Tuesday, July 25, 2006

no laughing


Don't laugh at this LO - I decided the other night, before we went away, to take up the latest challenge on the how dare YOU site. The challenge was to create a LO inspired by Teesha Moores work. Now Im really not an arty person and must admit I had no idea who she even was, so I went and checked out her site. Its pretty way out there stuff, but also very cool! I especially loved all the stuff in her art journal. So not me, and yet it really grabbed me and had me going back for more.

Not sure that I really captured to much of her in this LO, but it was actually quite liberating just playing for arts sake, and not being so consumed by what the final outcome was going to be. I did this in about an hour ( I already had the photo printed from my nightly playing around in photoshop - which incidently I just still dont get!!!) and although I dont think it will really influence usual style (what ever that may be at the moment) it was fun, and my kids think its really cool :0)

If you havnt checked out this site yet, go and have a peek - it has a huge range of awesomely talented ladies with such varying styles, and the two challenges so far have been great - they are just that little bit on the edge, designed to ease you just out of your comfort zone (well my comfort zone anyway LOL).

My kids went back to school today YEH!!! It will be great to have some peace and quite around the house again, although Im sure Isaac is going to miss them terribly. I will probably miss them just a smidge too though, especially all the help they give me with Isaac. Its so handy have a couple more laps to plonk him on when I need to get things done!!!

I so want to scrap today, but my printer has run out of ink - AGAIN - I really need to start buying some spare cartridges instead of waiting till they run out.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

DT layout - chatterbox

SS dt layouts should be on the site today, so I thought Id share mine here as well.

Im really trying to make an effort to use some of the stuff Ive had for ages, so this was the perfect time opportunity to use these rubons Ive had forever.

My FK everyday moments album is also going to be a great place to include some older stuff mixed in with some newer stuff too.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

ahh the serenity

We just spent the last week cruising the Murray river on a very luxurious housebaot. We went with Craigs parents and sister & her family, and his uncle, cousin & partner, and other cousin (isaacs god mother) & her family - who had a second boat.




It was a great trip. The kids were really good (well most of the time LOL) Caleb celebrated his 9th birthday, Isaac turned 8 months, and cut his second tooth, and it was fantastic to get away as a family. Being self employed means Craig doesnt get too much time off, so I loved watching him spend a whole week with the boys and I. The boys favourite thing was going on the canoe that we hired, and in the big hot tub on the boat. We had campfires on the bank at night and cooked damper and toasted marshmallows - yummo!



We ate heaps, and I think we probably drank just as much! Although no one on our boat ended up with a hang over! (If your reading this Ange, I didnt actually mention who did get the hang overs!!! lol) Its a fantastic way to spend a holiday! I didnt even miss my puter...it was quite noice to have a break from its constant distraction! It was nice to get back to it as well though ;0)


OK on to my little man...and my rambling letter about him reaching 8 months.

Well my little bubba you reached the 8th month mark of your little life while we were holidaying on a houseboat on the river murray. You were such a good boy, your usual contented happy self. You loved all the extra attention you got from your cousins, auntie Mandy & uncle John, Nanna & Pappa, as well as your godmother Angie along with her family Jamie, Zyla & Tyge, as well as todd, Nic, Rene & Brian.

I guess the major thing that happened during the last month was that you finally cut your first tooth at the age of seven months and three weeks, and the second one one day after turning eight months. They are the two bottom middle ones and are such tiny little cute teeth, and you have been really good and not bitten mummy yet. You did bite down on your own thumb one day last week, and boy did you scream! Sorry bubby, I know it hurt but Mummy thought it was very funny. You seemed to cope with it all really well. A few yuckier nappies than usual, lots of dribbling and chewing on everything and a bit of a red cheek the day they came through is about it.

The other big thing is that your slepping has improved out of sight in the last couple of weeks. I still have to get up to you some nights, but only a couple of times at the most, and there have been nights where you have slept right through for 12 hours - what bliss!!!!

I have changed around your routine a bit which seems to have helped. At about the same time that you cut your first tooth, I decided to try you with a bottle of milk (at about 2ish) before your afternoon sleep. This obviously fills you up more, you have a good sleep, and it gets you throught to tea time at about 5.30/6.00pm. The four o'clock whinging has dissapeared. Im a little worried what will happen with the big disruption of the boys going back to school next week though.

Im not ready to give up breastfeeding altogether though, we still have that early morning feed together, and you seem quite content with that. Its usually around 6ish, but sometimes you decide that you must have it at about 4.30am! No amount of sticking the dummy back in will convince you otherwise. Luckily you usually go back to sleep afterwards if its before 7am.

