well here I am, this is the first day I have been coordinated enough to type or use the computer. Sleep has been terrible, I think most of it is just the hang over from the anaesthetic. I've been pretty pain free until last night when I had to get up and take a tramadol, all my incisions were aching.

You see on Monday December 1st I had gastric banding surgery.

I put a lot of thought into this over a good 12 months, then when I got my appointment with the surgeon it seemed to take forever, then suddenly all my appointments were done and I had started the 2 week diet before the operation, I had a type of optifast shake meal replacement thing, it was quiet yummy I just got mine from the chemist because everyone (even the surgeon) said optifast was revolting.

So from a start weight of 130kg between the shakes and the operation I am now 118kg, 12 kilos lighter with 48 to go!

The whole hospital visit was uncomfortable, for a private hospital they were pretty average, I was put in a rock solid winding bed, thankfully I had a great night nurse, she got me a new bed at midnight, then come morning she pinched me a big lounge chair from maternity. I made good use of my buzzer, you see they had to take the leg pumps off and disconnect the drip every time I needed the loo, which was about every two hours. 9:30am a cowboy of an orderly pushed me through the main lobby of the hospital in a gaping gown for a swallow test, I hadn't even been allowed a sip of water. The barium was bitter and revolting but I wanted that test done so I could go home. A glass of water kept down for an hour and I was free to go. Unfortunately all the dehydration had given me a migraine so it was home to bed for me.

Each day I have improved, I might be able to read a book today, yesterday I did a little laundry and cleaned the boys room using the picker uppers. Today we are making Florentines for teacher gifts and even though sleep still is a little strange I feel a lot better.

I am on liquids for another week then I start on soft food. This is a second chance for me, I owed it to myself and my children to be here, each day I am feeling better about this decision.

Labels: everyday, stuff

This is Alec this morning while Michael ground his coffee. I chose a cup of tea instead. Noise is such a factor in Alec's stress levels I hate to add to them.

After early intervention finished in 2007 we were left with minimal services, minimal as in 6 visits this year opposed to 100 sessions last year. So we have used it as an assessment year and came to the conclusion we need more help for Alec. I'm sad I don't have the knowledge and tools available to help him so we look outside for help. While we wait for our appointment with the paediatrician we are going to start seeing a child psychologist and try and work on the effects of his sensory issues. I am sad but encouraged that we are doing something.

Routine is so important to Alec, on school days I have said there is no computer for Alec and no lego star wars for Riley, we marked Friday afternoon the beginning of the weekend and the weekend is when you can play. Alec had been talking about Friday afternoon all week , then at school pick up my friend Ali asked if I wanted to come around for a cuppa... I really really did but I remembered my promise to Alec and we came home and he played happily for an hour. Then Saturday morning he was telling Michael how nice mummy had been not having coffee with Ali, he came and thanked me for not going.. it's the little things like this that make being Alec's mum the best things ever.

Labels: autism, everyday

I love school holidays! Ours were so busy this time around. We had Grandma the first week and we all went off to the Perth Royal Show and then we dived straight into preparation for Riley's 5th birthday party, I can't believe he is 5, both of my boys are getting so tall.

One thing I really wanted to do was keep taking Alec swimming, so we set off for Arena and both boys had a ball I am going to make it one of those weekend rituals and the fact that the pool is heated means we can do it all year. I'm also enrolling them in swimming lessons after Christmas, swimming was something I can always remember being able to do as we had a pool in the back yard

We went nice and early which was just as well because the crowd was really filling out as we left.

Pinata mayhem.. 5 year olds seem to be old hands at birthday parties and all knew what to do, I bought the pulling one and a few little boys were disappointed there would be no bashing.

And here are some Buzz and Bloom layouts I have done recently, I'm loving lots of bits right now, I have to go shopping for some more but every time I think.. yes scrap shop time something else breaks down, my scrap budget now resides in out laundry but you get that don't you.

I had a big title worked out for this but in the end Lego was the only thing that looked right so that is what I went with.

These photos are from January 2004 and I had never scrapped them probably because they are on my wall
I can remember the day he was born so well still and all the other years seem to have gone by so quickly
And I love this, Riley picked out these boots at Harbour Town (outlet mall type thing but on a very small scale)

Labels: everyday, kids, layouts, Riley, scrapbooking, stuff, the boys

at 6 something this morning I was rudely reminded by my first born that it was in fact my birthday.. 42 today, seems a bit unreal I am still coming to terms with turning 30 so 42 has a long way to go before it worries me. So while the kids torment their father before they go to bed I have snuck in to check my ebay bids, I haven't ebay'd for about 6 months so it is all a bit nerve wracking especially considering Michael had me place an $80 bid on some star wars figures!!!! If we win it it will be Riley's major christmas present.

The day started slowly, Michael went for a hair cut then came home and helped me clean the house, mum was coming you see. She also told me off for having him help me, apparently it is against nature, you wouldn't think she was a teenager in the 60's would you, very skewed view of male female roles. Mum bought afternoon tea and we had a nice visit, for once they didn't have to rush off. Michael and I made dinner together and then he washed the dishes.. don't tell my mum!

The boys were a great help, Alec washing tables and scrubbing pots, he even cleaned the bath for me, he and I took a quick trip to the shops to buy him a bionicle, which he loves! you see he lost his second front tooth, we had to write the tooth fairy a note because we think this one is in the bottom of the swimming pool at Arena. So we spent his tooth money.

Now I am off to read a book and have a bit of cake, my house is clean and my boys are on their way to bed. It has been a nice birthday, lunch with Lissy yesterday and a family day today.

