We've had some interesting weather in Sydney town over the last 24 hours. As I was driving to work there was a very nice lightning storm out over the sea. As I was driving home I got belted by a hail storm on the M5 (and chuckled with malicious glee as some fool driving a Lexus made a mad dash to shelter his car under a bridge ....) and then again this morning I got to watch a lightning storm out over the ocean.
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LGR read a book to us last night. He was able to identify some interesting words such as Saturday, museum and whale. The skillset is developing :-)
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tools
A few days ago LGR asked me a great little question (again):
"How did they make tools before they had tools to make tools?"
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We've been reading heaps of books to LGR recently - probably averaging about 1 per day. The number of words he can now read is quite staggering. He seems to almost look at them and just remember them. He has a very strong capacity to sound words out and if he can't spell them he can write/type the sounds that are involved in making the word. It's hard to explain but in essence it's not far away from phonetic spelling.
He is also displaying the same short term memory issues that I have - leaving things all over the place and/or just plain losing them. It's frustrating but hard to criticise when I do it myself ....
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Hayzey has developed a disturbing new habit - if somebody says something she doesn't want to hear (for example when asked to do a job or stop playing with something or really just anything that is different to what she is doing) she pretends not to hear or just completely ignores. She will look straight at you and continue on with what she was doing. Neither of us have any idea how to get her to stop doing this - reasoning, argument and punishment certainly aren't working. Time to consult the oracles and see what else we can try :-)
"How did they make tools before they had tools to make tools?"
---
We've been reading heaps of books to LGR recently - probably averaging about 1 per day. The number of words he can now read is quite staggering. He seems to almost look at them and just remember them. He has a very strong capacity to sound words out and if he can't spell them he can write/type the sounds that are involved in making the word. It's hard to explain but in essence it's not far away from phonetic spelling.
He is also displaying the same short term memory issues that I have - leaving things all over the place and/or just plain losing them. It's frustrating but hard to criticise when I do it myself ....
---
Hayzey has developed a disturbing new habit - if somebody says something she doesn't want to hear (for example when asked to do a job or stop playing with something or really just anything that is different to what she is doing) she pretends not to hear or just completely ignores. She will look straight at you and continue on with what she was doing. Neither of us have any idea how to get her to stop doing this - reasoning, argument and punishment certainly aren't working. Time to consult the oracles and see what else we can try :-)
Friday, May 16, 2008
Good Question
LGR wants to know who is stronger - The Incredible Hulk or King Kong?
I believe it would probably be King Kong - he can smash planes out of the sky with one hand. LGR thinks Hulk because he's the strongest thing in the world (the logic of which negates the question ...).
After a bit more thought Superman was considered as another possible contender.
The big issues in life are being addressed in my household :-)
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I picked LGR up from car lines at school yesterday. And got into trouble from his teacher!!! Apparently the kids are supposed to sit down in their lines before the parents can grab them. I was a bit early and was given a brisk instruction. My first response was to suggest that I would take my child out of school whenever it pleased me but my brain kicked in and realised that it wouldn't be good form to undermine the teacher in front of LGR. So I ate some humble pie and suggested to LGR that he should sit down. He did, and 3 seconds later we were out of there.
When we got home we took the pups for a walk. They're still young, energetic and quite stupid. And they wear out quickly. Which is good because they are also quite strong for their size. After about 15 minutes of walking LGR decided he wanted to hold one of the leashes. This lasted for about 200m - apparently a 12kg dog is a lot stronger than an 18kg boy :-)
I believe it would probably be King Kong - he can smash planes out of the sky with one hand. LGR thinks Hulk because he's the strongest thing in the world (the logic of which negates the question ...).
After a bit more thought Superman was considered as another possible contender.
The big issues in life are being addressed in my household :-)
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I picked LGR up from car lines at school yesterday. And got into trouble from his teacher!!! Apparently the kids are supposed to sit down in their lines before the parents can grab them. I was a bit early and was given a brisk instruction. My first response was to suggest that I would take my child out of school whenever it pleased me but my brain kicked in and realised that it wouldn't be good form to undermine the teacher in front of LGR. So I ate some humble pie and suggested to LGR that he should sit down. He did, and 3 seconds later we were out of there.
When we got home we took the pups for a walk. They're still young, energetic and quite stupid. And they wear out quickly. Which is good because they are also quite strong for their size. After about 15 minutes of walking LGR decided he wanted to hold one of the leashes. This lasted for about 200m - apparently a 12kg dog is a lot stronger than an 18kg boy :-)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Private School Boy Picture
I've finally put the pictures of LGR in his 'long' school uniform on the PC. This is possibly the pick of the bunch but in true Daddy Jones there are plenty of pictures to choose from.
