"Look At YOU..."

This morning Aida had to leave earlier for school because she had choir, which meant I actually had to walk Lucy to school myself. All the way to school and on the way back I got all kinds of "look at you", "way to go", "aren't you with it!". It had been awhile since any of the parents have seen me since I have been making them take themselves to and from school since Master Ed was born and that one pesky parent moved in... but that is another story. I was thinking either I looked great and no one has noticed the extra kilos that have moved in since winter began, or I looked horrible and am one of those that "just shouldn't wear leggings". Then it dawned on me. Today was Crusader day at school. The kids were allowed to wear red and black mufti instead of their school uniforms. I looked down and sure enough who was literally covered head to toe in red and black-right from the beanie on my head, to the RED gloves, and the black boots? To my horror Ed was also dressed completely in red and black right down to his black and white shoes. I had helped the girls get into their red and black for the day but I just didn't even think about it as I rushed to get myself and Ed ready to walk Lucy. Cool when planned, unintentional is embarrassing. So, to play it off all I have to say is "GO CRUSADERS!"
Just as a little side note as part of my effort to record some of typical NZ moments so that when I move I can always remember my special time here I took the following photo:

I thought the blue colour cast added just the right touch. That's right folks that condensation is inside my house. The heat pump in the front room has cut out having to clean like 8 windows but there are still the bedrooms to consider. Here is mine. I hate getting out of bed in the morning. If you can blame me for that you must be some kind of super freak. Hope the rest of you are enjoying your summers.

First Bank Account

A couple of weeks ago we took Aida to set up her first bank account. She had been saving and hoping for one for the past 6 months or so, so we decided to go ahead and get her one. I mean if the girl wants to save that bad, who are we to stop her? Aida has been quite a good saver and it has actually kept me from buying too many extras because to prove a point, now when she wants something I give her the option to use her money. Of course her money means more to her than my money means to her so inevitably she will always choose to save.
The bank account has actually been much better for us because now we just have to go online and transfer between accounts instead of scrounging up whatever loose change we can from around the house because goodness knows I don't have even an allowance worth of cash in my wallet, let alone enough for two allowances. The REAL nice thing about her account is that we no longer have money flying around the house and getting lost.
I think I have repaid them in their own allowance several times over, which would be great if there weren't the minutes of weeping and waling going just prior to getting paid, lamenting the loss of "x" amount of dollars. Tithing is easy too because at the end of the month we just withdraw the needed amount and her pocket money to keep on hand. Just yesterday we got Lucy in on the action as well. The only sad part is how by the end of the month the girls' balances are higher than ours. Hmmm-I hope this doesn't come to a case of the blind leading the blind.
Lastly, the most bestus part of a starting a kid's bank account is the free goody. Aida got the BNZ Piggy piggy bank. Very cool souvenir for us, I mean her to take back to the States. It brought me back to when I first opened my bank account with all the money I had saved for doing word searches for my Grandma Auntie. I was so pleased to go and get my Cocker Spaniel Plushy complete with furry ears and collar. What a thing to get something for free, just for giving them all my money to keep. I was so disappointed when Zions only gave me a checkbook that I had to pay for and nothing for free. Okay, that isn't true, I think they had some saltwater taffy on the lady's desk and you can bet your bottom dollar I took more than my fair share of taffy. What did you get for opening your first bank account-c'mon I really wanna know!

Old Favourites

How could you not love these little chubby hands?

In Maya's world, anything is possible.

The other day I found Maya and Ed playing together. Most of the time Maya likes to do what she can to get Ed to bite her, but this day was different. There was calm. Maya was building her brillo towers and Ed was doing what he could to help. He was actually getting the knack of things, but it was not long before the tower would become nothing more than a pile of brillo on the carpet (accidentally). Maya did not get upset. She would just pick up the pieces and build a new one. Ed also really enjoyed playing with the Little People Sesame Street toy.
Aside from the calm, the great light and the delightful subjects, I had to take pictures because there I had my children enjoying the same toys I enjoyed when I was a child. Not literally, but thanks to a resurgence of retro toys and ebay, years ago I was able to aquire some old favourites. I love toys like these, ones they get to use their imagination and just create. Maya has been a creative powerhouse for sometime now, but Ed has been on destructo mode since he started walking. He is very clever at sorting things out but he usually uses his powers for destruction instead of creation. On this day he was trying to be careful and gentle. I suppose they stopped making Little People in the original manner for choking purposes, I don't know-but they were THE BEST! Aside from a few clicking noises, there are no noises. The children have to make things move through cranking or pushing or twisting instead of just pushing a button and letting the batteries do the work. Simple times simple pleasures. Do you remember any of your favourites?

