15 June 2012

Elmo and the Firetruck



Scrag is learning about Fire Safety at kindergarten.
He sings to us, "Get out, STAY OUT!" and knows to call 111 if there's a fire.
He even gets upset when he realises he forgot to bring home the fire safety booklet. He cries actual real tears.

Scrag tells us the Firemen are coming to visit kindy on Friday. He is so excited. So on Mummy-and-Scrag day last week, we troop off to to see the Firemen (even though it's not a kindy day for Scrag).

The Firemen are not there at 9.30. By 10 o'clock, still no sign of them.
"When are the firemen coming?" ask the children.
"Maybe they have a call-out," says Madhu.
At 10.30 still no sign of the firetruck.
"Where are the firemen?" ask the children.
"Perhaps they are putting out a fire," says Madhu.
"Or rescuing a cat from a tree," says Scrag. (He has listened carefully to the story about Fred the Busy Fireman).

Finally at 11 o'clock we give up and go home.
The firemen didn't come. Busy busy firemen.


But today when we pull up at kindy, what do we see?
A Big Red Firetruck.
Scrag is ecstatic.
"Hurry, mum! Hurry, we don't want to miss it!" he shouts.

He is wearing his Elmo hat. Elmo is a really fun hat. Sometimes Elmo pretends to eat Scrag up. Sometimes he pretends Scrag is not there at all. Today Elmo is excited to see the firetruck too.


The children take turns helping the fireman hold the hose. Elmo is impressed.


At last it is Scrag's turn to hold the hose. Elmo can't believe how far the water shoots. Watch out, you people walking past! Hehe. Anyone want their car washed?


Well, Scrag, the firemen came at last. Wasn't that fun? 


{P.S. That Elmo Hat is so darn cute, 
but I have no idea where my sister got it from.}



{P.P.S. Scrag reminded me to pick up the Fire Safety Booklet. 
Which says: Check Smoke Alarm batteries. 
OOPS... ours are dead. 
Off to the shops now to get new ones. 
Thanks Scrag, you might have just saved our lives.}

♥
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14 June 2012

Looking, Watching, Seeing



Watching my girl play netball.
Fingernails bitten to stubs.
Please oh please, may they win this time...
A taste of victory for my girl?

Watching her do her magic.
She totally rocks in Goal Attack.
Anyone looking could see.
Watch how she gets the ball and sends it on into safe hands.
Look how she moves into space, always working, running, calling.

See her catching, snatching, passing.
Setting up a goal. Now two.
Please oh please may the whistle blow...
Peeeeee-eeeeeep!

It's over. They won. THEY WON!!!!
Other mothers looking as I scream and jump, ecstatic.
I don't care. Let them look.

They won, they won at last. I nearly have tears.
Watching my girl explode with joy.
Seeing her delight.
And the Player of the Day goes to... MY GIRL!

Excitement unlimited. Frosty shakes all round.
The taste of longed-for victory is so sweet. And we are so proud.

............................

P.S. This Noticing/Looking/Observing business has done the trick and snapped me out of my bloggy doldrums. I highly recommend it if you're struggling for inspiration. Just go around with your eyes wide open, and write what you see. Oh, and make sure you take your camera! ♥
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13 June 2012

Noticing...


Today I notice the way my breath comes out in foggy clouds, this frosty winter's morning.
The blue of the sky as I cross the Harbour Bridge. I am swept along in a river of people-in-cars, all busily going somewhere.
I can't help but notice the way I am always late, no matter how hard I try. Someone forgets their schoolbag and I must turn around and take them home to fetch it. The Petrol Light comes on and I must get gas before crossing the Bridge (wouldn't want to run out there.)
I feel the way my heart skips and my breath catches at the sight of my city's skyline, reflected in the mirror of a perfectly calm sea.
There's something about cloudless Winter mornings. Fresh and crisp, full of possibilities and unsullied with mistakes (yet).

I drive along remembering my funny Scrag on another morning trip last week.
We slowed to let a pedestrian cross, an old man with flowing long grey hair, beard down to his waist.
"Look mum!" Scrag cries, "There's God!"

Hehehe.
I still chuckle to think of it.


