Let's Write!

My mind is all over the shop this morning, jumping from one topic to another. There are about five ideas racing through my head but I can’t seem to catch one and land it long enough to develop it into anything remotely interesting to write about! It could be because my mind is wrapped up in a short story that I am developing at the moment...

My gorgeous friend, Shaz, put me onto a local short story competition yesterday and by golly, I am going to enter it. I am beyond excited as it is the first writing competition I have entered and I am really looking forward to the experience of it. I am not so delusional as to think that I will win, but it would be nice to make it into the Top 10 at least! J I fell asleep last night, pen in hand, writing away madly as the ideas just kept flowing and the story began to take shape...I like to actually write my stories in the beginning stages rather than type them because it makes me feel more connected to them I guess. Anyway, I have to share with you a little bit of “freaky” stuff related to this situation...

You all know I love my spiritual and psychic side of life and I put a lot of faith in the messages I receive from Spirit. Well here are two examples of how amazingly on the money they can be!

Firstly, some months ago I had a psychic reading with Rev. Marilyn from my Church. She knows very little about me, especially nothing about my desire to be an author, so I was amazed when she said that she can see me writing short stories. She said that she sees me writing in a notepad, not using a computer and that my stories will involve a lot of pathos. At the time I thought there was no way that was correct because I want to write children’s books, not short stories. But, low and behold, here I find myself developing my very first short story, written in a notebook and it certainly involves a lot of pathos (meaning sorrow and sadness that is necessary for the telling of the story, not just for the sake of pulling on heart strings). Amazing!!

Then secondly, one of my dear friends Mrs D and I both share a love of all things spiritual. Mrs D has a pendulum of which yes and no questions can be asked where it swings one direction for yes, the other for no and either doesn’t move or goes side to side for no answer. I was catching up with Mrs D one evening and we decided ask the pendulum about my writing. I firstly asked if I was going to be a published author within the next two years...it swung in the direction of yes (wooot!). Then I asked it if my first published work was going to be a children’s book...it swung in the direction of no. Again, I thought to myself “piffle” I only want to write children’s books so what on Earth would I publish otherwise...insert current short story competition here!

Very interesting I think! Of course, none of this is set in stone, it is just very interesting that my writing path has taken the diversion that it has after receiving these spiritual messages. Stay tuned...there may just be something published in the next two years with Author: Kate Ford proudly donning the cover J   

From my heart to yours

We have an exciting day ahead...we are off to visit my cousin, Julie, and her twin baby girls!!! It is a very special day because I will get my first cuddle of Emily and Joelle, despite them having been born at the beginning of December last year. You see, these precious babies were born very premature at only 24 weeks! As you can imagine it has been a long, hard road for Julie but I am happy to say that today I will be visiting her and her completed family of Mum, Dad, two precious sons and now two precious daughters. So very special!!! J Having been there through Julie’s struggles to fall pregnant, struggles to successfully carry her babies and the battles she has endured giving premature birth to all of her children, it really makes me count my blessings for my healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. So today, I want to share with you a little bit about the magical connection between Mother and child.

As I have mentioned many times before, there is nothing in this world that compares to the love you feel towards your child and there is a special reason for that...it is a soul to soul connection. I believe that our children choose us as their parents. We have been teamed together in this lifetime to learn from one another and help each other grow in ways we can’t even imagine. The good, the bad and the ugly that we face with our children are all necessary experiences to help us progress on our life’s journey and of course, to help our children progress on theirs too. They chose us because we have a vital role to play in their growth and development.

When you look at parenting from this angle, it really makes you think twice about the decisions you make and actions you take with regards to your children. I’m not in any way suggesting you scrutinise every little decision you make because that would just be ridiculous. Nor am I suggesting that you need to become a perfect parent that is always calm and happy, because we all know that doesn’t even exist! What I am suggesting is that in times of frustration, desperation, exhaustion and exasperation, take the time to look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself why you think you were paired together with your child? What can you learn from your child in this moment? What can you teach your child in this moment? What reason could there possibly be for facing this challenge together? Once you have asked yourself these questions, and quietened your mind and heart long enough to hear the answers, perhaps it will help get things back on track. Worth a try don’t you think?  

