The End of NaBloPoMo and Why I Blog

November 30th is finally here...and once I hit publish on this post, my NaBloPoMo mission will be complete. I cannot believe I achieved what I set out to achieve - blogging everyday for a whole month! I think I wrote more posts in this one month than I have in the whole of the previous year! I'm quite proud of myself because at times I was in the midst of sheer exhaustion, but still somehow managed to post. It wasn't always pretty, but at least it was consistent.

So what did I learn? I learnt that I don't have to write every single day, but I can write a fair bit more than what I was. I can make time for this. I rediscovered my passion for writing. I have always loved to write. One of my earliest childhood memories is leaning over an old fireplace in my childhood home scrawling my name on a piece of paper. I also have vivid memories of writing tasks throughout primary school (and believe me, that was a long time ago)! When the teacher asked for a page of creative writing, I would produce two or even three.

I don't know if my old exercise books are stashed at my mum and dad's somewhere but I'd love to dig them out. I can picture a scrapbook that we published work in in Year 6. There's a story in there about a massacre in the local church. I obviously had a very wild imagination and a flare for the dramatic, even back then. How they didn't call a counsellor upon receipt of that story I do not know. Jump forward to Year 8 and I remember having to do up mock newspaper and magazine stories interviewing characters from the novel we were reading. My questions degenerated into tabloid trash as I asked about affairs and the like. I would have made a good gossip columnist lol.

Fast forward again to the end of Year 12 and I can still see myself sitting on the front step of my old family home pouring over the UAC (University Admission Centre) book as it was then called. Not many people know that I was seriously tossing up between a degree in Arts/Law and a degree in Communications. I chose law and then after practising for a couple of years, defected to teaching. Teaching is something that felt so completely natural to me - I even did it for a while without a degree! I don't regret my decisions because they've brought me to where I am today, but sometimes I wonder how different my life may have been if I had chosen a degree in Communications.

I think I may have just gone off on a tangent there, but what I was trying to say is that I love to write. It's in my blood. I love to read as well. One goes hand in hand with the other. I love to see words put together well. I love melodramatic writing. I love passion and anger and humour jumping out from a page. I read widely as a young person but my favourite genre was always the biography or the autobiography. To read about a person's life and feel all the emotions that encompass that person's world has always been intriguing to me.

I dreamt of writing a novel or writing a children's book but that never eventuated. And then one day I just fell into blogging. I love this world - love writing and love reading other blogs and interacting with other bloggers. Whilst I'm away from the paid workforce and at home raising my boys, it kind of keeps my mind ticking. So here I am, a writer and published author. Yes, that's what I am - albeit a self-published one! A post by Veronica Foale over at Sleepless Nights really resonated with me and helped me to come to this conclusion, although I haven't yet been brave enough to espouse it publicly to another human being. Maybe in time...

So that is why I blog. But at the back of my mind, when I write every post, I always imagine my boys reading it one day. This is their story. Our story. We don't know what twists and turns, highs and lows, lie ahead. But this is their history. And my gift to them. I hope one day when they are older, they will sit here mesmerised by it. I know I sometimes get caught up in reading old posts and reminiscing. Many can't understand why a public blog as opposed to a private diary. I can only speak for myself but since everything is about technology these days, it is much easier to type a post, insert photos and link to other sources in a blog. Imagine if I had to write all this by hand, then physically cut and paste photos and print out other blog posts. Having a public blog also means that others can interact. People can share their opinions and comments and this all helps to add to the history. It makes it richer and somehow, more meaningful.

So, can you tell I don't shut up? Feel free to congratulate me on my NaBloPoMo achievement by leaving a comment below :) And please keep reading and commenting - us bloggers love that!

Why do you blog? Why do you love reading blogs?

This Much Water (is all it takes for a child to drown)

Whilst on our recent holiday in Noosa, Samuel nearly drowned. That statement may sound dramatic to some, but the difference between drowning and surviving can be a matter of minutes or even seconds. We were lucky. Samuel was in a shallow baby pool surrounded by 4 of us adults, who started to have a conversation and almost unknowingly, took our eyes off him at once.

