Me: I think I’m contracting*
Hubs: Really? I think you’re expanding
*just braxton-hicks
Category: 250 in 2017
I am committing to writing 250 posts in 2017. It was going to be 365 but I think that’s a little ambitious…
Two hours
From blah to goddess.
Remember this pedi I had in Sydney? This is what it looked like five weeks later, aka yesterday.
Now I don’t know what the heck was is in shellac they used but damn it lasted well. What didn’t last was the smooth supple feet, so when my dear friend Sarah gave me a voucher for some pre-baby pampering I knew a spa pedi was on top of my list. Oh joy of joys I feel like such a queen after a good pedi a gorgeous colour.
Not to mention a desperately needed eyebrow wax. Thanks a million Sarah. I honestly feel like a million bucks.
11 things on the 11th
As promised.
“From then to now” – 11 things from our childhood that we are introducing our kids to.
1. Nicknames – my Dad used to call me buggalugs and this is what we call the kids. As well as luggabugs.
2. Spot books – they were some of my favourite books growing up and the kids love them.
3. Thunderbirds – this is a recent addition and I can’t believe how much the kids love the show! I look at it and think “so dodgy” but they are really getting into it.
4. Dr Seuss – Hubs grew up with Fox in Sox and all those amazing stories. Me not so much, so I’m enjoying them for the first time now! And just quietly, Hubs reading Fox in Sox is something to behold.
5. Disney movies – we make sure the kids are getting a taste for the oldies and goodies as well as the latest and greatest. Fun for the whole family!
6. Holding hands – Dad used to hold my hand and gently squish my knuckles. I find myself doing that with the kids as we cross the road.
7. Star wars – a timeless classic.
8. Lego – as much for us as it is for them, let’s be honest here.
9. Music – I grew up listening to Pink Floyd and Cyndi Lauper. My kids listen to Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift. And Pink Floyd and Cyndi Lauper. And Adele and OK Go. There’s not a lot of Wiggles being played around here I can tell you.
10. Tonka – We are always on the lookout for genuine metal Tonka trucks, not the plastic ones they are slowly being replaced with. They really are built tough.
11. Food – I love making pierogi for my kids and watching them devour it. And we are definitely a BBQ family which is a wonderful tradition to continue.
So there it is guys. A day late but a bonus item to make up for it. In other news, I haven’t missed a day of blogging this year yet! There have been a few close calls but I’m still here, 101 days in. See you tomorrow ?
A promise
Look I know today is the 10th. I have my list of 10 things I want to share with you but I have had no time today to pad that list out and make it into a blog post. Some days in these holidays I’ve had all the time in the world. Today was not one of those days.
I was going to do it this evening once the kids were in bed and the dishy was on, but instead we decided to have 8 people over for dinner (10 including us) which made for a busy and lovely evening. The dishy is only just on now and I can’t do my list justice so here’s what I’ll do: tomorrow it will be 11 things on the 11th. Deal? Good. Cos I’m knackered and off to bed.
Tomorrow morning my Woollies order will arrive sometime after 6am, the tiler will be here at 7, and the cleaner arrives around 9. Then I’m taking the kids to playgroup (aka fight club) and then mummy yoga at 1.30. Then we will wait with anticipation for Kate and the boys to arrive for the week!
Night night xx
The Fart Festival
Okay so obviously that’s not the actual name of where we went today, but it’s what Hubs affectionately called Emu Park’s “Festival of the Winds”. There were kites galore!
Apparently it wasn’t “windy enough” for the really big kites.
But the kids didn’t seem to mind.
Yes my kids are adorable in their “town hats”. Watching the kites was just lovely. Being with my family and enjoying the kids excitement makes my heart burst.
But.
I was a bit hesitant about going along to the festival, and when we arrived I knew the reason. Well, the three reasons: expensive rides, rubbish toys, and overpriced food. And my kids wanted it all. It’s not that Hubs and I don’t like having fun, it’s that we’ve forgotten how to.
No wait, that’s not right.
It’s that our idea of fun doesn’t necessarily match up with what our kids think is fun. Fighting crowds to buy tickets to go on dodgem cars? Um no thanks. Spending $5 on a single duck game where all the toys you can win are complete crap? No again from me! All Quinn wanted to do was get her face painted, have a slushie cup and get a whirly-wind toy. I could get behind those things. And Chance wanted a toy of some description, a slushie cup and a ride. And I could get behind two of those things.
