Kid Funnies Part 14

We were having dinner in front of the TV and the Simpsons was on. It's mostly re-runs but it's always entertaining. Anyway, we gave the kids a bit of chocolate for dessert. The boy took a look at the bowl of M&M's and he exclaimed, "Hmmmm... Excellent!" in the same way that Monty Burns would do it. It was so spontaneous and cute that the wife and I burst out laughing.

Football Fever: 2006 Women's Asian Cup

I have to admit that watching the Socceroos, Australia's National Football team, in the World Cup gave me a whole new appreciation for soccer. So when I learned that the AFC Women's Asian Cup was to be held in Adelaide, I didn't hesitate and got the family tickets to watch the opening games down at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium. The Australian Women's football team, the Matildas were making their debut in the Asian Football Confederation and were slated to face South Korea to what promised to be a good match up.

Tickets were dirt cheap and whether because soccer ( or football ) is not popular Down Under or because it's a women's match I don't know. Although, at only $5 a ticket for free seating ( and kids under 12 free ) I wasn't about to complain. When I told the kids we were going to see the Matildas play, our girl could hardly contain herself. She was so excited that all week she was counting down the days to the match. She even made up her own sign to wave during the game.

As game day arrived, the forecast called for for cold and rain so we made sure the kids were all bundled up before we went to see the game. After a couple of wrong turns we got to the stadium in the middle of the first match between Myanmar and Thailand. The stadium was largely empty and we found seats next to the pitch and tried to settle in. Thailand handily beat Myanmar 2 to 1 on the opening game and as the Matildas and the Korean team warmed up on the grounds, we moved higher up in the stands to get a better view. As the second game between Australia and Korea was starting up, the people started streaming in as well.

The crowd was already getting excited and were already shouting out the old Aussie cheers. There was a vocal group of Korean supporters complete with drums but the Aussie cheering section wasn't half bad as they belted out the old "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi, Oi Oi". Watching a live soccer match in Australia for the first time, I found the atmosphere to be fantastic. The crowd was a bit sedate at first but soon got into the game. The supporters were slowly getting behind the teams despite the cold and I can see our kids getting into it as well. Sure it's not the World Cup but as the Australian National Anthem played and the whole stadium began to sing I can't help but feel what it must have felt like for all those Australians who watched the Socceroos play in Germany.

As the game got underway, so did the rain. The seats where we were was exposed so we decided to move even higher in the stands where there was at least a roof. So we climbed a few flights of stairs all the way up to the top deck. It was a way up but we had a full view of the field and got up there just in time to see Korea opening up the scoring with an own goal! It was an exciting first half and Australia dominated play with several shots on goal and when the second half started, they still continued the pressure. The kids were cheering their hearts out cheering "Go Matildas!" ( the boy shouts, "Go Ma-ta-tildas!" ) every chance they could.

It was getting colder already and after the Matildas broke the Korean defense with a second brilliant goal about about 10 minutes into the second half, we decided to go home before the cold gets the better of us and the kids. I also figured as well that at 2 nil, the Koreans probably won't be able to get back in the game. So despite the Aussie team ahead, we had to shout our last cheers and find our way outside to the car.

We stopped for dinner in Chinatown and as we got home, we found out on the news that Australia rolled over Korea 4 to 0. That's a promising start to the Asian Cup.

UPDATE:

The Matildas beat Myanmar yesterday 2 - 0. However, North Korea began their campaign with a 9 - 0 demolition of Thailand. I think the North Korea / Australia match this Saturday would be a great one to watch.

Going Bananas

The price of bananas have skyrocketed a few months back due to natural calamities. What used to be around $3 a kilo can now command a price of around $14 a kilo .... its crazy! Gone are the days that bananas was a regular product in our shopping trolley. It was easy enough to put in the kid's lunchbox for school. And when there were some leftover, there was always the option of making those banana loaves with choc-chip bits. And it looks like prices will remain this way until about Decemer.

It been almost a month now since we had them. One time I did give in to my cravings, I got about 6 pieces and another shopper approached us and asked "Did you win the lotto?", ha ha ha.

Thankfully, we found a cheaper alternative --- dried banana chips! They cost about $6 a kilo, and it brings back memories of snacks we used to eat on a hot summer day back home. I did not like it much when I was a kid, but now we are addicted to it. Funny thing was, the sign on the supermarket shelf said it was a product from the Philippines. No wonder it tasted so familiar.