So remember, they chose you. The love and overwhelming connection between you and your child was meant to be and it is there for a reason. Never take for granted your presence in their life and try to remember just how special you are J

Chocolate overload!

Easter. Oh my goodness, Easter. All done and dusted for another year and I imagine it is quite a challenge to head back to work today and snap back to reality after four days of fun. What a weekend! It was so wonderful catching up with friends and family and especially wonderful having hubby home for the four days (mind you, it took three days for him to settle/be forced into useful husband and father mode)!! My childhood memories of Easter are totally awesome...chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, but now that I am a parent, it has taken on a whole new spin. I have gone from “Yay, chocolate!!” to “Bloody chocolate”...

Now don’t get me wrong, I am very appreciative of the spoiling my kids got from our gorgeous family and the Easter Bunny, but Sophie, Elliott and I have been locked in an ongoing chocolate battle since Sunday that doesn’t look to be ending any time soon. We have more chocolate in this house than the kids would consume in a year (I am one of those “do as I say, not as I do” kind of Mum’s when it comes to junk food J) and all I hear is whinging and “I want some chocolate” umpteen dozen times a day! I am not surprised though because on Sunday, I was really loose and just let the kids have whatever they wanted...they even tried red soft drink for the first time in their lives (funny how much more relaxed you are with your second child...Sophie had to wait until she was 4 to try red soft drink but Elliott is only 1 and happily took his first guzzles!!) The only saving grace is the electric toothbrushes Easter Bunny gave to the kids which are very novel for them at this stage. Sophie is in the bathroom several times a day cleaning her teeth and pipes up that she can have even more chocolate as long as she cleans her teeth afterwards J

All in all it was a lovely Easter but I am still left with the question of what to do with all this chocolate?? There is no way the kids will be eating it all and if I eat it all, I will really be undermining my plans to be fit and healthy (yes, plans...the healthy Kate is still somewhat in the making). Perhaps I can melt some of the chocolate down and make chocolate biscuits and chocolate cakes to take to friends houses for morning tea? Or maybe the kids can have a play day of melted chocolate in the bath and draw in it, slide in it and just have a chocolaty ball licking it off their fingers, arms and legs! I think that is what I will do, they will love it!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and good luck getting back into the swing of things today xox

PS – In saying all of the above, I have to admit that in an effort to write today’s blog uninterrupted by Elliott, I sat him at the bench with a bowl of chocolate and didn’t hear boo out of him...perhaps chocolate isn’t as terrible as first thought J

Easter time!

Good evening everyone :) Another late blog after another busy day. Can you believe that Easter is already upon us?!? I still haven't worked out my New Years resolutions yet or my 2012 goals and here I find myself in April!!!! Perhaps this long weekend I need to focus on those things a little more?!?!

As I mentioned, it was another busy but wonderful day. Things started out a little dusty because in response to a letter from the ATO yesterday afternoon, I decided to have a glass or two of wine. I don't know how it happened but I woke up with one hell of a case of morning mouth and found an empty bottle of wine on the bench! I planned to do the necessary weekend's shopping at 8am but needless to say, that didn't happen! So off we went to Mum's group at about 9:30, sunglasses firmly fixed to my face and leaving in my wake a sink full of dishes and a house of unmade beds...the Fairies would take care of that :) Mum's Group was a blast as the kids enjoyed each other's company with very few dramas...and admittedly, any dramas that did arise came from my pair (they must have known I was feeling a little dusty and decided to test my resolve!) All in all though things went well and the highlight was the Easter egg hunt Shaz put together for the kids and also the delicious punch that she made for us Mum's...the jury is still out on it's contents but we are convinced it was spiked :)

I left Mum's Group at about 1:30pm with two very tired and cranky kids...and I went to the supermarket on the way home (hence why I think the punch was spiked...who in their right mind would shop with kids desperate for a nap on Easter Thursday?!?) Thankfully, it was all smooth sailing and I was feeling so good by this point of the day that I bought myself a lotto ticket. I have never bought a lotto ticket but was drawn to it for some reason...hopefully next week I shall be blogging that I am a millionaire!!! lol, wishful thinking.

