Just a Little Bit of White Magic

White Magic is one of my favourite cleaning products ever. I'd be interested to know if you have ever tried them before and what you think of them? This afternoon, we (Lani, Emily and I) got some wall cleaning in - still lots to do but my hallway is looking a lot better. White Magic is just fantastic - I love it. Its gets off pretty much anything, and you don't even need to scrub very hard. No chemicals are needed, just water. If you have never seen them or tried them before I suggest you do. Mitre 10 have them, they are great. I have also tried the cheaper brands too, but I don't think they work as well. Definitely worth getting the original stuff here. This is what to look for...

They are about $5.00 each, which isn't cheap, but you can use them on just about everything. With general use they will last pretty well, but when getting tough marks off walls etc they will wear out pretty quickly. But believe me - it's so worth it!  See how simple it is...

Another one of my favourite cleaning products are these...

I only have a tiny kitchen floor, and it always gets dirty, so I find it a waste to fill a bucket of water up, add the floor cleaner and mop for 2 seconds - with some stuff not coming off anyway because the sponge is too soft. That's why I love these Glitz Wet Floor & More Wipes because I can wipe spills up anytime and it's so quick and easy. You don't need one of the mop things for them either, although they are handy for large areas, but I find it easier to get down on my hands and knees and scrub - you get a better result!!  I still mop my floors - but these wipes are great for in between times - they leave no marks and no slippery residue. I love em! 

So what are your favourite cleaning products???

Random Photos

So whenever I load photos onto the computer I always find these weird random ones that I never took! Miss Leilani is the guilty one here. She will often see the camera sitting around and ask if she can take a photo, my usual response in 'okay, but just one!' I guess that's the one good thing about having a pretty crappy old camera - the kids can have a turn and you don't stress out! Hopefully one day we will upgrade to a camera that doesn't have sand in the lens, can take more than 1 photo in 30 seconds and has a memory card that holds more than 65 photos!! Oh the dream of owning a digital SLR!... One day!! Not that I know how to use one, but Dad says that all I'd need to do is spend a few hours with Leigh and he'll teach me everything I need to know!!!! See, all I need now is the camera!!  Then Leilani can take as many of these photos as she wants....

Fresh Air

On Tuesday morning Lani came running in to me, all upset, telling me that she wanted to tell Daddy lots and lots of things. (Mick had obviously just left for work and Lani didn't want him to go.) I said maybe we could ring him later and she no that wouldn't do. So I said maybe we could go in and have lunch with him. She said 'yes, yippee that would be great!' So all morning she was talking about when we go in to see Daddy for lunch. Unfortunately I rang Mick and found out that he was on the Emergency list all day and therefore wouldn't get a lunch break, but he said it would be okay for us to pop in for a quick visit. So we packed our sandwiches and heading into town. Lani was very excited and so was Emily... okay, Emily wasn't so much - she fell asleep on the way in!   

We had to wait about half hour for Daddy to appear so we did some walking around, ate some of our sandwiches and took some photos to keep us entertained! 

 

Leilani was quite happy to show me some poses...

But not to keen on me mucking them up to jump in the photo with her!!

After about 20 minutes it started to rain so we went inside to walk the corridors. Emily then woke up, which gave Lani someone to play with, and a few minutes later Daddy appeared for a quick hello. Lani couldn't remember what she wanted to tell him but was quite excited to offer him a sandwich and a special biscuit! While we were there both Leilani and Emily's midwives walked past us - which was quite strange! (maybe its a sign!!)

 

We said goodbye to Daddy and headed into town to pick up a lay-by. The sun was out again so we decided to have a play at Kingston Beach on the way home.

Leilani and Emily both love the beach and would stay there all day if I could be bothered! Emily loved the seagulls and nearly walked in the water a few times chasing them! Lani just likes to dig and build! It was a busy, but relaxing day and nice to get away from the housework. I think that fresh-air is so important and can help us in lots of different ways. Especially just after winter - where we spend a lot of time indoors. I have had a lot on my mind this week, still do, but I'm sure that getting out in the fresh-air has helped me a lot, it clears your mind and helps you to think straight. I'm thankful that the wind finally stopped & the sun came out so that we could get outside and enjoy Tasmania's beautiful clean air.

Girls In Pink

Look at our two little girls in pink... they are growing up so much! These were taken on Sunday as we were leaving for Church. Emily is getting quite good at smiling for the camera now... not!! (she always scrunches her face up and closes her eyes!!!)

The Pirate Princess

The Pirate Princess Park in Battery Point was where we met the Carmichaels, Quarriers and Breretons last Thursday! It was a nice sunny day and felt so good to be out side. The kids had a wonderful time playing together, and us mummy's enjoyed a chat in the sun. Emily wasn't too keen on walking on the sand/tiny rock covered ground, but it was kinda good in away because it kept her close by!  There were lots of kids there, but also lots of different things to keep them entertained so it was quite pleasant. 

