MY ECCENTRICITY

Lazy blogging using old (but adorable) photos.....

2011-09-06T13:30:00.000+08:00

Charlie found Del's police helmet not too long ago, and couldn't resist trying it on.

'Allo, 'allo, 'allo! What's going on 'ere then?

PC Charlie is on the case.

Look, I'm just like Daddy! I'm off to fight crime and restore order to our neighbourhood.

But first..... hmmm.... I think something's not quite right with this helmet.

Oh.

A little adjustment.....

Ah, there we go! No-one pulls the wool over this policeman's eyes.

I'm the best policemen ever!

But you know what .....

.... I think I've had enough of this. Fighting crime and dealing with oversized headwear is exhausting.

I'm off for a nap. I'll leave the police work up to Daddy from now on.

Living in the moment.

2011-09-05T13:38:00.000+08:00

As I pass through the door to go outside, carrying a basket of freshly washed clothes to hang in the blossom scented warm air, I stop, breathe and remind myself that this is the now, to just live in the moment.

How wonderful it is.

I hear the calls of the black cockatoos feasting on the bright red Callistemon flowers outside my home, so I stop for a moment, unbolt the front door and stand on the front grass (still in my pajamas!) and watch the magic of nature.

How wonderful it is.

Checking on my littlest boy, finally sleeping soundly, I gently kiss his cheek. Checking on my two older boys, stretched out long and lanky in their beds, one of them snoring quietly in his sleep, I also gently kiss their cheeks, and marvel at the joy of being a mother.

How wonderful it is.

Wandering outside to pick fresh produce from my garden, ready for our simple, natural and tasty family dinner that night, the freshest of fresh lettuce leaves, sugar snap peas that really snap, and delicious parsley to flavour our meal, I am thankful for the bounty of this Earth.

How wonderful it is.

Snuggling into warmed sheets at night, content that my family is tucked up safe and warm dreaming their special dreams, knowing that all I need to focus on is this moment, nothing else needs attention, my mind and body are free to rest. And dream. And hope.

How wonderful it is.

Another Fabulous & Fashionable Friday post

2011-09-02T08:37:00.009+08:00

Friday! It's Friday everyone!

*insert happy dance here*

Not sure why I love Friday so much, since I don't work Monday to Friday away from home. Instead I work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so weekends aren't much different really from any other day.

But Friday is the day of love, named for Norse goddess Freya. So we have to love Fridays.

And being Friday, there's also something else to love.

Fabulous and Fashionable Friday posts!!!

This time I bring you something a little different. A sneak peak at another part of my life. My husband Del, runs his own business as a Dog Trainer extraordinaire. Every second Saturday he runs a group training session for clients and their dogs who have completed the initial training, and I take our dog Trooper along, to socialise and put him through his paces. He loves showing off!

Lately we've started to introduce some basic agility exercises, just for a bit of fun, and because I've been practising with Trooper at home, I've kindly been promoted to guest trainer for the agility side of things. Thanks honey! It's been great fun and the dogs, and owners, all seem to enjoy the fun of working the agility equipment.

So what's this all got to do with F&FF I hear you ask?

Well...............

.......I get to show you my Guest Trainer Extrordinaire outfit, of course.

Do I look like I mean business, command respect and can get those dogs jumping and weaving in no time at all?

Or do I look like a pushover trying to look the part?

Del says I look like a German Stormtrooper. Not sure if that's a compliment. You never know with my husband.

But I think it's all in the boots.

"The boots maketh the dog trainer." Leiani, 2011.

Anyway, just to finish off, here's the hand signal for 'sit'.

(BTW Trooper responds to spoken commands as well as silent hand signals, both on or off lead, close by or far away. He'd want me to let you all know that, show off that he is).

So sit down a while longer, have another cuppa and enjoy your Friday.

Good girl/boy! *pats your head affectionately* Well done!

Update as promised...... told in lazy-ass bullet point style.

2011-09-01T15:32:00.007+08:00

It's been the season of illness and injury. I'm very much over playing both nurse and patient.
Currently, Charlie has an ear infection, so we got antibiotics. No biggie, except it turns out he is allergic to penicillin. At the moment we could easily play dot to dot on him, but the rash is so big we'd get bored before finishing.
Recently found out that Corey needs shoulder surgery. At 13 years old. Seems he's one of the rare few lucky enough *sarcasm* that his shoulder dislocates in one of three possible ways (back, forwards and down) whenever he lifts his arm. If anyone waves at him and he doesn't wave back, he's not ignoring you. He's just trying to prevent his arm falling off.
Kaiden turned 16 yesterday. OMG 16! Mentally, I still feel the same as I did at 16. Physically though I feel older. A lot older. Scary that your child is the same age you were when you considered yourself a grown up.
Now he's 16 I get to teach him to drive. I'm both excited and terrified at the thought.
Kaiden chose to have KFC as his birthday dinner. I chose not to partake of it.
Kaiden had a caramel mud cake for his birthday cake. I did partake of it.
Charlie hasn't slept through the night for about 2 weeks due to being ill.
I'm tired.
Very tired.
I've neglected my home shamefully (please don't tell anyone). And no-one open any closets or closed doors, you never know what I may have stashed there.
My dad had an accident moving house, crushing his hand. He ended up having his little finger amputated, and the next one screwed back together in the hope of saving it. He's doing fine, and is most upset that he may no longer being able to hold onto the paddle strongly enough to continue using his stand up paddle surfboard. Priorities, you know.
Have been struggling to balance work commitments, keeping up with the housework, spending time with the family, study that never happens, getting enough sleep etc etc. Is achieving all this even possible for a mortal woman such as myself?
The sleep part never seems to happen enough.
I haven't baked in a LONG time. So much so that when I did go to bake everything was past it's use by date. Even the flour. Bad stepford wife.
I've thought of a bajillion blog posts to write in recent months. Usually while washing dishes, driving or showering. I think to myself, that's fantastic, best post idea ever, well done self! Then promptly forget it two seconds later.
Charlie and I have been enjoying the warmer weather as we head into Spring, and have been having a picnic lunch in the back yard most days. Just a short time out from the busy-ness of life, soaking up the sun, listening to the birds, hearing the breeze blowing in the trees. Aaaaahhh.....
Currently, watching big grey clouds rolling in, ready for a thunderstorm to happen on the first day of Spring.
Just remembered I have washing on the line...........................

My days.....

2011-09-01T15:21:00.003+08:00

This is kind of like my days, only I'm less productive.... and less funny at writing about it:

Nothing Happened Today. Let Me Tell You Allllllll About It.

Will attempt to write a catch up post, stemming from now back to, oh hell, I can't even remember when I stopped blogging regularly, but to back then sometime anyway.

So much to tell, so little time. Might have to make it a bullet point update.

Just to save you the time in reading too of course.

I'm thoughtful like that.

Somebody turned 3 today!!!!

2011-08-25T21:10:00.004+08:00

Today is Charlie's 3rd birthday. Here is where I make the comments such as 'where has the time gone', or 'my baby is growing up' etc etc.

It's all true, where has the time gone, and where has that little baby gone?

But it's not a day for looking back, it's a day for FUN, and we had a fantastic day.

Here's a few of the highlights......

A brand new train set.

Then playing racing cars in the box the train set came in.

A new soccer ball.

And testing it out.

Birthday cake!!!

Making a wish.

3 is a very important birthday. Especially to the person turning 3!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday - The Sexy Red Dress Edition

2011-08-19T13:31:00.001+08:00

And here we are at the best day of the week! Yay for Fridays.

Let's get straight into it today, shall we?

It's the Lady in Red (looking a little severe in this particular photo).

Actually I wore this outfit on Monday when I went to work, but I really wanted to take pics of it to show you all, so I saved it for today.

Today I'm at home dressed a little more casual as I don't usually wear foot ache and limp inducing high heeled boots around the house all that much.

This lovely red wool dress is my attempt to brighten up winter a little. It's a new purchase from when I took myself on a bit of a spending spree last week. I love to wear red so I just couldn't go past this particular dress.

I usually wear jeans or long pants in winter as I feel the cold, but I wanted to be a bit different so this warm dress is perfect teamed with thick black tights and previously mentioned, foot pain inducing black boots.

(As a cute aside : when I wear tights or stockings, Charlie can't help constantly touching my legs and asking why mummy's legs are black. For some inexplicable reason he just can't fathom why I would want to wear such a thing).

So there you have it - Warm, Fashionable and of course, Fabulous!

And just to finish off, the obligitory final photo :

Soon he'll be taking the F&FF photos for me.

Have a Fabulous weekend people!

How do you spend a sick day?

2011-08-16T09:39:00.005+08:00

Today our home is over run with illness. The horrible runny nose, annoying sore throat and irritating cough type of illness. People seem to be dropping like flies.

Thankfully, I'm still healthy. Someone needs to be well enough to dish out sympathy and tissues.

So what did I do to entertain a disgustingly snotty almost three year old stuck indoors due to bad weather and illness?

Played cars (of course!).

Picked the meagre winter vegetables from our garden in between rain showers.

Practised our letters.

Ate lots of yummy healthy fruit.

Did some cooking.

And used lots of these.

Got to Love a Husband that Cooks

2011-08-15T15:58:00.004+08:00

Things around this lovely home of mine are busy, busy, busy (nothing new there!).

So busy I didn't get to post the fantastic Fashionable & Fabulous Friday post I had ready for Friday. Or get to on Saturday like I'd planned.

Or Sunday.

And now today being Monday and all, I'm so over it, that I'll just save it for this coming Friday! Bonus post prepared in advance. Yay!

I meant to do that!

So things are busy as I try to catch up on a mountain of work that's been looming over me *sigh* but I have resolved to try to change things around a bit, you know the old saying "Work smarter, not harder"? Well, I plan to try to make that happen. Umm, yeah, sounds too easy, right?

I'll let you know how it goes.

Due to my over busy-ness my wonderful husband made dinner last night, and displayed his culinary skills to beautiful effect.

Mmmm.... chilli con carne.

With homemade garlic bread.

A little portion for Charlie.

And to make this even better, there was enough left that I'm reheating it for dinner tonight with rice and crusty bread.

I get out of cooking two nights in a row, and still get a home made meal.

Got to love a husband that cooks. Thanks honey!

Making It Through The Day One Teeth Gritting Episode At A Time

2011-08-09T09:53:00.005+08:00

Lately I've found it difficult to get back into the swing of blogging regularly.

One or two of you may have noticed. No? Oh, you're too kind!

My last post mentioned I hardly know what day or week it is at any given time. Christmas could be tomorrow for all I know these days.

Or Easter.

My days went from long tedious stretches of days at home, too tired and ill to do anything, to BAM, you're well again let's fill every available minute with something to do! Swimming, music, martial arts, story time at the library, working 30 hrs a week from home, housework, cooking..... every damn second of every damn day.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and all the way through to Sunday.

Then repeat. And repeat. And repeat.......

Most of these activities are either for this particular person, or are done with him in tow :

His social schedule is busier than mine (an easy thing to happen given my social schedule is pretty much totally empty these days). But the alternative is being stuck at home everyday, where he gets bored and mama goes a little bonkers.

You know, I think I need a holiday. Somewhere warm and tropical sounds good right now. Possibly without children, or at least where I can escape for long periods on my own.

Or if I must have someone with me, let it be a highly skilled massuese.

Look at this innocent face. How could anyone need a break from such an angel, I hear you wonder?

Well, let me tell you that this little 'angel' woke 4 times during the night, and then for some reason known only to him, decided that 5.30am was a great time to start the day.

I didn't agree with him on that point.

Then because he didn't sleep well and then got up at stupid 'o' clock, he's been grumpy as all hell this morning, and I don't have much patience for some strange reason.

But in between all these things, he does something so silly and cute that I can't help but smile and cuddle and love him.

And then I grit my teeth once again, and get back to the latest task at hand. Which right now is catching up with multiple work projects whilst toddler wrangling.

I do love my life, but right now I'm tired. I need a change, I need a break.

But instead it's back to work for me. Hope your day is as exciting everyone!

It's still Winter.... I think.

2011-08-08T18:06:00.003+08:00

All weekend I kept on thinking to myself "must find time to blog, must find time to blog". And do you think I found time?

Nope.

Days seem to fly by of their own accord leaving me reeling and trying to remember which day and even which week it is.

I do know it's August, and I do know it's still winter despite the sunshine we got recently.

How do I know, I hear you ask? I think this speaks for itself....

Clear skies and cold mornings = frosted up windows that provide endless fun.

Especially as it means I can continue to snuggle under a blanket on the couch and stay warm whilst watching Charlie and hearing his running commentary on everything he's drawing.

That boy never stops talking!!!

And this is where my lovely husband would interject that Charlie gets that particular trait from me. Hmmm.... he may be right.

Charlie was so pleased with his 'artwork' that I decided to get up and get the carmera to record it for posterity.

And so you all out there reading could also appreciate the masterpiece. Enjoy!

Fashionable & Fabulous Friday

2011-07-22T08:45:00.002+08:00

As I sit here at my computer this morning, looking out on our slightly soggy front garden after last nights wonderful thunder storm, it suddenly hits me.

Today is Friday!

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday to be exact.

And, oh dear. I'm wearing my dressing gown and pink slippers and feeling decidedly un-fashionable, though perhaps still just a little bit fabulous inside (always!).

It seems I'm woefully unprepared for gracing the internet with my personal take on fashion today. What to do?

A quick look back through my draft blog posts and hooray! A very old, pre-written F&FF post I have ready on standby.

So without further ado, everyone enjoy this one while I slip off to get myself looking Fashionable and Fabulous and better prepared for next Friday!
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14 Oct 2010

Today's outfit isn't actually today's outfit. It's a back up outfit.

One I wore a little while ago, just in case, dare I say it, I perhaps wore the same outfit twice on a Friday? SHOCK. HORROR. We can't post that now, can we? Back up plan to the rescue!

This outfit isn't one of my favourites, I guess that's why it was on standby. I'm not really sure why I don't like it as much as others.

Perhaps because it's just..... a little bit plain. For me.

I tried to jazz it up with a lovely red necklace that my mum gave me, and my best ever pair of trusty red high heels (not actually in the picture. Terrible photographer I am).

The outfit looks nice, it's comfy and it's a little bit business-like, to try to get me in the working mood so I can hopefully accomplish some work for a change.

Working from home is a blessing and a curse, it's so tempting to slack off and then before you know it it's 9pm and you've achieved nothing except for finishing off a pack of chocolate biscuits and a half hearted attempt at cleaning up the dishes. From breakfast. Let alone managing to complete any paid work on the computer, not when there's Facebook, Twitter and Blogs to read instead.

But on the upside, I get to dress up and take photos of myslef all day long.

And I do love the detailing on this shirt.

But still.... not my favourite.

Maybe next Friday will be better.

Stay Fashionalbe people. And Fabulous goes without saying.

And We're Back In Business Again......

2011-07-20T16:08:00.001+08:00

Well, now that I'm finally back in this space, my dear neglected blog, where I can write whatever I want, I really don't know what to write.

