Category: family anecdotes

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family anecdotes

42/52

It’s been almost a year since Miss11 and I bought ourselves an anklet each, on holiday. I’d never owned one before, and neither had she, so when the idea crossed my mind, we bought some and wore them. “They feel like holidays,” we decided together, and since then every time I’ve wore mine it reminds me of her, and also the incredible Rainbow Beach holiday we’d had.

During the last school holidays, we spent a week on Fraser Island. While there, this caught my eye…

meaning I now have two of them to swap out depending on outfit and mood, and both remind me of holidays with the sand between my toes!

[I also managed to lose Miss11’s anklet (yay for more mummy-guilt, huh?!) so she also has a new one now. It worked out okay – she said she didn’t mind – but now the new one’s a reminder to me of how badly I suck at this whole parenting bit…]

Anyway. Back to the point: photo 42 of the 52 I was going to share this year. My new “bling”! What do you think?

And have a sparkly week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Random thoughts

41/52

A friend convinced me to roller-skate with her recently. Haven’t done *that* in more decades than I care to remember! It was rather confronting…

 

but I managed to stay upright for the entire session (almost 2 hours!) and I was immensely proud of myself for such an accomplishment. Perhaps it was the lucky orange laces?

Anyway, have a accomplish-ing week yourself, dear Reader!

KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Random thoughts Technology

32/52

I’ve blogged already this year about Ark. I haven’t played it since that post, but Miss14 has – and is ecstatic that she’s now tamed a griffin (several hours worth of work) and it’s in her own game, not one on a multi-player server.

Because the first one she’d tamed (note: seven HOURS of not-completing-homework and not-helping-around-the-house) had been on a multi-player server – and it had been stolen while she slept. The thief flew him around, and killed him. Big drama. Sigh.

But she’s happy now. And she’s started making videos, and that makes her happy too.

And this makes me happy.

[Lucky she’s up-to-date with her homework and the housework isn’t too onerous, is all I can say!]

Have a ‘happy’ week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

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family anecdotes

31/52

And… it’s August.

And before I start on ‘where is the year flying to?’ and ‘I can’t wait for the winds to kick in… NOT!’ I should focus on the topic of this week’s post: competition.

You see, the first weekend in August is also the weekend of our local Women’s and Girls’ Chess Tournament.

Back in 2017, Miss now-14 won her division and the whole kit-and-kaboodle, with the massive perpetual trophy name plaque and everything. Last year, she placed second.

Miss now-11 was U10 champion in 2017 and U13 champion in 2018.

I entered for the first time last year and placed third. The 2019 tournament was held yesterday. Miss14 won the U18 division, Miss11 placed 4th in U13, and I won myself a red-ribboned medallion. And great fun was had by all!

Here’s hoping you have an enjoyable week this week too, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

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family anecdotes Random thoughts

29/52

Guess what Hubby took the kidlets and me to the other week? Archery!

Not too far from us, there’s a guy who runs an archery store, with a 6-lane indoor range inside it.

We had a ball! I stuck with a recurve bow, as did Miss11 (pictured) but Hubby convinced Miss14 and Master10 to try compound bows. And oh boy – they look so complex! (And so dangerous too…) so I was happy to use my traditional bow, despite pressure from Hubby and two cherubs.

And Miss11 and I didn’t do too badly, either.

Here’s wishing you a focus-filled week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes

22/52

My Miss14 has started playing with filters. Here’s one she used on me; apparently I look very relaxed like this, with my head pillowed on my arms.

 

Personally, I’m not a fan of photos of myself… but I’m happy she’s happy.

Here’s wishing you a photogenic week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Life Random thoughts teaching

20/52

My very first hairdryer was a gift from my husband. We’d been married several months and he decided I needed one. Sweet, really. He’d seen me depart for work each morning, hair wet, and thought this would improve my quality of life. And so I became the proud owner of a hairdryer.

