The Day

We had such fun yesterday at the Play School concert.

Play School has been around for generations and the same songs are still as fresh with the newest generation as they were for the 30 and 40 year olds back in the day.

So of course, a Play School concert is an exciting outing for the whole family, because it brings back wonderful memories for the parents and creates a whole new set of memories for their kids and absolutely everyone in the room feels a connection that is bonded by smiles and happiness.

Being 'Aspie', Chicklet needed lots of mental preparation for this outing, so for days leading up to it, Vegan Chickie described everything that was going to happen and lots of things that 'might' happen and explained to Chicklet the coping mechanisms she could use whenever she felt overwhelmed or insecure.

It was a big day for Chicklet.  She was so excited all morning, asking many times if it was 'time' yet and then finally we were in the car for the hour long drive to our concert destination.  Within 20 minutes, Chicklet was asleep as the excitement had caught up with her.

This turned out to be a good thing, because the concert was on during her normal nap time!

We got there about an hour early, making allowances for getting lost and finding a good parking spot, and we were hoping to find a coffee shop or a kiosk, but alas there were only vending machines, so everybody got a drink and we sat in the sunshine waiting to join the queue.

Chicklet was coping very well until a child walked up to say hello.  It was a brief chaotic moment that didn't cause any damage.

Then we joined the queue.  Kids running around everywhere - the kids outnumbered the adults by about three to one - except us.  Some kids screaming.  Some kids climbing anything that was climbable. Some kids being lectured by their parents.  Some trying to undress themselves.  Some wanting to eat the 'emergency' food that was in their parents' bags.  Lots of noise and chaos.

Chicklet stood quietly behind Vegan Chickie's knees when it became a bit overwhelming - that was one of her coping strategies.

We got inside and luckily were quite close to the front of the stage .. it was 'on the floor' seating, except for a few chairs around the outer edge of the floor, so the family sat on the floor, near the chairs and I sat on a chair where I had a decent view of Chicklet and I could get the happy snaps (which I posted yesterday).

When the show started, she was SO excited.  For the most part, she joined in and clapped and danced and sang and did the actions.  Every so often she zoned out and did her own quirky thing, but was quite easily brought back to the moment.

Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef seemed to enjoy the show just as much, if not more, than Chicklet!!  They clapped and sang along with the Play School show, but obviously got overwhelming enjoyment out of Chicklet's happiness.

I felt overwhelming enjoyment watching the three of them together.  There are no words to describe the emotional fulfilment that you get from watching your family feeling and expressing so much love together.  I felt so lucky to be sitting there and sharing a moment that would be a happy memory for us all in the years to come.

The show only lasted for 40 minutes, which is just the perfect amount of time for so many kids in that age bracket.  Everybody left the show still feeling happy and excited and no kid complained about it being over, because they played the same closing song as the TV show, so the kids didn't even question that it was time to leave.

Quite a few dollars later, after leaving the merchandise stall, with our arms full of a confusing group of Play School family ... 1 x big Little Ted, 1 x small Big Ted, 1 x small Humpty and 1 x Jemima ballerina ... we then headed off to find some lunch.

The Chicklet family took me to a Gluten Free restaurant at Mooloolaba, where we had a very pleasant lunch and Chicklet got to play in the kid's area.

We all arrived home safe n sound, no meltdowns, no dramas .. just all very grateful for our happy and wonderful day together and a great collection of photos to remind us in the years to come.

Today, Chicklet and I went shopping for a toy.

We spent 30 minutes in The Reject Shop.  Every toy that I pointed to, she said, rather vaguely "Um.  Nooo."

We spent 30 minutes in The Warehouse.  Same story "Um.  Nooo."

We spent 30 minutes in Toy World and again, "Um.  Nooo."

No to ALL the dinosaurs, including 'Dinosaur Train'.  No to all Octonauts.  No to all the stuffed toys.  No to all the teasets.  No to all the dolls.  No to all the cars, boats and trains.  No to talking penguins. No to dress up clothes.  No to balls.  No to farm animals.  No to aliens.  No to 'My Little Pony'.  No to Barbie (surprise surprise).  No to Smurfs.  No to giant spiders.  No to reptiles.  No to shopping trolleys full of groceries.  No to plastic kitchens.  No to Monsters Inc.  No to giant teddy bears.

Eventually, I said "We will have to go home without a toy."

"Noooooooo!" she squarked.

Finally, she decided on a plush toy octopus with huge shiny eyes, named 'Legs' (and I don't even have a photo!).

So THAT is how I have spent my day .. playing with Chicklet and Legs at the foot of the stairs!

Now, I'm going to watch some Greys Anatomy and get some sleep, ready for another big Chicklet filled day tomorrow.

... and absolutely loving it!

Nite all.

Play School Day

We saw the Play School concert today and I know that I promised to tell you all about it, but I've been so busy editing the photos, it's too late to do anything except share the photos tonight.

Tomorrow night I will try to remember all the details and share the day.

Nite all.

55 Minutes Late!

That's how late my train was today!  Not that it mattered to me, but it did to some people who needed to catch a plane and were very concerned about getting to the airport on time.  Personally, I think it's pretty silly to give yourself such a small window of time and expect public transport to get you there within it!