2006 Women's Asian Cup

We're at the first game of the 2006 women's Asian Cup today in Adelaide's Hindmarsh stadium. It's cold, wet and we're freezing but the Australian Matildas are up one goal at the half so it's all good!

Parenting in Australia

Since this is a parenting blog, I might as well write something about this topic. And to be specific, the difference of parenting here in Australia as opposed to parenting in Manila.

One major difference is that there are no maids or yayas at all. I have heard of stories where maids and yayas in Manila impose working conditions and sometimes just leave you without much notice. This is especially hard if the child is really attached to the yaya. Having helpers around does have an advantage: this will give you more time for things to pamper yourself like watching a movie or having a pleasant meal without any interruptions. But then you get to miss out on things like having the satisfaction of cooking meals and getting praises for them, getting the kids involved in house chores like sorting out clean socks and treat it as part of a game, and most especially bedtime routines that include reading books and lots of cuddling.

There are a few families here who have the best of both worlds: that are quite fortunate to have close friends and relatives around to help you out with anything around the house as you take care of the children. They even have the chance to go out on "dates" as a couple. Sadly, we are not one of them. When our firstborn came, we were on our own. Hubby took a week off from work, but that was the time I was in the hospital recovering from the birth. By the time we took home the baby, we had a week to get ready a move to another apartment!

The first few weeks were not easy as we were both sleep deprived with no experience at all to back us up during these trying times. Staying at home for the first few months alone with a baby meant I would stay in my pyjamas all day until hubby came home from work. Lots of times I would panic in not knowing how to calm the crying baby, but eventually I got to know my baby well enough to see the cues myself (e.g. when she was hungry, sleepy, bored, etc.). This especially came in handy when our son was born 3 years later.

I must admit, there are good days and bad days. There are days that you feel so proud of the kids' knowledge and achievements as you can see from our previous posts. But there are days you just want to lock yourself in a room and take time-out from the kids. There are lots times I feel guilty .... for not having enough time to bond with kids due to loads of housework, ... for not keeping the house in order, ... for not taking care of my mental health by choosing to stop work and stay with the kids until they go to school. At these times, I just put things in perspective and consider ourselves lucky to have our basic needs met: we have a happy and healthy family. And thats really all that matters, right?

At the end of the day, the experience of looking after the kids on our own has brought us parents closer to each other, making a good team in relying on each other, deciding what we know is best for the kids, and sticking to them when needed. There were a couple of times that we were questioned by other people for some of these decisions, but we find comfort in the knowledge that it comes from our first hand-experience in raising our children.

Testing the K800i Camera

The K800i takes great photos. Well, at least better photos than my old camera phone. Of course, it can't replace our own digital camera but I like the fact that I can take this phone anywhere and still get half decent shots.

Here are recent shots of the kids at the park.

Herb Garden

We had this recent bout of gardenitis. Over these past few weeks we've been puttering about clearing out weeds, trimming bushes, planting new plants. We've even planted ourselves a little herb garden. Well, not exactly a garden but a nice big pot of parsley and coriander. This way, we can have fresh herbs whenever we need them. That is, if they survive our attempt at gardening!

My New Phone: SE K800i

I picked up the new Sony Ericsson phone the other day. The K800i boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera and comes with tons of other features like an FM radio, larger and better screen, MP3 player and it's 3G as well. I'm liking this phone very much! 
I'm just getting used to all the new features on the phone so this post won't be a full review as such. Besides there's probably more of that on the intermets already.
Oh, one more thing. This baby has automatic blogger support. I can take a picture and post it on this blog right away. In fact, that's how i'm writing this now. Sweet! :)

A Superman Returns Movie Date

I've got to say, I was impressed. I had high hopes for the movie and it delivered for me big time.

But, let me begin at the beginning. I took another day off today to enjoy the day with the wife. It's been a while since we've gone on a date together and Superman Returns was a perfect movie to take her out to. Our daughter was at school and it was my son's day at daycare so we had the day to ourselves. We do this occasionally, taking time off from being full time parents and just enjoying each others company for a day. We don't generally do much except watch movies and eat out.

We decided to watch the movie at the Norwood Cinemas. After dropping off the kids, we drove to the Norwood shops and to have some coffee and a bit of breakfast. Norwood is a nice suburb just adjacent Adelaide with upscale shops and restaurants. It was great to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and have an adult conversation over the morning papers. I know this is what a few out there take for granted but it's a decent break for us.