The positivity continued with a visit from my brother this afternoon, a bowl of Coco Pops and a nice big nap had by all (the kids and I only just woke up at 5pm!!) It was great, and did wonders for my dusty hangover that is now 100% gone. I was just cooking the kids some dinner and made an omelette to go with their meals. I was feeling so good that I thought to myself "forget the flipper, I'm doing this one chef style". So I had a few practice actions without the pan in my hand, I then picked up the pan, did a forwards and backwards motion and whamo! Omelette went everywhere...even into the saucepan I had on the stove! Needless to say, I am no chef and now I have a stove to clean of half cooked egg and an omelette that looks like scrambled eggs to serve up to the kids. They wont know :)

Have a very happy and safe Easter everyone and I look forward to talking with you all next Tuesday xox



Oh Elliott!

I have just given the kids lunch and raced out to Mat's shed to write today's blog. Today is just not going my way...actually, more to the point, today is not going Elliott's way, which means my day is even more difficult than need be.

You are all well aware that Elliott is the most accident prone child in Australia, possibly even the world (chances are high!) and I have noticed a gradual shift in the way I tend to him when he hurts himself. Originally, I would scoop him straight up and shower him with love, cuddles and kisses to try and make him feel better. I would whisper little hushes in his ear and tell him reassuringly that he will be OK. Then I noticed my response shifted more towards picking him and dusting him off and telling him that he'll be fine. Then came the words "toughen up chief" and finally my exasperated response of "how on Earth do you manage it Elliott?!?" Well today, I am in a whole new realm of responding that makes me seem like an uncaring cow...but seriously, I am over it. The constant interruption to my day as I have to respond to his endless injuries is driving me a little mad. I have only just hung out the first load of washing and it is lunch time! So my new response seems to be a little more like this...

Elliott was swinging on his swing and somehow managed to lean forward far enough that he was hanging by his stomach over the seatbelt chain. I threw down the crowbar that I was using to dig up one of the dogs bones (which strongly resembled an entire cows limb) and promptly rescued poor Elliott. I gave him some cuddles and asked him how on Earth he managed it. He then moved on to riding his bike and somehow managed to ride backwards into a pile of metal Mat has against the side of the house to build a pergola "one day". Naturally, Elliott found the pointiest corner of the metal and gave himself a little puncture wound on his shoulder. By this stage, I just got a little frustrated with the poor guy and after a quick kiss and cuddle, I told him to go and stand in middle of the flipping yard so he would stop hurting himself! He didn't go and knowing my luck, he would have found a green ants nest and been covered in bites for sure! The last straw came when I was taping up the pointy metal thing that he had hurt his back on (I taped blue tack and paper towel over the corner with enough packaging tape to move house!). I was taking the tape back inside and hear an awful scream. I race back outside and see Elliott has fallen backwards off his bike and hit his head on the only bit of concrete in the whole yard, which is less than one square metre in size! I scooped him up and just started ranting. I put him inside and gave him soft baby toys to play with and ranted and raved some more about how he has to stop hurting himself (like he does it on purpose) and that I am sick of the fussing!

On and on I went and then had a light bulb moment...he is 1. He has no idea what I am saying and what I am saying would have no affect even if he could understand me. Poor little thing, I think I need to review my response systems again and alter them slightly. 

I better go inside because no doubt he's chocked on his egg sandwich or somehow severed a limb. Knowing Elliott, anything is possible! 

An interesting experience...

So, I went to that Children's Mind, Body and Spirit Festival that I mentioned yesterday...um, well...what can I say other than it was whaky. I think it was run by the kind of people that would plant their baby's placenta in the garden to nourish a tree or something like that. It was seriously bizarre. I am sure there may have been a lot of great information there somewhere but I wasn't able to see it through the drum beating hippy taking us on a journey to the pixies and water spirits in a tree trunk. I also must have missed the great information hiding there somewhere while we did a rain dance for the dolphins and reached our arms up to "Father Sky" and patted "Mother Earth" with our feet. Needless to say, we left a little earlier than we had anticipated because it was just so far off the beaten track of what I consider to be my spiritual journey. Each to their own though and if this makes other people feel good, that's great, it just wasn't my cup of tea at all. Looking on the bright side though, I did take a few things away from today...

