WW week 7,8 & 9

Ok, so I am 3 weeks behind posting my WW results, so I'm going to throw it all in together here.

Week 7 - An ok week, lost 600 grams. I was fine with this as the previous week I had put on 200 grams, which at the time I thought was just terrible.

Week 8 - I got my period the day before weigh in, feeling bloated and yucky I was hoping to either have a small loss or at least stay the same. Nope - I had PUT ON 500 grams. Crap, crap, crap. I left the meeting feeling very down and starting to doubt whether it was all worth it. I mean, I could eat crappily and doubt I would put on 500 grams in one week. I added up my lose for the month and all up I had only lost 100 grams. But wanna know the really funny part of that? I had bloody paid $60 for that privelege. Funny hey! After my little sulk I decided to try really hard this week in the hope that I could lose the 500 grams and hopefully a little more.

Week 9 - I kept within my points for most of this week, however I had 2 kids birthday lunches to go to so had to guess points for those 2 days. I made good food choices, but it's just really hard to estimate points of some foods and also to not be tempted by tiny little caramel slices. Ok, I had to have 1 of them, but in my favour, they were teeny tiny but OH so good. Anyway, I did manage to fit in a few walks and even managed to mow the lawn in a bid to burn some calories. All this must of worked because I got quite the surprise when I weighed in tonight. 1.8kgs LOST this week, which takes me to 5.4kg all up. I was not expecting that big a loss, but I'll take it thank you very much. It's given me a fresh dose of motivation and now I finally feel like I'm on the home stretch. I'm exactly 69kgs now and I think I'd like to get to about 65kgs, so not too far to go.

Back in cyberspace

Yippee! I'm back in net land and not a moment too soon - things were getting ugly for me without my beloved computer! My fingers are happy again now that they can tinker away at the keyboard.

My computer decided to have the hissyfit of all hissyfits, apparently the Ram and hard drive both failed. Thank goodness for extended warranty though and now my precious little one is being all fixed up at no expense to me except my sanity as I fret for its return. Dramatic much? Obviously my moaning about being computerless made friends pity me, as I was lent a lovely little laptop to tide me over.

I know I rely on it way too much, but it wasn't until I didn't have it that I realised that I may be relying on my laptop just a little too much. Just as an example, I had to make a call to Tas and instead of jumping on the computer and looking up the number on Whitepages.com I had to do it the old fashioned way. Problem was, I couldn't for the life of me remember the directory number. Now I really should have just checked in the phone book, but forgetting about this archaic resource tucked at the back of the cupboard, I text a friend in Tasmania to look the number up in their phone book. All up this little exercise took way longer, thanks to my lack of Internet access.

Apart from not being able to look up things, being offline meant I was a little lost with what to do of a night once the kids are in bed. Normally I'd sit on the lounge flicking between websites and researching my latest fads. Instead I returned to watching TV, and with a few exceptions, most of it is crap. After not watching it for ages, I really noticed how violent and horrible some of the shows are and couldn't believe that a lot of the ads for these shows are shown at time that kids may be watching. Thank goodness my kids only watch a few select shows very rarely. Some weeks pass by without the Tv even being turned on before the kids are in bed. I have been letting that watch idol of a Sunday night, even though Casey got the boot last week and Grace is devastated! I have discovered the show "United States of Tara" and have set up my recorder to tape that each week.

Anyway, I'm back online now and have had a lovely time catching up on all my blogs, paying dreaded bills and trawling through facebook updates.

I figure that me having access to the Internet actually saves us money. Yep, if it wasn't for google and all its wonderful information I wouldn't have been able to practice my veterinary skills on Henny the chook. Ok, probably not a very smart move, but I think we have had success and saved $$ from not having to go to the vets.

I noticed last week that Henny had been limping a bit, upon closer inspection I realised the reason. Her foot had a huge swollen lump that was hot to touch and looked very uncomfortable. I called the breeder and she suggested that I put her on some ab's to hopefully fight of the infection, she also advised not to eat her eggs whilst she was on the Ab's. Luckily I had an un-opened bottle of liquid ab's in the fridge (no idea why it hadn't been tossed already??) from when Grace was having tummy pains. I'd gotten the script filled and was waiting to see if a uti was confirmed until I gave it to her, luckily she didn't need it. Getting henny to take them wasn't too much trouble, she loves rice bubbles so I soaked it in a bowl and sectioned her off from the other chooks to eat. We did this for 2 days, with no signs of improvement.

