A Week, A Holiday Miracle

This morning, we had a holiday miracle happen.  Levi slept in.  Not only did he sleep in, but he did it on a day that I could actually accomodate it, meaning he actually got to sleep until he woke by himself.  As Nicole said, the planets must have aligned or something.  I tend to agree.  I think in a pessimistic thought, I would really admit that he is getting sick.  His breathing is loud enough in his sleep at the moment for me to hear him a room away and with the TV on.  In a more positive mood, I think that the best I can come up with is - Maybe he is getting better

I am watching the Harry Potter series on Wednesdays at the moment on DVD, mostly because really there is nothing on TV on Wednesday and I am trying to watch them all before seeing the last one.  I am looking forward to taking Levi to see Cars 2 and Transformers.  I am going to have to watch the latter first though I think.  The others have all been a little bit dark.  Levi struggled to get through Tangled, so I am thinking that Transformers on the big screen might be a bit much!

I have one more day of work and then I have a week and a bit off.  I have to work next Thursday but that is all in the next week.  I hope that the weather holds and we can go to the beach or the park.  Levi and I are also planning another camping adventure down by the creek, this time with Luke and Nate.  So just one more day.  Hold on, One more day!

Wrong Side of the Bed

Today Levi definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  I mean really!  First off, he slept in until about 7.20am.  Now normally I have left for work already by then, but it is a holiday and no one wants to do any therapy early on holidays, if at all!  He was cranky from the beginning and then it got worse.  More than ever, I'm glad that this is such a rare event, I actually talk about it.  It is really the first time this year!  I couldn't find his shoes and when he finally wouldn't get dressed, I just left his clothes beside him, gave him a kiss and went to work. 

By the time I had reached my car door, he had turned the happy switch back on and had run around to give me a cuddle before I left.  He had School Care today because it was one of the fun days there - Board Game day.  Of course, by the time that I picked him up again, the demon was back.  It really isn't very fair.  He is very tired from school and he is filled to the hilt with his asthma drugs.  I am hoping they can wean down a little in the next few days so the restlessness can go away and he can get some real rest before going back to school.

Tomorrow he goes to his mate Ty's house and as such will be a calmer, less intense day.  Little will be expected of him and they can spend lots of quiet time.  Tomorrow and the next day will be the same and I hope that he feels better after that. 

My work is very quiet with most people off on vacation.  There were only 4 of us in the office today and we all went out for lunch.  Maybe we can all have a bit of quiet time in the next 2 weeks and recuperate.  That and have a bit of fun!

Painting a Medieval Shirt in 1 day or less

 This was a really fun project.  I needed shirts for the kids to wear to the Medieval Day happening in a couple of weeks.  It is one of those days where you can go in street clothes but you have a lot more fun and it is more interactive if you try to dress up a little.  I bought grey sweat shirts to start as a way to simulate chain mail.  Then I made a dragon stencil.  I got an image from the internet and then laminated it.  I cut through the laminate with a sharp knife and then painted through it.  So you can see the dragon by itself, above here.   I made all the shirts slightly different.  This is Alex's shirt.  I can tell that because his had an A in the center of the dragon.  The other kids all got their own initial.

 Then I painted a blue box around it, because there was too much red.  

 Afterwards I put Crusader cross around the whole thing.  The final portion was to put my trademark on the sleeve.  It fits in really well with the whole picture.  I can't wait to see all the boys in their gear.  Levi got a grey long sleeve thin shirt because I knew he would crack it, having to wear something so close to a sweater

Holidays, Finally

We are on holidays.  Actually more accurately, Levi is on holiday and I am having a few days off here and there.  There is a difference in the air though.  This morning, instead of having to get up early and get ready for soccer, we slept in and woke slowly.  I was looking after some friend's kids all day, so Levi had buddies all day.  They ran around and played.  They all sat down for a sausage sizzle lunch.  In Levi's expert and obviously well studied opinion, the difference between sausages for lunch and a 'sausage sizzle' is the bread.  Pretty much, if there is bread involved, then it is a sizzle. 

I painted shirts most of the day.  I am painting a medieval dragon on some gray shirts (chain mail) for the kids.  It is quite difficult because parts need to dry before you can start on the next bit.  I will post pictures of the finished results.  They have their Kid's day in about a week and a half time, but I don't have a lot of time between now and then to get those sorts of things done.  Namely things that I don't really need Levi helping me for.  So I have to have free time at home and Levi entertained at the same time!

