Just for a laugh

Hi everyone :) I am having a lovely day today but it would appear my brain has taken a leave of absence. Normally my mind is racing with ideas to write about but today, there just seems to be nothing but a cool breeze going on in there. I think it is just because I am tired or maybe I am getting really sick because a lack of things to talk about is very abnormal for me. Or maybe I am just overreacting and am simply having a quiet mind day. Yes, let's run with that.

So with absolutely nothing to talk about, I will share some random funny things from the world wide web to make us all laugh. Enjoy :) 



Oh, happy days!

This morning is far to rare of an occurrence to leave unmentioned...both of my children have woken up happy, cooperative and just plain gorgeous!!! I am actually really looking forward to a lovely day ahead with them both. Elliott is sitting beside me, "drawing", and even the smell of his freshly soiled nappy isn't putting me off. Happy days!

Just a little diversion here while we're speaking of poo: why is it that as the Mum, I have to be involved in the bowel movements of all of my dependents, including the dog? When the dog poos, I have to pick it up; when Sophie poos, I have to talk her through wiping her bottom (she has recently decided she is far too busy to take the time to wipe her bum properly); and then there are Elliott's poos...frequent, smelly, messy and yep, you guessed it, cleaned up by me. Oh poo!

But the best thing about today is, you can throw as much poo my way as you like (figuratively speaking of course) and I am not going to let it knock me off my happiness perch. I am determined to have a joyful and productive day and have both the kids, the dog and I come out the other end of it just as happy as when we started! I even said to Sophie that we are all going to talk nicely to each other today, with no rousing and no shouting...well I am going to try my best for that part anyway; sometimes they tune out to the frequency of my voice and shouting is the only way to turn their listening ears back on!

I think I am feeling so happy today because I have finally reached a goal. No, I haven't miraculously lost 20kg, I haven't struck oil digging in the sandpit and I haven't cracked that 1000 views a day on my blog (ok, I haven't even cracked the 100  views yet...spread the words guys!!). The reason I am so happy is because I submitted my short story yesterday!!!!! It is the very first short story I have written and feedback from family and friends is that it is pretty good. I shall know by June 30th if I have made the Top 10 but in my eyes, I have already won. I feel like I have won because I set a goal to write and submit the story and I have actually done it! Whatever happens now is up to the powers that be. Fingers crossed!

OK, the poo fragrance in the air is getting up my nose so I must go and sort that out.

I hope you have a lovely day filled with happiness!

Kate xox 

A little brighter

I don't know about you guys, but I found yesterday's advice immensely helpful. I started the day feeling rubbish but after writing my blog and reading over it a few times, something changed. I got myself dressed in proper clothes (not my nice comfy PJ's), I had that mud cake and hot chocolate and then I pulled my thumb out of my backside and just damn well got on with the day. The words "Look inward and understand that you have everything you need to succeed wildly today" kept ringing in my ears and driving me forward at full speed. I got the towels washed, I swept the floors, cleaned the kitchen, played lots with Elliott and managed to nearly finish writing my short story, all before having to head off and pick Sophie up from Kindy...what a successful few hours!! I was really pleased with myself and I think those words will have to be my new motto...come to think of it, I don't think I had an old motto so I guess these words have just become my official maiden motto! 

Look inward and understand that you have everything you need to succeed wildly today

Love it!!! Anyway, moving on. I heard on the radio news this morning, said with utter shock and disgust in the announcers voice, that a large number of Aussies eat food off the floor when adhering to the 3 second rule. You all know the 3 second rule: if the food has dropped on the floor and you pick it up within 3 seconds, it is safe to eat. Well, I was more shocked that it is known as a 3 second rule...I always go by the 10 second rule! Admittedly, since having the kids, the 10 second rule has stretched out to a much longer time frame than I care to mention here. The kids are always dropping food on the floor when sitting at the bench or the table and I am pretty care free about picking it straight back up and letting them keep on eating it. Don't get me wrong, I don't let them eat off the floor in public or anything like that (yuk!) but I have no qualms about them picking up some food they have dropped at home and gobbling it right up. Of course if the food is sloppy and wet, like yoghurt, they can't very well pick that up and eat it...that is when I let the dog in to take care of business. See it is all part of the circle of life. Now don't freak out here guys, it is not like I have rats running out from under the dishwasher and making my floor disgusting and germ infested. In fact, I will check what is under my dishwasher right now.... 

I'm back and just as I suspected, there are no rats under my dishwasher. There is however a pig, a cow, a sheep, a duck, a bouncy ball, a hair clip and a fossilised piece of toast. See, if there were rats, that piece of toast would not be there so I am supremely confident my floor is clean enough for the kids to eat off...perhaps that is why they are reasonably healthy; their immune systems are strong from years of eating food they have dropped on the floor! I better get my trophy polish out for that Mother of the Year award coming my way!

Kate xox

What a rut!

Good morning everyone. Happy Monday...or so they tell me. I am feeling particularly bluck this morning so I am not sure how this Motivational Monday piece is going to go. There is no specific reason for my bluckness, it just seems that everything is on top of me right now and it's all too hard. I guess you could say I am stuck in a bit of a rut. It is the same thing every day and I think I am feeling a bit over it. The only thing that changes is what kind of injury Elliott sustains...today he is sporting a black eye after a run in with the slide yesterday. Poor thing!! So perhaps today we can talk about being stuck in a rut and how to shake things up a bit...

No matter how motivated, driven and enthusiastic we are, it is inevitable that we will all find ourselves stuck in a rut from time to to time. Here are some pretty good signs that you are indeed stuck in a rut:

• Your energy levels hit the floor and picking them back up does not come to easily;
• It seems that overnight you find yourself putting on weight, not sleeping well and generally feeling "bluck";
• You feel that you are indecisive and confused about what the next step should be;
• Looking towards the future and dreaming is just too hard because it is taking all of your energy to get through what is right now;
• You wear your flannelette pajamas every chance you get...even after returning home from the Kindy run and typing up your blog for the day. Not me specifically of course, just a generalisation.   

