Motivational Monday

Good morning everyone :) As predicted, the weekend was epic and exhausting. I am completely shattered this morning and am counting down until E-man has his nap so I too can drift off to the land of zzzzzz's. One good thing coming out of feeling so tired is that I am taking things nice and slow today. I am "stopping to smell the roses" I guess you could say. That brings me to the message I want to share with you all. It is short and simple but very effective and worth genuine consideration and thought...

So undeniably true! I really love this saying and I want to print it off and pin it all over the house just to remind me to love the moment I am in. Life really is what happens while we are busy making other plans. 

Happy Monday guys and while I am going away on my mini break with Mum this week, hopefully the hotel has Wi-Fi so I can still put up a post or two. If not, I will chat to you Friday afternoon. Have a good one and remember, this moment is your life xox

Turbo charged Tuesday

Let the chaos begin...or perhaps continue is a better way of looking at it. Today is my only day this week with just one child so I have to rush around like a chicken with my head cut off to fit in as much as humanly possible. You see, this weekend is a busy one because it is Hubby's birthday and also I have a wedding cake to do. Thankfully the wedding cake is super simple so it shouldn't be much of a headache at all, just time consuming. As for Hubby's birthday, that is where the business is at. It shall be a whole weekend affair of people dropping in randomly because it is of course the weekend of the Bathurst 1000 V8 Supercar race. Some people get excited about football grand finals or even cricket matches...not in this household. In this household, the world stops when Bathurst V8 car racing is on. I'm not that into it but seeing as hubby has petrol in his veins, it is just simply something that we have to embrace as a family. 

So with our house being headquarters this weekend, I am in full swing with getting it tidied up and also preparing all the food to feed the rev heads. Again, not anything particularly difficult, just remarkably time consuming when you couple it with the usual chores to run this household and looking after the kids. I swear, if they could make a pill that let Mum's run efficiently off no sleep, they would be rich people!! 

Anyway, this is only a short post today because I have to hang out some washing and head to the supermarket before Elliott's nap time (there is no way I am missing that!!) I wanted to share a photo with you this morning of something super cute...  

I was packing the kids lunch boxes this morning and decided I would fill it with a little love. I used an icing cutter and cut their cheese into love heart shapes. I know Elliott wont notice at all but I can't wait to hear what Sophie has to say about it when I pick her up this afternoon. I hope it reminds her that she is loved.

I also made a quiche for dinner a few weeks ago and thought I would make it with love too. So I cut a love heart out of pastry and put it on top. I was feeling so happy with it and really looked forward to sharing it with my family...then Hubby rang and said he would be home late from work, and then when I dished it up to the kids, they both turned their noses up at it and carried on like utter pork chops. Oh well, at least I enjoyed my quiche filled with love!

So I guess the takeaway from today's post is that it is always possible to show your family that you love them and never assume you are too busy to do so xox

The grass isn't always greener...

This rainy Monday morning has a distinct Sunday morning feel to it...probably because it is a public holiday!!! Perhaps my enthusiasm is unwarranted seeing as public holidays make no difference to me, the only impact being that Kindy is closed. Even hubby is at work today. Oh well, I shall embrace the slow pace of this gorgeous rainy day because starting tomorrow, things are going to get busy!! More on that later in the week though, today I shall fill you in on my time without the kids...

H.E.A.V.E.N. Oh my goodness, it was delightful. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids more than anything in this world (sorry hubby, but I promise you are right up there) and having this break from them has made me love them and appreciate their presence in my life even more. The highlights of their absence had to be cleanliness and order of everything in the house and the fact that I didn't have to consider the needs of another human being for four days! Then, to top it off, the kids came home on Friday but we had a child free wedding to go to on Saturday so we had to ship them off to Mat's parents house for a sleepover and collected them at lunch time on Sunday. In light of all that, I nearly forget how to parent! lol, but with the tantrums, the nappy changing and the sibling competitiveness in full swing, it is all flooding back to me at a rapid rate. 

I mean what I said though, having the break from them has made me realise how much I love having them in my life. And the feedback I have had from the Grandparents on how well behaved and delightful the kids were has made me reflect and consider that perhaps I am doing a good job of this mothering business. I am bringing up kind, considerate, well mannered and "delightful" children...well they are like that when they are away from home anyway. lol. Seriously though, I am blessed to have two healthy, happy children who not only brighten my life, but they are my life. Every decision I make and choice I forgoe is done so with them in mind. They mean everything to me and I wouldn't change it for the World.   

So I guess the message to takeaway from today is to appreciate what you have right in front of you. So much of our thoughts and energy are wasted wishing for things we don't have or wishing we had made different choices in the years gone by. What we really need to do is embrace the life we are living, cherish the things that are going right for us and learn from those things that challenge us. Trust that our lives are exactly where they are meant to be and simply love the life you are living. There is only one you, be the best version of yourself that there ever was or ever will be xox

  

Freaky Friday

As promised, today is a chat about the Spiritual side of life. You all know how much I love going to Circle and connecting with Spirit so I thought today I would share a couple of messages and incidents that really make you go "hmmmm". Just as there is no way to "prove" God exists, there is no way to "prove" communicating with Spirit is real, but for me, the more I dabble in it the more positive I am that it is very real indeed...

Just before I start sharing some stories I need to preface this post by saying that all communications I have with Spirit are done so in a completely safe way! I have been taught very effective methods to keep myself safe and the people around me safe from negative Spirits so all messages come from a place of love and light.

OK, let's get started. I was doing a blind psychometry (having a piece of jewellery to make a connection with Spirit but the item is in a little silk bag so you don't know who the item belongs to) for a lady who we shall call Mrs A. This is part of the message I received:

"Christmas is going to be of particular importance this year for you and your family. I feel like there is a new family member, like a baby, but I can't quite put my finger on where this baby fits in to the picture. Also, I am getting the date May 18th"

Mrs A unexpectedly broke down in tears. She revealed that her young adult daughter had just had an abortion and the baby would have been due at Christmas time (hence why I couldn't quite work out where the baby fir into the picture). As for May 18th, this was Mrs A's birthday!

