I’ve taken up deep breathing

May 4, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

Why? Here are some reasons just from today:

When it’s the afternoon and it takes you an hour and 10 minutes to walk the 800m round trip to the post office to check the PO box and pick up a parcel that I apparently missed the delivery for.

Deep breaths all the way, and it was a lovely walk. Even when Chanbe lost his cool because he wanted me to buy him the wooden model aeroplane that they had at the AusPost shop. So so many deep breaths and we all got through it.

When we’ve had a great dinner time, easy bath time, no trouble getting PJs on and teeth brushed, and Chanbe wants to read The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back. For about the eighth time in recent memory. I take my deeeeeeep breaths and ask him very nicely if maybe he could choose two different stories tonight, since we have so many to choose from. And he did. Because I asked nicely and calmly. I am the adult, after all. (Meaning I need to set the example!)

When I’ve read the stories, (Chance ended up choosing two Hairy McLary books which I’m quite fond of) talked about what we did today, sung three songs, (I sang them Bike by Pink Floyd for the first time tonight and they loved it!) and brought them their cold water in sippy cups (man do I ever regret starting that little ritual a year ago) and Quindy starts up: “I wan’t more dinnnnnnaaaaaahhhhhh.”

I take my deep breaths and I calmly explain that she ate all of her dinner and her yoghurt and her fruit and now it’s bedtime. After a bit more fussing about (“I need a bandaid/blanket/froggy”) it’s done with and she is going to bed happy.

When I’m transferring my beef schnitzel from the frying pan to my plate and I drop it on the floor, and the Schnitzel von crumbs go everywhere (see what I did there?)

I took my deep breaths, brushed it off (I had just vacuumed the floors an hour before after the kids were eating grated cheese sitting down in the kitchen while I was cooking) and put it on my plate.

And finally, after a long day, and another day of not knowing when Hubs will be home, I should have known better, but learned the hard way, not to open a screw top bottle of wine while I’m holding it horizontally.

Deep breaths while I clean up the floor for the third time in 2 hours.

So there you have it folks. You heard it here first – breathing is good for you. I made a conscious effort to just walk around all day taking deep breaths, so when situations arose that needed me to be calm, I was already well on my way. I just have to remember it again tomorrow…

Today I’m playing with Lego

May 4, 2015 / Renae / 2 Comments

I decided pretty early on that I’m not adulting today. I just need to play and be with my kids. Or just play, and let the kids do their own thang. So this was my first couple of hours:

I know it’s hard to tell, but this will eventually be a helicopter, if I can find all the damn pieces. But since I “sorted” the Lego a little while ago, I now have to sift through all the pieces to find the parts for each model. From now on, each model will stay on it’s own in a zip-lock bag. I wish I had thought of that a few months ago…

So the washing shan’t be done today. We are eating lots of easy things like crackers and tomato and cheese, fruit and sultanas. I’m just letting the kids dictate the direction of the day, and not worrying about getting adult things done. Just lots of sitting around and just being. I’ll deal with the adult things once the kids are in bed. I’m glad I made the decision this morning, because the only other way today would have gone, is me moping about the house “knowing” I “should” be adulting but not wanting to.

This way, everybody wins.

Add New Post

May 1, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

I’ve tried to “add new post” about 5 times in the last week, and each time it has ended the same way – me closing my dashboard without having written a word. I think I’m suffering from a severe case of comparisonitis. I keep reading other blogs thinking “I wish I could write like that” or “I wish I could parent like that” or “I wish I could interior decorate like that.” It’s getting me nowhere.

I feel like I’m being really boring at the moment. I don’t have a lot going on that’s just for me, or for the purpose of growth and development. Oh sure I have ideas, but there’s just not a lot of action. My 101 in 1001 has been neglected for months now, and there are definitely some items that will be impossible to complete, like the ones that require me to do something for a whole year. Oh and go to South Africa. That is pretty unlikely. But I guess you never know!

One thing I have been doing almost every day is walking, and gosh it feels good. I even threw in a bit of jogging the other night, and it was much easier than I expected.