[Just to clarify: I wasn’t anti-hairdryer before then. I’d just been oblivious to the whole ‘hair management product line’ before that time. Yes, I know – a bit of a sad indictment! But it is what it is…]

Fast forward to 2019. Miss11 is using the hairdryer (yes, the same one Hubby bought me!) and the back fan-guard breaks as she’s packing it away.

‘Oh well,’ I think. ‘It can’t be that important.’

The following day I reassess its importance as I’m using scissors to remove the hairdryer from its proximity to my scalp…

It takes several weeks, but I finally go to buy myself a new hairdryer. I’m intrigued by one which advertises a retractable cord, so I buy it:

And I fall in very-deep-like with it!

The retractable cord part it what makes me smile every day. Honestly, pulling out the cord sounds like pulling out the cord on one of those kids toys, which then speaks something funny at you while the cord goes in (I can’t remember ever having one as a kid, so this is my opportunity!) and the cord whips around crazily as it retracts, so that’s fun too 🙂

So there you go. A whole blog post about my new hair dryer. The one which Miss11 laughs at and says, “You really love that hair dryer! You tell us every time you’re going to use it!”

My poor kids. Sometimes I wonder exactly what kooky memories they’ll have of their childhood, with me as their mum…

Have a great week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Random thoughts

10/52

Kids grow up. So slowly you don’t notice when you’re with them

Minute by minute, hour by hour, day after day. But then you lift your head out of the trenches and realise that years have flown. Suddenly it’s not sleepovers, it’s Youth Group; it’s not The Wiggles, it’s Beyoncé. And you sigh and ask ‘what next’?

I had one of those moments recently. I knew one cherub had switched from Minecraft to Ark, but the change several months ago didn’t impact me until she told me one evening, “What I really want to do is teach you how to play Ark on the (Nintendo) Switch.”

Huh. Hold me back.

This game, from what I could tell, seemed like Minecraft with dinosaurs, with a dash of the breeding from DragonMania thrown in. Not really interested… especially when my Nintendo Switch time had to that moment involved learning Splatoon – badly – and playing Zelda, death of the Wild – also so badly my children loved watching to laugh at me about how slow I was to do anything. (And how many times Leaf died, but that’s another story.)

So I sighed, and said ‘okay’ and watched her face come to life.

And it hit me. THIS was her passion. At the moment, it’s this game. And she wanted to share it with me. Instant transportation back to her younger years when she’d bring me a dandelion flower or a lizard she’d caught. The same light in her eyes, the same grin; the same joy flooding through me because I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter who loves me and wants to do stuff with me.

So Ark? Yeah. Not the biggest fan – but now I want to play it when she asks, so I can play it with her. Because she’s an absolute angel and I love her to pieces.

And that – doing stuff you’re not really interested in because the benefits so clearly outweigh any other objection? – that’s my thought for the week.

Have a blessed week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes

7/52

I call Miss14 my ‘bird whisperer’. She has several budgerigars in an aviary Hubby and I converted from the cherubs’ old cubby house. Trouble is, it’s not 100% secure – as evidenced by all bar three managing to pull a Harry Houdini and escape.

But this is where the ‘bird whisperer’ comes in: even though they have released the selves into the big wide world, she manages to encourage them back home again! Crazy, huh?

Anyway, this is one of the escapees: Cracker. A cutie, yes?

Have a wonderful week, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
family anecdotes Life momentous events Random thoughts

A little apprehensive…

What feels like aeons ago now, but was only decades (ha!) I played violin in an orchestra. The South-West Regional Youth Orchestra, as a matter of fact, which changed its name during my time there to the Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra. I was a member for the majority of my teenage life, and made friends there who not only came to my wedding but with whom I’ve kept in contact for the many years since.

Which brings me up to recent days – in which I received an invitation. To join their massed orchestra, with all their other alumni, for their 35th anniversary celebration concert.

Aiieeeee!

I’d love to go, to play… but I haven’t played (truly ‘played’, as in, played well, with technical proficiency) for well over a decade now… and I’ve never been to a reunion in my life!

Hence the apprehension.

It’s this Sunday.

By my next blog post, it’ll be all over.

Wish me luck!

– KRidwyn