During another blind psychometry, I had an item that belonged to Mrs B. The message was: "I feel there is a bit of a disconnect with a loved one, it seems like a parent/child relationship. It is not over anything too serious but enough to cause distance if you allow it to be so. You need to be the grown up here and be the hero of the situation and reach out to bridge that gap. This may not be well received immediately but you must persevere. This person needs you more than they or you even realises". 

Mrs B then revealed that she was having some trouble with her young adult son and very much felt her communications to him were falling on deaf ears. 

I was doing a reading for Mrs C and I had her Grandfather come through. It was very emotional and she asked after a tattoo of his. I was shown that the tattoo was a snake wrapped around a sword on his forearm and I was getting a sense of camaraderie and mateship relating to the tattoo. Mrs C confirmed that the tattoo was indeed on his forearm and he was in the Army, which tied in the sense of camaraderie and mateship.  

I was doing an exercise called a photographic psychometry for Mrs D where a photograph of a deceased person is put in an envelope and you make a connection with Spirit about this person. Here is the message I got:

Female energy. I saw "snow screen" like when the TV is not properly tuned. I saw mineral springs. I felt this lady had a real zest for life and had lots of love in her heart. I got the words "loved very young" and felt that she died from something to do with her lungs not working, like there was pressure on them. Then I got a real sense of peace that this lady is very happy and loved in the Spiritual realm. 

Mrs D revealed that the lady (we'll call her Emma) in the envelope was her best friend and they had met in Canada in the snow (hence the snow screen vision). Mrs D and Emma went on a holiday to some mineral springs (in New Zealand I think she said..?) and Emma did a lot of travelling around the world. Emma did indeed have a huge zest for life. She was in her early 20's when she died and had been with her partner since she was about 18 (hence the "young love" part of the message). Emma died when she was overseas handing out Christmas presents to orphan children at a swimming pool (I think Mrs D said it was in India but I can't remember exactly). She was unloading these gifts from the back of the truck when it started to reverse (with no lights or beepers of course) and it crushed Emma between the truck and the wall. So very sad. 

Finally, I'll share with you a message I got for Mr E. Several times I have had his deceased wife come through (and understandably, it results in tears all around). She came through recently and gave him the message "So much love and light to you Mr E. Your loving wife Mrs E. You have my blessing and I love hearing your heart sing again". Mrs E then put her hand on his shoulder and her hands across her heart. This message related to the new love interest in Mr E's life (Mr E is in his 70's). 

Hope you enjoyed this post and please leave some comments below if you would like to hear more spiritual messages in future posts xox

Running shoes on

Good morning everyone :-) Yesterday was insanely busy so computer time was quite difficult to come by, hence no blog. I celebrated my busy day with far too much wine so as I type this morning's post, I am sipping some rather revolting Hydralyte to try and replenish my stores. Thankfully I am not too dusty so one glass should do the job. 

The busyness of yesterday revolved around swimming lessons, the break up party for Soph's dance school, the usual chores and humdrum of running a household and also some cake decorating for this weekends cake order (photos to come once the job is done!!! Excited!) Thank goodness I had my trusty mate Shaz here to help with the decorating and she also did a few other things to help out...

She came loaded with her Vet kit (a real one, not a toy) and gave Toby an exam. When your friends can pop over for a cuppa and stick their fingers up your dogs bum, that is true friendship right there, lol. I assure you she is a Vet (and a very good one at that) so it doesn't seem weird at all that this would take place :-) 

She also came with her Dyson vacuum cleaner in hand because my charming son dabbled in a little exotic cooking on the carpet the other day...he poured a whole tin of curry powder on it, along with some Weetbix, salt flakes and All Bran. Needless to say, my house smells like the Punjab curry club and it is a job only a Dyson can take care of. It is still a work in progress but the situation has definitely improved. 

Today is looking to be busy again but thankfully not of the insane kind. Mum's group this morning, groceries this arvo, cake making this evening and hopefully I will manage to make a nutritious meal for the family and get all the washing folded all whilst playing with the kids and doing the internet banking. Lucky I am in a good mood otherwise none of this would be getting done!

Anyway, I am off to get this day moving. Have a wonderful Thursday and I think I might make tomorrows post a bit of "Freaky Friday" and share some of my spiritual communications and stories with you. Stay tuned xox 

  

Breath easy

Thankfully, today, I am feeling much better! Still not on my 'A' game, but better none the less. I embraced my bad mood, ran with it and, just like everything else in our lives, it passed. Surprise, surprise. 

Interestingly, I came across an article at the Library...hahaha, I am totally kidding. By "came across" I actually mean "Googled" and by "Library" I actually mean "the Internet". Lol. Anyway, the article is titled "The Science behind having a bad day (and how to solve it)". I've added the link below so you can read the article in full if you like but following is my interpretation of the article, along with my own thoughts and feelings on the topic of a "bad day". 

The notion of a "bad day" does not actually exist in reality. All events are pretty well created equal and it is our interpretation of these events as either good or bad that has an impact on our mood. Take a classic example of your child spilling milk on themselves and all over the floor when you are running late for the day. You have to clean up the mess, change your child and race out the door. Option A is to interpret this as a "bad event" and consequently find yourself in a bad mood. A few little things throughout the day don't go exactly as you had planned, which frustrates you and causes you to perceive yourself as having a bad day. Option B is to not react negatively, get on with cleaning up the mess, head out the door and let go of the event that just occurred.

These two possibilities relate to my belief in the power of positive thinking and the idea that the energy that we exude is the energy that we attract. Essentially, we have the ability to make a bad day exist if we believe it to be so. 

So, with this in mind, what can we do about being in a bad mood or if we find ourselves having a bad day?

The first tip given is to label the incident in just a few words, in order to separate the emotional response you have to it. For example, "bloody spilt milk!" Once labelled, push it aside and don't think about the negative feelings or event anymore. If it comes into your mind, refer to it using its label and then let it go. 