We are talking a lot about what we want to do with our house which is very exciting and lovely, but again, it’s just all talk at the moment. Once we have plans drawn up and an idea of what is happening when, it will all be a bit more real.

Hmmm what else. Oh yeah. I’m sick of talking about kid stuff to other mums. Like, seriously. I don’t have anyone up here (yet) who I can just shoot the breeze with. At playgroup it’s all “my kid does this” and “my kid started walking at this age” and “have you started Darby on solids” and “gosh my nipples are sore” and “gosh I’m tired” and “my kid doesn’t sleep through” and yadda yadda yadda. I think I just don’t like all the superficial small talk. I’ve said it all before to so many different people, that I just can’t find the energy to participate in conversations about the mundane. I want to talk about things other than my kids, though I realise that may be tricky at a playgroup.

The kids seem to have no understanding of my personal space at the moment. Absolutely none. My body is their playground and as much as I love a good snuggle and a little wrestle, I’ve been prodded, poked, stood on, slobbered on and kicked in more places than I care to list. I love my kids. No, I love my kids. I just need some quiet time during the day to recharge. That’s where the walking has been great.

I’ve just sent Hubs and the kids out on a mission to pick up a few things for the house, so I can potter around (read: have a shower) in peace and quiet.

Although, Darbs is having a little nap. Maybe I should join him…

It’s a girl!

April 24, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

Wow have I ever got a story for you! Remember our friends who we met in Townsville, Haz and Maz, and their gorgeous boys Jaz and Az? Well, Maz was pregnant with baby number 3 and was due this coming Sunday. And being as crazy/adventurous as us, they are currently driving from Townsville to Perth, where Maz is from, to spend a couple of years over there, and planned to have the baby somewhere along the way. When they asked if they could stay with us for a few days, it was a given, and when they arrived on Tuesday afternoon, I told Maz that she was to stay until the baby was born. I also asked her if she could have a girl as I had heaps of gorgeous clothes to give her.

And boy did she oblige! Mia was born in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, and is the teeny-tiny-est baby I’ve ever seen! Well, it feels that way since she weighed in at a delightful 3.2kg whereas all my babies have been over 4kg. And here she is with Darby-doo:

Who is currently weighing in at a very healthy 8kg 🙂

It’s hard to convey the excitement about them staying with us and sharing this lovely time with our little family. The kids have been playing together wonderfully (again, most of the time!) and after they have opened their house to us on numerous occasions, it’s so nice to be able to return the favour. They will be leaving us tomorrow which will be very sad but gosh it’s been a terrific few days. Our next plan is to go to Perth for a visit! Moments like this just warm my heart:

14 days 14 photos

April 14, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

Seeing as how it’s been two weeks since I blogged, here’s what we’ve been up to.

The kids falling asleep in the car on our way from the Sorrento holiday house to the airport.

Too cute 🙂

And just another baby photo of Darbs

The disastrous first batch of cookies

The second batch was better

I’ve been walking the hills of Kelvin Grove and really enjoying the views from the top.

We celebrated a birthday with family

And we had very sleepy kids on the way home

Quinn is finally letting me plait her hair!

Ooooooh yeah. Look at that face.

There has been so much of this going on And it has been so gosh darn delightful.

And aaaaaah… another wedding

“That word. Say it clear now. L-O-V-E Love.”

Love these girls so so much.

That’s about it for now. We have another wedding coming up this weekend, and due to a clerical error (ie me forgetting to book a flight), Hubs won’t be joining us. This also means that I’ll be flying back to Rocky with the three kids on my own. But I’ve done it once so I can do it again.

Just FYI I’m loving life. I can’t wait to get back to Rocky and back to Hubs and back to our beautiful house and back to a bit of a routine.

Loving. Life.

A big week

March 31, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

It’s been great. But I have very few words. There is so much I want to say but my brain is just happy to smile and nod. So I’ll try and upload some photos to share.

Okay. So I tried, but it didn’t work. I’m on my nephew’s MacBook Air and I’m having issues with uploading my photos from my phone.

