Hi all,
we've reached opening day for the new restaurant at the casino so a busy night ahead for me. The computer system still hadn't been installed for sending the orders through to the kitchen when I left last night .... it's going to be a steep learning curve for us!!!
Atleast the guests aren't paying tonight so they daren't complain if/when things go astray lol!
I applied for the supervisors position today ... watch this space :)
Keep smiling, Rae

winnie231 - 2010-11-01 15:01:00

Goodness Winnie - do you ever reflect on how much your life has changed in the very short time since you left the calm slow pace of life in Golden Bay? Home, job, man study, earthquake! I don't know how you're coping with such a fast track but you are amazing. Hope you get the new job too.

greerg - 2010-11-01 19:01:00

Yay - Winnie is on a roll.

Exercise class again today and I threw up afterwards again. Does that mean I could be overdoing it? Or should I be more careful what I drink beforehand? (No, it *wasn't* alcoholic, just a milk based drink).

Next week I will stick to tap water.

The other thing is I have protein aferwards for lunch (poached egg) and don't feel like eating tea until around 7.30 which is later than usual (and it's less that usual).

But best of all I got an endorphin rush which lightened my mood considerably. I could get addicted to this!

calista - 2010-11-01 21:53:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-01 21:57:00

Hi Calista,
Just my 2 cents worth re nutrition as I am learning what works for me. Before exercise I need carbs... not many and not neccesarily bread.
I can have 2-3 dates, half a big banana or 1 small. A few almonds. One of the girls at training has a white slice of bread with honey (wholegrain was too slow to release she found) Our PT reccommends something small, but I must admit I don't always... I do however always have a coffee before I go out and the caffeine may play a part as well. Although for you it depends on how long after breakfast and how intense and most importantly find what works for you. About throwing up thats more common than you think... I remember when I was starting out (about 3 years ago) after a particular hard hill on the bike I though I was going to hurl... very lady like.... something to do with the acid your muscles release.

My Cycling coach also said we had the "golden hour" after which we should try to get some protein in.... as protein helps rebuild muscle.

Just passing on the advice from my coaches... trial and error really... but water is very good... before, during and after. If you are going on a long bike ride I swear by the Leppin... makes a huge difference to me.

toadfish - 2010-11-02 06:37:00

Morning morning lovely ladies.... and gentlemen.

Been so busy lately... but its all good. Stress levels are high in this house as NCEA Level 1 & 3 approach. So its my job to smooth the ways.. make things as easy as possible and just be the support crew as this is something they need to do on their own. Can't wait till its all over I can tell you... then the big wait to results. I also have reached a little inner peace.. they are both so amazing they will have great lifes... whatever the outcome.... and they have done their best... what more could one want! Also I must show off as we received 2 letters on Saturday, 1 each... asking that we attend senior honours as they were both recipients.... Proud proud parents I can tell you, especially for Miss 16 as Year 11's aren't normally invited. Watch this space!

Good luck for your job Winnie... its nice to work for a big place where there are many opportunities.. and in typical Winnie Style you are grabbing them with both hands. Good for you! I have my own little opportunity at work which I am more sort of tentatively prodding.... rather than "winnie style" grabbing with both hands... but they really want me to do it... are patiently teaching me... then it will be a huge step up... in a very short time. And the wonderful thing is.. I am starting to get it... phew... also I am sure I will be able to do it standing on my head in a few weaks... just need to believe I can do it.........

I CAN DO IT!!

So have a wonderful day all, just about to put Beef Stroganoff in the crockpot..... Part of my plan to make life easy... last night it was a homemade cottage pie from the freezer... tommorrow..... not sure... think it may be BBQ and salad.

Edited by toadfish at 6:50 am, Tue 2 Nov

toadfish - 2010-11-02 06:48:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-02 06:56:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-02 07:06:00

Don't know Pam - freedom from earthquakes would probably make quite a few of us happier but every time we think it's happening we get a little reminder that we shouldn't relax. Last night's was a good one here and went on for what seemed like quite a while. A look at Geonet shows they are happening all over the place just now. The last few have been Gisborne, Queenstown, Darfield, Christchurch, Hanmer, Bulls, Arthurs Pass, Te Karake and Kawerau - and that's just yesterday! I didn't watch Geonet before the earthquake but this widespread shaking is weird.