So after getting access to a computer, I consulted Dr Google and diagnosed Henny with a case of "bumblefoot". Apparently its a staph infection that is fairly common in poultry, usually entering the system through a cut/scrape or bruise. After a bit more searching, I came across step-by-step instructions on how to perform the surgery yourself. Now I'm generally quite squeamish about things involving a mixture of cutting, blood and pus, but the thought of saving myself $300++ at the vets was very appealing. The website promised that it wouldn't hurt the chicken and the vets don't even use an anaesthetic for it.

So, the surgery area was prepped, hands were scrubbed and the Penney theatre was opened. Duane went and plucked Henny from her night time sleep and she was bought in. I'd read (thank God for Google!) that flipping the bird (literally!) over onto their back and stroking the breast bone would put them in a slight trance, making the surgery easier. Duane was on chicken holding duty and under strict instructions to keep beaks and claws away from me, he was to take the wrath of any chicken crankiness.

I scrubbed her foot pad with betadine, then went in for the first step - cutting it open. Ok, this was a little tricky to start with, but soon enough we had an opening. Pus poured out, it was both disgusting and satisfying knowing that I was ridding Henny of all the horrible poison. I had to massage around the opening, trying to get all the pus out and also to look for the abscess. After much squishing around, finally a little white kernal thing came to the surface. I got it to come out, along with more pus and blood. I figured then that it was all out, so started to put on the tea-tree oil but started to come over very dizzy. I had to leave Duane to finish off as I contemplated vomiting up in the bathroom or passing out on the floor. I finally staggered up to my bedroom and layed down to fight of the overwhelming urge to purge.

Duane doused the wound in tee tree oil, then put her back out in the hen house. After half hour or so, I was feeling better so went back on trusty google to double check that I had done everything right. Seems I should have bandaged up the wound to stop other infection from entering, so the theatre was set up again and once again Henny was dragged from her sleep.

I re-checked the wound and realised that another abscess kernel was in there. According to my instructions, these all had to be removed to ensure the infection cleared. I then realised that another area of the foot looked like it was infected, so I went in for the second cut and clearing out of the wound. Cutting this one was a bit tougher, so I soaked her foot in a salt water solution for 10 mins to make it easier to cut. Finally it was soft enough, so the incision was made and all the gunk cleaned out. After all the gory bits were over and done with, it was time for the bandage to go on. Now, trying to get a bandage to stay on scaly chicken legs is not that easy. My first attempt fell straight off as soon as Henny stood up, so it was time to bring in the big guns. Masking tape and kiddy bandaids. I bandaged all around the claws, then went round and round and round and round and round with good old reliable masking tape. This baby was staying on.

So, there is my first attempt at chicken surgery. I wont start offering my services until Henny has made a full recovery, which hopefully happens by next week.

~~Henny not looking too impressed with her flower bandaid~~

The best years

Just lately, I've started to get a bit nostalgic about the last 4 years.

It was November 2005 that I stopped work in the Hydrodog business that Duane & I had, and was waiting excitedly for our little girl to arrive. Well that little blessing came on the 27th November, she made me a Mother and for the last 4 years I have been a stay at home Mum with the both kids.

I think about the last 4 years, and I can honestly say that it has been the most enjoyable of my life. Have I cherished every moment? Well, yes I think I have - but not the crappy ones. I wanted them to be over and done with quick smart, but I think I have made the absolute most of my time with the kids. I do feel very lucky that I have been able to stay at home this long, it has been tough at times financially, but Duane & I both agreed that it was far more important for me to be at home than getting ahead financially. We've managed fine, it's just we haven't been able to save much and it's meant we have had to be extra frugal. Definitely worth it though.

As I fill out University applications for next year and think about childcare arrangements, I have realised how much I am going to miss being with the kids all the time and I am scared that this time has slipped by too quickly and I'll never get it again. My dream was to create a happy, magical and fun childhood for them. Have I achieved that? I hope I have.

