It seems somewhat appropriate that this weeks Thursday Challenge "Peaceful" falls on Vesak Day. This Buddha statue forms part of the water feature in my garden and is very relaxing.

With Mettā

Thursday Challenge – Food

Ok, so I was up rather late on Sunday night/Monday morning having got home from work a little after 1.30am and it wasn’t until just after 4 that I decided that I was tired enough to sleep and went to bed.

I had only been in bed for a couple of minutes when I clearly heard (in my head) my mother calling my name. Not the calling from another room type of calling, but the standing next to you type, and I mean very clearly and not something I can emulate even now while typing this. No it was definitely her voice.

I’m laying down in the dark and the quiet and I’m thinking to myself that, yes the voice was in my head but why?

And the more I think about it the more I start to think of some nasty possibilities so I weigh up the pros and cons of making a phone call to my parents house at 4.07am.

In the end I decided that I would not be able to live with myself if something had happened, such as complications with her diabetes, so I ended up making the call.

My dad was a little bemused by it but my mum was fine so that’s all good and while I am not a person who really believes in psychics and psychic ability I’m not ready to have my skepticism tested in that way.

When you are feeling sick and cold ridden and you are sitting at work feeling absolutely bored and miserable AND you decide to use the company Internet connection to blog it’s not surprising that the post was quite cynical.

I am feeling a little better this week so I’m still here (using the company Internet)!

That doesn’t mean that not spending time with the kids is any easier. It’s not, it’s damn hard and it’s the one thing that I am still having problems reconciling in my life.

This weekend was Emily’s 8th birthday. She’s getting so big and so mature and I just love her so much. Jamie too is getting more settled as he gets older. He’s still incredibly naughty at times but at the same time he is extremely compassionate and very affectionate.

After leaving my mothers house on Sunday, James started to get upset about a lolly that he had missed out on. The lollies were all gone and we were starting to risk being late back to meet his mother so I didn’t need the screaming that he started up with once we got in the car.

It’s funny that, no matter how much I love him, no one frustrates me more than he does. He is my achilles heel and my temper sometimes gets very short with him and I end up yelling.

I ended up stopping the car and talking to him and we both calmed down.

He gave me a big hug before he left with Amanda and told me how much he loves me but I end up feeling empty and left behind when they are gone, especially after arguing like we had done earlier.

They are with me for such a short time that I just want the time that they are with me to be perfect. Of course, it can’t always be that way but I end up feeling pretty bad about it afterwards. It’s hard to deal with.

I need to find a way to spend more time with them and balance my work life as well. This is going to be my next challenge.

Swan River – Bayswater. 

Motion – Dawn on a highway

Architecture – Sydney Opera House

Click for further architecture photos on this site

One of the reasons I don’t eat at McDonalds is that I really dislike the agressive marketing towards young children but I am finding that getting children to guilt trip parents into buying stuff is becoming more and more predominant, especially at Thomas and Cameron’s school.

Over priced books that the kids really really really want are the prime culprit but next Friday they are having a “Mother’s Day Stall” where the kids can come in and buy mum a gift, all in the $5 – $10 range. We’re supposed to send a pair of six year olds off to school with money so they can buy affection!

What happened to the days when schools made crafts at school and mothers received a hand drawn card?

I for one am always happy when I get things like that from the children and Lia feels the same way.