It's been so long, too long.

I guess I could write about the trials and tribulations of the past months, the illness, anxiety and stress. But that's all in the past, I want to look forward and to focus on the positive.

Who wants to read about depressing stuff like that? Certainly not me!

So, focusing on the positive, what have we been up to these past few months, I hear you all ask?

Well, lets just have a little look, shall we?

Picnics in the back garden, making the most of the last of the warm Autumn days before Winter extends her cold fingers around our home and garden.

My two biggest boys took part in the ANZAC Day celebrations as part of their Army Cadet unit. I'm so proud of them.

Not least for braving a very chilly autumn morning in thin cotton shirts.

(Not really fair that I was nice and warm in a coat and woollen scarf, was it?)

Someone finally got a big boy bed!

At first he was so overwhelmed he burst into tears at the sight of it. Then once Daddy showed him how much fun jumping on the bed and pretending to sleep to trick Mama was, he loved it.

And even though he's been sleeping in the big boy bed for months now, he still doesn't get out of it when he wakes up. I guess it hasn't yet occurred to him.

Thank goodness.

Though the yelling of "Mummy I want to get up NOW!" gets a little tedious at 6am every morning.

We've made numerous masking tape racetracks for Roary and other assorted vehicles to race upon. Giving Mama a much needed 5 minutes quiet time to work/tidy/doze off. (It varies on any given day).

Another favourite game is stealing Daddy's boots to show us his impression of Jake the Peg by Rolf Harris. We then find discarded boots all over the house.

(Yes, my husband owns multiple pairs of Union Jack Doc Martins)

(Don't even ask!)

And lastly, there has been lots of this going on.

Shmushy face Charlie cuddles are simply the best.

That's it for now folks. Hope you enjoyed the picture heavy update.

I'm off for some more of those shmushy face cuddles.

2011-05-26T14:02:00.004+08:00

After what has been such a very long time, I think the timing is right to get back to this poor neglected blog. Is anyone out there still?

The past months have been difficult, filled with illness after illness and such a long recovery time. Being kind to myself was my main focus, not too many demands on myself (apart from the usual kids, husband, house, work etc).

I have been so drained, and lost a total of 5 kg in the space of 6 days with one illness, which may not sound too bad except at 50kg normally, that was 10% of my body weight. I was extremely run down, fatigued and ill so much self nurturing was needed, lots of rest and good food soon followed. Natural supplements too have helped me along, Olive Leaf extract for energy and well being and Inner Health Plus for the digestive issues as well as for the fact that part of our immune system is located in the gut.

I feel so much better now, am regaining my strength and my optimism (which took a hell of a beating recently) and am ready to slowly get back to living this eccentric life of mine to the full.

This isn't a very interesting post today, but hopefully many much more interesting posts are to come soon.

Thanks for sticking around anyone who's still reading!

I'm here.... just.

2011-03-18T21:34:00.003+08:00

Drowning....... gulp..... going under ..........a mountain of work. (Make that a mountain range worth.)

Send help.

Or margaritas.

Either will do right now.

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Sorry for the recent absenteeism. Hope to be back soon, but have so much work on right now I just can't cope. Not happy.

Two and a half.

2011-02-26T10:44:00.005+08:00

Yesterday Charlie turned two and a half.

Two and a half years that he has filled with smiles and laughter, frustrations and sleep deprivation.

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

This boy has changed all our lives, his Daddy loves him to pieces, and I love to see both their faces glow as they go off to play together after Charlie insists "Play cars with me, Daddy" for about the hundrenth time that day.

I see the impact he has had on his two big brothers. Charlie brings out the caring, tender side hidden in the heart of my teenage boys. He's taught them it's ok to show tenderness, he's taught them patience and responsibility and he shows them every day how much he adores them both.

Even if he does call them "stinky willy" on occasion.

I have no idea where he picked up that particular expression from. I think he just made it up himself.

Sometime he's too smart for his own good, is that boy! We're constantly amazed by his language skills. To date he can count in 5 languages already.

Truly.

1. English
2. German
3. Chinese
4. French
5. Japanese

Not just rote learning and repeating the sequence, oh no, actual counting and adding. Even to the point where we can start counting in one language, stop part way and ask him to finish in another language. And he does.

I'm getting slightly concerned that by the time he's five he'll be smarter than me.

He's come so far in two and half years. From the helpless little baby, born with an asymetrical cranium who couldn't feed because is jaw was out of alignment, with a torticollus (crooked neck) and various other problems, to a baby who slept no more than 40 minutes at a time day or night but who learnt sign language at 7 mths old, to a rumbunctious toddler running around at hundred miles an hour who could talk at 12 mths and read at 16mths, to the little boy he is now who greets me each morning with "Good morning, darling, how are you today?" as I lift him from his bed.

I'm so thankful that he's in my life, and that I get to be his mama.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday

2011-02-25T16:04:00.002+08:00

It's Friday again everyone!

And you know what that means, don't you?

After work drinks? Big night out? The weekend????? Well yes, all those things (if you're lucky!) but most importantly it's .......

......... Fashionable and Fabulous Friday time.

I know you wait all week for this moment, people.

Last weekend, Del and I went to a cocktail party. I feel so sophisticated and, umm... I don't know.... something going to a cocktail party. Doesn't it just sound so glamorous? And it was in the city, no less. Such an un-suburban mother of three thing to do!

This is what I wore :

Not quite sure but I felt this outfit had a bit of an 80's vibe to it.
Maybe the pearls and cut of the top part of the dress are bit 80's Madonna-ish?

This fabulous little cocktail dress was a gift from my in-laws for my birthday last month. It fits like a dream and I've been eagerly anticipating an occasion to wear it.

And this cocktail part was it.

Look matching shoes and handbag everyone!
Red, just because I like red.

Actually, I think I may have over hyped this party. Just a wee bit, perhaps.

It was a small get together at the apartment of one of my dearest friend's, to celebrate her upcoming birthday. But there was cocktail food there. I swear.

So we celebrated her birthday, out on the balcony over looking the river. A birthday which she will be away for. She always is.

You see, every birthday she plans a holiday, and this year her birthday rolled around with me slaving away at work, looking after my monsters and keeping up with the drudgery of housework (who am I kidding? I love housework!), she was off cruising the Caribbean. Ah well, I guess someone has to do it.

Jealous? Not me. Much.

But at least I felt I looked good in my new dress.

A big heart as well......

2011-02-23T22:25:00.006+08:00

Not only does my boy Kaiden have big muscles, he also has a big and loving heart. Especially when it comes to his littlest brother.

He is so fantastic with Charlie, it makes my heart just swell with pride to see them together. The love and trust between them is awesome to behold.

It's enough to make me weep tears of happiness.

Perfect days.

Call me crazy.....

2011-02-22T21:32:00.003+08:00

... but I've obviously on a whim decided that my life isn't busy and hectic enough these days.

You see, I've finally decided now is the time to get back to my studies. I was only about 3 months into a two and half year course when I fell pregnant with Charlie. I struggled and persevered to continue with study whilst dealing with morning sickness, pregnancy brain and the all out exhaustion of growing another actual human being inside me, but in the end threw up my hands and told Mother Nature that she had won. No more study.

And you know how it is. Once you stop, it is just so darn hard to get started again. Procrastination fueled by sleep deprivation sort of got in the way a bit.

But now that Charlie is getting all good and grown up, I felt guilty enough about slacking off for so long that I rang and organised to start back again.

I opened my workbook yesterday for the first time in almost 3 years, tried to ignore the noise and sweat of Kaiden's Muay Thai class going on around me, and I got down to it.

I read a whole 3 pages.

But I loved it. So that's a good thing, right?

I plan to try to study in my odd moments here and there, as at present I don't have the 1- 2 hour time slots to study that they recommend (are they for real?). My biggest challenge will be attending the seminars which run on a Saturday for the whole day. I'll have to ponder on the logistics of achieving that, what with a toddler to look after, sporting commitments to run bigger boys to and, you know, a weekend to use for doing absolutely nothing.

I suppose you're all wondering what exactly I'm studying. I'm doing a double degree in Counselling, specialising in Relationships and Children & Parenting, as I would love to one day work with children and their families.

Right now though, I just have to figure out how to work within mine.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday - The Philosophy & Muscle Flexing Edition

2011-02-20T14:53:00.005+08:00

Yes,yes. I know it's Sunday. *waives hand impatiently*

But I could get all philosophical about how time isn't linear, and in actual fact it's entirely possible that it's Friday and Sunday at the same time. But aha, which Friday and which Sunday you may well ask.

I could then wax lyrical about this subject of life only being due to our perception of reality, but instead I'll just cut to the incredibly narcissistic photos of my latest outfit.

Sorry, I know all you philosophy nerds will be severely disappointed.

Anyhoo, here we are, my casual Valentine's Day dinner attire. Just perfect for a quiet dinner at the local Thai.

By the way, I must apologise for the poor photo quality. Wrong camera setting for night time under fluorescent lighting type of shots it seems.

My red hot top is new, a spur of the moment purchase the other week when out shopping with my mum. I was supposed to be buying Charlie a few things but saw this as I walked by, and impulsively bought it without even trying it on.

As soon as I saw it, I had already pictured this outfit inmy mind and knew it would be great.

And assistant photographer credit goes to Kaiden, who you can all see here sporting the latest in 'lazing around the house on a hot summer's night' fashion.

Old loose fit jeans with your boxers hanging out the top and no shirt in order to show off muscles that have been a result of much hard work.

Very now, if you happen to be a 15 year old boy.

All that Thai kickboxing, Army fitness training and soccer certainly gets one fit. OK Kaiden, one, two, three - FLEX.

I'm so proud of my fit an healthy son.

It's such a shame this last picture turned out so blurry, I just love it. Unfortunately I was laughing so hard at Kaiden's antics I couldn't keep the camera still.

Gosh, I love my boy.

And my outfit.

What? Life with no TV?

2011-02-16T15:15:00.003+08:00

A week ago a man came and took our tv away. All 97kg of it.

It was rushed away for emergency care. Prognosis was not good, it might not make it. It may even end up in tv heaven.

It's barely 4 years old.

But that is most definitely a lifetime in tv world, it seems.

And with our tv's exit, so began our journey of life with no tv.

The first few nights were well occupied getting Charlie to bed by 8pm (ish), getting some work done, then sitting down to read a book.

A book! In the evening? Fancy that!

With so much spare time I finished the book in 2 days.

I then twiddled my thumbs and wondered what to do next. It was then that I realised I was tired. Very, very tired.

Without the distraction of tv to numb my mind, and put me in a catatonic state, I realised I was tired. So I went to bed.

Only to lay awake for hours. And hours.

And hours.

Frustration would be an understatement at that point.

From what I've written you'd imagine that I was a tv junkie, right? But actually, no. I don't watch tv during the day at all, and only sit down about 9pm with a cup of tea to watch an hour or so of our favourite recorded shows. We don't watch for the sake of it, we record only tv that we actually want to watch.

But going without even that small amount of tv watching, was dearly felt. After a week I realised that there are times where I enjoy just sitting there being entertained and informed, to sit and watch, drink my tea, snack on a bit of chocolate perhaps (just a little bit) and do absolutely nothing after a hectic, long and sometimes stressful day.

So last night we caved in. We set up the laptop in the bedroom, settled in with cups of tea and a box of valentines day chocolate and watched a movie.

It was bliss. We realised what we'd been missing all week. So nice to just sit and watch and relax.

Today Del rang the tv repair place.

We'll get out tv back next week.

Then perhaps all will be right with the world again.

Home Sweet Home Nostalgia

2011-02-14T20:08:00.001+08:00

Just for nostalgia's sake, I thought I'd put up these photos of our previous house.

I miss it.

I loved that house.

We lived in a semi rural area about 3 hours south of here, and it was so peaceful and quiet. Sometimes too peaceful and quiet. Occassionally I longed for the lure of the big smoke.

Cafe's to relax at nearby, shops with a large selection to choose from, a good number of restaurants to dine out at. That sort of thing.

After living there for 3 years we did move to the city. I don't regret it one bit, but I do miss this lovely house.

It was our home. It was comfortable, it was beautiful. It hugged you the second you walked in the door. You knew you were home. I loved being surrounded by nature too.

Apart from the venomous snakes that is.

And the scorpions that liked to come into the house.

And the deadly spiders. (I got bitten by a Red Back Spider whilst living there)

Hmmm.... maybe that part wasn't so great after all.

It's a shame I don't have photos of the interior. The inside was as great as the outside.

*sigh* Did I mention I loved it?

Saturdays

2011-02-12T16:01:00.002+08:00

Mmmm..... a warm afternoon, Charlie still having his nap. I stretch deliciously.

What can be better than luxuriating on my comfortable bed, listening to the sounds of the afternoon world around me as I slowly awaken after a much needed rest?

I love Saturdays.

I hope your day is as wonderful.

The Secret

2011-02-10T12:52:00.005+08:00

Anyone out there read the book 'The Secret'? Or seen the film?

I've just finished reading the book for third time, and it's one I plan to read over and over again. Till it all sinks in and stays there.

In a nutshell the big secret is........

.... the law of attraction.

Like attracts like.

Think positive and it will happen. And all that jazz. It's sounds simplistic and it is. But it's oh so powerful.

In the book it talks about people learning the secret and wanting 'proof' that it works, so they ask for something specific like finding a feather or an unusual object coming to them. Such an unusual and unlikely thing, that it confirms for them the power of The Secret.

So I thought, if it worked for them, it will work for me.

So I followed the steps.

1) Ask : state what it is you want to happen in a positive way.

2) Believe : really really believe it will happen, with no shadow of doubt. Visualise yourself receiving the thing, holding it, seeing it or hearing it. Really feel as if it's already happened, like a memory you're reliving.

3) Receive : be open to it occurring, be aware of things around you. Don't be so caught up in the treadmill of life that you don't notice.

For two whole days I did these three steps over and over, whenever I thought of it, in quiet moments and before I fell asleep at night.

Ask, believe, receive. Ask, believe, receive.

Then I let it go. I thought no more of it, I let the universe take over and make it happen.

Then having forgotten all about it, three days later I was astonished to receive this :

Well, blow me down. The Secret works.

You see, I had asked that within the week for someone to tell me I was wonderful or something I did was wonderful. Call me needy and wanting praise all you like, but when I was trying to think of what I wanted to ask for, that thought just popped into my mind, so I just went with it.

Please have someone tell me that what I'm doing is wonderful. Not just a good job or a thanks for that type of comment, but something extra and unexpected.

And this postcard from Renshi Graham (my martial arts instructor) was certainly unexpected. I had never received anything like it before, and neither had Kaiden or Corey. I was amazed. It worked. It really worked.

Then just to top things off, and complete the lesson that like attracts like and one good thing leads to another, something else wonderful happened.

I went to our local second hand bookshop specifically to buy the first book in a series I love, that I had read but didn't have a copy of. I asked if they had any books by the author but all they had were other ones I had already read. I expressed to the lady that I was a bit disappointed as I was really hoping for a particular book.

