My mother in law is visiting this weekend and we’re cooking a Potjie.
Our little neighbour is also visiting for a play.
Happiness in a pot…
Category: A Beer
If you want something done…
…ask a busy person to do it.
Too true, too true. I often describe parenthood as a state of being constantly busy, but in a completely different way than I was before.
Pre-marriage and pre-kids, I was always busy. A week night to myself was pretty rare, and a weekend without plans was unheard of. When we moved to Melbourne, there was a void in my life that I struggled to fill; I had so much time to myself that I had to learn to enjoy my own company a bit more.
And now that we have children, I don’t stop very often for very long during my days, except for my 11am coffee of course, but some days I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anything done. When in actual fact I’ve fed and nourished 3 children with 3 main meals and endless snacks, I’ve sent a husband off to work with a full tummy, a coffee and a delicious lunch, most likely done some washing and cleaning and tidying up, have taken the kids out somewhere, maybe done some shopping… well you get the idea.
Some days feel incredibly unproductive; I feel like I’ve just been chasing my tail around all day, ignoring the kids and hoping they can entertain themselves, yet not actually getting anything useful done. And then there’s days like last Wednesday and today where I’ve been on the go all day and can sit down now with my cup of tea and feel like I’ve accomplished something.
So here’s cheers to Wednesdays. They seem to be the day that sh*t gets down around here!
And now for some more Falling Skies 🙂
Did you know?
Did you know that in the last 2 weeks, I’ve written a blog post almost every day? No? Well that’s because those posts haven’t made it from my head to my keyboard in that time. But I tell you what, there have been some crackers in there! For instance, I finally told you guys all about Darby-doo’s baptism; I shared some baking that I’ve been doing; and I shared with you that we are completely hooked on the TV series Falling Skies. I’m totally crushing on Dr John Carter (fine. Noah Wyle) right now. Can you blame me? (Holy moly look at that baby face!!??? Has it really be that long since ER was on TV??)
Did you know I had a big cleaning frenzy on Wednesday and have vowed to keep the place in a respectable fashion from now on, and so far I have!? Our dining area went from this:
to this:
and the kids toyroom went from this:
to this:
I completed my to do list that day and feel great for it. I’ve also been putting in more effort day-to-day to keep it in a nice state so that each morning we’re not waking up to a mess. I think it’s helping with our morning routine as well.
Did you know that I like my bananas to be really ripe? Like really ripe. Like this:
Did you know that I don’t actually know how to turn on our new laptop/tablet? I just press all the buttons on all the sides until something happens.
Did you know that Darby has started pulling himself up to a standing position? He’s not even 8 months old yet, nor is he crawling – just scooting around on his tummy commando-style.
Did you know that he smiles whenever I pull my phone out to take a photo? As per above.
Did you know that I’m a Marriage Celebrant? I did my professional development last weekend and it was so great to meet other celebrants in the area and it got me all geared up again to DO MORE WEDDINGS! Know anyone who needs a celebrant? 😉
Did you know, that for the first time in my life I’m actually losing weight and it’s not as hard as any other time I’ve tried? I’ve just finally (FINALLY!!!!) found my sweet spot. I’m still enjoying life, but I’m just not feeling the need to shove crap in my cake-hole every single day. I haven’t felt this good in a looooong time, nor have I ever believed that a) I can reach a healthy weight and b) that I can keep this up long-term. I’ll update you as I go!
Did you know I’ve been meaning to share an hilarious youtube video of the kids singing Let it go. Which I will do…. now! Enjoy Quinny’s finale 🙂
Did you know that Darby-doo is now big enough to sit in the trolley seat? So this is my view when I’m feeling daring enough to take the three of them for a (very) quick shop:
Did you know that I’ve been blogging for 7 years now and I still love it!? Like, seriously love it. I should do it more often 😉
The pork belly agrees
I cannot tell you how much I laughed when, after an hour of roasting this tasty little mushroom and haloumi stuffed pork belly, it came out looking like this:
Even the pork belly has had a sh*t. Day.
I laughed and laughed. I’m not going to lie. My jovial mood can be slightly attributed to my sampling of the craft wine. (Kind of like craft beer but more crafty) And the fact that all 3 children are sound asleep in bed and it’s Friday night and Hubs is home and it’s raining and we get to watch a movie and eat yummy food and drink yummy craft wine and snuggle up together on the couch.
So all in all a good end to a sh*t day.
Except that I just remembered I have a clothesline full of half dry washing.
Had.
Now I have a clothesline full of wet washing. Meh. Whaddayagunnado?
Happy Birthday Hubs
It was Hubs’ birthday on Tuesday, and after a weekend with his BFF Ben, we had a fairly low-key day. Hubs had to work but he got home at a reasonable time and was met with the smells of his favourite meal; lamb shanks. And so easy for me as well. Win win!
Before that though, I cooked him a yummy breakfast and we did some presents before he went to work.
This was the closest I could get to everyone looking at the camera 🙂 I made a fresh loaf of bread and dropped it off for morning tea, and when Hubs came out to pick it up, he informed me that there was a ridiculous amount of food that people had brought in. 3 different people had made him birthday cakes (which got me off the hook!) as well as brownies, cookies, and other delights. I thought it was so lovely that they made a bit of a fuss for him – he really felt the love!
Chanbe asked him over dinner “how old are you turning Dadda?” which we were very impressed by! Hubs, of course replied “I’m turning 21!” After pondering this for a minute, Chanbe proceeded to say “so on your next birthday you’ll be turning 22. Then 23 after that.” It was completely adorable and very insightful for the little guy!
