Introducing ME 3.1

It's been a long time since I blogged and well, I'm feeling it tonight so I'm doing it.

It's been a crazy busy year so far for my little family and I've been pushing myself physically, mentally, always emotionally.

Tonight, I'm going to focus on the mental. Education.

I started doing my Generals to get my degree. Yeah yeah yeah, I should've done it earlier on in my life. What with moving countries, finding myself, marriage, kids, work, mortgages and life taking over it wasn't a priority for me these past 14 years.
Plus, I wasn't interested. Just ask 22 year old Dayna what she thought of structured learning and the "piece of worthless paper that just shows you know how to sit in a class and pass a test". Pffft.
She was a little bit stupid really.
So, I started online General Education requirements and completed my FIRST class, English 1010 at the most prestigious SLCC and it's been ... good.
Finding the time to do it has been challenging. I try not to procrastinate. Lateness One class, shouldn't really be too overwhelming right?
One full time insanely busy job that requires 40 - 60 hours a week, one very busy full time working husband who is currently in between international trips, two crazy little monkey/bear boys who play sports and have swimming lessons and go to school and day care + one class = minimal sleep and some crazy time management.
That one class is roughly 4 hours a week of reading, writing and general incompetence.
So I found out I passed my class, I didn't just pass, I got a A+. It's English 101, I better get a damn high mark.
And though it is a class that SHOULD be simple to get a high grade in I'm still stoked with myself. It's a representation to me, of the beginning of an achievement I now want to complete.
I mean, at the rate I'm going it's probably going to take me the next 10 years to complete this thing, but time is going to keep rolling by anyway, so I should do something I want to do.

The Ghetto Tooth Fairy

I'm sure by now my reader has long since forgotten me, sorry for losing your faith in me.

However, I'm back to impart wisdom on the masses, and this as most of my posts are, is about my children and the quality mothering I provide them with.

Mana lost his first tooth a few months ago and it was an exciting time for him! He had his little tooth in its little tooth container because it had fallen out at school. When I arrived to collect him for the day, he was so proud to show me his tooth, and I was excited (devastated) for him and this momentous occasion in his life.
On the ride home for the day he was telling me all about how he needed to put his tooth under his pillow and the tooth fairy would give him a silver dollar etc. 
Well, sorry son, I don't have time to go to the bank, so you get 4 quarters, all the quarters in my wallet!

Kiddie Convos

Koa: Kiki, have you got a hypothesis?

Kiki: Yes! Let's play the iPad!

Koa: Great hypothesis!

Me: Koa, do you know what a hypothesis is?

Koa: An idea Mummy.

Ok. Told by a 4yr old.

Those crazy ducks!

Hey Reader! 

It's been a while hasn't it?

Where have a I been?

Well ... living!

So, my big son has been busy. He started kindergarten in August so, our rather hectic schedule of work, daycare, karate, swimming just became ... more.

We were on skype to my parents in New Zealand, and Mana, my big boy, was showing his Grandma his homework.

When we got to a specific page with his homework, he didn't want to show it and he became quite shy.

He had explained to me earlier that he didn't know how to draw ducks and was rather upset about it.

So when I got to the page with the pictures of his ducks, I busted up laughing.

Yes. Agreed. As a parent I am killing my sons self confidence.

But sometimes? It's just funny!

So I read my mum the problem on skype:

"Five ducks were swimming in the pond. Two ducks flew away. Draw a picture and write a number sentence to show the number of ducks in the pond right now."

And here are the ducks.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be around if these ducks are flying away from the pond. 

They might get you pregnant.

Is that your outfit, or a costume?

Do you think that sometimes or is it just me?
I'm both impressed and disgusted sometimes at the apparel people chose to adorn their bodies with.
Don't you see some of the things people wear sometimes and think "Why would you pay money for that?".

I love me some body confidence BUT I think we all need to be aware of our body shape, type, size, and what flatters YOU the most.

All this being said, is it terrible that I love winter?
It's too cold for people to flaunt all their skin (whether you want to see it, or not) it's winter uniform time.

And I don't mean to say that I don't like people's individuality, because I do.
I just wonder, sometimes, if you looked in the mirror and thought "I look good!" before you left your house, or if you know you're a mess?

No wonder I don't have friends.

Maximum Quality Time

Do you ever feel like sometimes you don't even have time to blink?

I lead a reasonably busy life.

Working full time takes up a huge majority of my waking hours.

Travelling to said job, karate lessons, day care, school takes up additional hours.

I've written about this before, but its something I think needs to be mentioned again, and it's one of those questions I get asked a lot or is brought up in discussion again and again.

DISCUSSION: I don't get to spend a lot of time with my kids!

For me, it's not always about the quantity of time I spend with my kids but the quality time. We have the morning commute, which is about 30 mins, where we can talk, listen to music, and enjoy our time together. 

In the afternoon commute, I like to ask the kids about their day, what they learnt, how they felt etc. It's the best time to hear their enthusiasm for learning, their friends, sports etc. I love it!

DISCUSSION: How do you have time to do all these things you do with your kids?

Easy, I make time. I try to incorporate my workout around things they're doing or times when they're asleep. We have two full days on the weekend and we use that time to its full potential, whether we're going out and doing something or just sitting at home spending the day together.

You prioritize what's important to you. That's it.

This is not my usual sarcastic tone, but it's still opinionated. Eh, that's me right?

Conversations with crazy people!

If you need a little levity in your day, listen to conversations children have.

I have two crazy boys, who are completely different in every possible way.

Mana - 5 years old: Fair skinned, tall for his age (95th percentile), stockier (95th percentile), and is a lot like his father.

Koa - 3 years old : Dark skinned, average height (50th percentile) average weight (50th percentile) a lot like me.

Some conversations I've overheard my kids having the past two days that have me in fits.

Mana : Koa, I got a paper cut today and my teacher gave me a bandaid.

Koa: Pepper isn't an ironman.

Mana : Yes she is, she's a pink one.

Koa: You can't get cut on a paper.

Me (listening): Weirdo's.

Another conversation my sister, Miranda, and I overheard after I returned home from Koa's wellness check up at the doctor. He had to get 5 shots, and was not happy.

(walking into the house crying)

Mana: Koa, what's the matter?

Koa: I got poked!

ME: You didn't get poked, you got shots.

Koa: I got rejections!

Miranda: Do you mean injections?

Koa: I mean shots!

Mana: I got 14 shots. (Full of crap. He got 4, four months ago)

Koa: Geez Mana, I've got holes in my legs!

And finally, from last night.

Koa spent the day with my sister and nieces. My niece Kiki is his best friend and when I went to pick him up we decided to bring Kiki with us for a sleep over.

Her favourite song to sing is Jesus wants me for a sun-BEAK and she asked me to play it for her so I played the Children's song book app on my iphone in my car.

I left the app playing and it rolled through to the next song, and this picture popped up.

App picture on top, Koa on the bottom.

Koa: Mummy! That's me right? That's me and not Mana right?

Me (I glance at it and BUST UP LAUGHING): No! That's not you!

Koa: Yes it is Mummy! You're tricking right?

Me (still laughing): No, it isn't you.

Koa (starts crying): It is me!