A new cape for my hero

the Zeke is currently really into superheros.. Its a fun boy stage.

I remembered a simple craft I seen on a blog over a year ago, I dont remember what blog sadly.
A simple boys cape from a old adult tshirt.

 

The neck cuff of the tshirt is the neck strap for the cape.. tshirt material doesn't frey so you dont need to hem the edges. The emblem is felt. 

Around the home

Ive always struggled with presenting my home. I think I tried to hard to be flash when really I did not have flash things. I have a mish mash of second hand and new furnishings... lets me honest mostly second hand. So I was always feeling down that I just didn't have a nice home. What I was not realising was I am not a "flash" person. Ive settled into my personally style a bit more and am loving searching for treasures that reflect me and my kiddos, things that inspire me and make me happy. I want people to enter my home and think wow this is so them.

I walked past my room yesterday and realised my bed and bedside area is just how I want it to be. It made me happy to truly like an area of my home.

 

I searched for over a year before I found a duvet that I loved enough and it makes me so happy and motivates me to make my bed.

I want to get some fun prints to frame for above my bed or maybe make a fabric covered headboard next year.

If my landlord will let me I also really want to paint the room a pale grey.

So right now this is the area of my house I love, it gets nice sun and I love to sit there on a sunny day and read.

My girl

My daughter is a girly girl. I find it a little foreign at times as I'm not naturally like this but at the same time I want to nurture this in her as she gets such delight from it...

she had a school disco earlier this month and got herself all dolled up for a red carpet themed night..

I look at her and can't believe she is mine, that I made her. How can someone like me have a girl as lovely as this?

Guy Fawkes (photo heavy)

OK so this is a little late.

I think this is a really stupid celebration... lets be honest. BUT fireworks are fun to watch.
I personally hope they ban the sale of fireworks in NZ soon but at the same time want the kids to have some memories of fireworks in the back year (does that make sense? probably not).

Sparklers are so fun as a child.

Enjoying a lazy Sundae

Yesterday while we all blobbed in the living room with the fire on (yes I know... in November? isn't it crazy) watching movies I decided lets go all out.... the Zeke did a great job.. and the big kiddos were totally impressed.

Life was getting a little too normal

Today I look around and see utter chaos and its a pretty good representation of the last few days.

On Thursday I went to my GP in the morning as I had had a tingly weird left arm and hand for 5 days, she was concerned with my neuro history and shunt that it would be unwise not to get a CT scan to double check things. So 6 hours at A&E at the local hospital I had had a scan and it showed no signs of raised pressure and no other major concerns but the doctor thought there was papilledema in my eyes again (swelling at the backs of my eyes and nerves etc) and with the arm stuff I was required to head to Dunedin hospital the following day.

The next morning after sorting all the kiddos etc a friend and I headed off for a bit of a road trip.

Hello Dunedin

Nice new curtains since my last visit. I didnt miss this place

Once at Dunedin hospital I was admitted (same room as last time but different bed) and an eye doctor checked my eyes (yah dilating and numbing drops) and found no signs of concern (great news). I had my shunt adjusted and spoke rather briefly to neuro doctor who felt the arm was not related to my head or shunt. They kept me overnight for observation and I was discharged the next morning.

This thing was shaking like a mother on the while we were following it.. we dicussed many ways it might fly off and kill us... lol

I will be sent an appointment for a spinal MRI via outpatients to check for anything that might be causing my arm. It will be about a month the doctor predicted, right not I am just hoping the arm comes right on its own as its driving me bonkers. Otherwise I will be making another Dunedin trip before Christmas (hoping) for my MRI (I cannot have MRI's local to me as the magnets in it will adjust my shunt and my local hospital does not have the means to adjust it back).

So a little drama, and a lot of mucking around and I still have the tingly, numb, weird arm I went to the doctor for with no idea whats causing it...

like a pick-a-nick

Recently as I took off the Zekes jacket as I was getting him ready for bed he noticed the inside of the hood.

