A five hour block

January 7, 2016 / Renae / Leave a comment

Last night it happened.

It’s been, at a guess, months since I had five hours of uninterrupted sleep. Months I tell you. And I gotta say, today I feel like a million bucks. Never in my wildest childless dreams would I ever have considered a 5 hour stretch of sleep something to celebrate. And then, as a bonus, after tending to Darby (still in the process of weaning!) I got another two or so hours. And it was all in the comfort of our king size bed with just Hubs and I, as Chanbe stayed in his big boy bed all night long.

The phrase “fresh as a daisy” springs to mind.

It got me thinking, what else I could achieve in an uninterrupted five hour block. This is what I’ve come up with:

I could unpack from our Christmas holiday and find a place for everything;

I could tidy my whole house, vacuum and mop the floors;

I could write a meal plan for a whole month and shop for it;

I could bake up a storm and cook up a bunch of meals to freeze;

I could hit up all of the op shops in town;

I could meet a friend for a movie and a meal;

I could get a good start on the photo books I’ve been wanting to print out;

I could build a LOT of Lego;

I could watch 7 episodes of Nashville;

I could get all my paperwork ready for the four weddings I have booked so far this year;

I could ring around and set up some meetings with builders about our renovations;

I could have another sleep.

Oh I could go on but this is just off the top of my head. Five hours may not seem like much but oh the things I could achieve!

Please don’t tell me you’re busy…

September 22, 2015 / Renae / 2 Comments

… and then apologise because you don’t have kids; or you “only” have one or two kids; and then say that I must be heaps busier because I “have three kids”.

It doesn’t work like that.

I was just as busy, if not busier, with no kids, before I was married. It was just a different busy – there were more social engagements to fit in; I worked full-time and everything else had to fit in around that; I lived close to family which meant a lot more catch-ups and regular events to attend.

I was just as busy with “only” one baby. There’s no such thing as “only” when it comes to having kids. One child can take up your entire day, just as much as three or more can.

And it works with parents of more than three children. I wouldn’t say to them “well you must be heaps busier than me because I only have three kids.” They know what it’s like to have three kids. It’s busy.

I really believe we are all as busy as we want to be. To be honest, I have a lot of time during the day when I’m not doing anything. I’m sitting, watching my children, thinking “I could be blah blah blahing but I’m just too tired/lazy/couldn’t be bothered moving from my comfy chair right now.”

Like right now, there are two overflowing baskets of clean, folded laundry (bliss!) to be put away, but here I am. The dining room table needs clearing (a 10 minute job) but here I am. There’s a mountain of sorting and filing to be done… you get the picture. My sore throat of three weeks has turned into a head cold, so I’m giving myself the night off from housework. Thankfully, Hubs has tomorrow off, so I can rest up and get back on my feet.

Our house is pretty much always in a state of disarray, and it’s not because we have three children, it’s because I’m not a particularly tidy person, and I’d much rather spend my time doing other things. Like blogging. Or baking. Or playing Lego.

I accepted not so long ago, that I can try and clean and tidy all day long in between giving the kids attention, but then I’m doing a half-arsed job of parenting and housekeeping. I’d rather do one job well, and I’ll bet you can guess which one that is.

So please don’t compare your busy-ness to mine, or make it into a competition. We have very different lives, and I want to hear about how we’re in the same boat, even if it’s in different seas.

Now. I’m going to make myself a cup of camomile and go to bed.

What’s keeping you busy these days?

If you want something done…

July 29, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

…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 🙂

The pork belly agrees

July 10, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

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

June 25, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

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 🙂

He may never

June 20, 2015 / Renae / 4 Comments

After walking around the house and picking up Hubs’ boots from the front door, shirt from the loungeroom, pants from the toyroom and bag on top of the open dishwasher door (yes, this happened), I realised that Hubs may never be the guy who picks up after himself.

I was considering this the other night, and as you do at 9:30pm after a long day, I started thinking of the other things that drove me crazy about him. And then I smiled. Because there were so many things for me to be thankful for. I went to bed, snuggled against my husband of almost eight years, the father of my three gorgeous children, and I was content.

Because even though he may never put his breakfast bowl in the dishwasher, he will always give me a sleep in when he can. I slept in three days in a row last week, one of those days I was in bed until after 10am. He took the kids to playgroup (so many brownie points there!) and then looked after them while I had a physio appointment.

He may never understand why I prefer to clean up the kitchen before going to bed, but after a long day at work, when he comes home to a messy house with feral (but happy) children, with his wife on the couch reading the internet (yes, the whole internet), as long as he is greeted with a big smile, a warm hug and a cold beer, all is right in his world.

He may never pay much attention to the time, which will sometimes mean he’s running late for things, but it also means he gives the kids and I his full attention when he’s around. And all he wants from us, really, is our full attention from time to time.

He may never be interested in the “sensible” choice for buying a car, but he will always have reasons behind his ideas, and expect the same of other people. This may mean I might not get the minivan I want, but it will always mean we will have a great, fun car for our family.