After breakfast, we took in the early showing of the movie and were lucky enough to grab discounted movie tickets as well. ( For those in Australia, Coca-cola has a promo where you bring in 3 labels of any coke product and you get tickets for 5 dollars. It's not well known so I'm spreading the word. :) ).

At any rate, on to the movie. ( Caution: may contain spoilers! ) Like I said, I was impressed. Bryan Singer hit all the right notes with his version of Superman. His love of comic books and the history around Superman showed. From the keeping of the classic Superman theme by John Williams to the addition of the iconic scene that appeared in the cover of Action Comics #1, with Superman hoisting the car over his head.

Brandon Routh was an excellent choice, I have to say. It must have been the costume or the physique but at times he had that Christopher Reeve look about him. Reeve took Superman the character as his own ever since he made the first movie in 1978 and for me, every time I think of Superman I picture him in my mind. Routh has definitely took the elements that made Reeve's Superman work, the cheeky grin, the self assured swagger as Supes and the bumbling elements of Clark and he's made Superman his own. He's not Christopher Reeve and that's all good.

The plane rescue sequence was one of the best action sequences I've seen in recent times. It was heart thumping and breathtaking and I was glad we watched the movie in the big screen. That sequence in in itself was worth the price of admission. I was sort of let down that none of the action set pieces after that seemed to approach the same level.

And the big question: Superman's son? Well, all I can say, it's been done before in a few graphic novels and comic books so it's not new. However, if there is going to be a sequel, I kind of feel bad that Brandon Routh would have to share billing with a super kid, if they wanted to tie up that plot point. I think Routh deserves to have a sequel by himself as Superman. He may be on the road to typecasting but it's going to be a fantastic ride.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable flick and the wife and I were humming the Superman theme as we went out the cinema. People may have their gripes but as far as superhero movies go, it's probably not as good as Batman Begins but then, it's infinitely better than Daredevil.

We then had a nice lunch at a nearby Asian restaurant. Nothing fancy, just some Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles and Penang Beef Curry but it was yummy. After lunch, we walked around some of the shops along Norwood. I wasn't planning on it but I was able to pick myself up a new toy, but that's another blog post. :)



We didn't stay out long as it was close to 3PM and our daughter would be coming out of school any minute. As we drove back to pick her up, we still had that Superman theme still running in our heads, and for sure we'd be picking Superman Returns on DVD when it gets released.

Our Little Socceroo ?

The past few days here have been raining and cold, so Nico and I have contented ourselves staying indoors until the time we pick up Bianca from school. Suddenly, the sun came out today and I just could not resist going outside, even if it was to hang loads of laundry. Strangely, Nico did not was to join me in the backyard. Maybe it was still too cold for him. After all, the sun was out but it was still quite cool and windy 16ºC outside. He preferred to stay in the living room watching kids' videos. I thought he'd he tired of them by now!

So I took decisive action to get him out of his pyjamas and bundle him up well to go for a short ride in the car. On the way out, he decided to bring a big ball, a tiny pocket sized ball, his Elmo toy and his backpack. As I was in no mood to convince him to leave something behind, I just loaded them all in the car. When we got to the park, the playground was closed ... what a bummer! Good thing he had the balls. I took out the bigger ball and he proceeded to the small ramp with the ball in the park and rolled it down. After this, he went chasing for the ball again and repeated the same thing over and over again. It was quite fun just to watch him move around, laughing each time the ball rolled down.

After a few minutes he decided to kick the ball to me, and I kicked it back ofcourse. After a few minutes of this, I was actually taken back to the days as a child when I used to kick the ball around with my brothers back home. I started off kicking the ball with the front of my foot, and then later on with the side of the foot as most soccer players do. It was here that I noticed he was really getting good at kicking the ball back at me. He would say 'Kick to Mommy' and I would respond with 'Kick to Nico'. And then suddenly he said, 'kick around' as he did kick the ball around the place by himself without passing it on to me ... kinda like dribbling I suppose. Maybe he was watching too much World Cup footages on TV with his Dad ?! I was surprised! I've never seem him do this before, with some skill at that. Now I'm no authority on soccer myself, but the fact that he did that all by himself was something to behold!

Could it be just discovered one of his talents or interests? Maybe it was just a fluke or his way of beating the winter blues. Will find out more in the next few weeks.

Test shot from k800i

New camera phone with blogger support. Nice.