So I guess I’ll just have to use my brain after all. Okay. Here goes.

We flew down to Melbourne, (Melvin according to Chanbe) all 11 of us, last Thursday, and picked up our hire cars to drive down to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. Our traveling party consists of our family of five, Hubs’ sister and her group of 5, and Hubs’ brother, and we’ve been having a grand old time.

Okay okay. Everyone keeps telling me to suck it up and try harder to upload photos. FINE! I’ll try!

First, there was this guy. On the Tuesday before the Wednesday that we were flying down, I was in an absolute tizz. I dropped a coffee off to Hubs around 11am and he told me to take a deep breath, go home, and play with the kids. I told him I didn’t have time to play with the kids, and he told me I didn’t have time not to play with the kids.

He melts my heart. We had a simply marvelous time building lego and reading stories. I tried not to look at the time and tried not to think of what I needed to do.

Then there was this little cherub:

She just cracks me up. My little Quinndy comes out with the funniest things and she loves her new little jeggings.

And my little Darby-doo.

My little guy who sleeps, eats, and gives me lots and lots of snuggly cuddles.

So I did get around to packing, and I was in a much more calm state when we boarded the plane Wednesday morning. Traveling alone with 3 children was a little daunting, but with my positive attitude, wonderful flight crew, and helpful fellow passengers, the trip was an absolute success. And the kids loved the train from the airport into town.

Dad picked our bags up from the airport, and Mum and I took the kids into town, then onto Hubs’ sister’s house. We spent the night there then all flew down together on Thursday, taking up most of 2 rows. We arrived at our holiday house after 9pm that night – HUGE day – and then spent Friday morning just chilling out. I had booked myself a pedicure and massage for Friday arvo which did not disappoint, while the rest of the gang hit the op shops and got some cracking bargains.

The wedding was absolutely delightful in every way.

Sarah, the bride (Hubs’ cousin) asked me, and many other guests, long ago for photos from our own weddings, and she made placemats out of them:

How cool is that??? We each had a placemat themed with a family members’ or friends wedding. It was such a lovely touch. SO much thought, love and detail went in to the day, and the bride and groom had a great time which at the end of the day, is the main thing. But I just realised that I don’t have a photo of Sarah and Justin on my phone – I was too engrossed in the ceremony.

We’ve had lots of down time and fun time here, including in the pool…

(Not me – are you crazy??)

We head back to Brizzie tomorrow and will all stay over Easter which will be nice. I’ve been really looking forward to this trip for 6 months, and it has met all expectations.

Until I blog again…

Cognitive overload

March 24, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

At least I think that’s what Hubs called it. You know how I mentioned life was kicking my butt at the moment? And that it was starting to show? Well the forgotten hairy leg was nothing compared to this doozy. I booked the wrong dates for our flights to come to Brisbane to connect to our flight to Melbourne on Thursday. I booked the tickets from Rocky for tomorrow at 8am instead of Thursday at 8am.

And I was only alerted to the fact when I got a travel update from Virgin telling me about my flight on Wednesday the 25th of March.

When people have told me that they’ve accidentally booked the wrong dates for flights, I’ve always been a bit confused as to how that can happen. There are about 8 different times in the booking process that you can check your dates and other details. I remember booking these flights a couple of weeks ago. I’d ummed and aarrred about them for a few days before we decided to just do it. They were very important flights. I wrote all the details down in my diary. When the confirmation details came through, I didn’t check them, because, you know, how could the dates be wrong??

I know this stuff happens, but it doesn’t usually happy to me. I’m just so completely drained at the moment and I don’t even really know how to recharge. I’m sure the week in Melbourne with some of my favourite people will help. And the couple of weeks after that in Brisbane with two more weddings to attend will also be wonderful.

To add to the excitement, we had organised to have over a dozen people over from Hubs’ work for dinner on Wednesday night. Those plans now have to be changed. Oh, and also, the 8am flight on Thursday is completely booked out.

