Helping Hands

Justice and Merlin tucked in and helped weed the front garden. Body corporate finally hired someone to come in and make the area presentable. They chipped the old garden and broke our car window in the process, but they paid for it and the end result of the garden is a real marked improvement. They kindly left my frog pond and small garden that we had planted, so we have been working to keep it up now that everything is so improved.

MAKING CHANGES

Today was our last day.

After four long years we have decided to close the retail shop.

The Just Loaf is going wholesale.

Its a tough decision, and it will be strange not to see our regulars every day, but for economic, health and personal reasons this is the best decision for our family.

Hopefully it will also mean we have a bit more time?

RED DAWN

Today I walked out of the house and immediately walked back in to ask Will to look at the horizon. He glanced at the giant red cloud and said "Oh, its a dust storm". Sweet relief. This girl grew up near Millstone. The sky looked pretty apacolyptic to me. Will took these photos out the front door about forty minutes later once it had rolled into town. The worst dust storm in decades nearly gave me a heart attack.

Merlin's Antics

Merlin "the Sugar Purrlin"

(we make weird rhymes - its left over from living with Suzi!)

Our kitten is growing. Really, he might only be three months, but he seems giant these days. He hurt himself (somehow, probably fell off the top of the door, or curtains or something equally silly) and I had to take him to the emergency weekend clinic. After diagnosing trouble with his back leg (and pain and a fever) the vet recommended overnight hospitalisation, x-rays and IV fluids. For $1200. Luckily I had a friend with me who was able to keep me reasonable. In the end a $34 shot and staying up with him (I had a paper to write anyway) got the job done and he is once again wildly tearing around the place. He is the cuddliest cat you ever met! And SO patient with Justice (they even play ball - what cat does that?!) Already he has done so much to make our rented unit more of an actual home... And his rumble helps me sleep...

TERM THREE

I can not believe how far behind I have fallen this term. Do you know its just a few weeks until Justice turns six?! Where does it go? Anyway, I thought I would try to do a quick run down of the term...

Justice got another award at assembly this term. This is particularly significant because Justice got the award for art. He doesn't really care for art, neither Will nor I are proficient or interested, so its always just sort of been that way. Art is kind of a whatever thing around here...

Until Justice got his report card and decided he was not happy with his art grade, so he decided to try a new "go for it" program. Three weeks later he got the award for art. This kid amazes us constantly!

We had sports day this term. Justice is in Young House, as are most of his friends from preschool last year who have also enrolled at this school. So he has some long standing relationships with kids in this group... He came in 4th and it turns out he is "shy" when it comes to cheering. Anyone who has attended a sporting event with me will know how funny that is - I can scream the place down...

And last week there was school camp. For two days, the kids got to go down to the back field area on campus and do school camp from 8:30 - 3. Next year they will sleep overnight in their classrooms. The year after in tents on the grounds. And by year 4 he will be traveling to sleep away camp. Sure, tell me I have a few years - but with the way time's been flying, he'll be sleeping away TOMORROW...

(camp exercises)

Thank You so much...

Thank you for the keychains. The school recommends them so we can easily identify the required identical school bags. Justice really loves all the ones that have come to him from around the world. It makes him feel wildly special to explain "Oh, that one came from Holland" or Connecticut or Boston... Thank you! We have eight zippers and eleven more years of school - don't be afraid to add to the collection!

Book Week

Justice's Pirate Crew Class

Justice and Captain Scott

(this makes teaching Year 1 look way more fun than it probably is)

I keep meaning to get all caught up on this blog, but with a paper due (2,000 words 40% of my grade) Tuesday, an exam (50% of my grade) Wednesday and an exam paper (40% 2500 words) due Thursday, I just have to realise that while I am often online, I am hardly ever getting caught up. (The joys of a more than full-time study load!)

So, just a little glimpse of what's new - last week was Book Week at school. Justice did his first book report, and I am sorry to say that the book he chose was all about Dragon Droppings. The Rascal stories (by Paul Jennings) is one of Justice's favourite book series.

Unfortunately, I remain out numbered when it comes to all things testerone driven. So Justice deliberately did his book report about Rascal and the Dragon Droppings. He had to write a letter to the author to read aloud in class. He took it as a personal challenge to see how many times he could mention "poo". Class clown in the making...

Anyway, we haven't been up to much. But we're all well. Hope you can say the same!

oh, there is this mom I keep nearly becoming friends with. But her kid is the shark. and she made the costume. Who needs that pressure?! Supermom is off my friends list. At least until I forget (again) how much cooler than me she is!