Samuel stumbled and fell forward into the water. As most kids will do in this situation, he panicked and couldn't get himself to a standing position. He kept slipping and would have undoubtedly started to swallow water. Another child was near him, saw him, grabbed him and pulled him up. I shudder to think of how that scene could have ended. It happened so easily and so quickly with so many adults at the scene. 

So imagine how easily it could happen anywhere around your home...all it takes is enough water to cover a child's mouth and nostrils (3-4cm) in a bathtub, a nappy bucket, a backyard water feature, a dog bowl or even a puddle. 

Don't fool yourself into thinking it can't happen to you...because it can. It's so easy to be distracted by a phone call, a ring of the doorbell, another child, anything. It has happened to far too many families just like your own. A split second of inattention and your child could be lost.

Stuart Ghent and Nik Robinson from Cabana Boys Advertising Agency in Sydney are also parents. They became alarmed at the spate of drownings they were hearing about on the news and set about doing something to stem the flow of child drownings. No money exchanged hands for this campaign. A group of advertisers, a film maker and a bunch of celebrities donated their time just to get the message across.

Click below to watch the video (it takes less than a minute) 

The statistics are frightening and gut wrenching. 5 Australian children under the age of 5 die and 47 are hospitalised with serious problems due to bath tub drowning or near drowning each year.

Please be vigilant around water, particularly with young children.

Please, please remind others to be vigilant as well! Share the above video on your Facebook walls, share this post, tell people about the campaign. It could save a child you love.

Balla, The Star



Photo from The Star's website

On Saturday night, Sam and I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Balla, one of The Star's new restaurants. This is Stefano Manfredi's baby and he has said that it is probably the most Italian restaurant he has opened. He overlooked the entire design of the food menu as well as the wholly Italian wine collection and the space in which it is all housed.

I have to admit he has done an amazing job putting everything together - Balla has a wonderful Sydney seaside ambiance. We were seated at one of the bench seats and at first I thought I was a bit too close to neighbouring patrons but this is in keeping with Manfredi's vision of shared tables as in an authentic Milanese osteria. Besides, I quickly overcame my reservations as the restaurant started to fill and the food arrived without delay. The decor is wonderfully fresh and unique, and the views are beautiful. I cannot believe The Star was previously not making good use of that particular side of the building!

If you want to see some gorgeous photos of the interior, along with some special dishes served at a private dinner, head on over to the blog Not Quite Nigella. Blogger Lorraine Elliot, as you can probably guess, is a food enthusiast and writer who was lucky enough to attend this private dinner! I believe her husband may have taken the photos of the restaurant which are simply gorgeous. She got all the inside goss on the design of the restaurant and how much everything cost - I was intrigued reading about the lighting and the mosaic tiles. Go have a look here at her exquisite Balla post.

I wasn't there on official blogging business so I felt a bit silly pulling out my camera to take photos...although I really, really wanted to! Instead, I snuck a few in on my mobile phone - which unfortunately doesn't have the best camera. These are my snapshots:



This photo doesn't do it justice,
but the entrance to Balla is beautiful.

The bench seating where we ate.

  

The bustling Balla kitchen which is open to patron view.
Only a great kitchen with exemplary staff can pull this off!
Fascinating to watch.

 

Polpo con patate
(slow cooked octopus with potato and Tuscan olive oil)
Friends of Sam will know he always orders the octopus for
entree - and this dish was delicious and clever in every way.
The flavours blended perfectly.

 

Crostini dish 
(toasted ciabatta, fresh goat's cheese & spicy salami)
When they say spicy, they mean spicy! I can't usually handle
the heat but it was so delicious, I kept going back for more!
The goat's cheese melted in the mouth. Again, a wonderful
combination of flavours.

 

Wood-grill whole fish of the day served with salsa verde, salmoriglio and salsa di noci
(Sam chose the John Dory, although Barramundi was also available)
I'm not usually a fish person but I was salivating looking at this.
Sam cleaned it up, enjoying it very much :)

 

Gnocchi di patate con salsa d'anatra
(potato gnocchi with duck ragù)
As you can see, they were generous with the duck ragu which was wonderful.
I was expecting a few pieces lost in pasta. But no, this dish was
totally yum! The gnocchi were light and fluffy and just melted in my mouth.
Gnocchi are hard to get right and not many do. Perfect.

