Winter at the beach

We took the dogs to Wamberal beach this morning for some off leash fun - we figured after all the rain it was probably going to be the driest place around! We had a great time.

Quick update

This is what I have been up to lately:

• Washing and sorting baby clothes. All very cute!
  Walking the dogs by myself - they are a lot easier to handle when they've had some exercise. I take them somewhere they can run off-leash, because I don't have the energy to walk them on the lead for very long.
• Trying to get comfortable - my back muscles are doing strange things and it's often hard to find a comfy position. Invariably as soon as I find one, I realise I have to get up again to do something, or I've forgotten something, so I haul myself up and lumber off!
• Struggling to put my shoes on - my feet seem to be a long way away and not really all that accessible.
• Cooking dinner each night and doing the weekly shop - I've taken over some of the household stuff Adam and I used to share more when we were both working. I have to make sure I rest in the afternoon so I have the energy to get through the evening. It seems to be working relatively ok, although sometimes I have grand ideas about what to cook and when the time comes couldn't be bothered.
• Picking up dog poo on a regular basis. Amazing how productive the dogs are in that department.
• Watching daytime TV - although not too much because it is really awful. Usually I just have it on for background noise.

This all sounds very domestic doesn't it! Making matters more complicated is the fact that I feel like an emotional yo-yo - some days are good, some not so good, and in fact I can have a good morning and bad afternoon, or vice versa, and it seems to be unpredictable. So my main tactic is to lie down once a day at least for a rest, and to NOT DECLARE A CRISIS! Because if you declare a crisis, suddenly everything seems too hard to cope with. But if you don't declare one, life will usually improve on its own.

Pets on Patrol

I should confess that I put the cats on the fence to get them out the way of the dogs, but it made for some good photos!

Walking the Dogs in the Rain

Before.....

After!!!

Hmmm...me thinks we need a real baby.

This morning he got back in and was all ready to go to sleep on the monkey's face so obviously we need to keep him out - he looks so cute though!

Doggie Sabotage

We woke up this morning to a house with no TV reception. What a crisis! Actually we didn't panic too much but did call out a repair man.

He climbed on the roof - said it looked a bit worn up there, and perhaps we needed a new amplifier. He decided to double check the cabling while he was here. So he went up into the roof -- couldn't find much cabling there, strangely enough.

So he ended up going under the house. Now, the only folk around here who usually go under the house all have 4 legs, and it turns out they've been using the space as their own private toilet. The poor man had to crawl in the dark through dog-poo land - he did have a torch but I can imagine it wasn't a pleasant experience!

And what did he find? Lo and behold, a cable - thoroughly chewed. No wonder we couldn't pick up a signal. Was this Saffy's protest at my recent trend of watching Wheel of Fortune? Or perhaps she objects to David and Kim on Ch10 in the morning. Sometimes informercials make me want to chew through cables, let me tell you.

Anyway, the poor bloke fixed the cable, we gave him $99 (I'm sure there was a poo surcharge in there somewhere!), and we can now watch tv again. We'll be fencing off under the house too, so the dogs don't fry themselves, or the house, next time they feel a bit peckish.

Prewashing the Prefolds

Here I am with my first ever load of nappies on the line. Not that they were dirty - but I have to wash them a few times before using so they are more absorbent (it gets rid of the natural oils in the cotton apparently).

They are called 'prefolds' and they are basically an insert that goes in a waterproof cover.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off quickly but I thought it worth recording for posterity!

Out like a light

Reasons not to leave the nursery door open #1

Cool quote - not sure who it's from!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

A truism?

"It's not a lie if it would be true if the facts were different!"

(from the TV show Malcome in the Middle, which I watched earlier today.)

Asleep on the job

Some classic cat behaviour

It took Oscar about 10 seconds to get in this bag once he saw it - never one to waste an oppurrtunity.

I was going to put the washing away, but it was seconded for important duties. Note that the reason a lot of the things in the basket had been washed was because they were covered in cat hair. Hmmm. Back to the drawing board on that one!

Doggie dinner, brought to you by Lean Cuisine

I read an article last weekend about how in the wild, dogs have to go to some effort to get their dinner, whereas at home, they get a meal without any effort required. The article suggested that it's more stimulating to your dog to have to make an effort to get their dinner.

So, this week, the dogs have been given their meal not in their usual bowls, but wrapped in newspaper or in a carboard box, like a milk carton. It's been lots of fun watching them work out how to get at the food - Ruby isn't very good at it, whereas Saffy just rips straight in. Here's a photo of her enjoying some Lean Cuisine (flavour: dog food!)

And here's Ruby with her McDonalds meal (the Mcdogfood burger):

Grrrr

Can I just say, that I think the NSW state labor party is very disappointing at the moment? As far as I can remember, I've mainly voted labor, but they are just hopeless this time around. I honestly think the only reason they got in at the last election was because the liberal party were so lame.

Personality Test

I'm a benevolent visionary, apparently.



I disagree with the test's assessment of my sense of appearances, must have over-rated myself in there somewhere!

Being Still

I have often over the last year wished that there was someone I could hand my life over to for a few days or a week, and leave them to run it for me, while I go and sip cocktails in a resort or something.

So I was interested to hear at bible study last week that the phrase "Be Still" from PS 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God" has the same root word as that from which we get the term "vacation". So, and this is probably drawing a long bow when it comes to translation of the bible, we could take the idea of the verse to be 'take a break and know that I am God'.

It struck me that when I feel like handing over the reins to someone imaginary person so I can have a break, I should be handing it all over to God instead. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean I get to sip cocktails in a resort, but it does mean I can hand my worries and stressed over to Him, who is infinitely more qualified to deal with life's crises than I am!

It brings to mind Isaiah 53:4: "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted."

I haven't really tried this approach yet, but I will keep it in mind for the next time I feel like checking out of my life for a while.

Heard on the train

This morning on the train in to work, there were 4 small girls sitting near me. They looked about 5 or 6 years old. Here are some quotes:

Refering to me lying down:"That lady is still asleep!"

With great excitement as we crossed the Hawkesbury River bridge: "We're on the Harbour Bridge!"

When I sat up: "The lady is awake now!"

They spent some time writing in note books, and the word "procedure" was being bandied about. I thought this was quite an advanced word for their ages, which perhaps explains why they were using it at every opportunity!

Quick Update

Things I have learnt this week:

• Where my kidneys are. I learnt this because they were sore. If you'd asked me beforehand to locate them, I wouldn't really have been able to tell you.
• Antibiotics are really useful when things are sore and it's good to see a doctor sometimes, instead of just hoping things will go away on their own (my default position most of the time!)
• That prayer is more about God doing His work through me, than me doing my work through Him. Must ponder this one further as I think it's important.
• That I am sometimes more materialistic and envious than I'd like to be. Adam got a fancy new mobile phone this week and I want one too! Sometimes I am a bit like a bower bird - I see something shiny and want it. I am resisting the temptation though, because I'm trying to spend as little money as possible on my mobile.
• That relaxation exercises can help with nausea on the train (woohoo!)

That's about all I learnt - here's some photos of the week that was:

1. Birthday cake decorated by my lovely husband:


2. Oscar engaged in a spot of purrsonal grooming:


3. My friend Leonie and I, both preggers:

Good news

Today I had a chat with my manager and asked if I could finish working in the office at the end of April, and then do a few days a week from home during May. He was happy with this, so I've only got about 4 more weeks of travelling into the city! Quite relieved about that. I'm very lucky to have such an accommodating employer - they've been really good and I appreciate it.