After two years ... a new dryer

So, what convinces someone to buy a dryer when she has managed very happily without one for two years?

This one. It is the only 6 Star dryer in the world. A heat-pump condenser dryer. No outside venting because it pulls all the water out of the clothes and stores it in the machine. That means you can put the dryer anywhere. We don't have room anywhere else in the house we are renting so it's plugged in next to the computer in the kitchen. Makes a handy printer table.

You can then either choose to have the machine plumbed in like a washing machine to drain the water away, or you can simply empty the container.

The Miele guy said we'd only have to empty the water out once a month but we've already emptied it twice this week. This is how much water comes out of a set of king-size sheets (just under a litre). So maybe once we are back in our renovated house we'll have it plumbed in.

But then, if we can remember to empty the water it is apparently able to be used in irons - and could easily go on the garden.

Downsides?

• Price (don't look it up because you'll realise it makes environmental but not economic sense)
• Weight (at 98Kg it won't go on an MDF shelf, or hang on your wall)

Best bits:

• Power consumption: At 124Kwh per year it draws 1/8th the power of our fridge.
• Installation: I love that Miele send a technician to install and test it in situ.

The roof over our head

Our neighbours have had extensive scaffolding up around their house which has given us the opportunity to climb up and inspect our roof with relative ease.

I think there are some things

that really

one is better off not knowing about

We are starting a renovation soon. I think there are a few more items to add to the tender documents.

Sigh.

Who is a Super Hero and What is a Super Villain? Surely it can't be that hard.

The EasternMax family often plays a version of 'twenty questions' at dinner time.  Generally there is a theme.  The most popular theme is "transport".  In this game one person thinks of a form of transport and we take it in turns to ask a question that has a yes or no answer such as "is it a land transport?", "does it have wheels?" etc until one person works out the answer.  Various house rules have developed over time and it is generally fun and non-contentious.

This week we tried a new theme - Super Heroes and Super Villains.  All was going swimmingly until I chose Catwoman as a Super Villain.

According to Firegazer Catwoman is not a Super.  Catwoman, he says, is just a bad girl in a leather suit.  We have since become so embroiled in an argument over what constitutes a Super Hero or Villain that we have not yet managed to have a successful second attempt at the game.

Is Batman a Super Hero? Some say not because he is just a guy with a suit and cool gadgets - he doesn't have special powers.  What about Iron Man?  Again, a guy with a cool suit.  The Phantom? Ditto, he doesn't even have gadgets - just a horse and a dog.

What about The Joker? Surely he is a Super Villain? Or is he just a sad man with an oversupply of pancake makeup? Surely Syndrome is a Super Villain; or do the jet boots count against him?

I accused Firegazer of sexism because he would not accept Wonder Woman as a Super on account of her using bracelets and a lasso rather than super powers.  Wonder Woman is from another planet, just like Superman; surely that qualifies her as a Super?

In order to get on with the game we have come up with a working definition of a Super:

• Must wear a suit when crime-fighting, cape and mask optional.
  
• Must have a Super Power that comes from within, not with the aid of technology.
  
• Must keep his or her identity a secret and have an alter-ego.  For super villains this alter ego should be a CEO of a technology company or a Geeky Scientist. For super heroes the alter ego should be 'mild mannered'.
  
• Super Heroes must be some sort of adjunct to the local police department/military/secret service.
  
• Super Villains must want to rule the world.
  

The problem is we can't name many Super Villains that meet all these requirements and some of our favourite heroes are left off the list.  Surely Batman is a Super? The Fantastic Four don't hide their identities...and surely Lex Luthor counts as one of the best Super Villains of all time?

I'm starting to think this is a problem too complex for mere mortals and we should go back to simpler themes. I'm thinking of a transport - you have twenty questions...

Lego Storage: shout to Twitter and it shall answer

Once upon a time if you had a storage problem that needed a storage solution you might have walked around your local mall or shopping strip, made a few phone calls, asked a few friends and one month later purchase something that doesn't fit when you get it home.