Last night we both went to dinner.  It was a different group of people this time and although they both have kids Levi's age, these friends were not made directly through Levi's friendships.  Interestingly they asked about Frank and I found myself telling them more than I usually do.  Normally I just stop after a simple explanation but they kept asking questions; about Frankie, about USA, about my life before I arrived at Samford.  It made me realize that I should spend more time giving Frankie to people who care.  Give them more of Frankie.  Give them more of me!  I think there is little you could do to separate him from me now anyway. 

Sports Day and Vampires

Today was Sports Day and I was able to get lunch off to go and watch.  He was thrilled that I was there but it didn't help his competitive spirit at all.  He spent the whole time trying to kick off his shoes rather than trying to run fast, so you can imagine how well he did in the races!  Yep, About that well!!  At least he had fun!!  The kids all flowed in a chaos that was moderately organized and there were War Cries that were yelled and lots of happy kids all in beautiful sunshine.  Frankly none of the kids in Grade1 really paid attention to the winners and losers.  They ran relays until they were tired.  They passed batons, lost hats and yelled and screamed.  It was fun to watch them all.  It was also fun to watch the parents, who were happy to cheer for any child, not just their own.  All the kids would run down the track (not always their own) and smile happily at anyone cheering for them! 

Then I was supposed to go back to work.  Levi lost it and cried and begged me to take him home.  I decided that it was just too big to fight.  He is so tired and the kids will do very little in the afternoon after Sports Day!  I can work from home.  It is one of the biggest advantage of this job.  I told him that if he came home he would have to play outside because I would be on the computer.  He was OK with that and he happily did exactly that.  His energy level is so low that it is not worth fighting!  One more day!

Tonight Levi was talking about death again.  I am not sure why he goes there but I am happy to let him go most of the time.  It was a hard day for me to be talking about it, because a girl from work had asked me about Frankie on a drive in the morning.  I have learned not to cry when I talk about Frankie for the first time.  If you do it stops people asking about him and that is not fair, to him, to me or to Levi!

Anyway he said;

"Will you love me after you die?"

I said;

"I will be looking over you and loving you all the time, no matter whether I am alive or dead"

He said;

"You will be in heaven with all the people except the people who kill themselves.  They will all be down with the vampires!"

Then he and I had a big discussion about what I believed about Heaven and Hell.  I said that I thought that anyone who had such a hard life or hurt so badly that they needed to kill themselves would need some peace after they died, so I thought it wouldn't be fair to punish them again.  Levi agreed with me but he was stressed.  His little mate Owen obviously goes to a very rigid church and as he is the only one being given the words, the kids all believe him.  Levi wanted to know what to tell Owen.  I told him;

"My Mum and I don't believe that, but it is OK for you to believe that"

I don't know how to give Levi as much information as possible, without making him make my decision on religion.  I really want him to have the freedom to make his own decision but don't want his only information to come from other indoctrinated 6 year olds.  I might not know much, but I am pretty sure that none of the major religions have vampires involved!!

Baza

Today it was the early day.  I only had to work until 2.30pm so I can pick up Levi after school.  It was the last day of soccer training for about a month as they don't have soccer during the school holidays.  I picked up Levi and then we came home.  Levi had done about two laps around the house on his bike, before he came flying inside.

"There's a bird with a hurt"

I went out to look and on back view thought it was a big, odd shaped pigeon.  One look at the claws and eyes told me that this was no pigeon.  The eyes are just beautiful.  A brilliant yellow, with a piercing glare.  But he was hurt and looked as if he was struggling to fly.  I threw a towel over the bird and went to get a hot water bottle.  Levi held it wrapped up on the couch.  I thought that it would likely be like any other of the big raptors and calm down when hooded and he didn't disappoint me.  Levi held him still but before I could get the hot water bottle filled, the bird started to get restless.  I took it outside and off it flew.  No backward glance, I'll have to say.

I had no time to photograph him and I am bummed because his eyes were beautiful and he has a fabulous crest.  I did have time to take him to Jo, who identified him as a Pacific Baza.  Brilliant name!  Brilliant look.  I ripped an image off Google Images so you could see him.  Interestingly the photo came from Samsonvale, about 5 minutes drive from here.  So wish I had been able to photograph his eyes.

Being a Bad Parent, Again!

Look at that sweet sleeping face!  Do you think there are enough stuffed animals?  He needed 'all the animals' tonight.  I had to pack them around him and he still was needing some deep pressure.  He is wearing out.  It is the last week of school and man, you can tell!

I was a bad parent today.  Today I was on US time, not Australia time.  I get organized and get Levi off to school as normal.  Then about half way through the day I find out that I am actually a bad parent.  I find out that it is actually the 21st and not the 20th as I had thought all day.  The 21st was a 'Free Dress' day at school and not just any free dress day but a 'Dress as your favourite Superhero' one.  He only gets one free dress day a term and I missed the day.  He went in his uniform.  I was very stressed as I thought that Levi would be stressed and unhappy all day.  

