Category: Stuff

No 2 days are the same

/ Renae / Leave a comment

It’s tough being only days old, navigating life on the outside. Darby is doing his best to be a typical newborn, which means he’s sleeping most of the day and being awake, having nice long feeds during the night. Thankfully, with Mum here and Hubs still off work, I’m able to go back to bed once the kids get up, and generally manage to sleep til about 11 before Darby needs another feed. And by this time, Quindy is ready to go down for her sleep, and the house is quite peaceful for a couple of hours. I’ve been using this time to potter about, and have started culling clothes and kitchen stuff for the upcoming move.

I overheard Mum telling her friend on the phone tonight, every day is different, and at this stage, that is certainly true. Yesterday Darby had quite a bit of awake time during the day, so I got a two and a three hour block of sleep overnight. Today, however, he has pretty much been asleep since 9am, only waking here and there for feeds, so we could have a restless night coming up. It’s really hard to say.

Hubs has been pilfering mangoes off various public trees around town, so he has been making delicious mango lassi (basically a smoothie) at least once a day for us to enjoy. For those of you who know me very well, I know you’re thinking “but Renae hates mango!” and it’s true. I don’t like mango on its own, but I have come to appreciate it in certain things like smoothies and daiquiris!

Our very good friends, and Darby’s recently appointment Godparents, Sonia and Felix, come to visit most days which is just lovely. I really love having friends who just pop in and know they can help themselves to a drink and immediately engage with our kids. They have definitely made our time up here much more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. We will certainly miss having them around next year.

Other than that, we are just trying to keep Chanbe and Quindy entertained during the hot days, and trying to make sure Mum doesn’t burn out from all the work of looking after them a lot of the time! We took Darby to Hubs’ Christmas party at the pub last night and of course he was a big hit. We don’t have a lot planned in the lead up to Christmas, but the countdown til we leave is on.

And of course now that I can hardly keep my eyes open, Darby is wide awake. Aaaah the joys.

 

There’s an aeroplane in my bed

/ Renae / 1 Comment

It’s been a big few days around these here parts. On Thursday night – wait that was only last night – we hosted a Christmas and “welcome to the world Darby” party that was attended by 15 people including 6 kids under 5. Granted 3 of them are ours but still. We feasted on slow cooked pulled pork rolls with wombok salad, followed by profiteroles and mango daiquiris. I can’t wait to get stuck in to the leftovers.

Then tonight we headed to the pub with Darby for Hubs’ work Christmas drinks while Chanbe and Quindy stayed home and tormented behaved perfectly for Gran. After arriving home around 11, I fed Darby and collapsed into bed.

And sat right on a toy aeroplane.

Gotta love being a parent 🙂

Another baby boy

/ Renae / 2 Comments

Already having a boy and a girl is an interesting position to be in when pregnant with your third child. Everyone asked if I knew what we were having this time around and I’d always have the same response:

“No we’ve never found out. We like the surprise. But if I already had 2 boys I think I’d want to know!” Obligatory laughs all round.

And that was the truth. I’m not saying that I would have found out, but I know that I would want to have a girl if we had 2 boys already. Of course I would love my baby no matter what, and to be honest I don’t know if I’d have the courage to say “I’m really hoping for a girl.” (Or a boy if I already had 2 girls.)

I really thought this one was going to be a girl and I was really excited about the name we had picked out for “her”. Hubs always insisted it was a boy, so when he was born and Hubs said “I told you so” all I could feel was pure joy. We didn’t even have his name finalised (that’s a story for another day) but possibly because our first born was a boy, it was like I was reliving that moment, and what a moment it was. Both times, just as special.

I guess I’ll never know how I would really feel/react in the case of already having 2 babies of the same sex. I do know that I love babies and I want to have more children, and in the meantime, this is the darling face I get to stare at any time I like 🙂

1418299814099-1889876658

Bigger than my body

/ Renae / Leave a comment

I’ve almost always felt big. Too big. Bigger than others. Bigger than I want to be.

Choose your poison.

Except, ironically, right now. I’m probably the biggest I’ve ever been: I’m 40 weeks pregnant, I’m huge, and I’m feeling amazing. Okay, amazing is a bit of a stretch in this heat and not-particularly-comfortable stage, but I look in the mirror and think “nice”. Admittedly sometimes I think “woah I’m huge” but not in an “I’m so fat” way. More in a “wow look at that baby in there. I can’t wait to meet him/her” way.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m marveling at what my body can do, or if I just feel like I’m rocking some pretty cute dresses, but I just feel good. There’s a number on the scale every time I go for a check up that I don’t recognise, and that the midwives aren’t particularly fussed with, and it doesn’t define me as it has in the past.

