOL! Well, anyways, Hubby returned home last night to our great happiness. And he came bearing gifts, from himself but also from my parents!
With my present, my Mum wrote that she wanted me to relax and have a cappuccino and an Oreo. The cappuccino, the cup and the oreos were all provided in my gift.
SO I did sit down and relax and drink the hot drink provided by my parents!!!
Thanks so much! It was such a thoughtful gift!!!
(I think my camera lens has some thing smeared on it, hence the romantic haze in the pics!!!
I had big plans to post all about our trip to Sydney, and I will post a few of the pics and some vidoe footage, but it is a bit of an anticlimax being so many days after the trip. You see, we came home with 3 days left of our holidays, and fell sick, the lot of us (bar Hubby!). So the past 10 days have been consumed with trying to recover. The kids missed the first two days back at school. Then they all went back on Wednesday, only to have Roly and spindles stay home Thursday with hacking coughs. Actually as I write this, Diva is asleep on Hubby's side of our bed (he is away on a conference) with a vomit bucket next to her. She hasn't used it yet, but has felt sick all night. And little Topsy has been awake though wanting to be in his bed, on and off for the last two hours (it is 10:45!!!) He just s wants a drink of water, his blanket up near his chin, and his Andrew Lloyd Webber CD started up again. His nose is streaming, his cough is really fluidy and congested! His nose has been runny for about 9 weeks now! Seriously it has! The doc says he can't do anything for him cause it is viral! Grrrr. We are much better than we were this time last week though so that is something!!!
So I'll start with the present and work backwards! This holidays, diva and I painted her room pink. It used to be this color:
And now, voila:
We also had a wee helper, who helped with the second coat of paint when Diva was at school!
His little 'umm hmmms' indicate that he is very happy! Oh and there was not a lot of paint on his roller at the time!! heehee!
And today, I got into the boys' room and gave it a real going over. Most of my blog buddies are Super Neat, but I have hoarded all my life, and have not inherited one little ounce of my mother's good house cleaning genes! spindles and Roly are both pack rats,and hate to say farewell to any of their possessions, even dearly belovedold shoes that do not fit any longer!! so i got into their room, and got two massive garbage bags worth of clothes, two smaller bags of toys, and three recycling bags worth of books that the boys haven't played with for years! All have been donated to the Salvation army. 3 huge garbage bags of rubbish also walked out their door. This may not look neat to you, but for my boys' room....WOW!!!
Their room is quite tiny, so the bunks/desk beds are to save on space. Did you notice how both boys have hangers and hooks hanging off the underside of the bunks? Weird! and the joyous thing, was that Spindles who is a real saver, was reunited with his $40 birthday money missing from nearly two years ago! Whjere was it? Stuck in a book in his bookshelf! Boy was I popular!
Ok, I also mentioned ages ago now about Roly's coming of age. Well, he will be doing a range of tasks to make his rite of passage into being in his 13th year! I havd planned to make a bit of headway with finetuning the ideas this week, but not feeling a 100% interfereed with that, so here is a general and certainly not finalized list.
2. start a job for money- saving (go and chat to someone who is a good saver) 3. acting lessons 4. suvivor skills 5. do the prep for taking communion 6. Bible memory (fruits of the spirit, Phillipians 4:6,7? Any suggestions?) 7. set up a quiet-time plan 8. cycle to Tamworth (14 km bike ride) 9. served a two course dinner for guests at our home 10. volunteer at the local soup kitchen 11. Geocaching adventures with GPS system
As for number 1, well that is the most important one. Family. Bringing together his extended family, and having their input into his life at this crucial age. I have added the whole summary or very loose plan for his interaction with each of his parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, so feel free to skip this bit. But the idea is for him to bond with each one, and glean from their wisdom, especially the men. (their will be a special time with siblings too, but not concrete yet!!) Where it says' strand of string', the idea is that he gets a strand of material from each family member that will be woven together as a friendship bracelet on his 13 th birthday (the end of his 12 tasks) to serve as a reminder of the people who love him unconditionally and pray for him the most!