 

Torta al caffe' e nocciole
(espresso and hazelnut torta, cappuccino cream)
I couldn't leave without dessert so I gave this gorgeous little thing a try!
Sweet but not too sweet...let's just say, I didn't leave any on the plate :)
Sam had an affogato which was served with Frangelico
(and yes, I had a sip of that too).



 We were also served beautiful bread and oil, salad and fresh oysters. The wine we chose on the waiter's recommendation was perfect. I must add that something else that Balla gets right is the portion sizes. We finished everything on our plates and felt satisfied but not bloated. This makes a refreshing change to over sized dishes that end up getting wasted.

Mr Manfredi, we are only sorry we didn't get to meet you on Saturday. You have a beautiful restaurant that we will definitely be visiting again. If you ever want to try out any new dishes for your menu, my husband and I are quite willing to be your test audience :)

Burnout?

Found here with a great post about writer burnout

I've rediscovered my love of writing this month. But I've also discovered the meaning of burnout. It's not so much the writing that has caused the burnout - it's more our social calendar, which has been full on. Today was the last of the birthday parties (for this week). I'm looking forward to the following week because we get a little bit of a reprieve before commencing social activity - an out of town wedding :)

I really wanted to sit here and write about our night out last night which included dinner at Balla, situated in The Star (formerly Star City Casino) and a performance by Elton John that had me dancing and crying (hormonal much?) - but I can't do either of them justice tonight. So I won't. I'll save them for another day when I can give them my full attention.

In case you think I've been shirking my writing responsibilities, I'm happy to say I've also written my first guest post on a blog that I admire and love to read. It wasn't an easy task trying to write for a whole new audience, so hope I've done an okay job! You can be the judge once it gets published - I'll give you all the link once it is up. You may be surprised once you see whose blog it is!

So what has everyone else been doing this week?

Date Night

We are currently on the way to drop the kids off at my parent's place. Why? Because I guess tonight is "date night". We don't get to go out on our own very often (as in just the two of us). But making the most of it. Starting off with dinner at Balla and then following it with an intimate performance by Elton John! So excited! Typing this on my iPhone to make sure I get my daily post in :) so all the details to follow tomorrow.

Exhaustion

After their fourth straight late night out, they are well and truly exhausted - and so are we! Looking forward to a sleep-in tomorrow morning before resuming partying (and the silly season hasn't even officially started)!

Excuse the grainy shots - taken on mobile as we pulled into garage about 15 minutes ago.



Thomas and Samuel



Samuel and Daniel



Goodnight

Tonight's post has to be short and sweet. I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, not quite believing I have made it to Day 24 of NaBloPoMo. In all the years I've been blogging, I have never, ever been this consistent so I'm quite proud of myself. More so because I am also doing it in one of the busiest months ever! We have been out every night this week except for Monday and tomorrow night, Saturday and Sunday we are also out! We are exhausted, the kids are exhausted and Samuel's a nightmare...but along we plod.

Tonight we were at a farewell dinner for my nephew Giuseppe who is off to watch and play soccer/trial out for teams in Italy. He's going without his parents this time so quite a big trip for him!

Earlier today, Daniel had his 3rd hearing test in the space of just over a year. He has always had a build up of fluid in one ear and the last test indicated a moderate hearing loss in one ear which was of some concern. But today everything came up clear. The fluid has somehow gone, despite him still not knowing how to blow his nose properly, and his hearing is in the normal range right across the board! Yay, some great news!

And thank you so much to everyone of you who has been voting for this blog in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Aussie Mum Blogs list. To see how we are faring against much bigger blogs is quite humbling. It is giving me the incentive to keep blogging through this tough month and also giving me much food for thought in terms of which direction I want to take this blog.

But for now, I think I will be catching some zzzzzzz's...so goodnight and pleasant dreams xxx

Man walked on the Moon (but he can't do this)!*

Unless you are a believer of conspiracy theories that suggest Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin's** walk on the moon was a carefully staged studio event, then you'll agree that it was a pretty amazing feat. Man (and I'm specifically referring to the male species here) has achieved great things throughout history. New ways of communicating, new ways of travelling, new vaccines...the list is long and noteworthy.

That's not to say that women haven't achieved great things. They most certainly have. And in many cases where males have claimed the invention of something, there was no doubt a woman somewhere behind the scenes that played a pivotal role. But I digress.

