[ jet pack!!! ]

sooooooo... i get up this morning & suddenly realized the back pack i’ve ordered for flynn (my 5 year old) HASN'T arrived yet...

let me back track ( because that is my speciality...)

when asked what he’d like for christmas my son oscar (7) adamantly says a jet back... he really believes they exist & that he’ll be able to strap it on his back & zoom everywhere... ‘but don’t worry mum i’ll come home at night’ ~ oh... well that’s alright then!

to try & avoid any disappointment i start explaining that they are dangerous & that i don’t think santa would bring anything that wasn’t really safe... ‘but mum, it’s ok i’ll wear a helmet!’ again... that doesn’t make it ok

after failing miserably with several attempts of squashing the jet pack in this way i go for a different approach. ‘oscar how many people have you seen with a jet pack?’ but this isn’t working either!!

so i go for a second choice so at least i can get him something that he wants & i may even have a chance of getting hold of!!

‘oscar sweet heart, is there anything else you’d like?... just in case santa can do the jet pack’

‘yes mum there is’

oh thank god!!

‘what is it then?’

‘rocket boots’

seriously!!???

we went off to see santa & after the photo i could see them deep in conversation

‘i asked him for the jet pack mum’

‘oh...’ gulp!! santa better not have thrown me under the bus!!! ‘what did he say?’

‘he said he’ll what he can do!!’

mmmmmmmmm

& so begins my frantic search to find something... when i google kids jet packs... there are a lot of diy ones made of the big fizzy drink bottles ~ which usually i’d be well up for... but as we are going to be in australia for christmas i didn't want to run the risk of anything falling apart or off.. especially on the plane!

i eventually come across this cool backpack & ordered it along with the helments, & boot covers!! whoooo hooooo ~ i wanted a set for each of my boys ~ but they only had one back pack grrrrrrrrr 

having searched & searched the internet i eventually order another & i’m feeling very excited!! there's nothing like finding a present that you know is exactly right!! i’ve already pictured the boys zooming round in them.

a couple of days later i get an email from someone i’m not familiar with telling me that my money had been refunded as they made a mistake & don’t actually have that jet pack in stock... oh come on!!

after 2 further hours of looking & becoming very familiar with all the places that are out of stock & how all these costume websites are all linked & have 5 different names... i give up searching for the night...

the next morning i just can’t believe there is not another one of these jet packs in the world!! & can’t resist searching again. i find one straight away!! YIPPEEEEEEEE!! i quickly buy it & feel really excited again!!

so that brings us to  the beginning of this blog entry... i woke up that morning & realise it hadn’t been delivered yet...

now when i get up in the mornings on school days i have no time to be doing anything other than preparing pack lunches & snacks... making sure the boys get dressed, eat their breakfast, clean their teeth etc etc... so when i sit down to search through my emails for the jet pack receipt i know i’m in trouble... & of course as soon as i get off track everything else follows suit!! for example oscar’s lunch box has vanished...flynn can’t find a shoe, the cat decides to throw up in the middle of the kitchen... we literally fly out of the house to the car... i look at flynn & he’s forgotten to put his coat on!! we pile in the car & it was the first frosty night this year & i can’t see out of the windscreen!! i stir up the contents of my boot & there’s no scrapper to be seen... i sprint back in the house & grab a plastic fish slice ~ but the end is curved so i might as well be using my finger nail... i find the dvd box of the tooth fairy in the car (oscar has his first wiggler!!)  & i use that!!

after making it to school on 2 wheels!! i return home & call the company to sort out this back pack situation. they inform me that they don’t have it in stock either... & i’m running out of time ~ we are leaving for australia in a couple of days...

in desperation i search ebay & I FIND IT!!!! for $5 & it’s in perfect condition!! WHOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!! BUT... by the time the auction ends there won’t be time for it to get shipped in time :( so i try emailing the seller directly... i type out this long email & when i hit send there is an error & the message is lost... i try again (not making the message as long)... same thing... write it again & copy & paste it!! end up calling ebay... to my surprise there’s a phone number ~ it was firefox!! who knew! so using a different browser i get my message to the seller who answers almost instantly & very kindly made it a ‘buy it now’.

& so it’s in our suitcase that person ROCKS!!! THANK YOU!!!

can't wait for christmas!!

