Summer Holiday

Here’s where I will be spending the next week:

Tomorrow morning we head down to Hahei for our annual summer holiday. Every year we rent the same house with my parents and sister, and invite various friends to come and stay too. The house sleeps 13 people and we put a tent up on the back lawn, so there’s plenty of room.

I am daydreaming already … dreaming of long hot days … spending time with my family & friends … soaking up the sunshine (with sunblock on, of course) … reading & relaxing … walking, swimming, snorkelling, kayaking … no emails to check, no blogs to keep up with and (best of all) no work deadlines … YAY, I can’t wait!

See ya when I get back!

So kiss me, my love

Time to share the Design Team layouts I did for Crafty Tart last month. You’ve already seen the sneak peeks.

SO KISS ME

Journalling:
A kiss, when all is said, what is it?
An oath that’s given closer than before;
A promise more precise; the sealing of
Confessions that till then were barely breathed;
A rosy dot placed on the i in loving;
A secret that’s confined to a mouth and not to ears.
~ Cyrano de Bergerac

MY LOVE

Journalling: I loved Rob’s speech at our wedding reception. He told a really funny joke about a duck who knew what he wanted … and then talked about how he knew what HE wanted, he wanted ME … awww.

Kate sent me patterned papers from the Reminisce “Flirt” range to use for these layouts. The whole range is just gorgeous (I really love this, and this, and these!), perfect for scrapping engagement & wedding photos, making Valentine’s Day cards or gifts. There are only a few weeks left until Valentine’s Day, so now is a great time to start working on that special something!
There is a great selection in store, so check it out!

Pocket money?

As most of you know, my boys are 6 and 4. Maybe I am mean and stingy, but I don’t give them any pocket money.

That changed this week. On Wednesday, Rob told the kids they could earn some money if they helped him wash the cars. They didn’t even hesitate. Money? We’re in!

Tyler only helped with one car, while Ethan did both. Consequently, Tyler received $1 and Ethan received $2.

Ever since then, Tyler has been begging to help with the “vacuum cleaning”. See what’s going on here? He thinks if he does a few more jobs, he’ll get some more money. He’s a smart one, that boy!

We simply couldn’t put him off any longer, so this morning he dragged the vacuum cleaner out, amid much excitement and anticipation. We had both warned him (repeatedly) that doing the vacuuming was actually hard work, and that he would need to do a decent amount before any money would be handed over. I suggested the whole house, but we eventually settled on the lounge, dining room and kitchen.

You should have seen the look on Tyler’s face once the machine was actually turned on, and he felt THE SUCTION. He quickly realised that pushing it around wasn’t going to be the walk in the park he had imagined. No such thing as easy money, boy!

To his credit, he did manage to do most of the living room, and didn’t complain once. But we could tell from his facial expressions (and the sheer effort he was using) that the job was really taking it out of him.
Ethan had a turn as well, but they both conceded defeat before finishing the first room!

I thought there might have been a few tears when they realised that no money would be changing hands. But to my surprise, Tyler simply said: “Well, we just need to think of some other job we can do, Ethan.”

After suppressing my laughter, I suggested sorting and folding the laundry. I thought Tyler could sort the clothes into piles (one for each person), making sure things weren’t inside-out, and then Ethan could fold them. He is pretty capable when it comes to folding clothes, as he has been doing his own for quite a while.

We’ll see how they go with this chore later on today.

My boys (Ethan, at least) probably should be doing regular chores and earning regular pocket money. Until now, we haven’t really asked them to do a lot around the house. Don’t get me wrong, they have to pick up their toys (I’m really anal about that, I do NOT abide toys lying around), keep their rooms tidy (Tyler still has a way to go with this one!), and clean up after themselves (put their dirty laundry in their washing baskets, take their plates/bowls/cups out to the kitchen after each meal, take their shoes off and put them away when they come inside, etc). But in my mind, those things are not “chores”. They are just regular everyday responsibilities, and I don’t believe in rewarding them with money for doing those simple tasks.

