Beyond the Edge of Adventure

It never ceases to amaze me, the difference in logic between American words and English or Australian words.......like biscuit. We Aussies call a typically round, small baked treat a biscuit. For Americans, a biscuit is more like a flat scone. Take car. Is it more logical to call a car a car or an automobile? What about the logic in calling jelly 'jell-o' but jam 'jelly'? Which word makes more sense? Whose system is better, theirs or ours? It's interesting to compare the two and think about where the names for things came from and which is more logical. Or take names of places like Illinois and Melbourne. I've never met an American yet who pronounces Melbourne correctly. Aussies say, "Mel-bin" and Americans say, "Mel-born". I mean, I'm just as bad - I once pronounced Arkansas how it's spelt, after which my husband nearly burst his sides laughing at my faux pas! Needless to say, I've always pronounced it "Arkinsaaaaaw...

I'm always on the lookout for ideas to make the domestic management side of my job easier. After my third baby was born, I packed up the ironing board and iron for good. I asked my very amazing husband to iron his own uniforms to which he graciously agreed. After baby number four and almost losing my life floating in a sea of washing, I did a search on 'Large Family Laundry Systems' and modified the process in which we kept our clothes clean, dry and wearable! Things have been coasting along OK in terms of domestic systems here. We have a family dirty clothes basket, into which all our dirty washing goes. I then hang it on the line, usually with help from my youngest daughters and sometimes my eldest daughter. It's meant to my eldests' job in the morning before school, but it's simply too cold for her during winter to be out there, pegging away! Our washing is hung in sections: boys, girls, mum & dads and linen. That way, when it's taken off the line...