Meet NZ's miracle baby

By DEIDRE MUSSEN - Sunday Star Times

From: Stuff.co.nz

Meet Cadence, an Auckland baby who was a frozen embryo for nearly 16 years before being donated by her genetic parents to an infertile couple.

She is believed to be New Zealand's longest ever case of human embryo cryostorage, and the second longest in the world.

The beautiful baby girl smiles as she clasps her genetic brother's teenage-sized finger, staring intently into his eyes.

"She's cute," he murmurs, carefully cradling her.

The pair share more than just genes. They shared a test tube more than 16 years ago.

Unlike him, this miracle newborn has spent 15½ years snap-frozen at -196C as a two-cell embryo, suspended in a vat of liquid nitrogen with 11 other potential siblings at an Auckland fertility clinic.

"It's amazing after more than 15 years in a test tube, she can come out so beautiful. And she has the most gorgeous smile," he gushes.

He, too, started life as a frozen embryo, but was thawed after just a few weeks and was born at Christmas in 1993. Now, the Year 11 student is on the eve of sitting his restricted driver's licence.

His 17-year-old older brother, who is also clearly smitten with the tiny baby, admits the situation is hard to comprehend.

The boys' parents, Aucklanders Peter and Chris, experienced nine years of heartbreaking infertility before adopting their elder son in December 1991. Two years later, their younger son was born following private IVF treatment. As the years passed, Peter and Chris decided their family was complete.

The only problem was they had 12 surplus frozen embryos. The options were discarding or keeping them frozen. They ruled out discarding the embryos because of their long battle to create life, so decided to keep the embryos on ice, hoping a law change would allow their donation.

The law allowing embryo donation came into force in July 2005, under the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (HART) Act, but Peter and Chris only heard about it in 2007.

After gaining their two sons' approval, they began looking at profiles of infertile couples keen to receive donated embryos. They were about to change another Auckland couple's life forever.

Darryn and Nicola met in August 1992 and married in November 1993. Nine years ago, they started trying to have a baby.

"I was about 30 when we felt ready for a family and thought we shouldn't leave it too late," says Nicola, 39.

They tried for about three years but nothing happened. Tests and a multitude of conception methods followed without success. Doctors told them they had unexplained infertility.

Three cycles of IVF failed and they were warned further attempts were likely doomed so they began investigating other options, including adoption and fostering. They heard about embryo donation in mid-2006 so lodged a profile at Auckland's Fertility Plus, the fertility and reproductive endocrinology unit for National Women's Health, based at Greenlane Clinical Centre.

Several times they were considered by donors, only to be devastated when they were rejected.

At an adoption course in 2007, they were warned their chances were poor, with only 25 of the 100 couples seeking to adopt each year getting a baby. An opportunity to foster a young boy also fell through that year.

They began steeling themselves for the likelihood of life without children.

"We've sat here on the couch many, many nights in tears, just holding each other," says Darryn, 42.

Their luck finally changed in January last year, when Fertility Plus rang to confirm Peter and Chris had selected them for embryo donation. It was the good news they had yearned for but they kept it from family and friends in case of failure.

"It's like winning Lotto," says Darryn. "If you've got $10 million, you're not going to tell the world."

They knew embryo donation was a complex process, plus they were dubious whether such old embryos would survive being thawed.

"When we were told the age of the embryos, we thought `Oh gosh, they're 15 years old' but we don't think that now," Nicola says.

In March last year, the two couples met for the first time at a counselling session, which proved a huge success. They talked for more than four hours, their family values and sense of humour well-matched.

"Once we got talking, the counsellors couldn't get a word in edgeways," says Darryn.

After an anxious six-week wait, the Ethics Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (Ecart) approved their application.

Soon after, Peter and Chris formally signed over legal parental rights for six of their 12 frozen embryos to Nicola and Darryn, deciding to retain six embryos in case the law changes to allow them to donate to another couple. Currently, embryo donation is limited to one family.

The first embryo, frozen solid for all those years in a tiny straw, began slowly thawing one winter's day last July (see embryo freezing process sidebar, right). It was placed into Nicola's womb two days later as a five-cell embryo. This is the photo on the front page of Nicola's baby photo album; an inscription below reads: "The first day of the rest of your life."

When Nicola's pregnancy test was positive two weeks later, she rang Darryn and casually said: "Hi dad."

"I just dropped the phone," Darryn says, beaming.

The excited pair next called Peter and Chris, who were equally stunned but ecstatic.

As the months ticked on, the first-time parents transformed their home into a baby haven, revelling in every step.

Their precious daughter was born by Caesarean section on April 2 at North Shore Hospital to the strains of Bic Runga. She was delivered two weeks before her due date because her growth had slowed. Her birth is captured on video. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Cadence," Darryn proudly announces moments after her arrival.

Fast forward 10 weeks and the families have come together to talk exclusively with the Sunday Star-Times, eager to promote embryo donation.

The words on Cadence's long-sleeved top quirkily sum up the unusual situation: "Are these people really my relatives?"

"You could call us a mishmash of families but we are two families united with love," Darryn says.

The Ethics Committee encourages openness between embryo donation families, unlike the anonymity preferred in some countries, such as America.

"As soon as Cadence is at an age to understand, she will be told about Peter and Chris," says Darryn.

Nicola was adopted and believes openness around a child's birth family is vital. She sees many similarities between adoption and embryo donation: "It's like adoption with a pregnancy attached."

Nicola and Darryn were initially nervous about the level of contact their donors might want.

"I didn't want anyone landing on our doorstep saying `Thanks for bringing up our child'," Darryn says.

However, their fears have been appeased over time.

Darryn says: "Peter approached me and said, `We will have the interaction you want'. It was like Peter saying, `She's yours bring her up your way'," he says. "They keep reiterating `it's your family'."

Peter, Chris and their youngest son first met Cadence two days after her birth. It was an emotional moment. The video captures Chris's tears as she looks into her genetic daughter's eyes for the first time.

Darryn says some people raised concerns their baby's genetic mother may regret not thawing the embryos to have her own daughter.

"We were watching for any signs she was trying to bond with her. She hasn't," he says. "[Chris] has always said she wouldn't, but she's human too."

Chris says she has no regrets and is happy for Darryn and Nicola.

"When I first picked Cadence up I thought, if I'd had a girl, this is what she would have been like. But then I think, no, I've got two beautiful boys."

Cadence is Darryn and Nicola's daughter, not hers, Chris says.

As a birth gift, Peter and Chris gave the new parents a beautiful leather photo album with Darryn and Nicola's family name embossed in gold letters on its cover.

"I broke down when I saw that," Darryn says, "to just see we are finally a family now."

Undeniably, the couples are on a sensitive, rarely trodden path.

Both families agree open communication is vital. And their mutual respect and warm relationship is evident. As the families talk, they swap parenting tips Peter tells how they put their eldest son on the washing machine as a baby so the vibrations would rock him to sleep. Curiosity over the genetic link naturally surfaces.

"Has she still got blue eyes?" Chris asks.

"Yes," Nicola replies.

They're different to Chris's hazel eyes and Peter's green eyes, as well as their youngest son's.

"Peter's mum has blue eyes," Chris adds.

Nicola can see some physical traits Cadence has inherited from her genetic parents. Ironically, some people, unaware of the embryo donation, point out the baby's likenesses to Darryn and Nicola.

