So, how does this blogging thing work again?

well, feeling somewhat better, though it seems I may have some kind of immune system condition. And my laptop is back up after 3 weeks on the blink.

So, I'll have to start thinking about blog post topics.

Meanwhile, news from our place:

Bhaer turns 40 soon. What will it be like to be married to a middle aged man?

Sparky (4 3/4) has started helping me with word puzzles such as crosswords. This warms the cockles of my verbal heart.

Scout (almost 2 1/2) is starting to show a talent for taking people off - in the last couple of days, he has cracked us up by imitating his brother and his father.

And I have managed to get through the last few weeks with a lot of help and comfort from family and friends - phone calls, visits, outings, gifts, meals, housework, child minding and hugs. Thanks.

where am I?

sorry I haven't been around on my blog - I'm battling a prolonged period of ill health - which is being looked into - so the blog is one of the first things to slide! Please pray.

Still lots of chocolate left

Because we have been gastroland this week. First Scout, then me, now Sparky. Bhaer has been suffering under some respiratory illness instead, just to add to the fun.

I was re-introduced to a Lindt bunny during my bout. We had met under rather more pleasant circumstances. So I think that chocolate might be around a while yet.

So, I will resume my normal blogging in a couple of days or so.

tummy bugs and funny kiwis...

We have been dealing with a yuck tummy bug over here - so far all of us have had it/still have it except for Sparky. I'm on the 5th day and still feel sick so it's not nice.

Anyway, as that's not a highly entertaining post, I thought I would let you know Bhaer and I have been getting into Flight of the Conchords, as a comic break from West Wing. Very funny. I like Jemaine (who looks a bit like my husband and a bit like an ex boyfriend of mine......who both are part or more Kiwi. as are FoftheCs..........hmmmm who knew my tastes were so well, specific???).

I've put a clip from the show below, a parody of Bowie. As many of you read blogs with kids around the WARNING is that their songs deal with grown up concepts - this one involves some mild drug references though this would go over my kid's heads I think. Come back and watch this when they are in bed.....

away with the kids...but now let's talk about something actually relaxing...

I've been away, hence no blogging. I went away with my brother's family. He has 2 girls, 5 and 1, and we have 2 boys, 4 and 1. It was great for the cousins to get to know each other and for us to reconnect with my brother and his wife. Some asked: Did you have a good time? The answer - Yes! Some asked: Do you feel relaxed now? the answer - uh, no. 24/7 kids............. plus, I did have to take some marking with me for the distance course I have been teaching.

Now, this is where I would like to go next. With husband. Without kids. Or perhaps go do this, with a female friend. Without her kids.

I should also let you know my grandmother is being moved into a nursing home tomorrow, though it doesn't look good for her long term.

Living to a good old age??

My grandmother continues in hospital, alive and slowly getting better, but not very happy or motivated to stay alive. It almost seems that maybe it would have been kinder if she had died, but I trust in God that there is a reason for her staying with us. She turns 90 in less a month, and watching her and also remembering my grandfather post 90 (he died aged 93 a couple of years ago), I recently said to my family that I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay alive past 90, particularly as I have a hope of better things! Of course, medicine may improve the lot of 90 year olds in 56 years time. (on the other hand I do wish to get past the death ages of my other grandparents, one 50s and the other 60s )

I have been reflecting a lot on what makes old age liveable. I thought I might share with you my thoughts about this, though I suspect I will be thinking through these issues continually as I age. So, here are my preliminary thoughts.

Old age becomes liveable if you have:

1. A rich interior life. Although we can do our best to stay in good physical condition for as long as possible, if we live long enough, there comes a time when we will be forced to be less active. We are then forced back on our internal resources more. This is why I think mental exercise as we age is very important. By internal life, I mean continuing to have a rich mental, emotional and spiritual life.

Mental: not just playing bingo and reading mags, but rather continuing to engage with ideas and issues.

Emotional: being other centred in our emotions, letting ourselves be moved by others, rather than retreating inside ourselves.

Spiritual: finding purpose and meaning in life. As a Christian, I intend to be soaking in God’s word, meditating on it, and moreover still allowing God to transform me. I hope to resist the temptation in age to decide I needn’t bother with this anymore. A life without transformation is both dreary and eventually poisonous.

2. A useful life. I hope to work as long as possible, perhaps gradually cutting back on what I do. I hope also in retirement to use my time to help others for as long as I can. As I get less active, I will need to be creative in thinking how to be of service to God and others. Even from a bed or chair I hope I can pray and I can encourage others.

3. A loving life. I hope to have companionship. So I figure it is to my benefit to love others as much as I can, so that they might want to spend a little time round a doddery old lady.

Thanks to all for your concern and prayers about my grandmother. I’ll let you know what happens as I get any news.

Grandmother ok

Thanks to all for their concern. My grandmother is still alive, and looks like she will make it. This is n0thing short of miraculous at her age and health. She came out of ICU Saturday night. She has been very depressed, but over the last couple of days has started being happier. She has a long recovery process ahead, and we think it is highly probable she will need to go into a nursing home after that, which she won't like. We suspect she will like it more than she realises, as she will have people around all day.

Progressive poem meme and the plague reaches epic proportions

I was tagged for a progressive poem meme by Nicole - Prue started it. Their contributions are the first 4 lines, I continue with the next 2. (see sidebar for links to Prue and Nicole)

I have a friend, his name is Jack,
He is a hypochondriac.

