spilling the beans

Reading brings good into your life.

Had fun today, got a really good laugh over some of the comments on the last post. You guys totally rock did you know that?

Me and babe spent a few hours up at the school today, entering details online about what books participating students have read for the "Premiers Reading Challenge" It wasn't hard, but with the librarian busy looking after the munchkins from 2 grades who didn't go on camp, I figured she had her hands full 2 days before info had to be in and offered to help. So she accepted, and we did it this afternoon. Zoe, and her little boyfriend Shane were not only the only two kindergarten students to complete it, but also both of them actually read all of the books on their list. In the K-2 category, they only had to experience the book, so if someone read it to them, then that could go on the list. Which is great for making reading fun and encouraging them with an end goal, but it's a bit cool that these guys read them all themselves don't you think? I've told Zoe that for next years one, once she's done the K-2 challenge, then she can do the Gr3-4 one. Which she'll breeze through too, but the book list is obviously targeted for older kids so we may have fun finding appropriate books! She reckons when she's done that (no doubt on her part that she will do it!) she'll do the Gr5-6 one. Told her we'll see....

While on the subject of Zoe reading, see this picture here? This is her eating her FREE ice-cream she got with an award from the library for 'Great browsing and borrowing.' The local Ice Creamery donated a bunch of buy one get one free vouchers which are used a rewards for miscellaneous things. And she got one! So we trundled off this afternoon and she got a big waffle cone with chocolate and crazy cone flavors. As you can see, she's thoroughly enjoying it! And she should. She earned it. I'm very proud of my little girl! Did you know she's not far off getting her GOLD award at school? She has 52 points so only needs 8 more. I figure she should get a merit award for her reading challenge effort, maybe even the achievement award -only given out twice a term - and it's worth 10 points. I'm going to try and bribe have a chat to her teacher about it tomorrow. For all the merits she has received, not ONE of them has been for her reading...

Till next time, go read a book to your kiddies!

trading post

ON OFFER:

1 LIFE- Partly used, often misplaced, but never boring. Contains all essential working parts including waning, but varied sex life, assorted overdue bills, child with current attitude problem but adorable sorry eyes, 1/2 laundry full of dirty washing just waiting for your attention and a never ending supply of dirty dishes so you'll never be bored again.

WILL TRADE FOR:

A nice cup of coffee, preferably a mexican bean with a dash of hazelnut syrup.

happy happy joy joy

Well in comparison to that last post, thats the mood I'm in!!

Oh well, shit happens I guess.

Anyway, onto more important matters. Go give Dawn a rousing send off, her time is nearly up, and by the time I'm up in the morning, she'll have packed her bags and headed home. Not that I've even noticed her around here....damn she's quiet! So if you haven't already, I'll make it easy for you - CLICK HERE! Whatchya waiting for?

I'm off to noddy land right now. Its been an exhausting day of doing absolutely nothing. Well, other than 3 loads of washing, making a bug catcher, 3 hours explaining to Zoe why the different parts of the bug catcher were necessary and about 20 hours of playing that stupid x-box. Lord help me when we get the 360 and Oblivion....Oh and I made some of my infamous anzac bikkies. And wouldn't you know it? They still taste yummo! I have to make them after Zoe goes to bed, otherwise between her and babe, they last less time than it takes to make them :)

Nighty night peoples, hope your weekend was fantabulous!

you know what I really hate?

When your surfing, and you come across a blog or page that has videos and music auto start.

It's rude.

I don't walk around with my walkman playing and NO headphones subjecting people who are passing by to my god awful taste in music.

So why do you do it?

You know what else I hate?

When babe puts cold things from the freezer on me.

It's rude.

I've asked him time and time again to not do it.

So why does he do it?

it's called CHEATING....

.....when you cut and paste a post you did a while ago back when you used to be on blogger right? Well that's what I'm doing cos I can't be bothered thinking right now!!

Originally posted 27 Feb 2006:

This old blogiverse is wondrous enchanting and at times just like high school! Since stumbling into this crazy, tripped out alternate reality I've discovered it's not really that different to life. You meet people (read blogs). Some you like, some you don't. Some you agree with, some you don't. Some you even gather into a little circle about yourself and you talk about (comment) stuff you have in common. You visit each other's houses (blogs) regularly, and tell the world they are your friends (blogrolls.)

There is no real definition of a blog that rang true to me except one: A webpage with regular dated entries. So simple. No rules, no regulations, no right, NO WRONG. But it doesn't really capture the uniqueness of every blog out there, or the bloggers behind them.

Just like in real life, there are the popular ones, the nerds and geeks, the slackers, the intelligent, the funny, the good looking, the ugly, the fat, the bald etc etc etc. There are those that think they are better than everyone else, those that can and do, those that can and don't, those that just can't and those that try no matter what. There are those that do what they think others want them to do, and those that are true to themselves, those that are trying to find themselves and those that are trying to hide themselves. And just like in real life, and be honest here, how many of us 'judge' a blog based entirely on the first 5 second impression? Kind of still sounds like high school doesn't it? How many times during our teen years did we hear the saying 'don't judge a book by it's cover?' yet still did, and do.

Lately I've come across posts, comments and even articles about this whole strange subculture that is growing on an hourly basis. Take a look at this blog entry here for just one example. It's a corker, Sass, your the greatest. Michael over at smoke and mirrors has recently shared his thoughts on the lack of acknowledgment by some bloggers when linking. I also recently found myself reacting in a very high school like manner when Michael wondered if I'd been to a popular site and then had blogged about the same topic. I didn't, and was quite distressed at the idea that he thought I hadn't thought of it on my own! It got me to thinking about just how much I hated high school and it's cliques, and bitchiness and how much so many blogs I see are just like that. I have one blogger who recently shared some personal info on her blog but hasn't done it in the past for fear of backlash as received by a blogger friend of hers because a VERY popular blogger suffers from the same affliction. How sad is it that someone doesn't feel like they can be or talk about themselves because of possible hate emails (as received by her friend)?