As usual the pictures don't do my little fellow justice :-)
As usual the pictures don't do my little fellow justice :-)
The Confusion of a 3 Year Old
Hayzey was being a bit naughty a few nights back (I should probably tell the truth and let you know she was being very naughty) and I was getting somewhat frustrated with my inability to get her to listen - let alone respond to anything I was saying in a meaningful fashion.
Mustering up all of my adultness I knelt in front of her and said "You're being very naughty. I don't want to yell at you but if you keep being being naughty you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
She considered this for 2-3 seconds and then came back with "Why?"
I asked "Why what?"
Her reply was "Why?"
I'm still not sure if she meant why was she being naughty, why do I not like yelling at her or why would she be in trouble for being naughty.
Mustering up all of my adultness I knelt in front of her and said "You're being very naughty. I don't want to yell at you but if you keep being being naughty you're going to be in a lot of trouble."
She considered this for 2-3 seconds and then came back with "Why?"
I asked "Why what?"
Her reply was "Why?"
I'm still not sure if she meant why was she being naughty, why do I not like yelling at her or why would she be in trouble for being naughty.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Private School Boy
Last Thursday I picked up LGR from after school care and was astonished to see him dressed in long pants, long sleeved shirt, leather boots and his school hat. It was all tucked in and neat and he looked every bit the private school boy. It was amazing and if I hadn't seen it for myself wouldn't have believed how grown up he seemed. I'm hoping to have some pictures of this published later in the week.
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I had an early start for work yesterday. Apparently Hayzey also had an early start - getting out of bed at 04:00 and deciding to walk around the house for a bit. She ended up in Mummy's bed - which I'm sure is a good result for Hayzey and a bad result for Mummy. She was better this morning - not waking up until Daddy's voice got a bit loud while talking to Mum while she was blow drying her hair.
I ended up with pre-work cuddles from both kids today - a bit of a rarity. LGR asked to me to print out a picture of himself when he was a baby so I did this and then found myself looking at more photoes and suddenly realising I was supposed to be on my way to work .... It was worth it.
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We travelled up the mountains on Saturday to see Nanna and Grandma for Mothers Day. It was a nice afternoon out - although I missed most of the Grandma visit because I was asleep (I don't know why but I got very tired and ended up sleeping for about 2.5 hours). It was fun at Nanna's house - all her kiddies were there with all our kiddies. It's pretty rare for this to happen and everyone seemed to get along quite nicely. The only dampener on the evening was the ridiculously small serving sizes provided by the Chinese place we chose to get dinner from.
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We gave the kids an 'adult' dinner last night - beetroot, pumpkin, rocket and walnut salad with some dukkah crusted steak. They ate it and said it was good!! LGR didn't like the walnuts but other than that there were no complaints. I felt very satisfied.
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What else have I done? I built another gate for the backyard - this time blocking off the narrow side of the house. It was mainly done so we can put our pots down there and start growing veges again. The puppies very kindly destroyed every single potted plant we had within a few months of us getting them and I miss the thrill of watching the plants grow. It's also good for the kids to see it all happen. And fresh food tastes terrific.
The best part about this gate is I did the entire job myself - no assistance from anyone. It's the first time I've done this and am quite satisified with my results. I'm not sure if it's squared up properly - I eyeballed everything. The gate swings and is firmly in the ground so that's good enough. Right?
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I had an early start for work yesterday. Apparently Hayzey also had an early start - getting out of bed at 04:00 and deciding to walk around the house for a bit. She ended up in Mummy's bed - which I'm sure is a good result for Hayzey and a bad result for Mummy. She was better this morning - not waking up until Daddy's voice got a bit loud while talking to Mum while she was blow drying her hair.
I ended up with pre-work cuddles from both kids today - a bit of a rarity. LGR asked to me to print out a picture of himself when he was a baby so I did this and then found myself looking at more photoes and suddenly realising I was supposed to be on my way to work .... It was worth it.
---
We travelled up the mountains on Saturday to see Nanna and Grandma for Mothers Day. It was a nice afternoon out - although I missed most of the Grandma visit because I was asleep (I don't know why but I got very tired and ended up sleeping for about 2.5 hours). It was fun at Nanna's house - all her kiddies were there with all our kiddies. It's pretty rare for this to happen and everyone seemed to get along quite nicely. The only dampener on the evening was the ridiculously small serving sizes provided by the Chinese place we chose to get dinner from.
---
We gave the kids an 'adult' dinner last night - beetroot, pumpkin, rocket and walnut salad with some dukkah crusted steak. They ate it and said it was good!! LGR didn't like the walnuts but other than that there were no complaints. I felt very satisfied.