He spends his days combating germs,
and memorising Latin terms.

with great distress he will disrobe,
He's proud to be a nudophobe.

For those interested in my thinking here, I was getting the idea of Jack as an educated but fussy faddish individual full of odd quirks - going off and finding the proper names for these eccentricities with great glee. I considered going with him as a faddish eater (like Jack Spratt, another famous jack), but couldn't find an appropriate rhyme, so went this way instead - but perhaps a later rhymer will tackle this idea?

I tag maccarthaigh family , who I don't know but expressed an interest in this meme on Nicole's post (Hi! nice to meet you!)

In other news, Owl came down with hand foot and mouth disease, hence still very little blogging!!! He is on the mend now.

the week that was......

What a week.............
My laptop died (new motherboard needed. Not sure can afford). So I may not blog as frequently.
My mobile died.
All 4 of us got a bad tummy bug with cold symptoms as well. All still recovering from this.
I coped with the first 2 things with equanimity, but the 4 of us being sick did me in.

a big day

Just sharing the big triumph at our house today. Sparky has been toilet trained for over a year now but today had a first - he did the whole thing by himself without help either physical or verbal! You don't realise how many steps that is until you have to teach it - pull down pants, but don't pull them right off, get on seat - managing to get all relevant parts in, do it - all, not getting up half way through, wipe yourself, without removing copious amounts of paper from the roll, then put paper in toilet - not on floor, then flush - once, not several times , pull up pants - managing to get nothing folded over or stuck on the way, turn tap on, the cold one not the hot one, wet hands, then apply soap - not the entire container - rub and rinse hands, turn off tap and dry hands on a towel, not anything else that takes your fancy.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a goal for the year is on its way!
(and yes I did poke my head unobtrusively around the door to see how it was going, and so could see that he was doing all the right things.)

a big weekend

On Sunday, Owl was dedicated to God (the baptist version of Christening). Many friends turned up for the day, and also I had the wonderful privilege of baptising people - I love this particular part of a pastor's job! I'm very feminine about it - I'm so happy I hug them when they come out of the water! Talking about owls, I am about to make a little owl for Owl (see this wonderful friend's blog, who has designed one for me! - thanks Prue!) So, in his honour, a little Owl story -at all of 10 months, he has worked out when TV shows are about to finish when the closing music comes on, and looks up and waves and says buh buh (which we think is bye bye). Is he watching too much TV ;)? That's Owl in the piccie - not a recent piccie. but a favourite.

On Saturday, I went out for my grandmother's birthday - she turned 89 - Happy Birthday Marty! (there is a long involved and way too boring story about why we call my grandmother that .....)

Well besides the big days in my family, other, obsiously less important ;) things happened this weekend - I haven't been blogging for a few days because all I wanted to do was talk election, and I didn't want to bore or annoy you all by being overly partisan. Fortunately, my family (husband, parents, brother and sister in law) were all in agreement over the election, so we spent much time on the phone over Friday and Saturday - let's just say we were all happy and much bonding ensued. What was a funny little coincidence was that my parents were in Howard's electorate and my brother and sister in law in Rudd's!

Alas, I was not as happy about the outcome of Sunday night - Aussie idol. still, I had a great night in with friends making jokes about the telecast - almost as good as watching the Eurovision Song contest.

catch up (plus some discussion of gifts)

I haven't blogged for a week, so i thought I would do a catch up blog.

The reason for my extended silence was Sparky's 3rd bday, Bhaer's study schedule, Sparky getting a tummy bug, Owl getting his first tooth, and my work schedule.

It all happens at once doesn't it?!!

Sparky's bday involved lots of assembling - a bike, a swing set, a blow up trampoline (still haven't finished the swing set...). And contrary to popular stereotypes, I am better at this than Bhaer, so a lot of it became my job. I will certainly be much more alert to assembly requirements at Christmas. Could be a deal breaker...

Sparky certainly in my opinion received too much, though this was due to the love and generousity of all the lovely people in our lives. (Bhaer and I only gave him 2 pressies - a bike and a book.) Perhaps I am misremembering, but children seem to have many more toys today than when I was growing up - what do others think?

As well as Sparky's gifts, we put together a gift for a child with less than him - we got a shoebox ready for OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD. We chose to fill a box for a boy 2-4 yo - i.e. the same as Sparky. Sparky seemed most concerned that we had to buy a toothbrush - I think this truly brought home to him how much less some children have. He chose what we gave (well I chose what we would give, but he chose which one of each thing). He chose everything that he would have liked (which I think is deep love from 3yo) and has shown no desire to claim the things for himself. We had a bit of a hiccup with buying all this - Bhaer met up with me at the end of the shop and paid for the entire supermarket shop while I went and fed Owl. He then left the bag containing the pressies at the supermarket accidently. So we had to go back the next day and go round the shelves again and get these again (not pay for them, the supermarket were understanding), and while this annoyed me, it ended up I think helping Sparky to really get the whole concept worked out. If you are interested in doing it, see here for the list of what to pack and previous link for where to send.

quick catch up

Me: had awful gastro thing. Better now. Meanwhile everything gone chaotic.
husband forthwith known as Bhaer (do you know your Little Women?): Busy essaying
Sparky: is reading his first readers.
Owl: is waving and crawling everywhere
The house: less said the better
The garden:lovely and neat - will post piccies soon
Facebook: ah the addiction continues unabated...

Just watching Aussie idol as I write this and an early fave is Holly.