I for one try and treat my fellow bloggers as I would a new person I met face to face. If they say hello, I say hello back. If they take the time to find out about me, then I'll do the same in return. Common courtesy should be as prevalent on this medium as it should be in any other. As should be the acceptance that each person and therefore blog is unique, individual and worthwhile. If you don't like a blog, don't visit it. Don't leave nasty hurtful comments. Would you do that to someone face to face? Probably not. Why do people treat others so differently just because they are on the screen and not in your face? Why do people feel the need to judge and try and define that what a "blog" should be and what makes a "good" one?

And we wonder why war seems to be on of our favorite pastime People have forgotten how to be nice to each other.

it's a world gone mad!

Somethings up in the universe at the moment...things are all askew. Maybe it's pissed about the fact that we aren't going to be classing Pluto as a planet no longer. But with over 120,000 references on Technorati to this very issue, I'm leaving it alone :) Enough has been said, and I'm sure over the coming days, this will only increase. If you really want to know, take a look here.

But something is definitely up. First up there was the visit from dad this week. Which isn't an unusual occurrence. But this one was history making. It was the first time him and his wife have SLEPT in my house. Ever. Apparently it will happen again, this being a little test run that went well according to the old man. While on the subject of dad, it seems that at this point more of you are more interested in finding out about his missing fingers than just what went into nanny's hand! I tell ya, it's a world gone mad. But then seeing as how I know all those stories, I guess I'm a little biased on which one I want you to choose based upon the funny factor. Not trying to influence you here.....hehehehe MUCH!

Next there is the matter of Zoe's hearing ability that worked just fine this afternoon when chocolate covered teddybear biscuits was offered on the proviso that she did what was asked as soon as we got home from school. Imagine my surprise when I find out that those attachments on the side of her head do NOT in fact interpret my voice as something incomprehensible to her far-too-smart-for-her-own-good brain!! I know I know...it's a world gone mad right?

There is also this news item that I found while browsing my rss feeds. Apparently cow's MOOS have accents. Let me know if you laughed like a hyena when you read this one. I know I did. Some people either have way too much time on their hands and/or spend far too much of their time with cows. Either way, I'm thinking this might be an April Fools joke that is either way too late, or just a tad early. Or very very real. Either way I'm scared.

As you can see, something is definitely up with the world right now. I'm sure there are more examples out there, share them with me!!!!

i'm boring today..

I'm boring today....nothing to say, no opinions to jump up on my soapbox with, no wisdom to share, no news to poke fun at, not even a funny moment with Zoe. Nothing funny about her at the moment. Remember how I lost my hearing over the weekend? Well she's lost hers too. Can't hear a damn thing I say right now. She can, she's just employing that wonderful tool known as 'selective hearing.' ANYONE with children or a significant male in their lives knows exactly what i'm referring to.

Go take a look at Dawn's site instead. Right now she's much more interesting than me. She's growing a baby even! While your poking around the sidebar, vote in the poll too.

Wish me luck finding some inspiration. And my slippers. I seem to have misplaced them. Maybe dad pinched them on his flyby visit :)

**UPDATE**

I still got nothing to say, but I did do a new theme so click on photos over there under themes to take a peek...even this one is pretty bland compared to what I would usually do, but variety is the spice of life right? Hey, gimme a break, it's now 1/4 past 3 in the morning. I must be freakin nuts....

Poll of the week

Poll of the week is back. Check it out under the blog heading over in sidebar. Put your mouseover the question to make it scroll so you can read it all :)

Quick! Dad is coming

Things to do before he arrives:

• Hide naughty dvd's and remove current selection from player
• Burn/hide effigy of him that is holding the laundry door open
• Clean toilet
• Show Zoe photos and encourage the term 'grandad' instead of 'old fart with big nose'
• Stuff all dirty clothes in laundry cupboard and claim smell comes from next door
• Buy scotch - for dad
• Buy scotch & Valium - for me
• Take down dart board - or at least photo of dad on bullseye
• Hide dope - note to self, NOT in mixed herbs jar again
• Buy takeaway food BEFORE he arrives so I can put in pots and claim to have cooked it
• smile smile smile!!

***Update - Dad has been and gone, below is a pic of him that he WILLINGLY let me take a copy of from his collection. Silly boy. I call it the smile smile smile!! pic and may just put this up as a replacement on the dartboard....

p.s Dad saw this post and pissed himself laughing....

pimp-a-thon

You may, or may not have, noticed a few changes over in the sidebar there. You may, or may not have, noticed that I also get bored very easily and tend to do that on the odd occasion!! Anyway, in the absence of anything witty and interesting to say, heres a bit of info about the latest additions:

• Coming up soon on this Blog.
  This new subheading under "my blog" contains a little button that links to a site called blogday.org Go check it out. Here's what they have to say -
  "In one long moment In August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post a recommendation of 5 new Blogs, Preferably, Blogs different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this day, blog surfers will find themselves leaping and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers." So keep an eye out for that on the 31st August.
  
