Its Halloween in two days time, but we already threw a small party last Saturday as an excuse for the kids to get dressed up. It turned out reasonably well, with more than half the adults getting dressed up in costume. There was a bounty of lollies, way too many for the number of kids that were actually there! it was fun, although leading up to it I was not too keen. I'd been feeling very tired all week and then on the Friday night, decided I'd actually been sick and a sore throat was developing.
So started the antibiotics just before the party kicked off. Lucky I was going as a zombie so it wasn't a stretch to play the part of the undead.
On the housing front, we have now purchased an old house! Settlement will be in about two weeks and we've been looking at house designs. We're really hoping the quote from a custom builder we met with last week comes back reasonable as I think we're now in love with the freedom that comes with being allowed to design the layout of the house. We have a couple of options with project home builders but the custom builder that we met was really lovely and seemed straight to the point. He was recommended from someone at work whose sister has built with him twice already so we're hopeful. I know the hubby would really love to go with the custom build and to tell you the truth, I was feeling a little unexcited about building again as we were having to make do with the project home designs we had chosen but now i'm getting excited again.
I'm also sick again and am eating my salty, steamed orange after suffering a terrible bout of coughing at work. Speaking of work, the team leader role didnt pan out but that is because of all the changes happening at the moment and the fact that there is no team to lead! Most have moved onto projects and they are trying to move me into a project as well. There is also a restructure that is in its beginning phases and today I found out a work friend was made redundant. She was in shock and depressed. I will see her for lunch when she comes back in.
I am enjoying myself at work, although at times I go through my restless cycle. I have a lot of friends at work that I talk to so it makes it much more enjoyable. I've also started swimming for the last two months, about twice a week although i've had a break in this last week due to illness which is really annoying. I'm trying to get a half decent bikini body happening for summer!
On the baby front, we have had two more babies born, both boys and my sister in law will be having a girl, yay!
We've already booked our xmas holidays in Gold Coast and already booked our ski weekend next year! So excited to spend it with the kids.
Hubby and I will be going on a kid free weekend to Melbourne to visit some old friends and stay in their newly built house. Am going to miss the kids, its the first time I will be away from my daughter.
My son is a great reader and has somehow learned to add and subtract in his head. I didn't teach him this so it was a surprise to me and I only found out as he was presented an award for good maths!
My cousin is still around and will be heading back to Vietnam... He has changed somewhat, more mature but still has some growing to do. He has done a great job renovating his parents place. I've spent a lot more time with him and will miss him when he goes back.
Am enjoying this point in my life and looking forward to the road ahead :)
Monday, October 29, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Spring 2012
ok, so maybe i was optimistic when i said i'd stick to 1 post a month, maybe I should have committed to a quarterly update instead...
i have a lot to update on but let's just stick to the highlights and some very lowlights. The lowest of those would be the passing of my cousin's daughter to Neimann Pick disease... it is a very sad circumstance and i cannot begin to fathom the heartache that comes with it. I feel very lucky to have healthy kids.
My daughter turned 3 and had an absolute ball on her birthday, we spent it at an indoor play gym so I paid to have the fuss and cleaning done by someone else. Turns out that was a pretty good decision, kids had fun, adults had a reasonable time and I had minimal stress. Most importantly, my daughter had some great memories and felt like a princess :)
My son had his half yearly at kindergarten and got a good report all around so all well in that front. We had a trip to the snow, just my husband and kids. Was a fantastic weekend with fresh snow and we paid for 1 hour private lessons at Mt Selwyn for both days. Wow, Mt Selwyn was great for the family, kids picked up skiing and were independently zipping down the beginner slopes. I was so proud they improved so quickly, there was minimal fuss, they loved the snow, didn't get tired, enjoyed making a fire in our log fire at night and slept well. Mt Selwyn was great as there were less people around, so slopes were safer for the kids, parking was closer and the price was cheaper. Needless to say, we are going again next year! Surprisingly the kids managed to stay up all the way home and seemed to bond really well over the weekend.
Workwise, things still going well, have put my name up for a team leader role and was told i was first choice but given so many projects are going around at the moment, there are not enough people to back fill me so I might not get the opportunity as yet. Bonuses and pay rise will come at the end of the month so will be interesting to see what that will be like as they've told us it won't be so great this year.
My sister in law is pregnant with the second one now. Admittedly we seem to have gotten a bit closer these last few weekends. They have been dropping by often on weekends to give my nephew some time out with his cousins and he is loving the familiarity. I'm hoping she will have a girl as there are too few girls in our circle of friends. We have our trip to the gold coast set for this xmas so something to look forward to there.
On the housing front, I have lost a bit of steam now and its been a while since we went to an open home. Kicked myself for missing out on a property that I tried to hold out on for a cheaper price. It went quickly but anyway, the spring season is meant to be better, we'll have to wait and see. I really don't want to build but there are so few appropriate properties out there that we have little choice in the matter. I will miss our current place.
Winter has come and almost gone though there is still a chill in the air. We had a really bad bout of flu this year, the whole family was terribly sick. I have been introduced to a new home remedy which I am still trialling out, steamed orange with some salt for a bad cough. I've tried it once and it soothed my throat but i still have a slight cough lingering so I am now trying my second orange after a few days.
Since my last post we have had two births, a girl and a boy in our circle of friends with two more due at the end of the year and my sister in law next Feb. A bumper crop!
i have a lot to update on but let's just stick to the highlights and some very lowlights. The lowest of those would be the passing of my cousin's daughter to Neimann Pick disease... it is a very sad circumstance and i cannot begin to fathom the heartache that comes with it. I feel very lucky to have healthy kids.
