Thinking & Feeling

“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Horace Walpole

Thursday 23 February 2012

The Scale of the Universe

This site is amazing I can't stop scrolling. I showed the boys and they are fascinated by it too.


You can get an idea of the scale of things and can scroll in and out past various sizes for ages.

Great for kids and adults alike.

 Check it out..
http://images.4channel.org/f/src/589217_scale_of_universe_enhanced.swf


Tuesday 21 February 2012

I fink u freaky

And I like you a lot!

This is mental... I like the song, but when I first saw the video... I couldn't decide if I was horrified, repulsed or aroused. ;)

It's flippen freaky yo!
Watch it - but it's not for the super sensitive!
Song of the Day....

Die Antwoord - I Fink U Freaky


Quinn SHUSHED me last night

I have finally managed to be embarrassing to my children... a milestone moment!

At the dinner table last night we were going through Griffin's science info for his test, and it was to do with the reproductive parts of plants.

Somehow we went from there to human reproduction so I was talking about 'Vagina' 'Uterus' 'Penis' 'Testicles' etc. Griffin was breaking down into giggles and I kept asking why, and he said 'Cos you are talking about RUDE parts.' 

So I said no I wasn't it's scientific. And I said the words louder. So Quinn stage wispered. 'MOM SHUSH, the neighbours might hear you!!' (Note the neighbour has a hot blonde teenage daughter... LOL.)
 :twisted: 8) :lol: :lol:



Monday 20 February 2012

Why don't you come away

This is the song I was actually looking for the other day... it didn't seem to be available online, but I found it! :) I am really liking the Kongos right now, I hope to catch them live sometime soon.
Escape

by Jesse Kongos

Every few thousand years
Come true man's greatest fears
All the living things
Mother nature brings to tears

When the bombs are bursting in the air
(And) the rockets are making that red glare
I'm heading down
Down to that good hope town
Where the weather's fair

So why don't you come away
With me my love
We'll do what it takes
I'll keep you safe

Why don't you stay by me
(And) when the time comes
We'll escape

When the big one finally hits LA
When Yellowstone has it's day
We're heading to the the Southern tip
On a plane or on a ship
We'll do what it takes we'll find a way

And if that cloud forms up above
No sign anywhere of a dove
There'll be no reason left to stay
We'll try and live another day
In a place where there's still love

Sunday 19 February 2012

There is a song

This song caught my ear now and matches my moerig mood this week, yet is nicely light hearted too. Local band. (I was actually looking for another song by them I heard on the radio today.) Today's SOTD.

I'm Only Joking

by Jesse Kongos

Wadu-aidu-wadaidu

There is a song
You're trembling to it's tune
At the request of the Moon

Licking her chops
She looks at the lunatics
She needs another fix

I'm only joking
I don't believe a thing I've said
What are you smoking
I'm just fucking with your head
Only a crazy
Little thing I read


Maybe the planets
Are trying to become the stars
And we really came from Mars

The Earth is alive
And man is a parasite
(and) Heavenly bodies make us fight

I'm only joking...

Wadu-aidu-wadaidu

Saturday 18 February 2012

Big Swim Entrepreneur Drive - GREAT SUCCESS

It's nearly time for the school's Big Swim again, which is one of their big money making drives of the year...

2 Years ago the boys were very entrepreneurial.

Quinn asked if we could do the same this year. So this year I agreed to buy a box of eggs for each and they had to make a poster and I printed one up too and sent and email around the office.

 
So I put in R120 as seed money. This year the eggs cost R1.25 each.

I set up 'shop' on Thursday and sold all 92 in about 3 hours - including selling 1 for R200! (to the big boss from the UK), another colleague bought 2 for R20, and my boss decided Quinn's bulk-buy incentive of 10 for R20 was 'a rip-off' (in reverse) and so he only took 8.

On Thursday night Q asked me to buy 2 more boxes (from the profits of the first 2), which I did and those sold out by 4pm on Friday.

Thay have just counted up the money and have R382.50 - plus the pending R200 from the big boss. So a grand total of R582.50 to take in. Not bad going!!!