So I did a bit of Googling and came across some tips on what to do if you find yourself stuck in a rut. The basis of these top 10 tips come from Jeff Smith, the Author of "Achieving Extreme Greatness":

• Convince yourself that it will indeed pass. When you are in the thick of a rut it is hard to see anything beyond the doom and gloom right in front of you. Convincing yourself that it will pass can help you come out of your rut much quicker than if you admit defeat and let it consume you. Remember the saying "This too shall pass"...say it again and again until it sinks in!
• Exercise. We all know the benefits of exercise so I wont go into it here but just remember the endorphin rush you get after moving your body...it is well worth the effort!
• Get social. It is a normal rut like reaction to withdraw and become a bit of a recluse when you are down. Try really hard to do the opposite and get out there and socialise. Perhaps I should get out of my PJ's and go out today...if it was me I was talking about earlier of course. 
• Change your diet. I don't know about you but I tend to gravitate towards carbs and sugar when I am feeling down. Apparently, hitting the healthy food is a better way to deal with getting out of your rut. I will ponder this while I eat mud cake and drink hot chocolate for morning tea. I promise, I will give it great consideration!
• Break your routine. A rut is well and truly succumbing to a pattern of bad habits. By breaking this pattern, it is one strong step towards change. Remember the saying from Dr Phil "If you continue to do what you have always done, you will continue to have what you have always had. If you do different you will have different". Love that quote!
• Baby steps. Don't wait for some profound event before making a change. Take baby steps and it will all accumulate to become the epic change you were waiting for. 
• Change your company. If you are surrounded by negative people, of course it will be even harder to get out of your rut. Surround yourself with positive people and be inspired to live a better life. 
• Take responsibility. Look inward and understand that you have everything you need to succeed wildly today, it's just that you are relying on external factors for your success. If you only take one thing away from today's blog, let it be this point...so empowering!!!
• Meditate. I love meditation and always feel better afterwards. There a truck loads of studies providing evidence that meditation is beneficial for our health, not just our physical health but our mental and emotional health too. If you haven't tried meditating before, opt for some guided meditation CD's and you will be amazed at how great they make you feel. 
• Know the signs. The best way to stop yourself getting into a rut in the first place is to recognise when you are slipping. Knowing your goals, inner purpose and desires will help keep you on track. When you feel you are not living in such a way that keeps you in line with these, get on top of it and stop yourself falling into a rut. It's all about being self aware. 

Do you know what is amazing? After writing today's blog, I can feel my bluckness lessening. There are some really valuable lessons in here and I am going to take them on board and move my arse out of this rut!! Right now, I am going to get out of my flannelette pajamas (alright, I confess, it was me I was talking about), sit down with some cake and hot chocolate (baby steps remember) and plan my moves for today. Look out rut, your days are numbered!!

Kate xox       

Just a bit of everything

Happy Friday beautiful people!!!! I have about twelve ideas rattling through my head right now but I can't seem to nab one of them to write about today! So I will preface this blog post with a warning that it will likely be full of a whole lot of rambling nonsense...

To start off with, you know how I mentioned that I am going to cut sugar out of my diet? Well it turns out this is going to be more of a challenge than I first anticipated. My most favourite things in the World are based on that sweet poison. Wine, cheesecake, pavlova, hot chocolate, wine, breakfast cereal and did I mention wine? So I am having to go through a bit of a grieving process knowing that in the future, these delicious items will not be making any sort of regular appearance on my menu plan. I will have them occasionally of course because I don't plan on living a life of deprivation, but they will be consumed on a far less frequent basis than they are now. So, in an entirely appropriate send off, I shall be consuming plenty of these delicious treats over the weekend. Yum!!

Speaking of the weekend, this is the last weekend before my Short Story is due. It is coming along very nicely but I am struggle to keep it to the word limit of 3000 words. As you may have picked up, I can talk under water with a mouthful of marbles so writing a short story is somewhat of a challenge. I do plan to commit this weekend to polishing it and getting it ready for submission on Monday. Can't wait! It is the first writing competition I have ever entered so I know that I wont win it, but I hope I get some sort of feedback on my story...it would be nice to know what other's think of my writing style and if they think it is something I could turn into a career. Wishful thinking!!

Hmm, what else is rattling through my mind? Oh, my gorgeous Mum's Group! We all headed into the city yesterday to visit the Library, the Gallery of Modern Art and the Museum. It was a fabulous day out!! With nine kids in tow, ranging from 3 months old to 4 years old, it was such an adventure. I really am blessed to be part of such a supportive and loving group of people. I hear a lot of bad stories about Mum's Groups but I think what makes ours work is that we are all brutally honest about how tough this Motherhood gig really is. There is no competitiveness on which child is the best academically or behaviourally...the only competition is for who will get that elusive Mother of the Year award for all our ongoing parental mistakes lol. We really are a great support for each other and love one another's children like they are family. So blessed to have found each other!

I'm not really sure what else is going on in my mind right now. I have been interrupted countless times by the kids to mediate fights, wipe bottoms, administer loving cuddles and to play with them...just a typical morning really. I am looking forward to spending today with them with no rushed schedule of places to be or things to do. We are just going to go with the flow and have a day filled with fun. Loving being a Mum today, even with the total lack of sleep they have caused this week. Par for the course! 

I will leave it there because everything else racing through my mind is a bit of a blur...crafty ideas, money matters, health and exercise plans, grocery lists, activities to do with the kids on a rainy day like today etc etc. It just never turns off in there! Anyway, I hope you all have a fabulous Friday and remember, just one more sleep until the weekend!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! xox   

The Nightmare Continues

Well, it turns out, Sophie's nightmares are becoming a bigger problem than first thought. After her initial one that involved the lady hitting her and the wolves chasing her, she has been very hesitant to go to sleep. She keeps telling me when I tuck her in that she doesn't want to go to sleep because she doesn't want to have a bad dream. When I have mentioned the dream catcher above her bed, she frustratedly declares that it is not working. Last night, I set up a "dream date" with her before she went to sleep and I told her I would see her in her dreams. She was very happy with that idea and snuggled into bed with a beaming smile on her face. Then 3:30am happened....