Edited by greerg at 8:32 am, Tue 2 Nov

greerg - 2010-11-02 08:19:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-02 08:46:00

some of the weather we have been having has been a bit too good to be true - straight into summer doesnt usually happen. well done to the toadfish daughters well done, we have 3 exams down one more to go for uni and leaving assembly is on friday for year 13 boy so last last day of school for all of my brood!! another milestone another marker that time certainly trots on. hugs for the chch shakers - gosh is that never going to stop, calista think it was a combo of milk and doing a bit too much rushing around too quickly can cause that effect. we had a lovely weekend away at raglan, what a cool trendy place thats turning into!! I think we are very lucky that we have a group of 4 couples that the boys met in intermediate school and we are all married to first wifes/hubbys theres that other saying "happiness is what happens when you realize just how much you already have" I like that one too. lovely day everyone, glad you are feeling that much better earthangel.

auckland_ali - 2010-11-02 09:14:00

Those milestones seem to have come round so fast. It seems only yesterday that we went to daughter's leaving assembly and now it's seven years later, her first exam is tomorrow and next month she graduates and will starting her first job as a dental house surgeon. As she says "I never have to be a pool lifeguard again". Younger brother has finished last year of exams ever and starts his thesis project this month. A few more years of uni left for him though. Other son finishes uni exams on Friday but still has another year left. The boys certainly weren't the easiest teenagers but I'm so enjoying having one home again for a while - he's a real pleasure now.

greerg - 2010-11-02 09:46:00

Hi all,
the opening was chaotic, fun, frantic, full of faux pas & slip ups ... an 'as to be expected' night!
Everyone got fed, none of them had to pay and 96% enjoyed the food so all in all - a success!!! (Someone always has to complain about something)
I didn't hit my bed till 1.30am so a little tired today but all good. If I get the supervisors job it'll mean a little less running but alot more of a brain workout :)
Nothing I can't handle (she tells herself with bravado) lol!
The shake we had last night barely registered on my richter scale ... I had too much else to concentrate on.
Back into it tonight then onto a 6am start tomorrow ... a goodnights' sleep? What's that???
Keep smiling, xxx

winnie231 - 2010-11-02 11:46:00

Good afternoon everyone..

Exciting events for you Rae.. good luck for the new job.. and some sleep!

Congratulations to your Daughter's Toady.. a very proud occasion for them - and for you..
A huge thank-you for your very kind offer to care for our tree after we picked it up in Mount Wellington.. it's safely home and will be planted on Thursday when Chris is back... your kindness is lovely :-)
Good luck with your job opportunity too.. you can do anything..

Take care all..

juliewn - 2010-11-02 14:33:00

I rode over to Riccarton to put the next deposit on my bike. The wind was at my back and I travelled at a higher speed than usual, but coming back was so s-l-o-w. Then I caught the bus into town to go to a lecture given by Dr Mark Quigley about the earthquake. It was fascinating and I think I understood most of it.

It's amazing though how you can get out of the habit of concentrating for long periods of time. To think that there was a time in my life when it was a daily occurrence to listen to 2 or 3 lectures without any trouble at all.

calista - 2010-11-02 21:49:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-02 22:28:00

Don't be terrified Charlieb - you bring a lot more reasoning skills to study now than when you had just left school. Brains don't wither after children, they just get overloaded for a while. Some of our best students are the mature ones - organised, reasoning and doing it for the right reasons, but usually underestimating themselves. Look at Winnie worrying away about accounting then blitzing it.