 Below is the email I sent to the office.
------
From: Fraser Jane
Sent
: Thursday, February 16, 2012 09:04 AM
Subject: Marshmallow Easter Eggs - to Quinn & Griffin's Big Swim  

My boys, Quinn & Griffin have to raise money for their school (Rondebosch Boys' Prep School) for the annual big swim next week. Most of the money they received is donated to charity, some is used for things the school needs.

In lieu of begging for money from friends, family, neighbours and colleagues, I sponsored them each with R60. Being the entrepreneurs they are they decided to use the money to buy something to sell, in order to increase their funds... They are selling at school and asked me to set up a stall at work too. :)

So if you feel like something sweet, or are feeling charitable please pop by my desk and by one (or 10!?) of their marshmallow Easter eggs support them. They'll be here till Monday or while stocks last. It is an honour system. Put in money and take out your change as needed… and is completely voluntary. No pressure.

Thanks in advance!
Jane
 

 EASTER EGGS
 R3 for 1 or R5 for 2
 Please Support Us.
We are raising money (for charity)
for our school's Big Swim.

Quinn & Griffin Fraser

Friday 17 February 2012

Quinn's ears update - worse news

UPDATE: 
Quinn has had some bleeding and puss from the ear for the past few days and so off we went to his ENT again yesterday... and the implant was so displaced that the doc had to pull it out... so we are back to where we were with impaired hearing on that side, and he has to stop swimming now too.

Just when he was getting into the first ever sport he has committed to properley and really been enjoying - waterpolo

He wants to do the op to replace implant asap, in the next few weeks. I am not certain my medical aid will cover it again!?
 :( :( :( :(

FML

Wednesday 15 February 2012

Quinn - driving me to drink

This was written a  few days ago, and things have already improved since... But I really feel like I am failing with Quinn. It's like we go 2 steps forward and 1-step back all the time.

I do have to acknowledge that he IS maturing and getting generally more responsible and mature. BUT he seems to not be able to manage to self-manage himself ENOUGH. I am thinking this is fairly normal for this age, with puberty and hormones etc etc clouding his brain..?? (IS IT??) Because he is driving me MAD.

I have been getting phone calls from the school about twice a week about him. It's not that he is naughty really, his actual behaviour is fine, but he has never done what he was supposed to. And/or doesn't have his diary with him, or his sport clothes, or his oral, or his project work, or, or or... you get the point. He'll often have told me he had no homework or had finished it though.THAT's my problem with him. It seems that he is really scatterbrained, can't remember things from one minute to the next and just can't organise his mind...

So on the bad side:
- He doesn't bother/forgets to do some stuff... like homework, bringing me his diary, packing his sport and lunch stuff (DESPITE me reminding him a few times!ARGH)
- Not giving me notices etc
- Also starting to back-chat big time. On Friday he was lamenting not having a cool big water-pistol for Scouts like the other kids have. I told him he would have if he didn't break everything he got. He countered that he doesn't break everything and I insisted he DOES either lose or break it and his retort was 'Maybe you just buy me cheap stuff!?' (Ouch)

But then on the good side:
- He spent ages preparing a really good oral on Cheetahs (NOT just Googled this time, but edited nicely)and with salient points highlighted and pertinent pictures, AND a nice amusing final slide about his crazy dog with a photo of Roxy.
- And he is brushing his teeth and putting on deodorant and getting dressed each morning without needing to be time managed and nagged (like he used to)

I don't know what to do with him, the other night I got so annoyed with him I actually wanted to stab him with a fork (hence that part in his Valentine's poem ;) ) and made him go eat dinner in the kitchen. He is not totally out of control, but it just feel slike he is not performing or trying hard enough to get a grip. He has now had detention 4 times this year and now has to go to Saturday detention. The deputy principal phoned me to say that in the whole of last year, ONE child had Saturday detention ONCE. And Quinn has managed to achieve this in the first month of the year!? I honestly don't know what to do anymore. I feel like we don't ever have time for fun and cuddling anymore either because everything is about preparing for the next reponsibility and scheduled event. 

