Kaiden

15 years ago today you came into this world. My world.

15 years that has gone by so fast, it seems only the blink of an eye ago that you were a chubby cheeked, big eyed toddler, yet time has also slowed since you came, and it seems that you have always been with me.



And as I think about it, I realise that you have been with me for almost half my life. I can hardly remember a time when I wasn't 'Mum'.

You were born on the last day of winter, your arrival heralded the coming spring, and the new chapter in my life. Little did I know then how my life would change.



When one has a baby, it's expected that you will raise that child, shape and mould him, help him to grow physically and emotionally into the best person he can be. But little do you expect the way that tiny child will shape and mould you the parent, help you grow emotionally and become the best person you can be. It is one of the joys of being a mother, to not only know that I raised you and helped you grow, but that you did the same for me. It's a bond we will always have.



These past 15 years are full of so many memories, filled with your laugh, your smile and your spirit. You have been mine for all these years, though I am conscious that I have very few years left that you will remain really mine. You are taking your first steps into the adult world, and I long to hold you close to me but know I have to let you walk that path. I want to cling to the precious little baby you were, the cheeky toddler and the loving child, I'm not sure I'm ready to be the mother of the man I see you becoming. A man of determination, conviction and optimism.

I'm so very proud of you, of the challenges you face and overcome, the way you look at the world full of hope, the love you have for your family, and for your steady and true nature.



I'm so grateful to have you as my son.

And I always will be.

A recent conversation.

Charlie : (as he puts on his boots)....left foot.........right foot......

Mama : Good boy, you know your left and right!

Charlie : I know my ABC too.

Mama : Yes, you do know your letters.

Charlie : ...6,7,8,9,10.

Mama : And you know your numbers too. Well done.

Charlie : I smart boy!

I'm still here........

I know I haven't been around much lately. I'm sure you all missed me desperately.

Please find herewith my absent note explaining my absence (in bullet point form as I'm terribly tired).

• I've been sick.
• I've been very sick.
• I slept 20 hours out of 24 last Monday.
• Pity I was too unwell to enjoy this rare luxury.
• On Wednesday I was in hospital with a chest infection and suspected pneumonia.
• Wednesday was also Charlie's 2nd birthday.
• He had a special birthday outing to the hospital. Luckily boy.
• I was out of hospital Wednesday afternoon. Short and sweet.
• Which is amazing given the public health system here.
• Charlie had a lovely birthday anyway.
• He is now very adept at ripping wrapping paper off presents.
• And putting it in a neat pile ready to go into the bin later.
• By Friday I managed to go a whole day without needing a 'nanna nap' during the day.
• Saturday my lovely in-laws arrived to spend the weekend with the birthday boy.
• Charlie had talked about Grandma and Grandad arriving all week.
• When he awoke from his nap to find that Grandma and Grandad had actually arrived in the flesh, Charlie was so stunned he stood staring at them speechless for a good 5 minutes.
• He then talked non stop for the rest of the weekend.
• Today we had a family get together for Charlie's birthday. He requested cars, toys and books.
• His wishes were fulfilled.
• Tonight I'm tired.
• Tomorrow I have a week's worth of work waiting for me when I arrive in the office.
• I think I'm tired in advance for tomorrow.
  

I remembered to vote!

Today was Australia's federal election.

And here we are required to vote. It's not optional. YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN, YOU MUST VOTE. THE END.

Last state election I forgot to vote. I know, after being inundated with glossy advertising photos of the candidates, each sporting the exact same cheesy looking 'trust me' grins, how on earth could I forget to vote?

Easy for me I guess. I'm a bit of a recluse (or insert appropriate alternative here - eccentric, loner, homebody, anti social misfit), so I don't go out and socialise much with other people who I could have interesting political type conversations with in order to remind me. And although I knew the election was coming up, it didn't occur to me that that particular Saturday was THE ACTUAL DAY.

And back then Charlie was a little itty bitty baby who had a humungous amount of will power when it came to refusing to sleep, so I was still amazingly sleep deprived at that time. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, so there!

In a nutshell, I forgot. Ooops, bad me.

Then I received a fine for not voting.

Twenty five whole dollars!!!!! The cheek of the government. Didn't they know I had a legitimate excuse? I'm sure new parent sleep deprivation is on the list of good reasons to be excused from voting. Surely.

But I sheepishly paid it, refusing the urge to justify myself to the young guy at the post office who handled the payment, and I made a mental note to never be such a dumb ass again.