She looked at me funny for a moment, then reached behind the counter and pulled out the exact book!

The publishers rep had been to her shop just the day before and left a copy of the book I wanted. It was a 'not for sale' copy, just for the owner of the shop to read if she so wished.

But instead she gave it to me. For free.

I could hardly believe it! Perhaps these are both something that could be passed off as coincidence and luck, but I'm sure you've all heard the saying "we make our own luck".

I'm now trying to apply The Secret all the time. It will take time to be able to learn all the things to apply to my life, to have them sink in and be a natural part of who I am, but I now believe with all that I am, that I can create my life.

I urge you to read the book or watch the film.

At least watch the clip below if you have time (it's the first 20 minutes of the film). I would love for you all to give it a go and see what amazing things happen.

What's For Dinner Wednesdays

2011-02-09T21:25:00.000+08:00

It's "What's For Dinner Wednesdays" time again. And I'm terribly unprepared.

Actually, I'm way too tired to take photos of dinner, and then sit down to write a post about it. Hell, I'm way too tired to even cook dinner tonight. Fish and chips anyone?

So instead you now get "What's for Lunch Wednesday". Hmmm...... doesn't roll off the tongue as well though, does it?

Anyway, with the heat we've had recently and will continue to have for goodness how long, (tomorrow is to be 36 degrees celsius again, oh my!) and the fact that I'm not getting enough sleep, I thought that was more than enough cause to indulge myself with my lunch choices.

Brie and crackers, some delicious seedless grapes and a big glass of ice cold water.

Oh, and a chick-lit novel to indulge in also.

To sit down to this, whilst Charlie is fast asleep in his cot for an hour or two, to read and eat uninterrupted is just sheer bliss for me. I could do this every day. Mind you, my waist line won't be so happy if I eat half a wheel of brie everyday.

But other than that - it's pure heaven.

I know, I really need to get a life.

But until such time as I have energy and enough free time to actually get a life, this will have to do. It could be worse. I could have to settle for cheddar instead.

The Mornings

2011-02-07T20:19:00.003+08:00

Oh yes, the mornings.

Now we're back into the swing of school and having to be organised, mornings have once again become busy.

Every night I resolve to wake by 6am the next morning, in order to have a shower and cup of tea in peace before Charlie wakes up raring to go for the day. But every morning I just hit that good old snooze button one more time and try to justify it myself that the extra 20 minutes or so of extra sleep will make a HUGE amount of difference.

Plus, now that summer is at it's height Charlie thinks waking at the crack of dawn is the done thing (that's around 5 - 5.30am at the moment).

Needless to say, mornings are a rather sleepy affair for us all.

Most mornings we look like this :

I think Corey's still asleep..... hehehe.

I did not included myself in this photo due to the fact that no-one needs to be subjected to the sight of me before having my morning shower.

Once again, I will set my alarm tonight, in the hope of actually getting up early and getting a great head start on the day.

Wish me luck at actually managing to achieve that.

School Daze

2011-02-03T20:03:00.005+08:00

Yep, we're in a daze.

Well, I am anyway. The kids are back at school after 2 months off. Back to having to be organised and on top of things again. Way too much pressure if you ask me.

Too much pressure for me, that is. Not for the boys.

I want to go back to the lazy days of summer where breakfast was whenever we felt hungry and there was nothing more pressing to do than figure out if we wanted to swim in the pool that morning or that afternoon.

Or both.

But as change is the only constant in our world it was inevitable that wonderful summer holidays would be well and truly over, and the new school year would begin.

And by the end of the first school day the boys brought home a bazillion notes for me to read and sign, and organise, complete with dates to write on the calender.

Again, way too much pressure. I want summer holidays back.

This year (finally) they are both at the same school again, as Corey has started Yr 8 and moved up to High School.

Corey : 13 and growing up too fast.

Kaiden has started Yr 11, which is his second last year of High School.

Kaiden : Now at Senior School and Mr Cool.

Of course I had to take the obligatory first day photos, especially on the occasion of Yr 8 and Yr 11 starting.

And as per usual, Charlie had to get in on the action.

He even insisted on wearing his little back back and stated he was going to high school too. He was bitterly disappointed when Kaiden and Corey jumped out the car and went into the school without him.

So we're back to having to get up and ready by a decent time, and having to pre make lunches again. Gone are the lovely days of lounging around in pajamas and playing xbox half the day.

Time to study. Time to work.

But time to have a little fun too, I suppose.

As they say "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

But I must say, life is certainly not dull around here. Not by a long shot!

Wax On, Wax Off

2011-02-01T09:14:00.004+08:00

Today's cryptic blog post title is an attempt to lead into talking about my martial arts training via a Karate Kid reference. But somehow I don't think my mind works along the same lines as other people and therefore the post title relating to the post content connection may just come across as a bit lame.

Ah well. I can't be bothered to change it now. Lame post title it is.

You never know, I might get a whole new readership from people searching Google for things like 'best way to wax my car' or 'how to put leg wax on'.

A big shout out to all those car cleaning enthusiast and leg waxers out there. Welcome to my blog. Sorry to disappoint but I don't tend to mention car wax, leg wax, or other type of wax very often.

In fact this is probably just a one off wax mentioning time.

Ok. So back to martial arts training.

So how to start this? Oh yeah.... ouch.

And more ouch.

I have bruises and pains, tired muscles and a head chock full of techniques.

And I also now have my blue belt.

Finally, after such a long time to get there, due to unexpected time off for illness (mine and Charlie's), I finally achieved my blue belt. Things start to get serious now. I'm half way to black belt, a goal that I aim to reach in 3 years.

Now that I've moved up in the martial arts world (in my mind at least!) we are doing lots of technical stuff but also lots of fun things too.

For weapons training we're focusing on the nunchucks for the next few months. They're a great weapon to use, lots fun as long as you don't knock yourself on the head mid swing. Not so fun then.

Last night we were learning Brazilian Ju Jitsu, which I love doing. It's hard, in a very controlled way, and totally different to all the other types of martial arts I've done. Slow and controlled, relaxed but strong. Rolling around on the floor wresting with the others reminds me of being a kid - you just got to go with the flow and enjoy it.

Before my training session last night, Kaiden had his Muay Thai (Thai kick boxing) training, which I watched, only to have my Renshi (teacher) try to convince me to give it a go myself. Kick boxing isn't something I ever thought I would want to try, but the more I watched, the more I thought to myself "I could do this".

So I've decided that next week I'll do back to back sessions. An hour of Muay Thai, followed straight after by an hour of Zen Do Kai.

Call me crazy.

Alright now, everyone say together : "You're crazy!!!"

So there you have it, a rambling, nonsensical post about my dreams of black belted glory and delusional perception of physical capabilities.

Welcome to my blog.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday (on a Saturday. Again)

2011-01-29T10:19:00.002+08:00

It's summer.

It's hot.

We may be hit by a cyclone tonight.

That about sums up the focus of our lives right now. So what shall we do? Batten down the hatches? Prepare emergency food, water and torches?

No.

Not me. I take photos of what I'm wearing instead. Priorities, you know.

Silk camisole top, little black shorts and high heels are mandatory cyclone weather fashion in my book.

Just because one's hair might get a little messy in 120kph cyclonic winds, doesn't mean the rest of you should look a mess.

Standards, people, standards.

Ok, seriously now, I think that's enough trivialities for the moment. I'm off to pretend I know what I'm doing for cyclone preparedness.

Such as prepare my outfit for tonight.

I have to look good in case the State Emergency Services show up if our roof blows off, you know.

Standards and all that.

Why I love the Australian Summer.....

2011-01-24T06:36:00.000+08:00

...... night swimming during a thunder storm.

Bliss.

Stress-less or Stress-free?

2011-01-22T14:37:00.007+08:00

I apologise for no Fashionable & Fabulous Friday post yesterday. Life has been too..... hectic, distracting and unfullfilling lately.

I've noticed my tension increasing, the clench of my jaw tightening, that tell tale sign of stress within me.

I don't want to feel like this.

Surely there is more to life than the hamster wheel of work, house, kids and commitments?

I want to stress less. No. Scratch that. I want to be stress free.

I found myself needing something, something that's been missing. Then I realised.

I haven't meditated in such a long time.

I've let the distractions of the mundane duties of life... well, I've let them distract me from the moments that make me smile and relax.

So I took a quiet moment to go back to The Meditation Society of Australia website, and restart the free meditation course they offer.

Within minutes the tension had eased.

Eased but not yet gone. I think that will take a little more time and consistency. But it's a start.

The lesson I did was titled 'The Meaning of Life' and was just so fitting for how I've been feeling lately. Here's a short extract :

Wisdom is simple; it is knowledge that craves complexity.

One of the main sources of stress is not having clear life directions or goals. So often we are caught by the urgent things in our lives – our material responsibilities and day-to-day struggles – that they create their own vicious cycle within our minds. This is what we may know as the 'tension loop’.

The 'tension loop' confuses meaning with movement.

Just like a computer, the mind processes data from many sources. The more programs you run in a computer, the less time it can spend on each program before having to go and process a little more of the next. The time the computer spends switching from program to program makes the computer run slower and slower until it may break down or stop.

The mind works in the same way. Only our programs that run around in circles using up the minds resources are our fears, anxieties, doubts and worries. As we run out of resources, the mind (unlike a computer) speeds up. It becomes so involved by the number of things that it has to do that it spends more and more of its time switching from one to the other, drawing us further into the superficial and further away from the analytical and obviously the intuitive or meditative levels. We find that we can’t concentrate for very long, we’re flighty and scattered and it is self-compounding. This 'tension loop' can be permanently transformed only through calming the mind and allowing a deepening of our awareness. We need to identify the negative thought patterns in our lives and transform them into positives. For example, worries are perhaps the most insidious of all negative thought patterns as within the mind they are like a program that loops or is never completed. They use resources, create stress, and are happiest when nothing is ever resolved or an ‘end-point’ reached.

In the end, however, the real problem is not so much that we may be stressed or sick or having a nervous breakdown, the real problem is that we have confused ‘busy-ness’ with our life meaning. Meaningful goals become less and less clearly identified.

If like me you've felt stressed and overwhelmed by the demands of an everyday, modern life, then please feel free to take a quick look at the website and maybe even listen to one of the short, free meditations they offer.

Trust me, you'll feel better for it.

What's For Dinner Wednesdays

2011-01-19T15:08:00.003+08:00

Dinner is much more of a challenge when you have teenage boys in the house.

It usually starts about 10.30 in the morning...

"Mum, what's for dinner tonight?".

I mean, wow, they've only just had breakfast, it's still around 8 hours till dinner time, but they have to check that you haven't by some remote chance forgotten about dinner.

As if I ever could.

Any guesses as to what I'm making with the following ingredients?

Yes? No?

Ok. Is this a bit more of a clue?

That's right!

Homemade hamburgers.

Definitely a favourite around here. They have been lovingly nicknamed: 'Big Mama's Burgers'.

Hmmm..... is that a compliment?

(This is a big person's size burger. Look at the first photo again and you'll see a little round mini size patty about to be flattened and cooked especially for Charlie!)

The fact that they're requested again and again tells me that they must taste good.

I use beef mince and add in egg, breadcrumbs and what ever takes my fancy at the time. A variation much loved by Corey, is the Chicken Burger, with crumbed chicken replacing the beef patty.

I suppose you've all guessed by now that I'm not what you would call a 'method cook'.

More like a throw it all together and hope for the best type of cook.

Thankfully, I can usually pull it off.

Well, Kaiden seems to be enjoying his burger.

And we have the thumbs up approval from Corey.

So, another successful dinner made.

Only 16 hours till the pressures on, and the questions start again.

"What's for dinner, mum?........"

The 'I'm too Busy to Write So Here Are Some Photos' series

2011-01-18T13:51:00.004+08:00

I was looking back through some old photos recently and just for the hell of it, I'd thought I'd share with you all!

Whether you like it or not.
__________________________________________________________

My dearly missed sports car nicknamed "Black Betty" who I had to give up when I became pregnant with Charlie as I could no longer get in and out of it.
Plus there was no room for a baby seat.

The sacrifices we make for our kids. *sigh*
___________________________________________________________

18 December 2005. One of the happiest days of my life.

The feeling of bliss and contentment I had as I stepped out the church will stay with me forever.
_____________________________________________________________

In the arms of my beloved husband at our reception.

___________________________________________________________

6 months pregnant with Charlie.

I just loved being pregnant, I seem to be quite good at it!
____________________________________________________________

A proud & very sleep deprived mama. Charlie was just 5 weeks old.

It's hard to remember he was ever this small!

___________________________________________________________

I hope you all enjoyed this short ramble down (my) memory lane.

And I promise I'll try not to resort to this type of lazy posting again too often.

What's For Dinner Wednesdays

2011-01-12T19:16:00.000+08:00

I'm thinking of starting a new themed day, along the lines of Fashionable and Fabulous Fridays, which seem to be popular.

So what does everyone think of 'What's For Dinner Wednesdays'?

I, like a lot of other mums I know, get stuck into the routine of making the same meals over and over again, due to lack of time, planning and ideas. So if we can share some ideas of quick and easy family meals, surely it will add a little inspiration to our cooking lives? Yes?

So, let's kick start this with Risotto. Easy Peasy.

Nothing is more homely to me than a delicious risotto made with love and care.

Everyone in this house loves risotto, so much so that I make a ton of it at once and we have it for lunch and dinner the next day and then freeze the rest.

The little bowl at the front is for Charlie and the other four huge servings are to satisfy the ravenous horde that live here.

Here we have a very basic Chicken Risotto, very simple yet oh so yummy.

Healthy too, which is always a bonus!

I don't follow a recipe as such, and often vary between ingredients such as chicken, mushrooms, onion, basically whatever takes my fancy at the time.

I serve my risotto with cold sugar snap peas on top.

The contrast between the hot and creamy risotto and the nice cold crunchiness of the peas is just divine. You just have to try it!

Please play along and add to the comments what you plan to cook tonight, or something yummy you've recently made. I'd love to hear from you all and get some inspiration for future What's For Dinner Wednesday posts, if they prove a successful addition to this blog.

Wakey, wakey sleepy-head

2011-01-10T07:08:00.000+08:00

Recently Charlie has become a good sleeper.

I know.

Amazing right?

After 2 years of sleepless nights, with me learning to cope on 4 or 5 hours sleep a night, he finally sleeps. All night and for a nice chunk of time during the day too.

See ......

Sleeping to the point where he doesn't wish to wake up.

Noooo.... I want to sleeeep.

Go away Mama.

I was having lovely sweet baby dreams, I don't want to wake up.

See, I'm sleeping.

Oh, alright. I'll wake up. But I won't be happy.

That's just asking too much.

I'll just roll around in my cot, being grumpy.

But being grumpy isn't as fun as I thought.

Maybe we can play peek-a-boo instead?

That's more like it! Hehehe.

Come on, Mama, it's time to get up now.

One can't just laze around all day.