---
What else have I done? I built another gate for the backyard - this time blocking off the narrow side of the house. It was mainly done so we can put our pots down there and start growing veges again. The puppies very kindly destroyed every single potted plant we had within a few months of us getting them and I miss the thrill of watching the plants grow. It's also good for the kids to see it all happen. And fresh food tastes terrific.
The best part about this gate is I did the entire job myself - no assistance from anyone. It's the first time I've done this and am quite satisified with my results. I'm not sure if it's squared up properly - I eyeballed everything. The gate swings and is firmly in the ground so that's good enough. Right?
Thursday, May 08, 2008
A Thought
If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
Bertrand Russell
British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
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This also explains why it is critically important that we closely scrutinise what we teach our children and the examples we set for them. The best way to judge how you are performing as a parent is to view how your children act.
The majority of praise for a good act should go to the parents; just as should the majority of blame for a less than good act. I'm sure as the years go on the parental influence starts to wane but the foundations are laid early in life.
These words could come back to haunt me one day ...
Bertrand Russell
British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
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This also explains why it is critically important that we closely scrutinise what we teach our children and the examples we set for them. The best way to judge how you are performing as a parent is to view how your children act.
The majority of praise for a good act should go to the parents; just as should the majority of blame for a less than good act. I'm sure as the years go on the parental influence starts to wane but the foundations are laid early in life.
These words could come back to haunt me one day ...
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Traffic statistics
I used some of the funky dash features on my new car yesterday to gauge my average speed and fuel consumption on the way to and from work.
On the way to work I averaged 38.4km/h with fuel consumption 11.5L/100km. On the return trip (which included the dreaded dual pickup of kids) it was 38.5km/k and 11.2L/100km.
This morning I started work at 04:00 and averaged just under 70km/h with a consumption of just under 10L/100km. I think I might start work at 04:00 more often ....
On the way to work I averaged 38.4km/h with fuel consumption 11.5L/100km. On the return trip (which included the dreaded dual pickup of kids) it was 38.5km/k and 11.2L/100km.
This morning I started work at 04:00 and averaged just under 70km/h with a consumption of just under 10L/100km. I think I might start work at 04:00 more often ....
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Login
LGR is fascinated by the concept of computer passwords. He has one at school and keeps asking me what my password is. Then he gets very upset when I don't tell him ...
Last night we setup a profile on the PC for him - LGR's very own space to set the desktop, store favourites and do other various things. He was terrifically excited by it. Even more so when I put a Transformers desktop on it while he was in the bath. The only bookmarks he has created so far are for games sites. The most pleasing thing out of it is I only had to show him how to do it once. He's quite clever when he chooses to be.
Last night we setup a profile on the PC for him - LGR's very own space to set the desktop, store favourites and do other various things. He was terrifically excited by it. Even more so when I put a Transformers desktop on it while he was in the bath. The only bookmarks he has created so far are for games sites. The most pleasing thing out of it is I only had to show him how to do it once. He's quite clever when he chooses to be.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Pyjamas
We had some guests at our house last night - the children of the family Chef and the Dad Chef while Mrs G and Mrs Chef went to a candle party. Whatever that is. It was fun.
Hayzey and Chookie decided they needed to have a bath but, unbeknown to the male carers, Chookies PJ's were in the car that had been taken to the party. This meant we had to dress her in the clothes she wore that day. This was met with some resistance.
Hayzey could see her friend was obviously upset so she offered her "my big pyjamas". It was a very cute offer and made very amusing by Chookie being about 10cm taller and 10kg heavier - and a day younger!!
As always it was the though that counted :-)
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We went up the mountains on Saturday after soccer to celebrate Grandma's birthday . Hayzey had her first chuck in the new car .... It was a pleasant afternoon - we ate cake and drank wine and ended up cooking up a bunch of Mexican food for dinner. We even had the pleasure of dinner with Uncle G.
And it was very cold when we left - especially for those fools who wore only shorts, sandals and a t-shirt!!
Hayzey and Chookie decided they needed to have a bath but, unbeknown to the male carers, Chookies PJ's were in the car that had been taken to the party. This meant we had to dress her in the clothes she wore that day. This was met with some resistance.
Hayzey could see her friend was obviously upset so she offered her "my big pyjamas". It was a very cute offer and made very amusing by Chookie being about 10cm taller and 10kg heavier - and a day younger!!
As always it was the though that counted :-)
--
We went up the mountains on Saturday after soccer to celebrate Grandma's birthday . Hayzey had her first chuck in the new car .... It was a pleasant afternoon - we ate cake and drank wine and ended up cooking up a bunch of Mexican food for dinner. We even had the pleasure of dinner with Uncle G.
And it was very cold when we left - especially for those fools who wore only shorts, sandals and a t-shirt!!