So now you can see why I'm relieved that I remembered this time.

Can't a guy......

.... sit on his potty with a cup of pretend coffee, and read his Thomas the Tank Engine magazine in peace?



See what a kid has to put up with around here.

If it weren't for all the cuddles I would've be outta here long ago.

ABC Meme

I saw this meme over at Expat Mom and thought since my brain is all out of ideas of things to write about right now, I'd take the easy option and do my first ever meme. Here goes....

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is: rarely used as Del and I like the heat more than the cold. It's only turned on when it's over 35 degrees.

B- My BEDROOM theme is: chinese. Chinese screens and wall hangings, a king size bed with asian inspired covers.

C- The CAR in the driveway is: my temporary car that I've had for nearly 3 years! I gave up my 2 door sports car when I found out I was pregnant, and inherited Del's 4 wheel drive with the promise that we would get something I liked better 'someday'.

D- My DESK looks: like the kitchen bench. Because it is.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: when Charlie finishes singing Bob The Builder to himself and starts calling out 'Mummy I get up now'.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my face.

G- My GARAGE is filled with: 2 cars, my clothes dryer, a million tools lying around and my martial arts gear.

H- My HOUSE is: my haven.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you’d see: a cat sleeping on the bed.

J- My favorite JUICE is: mango, mmmmm.....

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: the bench space. Though not the bench colour!

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: my dad, he comes over quite often so we can have a work meeting.

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: election advertising material. We have the Australian election this weekend. I wonder whether our first ever female Prime Minister will be elected to continue as leader?

N- My NEIGHBORS think I’m: I really don't know as we don't talk to either of our neighbours.

O- If you OPENED my fridge you’d see: dishes of leftovers covered in tin foil. You may need sunglasses to combat the glare off the foil as there is so much in there!

P- My last house PARTY was: we don't really do parties as we are just quiet folks here. But 2 years ago I hosted our extended family Christmas party. A bbq and lots of swimming in the pool made it an easy party to have.

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: homemade pizza on pita bread. Yum, now I'm hungry LOL

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: the main living area/kitchen, it's comfy and is the heart of the home. Plus it's wehre I find I spend majority of my day.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: it varies, but is usually an organic, natural brand.

T- My largest TELEVISION is: 50″.

U- UNDER my bed you will find: Nothing. Alright, maybe a dust bunny or two. But only little ones.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: Yesterday. Unless we do it regularly Charlie ends up covered in dog fur. The perils of having a long coat dog.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: the patio, complete with new outdoor lounge, plenty of palms and tropical plants, and the new dragon water feature recently installed.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: time in my day to get everything that I want done, and have a little time left for me.

Y- My YARD is: looking great thanks to my husband's hard work over the weekend.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: When Del wakes me up and tells me to get off the couch and go to bed.

Feel free to play along and do a meme of your own.

My Life.....

I have a friend, a very dear friend, whom I've know since we were 11 years old. Standing together at the start of the school year, both new, in a class of strangers. We banded together and became firm friends for life.

From a shared beginning, of lives that were similar, I look at us now and find our lives have taken very different paths.

I'm a stay at home, work at home mother, with three children. I work a fairly mundane job, I'm a homebody, content with having a few very close and wonderful friends.

She has a glamorous job, jets around the world, does amazing charity work in every continent, has fantastic adventure filled holidays, with friends from all over the globe. Needless to say, she has no children.

As I said, totally different lives.

Recently she was in Monaco. And whilst there, she of course caught up with Prince Albert and his new fiancee for drinks.

She then jetted off to Canada to meet up with a famous movie star and help host a fundraiser afternoon.

When I hear about her adventures, I feel a twinge of envy.

Alright, maybe a little more than a twinge.

I would love to live her life. The glamour. The adventure. The fabulous people.

At these times, I think about the choices I've made in my life that have led me to where I am today. And the choices she has made. So easily, my life could of been hers.

But upon reflection although my life isn't glamorous or adventure filled in the same way hers is, I find that I am happy with my lot.

I love my family, my home and my life. I love being me. And I love that I get the chance to realise how great my life is. How my life suits ME.

Her life would be hard for me. I need routine and stability. Travel and adventure is great, but I like being home a lot too. I wouldn't know what to say to the famous movie star, and I'd probably spill my drink all over myself in front of the prince.

For all my momentarily envious thoughts, I don't think I would want to swap my life for hers after all.

