Things I Know #32- Proud as punch

The Lounge topic this week is "your top ten proudest moments".

Here are mine for this week because I am just that awesome!!

1. I made sure our smoke alarms were working by burning toast.  I can confirm both alarms are in perfect working order. 
2. I made perfect soft boiled eggs.  Yes this is an accomplishment I am very proud of as I have had an absolute shocker when boiling eggs lately!!  
3.  I resisted the urge to scream and chuck my computer/phone out of the window every time I saw some kind of crappy status update this week!!  I use bad grammar to keep you guys on your toes, think of it like a game called "How many mistakes can Ann make in one post"!!  
4. Christmas present shopping will be completed by the end of the week.  Just some online ordering to do and I can sit back and relax.
5. Speaking of Christmas I am going to be cooking my first ever pudding.  I will be making a test one on Sunday and cannot wait!!  I will be mighty proud if it works out!!
6. I am so proud to say Kindy Kid caught the bus home from school this week and it was a big success.  After last weeks near disaster (looooooong story) it is all good and today he even caught the bus to school with his little friend from up the road.  I actually don't mind the drop off as all I do is slow the car down and throw him out, ok not really I do actually stop the car but we haven't had to walk him in since the start of term 2 so it isn't a big deal!!  The bus leaves about 20 minutes before we would drive to school so if he wants to catch it we will need to be out the door a lot earlier.  As the bus stop is directly across from our place this is an awesome new achievement. and my life just got a little easier a couple of days a week!!
7. After months of the vacuum working a bit half assed I am proud to say it has been serviced and is now working like brand new.  I really should learn how to clean the filters etc!!
8. I have been hand washing the dishes for nearly a week (after the seal on the dishwasher crapped itself), I am proud to say I have only bitched and whinged about this about 30 times a day.  Good gawd we go through some plates and cups in this house!!
9. 
   

 I ran out of awesome things so Proud Mary!!

Lastly, in all seriousness I am so proud to have attended our local Remembrance Day service.  It was a lovely fitting tribute to all those who have fought for our freedom.  I was so proud of my two littlest boys.  They both behaved so beautifully as did the group of kids who went from our preschool.  Next year though I will take more food and drinks and not bounce the baby up and down so much so he doesn't vomit down my top five minutes before the service ends.

I am resisting the urge to unleash a full rant about all the negative stories I have heard regarding certain groups and individuals who do not feel it necessary to mark such a special day.  Shame on them is all I have to say.

 I love this image of all the poppies surrounding The Tower of London.

Linking up with Tegan at Musings of the Misguided who is this weeks host of The Lounge and Sarah at Creating Contentmet for Thankful Thursday.

Don't forget to pop over and enter the giveaway I have going at the moment!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Thing I Know #29- Parenting Struggles

This week The Lounge topic is parenting struggles.  

Here is what I randomly know about the struggles of parenting

• I struggle.  Who doesn't??
• Everyday brings a new challenge on top of the existing ones.
• Just when you think you have one issue sorted another one pops up
• Some days are good, some days are not.
• Some days I lose my shit, some days not so much.
• I go with my gut instinct, mothers intuition.  If it is a medical problem I seek professional advice (I have a kick ass gp and baby nurse who look beyond the text books and know each child is an individual)  I don't ask dumb questions on facebook sites which publish questions and invite answers from people who have nfi.
• There is not enough hours in the day.  To make one child happy usually results in upsetting the other two.  
• In saying that, parenting is not all doom and gloom.  Far from it.
• I have three amazing boys.  Each one unique and special with their own quirks.
• I don't always get it right but I try.  
• Even if I won the $50 million powerball tonight I would still be right here where I am needed.  No amount of money is going to make a 5 year old go to bed before 945m only to be closely followed by a teething 14 month old who is snuggled up to me while I get this finished.
• The struggle is worth it.

Linking up with Sarah for #thankfulthursday and Robo Schmobo who is this weeks host of The Lounge.

An InLinkz Link-up

#zennotes and Rainbow farting unicorns

I was going to have a mega whine today.  Like how annoying life can be.  You know the little things which are minor but combine them altogether and it is one massive pee off.

For example

• Bonds stay up baby socks DO NOT STAY UP.  False advertising right there.  Maybe they do on a mannequin but not on any child.
• People who drive really slow in the ultra fast lane.
• Afternoon radio.  While I am at it morning radio.  Gee I would love a digital radio in my car.
• My precious Bon Jovi cd in the car is scratched.
• People who don't kiss and drop in the kiss and drop zone but kiss, hug, faff around, have a conversation, etc.  (not that we have a designated kiss and drop zone which I thought was mandatory at all schools??)   
• Kids who will not let me walk into a shopping centre without having meltdowns.
• Continually forgetting what it is I went into the bloody shops for.
• Mother Nature not getting the memo that it is spring or that we have had enough rain.  
• Keyboard warriors.  
• Wasting a precious half hour of my life working out just what the heck Skylanders are and then having to break the news to a five year old that he will not be having any part of the bloody things because I am not buying a freaking xbox or playstation.  (I think I got the gist of them- a video game with toys that interact??!!)
• The fact I have zero computer knowledge and cannot do simple things like plug an iphone in to it and transfer music from the lappy to the phone.  Nothing I plug into the computer registers on it at all and I don't have any idea how to make it.

