SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

It's school holidays - two weeks of no preschool!

Last Monday we all went and saw Space Chimps for a family outing. Unfortunately, by the next weekend (the last of school holidays) Will and I were both suffering from some alien deathlike flu thingy and poor Justice had to hang around the house and KEEP IT DOWN...

Monday we were moderately better, but not enough to do anything more exciting than rent Horton Hears a Who. I don't know if it was any good as I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer (having been awake two consecutive hours).

So of course I was feeling a little bad for Justice, poor deprived kid that he is - so I let him go see Wall-E today (Tuesday being cheap movie ticket day I NEVER face the theater during School Holiday Tuesday!). He saw the movie (which was reportedly AWESOME) with a classmate Ben. Afterwards, there was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet and Greet (they are doing a live show over the school holidays) which I guess Justice was excited about. True to form - get him near the costumed folks and he is less than cool with it (see photo face!). He saw his other classmate Ben there as well (just relaying the report - this is apparently VERY important info!)

I think he had a great day, which is what counts...

Me, I am counting the days until he's back at preschool where monkey bars, tire swings and bucket shoes burn off all that excess energy! I reckon while he is at preschool next Monday I will just sleep...

BALANCED DIET

Justice has always been a test subject for the whole "can not live on bread alone" statement. He subsists almost entirely on sandwiches. His preferred lunch, his preferred snack - even if he doesn't request one at breakfast (he is sold on Milo cereal at the moment) he will ask if we can make French toast... He lives on Daddy bread...

Now in the back of our minds Will and I have both had "does he eat right?" concerns... Justice abhors green leafy anything on his plate, he has never eaten red meat - he only likes select fruit (mangoes, bananas, apples - sometimes, seasonally rock melon (AKA cantaloupe) and watermelon) and he will eat carrots. Carrots cut into strings.

The worst part is Justice isn't one of those bratty "I don't like it" kids. If you lay down the law he will always try it, and he will even eat something if you do the food Nazi thing to him - but if its food he dislikes he is just as happy to go without - and he won't then complain about being hungry (so I get no openings to say "well, if you ate such and such...")

Well, we have somehow fallen into the habit of convenience and making him the foods we know will get eaten since he is a little underweight (more by the guidelines than anything you would think to look at him) and we want to be sure when he is at school he is getting enough energy in for all that he burns off.

Anyway, he has been a continuous billboard of bruises. I know - he is just an active boy who plays really hard. But bruises, combined with growing up with my sister's illness, and knowing Justice's diet... In the end I took him into the doctor even though I knew she would request blood work and they would *GASP* stick my baby with a needle! (He was SO brave and was rewarded by the technician with a Hot Wheels car at the end!)

Last night we were up on and off all night with a pukey - icky - mess up several rounds of sheets - ickiness. As I knew the blood results would be in anyway, I took him into the doctor. I knew a bug had just run through preschool - not to mention he went to a birthday party yesterday and who knows what he ate there! Still, I combined the check him out with the blood results...

He's fine. No, weirder than fine - his is the best childhood blood work she's seen on a Dr. requested draw. He is BEAUTIFUL! Perfect on every thing tested. Even iron. Yup - the kid has never eaten red meat or a leafy vegetable and he is PERFECT.

I had blood drawn the same day. I am taking multivitamins, eating red meat and salads and - surprise! - dangerously anemic. Oh, and hydrokylemic. No iron. No potassium.

So, my new eating plan? I am going to live on chocolate milk, Milo cereal and peanut butter and nutella sandwiches. It is working out a treat for my slightly underweight but AMAZINGLY healthy son!!! The only explanation? There really is magic in the Daddy bread!

OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL!

It came!!! Only 347 days after I became eligible, I will be attending a Citizenship Ceremony where I can make the pledge - and BECOME AN AUSTRALIAN!!! That's right folks - I hold in my grubby little paw (FINALLY) the letter scheduling me for a citizenship ceremony where I will become official!!! WHOO HOO!!! You have NO IDEA how much I will save on Uni fees! WOW - a long time coming but SO EXCITING! Wednesday - 1st October - 7:30PM!!! Wish me luck...

WORLD'S BIGGEST DAMPER

Make a Smilebox greeting

We enjoyed the afternoon out, and had delicious steak burgers on Just Loaf buns (Will and Justice made 400 hamburger buns for this thing!). Justice climbed this awesome (perfect for climbing) tree and also had his very first horse ride... Between the bakery, wholesale and university, we don't really seem to get out to do all that much - but luckily when we do its great fun!

FINALLY OFFICIAL - SORT OF...

Today - in the mailbox - it came! My official, full fledged, original citizenship approval!

That's right! I am Australian approved...

Too bad it turns out its like being pre-approved for credit or something...

I now have to wait until a ceremony has been arranged for me to say my pledge (I guess oaths are not PC enough)...

However, once that has been arranged (and please note Mrs. McPhail that it should be within six months!)

THEN I will OFFICIALLY have my citizenship...

Still, I guess its nice to know that someone approves of me!

PRESCHOOL CUTIE

School portraits were available today! Isn't he gorgeous?

The photographer did all of the individual shots on the climbing equipment and play areas outside... Lovely!

FATHER'S DAY

This weekend was Father's Day down in our neck of the woods.

Will woke up Sunday around 4AM (his internal clock is so different from mine!) Justice woke up around 7:30, immediately found the present he made at preschool (and had left in some secret hiding place from Wednesday) and ran downstairs with it saying "Happy Father's Day". I slept until 11AM, by which time they had watched a movie, played computer games and gone to the bakery to get some work done.

I am such a slacker! Although I DID cook an egg brekky!

To all the Dad's we know and love - Happy Father's Day!

ALL'S WELL

There's isn't all that much new and/or exciting going on in our neck of the woods at the moment.

We had our regular few days off in August (at the anniversary of starting the business) and we spent one of the nights all together as a family making the wholesale orders. (It just took me ages to upload the photos from the night.)

Justice had a blast! Especially as he and Will made a crocodile loaf which he got to bring to his preschool. So Justice worked all night, had a nap and then went to school. He really is amazing! He also did all the delivery runs with Will while I crashed. VERY impressive!

I had a blast because I took a slew of great photos as well as some video. And I think Will had fun because he must get bored doing it on his own every night...

Our family is so strange! A family outing involves working in the bakery all night...

A month on and all is well. We have a total of FIVE staff members now, including a delivery driver, an apprentice, a shop assistant and two junior staff... The schedules are so varied I doubt I will ever get a group photo.

I have been a bit swamped with preschool paperwork and university papers. As well as a jungle of doctor's visits - I am officially on the surgery waiting list... Will had a bad dance with the horrid flu/cold/killer death thing that seems to be floating around our region, although he seems to be on the other side f it finally. And, as always, Justice has been happy, hearty and healthy...

Life is ticking quietly along and the year is absolutely FLYING by! Hoping all is well with you!

Oh, and still no word back regarding citizenship!