Sing Star

from swim star to sing star................i tell you i laughed alot tonight!!! It is a shame you are not as funny when the camera is on you, you are a natural performer!!!!

Cruella De Vil is the second song for those of you wondering who "big kella" is! I love the way you throw in the last word of each line. Buddy you crack me up!!!!!!!

Swim Star

At three years (and 6 days) of age you can.

Dog paddle for about 8 m.
Dive in, swim back to the edge and get yourself out.
Kick on your back with no board for 4m.
Retrieve objects in the shallow end with a slight push.
Do "rock and rolls" (tumble turns) in the deep end.
Kick with a board or noodle.
Duck dive in the deep end, going under as far as you can.
Do "big arms" when begged!
Push and glide.

I hate it when swimming season is over as i love playing in the pool SO MUCH.

one of those Max moments

Today you requested ham and bread rolls for dinner. You used the tongs at the local deli to pick the bread rolls yourself, even dropping one on the ground. When we got home I got caught up folding clothes and talking on the phone, the sun was setting and it was dark downstairs. We had been for a swim and after your bath you never got dressed. When I called you several times I got no answer, silence panicked me. IMAGINE my surprise when i switched on the light and sitting there was a naked, giggling boy eating a bread roll. Crumbs falling all over the bench and floor. You were nearly done and reaching for your second. I added the butter and ham and you were happy.

16th to 22nd Feb 09

Even more rain.

Max's favourite teacher was away from Preschool on Wednesday and he was so sad. It was harder to leave him, but when I arrived he was much happier.

Tax done....yipppe $$$$ in the post for Daz and I owe $4.

We went shopping and Max took Woody (from toy story) with him. He told me "i want to go to the toy sexon". When we got to the Big W sexon he was distressed to find NO other Woddy dolls. He gave me DIRECTIONS to Target and when we arrived he was excited to see another 6-8 Woody dolls. I soooo wish i had my camera (yes slap on the wrist for not having one with me). He sat his Woody down and he chatted with all the Target Woody dolls. He said "these Woody's want to come to our place". "They don't like it here". Max keeps begging me for ZURG and Weezy from Toy Story, he is such the little collector (bit like me really).

A busy day at school on Friday.

Lots of headaches this week.

A wonderful dinner with 40 online friends at Meat and Wine CO on Saturday night. It is really interesting how the www has opened the world up and I tell you I have met some lifelong friends on line. It was fantastic meeting the girls (5 who I have met before) that I chat and joke with online. There were girls from 4 different states and the nationals capital. AND look at that food, that was one yummy skewer.

Nathan's 3rd birthday at Mc Donalds.

Dinner with Jelena (we miss you Jelena).

hey

having a morning at home. Max does not want to go to gymnastics and is preferring to play with his beloved Buzz and Woody. Anything for a quiet moment.......my head has been pounding for nearly5 straight days and the moaning and drama caused by a 3 year old is killing me!!!!

on the scrapping front

I am teaching at scraploot twice in March and I can't wait. Check out the details here.

One of the layouts I am teaching uses 8 sheets of the gorgeous cosmo cricket range. I loved having cool double sided coordinating pages. I just kept the paper out on my desk and created this..........

and there is another layout I will show in the class that I made too using lots of sewing and sanding AND I still have heaps of paper left to make another layout......gotta love coordinating double sided paper.

have a great weekend everyone

bring on some SUN please

Retreats

Together with some friends we have organised 2 retreats this year

one in March and one in July.

They both are at Kurrajong and cost $92! It is a cool weekend with lots of FUN. July filled really quickly and i might need to try and get a bigger venue but we still need another few people for March for it to run.

where - Meroo Centre 3, Kurrajong (25minutes drive from M7/M4 interchange).
cost - $92
info - shared rooms 3-4 to a room
shared bathrooms
bring own linen
All meals from supper Friday night to lunch Sunday.
MARCH 20, 21 and 22

The scrap space is massive with lots of light.

email me if you are interested in coming along, it is a fun and inexpensive weekend away

belindamax@hotmail.com

9th to 15th Feb

Darren was the last in the household to get the dreaded bug, he got it bad for 2 days.

It RAINED a lot, much cooler weather.

I had to swap my work days for a Maths meeting with the SED. That meant I had Wednesday at home and got to take Max to preschool. I had the best day, i loved saying goodbye to him in my own time and then i came home and did some housework. I then scrapped until pick up time. It was the best feeling. just a relaxing day, a ME day. I tell you it makes me LONG to win lotto and be a SAHM!!!!

Friday night - A fantastic girlie night at the movies. "He's just not that into you". Sadly most of the TOWN went along and we witnessed some interesting behaviours.

A quiet weekend, MORE rain!!!!!

Documenting

****must find more time to document ****

Being 3 is sooo tough

Max has had a tough 3 weeks as a 3 year old - new routines, sickness, new preschool, different swimming group etc. Tonight I was driving home after swimming and a tough trip out shopping hoping all will settle down soon.

Why does being 3 mean ....

whining is part of the everyday.

NO is not a suitable answer.
when NO is given as an answer it is always followed with "but please mum".
there is always a fight over the lollies at the cash register line
sentences start with I WANT.
crying is used to try and get your way.
if you scream it you think there is a chance i will say yes (still NO)

If I speak sternly to you you say back "say it nicely mum".

you are SOOOOO pleasant when I am on the phone (NOT)

It had to happen YESTERDAY

"WHERE IS EM, mum WHERE is EM???" is heard in a LONG whine.

at bedtime i hear "2 minutes mum".