We had to get a photo of Meea eating watermelon because until now she claimed she didn't like it!! Amazing what peer pressure does huh!! Is she still eating it Jack?

After the park we decided to walk down to the beloved Faerie Shop in Salamanca. All the kids got a special treat and everyone was happy! I don't have any photos of that part so you will have to pop over to The Carmichael Story if you want to see!!

All Things Thai

Okay, so I forgot to tell you all about my Thai Massage while I was living it up in Melbourne! Micks exam was in St Kilda, so that's where I spent the day wandering the streets. I had just about walked past everything 3 times and was starting to get a little tired & bored so I thought I may as well go and see the Sole Sisters and get a quick 10 minute foot massage while I wait. I thought it would be a well spent $15.00. However, when I walked in and looked at the Express Massage options, for some reason I decided to go with the Head & Neck instead of the Tootsie Teaser. I love head massages... but not this one! It was 9 1/2 minutes of pure PAIN on my head & neck and 30 seconds of bearable pain on my head! I was stressed the whole time and just wanted to yell STOP! I just kept thinking - you idiot, why didn't you just stick to the foot massage - the reason you came in here!!! I think the idea of the massage was that they put you in absolute pain for 10 minutes so when they stop you feel 'stress free' because all the pain has stopped, and you feel grateful that you are not in that sort of pain all the time!!!  Anyway... you live and learn I guess.

It took me about a week to get over my Thai massage pain, (mentally, not physically!) and just when I had forgotten all about it, we get a postcard in the mail from Thailand (all the pain came flooding back!!!). But it was exciting, because it was from Grandma & Poppa, and we would be seeing them in just a few days time (I think they actually bet the postcard home - funny how that happens sometimes!!). 

On Saturday they came bearing  Thai gifts and Thai stories, and we got to watch some elephants doing very cleaver tricks - including giving a Thai back massage - "Now I understand" I'm thinking!!! Some of our Thai gifts included a very cool red elephant bag, elephant tie, hair pin, a Thai recorder and one very authentic Thai singing dog!!!  I will have to put some video on here of the girls dancing to their dog later!!! 

Mmm... think it might be time to cook a nice Thai Red Curry for dinner tonight.... one of my favourites!

 

Changes

We have had lots of changes in our house this week, things have been quite different! Mick has been home every night by 6.30pm - that in itself means that he is here to have dinner with us, read stories and help put the kids to bed! He had to work on the weekend, so he had Monday off - yes that's right OFF!! We spent the day at home sorting a few things out and it was GREAT! My list of things to do got crossed off at double speed - I would be in the laundry doing washing and come out and the washing up would be done, kitchen cleaned and vacuum cleaner going! It was fantastic! 

Some other changes have not been so good - since we got home Emily has totally changed her sleeping routine... she won't go in her cot and screams if you even talk about putting her to bed. She has been the perfect sleeper for over a year now, we would take her in her room, day or night, lay her in her cot and say 'goodnight' and you wouldn't hear a word from her. Now it's just a nightmare. Every night for the last week, except maybe 2, she has fallen asleep on the couch or in our bed and not before 8.30pm (usual bedtime 7pm) once she is fast asleep we carry her to her bed - and thankfully she still sleeps all night. But it is just horrible trying to get her to sleep, and such a stressful way to end the day. We don't really know what to do though because obviously she can't keep staying up so late and sleeping on the couch. But she will scream her head off - I mean really scream, and get all hot and worked up if you put her in her cot. Anyone have any ideas?? The only thing we can think of is moving her to a bed? Anyway... I guess she has been a pretty good sleeper up until now so maybe I shouldn't complain! But if you have some advice, we would love to hear it!

And one more good change this week is that Leilani has finally over come one of her fears... which has been quite a stress for me, so things are very good there! It has sure been a big week of changes in the Challis home this week - some good, some bad! 

Faith

While we were in Melbourne for Micks exam we decided to spend our one free day at the Temple. It was really nice as it's been a while since we have been.  It's so nice to spend some time together thinking about life and what's really important. I'm so glad that I am a member of the Church and that I know where I came from, why I am here and where I am going. I don't know about you, but I often find that life is hard. Things don't always happen the way we want them to and often there is nothing we can do about it. Life is hard in lots of different ways and I know that the only thing that gets me through sometimes is knowing that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and that life here on earth is a time for us to learn, experience, grow and develop. It's also a time for joy and happiness but I know that if we didn't sometimes experience pain and sorrow we wouldn't know what joy & happiness was. For me, life is full of ups and downs - I can feel on top of world one day and miserable the next. But because of my faith, I always seem to get through each day.