Thinking of Scrag, whose vocabulary is extensive, and who loves to sing at the top of his lungs.
Scrag who says the funniest things when he's upset; it's hard to keep a straight face.
Like last night.
"I wish I had powerful hands. If I had lightning in my hands I would go *woosh* like that to the whole entirey world and make them go away, so I could be an astronaut floating in space..."

Ah sweet Scrag.

I am noticing headaches. Every day. Morning and night. Awful skull-crushing headaches. Why?
I suspect the medicine, the one meant to help keep me calm. Perhaps it's time to change, reduce, wean off. Will I notice my headaches go away if I do? Hope so.
Last night, the worst headache in a while. Me, incapacitated, shutting the blinds, crawling into bed before six.
Noticing the way my hubby stepped up, cooked dinner, fed kids, read stories, put Scrag in bed.
Noticing the way my big kids slid into bed with me, snuggled up and went to sleep. Wanting to be close.
So very thankful.


And now. Sun streams in, sky still blue.
A beautiful day beckons me outside.
Let me finish my jobs and venture out. Take my camera. Keep noticing.
Who knows what I may discover?

What are you noticing lately?

{P.S. This has been Day Two of keeping my Eyes Wide Open, in an attempt to refire my creative juices. I'm simply writing what I see, notice, observe. Want to join me? Share your thoughts or a link to your post in the comments.}
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12 June 2012

Just Looking, Thanks


I've decided to spend this week really looking.
Observing, taking note, walking around with my eyes wide open.
I figure if I am lacking inspiration, it can't hurt.

There's plenty going on right under my nose. So much to be thankful for, plenty to write about, if I really take the time to look.
Stories in miniature, there just for the looking and the telling.


I took my camera and went outside to see what I could find.
Right by my front gate were growing a hopeful group of spring blooms.
I don't know what they're called, but I love them anyway.
These sweet-smelling lovelies are all confused and a bit ahead of their time.
See, it's just gone Winter here in my garden. These little snowdrops aren't due for another three months.
But here they are anyway, poking their heads up at the first ray of sunshine.
I won't cut them for a vase, there's not enough of them. Just three lonely little stems.
Instead I'll let them be, and shake my head at them each time I go out the gate.
Poor little flowers.


When I uploaded my pictures, look what else I found. Forgotten pictures of leaf-collectors.
Made me smile, they did, remembering the day. Daddy offered .01c per leaf to anyone who came and helped him. Two kids were keen to earn some cash; the third stayed indoors in the warm, on the couch. The fashion-icon scooped up leaves by the handful. The gumboot-wearer counted them one by one, as he carefully placed them in his sack.

Daddy came and whispered to me, "You've got to get a picture of this..."
Priceless.
A moment that would have been forgotten if not recorded.
NOTE TO SELF: Take more pictures.

Also observed today...
  • A schoolboy wrapped in a blanket, huddled on my bed, sick-bucket nearby (yet still he asks to play Wii).
  • A washing machine beeping annoyingly on every cycle; Determined to join its friend The Broken Dishwasher in retirement. (You may observe me washing dishes by hand each day, but you shall not see me dealing with the Laundry Mountain in the bathtub, dammit!)
  • A car sitting in the driveway, about to replaced by a younger model. Ahhh sweet Odyssey, so many memories, so many visits to the Panelbeater. (Perhaps your new owner will be more careful around gates. And lampposts. And poles.)
  • While getting an iceblock from the garage-freezer for the sickboy, I looked up and observed my mum and dad walking up the driveway, popped in for a cuppa. In the original Eyes Wide Open post written a few years ago, I was lamenting how much I wanted them living in Auckland, and bemoaning that it would take a miracle for them to ever be able to live up here. Please Observe: They now live here. And even own a house.
    NOTE TO SELF: Miracles Happen.
That's all I have for now. Have to go and get the sickboy dressed, push the button on the bleeding beeping washing machine and go pick up the new Odyssey.


What have you noticed today?


P.S. If you're lacking bloggy inspiration like me, maybe you'd like to join me in observing/recording/taking note of the little things around you. If you do, link up your posts to my Best in Blog linky, OK?