I love our lazy mornings, waking and chatting in my bed for an hour or so - will that still happen next year? Or will I be off and out the door before the kids even open their eyes? I treasure our lazy morning breakfasts together and getting ready for what the day brings. Every day we have something on, and I really enjoy all of them. Monday is whatever day, usually a visit to the park, housework and maybe a play date. Tuesday is my Grace free day, so X and I usually head to the op-shops, do groceries or go visiting. Wednesday is Mothers group. Thursday morning is playgroup and afternoon is the Silkwood playgroup. Friday is my other Mothers group which usually goes all day. Our days are easy and relaxed.

We get to have Pj's days if we want or spend the whole day doing whatever we want. There is a lovely balance between schedule and spontaneity.

I have enjoyed being an at home Mum so much and I can't imagine life getting better. I really believe that I will look back on these years as the best of my life, and soon they are going to end.

Next year is going to be a juggling act between studying, working and parenting and I'm hoping that I can keep all 3 balls in the air.

New Eyes

Just over the last few weeks my eyes have been giving me terrible grief. If I spend any large amount of time on the computer or reading, my eyes start straining to keep focus and my head usually steps up from an ache to a pounding thump. Not great for me considering I spend a lot of time on my laptop and always read a book for about half hour before bed. I don't watch much tv anymore, nothing on really interests me, so I spend most of the evening facebooking, blogging and just wandering around cyberspace. Oh, I am watching my very first series of Idol at the moment. An old boyfriend has made it into the top 12, he's a great guy and I hope he gets to show how great a musician he is. Duane's a fan, so every Sunday night at 6.30pm we sit down to see how he is going. I have his very first recording, so of course if he wins I'll be selling it on e-bay for a tidy profit. Kidding.

Anyway back to my dodgy eyes. I was having a bit of trouble with them way back when I was working for JAL, I put that down to too much stress plus sitting in front of a computer all day long. So, I've really put it off for 6 years now. Finally I decided to get it all checked out.

One of the women at playgroup is an optometrist, so today when I just had Xav I headed over to OPSM for a eye test. Apparently I have "floaters" in my left eye, which explains the strange wiggly shapes I sometimes get. They aren't a problem and are fairly common, so nothing to worry about. After I had read the letters from left to right, top to bottom and back to front, then had a light shone right into my eyes, it was decided that I am long sighted. So, I have perfect vision for things far away, but up close I might need some help. So, I need spectacles. It's not too bad, but enough to warrant glasses for long stretches on the computer or reading. I couldn't believe the difference in my vision once I had tried on the trial glasses they use to test the lenses out. Kate asked me to read a line with out the glasses on and then with them. Although I could read it fine without, once I had the glasses on the words were completely still. I realise now that I have to really concentrate to keep focused on the words and by having to do that, it's straining my eyes to the point of getting headaches.

So, this week sometime I'm taking my husband out frame shopping. I'm hoping to get away with it nice and cheap, but geez I can't wait to be able to read without the furrowed brow and squinty eyes.

Other news....

Grace......

Oh my, this little girl is growing even more wonderful by the day. We are having so much fun together and she really is the most delightful little lady. The moments of wanting to donate her to charity are dwindling and now I am finding that I can't bare to be away from her at all. She's just being so sweet and thoughtful, I want to be with her all the time. Her manners are beautiful and she is really starting to understand good and bad choices - whether it be food or behaviour. If she's not sure she is going to do the right thing, she asks me "Mummy, do you mind if I do this?"

We have a little button system happening at the moment which is working perfectly to encourage good behaviour and discourage negative behaviour from both kids. It's a tiny little baby food jar, and when I notice the kids being exceptionally polite, helpful or kind they get to choose a button to put in the jar. Of course it works in reverse too, and if any negative behaviour happens they have to take a button out - 2 if it's really bad. I asked the children to choose something special to do once the jar is full and Grace has decided that she would like a family party with cakes, singing, games and dancing. The jar is only a quarter full, as I am reluctant to offer buttons just for any occasion and making it loose its "specialness" There is a standard of behaviour and general helpfulness that I believe should happen anyway, not just because their is a reward. So the buttons have generally just been used for exceptional behaviour, where either child has made a conscious decision to make the right choice. I'm also using it to change a few moments of the day that have been causing me grief. Getting the kids dressed and ready of a morning was starting to get ridiculous. They would both just strip off and run around the house yelling "Nuddie bums" and laughing hysterically. I got so over it one day (pre-buttons) and told them both that if they weren't dressed before it was time to go they were going as they are. Well, 2 little naked kids ended up out at the car, however once they realised that I was serious about it, they both were eager to get dressed. Since the button system, getting dressed of a morning has become a quick, painful operation.

