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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!

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!

feel good friday

Ok, it's Friday, and I'm feeling good..here's why:

• I got Zoe's first ever school photos yesterday, and wouldn't ya know it? They are just bloody gorgeous! I know mum, WELL DUH!! I'll scan one in over the weekend and post it...
• We have broadband back! So I'm surfin faster than a tortoise..a page loading in under 10 seconds always makes me feel good...
• My comments post went well, I was quite surprised actually! But comments always make me feel good, without comments a blog is kind of like a one sided convo on the telephone: whilst it may be therapeutic, interaction with someone else is always much more beneficial...
• Tomorrow is Saturday. Which means no school. Which means no Breakfast Program. Which means that whilst I LOVE doing it, I don't have to feed 30 kids before 9am. Which means I get a slight sleep in. Sleeping in always makes me feel good.

What made you feel good today?

feel good friday

Things that made me feel good today:

• Making Zoe "..so giggley that (she) nearly wet (her) pants!"
• Watching Zoe and dad have 'secrets' - she got extra muffins which I'd told her she couldn't have before bed so seeing her sneaking around with one and watching her squirm when I asked for a cuddle knowing damn well she had one in her hands behind her back was a pissa. She found a solution...got a cuddle from me AND didn't get 'busted' - clever little munchkin!
• Seeing my cynicism over the recent leadership crap rewarded...not ONLY has it overshadowed the REAL issues, but it seems that the whole thing has made the Premiers at todays COAG talks wanna kiss Abbot's Little Johnny's butt cos it's prettier than Costello's! I wouldn't be surprised if all of it, including the federalisation suggestions made my Costello, was simply a ploy to make the PM look much better than he is, cos the alternative, namely - Costello - now looks like the devil incarnate! I haven't stopped laughing all afternoon, and laughing always makes me feel good.
• I've actually been selected as someone's tenant for the week. Go take a peek at high denzity and tell him he's bloody mad! I'll trash his room, I'll leave the toilet seat up and I'll probably kill the fish...hehehehe. But then again, the tag line is 'anything goes' so I may just fit right in! Whether I was chosen because I was the only bidder, or some other reason, I'm feeling good...

What made you feel good today?

feel good friday

Once again, it's time for feel food friday! Are you excited??!!

Here's what made me feel good today:

• I have been introduced though the school newsletter as the official coorodinator for the Good Start Breakfast Program by our lovely principal.....he also asked for volunteers and donations. I too put in my own bit about the program! So the program got a mention twice, which will help raise awareness and support, and that makes me feel good..
• Zoe has her first admirer! Well that we know of anyway. His name is Shane, he turns 6 tomorrow and he's as cute as a button. He wants to take Zoe to the movies on Tuesday (for his birthday) and share his popcorn with her.....isn't that just adorable??!
• I got a phone call back from the lady who coordinates the local support group for carers of those with a mental illness. There is a group that meets once a month, and she also hooks people up in between if it's needed...ie if I need someone to chat to she will give someone a call and organise for us to meet for coffee! She was very interested in the website I have setup and we've arranged to get together on Wednesday morning to have a chat! At Hudson. They sell coffee. So coffee and someone to talk to about my life. That makes me feel good..
• A nanna nap - a few hours sleep this afternoon made me feel good..

What made you feel good today?

Have a good weekend people...

feel good friday

What made me feel good today?

• Chocolate
• Zoe
• Drugs
• Coffee

Nothing else to say, quite frankly i'm a b@#$h of a mood and it's NOT just pms! Theres more than this list but it's tarnished by my feralness right now...

What made you feel good today?

feel good friday

Once again, it's time for 'feel good friday' There has been a myriad of things over the last 12 hours that have made me feel good, so here are just some of them:

• I'm posting again, after giving up on my bloody hosting providers, I've transferred this blog to a free host until I get it sorted out or transfer where I have the domain hosted...but of course you know that if you're here because this is on the new url!
• Zoe received her Silver Merit Award at school today. The first in her class, the second in Kindergarten (and her best friend got the first one!) and so far, the bloody cutest recipient! She's been receiving merit awards all year as you know, and each one is worth 1,5 or 10 points. You need 30 for Silver. She now has 35....well on her way to Gold, which is 60 points. So hearing the principal tell the whole school about all the merits MY girl has already got, made me feel good.
• Stu made sausage rolls that he is VERY proud of, as he should be, they were bloody beautiful! He felt good, and considering that doesn't happen much these days, it made me feel good.