  The other button takes you to a fantastic site called 2996, a tribute to the 9/11 victims. I mentioned this in a previous post. On September 11, watch out for my tribute to Marisa DiNardo Schorpp. I signed up here to be a part of this, if you haven't already, you should too. If you don't have a blog, but would like to do a tribute, let me know and I'll sign up for another person and I'll post your tribute here. It's been hard finding information about Marisa, but I'm getting there, I've even sent an email to the place she worked. Fingers crossed that I get a reply. I don't want the tribute to be just her name and where she was when tragedy struck. On the OFF chance that someone who knew her is reading this, I'm begging you, send me an email with some info! If anyone who lives in the states can give me some hints on how to go about finding out anything, get in touch with family members etc etc, it would be greatly appreciated. Remember, I'm in Aussie land so making phone calls isn't really an option. But I just don't know where to start.
  

• New Stats Trackers.
  Hit counters are great, some are pretty, some aren't, some are brilliant, some aren't. I've just changed which ones I am using. I was actually looking for something that would track links clicked and came across two fantastic services. The first is w3counter.com and their free version is nothing short of AWESOME. Go see if you don't believe me! It seems to be fairly new as far as trackers go, and from the little I've seen so far, I'm impressed. The other one is sitemeter.com and again, the freebie version is great. Most of you will be using this, or seen it on other sites. Well worth a look. The third one isn't really a hit counter so much as a link tracker. Mybloglog.com offers a service that tracks the most popular links clicked on your site. It seems to be only links that take you offsite, but having only signed up this morning, I'm not sure! Considering the majority of links on my site open in new windows, it will be interesting to see if those are tracked. I've not done that with all the links in this post though...a bit of a comparison test if you will. So do me a favor and click a few links both in this post, and in others! The free version is vastly different to the paid version, but thats cool...you get what you pay for right? They have recently begun a community type thing too which looks interesting so I've signed up for that and I guess I will soon see how it all works.

• This week's houseguest.
  Dawn is with us for a week, which started around 2 hours ago. Go and say hi. She just found out she is pregnant. There is nothing more infectious than the enthusiasm of the newly impregnated women! At the very least, take a look at the great blog design. I'm loving the bubbles...may just pinch that idea myself I think. Please be sure to visit her, take a look through the archives and tell her I sent ya!!

• Tagcloud
  Zoomclouds.com is a place to get one of those tagclouds that you've probably seen on various blogs. It's extremely customisable and I could - if I wanted to - even add the css id's into my css files for each theme so that it fit in with the color schemes on each one. I think I'll wait a bit to see whether or not I'm going to keep it before I go to all that trouble. So far it hasn't updated, but apparently that will happen once the cloud has been viewed a few times. Interesting to see that at this point I've written more about 'ants' and 'breastfeeding' than 'bloke.' I really should go in change the filters....The Zoom group also have a community based site that offers blogs, photo albums, trading post, contacts blah blah. I haven't had a look round yet, but it appears to be fairly new and at times a little confusing as it seems to default back to "my" sites when I'm trying to search.

• Search this blog
  I was originally using the technorati search, but I like the one from blogbar.org cos it's prettier :) You get a choice of pics, not a huge one, but most people should find one they like. Like most of them, you can search only this blog, or the web.

There you go peoples, some things for you to look at, read about, add to your blog or just laugh about.

Till next time....

has anyone seen my hearing???

I've lost it somewhere. It could be in the ball pit. It could even be in my shoes. But somewhere between the hours of 12 noon and 4.30pm this afternoon it disappeared. In a big tin shed that apparently holds around 15,000 kids at once. It couldn't have been any less than that judging by the level of noise us parents were subjected to. And one of them pinched my hearing. Either that or I now have a constant low buzzing that could be squealing, it could be the collective voices of all those kids screaming mum at different intervals, it could even be my own brain yelling SHUTUP! Either way I'm currently studying the lovely art of lip reading.

Never mind, Zoe enjoyed the birthday party. As did the birthday girl. Interesting to note however that I found both of them at one time or another hiding in the helicopter cabins trying to get away from all the other kids and have some quiet time. Wasn't going to happen. I laughed. So did my ears. Go ahead, call me cruel, I don't care. I can't hear you :)

Australia recognises it's Vietnam Veterans

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the battle at Long Tan. To quote the Australian War Memorial site:

"The battle of Long Tan was a defining event in Australia’s longest war. It was one of the most intensive actions Australian soldiers fought in Vietnam. On 18 August 1966, a rifle company of 108 men, cut off and outnumbered by at least ten to one, withstood repeated, massed Viet Cong attacks for four hours. The bravery and tenacity of the Australian soldiers became legendary."

There were dawn services held around the country, one of which you can read about here.

Little Johny read the following in a parlimentary session on Thursday:

"The sad fact is, Mr Speaker, that those who served in Vietnam were not welcomed back as they should have been at the time. And I think the nation collectively, Mr Speaker, whatever our views may be, and I include those who supported the war as well as those who opposed it, we collectively failed those men at the time, and they are owed our apologies and our regrets for that failure, Mr Speaker. And the very least that we can do on this 40th anniversary is to acknowledge that fact, to acknowledge the difficulties that so many of them have had in coping with the post-war trauma, and the magnificent contribution that they have continued to make to our nation. So this afternoon and tomorrow, Mr Speaker, we will in different ways, and I know in a totally bipartisan fashion, pay proper regard to their bravery and their service, and their commitment. They did what their country lawfully asked them to do at the time, they did it with distinction, with honour, and with bravery, and they should have been more properly honoured some 40 years ago for that."