Anyway, back to Grace. She spends the day singing and dancing, mostly singing all the little songs and verses that she pick up from pre-school and playgroup. She often just comes up and tell me how beautiful I am or how much she loves me. I can't help but smother her in kisses and revel in her sweetness. She has no hesitation in telling those close to her how much she loves them and why. She is thoroughly enchanted with both baby Lucie and little Jasper, always begging to go see them. She has a beautiful, nurturing maternal side that is just begging for a newborn in the house to lavish. Hopefully it's still around when we decide on #3!

Her imagination is just booming. When she really concentrates on telling a story, it is full of wonderful descriptions and such a glimpse into how her little mind works at the moment. She loves her dollies and spends all day with one strapped to the front of her like a sling as she goes about her playing. She tells me all the time that she is gong to have 2 baby girls when she gets older and she is going to lay on the couch and just feed them. She tells me that when her babies cry she'll either rock, feed or burp them, cause that's what they'd want. She's definitely got the attachment parenting thing down pat!

Every morning when she wakes, the first thing she asks is "What are we doing today Mum?" She is so excited by life and every day to her is another day of fun and discovery. I love her eagerness and excitement at doing both new things or just going about our normal days.

I really just want to stop and freeze the 2 kids ages right now. They are so easy and wonderful and our days are just so much fun. I get enough time to myself during the day to not feel overloaded and the times that we spend together are mostly full of laughs and joy.

Grace has developed a strange phobia of blood though. It all started a few months back when she was having all the tummy pain problems. My mil is a diabetic so has the insulin tester thingy to test blood sugar levels. It had been suggested that Grace may have diabetes as it runs so prominently through our family, so we decided to check to see if her levels were within normal range. She wasn't keen at first, so Wendy did hers first, so she could see that it was a simple prick and didn't hurt. She was ok, until Wendy was massaging her finger to get the blood coming. Graces face went so pale and she ran over and hid on the couch. She kept saying she felt sick and started dry retching. We didn't react to her, just explained that it didn't hurt Grandma. Grace immediately went pale and buried herself into the couch. She started holding her mouth, then the next second she was dry retching. She just kept saying over and over that she was feeling sick and needed a drink. It was an unbelievably strong reaction to the sight of the blood, considering she had never had a bad experience with blood before.

A couple of weeks after that Grandma came to visit after having a blood test. Everything was fine until Wendy knocked the band aid off it and because Wendy is on blood thinners, the needle spot was puring out with blood. Once again, Grace took one look and ran away pale faced and clutching her mouth as she dry retched.

I'd kinda forgotten about it all until last week at one of my Mothers groups meets. We were around at Nicole's house and the kids had all started rising from their afternoon sleeps. Malia always gets eaten by mosquito's, and then the bites get infected and itchy for her. She came out of the bedroom with blood dripping from one of the bites that she had been scratching in her sleep. Grace took one look, went white then layed down on the couch. I could tell she wasn't feeling too well, so I comforted her with cuddles and some water and explained that Malia wasn't hurting it was just from the mosquito bites. She then started to dry retch and continued to look pale and ill, luckily she didn't vomit though. She got herself so worked up about the blood, that she layed down on the couch and went to sleep. She was still talking about Malia's blood that night and when I asked her why she was upset about it she just said that it made her feel sick seeing it. I know as a kid I wasn't that great with blood either, so maybe it's one of my funny little traits that I have passed down to her? I've only gotten better with blood and needles since having my kids, but hopefully Grace wont take that long to get over hers or our dreams of being a Mother and Daughter midwife team wll have to be squashed. I'll be the wise old woman with all the knowledge and she'll be the energetic new puck with all her new "ideas" that I'll tutt, tutt at whilst starting stories with "Back in my day we......." Ok, so they *may* be my dreams, but she's the one egging me on yapping on about how she wants to be like Midwife Tracey, even insisting on wearing her hair tied in a long plait just like hers.