greerg - 2010-11-03 08:05:00

agree with greerg about the mature student thing, we all doubt ourselves and usually without too much reason!! - cooler here but still not bad, sorry I too didnt comment on toadfishes new job prospect, I am sure that you will get it and do it hands down, you are one very capable lady. Calista good on you for the getting back onto the bike well done, gets fresh air into one, I certainly do not lead by example in the excercise stakes, would like to see my motivation button turn to green certainly. I have the opportunity to do a craft stall at a large company tomorrow, bit panicky but thrilled that I am getting the opportunity, the mission bay markets this year was interesting, friend had a stall and made less than at the little browns bay market others that had been there said sales were down a good 50% from last years figures, still very tight out there in the economy. any way have a great day people

auckland_ali - 2010-11-03 08:55:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-03 10:04:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-03 10:09:00

Hi Pam.. I was just coming to share that my Son gave me flowers, when your post is pretty much what it's about.. except by no means small or trivial..

When we met Chris last Friday at Auckland Airport, we went to the Manukau City Centre shopping mall - think it's Westgate now - so he could pick up a laptop USB internet connector.. he's studying Sustainability, to add to his Earth Sciences degree, through a Swedish University, and his group from different countries 'meets' via Skype for their tutorials and to manage the projects. Global training opportunities sure abound these days..

Jenni and I waited in the car with the Katsura tree on the trailer in a shady spot.. when Chris came out, he had a lovely deep maroon (one of my favourite colour's) flowering chysanthemum in pretty paper, and he gave it to me.. I thanked him and gave him a hug, and he said 'well, I don't get many chances to give my Mum flowers' awww.. so lovely - they have pride of place here..

Have a lovely afternoon everyone :-)

juliewn - 2010-11-03 14:37:00

Hi,
just a quick update during our afternoon break - I'm inelligible for the restaurant supervisors position because I cant commit to the full roster while at school.
I was disappointed but am more curious what else life has in store for me :)
Very tired today - nearly fell asleep in accounting just earlier! Only 2 hrs to go and I have a day off work tomorrow so hope to have a sleep in.
My darling is cooking me dinner tonight - looking forward to just kicking back and relaxing.
Happy days all, xxx

winnie231 - 2010-11-03 14:59:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-03 15:19:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-03 16:14:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-03 16:17:00

Hi Charlie.. I didn't - before they went to anyone's home, or anyone came to our home, I always invited the friend and their parent/s to come for coffee so I got to know them a little, and they got to know me a little.. and our kids did too..

I always said, I'd like to meet them so they knew where their child was coming and my child got to know them a bit too.. always worked well for both families.. and I wasn't prepared to take the risk for either of my kids. There were two families where my kids didn't go, due to things happening in those families that I'd reached out for help for, and they were thankfully given.. their daughter's were always welcome in our home, and often spent most weekends with us.

Sad that the world is like this.. I wasn't prepared to risk my kids security and safety.. and wellbeing..

Edited by juliewn at 4:50 pm, Wed 3 Nov

juliewn - 2010-11-03 16:40:00

Its a tough one Charlieb2 - I would be getting the address and phone number of the parent and ringing them and introducing yourself and making sure its fine for your son to come over, you can get a general idea on what the parent is like, I did the you must come for a coffee so our children can play and heard back via another mum that she thought it was a total waste of an afternoon - had absolutely nothing in common with me blah blah its having the open channels where whom when that need to be like putting a seatbelt on., it will be interesting in parenting what responses you get - hope you are not cricified for it either lol!! that job winnie was not meant to be - something is around the corner I am sure.

auckland_ali - 2010-11-03 17:04:00

I had a coffee today with a friend I hadn't seen for a fortnight, who noticed I'd lost weight. All that exercising is paying off! I did notice my bra wasn't as tight, but it's good to have it confirmed. I have a GP appointment next week so I'll hop on the scales while I'm there.

Charlie, I reckon your brain could cope with university study no probs. I did my first degree as a mature student (30) and was initially overwhelmed by look of the material, but when we got into it it was far less daunting. The kind of planning and juggling of priorities you need to do as a student, you have already proved you can do as a great mum.

calista - 2010-11-03 17:08:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-03 17:55:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-03 20:20:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-03 21:51:00

Just thinking more about your question Charlie.. we also had a code-word each for our Kids.. something they chose - a word they could easily remember, and could include in a sentence that wouldn't sound like it was a code, so they could phone us and include the word in the conversation and we'd know it meant come get me..

