bumpy road back to school

since taking the bedrails off young carys and sela’s beds, i have witnessed the two young maids in very interesting resting positions. often, i creep into their rooms and see carys with one foot planted on the ground, the other touching her calf. arms are usually spread over the mattress. sela seems to have no problems with blood racing to her head, she tends to drowse with her head draped over the mattress. i shift the girls back into bed, remind them to stay in bed, and bob’s their uncle. a few bruises, a fun scrape on sela’s chin, but this is growing up, kids! not for the weak at heart which is why jasper still has bedrails and probably will until he is 10.

on a happy note (very happy for me), the kids went back to school today and there are some changes. sebastian and rufus are no longer at the same table. sebastian is now at the same table with three girls and two other little boys. he appeared to be enjoying the social aspect of having new table friends. SUCH CHATTINESS!

miss gail, the much loved principal of small world called me to let me know that sela was having absolutely no adjustment issues to moving to the new classroom. "she asked her teacher how her Christmas was" i learned. jasper was enjoying playing with his sister, but considering that he only plays with girls most of the time, having his sister in the class is no big adjustment.

when gail called to give me the sela update, i said, "oh, i only wish i could hear that carys is doing so well without her sister." gail laughed and responded, "i can see her right now, she was just doing a project with miss jenny and now she is working indpendently." i asked carys today when she came home and she said that the highlight of her day was playing with her friend mika. i think this is going to be a good thing, having carys on her own.

bad things commenced when the kids came home. they were shattered. every single one of them cried between 1pm and 6pm, and it’s not like any of them were bleeding. they were all in bed by 7pm. it is approximately 7.38 right now and i think a couple of them might still be awake but i am not going to verify that guess unless i hear the thump that confirms someone has fallen out of bed.

shoes or spews

last night magnificent and i were preparing to go out and i showed the girls the shoes i was going to wear. they were very impressed and made all the right sounds.

sela put her hands in the air and said, "mummy can the girls put the beautiful shoes on?" and i replied in the negative.

"No darling, mummy is putting the shoes on, and then she and daddy are going out."

"ooohhhhh!!!" and her mood went from sunny to sulky. we have been trying to manage sela’s sulkiness in the last few weeks – it is an unattractive habit and she is prone to it right now.

"my tummy hurts!" she declared. "My tummy hurts so much! i am going to vomit and it hurts!"

she dashed into the playroom, swishing the sides of her princess nightie. "my stomach hurts!"

she stalked a few more steps, whinging about the pain in her stomach, and approached gary, who was unobtrusively working on a light fixture in the playroom. "gary! i am going to vomit, i have a pain in my tummy and i can’t try on the shoes!"

gary looked at me and i asked, "sela, do you need to sit on the toilet?"

and she looked at me and walked over to me, and shook her head, at the same time, raising her hand and leaning it against the closet.

and then the vomitting began.

one huge splash.

carys burst into screams and tears.

i kicked off my shoes,

"good girl, sela, you are being very brave!" i encouraged her, just in time for the second wave to ricochet off the closet on to the floor.

i debated if there was time to get her to the bathroom, looked at the volume on the floor/closet and decided it wasn’t worth the potential mess. so i supported instead, pulling back her nightie and pointing down her head for yak #3.

when it was all done, i took her and sobbing carys "my sister won’t stop vomitting!" into the bathroom and i gave sela a drink of water. then i washed her hands and feet. changed her nightie and let her select a new nightie.

"so very proud of you kitten" i told her. and really i was. she hadn’t cried a bit. she had known the vomit was coming, and i was the bad mum who hadn’t believed her. "i am so proud of you sela, most people tend to vomit all over carpets but you didn’t."

i asked her if the vomit feeling was all gone from her tummy and when she assured me it was, i asked her if she wanted a banana. she agreed happily and then i gave her one. we held a brief practise session of what to do if she ever felt the vomit feeling in her tummy again, (permission to scoot out of bed even though we dont get out of bed after bedtime). and then i left.

i felt pretty guilty afterwards though. she had told me she was going to vomit and i thought she was being all dramatic. what a crap mum i can be sometimes!

another review

somehow, i managed not to read ian mcewan’s atonement since it’s publication. the excellent novel unfolds during a summer’s day in 1939, at the rich tallis estate, when young briony watches her sister strip and jump into a fountain while the gardner watches. she draws her own conclusions, and consequences follow. the war is on the doorstep, and over the next years, the damaged lives continue as the three main characters (robbie the gardener, briony the younger sister who is also a writer and cecilia the older sister) try to move on.

