All Decked Out...

DH finished the deck roof over the weekend, and I'm totally stoked....instead of being the place where the tribe of three drop their school bags/gym clothes/sports equipment before they come inside, it's now the outdoor living area it was always intended to be. Now I can enjoy a man free coffee outside after the school run. BLISS!!

Earth Hour Recap....

Well, we did our bit, and had a very cosy hour chatting and being a bit silly (or a lot silly, depending on who you were). The sad bit was that we were one of the only houses in our street to make the effort, but the boys were really keen to do the right thing so we've started a "lights out" campaign for our house, where the boys are in charge of giving the flick to any unneccessary lights/appliances. No more TV's playing to an empty room!!

In honour of Earth Hour, I'm still typing by candlelight at H.B.C. and myself and the tribe of three will be stargazing from the front deck tonight since fave husband has yet to finish putting the roof on. Do your bit, peeps....we've only got one Earth.

Where was Moses.....

when the lights went out at Planet Hartwell??? Stumbling around in the dark like the rest of us, I presume. I'm typing by candlelight becuase Heaving Brothel Central doesn't have a good source of natural light at the best of times, so when my twin fluoros go on strike, there's a definate "black hole of Calcutta" vibe going on. We are in the dark ATM because my favourite 50% is hanging from the rafters (literally) attempting to disconnect our security lights before putting the roof on the front deck. I have offered to help, but apparantly this is one of those things that requires Y chromosomes and testosterone in large amounts. I didn't realise that climbing a ladder was an essentially male dominated activity, but I have been firmly put in my place by the tribe of three, which is why I am sitting here in the dark waiting for the men in my life to turn the sun back on. Or at least bring me a torch.

Self Help

....and people pay thousands of dollars for therapy.....

Flat Battery

Got a call from the high school at lunch time to say that Kit wasn't well and could I pick him up....when I arrive he's sound asleep in the sick bay, and has been for 2 hours. Apparantly, he didn't want the school to call me, because we're working on a reward system for working through stress, and he thought that if he had to go home he wouldn't get his reward, lol. He seems OK, just pale and tired, and that's not really surprising because they've had mocks all week and the poor kid has had his head in a book for hours on end, as well as spendng every night hunched over his laptop, doing revision. He had an optometrist appointment on Wednesday, and he's been advised to use a full sized monitor attached to his laptop for home study, because he's getting some eye strain which is causing headaches. Another excuse for Techno Man to go to Umart on Saturday,lol. I think Kit is basically working with a flat battery ATM....he'll have a week to recharge when we go camping, if I can just get him through the next ten days without a meltdown. Please.

Congratulations, Grasshopper.....

This is number one son receiving his ninth gup yellow tip from Master Austin after his Tae Kwon Do grading last week. So proud!!

Good enough to eat.....

OK, here he is....my newest fave man. Ned the pie man, alias Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies. I'm seriously gonna have to prioritise my Christmas list.
How do you categorise gorgeous???

Gettin Real.....

So, where are we this week???? Closer to where I want to be than I can normally manage, which has got to be a good thing, no?? I don't know whether it's because Easter is getting closer, and I'm focussing on our camping trip, or whether I'm just so knackered that everything's just going straight over my head, lol. Probably a combination of both. But, I'm still here, still dealing, and doing OK....with a few notable exceptions, which brings me to the getting real part.....

Sebi's IEP is on Thursday and I REALLY REALLY don't want to go. I hate talking about "areas of concern". It's depressing and aggravating. YUK.

I'm feeling REALLY anti-social ATM, and I'm pandering to it, instead of making myself get out and do stuff. I got out of personal training and school reading on Monday afternoon and work this morning because I just can't do people right now. How pathetic is that??
Monday reading is the one thing I do with Sebi's class and I'm letting my anti-human vendetta get in the way. Not good. I'm getting to the stage where I feel naked without my MP3, purely because it's a form of self defence....people tend not to approach you if you're listening to something. I'm going to try and restrict how much I use it, but I swear, I've got reverse polarity or something...the less able I feel to be around people, the more they seek me out.(???)
Even my vibes are retarded, lol. It's only a matter of time before I start wearing a shirt with "BEWARE, PERSONALITY DISORDER" printed on it. Heehee, maybe Kit would like it better than my Little Miss Sunshine one.

and the goodies.....