[ adventures down under ~ part 2 (we arrive!) ]

sooooooo... while we were sitting around at LA airport... i notice just how wiggly oscar's tooth is... i can't stand super wobbly teeth ~ it's bigger than me!! there is no way i can let that go... i ask oscar if i can take a closer look just to see how loose that bad boy is... oooooooo & there it is in my hand ~ plucked!! here you go oscar!! you've lost your first tooth!!

i am SO excited for him!! nothing like loosing teeth to spice up a layover!!

my lovely friend, dawn, said she made up a personal tooth fairy for her girls & i loved that idea!! oscar loves 'the rock' & he played the toothfairy!! that will be his!!!

i have the letter to oscar signed dwayne johnson, toothbrush, gold dollar coin & gum ready!! i go off to buy an i heart LA keychain to remind him of where this milestone happened!! just need to get somewhere with a bed!!

we finally board the plane & go! i can't lie... this was a long flight... reminded constantly when the kids ask how much longer & the answer is still another 13 hours!!
how much longer now mum? i keep refreshing the map screen & it's only gone down a minute!! & me scooching forward on my seat is not going to make us go any faster!! luckily they slept for a third of it.

everyone on this flight seemed to have coughs ~ urgggggg!! & at one point the toilets were looking grim!!

but we made it ~ hooorah!!! finally!! i was completely honest about what food i had in my hand luggage!! & they still let me in! (just kidding ~ but i wasn't going to throw out chocolate!!)

i was sligthly concerned when i went to lift the case off the carousel & it was open!! YIKES!! but i didn't see any stray pieces of clothing doing laps!!

we didn't tell mike's parents the new earlier time of arrival so we grabbed a coffee & a delicious sausage roll!! then a jolly old santa made the rounds... santa had stood way to close to his blusher brush!! & said brush had gone crazy not sticking just to his cheeks... & on closer inspection he was wearing a lot of eyeliner!!! maybe they do santa's differently here!! i must have had a bit of a confused expression on my face because the guy enjoying his beverage on the table next to us shrugged his shoulders in a i understand what you mean kind of way...

we were kindly met by mike's parents & his uncle kenny. on the drive back i saw a cockatoo flying around! for a second i thought it must have escaped from it's owners cage ~ but then i remembered where i was!! it looked like it was going to fly into the tunnel we were entering... i envisaged a feathered scene from mission impossible!!

my concept of time & what day it actually is has completely vanished!! & i'm making less sense than normal!!

but we are here :) !! oscar's tooth goodies are tucked under his pillow along with an australian dollar too!! great idea poppie!! can't wait for him to show me!!

& mike's sister is getting married later!!! VERY VERY EXCITING!!!
it's going to be a fantastic day!!

[ adventures downunder ~ part 1 (delta sucks) ]

sooooooo... off we go to australia for my husband (mike) sister's wedding & christmas...

we get to JFK airport @ 2pm... do the usual self check in at the kiosk, that never works for us & then queue up to sort that out ~ check in bags etc....

we are told that we need visas to go to australia!! i had no idea & stupidly hadn't checked when i squeezed the $9500 for the flights on the credit card!!! yes $9500 & that's economy...

i was on the phone for half an hour trying to sort this out with the lovely lady @ the australian consulate & she informed me she can’t apply for us & that the airline should be able to.

so we line up again... & after a lot of persuasion delta help us out... the boys are travelling on usa passports & got their visas instantly... my nationality wasn't on the drop down menu...!! so i call the consulate back & the wrong visa was being applied for... so i hand over my phone so the process can be walked through... my phone is handed back & i’m asked to listen ~ i’m informed that my visa can take up to 12 hours to be approved & that the consulate have no control over this... & there's no way to expedite anything.

we have to check the bags in at least 1 hour before the flight. mike & i look at each other... i can’t be checked in without the visa...

the delta lady is busily typing away & on the phone ~ who the heck knows what she’s doing ~ but we are lost in our thoughts so it doesn't matter. after 30 minutes she says the visa has been approved!!! thank goodness ~ what a relieve!! hooray!!!!!!

but... now there is another problem... our tickets!!! seriously!! i’m not even allowed to feel the full effect of getting the visa & being able to travel with my family before having to plummet into the fact we have no seats...

delta had called me a couple of weeks ago saying that the plane was over booked & would we mind taking a later flight... they offered $100 each. the time actually worked out better for us so i agreed. then i realized it wasn’t $100 cash but a delta voucher...

so apparently when the delta person made that switch they did it incorrectly... the flight was completely booked... all the time i’m watching the minutes ticking away to get our baggage checked in... it’s becoming more & more apparent that isn't going to happen... there’s no other way to get us to LA to make the connecting flight to sydney...

then just like that we are told to come back tomorrow...  get the flight then & have a lovely relaxing 6 hour layover in LA & miss a day of our holiday... goodnight!