Friday, May 02, 2008
Assessment Day
Last night was assessment time at swimming. LGR breezed through his - and is starting to consistently swim 10m freestyle without stopping. He is now being moved from the Beginner Learn to Swim group to the Intermediate Learn to Swim group. I'm sure that means a lot to my dear readers out there :-)
Poor Hayzey had a bit of a setback in her assessment - a teacher she wasn't used to. The poor little duffer is initially very shy with anyone she doesn't know and it was no different last night. She was very reluctant to do anything and when one of the tasks went a little awry she just shut up shop. It wasn't all bad though - she loved playing games at the end of the lesson.
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We bought a new car the other day. Well, not brand new but new for us. It replaces the tried and true Corolla. LGR helped us choose the new car and was very excited about getting it - until he realised we would be ridding ourselves of the Corolla. This was when the tears began with the cries of "I love that car" and "It's my favourite car". Those of you who have seen LGR watch a tree get cut down will be familiar with the level of angst he feels.
I assured him it would be ok and ended up having to take both LGR and Hayzey for a last drive in the Corolla. They got out with no great issues and the following day both got their first taste of the new car. LGR described it as "Lovely" and Hayzey, after watching me open the boot, decided it was a Transformer. LGR has latched onto this and now everytime we open a door the car is transforming.
LGR hasn't mentioned the old car once since we got the new one :-)
Poor Hayzey had a bit of a setback in her assessment - a teacher she wasn't used to. The poor little duffer is initially very shy with anyone she doesn't know and it was no different last night. She was very reluctant to do anything and when one of the tasks went a little awry she just shut up shop. It wasn't all bad though - she loved playing games at the end of the lesson.
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We bought a new car the other day. Well, not brand new but new for us. It replaces the tried and true Corolla. LGR helped us choose the new car and was very excited about getting it - until he realised we would be ridding ourselves of the Corolla. This was when the tears began with the cries of "I love that car" and "It's my favourite car". Those of you who have seen LGR watch a tree get cut down will be familiar with the level of angst he feels.
I assured him it would be ok and ended up having to take both LGR and Hayzey for a last drive in the Corolla. They got out with no great issues and the following day both got their first taste of the new car. LGR described it as "Lovely" and Hayzey, after watching me open the boot, decided it was a Transformer. LGR has latched onto this and now everytime we open a door the car is transforming.
LGR hasn't mentioned the old car once since we got the new one :-)
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Cold Weather
I was just watching a TV show which showed a couple of people digging out a hole in the gravel floor of a small 18th century stone hut by the side of a lake. There were grey clouds everywhere and a very obvious amount of wind. All the people in the show were rugged up. Extensively rugged up.
The gravel hole was used to create a fire over the top of which a large sheet of mesh was placed and a BBQ created. It looked fantastic - and the fact that I wanted to be there with them indicated how much I am truly a cold weather person. I'm loving the recent influx of chill in the air - and the associated joy of cooking a BBQ in the cold weather.
There's very little I don't like about cold weather. Rain and cold weather is a completely different matter ....
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LGR has just finished his first official school holidays. I'm reasonably sure he had a good time - spending a few days in the mountains with Grandma, some time at vacation care (the same place he goes to for after school care) and even getting Mum and Dad to take the occasional day off work :-)
Vacation care seems to have been quite well received. Each day they went on an excursion of some sort - movies, bowling, parks, bike riding - all sorts of things. LGR almost always came home exhausted and slept quite well each night.
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Both kids have suddenly become extremely affectionate - giving out hugs, kisses and 'I love you' at frequent and random intervals. Even to each other. I don't know where it's come from or how it eventuated but we love it and are doing everything we can to keep it going.
The gravel hole was used to create a fire over the top of which a large sheet of mesh was placed and a BBQ created. It looked fantastic - and the fact that I wanted to be there with them indicated how much I am truly a cold weather person. I'm loving the recent influx of chill in the air - and the associated joy of cooking a BBQ in the cold weather.
There's very little I don't like about cold weather. Rain and cold weather is a completely different matter ....
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LGR has just finished his first official school holidays. I'm reasonably sure he had a good time - spending a few days in the mountains with Grandma, some time at vacation care (the same place he goes to for after school care) and even getting Mum and Dad to take the occasional day off work :-)
Vacation care seems to have been quite well received. Each day they went on an excursion of some sort - movies, bowling, parks, bike riding - all sorts of things. LGR almost always came home exhausted and slept quite well each night.
---
Both kids have suddenly become extremely affectionate - giving out hugs, kisses and 'I love you' at frequent and random intervals. Even to each other. I don't know where it's come from or how it eventuated but we love it and are doing everything we can to keep it going.
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