P.P.S. The Eyes Wide Open idea was inspired here. 
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11 June 2012

Best in Blog is Back (come Link Up)


Best part of the day, when the sun is setting.
When the sky is splashed with fire and otherworldly light; God's extravagant farewell to the spent day.
The other night hubby shouted, Simone get the camera! You've got to take a photo of this sunset!
I kid you not, these photos are untouched.
The colour has not been enhanced, boosted or exaggerated in any way...


It was as if the sky had caught fire and it took my breath away.
A stunning end to the day.


Ah, but right now we are not at the end, but rather at the beginning of another week.
I must confess I have been struggling for bloggy inspiration lately.
Maybe I am distracted and caught up in the challenges of my actual Real Life, and have little energy left to put the days into words.
Perhaps I need to photograph more, observe more, and simply write what I see.
Or it could simply be that my back is aching and my butt is sore, and sitting for hours at the computer is not particularly appealing in the nippy winter months, when I could be snuggled by the fire instead.
See, I am trying to be disciplined about when I blog. Attempting to only be on the computer when the kids and hubby are out or in bed,  so I can give my family more of me. Not just my time but my attention, my focus.

Is this resulting in a loss of blog-love?
Nah. Surely not. Not me, the blog-addict.
Perhaps I need to go and re-read my own advice for when you've lost your bloggy mojo.
Or maybe hold another bloggy tea party. It's been so long! Anyone keen?

In the meantime here's a list of my Blog Tips posts to keep you busy...



Well, here's hoping that this week will see a return of inspiration and a disolution of my writer's block.


In the meantime, here's my favs from our last Best in Blog Linky...

The Best of You
  • Sarah's post gave me goosebumps. Somehow, she just got me feeling all mushy as she shared her sentimental trip down memory lane in the Botanical Gardens.
  • SophieSlim inspired me with her Love Bomb post, and the whole concept of the Sisterhood. To the point where i promised to contribute... but not to the point where I actually put the stuff in the post! {Note to self: GO TO THE POST OFFICE AND POST THE DARN STUFF SIMONEY!!}
  • And Tammy's kids inspired me too, as they spent a summer day selling lemonade and making money  not for themselves, but for a children's hospital. Wow. Those are pretty great kids, right there.
 How to join in with my "Best in Blog" linky.
The "Best in Blog" Linky opens at 7am every Monday (NZ time*) and closes midnight Friday.
You don't have to write a special post, or take a photo on a theme or anything that requires extra work...
All you have to do is pick your favourite post from the past week (the one you are most proud of) and share it with us. I will feature my favourites on next week's Best in Blog.

Just one thing you need to do before you link up... Can you please dress your post with this pretty button I've made so your readers can find our linky too?

Best in Blog Linky

Thankyou kindly!

(Oh, and please leave us a comment telling us why you picked this one... even if it was because it was your only one, hahaha!)

*For some of you US readers, that will be sometime on Sunday!
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07 June 2012

PicMonkey Love


On this blustery tummy-sore day, all I want to do is make a cup of tea and curl up on my bed with my book, but somehow I fell into playing on  PicMonkey.


For a long time I've been a dedicated PhotoScape user. Every image I upload to this blog has been re-sized, and tweaked in my favourite photo-editing program before hitting your screens.


I had never found an easier, simpler photo-tool that gave me collages as well... until now.


PicMonkey, the new kid on the block, was created by the people who brought us Piknic until the giant-that-is-Google bought it and took it away. I never much liked Picnik (never could spell it either), but I have to say PicMonkey  is bleedin' fantastic.


So many tools. So many effects. Click click. Drag, drop. Done.


Stunning in seconds.


I never intended for this to be a post about  PicMonkey . I was just simply lacking in bloggy inspiration, and feeling slightly gooey over my offspring, so decided to play around with some old photos of my babies.

I mean, just look at them...


Some of that is me. And some of it is PicMonkey.
(My favourite  PicMonkey  effect is the rather golden-delicious "Tranquil").


And there we have it. A post just like that.
Thanks  PicMonkey .
I love you already.
Right, now I'm off to put my feet up and stick my nose into my book before those delicious-but-noisy babies of mine come bursting in...

