Another Productive Weekend

Here we are at the start of another week, and Monday's over already.

So what did we accomplish this past weekend?

Fri night
Sat through 2-hour presentation by a rep from the Australian Institute of Mathematics, which sells a maths software that helps students excel at and enjoy math.
We had fun getting our own math skills tested (I flunked the one that asked for a number to be written in scientific notation; did we actually learn that in school??), as well as exploring the program's functionalities. What was different was that we were immediately able to see the benefits of the program, and it didn't feel like another sales pitch (the kind that has you thinking "How do I get out of this quickly and politely?").
In the end, we said NO politely and firmly, and the rep agreed with our reasoning. We said it was a good program and we were sure Beth would benefit from it, but she's only in kinder, and she's got 1 year of Prep ahead, which is plenty of time for us to assess her ability to cope in school and decide at a later time if she needs to be on the program.
The rep (Daniel) is applying to study Applied Psych at Uni and we wish him all the best in his studies!

Sat morning
Landlord's property manager came by to inspect premises.
We had no idea what to expect, so we just assumed the worst, that she would be poking into cupboards and raising her eyebrows at the playdough stain on the lounge carpet etc.
In the end, the inspection took under 15 mins. She just whizzed in and out with her clipboard ticking off her checklist and asking us if we'd experienced any problems with the place.
We gave her our very short list of issues and that was that!

It was over so quickly we actually made it to Beth's school EARLY for the family portrait photo taking.
The kids behaved beautifully and looked so cute as they posed, yes, even Beth, who doesn't usually smile for photos!
However, we hardened our hearts when the company tried to sell us the rest of the photos in a variety of (expensive) packages.
We still remember how our wedding studio talked us into parting with 4 figures for all the extra photos!
So all we have is the minimum $15 family portrait.
Perhaps we'll try and replicate the poses and take some shots of those.
That's called Thinking Out Of The Box, right? :-)

Sat afternoon
A bit of drama on the way to Chinese class.
Beth insisted Mummy had to sit in with her because she couldn't understand what was going on!
I'd just revised the previous week's lesson and gone through her homework on Monday and she did pretty well by my reckoning, so I held firm and said NO, she had to go in on her own, and that none of the kids had their parents with them except the 2 who are non-Asians.
She was not convinced and bawled so loudly in the carpark that we were at our wits' end.
In desperation, I asked, "Would you like an ice cream?"
The transformation was immediate, so we struck a deal.
She would get an ice cream and go to class on her own.
And she did - cheerily and with enthusiasm!
I make no apologies for the bribery.

Sat evening
We drove to Point Cook after the class to have a look at the new estates: Lincoln Heath, Innisfail, Sanctuary Lakes.
Point Cook and Altona are the western suburbs closest to Port Phillip Bay and therefore great for those who love being near the water.
SL has its own golf course and some of the houses actually have private views of the lake.
You have to see it to believe it.
The view is so gorgeous it just takes your breath away.
I know I know, that's an overused marketing line...
Have a look here: www.sanctuarylakes.com.au

Sun
Beth was too shy to join the older kids in going on stage to sing Jesus Rocks The World, but she was a different girl by the time we got to town for lunch @ Nam Loong. She was shouting Jesus Rocks The World! up and down Russell Street. Now that's street evangelism for you. :-)

After service, we sat down with our friend Susan to organize our health insurance details. Am glad we got that sorted out finally. CA's had a killer of a toothache for the past 3 days so having the cover will definitely help.

After lunch, we drove to Kew to pick up our long awaited Yamaha P70 from Allans.
The tone is just beautiful; it's Yamaha after all!
Now to get down to practising.
(I'm due to play in church on 2 June and I'm absolutely rusty from 8 months of no practice!)