Dark, Haunting

Ed was complaining that I never showed his...more serious side on the blog. He wanted to show his "range" of modeling. Here he is working his "steely gaze" pose.

Red Shoes

The other day I had a first. I bought a cookbook purely because it was "cute". It had nothing to do with the recipes or even the pictures of the food. It had nothing to do with the humongous "sale" sticker on the cover. I just thought it was cute, plain and simple. It was just the right size, the layout was unique and nostalgic in a way. Once Mark arrived home I immediately grabbed it and said, "look how cute!" Our friends came by for dinner and once again I fetched it and proclaimed "look at the cute cookbook I just got!" Seeing the glimmer in my eyes as I flashed it this way and that they could not state that they thought otherwise. I could tell that there was a bit of a lack of understanding of why I thought this book was so great. It was like it had some spell on me and I couldn't help but just look at it for a few days. The recipes actually did look pretty sound, so I decided to try one out. I tried out a cookie recipe because who could screw that up? Turns out my cookies looked EXACTLY not like hers AT ALL. The kids ate them because they still had the butter and sugar thing going on but the only way I could explain why I didn't care for them to Mark was simply that "they are too puffy and they taste like someone else's!" "Huh?" Mark has learned to accept my quirks but at times he needs me to further explain myself. "You know it tastes like the cookies you would have when you went to someone else's house when you were growing up." Needless to say, the perplexed look on his face did not change. I decided to give up trying to explain myself.
Anyway, it wasn't until today that I realized what drew me to this book. It was the cover picture of the red shoes. I have always had a thing for red shoes. When I was younger I had some red sandals and then it was some red keds that I decorated myself with puffy paints, then my converse low tops and I have always had at least one pair of red shoes since. My daughters all have red shoes and you know what? They have loved them as much as me. They go with nothing and that makes them go with everything. When I look down at my red shoes, it just makes me smile. I don't know why, they just do.
The cover of this book had the red shoes that really took me back. Since the great cookie fiasco I did try another recipe, chicken croquettes and they were really good. I kind of found myself wishing they were jalapeno poppers, but they were tasty just the same. So, that is my narrative of my latest purchase. The only thing that made it more "cute" for me was when Maya pulled it off the bench and was reading it on the floor, lollipop in mouth, singing her lollipop song. For any of you wondering, the book is called Apples for Jam.

Side Boomp Side Boomp

Here is Maya's rendition of the "Hi-5 Secret Handshake" song. I am sure it has a real name but there is mine anyway. I just thought it was a good opportunity for you to all notice my flash new video player courtesy of Adobe and Smugmug. Go ahead, view it full screen. It was taken on my little point and shoot so quality will be as such but still it is pretty sleek don't you think? It is just one of many changes here on bergnewz. I would also like to take this moment to let you all know the exciting news that I am now able to drop the blogspot from my address so it is now even easier to get to your bergnewz fixx. You will be redirected here if you use the old one but the new one is simply www.bergnewz.com. You're welcome.
Enjoy the vid. I just liked the way she says "side boomp (bump)".

A Great Day In the Park

The sun was out today! Ed has the chicken pox. Maya would rather be a pony than a person. Aida went on a fieldtrip to the Water Station. Lucy is playing at a friend's house. Hope you are all having just as wonderful of a day.

Yeah for Mums!

I didn't feel right about letting Mother's Day go by without expressing my gratitude for the ones who started it all-Ruth and Penney. Thank You! Those two little words are not enough for all that you have taught us, sacrificed for us, given us, or loved us.
I am so grateful for Ruth and her unwavering faith, support and for the wonderful son that she has raised to in turn be a wonderful father and husband.
I enjoy this picture of young Markus and his mother because it is classic of something a mother would do to bring a little happiness to their child's day. Another reason I really like it is that it was actually taken in Mexico. Mark's parents used to do tape recorder interviews with their children so they could hear their voices. Mark and his family have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel all over the world. When Mark's father asked him where he was going to serve his mission, he responded "Mexico". Wouldn't you know it Mark did serve his mission in Mexico! Coincidence perhaps, still relevant to the photo. It meant a lot to Mark to get letters from his mother while serving his mission. So, on that tangent, we love you Ruth!


Okay, next mum. My mum, Penney. Where to start? I chose this picture because it is one that is forever etched in my mind and because it really typifies what being a mother is like at times. I am often walking around with a child hanging onto my leg slowing my progress down to a near standstill. The difference is my mum did it with TWO and another in her arms. Mum, I don't know how you did it but you did and you survived, we survived! I am in awe over your mad mum skills and in even more awe as I watch you continue to worry over us and love us no matter what. Lots of Love to you!

Thank you Mums and We hope you both have the happy Mother's Day you deserve.