"People who don't know sometimes say `She looks just like you' or `Oh, she has your nose'. Her eye colour is the same blue as mine and she's fine featured, like me," Nicola says.

They compare Cadence's weight to her genetic brother's baby milestones, who was born a week overdue.

"She would probably have been the same weight if she'd been in as long," Chris says.

While their journey is in its infancy, both couples have only good things to say about embryo donation.

"It's all positive," Darryn says.

It is impossible, says Peter, to describe their joy at seeing a baby born after determinedly keeping the embryos frozen for so long.

"When you look at Cadence, you couldn't imagine disposing of her," he says.

Keeping embryos frozen for so long is controversial and banned in most countries unless people get exemptions.

Several international cryopreservation experts told the Sunday Star-Times the only known longer case of a frozen IVF human embryo becoming a baby was in the United Kingdom in 2005, where a mother had a baby 16 years after her first IVF child.

"It is astonishing and I think the community will be interested in it," says Dr Alan Trounson, a former Australian embryologist who helped create the world's first frozen IVF baby in Melbourne in 1984.

Long-term freezing was debated in the early days of freezing IVF embryos, he says.

"I was always comfortable with it. I thought it was up to the patients to decide," says American-based Trounson, who heads the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, one of America's top stem cell research institutes. He says there is no reason why human embryos can't remain frozen for decades.

"Some people might feel outraged about it," Trounson says.

Darryn and Nicola admit there have been a few negative jibes about the embryo's age.

"One person said `she's missed out on all her generation'. What a cruel thing to say," Darryn says.

Whether Cadence and her genetic brother are fraternal twins isn't clear because definitions vary from requiring the babies to be born from the same pregnancy to simply being conceived at the same time.

"We've tried to answer that question ourselves," Peter says. While they don't know the answer, they believe life begins when the fertilised egg starts dividing.

Darryn and Nicola are keen to have three or four children and plan to try again with another of their remaining frozen donated embryos early next year, unless they fall pregnant naturally. If successful, their next offspring will break world records as the longest time a human embryo has been frozen then successfully thawed.

Both families desperately want to encourage others with surplus frozen IVF embryos to consider donating to other infertile couples.

"If there is another couple out there who can donate or one couple who can receive because of this story, that's worth it," Peter says.

"There are a lot of people out there who can make this happen," says Chris.

"They [the frozen embryos] sit in limbo all this time, but to see something happen to them beats seeing them destroyed. They are life she's an example of this," she says of Cadence.

Nicola says the embryos have been "an unbelievable gift". "We want potential donors to know that this can be such a wonderful thing for the recipients and the donors. No money, not anything can compare to this. Peter and Chris see the joy on our faces. They get to know that what they did years ago hasn't gone to waste. Embryos are created to potentially be a life, not to be stored. Just look at Cadence and you know that."

Michael Jackson ...

As a child I loved Michael Jackson (along with Prince) .. had posters all over my wall (esp at the "Thriller" album stage ) .. as a teenager I wasn't in love with him anymore .. but still played and really liked his music ..

.. now even as an adult I still listen to his albums and throughout all the "stuff" that went on in his life .. was still interested (and in some cases felt sad) to see how he lived his life

.. now sadly he has gone.

I remember the first time I saw him singing in Jackson 5 in a documentary talking about his life .. then later on in a video "Don't stop to you get enough"  .. the "Thriller" video spooked the sh*t out of me .. and "Billie Jean" and "Bad" were my fav videos after that .. then along cam "Man in the mirror" ..

I remember some of my workmates going to his concert when he came to NZ and raving about it .. and wishing I hadn't been so "cool" and had gone to see it !!!

..  but anyhoo to have so much of your life in the limelight must have been tough

.. and finally after all the publicity has gone .. he'll finally be able to have the privacy he craved ..

RIP Michael Jackson .. your songs still rock!

from the stuff site

CHILD STAR TO MEGASTAR

Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize and went on to become a best-selling band, The Jackson Five, and then The Jackson 5.

Jackson made his first solo album in 1972, and released  ''Thriller'' in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

The next year, he unveiled his signature ''moonwalk'' dance move while performing ''Billie Jean'' during an NBC special.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.

Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

TIMELINE:

A look at the career of Michael Jackson:
   - Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children.
   - 1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.
   - Dec. 14, 1969: The Jackson 5 appear on the ''The Ed Sullivan Show.''
   - 1970: Their first album, ''Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,'' includes the hit singles ''I Want You Back'' and ''I'll Be There,'' which go to No. 1.
   - 1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, ''Got to Be There.''
   - 1979: Jackson's first solo album as an adult, ''Off the Wall,'' is released. He becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.
   - 1982: His album ''Thriller'' wins a record eight Grammys and becomes the world's biggest selling record of all time. Along with the title track, it includes the songs ''Billie Jean'' and ''Beat It.''
   - 1983: Jackson electrifies the 50 million viewers of the ''Motown 25'' television special by singing and dancing to ''Billie Jean'' while wearing a black fedora, one white glove, and pants that end above his ankles.
   - 1984: During production of a Pepsi-Cola commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.
   - 1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with ''We Are the World.'' The song was produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.
   - 1987: His album ''Bad'' produces five No. 1 singles and sells at least 22 million copies worldwide.
   - 1995: Releases the album ''HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I.'' In August, the song ''You Are Not Alone'' becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.
   - 1997: The album, ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix,'' sells in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, disappointing numbers for Jackson.

- Reuters, AP, and Stuff.co.nz

Billie Jean video -

Michael Jackson ...

As a child I loved Michael Jackson (along with Prince) .. had posters all over my wall (esp at the "Thriller" album stage ) .. as a teenager I wasn't in love with him anymore .. but still played and really liked his music ..

.. now even as an adult I still listen to his albums and throughout all the "stuff" that went on in his life .. was still interested (and in some cases felt sad) to see how he lived his life

.. now sadly he has gone.

I remember the first time I saw him singing in Jackson 5 in a documentary talking about his life .. then later on in a video "Don't stop to you get enough"  .. the "Thriller" video spooked the sh*t out of me .. and "Billie Jean" and "Bad" were my fav videos after that .. then along cam "Man in the mirror" ..

I remember some of my workmates going to his concert when he came to NZ and raving about it .. and wishing I hadn't been so "cool" and had gone to see it !!!

..  but anyhoo to have so much of your life in the limelight must have been tough

.. and finally after all the publicity has gone .. he'll finally be able to have the privacy he craved ..

RIP Michael Jackson .. your songs still rock!

from the stuff site

CHILD STAR TO MEGASTAR

Jackson was born on Aug. 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. Five Jackson boys - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael - first performed together at a talent show when Michael was 6. They walked off with first prize and went on to become a best-selling band, The Jackson Five, and then The Jackson 5.

Jackson made his first solo album in 1972, and released  ''Thriller'' in 1982, which became a smash hit that yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million worldwide.

The next year, he unveiled his signature ''moonwalk'' dance move while performing ''Billie Jean'' during an NBC special.

In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996. Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999. The couple never lived together.