Firstly, they had some very beautiful crystals at reasonable prices so I stocked up on a few of them. There wasn't a huge variety but considering my crystal collection is just starting out, the ones that they had were perfect for me. 

Then there was the lesson I learnt about Elliott; he is even more like his father than I imagined. When we were doing the rain dance for the dolphins and I had him on my hip "grooving" away, he kept looking at me like I had completely lost the plot. This was a look I had never seen in him before and it was his father's face through and through. His expression really did say "Ok, guys, Mum has totally lost her marbles now. I know it's been coming for a while but here it is, doing a rain dance for the dolphins...they live in the freaking ocean for Pete's sake, where there is an abundance of water!". Yep, his father's son for sure!!

Lastly, this is the first time I have done something out of the ordinary with Elliott while Soph has missed out by being at Kindy (if you can call it "missing out" lol). Elliott picked a crystal for her so I can't just pretend that we didn't go out so I am thinking I will just say we went to a special shop and Elliott wanted her to have this special crystal. Thankfully, I already talk to Sophie about crystals, chakras and energy so she will undoubtedly enjoy it as a gift. I would have loved for her to come too, just for the experience of it really, but I love having a break from her when she goes to Kindy even more :)  

That just brings to mind the fact that Mat and I haven't actually discussed how we want to bring the kids up in a spiritual sense. After today though, I think that it will be Sophie and I who are "into it" all while Mat and Elliott look at us like fruit loops from the sidelines. As I said though, each to their own :) 

Oh and if you hear on the news tonight of a pod of dolphins drowning in the ocean...that was our rain dance today sorry, apparently they needed even more water than the ocean could supply :)     

Happy Monday

Good morning everyone :) I sadly missed blogging on Friday but I am pleased to report that I am back in action today :) We ran errands on Friday (I had to go out four times with the kids in tow...geesh!) and in the afternoon, once the kids were finally asleep and I made it out to Mat's shed to use the computer, the flipping Internet was down! No amount of turning things off and on worked so I had to admit defeat and have a blog free day. Then to top it off, both kids have been sick with croup and Elliott also has a throat infection. Poor little things! So needless to say, Mummy duty has been taking top priority the past few days to nurse the kids back to health...there was no way I was going to miss out on sending Sophie to Kindy today so she had to get well fast!

As you can imagine, sleep has been a little elusive for me with both kids sick at the same time but on Saturday night they didn't make a peep. Mat on the other hand, he peeped. At 3:30am I felt tap tap tap on my hip. I ignored it but Mat persisted tap tap tapping away. I rolled over and asked in my grumpy middle of the night voice "What!?" to which Mat sleepily mumbled "Toby found us the welding sticks". I chuckled a little, "What did you say?" and Mat repeated again "Toby found us the welding sticks". I laughed some more and when I asked Mat if he was still asleep, he mumbled yes and drifted back off to the land of nod. So my one night of the kids sleeping through was interrupted with that very insightful dialogue from Mat. Got to love it :)

Anyway, update is out of the way so lets get on with Motivational Monday...Um, excuse me brain, I said let's get on with Motivational Monday...knock knock, brain, wake up in there, when I type "Motivational Monday" the ideas are supposed to start flowing. Still nothing. Nothing motivational seems to be coming to mind at all. It could be the fact I am distracted by Elliott being alone inside in his cot playing while I am in Mat's shed typing away. You see, he was out here with me to start with and after I typed the first three words of today's blog, he tripped over some big greasy metal thing in a really stupid spot and hurt himself. The best part is of course the way he is now totally covered in grease! I have given him a bath and tried using soap, sugar and actual industrial strength grease hand cleaning stuff but to no avail...he is still tinged gray right across his arms. chest, stomach and knees. Oh what a sight! I guess that is my lesson for today...be present and focused on Elliott and purchase a great big roll of bubble tape and wrap the poor injury prone child up in it!

I will have to leave it there today sorry guys, nothing motivational is flowing at all and I can hear Elliott screaming the house down. Duty calls :) Tomorrow I am going to a Children's Mind, Body and Spirit festival so I will likely be blogging later in the day, unless there is a miracle and I can get it up before 7am. Here's hoping!!

Happy Monday and I hope you can all look for the small pleasures in today. Find beauty in the simple things and appreciate what you have right in front of you xox