Hurry up, get me out of here.

I've got things to do, places to be, people to charm.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday - The Heatwave Edition

2011-01-07T07:55:00.002+08:00

The recent high temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius mean, even with air conditioning, it's too hot to write.

Not too hot to pose for F&FF photos though!

Without further ado...... here we go for the first of hopefully many 2011 F&FF posts.

Hot mama - in more ways than one!

Short mini skirt previously featured in another recent post, a lovely cool flowing summer top, all finished off with a pair of killer heels. Complete with diamantes.

A girl has to have a bit of sparkle you know.

Gosh, I'm getting big headed over these in demand fashion posts. Hmmm... I need to remedy this quick smart.

Methinks it's time for a 'thoughtful & serious' pose just to establish some credibility as a blog writer (as opposed to a blog poser) .....

There that should do it.

Oh....

Oh dear. We're back to posing.

*sigh*

Time to bring in my trusty sidekick.

He always adds a certain something to these posts.

Hi Charlie!

And now to finish with the tried, tested and proven winning finale.....

Friday Cuddles.

Have a great weekend everyone and don't forget to be Fashionable and Fabulous!

Kids Say the Darndest Things.....

2011-01-05T07:41:00.000+08:00

As inspired by Genesis from Expat Mom, I thought I'd bring you my version of Kids Say the Darndest Things.

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For some inexplicable reason, Charlie has started playing at being a pirate recently.

He really tries to get the pirate lingo correct, but it doesn't always come out quite right. For example :

"Aarrr, me parties!"

I try not to laugh, he is only 2 after all.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Given the amount of swimming we've been doing lately, due to the 40 degree heat (105 for those in the US), Charlie has been fascinated by swimming goggles.

Endearingly, he has named them 'swimming gobbles'.

Again, I try not to laugh!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I could probably compile a list of things that Charlie says incorrectly, but oh so cutely.

But, instead of boring you all I have one last thing to add.

When we play doctors and ambulances, I always smile when he says with dramatic emphasis :

"Quick, let's go to the hosbibal."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

*contented sigh*

If only I could keep him this age forever.

We Spend Most of Our Day Doing This ........

2011-01-04T13:52:00.000+08:00

...... just hanging by the pool.

Don't be too jealous.

Hehehe.......

The New Year, and Lots of Lovely Nothingness.

2011-01-03T14:09:00.011+08:00

As I sit here typing up this post at my new desk, given to me a Christmas gift from my wonderful husband, I look around my home.

My stylish new desk! I'm almost tempted to start back at work a week early in order to make full use of it. Almost.

And I feel full and content.

Little Charlie is asleep, my two older boys are outside fixing up a scooter so they can ride to the local deli to buy ice cream, my hardworking husband is ... well... out working, and I am luxuriating in the benefits of having an extended period of time off work.

Important work being undertaken.

I can potter around my home to my heart's content, doing a little bit here and there as the mood strikes me, resting and reading as and when I want to. A little bit of swimming here and there with all my boys, much playing of cars and trains with Charlie and lots of indulgent eating is going on around here.

Percy, friend of Thomas.
It seems I'm usually relegated to being Percy, while Charlie stars as Thomas. Only fair I suppose given it's Charlie's production.

This quiet, simple life fills me with joy. It's a wonderful novelty to have two whole weeks off work, and in the summer holidays too.

This may all sound sickeningly sweet and essentially boring, to those of you rushing through your life with so many things pulling you this way and that, to the point where you fall into bed at night exhausted, but my intent is not to inflict my contentedness upon you, but simply to...... hmmm.... express how I'm feeling right now, I guess.

That's what one's own blog is for, right?

The view from my desk.

But I am aware that all too soon, this idyllic summer break will be over for me.

I'll be back to juggling work, children and home. But after a lovely little break such as I've had, my batteries will be fully charged and ready to take on all the little daily challenges life will throw my way, be ready to grasp opportunities to grow as they materialise and be ready to cope with any sleepless nights yet to come.

January has been a wonderful start to what I intentionally predict to be a magnificent year for my family. Under the influence of this Capricorn month, grand and ambitious plans are being laid that will alter our future in most wonderful and fulfilling ways. I look forward to the fruition of our dreams as the year progresses.

(And, no, I'm not pregnant, nor planning to be. Just in case that thought crossed anyone's mind!!!)

View of our 'Library' from my desk.

Kaiden and Corey are on their summer break till February, which means a whole month remains of sleeping late, swimming and lazing around for them.

I envision come the beginning of February, it will be a rude shock for them to have to conform back to the society standard of a life regulated by the clock. Poor dears!

Creative Corey. Made from skateboard and scooter parts.

One thing I'm excited to report is that the power of intention has manifested beautifully in my life recently.

My life is magnificent.

And the more often I say, the more it magnifies the magnificence!

Ask. Believe. Receive. The Secret.

I feel I'm achieving my aim of living in the now, and I'm loving it.

And I sincerely wish the same for all of you.

With all my heart.

And so that was Christmas....

2010-12-27T20:47:00.001+08:00

...it passed in a whirlwind, which it always seems to do. It's always over way too fast.

This Christmas was filled with happy moments, laughter and not a little drama occasionally.

Christmas eve Del's parent's came up from Bunbury to stay with us, along with his sister and two nephews who were over from the UK. The day was spent mainly in preparing for the big day, my planning and preparation of the food and home went smoothly but I can't say the same for Del. In getting the bbq ready he discovered that it no longer worked, so desperate last minute repairs were undertaken, knowing that the very next day we were hosting a BBQ Christmas lunch for 15 people. To say there was a little bit of stress would be an understatement! Luckily, positive thoughts prevailed and the bbq was hobbled into some semblance of working order.

I must say it was lovely to have family around on Christmas eve and an evening walk to look at the Christmas lights really added to the merriment. Charlie was so excited about Christmas but thankfully was so tired out by evening he went to sleep straight away.

Pity the same couldn't be said for the older boys, who were sleeping outside in tents (due to lack of room in the house!). Mark my words, teenagers still get excited and silly on Christmas eve! Finally sometime after midnight 'Santa' was able to drop off a whole sleigh's worth of presents.

Not too many hours later we were all woken by Charlie, followed by some tired teenagers (not so clever staying up half the night being silly, was it now?) and the mammoth though much relished task of unwrapping began.

By lunchtime we had a house full of people, having fun and eating well, though some of the desserts didn't cope too well in the extreme heat. It was a joyful, fun day surrounded by loving family, and I tried desperately to close my eyes to the mess my house had become. Which was hard for me as I find I can't relax when the house is a mess, and boy was it a mess that day. I restrained myself from cleaning away every scrap of wrapping paper, packaging, plates and glasses and went for a swim in the pool instead.

A much wiser decision given the 40 degree heat.

Boxing Day and today were spent relaxing in the pool some more and slowly getting my house back in order (of course!). I have till the 10th January off work, and I have nothing more pressing on my time than ensuring my little vegetable garden is watered each morning.

Bliss.

Though at the moment I'm not too sure how to fill my days, I want to just laze around and do nothing, but that is so unlike me it's hard to actually do nothing. Maybe I'll just read some of the books Del gave me for Christmas and spend lots of time in the pool.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

An Aussie Christmas

2010-12-22T10:12:00.003+08:00

I know, I know.... I've neglected my blog shamefully, but am happy to say it's because I've been having such a fantastic time that I've hardly had time to get on the computer.

Life is busy as I finish up work for the year, plan our Christmas/Solstice family celebration and spend time with Del sister and her boys who are over from the UK for a short while. Way to short a while.

The following video isn't your usual Christmas song, and for all my Northern Hemisphere friends it may give you a little perspective of what Christmas here is like. Although the song is very tongue in cheek, scarily it's also a fairly accurate account of Christmas in Australia!

And so to everyone Merry Christmas/Solstice, enjoy your family and friends, stay safe and count your blessings.

Without further ado, enjoy "Aussie Jingle Bells".

The 'I'm too Busy to Write So Here Are Some Photos' series

2010-12-13T18:05:00.000+08:00

Hmmm.... I see a theme developing here.

Lately it seems that whenever Charlie plays with his big brothers,

a lovely scene like this.....

soon turns into this ....

And again, from this...

...to this....

and finally to this .....

Poor Corey seems to be copping the brunt of little Charlie's over active affection.

I hope that it's just innocent enthusiasm.

Or we may have a problem......

Boys, boys, boys.

2010-12-11T13:17:00.003+08:00

Corey's 13th birthday party is over.

And I'm sad.

Call me crazy but I loved having a house full of boys. And teenage boys at that.

I loved being surrounded by boys, they're just so much fun.

As a teenager myself, I read the books Little Men and Jo's Boy's by Louisa May Alcott, and dreamed of one day opening a school/orphanage for boys, just like the character in the story. Secretly I would still love to do this, though I think my husband would try to talk me out of it.

In the stories she had such adventures with her boys, loved them so much even when no one else did and received love in return. And that's how I feel when I'm surrounded by boys.

I have my own three boysof course, so am well on the way to achieving my secret dream, and when they bring home friends and the house is full - I love it.

Not most people's cup of tea I suppose, to be surrounded by loud, active and always hungry boys, but what I love most is the joy they bring. Boys tend to get a bad rap, you should hear the comments I get when I say I have three boys. Though contrary to popular belief I find them to be full of life, so open and filled with energy and happiness.

I have a great rapport with all of the boys who filled my house, they talk to me, and have said they tell me things they don't even tell their own mum. One of the reasons I'm doing a double degree in Counselling, specialising in Children and Parenting, is to be able to work with kids one day, helping them and their parents to achieve a wonderful life.

Give them love and attention, keep them engaged and active, and boys are just wonderful.

I'm blessed to have three boys of my own, as well as the joy of knowing their friends.

Boys make me smile.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday

2010-12-10T07:02:00.004+08:00

Friday again? Already???

My goodness does time fly by so fast.....

This afternoon Corey has his 13th birthday party.

Lots of boys + going paintballing = lots of messy boys.

Then back to our house for a sleep over / pool party.

Needless to say I have a very busy day getting things organised, so lets get on with the photo shoot.

Again I cheated and took these photos earlier in the week.

Tuesday I believe it was. I had just got back from going to swimming lessons with Charlie.

This skirt is one of my favourites, looks nice and is comfortable enough to wear all day long.

The black top looks fairly plain and simple from the front, but then I turn around and ......

I just love the detailing on the back.

Ignore the fact that I really needed to wear a strapless bra with this top for best effect. As I said I threw this on in the change rooms after swimming.

Whilst taking the photos I thought to myself it would be one of the only recent photo shoots without extras, but then came along my gorgeous little monster to play peek a boo.

So Del took over as photographer to capture the fun.

Where's Charlie and Mama?................

Peek a boo!

Oh mama, not yet! Get the timing right!

The 'I'm too Busy to Write So Here Are Some Photos' series.

2010-12-08T19:04:00.000+08:00

Army Cadets Formal Dinner - 20 November 2010

Just Your Average Day .... in Photos

2010-12-07T09:58:00.000+08:00

Having horsey rides.

Baking yummy muffins.

Doing dishes.

Taking time to smell the flowers.

Having more horsey rides.

Making school lunches.

Eating an ice cream cone for the first time - and loving it!

Being studious.

Being cute.

Being silly.

Just your average day in the Eccentricity household.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday - Better Late than Never Right?

2010-12-06T14:48:00.003+08:00

I've had a crazy busy weekend but I'll write about that in another post.

Right now, it's time for more important things - like Fashionable and Fabulous Friday.

So these photos were actually taken on Friday, but have sat in my camera until today.

Here goes :

This was a spur of the minute, brand new combo of existing clothes from my wardrobe.

It was a slightly cool summers day, so on went my warm and comfortable boots, but I still wanted to have a touch of summer, hence the lovely pink cotton skirt.

Del's comment when I walked out was "You're very pink today".

Not sure whether that was a compliment or not. You never can tell with my husband.

Hmmm.... what IS that intruding on my photo shoot???

Shoo!

Oh, it's just Charlie's elephant Zambi.

But he's a little high for Charlie to be holding him.

Next think I know Charlie and Corey pop around the corner laughing hysterically together.

Kaiden even stuck his head out the bathroom door to see what was going on.

Corey obviously in a very silly mood, started kissing Zambi. I threatened that I would post pictures of this on my blog, and still he continued.

I guess it goes with all the other embarrassing photos I have of him over the years.

Nothing tops the photo of him wearing my bra and knickers though. No, he was not a toddler who didn't understand. He was 9 years old.

We never let him forgot that particular incident.

But I won't be posting that photo. I can't embarrass the poor boy too much.

Or can I?

I love living in a house filled with my crazy and fun boys. It keeps me smiling.

A Summertime Christmas

2010-12-02T12:17:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, in the middle of a heatwave, we put up our Christmas Tree.

It was 38oC that day.

And our air conditioning was broken.

The pool was not fit to swim in either.

Needless to say we were hot.

Hence the nearly naked photos of Charlie.

Listening to Christmas songs such as "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" while putting up the tree in the heat, was the ultimate irony.

Why, hello there Santa, so nice of you to drop by.

Charlie was eager to get started with the decorating.

Surveying the tree.....

For some reason Charlie insisted in putting the decorations as far into the tree as he could reach.

It obviously makes sense in his mind to do so.

The finishing touch.... affixing the star atop the tree.... with a little help from Kaiden.

And the finished product...

It's definitely starting to feel like Christmas around here.

I can tell by that little bead of sweat, slowly trickling down my back.

A Short Early Morning Conversation

2010-12-01T07:14:00.004+08:00

6am this morning.

Me half asleep on the couch trying to desperately to wake up. Charlie watching tv and playing next to me, quite happily awake and full of energy.

Charlie : "Mummy, you're broken"

Me : "Huh, what? I'm broken?"

Charlie : "Yes. Broken. Look at the state of you."

This book .....

2010-11-29T16:59:00.000+08:00

.... is one I can't recommend highly enough.

Although not Buddhist myself, the concepts, ideas and strategies detailed in this wonderful book have enriched my journey through motherhood greatly.

I would recommend it to every mother.

Buddhism for Mothers : A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children - by Sarah Napthali can be found at Amazon Books (which is where I got it from).

Please treat yourself and read this book.

You and your children deserve it.

Someone's a smarty pants.

2010-11-26T10:55:00.002+08:00

This was for a Statewide Science test of all Yr 7 students.

To decipher :

The green band on the left is the range of 80% of students achieved, with the arrow being the average.

The dot, that one waaaayyyy up near the top .......

..... well, that's MY boy.

*smug grin*

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday is back

2010-11-26T09:55:00.003+08:00

After a small glitch last week resulting in no Fashionable and Fabulous Friday post (I know you were all so disappointed - ha!), things are now back on track.

Today's outfit is totally impractical from a 'work from home, running around after a two year old suburban mum' type perspective.

But hey, you only live once!

See what I mean? Skirt short enough that when I bend down to check the letter box later I need to be careful the neighbours don't see more than they bargained for! Ooooh, I am bad!!