I woke up and heard Sophie sobbing her little heart out. I raced into her room and sure enough, she had had another nightmare about the wolves chasing her. I decided to stay in her bed for the rest of the night and comfort her...any talk about it could wait until morning. I assured her she was safe, that I will look after her and I cuddled her in tight...she was actually shaking because she was so scared! A little while later, after she was settled but very much awake, she hopped up to go to the toilet. Unfortunately, at this very moment, my Brother-in-Law (who had stayed over after watching the State of Origin last night...go Queensland!!!) woke up for work. I could hear him stumbling around in the dark, feeling the walls as he tried to find his way, struggling to put his shoes on and generally making quite a racket. Poor Sophie had no idea her Uncle had stayed over and when he turned on the light on his phone, she was scared stiff. She was still on the toilet and sat there frozen and terrified. I called out reassuringly that it was only her Uncle and after a bit of convincing, she came back to her bed from the the toilet. She then told me that she thought it was a Dinosaur when the torch came on. She then went on to tell me that some Dinosaurs have torches...I asked if she meant the Angler Fish with the light on it's head but she was adamant that it was definitely Dinosaurs. Who am I to argue at that time of morning?!?

Thankfully, Sophie did finally drift off back to sleep after I assured her I would stay with her for the rest of the night. Then, at about 6 o'clock, just after I had managed to fall asleep, Elliott decided it was time to start the day. Poor little thing looks like quite a mess after his injury prone day yesterday. It all started with him standing on a dining room chair and it falling backwards. Thank God he just got a fright and no injuries. Then, when I was doing Sophie's hair down the other end of the house, Elliott took the opportunity to go back for another round with the dining room chair. This time, the dining room chair was victorious again...Elliott banged his chin on the table as he went down and bit his tongue, hardcore. There was blood everywhere, but I didn't discover it until it was seeping into my shirt as I was cuddling him. Gross. Poor little fella is no sporting a bruised chin and two track mark cuts on his tongue from his teeth. 

The day continued with many more injury related incidents, but thankfully they were on a much smaller scale. There was no more blood or bruising until the evening when I went out to get the mail. Heaven forbid I could do something that quick and simple on my own...Elliott was leaning on the front door howling his head off. His caring big sister came the the rescue and just was I was approaching the front door, she opened it for Elliott. That would have been fine if he wasn't leaning on it. sure enough, he tumbles out of the front door, face first onto the concrete. grazing between his eyebrows and his nose. Good grief!

Hopefully today will prove to be much more fortunate for both the kids! It seems my only solution with Elliott is to buy him a helmet and some bubble wrap, but for Sophie, I have no idea. Please, please, please, if anyone has any tips on dealing with nightmares, I would love to hear them. Thank you guys!!! xox    

Making Memories

Today will be a blog in pictures. Over the weekend, I melted all the remaining Easter chocolate and whipped up a bottle of cream. I put the kids in an empty bath, added the chocolate and cream and voila! Instant fun, loads of mess and plenty of wonderful memories. Enjoy xox 

The fun all started with the essential ingredients: chocolate, cream, paint brushes, spoons and containers. And Sophie and Elliott too of course!

 Eating the chocolate was high on the agenda!!

Then the fun and the crazy started creeping in...

 

Then the mood turned to plain old cheeky and mischievous...

 

 

And while I have had to scrub the bathroom down from top to bottom, even wash the bathroom curtain, it was all worth it. The kids had the best time, I had a ball with them and it is definitely one for the memory bank xox

 

 

Support Networks

This morning has been insanely busy and I want to give a HUGE shout out to my gorgeous family for their endless support! It is most sincerely appreciated!!! All of this mornings craziness stems from my car and its broken bloody radiator. Let me share the story with you...

Mat took the kids for a drive in my car on Saturday and came home all cranky saying "All I can smell is burning coolant". He was very accusatory, suggesting that I should apparently know what burning coolant smells like...turns out, I have no idea. Sure enough, he popped the bonnet and here is my flipping radiator leaking coolant out of a crack. Wonderful. After Mat had a bit of a meltdown, frustrated, upset, defeated and complaining that we just can't seem to get a break, I shifted gears and took us into problem solving mode (hehehe, great pun, couldn't resist).

First thing was first, let's work out how to fix it. My suggestions of taking a radiator out of his project cars was laughed away because apparently my car, being a Subaru, can't have just any old radiator fitted. Oh no, it needs to be a special order Subaru radiator of course. Then I text my brother who also has a Subaru, and asked if he was using his radiator at the moment. He was very polite but informed me that while he wasn't using it at that moment, he was pretty confident he would need it for work on Monday. If nothing else, this interaction gave Mat the opportunity to laugh and calm down a bit.

So with no fast way to fix the problem, and no money to buy a radiator at this minute, I suggested to Mat that we call his Mum and ask if we can use one of their cars. When Mat spoke to his Mum she said that they were using both cars at the moment but insisted on paying for the radiator to be repaired promptly. How fabulous is that. My Mother-in-Law and Father-in-Law are just unreal with the support they give to us. I was tickled pink and so unbelievably grateful for their help and I said to Elaine that I hope she is keeping tab of the huge debt we seem to be accumulating from her. I then told her I was keeping track of the huge emotional and moral debt and would repay her, money and appreciation, tenfold in the future!!!!!

OK, so the next step was to book my car in ASAP. Mat was able to get it booked in today but it meant that I would have to drive my car in the meantime to do the Kindy run on Monday. So to make it safe to drive temporarily, Mat went out to the garage with a jug of water and an egg in hand determined to solve the problem. Naturally, I asked what on earth he was doing with the egg. "Trust me, I saw it on Myth Busters" he assured me, saying that cracking an egg in a hot radiator will cause the egg to cook and plug up any cracks or holes. Interesting. Thankfully though, topping up the water sufficed and my radiator remains egg free.

So then the next challenge came of making things work this morning to do the Kindy run and be able to drop my car off to be fixed. The solution went like this. I called my Mum last night and asked if I could borrow her car today. She was happy for me to do this so at 6:15am she turned up at my door and I dropped her at the train station so she could head off to work. Then I got us all organised and took Sophie off to Kindy. Then I came home and booked a cab to collect me from the radiator place. I dropped my car off without a hitch and waited on the side of the road, with Elliott, for 20 minutes until the cab arrived. I am pretty sure the strange looks I got from people passing by suggested that they thought I was going to abandon Elliott on the side of the road and do a runner. He was strapped into his car seat to keep him safe and I stood next to him, singing, chatting and just making a general goose of myself to keep him entertained. Finally, the cab arrived and $20 later, we were home safely.

