I got a haircut last night. When I returned home LGR looked at me quizzically and said "You look weird."
He then asked "What did they do to you?"
This morning he asked Mrs G why I still look like a boy after my haircut. Mrs G explained that I look like a boy because I am a boy and I like being a boy. Lochie thought about this for a moment or two and then said "Some Daddies like to look like girls." He even went on to explain the Daddy's that he knows of who like to look like girls :-)
---
Hayzey had an interesting moment when I was picking her up from kindy yesterday. On the way out we had to pick up a Wiggles CD that we had loaned the centre for a few days. Once this was found (it was in LGR's bag all along) LGR and I started walking towards the exit. Hayzey had different ideas and walked back towards the toddlers room!!! I called out to her and she turned around, waved, and kept walking ... In the end I had to chase her and pick her up. So she promptly started screaming and thrashing around. It's good to see she had a good time there yesterday.
---
I've started the whole exercise thing again - in earnest. I think my ankles and back are both ok so I'm giving the 'healthy lifestyle' thing a shot. Again.
As a result I'm a little bit sore (not nearly as bad as I was on Monday) and somewhat tired. But my brain feels better for knowing that I'm making an effort to ward off some potential health issues further down the track.
---
I've come across a Firefox browser plugin that converts $ prices into oil prices. For example if you bought some socks it would display them as $5, or alternately 0.05 of a barrel of oil ....
Very cool for these oil cost sensitive times :-)
Friday, March 31, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
orweehoos
Yesterday we celebrated 5 years in our house. Initially I only planned to live there for three so I'm a little bemused by the whole thing. The time seems to have gone by pretty quickly and it would be fair to say that we have achieved a few things in that time.
Mrs G is back home. The kids were pretty happy to see her come home - Hayzey so much so that she tried to climb out of the bath to give her a hug :-) Apparently the trip was quite a success.
The kids have been quite amusing at kindy this week. Each day when I pick them up Hayzey rushes over for a hug (as does LGR) and then she drags me by the hand to pick up her bag. Once this is achieved Hayzey races to the door waving to everybody in her regal little way and saying "Bye" to everyone - but the way she says it is with a very definite Southern (American) inflection. It's very amusing and very cute. LGR is the opposite - he's content to hang around and talk to people and let everyone know that I'm there.
They have a student teacher for a couple of weeks - she told me LGR likes the Wiggles!! It's not like I wouldn't have noticed that .... She's helped LGR write a letter to the Wiggles, and has bought in a karaoke set which LGR loves to use. There's even pictures of him singing into a microphone on a stage he built out of wooden blocks. Mrs G and I are starting to seriously consider the possibility of taking him to some sort of entertainment/music classes. He loves it and never stops talking about instruments and the Wiggles.
---
I got this list of advice in an email earlier today. Words to live by?
1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto. The blockage will be almost instantly removed.
2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.
7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.
8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
Mrs G is back home. The kids were pretty happy to see her come home - Hayzey so much so that she tried to climb out of the bath to give her a hug :-) Apparently the trip was quite a success.
The kids have been quite amusing at kindy this week. Each day when I pick them up Hayzey rushes over for a hug (as does LGR) and then she drags me by the hand to pick up her bag. Once this is achieved Hayzey races to the door waving to everybody in her regal little way and saying "Bye" to everyone - but the way she says it is with a very definite Southern (American) inflection. It's very amusing and very cute. LGR is the opposite - he's content to hang around and talk to people and let everyone know that I'm there.
They have a student teacher for a couple of weeks - she told me LGR likes the Wiggles!! It's not like I wouldn't have noticed that .... She's helped LGR write a letter to the Wiggles, and has bought in a karaoke set which LGR loves to use. There's even pictures of him singing into a microphone on a stage he built out of wooden blocks. Mrs G and I are starting to seriously consider the possibility of taking him to some sort of entertainment/music classes. He loves it and never stops talking about instruments and the Wiggles.
---
I got this list of advice in an email earlier today. Words to live by?
1. If you are choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat and presto. The blockage will be almost instantly removed.
2. Clumsy? Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by simply using the sink.
4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.
7. Have a bad toothache? Smash your thumb with a hammer and you will forget about the toothache.
8. Sometimes, we just need to remember what the rules of life really are: You only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Weekend
It's been a very long and somewhat rewarding weekend for me.