But then something special happened.  Thanks to the crazy day that is Monday I forgot to check the mail so it was such a beautiful surprise to check this morning and discover these gorgeous things.


from the very lovely Lisa from Random Acts of Zen.  I just love these #zennotes.  I will be keeping one of them and giving away the rest, Which is the whole idea of them, although I could keep all of them!!

Then I saw these pop up on my facey newsfeed and really like their inspirational messages.

I am also loving getting tftd from Me.  This lovely lady has twice in the last few days made me spit my coffee out.  Firstly by using the word "fugly"which I believe is one of the most underused words ever and should be brought back into daily use asap.  Also by giving me the image of unicorns farting rainbows!!

 This right here is FUGLY!!  But oh so funny!!

 Turns out people all over the world love a rainbow farting unicorn!!



This weekend we are going to the country to visit the most awesome of friends and while our trip has been cut short by a day it is still going to be epic and I cannot wait!!  There will be wine, food and laughs.  The perfect recipe for a great weekend!!

Linking up with Essentially Jess for #ibot, The Lounge which is over at Robo Schmobo on Thursday and also Creating Contentment for #thankfulthursday because one post can say so much!!

Things I suck at

The topic this week over at The Lounge is Things I suck at.  Good lord where do I start!!

I put the call out on Facey again and got some more great responses!!

• Rae said Baking
• Ness said Blogging, cooking, housework, being organised. Life, really. Sigh..
• Renée said  I am the world's worst housewife
• People Don't Eat Enough Fudge Would you like a list? Oh hang on - I REALLY suck at writing lists ... and following them .... and knowing where they are .

I pretty much suck at all of these too!!  I can bake/cook some alright things I just cannot present them.  Dinner at our house tastes good but is slop on a plate!!  I cannot even line a cake tin properly so my cakes look shite before they even make it in the oven!!

Other notable things I suck at include

• reverse parking my car.  I don't think I have reverse parked since I got my licence!!
• remembering things.  Unless I put a reminder in my phone I forget 99% of all I need to do.
• not getting distracted.

This week though I suck at understanding the schools curriculum.  (Do you like what I did there Robomum!!)  For example I don;t get why kids are learning things like crossing the road safely or keeping medicines out of reach.  To me these are things they should be taught at home.  As a teacher do you have to 

Because I also suck at writing a decent blog post that is it for me today!!  Well that and I suck at having kids who like sleep.  I have a sneaking suspicion there are more teeth on the way for Speedy and apparently there was a weird noises outside which was why there was a baby, a 3 year old and myself trying to sleep on the lounge most of the night meaning my brain is fried today!!  

Linking up this sucky post with Robomum who is hosting The Lounge this week.

Ps be sure to pop by tomorrow for a special #tik!!

If money was no object

;If money was no object is the prompt for The Lounge today.  I put the call out on facebook for what you guys would do and got some great responses.

Renae said That's a toughy!! What ever it is I'm sure it would involve a nanny & a personal chef 

Nays said  I would help my family and then travel to Bali and help in the orphanages and perhaps teach my own children how fortunate they really are. I'd love them to experience the world through many different eyes...

Rae said Give up work and volunteer and enrol in a writing degree at Uni.

In reality I would still be a stay at home mum but with a permanent baby sitter on call so I can do things like go on excursions or help in the classroom.  Also so the HOTH and I could go out for dinner once in a while!!  

We would still live in the same house I would just buy the neighbours properties and put in a pool and a bigger shed.  Maybe extend our house so I can have a lady cave!!

Once the baby starts preschool I would volunteer at an animal shelter, an aged care facility and a children's hospital.  I would also donate a tonne of money to getting young people out of nursing homes and into their own care facilities with people their own age.

I would set the kids up for life but still make them work.  Just like Donald Trump who makes his kids work for their money although they have pretty cushie jobs!!

I would also give to family and friends.  

Because reality can be slightly boring here is my extravagant list.

 I would buy the Celine Dion house.  She sold it not long ago for roughly $72million.

 Private jet to travel around in.

 2 weeks a year here with helicopter transfers!!

 one of these driven by one of these 

 the weekend mobile!!

 My personal trainer!!

Other totally extravagant things I would do- hire a masseuse, make up artist and stylist, close the shops so I am the only customer and hire Mary Poppins herself.

Lastly I would have Bon Jovi (with Ritchie) perform at 2 parties a year!!



Linking up with Where the Wild Things Were who is the special guest host of The Lounge this week.

To any Queenslanders reading this GO THE BLUES.  It was a dirty grubby game but NSW got there in the end!!