No one thing defines me. I decide. I am the decider.

Yes I have health and fitness goals for myself, but they are not based around guilt or any kind of timeline. They are based around wanting to be able to move more freely; wanting my body to function at its best so I can be the best person and wife and mama I can be. I don’t expect any changes to come easily; I know I will have to work for them; but I want to enjoy the process as well as the health benefits I will gain.

I remember when i started my couch 2 5k training last year, I was so surprised at how quickly I noticed changes. Small changes yes, but enough changes to make me keep going. So even though I’m currently bigger than I’ve ever been, I’m always going to be bigger than my body.

Freestyler

/ Renae / 1 Comment

On Tuesday night, I met up with my dear friend at Freestyle. It’s a bit of a tradition with us – whenever I’m in town, we try and catch up for dessert, and since Freestyle is kind of in the middle of us both, we often end up there. We tried out a couple of other places this year, but decided on the old favourite this time around. The last time we went, which was a little while ago, I was a little disappointed in my order. There was nothing that really jumped out at me, and when I did order, I wasn’t that excited.

I had decided even before I left home, that the “old favourite” chocolate brownie was the way to go. Don’t try anything weird or fancy if I just want a good dessert. When I arrived though, I got excited as they had a specials menu, and there were 3 things on it that got my motor running. Plus, there was a note to say they had reduced the serving sizes (and prices) to make them more suitable for 1 person. This is actually quite sensible, because most times I end up leaving feeling full and slightly uncomfortable!

Anyway, this post wasn’t supposed to be about my dessert addiction. I arrived about 15 minutes early, and instead of getting my phone out, I decided just to sit and watch and listen. The place was quite full inside, and I had a seat right on the edge, so I could see pretty much everyone in the place.

The couple to my left seemed to be in their early to mid 30s, and were perhaps on a first date. The information they were exchanging lead me to believe that. I overheard that the man was born and raised in Wangaratta, and it took all of my willpower not to interrupt and say how much I love Wang and how much I’d love to live there again one day. Their meals came out, and I noticed the woman had ordered the burger. Rookie mistake, I thought. But when some of the filling dropped onto her shirt, he offered her his napkin and they had a laugh. It was quite sweet.

The couple at the table in front of me were in their (very) early 20s and also seemed as though they were in the early days of dating, The conversation didn’t flow as well, and the topics they were discussing were a little bit odd (e.g. the war in Iraq??). He also checked his phone under the table intermittently, and she looked slightly bored.

The family to my right were German. The mother and father were both very attractive and probably in their early 40s, with the 2 handsome boys probably around 14 and 12. They spoke in both German and perfect English to each other, and as I found out later, were there to celebrate the younger son’s birthday. Their manners were lovely and the family obviously enjoyed each other’s company. Watching them, I started forming another blog post in my head, but I’ll save that for another day.

Just behind the 30-somethings on their first date, there was another family of 4, this time with 2 girls that I guessed were maybe 12 and 9. The eldest girl and the father sat next to each other, and were engaged in friendly banter, with tickling and trying to tap each other on the head without the other realising. It was incredibly sweet to watch. They were also there celebrating the youngest child’s birthday.

Throughout this whole time of people-watching, I must have made eye contact with the waitress half a dozen times. It was slightly awkward towards the end, but I didn’t avoid her. I guess I was just trying to be present. There were other people that I noticed in this time as well, and I appreciated that fact that I got to be a part of their evening in a private kind of way.

My friend arrived and not long after, we ordered. I asked for the first thing on the menu which I couldn’t go past – layered chocolate and mint mousse covered in ganache and served with vanilla bean ice cream. Even the small portion was too much and I left a bit on the plate, but it was absolutely divine. Very rich but also light, and devilishly decadent. I refrained from taking a photo, because everyone does that, and you know how I don’t like to be the same as everyone else.

After almost 2 hours of catching up, I left feeling very content and knowing that I was part of something bigger; I wasn’t just wrapped up in my own little world of 2 kids, pregnancy pains and a big few weeks to come with diminished energy levels. I had experienced an insight into other people’s worlds, and it was nice. I need to remember to put my phone down more often.

