A New Phase...

Well, we have survived our first week back at school - with a few differences. I am now not only the Mum of a high-schooler, but also a teenager.

I can't believe that the little one who only had two teeth on his first birthday...

turned 13 last Friday...

 

 started Year 8 last Monday...

 (His youngest brother refused to submit to such hideous torture as 'back to school' photos.)

and now stands taller than me! Where did that time go!?My body looks and feels like I've lived it, but my brain is having trouble with the concept.

Hope all those back at school this week are recovering well!

P.S. "Mother Nature is providential.  She gives us twelve years to develop a love for our children before turning them into teenagers."  ~ William Galvin

Happy Australia Day!

Hope a day off in the middle of the week has given everyone a chance to reflect on their life in our lucky country. 

We spent the morning at the Aussie Day party at the local pool, complete with reptile display (the kids got to pat a crocodile!), jumping castle and flag cupcakes, had a BBQ lunch, went out for icecream and kicked back at home listening to Triple J's hottest 100 countdown.

Bliss! Days like this remind us that we are so fortunate to live where and how we do.

It was great to see that even those communities most affected by the recent flood events have even been helped to celebrate our national day, getting a repreive from their grief and loss for a few hours. Keep those donations rolling in folks -
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

P.S. “There are two big forces at work, external and internal. We have very little control over external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, disasters, illness and pain. What really matters is the internal force. How do I respond to those disasters? Over that I have complete control.”   Leo F. Buscaglia

What a cool idea...

Some people just blow my mind. 

High school history teacher Amy Burvall and her partner decided to set some coursework to music to help their students remember the basics of various periods, figures and events in history. 

The result is a fab collection of pop song parodies on YouTube - check them out!

My favourite has to be "I'm a Knight" to the tune of Lily Allen's "Friday Night". Have a look if history is your thing too...

Some of the songs are just sooo clever. How about "Iceman" to the tune of the Beatles "Taxman" and "Macadonia" to the tune of "My Sharona".  Ba ha ha! Excellent.

While doing a bit of research I found out that,  just to make the whole venture a little more amazing,  Amy made alot of these videos while undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. (*sharp intake of breath*) She is thankfully now in remission. (*breathe out*)

See what I mean about blowing my mind. Some days I feel so lame!

P.S.  "I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework."  ~Lily Tomlin

A Christmas-y upcycle...

I realise it's a bit late...or is it a bit early for next year? Something for the file anyway...

While I was packing away my tree and decorations for another season (*sniff*) I remembered that I was going to post a little tip I employed last year and scaled up this year.

Do you have a bunch of plain, cheap Christmas baubles like I do? How about some stick-on bling left over from papercrafts?

Well, if you have these things, you can do this...

                                                                  Mmmmmm. Pretty. Shiny.

Just use the line made by the join in the bauble to space the jewels evenly. If you are a bit more uptight precise,  you might like to use a tape measure. I just did it by eye, placing a jewel on one side, and then in the same spot on the other side and working my way around.

Add as many or as few jewels as you like. They give your tree a bit of character, and can help to tie a colour scheme together.

This year I got a bit more adventurous and came up with this one...

 

 which I love!  

If I didn't already have the jewels, ball and ribbon scraps, it probably would have cost about $5 in all. Still cheap for a really pretty and individual decoration (a good gift idea for those people who have everything!) and a great way to upcycle some oldies.

P.S. 'One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.' Anon