Friday night was a particulary good unwind. I didn't do anything special but did have a nice chat with Mrs G and this helped me put some things in perspective. We also watched some Comm Games and a bit of the cricket. It's always nice to see the Aussie cricket team go well. They get given a ridiculous hiding in the media for the tiniest thing so I tend to take a perverse pleasure in watching the media shut up when it goes back to business as usual.
We had swimming lessons on Saturday morning. I didn't realise we were starting at 08:00 (I expected 09:30) so I was happily laying in bed reading when I was jolted into the real world. We made it on time and the kids had back to back lessons - so were in the pool for an hour. They swapped teachers halfway through and both had good lessons. After this it was off to the shops to look for a printer and get some groceries. We found the printer we were after but decided there was no room in the boot when we allowed for groceries and a pram.
We didn't do a lot after lunch - we played some games in the backyard, watched some TV, drew some pictures and generally hung around home. It was fun and we all got a bit dirty.
Dinner was a bit on the lazy side - we got some pizzas.
Today was a weird one. I woke up at about 05:30 for no reason and Hayzey was awake by 06:15. Her nose was a bit runny and she was wheezing a little so I suspect she just wasn't comfortable sleeping. LGR had no issues and was up at about 07:00. Unfortunately the poor little soul had been crook during the night and had thrown up all over the place. This was on top of Hayzey having a massive chuck while going to be last night. We were suspecting food poisoning of some sort but are not sure how. Maybe it was just coincidence.
Hayzey was asleep again by about 08:30 and around 10:00 we decided to head out to get the printer. On the way we detoured via an outdoor play area in a shopping centre, and then a soft play centre. Upon reaching the spot designated for our purchase we were informed the last one was sold on Saturday - which was when we decided not to get ours!! Turns out there are some more coming in so maybe on Thursday night??
And then came the big part of the weekend. Or week. Depending on how you look at it. Mrs G had to leave to go up the coast for a work thing for a few days. Both kids handled it really well. Hayzey waved to Mrs G and even came up with the word "Bye" a few times. LGR kept wandering around to Cribby's side of the car to tell her something else. And then Mrs G (aka Mum) was gone and it was me and the kids.
First stop was a swim in the pool. Which I had to blow up. This took close to 15 minutes and I was very warm by the end of it. The playtime in it was nice. The water warmed up and the kids loosened up and we all got plenty wet. Afternoon tea was had and some rest time put in. Every now and then we'd all have a game together. Bath's came and went and then dinner. Both kids were excellent - eating well and without tantrums.
Going to be was a little hard. LGR got very clingy and wouldn't give Hayzey the space she needed. He also kept saying he wanted hugs from his Mummy and asking how many more days until she gets back :-(
He got to have a chat with Mummy on the phone and this made him feel ok but he was still quite clingy.
Having said I've been surprised by how well they have adjusted to Mummy's absence and Daddy's very different parenting style. I'm very proud of both kids and love them both to bits.
Friday night was a particulary good unwind. I didn't do anything special but did have a nice chat with Mrs G and this helped me put some things in perspective. We also watched some Comm Games and a bit of the cricket. It's always nice to see the Aussie cricket team go well. They get given a ridiculous hiding in the media for the tiniest thing so I tend to take a perverse pleasure in watching the media shut up when it goes back to business as usual.
We had swimming lessons on Saturday morning. I didn't realise we were starting at 08:00 (I expected 09:30) so I was happily laying in bed reading when I was jolted into the real world. We made it on time and the kids had back to back lessons - so were in the pool for an hour. They swapped teachers halfway through and both had good lessons. After this it was off to the shops to look for a printer and get some groceries. We found the printer we were after but decided there was no room in the boot when we allowed for groceries and a pram.
We didn't do a lot after lunch - we played some games in the backyard, watched some TV, drew some pictures and generally hung around home. It was fun and we all got a bit dirty.
Dinner was a bit on the lazy side - we got some pizzas.
Today was a weird one. I woke up at about 05:30 for no reason and Hayzey was awake by 06:15. Her nose was a bit runny and she was wheezing a little so I suspect she just wasn't comfortable sleeping. LGR had no issues and was up at about 07:00. Unfortunately the poor little soul had been crook during the night and had thrown up all over the place. This was on top of Hayzey having a massive chuck while going to be last night. We were suspecting food poisoning of some sort but are not sure how. Maybe it was just coincidence.
