A good start

Well the first week of 2011 started off well. It flew by, mind you, but all in all it was good. Jordan still wasn't well enough to go to school on Monday but he went on Tuesday and is feeling a lot better. Melissa has a revision break and will start her semester exams next week, so she is busy learning. Jordan seems to have passed his cold on to her, as she is coughing and spluttering all over the place! Nice! I hope she keeps her germs to herself........

It was the tri-stake (Bern, Zürich and St. Gallen) Relief Society temple day yesterday so Melissa and I went to that. We were dead tired as we had to leave at 5.30am but it was a good day and we always come away uplifted regardless of being tired. The temple was heaving but it was good to see it so full and to see so many people we knew. I guess that's what comes from having lived in all three stakes. The hubster's father was also at the temple and we got to have a quick visit and swap some family temple cards. One of the sisters from our ward saw René and said "that's R's dad isn't it? Wow, there's definitely no denying who he belongs to!" Yes, the older the hubster gets the more he's looking like his dad!
The sun was shining so brightly when we came out that it almost blinded you. It was so warm that you could have believed that it was spring not winter. We mananged to take a few photos but not as many as I would have liked as my battery died on me! So typical!

Today was a sepcial day for our family. As Daniel turned 12 on 22nd December he was now old enough to leave the primary organisation and progress into young men's. Last Sunday he was "picked up" and taken out of sharing time and taken to YM by his quorum and today he was ordanied as a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood! He is so excited to finally be able to pass the sacrament which he will do next Sunday. I can hardly believe that my youngest is finished with primary! When did that happen? He is so happy to be able to go to Mutual with Jordan every Wednesday and I love it when my boys go off and do activities together.

Here are a few photos of today:

Let's see what "week two" has in store for us.

Have a lovely week.

Hugs,
Becca

Change

Before the autumn break Daniel's teacher mentioned that she thought it might be a good idea to get Daniel's eyes tested as she feels he may need glasses. He couldn't read certain words or letters on the overhead projector and she'd even put him to the front of the classroom. As you can imagine, Daniel wasn't very pleased to hear this news although I am pretty sure he was aware that he couldn't see correctly.
I rang my opthalmist to make an appointment and was told that we'd have to wait 5 weeks to see the doctor. Wow! What a long time - although Daniel was quite pleased at this news.

Well, we finally got to see the doctor on Monday afternoon and guess what? Yes, Daniel is short sighted (-1.0 in both eyes) and he is colour blind! He can't see pastel shades of red and green! Well that shocked me! Apparantly I carried the X-gene through me from my father who was also colour blind. This I did know. My brother Keith is also colour blind but apparantly it only jumps over a generation meaning he couldn't have got it from our father, but rather from our maternal grandfather, J.Cecil Tullett. I called my mother and she confirmed that he was indeed colour blind. Wow! All of my kids have a 50/50 chance of being colour blind - nice!

This was the test that the doctor did on Daniel and he couldn't see any of the numbers except for the 25. The number 29 is Daniel's main problem - red and green.

This afternoon Daniel and I went to the opticians and looked at some glasses. After about 45 minutes he had made his decision and we ordered them. They should be ready in about 7-10 days and Daniel doesn't care how long they take! It will take a while to get used to them but hey, if you can't see then you need glasses! I know how he feels: I was 13 when I got my first pair of glasses and I cried!!!!

Anyway, photos will follow once the glasses arrive......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

A good day?

There are some days that are better than others and today is definitely not one of the better ones! You see, I'm sick. Melissa was kind enough to share her germs with me resulting in a nasty head cold accompanied with a sore throat. That was Monday and today is Thursday and I'm still feeling pretty sorry for myself. Luckily for me, the sore throat has gone away but in its place is the nasty green stuff with a cough, which means its travelled south!
I slept better last night, which is really positive as the previous two nights were spent on the sofa.....
I hate being sick!!
I feel like I'm in a bubble. Like a spectator looking in. The kids returned to school on Monday and I haven't really talked to them about their new beginning. I don't really want them to come too close to me as I don't want them to get sick, especially at the beginning of the new semester.

