Put our children first

We had some dramas yesterday with my youngest daughter (4 years old).

I dropped her at her preschool, yesterday was her last day as for the last few weeks I hadn't been happy with the way the preschool was running, they had made staff changes and when I raised my concerns, I was ignored. A place came up from next term at another preschool so she is going to start there.

When we got there yesterday there was a note on the sign in register to say that the usual staff were sick and instead, the owner had brought in her son!!!

I had an appointment and I didn’t know what to do, I left her there but was not comfortable with it. When I got back to the car, I burst into tears. I had left my little girl with 2 people that I had absolutely no confidence in. Why because I had an appointment? I felt like the worst mother.

I called Jon and talked to him, we agreed that I would go right back in and pull her out. So I did. I don't like confrontation so I was going to make up some story about a family emergency and needed to go. But no, firstly I didn't want to tempt fate, secondly, I was so furious that someone had such a lack of respect for our children and that she was more interested in money than safety and thirdly she had made me feel like a bad mother.

I have no idea if her son was a qualified child care worker (but I am pretty sure he wouldn’t be). Had he been cleared to work with children, probably not. How could I leave my precious daughter with those 2?

When I told the owner I was pulling my daughter out, she just said well it’s ok it’s her last day. – What does that mean?

The mayonnaise jar

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Tired

I am so so tired. I normally don't have any trouble getting up in the mornings (even my 4.30am get ups) but this morning, I was really surprised to hear my alarm. I swear I had just gone to bed. Granted I probably have gone before 11pm with a 4.30am start but never mind. Can't be perfect all the time!!

My son has also been sick so I guess that has taken its toll a little bit. I haven't trained this weekend because I didn't want to leave him so I think my system needs a good shake up. Back into it in the morning. CJ is getting better now, his temperature is coming down. Hopefully he will need only one more day at home.

My shoulder has been playing up a little yesterday and today, I am hoping it is just cross because I upped the rehab last week. I'm sure it will be all good and behaving properly in the morning when I really need it to.

Walkers

I really wish people walking on the roads in the dark would wear more noticeable clothing. What is the point of being healthy if you get hit by my car?

Dairy free diet

Today is my first true dairy free day. It has taken me this long to find substitute products that don't make me want to throw up. Rice milk is disgusting.

I discussed the gluten free diet with many people including my GP. The general consensus was that unless you have been diagnosed via blood test with coeliac disease, then a gluten free diet was too hard, too restrictive and unnecessary.

With dairy free, it appears there are some reports that show improvement in asthma and sinus conditions and some that don't. Dairy free is much easier to achieve and therefore I am going to give it a go. My GP thinks that any positive result should be seen in 2-3 weeks.

In the meantime I am having some RAST tests for allergies and have an appointment booked with a specialist in February 2010! Never mind - 30 odd years a few more months won't hurt.

Responsibility

When I was at Pink last week, I had a little boy of about 5 or 6 sat next to me. Now whether he should have been at a Pink concert or not is another debate, but between the support act and the start of Pink, the carers (be it, parents, aunt or sister of this boy) said to me we are just going to leave him here. She said he is ok with this, he'll be ok.

I was shocked than anyone could leave a young child alone at a concert or anywhere really. I guess they did give him a phone so maybe they thought that was ok.

I commented to Jon that I was surprised they had left him. I felt that although they didn't ask me to watch him, it became my responsibility to look out for him. What if there had been an evacuation, or what if I had wanted to go out for a smoke or to the bar for a drink. There is no way I could have left him, how could his "carers?!"?

I couldn't even have left my nearly 10 year old in a situation like that. Now maybe I am being overly paranoid but I don't think so, or maybe he was just a very small 16 year old!

Another win!

Ah..ha - I just knew that as soon as I put my washing out, it would rain. So today, I put most of it in my non-economical and non-environmentally friendly but ever so handy, tumble dryer and the stuff that couldn't go in the dryer on a rack under the pergola.

Voila...it's raining, but no panic all is good. I planned for this, now I just need to do the same for dinner. Plan that is not put in the dryer!