All I have to say is, it's about bloody time. ANYONE who has fought a war deserves recognition regardless of whether it was their fight to fight, whether you agree or disagree or even whether it was a war that should never have been a war. Despite the reasons, the politics and the shit, these people were prepared to die because their country asked them too. To then basically ignore them and treat them like lepers upon their return home is just unaustralian. I repeat, it's about bloody time this country recognised these people for what they sacrificed, whether that be their lives, or their innocence.

my choc chip cookie recipe

Well after a dud first batch, hours scouring for tips on making them softer, moisture and a little chewy and modifying WC's recipe, I came up with very own made up on the fly, yummo, slightly softer, a little chewy, choc chip cookie recipe:

• Melt 125g butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 very largely heaped tablespoon of choc hazelnut spread together. Cool for 5 minutes whisking till combined and thickened a little.

• Lightly beat 2 eggs with vanilla to taste. Whisk butter mixture through until smooth.

• Sift in 1 1/2 cups self raising flour in 1/2 cup batches. Mix until combined.

• Fold through 1 cup choc chips, 1 cups nuts of choice. I used a mixture of walnut crumbs and crushed peanuts.

• Freeze for 10 minutes.
  

• Roll tablespoonfuls into balls, place with around 1 1/2 inches between them for spreading and cook for 12 minutes at 180C or 400F. Cool on tray for 2 mins before putting on wire rack. They will still be soft when coming out of oven. I used an egg flip to remove them.

I changed sizes a couple of times, but I think you'll get around 2 dozen large (golf ball size) or 3 dozen smaller size. Adjust cooking time for size... I also rolled the whole lot into balls at once and kept the rest in fridge while batches were cooking.

Try your own variations and let me know how you go. I'm going to try peanut butter instead of choc-hazelnut spread, and maybe add in some coconut instead of nuts or even try a little condensed milk in the butter mixture. I'm guessing you could use an assortment of essences instead of vanilla too, like mint, orange, almond, coffee...blah blah blah...experiment!

I'll post some pics if I remember and they last long enough for me to take some! So far the kiddies love em.

chocolate chip cookies....

...are on the agenda today. It all started with a coconut slice recipe I got from one of the volunteers at the brekky club. She bought some of it in and it was so yummy I has to ask for it! Anyway at the top is a recipe for chocolate biscuits that uses real chocolate and condensed milk amongst other things. I got the condensed milk, and choc chips, then realised I needed just chocolate, not the chipped kind. Brain is fuzzy i'm sure of it. So I went hunting for a similiar recipe that needs the chipped kind. It's just too hard. There are so many to choose from! If you have a favorite one, let me know.

I didn't do a feel good friday post yesterday. As i'm sure you've gathered by now. The reason was the only time I felt good all day was when I crawled into bed 10 mins after Zoe did at 8.40pm. So I was feeling good then, but wasn't in a position to do a post. If i'd been up and able to do a post, I wouldn't have been in bed and therefore not feeling good.

I'll post a pic of whatever cookies I end up making later on in the day. In the meantime, please go and check out Michael's (from over at Smoke and Mirrors) webring here. Its for the loved ones of those who suffer from Alzheimers disease. As the carer/loved one of an illness myself, I can vouch for the enormous benefit that is derived from sharing experiences and information with others in the same situation as yours. So if you, or someone you know would be interested, I urge you to go and sign up. There will also be a permanent link to it in my sidebar over there.

Have fun and wish me luck choosing one of the millions of bloody recipes out there!

****UPDATE**** I tried one recipe, and it totally sucked, way too dry - I ended up adding extra butter that i'd melted but the cooking time is way off too I think. So i'm gonna try the recipe that WC put in the comments for me. Let you know how I go!

its' NOT hayfever

I'm sick, have nothing interesting to say. So I'm just going to ramble. Yesterday I had 3 great ideas for a post. You think I can remember one of them? Nope. Instead I'm sitting here, with 3 layers of clothes on in a very warm house, but if I remove one of them, I shiver, my nose is running, my eyes are watering, I'm sneezing and babe insists it's hay fever But it's not. I've never suffered from it and this is just how a typical cold messes with me and my life. We can put man on the moon but can't cure a common cold? What's up with that can anyone tell me?

I had fun doing up this latest theme. I use an open source program called the GIMP for the graphics and text elements and all the bits and pieces that make these themes up. I'm not even CLOSE to using the program to it's full potential but I'm learning all the time. There is just so much you can do! At this point I'm altering or manipulating images, not making my own. I'll get there. The filters and plug-ins are just awesome. The one issue I have with it is that because it's open source, it's primarily geared toward Linux users and whilst it runs on windows just fine, there are a few things that I just don't understand how to do when it comes to adding functionality. But again I'm learning. I've even added some plug-ins I downloaded all by my little self! I've been working through some of the tutorials on one of their sites and having a ball.

Zoe had a day off school today. She's not sick, nothing wrong with her. In fact she's laying in bed right now singing the national anthem and the school song. She does that a lot. Much as I love her enthusiasm and pride for these tunes, it does get tiring after hearing them 15 times a day. And no I'm not kidding. She's having what her teacher calls a catch up day. Just a day to sit at home, spend some time with mum and not do much. She has a big weekend coming up and with a slight sniffle I thought it wouldn't hurt her to just stay home and hopefully nip a cold in the bud rather than wear herself out, get sick and miss one of her best friends birthday parties on Sunday. It's not like she's going to fall behind at school now is it! Her teacher is on long service leave as of today and is heading overseas for a holiday. She's sent Zoe an e-mail last night letting her know it's HER job to keep the class informed about her whereabouts while she's away. How cool is that? A teacher who emails her students while on bloody holidays. Mrs. S, your a legend, did I tell you that lately??

I'm going to bring back poll of the week. I miss it. It's fun. Mum thinks I should. WC is curious. And Ev thinks I should. He's a teacher. And wise beyond his years. So I'm going to listen to him. Stay tuned for that when I'm feeling better, and my brain is working correctly rather than in the haphazard manner it is today.