City Art

Rundle Mall is Adelaide's foremost shopping street/district. It's usually a busy place where people converge. It has tons of shops and cafés and where a lot of street performers sometimes go to strut their stuff. We were walking through the mall when we saw this group of artists create some lovely chalk drawings on the street. Although they were copying the drawings from other materials, the detail they created using ordinary chalk was amazing.

Foggy Day in Adelaide

Foggy Day in Adelaide
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Adelaide is still in the middle of winter and getting my girl to school every morning means a cold walk to the bus stop. I took this shot on one of Adelaide's typical cold foggy mornings.

Busy Weekend

We had a busy time yesterday.  As a celebration of sorts for my wife's birthday we invited some friends over to our place for some lunch yesterday.

The day started early enough as my friend and I went to get some fresh sea food.  He went to pick me up from our house in the morning and I jokingly said to my wife that it was a boys day out. We stopped by to pick up a new acquaintance who has only recently moved to Australia. I thought it was a good idea to show them to Adelaide's sea food market as they had been looking for a place to buy fresh fish for a while now. We

After we picked up some fresh sea food, we stopped by to pick our new friend's daughter as his wife was ready to go to worn and we went back to our house for lunch. My wife was preparing a lunch of pancit palabok so I got some fresh prawns and squid from the seafood market for ingredients for the palabok

Pretty soon were joined by my friend's wife and daughter and we had ourselves a full house. It was a fine lunch with our friends and our kids had fun playing with the two other children. The families had a good time together that, as per usual, they stayed for dinner.  Our wives cooked lumpia shanghai and also went out and bought some dinuguan and caldereta from the Filipino store and we had an instant feast at dinner.

And what did the men do?   We stayed in all afternoon and watched several episodes of Firefly... what can I say, we were lazy... :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

As much it embarasses me to admit this, its my 37th birthday tomorrow and somehow, I can't help but notice how my birthday celebrations have changed over the years.

As a kid I was not accustomed to the regular birthday parties where there would be lots of other kids, balloons, cake and candles to blow. After all, I had five other siblings, so the the family was all I needed to celebrate. My birthday celebrations were mostly low-key events, a special dinner of my choice with the family was enough to make my day. Birthday gifts were not really necessary, but very much appreciated whatever came my way. After college, celebrating with different groups of friends became the annual ritual. This was expensive, lots of of sleep lost due to late nights but still lots of fun. Now that I have a family, the birthdays I really look forward to are those of my kids. As for my birthdays, I've gone back to the low-key celebrations with my hubby and kids here in Adelaide. Must be a sign of getting old. I am not even comfortable with the idea of admitting it is my birthday to other people, and especially not celebrating with a party anymore.

But all that has changed this time because Bianca simply insists on it! In her mind, all birthdays should be celebrated in one way or another as we have done with her. It may not be a party all the time, sometimes a picnic, a movie or a trip to the beach will do. When she found out I was having a birthday soon, she insisted that I invite my friends over this weekend and celebrate. And since she (and her little brother) is the boss of this family, I suppose I have no choice! Hubby has even eagerly volunteered to cook (more than his usual share) for this celebration.

After all, there is much to celebrate as we are all in good health, good company, and good spirits and quite grateful to be where we are now. At this age we start counting our blessings more ... because its much more fun that counting the candles on my cake, hehehe.

Australia 0 - Italy 1

Australia was not expected to win this match but they definitely did not deserve to lose like this.  They took the game to the Italians and dominated possession for much of the game until the last minute. 

With seconds remaining in the game clock, the referee saw what no one else in the stadium saw which was a diving Italian forward Fabio Grosso after a challenge from Lucas Neill which in no way touched him.  

The Spanish referee awarded a penalty kick which sealed Australia's fate and that knocked them out of the second round.

All I can say is we were robbed! 

But one thing's for sure, Australia soccer has won and we can see the game just get better Down Under.  

Until the next world cup... Go the Socerroos!!

Australa 2 - Croatia 2

And the dream lives on!  Australia makes it through to the 2nd round of the World Cup.  It was a hard fought match with the Soccerroos clawing back from being a goal down from the 2nd minute.  Australia only needed a draw on this game to advance to the knockout round of 16.

The game started at 4:30AM so I had to sleep early to make sure I woke up for the start.  I was on tenterhooks and when Harry Kewel scored the tying goal in the 79th minute I just leaped out of bed and shouted for sheer joy waking up my poor wife! 