They're both adults now so I'm not breaking the code to say one of the words was strawberry - his favourite fruit, and the other was purple - her favourite colour.. so they included their word in what they were saying.

Cell phones also help - so a child can go to the bathroom and send a quick text saying come get me..

juliewn - 2010-11-03 22:18:00

And as they get older we always had the "no questions asked collection" rule so if they were at a party or somewhere and felt uneasy about the way things were going they could text and one of us would pick them up without any interrogation about what was happening that night and a calm non-judgemental discussion the next day. Our daughter did that a couple of times and we collected a couple of her friends who wouldn't have called their own parents because of "the hassle" so otherwise might have stayed in an unsafe situation.

Edited by greerg at 8:29 am, Thu 4 Nov

greerg - 2010-11-04 08:29:00

Yes I also had a code for my children,did not let them go anywhere,unless I knew it was ok.
As they grew older in there late teens,I told them never to walk home late at night on there own,I did not care what time it was,they were to ring me,I was and still are there for them,my ex was a drunk,so I bought my kids up on my own,we have a very special bond.
I was driving the kids home way day,they would of been 13 and 10,was going around a round about at 6pm in Blenheim,and this boy would of been about 12,tried to open the door where my daughter was sitting in the front seat,I quickly locked her door,you can never be too careful,I saw it coming and acted quickly,my daughter as calm as she is said its ok mum,

earthangel4 - 2010-11-04 09:47:00

Bad news today. According to the Pothole person I spoke to my chimney is "fractured around the base and is teetering on the brink of collapsing". He suggested i sleep in another room until it is demolished, in a few days time.

I am in the process of moving all valuables out of the 2 rooms that could be affected if it decides to self destruct and am going to sleep at someone else's place until it is dealt with. but will come home during the day. Georgy Porgy fat'n'fluffy is going to the cattery, even though she promises to hate me forever.

The good news is I will get fitter with all the biking back and forth.

calista - 2010-11-04 22:33:00

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charlieb2 - 2010-11-04 22:50:00

charlieb2 wrote:

Oh B@gger calista...

Second that one, bit of a set back.. but could have been alot worse, they may not have told you and you got squashed!!

TGIF is all I can say after an eventful week which has ended really well.... looking forward to the weekend, the girls have got the school "Oscars" Saturday night, Miss 16 has been nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" and Miss 18 for "Best Costume Design" so watch this space. Hubby and I are going to grab the opportunity and go on a date. I have got $100 and a plan lol which all he knows is its in town... won't write it on here as he snoops lol.... Yes I know you read this Mr T!! lol. So really looking forward to that.

I whimped out on training this morning, on wet mornings they go in the gym, I have woken with a ttom headache, could have coped with a walk in the fresh air but not gym circuits, hate them when I am feeling well lol.

Have a great day all.... I am in admiration of all you studiers, can you both remind me of the qualification you are heading towards... fb if you don't want the world to know.

Good luck with your craft markets Ali... you "products" are truely lovely.

Edited by toadfish at 6:18 am, Fri 5 Nov

toadfish - 2010-11-05 06:18:00

About the survey..... The girls always ask me "how old before I can do XYZ" and the standard response is "When it feels right"
I am very intuative and let my instincts rule... That funny feeling in your stomach is the universe telling you things are not ok. So from memory.. definately not primary, can't even remember intermediate... so I would say college lol. Phones as mentioned are a saviour and we not only had key words, I could tell by the tone of their voice when they rang me.

Can I suggest our $20 month family tool. We signed up to vodafone family plan.. the 4 of us can text, pxt or call each other 24/7 unlimited for that monthly fee. Means the lines of commuication are always open for less than $5 a week.. and boy do we use it. Miss 16 was 13 when we got it and it took a while for the novelty to wear off and for her to stop ringing her sister at school to just say "Hello" But it has kept them a close knit unit as well as they have been within reach of each other at all times if there is a problem or they need support.