Hayzey was asleep again by about 08:30 and around 10:00 we decided to head out to get the printer. On the way we detoured via an outdoor play area in a shopping centre, and then a soft play centre. Upon reaching the spot designated for our purchase we were informed the last one was sold on Saturday - which was when we decided not to get ours!! Turns out there are some more coming in so maybe on Thursday night??
And then came the big part of the weekend. Or week. Depending on how you look at it. Mrs G had to leave to go up the coast for a work thing for a few days. Both kids handled it really well. Hayzey waved to Mrs G and even came up with the word "Bye" a few times. LGR kept wandering around to Cribby's side of the car to tell her something else. And then Mrs G (aka Mum) was gone and it was me and the kids.
First stop was a swim in the pool. Which I had to blow up. This took close to 15 minutes and I was very warm by the end of it. The playtime in it was nice. The water warmed up and the kids loosened up and we all got plenty wet. Afternoon tea was had and some rest time put in. Every now and then we'd all have a game together. Bath's came and went and then dinner. Both kids were excellent - eating well and without tantrums.
Going to be was a little hard. LGR got very clingy and wouldn't give Hayzey the space she needed. He also kept saying he wanted hugs from his Mummy and asking how many more days until she gets back :-(
He got to have a chat with Mummy on the phone and this made him feel ok but he was still quite clingy.
Having said I've been surprised by how well they have adjusted to Mummy's absence and Daddy's very different parenting style. I'm very proud of both kids and love them both to bits.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Footy
We played footy and trains in the backyard last night - at LGR's insistence!! He's suddenly decided that footy is great fun to play but still doesn't want to watch it. Same with cricket - he'll play it with us but couldn't be bothered watching it.
Hayzey tends to just run around aimlessly while all this is going on but takes great delight when we give her the ball. Normally she will look at it for 3 or 4 seconds and then politely hand it back but occasionally she hurls the ball back to/at us with an impish grin.
---
I stumbled across some pictures from the Candadian territory of Nanuvut today. The spiel on the page says it all. I love the idea of a place so different from my everyday life.
Hayzey tends to just run around aimlessly while all this is going on but takes great delight when we give her the ball. Normally she will look at it for 3 or 4 seconds and then politely hand it back but occasionally she hurls the ball back to/at us with an impish grin.
---
I stumbled across some pictures from the Candadian territory of Nanuvut today. The spiel on the page says it all. I love the idea of a place so different from my everyday life.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Sport
Wasn't it an interesting weekend of sport?
I'm registered in the work NRL tipping comp so I had a very big interest in the first round. I picked the Tiggers to beat St George/Illawarra; but was kind of lucky to do so. I meant to change my tip on Friday but ran out of time.
I also predictably picked the Beagles to wallop Canberra - but was wrong. I thought this might be a good year for the Beags but based on Saturday it's just going to be a long year. Things can change though and I hope they do.
All in all I tipped ok and am currently second in the tipping comp (courtesy of countback - we have one game per week where we have to pick the margin and I was only 3 points out on the Newcastle/Parramatta game).
I'm liking Rugby Union a lot these days - probably more so than league. I loved watching the Waratahs go around on Friday night. In the second minute I boldly predicted to Mrs G that there were plenty of points in the Tahs and soon after it was 14-0 (I think after 7 minutes). A 47 point was the biggest winning margin ever for NSW and fair indicator of the game.
And then there was the cricket. What the hell happened there?? Nice batting Mr Ponting. Nice batting Mr Gibbs. I never thought I'd see a 400+ score, and particularly not against South Africa. Once it was in place I seriously thought Australia might win the game by 300 runs but it turns out I was wrong. It kills me but I think this is one of the most remarkable wins in the history of cricket. Possibly even in the wider context of sport. How often does a team/individual break a world record by 10% and still get beaten? Not very often.
---
The Jones Clan are all getting better. Hayzey has cleared up completely and LGR seems to be ok; but still has a croaky voice. Mr and Mrs G are also a bit better. Good moods have returned to our house.
---
Check this out. A nice way to advertise your building. I can't see this happening in Australia :-)
I'm registered in the work NRL tipping comp so I had a very big interest in the first round. I picked the Tiggers to beat St George/Illawarra; but was kind of lucky to do so. I meant to change my tip on Friday but ran out of time.
I also predictably picked the Beagles to wallop Canberra - but was wrong. I thought this might be a good year for the Beags but based on Saturday it's just going to be a long year. Things can change though and I hope they do.