Mother's Day

Me and Mine-They really were more happy than they look-honest.

Lucy's Sketch of ME. The Shell is my faux-hawk

So another Mother's Day has come and gone. It was really good this year. It was interesting because I recently read an article stating that there had been some "research" done by a Harvard professor and he had the following to say
"people's happiness goes into steep decline after they have children, and never recovers its old level until the children leave home. As a source of pleasure, playing with one's offspring rates just above doing housework but below talking with friends, eating, or watching TV, research has shown."
This statement had me ask myself two questions. One, "Is it true?" and two, "It may not be so for myself, but how what is going on with those he studied?"
Okay, so there are the jokes about it and all that but come on my actual happiness has not gone in steep decline. Quite the opposite. Certain freedoms I once had yeah, okay, those went in steep decline but happiness no. I guess it comes with expectations a little. I didn't bring children into the world to make me happy or with an expectation to make myself more happy. Did the other people have this expectation? Children are a joy all unto themselves. Never have I had to exercise so much patience and be humbled so greatly. My children have taught me a lot and isn't that what life is? One funny thing they say or one little hand cupping my chin with such pleasure as Eddie is doing in the photo is worth all the sleep deprivation and wobblies thrown. It is about finding something greater within yourself that life itself takes on a whole other meaning. No longer is it all just about me. Me is easy and uncomplicated. No, really it is. Raising a child the best that you know how, not knowing the outcome until the end that is what is hard. The faith you learn to have seems to multiply at an astonishing rate starting from the first moment you hear their first cry.
I admit, I often will find myself wanting to read my own NY bestseller rubbish over "My World" but to say that brings me greater pleasure would not be accurate. After that initial wanting and "My World" winning, the pleasure is definitely with my child as they learn a new word or laugh at one of my great jokes.
I don't mean to sound like an incredible loving mother that never has "her moments" because that would not be true. What I am is a mother that is trying very hard to finish what I started and to have joy in the process. I am learning in to grow in ways that I never knew existed but their importance in my life is immense.
I guess what I am getting at is Mother's Day for me not only makes me appreciate my own mother, but it makes me appreciate being a mother. It is such an incredible gift that I would not give up for all the swedish fish in the world. So thank you Mark, thank you girls, and thank you Ed for taking me on the most amazing, rewarding journey I could have hoped for.

A Mother's Day Song

The girls did a wonderful job singing to the moms in Primary today. When we got home they continued to sing the songs on their own. They were on repeat mode and we thought we couldn't let all that practice go to waste so here you are. I think you will notice that Lucy really takes after her mother's singing abilities. Gotta love 'em!

One Sleep to Go

The excitement in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife! That's right folks Mother's Day is tomorrow morning. I will maybe post more on that later but I just wanted to share a quick picture to illustrate a little bit of what has been going on for the past few days. Maya has been excited since Kindi on Friday because she had a little gift wrapped in cellophane that I was not allowed to see. "It is just a stupid old card" she tells me. She continues to throw a few wobblies and freak out that I am trying to look at it. Naturally to put an end to it all I told her to hurry and go hide it. Later that day I opened my closet to get out my shoes when lo and behold I see thisNo, that is not a flame, that is Maya's little gift to me. Good hiding spot. She came in while I was taking the picture and was really surprised that I should have found it, since it was hidden away so well and all. So here is to Mother's Day and the surprises that await all us mothers...

Lucy's Blog

Lucy's class has started a class blog to practice their creative writing. They are responsible for doing all the spelling and typing themselves. Here is what Lucy added to the blog.

hi my neme is lucy and i am the 2 persine to go on room 7s blog. and i am a good sgecher and a good writer bye bye.

Or for those of you that don't speak sixyear language, "hi my name is Lucy and I am the second person to go on room 7's blog. And I am a good sketcher and a good writer. "

Papa Georgio has seen Lucy's puppy sketch and can vouch for her statement.

