Babies Born ~ September 2007 #74

Oh yeah, tablets. I think having a tablet is probably the best was to read across a heap of formats (because you can read different formats using different apps if you need to, without having to convert files) so that's kind of tempting too. Except for the extra screen-light factor, plus I think they are a bit heavier than your typical e-reader, but on the plus side most tablets give you a bigger screen (I think). If I was using it to read newspapers/magazines, I would probably go the tablet. But for novels, e-reader is still best for me.

Aren't I such a fiction nerd, parroting on about it like that? LOL

DH's tablet is only an 8 inch, most tablets are 10 inch, so his is about the same size as the kindle. His also adjusts the light automatically when it goes into reading mode (Samsung Galaxy note 8) - a lot of research went into that purchase........

Feeling very flat at the moment. My back has been quite sore lately and I think it's getting me down. Hopefully the weekend in Cbr will perk me up - we're going to a Lego exhibition!!

Cally, is it sad that I am actually jealous of you going to a Lego exhibition? I hope that you feel better soon xx

MD, we have had that exact conversation about kindle vs tablet. The kindle is better for reading on than a tablet, but the tablets have so many other functions etc. The screen on the kindle is matt rather than the shiny of a tablet though. I do wish the kindle was a bit bigger in size though. It is very small. If it were a couple of inches bigger then it would be better.

I have decided to keep going with my paper after all of that - I missed the withdrawal with fees returned date so I may as well plough on and if needs be then I can withdraw before academic penalty.

Cally - dead jealous of your trip to CBR and the Lego exhibition. There was a Bricks art thingo here last year which I knew was coming then totally missed because of my flakey memory :(. Take it easy with your back :hug:.

Arte - the solution might require getting one of each. :D FWIW some of the newer Kindles have bigger screens (ie the Kindle is the same size but the touch screens take up more of the front face). Good luck with the plowing on plan.

Cally, I hope you are having a nice weekend away.

Cass, looks like you have been busy with painting. How much more do you need to do before it goes on the market? Hope E is doing alright xx

MD, we have an iPad and I could read off that if it came to it I guess. But then I looked at the new books I want to get and they were only a couple of dollars cheaper on ebook. But then if we are moving soon it may be the only viable option.

Trying to get through a massive essay. A is sick. I can't even be bothered looking at DH, that man irritates the hell out of me.

Cally, I hope your weekend was nice!

Pretty ordinary one here, but there was some sunshine today and I got out of the house a) by myself and b) with my family so all good I suppose.

Arte, good luck with the essay from hell. I'm sorta ignoring my study this weekend. Yes, this will bite me. Que sera, sera LOL. Sorry your DH is provoking the irrits.

Cass, if you're reading, good luck with the house-prepping/selling, etc.

I bought some xylitol chewing gum for Miss E (clinically shown to improve the glue ear situation). She has been munching away at it for short periods, not sure if it's enough to improve the hearing situation though. She had her first bigger-than-ben-hur school-friend party today. Still faffing about what to do for hers. September is rapidly approaching, ladies!!

I am totally aware of how fast September is approaching! There is a birthday club on a tv show and they called to do a profile of A, they put me on the spot and asked if she was having a party, what sort of cake etc. So now she is apparently having a party, with a minion cake (Despicable me).

Good luck with clearing up the glue ear. How long does it usually take to run its course? I am booking A in for a hearing test. I am going absolutely bonkers taking 4-5 calls just to get her attention and then half the time she fades away again and doesn't bother to respond. It is totally infuriating! I can't tell if she isn't hearing or is just ignoring me, but she does the same to DH and at kindy. It may be an attentional thing rather than hearing but I guess that is a place to start, especially since kindy have asked to monitor her speech in view of getting a speech therapist in because her speech is still very babyish and there are lots of sounds she can't say yet.

Look, my own page!