Now, however, there is Twitter.

This was our living room floor last week. An inch thick in Lego. This does not do the Lego problem justice as you can make out the beginnings of a sorting system (the very designer-looking ice cream containers).

Later that week the Lego was looking a little tidier but we realised we needed a real storage system because the all.in.one.bucket approach is no good when the 8yo wants to re-build Darth Maul's spaceship and it takes two hours to find the pieces.

On Sunday I sent out the following cry for help via Twitter:

I need ideas on how to store Lego. Not all lumped together. Sorted by colour, transportable from room to room for rampant 8yo fantatic.

And Twitter answered.

Thanks to Ikea aficionados H&B and Kim and a non-Ikea idea from DancingMorganMouse I had plenty of ideas to start with and then the Ikea blog This is Home wrote this post based on my tweet with even more ideas.

Today I went out armed with my new knowledge and now looky at our Lego storage system:

A slide out box for each colour.

And sometimes two interlocking Trofast boxes. I love these smaller Trofast boxes and next time I schlep all.the.way.out to Ikea I will get some more. But that will be in another, oh, two years so I have a while to wait. That place is crazy. Even on a Thursday morning people line up outside waiting for it to open.

For the itty bitty wheels, cockpits, clear bits and rarer colours this partitioned tackle box from Howard's Storage. Mind you this box cost as much as all the Trofast boxes put together. Bleh.

On top of all this a yellow Trofast with all the unsorted Lego because sometimes one cannot be fagged to sort RIGHT NOW.

All these boxes can slide right out and be carried from room to room. The boxes are quite big and shallow because one needs to see all the Lego pieces at once, too deep and you never find them. You will also notice no lids (except the tackle box). I'm not good with lids, I like to throw things into boxes from a distance and this is the technique I've taught my kids.

And of course, one has to have a place for all those manuals. Really we are growing out of this box and will need a larger one very soon.

Now that I've done this I just hope the kids can honour the system. Perhaps that's the next shout into cyberspace - how do I get my kids to put things back where they're supposed to go?

The filing is done

I say enough! to filing.

Incentives

Sydney harbour, 6.38am

Incentives are the cornerstone of society. The question "what is in it for me?" is at the core of every activity we do. Even if what is in it for me is a warm feeling of doing good.

You may have a child whose incentives are a warm feeling of doing good. Or you may have a normal child who is incentivised by money or goods in kind. I have normal children. By this definition, very normal children.

Pocket money has been a hit or miss affair in our house for a long time. Usually the biggest problem is me. I forget to give out the pocket money or get lax on the chores the kids are supposed to do for pocket money. Or the kids simply weren't ready.

Last year we reintroduced the concept and it has stuck. Our children both get $5 a week. For this they do the things that save me the most time: make their beds, raise/lower their blinds and help set/clear the table. Simple, easy, makes sense to them because not only do they get $5 but they have neat rooms most of the time. On Saturday, for a bit of fun and a little tongue in cheek, we have military style room inspections after which the $5 is ceremoniously handed out.

Unlike many parents we encourage the children to spend their money. They don't have to put it in an account or give any to charity, although they have done this (recent bushfire appeals). And often the children have far more expensive tastes than their budgets allow.

Last week two new incentive programs emerged in our house.

First, my 8yo discovered lay-by. I am not a big fan of lay-by and have never used it. My son however is most excited by it.

He wanted a toy at our local toy-store that cost $43.50. He had $35 saved towards it. This toy is quite hard to get and we were surprised our local had one. First he tried the usual "Mum, you buy it and I'll pay you back". uh-uh, no can do. Then the shop assistant piped up "He can lay-by it". So he did. She wrote out his name, took his $35 and told him she would hold onto his toy until he could earn the remaining $8.50.

Well, he spent the rest of the afternoon scouring his room for every 5c and 10c coin that had fallen under his bed, down the side of the couch and in the toy box. By doing this he scrounged up another $2.45 of his own money. He worked out that with that week's pocket money he would still be short $1.05 and was on the look out for jobs to do.