She is really enjoying the Steiner Pre-school and also the afternoon playgroup that we do up at the school of a Thursday. I am so happy that we made the choice to send her to this school, it really is amazing. I want to go there! One of the things I really love about it is the level that they involve the parents. Grace doesn't go until 2011, but we are still welcome to come to all the school fairs/markets/festivals and also the parent information sessions that they do. It's so much different to the schools that I went to, so it's great to learn along with the kids. I could write and write about all the new things I've learnt so far from this environment, but might leave that for another post. Duane and I both feel so comfortable in our schooling choice, and it's a nice feeling to already be preparing Grace for her transition to Prep, even though its 18 months away. OMG, it really is. I can't believe my little baby girl is heading off to big school soon.

I watch her sometimes and I am still blown away that she is my little girl. She is captivating and endearing, and so much more than I could ever dream. I catch glimpses of how I imagine her to be as a she gets older - and it excites me to know that she is in my life and I'm going to be witnessing her growing up.

She is everything and more that I could ever want my own child to be.

Her are some latest pics of my gorgeous little girl:

WW week 6

So after last weeks measly effort I was all fired up and motivated to make this week a GREAT week of weight loss.

I tracked and weighed everything I ate, making sure never to go over my allocated 22 points and double checking that portion sizes were spot on.

I went on 4 decent heart pumping paced walks, even getting eager and walking from my house to the WW meeting on Thursday. I made an extra effort to play outside with the kids and just generally upped the activity level.

Did any of this pay off?

Nope. Instead my crazy body decided to ADD 200 grams to my *supposedly* weight loss.

I've made up a million and one excuses for why this has happened, but really I'm just hoping and praying that I'll get a huge loss next week. I'm going to be super strict with food again this week and also keep up the exercise, and hope that all the hard work starts paying off.

Fathers Day 2009

The day started off nice and early with the Il's turning up at 7am for a big yummy breakfast.

I was all keen to have a big feast of pancakes piled high with fruit, cream and smothered in maple syrup, but the points would have added up after the first mouth full. Instead, we had crumpets with mixed berries and honey or scrambled egg and garlic mushrooms. Both of the Dad's were happy with the choice, and none the wiser that it was a weight watchers friendly breakfast.

After breakfast Poppy was proudly given his home-made rum balls, (which the kids had fun making into a variety of shapes from logs to teeny-tiny balls) and a packet of his much loved licorice allsorts and a toblerone bar. The kids had delicately wrapped everything up in tissue paper with lots of ribbons and after being very eager for the last few days, were very excited to finally be giving Poppy his presents.

After the fuss of Poppy was over and done with, Daddy was next on the list to be spoilt. Grace was bubbling over with excitement at finally being able to give Daddy the present she had lovingly prepared at pre-school. The carers had asked each of the kids what they loved about their Daddies, and wrote it into a card that each child had drawn for their Daddy. Miss Christine told me later that she had to stifle her laughter as Grace told her all the things she loved about her Daddy. So this is the card:





To go with the lovely card, Grace had made a Gingerbread Man at pre-school too. She carefully carried it out to the car, hiding it behind her back away from Daddy's prying eyes. It all got a little tricky for Miss Grace and she dropped it, and the poor little Gingerbread's man fell off. So come Fathers day, not only did she have a lovely card stating how great her Daddy was at picking up dog poo, she also had a decapitated Gingerbread Man. He was really feeling the love.



The kids had also made lanterns for him and picked out a block of Toblerone, which they then insisted he share with them.

We spent the rest of the day around at The Pengs house where the kids were once again spoilt rotten. Every time we go there and visit, they drag out things that have been bought and put away for the kids. Xav was given a few pumpkin patch outfits which had been bought for his birthday, Grace got some jeans, t-shirts and a pair of Ed Hardy (apparently a trendy brand) pink ugg-boots. Cause everyone needs a pair of them. She's over the moon though and has spent a lot of time stomping around the house in her uber trendy boots giving fashion parades. No idea where that girl gets her love of fashion, makeup and bling from - certainly not me!

Duane also scored well, coming home with a Sony surround sound system. It was an extra one that Tim had and thought Duane would use it. Worked out perfectly actually as our Dvd player that we use to play Cd's mainly on, has started to refuse to open and close. Haven't looked too closely, but no doubt the kids have shoved something in there.