Right now I should go eat something other than tic tacs and choc chip orange cookies and get some fluid other than coffee into this slowly dehydrating and feverish body of mine. Send me your healthy vibes people. I still have to feed 30 kids in the morning :)

new themes

Just in case you didn't notice, two new themes are up. One is based on the marbles one I had with the old template. Just for you Emma! The latest one i've called chocolate.....mmmm yummo! Enjoy.

I was thinking about bringing back the poll of the week, what do you guys think?

bloody ads...

What is it with dodgy ads on the telly at the moment? Is it a global issue, or something that only us poor bastards here on the border are subjected to with thanks to pathetic regional television? Bring back those fantastic ads that were on during the Olympics in 2000. Remember those?? Fosters NAILED it. To this day, it was one of the BEST ad campaigns I've ever seen. That and the 'Is Don. Is Good' ones with the gogo mobile man. Just classic.

The worst of the current bunch would have to be, without a doubt, the pathetic attempts by Rivers. Apparently I'm nothing but a brain dead consumer. Either that or the 'advertisements' - and I use the term loosely - are the result of a work experience kids work ending up on the wrong desk. Let me give you a rundown:

It's a simple slideshow of what could possibly be scanned pages straight from a Rivers catalog thats seen better days. Some versions get a little complicated. They have more than 3 different pictures. The genius who can count past 3 has my vote for Prime Minister...The voice overs - one for each slide show - are monotonous, boring and could be the bloke that waits for the pub to open at 10am every day. I'm not sure. One of them could even be the chick from the local servo who I'm sure can't remember her name. But heres where it gets good. Can you guess what they are saying? I'll bet ya can't. They are saying "WHY.....are Rivers clothes.....soooooo comfortable?" Now I'm not only brain dead but my short term memory apparently sucks too cos they say it TWICE. And thats the ad.

Now I've been trying to rack my brains for days over what marketing tactic they are utilising to get me to buy their goods. They aren't appealing to my parental side, there is no free toy involved. They certainly aren't trying to play on my emotions. I think the guy who used to tell you the time when you phoned had more life in his voice than these guys. They aren't going for a time limit thing, this is a clearance store. Everything is on special. All the time.

Then it hit me. It's brilliant. Pure class. They'll be teaching this tactic at uni's for years to come. They've employed "PISS OFF THE CONSUMER WITH PATHETIC ADS UNTIL THEY COME INTO THE STORE TO PUNCH OUR LIGHTS OUT & WHILE THEY ARE HERE HOPEFULLY THEY'LL BUY SOMETHING" strategy. I think if I see the ad one more time tonight they will succeed....that is, up until the punch their lights out part....

some things just shouldn't be...

....like vinyl carseats

...and pet rats

...and ceramic fish

...and corduroy jumpsuits

There are so many things that are wrong with this world. These are just some of them.

Tell me about something YOU think just shouldn't be allowed...

society just as sexist as ever?

I was reading through some news today when I came across this story about an 88 year old man who recently became a father. Take a minute to go read it. Then I want you to take a look at this one from back in May that tells of the 63 year old women who was pregnant (she has since given birth - July).

Now did you notice any difference between the tones of the two stories?

The first one never mentions the ethical or moral issues associated with a person of such vintage bringing a brand new person into the world. But it does tell how he wants to keep having sex! No questions on whether or not this was a careful decision or just a result of his daily exercise regime. It's almost like we should be saying to this guy "WTG!!!"

Yet the second one is titled "63 year old women defends her pregnancy." It also mentions groups that are against her decision, and the fact that fertility treatments were used.

Doesn't it seem a little odd to you? Why aren't the same questions asked of the 88 year old man? Why the obvious double standards here? I'm not suggesting that only these two particular sites are guilty of it. You get similar versions across all sites. Do a search and you'll see what I mean. The sentiment is the same. The 88 year old man is almost a damn hero, but the women is selfish and needs to be questioned.

I understand that these stories are written by journalists that don't necessarily represent what society believes. But they do know their readers. And write accordingly. Is the reason that the stories have such different slants because the consumer wouldn't agree with anything else? Would the authors cop flack if they chose to question the 88 year old man and applaud the women?

I don't get it. I'm not even commenting on the ethical issues. Thats a whole other issue. What I don't understand is the double standards. Does is show that no matter how far we've come as a society since we left caves behind, we still see the women as the nurturer and the man as the hunter gatherer? Is the basic assumption behind both of these stories that it is the women's responsibility to raise the children?

feel good friday/Zoe @ school

Ok this is a little bit of a combined post. I was going to do one last night and then fell asleep at around 7.30 so never got around to it.

Heres why I'm feeling good:

• Brekky program is doing wonders for some of the kids. The principal considers me staff, I have keys, parking rights and right about now could just about burn down the school and he'd still be happy with me! The program is running like clockwork and the best bit is we have the family of the lady who left the bequest that is funding it coming to the school in a few weeks so we are going to present the with a big thank you card signed by all the kids who come along. I can't wait to be able to say THANKS. The kids are so excited. So all of that combined is making me feel good.
• I had a HUGE sleep last night, always make you feel good when your get to catch up on the shut eye doesn't it?
• Babe is doing well. And we've had some good news. None that I can share with you, but will help us out immensely and go along way towards seeing us get through all this.
• I FINALLY had a meeting with Zoe's teacher, the principal and the schools counselor, She has had the tests, we have the results and now some great ideas on where her strengths and weaknesses are as well as some ideas on where to focus and things to do. But more on that in the rest of the post.

Ok, onto more important things.