It's a historic win as it's Australia's first time into the 2nd round of the World Cup ever!  The streets of Melbourne and Sydney are going off and filled with people celebrating the win.  There were live viewing sites in the cities and these people were up all night watching the huge game on TV.  In the middle of winter, that's commitment!





We will be facing Italy in a knockout game in four days.  It would be another sleepless night for many!

Burger Machine

One of the many things we invariably miss about the Philippines when we moved to Australia was the food. We miss the home cooking, the Pinoy restaurants and even just being able to afford dining out many times a week. Eating out here is not cheap and is something we don't really do very often.

It's not just the upscale restaurants we miss but even the cheap ones. Especially the cheap ones! One of those experiences I look back on was the simple pleasures of eating at a Burger Machine. Burger Machine stands were all over the place back in Manila. They would almost always be located in street corners or main traffic intersections. Sure, their burgers weren't probably all beef, and maybe the carbon monoxide from the passing traffic contributed to the uniqueness of the experience but I sure do miss those burgers.

They were cheap, and a quick feed. I remember grabbing a BM burger for lunch on the weekends on my way out of the Quezon City apartment I used to live in. It was quick and it was cheap and yes, it was tasty!

This weekend we cooked up a close approximation of the BM burger. I find that a topping of coleslaw and banana ketchup on a pure beef burger tastes almost like the real BM thing.

Mixing minced beef and chopped onions together with a dash of Worcestershire and Maggi Seasoning makes a good wholesome beef patty. Frying the patties up and serving them on a soft Aussie damper roll with store bought coleslaw and UFC banana ketchup makes me feel like I'm sitting in one of those Burger Machine stands all over again. Less the traffic and pollution, of course.

But, I admit, the Burger Machine burger never looked as big or as good as this.

Reception School Interview

We had an interview with our daughter's teachers this week. It's a parent/teacher meeting to update us about how she's been doing at school. It's sort of a mid-term review of her performance in school.

I'm happy to report that the teachers were particularly impressed with how she's performing. No surprises really and it was good to know that she's doing really well.

Just a few of the things her teachers mentioned:

• Although she reads at an excellent pace, her teachers are focusing on her writing skills as they weren't at the same level as her reading. Thanks to them, it has vastly improved over the school term.
• She needs to learn not to take herself too seriously. She has to know that it's ok to laugh at one's mistakes as sometimes she's so serious about getting things right.
• She's one of those students who can be trusted to see tasks through to completion. "You can trust her to get it done," as one of her teachers said.
• She apparently gets frustrated sometimes when she's working with other kids in a group and they don't listen to her to do the right things. She cried one time when the kids in her group didn't do what she thought what was asked although the teachers did say that she was right at the time.
• She helps read and explain tasks to her other classmates.
• In her reading, she needs to learn more ways to attack or figure out unfamiliar words. Her teachers also encouraged us to push her to read more advanced reading material. More novellettes and less picture books, I think.
• She knows she does well in school but she's not big-headed about it. Apparently she's a very popular girl as she's very helpful and kind and a friend to many.

Not to toot our own horns or anything but there was no huge surprises really. Our early introduction to reading with her has helped her out a lot in school and we're glad that her friendly nature has shone through as well. Gosh, I think we're doing well as parents.

Here's hoping the teenage years aren't too bad. And if they are, we can always have this blog post to reminisce on.

Australia 0 - Brazil 2

Brazil football magic have claimed another victim in the Socerroos early today. I watched the match until the wee hours of the morning and although the result didn't go the Aussie's way, the team did themselves proud in facing the challenge of the world champoions with the same fighting spirit that's earned the respect of many football nations.

After the scoreless first half, the Australians proved that they could keep up with the Brazilians. The score belies the effor the Aussies put into that second half with almost half a dozen chances to score. Second half substitute Harry Kewell found himself an open goal that would have only required a tap in to produce a tie but, alas, it was not to be as the ball sailed wide.

Although the result did not go our way, we were never expected to win that match at all. Of course I was disappointed but then I guess I was just hoping against hope that we could get a result. However, the Socerroos have a significant chance to make it to the 2nd round this time if they keep the same composure and spirit the gave Brazil against Croatia.

Adelaide's Coldest Day

Adelaide just experienced its coldest winter day in 24 years.  For most of the week we were waking up to frosty mornings but yesterday, temperatures plunged to a record 0.6ºC.   This made for almost icy conditions, at least as icy as Adelaide is ever going to get.

