100 things to experience...

I saw this on another blog and thought I would give it a try. Must be hitting 40 making me nostalgic and at the same time excited for what the future holds. Those things I have experienced are in bold type...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - at Marryatville High School. Poor
Mr Johnson had to teach me the xylophone... he is still receiving counselling!
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity - sad isn't it
7. Been to Disneyland - no, but it is on my list of things to do
8. Climbed a mountain - yes, well I think it was a moutain
in the Flinders Ranges. If it wasn't it was a bloody big hill!
9. Held a praying mantis - yes at the boys' kindy
10. Sang a solo - only in the shower
11. Bungee jumped - no way
12. Visited Paris - and it was wonderful...
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea - yes on the way
from the mainland to Kangaroo Island. Everyopne else was throwing up and I
was taking photos!
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - does scrapping
count??
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - or maybe it was alcohol poisoning
(grin)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - I would LOVE to go to the USA
18. Grown your own vegetables - yes a number of times
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - yes, and I cried
20. Slept on an overnight train - a number of times with
my mum, heading to Melbourne for the footy
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - not my brightest move
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - mental health
day of course
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - enough said about that
27. Run a Marathon - only at school
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - with my mum and dad
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - I totally suck at sport
32. Been on a cruise - loved it!!!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - does 4 year old count? (grin)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied - must admit
money isn't a prime focus of our lives...
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person - yes! And it
was much smaller than I imagined.
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David - yes with my mum and dad - a
breathtaking work of art
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - no, but I must do this one day
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - as a nurse
47. Had your portrait painted - think I might crack the canvas :-)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - all by
myself
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - snorkelling :)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching - not deliberately, but they were
near the coast at Middleton
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma - no, and I should!
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter - yes when I was younger with my
brother
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - I have my panda that
Auntie Vicky gave me when I was little - now Mitch takes him to bed
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar - mmmmm
72. Pieced a quilt - nope
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - thanks Maccas!@#%@
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - yes up to Normanville -
it was exhilarating!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper - yes with my boys
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - does a
fish count?
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - well sort of... Brett Maher
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - yes
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100.Read an entire book in one day -yes, but that was
before I had kids!!!

The mysteries of a four year old mind...

I am sure all parents can relate to the challenges of raising a four year old. The never ending questions. The need to push the boundaries just that bit further. Going from joyful to sobbing in a few minutes (and that is just Mum!). Being four must be hard at times. You want to be independent and at the same time the world is a confusing and scary place at times, so you need Mum or Dad close by (just in case). There are SO many things to explore and learn. BUT being the parent of two four year olds is an adventure all of its own...

Why is it that I can create a gourmet meal one night and it is devoured with gusto and the next time I prepare it both boys eye it warily wondering if I am trying to poison them?

Why can they both open the car doors when I don't want them to, but the moment I ask them to open the car door they suddenly can't?

Why do they try to negotiate all of the time?
Harry - Mummy I wanna go outside
Mummy - No. Daddy is mowing the lawn and it is dangerous
Harry - But I want to
Mummy - Not now - very soon
Harry - But I want to...(which is followed by screaming and stomping of feet)
Mummy - I said no! Now go to your room.
Harry - (unintelligible ranting and screaming)

And why do they have to say everything that fleetingly crosses their mind? From 6.30am until 8.00pm I hear every single thought of Harry's, until I feel my brain will explode!

Now if someone has the answers please share - I am sure it would make life a whole lot easier :-)

Sending lots of love,
Lisa xx

Sometimes parenthood is just plain tough...

I love being a Mum. I love all the little rituals the boys, Kev and I have created. I love those cuddles that come any time day or night (okay so I don't like being woken up, but the cuddles are still precious). Being a Mum is far more than I could have hoped for and far more than I ever dreamed...

BUT... sometimes I feel like I am drowning. One more diagnosis. One more bit of news to digest. One more activity to work on. I sometimes wonder how I can fit it all in and still survive. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware of how fortunate we are to have Mitch & Harry. They are precious beyond all measure. BUT... I am perpetually on the edge of collapse and I hate feeling like I can't do it all. I am so fortunate to be surrounded and supported by good family and friends and a beautiful husband, but I sometimes feel like I am trying to accomplish the impossible.

On one hand I have Mitch who is relatively easy going, very affectionate and in a lot of ways a lot younger than his brother. He just coasts along and takes life as it comes. But he is still not toilet trained and he has started telling me it makes him sad. My heart just breaks when I hear this, after all none of this is his fault, his poor tone and lack of sensation means that it happens before he realises it. He struggles with his motor skills and it is a rare day he comes home from kindy without a grazed knee.

And then I have Harry, my complicated little guy. Who needs me so much ALL of the time that I feel worn out. If I go outside to the shed where our computer is, he stands crying at the door asking me to come back. He seems to seek my constant approval, but at the same time is the one who is more wilful and inclined to push the boundaries. His meltdowns are something to behold - he can maintain a screaming pitch for over 30 mins and gets worked up to such a state that there is nothing I can do to settle him.

And at the end of a day where Harry has screamed continuously for an hour, and Mitchell has soiled himself yet again, I sometimes wonder whether I am capable of dealing with another day. But like all parents I just hope and pray tomorrow will be a better day.