Pey fiss(xx) miy tede

This is the gorgeous note I found from my beautiful boy. He had come out last night to tell me his Bart had a broken arm and it needed sewing up. I said I would do it in the morning.

Then I came out and found Bart propped up on their desk with a note stuck to his chest -

Pey fiss(xx) miy tede

Translation - PLEASE FIX MY TEDDY

Do I or don't I?

Since forever and a day, I have been trying to come up with a solution to my problem - what to do now that my kidlets are both in school! I haven't been employed for about 9 or 10 years. These days it's so hard to get a job. Even for a supermarket assistant, the form was ridiculous. Gone are the days when you could just hand in a resume or talk to the Manager. I don't have any formal qualifications, and the secretarial course I took was 16 years ago! Then you need at least 2 referees. How am I supposed to do that when I haven't worked in so many years? I wouldn't even know if the people had the same phone numbers or if they remember what I was like to work with!

There is also the problem I have with my back. I can't even do a day's housework without ending up like the Hunchback of Notre Dame by the end of the day. Pretty sad when I'm only 34. Then all my ongoing hospital appointments for my kidney problem. THEN, I have that problem of not having anyone to watch the kidlets during school holidays. While at school it's no problem because of after-school care, but there is no way I am going to fork out big bucks to put them into holiday care.

So, I'm left with working from home. But I have no idea what to do. For the past few weeks, I have had this urge to write children's books. I have always loved writing. I started a couple of novels years ago, but once I had kids, I never got back into it. I keep having this inner voice telling me to do it.

My daughter absolutely loves writing her own short stories. Some of them are very cute, and I was thinking that maybe I can turn some of her little stories into books. I mean if the initial idea's came from a child's mind, surely other children will find them interesting.

BUT, here's my dilemma, I have no freakin' idea how to go about doing it, as far as getting them published. What actually goes on in getting books published etc. So should I pursue this idea, or is it just another SAHM lame idea? And does anyone know what avenues I need to take to even get my little stories looked at? HMMMM ....

UPDATE - Boob Check

I got the all clear. I knew I was fine yesterday during the ultrasound, but had to go for a follow-up with my GP. Although there aren't any lumps or cysts, I do have an enlarged or swollen gland. But at this stage, it's nothing too concerning. It could just be hormonal. Will check back with my Dr after my monthly's have finished, as it is still tender.

ps Angela - I know what you mean. It was a weird feeling. Normally I am having ultrasounds for my kidneys, or as you mentioned, babies. Boobs - hmmm not a nice experience, necessary, but not nice lol

Boob Check

Although I don't think it isn't anything too serious, I am off to have an ultrasound on my right boob (possibly both, but right boob is the sore one). I am trying to be very positive and not think of the worst.

This time last week, I was getting ready to see my regular Dr because of my constant sore back. While I was showering, I lifted up my right arm to do a girly thing (shaving my armpit lol) and I felt a pain. I was thinking it was just PMT tender boobs, so checked my left boob. It was fine. So I gave myself an examination, although not sure it was correct because like most women, I don't self exam myself very often. LESSON TO ALL - self exam on the 1st of every month no matter what age we are!!!

I couldn't feel a definite lump, but also wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel. Again, like most women, I found it hard to distinguish between mammory glands and a lump. So I told my Dr about it and he got me in to see one of the female Dr's. She wasn't able to tell either, and scheduled an ultrasound for me.

The point of this post is not for you all to worry about me, but more of an out there thought that we should all get to know our breasts, so that we can tell if something doesn't feel right and get it seen to straight away. I could have easily just put it down to nothing, and not said anything, but what if something isn't OK? How many women are in my position and DON'T do anything about it until it's too late?

The tenderness could be just one of those things, but what if it isn't? I would much rather go through all this and be told there is nothing wrong, then to have done nothing and be told that it's too late!

I knew someone like that - my ex-husband's Aunt. She went to hospital feeling ill, only to be told she had advanced breast cancer and it had spread. She died within 2 weeks.

Let's not be another statistic. CHECK YOUR BREASTS REGULARLY !!!

(this isn't meant to be crude or a joke)

SRC

I think I've mentioned before that my son J has a sticker book for school to help with his behaviour. He's not naughty, just has a habit of talking too much and not staying on task, or copying the other kids when they are silly etc. Normal kid stuff. Anyhoo, they have 6 lessons per day, and after each leasson, if he's done well, he gets a sticker.