I went to get Levi at After School Care and he was happy and playing.  He didn't really care.  He didn't mind at all.  I was blown away.  I think he is more mature than I expect at times.  On a good note, my voice is finally starting to come back properly and I can walk further without feeling like there isn't enough oxygen in the air.  This was a nasty cold!

The other really sweet story.  This morning as I went to get up, Levi suddenly sat up.  I said;

"I thought you were sleeping."

And he said;

"I was lying here enjoying the morning"

That is a sweet little boy.  He is such a good little boy.  Have I said lately how much I love that little mancub! 

Sleeping In

This is Levi, alert and rearing to go to his swimming lesson this morning.  After yesterday when we were busy all day, I thought that it was going to be a fairly quiet one today, but no such luck.  It started with swimming and as you can see we went today.  The last few weeks he has slept through but I let him to get a catch up.  Today we were going no matter what!  Then we played with Zac and Alex, went to Sizzler for lunch and then played more in the afternoon.

It was a perfect Levi day!  He did all that he wanted and more!  Tonight he went to bed on time.  I hope that means we will have a good start to the week.  It is the last week of school before the holidays and all the kids are tired.  There are meltdowns all over the place at the moment.  I think that a holiday is due for all of them.

My cold has improved.  It doesn't hurt to breathe anymore and it has now progressed to coughing up chunks of junk.  Sorry about the TMI.  I assume that this is an improvement as I am actually feeling better now and not so much like death warmed up!  I will be able to work a full week at work, for sure.    The week ahead looks much more optimistic!

Today

 Today we started to play with and assemble his birthday presents.  I put the water blasters on the scooter and Levi scooted all over the yard, shooting at things.  Then some friends came over and there was some shooting of them on their bikes.  They all rode around and around the house playing and laughing!

 They built things.  Who knows what!  They created things and built towers and played in the rocket car.  They were just beautiful.

Then I set up painting and they created in art as well.  I pretty much laid low and stayed quiet and hopefully healed a little.

Lord of the Rings

Another quiet one for me.  I took another day off work.  I did OK yesterday but had a fever again last night and it has hurt to breathe all day.  I think it's just better for all of us (my work mates and I) to be free from my bugs for a day.  I spent the day in fluffy slippers and under a blanket.  Levi had a day at school and then went to Ty's in the afternoon.  I watched the Lord of the Rings from the beginning to the end.  I love these movies.  You can just watch them, enjoying the story and following the path they lay out for you, or you can look deeper into them and see the themes about religion or politics.  I love the lines that give you time to think and the parts that make you sad. 

There is one line in particular that I love that reminds me of Frankie.  Gandalf says it to Frodo;

"It's not what you do with the time you have, It's what you do with the time you 're given."

If there was anyone who lived that it was Frank.  He wasn't given much time, but he lived it well.  He did what was needed of him and showed us all how much happiness could be found on the very edge of despair.  LOTR was mid way through when Frank died and I went to see the 'Return of the King' at it's first showing with some friends.  In it Theoden says;

"My body is broken. You have to let me go. "

It was so hard to hear it.  It was true.  Frank's body was so broken.  I had to let him go, but I miss him so much.

"I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now feel ashamed."

In my heart I think Frankie did go to his family, but not ever ashamed.  He had done his job and played his part.  I can only hope that I can say the same when it is my turn!

Still Sick and Whiny!

The 'sick' has hit with a vengeance.  I took Wednesday off and went back to work today, but I was cranky and out of sorts.  Then tonight have a fever again.  I think I will just bag tomorrow as well and see if I can shake it off a bit better before trying that again.  I think that my work mates will be grateful if I could be a little less cranky and sick as well.  I am sorry my friends!  I promise I will be nicer.  Well until I am sick again!

Levi had his soccer training Wednesday night and he had fun running around.  I just lay on the blanket and waited.  Yes, I have been really fun the last few days.  I didn't even take any photos, but did on the weekend, so that what the photo is.  I have been a big baby.  Trust me!

Catching up

This weekend has caught up with me.  I am getting sick.  Levi is too.  I think after burning the candle at both ends for three days that is just what happens.  I think I am even going to take tomorrow off and snuggle into bed and watch movies.  Levi is sleeping in the next room, coughing.  I am also coughing.  I hope that we get over it really fast.  I am already sick of being sick!