Edited by toadfish at 6:26 am, Fri 5 Nov

toadfish - 2010-11-05 06:25:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-05 07:16:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-05 07:21:00

morning lufflies, lovley age house Pam, I like that age especially if it has the leadlights up on the top lot of windows if you know what I mean. - I might go back to one of those but only if its all been done up (read that as insulated) must admit to really enjoying the new home and new home features we have in this century. stay safe calista, paper trails might be a very good idea with all the claims etc. that phone deal is brill for families and does work out way cheaper than anything else, I think you can add more for just a little more, you can have the whole whanau on the go.
my little saying from my bitch calender is

Hot flashes are god's little way of preparing you for hell.

and another one

Men are like floor tiles. If you lay them right the first time you can walk all over them for years.

have a lovely day

auckland_ali - 2010-11-05 11:05:00

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elliehen - 2010-11-05 11:38:00

A quick update from me ... I went for an interview today for a bar supervisors position currently available at the casino - the head honcho of Food & Beverage conducted the interview as he wanted to meet me himself ... talk about intimidating!!! Apparently big brother has been watching me from on high and is impressed!!!
The result after a very intense 90 min interview is - he told me I wont be getting the job but that they have other plans for me which will be revealed in the next 2 mths :)
In the mean time it's business as usual ... watch this space!

winnie231 - 2010-11-05 15:09:00

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cookessentials - 2010-11-05 16:14:00

Hello lovelies, just popping in to say hi - have read only this page so far but it looks like you're all very busy in the best way.

lennyb1 - 2010-11-05 21:57:00

http://www.eeca.govt.nz/eeca-programmes-and-funding/programm
es/chimney-replacement

You probably know about this Calista (and anyone else it effects) but just saw it in hubbies Carters Monthly Newsletter.

toadfish - 2010-11-06 17:20:00

Hi everyone,
Its been a beautiful day here today,I am not able to do much at the moment,waiting to see the specialist at the hospital for surgery,for a prolapsed bladder,dr said yesterday its not looking good,starting to bleed.
I have to work until surgery as I will be off work a good 6 weeks.
She also told me I would be able to get acc as its work related with years of lifting elderly,some are over 90kgs,you get some caregivers that will not use lifting aids.
Sure hope all is well in here and all.
I am trying to get christmas presents all wrapped and posted,but its not going too well,but never mind.
At least the gardens are all up to date,we have our first rose out,its a pretty salmon colour.

earthangel4 - 2010-11-06 18:24:00

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elliehen - 2010-11-06 23:20:00

Earthangel - I hope your health improves quickly and your surgery is soon so that helps too.

How are you all there in Canterbury - I hope the a/s are non-existent now.. hope so.. Good luck with the new job Rae..

My Son's tree is planted.. he said that in Vancouver the Katsura tree's often have Hellebores and Azalea's planted beneath them - the two of us went to garden centre's here looking for a few things - we found some Hellebores and have planted those, then I moved two white azalea's from another part of my garden to beneath the tree. There are blue and white hydrangea's circling behind the tree, and I added some white self-sown pansies from another garden here, and some long grey edging pavers and the look is complete..

Tonight, I've dug a new vege garden area to add to what I already have - have dug it over well ready to plant tomorrow - and had the company of a thrush who hunted for worms in the newly dug soil, about 2 metres along from me.. :-)

Our cat is kept inside till about 9am now, and is inside from about 5pm, to avoid any effects on the wonderful bird population we enjoy here..

However, we're now on the 7th skink she's brought inside this season - so far.. thankfully I can rescue them and return them to a part of the garden she doesn't seem to look - there are 5 areas around my section here that I've found them living - lovely to have them in an urban garden.. There are weta's in two places I know of, between red-hot-poker plants and the fence - I rarely go near them.. am quite happy to leave them in peace!

Hope you all have a lovely week :-)

juliewn - 2010-11-07 23:34:00

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elliehen - 2010-11-07 23:44:00