Your afternoon bottle is cows milk, and you love it. When our current tin of formula is finished Im going to give you cows milk at night as well. You eat well, and a huge variety, so Im sure you will get all the iron etc that you need from your food. You drink water during the day from your non spill sipper cup attachment that fits on your bottles. You worked out how to suck on this and love to chew on the rubber bit after your drink. Occasionally I give you a bit of diluted juice in it, and your face lights up as you greedily suck it all down. You definatley seem to have a liking for anything sweet.

You have an enourmous appetite at the moment. You have a big breastfeed when you wake, 1 1/2 - 2 weetbix with fruit for breaky, a big container of fruit & yoghurt/ fruit & custard/ vegies for lunch, 200ml bottle milk, another big container of mashed vegies with chicken/ meat/cottage cheese/grated cheese/rice/ pasta or a combo of these for tea, and 240ml bottle before bed. You love your food and are a good little eater. You have started enjoying chewing on a toast crust, or a soft biscuit too. Im not exactly sure where you put it all. Although the amount of nappies we get to change these days has increased dramatically. You used to only have one or two dirty nappies a week - now days thats more like three or four a day!

You are still moving backwards rather than forwards, although I did spend the two weeks before we went on the houseboat making you sit rather than practice trying to crawl!!! You sit steadily now, and when you are in the bath you grab the side and get on your knees. Once you are crawling I thing you will be into everything! You love grabbing at the paper when daddy is reading it. The distance you can manage to stretch those little arms to reach out for a glass we are drinking from, or a toy the boys are playing with, or your favourite thing, the TV remote, is just amazing. You love scrunching paper, nothing with in rolling, wriggling distance is safe - you can distroy the TV book in no time at all! Perhaps Daddy might learn to pout it away now! Everything goes in your mouth. You are beginning to reach over and grab at me as you try to climb up on to me when Im on the floor playing with you, and you have started to lift your arms to picked up when someone comes close. You pull out all the toys from the basket, and have worked out how each of them needs to be manipulated to make a sound, or spin or roll. You are mezmerised by the flames in the heater. You still do your cute little 'push ups'. You get to your hands and knees and rock there. You love playing with your two bright yellow rubber duckies in the bath. You love when we sing you songs, and you do a funny little head bobbing dance sometimes when you hear music playing. You giggle and laugh when i tickle your back or your feet, or your neck or your little bottom. You are just so ticklish! You still get the hiccups quite often and they are still so loud other people comment on them - Im so used to them I dont even notice you have most of the time. You love cuddling your teddy in bed. You love having no clothes on. You blow sloppy little rasberries, and are making lots of new sounds every week. Some even are starting to sound a lot like da da. You still do your gorgeous little 'mama' sounds when you get upset. Your 'talking' is still really loud.

You are getting quite a list of nicknames now including bubba, bubby (mummy & Nathan) ; zac/zaccy (auntie vic/grandma); bubba watson, watson, pud (daddy) ; i crack, little grub (Caleb); pud schmood (Sabine); squirrel cheeks (Toni) Im sure there are more - I will have to start writing them down.

I love you my little bubba!

Mummy xxx

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Finally

Finally my baby has his first tooth !!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the scrapping front, I finally got my masters entry done and posted off, and have been getting quite a bit of scrapping done the last few days - despite the kids (well one of them in particular!) driving my absolutely crazy. In fact I think the scrapping is the only thing keeping me sane.

What is it with 9 year old boys??? I know they are at that in between stage, pushing every possible boundary to its absolute breaking point, then in the next breath they are the sweetest child that ever walked the earth. If anyone has any suggestions on ways they dealt with their boys at this difficult age they would be much appreciated. Ive had lots of experience with younger children, and this feeling of not knowing how to turn things around is starting to get me down. I hate all the yelling and agro, and I dont think I should have to put up with getting a mouthful of foul language yelled at me. Ive tried ignoring it, rewarding the good behaviour, behaviour charts, yelling back, smacking, time out, taking away privilages, nothing seems to have much effect.

Sigh - at least I feel a bit better now that is all out of my system. His saving grace is that even when he looses it completely he will go to Isaac and imediately be calm and a perfect big brother. Perhaps I should strap Isaac to his back and see if he can be a permenant calming influence LOL

OK must be having a bad day (probably hormonal I would say) Im now sitting here with tears running down my cheeks. At least I can walk back out there calmly now and start over I guess. Going to be a long night though since for him there is no TV, no playing with the kids next door for the rest of the day - yep we have had a bad last hour or so!!!!