That is how I was relieved of kitty litter duty for the rest of the week.

On Saturday after a week of scrounging money, emptying kitty litter and making beds he proudly went to the shop with his $8.50 and claimed his first lay-by purchase.

The second incentive program emerged after a bet. Our 'tween' can be a little testy with her parents sometimes. By sometimes I mean every.waking.hour. One night at dinner Firegazer and Blossom each laid $1 on the table. Blossom had bet she could go the entire evening without being rude or grumpy in anyway towards her parents. In addition, Firegazer could openly bait her.

Fabulous. Blossom, a competitive type at the best of times, did not once rise to Firegazer's baiting. And he tried hard. She won $1. We had a lovely stress-free evening.

The next day she asked whether she could have $2 extra per week, at risk, if she was polite to her parents for the entire week. We weren't allowed to bait and we had to give her one warning per week. Well, how could we refuse. First, it would substantially improve our lives and second, there was absolutely no.chance.whatsoever that she would earn the $2.

So far we are right. The first day of the new incentive was yesterday and she'd lost the $2 within the first hour of waking up, despite the one allowable warning.

Now we have to wait until next Sunday to watch how quickly she'll lose the $2 next time. Perhaps Firegazer and I should have a bet on it.

It's Saturday, It's raining and it's time for a little nitpicking

You know, I like to give the local greengrocer and butcher a little slack when it comes to errant apostrophes because sometimes it all gets a little confusing. The occasional "apple's" or "sausage's" is not going to kill me.

However, I do think the professionals should be held to account.

I found this lovely example in a well-known national renovation magazine. I just couldn't bring myself to engage this firm to build my laundry. If they confuse their plurals perhaps they'll confuse my request for lino instead of vinyl flooring.

And this little beauty came home from Blossom's school. It's the front cover of her homework book. I'd say whoever printed this didn't do enough homework themselves.

In other news...

• I am exhausted from the new school routine. Blossom has to be at school by 8am four days per week due to her before school commitments (pilates, dance, band) and PL is at school soon after that. Leaving the house by 7.45am each morning with kids dressed, lunches packed and multiple activities catered for is all too much for this little bear. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  
• PL gets homework. Now you KNOW how I hate homework. This combined with his school support-related exercises each night is causing me apoplexy at the other end of the day. zzzzzzzzzzzzz
  
• I think I need a midday Nana nap.
  
• I would have a midday Nana nap if I wasn't trying my damnedest to get a part-time job.
  
• I am certifiably crazy. Nothing surer.
  
• I know how early and late many of you work. How on earth do you do it? Pass on your secrets, please.
  

Oh, and I've been told I need to get a slow cooker. Is that the secret to easier night-time meals?

I think I just need a cook.

Cat Commandment #4: Thou must find the most annoying place to sleep

A cat seeking a place to recline in the afternoon will naturally gravitate to the jigsaw puzzle.

His half-sister, seeing that the jigsaw puzzle is taken, will decide that the box containing the remaining puzzle pieces is more than comfortable, thank you.

Sigh.

A glowing start to the New Year

The glow sticks were handed out

and put on

some walked to the point to watch up close

and some of us stayed upstairs and decided the view wasn't so bad from (slightly) afar.

Happy New Year!

Super Soaked

Today the kids bought these with their pocket money.

Trouble is, one of them got into the hands of the enemy.

And he showed no mercy.

Oh the trouble I went to to bring you this post

Alternative title: How much you can cram into a day when really motivated

Yesterday morning when I looked at my diary I noted that I was to meet up for coffee with a friend I hadn't seen in ages but then I was free to do little bits and pieces for the end.of.term and next.week's.big.hoo.ha

Then I picked up my phone messages to hear that a meeting I was waiting to come through sometime in late January had come through at 11am the.next.day.please. Fine. I can do that.