"its like when you have food" he said.... "like a pick-a-nick"

I love when they say cute stuff like this.. and he was right it sure is. We have now decided we need to get a red and white checked pick-a-nick blanket. He also told me you need to have bananas and apples when you have a  pick-a-nick.

Cadburyland

While we were in Dunedin during the school holidays we also went on a tour of the Cadbury factory. It was the shorter tour (as we had little kiddos). We didn't actually get to see the factory at work but did get to see some demonstrations on how things are made, some DVDs showing footage of the factory and the whole time you could smell chocolate and in one area Jaffa's. They told us lots of info and asked lots of questions and gave out mini chocolate bars as prizes.

You also get to walk up inside a silo that used to be used to store crumb but now has a fun chocolate display... basically they drop a tonne of chocolate kinda like a chocolate waterfall in front of you. It was very loud and freaked the Zeke out but was a bit of fun. The chocolate for this feature is reused and then eventually taken to a pig farm for the pigs (luckiest pigs in NZ I imagine).

You are not allowed to take camera on the tour so I have no pics from inside.

WW week 2

So I had my second weigh in today for weight watchers.

I mentioned briefly I joined WW but didn't really go into it further. But I feel if I am honest on here, if I talk about my ups and downs and celebrate my losses on here it might give me more incentive to do well.

The reality is weight has been a big issue of mine for a long time. But especially since I had my first kiddo 9 years ago. I never lost that baby weight. I didn't really gain much more with my next two kids but yo-yo'd back and forward. I have tried to diet before, I have joined WW before and I have done OK before and lost up to 10kgs but then gained it all back again. The reality is with my depression leaving me in a very down place for years I comforted myself with food, but then when I celebrated things I celebrated with food, food was a big part of my life. It was a friend when I was lonely, it was comfort when I was heartbroken, It made me feel better when all I wanted was to curl up in a ball and cry.

I do not want to be that person anymore, over the last two years I have worked through lots of emotional issues, I have found peace with a lot of things, and simply I am happier. Now its time to tackle the weight, time to work on my self esteem, to feel better about how I look. I am tired of looking in the mirror and just plain hating everything about my body. I am obese, I have alot of weight to move, I have a long way to go and I am ready to make the changes.

Today I weighed and had only lost 500grams (total loss of 3.4kg in two weeks) I was disappointed as I had hoped for a bigger loss on week two. But I also fell off the healthy wagon for two days and I accept that's why I didn't lose more, but I am proud that i was able to climb back on that wagon and keep going. I have set myself a rather hefty goal of losing 8kgs this school term so I need to get my a into g and keep on plan.

I aim to blog each WW weigh day and update how I am feeling and how I go.

Cranky mum and a fort

Sometimes I have moments as a parent where I just fail miserably.
Tonight I had such a moment.

Trying to have a conversation with the kiddos that should have been light hearted, thoughtful and fun. They fidgeted, scratched, leaned from side to side, argued, and back chatted and well plain didn't listen. What I should have done was say "lets try this again tomorrow". But instead I growled about being rude, about how I was trying to TALK to them about something and just went on and on... Got mad.. stomped around the kitchen doing the dishes while wanting to scream. Totally OTT reaction... Its OK I am aware. i ended up sending them all to bed at 6.30.

Maybe next time they will listen???? Or maybe not.

They might have just learned (like they didn't already know) that their mother is bat shit crazy.... Oh well. Sorry kiddos.. I do love you... I do mean well... Next time I will do better... I hope.

I can reflect on it and see where I went wrong. I can see how I can better handle it next time (and there will be one).

I guess my point is.. we are all human, we all have moments of weakness, moments where we do not do out best, moment where we make a plain fool of ourselves.  I am learning to be able to reflect, learn, then move on rather than dwell on those moments.

On a slightly more fun note earlier today we built a fort for the kids to snuggle in and watch a DVD. It kept them reasonably happy for the afternoon and reminded me of some major fort building in my childhood.

My kiddos are my world... I hope that even when I get growly, grumpy and stomp my feet they still know that.. forever and always.