Updated Armistice day post

For those of you who use a feed reader and might have missed it, I have updated the last post with some family history if you’re at all interested.

Embejo has an announcement to make

We are having another baby.

That’s all. Just wanted to put it out there.

I Like This

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.”

~St Augustine

Poem In My Pocket

It’s National Poem in Your Pocket Day! This is the day when the Academy of American Poets encourages everyone to carry a favorite poem around in their pockets and then “share with co-workers, family and friends.”

When you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true;
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face.
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. ~William Butler Yeats~

7 things that are indeed random, but not necessarily about me.

I was tagged by Karen Joy from Only Sometimes Clever, to do a 7 random things meme.
I’m pretty sure I’ve done this before, but I can easily think of 7 other bits of whateverness. And I’m not going to follow the rules either. My 7 random things may not even be about me.

1) We have a resident spider and we feed her. Her name is Henrietta and since we named her I can’t bring myself to clean the web away. It’s a great excuse for having a dirty kitchen window. We like her because hopefully she’s eating well and keeping the fly population down in our house. Sometimes if we are in the mood we catch a fly in a glass and throw it into the web. These photos show her enjoying a meal D provided for her the other day.

2) Tomorrow*  is election day in New Zealand. I’ve only just given thought to who I’ll vote for. But I don’t feel like being all serious and going into politics right now. However it seems only fitting to post Something about the election. So how about some Comic Relief? Check out Party Punch Up and you can give ‘em all a piece of your mind. (Well, a virtual punch in the head actually…)

3) My kids are having a birthday party tomorrow*. E5 and B3’s birthdays are only 4 days apart and they have always shared a party. I asked them this year if they wanted separate ones and they didn’t. In fact they are so excited to do it together. It works better actually as they enjoy the same friends. I wish their cousins could be there. (Sometimes it really really sucks when you live a long way away. Usually I get along just fine but there are a few times it really bites – 1) when my kids are sick and I’m tired and not coping and could do with some help, 2) when the kids become aware that their friends for the most part have nans and pops and cousins to see regularly, and the concept is foreign to them, and 3) Christmas time and children’s birthdays. )

Yes, so I digressed a bit there, but having two kids share a party means that I will be up late tonight* decorating not one but two birthday cakes. E5 wants a number 6 and B3 wants a tiger. It will be a nice change from the train cake that he’s had two years running. He did want it again until I showed him the picture of the tiger one. It’s orange too of course which is his favourite colour. Even though here he said white, every single other time I’ve asked him it’s orange. Really. It is. Believe me. I know. I’m his mother.

4) Have I ever told you I still have a couple of baby teeth? Weird huh?

5) I had to spell check necessarily when I typed in in the title. (That does not necessarily mean I’m a poor speller. In fact , I’m not too bad at it really.) I hate it when people misspell divine and ridiculous. If you’re not sure how to spell ridiculous, please go to How To Spell Ridiculous and it will tell you.

6) I want to write a book. (don’t laugh)

7) I’m going away next weekend. For a girls night. Lucky me, but I’ll miss my little family

*This post was written yesterday, so references to tomorrow are in fact today, and references to tonight are in fact last night. I’ll post today’s birthday photos tomorrow, which by then will be yesterday’s photos.

Oh, shoot I have to tag someone. I never know who likes these or not, so if you’re reading consider yourself tagged and  let me know in the comments if you post.

All sorts of random bits of unimportantness that you might just like to know. Or not

OK, even though I said I’d post every day for the month of September, I never promised quality. Just saying. Ok?

So, here’s a fun website for kids. It’s a game that’s not. Hmmm makes sense so far. yes. It’s an easy and fun website where the kids can just click on anything and something happens. (Oh, yes, I’m specific and concise today…I can feel it.) There’s heaps to explore and it’s a great way to get little ones used to using the mouse. B3’s abilibty to aim and control the mouse has improved a lot since just by messing around on this. You probably still have no idea what I’m talking about go on over and have a look at Red Fish Soup. Make sure the sound is on.(Some of it’s in French, but that’s ok, they have English bits too.)