I do love this outfit, as to me the colours are perfect for summer and not least the fact that both items were chosen and bought for me by my darling husband.

The skirt was bought from Marks & Spencer in Hong Kong (Del was feeling homesick for UK shops I think!), after me having had a look around the store and declaring there was nothing I liked, Del had a look and came up with this skirt. And a great blouse to go with it (not pictured this time).

Thanks honey, I love that you have great taste in clothes and don't mind shopping for me!!!

The shirt I'm wearing is a latest acquisition that Del bought for me as a surprise from Fred Perry in the UK. A month or so ago a package arrived from the UK with three Fred Perry shirts - one for Del, one for me and one for Charlie.

I'll try to get a photo soon of Del and Charlie wearing their matching shirts. Can anyone say 'mini- Del'?

As per usual I had my fashion assistant with me every step of the way today.

Hi Charlie!

Now move, mummy wants to pose.

I think I've created a fashion monster. He spends all the time hogging the mirror.

Hey kid, scram. This is my photo time!!!

In this photo Charlie is trying to look at the back of his head in the mirror. Try telling a stubborn two year old that it won't work. It just makes him more determined.

Until he gets distracted by some other interesting thing.

"Oh wow, it's my Thomas!".

They do say that fashion models are fickle.

The Vege Patch

2010-11-25T07:00:00.000+08:00

From small beginnings just two months ago ......

....we now have this :

I'm simply amazed by how wonderful this experience of growing our own vegetables is.

A bit of water and a bit of love and they thrive.

This is our little froggy garden guardian, who watches over our plants ..... he was made by Corey many years ago when he was a gorgeous little boy (now he's a gorgeous big boy.)

We have cherry tomatoes ripening.

I picked the first three of our tomatoes today and oh my, were they delicious. So sweet and firm, mmmm.

The cucumber is flowering....

.. and already we're having a bumper crop of cucumbers with many more to come.

I can foresee us having many many salads this summer!

This is our Leaning Tower of Asparagus.

I've figured that this asparagus plant is the teenager of our vege patch. It's really not doing anything and can't even be bothered to stand up straight.

The capsicums have finally decided that it's time to flower.

And I must say they have very pretty flowers too.

We have a 'mama watering can' and a 'baby watering can'.

Both get put to good use.

Charlie is an avid gardener, and I often find him filling his watering can from the dogs water bowl.

Great for the plants, not so great for poor Trooper.

We've been loving growing our own vegetables so much, that we want to plant more.

Many more.

I have packets of seeds ready to go and Del went out and obtained this corrugated iron vege-planter. For free!

I'm itching to get the soil in and get planting.

So far we've filled the base with straw and will soon get the soil. Corn, beans, peas, lettuces and herbs will soon fill this planter.

I'm enjoying working in the garden, helping Mother Nature do her thing, and I'm thrilled that my boys know exactly what food looks like in it's natural form, and that it doesn't actually grow on supermarket shelves!

And it's only November

2010-11-24T11:26:00.002+08:00

This is my bedroom :

Which I love. It's my haven, where I can find some peace and quiet in my wonderful, hectic life.

And this :

.... is my side of the bed, closest to the windows, nice and light and airy.

On my bedside table is my lamp to read by, perfumed oil from Dubai, a photo of my husband as a 21 year old soldier in the British army, a photo of the two of us together at the very beginning of our relationship and my box of tarot cards.

In the top drawer are books.

Many, many books.

I like to read, you see.

And if you look a little closer....

.... and lower .....

...what is that we can spy?

Why it's a secret stash of Christmas presents, all wrapped and ready to go!

Yes, I am very happy to say that for the first time EVER, I have finished my Christmas shopping in November. Yay, for me!

I'm just waiting on the last of the online orders to arrive (should be this week sometime) and then that's it. I've never been so organised.

It's a good feeling.

It also means it leaves me free to plan the Christmas / Summer Solstice party that we're having here on Christmas Day.

Hmmm.... party planning and organisation.... I'm in my element there. This is the fun stuff now.

So how's your Christmas shopping/organisation going?

The 'I'm Too Busy to Write So Here Are Some Photos' series

2010-11-22T14:06:00.001+08:00

Mondays are Daddy and Charlie time around here.

I'm off to the office for the morning working hard to bring home the bacon, and they get to have some bonding time together....

.... and I think this photo beautifully captures the bond these two have.

It's enough to make a mama/wife's heart melt. *contented sigh*

The Belated Halloween Post

2010-11-18T13:34:00.000+08:00

I know this post is a bit late.

Well ok, a LOT late. Every other blogger on earth has done their Halloween post ages ago, done and dusted. But not me...

And although you're all probably focused on Thanksgiving (for my US readers!) and Christmas by now, here's what happened on Halloween in our little part of the world.

Halloween in Australia is not big at all. It's becoming more popular but only because we are more and more influenced by American culture. Trick or treating is slowing gaining popularity, mainly as a means for kids to get extra rations of lollies for no particular reason.

Now being pagan, Halloween, or Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) does have meaning for us. It's a traditional Autumn agricultural, earth based celebration going back to the mists of time (ok maybe that bits a little exaggeration!).

My problem is this - IT'S NOT AUTUMN HERE!

Just because Halloween is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere in their Autumn, people in the Southern Hemisphere who have no real idea of what they're celebrating follow along just because of the calendar date.

We should be celebrating Springtime.

But being the wonderful mother that I am, I don't want to deprive my kids of the fun of trick or treating for a bag of sugar and additive laden lollies. So we celebrate a modified version of Halloween on the evening of 31 October.

This year the big boys couldn't wait to introduce Charlie to the fun of trick or treating. Even though he was ill, I relented and let them take him out for a short time.

Kaiden as the boy from ET, Charlie as a Magician, and Corey as a skateboarding demon type creature.

At first Charlie wasn't quite sure about this whole dressing up thing.

"I'll sort of smile just to humour you, but I really don't get what this is all about."

"Lollies and treats you say?"

"Ok then, let me just adjust my cape. Let's roll!"

I think the older two boys benefited from having a cute little brother along with them, and their stash of good stuff was definitely bigger than last year.

And that's when Charlie realised he was onto a good thing.

Enjoying the spoils, and the subsequent sugar high.

Secretly, even though my older two are getting to be big boys now, I still think they love the fun of getting dressed up.

Not that us adults would ever enjoy anything like that......

Being a sexy witch... please don't laugh!

I had at one point intended to write about the origins of Halloween, and how here in the Southern Hemisphere it's Spring and we celebrate Beltane, but I'm a little over it all now.

But we did celebrate Beltane on 1 November. Halloween = death, followed by Beltane = life. This is how I justify celebrating Halloween out of season, the circle of life, death, life and so on.

Beltane is an old agricultural festival that celebrates the start of summer, the crop, pasturing season and fertility. It's a fun celebration of life.

This year we didn't do much for Beltane, I had wanted to make a mini Maypole for us to dance around and to have a little feast but circumstances conspired against my good intentions. I did decorate my besom (broom) though.

It's my witch's broom that I made recently from twigs gathered from the trees at the park across from our home. I plan to decorate it for each Sabbat (Holy days). I don't have much time to plan out big celebrations for each Sabbat, but I do what I can and in my heart I celebrate it in all it's glory.

Happy belated Beltane/Samhain to you all!

Not again!

2010-11-17T15:35:00.004+08:00

Another one of us has been struck down. *sigh*

Yes, Kaiden is unwell, possibly with Glandular Fever. *double sigh*

He's currently fluctuating between wallowing in a mass of messy bedcovers or sitting with x-box controller in hand, relishing spending the day being idle and getting to play xbox uninterrupted for hours on end.

I'm kinda nice like that when my boys are ill.

And as you can probably tell, he's not exactly at death's door.

More kind of wandering down the path of self pity, with an unhealthy dose of sore throat, chills and nausea thrown in.

He had blood tests done earlier today which will tell us if it's GF, though I have all my fingers and some of my toes crossed that it's not.

Given that he has exams next week, and should be spending this time studying English, Science, Maths etc instead of agonising over which accessories to apply to his x-box high speed race car, I will be more than a little suspicious if the blood results come back negative.

Hmmm.... doesn't look too sick to me.

Every little bit counts

2010-11-16T14:33:00.000+08:00

I just love this journey we've been on towards living more simply. We are getting there, baby step by baby step. Just a little bit at a time.

I know if I let myself, I would read everything I could get my hands on, in order to research every aspect, make loads of lists of things we could do, another million lists on how to do all those things and then meticulously plan a schedule for when to implement said things.

My OCD side is just itching to do just that.

But NO, baby steps. Little, one at a time baby steps. If I launch myself headlong into it, I know that I'll overdo it and give up all too soon , so it's try the new 'baby step' approach time.

And do you know what? It's working!

Due to living in such a dry country, and given the terribly dry winter we've just had our dam water supplies are at an all time low. It's only just turned into Spring and the government has already introduced water restrictions, we can only use sprinklers once a week at the moment. I predict by summer we won't be able to use the sprinklers at all, and maybe not the hose either. Oh how my poor garden will suffer.

So the latest live more simply / eco move we have made is to keep buckets in the showers to catch the wasted water while we wait for the shower to heat up. We do the same in the kitchen and I could hardly beleive we've been wasting up to 3 buckets of water A DAY. Wow! Also I'm saving the water from Charlie's evening bath to reuse also.

This saved water goes out each morning to the vegetable pot garden to give precious nourishment to my little plants during this warm weather.

There is so many more things we would like to do, but they need time and money, but I'm hopeful that the time will come where we can finally implement many of them. I'll just have to be patient I guess.

Maybe in the mean time I can do just a little research, and maybe just write a short list?

Everyone loves the Zoo, don't they?

2010-11-15T14:53:00.000+08:00

A little while ago, Del's parent came to visit for the weekend.

All the boys love a visit from Grandma and Grandad.

Charlie especially loves his Grandad who is not afraid to get down and be silly with him. I could make a comment about being on the same wavelength as a two year old, but I love my Father in Law too much to say that!

When they come to visit we try to get out and do something fun and this time it was a trip to the zoo.

Unfortunately what we didn't realise was how ill Charlie actually was. Just the day before he'd seemed to be perking up so off we went to the zoo.

Little did we know what was to follow.

Weather wise it was the perfect day, sun shining, the animals happily sunning themselves in their enclosures and all that. But Charlie soon got tired.

And grumpy.

And so Mama was tired.

And also grumpy.

But we persevered.

"Look at that giraffe, Charlie. Look, look".

Charlie looks down at the ground and refuses to be bothered to look up at the giraffe.

"Look here's a rhino, Charlie, wow!"

No response but to take a drink and stretch his arms out to me as I was the only one he would let carry him for longer than two minutes.

We trailed around the zoo trying to maintain rapidly failing enthusiasm.

Whose great idea was it to come to the zoo?

Oh yeah. Mine.

The orang utan mother with the little baby tucked under her arm was just gorgeous. Watching her climb the pole with the baby clinging onto her side looked perilous, but I'm sure she knew what she was doing.

Can you see the baby peeking out from under her right arm?

We stopped for a bite to eat in the hopes of lifting morale. It seemed to work, thank goodness.

I think out of everyone, Kaiden and Corey enjoyed themselves the most.

Charlie perked up a bit and played with his Grandad and chased a few errant birds around.

I thought I would try to take a nice photo of my notoriously camera hating husband.

No smiling from him.

I had to be sneaky to get a smiley shot, while he watched Charlie playing.....

Kaiden wanted to then take a photo of Del and I which was a fantatic idea since we don't have many together photos as usually it's one of us taking the shots.

Again, no smiling from Del.

But then when you least expect it, he does this :

I love my crazy husband!

After our little break, we passed the Merry Go Round, which Charlie has seen on tv before but never in real life.

He really wanted to go on it, but we were all ready to leave by this time.

Next time, my darling, I promise!

On the way out, Charlie discovered a new friend. At first he thought it was real, then when he realised it was stone, he proceeded to climb all over it.

Corey watching out for Charlie like a good big brother and making sure he doesn't lose his balance and fall.

And so after a tiring and not so successful outing we headed home.

The end.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday

2010-11-12T09:26:00.003+08:00

Have you all got your glad rags on today?

Because Fashionable and Fabulous Friday is back.

Today is the Fashionable and Fabulous Friday - The Work Edition.
As in this is what I wear to the office when I go in for my one morning a week of hard slog (not).

But I do have a little confession to make.

I work on Mondays.

Hence I did not wear this today. Today being Friday.

Hmmmm........ surely you know not to believe everything on the internet, don't you?

People actually expect to be misled by the internet these days. So I'm just providing an up to the minute, with the times type of service to you all.

Do you think sexy red stilettos are too much for the office?

I don't!!!

And when the weather turns chilly, I even vamp it up with a pair of lace topped stockings.

Bought from Paris of course (as is a lot of my underwear, thanks to my lovely husband).

Ooh la la, très risqué.

Charlie has become quite curious about why Mama is always posing in front of the mirror with the camera in her hand, so I decided to show him a few poses.

He's a natural!

Oh, and please excuse the tired, haggard look and terrible hair in these photos. I'm extremely sleep deprived and upon using straightening irons on my hair, it went completely flat and boring looking.

Traitor!

I want glamourous hair again, but growing out a short style takes patience and a lot of perseverance.

And so this edition of Fashionable and Fabulous Friday is a wrap.

We just have time for one last thing ........

............GROUP HUG.

P.S. What I'm wearing today, as the real Friday outfit for today, isn't all that bad really, it's just that I washed my hair this morning and haven't had time to tame the mass of curliness and frizz I'm currently sporting atop my head. Yes, it's worse than the hair in the above photos!

One of Three

2010-11-11T12:45:00.007+08:00

Can you guess who this is?

It's one of my children, obviously. But which one?

Given I have three children, you have a one out of three chance.

Well, since Charlie is too little to be in the army, you have a one in two chance really.

And it's ...............

....... Corey!

Bet you thought it was Kaiden, getting sorted for Army Cadets, didn't you?

Well, now I have two of my boys in Army Cadets. And I couldn't be more proud.

I realise that I haven't really written a lot about Corey. My middle boy. My 12 year old.

A 12 years old wearing size 13 boots.

Men's size, not boys size.

I'm not kidding.

To put that into perspective here are our feet together.

And I have average women's size 8 feet.

He also towers over me already, which is an unsettling feeling to have your offspring taller than you are.

He even towers over his 15 year old brother.

(Doesn't Corey look pleased with himself? Not quite sure why. Kaiden is thinking 'hurry up and take the picture, Mum or we'll be late!')

He looks set to reach around 6'3" it seems. That'll be quite funny when he stands next to his 5'3" mother!

So besides being a big giant of a boy, what else is Corey like?

He has a hell of a lot of energy coursing through his body and always has. His body goes faster than his mind, and so he's constantly bumping into things, tripping over and is most definitely my most accident prone boy (I know he also gets that from me!).

