Telling Stories, Making Stories

I am pretty convinced I am a story teller.

But I am not.

I am a story maker.

This was recently put into perspective for me by my little Miss.

"Mum; I love weekends with you because we DO things"

Now; the things we do, I feel are in no way extraordinary, but for Miss and JD it seems they are.

Every weekend they spend with the Mr and I, we try to find new and different FREE adventures to go on. We strap on our shoes, pack a picnic, grab a blanket and off we go.
We discover our natural surroundings as we explore National Parks, we attend free community music festivals, we take our picnic lunches to parks and to the river and to the sea, we swim and run and play.

We return home with our photo's and our stories and they are excited to return to school and tell their stories as "news"

Our most recent story was made when we attended the "Surfing the Coldstream" Festival in Yamba, NSW. This story sounds like local music, it looks bright and colourful, it tasted like sno-cones and it smelt like circus folk.

Making stories is the greatest thing i can do as a parent, and i feel that there are plenty more to come.

Cultivating Joy and Thriving

Welcome to 2014. 

This year is going to be about living a full and joyful life. Sharing love, meals and adventures with the people I love while maintaining a balanced sense of self, purpose and direction. 

In a random moment yesterday I started to scribble down some goals, somethings I want to do to embrace my days, and make them my own.

It started off simply More Hugs; giving and receiving the physical intimacy and warmth of a hug, I believe, is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other as human beings. A hug says; I love you, I understand, I am sorry, you are important, I am with you, I support you, I thank you and so much more.  

Take More Photos. I'll be honest, my smart phone has made me a lazy photographer. Why carry a camera that weights nearly 2kgs when your phone is always in your pocket? Because I am more likely to print and use "real" photos that's why!!! Then I had to think of a purpose for using my photos, not being much of a scrapbooker ( too lazy too time poor) I stumbled on "Project Life" via my friend Little Raven Ink. This is memory keeping I can do, put the photo in the slot, write a note about it on a pretty card and pop it in the next slot, I can win at this! The goal one 2 page spread per month.

Then we got onto some bigger stuff Follow The Cleaning Schedule, this probably sounds simple, but for me, it is not. I have developed and achievable schedule, it looks pretty, it's on the fridge and I will follow it. 

Then I had some child related goals, to nurture and assist my little people with their learning and academic pursuits. So far we have had a lot of focus and energy spent on physical activity and achievements and artistic activity and achievements, 2014 is the year to hone our literacy and numeracy skills. Reading, Writting and Mathamatics will be given additional support this year.

The first practical step on this road with be home readers every night that they are in my care, with Saturdays being a rest night if they choose. 

Speaking of study, the next goal is to commit time to My Study. Schedule time and usie it accordingly, this Post Grad work is more important to my career future than anything at the moment and it deserves my full attention. 

Relationship wise I decided that the Mr and I will take one tech free date night per month, that's right, no phones, no iPads, no calls, no texts, not Facebook, no Instagram, No Technology just the company of each other

This one I struggle with because of the convenience of social media, I know what's happening in your life, because it's on my news feed.... Well that's not really good enough! Staying in Touch with absent friends. This will be difficult, but rather than Facebook

I am going to send an email or write a letter, make the occasional phone call or skype. 

And as the man laying beside me has kindly reminded me, the last and most important goal, Get Enough Sleep. I guess that means now.

Happy Birthday Daddy

This week was my daddy's 60th Birthday.
We celebrated with family and friends,
and while the food was somewhat below average,
the company was fantastic.

The say home is where your bunch of crazies are.
These are my crazies :)

Lola, Miss L, SIL, Nanna R, Baby T, Bro, Papa and J-Dizzle

A Mother by any other name

Mothers Day.
It had the potential to be a disaster.

I spent the morning with my mumma.
I whizzed over to her house early and picked her up,
wowed her by ordering coffee via an app on my phone
and amazed her even more when the coffee was ready when we arrived.

We took a slow, meandering journey into the hills.
Chat, chat, chat all the way.
We stopped briefly to peruse a local village market,
where we argued about which of us would buy the bromeliads  in a tea pot. (I won)

We wound our way out of the hills and back to town.
Here the executive decision was made that in celebration of our motherly-ness
we would dine on scones with jam and cream for lunch.
Supplies were obtained and we returned to my house to meet my children.

Miss L and J-Dizzile bounded from their daddy's car
bearing beautiful potted succulents and a marigold.
They were happy to see that I had already spend some time Saturday potting new plants.

We headed to Nanny and Poppy B's house and devoured our
ridiculously sweet lunch treats before again hitting the road.

Laden with bunches of white and lilac chrysanthemums we headed out
to visit the mumma's and nanna's that we no longer share air with.
I was proud of the respect my babies showed as we visited my nanna's graves.
More so I was proud of them, when Miss L noticed the grave opposite my nanna's
shared her surname, even more creepily, this lady also shared Miss L's given name.
We read her headstone and noted that she was born exactly 100 years before Miss L.
Miss L and J-Dizzile were saddened that no-one had visited this lady's grave and chose to share
their flowers with her. I was deeply moved by their generosity and compassion.

I returned my mumma to her home and my babies to their daddy,
and headed to help my Mr and his sister prepare for epic birthday awesomness.
Mr's mumma is turning six-oh and her beautiful family had organised a surprise party!
We decorated the venue, before I crept off for a quick nap, before the party :)
On returning home I discovered a beautiful gift from my previous nights house guests,
a block of chocolate and a mothers day cookie !

Mr's mumma was truly surprised.
The look on her face when she saw her friends was joyous,
the look on her face when she saw her brother from Sydney.... priceless.
The warmth of this gathering was evident, but what was about to become even more evident
was that I had become a part of something wonderful... a new family.
Mr's mumma introduced me to the room full of guests as the newest part of their family.
Not gonna lie, I got a but choked up, a bit misty eyed.
Never have I been so deeply touched and more generously welcomed.

