Dog, dressing up, squash

1. I was driving today and noticed a large black dog lumbering along the path. He (or she) looked completely self-sufficient, on its way to or from an adventure and confident in its identity. I liked that dog.
2. It was dress up day at school. Everyone dressed as something starting with A or M. My son dressed as Marge Simpson and won the prize for most realistic costume in his class. My daughter shared the prize for most creative costume. She went as a map.
3. I played a long, hard, winning game of squash tonight. I was particularly proud of myself. The match went to five games. I won the first two and the last one. My opponent was newish to squash, but she was a very fit young woman who was a quick learner on the court and never stopped running. My son and I are both in the tournament. We have our last games on Saturday.

Weather, filing, memory

1. I'm not sure why I am so affected by weather. However, I am. Today's weather has been pretty miserable and I've struggled to keep from being swept up into that kind of feeling as well. Perhaps I need to see the positives in all the different types of weather and relate those positives to my life. I'll try that tomorrow. It's due to be raining again.
2. I spent most of the day organising my filing system which had fallen into a shambles over time. I managed to discard a lot of paper that was just clogging up the filing cabinet and felt very good about that. However, there is still so much of my office and home that needs organising that I need to try hard not to feel overwhelmed by it all.
3. My memory hasn't been good for a while now, as I'm sure I've mentioned several times on this blog. Tonight there was something on a 20/20 programme on tv about how to remember things more easily. It was stuff I actually already knew, but hadn't thought about for a while. I'll try to integrate the strategies into my life.

Kindergarten, enthusiasm, reading

1. My morning at kindergarten went smoothly. I had a successful session with the children outside, despite the inclement weather. A little boy in rabbit ears carrying a basket of make believe Easter eggs brightened my day.
2. Not sure if my lack of enthusiasm generally today has been one of my menopausal side effects or whether it relates to other things. One of those days I just needed to get through, due to feeling a bit directionless.
3. My latest inspirational read is "The Greatness Guide" by Robin Sharma. The comment that has inspired me most so far, is our days are our lives in miniature. Our hours create our years. Our days create our life. Mmmmm. Not sure what I was doing today then!

Bilingualism, amazing race, honey chicken

1. I have been doing some research into bilingualism at the moment as part of my interest in the Maori language. It's very interesting and hard to describe in a short space like this. However, I'm finding it interesting, challenging and invigorating which are all good things to be feeling.
2. Tonight was the final of Amazing Race on our tv in NZ. To tell you the truth, I found the end a bit of an anti-climax. However, I still enjoyed the show and look forward to the next one. Go Phil! (The host is a New Zealander).
3. We had Honey Chicken for dinner tonight - a great favourite with the whole family which is very unusual in our house. In fact, almost unheard of! So dinner wasn't stressful because everyone was happy!

Birthday, singing, orange house

1. My daughter's birthday went surprisingly well, considering the number of children at the sleepover. I've never had more than two children sleep over before, so I thought I might have been biting off more than I could chew. However, everything went smoothly. The swimming and dressing up kept them busy for hours. And now I have a nine year old. And a beautiful one, at that.
2. I relaxed on Sunday which is pretty unusual. I also had some girl time doing Sing Star with my daughter. We had a fun time. I love singing.
3. The orange house next door is finally sold after being on the market for many months. We are hoping the neighbours will be wonderful.

Birthday, cricket, family

1. I'm in the middle of our daughter's birthday sleepover. The seven girls are lying in the lounge watching a video as I write. They've done lots of swimming and playing and will hopefully sense the urge for sleep in the near future. It's gone very well so far - less hands on than I've been used to with parties for younger children. I've also noticed how very more "grown up" my daughter has become since her last birthday. I'm very proud of her.
2. Our son did very well at cricket today. He made a great catch early on in the game and also bowled and batted impressively. He batted 3 fours and a single which increased his batting average. We were all pleased that he did so well as assorted family members were visiting for the birthday celebrations and came to watch his game. As parents of cricketing children, we all continue to enjoy the 3 hour long enforced rest required while watching the game of cricket. Perhaps that's why the game was invented...
3. It was wonderful seeing our extended family gathered together for our daughter's birthday today. Thank you all for your generous gifts and the time it took to drive here and spend time with us. We really appreciate it and love you all very much.

Embracing change, birthdays, kohanga

1. I'm feeling happier about embracing the changes that are occurring in me at this pre-menopausal stage of my life. I feel less panicky about it and more "normal". It's a good day and I'm not feeling so many symptoms as I did yesterday, so that has helped. However, I think if I can relax into the experience it will be easier - rather than fight it, that is.
2. Plans for my daughter's birthday sleepover on Saturday are rolling along smoothly. She has very clear ideas on what she wants to happen. It's exciting but I'll be glad when the friends go home, I have to admit.
3. I visited a Kohanga Reo this morning to see what happens there. Kohanga Reo means language nest in Maori. It's an early childhood centre where Maori is spoken exclusively or almost exclusively. It was a big learning experience for me and I look forward to visiting again soon.