We are on day 3 of conjunctivitis. It is the first time we have had it in the house. It is only A so far and it doesn't seem that bad so hopefully it won't spread. She has only been to kindy for a few hours on Tuesday this week and we are all getting cranky lol.

Also day 3 of no day naps for E. I guess if I had to choose between no nap and a reasonable bedtime I would want my evenings back, but she isn't even 2 yet! Ripped off again lol.

The girls and I made the best chocolate brownie ever today. I ate nearly half of it and now I feel sick.

mwahahahahahahahaha! stealing the page off you Arte!

I want chocolate brownie. that is all.

actually that is not all...

it has been AGES since i have felt anywhere near normal enough to post and contribute!

How on earth did you manage to get a phone call for the tv show hahahahahahaha! goodluck with the minion cake! i want pics! are you making it or outsourcing it?

conjunctivitis is so so annoying. i use those clean eyes thingy things too (*obviously* the real name lol). and do the warm salty water. i rarely use the AB drops unless it just wont go away.

opps just saw the time...BBL after school pick up!

Bummer, I should have asked first. I got the AB drops because that is what the pharmacist said. It probably would have cleared up on its own.

They said they made a profile on all the birthday club kids and draw one out to air, but I strongly suspect they draw one out and then do a profile since W's birthday is only a few days later and I haven't heard anything about him. He will be bummed that she gets a turn on telly and he doesn't lol

I hope you are feeling a bit more relaxed now that the painting and photos are done. Mammoth effort BTW!! There is no way I could manage painting with so many little kids around.

ETA, Cass you are a genius!! I never thought of outsourcing the cake and it just happens that one of my quiz team ladies is a professional cake maker. I wonder if it would cost a fortune or if a simplish kids cake is reasonable. She showed us pictures of a cake she did for an 80th - $800!! Took her 30 hours. It was spectacular, but $800!!

outsourcing is my dream for cakes lol! i havent done it yet...here in melbs basic shape cakes are around the $150 mark. still loads for me lol. but it could be worth it if teh stress is likely to cause a burst blood vessel or suchwhat lol.

I am so super happy that 'hell week' is over. the painting was a horrendous exercise in how to unnecessarily risk marital harmony hahahahaha. but i managed to paint the ENTIRE thing. from the front to the inside and out the back. it was mammoth...so hope that it pays off...like literally :lol:

i have seen a preview of the photos they are using for the campaign and they came up a treat :D so happy with how they turned out. they give a good guide to how the place looks i reckon.

amongst all of this i have been quickly buying presents for the upcoming birthdays. Miss L is getting a whole bunch of sylvanian family stuff. she has been bugging me for ages about it! i bloomin' hope she actually plays with them...she is notorious for not finding that sort of thing that interesting. but the hard part is is that Miss M also wants sylvanian families and i know that she does and will play with them...so i felt that for the sake of harmony and to reduce jealousy they are both getting some. expensive stuff though! i had NO IDEA.

Miss L has requested a rainbow themed birthday and Miss M is demanding a ballerina fairy duck party :rolleyes:

Crap, $150 for a cake would give me a burst blood vessel! I think I am too cheap to even bother asking lol. Perhaps I will enquire generally next week and see what she says. The think with kids is that if it is oval, yellow and has some spiky hair then it is a minion so I can't justify spending too much.

Cass, I thought you would have realised by now that you need to buy the similar things for the girls :) Mine are getting same or complementary things. For example, one is getting a shopping trolley whilst the other gets a cash register. Both get the doll house, each get rooms of furniture. Threading beads are exactly.the.same.

W is getting a nintendo DS, just a second hand older style one because there is no way I was letting DH buy him the new $300+ one. He needs a handily timed new schoolbag, so I will get him a Mario Bros one since his is quite the fan now.