Life is good.

and for the twopeas blogger challenge today.. I love this, it is a time capsule I made for Alec in 2005, it has so many memories inside, I must ad to it. I made it from a postal tube

Labels: altered things, everyday, off the page, scrapbooking

I am going to make a quilt, because you know it is almost summer and we all need a quilt in summer and what else would you want to do when you have sewn 3 things and one layout, a quilt for your bed seems like a natural progression to me.

But seriously, our new bed is too big for store bought packaged quilt covers, the cover needs to be 270cm (108inches) but all the packaged ones end at 245cm (98inches) see a huge difference. So me a novice at everything material or sewing have done this.. (click on it see how clever I am, I'm sure it is right)

So taking into consideration that material is 44inches wide from 2 yards I could cut 6x22in squares, to make my quilt, I want 25 squares, that would be the diagram on the right, all the different symbols denote different patterns, see I am pretty smart sometimes (remember I have not in any way taken into account the bits you actually sew up, I'm assuming I will be putting a border around it) and why on earth am I working in inches you ask??? well I have been browsing etsy stores and they are all in that foreign language of imperial while I am a metric gal.. but have calculator (and google) can convert.

Oh and I love these.. I want this first pile but wait for a gag moment, my room is a rich shade of grape.. the second would be more apropriate. But can't you just see how revitalising a quilt in this material would be.
So if you are still with me, here are my questions

• after I back it with the wadding stuff (got to love that wadding stuff) do I back it with anything else or do I sew just the material together first then do the wadding stuff and the back........
• this is where you can tell me I need to buy a quilt making book but until then you can help
  
• do I sew over each square.. I know you are thinking has this woman even ever see a quilt.. I'm still thinking about the answer to that one.
• final question are you laughing at me yet?
  

Labels: everyday, for a laugh, stuff

we all do don't we, missed opportunities, things not working out quiet like we planned, then there are the recurring regrets like this one.

I regret making this mistake again and again and again, because you know there is nothing worse than waking up to a sink of dirty water with last nights baking dish soaking in it, with the cold fat floating on the surface leaving a ring around the sink when you let the plug out. This is after pulling up your sleeve, closing your eyes and plunging your hand in after the plug.

Will I ever learn..

and why the shot details, well for my own benefit really, I want to start being more aware of these things. Seeing what is good or bad and where and I can improve and what I can improve on. I feel my photography has slipped of late, I have become lazy and I'm relying on photoshop too much where I should be supplying better raw material before I think about tweaking photos.

Labels: everyday, photography

So it is my mum's birthday today HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!! It is also the day Riley spends with mum and dad. On Friday Michael came home with a bag, hoping it was for them Alec and Riley asked what was in the bag, so we told them all about Mutti's birthday and what we had got her.

We all love the stuff from L'Occitane, mum like their verbena range the best so we got her some soap, a candle and some towelettes. At hearing this Alec and Riley are laughing hysterically because we got Mutti bottom wipes for her birthday. We strenuously denied this and explained (while trying not to laugh too) that no, they were not bottom wipes at all but to make Mutti's face feel nice and fresh and tingly, not her bottom. Which was greated with.. you got bottom wipes for Mutti's birthday.. hysterical laughter ensued.

Fast forward to Mutti unwrapping her present today...

before mum could get everything out of the box Riley declares that we had bought Mutti bottom wipes for her birthday.. oh and that Alec picks his nose and eats it but that I (Riley) just pick mine and put the boogers in my hair.

This from my quiet serious child, he really is very funny. yesterday I thought my head would fall off from all his questions but it is a bit quiet here today without him.

Labels: everyday, kids, Riley, stuff

then I don't know why you don't just put it back on!!

no ofcourse you don't! I know you are just tormenting me by leaving it off, or maybe you truly are unable to put the lid back on like you are unable to put the promite back in the cupboard!! I mean to say I can't put crumbs and bits of vegimite in the butter but it is ok to leave it in an open container on the bench for a week, hey atleast you can see that big scrapping of butter and vegimite, who knows what you can see, so I am thinking a lid would be nice. But that is husbands for you I suppose.

I did a fair bit of cooking over the weekend, mainly of food only I like which is a little annoying, I mean it is chicken and vegetable soup, everyone likes chicken and vegetable soup. I must admit the pumpkin soup was popular as were the zuchinni cakes I cooked, Riley even ate them, he pronounced them yummy, I mean the had cheese in them and were fried ofcourse they were yummy, I used fresh garlic in mine, they were very good. We also made homemade pizza Saturday night, Riley loves them and they are fun to make and then we have a second dinner because I cover mine with smoked oysters and they make Michael gag so we make seperate ones. Sunday after soccer we had a huge food breakthrough with Alec, Michael made french toast, Alec ate 2 slices!! that means he ate 2 eggs!! We were pretty thrilled it is something he has never seen before, Riley on the other hand pronounced it sticky and had a bit of toast.. wiff budder

So apart from cooking and washing (on wet rainy days) we had a pretty quiet weekend. And when Michael couldn't round up a kitchen boy/ house elf/ anyone but me to clean up he cleaned up after me in the kitchen.

Labels: cooking, everyday, stuff

Tuesdays always starts early. That is the day Riley usually goes with Michael on the train and my dad meets them a the station and takes Riley home. This week Alec went with Michael as he only gets to go during the holidays so I have Riley here at home.. we went and picked up a wii game I ordered, so lucky it was there they had put it on the shelf, so Riley is happily playing star wars lego right now.

And today I look as though I am first up for a blogger post on twopeas so I though today I would ask.. what have you won?

Last year Michael entered one of those email competitions sent by the Sunday paper here and we won a car!!!!! The actual car (that my MIL is sitting in below) was what we actually won, a Mitsubishi Colt cabriolet, and then under that is the practical (slightly boring) Mitsubishi Lancer wagon we swapped it for, but it is amazing to have a brand new car, it had only done 14km when we drove it out of the show room.

Labels: 365 days, everyday