• I have made an appointment to see the principal about Zoe at school. I have a few concerns that need to be addressed before she falls through the gaps. He's a hard man to pin down so by making the appt, I've impressed upon him the importance of the matter....and that made me feel good.

What made you feel good today?

feel good friday

Well it's that time of the week, and today there is no shortage of things making me feel good (i'm simply ignoring the things that aren't!):

• Zoe will be getting her Silver Merit award at school next week. You know all those merit awards? Well they are worth points, each type being a different point value. To get silver you need 30 points, and she now has 35!! She received a mini merit this morning and another merit award at assembly today for "interesting comments during discussions". I was too scared to ask what the interesting comments were, after yesterday's post do you blame me??! Her teacher didn't tell us about it cos she knew we were coming up anyway. So it was a nice surprise to hear her name let me tell you!
• We saw Zoe's friend get her Silver award today, and she was thrilled that we came along just for that. Nothing like having a kiddie throw herself at you in a big hug to make you feel good.
• I'm losing my voice. My chest is all clogged up. And my throat feels like it is constricting..it's not, just feels like it. Now that doesn't make me feel good, but the throat lozenges do, they are heaven at the moment...
• Babe is opening up to me more, and he wrote a post on his blog that made me feel good. Babe, I do love you, and REALLY hope we can get through this. With the communication doors more open than they ever have in our entire relationship, I can see light at the end of the tunnel...andI know you can too.
• Zoe's reading is just awesome. So I recorded her reading some last night and thought i'd share it with you all. Just click here. If you can't hear it, or it won't allow you to access, send me an email and i'll forward it to you. Its on yahoo briefcase and i'm not sure how it all works yet..Sharing things with my friends makes me feel good, as does showing off the abilities of my FIVE year old....

What made you feel good today?

feel good friday

Ok, it's Friday, well late Friday evening, but who cares! Heres what made me feel good today....

• I asked a hard question that could have been answered in many ways but was answered - "Because I've found someone I love, YOU" - I have hope that things will work out ok..
• Fresh brewed coffee..
• I realised that no matter what is thrown at me, I can cope with it and be a better person for it..
• Some of my plants have new flowers on them!

It was a good day...I did a graphic up for this regular little posting of mine I was feeling so good, feel free to grab it (just click and it takes to you the pic, feel free to link directly to it) and use it for your own FGF post. I do know that at least one person has done one in the past!! Thanks to VV for making my day when I read that....now if you do decide to do this, just drop me a line and I'll link ya! No rules other than please link back here if you use the graphic, and NOTHING negative, no matter how shitty the day has been, there is always something good to be found, even if it's simply that you curled up in bed and hid from the world...what made you feel good today?

feel good friday

It's been awhile since I did a 'feel good friday' post, and thought I'd better get off my slack tushi and do one. I'm having a shitty day so I REALLY need to do this one today....here's the things that made me feel good:

• Zoe wasn't a feral monster - unlike yesterday, ask me about it only if you have 3 hours to spare!
• I was on canteen duty at school, felt a little useful...
• My first coffee tasted sooooo yummo, or maybe it was the tim tam that accompanied it...not sure, but either way, damn I felt good afterwards...
• I did about 7 loads of washing today, there is not a single dirty dish in the house (except my current coffee mug and a teaspoon) and the lounge room is spotless...my life might be messy but this end of the house aint ☺ Tomorrow I'll tackle the other end...

It's a small, and pathetic list, but I don't care. I've had a really rough day emotionally, so I'm surprised I found anything, but hey isn't that the point? No matter WHAT kind of day you have, there will always be SOMETHING good that can be extracted....

On a completely different note can anyone tell me how scientists, or researchers or whoever finds out crap like how long the attention of a goldfish is? I mean seriously, HOW DO THEY DO IT??? How did the saying 'the attention span of a goldfish' come into being? Is it based on fact or do people just make this stuff up? How would you find out such a thing? And the other question is WHY would you want to know?? And for anyone who ever felt the need to answer such a question, how did they arrive at said question? I mean do people sit on the toilet and think, "Thats what I'll do today. I'll figure out how long a goldfish can hold a thought" We live in a strange world peoples. I hope yours is treating you a little better than mine right now....cheer me up and click on my new tenant, Lou from over at "Life as Lou". She's funny, real, has GORGEOUS kiddies and has a new haircut, so what possible excuse for NOT visiting her could you have??? Go ahead, make me feel good.....cos quite frankly I need it!