We have results from Zoe's WPPSI-III testing, which is used as one means of establishing whether a child is gifted or not. Zoe isn't. She is VERY bright, but not officially gifted. Which to be honest is a relief! However across the board she IS in the above average/superior range. The one area she struggles with is her comprehension. That is age appropriate, but in comparison to her reading/spelling/language ability, there is a huge gap. So the recommendation is to give her reading material that is below what she CAN do, and focus on teaching her how to get the information out and answer the questions about what she has read. It's interesting to note that she can answer very specific questions, but not general ones. Lets say she reads something about elephants. You ask her "what do you know about elephants?" and her response is likely to be "I can't remember" yet if you ask her "Tell me two places Elephants can live" and she'll be able to tell you. So thats what we are going to focus on. Teaching her how to use the information she has to answer the non specific questions as well. The biggest problem that the counselor could foresee, and this will apply her whole educational life, is that there will be unrealistic expectations placed on her based solely on her reading/spelling ability. So we have to be careful that any school she deals with doesn't do this. I admit that as parents, we are probably guilty of this at times too, but not much. We have to pull her back sometimes and say "Hey, just go be a kid!! Dig for bugs! Get dirty! Stop reading!!"

Bottom line of all of this is a few things:

• She is NOT gifted, which from our point of view is a GOOD thing
• Currently her needs ARE being met by programs and extension work and what we do at home. This will be monitored on a regular basis though. And this whole experience means that we aren't the only ones doing the monitoring. She is now part of the 'learning support' team. And everyone is talking to each other, which was all I ever wanted in the first place.
• We haven't been reading too much into her abilities, or been those boastful parents who think their child is smarter than what they are. She surprised us with just how bright she is - one test showed her spelling ability to be nearly 10 years old.
• I'm convinced that the school is doing what they need to be doing, and then some. The more I see, the more I'm impressed with her teacher. She's been very quietly extending Zoe all year with none of us realising just how far she has achieved this year.
• We have a few ideas on how to ensure that she keeps the enthusiasm for learning, as well as build on the social skills she will need.
• We should be very proud of not only her, but ourselves. All of them in that meeting remarked that while she has such an open, encouraging and loving family life like she has now, then she will be able to do whatever she wants and succeed not only on an academic level, but in life as well,

Ok, I'm shutting up now, I just thought I'd let you all know how things were. They are just fuckin brilliant is all I can say!

Take it easy ok?

p.s For those of you that frequent Michael, over at Smoke and Mirrors, you may have noticed that he recently had a guest blogger who goes by the name of 'writer chick' If you enjoy Michael's, you will most certainly enjoy her brand new blog I am sure. So stop by, say hi, and let her know that when she writes, you'll be reading!

blogging..

Both Sass and Evan got me to thinking today. Sass with this post, and Evan with this comment.

A lot of people ponder and ask the question, why do you/we blog? I've answered this in the past, and asked it even, not that anybody really bothered answering, but hey, shit happens right? But tonight I'd thought I'd delve a little into deeper into why the blog seems a little more attractive than "real life." (hereafter referred to as RL)

So lets start with the basics. Why do you blog? For me, its an outlet, a way of venting, sharing and expressing in a way that is both me, yet isn't. I can be more than what I am, can show you the bits I want you to see, and take my time when writing. It might take 2 hours to do a post on one topic, experience or opinion. Can you imagine having this freedom in RL? No way is someone you just met going to wait for 2 hours while you compose a coherent and articulate response to the question "So what do you think about XYZ??" It just wouldn't happen! It's also a record of who I am at a time when Zoe only sees me as MUM. Which is fine, but I'm sure, like most of us, there will come a time when she wonders what mum was like when she was younger. So I do this blog thing and print them all out occasionally in the hopes that one day she will be interested in taking a peek. If not, I'll sure have some great reading when I'm older and senile, wondering about this crazy chick who calls herself debambam...

I also blog as a way of interacting with people. As much as we ALL say these blog things are ours, and we will write what we want, if NO-ONE ever took the time to read it or comment, would we bother long term? How long can you carry on a one way conversation before it starts getting lame? No matter who you are, a little validation once in a while is a good thing. Even if it's just a 'YOU SUCK.' And if thats not seriously what your after, then chances are you are keeping a paper diary rather than an online one. I could be wrong, but I honestly think that ANYONE who keeps an online journal wants people to read it. Look deep down inside yourself and tell me if I'm wrong.

Ok, onto what got me started on this track. Evan made the comment "Didn't realise that I would invest 'emotional' stuff in the blog family." He's so right. He may have just been messing with me, but it got me to thinking. Can you form real and valid emotional attachments to people you've never met? I think the emotions can be very real. I've cried for blog friends, I've laughed with them, I've enjoyed their triumphs and got mad and angry right alongside them. But are the relationships based on reality? How much of a person can you REALLY know by reading their blog? I think that this is kind of like the whole BB thing. We get to see a very select and predetermined amount of people and their lives. And lets face it, its the bits they CHOOSE to show us!

I'm the same. You guys see what I want you to see, hear about the bits I wasn't to you hear about. How many of you know the REASON I'm seeing a counselor once a fortnight? Or if it's helping! Or know about my extended family and when explaining to Zoe why she has two dads it was easy for her to accept after explaining all of that to her? Favorite color anyone? How about what I wanted to do when I finished school? What song I lost my virginity to? These are all parts of the tiny details that help make me who I am. So when someone (not specifically you Ev, just in general here) feels they are emotionally invested in me on some level, is that okay to be based on only a part of who I am? Does it make it any less real than those I connect to in RL? You guys probably know more about what is going on in my day to to day life than most of my family.