Cass, great news about E's cardio appointment! What is happening with her seizures now? Hope you can relax a bit more with her ticker having the all clear xx

thanks arte :D we are pretty thrilled that her ticker is all good. of course, that does mean that she is now 100% a neurology gal. but i dunno, at least it was better than before where they thought she could potentially be in both departments. she had a small seizure in the room with the cardio and he was like: "ooh look how she dances for me!" (i didnt bother to inform him that they are involuntary movements lol).

vent warning!

Ok. so one of my good friends is having her 40th down the road at a cute little bar. just a girl thing for us girls to get dolled up have a few 'tails and some nibbles. been in the works for weeks. guess who got a call asking to do a soccer match? and guess who, despite knowing about said match, said yes.

gggrrr! my neighbour is a champion and offered to come by and watch the girls for half an hour so i quickly threw on some clothes raced down there (couldnt order anything as i didnt have cash and they dont split bills) sat there for a whole 20 mins and then had to dash back (walking, in the rain in the dark...) and am now waiting for him to come home as he promised to be back at 9pm (and i planned to go back for some cake after the rest had had their dinner). it is now almost 9.30...not going to happen i guess :( i am so so bummed.

He is in the dog house tonight! Preexisting plans trump spur of the moment ones. Sorry you had to miss your evening out :( Make sure you plan yourself a fabulous 'moving to the country' ladies night before you go. Optional dress up as country folk :)

Cass - oh, that's no good. Not very fair at all. But at least it's good news about her heart.

Cass - I would be furious if that was me.... I agree pre existing plans and all trump something last minute. So
Sometimes it feels like us women make every compromise - dh is oseas at the moment for work and I was asked ages ago to present at a conference in tassie. His trip was booked after mine but it's left to me to sort out logistics and cut my trip short.... Grrrrrrrrr. It will all be ablout his career forth next 12 months anyway!
Still haven't signed the contract for vietnam so haven't told kids... I imagine it will be a huge rush when we et back from America.
I have told my team at work - they were really upset, I have driven a lot of change. Well I will be back in 12months! Or it will all fall through and I am not going anywhere

It's so windy here! Went to a play centre this morning and just hanging at home this afternoon w the boys. Will cool dinner with them soon

We are COnSIDERInG ttc #3. I kinda feel it's now or never. Tell me I can do those first 2 years again!

Mamapan: yes, yes you can!!! i found the jump from 2-3 really not a big deal...until DD3 got herself all quirky lol. go for it!!!

Hmmmmmm how did I know you'd say that? There are so many considerations... J will be at least 5 so it's a pretty big gap.... So going back to the newborn thing would be a major shock to the system... Also I keep thinking how lucky we are w the boys and what if its tempting fate... Plus affording 3 kids is a whole new ball game.. Plus I am really in the swing of work.....plus, plus, p,us.... Then I see al, the newborns around me and think about having a bigger family and want to go for it.....
i think if we do end up overseas we will give it a go for 6 months and see what happens...

MP - I soooo hear you on the "women making every compromise" line. Most especially in relation to my DH's employment. Re ttc #3 - I'm not a good person to comment, I am well and truly DONE, I just know I don't have it in me to do all of that again. But... you seem to have a lot more physical energy & some really good social resources to draw on, so if it's in your heart to welcome another child, then do it. :)

BBL - just been summonsed to stir-fry.

MP, I was just thinking the other day that if you were to have another baby then the year overseas would be a good time to do it. I always imagine you with a little girl, but that is probably because she would have the.most.gorgeous.hair.ever.
Three isn't much different to two, but I would find it hard to go back to baby days after being away from it for so long. But then again, it wouldn't take that long to get back in the swing of it. Baby #3's tend to just fit in - at least that is what I always hear and certainly true in my case. I am thankful every day that E is part of our family.

Cass, is your DH still in the bad books today? I think I crossed a line here and threw a bottle at DH's head. To be fair it was plastic and small and I missed lol.

Trill, I see you have been around the forums a bit. Hope you get time to post in here soon.

