KINDNESS MAKES A DIFFERENCE...

I was surprised and very honoured to receive this virtual kindness award from Picciolo ~ thank you so much! Please check out her blog which contains links to her Etsy store and amazing products! Her purses and artwork have to be seen to be believed - they are gorgeous!

I'm going to pass the award on to the blog author of My Little Drummer Boys. Not only is her blog entertaining but in the midst of raising a teenager and twin boys, she finds the time to highlight social issues and worthy causes. This week she has blogged about a wonderful project called Teddy Tour, that gives voices to survivors of child abuse. More information and a heart-wrenching YouTube video can be accessed from her blog.

RETURN TO WORK

Today also marked my official return to work after 2 years of maternity leave. So many changes in 2 years! Totally new faces - a new Principal, a new Assistant Principal and many new teachers. Lots of friends have moved on to other schools :(

When I left I was in a new classroom which had state of the art technology in it. Now I'm in an old demountable with no tables or chairs! And my order of supplies has not yet arrived so I'm working with the bare minimum ie nothing.

Trying to look at the bright side. I'm going to make the most of this year and have a lot of fun with the children. Wish me luck!

ANOTHER PROJECT

I also forgot to upload my latest project, so here it is :) - a 40th birthday guest book.

FROM JUNE CLEAVER TO PEG BUNDY IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS...
Yesterday after lunch, my husband took the kids out and I cleaned the house - really cleaned it! I moved furniture, dusted, vaccuumed, mopped, scrubbed the shower etc etc. I also managed to cook a pork roast with fried rice and corn on the cob as side dishes. I was quite "chuffed" with myself and felt very June Cleaver-like.

Then the little terrors arrived home. It didn't take long for toys to be flung in all directions and food and water to be spilled on the floor! My favourite line around here as many know is "I don't know why I bother cleaning! I'm not cleaning anymore!"

By the time we left for a BBQ today the house was in disarray and I felt like Peg Bundy (minus the boobs and skimpy outfits)! June Cleaver was gone!

The point is that I realised that to be June Cleaver you have to have no children or super placid children or children who realise that it's not funny to try and bring the light fitting down by throwing a ball at it (Thomas) and it's not funny to pour water on the floor and squish it around (Daniel).
Obviously, I do not own these sort of children!

So if you visit my house and see socks in the middle of the laundry floor, a shoe on the window sill or a whole roll of toilet paper pulled off it's roll thingy, just know that I'm not June Cleaver. I'm more Peg Bundy. And I'm truly blessed to have two (rather cute) little explorers and thrill seekers living with me :)

Haven't we seen enough?

Oh my gosh, I just saw a photo of Heath Ledger's pine travel casket being transported from the funeral home to the waiting hearse, with a ferocious media throng surrounding it. I don't think we need to see this. His poor family - they should just be left alone. Aren't they suffering enough?

Reminds me of when the European newspaper printed pictures of Princess Diana dying. I never saw those photos and I don't think the world needed to see them. It didn't matter who she was to the world - she was a mother first and foremost and her kids didn't need to be exposed to that.

How very awful that people can't even be left alone in death. This seems to be the awfully sad price of fame...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

One of my favourite passages, dedicated to the memory of my Nonno who passed away in Italy this week aged 86 years old and my Uncle Frank who died 20 years ago today, aged 30 years old...

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,

A time for war, and a time for peace.

Heath Ledger and the Cult of Celebrity

I couldn't post without also mentioning the passing of actor Heath Ledger, aged 28 years old. The media frenzy surrounding his death has had me thinking about the cult of celebrity. Actors really are commodities. People feel as if they knew him because they had seen him on screen or had seen pictures of him and his family in magazines. Others have felt the need to pass judgement (quite harshly) even though they have in all likelihood never spoken a single word to him.

It is our fault the press is hounding his family and it's our fault the media was waiting with flashes popping to photograph his body being carried from the apartment where he was found dead. We buy the magazines, watch the news, read the celebrity blogs (me included) and for some reason all this sells.

Is it human nature to want to watch people suffering or do we just live in a voyeuristic society where we just can't look away?

All I know is that no matter how or why Heath Ledger died, his passing is a tragedy - because he was a human being, because he was so young and because he has left behind a family who are now being forced to mourn in the glare of the public spotlight. How awful that must be I can't even begin to imagine...

Wedding

Latest wedding guest book, completed earlier this month for Lindsay and Steven over in Perth! Congratulations guys :)

OH NO! THERE'S NO TURNING BACK!
I've succumbed to the abyss that is Facebook - I had to in order to share photos with all my friends and family who are on there! Shame on me!

SUMMER HOLIDAY...
There's just something about Summer holidays... being in Australia, they come at the end of the year...a reward for a year of hard work. And they leave the fondest memories...
This year we travelled up to the Central Coast with a whole bunch of friends, staying in a couple of apartments. At times there were 24 of us in one apartment (14 adults and 10 kids)! I think centre management thought we were going to trash the place - they kept a close eye on us :) Here are a couple of scenic shots...I miss the place! Cherie is currently sifting through 600+ photos that we all took to make an iMovie...can't wait for the premiere (no pressure Cherie - take your time!)The bestest friends make the bestest travelling companions (yes, i know "bestest" isn't technically a word but now and again it needs to be used)!

Okay, now it's back to programming for the start of the school year (have I mentioned that I'm going to be the PDH, Dance and Drama teacher for Kindy and Year 1?!). Should be an interesting year!

I'M BACK! WOO HOO!
Long story...huge dramas with the phone company...but I'm finally back online (with a different ISP). Will fill you all in on our recent holiday etc as soon as I catch up on some blog reading and work out a few things :)