Kit is managing his mocks and his naplan examples really well....he's allowed to sit them in the SEU, and if he can't use his lappy for the Naplan, they'll provide him with a scribe.

Sebi is in prince mode again....loving, happy, calm. Long may it last!!

Bruce has finished putting the framework up for the deck roof....SO looking forward to that being finished.

I'm scrapping....and really enjoying it. i'm working on my fourth layout for the week...that's gotta be a record.

I AM THANKFUL FOR

a loving family

my music

cooler weather

understanding people

Don't eat the daisies.....or anything else.

it's easy to tell when number one son is having a hard week....you can track him down by following the trail of destuction he leaves in his wake as he literally eats me out of house and home. So far this week, he's eaten the corners off my couch cushions, the rubber backing off the remote control, eight pens, the zips off two jackets, and the rubber mounting for the screws on his laptop. That's not counting whatever he eats at school that I don't find out about. I know it's a stress thing. I know he doesn't even realise he's doing it. But it's getting to the stage where it's going from irritating to dangerous.....Bruce had to order replacement screws for my laptop after Kit not only ate the rubber mounting, but apparantly the screws as well....and he only used it for a week. He wears a St Christopher medal that his godparents gave him for his last birthday, and it's constantly in his mouth. My heart stops every time he complains of stomach ache, in case he's finally swallowed something completely indigestable and we have to chop him in two to try and find Red Riding Hood and Grandma. And possibly Saint Christopher, if the chain breaks.

Dear Santa....

found this on Alaine's blog....I really need an intervention.

Friday night.

It's the end of another week, and I'm still here. It's been a pretty smooth trip this week, apart from my self inflicted painathon, so I'm looking forward to a couple of days of nothing while my spinal chord re-knits itself. Friday night football has once again taken over my household, so I will be forcibly nailed to the couch by the tribe of three in order to watch grown men act like idiots.
Hmmmm...at least I get pizza. Actually, I don't really object to the couch part...even though I have no desire to watch football, the whole hanging out with the boys thing comes highly recommended. As they grow up and get more into the whole man thing (shudder) I find that the times we just get to hang out and be together are getting less frequent, so I have to take what I can get, and if that means sitting through 80 minutes of abject lunacy courtesy of channel nine, then I'm willing to make the stretch. And because they insist on sitting in the dark, I may even catch a few zzz's in between tackles.

Pain in Dog Years

I have decided that I need the human equivalent of an electric zap dog collar.
A little gadget that will give me a short sharp shock whenever I start thinking about doing something really REALLY stupid. Like signing up for personal training sessions at the gym. I really don't know what possessed me....possibly the ghost of some really fit chick who died while bench pressing a treadmill. I had my second session today, and I am in pain peeps. I spent half an hour tying myself in knots on a floor mat and assuming positions that are really only appropriate for late stage labour and don't look flattering no matter how not pregnant you are. Not that pregnancy or anything related to it is going to be in my future any time soon, after todays exhibition. Did I mention how much I'm hurting right now???
And to add insult to a long long list of injuries, I have to front up at Tae Kwon Do tonight and do my impersonation of a living breathing human. Which needs serious amount of work, if the reflection in the mirror is anything to go by.
And you know the worst bit??? Fitness wise, I'm old.....older than I am in real life (what's left of it). Unfair, unfair UNFAIR !!! I think they should initiate some sort of sliding scale that takes into account all the other aspects of your life that could encroach on your fitness. Like taking off six months for every near death experience involving high end four wheel drives and school crossings.
And I think they should count caffeine as a food group. And I should definately get 5 years knocked off for actually turning up for the second session. So, taking all that into consideration, I'm thinking 27 sounds pretty reasonable. I'll explain that to my legs when the feeling returns.

Get Real....Kindness.

For someone who is a confirmed hermit and seriously lacking in the people skills department, I have still managed to attract some truly amazing people into my life, and this post is for them....