Then I had to switch the car seats into Mums car and head to the Post Office to buy a box. Do you remember the laptop I broke a while ago? Well, we discovered that it is under an extended warranty and can send it away to be fixed. Yay, something going our way! When we pulled up though, it turns out the Post Office has moved! Thankfully, it hadn't moved too far and I just bundled Elliott back into the car, drove over to the new location and bought the box. It is now awaiting a courier collection to be sent off for repairs.

And all of that brings me to now, sitting down and wondering what to blog about today. I really am blessed with a wonderful family who are so unbelievably supportive. Mat's parents for their help with the radiator, my gorgeous Mum for letting me borrow her car even though it inconveniences her, my older brother for his sincere apology when he said he had to go to work early today and couldn't ferry me around and of course my younger brother for his comical response to my request to use his radiator. It is such an amazing feeling having this kind of support network and I love them all for it. My life simply wouldn't be the same without them xox    

Love the life you live

Happy Monday everyone!! I went to the toilet this morning (gross overshare I know, but it is pertinent to the story) and young Elliott came in to join me. He always does and is very routine about it...he walks in, whinges at my feet until he can successfully climb up and sit on my lap, then he happily chats away and uses empty toilet rolls as trumpets. When this was going on today, I thought to myself "Geez my life has changed, a lot, since I had children" and then I realised, I think I kind of love my life right now! My happiness levels were also elevated because I collected my belated Mother's Day gift from Sophie's Kindy this morning. She had made me a sweet little necklace and written a card saying "I love Mummy because I just love her so much I could burst!". How gorgeous!

So all in all, I am feeling great and making a choice each morning to be happy about what the day brings. I thought then, that for today's Motivational Monday piece, I might focus on a few hints and tips to encourage us to love our lives. Sure there will always be ups and downs, but with some tools in our belts to love our life, perhaps we can quickly bounce back from our downs and get on with the all important job of being happy...worth a try isn't it?!?!

Make a list of things in your life that you are thankful for and that make you happy. My gorgeous Sister-in-Law keeps a gratitude journal and reports that it is a really fantastic way to stay focused on the positive things in life. Great idea!

Write your own life script. There is no sense in dancing to someone elses tune and following a life path that you think you "should". Life isn't about pleasing other people and living in such a way that makes them happy. Your life is actually about you. Take being a SAHM (stay-at-home-Mum) for example. I absolutely love this part of my life, even with all its ups and downs. Changing nappies, singing nursery rhymes, playing games, reading books, baking from scratch and digging playdough out of the carpet are all things I enjoy doing as part of being a SAHM. Some other Mums, however, can't stand the idea of being a SAHM and doing all of those things. They return to the workforce as soon as possible after having their children and that's perfectly OK too. You need to know yourself well enough to recognise what the best decision is for your happiness and consequently the happiness of your family.  

Define success. This is a biggy. There is no "one size fits all" definition of success. For some people it's money, for others it's advancing up the corporate ladder but for me it's all about my family. Yes it would be nice to have loads of money or a great career but they are not my idea of success. Looking after my family and raising the two best possible children I can is success to me. Teaching them life lessons, manners, empathy, strength and most of all, showing them unconditional love and letting them know they are valued and treasured is what I call success. I want my children to grow up feeling anchored in this World and having the confidence to achieve anything and everything they want to. I want them to understand the real value of life, that it's not about money and possessions, and enrich the lives of everyone they meet. My job as Mum is to raise the best possible versions of Sophie and Elliott that I can...that is how I define success.  

Love yourself. Easier said than done, especially when we look in the mirror and focus on our faults, or reflect on past mistakes and focus on the negatives of these rather than the lessons learned. But making an effort to love yourself genuinely, unconditionally and wholeheartedly will have a profound positive impact on your life. It will make it easier for you to give love and also to receive love. So start thinking about the things you love about yourself and think of the wonderful contribution you make to this World...it simply wouldn't be the same without you xox  



Feeling the love

Good morning everyone. Happy Friday!! I am cheating a bit and posting this entry tonight (Thursday night) in the hope that none of you will check until tomorrow...which, if you are reading this in the morning, is actually today, Friday, not tomorrow...confusing enough??? You know what I mean though. I have a billion things I need to do tomorrow so I am taking a five minute window of time now, while the kids are entertained with food, to write my blog.

Any who, I haven't even managed to mention Mother's Day yet this week so I thought I would chat about my special Sunday. I was the first one awake and was mighty exasperated because the kids were sleeping in, presumably because it was Mat's turn to get up to them...why don't they ever do that when it's my turn to get up?!? They eventually woke up, along with Mat, and I laid there patiently waiting for my hot chocolate in bed. We had a lovely time opening presents and having cuddles and giggles in my bed and then the kids started their usual whinging if they don't have breakfast the minute their eyes open.

Mat got up to make them some porridge and I put my order in for a hot chocolate and pancakes in bed...not too much to ask for on Mother's Day. I then heard Mat complaining that the kitchen was a total mess from the night before and he would have to spend half an hour cleaning it up before he could even start breakfast (confession time: I was completely toasted the night before after drinking a fair bit of wine...the end result was that no evening chores got done, including the kitchen clean up). Anyway, the kids would not have a bar of this waiting for breakfast business so they amped up their whinging. I stayed in bed, kind of enjoying hearing Mat having to deal with the same nonsense I deal with every day. I was however getting very thirsty and really hanging out for my hot chocolate. I was about to shout out and ask if it was on it's way but then I heard Mat start making the kids porridge...

I heard him push the buttons on the microwave and knew that he had put it on for way too long. Naturally, it all overflowed, making a huge mess that Mat had to clean up. There was enough porridge left in the bowl to give to Sophie so she happily sat there and started eating her breakfast. Big mistake. Elliott is always the one to feed first. It is not worth the crying and whinging if he doesn't get his food before or at the same time as his sister. So now, Mat was dealing with a messy kitchen, spilt porridge and an extra whingy Elliott. I could hear his frustration rising as he put Elliott's porridge in the microwave...and put it on for far too long again! When he opened the microwave and saw the spilt porridge, he was really unimpressed. I had visions of him pulling the turntable out of the microwave and smashing it in the sink in frustration (side note: Mat has quit smoking so he gets very frustrated very easily right now...can't wait for that to pass!!) So in an effort to avoid any drama, I gave up on having a lie in and got up to rescue the situation.