Hey Arte :) I'm here and I do post on the fly, but hopefully I will have more time to post very soon. Life is just beyond insane, but I'M A TEACHER!!!!!!! I haven't finished study yet but I have completed all the prac requirements which means that I can get my interim approval and start teaching casually. So I have been head down, bum up trying to get it all done so I could get to this point. I have been reading in here, but things kinda got away from me and it's just been too hard to catch up the longer it went on.

But I miss you all, I love you all and I think of you all every day :) I won't leave it so long next time I promise.

Congrats trill on being a teacher! Great news.
Hello to everyone else! I am a bit like trill, reading but not posting. Do keep up on on fb though :)
Mp- are u still keen on ttc or having second thoughts?
Cass- little e is such a cutie! Love all her pics on fb.

TRILL!! Congratulations, awesome rainbow lady! Keep going, you're so close! Love hearing from you. xxx

Ginger, lovely to see you too! Have you recovered from Patrick's funeral etc yet? LOL. At least BB is serving up some entertainment for us now...

Arte - how's it going with E not napping now? Have you been able to reclaim your evenings at all?

Cass - such a relief re E's heart! I know it doesn't make the neuro stuff go away though :hug: but all good news is welcome!! You are totally amazing getting all that painting done!! So hope you get an awesome outcome (ie PRICE) lol.

I have no idea what clean eye thingys you are talking about Cass, but last time E had junkyeyetis the dr recommended using saline first off. Which is a change from not long ago when you had to do drops before your kid was allowed to go back to care/school.

BTW I'm all for outsourcing cakes but I'm also a tightarse. Which is why my kids have had shop bought/homemade cakes with plastic decorations artfully arranged on top. ROFL. It tastes the same going down!! I reckon a minion cake would be cool though. Good luck CAss with that ballerina fairy duck party theme!! LOL.

I love the Sylvania Family stuff but E doesn't seem too interested in it. Not sure what she's getting for her birthday yet but she's riffing on the pink lego right now so there will be some of that in there. I would *really* love to get her a kitten... but Puss is such a gracious old lady now I just don't think it would be fair to her.

if you get E a kitten for her birthday you are not allowed to ever tell my girls hahahahahahahaha! that totally wins all 'best ever presents' hands down hahahaha!

Trill: WAHOO!!!!!! :dance: :happyforyou: that is super awesome awesome stuff! so so cool!

Arte: DH floats in and out on the pages of being in the bad books. today i was such a 90s child and told him to take a chill pill as i stormed off down the hallway lol.

The clean eyes thingo is from the same mob that make the fess saline stuff for noses...

G: aww thanks man! Hey tomorrow my house goes live on the interwebs...check out the magazine on the bed in the pics ;)

AFM: totally spinning...no sleep. last night was my best sleep in months...got 4 hours all in a row. i have 'cured' my sleepiness by polishing off half a bottle of wine with a dear friend and eating tasty food and chatting 'til the cows came home (well, until Miss E woke up lol).
also busy planning Miss Ls birthday party. it is coming up much faster than i can deal with pmsl. must.get.invites.out. will be trying my hand at a rainbow cake and doing my famous and delicious rainbow jelly (thinking of doing small ones in little plastic cups...)

Trill, well done!! When do you finish up with the academic side of it?

Cass, go to auction!!! Please! You will get a better price. Auction frenzy is your friend.
I hear you on the lack of sleep. I had a very small handful of three hour blocks in 2012 and I know exactly how you feel atm. That level of tiredness and then E's health issues and selling/moving makes a very stressful combo. Make sure you look after yourself xx

BBL.

I am having a night away! One of my best friends from high school is a playwright and has a show on in Wellington. I am going tonight and possibly will stay tomorrow night too should the kids be going alright. Bit concerned about E because I have never left her over night but I am sure DH will manage fine.

Well he's just going to have to isn't he! About time you took some time out for yourself on your own, especially when you consider all the time he's had away for work and you've had to do it all on your own.