On a better note, Levi has become suddenly proficient on his bike.  Suddenly he wants to ride his bike all the time.  We were going out to dinner tonight and as we were waiting to get picked up, he took the bike, round and round the house 10 times.  Suddenly he has got it.  Suddenly he is a big boy.  I am excited to see the next phase of his life, but I will have to say, I am already missing the little boy!

Walking with Dinosaurs

 Seriously we have waited nearly nine months for this one.  We got in very early and got tickets really close and it was worth it.  The photos are taken on my iphone, so they are not up to snuff but you can get the idea. 

Levi was very excited!  And a little bit scared but he didn't want anyone to know that.  The show was fabulous.  The dinosaurs were 'life' size and incredibly realistic.  They move like real animals and had mannerisms like birds.  The stage play was great and you could see the supports on the creatures but Levi didn't!  We went with Ty and his Dad and the boys were chatting in the back of the car excited both there and back.  They were all about the popcorn and ice creams.

The people writing the stage play, knew their audience really well.  Pretty much everyone in the audience was a boy between the ages of 4 and 100, and anyone looking after said boys, so when one dinosaur dropped a huge load of steaming s*&#t the audience was enthralled.  When the paleontologist shoved his hand into it, they loved it more!  Worth every penny!

Birthday Party

The smile says it all!  This was the birthday party!  I am a relaxed non competitive birthday party host.  Pretty much, I am of the opinion that if the kids can't play happily for a couple of hours in our yard, there is something wrong with the kid.  These kids didn't have any trouble.  The kids all played in the rocket car for about 45 minutes.  Then we all built zip line toys.  I ripped off the pattern from the internet and then adapted it.  I got it from this website which I love and then after the bobbins failed just ran it off bent paperclips which worked better.  Then we had the Rocket Car Cake and opened presents.  When night fell, we lit the fire and the kids all roasted marshmallows.

It was a lovely afternoon and night.  The kids all had a blast.  Levi was a very happy little man.  The rain held off until night.  Really there wasn't a lot more to ask for. 

Building a Rocket Car from 2 boxes

So Levi and I went and got our refrigerator boxes from Harvey Norman.  Then from a plan drawn by Levi, we built a car.  There was only one end on each of the boxes, so I taped a point by bending a whole side of the cutting box.  Then from the other side that matched, we cut out triangles to completely enclose the front.  This left two other odd shaped triangles.  I tried to make fins out of them and was about to cut them before Levi worked out how to position them without cutting.  I cut a door and this gave him access.  From then on there was plenty of playing involved!

I used duct tape because it could be torn in my teeth and because it held with some amount of flexibility.  The other bonus was it could be painted!

So I painted it white.  And added a spoiler.  No it wasn't (as I told Levi) because the car was going to go so fast it needed a spoiler to keep it on the road.  It was because the fins needed some sort of structural stability.  Even the spoiler did not fully support the fins and so I resorted to two pieces of wood that supported both the side walls and the fins.  Actually you can see the wood on the corner of the inside of the fin.

I painted it with house paint.  It gave it a glossy look and there was a vague waterproofing with that paint.  That meant that I didn't have to spend a fortune on spray paint!

Then I spray painted the top silver and striped it in red.  I added the boosters that we had spray painted before and then it was ready for the kids to play in it.  And play they did!



Birthday Party

Today we:

Played a game of soccer

Organized a party

Had a 6 year old birthday party

Had a BBQ dinner with 20 people

Roasted marshmallows

And I am completely trashed.  I'm going to bed!

Rocket Car Part 1

We are starting to build a rocket car, Levi and I.  It started with a plan that Levi drew himself on the back of a letter.  Then the plan was 'refined'.  By refined, I mean, I helped direct the planning to a more achievable option.  Then we went to Harvey Norman and begged two refrigerator boxes from them.  Strapped to the roof racks, they flapped their way home.  Then seriously following the plan, we are building the Rocket Car.  Finally!  After talking about a rocket car, or more correctly 'The Rocket Car' for more than 4 years, we are finally building it.  

Levi can barely contain his excitement!  Here he is spray painting the boosters silver! 

Inspiring Quality Lives

This is the Mission Statement for my work.  It has been bandied about lately because I have sitting through more management type meetings.  It is a nice thought but as I always do, I struggle with the details of it.  I have no idea how to 'inspire quality lives'.  I think that very few of my workmates even think about the whole thing.  My problem is;

What is quality when it comes to some one's life?

How do I inspire that?

I think that quality is very dependent on your philosophy.  My quality life, might be a damned life in someone else's eyes.  Their quality life may be damned in my eyes.  I can't help but think that quality itself is fraught.  Fraught with identity.  Fraught with misinformation.  Can I not 'inspire a quality life' as easily by being good as by being bad.  Inspiration comes as much from deciding not to be what you watch as it does from deciding to be what you watch.