With man's record of achievement, they should almost be invincible. Why then is it impossible for man to aim straight when going to the toilet?!? I don't get it. The bowl is at the very least about 36cm wide (according to Google sources). That's a hell of a big bullseye!
There is no excuse for urine on the seat, on the sides of the bowl, on the floor or on the bloody walls!!!! Concentrate men, it's really not that hard!

Do we need to create reward charts for success? Surely not...a nice clean toilet and bathroom should be motivation enough. Maybe cleaning of bathrooms should be a males-only job? 

Oh, and whilst I am at it...toothpaste. It belongs only in or on three places - the toothpaste tube, the toothbrush or in your mouth! I do not understand why clunks of toothpaste are to be found on basin edges...or dripping down the sides of vanities...or on bathroom door handles!!! The door is not even near the vanity!! 


Stray toothpaste...


Can you tell I just cleaned the bathrooms? What room do you hate cleaning? 


* Topic suggested by Tracy Downes :)
** Is this where they got the idea for Buzz Lightyear's name? If so, I just caught on!

A Medical Mystery

I was lying in bed this morning, feeling lazy and not wanting to get up. Through half-closed eyes, I was answering emails (as you do), when Thomas came in and said he thought he needed cream on his leg. As you may recall, he had a nasty foot infection last week, but that had long since disappeared and I was ready to dismiss the request. Then my eyes caught sight of his leg - I don't think I've ever jumped out of bed so quick. This dodgy photo probably doesn't do my panic justice, but I took one look at it and started to panic!



It was so swollen and lumpy that my first (albeit crazy) thought was that "something" was growing inside his leg. Or maybe not growing exactly, but spreading. It's hard to explain but it just seemed like there was a foreign object inside his leg. At that stage, I didn't notice a lump on the inside of his other leg - not sure when that appeared. As he was having breakfast though, I noticed that one finger was also red and swollen.

I rang my husband immediately after sending him the leg picture. His first reaction was take him to the doctor and then revised it to the hospital. Out of the two of us, I think I'm usually the one who remains calm (at least on the outside) during emergencies...but my heart was racing and I just didn't know what to do. I was also wondering how I was going to take him anywhere with Daniel and Samuel in tow.

We then decided that Sam would take Thomas to the hospital, whilst I took Daniel to pre-school. By the time I dropped him off, Sam had messaged to say that the initial consultation with the nurse seemed to suggest it was the same cellulitis/infection that he had had the previous week. So I headed home with Samuel, not bothering to drop him off anywhere.

But things quickly changed. I then got another text asking me to come to the hospital because they were preparing to take blood samples. When I heard that, my mind started to spin! A million bad scenarios go through your head at such times. I also know Thomas panics and worries at the first sign of anything being wrong so I was concerned about how they were actually going to get the blood from him! To give you some indication of what he is like, let me give you an example. A little while ago he had conjunctivitis and I had to administer eye drops...it took about half an hour of pleading (on my part) and crying (on his part) to get one little drop in. He thought I was trying to - and I quote - "kill him". So you can see why I was worried about a blood test.

The nurses decided to take the blood via a cannula, so then they could use it to administer antibiotics if necessary. God must have been with us in that room today because somehow we got through it without Thomas screaming hysterically. I could tell he was scared as I tried to distract him with questions about Christmas lists and Santa photos... but he got through it. There were a few tears trickling down but no screaming or accusations of murder! I reminded him of how brave his friend Charley had been in recent weeks when she had been in hospital and I think that helped him get through it :)





Just after this, Samuel decided he had had enough of the emergency department and started screaming...so Sam had to take him to my mother in-law's. Wherever we go, that child makes himself known! Joys!

Anyway, to cut a very long story short (think we were there from about 8am to 3pm with a short break for lunch), nobody could figure out what was wrong. His swelling/rash didn't seem like an allergic reaction, either to the antibiotics he had previously taken or anything else, and it didn't seem consistent with a bite or cellulitis like the previous week because there was no centralised mark or injury. Another "spot" also appeared on his arm whilst we were there but he was not itchy and not really sore either. He had no fever and could walk okay. 

