Phew .....

the uniforms were off within minutes of the last bell (we did make it home before they were taken off I hasten to add), washed, line dried (we had the windiest day in ages here and it must have been a northerly cause it was warm too!) and put away in the wardrobes before tea time! We had the shoes polished and stored with the backpacks in the cupboard under the stairs and the lunch bags were packed ready for our house move..... all signs of school life have been hidden.....

THE HOLIDAYS HAVE ARRIVED AND I AM VERY EXCITED!!

We leave on Monday for our long awaited road trip and as soon as we return we will be moving house so I may be a little quiet on here for a week or two but I promise that I will return full of photos and energy.... the sort that comes from spending uninhibited time with the people I love, enjoying each others company and making memories along the way..... bliss.

Perks.....

being an integration aide has its perks. I don't have to sit in class during EVERY lesson that I cover during the week, I also get to do some fun things WITH the class too! So far I've been to a concert by the fantastic Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, I've had to be held down in my seat whilst listening to a world class pipe band (when they started playing a Scottish jig my feet were a-tapping!), I've heard and watched inspiring multimedia presentations by young people who have achieved much despite being considered 'too young' by many, I've had a golf lesson (!), I've listened to an enthralling storyteller from New Zealand who not only told us the story behind the Haka but taught it to us (have you seen how intimidating this story dance looks?), and finally today I got to listen to the Oz Opera! Who says school isn't fun...... (it's even better second time round!!)

A whole decade.....

My little boy had his 10th birthday today and, as usually happens, I got all reminiscent and found it so hard to believe that it is a whole decade since we welcomed him into this world. He decided that he wanted me to make chocolate cupcakes with melted chocolate on top and a marshmallow to top it off for him to share with his class. So there I was baking two dozen little buns and trying not to eat the melted bar of chocolate before it got on to the top of them! I couldn't resist however eating about a third of the packet of marshmallows..... they are fat free you know!


The other request was, as it has been on a number of other birthdays up till now, that I make him a cake decorated to look like the train from Thomas the Tank Engine that corresponds to his age..... this year it was Douglas. Now for those of you who don't know the Thomas engines off by heart (and I have to admit I have completely forgotten which are which after many years of knowing exactly who was who!) Douglas is one of a pair of twin engines and he is BLACK!!! "UGH.... really? I have to make you a black cake?" I asked, to which Isaac responded "Yes, of course, because he is number 10!!" Imagine my dismay when I had to cover a lovely piece of cake in tons of black buttercream and you can only imagine what my children's mouths looked like after eating a piece of said cake FOR BREAKFAST!! (it is a rule in our house that on their birthday they can pretty much eat what they want, when they want..... they even get to choose what meal we have for dinner.... how's that for loosening my grip a little!!)

Anyway here is a little pic of his cake.... and for those of you who are Thomas lovers please excuse my very bad interpretation of Douglas.... and for those of you who are cake decorators please excuse my very bad icing!!


It was, as is always the case, met with an open mouth, a great big smile and a 'it's great mum'...... makes my heart melt every birthday, and is the only reason I keep making birthday cakes to order even though I don't really enjoy doing it!!