Then there are other jobs like setting the table, checking the mailbox, and helping to put away the groceries. I’m trying to raise my boys to be willing helpers. I’d rather they offered to do a job for me without expecting anything in return. As it stands right now, unsolicited offers are pretty rare. BUT … I can ask one of them to set the dinner table for me, and they will happily do it. They are pretty good at helping out when asked (Ethan more so than Tyler).

Do I really want to mess with that by having pocket money as an incentive? Will that take away their willingness to help out ‘just because’?

I’m keen to hear what other families do regarding pocket money and household chores.

What kind of jobs do your children do around the home? How much pocket money do they get? Do they get a lump sum for doing specific chores, or do they get a set weekly allowance regardless of how much they help out? At what age(s) did you start doing all this?

I look forward to hearing what works for you!

Berry pickin’

On Saturday we went strawberry picking (thanks Sharon, for giving me the name & location of the gardens).
This is something I have always wanted to do. And I knew the boys would love it because they both adore strawberries.

We decided not to tell the kids where we were going. They simultaneously love & hate surprises (who doesn’t?) so it was quite entertaining listening to them discuss possibilities of where we might end up.

After stopping for lunch at Burger King (which impressed the kids enough in itself!) we arrived at the strawberry patch.

The kids were pretty excited about picking their own berries. Between them, and with a little help from us, the boys picked almost 2kg of strawberries. We tried to educate them on which ones to pick (ie. only the big RED ones). A few small ones crept in, but luckily they stuck to only ripe berries.

Once we had weighed & paid for our bountiful harvest, we decided to indulge in ice creams made with 40% strawberries. They were only available in one HUGE size, so we got 2 cones to share between the 4 of us. The kids had a taste, but preferred the actual strawberries, so Rob and I ended up eating the ice creams on our own. I even threw half of mine away because it was way too big! Unfortunately I didn’t take a photo, but they were yummy.

It was a great day spent together, making “sweet” memories.

Changing me

A few years ago, I would have described myself as a pessimist. I had the unenviable ability to always find the bad in every situation. The glass was always half empty. In fact, the glass was always old, dirty, cracked … and half empty.

There was a good reason my friends & family used to call me “Eeyore” (from Winnie The Pooh). I did like me a bit of doom & gloom. Not to say I was always depressed or sad – no, far from it – but when things went wrong, I was real good at moping.

I don’t remember having a wake-up call, as such. But somehow, I realised that I didn’t really like being that way. I realised that my life would be a lot easier if I tried to turn things around.

Frederick Langbridge once said, “Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one the stars.”

And although the old me would have seen the mud – and worried about it permanently staining my clothes – I have to say, I do rather like stars. And I guess I realised that I really wanted to be able to ignore the mud, and focus on those stars.

Looking back, my decision to change could have been the result of surviving postnatal depression, twice. I’ve written (briefly) about my journey here and here.
Those periods in my life were really hard, but I came through the other side a much stronger person (especially the second time around). That new-found strength may have led to the realisation that I could benefit from a few attitude adjustments, too. A lot of things changed in my life because I battled with a mental illness.

Whatever the trigger or reason, I’m glad it happened. It has been a pretty gradual transformation. Slowly but surely, a change has taken place within me.

I don’t think I can call myself an optimist. Heck, I probably won’t ever get to that point. At least I’m heading in the right direction now. The glass is, perhaps, just maybe, half full. Or at the very least, the glass is new, clean, unbreakable … and consists of part air, part liquid substance.

But to be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’d want to be a full-blown optimist. For me, true optimism is a little unrealistic, a little “out there”. I don’t want to live with my head in the clouds – I might miss something. It’s all well and good to look for the light at the end of the tunnel. But what if the light turns out to be an oncoming train? And I’m just standing on the tracks, gazing serenely at the light, oblivious to everyone else yelling at me to MOVE? Yeah, that wouldn’t end well.

So. I’ve been wondering if there is such a thing as a “happy medium”? The place I’m at now, perhaps? Sure, I have to actually MAKE myself look for the good in some situations, when my natural instincts are strongly urging me to do the opposite. Sometimes it’s pretty hard to find that elusive silver lining. And sometimes, darn it, I just don’t want to find it! Sometimes I want to feel sorry for myself, just for a little while.