Staff took blood tests, urine tests and throat swabs but couldn't find a cause. Doctors were literally stumped. Eventually, they took some photos of Thomas' legs and sent them to the dermatology department at Westmead Children's Hospital. It didn't appear that we would have answers quickly, so they suggested we go to lunch and then return to have the cannula removed and work out a plan to manage/treat the rash. This was welcome news as Thomas had started groaning loudly (as if in pain, but not at all) because he was bored and just wanted to go home. He even conceded that going to school was better than a day off in the hospital :)


Thomas, happy to be released for a McDonald's lunch.

At the end of the day, we are none the wiser. The hospital gave us another script for the same antibiotics he had been on before and we have an appointment at Westmead Children's Hospital next Monday. Hopefully, we will get some answers then. It's a bit of a worry when nobody can give you an answer and everybody just finds the case "interesting"...

Tonight we also had my sister in-law Carmelina's birthday so it has been a full on day. Hopefully tomorrow won't be so hectic!

FOOTNOTE (28th Nov 2011): This morning we attended Westmead Children's Hospital and I was surprised that we had to wait for about an hour to see the doctors! Thomas has to be the least patient of my children...actually, they all take after their Dad in that regard.

Anyway, the great medical mystery didn't seem such a mystery to the doctors in the dermatology department. They didn't do any tests, allergy or otherwise. They advised that it is just a severe reaction to insect bites that is common amongst some children. Whilst we were waiting, his legs were starting to get red again and slightly lumpy but nothing to the extent of last week. The doctor explained that when he gets an insect bite, the skin will flare up in the same place/s as previously, regardless of where the bite is on the body. They prescribed a really strong steroid cream and an oral antihistamine. So all good I guess.

My Mini Stream of Consciousness

Image found here

Okay, so I've been sitting here jumping from one site to another and then another, and then back again - basically procrastinating. Occasionally glancing at clock on bottom of computer screen. Now 11:22pm. Panic. Panic. What am I going to write? I have to get something down for Day 21 of NaBloPoMo but what exactly?I get so desperate I Google "writer's block", as you do. What doesn't one Google these days? As a kid, who would have thought that Google could provide an answer to almost anything. Well, getting back to my dilemma, I Googled "writer's block" and learnt that although some people think it's hog wash, it's an actual psychological condition...hmmm....still doesn't solve my problem. My laptop is not keeping up with what I'm writing, or rather, words and letters are hopping all over the page so that I have to keep backspacing. It's a bloody pain. So I abandon it and jump over to the PC, not literally - jump that is. Anyway, this thing is slower than a tortoise in slow motion. You may think that's a slighht exaggeration but I swear it's true. Sometimes I type stuff then look up and have to wait 15 seconds, perhaps 30 seconds, for it to appear. Yeah thanks Telstra...I'm in a "Smart Community Network" area or whatever they call it, yet my internet keeps slowing to snail's pace. Bullshit. See, I just had to wait for the cursor to appear so I could keep typing! What's with that?! Anyway, I'm not sure how but my mind leapt from writer's block to "stream of consciousness", something I kind of studied as part of my literature degree - in essence, it's just whatever' son your mind being spewed out onto the page without thought or editing. Please, I don't want abusive emails telling me I have that wrong. In a nutshell, that's what it is. So I decide to tell you all this in my own mini stream of consciousness. So here I am. 11:33pm. I will try and resist the urge to edit this paragraph, split it into smaller paragraphs or generally get it to make sense. Be thankful that I'm only spewing forth a portion of what my mind is thinking about at the moment (not teaching, children, Christmas, shopping, birthdays, guest posts and blog comps plus other things). Yes, be thankful, I will put you out of your misery now. I promise I will unblock my mind before tomorrow's post and deliver something a little more ... intelligible. Is that a word? Can't think. Don't know. But I do know I escaped the NaBloPoMo axe once more. Happy dance. 11:39pm and I obviously can't shut up. Plus I admit I looked up intelligible to ensure it was a word. Yes, I cheated even on my own stream of consciousness.

