Monday, June 27, 2011

Off to the Theatre

Tomorrow night we are off to the theatre. Roo Theatre. At Shellharbour. Small theatre about 15 minutes' drive from our house. (for those of you who are not local!).

Yes, it's school musical time. They are dress rehearsing today and have 6 shows over Wed, Fri & Sat. That equals a lot of tired teens!

The theme is "Generation Why??" and apparently is a Glee type show. It covers bullying, peer pressure, body image and other issues that come to light predominantly in the teenage years. Charlotte is dancing in it. And she has a small speaking part. There are no singers in our household!

These kids have worked very hard for months, after school, in lunchbreaks and on weekends to get the show up & running. They have been writing, choreographing, set decorating (stage crew rocks!), costuming, all with the help of some pretty dedicated teachers and parents. The student band is also playing. Such a showcase of talent!

I have seen the song list for the musical and I am pretty impressed. The Beatles, AC/DC, Joan Jett, Queen, Bruno Mars, Frank Sinatra and Katy Perry - and that's only some of them!

I LOVE school musicals. I was always in them when I was in high school. The teamwork. The opportunity to be on stage, even though I am neither a singer nor a dancer. I was still given the chance. And it's the very same high school is where our kids go & I am very excited to see the talent of these youngsters. Of course they have come a long way since the mid 1980's, when the school was still in its infancy. (I was part of the first cohort in a new school).

Did you participate in any school productions?

Yours musically,

Karen.

Image from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sympathy in Sickness.....

After reading Tina Gray's so poxy this morning, I though I'd share how our household is going today.

Liam is home on a Pupil Free Day and has been very pale, with a sore tummy & not feeling very well at all. He has barely moved off the lounge and any of you who know our Liam will know that he is usually a ball of energy and noise.

Not long ago he was moving from one lounge room to the other when he stopped by the kitchen to ask for some of the lemonade I had just done a Woollies run to buy for him. He promptly threw up. Thankfully it was all over the tiles, not in the carpeted lounge, nor on the lounge itself.

Hubby Ray, who is home on an annual leave day & not feeling the best either, almost did the same in sympathy for him. He may have a cast iron stomach foodwise, but not sickness wise. He made a quick exit!

Mess # 1 all cleaned up.

Liam asks for that lemonade that he didn't actually get. Ray - "hang on, I have to make it flat first". (The only way I know how to do that is to leave it out for hours). Pours some out. Adds a sugar sachet to the bottle, warning me that is will fizz up. Yep, too much sugar. Lemonade all over the bench, floor, cupboards (in the cupboard too), newspaper (that I had just bought & nobody had read yet), and bread board (where my now cold toasted sandwiches were that I had abandoned to clean up Liam's mess).

Yep. That was Mess # 2. But I got Ray to clean that one up!

Both within 20 minutes of each other.

Liam is now feeling much bettter and has some colour back in his face.

just check my temp again mum


 I now have another load of washing to do. Just. When. I. Had. Finished.

I guess my work is never finished.


How's your day going?

School Holidays are almost here!!!!!

One more week to go! One more week to go!

I get quite a bit just a tad excited when it's school holiday time. There is not much I like more than to throw that routine out the window & have nice slow relaxing days.

Days when the kids can stay in their pyjamas until lunchtime if they want to.

Days when we don't have to be anywhere by 9am.

Days when we can go and explore a different park. And a different fish & chip shop. It's amazing how good hot chips taste at the park!

I would like to take the kids to Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney these school holidays, if the budget permits it.

And one day I'd like us to catch a train to Kiama and spend the day there. Just because we haven't caught the train there before (I don't count 22 years ago when I caught the train to Kiama daily for work).

If the sun comes out like it did today (I love sunny days), we may even venture out to the beach to build sandcastles and go in the water up to our knees. Ant further in would be too cold.

What are you planning to do these winter school holidays?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Domesticity Day

I must admit I am a fan of days like today. Simply pottering around the house tidying up & cleaning bits. Our little girl is not sick today - YAY!



http://weheartit.com/tag/cleaning?page=3

I must also admit I am not as beautifully dressed as the domestic goddess in the above picture.

pic taken by my princess Missy Megan
here she is!

So far I have cleaned out the kids' bathroom cabinet (the hair clips & ties are now safely housed in a Tupperware container), cleaned the kitchen,done a couple of loads of washing, had the groceries home delivered and put them away in less time than it takes me to bring them in from the car (and saved myself a sore back!). Oh, and I've also been liaising with some lovely PR people about a VERY exciting product review that I hope to be blogging about in the not too distant future. Even my hubby couldn't guess what this one was!


What's keeping you busy today?