And consequently he also does things before he stops to think about them, and has a knack of getting himself into trouble all the time. I don't know how many times I've said to him "just stop and think!!!". But he really doesn't mean to do these things, he just.... does. He takes any telling off or critism to heart, and looks so dejected when I'm angry at him that it's very hard to stay mad at him.

But he is also such a people pleaser, he loves to make people happy and is our family comedien as he sets out to make us all laugh. He is exceptionally loving to everyone and is fantastic with little Charlie. He loves to play those rough housing boy games with his little brother that sometimes end up with me having to step in as Charlie is not always quite ready for those type of games.

Mucking around for the camera when Charlie decided he didn't want to be left out. But he wouldn't stay still long enough for a decent photo! It may look like a grimace, but Charlie is actually laughing here.

He has a knack for making friends wherever he goes, and always has been like that. No matter where we are, within minutes he's got a circle of kids around him and is happily making everyone laugh. He just loves babies and little kids, and can be so considerate of them, but then because of his size and intelligence he fits in perfectly with older kids too.

Corey is also exceptionally brainy. He's a maths whiz but excels at every subject. He starts high school next year and was accepted into the Academic Extension program, which is just fantastic as he needs the extra stimulation or he gets bored and plays up due to all the extra energy he has.

He is the sportier of my boys too, loves his soccer and martial arts, but can turn his hand (or foot!) to any sport and has represented his school on many occasions. He has a deep interest in spirituality, and I love the discussions we can have these days. One of the perks of having teenagers is the conversations you can have with them. So much more depth that you get with younger kids, I love hearing their view of things and exposing them to new concepts and ideas.

To my mind he has it all : he's smart, he's sporty and has an engaging personality. As I keep telling him, with that combo he can do anything and be anything he wants in this life.

But to me he'll always be my Corey-boy.

Contented Days

2010-11-10T15:41:00.005+08:00

As I sit at our kitchen bench, with Charlie on my lap, tapping this out on my laptop and listening to the spring rain gently falling, I feel content.

Very, very overwhelmingly tired but also content.

Recent events have made me stop and notice all the things I have to be thankful for. Uppermost in my mind right now is thankfulness that Charlie has come through his terrible ordeal with glandular fever and a horrific reaction to penicillin. I know that the recovery period can be long but I am thankful he is in the recovery phase.

The rash resulting from a reaction to amoxicillin. This rash turned out to be worse than the glandular fever - causing horrific itching, pain and bruising all over his body.

It has been such a harrowing experience for all of us these last 6 weeks.When seeing the doctor the other day for a check up, he said that he was glad to see us come in, as he had been very concerned and made the comment that "not knowing if Charlie was lying in hospital still or dead had been difficult". That made me stop still. Dead? That certainly helps put things into perspective.

But we are on the other side now, we can move on with our lives, and this period will become just a terrible memory of Charlie's childhood.

Repeated bathing in Pinetarsol (made from pine tree sap) helped relieve the itching temporarily. But many sleepless nights were had. His skin become so sensitive that to cuddle him caused pain and bruising.

I'm a firm believer that the things that happen in our lives happen for a reason. And this recent experience is no different. It can sometimes take a little thought to figure out the reason.

Did it open a new door in our life? Or close one?

Did it confirm we are on the right path, or the wrong one?

Did it make us stronger, softer, more patient?

Or perhaps we can just learn and grow from it.

After thinking on things as I held my ill little boy in my arms, as he itched and cried, said he was in pain, I could take from this trying time, that it's just confirming my need to learn to focus only on the now.

I've blogged about this before, my need to learn this lesson. Focussing on the now, on what is happening right this second, will ensure I don't borrow stress from what is to come, or from what has been.

I want to be able to enjoy every second of this life, to feel contentment and peace. No more rushing and stress.

But, like most people, my life is busy and rushed. And quite often stressed. So I forget and fall back into old habits.

I'm a work in progress, I guess.

But I'm ok with that. I'm overwhelmingly happy with my life, my family, my home. That's not to say I won't have bad days. But I'm content enough within myself to get through them.

And so I think I'm now ready to come back into the blogging world again, sharing little tidbits of my eccentric and wonderful life. Some bits interesting, some funny, some deep and meaningful.

And quite a few superficial and trivial ones. (Fashionable Friday, anyone?)

Taking a breather.

2010-11-02T13:28:00.003+08:00

Due to current circumstances I'm going to take a short break from this blog. More from necessity than anything else.

Today Charlie has taken a turn for the worse with the glandular fever. This could take a while for him to get over.

Nursing a sick and very clingy toddler, whilst still trying to work from home 30 hrs a week and look after the home and other kids and husband, is taking it's toll and something has to give.

I will return, I promise! I love writing this blog too much, and love the people I have met through writing it.

I thank you for your understanding and I hope to be back in the near future.

The House of Plague and Pestilence

2010-10-31T16:30:00.005+08:00

These last few weeks have been a blur. No, not the sort of blur I live my life in usually - if only it had been.

This was a blur, a haze, a waking dream, or nightmare, of illness and sleep deprivation.

It's been something no amount of coffee could fix. It's been that bad.

This house has continued to be the house of plague and pestilence.

Charlie has been sick for 3 weeks now, most of it with cold like symptoms resulting in a clingy whiny 2 year old. Made worse that he was unable to sleep at night as he would jerk violently awake every time he tried to take a breathe through his nose but ended up making a horrible snorting type noise that left him gasping for breathe.

Charlie being unable to sleep = mummy being unable to sleep.

But I could live with that. Temporarily.

Then I got sick too. That wasn't so good.

Then I got better. Then I got sick again.

Then Del got sick.

Charlie continued to be sick.

Life still had to go on. Though not quite as efficiently as usual.

Del and I are recovering, it seems to be a very slow process getting any semblance of energy back, no matter how many cups of coffee and sugar hits I have.

So whilst we recovered we watched Charlie get worse. And worse.

He developed a cough, one worthy of a pack a day smoker. The doctor (who I really didn't like) couldn't detect anything wrong in Charlie's lungs (???) but she did hear a heart murmur. Great. Something else to check out later. She patted him on the head (more like yanked him by the arm) and sent us on our way.

Over the next few days Charlie continued to worsen. High high fevers that wouldn't come down even with medication and he was having trouble breathing through his blocked nose.

It the midst of high fevers I noticed that scariest thing yet.

Well, two things.

1. The glands under his ears were so swollen they were disfiguring his face. (They measured an inch wide and two inches long!)

2. A RASH!

OMG! A rash. And fevers. Swollen glands. Irritability. Trouble breathing. OMG!

Time to give myself a stern talking to. Calm down now. I'm sure it's nothing. I'm just over reacting. Deep breath. Where's the phone? Doctor, I need to see you NOW.

The doctor (a different doctor who I much preferred) umm'd and ahh'd for a while, and was completely baffled.

It could be just a nasty virus.

It might even be glandular fever.

It has similar symptoms to Kawasaki Disease (OMG. Please no).

So off we drove calmly, oh alright, not so calmly to the Children's Hospital in the city, me continuing to talk myself into not freaking out. Thankfully when the triage nurse took one look at Charlie she prioritised us and we got straight in. Being prioritised is good as you get straight in, but it sure doesn't help the stress levels and shoots to pieces the 'stay calm, it's nothing' mantra I'd been using.

Lets skip straight to the diagnosis part, shall we? I know it's the part I wanted to hear immediately.

The diagnosis was... are you ready.....

..... they didn't know.

Good old health system. The best they could say was that it could be a nasty virus or it could be glandular fever.

And worst of all..... THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO.

Nothing they could do to help my darling boy, as he lay lethargic in my arms, his little body burning with fever as he struggled to breathe.But I was thankful that I knew he would recover.

After discussion we decided not to do the blood test that would confirm if it was glandular fever, as Charlie was so ill and it would be a traumatic thing to hold him down to take blood.

Traumatic for him and for me too I would imagine.

And even if they confirm it is glandular fever there is nothing that can be done for it. Just time and rest.

Two days after returning home, Charlie has definitely perked up. The fever has gone, the nose is clear, the glands are going down and he seems to be a little more like himself. In a subdued, clingy and sad to see sort of way.

I think he still has a way to go till he's back to his old self, it was the most horrible thing to see him so ill, but it's also terrible to see him so... so... I don't even know how to say it.... so not like himself I guess. I'm more thankful than I've ever been that he is over the worst of this virus, but the recovery could takes weeks or months till he regains his old level of high octane fueled energy again, and that's how we'll know if it is glandular fever.

Kaiden and Corey took him on his first ever expedition 'trick or treating' tonight for Halloween that isn't actually Halloween (a whole other post on this topic is coming I think!). I wasn't sure if him going out was even a good idea but it's something that all three of them had planned for weeks now, so I agreed to a brief outing. And although by all accounts he seemed to enjoy it all, he wasn't his usual self and all he wanted was cuddles with me when he returned.

It's definitely one day at a time around here right now.

I really didn't set out to write a long post about Charlie's illness, I had intended to mention more to explain the lack of activity around here over the last few weeks, but it morphed into a full blown, second by second account instead.

I'm not writing this for sympathy, or to make something big and terrible out of something small and not that bad.

I think I needed to just get it all out, purge all the worry that had built up inside me, whilst on the outside I had to keep it all together and stay strong blah blah blah. The happy face belied the worry and stress, the self blame and sleep deprivation, I have 3 children who need me, I can't crumble. But boy, does that take it's toll.

I'm ready now for a big long, uninterrupted sleep. Rest and recuperation.

But unfortunately I seem to have developed insomnia.

Fashionable and Fabulous Friday

2010-10-23T14:04:00.004+08:00

It's Fashionable Friday again.

On a Saturday.

And you all know what that means, don't you?

Yep that's right - I've been just too damn busy to actually manage to do this post on a Friday. Oh, and for most of Friday I didn't have my computer. But excuses, excuses......

Anyway, on to the topic at hand, what will I be wearing????

After having the Fashionable & Fabulous Friday challenge thrown at me by my delightful Soul Sister, I'm happy to say I can now cross the first thing off the list :

(3) Ethnic/folk/a little earthy

So what do you think?

This was a bit of an easy one that I chose to start with, as this is an outfit that I wear often when I'm in a Earth Mother type of mood.

Loose and flowing, yet comfortable and still a little stylish I hope.

I've even gone barefoot in these photo's just to add that authentic earthy touch! Either that, or I just couldn't be bothered finding a pair of shoes to go with the outfit.

This skirt deserves a close up shot of it's own as whenever I wear it I get many lovely compliments on it. It was one of my market finds in Hong Kong last year, and I just love this skirt to pieces. Literally. It's been worn so much that it's starting to show a bit of wear and tear.

It's worth a flight back to HK just to buy more of these skirts - one in each colour should do it I think.

I know it wouldn't be hard to convince my darling husband to take a little jaunt over to HK, we both love it there. And as a bonus, he's a man who loves to shop, and boy did we shop. Till we dropped!

Don't be jealous - I know how lucky I am.

And the divine necklace also deserves a close up. I love how it just works with the earthiness of the outfit, and really pulls it all together. It was a gift from my mum and dad, and I'm so thankful for my mum's wonderful taste in jewelry.

So there you have it - Earth Mother.

Done and dusted.

Next!

The Evolution of Fashionable & Fabulous Fridays

2010-10-20T10:13:00.000+08:00

After reading the latest Fashionable & Fabulous Friday post my wonderful 'soul sister' made the following comment on Facebook :

Okay Ladies, I've decided that Leiani should democratize her Fabulous Friday feature by letting her readers (that's us!) suggest some FF looks... What say you? My suggestions: (1) Breakfast Club (80s inspired), (2) Sporty Look: Daggy or Glam...? Convert me!, (3) Ethnic/folk/a little earthly, (4) Take me to the Melbourne Cup for November, (5) if I were a special guest on Oprah, (6) if I had to read the evening news, (7) Grease Lightning!, (8) if I were the First Lady or in your case, the Fisk Lady (I am so funny!!!)

I just love this idea, especially as my wardrobe isn't exactly inexhaustable, and neither is my budget, so there will come a time when I've shown you everything I've got. Outfit wise that is.

I just love the time and effort my Soul Sister put into this list, and the diversity! Oh my what a challenge.

So interspersed amoung my regular Fashionable & Fabulous Friday clothes, I will attempt to create some of these interesting sounding outfits.

But there's a catch. Isn't there always?

I want you guys to play along too.

Now if you're the shy and retiring type then you can just add some more ideas in the comments section, or if you're bold and confident then get your camera out and pose away! Take pictures of your Fashionable & Fabulous Friday outfit and post it on your own blog (if you don't have one, you can always just email them to me to check out).

I'd love for Fashionable & Fabulous Friday's to become more interactive, and for me not to be the only one on this crusade to inspire women of the world to dress pretty to make themselves feel good.

Put on your glad rags, ladies, and smile!

The "I'm Too Busy To Write So Here Are Some Photos' series

2010-10-18T21:38:00.000+08:00

It's toilet training time around here.

Since I'm a girl and this is secret men's business, Daddy thought he would take over this one and explain to Charlie 'how it's done'.

What????

How would YOU toilet train a 2 year old?

Fashionable Friday

2010-10-15T09:59:00.005+08:00

Yes, it's that time again. Fashionable Friday is here.

And this time, you're in for something a little bit different.

A departure from elegance, shall we say. Moving away from the feminine skirts and dresses I usually wear.

Today has now become Casual Friday.

As you can see. my trusty sidekick had to get in on the action.

You know how on the red carpet all those celebrities glibly recite all the items of designer wear they have on? I feel like I should be doing that too, as I walk down the terracotta tiled hallway that's currently badly in need of a vacuum and a mop.

(Perfect Stepford wife standards have been slipping around here lately. Really must get my act together).

Today I have on a pair of my oldest and most frayed jeans that have seen me through both good and bad times over the years.

Designer : Wrangler. One of the only designs that fit over my .... ahem... errr... 'curvy' bottom, yet fit snuggly around my much smaller waist.

The top is one that Del just this morning called my chain-mail. A metallic thread in loose weave material that's flowy enough to cover a slight muffin top when needed, but can sit off the shoulder to give it bit of an edge and not be too frumpy.

Designer : Hot Options (ie some crappy fashion school drop out who could only get a job designing for for a cheap chain store brand).

The blue singlet top I bought at the Hong Kong Ladies Market for next to nothing and that has been worn so much it's definitely seen better days. Shopping in HK is hilarious as it's the only time I have to buy clothes labelled 'Large'.
Here in Australia I'm a size 6, but I guess I'm considered fat by HK standards.

Designer : who knows? Would anyone lay claim to being a singlet designer anyway?

And although there isn't really a good shot of them, the shoes a really pretty yet comfortable pair of wedges, with lovely blue flower detail on top. I love it when something is pretty and comfortable, a rare combination when it comes to clothes.

Designer : As they were a gift from Indonesia I have absolutely no idea, but I love them.

So there you have it. Casual Friday.

And just to wrap up this post, here's a photo of how today's photo shoot ended.

Gotta love Friday photo cuddles.