The Partying Continues

Today we celebrated my niece Jessica's and nephew Joey's First Holy Communions... They both looked gorgeous. Jessica is all sweetness and Joey is a character and a half! Love them both xx

It was a great day despite the stinking hot weather and the moments when I had to chase Samuel around acres! He threw one of his amazing tantrums (nearly gouging my eyes out and pulling my hair) due to over tiredness and heat exhaustion. Samuel was determined to party and refused to sleep. At one stage it began to rain and I went to collect him and then whilst carrying him, stepped into a ditch and fell down! Life's most embarrassing moments? Umm yes! I don't think anyone saw or maybe they did and just pretended they didn't! omg what a sight I must have been! By the end of the afternoon, Samuel was caught licking water off the swings and off the ground...oh what horror to my germophobe friends (Verminophobia being the technical term)!! I'm just choosing not to think about the germs!

We also finally celebrated Daniel's official birthday! He had a great day! Thank you to my sister in-law Barbara for acknowledging his special day with a cake :)

This blog post was going to take a different direction but I wanted to use some info from another blogger...and couldn't find it! I'm too tired to work out the thought processes needed to track down the information. Plus I'm pretty sure the sentence I just wrote made no sense whatsoever...

Think it's time for bed. I'm buggered (so easily this month's theme) but I'm grateful for NaBloPoMo because it's making me write every day/night - and even though that's another thing on the To Do list that I don't really need right now, it's also forcing me to have a moment to myself - and that's about the only thing keeping me sane right now!

Daniel's Merry Week

Daniel's birthday started last Sunday (a whole week early) and continued today with a pre-school friends McDonald's party. Much as any responsible Mum would not sing the praises of McDonald's, I must admit they still provide one of the best value birthday parties around...cheap as chips and it amuses the kids. Short and sweet. No mess. No fuss.



Daniel had a blast playing with all his friends and adores all the presents he received. He's going to miss his buddies when he goes to a different big school next year...

Every year, Daniel feels hard done by waiting for his birthday...with 2 brothers, Sam and I, his 4 grandparents, 5 uncles, 6 aunties and 14 cousins, not to mention countless friends, all having birthdays before him each year...it's a pretty hard slog! But alas, he's making up for it with multiple birthdays. As mentioned, he celebrated last weekend and today...tomorrow is his actual birthday so 'happy birthday' will be bellowed out again, plus he still has a pre-school cake to go on Monday!

Can't believe my sweet little man is turning 5! Happy Birthday for tomorrow Dan! xxx

And that completes Day 19 of NaBloPoMo...can't believe I've lasted this long. Off to wrap presents and finish dessert for my niece and nephew's joint Communion tomorrow. Someone needs to invent longer days, don't you think?

How Real is Reality TV?

Yep, we tackle the tough questions here at The Camera Chronicles. I'm a self-confessed reality TV junkie! I must be slightly voyeuristic or something because I would never in a million years appear in one but I love to watch! I'm currently enthralled with Celebrity Apprentice but over the years I have watched individual episodes, whole series or even multiple series of everything from Big Brother to The Block to My Restaurant Rules to Newlyweds to Masterchef to Wife Swap! If I had to list all the reality shows I've watched at least an episode of, we'd be here forever. I think I may be showing my age by saying I even remember watching Sylvania Waters back in 1992 - one of the first programs to take a real life family and film them 24/7 in a documentary style TV show. And boy, didn't that show create headlines!


Image found here



I don't know why I love reality TV. I guess I always sway to that sort of genre - biographies, autobiographies and blogs are my favourite reading material so it's kind of natural that reality TV is also amongst my favourite viewing. I like to see real people living and reacting in real circumstances. I'm fascinated by human behaviour. But how real is it? Do the contestants/participants play up to the cameras? How much influence does editing have on the final product?

Obviously, drama, tears and cat fights are good for ratings. I readily admit to being entertained by this sort of thing, although I'm just as happy to watch people getting along. Editing no doubt magnifies any small disagreement and along with clever promotional material for the show in question, can turn it into a ratings draw card. If a reality TV show has a villain, then all the better. In recent times, the following "villains" have kept viewers entertained:



Many viewers took a dislike to Jenna's attitude on The Block.
But were producers manipulating emotions by awarding
Jenna & Josh a number of room wins in a row?

 

Melanie and James caused such outrage on My Kitchen Rules
with their comments about other contestants' food that
they ended up receiving hate mail and death threats.
Were they just victims of editing?

 

Deni Hines (right) has not fared well with viewers of Celebrity
Apprentice after going head to head with reality TV star Polly
from The Block, and in recent episodes, model Jesinta Campbell.

