How to vote in the local body elections

Yes, it's that time again - postal voting has opened in the local body elections.

Here are some easy-to-follow instructions on how to vote. Choosing can be difficult - so many candidates, so many positions - so little known about who they are and what they stand for.... Remember, the key is not to identify candidates you like. It's more choosing who you dislike the least.

1. First, eliminate all candidates that have a body part in their head and shoulders shot that is not their head or shoulders. None of this leaning your chin on your hand rubbish. And while we're there, eliminate all candidates with their head at a funny angle. Clearly unsuited for public office.
2. Next, remove all candidates who have no photo at all. I mean, if you can't get a suitable picture in to the council offices by the deadline, how are you ever going to find your way to council meetings?
3. If voting for District Health Board positions, remove all doctors, nurses and other people who are seeking to govern the people they are currently working with. Couldn't think of a more blatant conflict of interest/patronage situation myself. (I am clearly in the minority here. Based on the results last time, it appears that most people think "Oooo, a doctor - now they must know all about governance, administration, allocation of resources and public health policy").
4. Eliminate the illiterate (nitpick through candidate biographies for errors in spelling or grammar), the unhinged, and those whose eyes are too close together.
5. Cross out the ex-All Blacks, former television stars and local "celebrities". Everyone else will vote for them solely on the basis of name recognition - why not share the love around instead?
6. Finally, choose something that makes you feel good about your vote. Child health. Maori rights. Save the penguins. Put a big tick next to any candidate who mentions your chosen issue.

And that's how to vote in the local body elections. Happy ranking!

Oh dear...

Aidan is digging in his garden.

"Found any cat poo yet?" asks Brendon, in a rhetorical way.

"Yes!" yells Aidan enthusiastically, brandishing his prize.

In the car.....again

I am using the car a lot more than I wanted to ferry Isabelle to and from school.

First - the drop off. As Aidan does Playcentre three times a week, from the start I'm doing one big trip from school to Playcentre then back home in the car. It doesn't make sense time-wise to walk to school, walk home, then get the car. Walking to school then to Playcentre is too much to expect a 3 year old to do. Wednesdays is Daddy drop-off day (yay!) which is a walking day for Isabelle. So that leaves Thursdays. We managed the walk today (and it was a beautiful day for walking!). But Aidan was very tired by the time we reached our street. He sat at the bottom of the hill and refused to climb. I lured him up using the promise of jelly beans for morning tea.

As for the pick up - well, ballet on Thursdays means the car is a must. And most days of the week, I find myself with either one, or two sleeping children to wake to take to school to pick up big sister. After having experimented with waking Aidan then attempting to drag him onto a bus (which we missed), I've realised that I'm far better off letting him sleep and waking him and/or Orla up just in time to sweep them into the car and off to school.

(Yes, Aidan at 3 still has daytime sleeps most days. Not all 3 year olds do. But not all 3 year olds wake at 5.00 am either!).

We took the bus home once. This was the first time Isabelle had ever had to pay for a trip. She handed the bus driver her brand-new bus ticket herself.

I notice that I am a lot more tired too if I walk to and from school. Exercise is good, but life is tiring!

I'm sure this will change as the children get older.

There is a walking school bus near us. But I have decided that it is not for me - at least not yet. First, I would have to send Isabelle off with a group of people she barely knows when she is still so fresh and new at the school thing. Second, I would have to do duty on the bus. I do Playcentre duty once a week. This is no trouble. But I am not keen to take on additional responsibilities involving taking my baby out in whatever weather happens to be there, and managing the behaviour of other people's children who may or may not share my ideas about behavioural management.

So, what if I had no car and just had to manage? I guess I would do just that. But it is nice to be able to make the trade and grab a bit more quality of life.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I wrote a very, very similar post about taking the car to Playcentre not so long ago.....

It's genetic

At Playcentre, Aidan had a large splodge of red paint in his hair. I comment on this.

"You have a big splash of red in your hair!"
"Yes. Just like my Daddy".

Birthday, rolls and letters

Aidan had a lovely birthday on Wednesday. He had some wonderful presents, had a special birthday fish and chip lunch with friends and a small family dinner (complete with an icecream birthday cake, just like big sister had). His friends party is on Saturday.

Orla has started to clap her hands together. She is a real roly-poly girl at the moment. She is at the stage where she is starting to be mobile as a consequence of multiple rolls - nothing on the floor is absolutely safe any more! Our saving grace is that her rolls do not yet have a particular purpose or focus - she doesn't really seem to realise that it is her own self that is causing her to move from A to B, that she can choose direction or have a specific goal in mind.

