Books and Isabel

I'm sitting on the couch with the laptop about to write a post about something (probably about Isabel), but instead of writing about an Isabel milestone, I find myself watching our little princess go methodically through each of her books. She has been reading each one for the past 20 minutes and I have to admit.... I LOVE the peace and quiet. Why can't the Little Queen (LQ) be as quietly busy as this all the time?

Sunday Night at the Movies - with Dallas and friends

Thus begins the first post in a weekly series of movie reviews by Dallas Petersen. Helen wanted me to add some movie reviews to put a bit of variety on her blog. So, this will be a weekly segment, and all are free to make comments about my reviews, tell me I'm pretentious, or brilliant, or just plain crap. I can't promise all these reviews will be of current films. For those of you with children, you know how difficult it can be to get out to the movies, even for someone like me who used to see EVERYTHING. Nowadays, we just can't be bothered taking the trouble to go out. Isabel is great when we take her to movies, and she usually sits up in her seat and enjoys most of the film. But, taking a 1 year old anywhere is still a lot of work. And for Helen and I to go out alone involves finding a babysitter, which costs money, not to mention the fact that we actually have to TALK to someone to ask them to babysit Isabel.

This means that most of the films reviewed in this weekly segment will probably be movies we've rented instead of seen in the cinema. And sometimes I may just review some old classics just because I want to, because HEY... this is MY segment! Along with the weekly review will also be a series of movie lists. I'm NUTS about top 10 lists or top 5 lists about whatever movie genre you can think of. As I'm the type of person who can never pick a favorite movie (there's just too many good films to pick just one!) I love breaking down my favorites into various lists so that everyone can feel special!

I hope you enjoy reading these reviews as much as I love writing. And anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE talking film, so please feel free to start up a conversation on any of these reviews.
Dallas

Top Five Pixar Feature Films

1. Finding Nemo

2. Toy Story 2

3. Toy Story

4. WALL·E

5. The Incredibles


*The Assassination of My Sleep by the Father of 28 Children, Brad Pitt*
a review by Dallas

Produced and starring Brad Pitt, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is an elegent vision of the final days in the life of the outlaw Jesse James. Assassination was written and directed by Andrew Dominik who's previous film was the  Australian made Chopper, which plays more like a sledgehammer to the brain and couldn't be more different to Assassination in mood and tone, though they both examine men who have become famous in their own time for thieving and murdering.

Assassination is a revisionist look at the American anti-hero, presenting James as a neurotic man very conscious, but not altogether comfortable with his own fame.  Pitt is superb as Jesse James. He brings a quiet complexity to the role, and his descents into paranoia flow easily with the rest of his characterization. But the standout performance, in a film of fine performances, is by Casey Affleck as Robert Ford. Affleck is unnerving as Robert Ford, and he dominates every scene that he's in, even stealing the show from Brad Pitt.

Watching Assassination is like reading an epic poem, or examining a vast oil painting; if patient, there is much to be enjoyed or savored. But the reverent tone of the film is at odds with the characters that inhabit the screen, who are mostly petty criminals. James himself is man that is shown lovingly engaging with his family in one scene, and shooting a friend in the back in another scene. The filmmakers have attempted to show Jesse James as a man, and not a mythic hero. But by presenting James amid the jaw dropping landscapes, hypnotic music, and long takes, there is an aura of reverence surrounding this character responsible for murdering seventeen men and robbing several banks and trains.

It is in this reverent tone that the filmmakers make their mistake. This is a gorgeously shot film by consummate cinematographer Roger Deakins, of Cohen Brothers fame. When watching this 2 1/2 hour 'piece of art', one is constantly aware of watching a film (especially if you're straining to keep your eyes open at midnight while watching it). There is never a moment when Assassination sweeps you away into just enjoying the story, and forgetting that you're watching such a gorgeous film. The filmmakers feel they are making a great movie, about a complex man, and they want the audience to know it.

*** Stars out of four.

Up for a Good Laugh? Don't Read This

Dallas and I love a good comedy and the Vicar of Dibley usually delivers laugh-out-loud comedy.  Its older stuff is (in my opinion) a little funnier than the new stuff, but Dallas and I highly recommend the show if you want a few good, belly laughs.