I wish life was more black and white for me sometimes.  I am sure that no one else even thinks about the Mission statement, let alone contemplates it.  It seems such an easy statement, but I can see all these loopholes.  I don't know.  I can't judge someone else's life.  I'll leave that to the priests and the fundamentalist Christians.  I don't know if at the end of all of it, I will be judged.  I know that my job is to judge my own life.  I think that I am the only one on Earth qualified to do that.  Oh that doesn't stop other people judging me, but I can't stop that either.  Let them have fun with that.  At least when judging yourself, you are uniquely suited.  I know in myself what were the factors behind decisions.

I haven't changed anything or made any big decisions at the moment that I am dancing around.  This night time contemplation is just about the Mission statement.

Engagement Party

After the Festival, I snuggled Levi in for a nap.  He and I both had a sleep.  I slept for about an hour.  Levi I had to wake After about 2 hours and he was all sleepy.  He said that he remembered that he had to go swimming.  I had to let him know that he had not in fact slept through until Sunday, but that it was still Saturday night.  This is Levi all dressed up for the party.

On the way there, I decided to take Levi to McDonald's.  I knew that there wouldn't be enough food, quick enough at the party.  I also knew that he likely wouldn't even like the type of food that they have at a party like that.  I told him that we couldn't go through the drive through because he was all dressed up and he would get it all over his shirt, so we went inside.

Part way through this Lady Gaga song came on.  Levi gets off his chair and reaches out his hands to me and asks:

"Mum, Could I have this dance?"

So at 6.30 at night in a McDonald's, he and I danced together as if no one was watching.  I will remember it as a beautiful moment.  A moment when just he and existed and I was still the most important person in his life.  At the end he said;

"Best dance of my life!"

What a charmer!  I will remember that night forever.  Not for the rest of the party but for 4 minutes which I will never forget

Festival

Levi had a great day yesterday.  All that worry about how ugly it was going to be and the whole day went beautifully!  He played soccer and had a great game.  We lost 3 - 2 but Levi got one of our goals and the team is playing well.  Those are the best games too, the ones where the score is pretty close and we all have a good game.  Straight afterward we went to the Festival.  The kids all had wristbands that let them go on the rides, which worked well in theory but in reality just meant long lines.  The kids didn't mind though, they had a blast.  They went on jumping castles and slides.  They got thrown around by the Sizzler and the Cobra.  I was pleased to not have to go on them.  Levi has finally reached an age where I don't have to go on everything.  We are still about 2 years from not having to be there to watch as well, but it is fun to watch him growing up. 

The funniest part of the day was when Levi and Ruby were waiting in line for one of the rides, another friend from Levi's class walked past. 

She says; "Hi Levi"

Levi says; "Hi Claudia"

Ruby looks at Claudia and says: "My Boyfriend!"

Ah, young love.  You have to love it!

Restless

Tomorrow is going to be ugly.  Actually, now it would be ugly even if we were doing nothing because it is nearly 10pm and Levi has just gone to sleep.  He is having a restless night.  I am also having a restless night.  Levi said he gets scared if the lights aren't on and he can't sleep if the lights are on because they are too bright.  I think he is just restless because he doesn't normally have a problem.

Tomorrow this is what our day looks like:

7.30 am - Breakfast Upstairs with Jo

8.30 am - Soccer game

9.30 - 3pm - Festival at school with rides and games and frenetic numbers of children

7pm - Janine's engagement party

So, even if Levi had settled happily into bed at 7pm and gone to sleep, tomorrow would have been ugly.  Now it is just going to suck completely.  Maybe I can squeeze in a nap at 3.15 until 6pm.  Yes and maybe pigs will fly. 

I don't know why it is a restless day for us both.  It has been kind of touchy the whole day, but we both did really normal things.  He went school and I to work.  We played in the park afterwards.  We had dinner.  He went to bed.  But he didn't sleep.  He only slept when I finally lay beside him and snuggled him.  Maybe I should have done that at 7!

So I better get to bed and try to still my restless mind and legs!

Where's Levi?

 I took this photo tonight after removing the pillow that he had placed over his face.  I mean how many pillows does any one child require?  This weekend is impossibly busy and although it will be quite fun, there is a part of me that just wishes that it was over already!

It has been a tough week at work as well.  Everyone seems to be really sick both staff and clients.  I was coming home from one of the harder visits this week and the radio actually played the Prince Caspian song, which I thought no one knew about and always reminds me of Frank.  It is like a telling of his life to me.  I (of course) cried the whole drive back to the office.

This is the song.  It's called The Call