Jackson has three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

TIMELINE:

A look at the career of Michael Jackson:
   - Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children.
   - 1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.
   - Dec. 14, 1969: The Jackson 5 appear on the ''The Ed Sullivan Show.''
   - 1970: Their first album, ''Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,'' includes the hit singles ''I Want You Back'' and ''I'll Be There,'' which go to No. 1.
   - 1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, ''Got to Be There.''
   - 1979: Jackson's first solo album as an adult, ''Off the Wall,'' is released. He becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.
   - 1982: His album ''Thriller'' wins a record eight Grammys and becomes the world's biggest selling record of all time. Along with the title track, it includes the songs ''Billie Jean'' and ''Beat It.''
   - 1983: Jackson electrifies the 50 million viewers of the ''Motown 25'' television special by singing and dancing to ''Billie Jean'' while wearing a black fedora, one white glove, and pants that end above his ankles.
   - 1984: During production of a Pepsi-Cola commercial, Jackson's scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.
   - 1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with ''We Are the World.'' The song was produced to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.
   - 1987: His album ''Bad'' produces five No. 1 singles and sells at least 22 million copies worldwide.
   - 1995: Releases the album ''HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I.'' In August, the song ''You Are Not Alone'' becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.
   - 1997: The album, ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix,'' sells in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, disappointing numbers for Jackson.

- Reuters, AP, and Stuff.co.nz

Billie Jean video -

Thriller video -

Beat it video -

Man in the mirror -

The week .. according to Facebook ..lol

I started this blog as a type of diary for me .. so I know it's boring .. but for me .. it's nice to read back on :-p ... oh and yeh lazy .. coz I can't remember half the week ..

... oh and somewhere amongst all of this in the last month I've had my hair coloured .. and shortened and layered .. and here it is straightened ..

 Thurs 

.. happy as "happy pills" arrived at the chemist and have a plan to start them in the weekend :-)

.. so hot in here with the fire going .. am sweating .. not perspiring .. sweating .. lol

... went for the walk .. and was soo flippin' hot I took the scarf, gloves and beanie off .. and had nowhere to put them .. so had to carry them all the way round .. that'll teach me .. gonna change the route as getting a bit spooked by some of the "nighbourhoods" I'm passing through .. even though the length is good .. off to mapmyrun to map it all out shortly ..

.. Missy settled in great today at kindy ..might be losing the spot at the carers .. as she wants to take on only full-time care .. grrrr .. not really sure if that is actually good or not .. or is actually even allowed .. but anyhoo .. will sort out after the weekend ..

..parent help this morning .. then off to pick Missy up from the carer and take her to kindy .. then off for my walk ..

cold cold cold ... brrrr-2 .. now up to 3 degrees .. phew for that .. will be a freezing cold walk this afternoon me thinks .. it's clouding over now ..

Wed

proud mum again .. parent interviews were really good .. the best part "your boys are a pleasure to teach .. polite, considerate, organised and helpful .. always willing to help others .. always get task completed .. and if called out of the class for others topics .. easily slot back in to class without needing to come up to me to find out what is required" .. and .. they are moving up to the next class next term ..

.. their teacher had tears in her eyes saying they were shifting up and that they really were special kids ... made me almost cry .. 2nd to last parent help day today in the class ..oh and they are doing well at school work too so thats good .. lol

... is very happy coz ..... she found the library book .. bwaahhhaaaa !!!!!

.. thinking mmm .. finally got an appointment for C and A to see the paediatrician for their check ups .. in the mail this morning ..

Arrgghhhh!

Tues

went for a 6.5 km walk in the cold again while Missy was at kindy .. and ... is excited that hubby is installing the heat transfer kit .. but not excited about all the filing from the holes cut in the ceiling .. :-p

... is getting a little over a little Missy getting really grumpy (read massive tantrum) about wanting to feed the flowers outside in the freezing cold ..even though she has "fed" then a hundred times already .. and also wanting "toasties" for dinner now, at morning tea time .. and lunch-time ..

Is beginning to start disliking Hi5 to the point that she might hide all the videos so Missy can't find them ...

My freeview keeps cutting out .. and yet it's a nice sunny day ... starting to get a bit peeved as trying to mop floors and Missy not impressed the kids tv keeps going off .. grrr!

is sipping coffee as we speak .. bwwahhhhaaa

2 loads of washing out .. dishes done, kitchen benches cleared (that hardly ever happens) 2/4 beds made .. about to have coffee then mop the kitchen floor .. on a roll .. lol .. I must be unwell .. lol

Mon

hubby is sick .. and trying to attempt to set up heat transfer kit thingy .. imagine the temperament at our place tonite .. what with $$$ gone and man flu .. and trying to follow instructions .. think I might go out .. IF ONLY?!@@#@!

Has had an expensive afternoon .. and not shopping for herself .. hubby's ute needed 4 new tires to pass the warrant .. and M's eye appt .. showed he needs new prescription .. and that he has outgrown his glass frames .. ffs .. so now will wait for optometrist appt .. and worry about saving money to cover them ..

- 6.5 km walk done and dusted .. in the freezing wet and windy cold ... done the groceries .. off to get missy .. then take her to kindy .. then pick up M from school to take to eye appt .. then come back and unpack groceries .. hubby hopefully will do kindy and school pickup ... if I'm late ;-)

lovely ... hubby said he picked missy up from kindy and found her not happy on the floor as she refused to wash her hands for kai time .. and had packed a tanty ..

Sun

- fast going round the bend .. the school library book I found on Fri .. has now disappeared after the boys decided that they wanted to read it .. and now can't remember where they put it .. arrghhhh! half an hour so far looking and now another 12 mins to try and re-find it .. before she sits down without any hair left!!!

. now I'm wondering if I've already sent them back to school ...hate that feeling ...

... "One day a duck was about to cross the road ~ When out of nowhere a chicken came running up and said NO Don't Do It!~ You'll Never hear the frickin' end of it!"

Ha .. lazy afternoon for me .. now the washing is done .. just one to hang out .. heh heh ..

OK so one'll prob. have a black eye in the morning .. elbow in the eye stuff outside while playing ruby .. (in the freeezing cold) ... one now in the bath as was covered in mud .. they love each other really .. best of friends .. worst of enemies ..

..is now completely bonkers ... may have to go and put herself in the bedroom .. rather than putting them in theirs .. lol .. arrgghhh!

..is going bonkers ... 2 boys wrestling .. and then one gets hurt .. and it's all on .. why do boys have to wrestle ???

Breakfast eaten .. coffee in hand .. surveying 'damage' to house .. heh heh .. beautiful sunny day outside .. washing and then a quiet day here methinks ..

Has had a sleep in .. by mistake .. fell back to sleep after hubby went feeding out .. can you imagine the house at the moment with 3 little people up and about .. doing what they like .. arrghghhh ! .. there are only 4 choc. biscuits left in pantry .. and can't see my lounge floor !!! Oh that's just normal .. heh heh.

Sat

..wondering how many times I'll be woken up tonight and that I really should go to bed now I've finished the last BDB book there is .. can't wait for the new series to come out .. YAHoo!!!

The boys decided while I was out that M wants to shift back to his old bedroom (shared) with C .. so he is on the mattress on the floor in there until we are sure he's serious .. well becoz it's on the floor he can see under Cam's bed .. so he's a bit freaked out .. solved it though .. the only way a Mum can at 1/4 to 12 at night .. threw the bean bags beside the bed .. problem solved .. and he's now snoring again ..

Wots for dinner here F&C .. brought on the way home from visiting/meeting a new little arrival ... she is toooo cute :-) .. oh and picking up the heat transfer kit .. wahooo!

Boys back from rugby .... it was freeeezing they said ... now both now have hacking coughs .. and a slight shade of blue (lol) ... hubby is going to finish feeding out .. then watch the kids .. while I go visiting .. YAHOO!!!!

