Last Day of School

Today was Justice's final day of Year One. In January he will officially be a second grader. Can you believe it?

At the end of year assembly, after the school donations to charity and the announcement of school captains, Justice received the Head of College Award for his class. We are SO PROUD! The assembly was followed by a breakup party and gift exchange game. (Justice scored some M&M's.) I just find myself wondering, where did that year go?

School Carols Night

Its the end of the school year, so even though its November, its time for the school carol's night. Justice's class performed The ABC's of Christmas and learned sign language for their carol. He received his completion certificate for Year One. Time sure flew by this year! Will had to sleep so he could work another sixteen hour shift, but I hobbled along to see Justice's Christmas concert and the fireworks show afterwards. Christmas celebrations with all the 4th of July heat and fanfare - I am slowly adjusting to life down under!

Larissa's Party

Justice has been friends with Larissa since pre-prep last year, and they have gone on to attend Rivermount together. More importantly, I have been friends with Larissa's mum Fiona since then (hey, she laughs at herself, loves the smurfs and doesn't mind my sense of humour - what's not to love?). Last night we even went and saw New Moon... in the Star Cinema, which seemed like a great idea because you have to be over 18, so we expected no teenlets... We didn't figure on the fact that they serve booze, and drunken twi-moms are just as hilarious and annoying as teenlets when Taylor takes off his shirt.... I was laughing SO HARD at some points I nearly pulled something!

Anyway, this year Larissa was lucky enough to have a birthday bash. I still am not driving (the joys of slow recovery!) so Sharona and Keala took us out to the house (and got to stay and play). There was poolside fun, egg and spoon races (she cheated and boiled the eggs!) and a scavenger hunt complete with water balloons. If they can just figure out which beast wee'd all over the cubby house (and strike them from next year's guest list) all will be well. Fiona made the coolest cake! Happy Birthday Larissa (next week)! And a huge THANK YOU to Sharona and Keala!

I'm no Twi-Mom

Okay, I totally read the Twilight saga and sort of loved it. Well, I really liked it. Its great to see a fellow church member blowing the world away. Its nice to see even the young kids I had working for me reading big fat books. And I enjoy any reasonably good series, it keeps me busy.

And the movie, while slightly painful, was very true to the book, I just felt very old. On the plus side, it featured heaps of places I love from trekking around behind Deanna in her stomping grounds and working on The Queen of the West and The Columbia Queen (both sailing for different companies when I worked on them).

Anyway, I even admit I have tickets for the not yet released New Moon.

But at the end of the day, I am no Twi-Mom. And it seems madly frustrating that people act like Meyers created the paranormal romance genre and others are only poor substitutes following in her footsteps.... PLEASE, people.

I have been reading Kelley Armstrong's series since long before, and if anyone asks me for a recommendation, and they seem the sort (not everyone finds this stuff entertaining) I would never be real comfortable recommending Twilight to someone because the heroine is at times whiney, beyond self-depracating and often tedious.

But Bitten? Well, that starts you on the road of a great entertaining series!

And Steff, sorry for the mystery. I meant to make some obscure housewarming email that would make it make more sense... I just got waylaid by my life...

Taking it Slow?

I love to read. I check out more library books in a week than one card allows, use two different district library systems and utilise cards for both Justice and I at both. I read compulsively and pretty much anything. And honestly, I thought that this recovery time would mean that I just read more and more...

Instead, I find I am unable to read more than a few chapters at a time. I don't do this. When I open a book, I read it cover to cover. Its my system, its been my system for years, and I'm used to it. While I will occasionally keep one book upstairs and one down, otherwise I read at least a single book cover to cover each day. Now either pain, pain killers, too much time or something weirder means I have started three books in the last two days, left them each in different rooms and haven't gotten far with any of them. And I WANT TO - these are good books...

For instance, I am eight pages into Mina Ford's MY FAKE WEDDING, which actually maybe I shouldn't read now because laughing is toxic for my recovery... and I can NOT believe I haven't read more... Listen to this....

I'm not saying I'm perfect. Sometimes, I can be a right cow. I've been known to do wees on people's toothbrushes when they annoy me. I'm morbidly fascinated by news of terrible tragedies in the papers. Quite often, I don't wash up for a week. Oh, I have my faults all right.

And crap taste in men is fairly high up on the list.