The next idea is to re-evaluate the situation, thinking of a more positive outcome that could have occurred. The idea is not to make you feel guilty about the way you responded to the situation, but rather to help you grow and learn from the experience. The other idea is that, if this fails, think of how the situation could have been worse...another valuable self reflection tool :-)

The third tip is to "remember that the outcome of the previous minute is not indicative of the outcome of the next minute. Likewise, the last hour has no bearing on the next hour and this morning is no indication of what this afternoon will bring" Steve Schwartz, 2010

The final tip is one I am bringing to the table from my own thoughts and experiences...breath! Deep breathing can do wonders for calming you down and clearing your mind to help put things in perspective so give this a go:

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a woosh sound. 
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through you nose to a mental count of four
• Hold your breath for a count of seven
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a woosh sound to the count of eight
• This is one breath. Repeat the cycle for a minimum of four breaths. Relax :-)

Full article can be found at http://lifehacker.com/5595104/the-science-behind-having-a-bad-day-and-how-to-solve-it  

Speak to others how you wish to be spoken to

Happy Monday everyone :-) I am feeling absolutely awesome today and I am crediting it to my morning exercise. I woke up just as day was dawning (I know all you Mum's out there have just started singing the Postman Pat tune, lol) and took the dog for a walk/run. It was glorious! I could run much further and with more "oopmf" than when I take E-man in the pram and Sophie on her scooter. Dawn is hands down my favourite time of day because I just adore the peace and quiet and that cleansing feeling of breathing in fresh, crisp morning air. The energy at the beginning of the day is truly remarkable! If there is one piece of advice we should all listen to on enhancing our mood, it has to be getting outside to exercise every day.

Speaking of moods, I kind of want to touch on that subject for our Motivational Monday post. I know that whenever I am in a bad mood, hubby and the kids cop it. I snap at them, I get frustrated over insignificant things and generally just turn into a raving lunatic. Fun times for all. I am sure as women and mothers, this is something that you all experience at various times too...we all know the saying "If Mum aint happy, aint nobody happy". Well what if we tried a little experiment to see if we can turn this around...

This week, I challenge you all (myself included) to talk to your family and loved ones as if they were "strangers". Of course I don't mean you treat them like strangers, what I mean is that you speak to them just as politely and with as much enthusiasm as you would when meeting a person for the first time, or passing someone on your morning walk. After all, we are always polite to people we don't even know, or people we meet at social gatherings (years ago, before children, these social gatherings would have been called "parties"...oh how times have changed). 

We must remember that our family and loved ones are the people we care most about, the people that we want happiness for and to know they are loved. Our loved ones are the people who deserve to be spoken to and treated with kindness so lets give it a go this week and see how much of a difference this can make xox 

Feel good Friday

As I sit here typing this mornings post, I keep catching glimpses of my beautiful manicure, courtesy of Sophie the beautician. She has done a lovely job smearing bright pink nail polish all over my finger tips and I think this textured look could really catch on :)

You know, it's times like these I remind myself that perhaps I am actually doing something right in this mysterious game called parenthood. I am my own worst critic and can be so hard on myself with all the errors I make raising the kids, but I think it is actually important to shut that critical inner voice up sometimes and recognise a job well done. And of course this can apply to all elements of our lives, from work and finances to relationships and hobbies. It really is important for our own wellbeing to recognise our strengths and be kind to ourselves from time to time (more often than not would be best!!!)

So you may be asking why a nail painting activity has me thinking I am having a good Mum moment? Well it is quite simple really. Every day I am caught up in the jobs that need to be done, tending to the kids needs and trying to juggle all the other balls up in the air at once. All too often I forget to be present with Sophie and Elliott and engage in activities that make their hearts sing. To me, nail polish is nothing exciting but to a four year old, it is right up there with living in a castle made of lollies! All I had to do was sit with her for 10 minutes, chat, have my nails painted and just be fully immersed in the moment with her. What a gift to give to a child: being present and making them feel like the most important thing in the world.

Seeing my kids happy and finding joy in the simple things makes me feel wonderful and allows my inner voice to talk kindly to me for a moment. Take some time today to quiet your inner critic and let yourself feel good for the great things you are achieving in you life, the great things you are doing for yourself and the great things you are doing for others. You really are a wonderful person, if only you could see yourself the way others do xox      

Dear Thursday

Dear Thursday, 

I see what you are up to. You are testing me. I know I shouldn't have consumed that entire bottle of wine last night but lets face it, your friend Wednesday drove me to it. Now that I am in a bit of a dusty state you thought it would be best to test my resolution to speak kindly and not lose my cool with the kids today? Really, today of all days? Thank a lot for that, Thursday. 

So lets see what it is you are testing me with. Well, it is 7:30 so I have been awake for around two hours. My wake up call was of course Elliott screaming like his leg had been cut off, causing me to jump out of bed before my post wine brain could work out what was going on. A few cuddles later and he decided it was time for breakfast. Weetbix in the bowl and E-man decides it is a good time to fill his nappy. Gross, at the breakfast bench! Thanks again, Thursday. The cereal waited while I hosed the smelly little guy off in the bath, much to his protest (his preference was food first, nappy change second). While tending to the boy, Sophie woke up and decided she wanted to be Mum. She got herself a bowl of Weetbix, then topped both hers and E-mans breakfast with LOADS  of honey. She was so proud of herself for helping with breakfast that all I could do was smile and say thank you. Sitting through breakfast and Sophie knocks her near full bowl onto the floor. My sparkling clean kitchen cupboards and kick boards are now covered in food. Nice test but you didn't get the better of me...I giggled with her and let the dog in to clean it up. Ha!

Then things kind of went downhill. Elliott thought the latter event got such a good response that he simply turned his bowl upside down and poured milky cereal everywhere. I didn't giggle. Moments later with breakfast finished, the fight over toys began with both kids fussing and fighting. Then Sophie ended up in time out for not listening, Elliott found Mat's Fathers day chocolate and helped himself, the dog thought it would be fun to try and trip me over while I was juggling a huge basket of washing and finally, I logged on to blog and the internet was down! 