MICK....you know those cartoons where people have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other both giving them conflicting advice??? Mick is both. He has been my partner in crime during my loopier moments, joining in my ill conceived ideas with the sort of enthusiasm you normally only get from a golden retriever. (He's the reason I now have two tattoos.)
He has also saved my life. More than once, he's pulled me back from the edge when I couldn't do it myself. He's the first person I think of when something good happens and the first person I call when things fall apart. And he's always there....whether it's a party or picking up the pieces. He's also given me a gift I wasn't expecting....a life long friend in his partner Jules, and two kids that I love to pieces.


TANYA....who I think was beamed down from another planet to show me that the world is more than eat sleep and breathe. She laughs more than anyone I know. And she makes me laugh too. She is the sort of person that works in her own little time zone, and when you join her in Tanya Time, you leave all your worries outside the plastic bubble. She's also given me a gift in the form of her son Daniel, who is a constant joy to behold and is everything my teenage son hopes to aspire to.


NAY....who was an unexpected wedding present, I got the added bonus of her as a neice when I married Bruce. Her art is an unending source of inspiration to me. She's like a sister, and she and her husband have three beautiful children who I love like my own.


You guys rock and this goes out to you with love and thanks. xoxox

Music Therapy/ Shakin the House.

I have recently discovered a new scientific principle. I was going to call it Hartwell's Law, but I figure it's my discovery, so why should DH get the credit??
So I'm still working on an appropriate title, one that will guarantee large research grants and long hours of investigation. Something along the lines of

The "if you don't turn that racket down RIGHT NOW I'm going to get Energex to disconnect the power" principle, perhaps.

or how about

The "I think it's loud enough now, the dogs ears are bleeding" theorem.

Details, details....anyway, back to science. Thanks to a wicked little playlist gadget attached to my blog, I've managed to download the loudest, most brain crunching bass overloaded heavy on the drums ass kicking music in the history of forever. I am in heaven peeps...I've finally found the ultimate universe repellant. The noise emanating from Heaving Brothel Central is now loud enough for people in Tweed Heads to join in the choruses. Definately loud enough to stop anyone from encroaching on the Zen Zone without first employing the cone of silence.

I know there's gonna be hell to pay when I finally emerge and decompress, but for now it's all sounding pretty good to me......


As a precautionary measure, I have placed all items from my Universe Repellant Soundtrack towards the end of my playlist, so that innocent visitors are protected from spontaneous head explosions. Unless they hang around too long....you have been warned!!

RUN FOR COVER

football season starts tonite....be afraid...be very afraid....

Gettin' Real

I'm starting to think that this whole process is having a good effect on me....things that would normally give me a cranial melt down are starting to gain some perspective....so, here we go...

REALLY, I was NOT happy at the idea of giving up my laptop for Kit when his died unexpectedly last night. Bruce reckons the only way it sustained the amount of damage it has is if it was either kicked or dropped. Kit swears that neither of these things happened, but I'm not sure if I believe him.

REALLY, I blew my stack at both boys last night, purely because I was in a bad mood that had nothing to do with them and everything to do with my own selfish crap.

REALLY, I have been eating total crap for three days. I started yesterday with Coke and ended with a Magnum. No wonder I'm not achieving at the gym. YUK.

REALLY, I'm feeling bad. Angry, empty, frustrated. I need to kick this to the curb before it becomes a way of life.

and the goodies.....

Kit got a B for his short story assignment....I was gobsmacked...English is his weakest subject!!

Kit's bus pass arrived, so less stress on the finances...YAY!!

Sebi is eating better and looking better, thank God.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR......

Music...every day of my life. Sometimes I think I would literally lose my mind without it.

Cooler weather on the crossing.

Good books.

Death by Microchip....

Greetings from the room at the end of the garage. Tonights broadcast has changed location due to the unexpected demise of number one son's laptop earlier this evening. Yes, despite valiant resuscitation attempts by fave husband, Kit's trusty lappy has departed for that big motherboard in the sky....(take a moment here if you need one). Which is why I am typing this live from Heaving Brothel Central, instead of from my preferred location for evening posts, my bed. Yes, I am currently tied to my brontosaurus desktop in the scraproom until further notice, after DH performed a hard drive transplant which will let Kit use my lappy for school while I have to either tame the dinosaur or go without internet access until I get a new laptop. (!!)
Neither option was really on my top ten list of good times, but in the interests of year 9 education, I have agreed to make the sacrifice. TEMPORARILY!!
DH is on notice that a trip to Hardly Normal is on the cards this weekend.....I'm thinking about something sleek and sporty, with leather accessories and racing stripes.....Do Audi have a computer division???