So when we saw that it was on TV last night, we immediately changed the channel from the American "So You Think You Can Dance" and began to watch Vicar of Dibley.  Once again, it delivered some stupid moments and a few good "Owen" quotes (you'll have to find out for yourself what those are).  The premise behind this particular episode was Geraldine's 40th birthday and the fact that she was trying to get those around her to act against world poverty in the 2005 Fight Against Poverty venture.  It was all very lighthearted with a few serious lines thrown in for effect.

BUT, at the very end in a last bid attempt to convince the dimwits that surrounded her to support the white armband she goes to the website www.makepovertyhistory.org and show's them a video.  I have imbedded that same video below.  The show ended and I was sobbing.  Never before had I experienced such emotions at the end of a Vicar of Dibley episode.  I was in shock.  Not only was I not expecting it, but it was such a powerful clip, I just couldn't get it out of my mind.  And of course because I kept thinking about it, I kept crying.  What a tragedy.  So here it is.  I warn you... if you want to have a good day, maybe you should refrain from watching the video.

WARNING!!!  This is not a happy clip!




Now, I may have been manipulated by a fantastic marketing ploy, but I am sure that although it was specifically made for suckers like me, that this situation is real.  As a result I am now sending my resume to UNICEF to volunteer at their Sydney office.  I'm sure they could find a use for my administrative and event skills.  Maybe we CAN each make a difference - I don't know, it's a possibility.

Global Call to Action Against Poverty

UNICEF Australia

A Lament for the dying Naptime

Well, it's official.  Isabel has now cut her nap times from two to one!  She thinks she is such a big girl staying up for more than four hours at a time.  I didn't mind so much when we went from three naps to two.  But going to one nap time is a big step for me that I think I'm not quite ready for.

I am still getting used to the whole idea and still sometimes sit around in the morning waiting patiently for her to look tired.  It takes me half a day to realise that she's not going to have an early nap.  I think it's on those days that I'm more tired than Isabel and want to take two naps myself.  She's just too busy these days, still having a chomp or two on anything that's at her height (dvd's), calling out to daddy, banging cupboard doors, eating breakfast, picking grass, helping mummy and lots of other "busy" things.

Schmerdy - A note about my post "A note to Isabel"

Dallas just mentioned that the above mentioned post was a bit depressing.  After inquiring as to what made it so depressing, Dallas pointed out the line "the lack of interest in my own life".  Hmmmm..... well I guess that could be construed as depressing.  We have a word in our household - it is used to convey a feeling of general malaise.  This word is "Schmerdy".  So if I were to feel "schmerdy" about something, then I really don't care either way. 

I would use schmerdy to describe how I was feeling when I wrote that post.  It wasn't meant to be depressing.... just schmerdy.  After a kind word from Lisa and a sunny day (on Saturday), I am feeling less schmerdy about my life and more..... well, we don't have a word for that yet.

P.S.  The picture of the man came up in my google image search for "schmerdy".  I believe his name is Anton Schmerda.

What to do on a Rainy Day..

It has been pouring down with rain here in Sydney since yesterday afternoon.  Along with the rain came a drop in temperature by about ten degrees!  So Isabel and I decided (together) that we wouldn't venture outside at all today.  It was too wet and WAY too cold.  But a girl can only play with her toys for so long before she starts to whinge.... and we couldn't have that sort of noise around because daddy was studying at home today.  Which meant that this afternoon Isabel and I were occupied by "inside" activities.

First - We coloured.  Actually, I coloured and Isabel "sorted" the pens, crayons and pencils

And then we washed some clothes and put them in the clothes dryer - Isabel particularly liked the taste of Dallas' nice clean sock

 

  

And then we cooked daddy some chocolate chip cookies - Isabel sorted the eggs.  I was a bit nervous about it, but then she accidentally stuck her finger in the dough and then it was on.  I gave her a beater with scant cookie dough on it to keep her quiet.