You haven't won yet though Thursday. Yes you are testing me and yes I am ready to scream then go straight back to bed but I haven't yelled or lost my cool yet. Doing well I think. I can't wait to see what you have in stall for me for the next 12 hours of parenting time today...     

Ride the endorphin wave

Fact: Exercising releases endorphins.

Fact: Endorphins are your body's feel good hormones and naturally boost your mood. 

Fact: Exercising with children underfoot really pushes the limits of these so called "facts". 

I got up late this morning so the kids were awake while I was doing an exercise DVD. Things were going pretty well with them both sitting peacefully watching on and I dared to ask myself "why don't I do this with them around every day?". Jinxed it...

Sophie: "Muuuuuuum, Elliott keeps putting his foot near me. Don't Ellllliiiiott!"

Elliott: Ahhh, whinge scream. cry, fuss.

Me: "Move away from each other". huff puff, huff puff. "All I am asking for is 40 minutes".

They relocate to opposite sides of the room. I nearly roundhouse kick Elliott in the head as he passes me during a kick boxing move. Elliott clears off the coffee table and begins climbing onto it and jumping onto the armchair. Should I stop him and prevent possible injury or keep exercising while he is clearly entertaining himself? I go with the latter. 

Then Sophie starts with the 50 million questions that pass her lips every day...

"Mum, what is her name?"

"Mum, why aren't you doing it like those ladies on the telly?"

"Mum, what are we doing today?"

"Mum, why do they all have ponytails in their hair?" 

"Mum, why do I have a freckle on my neck?"

"Mum, why did the dinosaurs get extinct?"

I get on the floor to start doing the core workout. Turns out, I am free game. Elliott moves from his coffee table bungee jumping to trampolining on my stomach. Sophie comes over and starts using my leg raising moves as a tunnel game. My plank move becomes a delightful horse back ride for the kids as I struggle with the extra 25kg plus on my back. My mind is screaming "Piss off kids, I just want 40 minutes" but my mouth says "I love you guys, I just need to finish this and then we can play. No, no, seriously guys, you can play beside me but just stop climbing on me for a few minutes. Guys, come on". 

I eventually finished the workout and believe it or not, the combination of exercise and a giggly wrestle with the kids has made for a pretty happy morning. Got to love those endorphins xox

Take two

So yesterdays grand Spring cleaning plan didn't exactly unfold as I anticipated. You see, I got the kitchen looking fabulous then moved onto my craft room...and that was where I stopped. I came across so many little projects that I just wanted to get stuck into, and so I did. Here is one I have been wanting do for a while:

I glued a whole lot of crayons to the top of the canvas, cut out a love heart shape from adhesive vinyl and stuck it on the middle of canvas. Then I got my embossing heat gun and began to melt the tips of the crayons until I got the coverage I wanted. Then, once set, I peeled off the vinyl heart and replaced it with a paper heart that I have written the words on "please excuse the mess...". Then, in nikko pen, I finished the sentence on the bottom of the canvas "my children are making memories". In hindsight, I would have glued the paper love heart onto cardboard and then popped it on the canvas to give it a bit of depth, but I think it has still turned out OK. It is hanging on a door in the children's play area and I think it looks really cute. I am going to print some photos I have of the kids engaged in various activities and stick them around the canvas to show the memory making in progress. I love getting my creative on!!

Credit given where credit is due and I got the melting crayon idea from a pin that I saw on pinterest.com. Here is a link to a crazy crayon lover and some of her creations http://pinterest.com/katlyn213/melted-crayon-art/ 

So needless to say, I must dabble in a little more self discipline with this Spring cleaning business. Today, I am staying out of my craft room and leaving it until the very end. I shall sort toys when E-man has a nap and I'll wash all the sheets and towels, doonas and blankets to get rid of the Wintery feel they have to them. I've also got to do the floors but since my steam mop broke and I have had to manually mop the whole house, I think I might just become accustomed to paw prints and blobs of food underfoot...Nahhhhhhhh, my OCD (or CDO lol) will get the better of me. Side note, I don't actually think I have OCD, what I have is thoroughness compulsive disorder...totally different. lol. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go and wash my hands for no good reason at all. 

Kate xox

Spring to it

Good morning everyone. I am super excited today because Spring has officially sprung and we all know what that means...Spring cleaning time!!!!! I hear some of you cheer with that news and I hear some of you groan but the reality is, a good clean out can do wonders for improving our lives. I am not just talking about scrubbing the cupboards and washing the curtains, I am talking about cleaning, de-cluttering, organising, beautifying and re-energising our lives. A total revamp our home, our mind, our body and our soul. Sounds great to me! 

Spring brings with it a feeling of fresh starts and new beginnings. You can hear birds chirping away, you can see flowers beginning to bloom and you can see randy little butterflies flapping about in pairs trying to have sex mid-air (geez, get a branch guys). Yep, it is a beautiful time of year indeed. So with September being the beginning of the season, I have actually decided (right this moment in fact) that I am going to commit the whole month to a Spring clean of my life. And guess what? You can come on this journey too and dabble in a bit of a spring clean for yourselves. I am sure many of you are not quite as messed up as I am so a total life overhaul may not be completely necessary, but surely you will find some helpful information in the coming posts. Fingers crossed :-)

So, what is the first step to a total life overhaul then? I would assume it is to identify the areas of your life that you want to change/improve...um "everything", this is a total life overhaul after all. Onto step two...