While I was lying here, I was wondering what constitutes a good day? And I've come to the conclusion that it's different for every single person on the planet and that the answer could also change every day too. Just take the beginning of my week, for example. On Monday "a good day" included:

• a good start at school/work for everybody
• not too much muscle ache from gym 

By Tuesday "a good day" would have meant:

• no more sneezing, no more sore throat
• being able to sleep
• having the cold meds do their job

Does having "a good day" constitute only of good things happening to us?
Does a mother with a newborn baby call it a good day when her baby hasn't woken up crying every two hours? 
Does a mother of young children class it a good day if she hasn't yelled at her kids and made them cry (even if she was the one that felt like crying)?
Is it a good day when you have succesfully cleaned the house and done the laundry?
Does a teacher call it a good day when he comes home from school and hasn't felt the desire to "strangle" one of his teenage students?

What constitutes a good day, or a bad day, and who decides?  
I guess we decide and it all depends on our viewpoint at that moment. We all have good days and bad days and some days that aren't one or the other. But really it's up to us to decide if the day is going to be a good one by our atitude. Sure I'm sick and I'm stuck in bed but hey, my body is fighting this cold as well as it can and I have a loving family around me to pick up the slack when I can't. It's not really a bad day - it's just a "could have been a little bit better day"! :)
The family will home in an hour ready for their lunch. Thank goodness Melissa is here and thank goodness I have food storage........

Hugs,
Becca

Melissa's graduation

Melissa graduation was on Friday evening and we are so proud of her. She had a few rocky years in middle school and we know how much hard work she has invested to get this specialised diploma ("Fachmatura" in German). The next step is a bachelor's degree in nursing which starts in September. She will continue working at the hospital until the end of July and then she has 6 weeks holiday! She deserves it :)

The next three photos are funny.

The first one: "Mum!! Do you have to?!"

"What! A photo!?"

"Oh, ok.......posing smile!" Melissa and Michaela (Michaela did her internship in Kenya!!!!)

Melissa receiving her diploma:

The graduation ceremony took place in the village church in Trogen (where the school is located) - some village church, eh?

Photos after the ceremony:

One very happy Melissa

 Melissa and Benjamin (her friend from church who also graduated)

I have never noticed a resemlance between Melissa and myself before, but after seeing this photo of her in that pose I saw ME! Wow!

I took some photos of Jordan today (he has a new haircut) and I'll see if I can post them before we leave for England on Friday. My thoughts from last week are going to have to wait until we come home!

Hugs,

Rebecca

laundry rules

I've come to realise that my kids believe that I am solely there to see to their needs and that I, quote, " don't have anything else to do anyway!" Nice eh?

Here's an example, yesterday I was doing the laundry. My kids know that if they want their clothes washing then they have to place their laundry baskets outside of their doors and then I'll know to wash them (trying to teach them responsibility). I was doing our stuff plus Jordan and Daniel's as they'd placed their baskets outside their rooms. I was sure Melissa and Aaron had laundry but they know the rules!

The poor washer and tumbler had been on the go all day when Aaron came home at around 6, soaking wet in the last pair of clean jeans and "kindly" informed me that his basket was now outside his door! This usually means that all contents should be washed, tumbled and ironed before the next morning!! (He went to seminary in sweats). Six o'clock is okay, it's usually around nine that he "informs" me that his basket is ready. I felt that this was an improvement!

Well Melissa came home from insitute last night at 10.20pm and said, "oh by the way, I need this, this and this ready for tomorrow" and then went to bed! I felt like throwing something at her! I'd just put a load in when she came home so I had to wait until 11.00 until that load was finished to put her stuff in. 