I did at least get a hot chocolate when I went out to the kitchen but I didn't get any breakfast :( I must also mention that the Mother's Day card Mat and the kids bought for me is still sitting on the sideboard, in its wrapper, with the price tag on it...maybe they are saving it for next year??

From there, we went to my Mum's house for morning tea and it was just lovely. I had a great time relaxing and spending time with my gorgeous family, although I think Mat thought it was Father's Day...he plonked himself on the couch after morning tea and enjoyed relaxing while watching Foxtel. When we got home, Mat went out to play on his car and I was left to tidy up, sweep the floors and do some washing. I said to Mat that I was feeling very neglected and unappreciated and didn't think that one day was too much to ask for. He then apologised and said "tell me what I can do, tell me what you want me to do. Did you want me to make dinner"? ....insert the sound of crickets here!!!!! I stared at him blankly and with my jaw on the floor said "I assumed you were! It's Mother's Day!".

Thankfully the night ended well with Mat racing off to the shops and buying my favourite lamb chops to cook me for dinner. I really didn't think I was asking to much to have one day be all about making me feel special and giving me a break from the daily grind...clearly it was a big ask though! There is always next year I guess...and it would appear they already have the card for me! xox  

PS- I must mention that while I am typing this, I have a comb stuck in my hair...I was playing hairdressers with Sophie and foolishly let her use a comb instead of a brush. It's been there for about an hour now and I have been waiting for Mat to get home to help me get it out. Never a dull moment in the land of Motherhood! 

Nightmares

Sophie came into our bed in the early hours of the morning and lunged on me for a big cuddle. She didn't say a word (very unusual) so I thought she must just be feeling a bit cold and wanted to come in for a cuddle. After about 20 minutes she still hadn't said a word so I thought she's either on her maiden sleep walking voyage or she has fallen straight back to sleep in my bed. As sweet as it was having her in for a cuddle, I am not a huge fan of having the kids sleep in our bed...they are so wriggly! After about another 10 minutes, I whispered to her "Alright sweety, time to go back to your bed". All the sudden, she was wide awake and I could tell she had been the whole time because her voice was as clear as it is in the middle of the day. She said "I don't want to go back to my bed, it's scary in there". Oh no I thought to myself; poor little thing has been feeling scared for the last half hour, so much so that she didn't say a word! "Why are you scared, darling?" I asked her and then she went on to tell me she had had a nightmare. This morning I got a bit more detail from her as to what it was about and it amazes me that this goes on in the mind of a four year old...

This is how Sophie told me about her dream: "The lady who hits everybody and everything was in a silver car. I was wearing my brand new high heels and got stuck on the drain. Then the lady was hitting me and the wolves came. They were chasing me. Then Tammy from my Kindy, the nice Miss Tammy came and took me inside to save me from the wolves".

Unbelievable that this is going on in her subconscious! I have no idea who this mean lady is who hits everyone and everything but I am intrigued by her reference to a silver car, especially because none of us have a silver car. Also remarkable that she is dreaming about brand new high heels...God help me in the teenage years!

A while ago, Sophie was having a reoccurring nightmare about my dad, her Poppy. She kept dreaming that "the Doctors put Poppy on fire but they couldn't save him". Further discussion revealed that she was seeing them put paddles (presumably defibrillation pads) onto Poppy's chest. This is concerning because my Dad does have heart problems and has had a stroke so chances are high that his heart will be his undoing and a situation may arise where he does need to be defibrillated. What's even more scary is that Sophie doesn't know about any of that sort of stuff! I just hope she is not seeing the future in her dreams!!!!

As a result of this reoccurring dream, she was scared to go to sleep so we made a dream catcher that now hangs above her bed. I am not sure if I believe that they do anything but even if it is the placebo affect, it seems to help Sophie. I also started making "dream dates" with her and before she would go to sleep, we would arrange to both dream about a lovely place, like the beach, and dream that we were going there for a picnic and a play. So as I tucked her in I would say "I'll see you in our dreams tonight". Both of these things seemed to help a lot and last nights dream is the first bad dream she has had in a long time. Again, I am just baffled as to where these thoughts and images come from for a four year old!

Has anyone else gone through the nightmare stage and have some tips to share?? xox   

Change is in the air

As I briefly mentioned yesterday, a change is in the air for the Ford family. Those of you who are loyal followers of my blog know that I have wanted to change and have attempted change many (many, many many) times before. This time, things feel different. It is like changes are occurring but without me having to force them to or controlling everything to make it happen. It is amazing!!!

I have attempted a major life overhaul more times than I can remember, but I find it too easy to slip back into my comfort zone and then once again life just stands still. I then feel very depressed and frustrated and end up further off track than when I started my overhaul in the first place. It's a vicious cycle! Right now however, everything just seems to be falling into place and with such ease that it makes me smile at the thought of it. I finally feel like I might be back on track and steering my life in the direction it is supposed to be going in. Let's see.....

I am going to be running my household like a business, just like I used to when I only had Sophie. Everything ran smoothly, there was a system for everything and everything had a time and a place to occur. Since my gorgeous Elliott's arrival, this kind of order has been impossible but lately, it seems that order is creeping back into my life. Woot woot! 

On the topic of getting organised, I am in the midst of a spring clean (and yes, I am aware that it is Autumn...nearly Winter even). I feel so stressed when my house is a mess and even if it is a messy wardrobe that no one else can see, I still know it is there and I still feel anxious about it. So yesterday, something came over me and I began cleaning out and sorting. The end result is that the kids rooms are completely orderly and I am on top of the washing. Again, woot woot! The best part is that I have been dreading and putting off this task for a long time but yesterday, I was on autopilot and it seemed like no effort at all.

Then there are the changes taking place on a family level. I am inspired by my gorgeous friend, Shaz, and I am going to start making our own soap and our own washing powder. I am just sick of all the chemicals in our life and the impact it has on mine and the kids skin (Mat seems to be made of leather...nothing makes his skin red, itchy and irritated). I will keep you posted on how successful this turns out to be and I will share any recipes I come across that actually turn out.