He may never be the kind of guy who will see a household job that needs to be done, but he will take the kids to the park at 5:15pm just so they can get out of the house for a good runaround before dinner.

So even though there are things that will always drive me crazy, they don’t compare even slightly to all the wonderful things he brings to our marriage and to our lives. He really is such a catch and I am so thankful we found each other.

No good deed goes unpunished

June 17, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“Ummm… what? Yes. Yes I do. Ummm… I’m sure I do!”

Think McFly think!

“I like to walk my kids to kindy?”

Why was the physio asking me this question anyway??* I was here to get my back looked at/fixed, not put on the spot with difficult questions!

You see, last Thursday, I decided it would be a delightful idea to take my children, along with their Poppy, to the Rockhampton show. Which is much like the Ekka but on a much smaller scale, or like the Cloncurry Show, but on a larger scale.

The kids (and Poppy) at the start of the day:

Sidebar – I can’t believe I never got around to blogging about the ‘Curry show! Chanbe raved about that day for months afterwards, and still refers to any kind of show as the Cloncurry show. So cute. Short version: We had an absolute blast at the ‘Curry show. Let me see if I can drag out some photos some time.

But not tonight. Because if I put this post off for even one more day, I fear I won’t write anything for a month. There have been too many intentions and not enough action on this blog lately.

On another sidebar, is it ironic that the laptop we bought is a “Surface Pro (3)” yet I couldn’t find a single clear surface to put it down on to type this post? Much pushing and shoving had to be done first.

Anyway. Back at the ranch.

Oooh it’s game 2 of state of origin tonight! And I don’t seem to give much of a rats. Hmmm… that’s a bit sad (and very un-Queensland of me!)

So yeah, the Rocky show. It was okay. Lots of crappy food, rubbish games that cost a small fortune to play and promised big but delivered little, and of course my little Chanbe wanted to do everything. One thing we did promise was a ride on the dodgem cars, as we had had such a great time on them at the ‘Curry show.

Hence the trip to the physio. I’m getting to old for that sh*t. I think I jarred my back on those stupid cars (it was such fun though!!).

That explains the title, but the point of this post? To get some words onto the screen. Still so much to share – Darby’s lovely baptism weekend with accompanying photos is the main thing. I just need time. And space. Both physical and mental.

Maybe one day…

Oh yeah, and this was how the day ended up. It was home time. And no, we won’t be going back next year…

* I think he was trying to ascertain whether there was something I like to do that might exacerbate the injury, or anything I might need to take some time off from. Is parenting a hobby? 😉

I blame the Queen

June 10, 2015 / Renae / 2 Comments

Strap yourselves in people. This one’s a long one!

My head hurts. We just finished watching the movie Predestination. Have you seen it? It’s a bit like watching Inception; with constant thinking and re-thinking what you thought to be true; analysing and over-analysing; jumping from here to there and back again; and have realisation after revelation, only to be completely wrong in your assumptions until the last second of the movie.

It was pretty good actually. But yes, my head hurts from all of the thinking.

So what does any of this have to do with the Queen? I’ll get to that.

On a side note, I need to stop writing blog posts in my head when I’m nowhere near a computer. Whenever I do that, the actual blog post is always a disappointment, as I invariably forget all the good stuff that came off the cuff (ie in the shower, on one of my walks, etc etc) and am left with a jumbled mess of incoherent thoughts. Ironically, I pretty much nailed this last paragraph which I thought up in the shower 10 minutes ago.

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Let me tell you a little secret. Actually, it’s no secret at all. I’ve been slipping a bit with my organisation skills. In the last year, I have had three pretty major travel arrangement stuff-ups, and I’m so over it. There was the time when Jetstar didn’t let me fly at 34 weeks pregnant with Darby without a doctors’ clearance for this trip (I can’t believe I didn’t blog about that! I think I was just over it), then there was the great wrong date booking of March 2015.

And now, a new winner. You see, I’ve been meaning to renew mine and Hubs’ passports for years. Yes, you read that right. Mine expired in 2011 and Hubs’ expired in 2010. It’s been on my to-do list all that time, but I just never got around to it, and never really had the need. Until just over two weeks ago. Hubs was told that there was a place in a course in Wellington NZ available due to a cancellation, and would he like it. Well yes he would!

Two weeks was plenty of time to get a passport! Except that we needed a signature of someone who had known Hubs for over a year. Thankfully, Friday week ago, my dear cousin was coming to visit, so we intercepted her at the airport here on the Friday night, so Hubs could attend his appointment to get the passport on Saturday morning.

You’re still waiting for the Queen, right? Or maybe you’ve figured it out already?

We were still being assured at this stage that the passport would arrive in time. I had booked Hubs’ flights, accommodation, paid for his course, booked his domestic flight from Wellington to Auckland to visit his bro and sister-in-law (helloo!!!!!) before returning home. We were set, but just to make sure, Hubs paid the extra $110 for “priority post” so nothing was left to chance.