But maybe that’s okay? Maybe I don’t have to be one or the other. Maybe I can take a bit of both, mix it up, and call it coping? Call it living?

Yes. I think I will do just that. I will continue to do just that. Because it’s working pretty well for me now.

What about you? Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Or like me, somewhere inbetween?

All You Need Is Love

Sorry for the cheesy title, but I’ve had this song stuck in my head for days. You see, whilst recovering from my tummy bug, I watched a few DVDs (I scored a 3-in-1 DVD set for only $15 in the Red Shed’s post-Christmas sale). One of the movies I bought was Love Actually. Great movie, fantastic soundtrack.

But I digress.

I did some Design Team work for Crafty Tart before Christmas, but never got around to revealing any sneak peeks.
The theme was overwhelmingly one of L-O-V-E, featuring lots of pink & red, hearts & kisses, shimmer & glitter.
It was lots of fun to play with, since I don’t tend to use much pink when I scrap my boys!

More to come soon …

Got Boys?

Like to scrapbook? Enjoy a challenge? Want to win some cool prizes?

Then check out Scrap The Boys first challenge for 2009!

The challenge is based on our funky new banner:

We want you to take some inspiration from the banner, and incorporate it in your layout.

You could use:
• Colours
• Bricks
• Skulls
• Graffiti
• Sun
• Houses
• Birds
• Urban look
• Grungy feel

The layout needs to be about your boys (the only exception to the rule is that you may use photos of yourself).

Email your entries to Susan (susan.longman@bigpond.com) by Saturday 31 January to be in to win!

First Prize (decided by Creative Team vote)
$30 voucher to spend at Wicked Princesses Kits (they have the yummiest boy kits).

Second Prize (decided by public poll)
$20 voucher to spend at Love Scrappin’

Third Prize (decided by random draw)
$15 voucher to spend at Scrapbooking from Scratch

Check out the blog to see examples from the CT. This is mine — I had heaps of fun with playing with grungeboard, glimmer mist and pastels!

Hello, 2009!

The first day of 2009 has dawned, and it’s a beautiful one. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the birds are singing. After 3 days of work (while everybody else has been on holiday!), I am looking forward to just relaxing today, and spending time with my family.
On my agenda today? Swimming at the beach, playing games, reading my (unputdownable) book, and enjoying fresh summer food.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, but I’ve come up with a few things I would like to achieve this year:

1. Keep off the 12kg (26lb) I lost last year.
I know everybody always says they want to lose weight/eat healthily/get fit … but the funny thing is, losing weight wasn’t even one of my “resolutions” for 2008 (like I said, I don’t usually make them). In fact, I spent the first 5 months of last year ignoring the problem. Eventually, I had one of those “aha!” moments, and decided to do something about it.
So as much of a cliche as this may sound, I really do want to keep focused on healthy eating and exercise. I’ve worked damn hard to get to where I am now, and I am NOT going back!

2. Spend more one-on-one time with each of my boys, doing specific things that they enjoy.
Up until now, Tyler has pretty much copied everything Ethan has been into. But now he’s getting to the age where he is discovering his own interests, and I want to spend more quality time with him, nurturing those.
And the same with Ethan.
I want to go on more Mummy/Son dates, stuff like that.

3. Finish painting the house!! OK, so that’s mostly Rob’s job … but I really want it done!
We’ve had some issues that have made this job take much longer than we anticipated. The weatherboards on the lower (original) level of our house are about 40 years old, and have about 6 layers of paint on them. After painting one wall twice, and having the paint bubble both times, we sought the advice of a professional (ex-chemist). He scraped off some paint samples, and discovered a layer of mould on one of them. This means we have to strip ALL the paint off, then prime and undercoat, before painting. A HUGE job!

4. Work hard, but learn how to leave work at work.
Believe me, this can be pretty tricky when you work from home! Most of the time I keep a pretty good balance between work and my personal life, but it’s something I always need to be aware of.

The next one isn’t on my list, but it goes without saying, really:

Have a GREAT year!
I’m sure 2009 will bring both ups and downs, like every other year. But I am looking forward to it.

Happy New Year!