Karen xx

Monday, June 20, 2011

That Bloomin' Weight Loss Roundabout Again.....

Start weight: 84kg.

Where I would like to get to: 64kg.

Maybe lower, I can't remember how I looked at 64kg, it's been so long. At my lightest I was 55kg. But that one is too hard to maintain. This time 9 years ago I lost 14 kg, down to 74kg & thought I looked good. Until I saw a photo. Then life got busy again & I allowed the weight to come back.

Here's a photo I didn't want to publicise because it shows how much weight I have put back on. What seems like only a few months ago I was 77.7kg.




Maybe this photo is the kick up the butt I need to do something about this.

Feeling pretty low about it right now.

SO many people struggle with their weight. It shouldn't be this hard.

What has worked for you? Are there any tips you can give me?

Cheers,

Karen xx

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Giveaway Winners!

Drumroll............

The two lucky winners of my Mr Men and Little Miss DVD giveaway are:


KAZ RIEHS

and

KELLIE

Congratulations ladies!

I'll be sending you an email or facebook message asking your address details so your prize can be mailed to you!

Thanks everyone for playing along.

Have a great Sunday.

Karen xx

Whites - A DVD Review

I am loving this whole having DVD's sent to me to review thingy that's happening right now!

Here's what we've been watching this time:


It's a new BBC comedy series set in the high-pressured kitchen of a beautiful country house hotel.

Head Chef Roland wants to get the Michelin Star he considers himself worthy of but gets distracted by his desire to write his autobiography. And his laziness.

Sous Chef Bib is left to attempt to get the busy kitchen under control, an effort which is not helped when the cocky apprentice chef named Skoose arrives on the scene & makes it clear he has ambitions for Bib's job!

Throw in some know-it-all (and one particularly ditzy) women working the front of house and you have a recipe for some pretty funny things to happen. I am a foodie through & through so I was keen to give this one a look.

I wasn't sure what to expect, having seen too many episodes of kitchen shows. I am used to romantic comedies or sitcoms.

"Whites" is not like any of them. It is not a reality show. It is not Gordon Ramsay dropping the "f" bomb every sentence. It is a British comedy, so you know it's going to be funny and you know there will be attention to detail (they even had Jamie Oliver's "Fifteen" restaurant academy help train the cast with the kitchen lingo & different dishes - that's credibility in my book!). I found myself chuckling in several places. What we see of the charaters' lives is not restricted to the kitchen. Bib is so loveable. He is my favourite. Probably because he is trying so hard to become a father & I am such a mumma!

Hubby's opinion? He thought it was great - they've produced a story with comedy in it, rather than making the comedy the focus with only a loose storyline. There is room for the characters to develop thoughout the series.

This DVD (6 episodes plus out takes & interviews) is being released by Universal Pictures this month, so keep your eyes open for it in stores now! If you love a British comedy, this one is for you!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this DVD to watch and review. No other payment has been offered or accepted. Opinions are that of myself and my husband.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Irrational Psycho Bitch in Residence

I must start with an apology to those relatives & friends of mine who are members of the Police Force. This is not directed at you.

This is menstrual pyscho lady talking. I know I am not normally like this, but today? I can't help it.

I understand that you patrol school zones. I love that. I wish you were there every day.

You don't understand that parking is at a premium at schools.  Learn to park so that you don't take up the space of 3 cars. Yeah, I went to park in front of you. Because I couldn't fit behind you. You plonked yourself right in the middle.


Don't compliment me on my precision parking.......I managed to not reverse into you and I managed to not cover the driveway in front. Nah. Just make me move my car.

You said I couldn't park there in case you needed to get out in a hurry to chase someone. Well if there is room for me to park a station wagon between you & the driveway in front, there was shitloads of room for you to get out. Especially as there was no room for anyone to park behind you.


If you had have parked a metre further forward you would have only taken up 2 spaces & I could have parked behind you. And if you can't get out of the length of 2 parking spaces in a hurry, then you need to watch us mums get out of a single space. We could teach you something there.

So, down the road to the nearest side street, turn around, come back to the off street carpark (which is where I was originally going to park and usually do). Navigate the high school & primary school traffic AGAIN. You watch me drive in - I saw you. I was giving you the evil eye.

Park the car. Walk down the driveway. You are gone. WHAT?!

Cast my eyes down the road. It's a 3km straight stretch of road - we can see right to the township. You are not there. You have not pulled anyone over to book them. YOU ARE GONE!!!

So you made me move for nothing. Hope you enjoyed your powertrip. Asshole. Enjoy your F*&%'n coffee.


Has anything pissed you off yet today?

Karen xx

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Someone's Turning 40.....and you can get the pressie (A Giveaway!)

Can you believe Mr Tickle is turning 40?

Yes, he was the first of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters we grew up with. He started tickling in 1971, having been created by Roger Hargreaves.

OMG!
I just realised I am older than him! Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!




To celebrate the Mr Men and Little Miss characters turning 40, Universal Pictures have this week re-released 10 of the original DVDs and I was very fortunate to be sent 2 of them to review. I got to enjoy the stories all over again whilst watching them with my kids. AND I have 2 DVDs to giveaway!!!



Our own Little Miss, Megan (she's 3), LOVED watching the Little Miss Shy DVD. She quite often tells me "I am going to be shy today" and that was BEFORE watching this! It was the first thing she asked for the next morning too.....

8 year old Mr Liam is our own Mr Noisy, as he is not usually quiet for very long. Chattering and clattering around the house as he likes to call attention to himself. Sound like any other 8 year old boys? His favourite episodes were "Mr Skinny is up the spout" and "Mr Grumble's holiday".




What do I like about Mr Men and Little Miss?

The fact that they are good, clean stories, often with a moral attached. Like honesty. Or being helpful. The stories are told in a way that enables the kids to understand what it means to be bossy, naughty, shy, clumsy, tidy, brave, a chatterbox.......emotions and traits that exist in reality, not just on the tv screen.

And they kept the kids quiet for 50 minutes each DVD! Even the 2 teenagers were lying on the lounge, snuggled in blankets, watching them.

Now for the Giveaway!

I have 1 x Mr Men DVD for a lucky winner and 1 x Little Miss DVD for another lucky winner! Simply leave a comment on my blog (not my Facebook page) telling me which Mr Men or Little Miss character reminds you of yourself and why. Make sure you indentify yourself so I can contact you if you win (if you don't have a google account your comment will show as anonymous so you need to tell me your name).

Winners will be chosen at random. Competition closes midday Sunday 12 June (NSW, Australia time) and is open to Australian residents only.

Good luck everyone!

Karen xx

Disclosure : I received the above 2 complimentary DVDs to review and write about. I have not been offered, nor received any other payment. The opinions are those of the kids and I.


Saturday, June 4, 2011

I read a news article on ninemsn page tonight. It brought tears to my eyes.

The link is here. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8257362/nsw-mine-closed-after-worker-dies.

I apologise for bringing it to the attention of those of you who have family who work in the mines, although I'm sure you are already aware of it.

He shouldn't have lost his life at work.

The whole world is aware of the dangers of underground mining, following so many collapses and accidents in recent years. And some miraculous rescues.

There was the policeman whose family had to switch off his life support this week after he was shot whilst at work.

He shouldn't have lost his life at work.

I've lost count of how many policemen have lost their lives due to their choice of career.

And we are continually hearing about our soldiers, who are being killed in Afghanistan. From memory, 3 Australian families were torn apart this week.

They shouldn't have lost their lives at work.

We've all lost count of how many soldiers have been killed in this war that is not even ours.

I'm not saying any of them should have chosen a different career. I am very proud of them for putting themselves out there to better the lives of the rest of us. They went to work to earn a living & live a good life. That life was cut short.

I'm simply saying that NOBODY should lose their life at work.

My stepfather is a retired underground coalminer. I worried about him whilst I was growing up.

I have relatives and friends who are in the Police Force. I worry about them now.

Our son is an army cadet and wants to go into the Australian Army when he finishes school. I worry what will happen in his future.

I love the discipline, routine, challenge and opportunities offered in military life. Am I giving our son a death sentence by encouraging his interest in a military life?

Anybody who has ever lost their life at work has been somebody's mother, father, wife, husband, daughter, son, sister, brother, aunty, uncle, grandmother, grandfather or friend.

It's not fair that the loved one doesn't get to come home. Somebody MAKE IT STOP.

image from http://weheartit.com/tag/love%20hearts?page=4


What's your thoughts?

Karen.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Absentmindedness Lives Here

Unload the clothes dryer. Check.

Put dirty clothes into washing machine. Check.

Start washing machine (don't forget the powder!). Check.

Load wet clothes into dryer. Ummmmm...........now where did they go?

D'Oh!

Forgot to take them out of the machine. Front loader too, so can't retrieve them. Oh well, they will be well washed!

I can't believe I didn't realise they were still in there when I was adding the dirty clothes.

Some days I feel like this......



image from http://weheartit.com/

And yeah, I would LOVE a laundry like this.....


image from http://weheartit.com/

I have also been known to run the washing machine cycle without putting the detergent in. And I am ALWAYS forgetting to turn on the clothes dryer. And the dishwasher.

Please don't let me be the only one who does stuff like this! What absent minded things have you done?