Our New Bunnings

Our new Bunnings opened up 2 weeks ago. It is just about Himselfs favourite shop. If they sold fishing gear & beer he would never shop anywhere else again. As it is we have been down there 4 times since it opened. And helped pay for everyone's wages for the first week.

The thing I absolutely love about this huge warehouse is this. We went down this morning (Sunday) at around 10.30. That is basically peak shopping hours for any Bunnings Store. It was busy - but not horribly so. And every aisle we walked down there was a Bunnings Assistant there, and 3 of the actually asked us if we needed any help!!!

OMG - we have stumbled across warehouse nirvana. That never happens. In fact we usually end up just following around anybody wearing a red shirt and stalking them until they help us - even if they don't work there. 

All I can say is - congratulations Bunnings & Westfarmers. You have finally got it right! Now keep it up and we will ALL be very happy campers 

Miss 5 Turns 6!

A big Happy Birthday to Miss 6 (was 5)! What a great day you had, and a fantastic party. 

Mum is EXHAUSTED. 

Of course I did far too much. Of course I didn't take up all of the offers for help (because I am supermum and I can do it all). Of course none of the kids could have cared less what they were eating as long as there was food there. Of course I said bring siblings, that will be just fine. Of course I made sure the siblings had lolly bags too.

My night away with the Bookclub Ladies next Friday CAN NOT COME SOON ENOUGH!

My Daughter, My Personal Trainer

I have started jogging again in the mornings. After some surgery early last year I discovered that I can actually run. I have nothing getting in my way anymore and I've found I'm not to bad at it. I started early this year, but after our holidays in May, swine flu in July & getting over winter, I never got back to it.


But one of the mums has become my jogging partner - and a good one she is too. 2 mornings at her house, 2 mornings at my house. Fridays off. Well Saturdays and Sundays off too . At 5.30 every morning. This morning we actually managed to run all the way around the lake - 1km. We were very proud. Probably won't be able to do it tomorrow though. Might need to borrow the wheelchair?


When I got home at just after 6am - 2 of the kids are up eating breakfast and Himself is getting his coffee ready to take to work. Miss 8 has decided she is my personal trainer.
"Don't sit down Mum. Lay down and give me 100 sit ups!"

Ok - that wasn't so bad.


"Now - DO THE SPLITS!" 


SPLITS!


I haven't done a split EVER. Even when I was 8 I couldn't do the splits. And now - at nearly 39 - she's expecting me to try?


Miss 8 is now not allowed out of her bedroom until 6.30am. That way I can make sure I've had a shower and am dressed before she attempts to make me do some pushups!!!


The benefits of being the client AND the mother.

An Afternoon of Cocktails :)

Had a very impromptu afternoon with one of my oldest girlfriends (and her daughters, hi K) and one of my newest girlfriends (and her son & daughter, hi S).

It was lovely and we all had our fair share of drinks. The kids were well fed and watered so they enjoyed themselves too.

Then they all went home and I started cleaning up. Bit of a mess but as soon as I put my feel good music on it's easy peesy. My feel good music is Bon Jovi. Very very very loud. With me as backing vocals. Very very loud.

Now, this is NOT a once off. Every time I need some motivation, on comes Jon, Ritchie & the boys. This has been happening for years. It also extends to doing the bookwork for Himself's business, getting ready for tax time, cleaning the house, baking on a Sunday afternoon, going for a run around the oval, driving by myself - or just whenever I feel I need a pick-me-up!

I didn't actually realise that I had motivational music until speaking to my sister tonight. She has referred to me as a Bogan. Be that as it may - I am a huge fan and have been since for the last 22 years. Some people might be motivated by Gospel, some by Bach, others by Anthony Robbins. But if you put on Slippery When Wet at full loudness I would clean your house from top to bottom - or until the music finished.

Go ahead and try it. It doesn't have to be the boys. It could be anything from your formative years, but I guarantee that the music from that time of your life will always put a smile on your face. 

Cheers 

A Novel Book Is Finally Up & Running!

And so it is finally here.

Thanks Ebay for forcing my hand. I guess I really needed to be pushed, otherwise I'd still be sitting here twiddling my thumbs, waiting for someone to do all the hard work for me. 

It is a LOT more work than I thought it would be. But it's all mine. No fees to Ebay. All the profit is mine - well, Mr Rudd gets some, the publishers get some, the web host gets some, the bank gets some. But what's left over is all mine - well, the kids get some, the dog needs vaccinating, the council rates will be due soon. But what's left over is all mine. 

Welcome to the world of small business.

Himself was telling me his thoughts on my new business venture. His goal (for me but meaning him) is for the business to turn over around $5000 a week, then he can quit work and come work for me. I actually think he meant to say "Turn over $5000 a week and I can go fishing". Good thing I can understand his undertones.

So, back to it. Have to earn my 25cents per book - after paying all of the above. But first I need someone to buy a book from me. 

Perhaps I need to add advertising to the list of creditors above 

Clap Clap - Now Do I Have Your Attention?

At school, to get the kids attention, the teachers do this fantastic clapping thing. They do a series of claps and the kids all stop what they are doing and clap back. It is such a brilliant concept and seems to work every time.


But be warned, this is only to be used at school. Apparently, when you get the children home their ears stop working and you can clap until your hands fall off and not one person will hear you.


2 days ago we were in the car. Our car can be a very, very noisy place. There are 4 people all talking at once and nobody can hear a thing. Obviously Miss 5 (nearly 6) had had enough of this. I guess nobody was listening (see how she likes it for once ) so the next thing I hear is the clap clap thing.


And, surprise, it actually worked.


Miss 8 & Master 4 actually stopped talking and clapped back.


Now, if I could just remember the sequence I might be able to use it myself.

Happy Birthday Mum!!!

Today was my Mums birthday. She would have been 64. So off we went, to the cemetery to wish her a Happy Birthday and drop off some roses from the front garden, and a lovely card that was handcrafted by Miss 8 & Miss 5 (nearly 6).


We put Mum's ashes there only a little while ago. She's spent the last 23 years in a very small box, mostly at Dad's house but the last 3 years at my house, next to the TV, so she can be around the cyclonic home of The Dixon's. It's actually been quite comforting having her here all those years. But we decided it was probably time to put her somewhere where she can rest!


We've explained (in the simplest of terms) to the kids about cemeteries. We've told them that the gravestones are Remembering Stones that people put there to remember their family that have died. They know all about death & what happens (well, as much as little kids can) so they got the concept of Remembering Stones really easily.


The questions I got today, though, were more about the stones that were much, much larger than Nana's Remembering Stone. Miss 5 (nearly 6) is very astute at putting these sorts of things together.


We went off, after visiting Nana & singing Happy Birthday, to visit other family members who also live at the cemetery. To get to them we walked through the grave stones (which by the way is a very interesting experience with an 8,5 and 4 year old). 


"Who is this person Mum?"
"Was this person really old or really young?"
"How did this one die Mum?"
"Oh, how cute, this one has a teddy bear/flowers/balloons on it, can we keep it?"

So, we found our relatives and said hi - then weaved our way back, when Miss 5 (nearly 6) asks about the grave stones...
"They are much bigger than Nana's - do they have people under them?"
"Well, yes they do".
"Oh, well how come Nana is under a tree with 25 other Remembering Stones? (trust her to count the plaques) Was she very little?"


Well, I might tell them stuff that other parents might not just yet - but there is NO WAY I am going to start explaining cremation to them so I did what every parent that wants to avoid conversation says - "Who wants icecream?"


Happy Birthday Mum
xxx