WHAT!!! so this is when my lack of sleep, the fact that we have been stood waiting at this desk for 4 & a half hours with a 5 & 7 year old kicks in.

the supervisor told me to lower my voice... that he was right there ~ my response was i know you are right there that's why i’m yelling!!!

they wouldn't help us with anything, no hotel, no compensation, nothing. after bursting into tears of frustration (mine)  they said they would get us a taxi home... (probably to get me the hell out of there!!)

mike got on his phone & got us a hotel in ny so we were taken there instead :)

& now we are checked in at the airport (this time it only took 20 minutes!!) & are waiting for the first leg of our flight to LA!!

[ is there a pulse?... ]

hemingway

[ boy talk... ]

sooooooo... oscar (6) & flynn (4) are sat at the dinning room table drawing & coloring in. oscar is crazy about military at the moment so of course is 'creating' something along those lines.

flynn: oscar why is your army guy wearing a skirt?

oscar (really angry): he's NOT wearing a skirt you! that's a rocket booster!!

[ cake pops! ]

sooooooo... oscar my older son (6) has been doing a science program which involved spheres & as this came to an end we were asked to bring in a 'ball' shaped snack. i'm thinking away, yes there's cheese balls, cereal, meatballs etc but i wanted to get the boys involved & have some fun. then i had a gru (the super-villain from 'despicable me') moment!! LIGHT BULB!! cake pops!!! i'd seen them out of the corner of my eye on commercials... but i'm not the kind of person that runs out & buys gadgets to make specific things... (a) because i don't need anything else in my cupboards!! & (b) i'm not going to spend hours getting this thing clean after ever use... so although i was excited i was also half thinking this isn't going to happen. but to my surprise you don't need any 'machine' & they are PERFECT to make with kids!! super easy ~ a bit messy & DELICIOUS, so read on!!

[this is also a GREAT OT activity to get little hands & fingers moving!! could these get any better?!!]

all you need is:

a cake mix*
a tub of frosting*
chocolate bark or candy melts (from a craft shop like michael's)
lolly sticks (also from a craft shop like michael's)
 & whatever tickles your fancy to decorate them, sprinkles, nuts etc etc

that's it!!

*if you google these most people will start off with the red velvet cake mix & a tub of cream cheese frosting, but you can use any kind ~ make them fancy schmancy or simple. i started off with devils food cake mix & chocolate fudge frosting :) YUMMMMMMM!!!!

here's how you make them:

make the cake mix according to the directions (i explained to oscar not to lift the electric hand whisk out of the mixture... but i suppose he wanted to know why... !!!)

once the cake has cooled crumble it all up in a bowl & put in the tub of frosting ~ then get your hands in there & mix it all up!

next roll them into balls & place them on a baking tray covered in wax paper. i was reading that you can get 50 out of the mixture ~ but they must be tiny... i got 36

chill in the fridge, if you're in a hurry you can stick them in the freezer for 1/2 an hour.

next i melted the candy melts in the microwave. i have to honest & i was thinking these candy melts are going to taste really fake & not that great ~ but i was really pleasantly surprised!! they are delicious.

take the lolly sticks dip each one into the chocolate & stick it into the balls, this helps keep the sticks in place.

i managed to cover 20 with a 12oz bag of candy melts. you can't hang around because the chocolate will start setting... add the sprinkles / decorations as soon as you've covered each one so they will stick.

have something handy to stick them in... styrofoam is great... they sell styrofoam cones ~ i bet they would look great!!!

& that's it!!! when i picked up flynn from school lots of his friends came running up thanking me!! that's never happened before ~ unbelievable!!

so needless to say ~ this will be my new obsession!! move over jello!! :)

look at these useful sites, here & here & you'll be excited as meeeeee!! the possibilities are endless!!! please share your photos :)

[ pete the cat ~ i love my white shoes ]

sooooooo ~ I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! [ pete the cat ~ i love my white shoes by eric litwin (aka mr eric) ]

are you sitting comfortably? then i'll begin!!

pete the cat was walking down the street in his brand new white shoes. pete loved his white shoes so much he sang this song:

'i love my white shoes, i love my white shoes, i love my white shoes'

oh no! pete stepped in a large pile of strawberries! what color did it turn his shoes?

