This is an OLD post that I never published. But because I want to have this blog represent as much of our past as possible I want this published. So this is from early 2010!
Yep the year is flying by! Next week is the end of term 1, where has that time gone? We have been so busy, but having so much fun! I also can’t believe it was way back in January that I made my last blog post. So much for being better at this in 2010. But that is OK, a nice newsy blog is in store then!
Let’s start with the youngest…Isaac is now at kindy 3 mornings a week and in the 2nd term will start the transition to school group…ARGH…what was that? Transition to school, that means my baby is getting closer to 5…slow down baby. He is still in love with Ivy and we now have ‘Ivy Day’ because he only gets to see her once a week. As soon as they see each other the giggles start and they can’t stop looking at each other and run off holding hands. Isaac has ventured out at play group on the odd occasion and played with a couple of boys, which makes Ivy very mad. Isaac doesn’t know how to deal with this one, and to tell the truth neither do I! But they do work it out after a while and are happy when they leave each other. What else for Mr I? He has a huge thirst for letters, he is often working out what words start with and can recognise a large number of letters, so transition group is going to be great for him. Other than that he wants to be just like his big brother and comes out with very cheeky comments and looks, got from the 11-year-old. Isaac is doing really well with his swimming and moves up a group next term. He can swim a length on his back holding onto a flutter board and can swim freestyle for 4 strokes. Isaac also had his 1st go at the mini triathlon. He was so excited the 1st week and had a lot of fun, but yet again it goes to show our boys are not athletes! One week at the athletics Steve had a run in with an official…now for those that know Steve this is a very rare occurence, he is a very gentle softly spoken man. Well for the 1st 3 weeks he was able to run aside Isaac in the run and bike and then go with him into the pool area to help him in the pool and encourage him. Well this particular day he was with I on the run and cycle, then when he came to go into the pool the official would not let him in. They said that is what we are here for we will help him…HE IS 4, he needs his Dad! Isaac didn’t know what to do, yes they helped him, with his goggles and into the pool, but they did not encourage him to swim, poor little guy was lost and confused. So Steve told the officials what he thought of that rule for 3 &4 year olds and they told him to calm down and that he wasn’t giving constructive feed back…GRRR. So that’s the little man in the 1st 1/4.
Tobyn has had a great start to the year!!! He is now a big intermediate boy and wears a uniform. He looks so grown up yet so little. I think I was more nervous than he was on his 1st day. But it was all unwarranted. When I picked him up he had a HUGE grin on his face. He has a family friends boy in his class, his teacher dances at the same studio he does, he has a part-time teacher that he had 3 years ago and loved and he doesn’t have any Aokautere kids in his class! A huge sigh of relief. Things are still going well at school, so far as we can tell. We had a parent/teacher/child interview this week and although it was OK there are still a couple of things that concern us. His writing level was WAY below what it has been in the past…last year he was in the advanced writing group, but so far this year he is below average, not sure what is going on there. His Maths is average and reading well above average, so not too bad. BUT the thing that concerned us the most was how into his shell he went in the interview. We asked the teacher if this was normal and she said no and she was surprised at how he was. Later on Tobyn said he was worried that we would be angry…why would we be angry? And how did that look to the teacher? A little to work on here. I do think we can be a little tough on him and expect a lot and maybe we need to back off a bit, relax and let him enjoy what is going well for him!? Which brings me to extra curricular…DANCING is his real love right now. He is working hard and it is paying off, he is looking great. He still has a lot of practice to get the basics right but he is doing really well. He is in a junior boys competition group and they have there 1st comp this Friday and he is looking forward to it. He is still playing keyboard and will do a grade 1 exam later in the year. He also did the mini triathlon and did well to participate. It was a bit like pulling teeth, even though he wanted to do them. And this then culminated in the weet bix triathlon yesterday. He rocked the swim! He did breast stroke and came out in the middle of the pack…the cycle was his down fall, but I guess when your bike is half the size of everyone elses you are at a bit of a disadvantage. He was quite down in the mouth at the end and it was a battle to cheer him up. He has to remember it is about participation and being proud of yourself fo giving it a go!
ME: One word to describe my life right now…BUSY! Zumba has taken off and I am having to be very organised in getting kids to and from activities, making sure we are eating healthily and getting myself to Zumba. Somewhere in there I have to practice, make new choreo, deal with paperwork and answer phones, e-mails and texts. Zumba has made a new lease on my life. I love it and I am getting fit and losing some weight. As well as that it is going fantastically and I can make a little extra moolah with it. We have been going for 6 weeks now and have already had to add to our timetable and will have to add more soon. We have had an article in the paper and were pleased it was well written and received http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/manawatu-standard-palmerston-north-new-zealand/mi_8066/is_20100313/zumba-zeal/ai_n52471170/ Rowena and I are off to Sydney in May to train as Zumbatomic instructors…this is Zumba for kids. We will be some of the 1st to be able to teach zumba to kids. We are very excited about this opportunity. We will be doing demos at the womans expo and will do a zumbathon later in the year…probably for breast cancer. There are of course ups and downs and some weeks are wonderful and others I wonder why on earth I am doing this. My biggest problem is my size…I fear that people laugh at me and won’t want to come to my classes. I have had some people stop coming to me because they think Rowena’s classes are more advanced…which is wrong, but it is a perception and I think based on the way I look. Rowena has had some similar things, but in a way the opposite, people think she is too hard. But at the end of the day our classes are rocking and we have each other to talk to and support.
Steve is busy with work and family. He has had to step up more with helping out at meal times and is so supportive. He has played summer hockey and will play winter hockey. Plus he has just been named as the under 11B rep coach again. So winter will be long again with weekends full of hockey for him. I know he loves what i am doing and not just because I have now been nicknamed Mummybags…aka…the one with cash in her wallet! He is seeing the changes both physically and mentally and I love that he is so encouraging. I don’t think I could do this without his support and love.
So there you go a quarterly update…until next time CIAO
A Woman and her Boys 