Category: Happiness

Road trippin’

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We are here. We arrived in Cairns last night at 8pm. We left Rocky at 2pm Friday and after stopping in Mackay for dinner (and a pee stop somewhere before that) we arrived in Bowen around 10pm. 565km in 8 hours. Not bad going with four kids and a couple of stops.

The kids set up

Ocean View Motel just outside of Bowen

We pretty much just got up and left on Saturday morning and started heading for Townsville around 8am. It took close to three hours to do the 200km drive thanks to roadworks but the kids did so well! We got there and let them loose in the water park while we caught up with friends and family there. It was 2.5 hours very well spent.

After buying sushi and iced coffees we left close to 2pm and were half an hour out of town when we realised we needed fuel. So annoying! So we stopped and of course the kids needed to pee and Darby woke up from his deep sleep he was in. After some stuffing around we finally made it to Innisfail around 5pm and stopped for dinner.

We were all getting pretty much over it by this stage but still had 120km to go!

We had to keep going! We got back on the road around 6 and I ended up sitting in the back seat with the kids. Jules was inconsolable but happy with me there.

Frith and Jules having a quick break in Innisfail.

That last leg was a doozie bit we made it! So day two was 523km in 12 hours. Yes 12. It was pretty crazy towards the end but we made it and it is glorious to be on holidays with our people. Our incredible friends who we adore and wish we saw more of. So we are just soaking it all in. And enjoying the amazing Air BnB house. Seriously. The main bedroom and cot are nicer than our own bedroom at home!

It’s going to be an amazing 10 days. I’ll keep you posted!

Flashback Friday

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This day in 2011. We were living in Mount Beauty and I invited my mother’s group and bubs up for the day to have a first birthday party for Chance and all the kids.

My gorgeous mums group. Gosh we had some wonderful times!!

It feels like a lifetime ago but also like just yesterday. How did I ever only have one kid?? They were certainly simpler times. I wouldn’t change what I have today for anything but I’m glad I appreciated just one baby when I had him.

And in 2 weeks he will be turning 7. Just like that. What a star.

One on one time

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It’s tricky to have individual time with four kids, and at this stage Jules doesn’t count which means I get heaps of one on one time with Darby. But not much with Chance or Quinn. It’s definitely something I will be working on in the coming months. I have this thing about everything having to be fair and equal with the kids, but I’m learning that a) it’s not realistic and b) it’s not how the world works. I also feel like it’s been preventing me from doing special stuff with just one kid so I’m slowly letting that go.

With that in mind, I took Quinn out yesterday and we had coffee and cake. Well I had coffee and apart from the three bits she gave me, (forced portion control!) Quinn had cake. And juice. We left the four (stinky) boys at home and it was really lovely and relaxing hanging out with my baby girl. Who goes to school next year. Huh. How did that happen?

What a view

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When we started talking about how to renovate this house two years ago, this is EXACTLY what I had in mind. Beautiful deck with our beautiful view that I can enjoy while preparing food for family and friends.

This is potato salad prepared in “Nanny’s potato salad bowl” and Nanny’s serving spoon with Quinn Maria pretending not to notice I was taking a photo.

I’m going to miss our beautiful house and neighbours more than you know. Pancakes on the deck with my world.

A real Melbourne day out

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Now this is what I’m talking about. It’s been a bit of a pain getting around with the stroller to be honest. I was planning on hitting up a couple of op shops today but the thought of getting on and off trains and trams just didn’t get me excited at all. So after an awesome morning with Hubs at PAX I decided to head on over to the Stomping Ground where my brother works, to sit back and chill out for a bit.

The best thing? It was ONE 14 minute train ride away with no changes. Winner winner! I got there, ordered my beer from my Bro and just enjoyed this beautiful brew pub.

It is suuuuuch a great place. So Melbourne. So I texted our good friends Nathan and Cal who live nearby to see if they wanted to come on down. And they did! And Hubs dragged himself away from PAX and came too! Brilliant!

Soooo much history with these beautiful people. They were the first couple I ever married once I became a celebrant!

(Yes, I did just dig that photo up!)

And Chance and April are only a year apart! (April and Chance May 2012)

And this happened today. Just too cute. (April and Julius Oct 2017)

I really just needed a relaxing afternoon with good friends to re-energise for the weekend. So good for the soul. ❤❤❤

Sometimes “yes” is the only answer

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Me: “What would you like for afternoon tea?”

Chance: “ummmmm ice cream?”

Me: “Yes!”

Chance: “seriously??”

Yes. Those three little letters make up one big word. I just got tired of saying no; of not being fun; tired of taking everything so seriously. So this afternoon I said yes to ice cream and yes to watching Captain Underpants”.

Quinn: (squealing) “It’s not even Friday and we get to have ice cream AND a movie!”

I think that’s the whole point of us limiting our kids treat food and screen time. It’s a really big deal that they get excited about and (hopefully) appreciate.

Hubs is working days as well as evenings at the moment to help pay for our new kitchen which has meant pretty much solo parenting for me. The kids have been mostly great but I’ve been mostly cranky. But not today. Today has been an easy, fun day. And right now I’m enjoying the cool breeze on our deck with a sleeping bubba in my arms while the kids watch their movie and Hubs has a much needed sleep before his next shift starts at 5.

Sometimes the most wonderful things can happen when you just say yes.

10 things on the 10th

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10 things I love about the first 5 months

1. Breastfeeding can get you out of most things and is just the nicest thing to be able to do.

2. No messy solids…. yet

3. Parents understand that you do anything that works to survive – there’s much less judgement about how you parent in the first six months compared to when they are over one year.

4. Squishy chubby legs (his, not mine)

5. There’s so much development – they go from a strange little blob, to your baby who recognises and smiles at you.

6. They stay where you have put them down.

7. They sleep anywhere.

8. Having a messy house is completely understandable and acceptable.

9. Everyone wants a piece of the pie. If you’re a social person and you’re out and about, a lot of people come up to look at the baby.

10. The gummy smile

What a lovely near five months it’s been. It’s so hard to imagine what life was like before he came along! What a treasure ☺

Funny stuff

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It’s not all fun and games but these kids really do crack me up.

This is Darby and I having a Batman-off (or as I like to call it, Batmananoff)

 

Then Quinn got into the swing of it (and nearly swung Jules out of her arms!)

 

And Chance is just so sweet when he makes up songs (and don’t you just love his missing front teeth!?)

I’ve had some pretty hairy parenting minutes/hours lately – I think I’m just tired and stressed out with all the renovation stuff on my mind – but these kids really do make me laugh.

Tall and proud

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I went to a Hiit Out (High Intensity Interval Training) session tonight at the gym and it was taken by one of the lovely female trainers who’s positivity and enthusiasm is just what I needed.

Her catch phrase tonight (and maybe other nights) was “tall and proud people, tall and proud”. She was referring to our posture during some of the exercises, but I like to think she was also referring to the exercises in our heads.

I’ve been going to the gym 4-5 times a week and while I’m proud of that, I’m ashamed of the negative self-talk in my head. If I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror I get sad and disappointed and tell myself that I’m not good enough. I compare myself constantly to the other fit mums which is counter-productive and such a waste of energy.

We are all there to better ourselves, not to be better than anyone else. So tonight, with each slam ball and kettle bell swing, with each squat and press, I stood tall and proud, as I know I have a lot to be proud of.

And I’m tall. ?