1. Family component 1. 2 night trip with Dad -talk about Bodie’s interests and Dad helps Bodie come up with goals to set to accomplish his and fulfil his dreams Bodie asks Dad questions about growing up -Dad shares what he wants and prays for Bodie -campfire talk -a strand of string
2. overnight with Grandad -make something together or do a task -Bodie asks Grandad questions about growing up -testimony and being a Christian husband and father. -Grandad shares what he wants and prays for Bodie -campfire talk -a strand of string
3. day with Granny -make something together or do a task -Granny teaches him to cook a simple recipe -testimony and being a Christian wifeand mother. -Granny shares what she wants and prays for Bodie -how to treat a woman -a strand of string
4. overnight with Poppy -make something together or do a task -Bodie asks Poppy questions about growing up -testimony and being a Christian husband and father. - Poppy shares what he wants and prays for Bodie -campfire talk -a strand of string
4. day with Nanny -make something together or do a task - Nanny teaches him to cook a simple recipe -gives him something symbolic -nanny shares what she wants and prays for Bodie -how to treat a woman -a strand of string
6.Day with Uncle Ari -hike and talk -testimony and being a Christian husband and father. -what he wants and prays for Bodie --a strand of string
7. afternoon with Aunty Kirsty -testimony and being a Christian wifeand mother. -what she wants and prays for Bodie -what she does as a Christian woman and mother. -what qualities she appreciates in Ari -strand of string
8.Day with Uncle Phil -hike, geo cache, laser zone? and talk -testimony and being a Christian husband and father. -what he wants and prays for Bodie --a strand of string
9. Afternoon with Aunty Fiona what she wants and prays for Bodie -testimony and being a Christian wifeand mother. -what qualities she appreciates in Ari --a strand of string
10. Day with Uncle Campbell -talk with examining a car motor! -what he wants and prays for Bodie -a strand of string
11. Day with Uncle Paul -activity (laser zone?) and talk -testimony and being a Christian husband and father. -what he wants and prays for Bodie --a strand of string
12. afternoon with Aunty Robby -testimony and being a Christian wifeand mother. -what she wants and prays for Bodie -what she does as a Christian woman and mother. --a strand of string
13. overnight with Mom!
Ok, I have definitely outstayed my welcome! *hugs*
Guys I have a question for you. Roly is turning 12 in August, and to mark his year before becoming a teenager, we are wanting to set him 12 tasks, one for each month of his twelfth year. We have some tasks in mind already, some spiritual, some active; but do you have any ideas of a task he could do? Something memorable, something that will bring personal growth? Several mini- tasks could make up 1 big task.
Oh and check this vid out of the Guitar and Marionette. Very clever and funny!
Well, I can't use the excuse of work any more for lack of blogging.
Could I perhaps convince you that having the kids home on holidays is taking up my time. That is certainly true, but also I think I have got out of the habit of blogging! Must get back into that.
Life has gone back to normal for me, and how happy I am!
It is a quiet holiday so far. We are going away for four nights on Thursday. Going to see my folks in Sydney. It was originally a trip to stay with a very dear friend and her brood while her hubby was away, but that has kind of had to change. I will only see her on Thursday evening, and then they are off on a holiday of their own.
We will also hopefully see my sis, robyn and family on the way home (Uh, Monday some time, Robby!?!? Will you be there?) And our visit coincides with my nephew's birthday celebrations, so we will get to see my sis and bro- in- law and little Reuben. And my in laws. so a very fruitful trip!!!!
I have to say that the stint of teaching really gave me lots of ideas and extra passion for kid's ministry. I am working on implementing different ideas and techniques. The kids we are reaching through Kids's Cloub and now consequently through Sunday School ( I go and pick some of those kids up) have had almost no Bible teaching. Several of these kids have been suspended so many times that they have had to go to an intermediary placement for several weeks. But they are coming to Kid's Club and Sunday School by their own request and are keen to learn.
I have been most surprised by my newly kindled interest in puppets. After seeing how our community's kids interacted with a puppet ministry team from Sydney, I thought, 'surely we can do some of that, on a smaller scale!'
So we have a puppet theatre being made, and four puppets have been ordered.
Here they are:
This is the one Diva chose. Meet Susie the Spring fairy. Suzie short for Sue Dafed. Yes, she is a Spring Fairy with Hayfever. She is only a little girl and a fairy in training.
Meet Multy, the Jester. he's the FUNNY one. Spindles chose him and is developing his character.
Roly's Hound dog is yet to be named or really developed, but here he is:
But as I am so totally excited about the opportunities this might give us, I have spent a bit of time getting to know my puppet, whom I will pick up in Sydney this weekend. I am still mucking around with his name (Oh and he is not yellow, nor does he have that hat. He will actually be purple with orange around his eyes.)
He is going to have a gruff but childish voice. I have written the first script for when we introduce him and his 'flatmates' to our evening service, with a lot of input from the kids, and we laughed so hard, reading it out. Hopefully the kids puppets, which are coming from the States will be here any day, and we can start practising for real. At present, my guy will be the main puppet, and then as the kids practise and get more condfident, they will get solo go for some skits. We plan to use the puppets for only short skits at present to introduce a theme or topic.