i will rectify that error sometime in the next six weeks, probably on the flight to canada. however, last night i did see the movie.

what i liked:

some excellent performances, particularly by james mcavoy, the young briony (love her glares), actually all briony’s were excellent.

the cinematography was excellent, enhancing some truly chilling, erotic and suspenseful scenes. the use of playing back/forward was also effective.

brilliant use of the typewriter for sound accompianament. at times you felt that robbie, who was indeed fortune’s fool, was a moth caught in those relentlessly pounding typewriter keys.

i don’t know the technical term, sound editing possibly, but whatever it is, this movie had it. the clink as the ceramic hit the bottom of the pool. the dying gasp of a match.

there are moments of extreme poignancy to this movie.

i would like to see james mcavoy get a nomination, and several nominations for the movie. keira knightley is being touted and promoted to get an academy award nomination (she already has the golden globe nomination), but i won’t feel like she has been cheated if she doesn’t take home oscar.

the kids are happy on the playground. today is the last day of hols, and i gave them the choice of hanging out with mummy at the park or going to a friends for lunch with other helpers…they chose going to the friend’s. i am v. unpopular, even with my kids. little rotters.

this should be the last review for a while.

late nights on air

being a former resident of yellowknife, northwest territories, i was thrilled to hear that elizabeth hay’s latest novel, LATE NIGHTS ON AIR was set in yellowknife. admittedly, the story is set in 1975, five years before our green station wagon and grey car arrived to the north, but still…i was very excited. and ecstatic when my father in law bought me the book for christmas.

i have promised to lend him the book, so doug, please don’t read this review any further.

i really wanted to love this book, and indeed, aspects of the book i truly enjoyed. being able to picture streets, locations, sights. appreciating how the author attempted to write the near impossible sound made by ravens. descriptions of the very cold weather, the sudden arrival of winter, the non existence of autumn.how some arrive in yellowknife for a "fresh start" and how others simply fizzle and burn due to a saturation of confinement. alcohol and boredom.

but i couldn’t care less about the protagonists. dido paris wasn’t nearly as interesting as her name, and i couldn’t understand the fascination. i suppose harry is interesting, but i guess i met too many guys like him when i was in yellowknife to find him anything special. the supporting characters were noteworthy, although hay did not do them justice, and her secondary and interesting story of the berger inquiry on the pipeline hangs there as a stalemate. i remember being in the classroom and doing a project on the pipeline in 1981, how it might affect migration patterns…the author never really wraps that up or into the story.

by the end of the story, the one person i cared about had love denied, and after that, i really didn’t care any more. when one couple is reunited, it’s too little too late. they don’t have any sustainability and i really didn’t care any more.

even though i left the north, i do love it, and sadly, lyrical descriptions aside, i did not love this book. which is unfortunate because hay is a talented writer. this seems like a harsh review and i hope it is not too contradictory to say i did enjoy the book very much, mainly because of reasons listed above. there is a lot of description there.

the book has also been nominated for a giller prize, which shows just how crap my reviewing talents can be! don’t trust me, read it yourself.

my book club is also reading "we need to talk about kevin" if you want to send me your thoughts about that. i am finished it, don’t worry about ruining the beginning for me.

otherwise, it was a good day. i had a neuro appointment and that is where i was able to finish the book. 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading waiting to see the doctor and then another 20 waiting to pick up the medication. and the dr said good things. i am a bit worried because my blood levels haven’t been taken in a year or so, and my liver probably needs to be checked up on, and also, i have had a headache for the last 6 months, so it is probably time for an mri. but otherwise, im pretty pleased that i can waltz in there and say no seizures for seven months.

on the not so good side….two days after finishing my medication….my throat is sore again, unmistakeably. ouch ouch ouch. tomorrow i am in search of a good dr.

i have one new year’s resolution. to pray more.

a clever person observed, "that’s  very clever. now you can pray for more patience, to lose 5 (more like 10) lbs, for airfare prices to go down…"

i went to shenzhen with andrea today. we had a very fun time. i bought a pair of very cool black dior heels. they are so great, i have to show you the link:

http://www.styledrops.com/handbags-21394.html

now, the shoes i got are last season, but these are pretty close. the heel is lower, and thankfully, so is the price — HA HA HA !