My daughter turned 3 and had an absolute ball on her birthday, we spent it at an indoor play gym so I paid to have the fuss and cleaning done by someone else. Turns out that was a pretty good decision, kids had fun, adults had a reasonable time and I had minimal stress. Most importantly, my daughter had some great memories and felt like a princess :)
My son had his half yearly at kindergarten and got a good report all around so all well in that front. We had a trip to the snow, just my husband and kids. Was a fantastic weekend with fresh snow and we paid for 1 hour private lessons at Mt Selwyn for both days. Wow, Mt Selwyn was great for the family, kids picked up skiing and were independently zipping down the beginner slopes. I was so proud they improved so quickly, there was minimal fuss, they loved the snow, didn't get tired, enjoyed making a fire in our log fire at night and slept well. Mt Selwyn was great as there were less people around, so slopes were safer for the kids, parking was closer and the price was cheaper. Needless to say, we are going again next year! Surprisingly the kids managed to stay up all the way home and seemed to bond really well over the weekend.
Workwise, things still going well, have put my name up for a team leader role and was told i was first choice but given so many projects are going around at the moment, there are not enough people to back fill me so I might not get the opportunity as yet. Bonuses and pay rise will come at the end of the month so will be interesting to see what that will be like as they've told us it won't be so great this year.
My sister in law is pregnant with the second one now. Admittedly we seem to have gotten a bit closer these last few weekends. They have been dropping by often on weekends to give my nephew some time out with his cousins and he is loving the familiarity. I'm hoping she will have a girl as there are too few girls in our circle of friends. We have our trip to the gold coast set for this xmas so something to look forward to there.
On the housing front, I have lost a bit of steam now and its been a while since we went to an open home. Kicked myself for missing out on a property that I tried to hold out on for a cheaper price. It went quickly but anyway, the spring season is meant to be better, we'll have to wait and see. I really don't want to build but there are so few appropriate properties out there that we have little choice in the matter. I will miss our current place.
Winter has come and almost gone though there is still a chill in the air. We had a really bad bout of flu this year, the whole family was terribly sick. I have been introduced to a new home remedy which I am still trialling out, steamed orange with some salt for a bad cough. I've tried it once and it soothed my throat but i still have a slight cough lingering so I am now trying my second orange after a few days.
Since my last post we have had two births, a girl and a boy in our circle of friends with two more due at the end of the year and my sister in law next Feb. A bumper crop!
Monday, June 11, 2012
still sticking to monthly!
although admittedly i'm a bit late for this month...
I guess the most interesting part of this month has been a call back from the vendor about that house we found. We had originally been pushed into offering 1.3m more than 6 weeks ago and it was rejected. About 10 days ago, we got a call back to say they would accept 1.3 now (since they hadn't found anyone else willing to pay, surprise surprise). I stressed that I would not be interested unless they were willing to accept something less than our previous offer which the agent indicated was the case and that the owner really wanted to sell so he could move the money to other parts of his business. I wanted to take a second look at the house and found it just as lovely if not more so. It is much nicer than our current new and modern house, bigger, on larger land (almost double the land size) and in a better neighbourhood.
When we got down to negotiating, of course the agent went straight to our previous offer as if we never had the discussion of negotiating for something less. I had to repeat again that that ship had sailed. So we offered $20K less. So the agent said he would talk to the owner and try to get an answer by the end of the day but he urged us to consider offering higher which we rejected.
Anyway, he called back and said the owner was disappointed (of course) but would consider it and give us an answer on Monday. My hopes were a little high but still expected some delay. Anyway, lo and behold, Monday came along and the agent rings to tell me the exact opposite of what he had been saying. The owner's wife did not want to accept anything less than our previous offer and that they would be willing to take the house off the market and relist again later. So they were not 'ready to sell' as the agent would have me believe and the agent admitted the owner was now saying something totally different. We were disappointed as well as the market was lower and we also have to sell our own house.
So a little while has passed now and the house is still there and we still love it. We're thinking of going for it and getting it as it fits the bill for all our household and there aren't any other houses that come close. I will most likely ring tomorrow to discuss.
On a different note, my lovely princess will be turning 3 soon and we are planning a small celebration at one of the play centres. My sister in law has also revealed she is 5 weeks pregnant with the second child so that should be interesting. She is due next February and we have 4 other friends who are due throughout the remainder of the year. One of our friends had faith in the so called 'pencil test' which predicted my sister in law would only have one child and i was to have three and a few others would have girls for their second child. Well it appears it will be wrong on a number of counts now!
work wise, things are going reasonably well. I have good rapport with the business and have someone who is buddying with me to learn the ropes. I will also be going back to full time in July in preparation to pay off this mortgage that we may soon have (fingers crossed that we have made the right decision). We also have our retirement plans to work towards, a few more investment properties and maybe retire to run a bed and breakfast near the beach somewhere, ahhhh sweet dreams!
I guess the most interesting part of this month has been a call back from the vendor about that house we found. We had originally been pushed into offering 1.3m more than 6 weeks ago and it was rejected. About 10 days ago, we got a call back to say they would accept 1.3 now (since they hadn't found anyone else willing to pay, surprise surprise). I stressed that I would not be interested unless they were willing to accept something less than our previous offer which the agent indicated was the case and that the owner really wanted to sell so he could move the money to other parts of his business. I wanted to take a second look at the house and found it just as lovely if not more so. It is much nicer than our current new and modern house, bigger, on larger land (almost double the land size) and in a better neighbourhood.