Isabelle is a bit tired at the moment. I think she's fighting a cold, and it is likely that the new school thing is a factor too. Her writing is developing before my eyes and she seems to be enjoying reading.

The Crying Game

Finally read an article in the September edition of North and South magazine that I had been wanting to look at for a while.

"The Crying Game" is about getting babies to sleep better. It challenges the dominant theories of sleep training currently recommended in New Zealand by many babycare providers. These theories are based on babies learning to self-settle without parental assistance from an early age. Interestingly, it dares take on Plunket, who are very rarely criticised in mainstream media.

One of its main points is that "[t]oday, when we know more about infants and development than at any other time in our history, there's a huge gap between what is known and what is practised".

If you are pregnant or even thinking about ever having children (or giving advice to those who already have them!), read it. Twice.

Siblings

If I had to put money on whether Orla is going to be more like Aidan or more like Isabelle, right now I would pick Aidan. It's something about her complete fascination in him when he rushes around the room and whooshes past her. Or maybe it was the huge baby belly laughs when he was simply standing on a chair, laughing and occasionally jumping a little this afternoon. Or maybe it is the way she is so determined and passionate about things that matter (such as possession of a suckable object), even at just on 8 months old. Oh I know, it's far too early to say - but fun to speculate!

A lovely casserole

Tonight's dinner never made it from microwave to oven.....

Fish and chips again. And a new casserole dish to buy.

Treasures

Treasures collected by a small boy on an outing to town:

1. A sticker from Living Nature.
2. A fastpost sticker from the postshop.
3. A paper clip, found on Lambton Quay.
4. A piece of Orla's sucked-upon bagel, from Wholly Bagels.
5. Several stones.

Painting

Yesterday afternoon, I set up some paints for Isabelle and Aidan. First, they painted some hard boiled eggs. Then they made some birthday cards.

Both of them really got stuck in. Brush strokes turned into finger painting which turned into hand and arm painting. Colours were mixed and layered. They started painting one of the balloons that was hanging down by the window (left over from Isabelle's party). I blew up two more balloons and they painted them. Isabelle put faces on hers and named them Anakin and Sebulba (from Star Wars episode one). The balloons turned into pod racers, and the children raced around the lounge together with their creations.

A joint shower was had. The creations were put into the pink bedroom to dry out.

Today at Playcentre Aidan made hand prints with paint and smeared it around and around a table.

Hobbies

Orla likes:

- Hair. She especially likes to suck and pull on mine, but her own hair will do if mama hair is unavailable.
- The cat. Her eyes fill with delight, wonder and pleasure if the cat sashays past. Orla's body becomes tense - she quivers, her hands open and shut, and I can see her desire to grasp cat fur firmly within them. She shouts a greeting.
- Big brother/big sister. Orla is always happy to see their faces. She loves to watch Aidan rush past her as he speeds around the room. She particularly enjoys watching him run down the hallway and skid to a stop across the lounge floor on his knees. She coos to Isabelle, and loves to be in her room.
- Bread. Orla loves to mouth and suck on white bread. She will protest most vigorously if anyone eats this without offering her any.
- Rolling onto her tummy off the change mat and peeing on the floor. Then splashing around in it, wetting her clothing.
- Mobiles. Orla leans as far as she can out of her sling or her carer's arms for a better view of a mobile hanging from the ceiling (and of course, this includes interesting light fittings or any ceiling attachments).

35th birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. I got a most excellent stash of presents - a mix of the useful and the luxurious. However, I think my favourite present was getting a lie in. I didn't get up until well after 8.30.

Ahhhhh!

School girl

We really couldn't have wished for a better transition to school for Isabelle. She seems happy and eager to learn. She is engaged socially and is coping well with the new routines.

It's me who has been tired and sick!

I'm hoping that the easy transition will continue this week when we are really and truly into a new routine. Last week was made so much easier as I had Mum and Dad here to lean on, as well as Brendon off work for two days. The difference was apparent this morning, when Isabelle arrived at school late and without either her spelling book or her library book (both lost somewhere in the early morning chaos).

Today at Playcentre drop off one of Isabelle's friends told me excitedly that she was doing a school visit tomorrow. It will be nice for her to have Isabelle's familiar face there - and nice for Isabelle to see her too.