Which brings me to my next point. Why is it that I feel guilty when I get emails from you all saying 'where the heck are you?' or I don't blog for more than 2 days running, yet it's been over two weeks since I spoke to anyone other than my mum from my family and we are all ok with that? If anyone wasn't I'm sure I would've heard about it by now and seeing as how I made the last 2 phone calls to all of them - not you mum - I figure it's their turn! Having said that, I'll probably spend most of Sunday giving them all a call..But anyway, I was thinking about why it's easier to do that than with the people we meet on the net. I came up with two reasons.

Firstly, time seems to move so much quicker in this world, than in RL. Have you ever noticed that? Don't believe me? Don't read your favorite blog for 2 weeks and then try and play catchup! Not only that, but friends are far fickler and less forgiving in the blogosphere. People will link and delink you quicker than you can say 'blogroll me baby!' Maybe thats because we are offering, and therefore receiving a superficial version of ourselves. Depth takes time. And not everyone has the time. I've been blogging since January and in that time I've changed my fav blogs so often it's not funny. Not recently though. I think I've found my crew who all offer me something different. And I value each and every one of them. But it feels like I've been reading them FOREVER!

Secondly, safety, and a sense of distance. If you come across someone you don't like, or doesn't like you, it's easy to simply ignore them. Remove them from your blogroll if they piss you off. Delete those nasty uncalled for comments. Can't do that in real life can you? You can ignore people. But you can't erase them from your life. What if your best friend was friends with someone you couldn't stand in RL? Makes nights out at the pub interesting hey?!! But here, you can just not read that persons stuff. Nice and easy. No-ones feelings are hurt if you don't read Joe Bloe's blog just because he's friends with Mary who you read daily right? In this day and age of predators too, it's a little safer. You get satisfaction of interaction without (as long as your careful not to post your RL addy and phone number and b/a details etc etc) the fear of being hurt physically. Any form of r'ship offers a chance of being hurt emotionally, but physically, your pretty safe on the net. No-one can punch you through their screen, drag you to their van and do nasty things to you in a back ally somewhere where no-one can hear you can they?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've bored you all stupid now, hell even I'm nearly asleep after reading through it all! But I went for a drive tonight and got to thinking about what is so attractive about the relationships we form on the net. And please don't anyone misunderstand me when your reading this. I have people whom I've never met who I call FRIEND, and mean it. There are at least 10 of you out there who I would love to buy coffee/guiness/beer/beverage of your choice one day. I'm merely letting my mind wander after some of those said friends got me to thinking about some stuff....thanks for listening guys.

what THE??

I posted yesterday, and the day before....where the heck did they go???

Did you click on my blog of the week yet??? If not WHY NOT????

****Update, seems as though when I posted this one, the other two actually made their way where they belong as well....weird huh???

Anzac Biscuits

Ok CeCe, just for you. Here's my fantabulous recipe...if you can't get the ingredients, do a hunt for substitutes via the net..I can't be bothered right now :)

1 Cup dessicated coconut

1 Cup plain flour

1 Cup rolled cooking oats

1 Cup sugar

2 tablespoons boiling watter

1 teaspoons bicarb soda

125g/half cup of butter

2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup

Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl.

Melt butter with Golden Syrup. Dissolve bicarb soda in boiling water and stir through butter mixture - it will foam up!

Mix with dry ingredients until well combined.

Shape heaped teaspoonsful into balls, flatten slightly and place on cooking tray covered with foil leaving at least an inch of space between each bikkie. Cook in a moderate over for around 11-14 mins or until golden brown, remove from oven and stand for 2 mins before placing on wire rack to cool. They will still be soft so be careful (I use an eggflip), and dont assume they aren't cooked and put them back in!

I remember

A while ago I came across this website and I just HAD to sign up for it.

If you have a blog, I urge you to do so too. This is one way in which I can be a part of a tribute to the victims. Those tragic events may have occurred on United States soil, but it sent shockwaves around the world. I sat watching the events unfold with tears streaming down my face while I held Zoe's 9month old hand. I remember thinking as I looked at her "what kind of world have I bought you into?" I often wonder if it would have impacted on me as much if I hadn't been a mother.....

So please, I urge you, go on and sign up. EVERY victim needs a voice, let them use yours.

volunteering...do it for yourself!

Good afternoon all. I've spent a pleasant day up at the school. The WHOLE day.

First off we had brekkie club, 40 kids this morning so that was good. The feedback from staff regarding some of our regulars has been nothing but positive, so we are making a difference. In at least one case, a HUGE difference.

Then I headed into Zoe's class where I worked with the grade 1 students - inc Zoe, no she's not 'officially' in grade 1, but is doing mostly the same as them everyday anyway - on estimating lengths of, then measuring different items. God it was fun! I had to laugh when nearly all of them thought their spelling book was the same number of paddle pop sticks long as their desks. One thought that the blackboard was 600,000 sticks long!! Watching the reactions when they realised just how close - or far off - some of their estimates were was just priceless.

Then it was off to canteen which is always a giggle.

After that I headed back to Zoe's class for some fun watching them paint a picture of themselves before sport.

While sport was on I headed over to the brekkie club room to do my stock count and found one of the teachers setting up for the 'first steps' program, so I helped her out! First Steps is 2 hours on Friday afternoons from week 5 of this term and all of next term for those who are enrolling in Kindergarten next year. It helps them get comfortable with the school setting and next term some of the days involve finding out about the library and canteen and how they work. Makes the transition next year much easier. And not just for the kids. Parents/Carers benefit as well by meeting other parents, and getting used to the idea of leaving their children at school. I think it certainly helped me. Zoe was so ok with her first day, and it wasn't the first time I'd been up the school either. It's fantastic. The new principal (who has been one FOREVER) said he has never seen new students settle in as well as those who attended First Steps last year.