When we got down to negotiating, of course the agent went straight to our previous offer as if we never had the discussion of negotiating for something less. I had to repeat again that that ship had sailed. So we offered $20K less. So the agent said he would talk to the owner and try to get an answer by the end of the day but he urged us to consider offering higher which we rejected.
Anyway, he called back and said the owner was disappointed (of course) but would consider it and give us an answer on Monday. My hopes were a little high but still expected some delay. Anyway, lo and behold, Monday came along and the agent rings to tell me the exact opposite of what he had been saying. The owner's wife did not want to accept anything less than our previous offer and that they would be willing to take the house off the market and relist again later. So they were not 'ready to sell' as the agent would have me believe and the agent admitted the owner was now saying something totally different. We were disappointed as well as the market was lower and we also have to sell our own house.
So a little while has passed now and the house is still there and we still love it. We're thinking of going for it and getting it as it fits the bill for all our household and there aren't any other houses that come close. I will most likely ring tomorrow to discuss.
On a different note, my lovely princess will be turning 3 soon and we are planning a small celebration at one of the play centres. My sister in law has also revealed she is 5 weeks pregnant with the second child so that should be interesting. She is due next February and we have 4 other friends who are due throughout the remainder of the year. One of our friends had faith in the so called 'pencil test' which predicted my sister in law would only have one child and i was to have three and a few others would have girls for their second child. Well it appears it will be wrong on a number of counts now!
work wise, things are going reasonably well. I have good rapport with the business and have someone who is buddying with me to learn the ropes. I will also be going back to full time in July in preparation to pay off this mortgage that we may soon have (fingers crossed that we have made the right decision). We also have our retirement plans to work towards, a few more investment properties and maybe retire to run a bed and breakfast near the beach somewhere, ahhhh sweet dreams!
Monday, April 30, 2012
monthly posts...
Ok so 5 weeks have passed but i have been busy, I promise!
Easter holidays came and went, we had a fabulous easter weekend, going to the beach 3 out of the 4 days, cronulla, port kembla and then balmoral.
While i was at balmoral beach, i happened to run into a friend from work and her husband. Wow did i get a surprise as her husband is a bit of a beefcake! she is an older, reserved sort of lady so i didn't expect her to be with someone as young and hulky as he was! but it turned out to be a lovely day, the beach was beautiful and he was really lovely and got along well with my hubby.
My close friend stayed over with her family and we pitched the tent in the back yard so the kids could camp it out but her family ended up staying in there while my kids stayed inside, felt a bit guilty with them being our guests and all and they are the ones that end up sleeping outside. But the lure of a big warm comfortable bed just upstairs was too much for me.
My mum went to reunite my uncle with their father for a week. The trip was an enjoyable one and we had a nice week without her and doing the drop off with the kids, or i should say my husband did. My friend had her baby, another is due in a month and a few more are also due in the next coming months.
I also went to a friend's mother's funeral which was a sad loss and something i hope does not happen too often.
but more excitingly, we have found the perfect house! One that is in our price range, is 3 years old, is walking distance to the shops and primary and high school, good schools too, and the layout of the house fits our requirements! we made an offer within a few days and got a bit pressured to offer a bit more, so our final offer was 1.3 mill! it has yet to be accepted and i'm still not quite over the price but we've had a week to think it over as the vendor has been delaying the decision. We still feel it is a fair price, not a steal and not a rip off. I love the location, it has a big yard and big rooms. We will find out in a few days but i still can't see myself living in such an expensive house!
fingers crossed that this house hunting turns out well in the end... i have indicated that i want to return to full time, we'll need the extra money to pay down this debt! no more shopping!
i did recently buy a lovely pair of black leather boots that i love, on sale for $200 for winter... a bit of a treat, and i love them... so lets hope buying something you love is worth the additional cost!
Easter holidays came and went, we had a fabulous easter weekend, going to the beach 3 out of the 4 days, cronulla, port kembla and then balmoral.
While i was at balmoral beach, i happened to run into a friend from work and her husband. Wow did i get a surprise as her husband is a bit of a beefcake! she is an older, reserved sort of lady so i didn't expect her to be with someone as young and hulky as he was! but it turned out to be a lovely day, the beach was beautiful and he was really lovely and got along well with my hubby.
My close friend stayed over with her family and we pitched the tent in the back yard so the kids could camp it out but her family ended up staying in there while my kids stayed inside, felt a bit guilty with them being our guests and all and they are the ones that end up sleeping outside. But the lure of a big warm comfortable bed just upstairs was too much for me.
My mum went to reunite my uncle with their father for a week. The trip was an enjoyable one and we had a nice week without her and doing the drop off with the kids, or i should say my husband did. My friend had her baby, another is due in a month and a few more are also due in the next coming months.