When I am on the phone you are usually at your worst

but you still manage to make me laugh and smile everyday

the heat

today it was a rainy 24 degrees! a big change from the heat we have had for most of January and the heatwave that set in February. Sydney had 4 days with temps over 38 degress and it was 40 here for 2 days. The bottom half of our country scorched while some of the top was under metres of water??? Australia can produce some of the most powerful weather, especially in summer. On the weekend fires started in VIC and in NSW. Sadly in VIC they were fires like no one else had ever seen, raging fires that stood over 50 to 80m tall, they took homes leaving over 5000 homeless and killed at least 173 people. I feel for the people that just wanted to save their memories and their homes, they became trapped with no idea of the horrific bushfire blazing towards them.
the picture above will forever give me goosebumps.
after seeing all the sadness on the news I will remember that while life may seem tough with problems, nothing is more precious than being alive

1st Feb to the 8th

Heatwave!!!!!! A very hot week. Lots of afternoons in the pool and sweaty nights.

On Thursday Max was very upset after swimming. I quickly found out why as he vomited everywhere and then was sick way into the early hours of Friday. He recovered Friday and we went to Zoe's third birthday in the 40 degree heat on Saturday ( I think we had 4 days in a row with temps over 38). I then caught the bug!!! It really took valuable time away from what would have been a very relaxing weekend.

Darren RARELY gets in the pool, he might have been in it around 10-15 times, the heatwave got him in and we had a great Sunday afternoon relaxing and enjoying the Summer.

Little did we know (don't tend to watch much TV on the weekend) that Victoria was battling massive bushfires and lives had been lost. A cool brezze ended the HOT week!!!!

Thursday the 5th

How a wonderful day can turn to vomit!!!!This HOT day started off wonderfully. A nice morning swim, where Max continued to amaze me with his tricks in the pool. I taught him how to push off backstroke style and he swam on his back with his head submerged underwater!!!!

Some quick school work and a chat on the phone to Narelle about school things. Max was quite OH NO........he came to my scraproom door and announced "Rex got blue eyes", I thought he said glue and questioned WHERE he got glue from. On inspection I walked into the bathroom and had a big slip and slide on BLUE liquid soap!!!! When asked about the mess, Max threw Greg Wiggle in the air and said "Greg done it, i don't do it"!!! INNOCENT?? i think not!!!!

A lovely lunch, a catch up on my January Russell photos, some toy cleaning and then Max slept in his big bed for the first time.

We went off to swimming and he swam well. Max is still developing a trust with his new teacher as he does not seem to do as much with her as he did with Debbie I am sure it is a trust issue as he has been with Debbie since he was 9 months.

When Max got out of the car after swimming I got the mail. Before I knew it, VOMIT was everywhere!!! Poor baby. Max continued to vomit through the night. He missed the bowl and his second ever sleep in his big bed which saw me pulling sheets and quilts off in the early hours of the morning.

OH how a great day can turn to vomit!!!

26th Jan to 31st

A big week

Max and I had 5 weeks of holiday-ing, kicking back, doing what we wanted!!!! (((gotta love school holidays))). We celebrated his 3rd birthday with lots of friends and family, it was hot and we all partied in the pool. Max swam with his friends for over 4 hours and by 7pm he nearly fell asleep in his dinner! My legs ached from the clean up!!!!

Then on Tuesday ROUTINE HIT (((HARD))). It was back to early mornings, lunch boxes and work. Tuesday went ok......Max went to Linda's armed with cake to celebrate with.

On Wednesday it was time to start preschool. Max was up at SIX AM???!!!! By 8am he was tired. The toilet battle started, he refused to go to the toilet and I started to stress. By 8.15 he was crying and I wanted to cry and GIVE UP. After we picked dad up we both calmed down and we walked into Preschool and he posed for a photo and said goodbye.....I was so proud of him. I left work early as he has to be picked up at 2.30 for 4 weeks. When i got there my baby was asleep in a teachers arms, he apparently cried himself to sleep. He had had a few teary moments during the day and wet his pants at lunch time. When he saw me he was emotional but seemed to talk positively about the day. There is just a need to get him used to the toilets there.

Thursday I wanted to go into work to finish a few things I needed to do and to make up some time from Wednesday. When i dropped Max at Linda's he sobbed his heart out. POOR baby!!! He was so tired and emotional. He missed his sleep ins so much. When we were leaving Linda's he chucked a massive tantrum and threw himself all over the place (he thought her DVD was ours), he cried all the way home and continued for 15 minutes when we got home. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe and had wet his pants, it was tooo cruel to take a photo, but i tell you he was a MESS.

Our swimming lesson was moved as Max needed to move up a class, the afternoon time slot is great, frees up my day off. Max did not see it that way, he burst into tears again. A new teacher, a new time and the fact that she taught on the other side of the pool was too much to handle.

Friday went ok but it was the 4th day with temps above 30. Max was home with my mum. Southern Australia was in a heatwave with temps above 40. we were in the pool to 9pm.

Saturday, usual sleep in day but the BRIGHT HOT sun woke me so I got up and got some jobs done. then Narelle and I drove to scraploot and Max was a HANDFUL, I sounded like the screaming USELESS mother. I had had enough by 11am!!!!! lucky Max was asleep by 12, he was unwell again and slept until 4pm, only to be back in bed again at 8.30pm.....WHAT A WEEK!!!!