For me, a messy home equals a messy mind so my first order of business is to get this house cleaned up. Clean, de-clutter and organise. This part takes a lot of time so here are a few tips to try and make it a little easier:

• Pick one room or area to clean up at a time. It is far less daunting to do it this way and once it is done, you are filled with a sense of accomplishment and motivation to move onto the next space. 
• Forget sleep. Spring cleaning takes time and spare time is a luxury many of us don't have so clearly the only solution is to forgoe some of your precious zzzz's. This lack of sleep is only temporary and all for a good cause so just do it. 
• A dear friend of mine once said "sometimes, you just have to knuckle down and do it". She's right. Just keep reminding yourself of this any time those negative thoughts like "I can't do this" or "I am too tired" creep into your mind. Knuckle down and do it. Simple. 
• Fit little tasks in around your daily routine. Like this morning, Porky was having his morning tea at the bench so I took the opportunity to scrub the kitchen cupboards and clean the kickboards. I even got the long armed dusting thingy-majiga-me-bob and swept out under the fridge and dishwasher. It was gross but I feel a lot better knowing those spaces are now clean. 
• Don't waste money on 50 different cleaning agents to get your house sparkling. I keep it simple albeit not entirely environmentally friendly. Bi-carb and vinegar are old favourites and I use these to clean everything from bench tops to bathrooms. For the shower though, I totally use that horrible Exit Mould stuff. It kills my lungs and harms the environment but it kicks the moulds arse. I also use proper toilet cleaner to clean in the bowl of the toilet...sorry marine life. Other cleaning kit essentials include water soluble lavender oil for dusting and mopping; Windex for stainless steel appliances, windows and mirrors; cloth nappies as rags and some of those Chux magic erasers to do damn near everything. 
• Be ruthless when de-cluttering. Have piles for keep, rubbish, recycle, donate, re-home. Stop holding onto things because they might be useful "one day". Side note though, a week after you throw whatever it is away, you will find about 10 uses for it and kick yourself for throwing it out. Just saying.
• Get organised!!! This will require several individual posts to cover the topic adequately so I wont go into it today. Today, we shall focus on the idea of cleaning and de-cluttering. Once that is done, then we can get on with the all important task of organising.   
• Most importantly, just get started. Success breeds success so once you accomplish task A, task B will seem a little more achievable and so on and so forth until you have achieved your goals of a clean, tidy and functioning home. Sounds great to me!

I'm off to do some more spring cleaning. Happy Monday xox    

PS - Common sense reigns supreme here so if for some reason you decide to forgoe sleep and consequently drive a forklift into a swimming pool because you were so tired, I will assume no responsibility for that whatsoever. You know your own body and if you can't survive for a few nights with less sleep, don't listen to my advice to skip the zzzz's. Do what works for you.     

Funny Friday

I have had the most wonderful day hanging out with my dear friend Shaz, getting our bake on and decorating some biscuits. I had planned on popping in for an hour or so but in true Kate and Shaz fashion, we ended up talk, talk, talking and enjoying ourselves so much that I was there for about 4 hours! Four hours well spent I say :) Home now and I have put the kids to bed for a rest. I know Porky will sleep but I think Miss S will just chill out reading some books...I don't care what she does, just as long as it is quiet and I can have five minutes to myself.

Anyway, in honour of the good mood that is this Friday, I thought we would end the week with a few laughs. I know I have done similar posts many times before but it is because laughter rocks and there is nothing like randomness to make the giggles surface. Enjoy and have a lovely weekend xox

   

Breath of fresh air

The energy in this household this morning is indescribably awesome. Recently, E-man (the more challenging of the two) has been waking up screaming, fussing, throwing tantrums and generally being a poster child for rat-bag boys. It has been doing my head in and I just can't seem to work out what pleases him. Hubby was actually here long enough yesterday morning to see the hullabaloo and even he was surprised that his little boy could behave in such a way. Needless to say, E-man's endless carry on has made for one cranky Mumma and consequently, one cranky household. 

Good news today though, he has woken up in the most delightful mood. Why, I hear you ask? Thanks to my wonderful mother!! Recently, I asked my Mum to knit seven little cushions, no bigger than an deck of cards, corresponding to the seven chakra colours. I also gave her the seven crystals that relate to these chakras to put inside each relevant cushion. They look so lovely and are working an absolute treat... 

A few weeks ago, Sophie was carrying on like a real pork chop for a couple of days. One night, when she was asleep, I put the green cushion (heart chakra relating to love), the yellow cushion (solar plexus chakra relating to emotions) and the blue cushion (throat chakra relating to communication) under her pillow. You could have knocked me over with a feather when she woke up the next morning speaking nicely, feeling loving, accepting love and generally just being a far more happy and balanced child. 

As for Elliott, I actually have no idea what his problem is so I put all seven cushions under his pillow last night in the hopes that at least one of them would help him in whatever way he needs it. Low and behold, today he is a dream child!!! He is happy, giggling, loving and cuddly and I am totally crediting it to the chakra cushions. 

These events, amongst others, have really got my mind ticking about how tapping into the spiritual side of our lives could save a whole lot of parents a whole lot of headaches. While you wont find advice like that in traditional parenting literature, perhaps it is time to open our minds to something greater, something more spiritual, and see the impact this has on our children? Food for thought xox

       

Bake-tastic

I recently had my first official cake order for a baby shower and I was wrapped! Cake making is only a hobby of mine and I usually do them for family and friends, however word is spreading of my baking prowess (lol, kidding) and I had my first official paid order! It was a whole new experience having specifications from a client as to what they wanted but I still had a ball getting my creative on. Here are some snaps and as I have said many times before, I am certainly no photographer..

Delicious French Vanilla cake with milk chocolate ganache filling and fondant icing. The baby's name is Aria.

Yummy moist chocolate cupcakes with buttercream icing. 

Scrumptious vanilla and lemon cupcakes with fondant icing

And of course, the kids creations...I told them that their work was so great that I wouldn't send their cakes to the baby shower, we would keep them and eat them for ourselves. Yum!

Up to speed

I mentioned yesterday that I will fill you in on the epic failure that was my Saturday escape plan. I have kind of moved on from it and don't want to dwell on the emotionally exhausting weekend that was, so I'll just give you a really short summary...