So it looks like I’ll be getting on the 8am Wednesday flight with the kids and Hubs will join us that evening. Oh joy. A plane trip with 3 children on my own. Talk about draining.

This is all sounding very depressing, but to be honest I’m just to exhausted to be overly bothered by it. I just have to do 3 loads of washing today, pack for us all, and vacuum. And that will be enough.

But really, life is good. I’m really really loving our new house; I like Rockhampton; the kids are just going so well; Darby is sleeping through, only waking for one feed; the house is almost unpacked… there’s so much good stuff going on. I just need some more brain space to enjoy it! 🙂

And now I need to stop stuffing around on the computer (yay! we have the computer set up!) and go and hang out washing and pack. After I finish my coffee, that is…

This is what it has come to

March 20, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

I’m organising our Lego into colours. And sizes.

The kids have been “helping” me. Chanbe’s idea of helping is sitting in front of the Lego, looking for all the white pieces, (of which there are 50 right in front of him) and climbing over the lot to pick one piece up from the other side of the pile. Then playing with it.

Quinndy’s idea of helping is this:

That is, tipping out my sorted Lego as she does not agree with my organising systems.

I feel like life is just kicking my butt at the moment. I’m always three steps behind and it’s starting to show. I shaved one leg in the shower today and completely forgot to do the other leg. It feels funny.

I had four coffees yesterday. Four. And the last one was foolishly at 4.10pm. (And it may have been of the Irish variety. Thank you St Pat’s Day!) I generally make it a habit not to have coffee after 3pm and as I was lying in bed awake at 11.45pm last night, I was reminded of why.

Kindy mornings have been hard going with Chanbe insisting he doesn’t want to go to Kindy and getting a bit upset over it. I’ve been trying to keep it light and positive and apart from one fateful morning 2 weeks ago (there was dragging, kicking and screaming) we have managed to get there in the end.

The place is still a bit of a shambles and to add to it, there are 3 baskets of folded clothes that I haven’t put away yet. I’m just not feeling motivated to do anything much at the moment. I mean I LOVE our new house and want it to be a nice place to live but I think I’m just overwhelmed and therfore not getting anything done.

And WordPress is still taking some getting used to. I used to have everything there ready to go with Blogger but now there’s a bit more fiddling around to do. It doesn’t help that we haven’t had a computer set up for a few months and I’ve been doing everything from my phone. It does mean that I have nearly 1000 comments pending, all but one or two of which will be spam. But deleting them on my phone is just too hard. I need to install a spam filter. It’s on the list.

And now it’s time to have a sleep. Maybe I’ll be productive after that…

In the meantime!…

Our photo wall is coming along nicely!

Quinn got “new” bowling shoes ($1 at Vinnies)

Our 3 little monkeys (generally) love having a bath together

And did I mention Darby has found his thumb?

ummm what?

March 10, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

It has NOT been that long since I last posted!?? I mean I’ve been thinking about blogging every day. That counts for something doesn’t it?

Too much is happening and my brain is mush. I’ve been unpacking boxes like a mad woman and they’re still not done.

I did do a fun little project today though. I turned this:

Into this!

Which was fun and exciting since I’m not really known around these here parts for having any idea about design! It’s for the kids play room for toys and books.

Anyway I’m seriously falling asleep here. I promise I’ll be back here again sooon!!

Another update

February 23, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

We’re in Brisbane.

Mum and the kids and I flew down this evening. Hubs suggested it and i agreed. He and Darby and I are flying to Melbourne this weekend for a wedding so there wasn’t much point in hanging around up there when the was no power.

He is staying with another Doctor we have been friendly with this last month, as he had electricity, being on the same grid as the hospital. We are so grateful for him opening his place to us – we’ve been hanging out there the last 2 days enjoying the air con.

It’s been rather hot up there…

This is me after busting my arse all day yesterday with Dad, getting all of our stuff out of the temp house.

We can’t move in to our new place til the floors are finished and they can’t finish the floors until the electricity is back on!

It’s all very amusing. So if you’re in Brizzie and want to catch up I’ll be here all week. Try the beef. It’s from Rockhampton.