You got a secret? You wanna tell the world? Well, that’d be kinda silly wouldn’t it?! Maybe not… I’m probably the last person in the world to discover this but how about Post Secret. I don’t think I’m even going to try to explain it to you other than to say that people from all over the world send their secrets to this guy on a postcard and it’s become a bit of a phenomena. I thought about sending a secret in….but decided they weren’t worth the stamp.

I love books and if I had $1000 to spend on books I could happily do it in a day! And if I did have $1000 to spend on books, I’d probably do it online at Better World. This is an online book store with a mission to promote literacy. They do a much better job telling you about what they do here. What I love about this store is that it started with 3 people with an idea to run a business that also helps people. Also, their prices AND shipping is very reasonable (free in the US and US$3.97 worldwide).

Annnnnddd…lastly but by no means leastly, my friend in real life (how exciting!) has started a blog. Go on over there and have a looky see. She’s got an idea to restore a beautiful old chaise which I’m sure some of you creative and refashiony, recycling types will really appreciate. Her blog is called 4maze.

And, that my friends is your dose of unrelated linkiness for the day. Come back tomorrow. Who knows what you’ll get!

Look Look Look!

Check out what I got from Jen in the Apron Swap!

Thanks Jen. It’s a beauty! And a pretty good effort for a first sewing project!

Here’s a close up.

THANK YOU!

How much does a kindy weigh?

I know I’m not the first to post about this. You know, the stats page where it shows what terms people have used in search engines when they found your blog? Based on these terms, I know for certain that hardly anyone sets out looking for my blog. Most people who come from search engines to my blog are searching for ‘funny kids’, ‘home birth’, or ”home schooling’. A surprising number have come my way searching for ‘eye excema’ (huh?) but people have also found my blog when searching for the following:

ugly dresses for kids to wear

all i do all day is drink

did you know stuff about marijuana

husband + mess

exercise for flappy butt

fat transfer breast

inside a spray bottle photos

broken stereo jokes

naked helicopter pilots

I found god at the bottom of my handbag

funny and random things to say in a letter

Thinking, It’s too hard

why is my bathroom ceiling soggy?

ways to unblock toilets

curly hair replanting treatment cost

macadamia husking machine

unblocking kitchen roll from toilet

spy picture person on earth

how much does an average kindy weigh?

Strange, strange people. If you have a blog, what’s the strangest thing in you’ve seen on your stats?

The Party’s Over

I’m nearly always the last to leave a party. Maybe that’s just because I don’t get out much these days and when I do get out, I’m like an animal out of it’s cage and I just don’t wanna get back in. Nevertheless, there always comes a time when nearly all the guests have gone, there are empty glasses and empty bottles, dangling streamers and straggling balloons, the left over bits of food and it’s time to say good night.

Thanks for all those who visited my blog this week for the Ultimate Blog Party…it’s been fun, and I hope you’ll all pop around for a coffee from time to time. I’ve come across some new blogs to read which I’ll add to my blogroll one of these days.

Just one more thing before you all head home…. it’s time to draw a winner. I have written the names of all the commenters here:

Placed them all in this beautiful new kete:

One was drawn randomly (and you’ll just have to trust me on that one) AND>>>>The winner of the little giveaway mentioned here is *drumroll please ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….*

Congratulations Michelle R….I’ll be emailing you for a postal address and something will be coming your way! (I’ll post pics of what it is when I think of something it’s on it’s way.) Thanks for playing everyone.

Pay it Forward 365 Giveaway

So Sarah Bean is playing this Pay it Forward thing. I joined in the fun on her blog and in return I pay it forward to you!

Here’s how it works:

• Anyone with a blog can join
• The first three people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me
• I will send the gift in the next 365 days
• In return you have to pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog

See how easy that is?

And if you don’t have a blog, it’s a great incentive to get one. It’s so easy…just start here. (Hint Tamara, AT of the nose piercing adventure and SH who is thinking about home schooling and LK…you know who you are!) But if you really don’t want a blog it’s ok because I’m a nice person, and people without a blog that leave me a comment will also be eligible to receive a handmade gift from me within 365 days. You can pay it forward to me! someone anyway OK…honour system. I’m quite happy to send overseas, so don’t let that stop you!

That’s it!! Let the comments roll!!