Chorechart du Jour

Were any of you ever one of those people that thought "I would never let my kid do that! or When I have MY kids..." I admit fully that I was one of those people. I know how they think, how they are able to look at struggling parents with a little disdain because they know with certainty that they will do a better job. Let me emphasize WAS one.
I am proud to say that I have left those thoughts behind me as I have come to realize why things are so. Now it all makes sense, the looks the moms have on their faces while their child says something inappropriate in front of others or as their child sinks their teeth into the brown sugar bag from the shopping trolley while you are figuring out if it cheaper to buy two packs of 20 nappies or the bulk pack of 42.
From a very young age they know how to figure out your weak spots and how to exploit your vulnerability. Which brings me to another parent moment. The thing you are not prepared for is that you don't give birth to a five year old and instantly you are able to do all those things that you thought, "when I have mine..." to. No no no, you get to start out with a little baby. Precious as they are, they grow up gradually and yet quickly at the same time. By the time they are able to do things for themselves you have been on robot mode for years.
You are used to making their bed, helping them get dressed, tying their shoes. It is always a real "ah ha" moment to me when I really can't stop what I am doing to respond to their cries of distress (usually pinky pie pony REALLY needs a change of tutu), only to find that in their desperation, they have tried and successfully completed the task themselves. "Why in the world have I been doing that for them when they can do it themselves?" It is a moment that always causes me to pause and reflect upon what else I could possibly be doing for them that they can do themselves and what could they be doing FOR ME? That's right ladies and gentleman this is all leading to the chore chart.
Okay, so maybe I could set the table faster and skip the moaning, and groaning but that is not the point. The point is that they are learning to contribute to the day to day runnings of the household and to have a little responsibility. The real bonus is that when they are working on a chore, there are no new messes occurring. Things go double time. When I tidy myself, they can make new messes at twice the speed while I am trying to clean one up.
I have finally finished my latest additon to my chore chart collection. Throughout the past couple of years I have tried out a variety of chore charts. They have had to adapt through their ages and abilities. Some of them have worked better than others but all in all I think it is always a little more motivating to have a change every now and then. The old paper and pen worked well for awhile, but then I was always too lazy to make a new one or print a new one out each week, even lazier than me was my children not wanting to find a pen to cross things off. So now I have turned back to magnets in hopes that we will be able to use our little finger muscles and move from one category to the next. I put in some work with it today, so we will see if it works. I may have overdone it with writing down extra chores that didn't need to be added to the chart but I didn't' want to waste magnet room. I could not find full magnet sheets in my area and had to use the business card magnets so...um...yah. Anyway, we will see how it all goes down. What are your chore experiences?

Beauty Parlour

I was feeling lazy and a little adventurous so I let the girls have a go at painting their own nails. They always insist that they know how but somehow I just could not shake the images of "cosmic blue" being splashed all over my walls like cheap 80's modern art. Turns out these images were unjustified as they were very careful and did a beautiful job. Aida was even sure to add detail on the nails such as smiley faces. Don't worry about Maya's nails, they were cleaned out shortly after this photo was taken (okay like the next day tops).

Half Full

Mark already knows this about me but I am one to see the glass as half-full. Always have been. The last couple of mornings have been chilly, but bearable. This morning it was chilly and it was rainy. Thank goodness for th rain to take good ol' Aoteroa out of its drought. I had to wonder if the girls still had their cross country race on through Bottle Lake Forrest. "Just a little rain" I thought. Then it started to look like it was going to clear, then rain, blah blah. We loaded the girls up into the car and off to the forest they went. About 1 minute into their drive I look out the window and all has turned to custard outside-absolute "cus-tud". I didn't think to snap a shot at the time but here is the aftermath so you can get an idea. Now I don't like to be cold or brave so I sent trusty Maya out because let's face it someone had to go and she is crazy. Sorry the pix aren't that great but I had to take them through the window, mustn't let that weather grace my pretty face. :)
Before you go thinking that I am a bad mum, look at her face-she likes it and I did wait for the hail to stop before sending her out. Doesn't it make it so much more interesting to have a subject in the photo?Now back to being half-full. I don't let this freezing cold, hail, and weeping windows get me down because for the first time in 5 years, my pink-batts free home has this:

Complete with

Words cannot express the gratitude I have for this heat pump this winter. It hasn't even gotten that bad yet, but I can see why my sanity was tested during winter. For the past five winters I have woken up looked at my weeping windows, gotten dressed and put on my sweatshirt, jacket, wool hat and wool boots-just to be comfortable in my HOUSE! Yes folks it would get that cold day in day out. I could see my breath in the morning-many times I think it would have been warmer outside. How often do we stop and appreciate the small things in life like having a heater? In some areas a heater maybe would be a small comfort but then there are places like good ol' Christchurch that it is a necessity. So I ask you-Have you expressed thanks for your heating device lately? Here's to finishing out our last winter in Christchurch strong! Like I said, Half-full, you should try it sometime.

You Be the Judge

Fact or Fiction
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be.
Here are some facts about the 1500s:
On Marriage
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
On Baths
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children - last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the
saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water!"
Houses
Houses had thatched roofs - thick straw - plied high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof . When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the
roof Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs" There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top
afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor". The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold". In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas pudding in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It
was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat." Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leak onto the food, causing lead poisoning, often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
On Bread and Drinks
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or “upper crust”. Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along
the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake." England is old and small and the local folks started running out places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer." And that's the truth...
Now, whoever said that history was boring!!

Trapped