I'm sure they think I live to only serve them!  The hubster has a saying, "a lack of planning on your part doesn't justify an emergency on my part". Next time she'll have to do it herself; I'm just too soft.....

So.....ranting over.....back to the ironing......

Hugs,

Becca

Doing the things you love

What are some of the things you love to do? Here's my list:

• Cuddle time with the kids

• Reading the BoM with Daniel in the morning

• Reading a good book

• Going to step aerobics

• Time alone with hubby

• Looking for good craft ideas on the internet

• Internet shopping

• Making cards

• Skype time with my family

• Watching my kids sleep

• Waiting for my boys to come home from school and say "hi momma!" and love it when they say it over and over again until I answer "hi" back

• Looking out of our living room window and watching the lovely sunsets

• Hearing my family make music

• Blogging

• Going out with friends

• Long phone calls with said friends

This list in not inclusive but just a few ideas that popped into my head. Luckily my list of things I don't like to do is a lot shorter, with the main one being ironing. But I guess we've got to keep things balanced! :) (I have to iron tomorrow)

This afternoon I made a card for a friend whose birthday is tomorrow and although my office looked like a bomb had hit it, I felt happy, especially once I'd completed the card! Isn't it cute? Don't you just love Sarah Kay images? It takes me back to my childhood when I had Sarah Kay pencils/pencil case and notepaper.  Now to tidy up my office......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

The wanderer returns

I'm back! I don't exactly know where I went to but I'm back :)

I had a weird week last week  - Daniel was sick with a sore throat and high temperature and was home for the entire week, and Jordan was away on a school sports camp. My normal routine was disrupted and it felt like I was on a different planet. Daniel "forced" me to play Spongebob Monopoly twice (I beat him both times) and not much housework was done. We all missed Jordan and it was unnaturally quiet, which was strange as Jordan isn't really a noisy person. He had a fun time - he got a little sunburnt and came home with muscle ache from so much sport. They went wind-surfing, canoeing, hiking, they played soccer, uni-hockey, went roller blading and other "tiring" activities :)

Ahh bless - look how tired he looks !

On Wednesday I came into the office where Daniel was watching an episode on Yugioh on YouTube and found him cutting a hole in his pyjamas with some scissors. I called out to him to stop and he hilariously answered, "it's the scissors - take them away from me - it's their fault - they just make me want to cut!!"

He was using my Fiskars scissors and he is drawn to them as the handles are so soft. I thought it was so funny. Luckily he was wearing old and outgrown pyjamas!!

On Thursday and Friday I made a countdown calendar for a friend of mine whose son has just gone on his mission. This took a lot of time and concentration but I was really happy with the result. I'd seen one on a blog and thought that the idea was great. I'd asked Ann if she'd seen anything like it in any of the shops in Utah but she hadn't so I thought "why not make one myself!". So I did! 

I'll be back soon to tell about our weekend.

Hugs all,

Rebecca

Children

Last week I read a blog entry from Shawni Pothier about hard work and independence, and about teaching children responsibility. From her entry and the many comments left by other mothers, I could tell that this topic is a worry to many parents who feel that our children are being spoilt and pampered.

It took me back to the time when we decided it was time that our children had chores. It started with tidying the toys away and progressed to setting the table, emptying the compost (which everybody hated doing), feeding the rabbits and then emptying the dishwasher. If I remember correctly Melissa took over the dishwasher job when she was in the 1st grade and has made her way up to the grand position of a  "bathroom cleaner". It hasn't been an easy ride but we feel it is important that all families members contribute to cleaning up the "family mess". 