All in all I tipped ok and am currently second in the tipping comp (courtesy of countback - we have one game per week where we have to pick the margin and I was only 3 points out on the Newcastle/Parramatta game).
I'm liking Rugby Union a lot these days - probably more so than league. I loved watching the Waratahs go around on Friday night. In the second minute I boldly predicted to Mrs G that there were plenty of points in the Tahs and soon after it was 14-0 (I think after 7 minutes). A 47 point was the biggest winning margin ever for NSW and fair indicator of the game.
And then there was the cricket. What the hell happened there?? Nice batting Mr Ponting. Nice batting Mr Gibbs. I never thought I'd see a 400+ score, and particularly not against South Africa. Once it was in place I seriously thought Australia might win the game by 300 runs but it turns out I was wrong. It kills me but I think this is one of the most remarkable wins in the history of cricket. Possibly even in the wider context of sport. How often does a team/individual break a world record by 10% and still get beaten? Not very often.
---
The Jones Clan are all getting better. Hayzey has cleared up completely and LGR seems to be ok; but still has a croaky voice. Mr and Mrs G are also a bit better. Good moods have returned to our house.
---
Check this out. A nice way to advertise your building. I can't see this happening in Australia :-)
Saturday, March 11, 2006
LGR and the Tree
LGR and I spent close to 5 minutes playing around with a variety of poses which revolved around this tree. The results were very amusing.
Hayzey's Slippery Dip
A picture from the park today. Hayzey found, and loved, a couple of slippery dips.
Hayzey does not lack any confidence when it comes to new or unusual situations ...
Hayzey does not lack any confidence when it comes to new or unusual situations ...
Airport
Today I had the pleasure of taking the kiddies out for a wee adventure whilst Mrs Gazzarus did some study (I still don't know what it's called - some HR thingy). We ended up going to a park at Arncliffe which was extremely proximal to Sydney airport - not that you would know it. Every now and then we heard a plan but didn't see one the entire time we were there.
The kidlets had a ball. We played on some toys, took some photoes and I even tried to teach them both how to cup your hands to catch water out of a tap. This wasn't successful. LGR got his face wet but I don't think he actually drank anything and Hayzey just managed to get herself wet.
It was fun. I took plenty of photo's and we all had a fairly carefree and spirited sort of time.
To finish it off I took the kids for a drive around the perimeter of the airport. LGR was fascinated. He loved the size of it all - the planes, the grounds, the buildings. It was great to hear him sit in the backseat oohing and ahhing at fairly regular and short intervals. Now we just have to get him onto a plane - something which he asks for on an almost dayly basis.
---
Early in the evening (about 19:30) I was pushing LGR on the swing while Hayzey was being put to bed by Mrs G. We had a bit of a chat in which it eventuated that LGR wants to live in a place where it snows all the time. He also wants to be able to swim at the beach everyday, go to the pool everyday and it has to have lots of trees. I asked him if he knew where this place was. He did.
"Campbelltown"
Fantastic :-)
---
For those that care there is a journal (sans pictures) from our recent holiday online. It can be found here. It's not quite finished but I'll post notices when I update it.
The kidlets had a ball. We played on some toys, took some photoes and I even tried to teach them both how to cup your hands to catch water out of a tap. This wasn't successful. LGR got his face wet but I don't think he actually drank anything and Hayzey just managed to get herself wet.
It was fun. I took plenty of photo's and we all had a fairly carefree and spirited sort of time.
To finish it off I took the kids for a drive around the perimeter of the airport. LGR was fascinated. He loved the size of it all - the planes, the grounds, the buildings. It was great to hear him sit in the backseat oohing and ahhing at fairly regular and short intervals. Now we just have to get him onto a plane - something which he asks for on an almost dayly basis.
---
Early in the evening (about 19:30) I was pushing LGR on the swing while Hayzey was being put to bed by Mrs G. We had a bit of a chat in which it eventuated that LGR wants to live in a place where it snows all the time. He also wants to be able to swim at the beach everyday, go to the pool everyday and it has to have lots of trees. I asked him if he knew where this place was. He did.
"Campbelltown"
Fantastic :-)
---
For those that care there is a journal (sans pictures) from our recent holiday online. It can be found here. It's not quite finished but I'll post notices when I update it.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
More Advice
The Jones clan are all a bit crook this week - not so sick that we are taking time off any of our respective duties (ie work, going to kindy) but sick enough to be taking a variety of OTC medications and, in the case of Hayzey, some stuff for yet another ear infection. I suspect we're through the worst of it and with some luck we'll have all picked up a bit by the time the weekend rolls around.