I am one tragic cow when it comes to choosing a partner. For a start, I was born with wonky Gaydar. I'm a serial fancier of gay men. Show me a rampant homosexual male and I'll try and get off with him. ...

I've reeled, dazed with shock, from every relationship I've had the misfortune to totter into. ... I've taken so much crap I'm a prime candidate for toxic shock. ...

I've done relationships and I prefer cake. ...

Then I met Jake.
And suddenly the world became a happier, shinier place.
Jake, Uberbloke, graphic designer and driver of gleaming red Surrogate Penis, smarmed his way into my life just over a year ago...

I cursed myself for being a jelly spined wimp who could never refuse an invitation. ...

This prime subject wasted no time in engaging my left breast in lengthy conversation about his favourite subject. Himself. ...

I hoped my boob was listening in case there were questions later...

You know, you just know, that this is hilarious to me. And I am bored, doing nothing but trying to get well. And I put it down... After reading a book every day since 1994, WHAT is this? In a week I haven't finished ANYTHING....

Anyway - just checking in to let you know I'm still kicking seeing as its Friday the 13th and all.

Mom Needs a Loan...

Twenty teeth he won't get paid for...

Bargain price of $100 for the one I want.

Why did we teach him maths?

The Latest

Not that this is timely or important, but it took ages and thus deserves a mention.

For his birthday I cleaned out Justice's room.

All the toys and books and clothes are for use now (or in the near future) and the "baby" things are gone... (Ok, this did tie in with the garage sale, but still, it looks like a big kid's room). Merlin loves the changes to the dragon room, too.

Part of the reason I am posting this is now that I have had surgery I have kicked Justice out of his room. The bed is the perfect height for me to get in easily (ours is a bit high).

So I am very much enjoying the clean orderly state of things.

The Gory Details:

I went back to the hospital outpatients clinic today, and they had to remove some staples.

Which look exactly like staples - its very disconcerting -

and now the wound has to be left partially open and get packed daily.

Doesn't that sound lovely?

The nurse will be coming to our house every day for two to three weeks to repack and redress my disgusting guts.

Will and I keep joking that I would bankrupt us in the US, but its actually the sad truth.

I am so appreciative of a medical system that means I had this operation, a hospital stay and now rather intense and comprehensive follow up - for a total now of around $45 (which was for nine prescriptions). I am not unaware of the higher cost of taxes here - but in the US with state and federal income tax, sales tax, property tax - well, you can't be surprised that the government gets around 60% in the end... We pay through the nose here but its more upfront - and we know what we are getting in return. Comprehensive medical care with little to no cost. No wonder people are trying to sneak over all the time.

Can you guess the BIG news?

The first loose tooth...

Some of you may know the tooth fairy situation in our family.

For those who don't - Justice has been informed. He is not impressed.

Not because he is opposed to full disclosure, but because he had plans for the anticipated funds...

I have one of those nifty "First Curl" and "First Tooth" engraveable sets of boxes,

with a curl safely tucked away.

I have been informed that since I will not be secretly be paying out for the set

I can have the first tooth I want....

For an exorbitant price.

There are real parenting trials when you have a smarty, I can tell you that!

I WOKE UP

GOOD NEWS! I was surprised to find that I did wake up following my surgery Thursday.

Actually, everything went really well and I was released from hospital Saturday, which is earlier than any of us expected.

I had a tough morning and a visit to the emergency department today, but some new (more) pain pills and a clean dressing and home again...

I am in oodles of pain and on so many drugs its shocking there is so much pain, but I'm hanging in. There were bad storms this weekend, and we currently have no home phone. So sorry I can't call anyone...

We need milk and meals and are trying to get ourselves sorted - Will had one small rest in the past three days so things are a bit crazy. Justice stayed home today because of the emergency room run, but hopefully he'll be back to school tomorrow. Whatever happened to visiting teachers like Erin or Megs?

Thank you so much to Fiona and Angela for taking Justice while I was in hospital - and for Sharona. Thanks for the lovely visitors as well - two days in hospital and I had visits from Sharona, Tanya, Will's parents and Chantal and Lydia. I was the most popular patient on the ward~ thanks for everything guys. I am going to be out of commission for a while, but I really appreciate everything!

I'm looking forward to starting swimming next month and maybe when Sharona gives me the bike I can also convince her to ride with me... It just seems hard to believe I'll feel up to any of that ever again... I feel exactly like I have been sawed in half. With a blunt saw. Maybe a spoon...