I actually just want to throw my hands up and cry at this point. FML 

Update today: We have spent this week spending quality time together and REALLY focussing on work and getting on top of things. NO computer, games, friends or anything and I THINK it may be starting to work. Please hold thumbs that his brain turns back on and we can move past this. Please.

Quinn - bad news another c-toma op needed - implant has shifted

Q had a titanium ossicle-replacement implant inserted in July last year and in Oct he had an audio-gram showing great results - his ear was nicely functional for all speech frequencies. We were THRILLED.

We have pretty much been carrying on with our lives since. Quinn has been swimming lot and has even started water-polo, which he is loving...

But last week I took him for what was meant to be a routine ear cleaning as we hadn't been back since Oct/Nov (when the cleaning was quick and easy and hardly needed), his left ear is still fine but the right ear was not looking great. Doc decided in the summer swimming (ie wet in ear) months we need to go at least monthly... but the more he cleaned the more concerned he got until he decided Quinn is going to need another op, and he'll need to prof to come and look and assist again.  

It looks like the implant has shifted. We are not sure if it has just moved/displaced and will now stay where it is or if it is actually coming out. But the cartilage which was over it has moved off and the titanium implant is now exposed - it should NOT be visible from the outside!! Our doc says he'll need to go in from behind the ear again (the more major and serious op) and he is also concerned the cholesteatoma may be coming back.   

NO! :( I am actually so despondent about this. I really thought the ops were over and my strength resilience and bravery is waning. I am so TIRED of all of this....

This will be Op #5. Here we go again...

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Valentine's Day 2012

Twas just the boys and I, and I decided to do a special dinner and show the boys that I love and appreciate them. (I actually turned down an evening out because I wanted to spend time with them).
They secretly set an alarm an hour early this morning and got up and got dressed, made me cards and coffee and came to wake me up! So sweet and unexpected.

The Table
Image

The dinner I made for the boys
Image

Dinner was: Mash, Mince, Carrots, Lettuce, Cucumber, Sweet Peppers, Tomatoes and Cheese, and everything was in heart-shapes.

The boys each got a knitted soft kitty which says 'Togther Forever xxx' and a poem scribed by me.
They also got gorgeous cupcakes (thanks to my work) and choclates.

The treats
Image

G's reaction
Image

Griffin's Card said:
Dear Griffin
You are my sweetheart
My special Griffie-Pie
You like kisses and cuddles
You bring a tear to my eye.
You always try hard
To do you work and your chores.
You are a special boy
You bring my so much joy.
Thank-you for being the gentle soul you are.
I love you to the sun, moon and evening STAR!
Love Mommy- Pie.


Q's Reaction
Image

Quinn's Card Said:
Dear Quinn
You drive me crazy
You make me want to drink.
But I love you with all my heart
Of life without you I can’t even think.
So even though you sometimes
Make me want to stab you with a fork.
I love you to the moon & back
And act like a dork.
Because you keep life funny
And full of love and fun.
I’m glad I am your mother
And you are my son.


Us:
Image

Love you Boys! <3 x <3 x

Thursday 2 February 2012

Quinn - more of his cunning ways

Listen to what my bloody Quinn did yesterday...

He was supposed to prepare an oral on his chosen future profession for Afrikaans. So he Googled 'Oral on being a doctor for a 12 year-old' he then cut and pasted the result into Google Translate and translated it into Afrikaans, and hey-presto he decided THAT was his Afrikaans oral.

He then copied it to a memory stick and handed to me this morning to print at work today.

Luckily I checked it because it was the biggest pile of crap. I had to chuckle at his cunningness but OMG he is so full of nonsense!

Wednesday 1 February 2012

Happiness, hit her like a train on a track

 "Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive"


I am still utterly and peculiarly infatuated with Florence (well her voice and lyrics anyway - but her hair and translucent skin are alluring too)...


Florence And The Machine - Dog Days Are Over
http://vimeo.com/14008881

Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too. oh.

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
Because here they come

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
Because here they come