In all three of the above cases, each ousted contestant has given interviews saying their actions and words were completely taken out of context. They claim to not be anything like they have been portrayed. My question is can they be taken so much out of context as to be virtually false, or is the old saying "where there's smoke, there's fire" true?

What do you think? What's your favourite reality show and do you have a favourite villain?

Have you been on a reality TV show? Can you shed light on the issue of nasty people or clever editing?

Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony

Today was a very important day for the school my boys are enrolled in. For the past year Thomas has been attending a local school in that school's uniform, but under the banner/name of another school yet to be built. All very confusing - especially for a little Kindy child! The children are set to be moved to temporary classrooms on the new school site in the first half of next year, and hopefully soon after we will have some of the wonderful permanent buildings we've heard so much about.

The clearing of land can now begin because today, despite the rain, the official Smoking Ceremony took place. Attended by school officials including our new Principal, parents and students, government ministers, the Bishop and an Aboriginal elder, the smoking ceremony was a traditional ritual whereby native plants were burnt and earth overturned to signify a cleansing of the site and a warding off of bad spirits in keeping with Aboriginal culture.

I was not brave enough to attend with my 3 munchkins in tow...3 of them plus rain plus no seating plus a reverent occasion that would go for about an hour just didn't equal a happy outcome in my mind. Thankfully, my photographer Tracy Downes (I can call her that because she is always there with a camera whenever I don't have mine) did brave the weather and not only attended but took some great photos to boot!

Seeing these photos and the small gathering of people at the site as I drove past this morning brought back many memories of the school I used to teach at. It was also built from humble beginnings and grew into a well respected school. The people who started the school had a real vision for it and they lived and breathed it. The teachers who taught there in those early years were some of the best and they too gave everything for the school. I hope that same passion and drive helps to build our little school into something very special. I don't care that we will be starting off in demountables...I just can't wait to be there!

Have you ever attended a smoking ceremony? Do you think they are necessary?



Kindy Orientation

I can't quite believe that I'm at this point again! It sounds cliched to say but it really does seem like only yesterday that I was at the school doing all this with Thomas. But what a difference a year makes...

Whilst I distinctly remember Thomas leaping into my arms and whispering, "I want you to stay" as tears welled up in his eyes, Daniel barely waved goodbye as he walked into the classroom with his big, brown eyes trying to take it all in. Of course, he had the advantage of visiting the school almost every morning and afternoon as we did the drop off and pick up thing for the past year and the familiarity of not only the physical buildings but also many faces. He obviously recognises Thomas' teacher, knows his school friends and has even made friends with some of their siblings - some of whom will be joining him next year! 

Today, Thomas' friend Kiara had her little brother Matthew attending for orientation so Daniel got to chat to him and play with him before going their separate ways into the different rooms. Once inside, Daniel had his big brother Thomas to show him around and guide him through various activities. Thomas' friend Jessica also provided assistance and his other friend Antonio welcomed him with a special card.

Daniel was thrilled with the experience. He got to play with equipment as well as joined in a singing game, plus he heard a story about a wombat and then got to make his own (Thomas got read The Rainbow Fish last year - bit more colourful hehe). I just hope he realises he won't be in Thomas' class next year! Hopefully, he'll be in a classroom with some of his friends but in any case, I'm sure he'll make lots of new friends :) Exciting times ahead as we prepare to move to the new school site as well!

Pegasus

English was my favourite subject all through my schooling years. I remember many of my English teachers with great fondness. I was flicking through some old books today and came across Pegasus, the first poem I recall learning and reciting by heart. The beauty of poetry, like books and songs, is that each speaks to the reader individually...there's no right and wrong, no magical answer or definition. Enjoy...

Pegasus by Eleanor Farjeon

From the blood of Medusa

Pegasus sprang.

His hoof of heaven

Like melody rang.

His whinny was sweeter

Than Orpheus' lyre.

The wing on his shoulder

Was brighter than fire.

His tail was a fountain.

His nostrils were caves.

His mane and his forelock

Were musical waves.

He neighed like a trumpet.

He cooed like a dove.

He was stronger than terror

And swifter than love.

He could not be captured.

He could not be bought.

His rhythm was running,

His standing was thought.