While I was thinking about this topic it reminded me of two books that I read while the children were young, which were actually written by Shawni's mother, Linda Eyre. One was called "A joyful mother of children: The magic and mayhem of motherhood" and the other "I didn't plan to be a witch" These two books along with a couple of others were livesavers for me and I remember implementing some of her ideas on my little family. I decided to re-read these books and have enjoyed the funny, witty and wise "voice" of Linda Eyre re-confirming things that I had forgotten. I marked a few pages but there was one statement that particulary spoke to me:

"Contrary to what we may have heard, children are not like clay - which we can mold into whatever we want if we try hard enough. They are seedlings. The seed of what they are has already been planted from the moment they began their existence. Some may be orange trees and other might be lemons. It is our job, as the gardeners, to observe, water, expose to sun, weed, provide fertilizer, and nurture, in order to make the most beautiful plant possible from the seedlings we are given".

We have three teenagers in our home at the moment  and we realise how much hard work it is to nurture them in the way that they need it. Each child is different and needs a different fertilizer than his or her sibling. All of them need rules and guidelines but we have noticed, for example that there is no one way to execute consequences. Even though all four children have grown up with the same parents in the same household not one of them acts the same way, which leads me to believe that the pre-existent spirit has much more influence on who we are than we realise. So, we have a lot fruit trees in our family making one very colourful fruit salad! 

Another thing I noticed while I was re-reading these books is how quickly I forgot the trial and stressfulness of life with babies and toddlers. It was hard for me to remember what it felt like having 4 children under 8. I remember reading these books and feeling that they were like water to a parched plant. I "drank" them up and felt strength and hope. Remembering that there would be light at the end of my tunnel some day! I realise that our brains help us forget so that we can survive the next step or phase in motherhood. It's like childbirth - just when the birth pains get really strong you remember what it felt like last time but then it's far too late!! lol!

Time makes things seem not so hard. Things that were tragic at the time seem not to be so bad later on. You have to ask yourself, "which child was it that kept on throwing full toilet rolls into the toilet and blocking it up?" How can you forget something that was a reason to pull your hair out?

I wouldn't say that I'm out of the tunnel yet but that my eyes have adjusted to the lack of light and that I find that with a few tools I can "see" quite well. Books, friends, the gospel are some of the tools that I have found on my way.

There are days when I see the light getting lighter and I realise that it scares me -  How will I react when my children have all left home? Will they want to come home and visit? Will they be balanced, happy people? Have I done a good job as their mother? Will there be regrets? I guess time will tell....

I am enjoying the ride of motherhood and although there are still days that my witches hat comes out of the closet I must also admit that I am learning to deal with my "witchiness" a lot better. I hope my family will agreee......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

Spring is in the air

I woke up this morning and felt the change in the weather; I could feel Spring in the air and it felt so good. It makes me want to jump around like a new born lamb as I feel the new energy pulsating in the air. I have come to the conclusion that I could just skip over the winter season and do very well with only spring, summer and autumn, but our Creator obviously felt that winter was necessary so I guess I'll have to live with it or emigrate to a sub-tropical climate (which I don't see happening, do you?).
It's good to have Melissa home. The dynamics in our home have found their balance again and the boys are being bossed around, like normal! She apparantly didn't sing a alot while she was away but yesterday after she had unpacked, she took a shower and did her normal thing, which is singing in the shower. Yes, it's good to have Melissa home.

She had a wonderful time and I am so happy for her for the new experiences that she has been able to make. Hearing the things she did, it made me realise that she is no longer a child but an adult, and I am happy to see the growth process that she has made in the past six months. I'm happy to hear of the re-bonding that Melissa has done with her cousins, especially Louisa who is only 5 months older than Melissa. It was easy for me not to worry too much as I knew she was in capable hands, being under the care of my brother Keith and my sister-in-law, Sue. Big thanks to them for letting Melissa and Susanna stay, and for taking such good care of them! Melissa would be back in NZ in a flash!