Miserable day here .. still sniffing grr! Boys at rippa rugby .. Michael wasn't keen .. but then changed his mind .. the girls at home have been playing Dora matching game .. hide and seek (with me making the beds in each room I'm 'counting' in), horsies .. 5 monkeys jumping on the bed .. and now colouring and stickers ..

Friday

Best cook in the world here - not .. fish cakes and nuggets and chips for dinner .. its def. a tgif dinner tonight .. lol!

Is soooo proud of her boys .. they have brought home their sample books in readiness for parent/teacher interviews ... it is so amazing to see the change in their development .. and the huge difference in the type of skills with the two of them ... love seeing how they enjoy school .. even though you wouldn't know it each morning .. heh heh

got my friggin' headache back again !!

I really HATE waiting to hear if people are coming to visit or not ... uurghhh! At least the house is clean if they do .. if not .. will be bummed as wanted to visit a new little girl .. grrr .. and won't be enough time to get there and back to pick up the boys ...

...oh and enjoying the sunshine .. might even put the sheets out on the line rather than in the garage .... heh heh ..

Motivational posters - NOT!

     

 

----------------------------------------------------

 

The week .. random stuff ..

So this past week has been kinda OK .. but I can feel the "slide" a comin' ...

Not too sure what's causing it .. but we'll see how it pans out .

*Also insert here getting peeved with my laptop - the enter key has started sticking .. and for the last 45 mins been fighting with my Internet connection .. the wireless connects .. but then it won't connect to the 'net .. so been rebooting .. both the laptop and the modem .. and turning the connection off .. until I was ready just about ready to throw my laptop across the room .. then lo and behold .. it friggin works!

Monday was a quiet day .. Cam stayed off school after his weird vomiting and flu thing on Sunday ..

Tuesday had lunch with my sis for her birthday .. we went and visited my Nana .. who I haven't seen in 6 months .. and that was nice .. then after lunch and giving my sis her presents I went and visited N .. she is due to have her babe next week - YAY .. so exciting .. and she looks fab (hope you are reading this coz you really do!!)

Wednesday .. was playgroup in the morning .. and then somehow the afternoon disappeared ..

Today well is Thursday - ha .. and this morning did Parent Help at school (helped with reading then helped make props for their play) ,, then in the afternoon Missy and I went and watched the Junior School play Festival at school .. the boys were hilarious ... and so cute .. of course!

Friday - will be housework day .. coz it needs it real bad - AGAIN!

** So on Mon Cam managed to "rip" the rear view mirror off the windscreen .. goodness knows how .. but he has .. and it's an insurance claim .. and of course force of habit I keep looking where it should be to look out the back .. and of course I can't! He's lucky the whole flippin' windscreen didn't crack or bust .. as it's a bit of a chunk out of it ... I wasn't the best kinda mother the way I reacted .. but yanno .. gotta get some slack .. was mixture of lividness .. worry for him .. and well anyway .. I said sorry to him later ..

** My sis mentioned a herbal tablet to me for stabilising moods etc .. called GO STRESS & WELL BEING . .so I've ordered some at the chemist .. and are going to see if that'll help me along ..Fingers crossed huh????

** I've only got 1 BDB book left to go .. and then there are none until the new one is published in Sept . .so I'll have to have a look around for something else to read .. which may not be a bad thing .. coz my eyes feel a bit square reading the e-books off here .. lol !!!

** I'm looking for some light relief .. so I'm gonna re-read this blog post again from Woulda Coulda Shoulda (bit risque for adults only!!) .. coz it had me in snorts of laughter .. tears rolling down my face .. need that kinda thing tonite methinks .. oh and ice-cream .. and off to get that now ..

** I'm watching Ghost Whisperer . .and it's all kinda weird with her husband in someone else's body .. all tooooo off the tangent!! Haven't got anything else to watch as I'm on dial-up speed until tomorrow .. and it has been a LOOONNNNGGG  two weeks since I used up all the BB limit .. but YAY for tomorrow .. then I can catch up on all the TV progs I missed onTVNZ .. lol

So how's them for scrambled egg-ness .. totally random I know ..

Too funny ...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/blogs/moatas-blog-idle/2483276/WOT-NXT-TVNZ

WOT NXT TVNZ?

Last updated 08:37 09/06/2009

Dear someone important at TVNZ,

I am writing with regards to those helpful little graphics you display on your channel telling us a) what we're watching now, b) what we could be watching soon or c) what we could watch tomorrow.  I really look forward to these as I do not know how to operate a TV guide, or the internet, two easily available ways I might otherwise come across this very important programming information.  I really like that you're thinking of me and my informational needs.  It makes me feel special.

I have noticed recently that the person at your organisation in charge of spelling things has not been paying attention. (Is he a boy? I find that they are often easily distracted by women with large breasts. Could this be the problem?) In any case your otherwise very jaunty and helpful graphics have been misspelt a lot recently.  No, really they have.  I didn't expect it of our national broadcaster either but I wrote some of them down.  Recently I have seen the following -

TON

NXT

LTR

TMW

I was really quite confused by these to start with.  What did they mean?  TON could be a unit for measuring weight in the United States, but NXT? LTR? TMW?  Fewer vowels than a Welsh street sign, no?  And then I remembered that sometimes the young folk with their phones and the texting often leave the vowels out of words, because of the restricted number of characters allowed per message and because it is faster.  And just like the boffins at Bletchley Park who cracked that pesky Enigma code, by golly I'd nailed it.  TON=Tonight, NXT=Next, LTR=Later and TMW=Tomorrow.  Next stop the Rosetta Stone.  I'm on a roll.

But I was still confused.  Surely the main reason for using these abbreviated versions of words is down to a lack of space or to cut down on time keying in on a phone keypad?  You don't use mobile phones to make your graphics, do you?  Surely you've got flasher equipment than that.  Computers and things.  Surely your whole budget isn't spent on Simon Barnett's hair products?

And then I realised what it's about.  You're trying to be cool, aren't you?  You're trying to be hip and "down with the kids".  Oh, oh, dear.  No.  Please don't.  You're not cool enough for that.  You are TVNZ.  You are nearly thirty.  That's just not feasible.  Let me lay it out for you.  You are our state broadcaster, therefore you will never really be cool.  Please just leave that to C4.  It's where music (and skinny jeans) lives.  C4 is hip and cool.  Similarly TV3 will always be cooler than you because it's younger (still a teenager in fact).  Prime is the "underdog" aka "the little channel that could" and Māori TV is simultaneously artsy and worthy.  You, TVNZ, just get to be dependable and...there.  You using text language in your ads would be like me walking around in a trucker cap and baggy jeans.  It's a wee bit sad, not to mention try-hard.

Anyway, I just thought that you should know this since apparently no one who works there is willing to say anything (like when you're wearing a really unflattering outfit but your friends all say that you look great).  Please go back to using vowels.  They are there for a reason.

Yours sincerely,

MT TMR (see how confusing that is?)

and whatta ya know ..

TVNZ scraps text ads after backlash

By CLIO FRANCIS - Fairfax Media

Last updated 15:35 09/06/2009

TOO SHORT: One of the ads which TVNZ has been forced to remove after a public backlash.

Television New Zealand has been forced to scrap a new advertising campaign featuring promos with text language after a backlash from members of the public.

TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the new promos, which screen exclusively on TV2, were introduced around a fortnight ago and there had been a "clear message" from the public that they were not popular.

"We have learned in that period that vowels are extremely important to New Zealanders."

The ads featured abbreviations for upcoming shows, using 'TON' for 'tonight' and 'TMW' for tomorrow in the style of language usually used in cellphone text messges.

TVNZ were aware of the Facebook site created to fight the vowel-free promos and had received "dozens of letters and emails" on the matter, Ms Richards said.

More than 6000 people have signed up to the 'I hate TV2's new abbreviations' Facebook group.

"While TV channels don't stand still and we'll try new ideas and look for points of differences, there is no point in having a point of difference that people don't like," she said.

"It was an idea that was obviously not appreciated."

Ms Richards said the promo campaign had been created "in-house" and had involved "no extraordinary cost".

The new-look promos would be phased out in the coming days, she said.

"Progressively, over the next few days and weeks it will return to the way it was and you will see vowels once again." 

A blog by Moata Tamaira on Stuff.co.nz about the ads received more than 100 comments, most of them negative.

"It took me ages to figure out what 'TON' and 'TMW' meant," said one poster.

"I think it's ridiculous. 'TON' annoys me the most - it's like they forgot the rest of the word. Bring back the old format," said another.

Funny ... lol

http://lucylou.livejournal.com/566295.html?page=2#comments

Did you ever think about reading these books, but then thought:
"I don't really have the time/attention span/proper sort of pre-teen hormonal fascination with vampires"?
Now you can see what happens without taking an entire weekend of your life to wade through
approx. 4000 pages of descriptions on how pretty Edward is!
Read on.

Not to step on any Twilight fan's indestructible vampiric toes. I did actually very much enjoy my weekend in Forks.
(as evidenced by my reading the entire series in a weekend)
It's just SO FUN to fun on it.

PS: I have NOT seen the movie yet. I will hit that up movie-rental-store style tewt sweeet.
Because I am the only person on earth who doesn't have freakin' Netflix.

Mmmmore Vamps ..

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series ...

from JR Ward.com

I've been reading these in the past couple of weeks... up to book 6 - Lover Enshrined .. and just got Lover Avenged .. and the Insiders Guide with Father of Mine in it ... wahooo ..

THE BROTHERS
**WARNING: mild plot spoilers ahead.
Wrath | Rhage | Zsadist | Phury | Vishous | Tohrment

There are six warrior vampires in the brotherhood currently. They are

Wrath: the last purebred vampire on the planet and the vampire race's king. Essentially blind, he is the leader who is not willing to lead until he is forced to care for a half-breed he falls in love with.

Rhage: the strongest of the brothers and the best fighter. Cursed by the Scribe Virgin, he is possessed by a dark side which is a danger to everyone. Ultimately, though, he is gentled by a very special human woman.

Zsadist: the most lethal of the brothers. A former blood slave who was mercilessly tortured during the first hundred years of his life, Z is the one who has fallen farthest from grace. But he is utterly worthy of redemption.

Phury: the loyal one, the one who sacrifices himself for others. Phury is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost. Used to giving rather than receiving, he needs love coming back at him to bring him alive.

Vishous: the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. His love puts him at odds with a secret about himself he did not know and could never have guessed.

Tohrment: the steady one, the calm one. He is the one whose betrayal by fate will cut the deepest.

THE BOOKS

Lover Avenged
J.R. WARD’S BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD novels have introduced readers to a “different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing”* world.

Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world- Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him- and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

THE BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD: AN INSIDER'S GUIDE

Prepare to enter the dark passionate world of The Black Dagger Brotherhood and get up close and personal with each one of the Brothers…

You’ll find insider information on the Brotherhood, their dossiers, stats and special gifts. You’ll read interviews with your favorite characters, including a heartbreaking one with Tohrment and Wellsie, conducted three weeks before she was killed by lessers. You’ll encounter deleted scenes—accompanied by the whys behind the cuts—in addition to exciting material from the J.R. Ward message boards and the answers to questions posed by readers about the series. You’ll learn what it’s like for J.R. Ward to write each installment of the series, and in a fascinating twist, you’ll read an interview with the author—conducted by the Brothers. For the first time ever, you’ll get an original short story about Zsadist and Bella and see the miracle of their daughter Nalla's birth and the depth of their love for each other.

LOVER ENSHRINED - Book six: Phury's Story

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.
As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

LOVER UNBOUND - Book Five: Vishous' Story

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

LOVER REVEALED - Book Four: Butch's Story

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world- to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...
Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, found by a miracle, the Brotherhood calls on Marissa to bring him back, though even her love may not be enough to save him...

LOVER AWAKENED - Book Three: Zsadist's Story
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

LOVER ETERNAL - Book Two
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed by a deadly beast, Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves…

DARK LOVER -Book One
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other - six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Among them, none relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed- orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead…
Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both…

.... and there's a whole new series started with the "Fallen angels" ...

Covet: A Novel of the Fallen Angels.
Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about--his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin diPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that--until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart--and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

Some twilight random stuff .. just becoz ... lol

Hunky spunky Alex Meraz ...

Fan-made remix of the Twilight trailer

Official 'New Moon' Trailer: A Shot-By-Shot Analysis

'Twilight' fans get their first glimpse of Edward's departure, Jacob's wolf form and more.

By Larry Carroll

The wait is over. The "New Moon" trailer has just debuted on the MTV Movie Awards telecast, and it's got tons of buzzworthy stuff for Stephenie Meyer fans to chew over.

Forget about birthdays, graduations and all that overrated holiday stuff; in the eyes of Twilighters worldwide, today is one of the most important days of the year. Naturally, MTV is celebrating this momentous movie moment with one of our patented shot-by-shot breakdowns.

Shot 1: A nice aerial view of the coast, over La Push beach. Pretty enough to rival any of Catherine Hardwicke's beautiful outdoor shots from the first film.

Shot 2: Bella's iconic truck pulls up in front of Charlie's house.

Shot 3: Bella looks into Edward's eyes: "It's my birthday. Can I ask you something?"

Shot 4: A close-up of Kristen Stewart: "Kiss me." How awesome is that arched eyebrow? Better watch out, Dwayne Johnson; KStew is muscling in on your territory!

Shot 5: Edward leans in. Look out, ladies!

Shot 6: Bella drops the bomb: "I love you." Is this next year's Best Kiss nominee?

Shot 7: With the stakes substantially raised, here comes the stuff you didn't see in our 15-second preview of the trailer. A contemplative Edward explains: "You're my only reason to stay ... alive. If that's what I am."

Shot 8: Here's the moment we've all been waiting for: the birthday scene! Alice (Ashley Greene) leads Bella down the stairs of the Cullen home, exclaiming, "It's time! It's time!" Wow, Dr. Cullen must be bringing in some serious doctor cash to afford all those candles!

Shot 9: We can see returning favorites Carlisle (Peter Facinelli), Emmett (Kellan Lutz), Rosalie (Nikki Reed) and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser) crowd around Bella to give her hugs and kisses. Alice stands in the background, snapping photos. Jasper (Jackson Rathbone) also stands at a distance, for a far different reason. "Happy birthday, Bella!" Esme exclaims. "Let's open your presents!"

Shot 10: "There's a cake too." Is there ever! Whoever made that thing needs to get themselves on that "Ace of Cakes" show, stat.