Have you monkeyed around on PicMonkey yet?

{NOTE: PicMonkey is not just useful for bloggers. It's a free photo editing tool that anyone can use to make their snaps pretty. You don't even have to download it. Free. Easy. Useful and beautiful. What more could you ask for?}




Some More Blog/Design tips...
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06 June 2012

Mrs Readalot's List of Winter Reads

{Sadly this cosy corner is not mine.  I borrowed this picture from here
but I have no idea where they borrowed it from}


It's Book Club time again and here we are without a Book Club host. Mrs Readalot tried really hard to contact this month's Book Club host, honest.
When all attempts to get in touch failed, Mrs Readalot thought she's better just host the Book Club linky herself.

Since we have no book of the month, she decided to share with you all a list of great reads that should see you through til Spring.
After all, it's now Winter in this part of the world (brrrrrr) and what better than to spend a stormy evening curled up by the fire with a good book?

Of course Mrs Readalot understands that in this world of two halves, there are those for whom Summer has just begun. You lot can look forward to long sunny days and warm balmy nights. How better to spend them than spread out under a tree with a good book?
See, no matter what the weather, it's always better with a book in hand.

So here is an updated list of Mrs Readalot's recommended reads for those stormy winters nights or hot sunny days (whatever)...



The Birth House by Ami McKay  ♥♥♥♥♥

When this book eventually turned up from Fishpond, Mrs Readalot dived right in and devoured it in a day and a night. This was a great read. Set in Nova Scotia in the early 20th century, the story is told through the eyes of a young girl who quite by accident end up a midwife in training. This is the perfect book to pass on to a friend who is laid up in bed with the flu. She will love it, I promise. You won't be ashamed to recommend this book to others. It's beautifully written, original and fascinating. I enjoyed every page and learned a lot too. My favourite kind of book.





The Book of Words Trilogy by J.V.Jones   ♥♥♥♥♥


After finishing off the first five books of the Ice and Fire series (George RR Martin) Mrs Readalot needed something to sink her teeth into. A friend offered her The Book of Words trilogy and Mrs R was pleased to discover that she could actually be drawn into a world other than the Seven Kingdoms. Being such a bookaholic, Mrs R does like book series - seeing as she is a fast reader, a trilogy can actually last her a week. This was an enjoyable read. not earth shattering, but it was engaging. Likeable well developed characters, an interesting plot and fast-paced as well. For those who don't mind a bit of magic mixed in with their fictional adventure stories, you might want to give this series a go.

  • Book I: the Bakers Boy
  • Book II: A Man Betrayed
  • Book III: Master and Fool


Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R R Martin ♥♥♥♥♥

This series will see you through the winter. Great big doorstoppers of books that will completely drag you into another world. Five books to keep you entertained and enthralled... but be warned. You will then join the rest of waiting impatiently for George to finish writing Book Six. And we could be waiting a while. But in spite of that, if you haven't read these books yet, what are you waiting for?







The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins ♥♥♥♥♥

Talk about an addictive series. I stupidly ordered just Book One, not realising how addictive this story would be... I read it in little more than a day. And then spent the next few days driving all over town picking up Books Two and three to borrow from friends.
What a ride. Get these Books (learn from Mrs R's mistake and get all three at once). Then take the phone off the hook, put the kids in bed and prepare the toothpicks (to prop up your eyelids). This series will keep you up all night, and when you dream it will be of Peeta.

And if none of these takes your fancy, here's a list of some earlier favourites (check out the reviews)...



Plus an earlier list of recommended books...







If you are a keen reader, we'd love you to join in. How it works:
  • Book Club members take turns choosing the Book of the Month and hosting the linky
  • You can choose to read & review either the Book of the Month or a book of your choice
  • Anyone can join in the linky fun - you don't have to be a signed up member
  • Members are kept up to date via email, so nobody misses their chance to link up or host
  • Linkies go up on the host's blog at the beginning of the month and remain open all month 
If you want to join in the Book Club on a regular basis (and become a host) leave a comment here.

Share with us your favourite Winter (or Summer) reads...
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