the good old days in twenty eleven

We went to the local skate rink on Fri.

Oh my goodness what a great and groovy time.

5 bucks for a good time is all it costs - every Friday night if you wanna!

(photos are slightly arty as not sure how to get my amazing camera to take amazing photos in the darkness with the disco lights!)

My friends and I took our children for a fun night out.

Truth is we all were a bit jealous of the fun the kids were having and the groovy moves some of the older people were doing on the rink.  

Plus it was freezing waiting on the side for a few hours while the kids sweated up a storm.

Next time, we say, we'll be in with a grin on the rink!

This adventurous child even went in the speed racing comp and she did famously well.

I loved watching her come alive!  

I recall those feelings of bliss and freedom as a child, circling the rink again and again to the groovy sounds pumping.

This younger poppet mostly rode on one blade but as we go more, she'll get confidence and be a rider like her sis.  She still seemed to love rolling round on one foot.

Let the good times roll I say.

The mums will be rolling next time too!

Thanks Shell and Han, bliss doing life wit u xx

Matt and Sez, when you come over next, we are so taking you to the rink for you to strut your stuff and to remember the good old days!

stuck in the boot

After breaking heaps of things lately (the actual whole car, my ghd's - ah precious, cell phone dying and other helpful things like that!) i found myself locked out of my car yesterday.  
This felt like the final straw of a few breaking weeks. 


If you can picture the boot open, of my new finesse green car (not a station wagon but enough room for a few good sized suitcases) - yes new because the old black subaru's head g blew...... keep imagining - me climbing my whole body into that suitcase fitting boot, with swear words on the tip of my tongue, and tears nearly melting on my face.  My girls were nearby (after one had closed the door innocently leaving my purse with everything in it, stuck inside) so it wasn't time to let those swear words fly around freely.   It had turned from a sunny day to an icy cold massey university moment, and i found myself in the boot of the car trying to shimmy open anything that would budge.  I was in the foetal position hoping that the helpful people walking by might just close the boot and let have some time out.


Nothing worked which doesn't surprise me as i'm not really the best technical person in these kinds of moments so alas i had to climb out (which was an embarrassing moment in itself).  I could feel my world caving as i wondered what to do - ah yes i am a lifetime member of AA so i knew they would come if i could call them, yip phone in car wasn't helping me with that.


Crunchtime had been coming for a bit. I'd been feeling a bit tender. some things were feeling a bit big - things breaking around me was having  an affect i think.  Most of the time i do pretty well,  but sometimes when I'm on my own, seemingly small things seem rather bigger. 


Longish story cut short - i was waiting in the rainy local conditions for only a short time when my friend Shelley drove from the meeting she should have been in, to come and wait with me.  I had just been pacing to keep warm while the girls were scootering around on wheels to keep warm and beautiful Shell turned up.  She knew if it was her, she would have been crying.  She turned up as my face was melting, just as I had been saying to God, "Feeling a bit alone right now and feeling rather agro about the flippin big butt in boot situation".  And then He turns up, through her.  


Love that.  I laugh now as i remember wanting to use expletives, being frustrated about a simple mistake.  Shelleys simple gesture of coming to be with me was just what i needed and so beautiful.  What a pal, what a thoughtful woman. Grac-ious Shelley you beautiful wahine. Truthfully i had been needing to cry about everything breaking, for quite a few weeks now i think.  And this experience, however unimportant it seems, was a moment to go - ah breathe, cry, whatever, let it out Sarah Julie.  And I did.  I felt so much better. 


There is happily no photo to go with this post as prob not a gorgeous shot seeing me in the foetal position in my car boot.  Let us be glad xx

Little peoples quotes

7 yr old - mummy i love you so much i just can't express it. it would take me so so so long to tell you how i love you and i don't even have the right word to tell you how much i do love you, but I do mummy. I really really do (nodding her head in great approval and in a silly manner of course).


same 7 year old:  Mum could you please marry a dad who will stay? I think you need to get married again so we can have a daddy here.


8 year old answer (when told about 7 year old above statement).  I just wish you and daddy could get back together mum.  


8 year old (after i told her that i was having a meeting with three guys that evening).  Who are they mum? (Names were given)  Lucky they are married mum otherwise they would have fallen for you.


Ah they say the cutest things.   Ah they do the nicest things.


I've been sick this week, not feeling so hot.  8 year old was so helpful without being asked - putting her bed linen on the bed so i didn't have to bend down to pick it up off the floor.  This reminds me to keep parenting positively - encouraging them in kind ways.  

Hope you have some good quotes from your week whether from big people or little ones.  

Reflecting

I made a comment recently about how our children can be reflections of ourselves - like a mirror pointing something back at us, something to adjust or something to be glad of.
I think even when i was teaching with none of my own children, the pupils were my reflection at times. 

My babes started playing hockey - just like their mum used to.  I'm gladly suspecting they will far outdo my capabilities on the hockey field. At present they are mostly enjoying wearing the mouth guards and carrying around a long weapon!

They are also focusing on 'sticks down' and 'following the ball', once they have hit it with the right side of their stick.  They are getting better and better, as I cheer them on and encourage them.

I can see myself in them as they struggle to have energy for the end of the game.  Chasing the ball becomes more of a struggle than choosing to stay put and watch it cruise down the field.  BUT they are persevering.  The only goal i got in Primary hockey was a goal for the other team, i'm hesitant to announce.  Fortunately as an adult, i got the opportunity to play at Sportscamp (where i was the token 'darts player or mini-golf hopeful, maybe cheerleader?) where i, yes me, scored the winning goal in our hockey final.  Boy that was healing and confirming that i wasn't quite as useless at the sports thing as I had assumed!  I think the same camp i helped win the ladies bowls.  What a legend!





So the Mirror here is just to remind me to help the girls with strategy and to encourage them to do their best and not give up. They seem to be at an age where they respond well to that, thankfully.
When i think about my own sporting background i can laugh and be fine with it all.  It's not my gifting but it's something i can always have a go at.  With my babes, I'm so glad they are doing the hockey thing - they may love it so much that they do it for life. They may not, but it's these experiences that will tend to make their life richer for the effort and attitude and skill they put in and reap the reward of.

Oh bless!