I also went to a friend's mother's funeral which was a sad loss and something i hope does not happen too often.
but more excitingly, we have found the perfect house! One that is in our price range, is 3 years old, is walking distance to the shops and primary and high school, good schools too, and the layout of the house fits our requirements! we made an offer within a few days and got a bit pressured to offer a bit more, so our final offer was 1.3 mill! it has yet to be accepted and i'm still not quite over the price but we've had a week to think it over as the vendor has been delaying the decision. We still feel it is a fair price, not a steal and not a rip off. I love the location, it has a big yard and big rooms. We will find out in a few days but i still can't see myself living in such an expensive house!
fingers crossed that this house hunting turns out well in the end... i have indicated that i want to return to full time, we'll need the extra money to pay down this debt! no more shopping!
i did recently buy a lovely pair of black leather boots that i love, on sale for $200 for winter... a bit of a treat, and i love them... so lets hope buying something you love is worth the additional cost!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
missed a month!
And so it begins... a week here, a month there... i'm so sorry to have forgotten to update more regularly...
At any rate, what has happened in the last 3-4 weeks? well my son hasn't been to his swimming lessons and hasn't been sick either so that is a good thing... work has been busy and tonight we have attended my last wedding for the year and most likely for a while... my little girl had her first flower girl gig which we've been practicing for this week and boy.. did she Nail IT!!
the wedding was beautiful, food was excellent, speeches heart felt... a great night...
the last few weeks health wise hasn't been all great though, i can't tell whether its due to old age but been feeling dizzy and generally off... we all have itchy eyes so not sure if its just allergies or if it is a bout of conjunctivitis...
been catching up with friends but feeling a little like i need to take more control of my life... have been thinking of going for a better paid job... not that we need the money but maybe i should reach for the stars a bit...
on the exercise front, i haven't done it for two weeks, giving excuses such as being sick as well as that time of the month this week... but i will start again next week...
planning for skiing in august, my son has been practicing his rollerblading and he is doing well so i'm hoping he is learning balancing skills and building up his leg muscles...
april is around the corner, easter holidays, planning a easter bbq or party for the kids and my mother will be going overseas to see her father... it will be an emotional return as she will be taking my uncle who has come to terms with the past and now seeks to reconnect with his father... its a big step and a step in the right direction...
At any rate, what has happened in the last 3-4 weeks? well my son hasn't been to his swimming lessons and hasn't been sick either so that is a good thing... work has been busy and tonight we have attended my last wedding for the year and most likely for a while... my little girl had her first flower girl gig which we've been practicing for this week and boy.. did she Nail IT!!
the wedding was beautiful, food was excellent, speeches heart felt... a great night...
the last few weeks health wise hasn't been all great though, i can't tell whether its due to old age but been feeling dizzy and generally off... we all have itchy eyes so not sure if its just allergies or if it is a bout of conjunctivitis...
been catching up with friends but feeling a little like i need to take more control of my life... have been thinking of going for a better paid job... not that we need the money but maybe i should reach for the stars a bit...
on the exercise front, i haven't done it for two weeks, giving excuses such as being sick as well as that time of the month this week... but i will start again next week...
planning for skiing in august, my son has been practicing his rollerblading and he is doing well so i'm hoping he is learning balancing skills and building up his leg muscles...
april is around the corner, easter holidays, planning a easter bbq or party for the kids and my mother will be going overseas to see her father... it will be an emotional return as she will be taking my uncle who has come to terms with the past and now seeks to reconnect with his father... its a big step and a step in the right direction...
Sunday, February 26, 2012
missed a week...
which only goes to show how busy it has been....
we have officially gotten the stamp of approval on the final occupation certificate so now we can sell the house!
plus, also just waiting on exchanging the certificate of title with the bank so we can finalise the loan, so everything is getting set in motion...
on a low note however, i found out a week ago that my cousin's 1 yr old has Niemann pick disease and is living week by week... i think she must have type a as the life expectancy of type a is 18 months and she is about 13 months now... my uncle (his father) had long held a grudge with his father and my cousin had been holding a grudge against his father as well... just when my uncle decided to let bygones be bygones with his dad, he found out about his granddaughter... well now they are reunited, albeit in terrible circumstances... might have to get myself checked out in case i'm a carrier if it comes from our side of the family :(
all i can say is life can be incredibly brief and i am thankful for my two children...
went to see Roxette and 1927 in concert... given they are 25 yrs older, Roxette did a great job but 1927 had a poor effort, really should throw in the towel...
my son finished his first full week of kindy, he also completed a swimming lesson but this week my daughter came down with a flu and fever... but was only down for about 2 days... she is a toughie!
back to work after 2.5 weeks off, work is so easy :), market hasn't been so great, a few redundancies in the news... keeping my head down, my half year performance review went well though as always...
we have officially gotten the stamp of approval on the final occupation certificate so now we can sell the house!
plus, also just waiting on exchanging the certificate of title with the bank so we can finalise the loan, so everything is getting set in motion...
on a low note however, i found out a week ago that my cousin's 1 yr old has Niemann pick disease and is living week by week... i think she must have type a as the life expectancy of type a is 18 months and she is about 13 months now... my uncle (his father) had long held a grudge with his father and my cousin had been holding a grudge against his father as well... just when my uncle decided to let bygones be bygones with his dad, he found out about his granddaughter... well now they are reunited, albeit in terrible circumstances... might have to get myself checked out in case i'm a carrier if it comes from our side of the family :(
all i can say is life can be incredibly brief and i am thankful for my two children...
went to see Roxette and 1927 in concert... given they are 25 yrs older, Roxette did a great job but 1927 had a poor effort, really should throw in the towel...
my son finished his first full week of kindy, he also completed a swimming lesson but this week my daughter came down with a flu and fever... but was only down for about 2 days... she is a toughie!
back to work after 2.5 weeks off, work is so easy :), market hasn't been so great, a few redundancies in the news... keeping my head down, my half year performance review went well though as always...