 
"New Moon" Trailer Freeze Frames

Shot 11: "Alice, that cake could feed 50!" Bella says. "You guys don't even eat." Take note of Jasper's hair in the background, as well as Rosalie's curls. Both look so much better than in the first movie, don't you think?

Shot 12: Alice hands over an innocent-seeming gift. Look out, Bella!

Shot 13: Unlucky number 13 brings us a pivotal moment in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" universe. As she goes to open her gift, Bella slices open her finger, drawing blood.

Shot 14: The klutzy Bella throws down her gift, raises her finger and utters three words you do not want to say around vampires: "Ow, paper cut."

Shot 15: A few drops of blood fall onto the Cullen's floor, all over their nice Berber carpet!

Shot 16: And this is why you don't want to bleed around the Cullens. Springing to life for the first time in the series, we finally see why struggling-vegetarian Jasper has kept his distance from Bella. He runs in super-slo-mo toward the camera.

Shot 17: Edward looks up to see his bloodthirsty brother approaching, as a look of fear washes across his face. Bella doesn't even have time to notice.

Shot 18: With his superhuman speed, Edward shoves Bella out of the way, into the table.

Shot 19: Edward shoves Jasper toward the other end of the room, sending him flying through the air and crashing down into a piano. Wow, home-furnishing salesmen in Forks are going to make a bundle after this party!

Shot 20: Bella looks up in horror; Edward seems like he's about to cry. "What happened with Jasper was nothing," she insists.

Shot 21: Back in the woods, Edward lays down the law. "[It was] nothing compared to what could have happened. I promise to never put you through anything like this again."

Shot 22: Bella looks on at an anguished Edward. "This is the last time you'll ever see me," he says. Take a look at RPattz's face — damn, that's some acting!

Shot 23: Edward gives Bella one last kiss on the forehead ... and then he's gone.

Shot 24: Realizing her predicament, Bella is alone in the woods. She lies down on the ground, clutching the dirt, breathing heavily.

Shot 25: Edi Gathegi in the house! "How much could you mean to him if he left you here?" the vampire Laurent asks, his red eyes ablaze much more effectively than how we saw the vamps in the last movie. "I'll protect you." Remember how Laurent was all conflicted and happy to help the Cullens in the first film? Yeah, he ain't doing that anymore.

Shot 26: As Bella stands in a clearing, Laurent circles her like a dog eyeballing a chew toy. "But I can't help myself. You are so ... mouth-watering!" I can already imagine that catchphrase on a million T-shirts.

Shot 27: As Laurent caresses her hair, Bella gets ready to become lunch. Keep in mind that at this point in the film, both she and Edward (who is far, far away) are so despondent that they're almost suicidal.

Shot 28: Whoa, what's Fabio doing in this movie? No, wait — it's none other than Taylor Lautner, the little Jacob from the first film showing off his newly acquired 30 pounds of muscle.

Shot 29: The newly jacked Jacob springs into action as Laurent raises his hands to Bella. When we interviewed Gathegi recently, he told us that this encounter with workout buddy Lautner was his favorite "New Moon" scene. Note that although Bella is in danger, it appears as though Jacob took the time to put his shirt back on before coming to her rescue. Maybe he burns easily, and the sun is a bit strong.

Shot 30: The anticipation builds as Laurent hesitates and Bella takes off.

Shot 31: Bella runs toward Jacob, screaming what sounds like, "Jake! Run!" But she doesn't know that the money shot is coming, and sure enough, we get our first glimpse of Jacob in all his shape-shifting glory. Turning into a wolf, he leaps over Bella and in front of Laurent. Check out the shreds of clothing, falling to the ground around him. Coolness.

Shot 32: As Jacob lets out a ferocious roar, the title card washes across the screen: "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." You may now proceed with your "OME" shrieks.

An article that caught my eye ..

from essentialbaby.com.au

The guilt-inducing indulgence of me time

• Kylie Orr
• May 27, 2009

Essential Baby blogger Kylie Orr

"Me time" is a fairly recent phenomenon, I am led to believe. My mother's generation was reared with significantly fewer options than we have today. The simple life plan was to work, get married, have children (with whom they stayed at home until those children grew up) and then perhaps return to the workforce. The expectation was that the role of mother and wife was part of life rather than a choice made.

This is not to say they felt ecstatic about their roles 100% of the time but maybe they were just more accepting? "Me time" probably would have been well and truly embraced by them, had they seen it as an option but with restricted discussion about the daily frustrations of raising a family, and certainly no internet sites to vent on, there were limited outlets for the topic to be raised.

Popping out for a coffee with a friend (and no children) seems like a fairly common outing these days. My mum assures me she had no idea what a "cappuccino" was when we were young so going out for a coffee with a friend wasn't something she ever did, pre- or post-children. Now swigging out of the vodka bottle in the linen cupboard, that was a whole other thing...

I hear the catch phrase "Me time" quite often. I was recently asked what I would do with an entire day a week if I had no children to look after and no job obligations. I couldn't answer.

Actually I could answer- I could answer it with two options - but neither sat well with me, or the person who asked. I could:

1.  Stay at home and tackle Mt Washing that's slowly threatening to close off the airvents to the rest of the house; I could scrub kitchen cupboards and clean out and refold all the contents of the linen press; I could call the bank to sort out a 3 month old issue, the insurance company to compare quotes and the energy supplier to find out about green energy options once and for all, without constant interruptions from the treasures who like to hang off my legs as soon as I pick up the phone.

Maybe I'd finish a cup of tea, while it was still hot, and flick through a magazine. I may even take my time in the toilet instead of doing up my buttons on the run to attend to a screaming child. 

Or if I was going to be completely self-indulgent:

2.  I would sleep in (remember that?), have a cooked breakfast in my PJ's while reading the paper. I would have a 20 minute shower and burst all water restriction guidelines without a moment of guilt. I would style my hair. I would have lunch with a friend and gasbag over a couple of glasses of mid afternoon wine.

Next would be a facial and a massage followed by an afternoon kip. I may do a bit of window shopping and possibly purchase an unneeded bag, or pair of shoes. On credit.

So, these are extreme examples. One is based upon obligation, one is a dream of pure self indulgence. I wouldn't be keen to do either, to be honest.

I would feel great satisfaction and a sense of achievement from option one, as mundane and menial as the tasks are. I would feel refreshed and rejuvenated and entirely indulged and completely and utterly racked with guilt by the second. 

Why? I'm not really sure. I guess my husband doesn't have a day a week all to himself so why should I? He does escape the house and make phone calls without interruption, listen to whatever radio station he likes in the car and not answer 45 questions in a 5km radius.

Does this count as his "Me time"?  I can't even say that his day ends when he leaves the office as he runs his own business which comes with plenty of stresses of its own.

I have two hours a week to myself. I have to go to a personal trainer to get it, so I wouldn't say it is an ideal time of indulgence. If you knew me well, you'd know how desperate I must be for some time to myself to go and thrash about in a gym.

My husband is very laid back and a great supporter of any time I take to myself. It is me who is the time police. I have so little child-free time that when I do have it, I don't know how to use it effectively. Or without guilt.

"Me time" is a completely reasonable concept. I had it when I worked full time. I didn't have to answer to anyone if I wanted to do a spate of shopping or catch up for a leisurely weekend lunch with friends.

Now I have children, there are others relying on me, 24 hours a day. One voice in my head says get over yourself and accept this is all part of family life. The other voice screams "LADY! TAKE A BREAK!" The other voices all fight in the background and ask the same question over and over and then get sent to time out for interrupting.

