I just can't believe I haven't been on Minti for so long!  It honestly didn't feel like a whole month had gone by.  In fact, thinking back, it ties in with some stuff that has been going on.  Mum has been a little unwell, and I think that has taken up a LOT of my focus of late.  She is OK though.  Just waiting until Friday to get some results back, waiting until she heals to start treatment and in a few months she can leave this little hurdle behind her - hopefully.  (Fingers crossed).  Otherwise, all else is ok.  I missed art classes in first term, but started back last night which was great.  Was a bit funny.  I was staring at an unfinished charcoal I had been working on in 4th term 06 and wanted to finish it.  And it felt like looking at a blank piece of paper all over again - I didn't know where to start.  Not to worry, I got into it after about half an hour - hah!  Chatted and caught up with the other attendees during that time.  I forgot how completely engrossed I get in the piece I am working on and how fast time flies.  I remember stifling a yawn and looking at my watch and on seeing that it was 8pm, thinking I had a whole hour to go and how tired I was feeling.  So I continued working and then I looked at my watch again and it was 9pm!  I love that feeling of losing time in creating artwork.  Very fulfilling.  I have taken time of work - just a week and a half - to see mum through after her op (she can't drive for a wee while) and have been having a lovely time with her.  It has been really funny going shopping with her and meeting her friends.  Boy, going shopping with her is an experience.  She is such a bully!  She says I am bossy.  Hah!  This of course all comes from arguing with her over who is going to pay for what.  She is hopeless!  I can't look at anything and show even the slightest interest in something or she will pick it up and buy it.  I got wise after going grocery shopping with her earlier in the week, so only brought home some tins of soup that she insisted were wonderful and that I should try, even after saying over and over that nobody but me would eat it.  Oh, and some choko's (sp?) which again only I eat.  Oh well - it's all fun and I think part of the game we play each day.  And I can tell you - I sure don't miss going to work!  This time off has really helped me to put the whole full-time working thing into perspective again.  Work gets me down from time to time - everyone there takes stuff so seriously and you can really get caught up in the whole personal development thing and the feedback you get and your performance rating.  It really is demorilising (sp?) stuff sometimes.  Even though I do fine each time, just the day-to-day pressures and deadlines and expectations really do seem so overdone and unnecessary - especially from where I am looking at it this week.  Know what I mean?  I sit here sometimes and wonder how I can bring in the money I earn without having to go to work?  Grrr... necessary evil.  It's not that it is a bad place and goodness knows I have some great friendships with people in that place, but there are just so many other things that I would prefer to be doing with my time and life, you know?  I have been enjoying picking up #2 from school in the afternoons and have been able to achieve so much just from this one little exercise.  Reconnecting with some mums I have met but rarely see.  Meeting the lady that runs the tennis lessons after school on Monday's and signing #2 up.  Dropping into #2's classroom and quickly catching up with his teacher.  Nice stuff.  And with mum, we had a lovely slow lunch and afternoon.  One of her girlfriends came around for an simple lunch and then we spent time slowly walking around mums front and back yards looking and talking about the plants.  Her garden is not spectacular or anything, but nice.  It really was lovely to just 'stop and smell the roses' so to speak.  And when we were out the front, we spied one of mums neighbours across the road, and so walked across and spent time in her front and back gardens.  We took cuttings from both gardens (mums and neighbours) and discussed where and how to grow them.  And laughed.  I learned so much - it really was a lovely time.  Something out of yesteryear.  Anyway, I had better run.  Need to pack lunches, shower and get ready.  Am going to bingo with mum today and honestly - I can't wait!  I really have cherished being able to spend this time with mum.  I feel like we have reconnected all over again - great stuff.  Take care everyone - see you soon.  Love K.