Thursday's Post which includes Parental Bragging

2010-10-14T19:57:00.003+08:00

Ever since Charlie came into this world, he's been musical. He loved music the first time he heard it and hasn't stopped dancing and singing since.

I still think it's all the music concerts we went to whilst I was pregnant, all that loud music with lots of bass throbbing through my body straight to him as he bopped along in the amniotic fluid.

Whenever we put any cd's on he's right there, ready to get groovy. He sat entranced by Baby Beethoven on YouTube at 8 months old, and has now learnt the theme songs to all his favourite tv shows. He requests songs from cd's whilst we're in the car, and they're not kids music, it's adults music he loves best.

He sings from the minute he wakes up till the moment he reluctantly goes to sleep. He is constantly moving as if the rhythm of life flows in his blood and he can't help but dance to it.

This kid has the most amazing musical memory and if you ask he can sing any of the 50 or so nursery rhymes from his books. WORD PERFECT.

I gave birth to a freak.

I mean that in the most loving way. And if he's going to be a freak, at least he's a musical freak.

That could mean big money one day.

So me, not being overly musical, except for loving to sing though unfortunately not too well, decided that I was probably not the best person to develop whatever there is to develop in a mini musical maestro.

Today marked the first step in his musical career (the one in my mind anyway) and I took Charlie to music school.

He sang, danced and played instruments and LOVED IT! It was such a good decision to take him along. The main issue I had was keeping him still long enough to listen to the teacher's instructions, Charlie just didn't want to stop dancing.

Whenever the music was turned off momentarily, he would bold as brass walk up to his new teacher and politely ask for the music to "turn on pleeeeaaaaase".

At the end of class all the children got to have a turn playing around on the teachers piano. Now Charlie has never played the piano before all we have is a small keyboard that he's played with. All the kids crowded around the piano, banging their little hands on the keys making a lovely racket, and there is Charlie standing amoungst them carefully picking out each key to play and trying to actually play it. Not just banging it randomly. WOW.

After the other kids left, I stayed on to chat to the teacher for a few moments, while Charlie continued to play at the piano. We showed him that one end has high notes and one end has low, and each time we asked him to play high or low he got it right. I was so proud.

I continued talking to the teacher some more, then glanced over to see Charlie had pulled the stool back up to the piano, climbed on it and was calmly playing high and low notes then picking out a few specific key to play a little tune of his own making, as if he'd being doing it for years. Even the teacher was impressed.

I know Beethoven composed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at age 5, but I think my boy can better that.

Just you wait and see.

Living our Lives

2010-10-13T20:27:00.005+08:00

I've written before about my desire to live the 'simple life' which in my view also covers a living a more 'spiritual life'. A 'simple life' is getting back to living a healthy, natural life, and a 'spiritual life' is living a life where I am filled with contentment and love.

Lately I've been feeling the need to make changes to my life more and more. I think that being Spring I just want to jump start new things and spring clean many areas of my life and home, but I also feel that it's more than just that.

I'm sure other people feel this too. There is a restlessness, a feeling that there has got to be more to this life than what we have at the moment. A need to escape the daily treadmill and really LIVE OUR LIFE. But there is indecision. We are all so used to the life we live, the way our society lives, yet we're not satisfied by it. We want more. But we're not sure what this more actually is, let alone how to achieve it. We feel that we have lost something, but we no longer remember what that something was, only that it is missing in our lives.

I believe that our society is ready for a change, a re-emergence of the fulfilling life we all deserve. Not just deserve, that we are here to experience. That we were each born for. Life isn't about working hard to earn money to give to someone else so we can have a house and food, to pay the bills and to pay for prepackaged entertainment that comes in one of million different forms that we can choose from. How did our society become like this? So focused on things on the outside? Our lives are defined more by the education or career we have, or lack of it, than what we contribute to our family, community and world.

We only live ON this Earth. We no longer feel a PART of this Earth. We came from the earth, we once lived in harmony with it, which is what man was born to do. We were not born to dominate the Earth and other people, in a race to prove who is the best by twisted standards of power and greed.

We have become disconnected from ourselves, our families, our communities and most of all, our world. Perhaps this is what we have lost, what we feel is missing. Perhaps this is why we feel this restlessness, this need, to search for something. We are no longer really a part of this earth. We drive around in air conditioned cars, sealed off from the real world, work deep inside concrete and steel buildings with the only connection to the outside world being through a plate glass window if we're lucky, and we spend majority of our time at home inside, on the computer, watching tv, cleaning and cooking, with the occasional puff of outside air coming through the window, but only on nice days of course! The way we have sealed ourselves off from nature is amazing yet tragic, though no one even really stops to think about it as we just get on with our busy day, never questioning how we live.

Yet there is an unhappiness inside us, a restlessness, a need. Many people feel it on a sub conscious level, and it leads to both minor and major negative behaviours, from being grumpy with our kids, to road rage to more dangerous and terrible things. People just don't know what's 'wrong' but all we do is look at the surface issues - my kids are too hyper, I was late and they cut in front of me on the road etc. But what is really wrong with our society, and each of us? We're missing something.

We can read every self help and spiritual book there is on how to find it again, but I believe that just as each of us is unique, we must each find this something in our own way. Yet conversely, it will also take our society as a whole to change in order for things to change.

I have no idea what will happen, only that it needs to happen.

We each need to look inside ourselves, and at the same time look around this wondrous earth that has given us life and shelter and find that missing something.

Peace?
Contentment?
Meaning to life?
Respect?
Love?
Purpose?

I would love to hear your views on this in the comments.

Fashionable Friday

2010-10-09T14:14:00.003+08:00

I'm sure my loving and patient husband thinks I'm narcissistic.

Each time he uses our camera it has many, many of photos of me on it. In different outfits, in different poses.

It's ok, I say to him. It's for my blog.

Which, when I think about it, just confirms any narcissistic tendencies.

But really, I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing for everyone out there. It's a community service, I assure him. I'm trying to beautify the world.

Oh, that still sounds bad.

Well let's just ignore all that and get on with the task at hand, shall we?

Today's outfit for Fashionable Friday is actually from yesterday, as I've been a bad blogger and am posting this a day late.

It's one of my all time favourite outfits too. You know that no-brainer type of outfit, the fall back one, that you don't even have to think about. That's what this one is.

It's just a simple black sheath dress that I've had for years, that I team with different tops to mix it up a little.

When I spend my day chasing this gorgeous little monster around, I usually wear black ballet flats with it and it's an outfit that is just so comfy yet still stylish.

But when I go out to the store, or to take the kids to school, I slip on a pair of killer heels and voila, instant elegance (and a little bit sexy too! hehehe).

Red is a colour I just love to wear. It's bold and confident and never ceases to make me feel like I can take on the world.

And the pearls? Well, they add a just bit of old world glamour.

There needs to be more glamour in a dreary world.

And there certainly needs to be many more kisses from cute guys like this.

Wow - has it really been a week? Bad me.

2010-10-09T13:37:00.002+08:00

This past week has been eventful to say the least.

My once lovely haven has become a house full of pestilence and disease lately, I almost needed to put up a sign on the front door reading "Enter at Risk of Catching One of a Multitude of Horrible Illnesses".

I've had a a sore throat and aching body that has ended in my usual few times a year bout of laryngitis, which seems to come and go as it pleases in a very annoying bad timing sort of way. At least it gives the men in my family a rest from listening to my nagging. Though I must say it's made singing Charlie his bedtime song a very interesting experience.

Charlie also has had a nasty virus that manifested in a weird combination of ailments : mild temperature, conjunctivitis, hives and a what sounds like a pack a day smoker's cough.

Corey's been battling bronchitis for the last few weeks, till I could no longer stand listening to the disgusting descriptions of what he coughed up each morning, and took him to the doctor for anti-biotics, which we usually try to avoid until absolutely, positively necessary.

Kaiden even had to join in the latest craze of who can out-illness the other, and was throwing up last night. Though upon reflection, the fact that he's perfectly ok today combined with extra large thickshake and lemon sorbet indulgences yesterday, I don't think it would strictly be counted as an 'illness'.

So far Del is the only one not ill. Which is funny as lifestyle wise he's the worst out of the lot of us, yet he stays healthy. I guess someone has to be well enough to keep the rest of us going.

Even my trusty laptop got a nasty virus that sadly required emergency attention. Luckily I didn't lose any data, but our lovely computer guy had to wipe it entirely and start again. Though on the bright side I now have Windows 7.

Of course going the best part of a week with no computer was a blessing and a curse. I loved the time I suddenly found I had, I could stop to smell the roses, bake cookies (more than usual) and spend my time lazing around with a real paper based book. What you mean I actually have to turn the pages myself? You don't just click and it happens????

The curse was, that whilst I was having fun enjoying myself and being giddy with the freedom of not being able to work, said work was stealthily piling up, getting bigger and bigger, ready to jump up and attack me once I did get my laptop back.

So I've been busy being both patient and nurse, and still trying to get on top of work stuff and not succeeding very well at any of it. It's been a week I'd rather forget.

There have been so many things I wanted to post about but haven't had the time or energy to actually write, and at other times I didn't even have a computer to write on. I will try my very best to remember what they were and write some catch up posts. Things such as Kaiden's return from his Army Course so he'll be eligible to become a Junior Non Commissioned Officer (sneak peek: he passed with flying colours!), another post about all those damn cute things Charlie gets up to, and as I was kindly reminded by my lovely 'soul sister' I didn't do my usual Fashionable Friday post. (Which I did take photos for but didn't get around to writing yesterday. So I will post it today, but please don't hold it against me that it's a day late.)

Anyway, after all that rambling, here's to next Monday and a fresh start.

(It also helps that the kids are back to school next week after 2 weeks off!!!)

Fasionable Friday

2010-10-01T20:30:00.000+08:00

Ok, so we've had the ode to the 1950's, now we're moving on to the 1960's!

Yeah, baby!

(trying out my model poses for you all. Anyone know a good modelling agency? I'm the next Cindy Crawford, you know. What? Don't laugh, I so could be. Stranger things have happened.)

This is my modern take on a 1960's look. All I need now is for Woodstock to be revived, I'm ready to get groovy, man.

I did wear this particular dress to a concert starring a plethora of fabulous and famous aging 60's Motown singers, but it was teamed it with a pair of very high heeled, retro looking, knee high brown leather boots instead of the wedges I'm wearing here.

It was a decision I regretted.

But on the upside, I did get a lot of compliments that night. (hehehe!)

During this particular modeling session, someone decided to crash the photo shoot, so I couldn't resist including him here.

Is that an uncomfortable smile I see from Kaiden?

"Mum, you're embarrassing me in front of the whole of the world wide web".

What else are mums for, darling?

The 'I'm too Busy to Write So Here Are Some Photos' series

2010-09-28T22:28:00.000+08:00

Kaiden is away at Army Cadet camp this week. Learning to be a Junior Non Commissioned Officer.

Goodness help us!

I have noticed this week that someone seems to be missing Kaiden a lot. I'm often finding Charlie in Kaiden's empty room just looking around.

I'm just like my big brother Kaiden.

I'm in the Army 'Tadets', too.

Yes, sir!

Hmmm.... what do you do with this bit?

Oh, oops. I didn't mean to do that.

Do you think Kaiden will be mad that I broke his hat?

Nah, I'm too cute for him to be angry.

(Apologies for the poor photo quality. Certain models have yet to learn they need to stand STILL for a decent photo to happen.)

Looking for sympathy.

2010-09-27T20:07:00.005+08:00

Charlie's a little ill at the moment. Nothing major, just an annoying virus that's manifested itself with a temperature and conjunctivitis.

He's been a real trooper and is so patient and lays still when we have to put ointment in his eyes.

The chocolate we bribe him with helps too, I'm sure.

Look at those poor sore little eyes....

But even more, keep an eye on that bottom lip.

Especially once he notices I'm watching him.

Oh.

Oh dear.

The bottom lip is just killing me.

Do you feel sorry for him yet?

Oh baby, don't cry!!! No!

How could I not give him a great big lot of love when he pulls the bottom lip trick on me?

Personally, I feel it's a performance worthy of an academy award.

My boy's talented......

..... and contagious.

Is it so sad .....

2010-09-24T14:42:00.007+08:00

.... that I get such a great sense of satisfaction from viewing my recently tidied and sorted pantry?

Oh.

Ok, fine then.

But I am an eccentric.

It says so in my blog title.

Fashionable Friday

2010-09-24T11:11:00.006+08:00

Who says being a Stay At Home/Work At Home mum, means you must look frumpy?

(Pose much?)

My mission is to inspire women of the world to dress to make themselves feel good.

I love dressing up, it makes me happy and picks me up when I feel down or stressed. It gives me confidence, and I love the smile on my husbands face when he comes home to a pretty wife!

And special thanks go to my little assistant Charlie, who chose the fabulous red shoes this morning, which I then based the whole outfit around.

Springtime and sunshine are here!

2010-09-22T09:49:00.000+08:00

Here in my corner of the world, Spring has sprung. At long last warm sunshine bathes the earth, the birds sing in the trees once again and I hear the constant noise of sniffing as my family battles severe hayfever.

Oh, Spring how I love thee. (spring really is in the air if I'm getting all poetic).

This year the turning of the seasons has been calling to me, I feel the energy of Spring coursing through my body. It's the season of new life, new beginnings.

I have had this need to get my hands dirty and plant something. Anything. It's been gnawing at me for the last week or two, so on Sunday Del and I trekked to the markets to buy some seedlings to start our very own herb and vegetable garden.

Now we don't have very much room in our back garden, what with the pool, Charlie's outdoor toys everywhere, and the older boys rusty bikes scattered about, so we have started our 'pot garden'.

It's only small but it's a start!

Mmmm, who doesn't love fresh strawberries?

I foresee members of this family sneaking out to pick the first strawberries before anyone else gets to them.

Cherry tomatoes for summer salads.

Capsicum plants, a mix of red and yellow for colour.

The strawberry pot with asparagus growing in the top. It's an odd combination I know, but this blog is titled My Eccentricity for a reason!!!

Charlie loves getting out there each morning with his little watering can and giving all the plants their drink. Of course he usually ends up completely soaked himself, but isn't that the fun of being a kid?

I now also have little pots of herbs growing on my kitchen window sill, just like a proper kitchen witch. We plan to add to this small beginning, but at least my need for surrounding myself with new growing things has been fulfilled.

And btw this the 100th post on My Eccentricity !!! Time to celebrate and party. Either that or have an early night and get some sleep. Tough choice.

A boy in a box

2010-09-21T21:30:00.000+08:00

Hey, there. What's up?

Bet you're all mighty jealous of my new digs.

Yeah, I know. At first I was all like, yeah, whatever with the box.

But then I realised how versatile it was.

Plenty of room if you need to stretch out. Or play 'Jack in the Box'.

And it's a great place to hang out when life all gets too much.

Or you want to scare the cat as he walks past.

Then if you just need to take a quick nap, no problem.

I don't know about you, but I love my box.

When in a funk....

2010-09-19T09:04:00.004+08:00

Last night I was in a funk.