I'm not sure it's necessarily "Me time" I need, it is personal space. I never quite anticipated how much this would be invaded once I had children. To be loved and adored and touched and hugged and kissed is a beautiful thing but I could never have expected that you could overdose on it.

Having your head climbed on by a three-year-old while you breastfeed a baby; or the leg of your pants tugged upon while you are trying to have a conversation with another adult; getting barged in on whilst on the toilet so you could answer the all-important question "how are clouds made" - they are all lovely in their own way but a constant invasion of personal space.

Head space is the other thing I could do with a little more of. I'm not being greedy, I'd just like to have some time where I didn't have to remember that Thursday is show and tell day, under the bed is where Child #2 left his shoe, I must  get the baby's 6 month immunisation done, and we need milk.

I'd like to have a moment in time where I was not required to undergo the Spanish Inquisition about what my favourite game was as a child, and did they have Ben10 when I was a girl and why is the moon in the sky when it's daytime and how come the baby gets to spit food on the floor but I can't? And when can I go to Dylan P's house for a play?

Everyone needs time to themselves. To reflect, refresh and remember who they are. What is reasonable "Me time" and how it is spent is for individual assessment.  Some people don't require much time alone, others crave more. All I know is that to give to everyone else 100% of the time, eventually depletes you.

I am not disciplined enough at assigning time to myself, I'm always saying "I'll take the baby" or "I'll be back by feral hour".  Who does this benefit in the end? Is this complete giving of myself going to end in a frazzled state of burn out all too soon? Will the mental meltdowns now be my territory rather than my three-year-olds?

Maybe it's time to sit down  on the toilet with a book and some earplugs and get a deadlock for the door. Would it be wrong to take in a glass of wine? "Me time", here I come!

Hilarious Cadbury Ad ..

This ad has started showing over here .. hilarious ..

Makeup ...

oooh ..  I really liked Kirsten Stewarts makeup at the MTV awards ..

 

I wonder if I could pull those colours off ??

OMG .. I have tears rolling down my eyes from laughing so much ..

My hubby thought I was having some kind of an attack .. and I couldn't even talk properly reading this out to him .. in between wiping my eyes of tears, spluttering and the belly laughs ... so hilarious ..

.. read at your peril ..

this is from .. Woulda coulda shoulda

April 21, 2009 | Haven't been hit by lightning yet!

I don’t usually (read: ever) blog about sex. I’m a shy, retiring flower when it comes to such things. Also, my husband is descended from Puritans and my dad reads here (waving to all of the horrified men in my life). So, yeah. Not a sex blogger.

On the other hand, some things must be blogged. Some things BEG to be blogged. And going to a “special” party just for ladies is one of them, no? Yes. I went to such an event, my pretties, and it was truly the experience of a lifetime.

Not so much because of the products themselves, no. More because you just tend to learn a lot about people when you’re hanging out in a room where there’s a table full of fake penises just sitting there. Come on in! Have a drink! Try the bean dip! And have you seen the giant assortment of brightly-colored mechanical phalluses? No? Well COME HAVE A LOOK!

One of the first things the hostess did was announce that there was to be no flash photography. So I—being the wiseass that I am—immediately whipped out my phone and took a (non-flash) picture of the Table O Schlongs and emailed it to Otto. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore” I put in the subject line. (The picture displayed a dozen vibrators, various other paraphernalia, and someone’s half-finished glass of wine. Otto mailed me right back: “What kind of wine is that?”)

Actually, I’m getting ahead of myself. The FIRST thing the hostess did (after greeting me) was tell me that she’d already been though the consultant’s stash and had picked what she was going to buy. Mind you, I was there as a friend-of-friends, so I barely know this woman, but I commended her on her decisive thinking and asked her what she was planning to buy. She was only too happy to take me to the table and show me the item in question.

Now, I think of myself as a pretty experienced person. I’ve been around the block. I’m no prude. But she held up this contraption and I was… completely baffled.

I mean, had you handed it to me ANYWHERE ELSE I would’ve told you it was a doggie tug-of-war chew toy. There was a lot of rubbery kind of… webbing… and then a couple of giant metal capsules (I did figure out that those were “magic bullets”) threaded through a couple of holes. But the hostess was explaining how this was EXACTLY what she and her husband need and all I could think was that:
1) I can never look her husband in the eye again,
and
2) I don’t understand how this works.

Finally—if only to get her to STOP TALKING ABOUT WHAT POSITION HER HUSBAND PREFERS (because: there’s not enough alcohol on hand, if I barely know you, for THAT conversation)—I said, “Okay, I don’t think I get how this works.”

The consultant’s assistant (though I didn’t know that’s what she was, at the time; I thought she was just another person I didn’t know) leapt out of a nearby chair and grabbed it from me.

“It goes LIKE THIS!” she said, and with a single flick of her wrist she had fitted it to her pelvic area. And began thrusting her hips. And then I DIED.

“Okay!” I said, casting my eyes around the room for ANYTHING less embarrassing to look at. George W. Bush fully naked, perhaps? But no, no such luck. “That was very… educational. I NEED A DRINK!”

I went and got a drink. I ran into a couple of people I knew, while doing so, but none of them felt the need to either tell me their husband’s favorite position or simulate strap-on sex, so it was all good. Plus, there were snacks. So, you know.

After some general milling around, a friend called for me to come sit with her as we settled in for the presentation. Now, at Pampered Chef parties, the consultant cooks. At Arbonne parties, the consultant makes up your face. I was a little frightened as to what exactly this was going to entail, but actually, this presentation involved going through EVERY PRODUCT IN THE CATALOG, which would actually have been pretty boring, I think, if not for a few things.

First of all, I was sitting directly across from a woman (whom I didn’t know) who had the most expressive eyebrows in the entire world. Every time the consultant whipped out another product, this woman’s eyebrows would leap six inches into the air. It was astonishing. And really, really amusing. Soon I could tune out the presentation altogether and only bothered with further inspection if I saw that woman’s eyebrows smack against the ceiling.

Second, the assistant had an armful of plastic leis, and the “game” was that you were supposed to stand up and shout “I WANNA GET LEI-ED!” any time the consultant used the word “ultimate.” (You only do it once, and then at the end there’s a color drawing and whoever’s wearing the “winning” color of lei gets some sort of prize.) I managed to get lei-ed the first time she said it, because stuff like that makes me tense and I figured I’d just get it out of the way. But thereafter it was very entertaining to watch other people declaring they wanted to get lei-ed. (And no, it never did stop being funny. A room full of tipsy straight women, with periodic shouts of “I WANNA GET LAID!” and everyone answering back “WOOOOOOOOOO!” Comedy gold.)

Third, as the presentation went on, I don’t know if there was more drinking or what, but some of the questions asked about various products were, um, not shy. I think she spent a full 10 minutes on the anal lube product, for example. Ahem. Someone asked if that actually feels good and before you know it, PEOPLE ARE SWAPPING BUTTSEX STORIES. And you know, to each her own, and I’m happy you’re happy, but GOOD GOD. There’s not enough alcohol in the WORLD for me to want to hear that, ever. Some things should stay private.