LGR has been dispensing some wisdom to me of late - such as:
"When I'm 4 years old I will live in a house next door to Mummy and Daddy; and I will drive my car to visit Mummy and Daddy every day"
"You go to work Daddy and I will stay home and look after myself" When questioned about whether he knew how to do this I got "No. Can you teach me?"
"I don't want breakfast" When asked why the response was scathing. "They make nice toast at kindergarten. Better than your toast."
Hayzey hasn't been left out. She's started using her voice rather than just shreaking and wailing and occasionally she even sounds like she's trying to engage in conversation. She knows the word 'more' and uses it a lot (usually with food). She also says 'yes' and if she wants to indicate no we get a very vigorous head shake.
Her comprehension is pretty good. She can identify facial features and her belly and actively participates in getting dressed and ready to go out - by preempting our requirements. If she sees with a nappy she will lay down. If she sees us with her shoes she will sit down to put them on. If we say we're going out she will walk to the front door and wait for us. There's other things but this is a nice example of where she's out.
----
I came across some fantastic, and often surreal, photographs of Mexico City. They were taken by a professional helicopter pilot and are little more than a collection of what he sees while working. Some of these shots are amazing - my personal favourites are those of the low income housing developments. To my eye they don't look real. But I'm assured they definitely are.
LGR has been dispensing some wisdom to me of late - such as:
"When I'm 4 years old I will live in a house next door to Mummy and Daddy; and I will drive my car to visit Mummy and Daddy every day"
"You go to work Daddy and I will stay home and look after myself" When questioned about whether he knew how to do this I got "No. Can you teach me?"
"I don't want breakfast" When asked why the response was scathing. "They make nice toast at kindergarten. Better than your toast."
Hayzey hasn't been left out. She's started using her voice rather than just shreaking and wailing and occasionally she even sounds like she's trying to engage in conversation. She knows the word 'more' and uses it a lot (usually with food). She also says 'yes' and if she wants to indicate no we get a very vigorous head shake.
Her comprehension is pretty good. She can identify facial features and her belly and actively participates in getting dressed and ready to go out - by preempting our requirements. If she sees with a nappy she will lay down. If she sees us with her shoes she will sit down to put them on. If we say we're going out she will walk to the front door and wait for us. There's other things but this is a nice example of where she's out.
----
I came across some fantastic, and often surreal, photographs of Mexico City. They were taken by a professional helicopter pilot and are little more than a collection of what he sees while working. Some of these shots are amazing - my personal favourites are those of the low income housing developments. To my eye they don't look real. But I'm assured they definitely are.
Monday, March 06, 2006
The Swing of Things
Ok. So we're back in Sydney. I think we're getting our Sydney hats back on but it hasn't been easy. Life is so much busier when you have things like work, kindy, groceries, study, traffic, bills and whatever else to think about.
Mrs G is firmly entrenched in a line of study which will see her having a very busy 6 weeks, and then a bunch of assignments to complete and hand in over the following 6. I guess she'll be 'back to normal' somewhere around June ....
The kids have settled back into Sydney time nicely. Both were pretty happy to be at kindy last week; and it's become obvious to us how much they've developed physically and mentally in the couple of weeks we were away. Rumour has it that LGR has bored everyone silly with his stories of Wiggles World; but he's also managed to sneak in a few stories about beaches, Australia Zoo and various other things we did up the coast.
Hayzey is developing far too quickly. She is taller, starting to talk and showing no fear of anything. To top it off she has the most amazing tan.
I hope to make the updates a bit more regular now; and provide some more detail about what the kiddies are up to.
Mrs G is firmly entrenched in a line of study which will see her having a very busy 6 weeks, and then a bunch of assignments to complete and hand in over the following 6. I guess she'll be 'back to normal' somewhere around June ....
The kids have settled back into Sydney time nicely. Both were pretty happy to be at kindy last week; and it's become obvious to us how much they've developed physically and mentally in the couple of weeks we were away. Rumour has it that LGR has bored everyone silly with his stories of Wiggles World; but he's also managed to sneak in a few stories about beaches, Australia Zoo and various other things we did up the coast.
Hayzey is developing far too quickly. She is taller, starting to talk and showing no fear of anything. To top it off she has the most amazing tan.
I hope to make the updates a bit more regular now; and provide some more detail about what the kiddies are up to.
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