I am also doing a major diet overhaul after reading the book Sweet Poison by David Gillespie where he discusses the impact sugar, namely fructose has on our bodies. It is an amazing eye opener that I recommend to you all and it has certainly had an impact on me. I am going to cut as much sugar out of our diet as possible, not as a fad, but as a healthy lifestyle change. The idea isn't to lose weight or go on a diet, it is simply to remove something from our consumption to improve our overall health and wellbeing. I imagine this is something I will blog about in many future posts because I think I will struggle to start with...you all know how much I love sweets!!!!

Other than those major changes, there are a whole lot of simple little changes that are improving the energy in our household. I am talking much more calmly with the kids...in fact, I only yelled once yesterday! I am also sleeping much more soundly...well I have for the last two nights anyway so let's hope it keeps up.

Today's post is a little rambly because things are so busy here today. We've had swimming lessons, cleaned the house and I am now baby sitting a friends gorgeous little boy. Then it is off to dance lessons this afternoon and back home for the dinner, bath and bed rush. Tonight I will hopefully be cleaning out the office and doing more business paperwork. Yay. Anyway, enough rambling, I just wanted to get something out there about how great I feel with the changes that are in the air xox

Parenting school

I wanted to talk to you all today about parenting. I know I have said many times before that there is no "right way" to parent and we all have moments in time where we are very unhappy with the way we are operating. There are however many "wrong ways" to parent and it is extremely frustrating when someone elses poor parenting impacts on you and your children. Let me fill you in...

I have a family relation, we'll call her Mrs Precious, who has one child who we will call Miss M. To set the scene, Miss M was having chup-a-chup lolly pops before she had even turned one and I have never heard her ask for a drink of water, only ever "juice". In fact I don't think I have even seen her drink water before...? On top of that, Miss M slept in a cot until she was 3 years old and is only now being toilet trained (poorly) at nearly three and a half years old! Every time I see Miss M she is eating junk food or drinking juice and soft drink, which is where the challenge is. You see, for my children, these things are treat foods that can only be had sometimes (as in, on special occasions). Don't get me wrong, I am not one of these whaky Mums that gives her child nothing but organic produce and pure rain water. I am however one of those normal Mums that makes sure my children are given healthy food and drinks day in and day out. Junk food is just that, junk, and is something that they get very infrequently as a special treat.

Anyway, as I mentioned, Miss M's consumption of endless amounts of junk food is beginning to impact on my children because I am always having to say "No" to them. They see Miss M having these treat foods and of course, in the eyes of a child, they want to have it as well. I am always having to say no, particularly to Sophie, and I know she feels sad and left out because of it. I am at the point now where I am simply going to say to her that no she can't have the junk food because it makes people fat, unhealthy and makes their teeth rot out of their heads. I don't care if she repeats this to Miss M because good grief, someone needs to teach that poor child about healthy food choices!

The other part of my frustration stems from Mrs Precious allowing, and obviously encouraging, Miss M to consume junk food in front of other kids. Everyone with half a brain knows that if you are going somewhere that there are other children and you are allowing your child to take a juice or a sweet treat, you have to make sure you take enough for every child. Seriously, it is just common sense!

Anyway, I will end my rant there because if I get going on Mrs Precious, I may never stop! From here, what I am going to do is take my own advice on dealing with negative people in my life. She is family so I cannot rid her from my life completely so I will instead tolerate her and only see her when I have too. I have come to this decision because her negativity is impacting on my children and that is where I draw the line. As you can imagine, there is a whole lot more to it than food choices, but I am not going to give the issue of Mrs Precious any more energy than I already have.

Moving on, I feel a change in the air. Not just the obvious change in weather but a change in how the Ford family live their lives. Stay tuned...I will talk more about this tomorrow xox

Motivational Monday

Good morning everyone!! Happy Monday J I am feeling less than fabulous today but I am choosing to fake it 'till I feel it. I have spent most of the morning in a mopey mood with plenty of negative self talk going on in my head. But then, as I sat down to write today's blog, something came over me. I realised that there are heaps of you out there looking forward to a positive message to start your week so the last thing I need to do is get on my blog and spread my bad mood. So, my bad mood has been shelved and I am choosing to be happy instead. Happy Monday indeed J

Today I want to share with you a little story that will make you feel warm from the inside. Last week, Elliott and I were at the Supermarket getting just a few groceries. The budget was tight so I had to be very conscious of what I bought and I managed to buy far less than I usually would. Throughout the shop, we kept running into a few old ladies who delighted in chatting with Elliott and sharing stories with me of years gone by and how precious their own Grandchildren are. While some Mum's at the shops find these kinds of interactions frustrating, I really don't mind them at all because I know that it makes these beautiful oldies feel special and it brightens their day.

Anyway, we got to the check out and there was an old lady in front of me who I hadn't spoken to during the shopping but the sweet old lady behind me and I were having a lovely little chat. I wasn't paying much attention to the lady in front of me but noticed that she paid for some of her groceries with her bank card then was scrounging through her purse to find the rest of the money to afford her total bill. She dragged out every last cent she had but was still short of the total amount. The cashier told her she was still a bit short and the old lady said she would have to give some of the groceries back. It was at that moment that my mouth started moving before my head caught up to what was going on..."How much are you short"? I asked, putting my hand on her arm to stop her unloading some of her groceries "Let me help you, I'll pay the difference". The poor old lady insisted it was not a bother as she took out potatoes and other necessities from her trolley. I kept offering to pay and even told the cashier that I would cover the difference but the old lady would not accept my offer. She was very nice about it, saying that she will just have to come back tomorrow. She thanked me very sincerely for my offer but insisted that it would all be OK. She very quickly raced off after declaring how embarrassed she was. The cashier had tears in her eyes and thanked me profusely. She looked to be in her 50's and said she she had never heard such kindness and never heard of anyone being so generous. Even I felt a wave of goosebumps and happiness at having offered someone help with absolutely no expectation of anything in return.       

So with that story in mind, take today to think of ways that you can pay it forward. Learn to give to others unconditionally. This is actually a pretty tricky thing to do but just try. Do things, say things and project love towards others without any conditions or expectations. Just do it because it makes you feel good, makes them feel good and because you know it is the right thing to do. Pay it forward xox  

A shitty start to the day

Nothing like a poo explosion to get the day started. Now I am not talking your average run of the mill dribble out the top and sides of the nappy...oh no, this one was epic. Poor Elliott decided to poo whilst sitting at the bench having breakfast and there was nowhere for it to go except down. By the time I smelt it and realised what he'd done, it was pooling in the foot of his pjyamas! EEEEWWWWW!!!!! Oh yeah, the joys of motherhood. 