With one eye on sorrow

And one eye on mirth,

He galloped in heaven

And gamboled on earth.

And only the poet

With wings to his brain

Can mount him and ride him

Without any reins.

The stallion of heaven.

The steed of the skies.

The horse of the singer,

Who sings as he flies.

Play Centre Bullies & Complicit Parents

I'm sure anyone who has visited a play centre, even just a handful of times, will have met a bully. It's usually an older child (8 years and up) who thinks it's okay to push, shove and generally be nasty to younger children.

Now, I know children will be children and they generally all go completely a little hypo at these sorts of places. Most parents can't even decide whether they are a blessing or a curse. I suspect it's a little of both. I used to visit play centres occasionally when my boys were younger and I visit them even less now that Thomas is at school. During school holidays and weekends they can be a nightmare. Overrun with older children, and without adequate staffing/supervision, they can be quite unsafe for little ones.

Anyway, last week Thomas had a pupil free day so I decided to take him and Daniel to a play centre and also invited whoever wanted to come from school. A number of children showed up and for the most part, the kids had a ball:



However, even though these photos make it seem like they had the whole centre to themselves, it was quite busy. The children I will dub the "bullies" all came from the same party... 2 boys that were certainly older than our children and a younger looking girl who told Thomas she was 10. At various points they chased, harassed and even hit our children. At one stage, Thomas came off the equipment crying saying these children were being mean to him and one of the dads amongst us witnessed the girl being nasty towards him. Another of the children came out with a bump on his forehead after one of these bullies pegged a plastic ball at his head.

I'm sure the parents of these bullies knew what was going on. They could see and hear for themselves. Now, if that were one of my boys doing those sorts of things to other children, let alone ones younger than them, I'd be really upset. At the very least they would get a tongue lashing. I could never sit there in a blase state and just watch and do nothing. Yes, nothing! They sat and casually continued their conversation. If anything, they almost seemed to be getting a little annoyed with us for telling our children to stay away from them and so on.

I know that accidents can happen and that sometimes kids can be childish. The first time Thomas came out to report something, I kind of dismissed it. But when it kept happening, I didn't know what to say to him. I tried telling him to stay away from them and just play with his friends but that became increasingly difficult as the bullies actually chased them.

I really felt like marching up and telling those children to leave my son and his friends alone. One mum amongst us eventually had enough and did just that. I felt like marching up to the parents and telling them to do something, anything! Maybe I should have reported it to staff?

The problem is that things can easily escalate and nobody wants to be in a fist fight in the middle of a play centre! A friend that was with us once witnessed that very thing. Two women, later egged on and joined by other family members, were at each others' throats, swearing and ready to punch on in the middle of the play centre. They had to be restrained and each one refused to leave, although eventually one did. What a fine example to set for your children!

Another friend who was fed up with older bullies at her child's birthday party, walked up to his parents/grandparents and told them what was happening. She was met with a very casual "What do you want us to do? We can't control him".

I know some parents must seek relief from badly behaving children in these centres. I myself know how great it is to set them free amongst the mazes and jumping castles to wear themselves out. But at what expense? Surely, parents can't switch off completely. Surely, they have to take some responsibility for their children?

What do you think? Have you met a play centre bully? How did you deal with it?

I will not quit...

When I wrote about being pooped yesterday, I didn't really understand what I was talking about. I now know that tonight I'm a hell of a lot more pooped than I was last night. It really did cross my mind to let NaBloPoMo slip away tonight. Seriously, who could be bothered to turn on the computer and type anything after hosting a massive birthday party? Well, I guess the answer is me - because here I am. This leads me to believe (hopefully not in a false sense of security type way) that once I get over the hurdle of this exhausting week, I will keep on chugging my way to the finish line.

So here is my short and sweet post for Day 13.

Today we celebrated an early birthday for Daniel as his actual birthday falls next week when his two cousins are making their First Holy Communion. He's football mad, hence the football theme of the party. It was a gorgeous day and I think every child who attended will be sleeping soundly tonight...I know mine are :)



Cake by Aunty Barbara



The proud birthday boy.

 

Go the Eels 2012!

 Thank you to everyone who helped us - from setting up to making delicious dishes and desserts to cleaning up. And thank you to everyone who came. You helped make Daniel's birthday extra special :)