There were vibrators with multi-colored strobe lights. Disco dicks, if you will. There was a vibrator designed to simulate the ultimate oral sex experience, I guess? It had a GIANT TONGUE. And a NOSE. (Because we’ve all had that moment of ultimate pleasure where we moan, “Oh, baby… MORE NOSE!”) There were creams for shrinking and creams for biggening and chocolate body pens which require refrigeration (they don’t come with a year of therapy for the child who discovers it in the fridge—I asked) and an endless parade of things to attach to your man, because some of us missed the memo about the penis merely being a convenient hook upon which to hang scary-looking toys.

Of course, the very best part was the passing around of the vibrators. I had NO IDEA there are so many different options. I also had no idea how hilarious it would be to watch people discussing the relative merits, preferably while waving the merchandise around. I kept waiting for someone to scream “USE THE FORCE!” and for a lightsaber-esque duel to break out. The rabbit versus the dolphin, maybe. (She’s going in for the kill but OH! Her opponent parries with the wave-action rotator! Now she’s backing up and activating the spinning beads. And LOOK OUT! THE RABBIT EARS ARE FLICKING, but she’s countering with the pulsating massage action! Etc.)

“Oh, I don’t think my husband would be willing to… you know… WEAR any of those things that… attach,” one woman confided to me as we sat around waiting for our individual turns to go “shopping” after the presentation.

“Really?” I answered, wondering how I could best end this conversation. Maybe I could pretend not to speak English. No matter that we’d now been together for hours and that probably wouldn’t work.

“Oh yes,” she said. “I think he’d find it sort of threatening, you know? Probably better to get a toy he doesn’t have to wear.”

“Wait. What?” See, this is where my lack of tact becomes problematic. “You’re telling me he’d find a little silicone helper threatening, even though it’s something that still requires his participation, but if you showed up with one of those massive vibrators that could completely take his place, THAT would be okay?”

She thought about it for a moment. “Good point,” she conceded.

Bonds were forged, people. Too bad I’m going to have to pretend not to know any of those women if I run into them at the grocery store or whatever.

Posted by Mir @ 11:13 am

Holy Batman .. I mean Werewolves ...

.. look at the size of him .. pity he's not even near legal .. but holy werewolves .. you gotta admit it's a pretty good look!

from newmoonmovie.org

Shirtless Taylor Lautner, Transforms from Jacob Black to Wolf

May 31, 2009 ·

Here’s some screen caps from the New Moon trailer of Taylor Lautner as he transforms from Jacob Black to a wolf using his amazing shapeshifter aka werewolf powers. Also, some screens from the trailer of Taylor Lautner showing off his amazingly buff body!

.. and here's a GIF made from a fan of the transformation ..

Soo ..

This week has basically been a write off ..

Went to the docs on Monday morning ..

Went to a funeral on Monday afternoon ..

Took Missy to kindy on Tues afternoon ..

From Wednesday have stayed home on the couch (with trips to the kitchen etc and the odd clean up when needed around the house) .. and felt crook ...

BUT .. the good thing is I'm feeling slightly better .. although I'm still coughing my *ring* out.. lol

In between the coughing I've been reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series ..

I've read 3 out of the 6 books so far (I got e-book versions) .. and they are great ..

But a bit more .. ahem .. "adult" then I'm used to .. but oh well .. it's not as if I'm not going to read them huh .. lol

Friday the boys stayed home from school .. Cam isn't quite "right" so I kept him home .. and it was going to be a battle I couldn't be bothered fighting so kept Michael home too as he was getting a bit tired and was coming down with the cold too .. so I think a 4 day hol for them both will pick them back up again ..

Yesterday while hubby took the boys to Rippa I went and got the groceries 'coz I was being organised .. heh heh .. as I suddenly realised that Mon the shops might be closed ..

Cam got player of the day .. and a wee trophy so that was nice .. he is really getting in to it hubby said .. Mike got 3 tries .. apparently once he gets going on those long legs of his he just goes .. heh heh .. cool.

.. then I took the boys to the big smoke and we got their class-mate birthday presents (note I sait presents as of course the boys are giving him one each .. and a different card each .. just like they should :))

Then we went to Lollipops for the HC family day .. 2 other families turned up .. which OK wasn't a great turn-out but oh well what can you do .. it's been a quiet Awareness Week all round me thinks ..

Next yr there may be options to do a Heart Jam .. (similar to Jump a Rope for HF) .. so we'll get in to that .. it's a bit hard when there are only 3 of us .. all with small people .. and 2 have jobs .. to get the motivation to do anything .. and also me being crook .. I had no inclination to do well anything.

So today the boys are off to the birthday party .. and I MIGHT do my window frames .. coz they are GROSS .. and of course more washing ..

Soo .. thats my full on week ..lol ..

Sooo busy ..

Next week is a new week ..

I have my JC weigh in .. and I checked the scales this morning and they look about where they were last weigh in .. which I'm kinda pleased about as being crook and on the steroids I expected to go up a bit ..

So back on the horse (well treadmill) next week .. and get these last few kgs off ..

Robert Pattinson: ‘New Moon’ Shirtless!

Sooo you know .. I really aren't in to this as much as I was .. I've read the books twice .. and are looking forward to the movie .. but now well it seems it was a good "get-away" for me .. and now I've clicked back in to real mode ..

BUT .. that doesn't mean I don't keep up with the goss on the new movie right .. lol

I check up on stuff on here: www.newmoonmovie.org

.. and just this week ..some of the scenes were on here ..www.justjared.com

(The dots are CGI dots to add the 'dazzle' effects later on)

Robert Pattinson shoots more shirtless scenes for the much-anticpated movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, in Montepulciano, Italy on Wednesday afternoon (May 27).

Looks like Rob’s been working out! But it also looks like he got some extra “sculpting” help from the make-up artists. Those abs look airbrushed on!

Earlier in the day, Rob and costar Kristen Stewart filmed a steamy kissing scene.

(Click on the pics below for clearer shots)

  

  

  

Sick sick sick !!!

(Warning long vent)

I'm sick ..

I HATE being sick !!!

I have bronchitis and laryngitis .. and a headache .. and are sick of coughing .. and no sleep .. and feeling grumpy!!

I HATE being sick !!

I get short with the kids .. I get short with hubby .. I get short with the world ..

The housework (the little I get done) goes backwards .. and then I get sh*tty that the house is a tip ..

I went to the doctor and he gave me some steroids, refilled my asthma meds and an obscure antibiotics I'd never heard of .. which are like horse tranquilisers ..and after I take them all I want to do is sleep ..

.. BUT ... that can't be done when there are little people to take to kindy .. and pick up from the bus .. and a list as long as my are of things to be done while in town ..

.. oh yes and tomorrow of course blood testing the bulls on the last farm ..

So today we've bunked playgroup .. and I'm going to make the beds, do the dishes, empty the dishwasher, hang the washing, put another load on .. do a quick squizz with the vacuum and then collapse ..

Urgghh ..

So much for an easy day huh??

Urgghh..

.. and I'm supposed to be heading out tonite for a night out for Heart Children Awareness Week (drinks and dessert for parents and care-givers) .. but just the thought of driving all that way .. when I feel like I do .. gives me the heebie jeebies ..

.. but I really need to as I want to support this week ..

.. but .. well ..

.. I'll take the kids to the children's fun day on Sat ..

.. but with a stink feeling ..

Urrgghhh

OK moan over ..

Not quite I forgot to say

I HATE BEING SICK!

*** My sister has a theory that when you get sick it is because something has made you feel sad .. interesting theory ..