I am going to make a little carry bag for them to go in :)

It's a well worn statement and one I am going to test.

My husband is a computer programmer, writing games for the main console companies. As most people are aware the games industry like many others has suffered significantly as a result of the GFC. For the second time in less than 12 months the company my husband was working for has gone belly up. We now for the second year in a row find ourselves weeks off christmas with very limited funds. Last year my husband managed to get a job in less than a month, this year he has not been so lucky. Another large games company went belly up at the same time as the one he was working for, resulting in a much greater number of people looking for jobs in his industry in our city.

Anyway... I have decided that this year I will make the majority of the Children's christmas presents myself from supplies I have here already, (I have a lot *blush*)

I have four children 2  "tween" boys and 2 young girls. I have been busy today researching what I am going to make for them, checking supplies, ideas and colourways.

Today I started on felt hair clips for Maya (5). She is a real girly girl and loves anything with frou frou or sparkles. I will make a little treasure bag for them to go in, so she can keep all her girly goodness safe.

I also started researching dragons. I gave Lockie (10) a felt dragon a few years ago and he absolutely loved it... I am thinking about making him a large, realistic (well you know) needle felted dragon with shimmery wired wings. Not sure if I can do it as I have never done anything like that before, but I think I might give it a go. Just need to do a bit of research on armature and how to do that.

Vaughan (12)  really wants  some cool clothes, with skulls & zombies etc... LOL think I can manage that ;)

Sophie well I'm not sure, there are so many things I could do for her I just need to decide what to do.

I will make a list and work through it one by one. So check back regularly as I will post pictures as I make another thing for the kids for  Xmas.... luckily the kids love the things I make for them :)

A few things recently have just reminded me how important it is to believe in yourself and trust your judgement as a parent.

I had a really tough time with Sophie's pregnancy...from about 30 weeks they wanted to take her out telling me she was WAY too small for her age and she was not thriving, that she will be weak, sick and may die if I didn't get her out where they could control the environment.  I refused and fended off a constant barrage of pressure every week at my weekly ultrasound to have an emergency c/section. As late as 39 weeks they were urging me to get her out, she might die, she is only going to be about 1.5 kg. 


They had her own neonatal emergency team waiting and the chopper was started up as they started my c/section. Well Sophie was born at 39.4 weeks a robust 3.2kg and a very healthy shade of pink. I often wonder what would have happened if I had listened to them instead of my of gut feelings.

I was constantly harassed about my tiny children, Lockie and Maya and now Sophie, I was told I should put them on Steroids, that my milk obviously wasn't giving them enough nutrition, that they were obviously not thriving. Well yes all my children are small, except Vaughan, and they are all very healthy, and intelligent, exceeding their milestones and very gifted in certain areas even athletic ones.Children will do their own things in their own time, in their own way... they are not a recipie! they are a unique and wonderful human beings.




Here are some pictures of my "at risk" children! as you can see healthy, happy and well nourished.
                              

It just made me realise that after successfully raising 4 healthy thriving children I know what to do and I really should not pay attention to what other people say, especially entrenched and uneducated individuals.

Every day we are bombarded with what we "should" be doing, most of it is either trying to sell you something  or make you think you need to conform to something. Obviously I will keep an open mind but I will now give my gut and experience the highest weight in any decision making.

I am just not feeling the love for Rome.

It is a city that is filthy, cramped and constantly under pressure, the traffic is just insane. Everyone smokes anywhere they like and the same level of care for their national treasures is just not there. It almost like they really don't give a crap. On several occasions I could have picked up and walked away with part of or all of an antiquity. Objects that are thousands of years old, unguarded plonked on a plinth or a bit of furniture. Tourists don't give a crap either, I have seen people touching, fabric that is well over 2000 years old.... like seriously, firstly do you need too?! and secondly do you use that brain in your head? What do you think that will do to the fabric? 3000 year old marble statues being handled by people cause they just can't control themselves and have to touch it. The only place I have seen any care to protect their treasures is in the Vatican museum, and technically that is not Rome.

I have put off writing this blog post. I wanted to be sure I wasn't being unfair, just tired or something. But I think my assessment is justified. Yes there are some amazing things to see, but unless you want to go on guided tours (not really my style) or speak & read fluent Italian navigating Rome is difficult.

The public transport system sucks. There are large sections of the city unserviced and very little is in any other language than Italian. Tourist information centres are a joke, if you can find one that is, and often the staff have no idea what is happening in their area. They just hand out maps, pretty much.

Yesterday I had to walk pretty close to 15 km because there was some festival and no one knew where the government run archobus was stopping because of road closures. I would asked the bus co-ordinator for where it used to stop, the police, the tourist liaison person and the tourist information person where to go. Each one would point me in some direction telling me to go to such and such, I would get there and that information was wrong and I would be forwarded on somewhere else. The corner was when the tourist information person at the Colosseum didn't even know where the tourist bus run by the government, stopped.

I really haven't had a good time in Rome. In my experience the Romans are rude, arrogant and unhelpful. I have only met a handful of nice people since I have been here.

To be honest it isn't a place I would be in a hurry become back to.

Having said that some of the things I have seem are amazing! The Vatican museum blew my mind. It was the most comprehensive art/artifact collection I have seen, next to the Louvre that is. Seeing the ancient Roman buildings and artifacts has also been amazing. I have some amazing photographs.

The ancient Romans were truly ahead of their time. Their ability to get things done/made astounded me.

Today I am off to see ancient Rome. The Roman forum, Palatine Hill & the Colosseum. I have a tour (my only one for the entire trip) for the Colosseum to the dungeons and lower levels as it is the only way you can get access to them.

Hopefully today goes smoothly, well as well as can be expected.