Just ask my poor long suffering husband, I'm sure he would more than confirm it. But being the wonderful husband he is, he said and did all the right things.

I was just in one of those moods where everything in life seems difficult and the thought of a different life is extremely alluring. So we talked of life changes and dreams we would like to fulfill.

I'm pleased to say that our dreams mesh nicely together and are achievable. Gosh it would be terrible if our dreams clashed. Say for example he wanted to be a cowboy in a big hat riding off into the sunset and I wanted to be a world famous supermodel. I just don't see that working.

(Disclaimer : Del doesn't really want to be a cowboy, though personally I think he'd look great in a pair of chaps. And I would like to have a go at being a world famous supermodel, but I would need to grow at least a foot taller and become stunningly beautiful first.)

After our deep and meaningful chat, I did what I usually do when I feel unsettled. I turned to my cards.

Specifically, my Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards.

I use these gorgeous cards regularly, as they are quick and easy to use, and I just love the images upon them. So I shuffled the cards for a while, getting the feel for them, then took a deep breathe, asked for guidance, and cut the deck.

And the lady Aeracura (Air-uh-cure-uh) was revealed.

Aeracura is a Celtic goddess who acted as Earth Mother, a fairy queen and a bridge between earthly life and the hereafter. How appropriate for this time of year! Her message is that I am ready for a new beginning, ready to blossom and grow, but I can't rush the process. Take the time to learn, gather ideas and plan. Soon enough I'll get the signal that it's time for action.

I could hardly believe how appropriate her message was. Del and I had just come to the conclusion that any major changes to our lives would have to wait a few years till Kaiden had finished high school, but in the mean time we would research, plot and plan.

I just love it when I get confirmation that we're on the right path.

And just like that, my funk was over and I was smiling.

My love affair with the 50's

2010-09-17T14:27:00.004+08:00

I love to look nice, I love being a homemaker, I love being a wife and mother. If I was living in the 1950's I'd be in my element.

I'm fascinated by pictures of women in the 50's, they look so lovely and elegant. Ready to step out the door at a moments notice. You never see them dressed dowdily.

I try to dress nicely each day, style my hair and wear makeup. I have to admit that even if it's a day at home with just Charlie, I dress up. No track pants and bed hair around here! I like to look nice for myself, but I also like to look nice for my husband. It may be very old fashioned but I think he deserves a wife who looks nice and takes pride in her appearance,as well as her home and family.

So lately I've been going for a modern version of a 1950's look.

,

Very Stepford wife, I've been told more than once.

I take it as a compliment.

Just an ordinary day

2010-09-16T14:24:00.002+08:00

It's only 2.24pm and I'm tired.

So far today I've

got up and showered before anyone else was up (a rare treat but had to sacrifice a bit of extra sleep to achieve it)
organised breakfast for 3 boys and myself,
made school lunches and did the dishes
threw a load of washing on (mixing whites and darks together, terrible homemaking skills there)
drove the big boys to two different schools, then drove home singing Wheels on the Bus over and over again to Charlie
got to sit down to drink a quick cup of coffee, but had to do it picnic style on a rug on the floor with Charlie
checked work tasks & emails etc whilst feeding Charlie (I'm getting good at multi tasking)
vacuumed
dusted
hung out two loads of washing in the sunshine, while admiring Charlie's new ant friends
changed a dirty nappy (bet you really wanted to know that LOL)
took Charlie and our dog to the park for a run in the sun
fed Charlie lunch whilst trying to divert a two year old meltdown, due to the fact that Roary the Racing Car is no longer on tv (so what do you want me to do about it, kid?)
cleaned spagetti bolognese off the floor
read Charlie a story, skipping all the boring bits because I was tired
sung him his lullaby and put him down for his nap
took a big breathe
made myself some lunch
got stuck into work
got overwhelmed and stressed by how much work there is to do, due to someone being away sick for a week and me having to do two jobs
stopped working to write this blog post.

Today I have yet to :

get Charlie up from his nap - I can hear him chatting away in his bed but he hasn't yet demanded "I get up NOW" so he can stay there a bit longer
go and pick up the big boys from their schools
take them to the train station to visit their dad for the afternoon and evening
go to the furniture store to pick up the kitchen stools I had ordered that are now in
struggle to get the boxes into the car, get frustrated and try not say a swear word in front of Charlie who is parroting everything back these day
drive home in peak hour traffic
arrive home more stressed than when I left
make dinner whilst entertaining a hungry toddler hanging off my leg
eat dinner
bath Charlie and get completely soaked myself in the process
feed Charlie his dessert
fob Charlie off to Daddy as he walks through the door
get changed into martial arts clothes
go train with a 9th dan black belt
release a lot of stress
drive home
shower
collapse

The trouble with an active mind

2010-09-12T21:23:00.003+08:00

It's Sunday night and I'm tired. Bone weary and struggling to make it to bedtime.

Yet I'm baking chocolate chip cookies. Go figure.

I have no idea what I should write about, I'm fresh out of ideas. It's been an extremely full and busy week yet, nothing, my mind is blank. Perhaps too much has been happening and it's whirling around at a furious pace inside my head. Kind a like a blender of ideas and experiences, and goodness only knows how it will taste when it stops. It might need more vanilla.

Late at night, as I lay in bed on my left side, nice and relaxed, till I get too uncomfortable and have to turn over to my right side, well anyway, at that particular time my brain is choc full of wonderful, fantastic and the best ever things to write about. It's not like I have anything else to do, like sleep for example. My brain just doesn't want to stop and it's killing me.

I run through recent events and happenings and write blog posts in my mind. They're witty yet thought provoking and insightful all at the same time. I lay there constructing the perfect sentence in my head, the one that conveys everything I could ever want to convey in a sentence, and it's just the best writing ever. I even repeat it over and over in the vain effort that I will remember it in the morning. But of course I never do.

I only ever remember that I had constructed the BEST BLOG POST EVER.

And then forgot it.

I wonder what fabulous thing I'll think up tonight that will be lost forever in the deep recesses of my mind. If only I could turn my head on the side, give a couple of knocks and all those great ideas would come tumbling out. Do you think hypnosis might bring them back?

No? *sigh*

Friday Night

2010-09-03T20:29:00.002+08:00

Tonight I had half a glass of wine.

I know, I know. I should really watch my alcohol intake. I'm a parent of a teenager. I should be setting the example here.

But it was Friday, and I wanted to. So I did. And no-one can stop me.

It's not that I don't drink. It's more that I don't drink often. Neither Del nor I are big drinkers, not because we are boring or anything like that, mainly it's because we don't get time to drink. One evening blends into another around here lately. Del working till 8 or 9pm, then us sitting in front of mindless television that I'm sure would improve our quality of life if we didn't watch, with me multi-tasking by working on my laptop at the same time. No time for frivolous things such as relaxing and having a nice time.

So we don't go out much and we don't stay home and have a relaxing drink at all either. Though just so we don't sound totally old and lame, when we do go out, it's usually somewhere with loud music and an abundance of alcohol available, and trust me we do our best to sample a large portion on what's on offer.

So we do have fun. Honest. Picture this : Del blind drunk on the dance floor, music had finished and everyone else had left the floor, when I look up to see him still grooving away to the music in his head, all by himself on the empty dance floor. No more needs to be said.

Anyway, I'm sick of this everyday/night being the same, it could be Friday or Tuesday for all I know, and so today I had rebellious thoughts of MAKING FRIDAY NIGHT DIFFERENT. How to do that I pondered? Wild thoughts flowed through my mind.

We could.... no, can't do that one, don't have a babysitter. Oh wait, we could..... no, I think we're too old to get away with doing that one. Or we could...... no, what would the children say????

So I settled for a glass of wine instead. But you know, since I'm feeling so wild tonight, I may even bring out some cheese and crackers too.

You only live once after all.

Boys and their toys, oh I mean cakes.

2010-09-02T10:02:00.000+08:00

There's really not a lot of difference between ......

...a 2 year old boy's birthday cake...

and........

....a 15 year old boy's birthday cake.

Cars never go out of style.

Kaiden

2010-08-31T21:12:00.002+08:00

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.

2010-08-30T20:30:00.002+08:00

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........

2010-08-29T21:31:00.003+08:00

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!

2010-08-21T15:48:00.002+08:00

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......

2010-08-20T20:33:00.002+08:00

.... 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

2010-08-17T10:43:00.004+08:00

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.....

2010-08-16T20:53:00.004+08:00

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

2010-08-13T17:42:00.004+08:00

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

2010-08-13T10:07:00.000+08:00

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?

2010-08-11T15:42:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-08-04T20:33:00.002+08:00

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.

Hazard #357 of living with a toddler.

2010-07-28T17:45:00.008+08:00

Hazard #357 -
Leaving the house without first checking one's appearance.

Without realising it, I left the house looking like this :

Which is fine if you're a 2yr old. Not so fine as an adult.

Especially when you're out on your own, as said 2yr old was at home!

The Path to Living Simply

2010-07-23T19:44:00.008+08:00

We have been happily taking a jaunt down the path to simple living for a little while now. Over the last few weeks I have been making small, sustainable changes to our life.

I think that's the trick - taking baby steps.

Which is hard for me, being the perfectionist that I am. I want it all done now, and done properly and perfectly.

But I'm being tough on myself and doing this one step at time so that I don't go into overload mode and give it all up.

Here are some of the changes to our lives I've made recently :

* I now buy all our fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and milk at a nearby Farmer's Market. Not only is the food fresher and cheaper, you can actually taste the difference. Also it means I'm buying food in season, rather than food that has been artificially ripened, modified or just arrived straight out of months of cold storage. As an added bonus most of the produce is locally grown, meaning less impact on our earth from a transportation/use of fossil fuels/pollution point of view.

* I'm trying to reduce the additives we consume in our food. It's appalling how difficult it is to find food that is in it's natural state. Our bodies are so overwhelmed with the pollution (in many forms) from our modern world that it can only be a good thing to reduce all the added colours, flavours and preservatives in our food. I'm now one of those annoying people you get stuck behind in a busy aisle at the supermarket, as I take each product off the shelf and read the label to find which one is the best option. Take strawberry jam for example, the most popular brands not only have huge amounts of sugar (to be expected in jam I know but not that much sugar!), but they also have lots of added colour, flavour and preservatives. Yet on the bottom shelf, is a little known brand of jam which suprisingly has only two ingredients - strawberries and sugar. I know which one I chose!

* I am no longer buying sandwich meat. Have you ever looked at the list of ingredients? There are more numbers signifying artificial additives than there is actual meat in there. I now buy a large piece of roast beef or other meat and pop it in the oven to cook one evening when I'm already using the oven for something else, then just slice it up and freeze it in small packs ready to defrost and use in sandwiches. How easy is that? And so much better for us. And also so much cheaper than buying packaged ham.

* Currently, I'm waging war on plastic around here. I've been researching how the use of plastic in EVERYTHING these days is harmful to us, and it's confirmed my long held suspicions. Plastic is evil.
When you stop to think about it, almost every bit of food we buy is wrapped in plastic, our homes are filled with plastic, our cars are more plastic than metal, we just can't escape it's evil clutches.
And, shock horror, plastic is made from chemicals. Bad chemicals. That leach into our food, our water and our bodies. This is not good. Not good at all.
One of the worst types of plastic is the 'soft' plastic, such as sandwich bags and plastic food wrap, as being in such a soft state it easily leaches into the food we eat. Go look in your fridge and pantry, I would take a guess that most of the things in there are wrapped in plastic.
I've started using glass jars, tins and ceramic containers to store our food in, as much as possible anyway. I've also started to wrap the boys lunches in paper bags, and I now even use a plate to cover a leftover bowl of food in the fridge rather than use plastic wrap.

These are just little things I do, as I think of them. I plan to add to these things as alternative ideas occur to me. These are my baby steps along the path of to simple living.

I'm realistic enough to know that I won't be able to eliminate additives and plastic entirely from our lives, but even reducing them has to be plus.

I know it won't be an easy thing to achieve.

But I'm prepared for battle.

I Spy With My Little Eye....

2010-07-20T11:45:00.000+08:00

Something beginning with "C".

Cuteness?

Cheekiness?

Cherub?

Well, yes all of the above.

But most of all I see......

CHARLIE.

Mummy Guilt

2010-07-18T18:08:00.000+08:00

I have to admit, I have yet to achieve the elusive perfect balance in my life that I so desperately seek.

Some days I'm the perfect wife, mother and homemaker (well, in my mind anyway!) but drop the ball on the work front. The task list gets longer and deadlines loom.

Then other days, I achieve more than I would ever expect I could from a work point of view, to the detriment of my home and family. Laundry room overflows with dirty washing and dinner is toasted sandwiches.

I just can't seem to balance the scales to achieve what I want from both sides at the same time.

Am I being unrealistic?

Maybe.

But that doesn't stop the guilt. Self imposed guilt, which in a way makes it worse as you can't really ignore it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't constantly berate myself, or push myself to exhaustion trying to achieve my version of the perfect balance. But there, in the deep recesses of my mind, is the desire to be all that I wish to be, and the guilt that comes when I don't manage to achieve it.

I believe that most mother's feel a sort of guilt. In one version or another.

Can I provide enough for my kids? Do I spend enough time with my children? Do I work too much? Am I feeding them properly? Are they getting the best education? Am I too soft or too strict? and on and on and on.

Each is situation is different but the mummy guilt is there.

Not long ago my lovely soul sister and mother of three gorgeous children, emailed me asking advice on how to balance spending enough time with each of her children (not that I'm anywhere near being in a position to give advice on this situation!). Given the fact that her youngest was 3 months old and was taking up most of her time as baby's do, this situation was only to be expected but my friend felt guilty at not spending as much time as she would like with her other two children.

In my experience, this is what anyone with more than one child has been through, myself included, and luckily it's only temporary, because as the youngest gets older, she can join in more games with her older siblings. Though I must say, one on one time with each child can be hard to achieve once you have three. We just have to do the best we can.

I often find myself getting ready to go to bed after an evening busy with dinner, clean up and then work, and I go to check on my three sleeping boys, only to realise that since dinner time I haven't actually seen the older two, who put themselves to bed whilst I worked. It makes me feel bad, that I'm not there spending more time with them.

Of course, rationally I know that I need to work to provide for us and that Charlie needs more of my time to assist him physically (ie feeding, bathing etc) whilst the older two don't. But what about emotional need? Even a 12 and 14 year old need their mother's time on an emotional level.

And this takes me back to the beginning of of this post - trying to achieve a balance between home life and work. As I work from home, I don't have clear cut work and home times, so they tend to overlap a lot, which leads to the guilt I feel when I feel I let the balance swing too far one way or the other.

My solution?

Just do the best I can in any given moment.

And always remember that life is constantly changing, so this current situation will pass. It helps me get through the hard days.

I'd love to hear comments from other mums, to know whether I'm correct in presuming that most mothers have their own version of mummy guilt.

It's always nice to know you're the only one struggling with a particular problem.

No-one likes to feel like they're on their own.