Sunday, February 12, 2012
footpath!
OMG i forgot to add to the busiest week of the year that our footpath has finally been replaced by council after months of hassling them. Now this week our goal is to get the certifier around to inspect the place. AMAZING!
The busiest week of the year?
wow what a week! my boy started his first day of kindergarten this week and my girl, childcare. New routine of making lunches started, needless to say, rice paper rolls with vermicelli are not an option, too hard for them to eat.
He did well in his first week and enjoyed the activities and seemed to genuinely like his teacher. My girl also seemed to adapt reasonably well though was a bit teary in the afternoon. I also got my much needed check up of my cyst done and need to now visit the doctor for him to check the scans. My uncle from Perth also arrived for the wedding of my cousin.
My mum as usual drops everything to grant his every wish which is just to go to Dooleys. I don't like her when she is around my uncle but i can see she really misses the past and they have a special bond.
Big surprise of the week was my cousin arriving from vietnam for his sister's wedding. He has been there for 4 years and knew it was paramount to attend his sister's wedding. He has always been selfish and while he made the promise a year ago to attend, he apparently did not have the money for the airfare. His mother who has funded all his activities prior without getting repaid had said she would not pay for his flight but in the last minute she caved because it meant so much to her daughter. It was a big deal and there were many tears. The wedding was beautiful and my cousin, his sister, made a composed, warm, emotional and poignant speech about how much the people in her life meant. Unfortunately i don't believe her brother really cared that much about it. My daughter loved him and the attention he gave her, and he seemed to adore her too. She even said he was sexy! i have no idea where she heard that before!
On another note, i bought red lipstick for the reception. A bold bright red. To wear with a cream dress and bold red shoes. It was fun to wear and actually looked ok.
The weekend was filled with the wedding and reception and on sunday, my son went to his first swimming lesson for the year. He was half asleep when i told him he had swimming that morning and i'd never seen him jump up so eagerly from sleep! He went well with his lesson.
I also got to see my cousin's unit which she has moved into with her now husband and the afternoon was spent driving my uncle to the airport to return home.
What a week!
He did well in his first week and enjoyed the activities and seemed to genuinely like his teacher. My girl also seemed to adapt reasonably well though was a bit teary in the afternoon. I also got my much needed check up of my cyst done and need to now visit the doctor for him to check the scans. My uncle from Perth also arrived for the wedding of my cousin.
My mum as usual drops everything to grant his every wish which is just to go to Dooleys. I don't like her when she is around my uncle but i can see she really misses the past and they have a special bond.
Big surprise of the week was my cousin arriving from vietnam for his sister's wedding. He has been there for 4 years and knew it was paramount to attend his sister's wedding. He has always been selfish and while he made the promise a year ago to attend, he apparently did not have the money for the airfare. His mother who has funded all his activities prior without getting repaid had said she would not pay for his flight but in the last minute she caved because it meant so much to her daughter. It was a big deal and there were many tears. The wedding was beautiful and my cousin, his sister, made a composed, warm, emotional and poignant speech about how much the people in her life meant. Unfortunately i don't believe her brother really cared that much about it. My daughter loved him and the attention he gave her, and he seemed to adore her too. She even said he was sexy! i have no idea where she heard that before!
On another note, i bought red lipstick for the reception. A bold bright red. To wear with a cream dress and bold red shoes. It was fun to wear and actually looked ok.
The weekend was filled with the wedding and reception and on sunday, my son went to his first swimming lesson for the year. He was half asleep when i told him he had swimming that morning and i'd never seen him jump up so eagerly from sleep! He went well with his lesson.
I also got to see my cousin's unit which she has moved into with her now husband and the afternoon was spent driving my uncle to the airport to return home.
What a week!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Dragon baby #1
oops, forgot to mention! the first dragon baby of the year arrived on 1st Feb! his name is Connor George ... the next dragon baby is due early April!
getting ready for this week now, my boy's impending first day of kindergarten and my daughter's first day of child care...
he missed his first swimming lesson too, oh well... another busy week ahead!
getting ready for this week now, my boy's impending first day of kindergarten and my daughter's first day of child care...
he missed his first swimming lesson too, oh well... another busy week ahead!
Wedding #1 for 2012
So began the week for wedding #1 in 2012... it was our friends younger brother getting married, with wedding ceremony at Clark Park in Lavendar Bay and reception at Doltone house. It was supposed to be a week of some memorable events, namely the first day of my son's kindergarten but when I came home on Wednesday, the last day leading into two weeks of leave, my son was coughing and pale. Sure enough, despite our efforts to keep him out of trouble, well clothed and warm, indoors etc, he had gotten asthma and had to miss his school interview and first day.
we had also planned for him to go to the wedding, buying him a new shirt, pants and would have bought him shoes but it was not to be. Two tough nights of waking up every half hour to 1 hour to nurse him through the toughest part of his asthma but we were rewarded with him waking brighter eyed the next day.
My daughter did go to the wedding though and i may be biased but she was the belle of the ball! She had her long hair down for once with gorgeous little curls, a new flowery dress and sweet pink polkadot cardigan... she had a blast, running with the other kids and quite enjoyed the dance floor. She was asked to dance by a friend's father who was asking for his little son which was so sweet...
my husband also succumbed to a flu so missed his training sessions... i skipped the running as the weather wasnt playing along but i didn't miss the running. I did however continue with my exercise videos and still love doing that.