  

  

  

 

Some advice for Isabel (for when she's 30)

Well, I've decided that my blog is REALLY boring.  Boring to me anyway.  I look at it and see "me, Isabel, myself, blah, blah, blah, blah."  I don't know if there's anything I can do about this lack of interest in my own life, but I thought I'd just write down a few things that I've been thinking about lately (not just a monologue on the happenings in the Petersen household).

As I was laying in bed the other night and Isabel constantly kicked me in the face, I had a thought that it might be nice for me to write a note to Isabel for when she's a mother.  I've realised that as a woman, I'll probably forget a lot of the early years of my children unless I write it down.  This is not disparaging to women, I have just experienced the lack of memory from my mum and I also realise that you'd have to forget a LOT of things to even think about having another child.

So here's some notes for Isabel

• You can read any number of books that give you advice on raising and having children, but it's ok if you don't follow the "rules".  As my mum so perfectly put it the other day "You may have read the books, but your child hasn't"
• It's ok to let your child sleep in bed with you, especially if it's the only way you are going to get some sleep.  In the long run, I guess it's not going to be the best, but it's better to get some sleep than stay awake all night trying to do the "right thing"
• It's ok if you don't provide your child with constant attention and stimulating games.  Sometimes I find it's best to get your energy back by ignoring the child.... just make sure you can always hear her - if there's silence, it usually means she's doing something wrong
• Don't feel too bad if you are still in your pyjama's when your husband comes home from work or school.  You'd probably feel better if you did have a shower, but I prefer to be napping when possible instead of doing all the things I should be doing (shower, dishes, laundry, etc).  Just don't make it a habit

I'm sure I'll think of more little tidbits along the way... maybe I'll post them, maybe I wont.  It just depends on whether I start to get bored with that too.

Happy Birthday Dallas

Today is Dallas' birthday. Dallas decided at the end of last week that we would celebrate him all week long this week and has dubbed it "Dallas Week". To start it off, I gave him one of his birthday presents last night. He couldn't stop giggling. I got the idea when we watched the movie "Knocked Up". One of the main characters was wearing a shirt with a picture of himself on it - we both thought it was fantastic.

Thus begins a week of Dallas. I'm sure he'll especially enjoy his birthday (today) and the surprises that are in store. Unfortunately Dallas is working today, tomorrow and Wednesday, so we'll have to wait until Thursday to spend a day with him.

10 reasons why I Love Dallas (out of MANY)
10. He takes Isabel when I can't handle it any longer
9. He has an infectious laugh (not dangerous infectious, though)
8. He has a really sexy smile
7. He's a FANTASTIC husband and father ("Hey Isabel - get over it!", "shush your mush, Isabel!"
6. He's really great at gift giving and makes it look effortless
5. He buys me treats when he's out (which means he's constantly thinking of me)
4. He's really GREAT at organising fantastic holidays. He always involves me in his planning even though sometimes I don't appear to be listening
3. He encourages me to take a shower when he comes home from work and I am still in my pyjamas
2. He uses different kinds of humour to suit our moods ie. silly humour at 1am when we have been watching "The Office" for one too many episodes. He makes me laugh a lot!
1. He tells me I'm sexy even when I am a mess (eg. when I resemble a yeti more than a female human)

I never thought I could love someone as much (and as long) as I do Dallas. I'm so glad he has proved me wrong. Happy Birthday Dallas!

Catching Up

It seems every month I have to do one of these posts to catch up on all our news.  As I'm sure you've gathered from my previous posts, I've been a bit sick, so I just haven't been feeling up to creating posts that didn't complain about my situation.

So here's what's been happening in the Petersen's lives:

• When the Kuhns were here, Dan got sick on the Friday, so the girls had a girls day out to Manly Beach - Isabel ate some sand
  
• on the Saturday the Kuhns left in the morning - Dan was diagnosed with tonsillitis - the Kuhns came back to give Isabel her birthday present - Isabel and Helen flew to Hobart in the evening
• Dallas attended his brother's wedding - Isabel got a new aunty and Helen and Dallas got a new sister-in-law
• Helen and Isabel helped Grandma and Grandpa Cluff move into their new home in Belrive
• Helen was cold in Hobart, so didn't really do much that whole week, except got to the chocolate factory of course (there's no channel ten in Hobart, so I missed "Neighbours" and "Big Brother")
• Helen, Dallas and Isabel all flew into Sydney on the following Saturday morning
• Isabel got diarrhea, we went to the doctor
• Helen got the flu, we went to the doctor
  