The frost was everywhere.  It was on cars, on lawns and on rooftops.  I've seen frost here before but it was never this thick.  As I was taking my daughter to school, I had half a mind to walk through the frosty ground and pretend it was snow!

Cars parked outside had their windshields covered with thick frost.  It's not as thick as what you get in North America but it's still a hassle shaving the frost off.  

Can't wait for this winter to be over ( in 2 months... )

Australia 3 - Japan 1

It's got to be good to be an Aussie today! The Australian Soccerroos finish their first game at the World Cup football finals with flair. Down 1 - 0 for most of the match, Australia scored 3 goals in the last 7 minutes courtesy of Tim Cahill and John Aloisi. It was a nail-biting match with lots of missed opportunities and a dubious goal but in the end the never say die attitude of Australia shone through.

The match started 10:30 at night so with the whole family sleeping I was in the living room muffling my cheers. It's only the first game of the first round but it bodes well so far. Roll on Brazil!

My Cooking Adventures

Growing up, I've never had any interest in cooking. With our ever present cook cum driver cum everything else Takoy doing all the cooking at home, we never needed to step foot in the kitchen. Of course, there was the odd fried egg or hotdog but I never had to cook up a meal for the family.

Since coming to Australia, I can say my cooking skills have improved dramatically. Well, I'm not cooking restaurant style meals but at the very least they are more than just edible these days.

When I first arrived here, I was still looking for work so made myself useful to my new wife around the house. I did the cleaning and washing up but then I discovered cooking shows on TV. Watching those shows, I found it fascinating how effortless the perky TV chefs make out cooking to be. It helped of course that the food they whipped up always looked gorgeous.

Then I got my hands on the classic Nora Daza recipe book and saw that cooking was just merely as easy as following instructions on a sheet of paper. Well, at least I thought it was easy so the first thing I cooked out of that book was a Paella Velenciana for my wife's birthday. Talk about work! I spent what seemed like the whole day just preparing ingredients, from cutting meat to chopping vegetables. It was then that I found that I actually like doing the chopping, the feel of the kitchen knife in my hand as I methodically cut through the onions and garlic. Surprisingly, the paella was actually quite good and my wife sometimes asks me to cook it on special occasions.

Since then I've been able to tackle different recipes and I'm happy to report I haven't caused any major food poisonings. I've been able to cook a variety of dishes but always with a recipe book in my hands. Although I know my way around a kitchen now, I don't think I'm confident enough to cook a dish without a recipe. I guess I'm still a techie guy: I still need a set of instructions to show me how to assemble the right components.

Nowadays, the weekends are the only time I can cook and I would often commandeer the kitchen from my wife. I'd normally cook simple and ordinary meals for the family but now and again I get semi-inspired and try to cook something I've never tried before. Which brings me to the reason for this cooking post. I tried my hand at an Italian classic last night, Osso Buco, and I dare say I think I got it right on my first attempt. Well, at least my wife seemed to think so but she eats (almost) everything I cook, anyway. :)

Action Shots!

Just a couple of action shots to show how active the kids are all the time. Here's the boy chasing me in our backyard.



Here's our girl conquering the monkey bars for the first time.

Happy Birthday, Lolo Dadad!

I know you are doing well up there and we just wanted to wish you a very happy birthday. The kids miss you and we hope to see you guys soon. Take care and we'll call you at home later. :)

Start of Winter

Our little girl is well and truly over her illness now.  She's been in school for the past 2 weeks and so far so good.

However, it won't be long until that nasty virus makes it's way around the family.  This morning we found that the boy had a little temperature.  Not too high but still not the normal 36.5ºC.  I hope it won't be too bad as he seems to be made of hardier stuff.. :)

It's been a real cold start to the winter, with temps already down to single digits over night.  Over weekend we're expecting it to reach down to 3ºC and I'm dreading sinus headaches that come with cold weather.

Over the past few weeks, the wife and I had taken to tending what amounts to our little garden.  We've cut and pruned quite a lot from our lavender, rosemary and rose bushes.  We haven't touched those plants in years ever since we moved into the house and we thought it was hight time we did something about the jungle that is our front and back yard.   We pruned so much over the past 2 weeks that we were able to fill 2 green waste bins worth of cuttings!  Our neighbor was kind enough to let us borrow theirs but we don't even think that the job's half done yet.  My wife's gotten so into it that she's bought a gardening book and is earnestly studying it to see what we can do with our own patch.