On the loan front, have sent all outstanding requirements to obtain the loan and am waiting for the loan to be approved and paper work stamped etc etc... seems the market is experiencing a little dip at the moment what with first home buyer stamp duty over now, a small increase in unemployment plus the sacking of 500 odd employees from westpac. The immediate future does not bode well.
On the footpath front, husband managed to speak to the right person after several days of leaving messages and speaking to the wrong people. Supposedly it might be happening in two or so weeks... well let's just say we're not holding our breath!
And wedding anniversary? i reminded my husband about whether or not he had booked anything for our 'weekend away', so he got onto it... sometimes you have to help the romance along the way... not sure what I will get him though...
did i mention i got invited to my 3rd wedding for the year? this was for a workmate and i wasn't all entirely sure i was meant to be going but at the time i actually got the invitation, seemed that the RSVP was due pretty much the same day... so maybe i was a late contender?? anyway, not sure if anyone else I know from work is going... and btw, seems like camping has been put on the back burner for now... too much going on!
we had also planned for him to go to the wedding, buying him a new shirt, pants and would have bought him shoes but it was not to be. Two tough nights of waking up every half hour to 1 hour to nurse him through the toughest part of his asthma but we were rewarded with him waking brighter eyed the next day.
My daughter did go to the wedding though and i may be biased but she was the belle of the ball! She had her long hair down for once with gorgeous little curls, a new flowery dress and sweet pink polkadot cardigan... she had a blast, running with the other kids and quite enjoyed the dance floor. She was asked to dance by a friend's father who was asking for his little son which was so sweet...
my husband also succumbed to a flu so missed his training sessions... i skipped the running as the weather wasnt playing along but i didn't miss the running. I did however continue with my exercise videos and still love doing that.
On the loan front, have sent all outstanding requirements to obtain the loan and am waiting for the loan to be approved and paper work stamped etc etc... seems the market is experiencing a little dip at the moment what with first home buyer stamp duty over now, a small increase in unemployment plus the sacking of 500 odd employees from westpac. The immediate future does not bode well.
On the footpath front, husband managed to speak to the right person after several days of leaving messages and speaking to the wrong people. Supposedly it might be happening in two or so weeks... well let's just say we're not holding our breath!
And wedding anniversary? i reminded my husband about whether or not he had booked anything for our 'weekend away', so he got onto it... sometimes you have to help the romance along the way... not sure what I will get him though...
did i mention i got invited to my 3rd wedding for the year? this was for a workmate and i wasn't all entirely sure i was meant to be going but at the time i actually got the invitation, seemed that the RSVP was due pretty much the same day... so maybe i was a late contender?? anyway, not sure if anyone else I know from work is going... and btw, seems like camping has been put on the back burner for now... too much going on!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
still waiting ...
for the first dragon baby! my friend will go with a c section tomorrow if baby doesn't come...
happy days, i have been invited to another wedding, my third for this year... weddings are becoming rarer events now that most of my friends are married, i won't have another one for quite a while after these next three...
haven't jogged due to inclement weather and can't say i've missed it... have been enjoying my fitness game though, specially the dance classes...
still no camping though plenty of talk.. nothing booked as yet, hmmn but this week promises to be a big week...
1) orientation day for my baby girl for childcare
2) best start interview for my boy before kindy
3) funded work dinner that I am going into the city specially for!
4) my boy starts kindy!
5) wedding on saturday
6) boy starts swimming lessons again on sunday
7) PHEW!
i have this dress I bought on ebay that i have yet to wear that I plan to wear to the wedding, its a one shoulder floral pink purpley dress from Forever New... i'm not in love with the dress but it will do... have bought my boy a smart outfit, with a bow tie, may be the only chance i get for him to wear one!
btw, met with relationship manager to secure a separate loan for our investment property, just have to send him a few more items as evidence of our income and securities and it should be a done deal with a pretty good interest rate of 6.31%, am going to get our current home loan down to that as well.
happy days, i have been invited to another wedding, my third for this year... weddings are becoming rarer events now that most of my friends are married, i won't have another one for quite a while after these next three...
haven't jogged due to inclement weather and can't say i've missed it... have been enjoying my fitness game though, specially the dance classes...
still no camping though plenty of talk.. nothing booked as yet, hmmn but this week promises to be a big week...
1) orientation day for my baby girl for childcare
2) best start interview for my boy before kindy
3) funded work dinner that I am going into the city specially for!
4) my boy starts kindy!
5) wedding on saturday
6) boy starts swimming lessons again on sunday
7) PHEW!
i have this dress I bought on ebay that i have yet to wear that I plan to wear to the wedding, its a one shoulder floral pink purpley dress from Forever New... i'm not in love with the dress but it will do... have bought my boy a smart outfit, with a bow tie, may be the only chance i get for him to wear one!
btw, met with relationship manager to secure a separate loan for our investment property, just have to send him a few more items as evidence of our income and securities and it should be a done deal with a pretty good interest rate of 6.31%, am going to get our current home loan down to that as well.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
an uphill battle...
Well its week 3 since I started my jogging resolution and already i want to kick it in....
Luckily i enlisted the hubby to jog with me and he dished enough guilt to get me off my butt... and at least I have notice a little difference now... getting ever so slightly more bearable... shows how important it is to get positive reinforcement if you want certain behaviour to continue (that might be me with my psychology major hat on talking heheheh)
so we've bought the big tent but have yet to pick a camp site, there is a lot of talk and i'm getting excited... there is this beautiful place in barrington tops that looks worthwhile but its a bit of a drive... on day hey?