By Friday, it still hadn’t arrived, but we were told it was on the way. And then Monday was a public holiday. But it was okay. We still had until 1pm on Tuesday, as Hubs’ flight to Brizzie left at 1:30pm. So while Hubs was at work on Tuesday, we waited for the postman to deliver the goods.

By midday, we were getting nervous. By 12:30, Hubs had arrived home and we were panicking just little (a LOT!) And then we spotted him down the road. I got into the car and raced (drove carefully) to find the postman. I pulled him up and enquired about the passport. He didn’t even have our street’s mail!!! It was at the depot, but being the kind soul he was, he said that he would meet us at the depot in 15 minutes to get it for us.

I flew back and picked up Hubs, and we felt sweet relief. We were going to make it after all! I was just so excited as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. We met the postie when he advised and he set about finding the registered parcel.

Except there was nothing there.

Devastation/frustration/fury/disappointment/bewilderment… you name it, I was feeling it. I was defeated. But Hubs had one trick left up his sleeve. If he could get onto someone in Brisbane, maybe just maybe he could still get some kind of paperwork that would get him there. After being on hold, and being cut-off, he had to make a split decision: Call in quits or get on that plane to Brizzie and try his luck.

He chose the latter. But to no avail.

Too bad, so sad was pretty much what he was met with. So he spent the next 5 hours at the airport, waiting for a return flight to Rocky.

So on Monday we celebrated the Queen’s birthday with a public holiday. And I can pretty much guarantee that the passport would have arrived in time, had it just been a normal Monday. You know, since it arrived today.

So that is why I blame the Queen.

Feeling existential?

June 5, 2015 / Renae / 2 Comments

Google “Uptown Funk” and watch the film clip.

It’s impossible not to smile and want to try some of the moves in this music video. Is that what you kids are calling them these days? Do you remember RAGE? I never watched RAGE. It was too hip for me. I was a Video Hits kinda gal myself. More mainstream. That’s me.

Or that was me, until Hubs and I got together. Since then it’s been all backstreets for us. And it’s been great.

It’s Friday night. A few hours ago we were joined in Rocky by my parents, Hubs’ Dad, and Uncles Ben and Clayton. It’s going to be a great weekend. We are celebrating Darby’s baptism on Sunday, and more friends arrive throughout the weekend. We also have some local friends who are able to share this special day with us.

There’s so much to tell you. Do you know how many times a day I write blog posts in my head? It’s several. Every day. My blog is on my mind often, most days, and it’s times like this that I wish we had a designated spot for a designated computer that I can blog from, with all my photos within easy reach.

It will happen. It will take time to get this beautiful house of ours in order, and we are getting there.

I want to tell you all about how Quindy sings “Let it go” from Frozen all day long. But she says “ellit go” instead. And how Chanbe sings “Brave” just as much, and I love him more each time he sings it. It’s just too wonderful. I have awesome videos of both of these, and I’ll upload them soon.

I want to tell you that life is going well right now. I want to tell you that I didn’t get to bed until after 10:30pm after my last blog post because I had to help out Darby and Hubs and then Chanbe before my head finally hit the pillow. And that I didn’t mind at all. Cos that’s what wifeys/mamas do.

I want to tell you that Hubs has been on a real video clip kick lately, and that’s why I know what “Uptown Funk” is all about. And I really can’t get enough of it. It just makes me happy. And I’m really into doing things that make me happy right now.

And having family around me certainly fits that criteria. It’s going to be a great weekend.

Nearly bed time

May 28, 2015 / Renae / Leave a comment

Over the last seven days, four out of the five members of this family have been hit with a nasty bout of gastro. I am the only one left standing. As it got passed to each family member, it got worse for that next person in line. Hubs was the latest victim, with it hitting him at 1am this morning. And boy was it a nasty 12 hours. Darbs had already started it during the day yesterday, so between the two of them, plus having Chanbe and Quindy in bed with me (Hubs ended up in Chanbe’s bed), not much sleep was had.

And now everyone is in bed, asleep, but me. And it’s been that way since 7:30pm. But I have things to do – folding to put away (check!), kindy lunch to make (check!), travel arrangements to make for Hubs (in the process right now), and chai tea to drink (check!).

I just can’t do it people! I can’t get my head around going to bed early. And by early, I mean before 10pm. I am happy to go to bed around 9:30 and read for a bit, but that’s pretty much where I draw the line. Especially when I have the house to myself (*sigh*) and can enjoy my cup of tea without interruption.

I had a list of things to get done today, but since Quindy couldn’t go to her kindy, and with Darbs and Dadda to look after, the only thing that got done was the mandatory washing that comes with having gastro go through the house. I really really really hope I’ve been able to avoid this round. And I’m really really really glad it didn’t happen next weekend, when we have people coming up for Darby’s Baptism!

It’s all in the timing.

Okay. It’s nearly 9pm. I’m going to log off, brush teeth, get ready for bed, and as you know, this might mean I get to bed by 9:30…