I check his book every day after school when we get ready for homework time at 4pm. On Monday he had a little side note next to a sticker that said "went to SRC. Great job, J". I asked him about it and he kept raving on about hopscotch. So I just assumed it was this class they call "Fun Club", which my daughter A went to when she 1st started school to help kids with motoring skills, balancing etc.

Yesterday I asked his teacher since I hadn't received a note about it. She said that SRC stands for Student Representative Council, and that since a student was away that day, J had been chosen to go for being an outstanding student, and that SRC is a big deal because it's the students voice for the school governing council.

I was beaming with pride because normally, as mentioned, I am concerned about what he's done during the day. But he was rewarded because the past 2 weeks, and including this week thus far, he's gotten 5 - 6 stickers each day, improved immensely in his "reading rocket" class (a class to help speed up his reading & writing), and been a great helper in class.

OK, so being 6, he had no idea what the SRC was, but he did put in a vote for a new hopscotch area lol

Land Owners

Today is THE day - settlement day for our block of land. We went there last Monday and took some photo's, measured out some things, met the eldery neighbour (who was sweet as can be), and also met the Father of the guy who owns the other half of the block. The block is subdivided into 2 loooooong thin blocks, but big enough for both our home designs (the guy's Dad told us that his son was thinking of going through the same building company as us, and what design he was going with).

Anyhoo, now it's just a waiting game to hear back from the building company. We received our copy of the contracts, which means it's all a go. Now we wait for the council to do all their things (soil testing etc) and fingers crossed we get it all approved and building can begin on our home.

Here are some pics of our block. Ok so it's just a big patch of dirt and weeds at the moment, but visualise people lol

View from the front (our half is the left hand side)

View from the back fence (it's 100m long - 328feet)

Our car is roughly the half way point between the 2 subdivided blocks

Live for the moment!

During the day I don't normally watch tv. I'm usually pottering around the house, playing games on this bloody machine or out with my sister. But every now and then when I am totally boooooored, I will make myself lunch and sit down to watch the afternoon tv shows which consist of that last bit of Dr Phil, and flicking through channels watching Ellen & Oprah (on at the same time, different channels).

Anyhoo, last week, Oprah had a show on about basically not dreading getting older or using our age as an excuse. I can't remember the lady she had on it, but she was basically saying "Live for the moment!" It kinda struck a cord with me because I am always going on about being old. I absolutely dreaded turning 30. I think because it meant that I was no longer living in the care free 20's, that I was gettting OLD, and heading towards that horrible 4 0!!!

But now I am 34 and I think I have talked myself into being old. My sister tells me all the time that I'm not old, but I feel it, and damned if I don't look it. I mean that in the sense of the way I dress and the way I conduct myself. But the more I watched this show, the more I started thinking that I'm not old. Inside I feel like a young, sexy, Mum but on the outside I look like a tired, haggard, FRUMP!!! I always wear over-sized tops, jeans from the Plus size section or track pants, never wear makeup unless I'm going out, and usually have my hair back in a ponytail.

I looked at these woman on the show in their 40's, 50's and 60's and was blown away at how young they looked. Not just in what they wore or how they had their hair, but the way they presented themselves. THEY WERE HOT!!! I want to be hot!

Then I watched a show yesterday about people dying of cancer, and what would you do if you were told you had inoperable cancer. Would you just mope around and feel sorry for yourself? Or would you go out and live for the moment, embracing all that life has to offer? Honestly, I think I would crumble and have that "why me" mentality. But watching the 2 people Oprah and Dr. Oz spoke to made me realise, why do I have to wait until something awful happens in my life to be able to LIVE FOR THE MOMENT?

Instead of lying in bed moping about being overweight, why don't I do something about it? Instead of complaining that I can't do anything because my back hurts, why not look into ways of healing my back so I CAN do all that I want? Instead of being so stressed out that I wind up taking it out on my family, why not look into ways of destressing my life?

Because when I turn 40, I wanna be smoking hot and celebrate a new chapter in my life! What the??? Why can't I do that when I turn 35? I've got around 7 months. ACHIEVABLE??? Let's see .. who's with me?

LET'S LIVE FOR THE MOMENT :)