Hubby woke up, I woke up, we had the shits with each other pretty well all weekend. I wanted him to play with the kids and help with the household chores, he wanted to spend the whole time playing in his shed and doing whatever he wanted to do. I turned into "bitch wife" and put my foot down, banning the shed for just one day. Hubby got the shits with me, then I got the shits with him for getting the shits with me, and Elliott literally had the shits (diarrohea to be exact). Oh yeah, it was fun times in our household over the weekend. I did manage to escape for the afternoon Feng Shui class though (which I loved!!!) and hang out with a couple of girlfriends for a few hours so it wasn't a total failure. Good news though, all is well on the home front now...or I guess I should say for now. lol. 

Other than that, there was a whole separate family drama within our extended family and I went into "mum mode" wanting to fix everything for everyone. I have been in the middle for many many months now as the sounding board for all parties. I have heard everything from all angles and kept my lips tightly closed. The trouble was that I was taking everything on board and really starting to get stressed out. My mum and Jayde (future sister-in-law) gave me some really great advice...I can actually still be the sounding board for everyone and offer support to all parties but I don't actually need to take their issues on board. Genius! I know it sounds so simple but I hadn't really thought of it that way. I am pleased to report that all issues have been resolved and everyone seems to be in a really good place. 

So I guess that brings you up to speed. The weekend was emotionally exhausting but all has worked out in the end. Families are like gardens...they always need work, love and plenty of TLC. Oh and, my family might be a little crazy at times, but at least we aren't weird...

Love is in the air xox

Well, Saturday's grand escape plan didn't go exactly how I wanted it to, but more on that later in the week. Today is Monday, a day for motivation, inspiration, consideration and generally anything that makes our hearts sing and our minds open. I am writing this post half way through the day because since 3:45am, when my beautiful little Sophie visited us in our bed, it has been GO GO GO. What I am pleased about is the way that I have been really present with the kids, I have not raised my voice, roused on them, rushed them, interrupted them or bossed them around. I have been moving at their pace and while it made us nearly two hours late for Kindy, I just feel like a child paced day is just what both kids needed to feel nurtured today.

So I think it is appropriate to share some bits and bobs I have come across that both remind us how important we really are to our children and also how important it is to show our children they are loved...

We hold our children's hearts in our hands xox

Hubby's comeuppance

I am feeling a little frustrated with my husband today...just for something different. You see, while I accept the division of labour that we have and our "roles" in this phase of our lives, I am kind of pissed off with the way he thinks that he can say "Oh I'm stuck at work" and get off scott-free. I don't think he has even seen his kids awake since Tuesday night?!?! Don't get me wrong, I know there are times where he has to work late and I tolerate his absences with a smile on my face...most days. Frankly however, today I am sick of being a married single parent!! 

Darling husband worked late last night and because it was "Thirsty Thursday" (the night he has a few mates around for drinks in the man cave) I told him, explicitly, to call his mates and cancel because he wasn't going to be home. I was so clear that I said "Mat, make sure you call them and let them know it's not on. I have already taken my bra off for the day so I don't really want to be greeting company with my boobs resting on my hip bones!" Of course he said he would call them and of course, he did not. So I had three male visitors yesterday evening come to my door while I wore my daggy PJ's, had a rosehip oil treatment lighting up my face like a beacon and, yep, you guessed it, no bra on. Grrrrrr. 

Anyway, about 8:30pm hubby said he was on his way home. No worries, I thought, I'm pretty shattered and could easily go to bed but I will wait till he is home so I can see him. An hour passed and still no hubby. I called him and he says he has just stopped by a mates house for a drink!!!!!!!!!! This would not normally be a problem except for the fact that he said he was on his way home, I was waiting for him and for some unknown reason, Elliott had been up screaming for about 45 minutes and nothing I was doing was pleasing him! I just wanted a break! Needless to say, I eventually got Elliott back to sleep and went to bed myself with no husband in sight. 

As I lay awake this morning listening to hubby's ute driving out of the yard, I came up with a brilliant plan. Tomorrow, Mat is home. I am going to set my alarm for 5am and snooze it about 6 times. Then I am going to get up, get ready for the day, kiss him goodbye and say "I'm off to work". Then, I am going to spend the whole day out. I will tell him of course that I will be home about 11am, and then not turn up. Let's see how much he likes being on the other end of it. I will also leave a list of all the things that I was going to do tomorrow (washing, floors etc) and he can try and fit that in amongst playing with the kids and running some errands. I think I might catch a movie, go to the library and also a friend of mine just messaged me about a feng shui relationships course on tomorrow afternoon so I will be going to that too. I will also go to Indigiscapes and enjoy some solitude on a quiet little bush walk. Yep, and I might even pop over to Mum's for a nap...see how I go.      

I know this sounds utterly childish, but honest to God I have no idea how else to tackle this right now. I have tried explaining to him how I feel, I have tried negotiating with him, I have tried ignoring the problem entirely which just results in him doing whatever he pleases and to hell with the rest of us (this is a phase I call "The Mat Show"). I am sure his theory is that it is easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Not that he needs to ask permission, he just needs to realise that we are a family and his choices don't only affect him. As I said, he hasn't seen his kids awake for days now!

Anyway, I shall let you know how this all pans out next week. Wish me luck! Or better yet, offer up some strategies for dealing with a situation like this...? Please!!! Surely I am not the only one with a frustrating husband??!!

I am woman, hear me roar!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had a handful of noteworthy empowering moments. Being married to MacGyver, I am used to hubby coming to the rescue whenever there is a challenging situation that needs to be handled. In these instances however, I took care of business myself.

First up, we were looking after Mat's parents house while they were away and they have a gorgeous fireplace to keep the house warm. Mat was running very late from work and the chill of the evening had well and truly set in. I reasoned with myself that if we were in the wild, just the kids and I, and I was the only one who could start a fire to keep them warm, then for sure I would be able to do it. So I set to work gathering supplies and can you believe it.....I made a fire!!!!!! I was stoked to say the least and I even got Sophie to take photos of me doing it so I could show Mat.

