Ups and Downs

I really needed to do some singing and dancing when I came home today. It is guaranteed to make me feel better.

Work was good until I came off my desk shift this afternoon to discover that some child/ren had trashed the children's area. There were books all over the floor, mixed in with the blocks, and books on some of the shelves had been pushed over. It made me want to cry, but that is pointless, so instead I stomped around the children's area tidying up and putting books away. I just don't understand how parents can allow their children to make this kind of mess and do nothing about it. School holidays are worse because there are kids around all day instead of just the afternoon. Maybe I just need to get more vigilant, except then I feel like the big bad shushing librarian, lol.

On a positive note, I had another parent tell me how much they appreciate the Rhymetime sessions and how much they missed me when I was away. I can't imagine that it is my poor voice that makes such an impression, maybe it is my enthusiasm, the fact that I sing to the kids and look at them when I do it, and that I have kids of my own. Also, I am passionate about children enjoying the library (but not making a mess of it!) so I read ALOT of children's and Young Adult books so that I can recommend them and talk about them. I enjoy children's literature and generally I enjoy children.

I love my Tupperware Baking Forms. I am baking a cake right now and the recipe says bake in moderate oven for 40 mins, but after 20 mins my cake is done. I am using the Slice Form, I sprinkle a bit of water over the base before I put in the cake mix, then pop it into the middle of the oven. Even though it is silicone I don't need a tray underneath as it holds its form well, and more so when the cake is cooked. I also have the muffin forms. It is a good idea to put patty cake trays in the base, as they still tend to stick a little there. They are easy to clean. There is a new colour range out now, pumpkin orange, and brown! Interesting choices for colour. I have seen some of other countries' range and I like alot of the things that we can't even get here. I guess the departments must decide what appeals to the primary market.

DS3 only squawked a little when I left him at day care today. He was a bit sad when I picked him up, he had jammed his hand in a door, but was getting lots of cuddles and an ice pack so was pretty cosy. He has a favourite staff person named Susie, he now asks for her if she is not there when he arrives.

It isn't often that I indulge in a 'what if...' session, but I did briefly today. I have few regrets in my life, the main one being that I went to the tacky city for a holiday instead of going to NZ, but I am hoping to change that by actually going to NZ. Even some of the not so nice parts of my life I would do again, simply because they helped to make me the person I am today. But I was 'what if' I did this, or did that, or lost this, or found that. Then I stopped because 'what if' really serves no purpose. I like to remind myself, now and then, that God only gives you what he knows you can handle, even though you may think it is too much or too hard. Sometimes it turns out to be a blessing, and, more often than not, it is character building.