I also purchased Your Shape, the xbox kinect fitness game, its awesome! there are so many different types of classes to choose from, you can select what part of the body you want to focus on, and the level of intensity, its definitely a winner!
oh yeah Chinese new year weekend this weekend and we kind of celebrated it for the first time just by having friends over for dinner... but we didn't do anything to actually mark the occasion as being for CNY but still, its a start i suppose.. its all for the kids of course!
my boy went to vacation care for the first time last week and i was a little concerned he wouldn't fit in as he was the youngest but it seems he has sailed through with flying colours although forgets to eat anything at times as he is too busy playing! i'm immensely happy that he is happy and so proud of him, he has another week of vacation care then kindy! my daughter is trailing behind him wanting to join him in school poor thing, they love each other and play so well at the moment that i am really happy i had two kids, he has learnt to look out for her and i can see they have lots of fun together.. i only hope it lasts until they are teenagers...
on the property front, have looked at some investment property in east maitland and did some research on north queensland mining.. have to first get a separate mortgage for our existing property in dulwich hill and then ask what our borrowing power is... most likely buy the next IP in my hubby's name, i want to get one in berala, east maitland and emerald or gladstone... property market is on a slight decline... on the principal residence front, i'm now looking at places that we can knock down and rebuild and we have expanded our net to south strathfield... boys public highschool isn't so great and the coed public school not so great but hubby likes this place more... i do too but i want good schools...
short week this week, Australia Day! my friend is due for her second baby this week! 1st dragon baby for the year!
Luckily i enlisted the hubby to jog with me and he dished enough guilt to get me off my butt... and at least I have notice a little difference now... getting ever so slightly more bearable... shows how important it is to get positive reinforcement if you want certain behaviour to continue (that might be me with my psychology major hat on talking heheheh)
so we've bought the big tent but have yet to pick a camp site, there is a lot of talk and i'm getting excited... there is this beautiful place in barrington tops that looks worthwhile but its a bit of a drive... on day hey?
I also purchased Your Shape, the xbox kinect fitness game, its awesome! there are so many different types of classes to choose from, you can select what part of the body you want to focus on, and the level of intensity, its definitely a winner!
oh yeah Chinese new year weekend this weekend and we kind of celebrated it for the first time just by having friends over for dinner... but we didn't do anything to actually mark the occasion as being for CNY but still, its a start i suppose.. its all for the kids of course!
my boy went to vacation care for the first time last week and i was a little concerned he wouldn't fit in as he was the youngest but it seems he has sailed through with flying colours although forgets to eat anything at times as he is too busy playing! i'm immensely happy that he is happy and so proud of him, he has another week of vacation care then kindy! my daughter is trailing behind him wanting to join him in school poor thing, they love each other and play so well at the moment that i am really happy i had two kids, he has learnt to look out for her and i can see they have lots of fun together.. i only hope it lasts until they are teenagers...
on the property front, have looked at some investment property in east maitland and did some research on north queensland mining.. have to first get a separate mortgage for our existing property in dulwich hill and then ask what our borrowing power is... most likely buy the next IP in my hubby's name, i want to get one in berala, east maitland and emerald or gladstone... property market is on a slight decline... on the principal residence front, i'm now looking at places that we can knock down and rebuild and we have expanded our net to south strathfield... boys public highschool isn't so great and the coed public school not so great but hubby likes this place more... i do too but i want good schools...
short week this week, Australia Day! my friend is due for her second baby this week! 1st dragon baby for the year!
Monday, January 16, 2012
the hard slog
Well, its the second week into my goal of running 5 laps 4 times a week but only ran 3 times last week as i had a birthday dinner to attend and was lazy to make it up :P. Ran this afternoon and i can't say i'm enjoying it yet. No physical change that I can notice yet.
My son's 5th birthday last week, didn't have a big party for once, wow, what a relief. Felt slightly guilty as he was expecting it but most people couldn't make the date we set and then I couldn't be bothered to reschedule. He still got what he wanted and spent the day with one of his best friends eating and doing his favorite things. Vacation care tomorrow, poor thing, will be spending a good portion of time with a bunch of strange kids, all who will be older than him. Hopefully one of them is nice to him.
My daughter is into her second week since nappy training started, still the odd accident but i would say she is passing with flying colours. Still has the night nappy but my expectations are reasonable i think :)
Also just realised our 8th wedding anniversary is looming and no plans at yet. Prob another dinner out. Same old? Work is a bit tedious at the moment. Dreaming of how to break the cycle.
We bought a massive 2 br tent on the weekend, planning for some weekends away with the kids. I generally hate camping, but what we go through for the kids huh? I'm slightly excited, it has been more than 20 years! Unfortunately most camp sites dont have shower facilities ?! what the?! so will have to research and find a camp site with reasonable amenities.
had set a task of refinancing our investment property separately from our PPOR this week. Didn't visit the bank today, will have to do it tomorrow. Push push push...
My son's 5th birthday last week, didn't have a big party for once, wow, what a relief. Felt slightly guilty as he was expecting it but most people couldn't make the date we set and then I couldn't be bothered to reschedule. He still got what he wanted and spent the day with one of his best friends eating and doing his favorite things. Vacation care tomorrow, poor thing, will be spending a good portion of time with a bunch of strange kids, all who will be older than him. Hopefully one of them is nice to him.