Arte - have a lovely time m'dear! And I'm sure DH will be fine - if he can do huntin' shootin' and fishin' in the big wide wilderness, surely he can wrangle a few relatively-tame children in the comfort of his own home...? LOL

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Arte - have a lovely time m'dear! And I'm sure DH will be fine - if he can do huntin' shootin' and fishin' in the big wide wilderness, surely he can wrangle a few relatively-tame children in the comfort of his own home...? LOL

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:rofl: now there's an analogy i need to bring out to DH every now and then hahahahaha!

Have a FABULOUS time arte!! (so jealous right now!).

Enjoy your night out arte!

Arte - hope you are having a wonderful child free couple of days.

My two coworkers flew out yesterday on a 6 week holiday in France so I have become 3 people. Will be busy......

This weekend's project is turning Miss K into seaweed for the school concert.

It was awesome!! The kids were really good for DH and E didn't even make a fuss when I wasn't there at night. Totally doing it again soon :) So great to catch up with my oldest and best friends, those friendships that endure despite the distance and time between visits. One of the best things in the world.

Cally, you sound very busy! Hope you manage a good seaweed lol.

now i am really jealous arte hahahahahahaha!!

cally: oohhh all that extra work...6 weeks?? for work?? to france?? i would be peeved if it was for work and you didnt get to go along lol.

No, the France trip isn't work - the other two in my office are married to each other so seem to like going on holidays together!! (Head office freaked out when they both put leave requests in and it took more than 2 months to get it approved....)

The seaweed looks pretty good. Will put a photo up in a few days when I finish it off.

Arte - so glad you had a good time. Make sure you book another few nights in soon.

Haha, I was going to say Bummer! Cally at staying at work when 2 other people get to go to France! Lol not so bad now we know they are married & it's a holiday. Nice. I hope they send you a postcard at least.

Arte - so pleased you had such a great time. Reconnecting with people is just the very best thing there is! Glad the kidlets behaved themselves - it augurs well for future recreation!

AFM am having a night away from home ... In a luxuriously appointed (NOT) sleep clinic. Ha! Not exactly a weekend away lol. Still, had a great day today @ a writers workshop so that counts for me-time +++. :)

Looking forward to the seaweed pics Cally :)

MD, I hope that you get some better answers this time round at the sleep clinic xx

Cass, how is E going on the seizure front now?

It is a stark contrast hanging out with singles in the city and then coming home to being a country house wife! The amount of time they have! Weekends just to do as they please, sleeping in, wandering into town… it is hard to remember what those days were like.

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It is a stark contrast hanging out with singles in the city and then coming home to being a country house wife! The amount of time they have! Weekends just to do as they please, sleeping in, wandering into town… it is hard to remember what those days were like.

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I find it's better not to think about it too much! LOL. Seriously though (and I can say this as a parent of a 15 year old) that aspect of your own life starts to drift back in as time goes on. I imagine one day when they've all left home we'll be free again to gad about with all the other empty nesters, but with a much greater appreciation for it!

Cally I look forward to seeing seaweedy photos too! I'm sure it will be the first of many a costuming moment for you.

My quiz team got second place tonight. Probably the best we will do all season. It is all coming up Arte at the moment!

MD, the only problem with life drifting back in as at the kids get older is that I will be older too! I seriously doubt I will have a long life, or at the least everything over 50 will be crappola anyway, considering I am nearly 20kg overweight, have a terrible diet, don't exercise and I have been smoking on and off for the last 12 years. Of course I could change that but lack the motivation/inspiration. But things are slowly getting better now. The kids are all going well and I have quiz night which is the highlight of my week :)

My declaration of sloth and apathy has killed the thread lol.

Our internet is very slow and we have been reduced to watching T.V. There is a show on about a guy who makes massive food. Tonight he is making a giant pot of tea and huge digestive biscuits to go with it. It is reasonably entertaining.