I was going to bake him a cake, but after I found out how many he already had, I opted for his favourite chocolate mousse. He brought some cake home and we recycled it to sing happy birthday and for him (the kids) (Chance) to blow out the candles.
Happy birthday honey. You’re still my favourite 🙂
It’s a girl!
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
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.
Happy birthday to Quindy
Our dear little Quinderella. Holy moly you’re a cutie.
Those big brown eyes. Those gorgeous blond curls. You steal the hearts of all you meet and you have definitely stolen ours.
You are such a cheeky-chops and you get away with far too much, but no one seems to notice.
You love picking up your bag, my keys and whatever sunnies are lying around, and announcing you’re going to the shops. I ask what you’re going to buy and the answer is almost always the same.
“Ice and fruit and yoghurt.”
You love pretending to talk on the phone, and you use whatever is available to you at the time. Today you picked up a little hard paged book and pretended you had a flip phone.
You love your big brother Chanbe, and will follow him and copy whatever he does. Even when he turns on you, you can generally hold your own, and can give as good as you get. Not that we encourage such things off course….
Your latest antics are pulling a “funny face” when I’m trying to take a photo.
And even though you’re still not quite sure what to make of Darby, you do love to give him kisses and cuddles. I won’t mention the donks on the head though…
So my darling baby girl, keep smiling. Keep charming people with those eyes and curls. Keeping making Chanbe laugh with your silliness. Keep making your Gran and Grumpy smile at your sassy strut. Keep giving your baby brother kisses and cuddles – he’ll be giving them back soon enough. Keep your Dadda wrapped tightly around your little finger. And keep being my baby girl, just for a little bit longer.
I love Melbourne
Number one on my “to do” list should be “enable ability to blog from my mobile”. There have been numerous occasions in the last fortnight that I’ve wanted to share, but just haven’t been near a computer, and to be honest, I haven’t even tried to blog from my phone with the new format.
I’m writing this particular post from the very comfy couch at my brother and his partner’s house in Melbourne. Aaaaah Melbourne. How I have missed thee. K & K have recently moved down and in to their new house and we were lucky enough to be their first guests. The place is huge and amazing, and I can’t tell you how lovely it is to be back in Melbs. And as much as we love our kids (love love love!) it is really nice to just be here with Hubs. He is here for PAX Aus and in between playing video games and attending panel discussions on various topics, we have been wandering through the city, eating at our old favourite places and drinking delicious coffee. We’ve even run into a few students from Newman who remember us which is quite lovely.
Yesterday was a balmy 30 degrees, and today got up to only 16. And it felt like about 10 with the windchill. I even had to buy myself a beanie!! I came completely unprepared. We are catching up with a bunch of med friends tomorrow which I’m really looking forward to, and then the countdown back to reality (well, mostly) will be on. May I share with you what the next month or 2 looks like for us?
- On Monday we fly back to Brisbane
- We spend the week in and around Brizzy, having more catch ups
- Hubs flies back down to Melbourne next weekend for a one week placement at the Alfred Hospital down here
- Hubs flies back the following weekend
- We pack up in the next day or 2 and head north to Rocky to check out the town and some living possibilities
- We somehow make our way back to Mount Isa with me crossing my legs, trying not to give birth! (I think I’ll be around the 38.5 week mark by this stage!)
- Celebrate Chanbe’s 4th birthday on the 27th November
- The baby is due on the 1st of December so… yeah… who knows what will be happening around that time
And then of course the fun really begins! Hubs has a week of paternity leave some time in early December, and he is working over Christmas/New Year. And then, you know, we move to Rocky sometime in mid January. Happy Birthday to me!
But for the next 48 hours, I will continue to love and live Melbourne. I’m so exhausted from all of the walking, and my feet are screaming at me, but I can say 100% that it’s worth a little discomfort. This is the most relaxed I’ve seen Hubs all year, and it’s nice to be surrounded by a bit of culture and people just doing their own thing. Oh, and I won’t even complain about the weather.
Happy 6th Wedding Anniversary
Hubs and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary in the first weekend of December, and we took full advantage of my parents being here, and went away for 2 nights. Well, sort of. I’m still feeding Quinn, so we needed to stay pretty close to home so Mum could bring the kids to us for the day on Saturday. But we had 2 nights away and that’s what counts!
We stayed at Hinchinbrook Marine Cove Resort at Lucinda which was rather nice. We had a great view which was my only request when booking the accommodation. Hubs ended up having to work late on the Friday night, so I went and checked us in around 5pm since the place was only 20 minutes away, and put the champagne sparkling white in the fridge to chill for our arrival. I’m glad I did, as we didn’t end up arriving until almost 10:30pm!
We had a nice evening and a pretty good night sleep (nothing is as good as your own bed though!! Shame ours is in storage…) and Mum brought the kids up on Saturday morning, arriving around 8:30am.
I’m not sure who missed who more!
This is what happens when you don’t own a TV… My poor, deprived children…
Dad had gone fishing for the day up at Cardwell. Poor Mum had a bit of a rough night with Quinn, but in a cute way. Quinn woke up around 3am and just wanted a chat. For almost 2 hours!! So we took Chance to the pool while Mum and Quinn had a little rest.
It was quite hot and the pool was SO lovely. The shade cover made it very easy for us to hand around for over 2 hours! We had an easy lunch, and then I don’t really know where the rest of the day went! We just hung out and watched the boats and lazed around. We said goodbye to Mum and the kids around 6pm and said helllloooooo to Moet:
Happy Anniversary Hubs. This year has been one of our hardest, but definitely our best, and I know things with you will just keep getting better and better. I love you!