If this had of happened yesterday, it's likely I would have curled up in a ball on the kitchen floor, assumed the fetal position and cried uncontrollably. But something magical happened last night resulting in one patient and happy Mum today...a blissful night of uninterrupted sleep! I clocked up a whole six hours and feel fantastic for it! Amazing how well we can function when we have a few hours of decent sleep on board. More amazing is that evolution has not caught up and created some way for Mother's to function on only three hours sleep. Although, what evolution has overlooked, Science is probably working on as we speak. A tablet to give Mum's endless energy would be worth a small fortune to the drug company that invents it...so if you are a scientist reading this, get on to it!! Oh and you will probably want to work on some sort of female viagra too, just in case the "awake" tablet doesn't work out...sleep deprivation will do little for the continuation of the human race you know!     

Anyway, it is Friday and this weekend is Mother's Day. Those of you who are lucky to be able to spend it with your Mum, let her know how loved she is. Motherhood really is the most underrated, unappreciated job on the planet but ironically, it is the most important job ever to exist! So really think about doing something special or saying something special to let your Mum know how loved she is. 

Those of you who have Mother's in Spirit, I assure you that they will be close by this Sunday (although I am positive they are close by far more often than that!!) Tell her how much you love her and miss her...you might feel silly talking to "yourself" but trust me, she can hear you. And if you sit still and quietly for long enough, you will hear her whisper back. It may be goosebumps up your arm, a warm touch on your face or even a light flickering away...Spirit are always trying to communicate with us but we are often too busy to listen. Talk to your Mum and listen out for her whisper back. She loves you and misses you just as much as you love and miss her. 

Much love to you all and I hope you have a fabulous weekend xox    

Arrrrgggghhh!

OK Universe, I don't know what is going on but we need to talk. Elliott is now 19 months old and I can seriously count on one hand the number of "good" months (if not weeks!!) that we have had together. Now don't get me wrong, I love him and appreciate his presence in my life but seriously, I don't understand why he has to be so bloody difficult all the time!! Is it Karma? Did I do something really awful in a past life and this is my comeuppance? Or is it something I am doing in my present life that you are unimpressed with...perhaps I am sleep walking and unknowingly drowning kittens, or am I reversing over an  invisible family of ducklings at the bottom of my driveway each morning? Please tell me whatever I am doing to piss you off so I can remedy it ASAP!!!!

You know Universe, I was talking to my sister-in-law yesterday about the "joys" of parenting and she is convinced that she must have bombed China in a past life and is now dealing with Karmic retribution of that in her 3 year old daughter's challenging behaviour. Did I also bomb a country or something?? Or did I cause a natural disaster? Or is it simply that in my past life, I was not a parent and critisised my friends who did have children for not keeping their darling children "under control". Yes, perhaps that is more like it, perhaps I was just an unsupportive friend and Elliott is my life lesson in not judging others. You know how I know that you dealt me a difficult child, Universe? Well, between my Mum and my Mother-in-law they have had 7 children and both of them throw their hands up in the air in defeat when it comes to Elliott! None of us can figure him out!!!!  

Anyway Universe, take this as my most humble apology for running over invisible ducklings, bombing countries or being an unsupportive friend...I am truly sorry!!!!!! Whatever lesson you are trying to teach me I assure you I have taken it all on board and am now a better person for it...I think. Just please give me a break from Elliott's constant whinging, crying, fussing, non sleeping, difficult, miserable nonsense! Please!!!!!!! 

I have to run now, Elliott, who has been awake since the wee dark hours of the morning, is screaming his head off for reasons unknown. He has just walked into a wall but that doesn't usually induce screaming fits like this. The dog is barking like crazy trying to tell me that Elliott needs my help (like Elliott's cries are not an indicator) and Sophie is being the attention seeking princess that she is and "singing" over the top of all the other noise. As I said Universe, I apologise!!!!   

To stop or not to stop...that is the question

I found myself in a real moral dilemma yesterday on my way home from dropping Sophie off at Kindy. I was pulled up at a set of lights playing peekaboo with Elliott in the rear vision mirror, when I noticed a whole lot of commotion going on outside his window. There was a boy in a high school uniform racing towards an elderly lady and a girl, aged all of about 5, still wearing her pyjamas. The boy had a phone to his ear and swiftly handed it over to the frantic elderly lady. I turned down my stereo, wound down my window and had my attention quickly drawn to the domestic dispute unfolding further down the street...

There was a big burly bloke with a shaved head wearing a dirty grey singlet and filthy black jeans. He looked drunk, drugged out and exhausted...and the way he was yelling at a lady who was presumably his partner was not adding to his charm. The lady he was yelling at was in her pyjamas and dressing gown, frantically trying to get something out of the mans arms. As he turned to the side, I saw that he was holding a baby! This precious little baby was still so fresh that it had the downy whispy hair that they all seem to be blessed with in the first couple of months until it gets any real weight to it. The horrible man was ignoring the ladies pleas and pushing her away as she attempted to grab her baby back. She was begging him not to take her baby but he was in a real craze and would not listen to reason. The light turned green and the traffic began moving forward...and this is where my dilemma really began.

At first I was shocked that no one was stopping to help this poor woman. I desperately wanted to stop and help but Elliott's giggles from the back seat quickly made my decision for me. There was no way I was stopping the car on the side of a busy road in a situation like this and putting my own child at risk. Had I of been on my own, there is no question that I would have stopped and helped as best I could. With such precious cargo however, I couldn't stop and risk Elliott getting hurt or even getting injured myself in such a way that might prevent me from protecting him! It was heartbreaking driving away from the situation, especially as I looked out of my rear vision mirror and saw the foolish man dart across the road, baby in his arms, traffic zooming by and the lady desperately following behind him. I felt totally and utterly helpless.

Hindsight is of course 20/20 and I was thinking last night that I could have driven to a dear friends house that was close by (that's you Aunty Kat!!) and dumped Elliott in her arms and raced back to help, but I didn't think of that at the time. And of course, who is to say my intervention would have been well received? I quite possibly would have been adding fuel to the fire. I knew that the high school boy and the old lady were on the phone to the police so there was no need for me to call them so I guess there really was nothing that I could have done to help in that situation.