• Dallas had to work
• Helen cancelled a baby shower that was supposed to be at her house
• AND THE BIG NEWS - Danielle (our boarder) arrived from Canada. (more on this story later)
• Brodie is visiting us at the moment and Isabel LOVES going through her bag 

So there you have it - it's been an eventful couple of weeks, with the promise of more to come.  Isabel and I are feeling MUCH better although still not completely cured.  It's Dallas' birthday on Monday and Isabel and I have bought him some pretty awesome presents.  He has to work on his birthday, so he has proclaimed that all next week will be "Dallas week" - which means we have to watch a movie of his choice every night next week.

On death's door

I really feel like I need some sympathy from my friends, so I'm going to tell you how sick we've all been.

Isabel has been sick since we got back from Hobart and Mesa and has been a little princess.  She got a bad case of diarrhea - we went to the doctor who told us there was nothing wrong with her and to wait it out.  Unfortunately while waiting it out, Isabel got a wicked nappy rash that progressed into a wicked nappy rash with abrasions.  The poor little girl screamed bloody murder whenever we changed her nappy (she still feels quite uncomfortable) and because we had to change her nappy often it was not a happy time.  Then on Wednesday I started to get a sore throat.  That turned into a full blown flu virus that has had me feeling like death warmed up.  My whole body was aching all day Thursday and most of Friday.  Unfortunately, Dallas had to work on Thursday and had to go to Uni on Friday, so my two worst days were spent dragging myself around the house trying my best to look after Isabel.  It's a good thing she's such a great sport and is really good at playing by herself.

Poor Dal has been sick, too and has managed to drag himself to work and school.  He is back at work again today.  I had a baby shower organised to be held at my house today, but I reluctantly canceled so everyone else didn't catch this horrible disease.

So, all in all, it's been a REALLY miserable week and I've decided NEVER to be sick again.  Not until all my children move out of the house anyway.  There's nothing worse than being a sick mum!

Kids - who would have them?!

Dallas and I arrived home this last Saturday morning and had a nice time catching up.  Isabel soon put an end to the nice time by getting diarrhea and becoming the precious little princess we all know that she is.  Saturday and Sunday night were spent waking up every 2 or 3 hours to Isabel crying inconsolably.

Dallas was a trooper.  Not only was he suffering from jetlag - he also got a touch of what Isabel had, but he managed to get up more times than I did on both nights.  I just didn't cope so well with the lack of sleep.  These photos were taken early Monday morning.  Isabel and Dallas had just finished laughing at my lack of dressing skills - you can see for yourself why.

Out of Commission

The Petersens have been out of commission for the past week because we've been away from home.  Dallas is in Arizona for his brother's wedding (the happy event occurred last Saturday) and instead of staying home by myself, I decided to take Isabel down to Hobart (Tasmania) where my family has relocated.  As part of the relocation - Bigpond decided to deprive the family of any internet connection until Thursday evening.  The Cluff's have been connected for just over an hour and we have three computers going simultaneously while everyone trawls through their hundreds of emails.

So here we are, two more sleeps until we fly back home to Sydney and until we get to see Dallas.  Both Isabel and I have missed him terribly and we can't wait to see him.

Alexanders Outing

"Alexander the duck lives with his family in the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Sydney. His mother is bored and takes her ducklings for a walk, past the bottle tree, along Art Gallery Rd and across College St. They arrive at the park, but Alexander is not watching where he is going and ends up falling into a hole. How will he get out? A variety of people visiting the park help out and Alexander and his family are able to return safely home in time for tea. A lovely book for anyone familiar with Sydney and told in Allen’s usual great to read aloud style for young children."

Kirra Louise has a book by Pamela Allen called "Alexanders Outing". We were all excited to see where Alexander and his family went on their outing, so we set off on Thursday to visit Hyde Park (the place where Alexander gets stuck in the hole). We took took the train into the city, which Isabel particularly enjoyed. She was swinging around the poles in the train, trying to walk around everywhere. Just pretty much showing off her waddling skills.