This weekend is a long weekend in South Australia with a holiday this Monday but I think it only means more gardening for us.  No pictures yet, at least, not until we think it's presentable...

IKEA Again!

Our girl was feeling much better over the weekend and was already itching to get out of the house. As a treat we thought we'd go back to IKEA seeing as she seemed to like going there. Alright, I admit, WE like going there. The wife picked up a couple of stools and the kids had fun just walking around and playing with the furniture. Myself, I came for the swedish meatballs... :) Here are a few pics of the day...

Click on the photos to go to the Flickr page...

Kid Funnies Part 13

For the past few nights, our son has been climing into bed with us. He sleeps between us and sometimes even kicks either his mother or me out of bed. He also wakes up really early but he's really good in that he tends to wait for us to get up before he does anything crazy like jumping on the bed.

One morning, it was just him and me on the bed as my wife already gave up her space to the little man. At any rate, he was already awake and was waiting for me to wake up. I was still half asleep when I rolled to his side of the bed. I was jolted wide awake when he began to shout "Don't crush me! Don't crush me!" I bolted out of bed thinking I was already crushing the life out of him.

Turns out, he was only playing but that was as good a wake up call as any...

Kid Funnies Part 12

I was watching the soccer match on TV ( Australia v Greece ) and was getting into the action. During a particularly exciting play I began shouting at the TV as men are wont to do. My daughter then put me in my place. "Don't shout at the TV, Daddy," she admonished. "It can't hear you!"

That shut me up real quick, but not without bursting out laughing with my wife. That should teach me to mind my manners.

Still Sick...

Our poor little girl is still sick. She's missed school all week but I'm just happy that she's still up and about despite her having fever and slight coughing. We've already taken her to the doctor and she's been taking antibiotics since Wednesday. She'll have to go back again tomorrow because she doesn't seem to be getting any better. Hopefully we'll get stronger medicine then.

Both her and her brother are still active, thank God, but because of her fever we've been forced to keep them indoors most of this weekend. We played in the house and doing all the things we could to keep them occupied. Here they are just tuckered out and having a big nap on their parents bed.

I hope she gets better soon as she's already complaining that she's missing school and her friends. Well, it's winter after all and I'm sure not a few kids will be under the weather too.

Mother's Day Lunch

We had a nice mother's day lunch last Sunday at a small Italian restaurant just a short drive away from the house. It was a good thing that I booked a table a week in advance because the place was packed already when we arrived. We got ourselves seated right away and surprisingly, the kids were extremely well behaved this time. They patiently waited for their food ( ham and pineapple pizza! ) and we played and read them some books we packed in their bag.

Although the food was fine, the service was a bit slow I think due to it being a busy Mother's Day weekend thing. It was a shame though as the restaurant had a good vibe to it but we'd certainly try to come back again when it's not too busy.

Winter Blues?

It's definitely winter. Our poor little girl's has been nursing a fever all week. They went to the doctor's this morning and got prescribed some anti-biotics. It's not too bad this time as she's still up and about but it's a sure sign that winter's here. I'm sure that the flu bug will make it's way around soon enough.

Anyway, our daughter is such an actress. Maarte. Here's a picture of her and her brother. She's showing us her sick face. She insisted on me taking the photo and blogging about it.



Here they are just being themselves. I'm trying to take a picture of them in their bright clothes together with the tulips we got for their mom on mother's day.



This doesn't look like anyone's sick at all.

My Mother's Day Gifts...

And the flowers were nice too. :)

Mother's Day Revelations

As you know, mothers all over the world get to have a special day tomorrow. Some of us will get breakfast in bed, a special meal with the family, nice gifts, etc. In my case, at this very moment ... I actually get a few hours today without the kids! Yes, my husband has taken the kids out shopping for a surprise gift for me. Bianca has been waiting for this day for the past 2 weeks now, trying so hard to keep it a secret from me, talking in hush tones with her Daddy as they try to decide what to get for me. How sweet!

Now that I have some quiet moments to myself, I reflect on a few recent discoveries about my kids:

1. It only takes a few words of appreciation or encouragement during these early years to give your kids confidence. I noticed it this morning as Bianca started playing on the computer and she reached the highest level of the game. I did not have to say "good job", "well done", "clever girl" anymore ... she just came to the conclusion "I did it because I'm the clever-est girl in the world!". Nico also sometimes tells me "good job mommy" with his thumb up without any prompting.