A night in

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Back in the day, a Saturday night in on my own was pretty rare. I don’t mean to brag, but back in my single days in Brisbane, I was quite sought after on the weekend (ha ha) so when a free Friday or Saturday night appeared on my calendar, I actually really savoured it. I remember one night in particular, when I was living with friends in a gorgeous renovated Queenslander in Nundah. I knew a couple of days in advance that I had no plans for that Saturday night, so I sussed the other 2 out and found out they were both going to be out! Bliss!

I popped down to the local fishmonger on Saturday morning and picked up their fresh marinara mix to make seafood pasta for dinner. I also put a bottle of Seaview Brut in the fridge from a case that I had been keeping for about a year. This stuff is cheap as chips ($5 a bottle at the time) and my Dad gave me the great tip of leaving it for at least 6 months before drinking it, and it became more like a $30 bottle. The trick is to actually leave it for that long!

I looked up the TV guide and found that I’d hit the jackpot. Titanic was going to be on that night. Honestly, remembering this night still excites me! I made my yummy pasta while drinking my yummy bubbles and sat down for a night of being entertained by Leo and Kate. It was serious “me” time and I still, to this day, remember the complete feeling of relaxation at the time.

Fast forward almost 10 years to tonight. A Saturday night with Hubs at work, leaving me alone with my thoughts. So what did I do? Well, it has been slightly different so far. Firstly, no booze. Secondly, no fresh seafood. Thirdly, no TV. Which is a good thing, because these days I can’t stand watching a movie with ads! And finally, add in a couple of kids, a messy kitchen, and exhaustion from a 33 week pregnancy.

I made the kids and I spag bol and had promised Chanbe that we could “watch a movie on the wall”, ie, the projector. We decided on Toy Story 3 and sat down just after 6:30pm. The kids loved it and it was nice just to sit with them in the air con and oooh and aaaaah along with them. I put them to bed around 8:15, hoping they would just crash, and being very thankful that that’s what happened! Then I had to tackle the kitchen which took a solid half hour. After which I poured myself a glass of milk and grabbed a cookie before sitting down here.

And now I’m at a crossroads. It’s getting close to 9:30, which is a reasonable time to head to bed for a bit of a read and an early night. But then again, The West Wing is calling me. I only have just over a season to go, and every episode gets me that little bit closer! A night to myself is pretty rare these days, and even though I know the sensible thing would be to go to bed, I might just watch one episode. In bed. How’s that for a compromise?

Wednesdays

/ Renae / 2 Comments

Wednesdays are hands down my most favourite day up here, for a few reasons. First of all, my cleaner comes on a Wednesday morning. She does about 2 hours, and even though I really only hired her for the floors and bathrooms, she always does a bit more, like unpacking the dishwasher and cleaning the sink; clearing off the dining room table (as much as she can!); and she even hangs out any washing that might be in the machine.

In short, she just makes my life easier. It means that on Tuesdays, we do a good tidy up of the house, so I know that at least once a week, the house is clean and tidy. It’s nice to come home after playgroup to a beautifully clean home.

Which brings me to reason number 2. Wednesday playgroup. We go to 3 different playgroups each week, but Wednesday’s Mainly Music at the Baptist Church is my favourite. It feels as though, by chance, all the loveliest, most kind, welcoming, generous mums all ended up at this group. That’s not to say the mums at the other playgroups aren’t lovely, but there’s just something about this particular mix of women that makes me feel like I’m surrounded by old friends, and that’s a great feeling. Oh, and the morning teas are rather lovely too!

So after a great playgroup, coming home to a lovely clean, tidy house, I usually get to sit down to a cup of coffee while Quindy sleeps and Chanbe watches Octonauts for the bazillianth time. And depending on my mood and Hubs work schedule, the afternoon might consist of a swim or a trip to the hospital to take Hubs his lunch, or maybe a visit with a friend. Or maybe just an afternoon in.

Instead of a coffee today though, I’m having a green smoothie. Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn into some kind of hippie. I just wanted to find a way to get a huge dose of greens, so I experimented with a few combos and came up with a few frozen strawberries, half a frozen banana, some milk, some yoghurt, and a few huge handfuls of baby spinach.

green smoothie 2

And blend

green smoothie

Looks delicious, right? I know I know. It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t taste like spinach! So I’m happy. Now I think it might be time for a wee nap before my afternoon begins.