Hubs and I had a discussion and decided that he would stay with Darby and watch the kites on the beach while I took the older two back into the mosh pit.
We found the toys (with a bit of drama), bought the slushie cups, but we couldn’t for the life of us find the face painting stall. And I had decided there was no way I was lining up for ride tickets. So of course the kids were disappointed!
I don’t know. I think ever since we moved away from city life I just hate crowds so much! And I feel like no matter what we get the kids, there will always be something else they want as well. It’s just a constant negotiation that I don’t feel is worthwhile.
Perhaps when they are older and have their own money to spend on whatever they like, it will be easier. But I guess that creates a bunch of challenges in itself.
Look the day was fine, there were actually no tears, and at least the kids were happy with their toys.
But.
Give me a nice shady creek for the kids to play in, a packed lunch, a drink or two, and a few other families around and I’ll show you my idea of a great family day out.
Happy 99th Nanna
Hubs’ Nanna celebrated her 99th birthday today surrounded by many of her family. What a gal!
Pictured here with Hubs’ Dad.
Happy birthday Nanna!
They can’t all be winners
After yesterday’s amazing effort by the kids, today kind of sucked. I had to keep reminding myself that the kids weren’t deliberately trying to make my life hard, that they were just being kids. And if course there were some lovely moments in between the mayhem.
Tomorrow is a full day with renovations, a wedding, a play date or two, and a bit more solo parenting. And I’m feeling pretty good about it all which, at nearly 36 weeks pregnant and a very active baby in my tummy, I’m pretty pleased about.
Today was a good day
A fairly good night sleep last night;
Beautiful weather;
Hubs was around for a few hours during the day;
Happy kids who were lovely to each other and shared and cared and didn’t fight;
Me with a bucket load of patience;
Good yummy food that we all enjoyed together;
A clean house;
A mowed lawn;
A calm story time;
Absolutely no fuss at 7:30pm bedtime;
All asleep before 8 and looking like angels;
Dinner and TV show with Hubs to cap it off.
It was just a good day. Nothing extraordinary or mind-blowing. Just content kids and lots of family time. I’m hoping this has filled my tank up for tomorrow as Hubs has a long day coming up!
It broke
I told Hubs that KFC was bad for him. But did he listen? Nooooooo.
One broken pisiform later and maybe he’ll believe me.
(He was riding his bike home from picking up cheap Tuesday KFC) when his bike seat fell off – yes that’s right, his seat fell off – and he took a nasty spill. Luckily the pisiform, a small bone in the wrist, is considered by some orthopods as “the most useless bone in the body” so no permanent damage done to his operating hand! Good times ahead.)
Them’s fightin words
Have you ever just been in the mood for a fight? Been so pissed off by something that you are just ready to give the offending person a serve about it? Look I’m not going to lie. I’m a little frazzled, generally, at the moment, and certainly not as tolerant of people’s bullshit as I usually am. And I’m a pretty placid person generally, and if it actually came down to it, I could never throw a punch. (Ha ha. This is getting serious!) And even if I want to have a verbal altercation with someone, I’m not particularly articulate when I’m fired up, so my argument usually ends up less than well constructed and more teary and gibberish.
Today though, I was so ready to give someone a piece of my mind. I went to the servo to put diesel in the cruiser, and there were only 2 pumps of diesel, both being used. I pulled into the one that I needed, and watched the person, who was facing the wrong way, so looking straight at me (this is an important piece of info) finish up. He went inside to pay at the same time as the other diesel-user. The other guy came out first (the one that would be on the wrong side of my car) and drove off, and I sat and waited. And waited. And waited.
There was no one else at the servo so there would have been no wait to pay. After another 5 or so minutes I was fuming and ended up reversing around to the other bowser. I filled up the car (over 100L) and the guy STILL hadn’t come out. I got Darby out of the car and went inside to pay. By this time I had rehearsed my speech about being inconsiderate and so on and was ready to unleash.
I spotted the guy. Sitting down in the cafe bit. Eating hot chips and and Ice Break.
Holy crap was I mad. Why the hell couldn’t he have moved his truck before getting his cholesterol-filled lunch????? But I was so mad that I couldn’t string a sentence together. I went up to pay (I wasn’t about to go over and confront him) and instead took it out on the poor person who served me. “Inconsiderate! Unbelievable!” were just a couple of the words I used.
Who the hell are these people??? Gosh I wanted to give it to him, but I decided just to leave in a huff instead and hope that he got the picture. I’m sure he didn’t. Some people just don’t give a shit.