2. I was reading a book "Love Languages for Children", trying to 'analyze my kids' (as hubby would say) to find out what makes them feel loved. And when kids feel loved, they respond better to parents advice, communication and discipline in the later years. There are 5 ways mentioned in the book: physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service.

After reading the book, we concluded that our little girl's primary love language is 'quality time'. It's quite obvious when she gets all excited about the times when we are alone on our 'girls day out', rides on the bus, having a snack at the cafe where she gets undivided attention. Since she's now in school, we don't get to do this as much so she often mentions missing it. Right now, she's having a "daddy's day out" and I'm sure she'll tell me all about it when she gets back. Hope we put in enough love into her "love bank" to get us though the tough teenage years!

Also, I wonder what love language the little boy works on, the book says I have to wait until he's at least 5 years old before I can figure it out. He seems to enjoys physical games a lot, at least a few minutes each day seems to make him really happy all day. He also likes helping me out with small tasks like getting a cup, throwing things in the rubbish, grinding some salt into the food, etc. Oh well, will have to wait a few more years to find out for sure.

3. Bianca it not only confident, but very assertive as well. One time I was trying to choose a book for Nico at shops and here comes hubby trying to rush me, not really helping. At this point Bianca says "Daddy, let Mommy decide!". Another time, I was really busy getting a few things ready before they went to bed while hubby was just sitting down reading a book. This time she said "Mommy, you are so busy ..... and Daddy's not helping again!". LOL ;-)

These are times I am glad to have given up full-time work to be a stay-at-home mom. There are good days and bad days, but most definitely more good ones. I certainly like the feeling of knowing and caring for my kids ... and to me, that's what motherhood is all about. And all this would not have been possible if it wasn't for my hubby ... thanks mahal.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Free Comic Book Day!

Yes, I'm indeed a comic book geek and today marks a special day for all my kind. It's free comic book day where participating comic book shops around the world are giving away specially crafted comics to all. It's the 5th annual celebration of Free Comic Book Day and it's also a great way to introduce readers young and old to this other form of literature. Yes, I said it, comic books as literature. More information about Free Comic Book Day here

We decided to take the bus to the city as an adventure and the kids really liked it. It's good that they still get enthralled by simple pleasures like riding a bus. I took my daughter to the shop while the wife and son went around Rundle Mall to window shop. As expected, my local comic book shop, Pulp Fiction Comics was already buzzing with activity. FCBD is always a big thing and the shop was packed.

There were people in costume walking around Rundle Mall promoting the free comics and the shop. I deliberately waited a few weeks before getting my regular orders of comic books from so I can pick them up on FCBD. My daughter went with me while the wife and son went off to do some window shopping at the mall. Aside from my own comic book stash, I made sure to pick up a free comic book for the girl as well. She's always enjoyed reading books but she seemed particularly happy to have a comic book to call her own.

We walked over to Chinatown to have lunch. It was a cold day and the wind picked up a bit while we were walking but at least it wasn't raining. We even got to pose for photos at the Victoria park fountain which is in the center of the city. After lunch, we did a little shopping at the Adelaide Central Market for some fresh food and veggies before heading home.



All in all, a great day. Now, to settle down to some comic book reading...

A few more photos:

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"Getting Hungry!"

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"At last!"

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Central Market, fresh fruits and vegetables and everything else at the center of Adelaide.

At Victoria Square

More Photos!

Well, who can say no to a grandmother? :) As requested, more photos of the apos! Courtesy of Filmloop. These were taken when we enjoyed some time at the park as well as clowning around at home.

Scanpan Warranties and Good Customer Service

About six months ago we bought ourselves some new non-stick cooking pans. They were a Danish brand called Scanpansupposed to be the best around with a lifetime warranty and guaranteed that the non-stick coating would never to blister or peel. Three months later, much to our dismay, we found the pans to doing exactly that: the non-stick surface was forming blisters and peeling.

Unfortunately, we lost the receipts and didn't know if the store would still take them back. My wife tried to return them anyway and was pleasantly surprised that the store was more than happy to take them back and have the pans shipped to the local distributor. They explained that the distributor was normally pretty good about taking back damaged pans and seeing the states our pans were in they had no problem accepting them back. Just this week the distributor delivered to us our brand new pans without any fuss.

I'm quite happy that the company owned up to the lifetime guarantee even though we weren't able to show the receipt. I know of a few stores that would be none too flexible about that. Goes to show that there's still a level of trust here in Australia that I hope won't go away anytime soon. Now, what to cook for dinner?