Then, a few days later I was all on my own at Mat's parents place, just about to leave and head back to our house (Mat was at work and his folks were still away). I loaded the car, put the kids in and turned the key...nothing. The bloody battery was flat. My first response was to call Mat and see if he could drive to me and fix the situation. Of course, he was working about an hour and a half away so that was out of the question. I then searched the shed for jumper leads but came up empty handed. Finally, I popped next door and asked to borrow a pair of leads. I then collected a solar charged car battery from the shed and jump started my beast. Boooyah! I am woman, hear me roar!

Then there was the time I was in the middle of some cake decorating and I managed to get three cuts on my fingers. Exposed wounds are no good when dealing with white fondant icing and neither are bandaids. I thought to myself "What would Mat do?" I came up with two options. One, he would use some electrical tape to plaster a dirty rag onto it...not really suitable seeing as the cuts were tiny, not gaping leg wounds and that method is sooooo unhygienic. Then two, he would just super-glue the cuts. Brialliant! That's what I would do. So the search began for some super-glue but again, I came up empty handed. I did however find some Bostik Multi Bond Industrial Strength All Purpose Adhesive and decided that would work just as well. I was wrong. It stung like nothing I have ever felt before and did little to seal the cuts on my hands. Now I am no doctor but I am putting it out there that perhaps medical super-glue uses a different formula to Bostik?? Just a theory.

The final empowering thing happened last night. I had separated some chicken breasts into smaller quantities and popped them in the upright freezer. The only trouble was that as one of the bags had frozen, it slipped through the shelving and expanded to the point that I could not get it back out. I resolved to leave it there until I next defrosted the freezer but it came to the point where it was either mince again for dinner or a chicken stirfry. I put my thinking cap on came up with a genius plan. I would pour boiling water over the chicken in the very back corner of the darn freezer, catch the run off in a bowl below it and presto, it would shrink and pop back through the racks. I began pouring and....it worked! Again, I was amazed and felt just a tad proud of myself. MacGyver would be so impressed!

So I guess the moral of the story is, don't ever feel like something is too hard or out of your league, just give it a go and you may be pleasantly surprised with the results. If it fails, you can always call 000 or RACQ. Oh and just in case you decide to pour boiling water into an electrical item like a freezer, I would suggest also training your kids to call 000. 

Self discipline

This is a bit of a buzz phrase for me at the moment and every time I say it nice and slow and really think about the meaning behind it, it is like something starts firing away within me. I get all motivated, responsible and accountable for all elements of my life. I just love it! I came across the phase in Women's Health Magazine, which I frequently purchase in the hope that I will become a fit and toned human being simply by association. Ha! And don't even get me started on the exercises I attempt from the magazine...they obviously assume their readers have an existing level of fitness and I question whether a 20kg overweight Mum with a sweet tooth is part of their target audience?? Either way, I love the magazine and get a lot out of reading it...hence my new buzz phrase "self discipline". 

I like this phrase so much that I came up with what I thought was a really unique idea. I would buy a wristband with the words "self discipline" on it and wear it every day to remind me of the power these words can have on my life. So I began researching...it turns out, there is a whole website in America dedicated solely to this phrase! They sell wrist bands, key rings, stickers etc all with the message "self discipline". So much for my original idea. Skip ahead a few weeks and I am now proudly wearing my wristband and hoping that it will help to have a very positive impact on my life.  

Have a go at saying "self discipline" nice and slow, again and again and see if it makes a difference for you. Ultimately we are all responsible for our own lives, our own happiness, our own health and our own wellbeing. As tempting as it can be sometimes to blame others for our problems and shortcomings, it really does all come down to us as individuals and our ability to be disciplined enough to create the life we want. I came across this profound quote that I think we all need to take on board when considering the words "self discipline":

     

Ah huh!

Well, there was definitely something strange in the air yesterday. In case you didn't pick up on the subtle message in my blog, I was exhausted. Elliott was also in a funny mood, full of cuddles and he even fell asleep in my arms...which never happens! Then, upon collecting Sophie from Kindy, I discovered she too had herself a little afternoon nap, which again is something as rare as hens teeth! So either we have all suddenly become narcoleptic or perhaps our busy weekend may have been a little too much for us all. I frequently find myself throwing my arms up in the air and asking "When did life get so busy!?!?!" and I know I am not alone in this line of questioning. We all seem to be so insanely busy and in fact, there seems to be some unspoken expectation that we should fill every spare minute of our lives with activity of some sort. What is with that?

On this topic of busyness, I have a story to share with you all today. I was recently chatting to my hubby about our goals and what we will focus on for our future. This sounds all lovely and rosy but it was more like we just had a low scale argument because we have completely different ideas of where we want our lives to go. During this "discussion" he revealed that he expects I will go back to work next year to take some financial pressure off him. While my return to the workforce is inevitable, I am simply not ready to take on that extra responsibility right now. I pointed out to Mat that I am the one who manages the complete running of the household, looks after the kids, does all the "man jobs" like mowing the lawn and washing the dog, I manage the finances, manage the admin side of his business and basically manage absolutely freakin everything when it comes to our existence. He nodded in agreement as I rattled these things off and supportively said "I know you do all these things for us and I know your busy". I was quite pleased with his level of understanding until this moment came... 

Me: "So you see babe, me going back to work a couple of days a week for just a few hundred dollars in our hand (after we factor in childcare and all the rest of the expenses associated with being a working Mum), it would just be yet another thing on my already overloaded plate". 

Mat: Simply nodded. 

Me: Astonished, I stared at him blankly, the man who was so adamant and passionate about the idea of me going back to work only five minutes before. "Mat! This is the part of the conversation where you are supposed to say that you would happily help out a lot more around here and take things off my plate if I were to go back to work!"

Mat: With some swift back-peddling, he says "Oh yeah, yeah, I would try but it's hard for me because I work so much". 