There were only 8 other people in my carriage and all but one of them had a horrible cough and cold.  There was sneezing and coughing and nose blowing for two whole hours, all around me!  It will be interesting to see if my body is strong enough to withstand such germ warfare!

Anyway, I arrived safe n sound and my little Chicklet was happy to see me and my bag full of goodies.  We've had a lovely afternoon and read lots of books this evening.  Tomorrow will be a big day, which I will tell you all about at the end of it.

I have lots of quotes to share with you today .. because we all know how travel days are not newsworthy and they tire me out.  The first few are serious and the last few cracked me up!

Nite all.

Packing

How nice that I don't have to get up at 4am to stand on a cold train platform waiting for my ride tomorrow!

I booked myself onto the later train, so that I can sleep in and then take my time getting ready and finishing packing in the morning.

Considering it's already midnight as I write this, I'm feeling even more relieved that I chose to do that.

I got a fair bit of studying done today, as well as all my washing and ironing and most of my packing, so I'm not feeling any stress at all.

There'll be no photo shoots this trip, so I only have to take a couple of lenses for the family and Chicklet pics.  That will reduce the weight of my baggage by a couple of kgs.

My next #100happydays photo ...

Happiness is studying while enjoying a pot of liquorice tea :D

... and now I'm outta here!

Nite all.

Not Gunna Happen

It's been a very productive day, but not for studying.

Time with my boys at the Seat of Knowledge, morning tea with the girls and then straight home to the kitchen!

I'll be away for 4 nights, so I've prepared some meals for Adoring Husband.  He can cook for himself, but he would eat steak with mushroom sauce for every meal if he had his way, so I've prepared some meals packed full of nutritional vegetables.

Savoury Mince and Veggies,  Hot Chilli Chicken and Veggies, Beef and Veggie Casserole and I prepared some sweet potato chips, coated them in coconut oil and himalayan salt and bagged them in meal sized portions, so that all AH has to do is spread them on a tray and cook them in the oven.

I got my washing done ready for my trip.

At 4.45pm, the sky was looking promising for a nice sunset, so I packed my camera gear into my trike basket and pedalled down to the river.

It was less than impressive, but sometimes you can make something out of nothing...

I returned home and made some chocolate bark with premium dark chocolate (sugar free and dairy free) and macadamia nuts, pistachio nuts and hazelnuts.  Adoring Husband had a hankering for some chocolate, so the bark should last a few days (I hope).

Tomorrow should be free for mostly study.  I know that I won't get my assignment finished, but I'll be able to get a lot done .. all going to plan.

AH photographed a spectacular sunrise this morning .. while I slept soundly under the warm doona.  It was a cold morning and I didn't want to get out of bed until almost 8am AGAIN!  I'd be willing to get out of bed for a sunrise like that .. let's see what tomorrow brings.

Nite all.

Too Perfect

It was a very cold morning .. just 6C .. so I stayed in bed until almost 8am!  No need to get up any earlier when it was so nice and snug and comfortable in bed.

A nice hot shower got me moving and I still made it to the Seat of Knowledge in time to spend fifteen minutes with the boys.

From there I headed to the shops and after checking the mail and getting some meat for tea, I ordered myself a coffee and sat in the sunshine by myself for half an hour.  It was a delightful way to spend a quiet morning.

Now we all know that I had big plans for a day full of study .. but the day was just too beautiful to spend it inside, so I pedalled around town for 3 hours, taking photos and chatting with different people along the way.

I saw an Osprey and chased it clear across town, speeding along the overgrown track that circles the lake at the back of the newest estate.  The track is so poorly maintained that some of it is covered with pretty deep sand, which I didn't know until I was IN it and almost went over the handle bars!  That was a shocking moment that got my heart pumping!

I watched the Osprey dive from the sky straight down to the lake on the other side of the road and even though I had a good view of the area, I didn't see where he landed and I didn't see him fly skyward.  I trekked through the bush and along the eroded path trying to find him, but there was no sign of the bird anywhere.

Bugger!

I did find some gorgeous colour that really brightened this Winter's day ...

I finally came home just before lunch and hit the books.

I studied for over 5 hours and caught up on a 2 hour tutorial that would have been only 1 hour and 40 minutes if I could have edited all the 'ums' and 'ahs' out it!

So now I don't feel guilty about my morning fun.

It's been a full day and I think I'm done.

Nite all.

New Challenge

Day three of the #100happydays challenge ...

I look forward to pedalling to the post office every day to check the mail .. especially if I'm expecting a parcel!

The May challenge for the flickr group is 'Repetition in Nature' and I have a great idea for it, so watch this space.

I finally submitted my first assignment .. how scary is it to press that 'send' button!?  It asks the question "Are you sure? You cannot make any changes after your assignment is submitted."  UGH!  Do I?  Don't I? *squeeze eyes shut*  *press 'send'*  B-R-E-A-T-H-E

Next challenge, finish second assignment.  So much reading to do.  So many questions to answer.

Feeling a lot better today and even spent some time in the warm sunshine by the river this morning.  It was only 12C when I left home - cold enough to wear jeans and shoes!  Unheard of!

So tomorrow the challenge is to complete all three of the above challenges.  Wish me luck.

Nite all.