carrots on fire

Russell is really developing his musical skills.  At first we felt our house wasn't big enough for his trumpet but now that we have progressed together from many scales to nursery rhymes to real tunes, it is becoming easier on the ears. 

His latest melody is the theme from Chariots of Fire and I find myself humming it all day.  His practice time is usually a half hour session before school so it sets us up for the day.  I keep imagining people running in slow motion and have visuals of Mr Bean which are rather disturbing.

Students in government primary schools are invited on to a music programme after testing to determine musical ability.  They are entitled to hire an instrument for a year and receive free tuition.  Russell selected trumpet and absolutely loves it.  He wants to purchase his own trumpet and continue next year.  I have just discovered that a reasonable trumpet sells new for around $1000!

Well, today he is being tested on Chariots of Fire so there has been much discussion around the movie and the piece as well as many hours of practice. 

Yesterday Hugo came through before school and commented with a big sigh:  "Oh, no!  Not Carrots on Fire AGAIN!"

Phuket

 It has taken some time to get my feet back on the ground after such a fantastic week away.  It was Five Star all the way and we had the best time ever.  I really enjoyed having time to myself to relax and soak up some sun.  The other 90 ladies were so much fun to be with and friendships were formed over cocktails, dinners and swims.  I had the opportunity to network with inspiring women who have been with INTIMO for many years and share with the best in the business.  The week included awesome activities like kayaking through the cliffs, riding an elephant, and shopping in Patong.  We laughed a lot and drank a lot of cocktails!  The resort was superb and I overdosed on spa treatments and meals.

What a treat.  An experience like this is priceless and I will definately make sure that I will qualify every year for this little piece of paradise.



rewards

For the next week I will have some big decisions to make.  Should I have a massage or a body scrub?  Do I swim in the sea or one of the five pools?  Is it tea time or cocktail time?  Do I swim to the bar or call a waiter?

 

No taxi run, no "Maaaaa", no lunch boxes, no meals.  This week it's all about ME!  And I can't wait.

 

My bags are packed and I am off to lie at the pool in this picture in Phuket at the famous five star Marriott Hotel.  Just for fun, 95 inspiring women will join me there.

 

 

All this for loving what I do.  INTIMO, you are one helluva boss.

 

See you next week!

outdoor progress

A gang of Irishmen arrived last week and rendered (plastered) our walls.  It looks amazing now that the unsightly raw brick has been covered.  Tomorrow the paver starts and our outdoor living areas are going to be transformed with new floors of exposed aggregate.  This means plants have to be dug up and transplanted, furniture needs to move, soil needs to be leveled and a general clean up is in order.  Rob is doing most of the manual labour with each of us doing little bits intermittently.  I am hiding here for a while to get away from the real hard work.

long weekend break

Thanks to the Queen, Monday 1st of October was a public holiday for us.  Each Australian state chooses a date to celebrate the Queen's birthday irrespective of when her birthday really is, and a public holiday is declared!  Strange, but true.  So in honour of the Queen's pretend birthday we could all take a long weekend at the start of the school holiday.  We headed down south to Dunsborough and rented a lovely little cottage near the beach.  This time we had our boat with us which made for an exciting early morning adventure for Rob and the boys as well as Rob's cousin, Duncan.  They headed off after dawn to try their hand at fishing and enjoy the male bonding that happens around burly and deep water.  Hugo and I went for a run/scooter into town for a coffee and shopping experience!  The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming and barbecuing.  We had Duncan and Jo over for dinner after sun downers at the beach, watching the boys throw their lines out over the rocks. 

On Tuesday we took a family cruise out at sea before making our way back to Perth.  It was four days of bliss, just what Rob needed to get through this last stretch to Christmas break.

holidays

School holidays for us often mean a trip down south.  And a trip down south means seeing the rellies and getting my hands on a beautiful bunch of Proteas.  The boys are in the middle of school holidays and we are making the most of every day.  So far we have been down to Dunsborough, our favourite holiday place for 3 nights, been out to Rottnest Island on our boat for a day trip, been ice skating (fabulous fun for mum!) and got our hands dirty moving plants in preparation for the next phase of our outdoor project.  Details to follow...

literacy

It all happened so quickly this time.  Hugo can read!  The penny has just dropped.  He can work out the phonetic words, make a stab at the more difficult ones and basically decode a book!  He is reading level 5 books with gusto.  The world has opened up to him as he deciphers the cereal boxes and newspaper headlines.  He is so thrilled with himself and happily reads four readers a day.  He is able to write and call out about 70 sight words and his confidence in the process is growing daily. 

It is fair to say that the curriculum for foundation learning in Western Australia has changed dramatically in the past two years.  Hugo is expected to know what Adam only learned in Year 1.  He is adding and subtracting up to 20 and is soaking it all up in his internal sponge.

The literacy gap between the two boys is closing fast and I am under pressure to keep Adam motivated and focused.  He is exceptional at Maths and Science experiments but really struggles with reading and comprehension.  In the first term of this year we discovered a reading programme called Toe by Toe.  It comprises of daily exercises of 20 minute sessions to increase confidence and blends.  It is a book which we purchased online.  It gave us a structure to work with and a focus for our 20 minutes every day.  His confidence grew and he has now begun to read books at a reasonable level wtih ease.  The key has been to find books that are of interest to him with characters he can relate to.  A real hit has been the Tashi Books.  Adam loves the make-believe stories and really relates well to the boy, Jack and his imaginary friend.  These books are beautifully written and a hit amongst boys and girls of his age.  We borrowed a big Tashi Book which is a novel, incorporating all the books as chapters.  Russell devoured it and loved every minute!

Russell's reading has come a long way too.  He really enjoys adventure stories and boy scout type expeditions.  He has just finished reading the Bear Gryll's book (children's edition) and couldn't wait to get into bed for his Chapter every night.  He is urging me to read it too so that we can talk about it.  So far it is lying untouched next to my bed!

So we are all reading now.   Some of us more than others.  How fabulous!  The boys are growing up fast and taking on new challenges daily.  Just being around them is an adventure for me!