Crash test mummy/ Armed with a banana

Tonight is Tae Kwon Do for the boys, yours truly will be sitting quietly at the back of the hall hiding my bruises from last Thursday's Kicking and Screaming class (read as womens self defence). It was a free class held by the Tae Kwon Do association, and it was a real eye opener. Three black belts from the boys classes demonstrating various ways to inflict horrifying injuries on would be attackers. I think it's a Y chromosome deal...the more gruesome the injuries, the more involved they got, until I couldn't even watch, let alone take part. Until the knives came out....literally.
Master Austin produced two blades that looked like props from the Captain Feathersword Show, and I started having Monty Python flashbacks....cue John Cleese showing his class how to defend themselves from a man armed with a banana, and you get where I'm coming from....I really tried to keep a straight face, but the plastic knife blade wobbling in the breeze from the fan just did me in. I mean, there's fearsome and then there's frigging hilarious, take your pick. I went with hilarious, which is probably why I ended up being the crash test mummy for the last part of the demonstration and let me tell you, those black belts are built like brick pagodas...there's only so many times you can charge full tilt into a concrete man before it leaves a mark. Or several. So tonight I will be sitting at the back with a straight face and a tube of dencorub....villians beware!!

Cosmic Karma and the Boys in Blue.

I have always been a big believer in karma, especially the kind that comes and bites you on the ass after you've been a complete bastard. And today my faith in a higher power was completely reaffirmed, when the boys in blue showed up in this....and booked everyone who was illegally parked. I know that it's really bad form to enjoy someone elses misery, but it was kinda hard to hide my joy....I think it was the happy dance that gave me away, lol. And the highlight was definately watching the man who bailed me up two weeks ago getting it both barrels from an extremely large and intimidating policeman when he parked in the no standing zone. I would have cartwheeled across the street, but my balance was off because I was laughing so hard. Ah, yes....the world is back in balance. Smell the Zen.....

Gettin' Real.

So here we are.....getting real for another week.

REALLY, I am being incredibly slack with myself ATM...I am going to the gym every day, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions. Don't get me wrong...I'm working hard and feeling the pain, lol but the "why" behind the effort seems to have disappeared. Like there's no point. Meh, what would I know??

REALLY, I'm avoiding the phone. Both phones. I just don't want to hear anything else that's going to
A)depress me
B)anger me
C)cost me money
so if you've been trying to reach me for any other reason, please take this as a blanket apology.

REALLY, I'm being a total snark this week. I've spent the past 3 days plugged into my ipod and glowering at everyone.
There are a few things coming up that I'm not looking forward to, which apparantly gives me the right to make everyone else miserable. (insert head smack here...)

And the goodies....

Kit has his first grading for Tae Kwon Do in a week's time....so proud!!
Sebi has his first concert of the year in a fortnight....more proud!!
I managed 100 power pushes at 30kg...and I only weigh 44kg, lol...yay me!!
Work is improving...slowly. At least I'm still there....

Cardio Queen/Vampire Child.

I am going to the gym...no more classes, no stuffing about. Cardio and weights until I get where I want to be. Sebi had neuroscience clinic yesterday....
Pr. Bowling wants him checked for Coeliac Disease, thinks maybe that's why he's skinny and his food isn't doing him any good. I spent hours dreaming about going to all these restaurants with neon signs that said "all our food is 100% wheat". BLAH!!
The funniest bit was when Nay rang, I was telling her about it, and she wanted to know why Sebi didn't have red eyes (???). I asked her what she was talking about, and she said that coeliac kids have really pale skin and red eyes and can't go out in the sun (????). I think I've been reading too much Stephenie Meyers, cos I'm thinking "my kid has vampirism????", but then we realised she was talking about albinism, lol. Which he doesn't have. Although the way my week is shaping up, anything is possible I guess, hee hee. Bruce turned 40 yesterday, he got manna from heaven (read as vouchers for BCF) and we took him out to dinner, so he was a happy camper. Which we will be in approximately 5 weeks when we go away for Easter....not that I'm counting the days or anything, lol.