So that is a wrap up of Fathers Day 2009. Duane was happy with all his presents, but most of all being able to spend the day with his fabulous kids. He really is in his element when he is with Grace and Xav, they are very lucky little kids.

Duane really is a fantastic Daddy. He has all the time in the world for the kids, so patient and willing to play with them whenever they want. He often takes the kids out by himself, with not even a second thought. He is just as comfortable as me taking them shopping, to the park, to the Dr, to the hospital - Anywhere really. The kids love that he will spend hours on the floor playing with them. Zooming cars around make believe race tracks or tenderly cradling and cuddling dollies to sleep. They love nothing better that their after bath ritual of turning the lounge room light of and running around with torches playing ghosts or having a tickle fest on the floor.

The relationship that the kids have with their Daddy is really very special. He is tender, loving, patient, silly, considerate and fun.

He is the perfect Daddy for them.

Camping Trip

Well, we are back from our 2 night camping trip and we survived - Even having fun!!

It was a last minute decision to pack the kids and all their paraphernalia up and head down to Brunswick heads for a 2 night break. I had mentioned it to one of my friends, who has recently split with her husband and is doing a fantastic job looking after her 2 little kiddies, that we were going to head away and funny enough she was thinking about heading to the same place.

Worked out perfectly as C is one of Grace's best little friends, so the 4 kids all had a blast together.

Setting up the tent was not as much of a mission as we expected it to be. It took about 1 hour of Duane and I having many heated "discussions" to get the huge 4 room monstrosity erected and habitable. The kids were happy to sit and watch us fumble our way, could have helped that I had filled their hands up with red rock chippies!

After the tent was up, all the necessities were unloaded from the Tarago. Considering we were hoping to just take a few things, there was a lot of crap loaded into the bag of the car. The "tent house" was set up, so then we headed down to the beach for some fun.

The afternoon was perfect. Beautiful light for some gorgeous photos of the kids running around in the shallow water having a blast. Grace spent most of the time on her body board trying to catch the frothy white waves. To top it all off there were dolphins frolicking so close to us, it was beautiful. They were only about 20 metres from us and it looked like a pod with a few Mums and their babies. The kids were entranced as they watched and waited for the magical moment when the dolphins came to the surface.

The rest of the weekend was spent wandering around the gorgeous little town of Brunswick, hanging out at the beach, playing at the park and visiting the cute little library. The kids were exhausted every day so had nice long day sleeps and early nights. We kinda didn't think too much about how limiting it would be once the kids are asleep of a night, but luckily I had packed a good book, so I was happy to be tucked up nice and early and left to read. Duane was petrified of having to sleep that long (he rarely sleeps over 5 hours), so headed out to the local pub to kill some time with a drink and keno. The next day he made friends with some guys camping with their kids, so spent the next night down at their tent watching AFL. Very OTT campers, they had rigged up a TV outside, and had set up a little lounge area. Duane was happy though, watching his beloved footy whilst drinking a few beers. He was also questioned as to how he ended up camping with 2 women and 4 kids. Even though Jen & her kids were in a separate tent to us, it did look at times like Duane had 2 wives as we all took turns wrangling kids.

Meals were relatively easy. We just had Bbq's both nights and delicious calamari and chips for lunch. Its a crime to go to Brunswick heads and not go to Starfish to get their famous calamari and home made chips. Yum-Yum, the best I have ever had. Perfect to eat on the river, layed out on the paper with lashings of tomato sauce.

It was a fantastic little holiday and one that we can't wait to do again. There are a few things that I forgot to take and a few things that I would have done differently, so we will know better for next time. We are already planning the next camping trip in October some time to a place out Beaudesert way. Its a farm stay that you can either stay at the cabins or take your own tent and camp.

Here's a few pics from the trip. Lots of gorgeous scenery and views, but for some reason my lens never strays too far from my own beautiful kids.

~~A rare pic of my little boy and I~~

~~Wrestling with Daddy on the beach~~


~~Xav running from the waves~~

~~Cass, Grace & Xav having a "moment"~~

~~It still blows me away that these 2 sweeties are mine!~~

~~Grace in the beautiful morning sun haze~~

~~Nuddy children after the beach~~

~~Grace & Cass~~

~~My little beach girl~~

~~Grace riding the waves~~

~Surfer chick~~