Later that evening I went upstairs to bed and found when I tried to turn the computer off that the monitor was blank. Completely dead monitor. Great.

It was then I realised that I could go without a washing machine, I could go without a fridge (I'm talking for a day, not forever) and I could go without my car, but there was no way I could survive half a day without my computer. And a computer is useless without its monitor.

How could I talk to you all?

Decisive action was required.

This morning I rang Samsung and found, happily, that the monitor was still under warranty. They were only too pleased to help. A new monitor would be on its way in three days, four days tops.

No.

Three or Four days? I was hoping minutes.

Excuse me Mr Samsung but this is an emergency (I bet they've never heard that before). You must understand my monitor is very important to me. What can I do to get it sooner? I am prepared to drive to wherever to pick it up.

So that is how I found myself driving an hour and back, in Christmas traffic, on the almost.at.a.standstill M5 to a suburb I have never heard of to pick up a new monitor.

Just so I could write this post. For you.

I hope you all feel loved.

Borne Fruit

Look what my garden produced.

Just the one fully ripe one so far but there are many more to come. As long as the slugs don't get to them first.

Here it is in a salad.

So proud.

eBay: it's a full time job offloading stuff

After the garage sale a couple of weeks ago I took a lot of stuff to St Vinnie's and the rest I photographed and put on eBay.

Jeepers, it's a full-time job trying to sell stuff on eBay. People have questions. I've had several emails a day asking me to measure this, estimate that, can they send a courier and how far am I from the Timbuktu town centre?

After seven days of this I feel exhausted. Every item has sold and I now have to arrange for pickups and couriers. To boot I have to be nice and efficient so that I get a good "seller rating". That will all take another 15 or so emails.

I tell you, garage sales are a doddle by comparison. Mind you with a combination of garage sale and eBay we now have over $1000 in the Bikes.For.Christmas fund. All from stuff that was clogging up our shed/junk room.

Do you eBay?

Bye Bye Neighbour

The EasternMax family live in a cul de sac surrounded by fabulous neighbours. We all notice what is going on, we have an annual Christmas get together and an organised Halloween spectacular.

On one side we have a family with two little boys who are similar in age to our Padawan Learner. For the last three years the three boys have spent most afternoons travelling from one house to the other playing. If I needed to pop down to the shops or pick up a child from an activity our neighbour would watch over the fence to make sure my kids were okay, we would help out with school drop offs and pick ups. My lovely neighbour has borrowed a cup of sugar, I've borrowed a lemon, we've shared kitchen equipment and we have worked on school functions together. It has been just like on 1950s television. I never thought this would all come to an end.

But it has.

[Our yards are only separated by this pool-style fence, over which we stand and chat]

Three months ago our neighbours were given notice by their landlord to be out by early December. They had been there five years and we suspect it is a capital gains issue for the landlord. Even if they move in they have no children to fill the five bedroom home.

Yesterday the last of our neighbours' stuff was transported to their new home in a neighbouring suburb. We will still see them up at the school but our 1950s TV lifestyle is over.

I can't begin to think how PL will feel once it all sinks in that his mates won't respond to his over.the.fence cry "Guys! Guys! are you there! Wanna play?!"

We will really miss them.

Secret Garden

I have lived in this house for three years.

By now you'd think I would've seen every plant in the garden at least once.

But not so. Yesterday I looked up from my vegie garden to see this.

A beautiful dark pink climbing rose. I swear, it's the first time I've seen it.

It must've spent the last three years recovering from a dramatic pruning.

I was even more excited when I turned my attention back to the vegie garden to see this. My first Roma tomato developing.

Gotta love the sub-tropical climate here. Things just grow.

Garage Sale

Yesterday.

A letterbox drop was done. An ad went online. Signs and balloons were put out at 6.30am.

Three families. Two garages. One street.

We all sat here for six hours, chatted to loads of people. And did quite well really. No-one even haggled. A surprisingly relaxing way to spend a Sunday.

We now have far less clutter and $365 to put in our "bikes for Christmas" fund.