RED! did pete cry? goodness, no!

he kept walking along & singing his song (thinking 'everything is cool'):

'i love my red shoes, i love my red shoes, i love my red shoes'


oh no! pete stepped in a large pile of blueberries! what color did it turn his shoes?

BLUE! did pete cry? goodness, no!

he kept walking along & singing his song (thinking 'awesome'):

'i love my blue shoes, i love my blue shoes, i love my blue shoes'

 
oh no! pete stepped in a large puddle of mud! what color did it turn his shoes?

BROWN! did pete cry? goodness, no!

he kept walking along & singing his song (thinking 'groovy'):

'i love my brown shoes, i love my brown shoes, i love my brown shoes'


oh no! pete stepped in a bucket of water! & all the brown, blue & red were washed away.

what color were his shoes again?

WHITE! but now they were wet. did pete cry? goodness, no!


he kept walking along & singing his song (thinking 'rock & roll!'):

'i love my wet shoes, i love my wet shoes, i love my wet shoes'


the moral of pete's story is:

no matter what you step in, keep walking along singing your song... because it's all good.

THE END!

[ joao silva ]

sooooooo...joao silva, new york times photographer, stepped on a land mine in afghanistan in october 2010 ~ he lost both his legs below the knee. as soon as i hear 'stepped on a land mine' you know it's not good & i'm kind of waiting holding my breath for the extent of the injury. we hear about the losing limbs but rarely are all the injures talked about... joao had to under go reconstructive surgery to repair his badly injured colon & urethra.... once you hear that, the missing limbs suddenly aren't the breath stopping component...


this man is so calm ~ he felt that his number came up... & given the chance, prostheses permitting he'd go back to photograph more... wow ~ i'll need a few more therapy sessions before i can fully process that.



'CONFLICT ZONE,' inspired by joao silva, is an exhibition of photography taken by world leading combat photographers from the front lines of the wars in iraq & afghanistan is being shown at the New York City Fire Museum


Half of the proceeds will be donated to the CHRIS HONDROUS FUND (chris hondrous was one of joao's colleagues, killed in libya in april 2011), the rest will go to the FISHER HOUSE FOUNDATION & the INDEPENDENCE FUND.



joao silva on voyeurism:

'Somehow the camera gives us access to the most intimate moments in peoples' lives. And you do feel out of place when you're photographing a mother cradling a dead son or whatever the case may be. Or a young Marine helping an injured friend — you do feel like you're somewhat out of place. But at the same time, you know that it's important to do it. It's what you're doing there. Otherwise, stay home and hang out with your PlayStation. ... You gotta learn to live with yourself and what you do. When you take pictures — and these are extreme situations — you are intruding. You're very fortunate to be able to record somebody else's history. I've always maintained that the true heroes are the people around me. ... I always understand that it's the history that I'm documenting — that's the whole point of being there.'

[ easy to make pipe cleaner roses ~ full instructions! ]

sooooooo... i can't take the credit for coming up with the idea... but i think they are brilliant!! and today i went into oscar's school for his 100th day party & made them with his class. the kids are 5 & 6 year olds & although they did need some help they all got it & you could tell they were all excited with the result!! great for fine motor skills.

& whats great is all you need are 7 pipe cleaners! 6 of the color you want the rose petals to be & 1 green one for the leaf.

i like using different shades of the same color.

check out how easy they are to make:

first take 6 pipe cleaners for the rose petals. tap them down to make sure they are the same lengths.

then hold them horizontally, find the middle & twist them round so they stay together.

put your finger on top of the twist & bend the pipe cleaners up to make the ring part & twist. make sure you can still get your finger in there...

next open up the pipe cleaners like whiskers.

pinch each end over & then roll them up to the middle.

do that will all the pipe cleaners.

then tidy the petals up... i like to start with the darker colors in the middle, take 2 & put them opposite each other, then put 4 around & the others go underneath.

next twist a green pipe cleaner under the petals & pinch the ends & roll up just like the others.

these make great boutonnieres & also are nice for decorating presents.

[ HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ]