Natty moments - Homeschool Blogger

Update on me...

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 16:22:01 -0600

Well it has been so long since I have touched base here. Leading a duplicitous life such as mine leads you to not much time really. You see, I have another blog that I post to and so I can get a bit slack at keeping up with this one. Naught Natty.

Anyway, because of my extended neglect, I will now attempt to regale you with an update of how things are and what has been happening at Chalet Natty.

I have had a nasty injury. I know, I know,.......awwww for Natty. I feel your sympathy in waves so thank you. I was getting enthusiastically involved in my exercise regime and did not realise that I was completely and utterly destroying my tibiae. Yes, that both of them. Good huh? So then I was told, no exercise (NO? Exercise? NONE?) for six weeks. Great.

I felt good after about 2 weeks, but I took it VERY slowly. Did a bit of gentle exercise. Went to Tae Kwon Do (and took it very easy!) So easy in fact that I exacerbated the compression fracture in my right tibia by twisting it in a not very biomechanically correct way. Voila - ABSOLUTELY! NO! exercise for 6 weeks and then only non weight bearing stuff for about 6 months. Hmmmm. Can we say 'balooning thighs' anyone?

So now I am the largest I have ever been. I am feeling a little bit 'self-esteem-destroyed' at the moment but we all get that now and then and I will get throught it all quite well I can assure you.

Aside from the injury, I have been studying. An achievement that I have not managed since Uni which was more years ago than I care to think about right now. I have been studying to take an exam. The one that I took last Saturday. This exam started a 0900 and finished promptly at 1700 with an hour break for lunch. I am sure you are all with me in thinking that this must have been one of the longest days of my LIFE.

The first two sections of the exam ('Reasoning in Humanities and Social Sciences' and 'Written Communication') were quite reasonable. I think I managed to do okay in these and despite all appearances to the contrary (what with all the punctuation and spelling mistakes and capitals used for emphasis and run-on sentences used in this blog) I can write a university level piece quite well. It was the final section (and the longest) that completely deflated me.

Without the final section (Reasoning in Biological and Physical Sciences) I felt I probably had a pretty good shot at getting into Uni to study Medicine. Unfortunately, they don't hold as much weight as the expectation that you have a fair idea about science. Go figure. So despite my cramming in the subject of chemical bonding I feel I have done rather poorly in the final section. We shall see I suppose but I am feeling pretty positive about doing a 'prep course' for next year's exam and repeating it then. Hopefully with much less alarming negative feelings!

Moving on to the family front. Maisy is rolling over from back to belly. She doesn't like being on her belly much and so she rolls over. And. Cries. because she hasn't figured out how to get from belly to back yet. She is no longer sleeping through the night. I made the fatal mistake of telling people that my wonderful baby sleeps through the night. Alas. No longer. But she is still adorable and beautiful and special and precious etc etc ad infinitum ad nauseum.

Declan. Is still a very headstrong and indipendant little boy who likes things and does things the way he likes and does them. He is an individual spirit that knows exactly what he wants. I love him to bits and he give great cuddles.

Gage. Is a sensitive little smoochkin. He is so caring and feeling. Obviously, he has his moments with his brothers but I think in most instances, these happen because he sometimes prefers to go off and be by himself, and Declan (usually it Declan) won't let him jus tbe alone for a while. He is a deep thinker my Gage. I love him amazingly.

Reece. Is a smart and intuitive kid. He is reading, reading, reading at the moment. I am thrilled! I was never really sure that he would get much into reading as he never really seemed interested. I have a feeling that he never really found much in the 'junior reading' books that caught his interest. NOW. It is a totally different story. If I don't watch to make sure that he only reads for a little while when he goes to bed, I could go in there at midnight and he would be still reading! I love him too.

Aaron. Darling Husband. Is handling the Stay at Home Dad situation quite well I must say. He is enjoying it for the most part but has his days. He is quite organised (which I have to admit surprised me) but I think the only reason that he MAY not have been very organised prior to undertaking the home dad thing is because I was the organiser and didn't LET him do it. So he didn't. Ever. He would just let me do it because I DID it. Now, I have let the reins go a little and I gotta say it is quite liberating (as scary as it was to do at first!)

I have such a wonderful family. I cannot express how much I adore them. They absolutely complete me.

Anyway, that's me in a....well.....(coco)nut shell. I will try to update more often. Honestly I will.

Recently Overheard...

Sun, 26 Mar 2006 16:22:00 -0600

While the boys were playing the PS2. The game was waffling on during a narrative.

Gage: Geez, he talks alot doesn't he?

Reece: For an adult? No.

ODD SPOTS

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 22:10:01 -0600

These interesting little tidbits are called Odd Spots. They are a little gimmick from a Feminine Hygeine company and I thought some on them were actually quite interesting. I have not checked out whether they are accurate but thought I would share them with you and let you form your own opinion!

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up to the sky.

A polar bear's skin is black. It's fur is not actually white, but clear.

More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes.

You burn more calories sleeping than watching television.

35% of people who use Personal ads for dating are already married.

Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors.

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

Boanthropy is a disease in which a person thinks thay are an ox.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They do not appear until the child is about 2 - 6 years of age.

Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown further if it is thrown West.

The average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap.

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

People say 'Bless you' when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.

In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.

The pupil of an eye expands as much as 45% when a person looks at something pleasing.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

By law, every child in Belgium must take harmonica lessons in primary school.

While performing her duties as Queen, Cleopatra sometimes wore a fake beard.

Did you know that you share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world?

The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England. Zanzibar surrendered after only 38 minutes.

There, wasnt that fascinating? I will share more of them when I get them.

I have FAR too much time on my hands...

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 03:17:00 -0600

It doesn't take much does it?

Taekwondo Champion

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:25:00 -0600

Oh I am SO an absolute champion! I have been to THREE classes and I am a champion. Hah! You don't believe me do you?

Apparently, I have this little man......on my shoulder? He is telling me I am no good and that I am making a fool of myself and blahblahblah. He is there. I KNOW it 'cause I have heard the little so and so before.

Anyway. Our instructor was telling us about this little man and how we cannot listen. Don't. Listen. To. Him. People.

OK, I no listen. So I am talking myself up. I am a champion at this Taekwondo thing. I can do it and I look wonderful. Well, I WILL look wonderful at my next class because I am picking up my humungous uniform tomorrow. Now I have to learn the whole complicated belt tying ritual. I am sure it is something like - you can only tie the belt with your left hand at sunrise while kneeling over a flowering orchid and chanting in Korean. Or something like that. Which I will have SUCH trouble with because, well, I am not that kind to orchids unfortunately. I love them. But alas, I kill them. So no flowering orchids for my tying ritual I'm afraid.

But anyway, where was I? Oh yes, I will look the part. Never mind that I haven't a CLUE, it doesn't matter. I will LOOK like I have a clue. (oh there is that little man skulking along muttering little somethings at me.....'she doesn't have a clue, try hard upstart grumpf haksmnty hrrffffsnm smmzzbop')

Shoosh up little man.

Maisy, Declan and Gage

Wed, 8 Feb 2006 21:35:00 -0600

I thought I might try to distract people from the fact that I have not posted anything of great interest over the last few days with a few kiddie pictures.

I put Maisy on Gage's bed (guarded by two of her brothers to ensure she didn't fling herself off the bed).

Look at ME! Aren't I just the sweetest?

I KNEW you'd agree with me!

OK, enough for now. I WILL get a photo of Reece very soon though.

Little Miss.

Thu, 2 Feb 2006 16:44:00 -0600

So last night Maisy decided that she was no longer content to be Perfect-baby-who-sleeps-all-night and move to the I-am-awake-and-in-the-mood-for-chatting-and-smiling-at-3am category!

And adorable as she is (and she is. Just Look!)

this is still not 'asseptable' little miss! I have to get up. Go to work and pretend to be semi-coherent and *gasp* productive.

So here is my message to you sweetness and light. Move on back to the Perfect-Baby thing would you? Pretty please?

And by the way, you are totally adorable.

O Dreary Day.

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 16:30:00 -0600

OK beside the fact that it was Monday. Which it was. It was also overcast, muggy, drizzly and just downright dreary. NOT a good thing for a Monday morning to be. Especially when I woke up SO wonderfully that morning and was all raring to go for a nice invigorating run. Well. That may be a little exaggeration. About the run.

Anyway.

I did go for a ...... um ...... jog/walk. (Shut up. I'm still just getting back to my former fitness glory *snort*). I did it on the treadmill in the podiatrists office. This was actually a really stupid thing to do because the office was also muggy. and airless. and darn HOT. So could I breath? Did I remember my water bottle in all that sweltering swelteringness? No. I. Did. Not.

Stupid.

Recently overheard...

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 16:23:00 -0600

In our lounge room.

Setting: Declan and Aaron in lounge. Declan having just said something smartassy and clever.

Aaron: Hmmmmm......you get that from your paternal Grandfather.

Declan (4) (with a look of completely adorable confusion - yes, the confusion was completely adorable not the look. Shut up.): The Turtle Farter?

Ummmmm....Yes Declan, that's right.

Quest? More like an impossible dream!

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 15:58:00 -0600

So I am now a few months post partum and have just returned to work. Hmmm. I thikn the exercise part of my fitness quest will improve now that I am back at work and can use 'work time' to do my exercising (that is the most AWESOME thing about being in the services - you have to be fit, they expect it, so they give you time to achieve it!) but the eating.....well......I say I just do NOT want to discuss it.

But I will.

You see, I either have to spend my precious moments of spare time between Children-Going-To-Bed time and Oh-Good-Grief-I-Am-So-Tired-And-Need-Sleep time preparing a healthy lunch with snacks for the next day, or I have to get up at 0500hrs. Thats 5am. In the morning!! EARLY! I have managed it so far......but I have only been back a week so........I can see me putting paid to that pretty quickly.

So I am hoping that something a good friend of mine said actually is true....she says that if you are doing an appropriate amount of exercise and you are not TOO extravagent in what you eat then you should still be able to maintain a healthy weight (if you already have one) or even lose a little. We shall see, shan't we?