Susanna, Melissa and Louisa at a Valentine's danceI imagine that a trip like this would also strengthen Melissa and Susanna's relationship. I am looking forward to hearing about their trip in more detail once Melissa has slept off her jetlag and has gotten a copy of all the photos that she made which are on Susanna's laptop. Just a little piece of info of what they did: they went bungey jumping from 134m high, which is the third highest bungey jump in the world, and went sky-diving jumping out of a small aircraft at 5,000m. When I told the hubster he said, "she's crazy!" and "she's definitely your daughter!". He couldn't believe that somebody who is his flesh and blood could do something so wild! It was quite funny to watch and listen to his reaction.
Melissa and Susanna at Zürich airport - tired after their long journey but very happy and still joined at the hip!

Life returns to normal for Melissa on Monday when she returns to work. I imagine this coming week will be very tiring for her.
Daniel and Jordan have been off school due to a tummy bug. Daniel came home from school at lunch time on Tuesday looking as pale as a ghost and made quite a few trips to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomache - poor boy. I hate it when the kids are sick, there is very little you can do for them! Jordan was sent home from school on Thursday with tummy ache!
Today (Saturday) is the first day that they were feeling "normal" and they even had enough energy to clean up their bedrooms! In the afternoon, they went into town together to go to the toy store and bought themselves some models. Jordan bought "HMS Prince of Wales" 1:570 and Daniel a "Leopard 2 - German Battle Army Tank" 1:72. Aaron helped Daniel get started as he is an "old hand" at making model ships and airplanes and Jordan wanted to do it all by himself.
Three hours later and Daniel had finished his tank, including painting it. His very first completed model - well done, Daniel!!


Jordan is still working on his model........
and I will post it on here when he has completed it.

Yes, it's good to have all my children back under my roof......

Hugs all,

Rebecca

My boys

Last Sunday after arriving home from church I asked my boys if they would pose for some pictures for me. What turned out are the following photos. I haven't edited any of them and have added all of the ones that I took. Have fun looking at them.



Aaron asked me to take some photos just of him:

It was funny, sometime last week Jordan disappeared into his room and I didn't hear a thing from him for hours and when he came out, he brought this with him. Isn't it cool? Who says lego is dead. Jordan is 14 and I think it's great that he can still be so creative.

I skyped with Melissa on Thursday and it was good to hear her voice and to see how she is doing. She has died her hair again!!!!! This time it's a blacky-brown!!! ARGGGHHHH - I don't know what kind of tick that child has with her hair but it's starting to annoy me ! Anyway - ranting over - she is having a great time - and everybody is happy. Can you believe that she has been gone for 1 1/2 weeks already. They are off back-packing in a national park from Monday until Thursday and then they are off to Dunedin where Louisa is studying at the Uni there.
She has already spent loads of money!!

For me this week flew by and the days just flowed into one another. My week has been orientated around health and nutrition and I spent quite a few hours compiling different articles on nutrition into one booklet. I never can remember what consists of unsaturated or trans fats,etc. so now I have all I need or want to know in one place. I took at trip to the health store on Saturday and bought some oils, grains and flours and also a flax seed bread to try out. I just have to scrape off the sesame seeds - I don't like them! :(


Wednesday was hilarious. I decided to do a major clean-up of my kitchen and when Mr D and Jordan came home, both of them made the same comment, "What happened here?" and Roland also asked me "Have I come to the wrong house"!!! What a cheek!! You would think that my kitchen was messy all the time. Well, it would be tidier more often if certain people would tidy up after themselves!!
I asked Roland if I should make it messy, so he would feel at home and he said, "Yes!!"

I guess the time will come when I will have a tidier kitchen quicker that I would wish for and when that comes I'll probably want to swap tidy kitchens for my kids back at home. Such is life!

My picture of the day today is a photo of our ward primary presidency. Me (1st counselor), Claudia M.(president) and Ruth M.(2nd counselor). Claudia and Ruth are sisters-in-law; they are both married to brothers. We are a good team. (Although the kids today were little devils !!)
I'm off to Stephanie's again tomorrow to tend the twins but first I'll be off to the gym for a session of aerobics. I hope you all have a lovely week.

Hugs all,

Rebecca