My daughter is into her second week since nappy training started, still the odd accident but i would say she is passing with flying colours. Still has the night nappy but my expectations are reasonable i think :)
Also just realised our 8th wedding anniversary is looming and no plans at yet. Prob another dinner out. Same old? Work is a bit tedious at the moment. Dreaming of how to break the cycle.
We bought a massive 2 br tent on the weekend, planning for some weekends away with the kids. I generally hate camping, but what we go through for the kids huh? I'm slightly excited, it has been more than 20 years! Unfortunately most camp sites dont have shower facilities ?! what the?! so will have to research and find a camp site with reasonable amenities.
had set a task of refinancing our investment property separately from our PPOR this week. Didn't visit the bank today, will have to do it tomorrow. Push push push...
Sunday, January 8, 2012
In the beginning...
So I've decided to commit my thoughts to the virtual world at this junction in my life... I'm 37, turning 38 in a few months and looking up the hill at 40. Looking back, i'd have to say I"m pretty happy with how I got here, but truthfully, it feels more like I am lucky to have arrived here rather than having driven here myself.
And so, I guess at this point, I'm attempting to take a bit more control in my life before I reach 40 and see how far I get. Its the first week of 2012, I've made resolutions and its a shaky start so far. I've been married for almost 8 years, happily so, and have two beautiful children, a pigeon pair they say, a boy and a girl. I feel lucky and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what I have. But is it wrong to think I could be doing more? I don't think so....
Last week we spent a lovely new year's eve with a group of our close friends... people we were comfortable with and who are also at similar points of their life. I would like to make time spent with our friends more meaningful, reach out more. I feel I am fairly closed off to most people and maybe am too careful with how I come across, so being more myself and honest is a goal of mine.
On the career front, again, couldn't complain, I am reasonably well paid, appreciated and in a flexible and challenging work environment... seems more by accident than by choice though, once again.... I work 4 days a week but as my husband and I discussed last week as we were musing about our future, we'd like to retire by 50. Hahaha i remember when the heady goals of our youth were to retire by 30 as self made millionaires but now we have more realistic dreams. Maybe not self made millionaires but at least achieving a passive income that could support us modestly... we talked of retiring but running a bed and breakfast, which i now find very appealing.
On the health front, had a blood test at the end of 2011... all good except for a little anaemia... but i'd like to be more fit, an annual resolution of mine. I used to be considered quite sporty, squash, tennis, basketball but since a health scare of tuberculosis in 2005 and babies in 2007 and 2009, I struggle to find the time. I'm not overweight by any means, nor have I let myself go, i look quite good for my age still, but a flight of stairs will have me puffing. So today, I forced myself to jog 5 times around the local soccer field. It was a struggle and I needed to rest per lap and was still red faced and sweating half an hour after I stopped (even after a shower) but I am going to try to continue this. I'm mindful of keeping the goals achievable, just 5 laps of the soccer field straight after work (maybe 15-20 mins of my day) and some planking in the morning. I just want to reduce the spare tyre I am carrying around me :). I have two weddings to go to in the next month so am looking forward to these, one of them being my close cousin.
Hubby also just came back from the first of his fitness sessions with his brother, the beginning of a 6 week stretch... be interesting to see if it lasts :)
And so, I guess at this point, I'm attempting to take a bit more control in my life before I reach 40 and see how far I get. Its the first week of 2012, I've made resolutions and its a shaky start so far. I've been married for almost 8 years, happily so, and have two beautiful children, a pigeon pair they say, a boy and a girl. I feel lucky and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for what I have. But is it wrong to think I could be doing more? I don't think so....
Last week we spent a lovely new year's eve with a group of our close friends... people we were comfortable with and who are also at similar points of their life. I would like to make time spent with our friends more meaningful, reach out more. I feel I am fairly closed off to most people and maybe am too careful with how I come across, so being more myself and honest is a goal of mine.
On the career front, again, couldn't complain, I am reasonably well paid, appreciated and in a flexible and challenging work environment... seems more by accident than by choice though, once again.... I work 4 days a week but as my husband and I discussed last week as we were musing about our future, we'd like to retire by 50. Hahaha i remember when the heady goals of our youth were to retire by 30 as self made millionaires but now we have more realistic dreams. Maybe not self made millionaires but at least achieving a passive income that could support us modestly... we talked of retiring but running a bed and breakfast, which i now find very appealing.
On the health front, had a blood test at the end of 2011... all good except for a little anaemia... but i'd like to be more fit, an annual resolution of mine. I used to be considered quite sporty, squash, tennis, basketball but since a health scare of tuberculosis in 2005 and babies in 2007 and 2009, I struggle to find the time. I'm not overweight by any means, nor have I let myself go, i look quite good for my age still, but a flight of stairs will have me puffing. So today, I forced myself to jog 5 times around the local soccer field. It was a struggle and I needed to rest per lap and was still red faced and sweating half an hour after I stopped (even after a shower) but I am going to try to continue this. I'm mindful of keeping the goals achievable, just 5 laps of the soccer field straight after work (maybe 15-20 mins of my day) and some planking in the morning. I just want to reduce the spare tyre I am carrying around me :). I have two weddings to go to in the next month so am looking forward to these, one of them being my close cousin.
Hubby also just came back from the first of his fitness sessions with his brother, the beginning of a 6 week stretch... be interesting to see if it lasts :)
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