All in all, I had a ball. I love working with the kids, and I'm always laughing! So if you've never done it, and have the time, go volunteer somewhere. If you have kids, call the school and see how you can help out. Call a local charitable organisation. Join meals on wheels. ANYTHING really. I guarantee it's one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do, and you may just change someones life in the process.

Now, onto other important matters. We have a new guest this week, and you should go check her out...Hothousemomma is a little like me. Go read and you'll see why I say that. Tell her I sent you. I've even made it easy for you this week, just click below! No need to move that mouse over to the sidebar! Aren't I good to you? Now return the favor and get clickin!!

anzac bikkies, breast milk and BB

• There is nothing quite like a good old home made anzac bikkie, straight out of the oven...and i've got it down pat. They look like bought ones. Let me know if you want the recipe.
• The local news ran a small filler item a few days ago. Apparently breast milk is far better for both mum and baby than formula. Who would have thought it hey? I wonder why they continue to recycle news stories like this every few years or so. I'm sure it's simply researchers trying to justify their funding...they keep changing the results so it looks like they are finding new ones all the time...i'm onto them though! But onto the BM vs Formula debate. I agree that BM is obviously the first and best choice. Mother nature is an amazing thing..think about just how much we do without knowing HOW to do it, like when your pregnant. You don't sit there and say "Oh it's time to grow the left ear today!" do you? No, it just all happens. Mother nature instils instincts in all of us that help us survive. It gives us the tools to survive. So it makes sense that it will provide the best tools for our babies. Did you know that BM changes according to your babies needs? How does it do that? I still look at Zoe sometimes and think "O.M.G. I can't believe I DID that." Blows me away every time. But BM doesn't always work for some. Like someone who is very close to me. She couldn't breastfeed, it made her sick. Literally. So when it came time for feeding, she would get all tense and bubs would pick up on that, wouldn't feed properly, and the milk wouldn't come down cos she was far too stressed. For her, and therefore her child, formula was better. But she gave it a go. And did so way past what she probably should have. I totally forgot what my point was...bugger.
• Big Brother maybe over, and names almost forgotten, but Australian Idol is ready to take over and feed the cravings for those reality tv junkies...and i'm not interested in the slightest. Will probably watch it when they show the auditions that were held here though. I know a couple of try hards who probably did just that - tried hard!
• It's 11.30pm. I've had about 4 hours sleep. I need to be up in 7 hours to get ready to feed 30 kids, THEN do literacy with one of the reading groups in Zoe's class THEN canteen, THEN come home and do some research for quiz questions with Zoe and find her some plans for a bug catcher. So can you tell me why i'm still up?

have you ever...

...had a day where it appears as though you left your brains under your pillow as evidenced by such acts as:

• put the ice cream AND the Vegemite in the fridge
• burnt the ass out of the steamer pot
• DIDN'T check the kettle like normal and ended up with a colony of bloody ants in your cuppa
• took the steak and sausages out of the fry pan then forgot to turn the gas off

Nah, me either, just thought I'd ask, cos gee you'd feel like a twit wouldn't ya?! But IF you ever did, probably wouldn't be a good day to make life altering decisions, or shave..would it?

p.s. Can anyone tell me why some ants prefer suicide by boiling rather than being trodden on like normal ants??

It started oh so innocently....

Remember this post? If not, go take a look, then come back...

Ok. Well we got an aerial. So I could watch the damn show. Well thats not the REASON we got an aerial, but it was a side effect :) And bugger me if I didn't get sucked in. I watched. I laughed. I had opinions when scandal broke out. I had a favorite. I had the ones I didn't really like. I VOTED. Zoe had her favorite. And he won - dammit.

Now before you all get in the comments down there and laugh yourselves silly at me, I am NOT one of those teeny boppers who spent all her pocket money on voting for the good looking guy just because he kissed the girl. And at the end of the day, thats basically what happened. You know it, I know, EVERYONE knows it. Besides, all my pocket money went on 'Save Camilla' bumper stickers that I covertly put on all the cars at the shopping center car park in the late hours of Sunday morning....hehehehehe

Yes I did watch, and it got me. But I never for one minute forgot that we as the viewers are being manipulated every step of the way by the producers. I saw a line over at the BBB forums that mentioned "sacrificial evictees and a groomed winner" and it's not far from the truth. The winner was decided on the night by what was orchestrated as part of the finale and what they chose to show and what they didn't. I do not for one second believe I know enough about these 23 housemates to be able to form a valid and informed opinion on what kind of person they REALLY are. Every thought, perception and opinion I have, is based on a fraction of a person's actions, thoughts and time, as shown to me by someone who is making decisions based on ratings, and profit making tactics targeting a demographic I stopped being a part of when I got my license and was allowed to vote.

But, it was an interesting journey...for the housemates, and the viewers. We've been through a lot. A reunion and kiss on national telly - between two BOYS - good on ya channel 10. However I do want to ask why you danced with a camera around Jamie and Katie for their embrace (you should have given them a room though!) yet cut away from David and Shariff (sp??) every time it LOOKED like they might go for the big pash. But 10 points for guts and compassion just by having him there on the show. And of course what about Camilla's leap of faith huh? Gotta give her credit for guts. She was shit scared...crapping her pants and crying her eyes out...at 49 feet up in the air, yet STILL jumped.....I voted for her 5 seconds after that...

Well it's all over for another year, maybe forever. Who knows. Only time will tell. I think the fallout will be interesting to watch though, in more ways than one. Camilla has her sights set on Little Johnny over his comments about BB and the National Party has come out and said they would be more than happy to have David in their party.....

That is all.