Our exciting train ride ended at the Museum station, which incidentally has no lifts to the ground level, so we had to carry the stroller up the stairs to Hyde Park. Right outside our the station is the Anzac War Memorial that is being renovated for it's 75th Anniversary. We took a few photos in there and looked at some of the old war memorabilia (a pair of old boots that were worn during the battle of Long Tan) - pretty neat stuff.

Then we were off to the Archibald Fountain at the other end of the park. Kirra Louises' book failed to depict the fountain in its correct form, so when we arrived at the fountain, we were quite surprised to see statues of naked men and scary monsters being held by the naked men. It's a majestic fountain all the same, so we got a few photos in front of the Archibald Fountain too. I'm sure the Kuhns aren't used to having so many photos taken of them, one of the many delights of going on an excursion with a Petersen! (LOTS of photos).

From there it was only a hop, skip (much skipping from the girls) and a jump to the Sydney Opera House where more photos were taken. We managed to arrive at a particularly beautiful part of the afternoon when the sun was setting behind the Harbour Bridge. It made for some spectacular (or what would have been spectacular) photos.

Although at this point, you may be wondering if we had any sort of destination in mind, I assure you - there was food at the end of all the walking. That's what kept Isabel and me going. Dan and Robyn were kind enough to pay for me (and Isabel) to accompany them on the sunset dinner cruise. The great news is - Isabel, Sophie AND Kirra-Louise all ate for free! Isabel particularly liked the breadroll and her booster seat. She was able to sit at the table like a big girl. Unfortunately, she didn't really ACT like a big girl, so mummy had to take all the cutlery away from her place setting. Mummy also ended up clearing most of their side of the table of anything remotely interesting, because most of it would have ended up on the floor. Isabel was called a boy a couple of times by the waiter, but we didn't mind because they managed to give us six full meals for the price of three!

Everyone was really tired after we got back into the harbour, so we quickly made our way back on the train and home. Straight into our pyjamas, stopping only for a drink of milk and straight on to bed.

The Kuhns are here, so let's go to the Aquarium!

While I spent my entire day looking after Eloise on Wednesday, Dallas, Isabel and the Kuhns (Dan, Robyn, Kirra-Louise and Sophie) all went on a day trip to Darling Harbour and in particular the Sydney Aquarium. This is Isabel's second trip to the Aquarium in just under a month - but this time she was apparently an angel.

There were no whiny noises and when it was time to take a nap, she was out on cue. It seems Dallas gets all the luck! Of course a day at the Aquarium wouldn't be complete without going to the Lindt cafe to get a chocolate sundae.

Kirra-Louise couldn't wait for the shark exhibit, Isabel was mesmorised by the huge fish and Sophie... well, I'm sure Sophie just chattered the whole way through.

Isabel LOVES having the girls here to play with, even though it gets a little overwhelming sometimes. When it does get overwhelming, she just gets a cuddle from mummy and then she's able to continue playing.

On a sunny winter's day

Tuesday was spent cleaning up the house and fixing it to be nice for when our friends the Kuhns came to visit (Tuesday evening). I don't know if I've told you, but I can't get enough of our backyard. I absolutely adore the fact that we have one and we don't have to share it with anyone else. It may be small, one of the fences may be falling down and the little garden shed may be on its last legs, but it's mine (kind of) and I will love it forever.

Because of my undying love for our backyard, I have taken the job of mowing the lawn upon myself - the fact that Dallas would prefer to pluck out his chest hairs one by one than mow the lawn has nothing to do with it. As previously mentioned, we have been doing a bit of creative budgeting and as a result ended up buying a non-motorised mower (one of those push mowers). All I can say is - Thank goodness we only have a small yard!!!!

While I was mowing on Tuesday, Dallas took some fairly loathsome photos of me. He said it was to document our humble beginnings - so when we are sitting back in our deck chairs by the pool while we watch our gardener tend to our vast garden, we can reminisce on old times. I say he only took the photos as a form of torture - but in the interest of record keeping, I am letting you have a look at some of them.