It really does raise a moral issue for me. I know I did the right thing by keeping my own child safe but it still doesn't make me feel any better about just driving away from a scene like that. I knew the police had been contacted and there were bystanders ready to help but I still feel like crap for not stopping. What do you think you would have done in the same situation....?      

Turbocharge your Tuesday

Getting back into the swing of things after a gorgeous long weekend like we have all just had is soooooo difficult. The weather was just divine, the moon was shining brighter and bolder than I have ever seen before and the whole energy of the weekend was remarkably beautiful. But today, it is back to reality so it is time to turbocharge your Tuesday! Here are a few snippits of inspiring words that I hope will help light a fire in your belly so you can get the most out of this glorious day J

"Every day is something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow". Doug Firebaugh

"Live the life you've imagined". Henry David Thoreau

Start driving your life in the direction you want it to go. 

"As you think, then so it is". Marilyn O'Sullivan 

Make time to look after yourself by eating well and exercising daily. If you do not make this time, you will soon have to make time for illness. 

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Remember how our Grandmothers would say "A place for everything and everything in it's place"...well she was right. Get organised! Organise your surroundings and everything will flow much, much easier. Less of your time will be wasted which will of course allow you more time for productivity and living out your dreams.   

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step". Lao Tse

Strive for balance and make time to balance your life. 

"The mind is everything. What you think, you become". Buddha

Connect with nature. Be it night or day, look up at the sky, breath in fresh air, feel the grass under your toes or the water lapping at your feet as you walk along the beach. Find what you love about nature and have at it!

"If you realised how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought" Peace Pilgrim

And my personal favourite: Be present, be present, be present! Everything is enhanced when you are completely present and completely immersed in the experience. Love every moment of every day J

Now go back over them and read them again, really taking the time to ponder each phrase, each quote and each idea. Also refer back to these throughout the day or write down the ones that really hit home for you. The power of these words can be truly amazing if you'll just let them in xox

Smiling from the inside

Good morning everyone :) Because it is a public holiday today and many of you wont be at work to read my fabulous blog (hehe, biased much?!?) I will shift the regular Motivational Monday segment to tomorrow...I imagine after a long weekend, motivation will be at the top of the agenda! For the rest of us who work for the love of it (in other words, "motherhood"), a public holiday really doesn't mean too much at all. If we are lucky, we have our husbands home but all in all, the household still needs to be run and the kids still need to be cared for. I was lucky this morning though because I negotiated with Mat that he could sleep in yesterday and I would get a sleep in this morning...it was wonderful!!! 

Elliott began stirring just before 5am and I ignored him, hoping Mat would register that he was the one that needed to get up and be on duty. Eventually, I just woke Mat up (although I do believe he was pretending to be in the land of slumber) and he tended to Elliott, allowing me the opportunity to drift back off to sleep. I phased in an out as the morning went on...apparently Mat can't see any problem letting the kids play with noisy trains and musical bells while I am trying to sleep in! By 8am, Mat came in and woke me up...I was ready to tear shreds off him because all I wanted was some sleep! But then, he placed a hot chocolate on my bedside table and handed me a plate of homemade blueberry pancakes with fresh strawberries and ice-cream...how could I be made at him for that?!!? He then left the room, closed the door and I sat in peace eating a delicious breaky and reading my book. I did have to get my wits about me and question whether I had been asleep for a week and woken up on Mother's Day...such spoilings are not a common thing around here!! It was such a gorgeous start to the day and I wish all days could start out that beautifully. 

One side effect of course is that today is Monday and I was going to start being healthy and exercising (as I say every Monday). But starting the day with that kind of food puts healthy on the back burner and now I will just have to wait until next Monday to start...shame. I am off to eat some chocolate. Yum!! xox   

Goats cheese

I have woken up after six full, solid, uninterrupted hours of sleep and I feel fabulous! Even after four years of being a Mum, I am amazed at how much nicer I am on the day following a good nights sleep. I have just been dancing and singing around the kitchen, thoroughly amusing the kids while their toast was cooking and I can tell you that it is so much nicer to start the day with their laughter and smiles rather than whinging and bickering. 

Now considering this has been my birthday week and I have been somewhat reflective in my thought process, I think I might just take today's blog as an opportunity to summarise what I have learned....

I am great at giving advice, but taking it is a whole different ball game...think back to Motivational Monday and my suggestion on carving out time to take stock of your life. Well, it's Friday now and I can honestly say I haven't found five minutes this week to make that happen! I do plan on doing it some time over the weekend though...I promise!

No amount of Ferrero Rocher chocolates or Mint Slice chocolate biscuits for breakfast will help alleviate stress and anxiety. It will however induce severe feelings of guilt and frustration with yourself for eating chocolate for breakfast!!!     

I hate the ATO...that's the Australian Taxation Office for all my gorgeous overseas readers :) 

If I choose to be happy, my day goes a hell of a lot better. I respond to the world around me rather than react to it and my positive energy extends to my children who seem to behave much better if I am feeling happy. All around, choosing to be happy makes everything and everyone around me happy too. Win win!  

I am utterly hopeless at setting boundaries for myself. I decided last month that I was not going to socialise at all in May because I want to spend every spare moment working on my short story. So far this week however, I have socialised every evening except for Wednesday...and loved it so much!! I justify it because it has been my birthday week and after tonight (yes, celebrating again tonight with my gorgeous Mum's Group gals...sans kids of course!) I will start to reign it in...or I will try to at least :) 

Most importantly, I have learned that I am surrounded by the most wonderful friends and family a girl could ask for. I truly am blessed to have such generous, caring, beautiful and genuine people in my life and this is a big shout out to you all to let you know how fabulous you are!! Love you to bits xox

Oh yes, and one other thing I have learnt is that if you want your husband to quit smoking, don't harp on at him...just use your four year old daughter to guilt him into quitting instead! Be warned though, he may temporarily turn into a bit of a cranky, short fused, pain in the arse but I am sure it will come good soon...very soon I hope!   

Happy Friday gorgeous people! Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to chatting with you next week xox 

PS - you will note that the title of today's blog has absolutely nothing to do with the content of it...just trying to mix things up a bit :)