Well, ok, if I'm honest I might like to try it for just a week or so. Meeting a prince might be kind of fun, you know.

But then I'd want to come home to my own wonderful husband. The one who makes my evening cup of tea just how I like it. The one who puts up with me and is still willing to go out late at night to get me some chocolate when I'm feeling ill (for medicinal purposes of course).

I bet Prince Albert wouldn't do that.

My Poor Baby

Charlie had his first trike accident today........



A cut and bruised lip. Swelling up to epic proportions.



Multiple grazes to the face and a chipped tooth.

Ouch.



Lots of love and cuddles have made him feel much better though.

Kaiden

I recently had Kaiden pose for me. You see I really wanted to capture the green of his eyes and thought that against the green of the grass it might just work.

I was especially surprised at how willing he was to pose. He must of been in an exceptionally mellow mood that day. Teenagers aren't generally known for being co-operative.

I tried different angles. Different distances. Different editing.

And now I can't decide which one I like best.

So I ask for your help.

If you could leave a comment letting me know which is your favourite it would be much appreciated. (That goes for you lurkers too who don't usually comment!!!).

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.



6.



7.



I now leave the voting to you.

What have we been up to?

As I type this I have Charlie sprawled across me having a feed, and I juggle the laptop balanced precariously upon my knee, whilst trying to avoid the toy car being driven all over my head. But it's been so long since I blogged that I will attempt to surmount all these distractions and actually manage to type something.

Hopefully it will be legible.

And make sense.

Life has been fast paced around here lately. A whirlwind of work, school and sports.

Actually, that's just normal life in this house.

Kaiden represented his school in soccer yesterday and the team did very well. It was Kaiden's first time playing for the school, as he has just been accepted into the Specialist Soccer Program. The competition to get in was tough so I'm extra proud of him.

Also we have been carefully choosing his school subjects for next year as he is entering Yr 11 (5th year high school, starting in Feb next year). It's the all important subject choices that determine whether he gets into university. As Kaiden has made up his mind that he wants to join the army as a Mechanical Engineer it was fairly straight forward choices.

Chemistry.

Physics.

Calculus.

Somehow I don't think I'll be much help with his homework next year!

So what's Corey been up to I hear you ask?

Well he has been training before school each day for the past week as tomorrow he is competing in the State Cross Country Run Championships. Yes, it seems my long-legged, big footed (size 11 men's and he's only 12!) boy is a fast runner. Surprise, surprise.

Corey and I have been busy with martial arts training also (Kaiden hasn't been for a while due to his back injury). I'm pleased with the progress we're both making, and I'm slowing gaining confidence when sparring with the big guys in the class. Though a kick to the groin last night wasn't so good.

Charlie is.... well, he's Charlie.

He makes me smile.

He makes me laugh.

He makes me tear my hair out.

Charlie turns two later this month and I can't believe how fast two years has gone by. He is just the most gorgeous little thing and he's adored by everyone in the family.

He is generally easy going but can be stubborn at times, he sings from the minute he wakes till the moment he falls asleep and he never, ever, ever stops moving.

He's just a whirlwind of energy and activity. We'll all be sprawled upon the floor, passing out from the fatigue of playing with him, yet he's still running around yelling "More play, more play everyone!".

And on that note it's time for me to take the hint to finish up typing and instead give in to his pleas of "Play cars, mummy, play cars. P-leeeease".

How can I resist?

Hi Internet!

So it's been a while I know.

But at this point I'm just thankful that I'm still here. Well, that my laptop is still here, to be more precise.

Last week my poor overworked laptop was not well. Not well at all.

A nasty horrible virus had taken hold and paralysed it.

Nothing would open.

Zip. Nada. Zilch.

Except......

A box that kept coming up saying "Enter your full name, address and credit card details here to purchase amazing software that guarantees to get rid of that nasty virus for you".

Ummm, right. I don't think so.

Luckily my computer guy finally managed to get out here yesterday, and play doctor and miracle worker at the same time. He healed my laptop in a little under two hours.

Yay! Thanks fantastic computer guy!

Downside to getting it fixed though, is almost a week's worth of backlogged work to catch up on.

Aaaaarrgghhh! I'm too scared to even look how much work is waiting for me. Maybe I'll look at it in the morning. No sense stressing myself before bed is there now? (Procrastinate? Who me?).

Needless to say, posts may be light for a little while till I finish slaving away trying to complete the humongous list of work waiting for me.

You might here from me before the end of the year.