I have faith that tomorrow will be a better day, I have faith that if I live righteously I will be blessed. I have faith that my Saviour lives and that I can live with Him again one day - in a much happier place. I have faith that my trials will make me stronger. I have faith that if I do all that I can do, it will be enough. 

I'm so thankful that I was able to attend the Temple with Michael on Wednesday to experience some peace and comfort in my life, it has reminded me to hope for things we can not see and... to have faith, because in the end it will all be worth it.

In 2 Nephi 31:20 we read... "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

Sacrifice

I have been waiting to blog this post for a very long time - I have even dreamed about what it would be like.... so here goes.... 

It's Tuesday Morning the 8th September, or otherwise known to us as 'D' day... Mick gets ready and spends the morning reading over some cards (thousands of white cards he has spent over a year writing) while I sit there trying not to talk to him. 10.15 arrives and we walk 2 minutes down  the road to the AIM building, where Mick's exam will be held. I say goodbye and go for a walk around St Kilda and am very happy to receive a phone call about 40mins later to say that the Pharmacology exam is over and he feels quite good about it all.... phew... 1 down and 1 to go. I meet him back at the hotel with some blackcurrant juice and lemons as he is starting to lose his voice (Mick caught my cold on Thursday and has slowly been getting worse) I leave quickly to give him some more time to prepare for the physiology exam.... so I go and do some more exploring. At 3.00pm I wait in the lobby of the AIM building and watch a lot of very nervous people come and go, I hear one guy screaming with pain down the lift and see a few others leaving in tears... 15mins later Mick appears with a small smile on his face and I think - you beauty! Until I realise the smile was just because he saw me, he then begins to tell me he is not feeling as confident about that one. We spend the rest of the day waiting.... we get some Nandos for dinner and then slowly head to the ANZCA building (Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists) where the results will be pinned on the board at 1900 hours. The room slowly begins to fill with lots of very anxious looking doctors.... and by around 7.15pm there were about 60 people there and we were all starting to get sick of the small talk and wanted to yell "hurry up"!! The mood was amazing though - it was quiet, nervous chit chat until the Chief Examiner arrived on the stairs... 'here we go, we are all thinking' but to our displeasure he announces that they are running a little late and hope to have the results out by 7.30pm!! They do bring out the food and bev at this stage though so that keeps us a little bit happy. And then it finally happens.... 'The List' is pinned up on the board and people nervously head over and look for their candidate number... Mick is 226.... he takes a deep breath and over he goes.... the mood in the room quickly changes, I can hear cheers of excitement, congratulations passed and lots of 'I got it's'. I see smiles and hugs everywhere, tears of joy and also a few tears of disappointment... my eyes are glued to Mick though.... he looks at the Pharm results and then at the Phys results. He turns and walks back to where he thinks I am... but I moved, so there is some confusion for a second.... but then he finds me and says " I got it, both of them" My eyes light up and I give him a big hug! At first we can't really believe it, so Mick decided he better go check the board again, meanwhile one of his bosses, who was one of the examiners (but not Mick's) tells me that he is not surprised and that he was feeling quite confident for him. The atmosphere in the whole room has changed in a matter of seconds, we catch up with a few others and talk about the results before getting out of there so we can call home and tell all about the good news, which everyone else was doing too! 

What excitement! After many SMS's and phone calls we go for a drive around the city and park at the Crown Casino. After a quick look around we head up to the 88th floor of the Eureka Tower - what a sight! It was great and a nice way to celebrate. Congratulations Mick! You did it! After lots and lots of sacrifice you are finally an advanced trainee! You have the Primary Examination in the bag!! And for us, normal life can now begin!!

Mick looks just a little happy to say "bye bye books!"

These are Mick's cards, every one of them has something on it that he needs to remember... almost all of them are double sided and he has written out every one of them... now that's a lot of cards and a lot of things to know!

Mick may even have withdrawal symptoms tomorrow because for the past year or so he has nearly always had a stack of these with him!

 

Sacrifice... it's a very important part of life!

An Emotional Day

This morning I woke up and got up before the girls... this NEVER happens! Tiredness was replaced by all sorts of feelings - some of which I'm not even sure what they are! I never knew you could feel so many emotions at once! Today Mick and I get on a plane and fly to Melbourne for his exam... ( yes I know, I've turned into quite a little jet setter this year!)  I'm nervous, anxious, excited, sad, worried, thankful and happy all at the same time... and we are only going to Melbourne!!! How am I going to feel when we fly to London!? I think that some of my feelings are actually about that too though because something is telling me that after this the next time we get on a plane we will be flying to London! 