Boredom’s a funny thing

/ Renae / Leave a comment

There’s been a lot going on up here in the last 7 days. But it’s all been emotional, mental stuff. Hence why I’ve been a bit absent on the blog. I’m not quite ready to get into it all just yet, but soon.

The thing is, I’m completely exhausted, but if I take a look at what I’ve done this week, there is no reason for it. I’m bored. So so bored. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of stuff that I could/should be doing, but it’s mostly day-to-day stuff that doesn’t get me terribly excited. I have so much time on my hands, that I keep thinking “I can do that later/tomorrow/the next day.” And then a week goes by, and the dining room table is still a mess, the dumping corner is out of control, and blog posts haven’t been written.

Thankfully I have kept on top of all the washing and am managing to keep the rest of the house relatively tidy. I just don’t have much for me at the moment, and I need to find something, fast, before I drive Hubs and myself crazy.

Before Hubs and I moved to Melbourne, I was always busy. A night off was a luxury and I appreciated down time. When we left all of our family and friends in Brisbane, it took a lot of adjusting to a more quiet life. We still had lots of social engagements, but nothing like we used to. And then once I stopped work to look after my babies I’ve gotten progressively more light-on with things to keep me occupied.

I know I’ve said it before, but I keep thinking “once we settle down I can find something for me” but surely I can find a temporary hobby/interest to keep me sane in the next few months? I’m really hoping to pick up more weddings, wherever we move to next year. I’ve loved planning the 4 weddings I’ve currently got on my books. It gives me a creative outlet, and gives me time away from the day to day stuff.

I know that the busier I am, with meaningful things. the more motivated and productive I am in general. Maybe this year’s Christmas card can start being planned; maybe I can put together some more stuff for my celebrant business; maybe once the dining room table is clear, I can start on some hand made cards. There. A few ideas. It’s a start.

A little obsessed

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Can someone please tell me why I’m all of a sudden a little obsessed with this guy, and this song:

I know I’m totally behind the times on this one, as the song was released back in 2011. It was #1 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2012, and even though we did appear to have listened to the countdown that year, (I checked my blog history to confirm this!) I guess I just hadn’t heard the song that much at the time so it went under my radar.

Hubs and I listen to Triple J’s Like a Version albums. A lot. We have recently acquired volumes 7 and 8, and Eskimo Joe do a “version” of Somebody that I used to know on volume 7. This is what sparked the obsession. Then I looked up the original and watched the above video clip. About 4 times in a row. Firstly, I don’t normally like covers that sound exactly the same as the original – I figure, what’s the point? Add your own spin! – but I do love that Eskimo Joe have pretty much replicated the awesomeness of the original. And I don’t know what it is about that clip; the simplicity maybe? The close up of his face and his amazing mouth and voice? The fact that he really looks like he’s singing his heart out in the clip? The artwork?

I really don’t know. All I know is that at least a dozen of the half a billion – yes, billion – views of this clip on youtube have been me.

I wake up humming the song every morning, and go to sleep as I belt out the chorus in my head every night. It’s got me good.

Of milk and Arrowroot bikkies

/ Renae / Leave a comment

Quindy had her 18 month immunisation on Monday, and after a non-eventful 48 hours, she has become rather unsettled and feverish. All perfectly common reactions and nothing serious, but last night her sleep patterns mimicked those of a 2 week old baby. The fun really started around 11pm when she was wide awake and completely inconsolable, and wouldn’t let me sit down or lie down with her. Then she demanded I take her downstairs and after lots of to-ing and fro-ing and trying to work out what on earth she wanted, we ended up in front of the pantry.

She wanted an Arrowroot bikkie. Oh, and some milk in a sippy cup to go with it thanks Mama.

She went from having a complete meltdown to being perfectly quiet and content, munching on her Arrowroot. She even offered to share it with me. And once her milk was finished, she climbed off my lap and took her empty cup to the sink.

I took her back upstairs and after some cuddling, she went back to sleep around 1am. I chuckled to myself that it could be that simple. Of course, she woke up twice more in the next 2 hours, wanting another bikkie the first time, and then a squeezy fruit pack the second. I kept marveling at the peace she exuded while eating her bikkie and thought “I want to remember this.”

And now I will.