What a great day.  Hubby and I now officially have our own PC.  Very cool.  We are going to set it up in our bedroom.  I know, I know.  How many raised eyebrows are there out there?  It's just that this is really the best option for us.  And I can't wait for it all to be finished.  To accommodate it, we have finally also finished buying drawers for our room.  Can't tell you how nice it is to have our room look complete and not all hotchpotch with leftovers from our youth that we brought with us when we first got married.  It will also mean that we don't have to 'rent' or 'borrow' our sons PC in the mornings.  Very nice.  Well, look forward to catching up with you all a little more often now.  Haven't been able to pop on at work during lunch because it's been nutty there over the last month and doesn't look like letting up any time soon.  So hopefully will be back to my old routine of logging on in the mornings.  Take care everyone.  Chat soon.  LG xx

Hmmmm....  am sitting here catching up on Minti while my 3 boys are downstairs munching on take-out.  Why?  Because whenever I go out to lunch and have a few wines, the last thing I want to do is cook dinner.  They don't mind - just know me so well that when I rang them on my way home in the train, they had already decided on what they wanted me to get.  hehe.  And what a lunch it was.  Unfortunately it was a leaving lunch for a dear girlfriend at work who has 3 children and worked 2 days per week.  She was unfortunately retrenched but had the esteem of so many managers and people in the co that they let her have 2 leaving lunches - one last week with the team and one today with just the girlies.  And it was a glorious leave at 12pm and not go back to the office lunch.  Ahhhh - and at a devine restaurant too.   Love it.  Hope you have all had a great week.  Hopefully my routine will get back to normal next week and I can catch up with you all a bit better.  Oh, # 2 is nit free - woohoo!!!  See you soon guys - take care.  Love LG xx

Boy - what a week.  #2 turned 6 last Wednesday, and boy did he have a heck of a birthday.  I got the cupcakes done the night before (for him to take to school on his birthday).  Mum came over in the morning to give him his present (because I wasn't doing a party for the families this year because I wanted to focus on his first party with friends).  Of course I was late.  He asked me if I had a badge that said '6' and was cool when I told him I didn't.  But of course I had to get him one anyway (too sweet - couldn't resist).  But when we arrived at before school care (bsc), the bus to take him to his school was already leaving so I had to drop him myself.  But you can't drop them before 9am, so we had to wait.  Dropped him to school and went to work - got there at 10am.  At 11.20am, got a call from the school to ask me to come and collect #2 because he had nits!!!  Yes - nits!!  OMG.  I had no idea at all.  #1 never got them so it is something that I had never personally had to deal with.  So left work and raced over to the school.  When we got there, the teacher had quickly done his happy birthday with the class and the cakes, but we discovered he had also fallen over and cut the inside of his left cheek with his teeth.  There had been bleeding and tears, but it looked ok'ish by the time we got there.  Was given a run-down on how to identify and treat nits by a lovely mum who worked in the office (and who has had 3 girls who have had them), then up the street to buy the gear.  Oh boy - I was horrified when I saw them in his hair.  Hubby and I stood there wondering how we missed it.  Then realised that he grooms himself each day (does his own hair) and washes it himself as well.  I mean I am there during the washing and I do the actions and he mimics me (make sure he scrubs all over his head), so never really look at his head.  I de-loused for 2 hours on the first day, and have spent 1 hour on it each day since.  They are tricky little things, but I'm becoming a bit of an expert I think.  In the evening, my pil's came over to have dinner and cake and give him his pressy.  He was back at school on Thursday and Friday.  I did take him to the Dr's on Thursday morning to have his cheek checked out because it was really swollen in the morning and I could see white pussy looking things where the cuts were on the inside cheek.  And there was a bruise on the top lip.  She said it was just ulcerated which was good, but was more concerned about his teeth.  She couldn't really check things out too well because it was really swollen and it really hurt him when it was touched.  I've made the Dentist appt so will see what comes of it.  He had his friends party on Saturday and not surprisingly, only girls ended up coming.  Unfortunately all the boys couldn't make it, but I have play dates to arrange with them so that will be fun for him.  Boy - they sure don't make little girls like they used to, or how I remember them being.  And having 2 boys, I am not used to the squealing and screaming.  Boy oh boy.  Big learning from Saturday.  I will pay the extra and have the party at another venue instead of our house next time.  Wow.  Anyway, he had a great time which was what was really important, but we did end up having tears intermittently throughout the weekend because his cheek was hurting.  Treated with Panadol which helped him with the pain, but am really worried about it.  I am dressed and ready for work and so far this morning he has not complained which is good, but have got to admit that I am expecting to get a call at work today asking me to pick him up.  Will see how it goes.  I had better bolt.  Got lunches to pack and brekkies to get and need to go and treat and check #2's hair before work.  Got 45 mins to get it all done - arrrghhh.  Will chat to you all again soon.  Was great to catch up on your week through your blogs.  Hope you are all doing OK - take care.  LGxx