Leaving the kids behind today is a big thing too though - it always sounds like a good idea at the time of booking, but saying good bye is a different story!! They will have lots of fun at Grandma & Grandad's house though so I guess I should just be excited to get away... and come home because when we step off that plane back on Tasmanian soil our lives will be a lot different - NO MORE STUDY!! If I even hear that stupid word again it will be to much!  

I'm glad you came along

Elle... I'm glad that you came along when I was just 14months old. It doesn't look like you were all that happy to see me...

But you came around pretty quick...

Soon enough you were doing everything I told you to...

But this one was Mum's fault, not mine!

You were always very brave... especially in this VERY scary situation where Leigh was jumping over our heads... I thought he was so cleaver doing that (little did I know there was hardly any risk at all!!) And remember the half man half dog under the willow tree who tried to attack us while we were feeding Patch? We ended up driving around Glen Huon in the dark with Dad looking for 'it'. I was so scared that night!!! 

It was nice to have a little sister to take to school... and a big sister there to look after us...

You were always such an animal lover... which was kinda nice, because I wasn't... so it was always YOUR cat and YOUR lamb and YOUR horse... which meant you had to look after them!! I just got to play with them... 

This is my all time favourite photo, because it reminds me of all the time we used to spend together in the bedroom - coming up with silly acts to perform to mum and dad, putting mums dressing gown on with you on my shoulders (pretending to be a tall person!) Playing games while we were meant to be in bed, and not to forget the sumo wrestling... (which I was the school champion of might I add!) Our out loud 'Amens' so we would know when each other had finished saying our prayers and last but not least 'the wall' Dad built us so that we could have our 'own room' which soon got pulled down because we wanted to share again!!  

Not to mention the silly makeup... what freaks! ( I think we actually thought we looked good too!)

Our trip to see the 'Friends' cast was a very memorable one... they were all so nice huh!

I'm glad that we are still friends today, even if Laura and I did lock you out on the balcony in Brisbane...

Thanks for being a great sister and always being there when I need you...

Happy 25th Birthday!

I'm Back... I wonder if anyone even knew I was gone!!!

My life began again today... I was finally free from coughing, sniffing, fever, headaches, sickness, and a very sore throat! I was still a little tired today but there was a huge difference in the way I felt. I have had a cold/flu for over a week so it felt really good to feel a little normal again. I lost my voice for a couple of days and Leilani was quite confused about it all. On the first day she said to me "talk like us Mum" (because I was whispering, and well nothing was really coming out and I don't think she understood!) The next day she was in the car with Mick and said "Mummy has lost her voice.... she can't find it... I think it could be on the road!" I found it really hard not being able to speak - you don't really realise how much you talk to your kids until you can't... and story time became very short! Anyway to make my week worse on Monday (day 5) I woke up with conjunctivitis, which I haven't had since I was a kid. It's actually quite painful and Emily ended up with it that day as well! While I was at the Doctor getting eye drops she (the Dr) told me I really needed to rest my voice - mmm... thanks for that... if only it was that easy!  

So much has happened over the last 2 weeks that I would have normally blogged about, and now I can't remember what they were... that's why you must blog them straight away!!! 

Here's a quick rundown of what I can remember.... 

Sarah and I finished making our casserole carriers at Needle Craft Day, (can't wait to use it tomorrow for Family Tea!) I found some cheap flights  to London via LA, so our visit to Laura is back on, after finding out it was going to cost way too much - I was quite upset as it was not looking like we would get to see her. I had a very interesting passport interview last week (more about that later). We spent a beautiful afternoon at the Botanical Gardens with Ange, Locke and Zak. We have had Charlotte over to play and Leilani has been to Charlottes to play. I visited Jaclyn's Beauty Salon  for some much needed waxing and Lani and Emily had a wonderful time playing with Meea. (And we got to bring back lots of clothes too!! ) Today was Elle's birthday so we got to eat yummy cake and spend time with the family.  We have spent lots of time at Grandma & Grandad's this week, and Aunty Elle has been helping entertain too. (N.B Don't get her to supervise the kids painting!!) I'm really thankful for all they do for us, especially this past week while I have been unwell. They mean so much to me, and I'm so thankful that they are around to help me when I need it... which is often! Anyway, I have to finish with some more photos from the gardens... because I think they are cute! 

Locke was fascinated with this door, and he so badly wanted to see what was behind it - for a very true story about this little green door, just ask Ange!!

Once again... Locke is being Lani and Emilys hero - they just think he is so wonderful... look at their faces watching him! 

It was so nice to finish the day off with an ice cream - it feels like forever since I have had an ice cream. (bet Leigh is mad that we waited until he left to get these!)