Now is about the time you would have seen steam coming from my ears. Instead of arguing my point further, I just shook my head in disbelief. Hopefully one day he will get it, but I think I will be waiting a while for that moment to come. Husbands! Who'd have 'em?!?

  

Insert witty title here

At 2am, my mind was abuzz with ideas to blog about for Motivational Monday. Fast forward seven hours, one phone call to the ATO, one glance at the dismal bank balance, one fussy four year old and one teething toddler and my mind is drawing a blank. I am finding it really tricky to muster up anything remotely motivating when all I want to do is eat bucket loads of junk food, curl up under a doona and fall fast asleep. Curse my parental responsibilities preventing me from enjoying such an experience. 

Do you know what I have figured out? Tiredness is my kryptonite. When I am full of energy, nothing can hold me back from having an awesomely productive day. Sprinkle on a bit of exhaustion however and everything goes to hell in a hand basket. I want to eat rubbish food, I don't want to exercise and I don't want to look after the household or play much with the kids. It sucks! Maybe in light of that, we could chat about ways to get enough sleep today...not very motivating but important none the less.

So, in order to get enough sleep, first thing's first: don't have children.......Bugger. 

Secondly, don't overcommit yourself and load your plate up with too many tasks to handle........Double bugger. 

Step three, don't consume caffeine or alcohol past 3pm. Oh come on, what am I, a Monk?!?!?!

At this point of writing today's post, I decided to Google tips on how Mum's can get enough sleep. I came across plenty of articles with advice for new Mums and even came across a newspaper article claiming that statistically, Australian and New Zealand parents have little to complain about because according to their survey, our kids are amongst the best sleepers in the World. Well, it's settled then. I am not a new Mum and I am blessed to be Australian so I guess feeling tired should not be a problem for me. Ha!

Thankfully, I did come across this article that has a few handy hints http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/news-and-articles/moms-cant-sleep-synd-clone-1289424439-4 I have to admit though, I am so tired I didn't actually read it properly so fingers crossed it is a good article that I would be happy to refer to on my blog. If however I manage to read it in full later and find that it is all nonsense, I shall delete the link!

To sum it up though, here are just a few hints for us worn out Mummy's to get enough sleep:

• Start a worry book and keep kit by your bed. If you are like me and your mind races when you are trying to fall asleep, jot your thoughts down in your worry book...they will still be there tomorrow. 
• Avoid sleep aids and alcohol. Not sure I entirely support this 'no alcohol' theory but desperate times call for desperate measures I guess. 
• Ask yourself if your kids are the problem. Oh how I laughed when I read this one.
• Force yourself to stay awake. What the? This is kind of the opposite of what I am aiming for. 
• Limit your time in bed. Again, what the? Isn't this supposed to be about getting some sleep??? I am so confused!

You know what, I have come to the conclusion that I have no idea what I am talking about today. I am sure these tips make sense if you read the whole article and not just the subject lines but unfortunately, that just aint gonna happen today. Sorry folks. I am off to have a cuppa with my Mum who has just popped over for a visit. Maybe I can convince her to take E-man home on her one day off and I can sleep the day away. Lol, kidding Mum! Happy Monday xox        

What goes up, must come down

I am pleased to report that about 90% of yesterday was awesome. The kids were happy and we managed to go to Spotlight, the cake supply shop, Aunty S's to feed her animals and do the grocery shopping all before lunch time. Their fussing was minimal and their cooperation was high...I was pleased as punch! Today however, it would appear the Universe has different plans for me...today shall henceforth be referred to as "Let's test Kate's patience" day...

It is 7am and so far there have been three noteworthy incidents. First up, Elliott screamed the house down when Mat dared to bring him into our bed for a cuddle. No matter how hard I tried to distract him, he wasn't having a bar of it. My thoughts were "Fine, bugger off then you ungrateful child" but what came out of my mouth was "OK Mr, if you don't want a cuddle, that's fine, off you go" said with a smile on my face. 

Incident two was my beautiful daughter coming into bed for a cuddle with Hubby and I this morning. Talk about special! She was delightful, full of smiles, hugs and kisses. Then, out of nowhere, she rolled towards Mat and declared "I love Daddy the best!"...insert my breaking heart here. 

Finally was incident three...Elliott's epic wobbly at the bench during breakfast. Sophie was allowed to pour her own milk onto her cereal because you know, she is three years older than her younger sibling and her motor skills are a little more refined. E-man decided this was just the most awful thing to ever happen in his life and on top of the usual screaming and fussing, he threw his FULL bowl of milky cereal onto the floor!!!!! I was pissed. In my head, many curse words were flying, but out of my mouth came a very stern sentence with no yelling at all..."That is completely unacceptable Elliott. I will not tolerate such nonsense. Off you go! If you throw your food on the floor, you miss out". I took him down from his stool and sent him on his merry way crying and carrying on like a real pork chop. Then I did what all resourceful mothers do...I let the dogs in to clean it up!

OK, make it four noteworthy incidents...while I have been typing this mornings blog, I have been blowing up balloons for the kids to play with while they dance around the lounge room to ridiculously loud music. One of the flipping things just blew up in my face while I was blowing it up!!! Luckily it missed my eye this time (refer to an earlier post "Patchy McGee" http://mummyslovejug.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/patchy-mcgee.html) but my chin and my forearm are sporting some pretty kick-arse welts. Note to self: must buy a bloody hand pump that I see at the shops and think to myself "What a ridiculous item, just blow the balloons up yourselves lazy people". Balloons 2, Kate 0. I would also like to add that tying up the balloons has been made all the more difficult by the cut I have on my finger. I was chopping vegies last night and tried to Masterchef the crap out of them. I sped up the chopping process and incidentally cut the top of my finger quite deep. Bugger!

Yep, no doubt today will go down in history as "Let's test Kate's patience" day. I hope things start to get a little easier because I have my first official cake order to make. One single tiered cake and 36 cupcakes...so excited about that!!!!! 

Have a great weekend everyone and I shall chat to you next week xox