i also got a funky pair of zebra striped ballet flats and some 2005 sweeties from chanel; black and white ballerina flats. patent leather. very nice.

on our way back from shenzhen andrea and i decided to treat ourselves and ride in "first class", which is 66 hkd, while regular cattle class is $33. first class guarantees you a padded seat. there is no standing room. we were joining the queue, when i saw a lady trying to jump infront of us. normally, this wouldn’t irk me overly, however, we wanted to be facing the same way the train was running. we sped up our steps and got in line before the lady, who sniffed at us.

when it came time to board, the lady tried to brush past andrea and jump the queue. i watched her doing this and said, "excuse me."

this lady glared at me, and then mimicked me. "excuse me".

excuse me?

she said it again and glared at me.

can you imagine? mimicking me because i encouraged the basic laws of etiquette? the cheek of her.

she repeated herself again (that’s three excuse me’s in a faux canadian accent for those of you keeping track) and andrea and i burst out laughing which wasn’t the result she was hoping for, apparently. what was she hoping for? fisticuffs?

we took seats and sank into them gratefully.

we saw truculent girl as she was leaving the kcr, and she glared at us again.

one thing about going to shenzhen is you are thrilled to get home and shower. the shopping mall is full of smokers and is grimy and there are strangers touching you from the moment your passport is stamped, beckoning you toward their shop…"missy missy!!" they hang on to your clothes, wait for you outside of shops, trail after you.

but i guess andrea and i managed to find the one person who didn’t want to follow us. getting ahead of us was more her style.

excuse me?

how boring are we..and that strict too?

it’s 9.19pm and we are home for the evening.

actually, we just got home from our new years eve "party".

i can remember a time when i got home from new years eve parties at 9.19am the next morning.  that was 15 years ago. a decade and a half! back when george clooney was on ER!

at 6pm we went down to chad and andreas for dinner. it is cold in hong kong right now, about 13 above, and of course no flats here have central heating. andrea had made dumplings and beef stew. "northern english food" she said, putting mashed potatoes on the plates.

her kids immediately tucked in.

my four shifted around, drank all the juice in their princess cups, pushed their spoons around their plates and generally were a PITA. if you don’t know that particular acronym, then accept they were unpleasant.

i decided it was a good idea for charles to reveal the ben and jerry’s ice cream he had brought for dessert, and this was enough to prompt my kids into putting a few mouthfuls into their pieholes. except for sebastian. he was poking adam, laughing, loud, and interrupting everyone. charles repeatedly asked sebastian to eat, and he chose not to. finally, charles issued a rather harsh ultimatum, "eat some dinner or you will have to go home." after one and two warnings and no action from my little blonde boy, charles apologised, and led wailing sebastian out of andrea and chad’s and into the  lift, heading for home. goodnight sebastian. this is a consequence for your action.

poor sebastian.

everyone else finished what i considered enough of their meal, but it was still embarrassing. my kids are the last to finish when they try anything new. argh!

then it was time to watch shrek 2, and then high school musical, which predictably, jasper loved. adam and asheligh curled up on the sofa and watched happily, while the adults ate their stew and ice cream, and chatted away, watching the four youngest kids traipse into the playroom, where they started playing their newest favourite game, "mummy and daddy".

sela reappeared after a while, wearing a pair of ashleigh’s pajamas. then carys, similarly dressed. and of course jasper, wearing nothing but a shirt of adam’s and nothing else. think demi moore in ghost.

"we’re going to bed!" they announced, holding up soothers. "Here are our dummies!"

jasper did decide, like every perfect housewife that before he went to bed that he needed to give the floors a good hoover, and so he did. the girls meanwhile, were giggling and really being no bother to anyone. the kids were being great, but really, how long can it go on for? one last cup of tea. one warning that we were leaving in 10 minutes, and half an hour later, we started cleaning up. found jasper’s bobs and sela’s tights.

pushed the kids into the lift, and went home. they were in bed two minutes later, and are asleep now.

sebastian had a harsh punishment tonight. will it make a difference in his ways?

stay with us for another year and find out.

head on over to charles’ blog (link is on the right hand side of the page) to see recent pix of the fab four.