Thanks for listening to my ups and downs of the day - its nice to have somewhere to vent!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

freestyle

The DT brief for SS this fortnight was freestyle. Ive been a bit unsure about this 'style' but I thought I would give it a go. Its really not me, but Im happy with the result anyway!!! Suprise, suprise its another LO of Isaac!!!! Starting to feel the need to scrap something else - actually printed off some pics of Nath today, but wouldnt let myself start that till my masters entry was complete. Needless to say, due to a few unforseen circumstances (which in the grand scheme of things were far more important than my scrapping!) it still lays 3/4 completed on my desk. Oh well there is always tomorrow - thank goodness for express post!


Friday, July 07, 2006

Congratulations E

Big hugs and kisses to Erica, Matt, Josh, Taylor, Chloe, Maddy & Baily on the arrival of their most gorgeous little (well not quite little!!!) daughter and sister McKenna Rose Glover. (The photos are on Rozzies blog if you want a peek - she is just divine!)
Im sure she will fill your lives with love guys!!!

Ive decided I just should give up on comps!!! Went to stick down my single for the masters and decided this morning that I hate it. Love the concept, love the journalling, just hate the actual LO - so back to the drawing board today. I want to alter and re print the photo, so hopefully my mum is picking up a cartridge for me this morning. I really do want to get it all together and send it off Monday - keep your fingers crossed that the kids are really good for me while Craig is at golf on Sunday.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

laughter

My little man just cracks me up sometimes. Today when I got him up from his nap he grabbed my head, pulled it to him and planted a big sloppy open mouthed baby kiss on my cheek. Then he looked up into my eyes and started laughing - it was just so cute. I had done nothing at all to get him to laugh, i think its the first time he has just had a big laugh because he can!!! My heart just melted and I laughed with him - which of course kept the gane going - it was so nice to just sit and laugh together.

Last week ws really busy. Everyone in the house (except me, touch wood) has been battling with colds. The weekend was filled with Football and a birthday party for my gorgeous god daughter Monice. She turned 6 - it only seems like yesterday that I was standing in the midst of their house renovations as Sabine was having contractions and getting ready to head off to hospital. So much has happened in that time but Im so blessed to have a gorgeous girl like her in my life!

HAPPY BIRHDAY GORGEOUS !

Caleb has end-of-term-itis, he is constantly challenging everything and everyone. Hopefully the holidays and a break from the riggors of school will do him the world of good. Our school holidays start next week. Cant wit to be able to sleep in, and not be rushed around in the mornings. Having another littel person around to dress, feed and tend to definatley outs a strin on the chaotic morning routine at our house. Craig leaves as I get up so its just the boys and I in the mornings - I will tell you that some mornings are great, but others its not a very pleasant start to the day at all LOL!

I spoke to Naths guitar teacher last night, and he said he is doing really well and is a pleasure to teach. He even noticed that he has been making the affort to practice more in the last couple of weeks. Its so hard to try and squeeze practice in. Its a bit chaotic betwen getting home from school and tea time. Then after tea with cleaning up, and bed time routines etc - you all know how it is!! Must make the effort to make time and sit with him. He is such a contented and est going child, he often misses out on that one on one attention.

Ive been getting some scrapping done too. Mainly trying to finish off my masters entry and get it photographed. For someone who got a jump start on this, I certainly have left finishing it all off to the last minute. Im hoping to have it all done by Friday though. Had a couple of pics to print off to finish off by btp, and as luck would have it my printer ran out of ink today GRRRR. Now I have to get somewhere to get another cartridge. I did manage to start and finish my monogram last night though - whats with that anyway. Its a really weird thing to include imo! So..... double (tick finished) , monogram (tick), technique/element (not at all inovative and an even weirder requirement than the monogram - but - tick) copy the journalling onto my single and stick it all together properly, add the photos to my btp, and finally photograph it all and burn to disc. mmmmmm when I list it all like that I think I had better pull my finger out LOL
Dont forget to add the entry form and put it in the post. For those of you who know me Im a shocker at posting things off. I tend to have LOs sitting all packed and ready to post off for about a month before I actually post them!

I keep checking blogs for any news of the arrival of baby Mckenna (Ericas bub) and my neighbour is 34 weeks now. Both her boys were born 4 weeks early so I suspect it will be only a few more weeks before another bub arrives in our street. I also have a couple of other friends due in the next couple of months. Bubbies everywhere!!!

Baby update.

.....whispering......we are getting the odd nights with Isaac sleeping right through - bring it on baby! Hopefully we might be turning the corner with the sleepless nights - fingers crossed.

Still no teeth!!! They will probably make an appearance just as we get the sleeping sorted and start the waking all over again!

Isaac is sitting really confidently now, and loves sitting next to his toy basket and chosing what to pull out!

We have moved onto mashed food, and even some cooked rice in with the vegies for lunch today. He spat the first mouthful out, but loved it after that.

We are sick of being stuck inside - bring back the beautiful warm winter sunshine!