big day in life of sela and carys: bedrails came off today….and they have been asleep for 90 minutes and so far no   

BUMP…….

wahhhhh

MUMMMEEEEE!!!!!

may it continue!

introspection

one of the advantages of blogging is that there’s only my side of the story to tell. it’s like being called to the witness stand and not being cross-examined.

i would hope that as a fairly confident person and one who desires to learn and do better (even if i have issues with shame) that i don’t always make it seem like i was the better person in altercations and everyday situations.

while tess 2007 is a far superior model than say tess 1995, there are still so many improvements to be made. i try too hard at times to make things happen, if someone i love has been hurt i find it tough to forgive, i can be overly sensitive. all very bad things that i try to recognise and keep perspective of. things God is helping me with when i’m not being a stubborn cow and not keeping Him in the loop. i don’t like these aspects about myself any more than you do. believe me. i’m trying.

conquering something that has held you back is difficult.

recognising that you are no longer bound by that damaged emotion or way of being is amazing.

so roll on 2008.

i think this serves as my new years post.

ps i scored a huge win on ebay today. more to come.

magnificent and i celebrated Christmas eve in bed, watching a traditional Christmas film.

"it’s a wonderful life"

"a Christmas carol"

"Rudolph the red nosed reindeer"

heck, even "Mr bean’s Christmas" are all very good guesses, but may i lead you in anther direction.

we lay in bed exclaming over the great festive movie that is

DIE HARD

could alan rickman be any cuter? i mean, really. and bruce, so young and un-crumpled and the tushie on him!

admittedly, i didn’t stay awake for all of it, i dozed off right where bruce outsmarts the forementioned mr rickman. but charles was stoic and stayed up almost until the credits. we don’t need to see bonnie bedelia punch the reporter, that’s a bit yawn-ish. the reporter is hilarious.

what was not yawn-ish was the next morning. sebastian stirred at around five am and i nudged charles. charles jumped out of bed and guided sebastian into the bathroom for a wee and then back to bed. by 6.45 they were assembled at the kitchen table eating froot loops (whole wheat…mean to appease me so i wouldn’t gasp about how the milk turns purple after the sugar coated cereal has been in the milk for three minutes) and i was drinking tea. my throat was rather sore, i remember thinking, and my, my ears were itchy.

we opened stockings, and the kids were thrilled and so was i. some great presents from a great husband. i bought him some cashmere socks and he liked them. i was worried he might find the print too "funky", but he did like them. wore a pair this morning, i think!

the kids loved their stocking presents, the girls changed into their strawberry shortcake knickers and strawberry shortcake tights STRAIGHT AWAY. and then they danced around asking when we could open what was under the tree while charles and i got the turkey into the oven and washed dishes and got dressed, etc.

i think they loved every single present they received this year. lots of cries of

i love this present!

this is exactly what i love!

the girls received pink tutus and immediately put them on, and did twirls. jasper strummed his new guitar and sebastian announced jasper needed to share. sebastian loved his new star wars toys and superman movie. the girls received a cinderella doll that came with makeup and rollers, and they made her purple and red all over. jasper received his copy of "home alone", looked at the front picture of macauley culkin and exclaimed, "it’s me!"

alot of laughter.

dinner was good, the turkey SPECTACULAR but the gravy wasn’t. charles popped open a bottle of champagne (real not fizzy sparkling white) and dale and steph and their four boys came over. jasper was horrid at dinner time so he was put in his room for 90 minutes until we gave him a few morsels of dinner (no dessert) and popped him back into bed. he didn’t even get to participate in the happy birthday Jesus cake or eat a piece.

the next day, i went to the hospital and got the same diagnosis as last time and a longer prescription. i don’t really feel much better yet.

but it was a great Christmas. really fantastic. how was yours? were Christmases better when you were a kid, or are they better as an adult?

…update….

we are just finishing the stockings and trying to be civilised as we discuss where to place the stockings.

despite the thousands of reasons that scream DON"T!!! i want the stockings to be at the bottom of the beds, so the kids will see them full and intriguing and exciting first thing in the morning.

it’s that first thing in the morning that concerns charles.

he’s right of course, but i just wanted to be awakened by the gasps and shrieks of the littles as recognition dawned that Christmas Day was finally here. of course, if that shriek came at 5am, i would be cross beyond all belief.

stockings will likely be beside the tree.

update over. bed is beckoning.