Mothers Day 2013, not the disaster I had predicted, instead a beautiful day shared with people I love.

The Weekend with ALL THE THINGS.

My weekend had ALL THE THINGS!

A road trip with the BF.
Ice-skating, my first ever adventure on ice.
A romantic night away.
Delicious breakfasts.
Strolls by the ocean.
Playing Marylin Munroe at the Sawtell blow hole.
A photoshoot at the local Agricultural Show with the beautiful and talented Minyarose Photography.
Eating carny food.
Watching bull riding and woodchopping.
My babies came home from their dad's house.
An ANZAC service.
A picnic in the park.
Horse riding with Deegan and Shannon.
and Movies with the munchkins snuggled in bed.

I'm a Survivor

I'm a survivorI'm not gonna give upI'm not gonna stopI'm gonna work harderI'm a survivorI'm gonna make it I will survive and keep on survivin'- Destiny's Child, Survivor 


It's been 2 years. 
I am still alive. 
Because of friends, family, my babies, my man, therapy and drugs.
These years have been long, swift, changing, challenging, beautiful, awkward, evolving, educational and a blessing. 

Not only have I noticed changes in me; I have witnessed changes for my family and friends. 
Princess A turned her life around with a career change, My sista from another mister is moving to the big city to  follow her destiny, my art-soulmate is engaged to her sweetheart and I await the moment I can witness their marital union, my bro and SIL blessed the world with a beautiful new human, my children make me proud every day with their personal and educational growth. 

There are also new people in my life, and while our friendships are in their infancy, I feel like these beautiful people have been in my life forever. I love my C&D boys, but more I love their WAG's. These women embraced me and made me welcome to their inner circle. Women that I would probably never have met nor "chose" as friends under any other circumstances now fill my Friday and Saturday nights in bars with laughter and fun.

I would be lying if I said that it was all smooth sailing. 
It's not. 
My moods still fluctuate. 
I still struggle to control my emotions and words. 
I still cry and laugh manically; sometimes at the same time. 
But I am managing and sometimes I think that this is the best it will be.
I am ok with that. 
What makes it  more ok, is that there is a man that loves me, 
regardless of my imperfections, he actually embraces and encourages my idiosyncrasies  . 
When things are out of control in my head, he is in control, 
his voice speaks softly to my soul, and levels out my brain. 
His gentle calmness balances out my loud craziness almost perfectly.

The last 12 months have bought art back into my life on a more regular basis. 
Clearly I am blogging again.
I am writing .
I am art journalling. 
I am drawing.
I am painting. 
And I am accepting my mistakes, 
because art is no longer about perfection for me, it is about expression. 

As I am writing this, I am listening to my friends make beautiful music in the living room. 
Reflecting on the choices that I presented myself with 2 years ago, to live or to die. 
I was leaning so heavily towards taking my own life that when I think about it now I can;t believe that it was even a thought in my mind, let alone something I was prepared to do. 
How on earth did I think it would be OK to miss out on all the magic I am experiencing right now.

My life is not perfect but I am content and that is the best feeling ever. 

Happy, Health and Here. 

Photo: GS

Mother's Day

I like Mother's Day.

It's nice to feel celebrated by the people who love you, in a way that is very different from a birthday.

Today I was lucky enough to celebrate my day with my mother and the little people that call me mumma.

We lunched ant my brothers house where he and his wife prepared an awesome feast complete with a 2 tiered chocolate cake.

I was spoilt by my children with beautiful hand made gifts. JD made me a magnet with his photo on it, a beautiful egg carton and "crystal" ring and a grasshead.
Lillian with the financial support of Aunty Lisa, bought me a pot plant ( a succulent), some beautiful resin earrings and a jar of candy.
Now expecting that they would receive no assistance from they father and anticipating no gift at all, I purchased my self a bath robe and at lunch nanny produced a gift bag for L& JD to give me, unbeknownst to me she had added chocolates, a cup and saucer and some body lotion.

But the highlight of the day was Miss L " Aunty Lisa, I know you don't have any kids, but you a special to us" :tear:

I feel truly blessed that I have such a wonderful mother, a beautiful sister in law and amazing children.

I love you guys so much

a sunny saturday

with not much to do, or should i say while procrastinating on cleaning all the things today,

i enjoyed a latte @ Gym Beans with Felix and the kidlets, then we headed to the park for some fun, lollipops, jellybeans and crochet. Ahoy!

Family Lovin'

Saturday Evenin'

Pizza in the Park

Good, wholesome, old fashion, family fun!

Australia Day McStyle

..catching shrimp to help catch fish..

...reeling in the big ones with daddy...

..kickin' around in the water at Wooli...

.....chasing away the fish daddy is trying to catch..

...and just generally rockin' out on a public holiday

sometimes i wonder...

..if i am a single mother of three.....

ParkLife

I jus tlove a good saturday afternoon at the park with the husbeast and the kids!

to see my favorite photo pop over here to my photography blog

100 Stars !!!

Miss Lilli has been working on her star chart all year.

She earnt stars for good manners and for helping others,

for setting the table and clearing up after dinner, tidying her room,

helping pack her school bag each preschool day,

and other efforts she made throughout the year both large and small

Her self determined goal was 100 stars, her self determined reward, Seaworld.

Well last week, Lilli made it to 100 stars,

and not a parent to go back on my word

and wanting to give her the reward in a timely manner

i booked in to take a flex day and we took

Miss Lilli and Mstr JD to Seaworld yesterday

and i don't really know who had the most fun ...... i think it was ... me :)

I took ALOT ( 281 ) of photos and of course

i can't show them all here, so here are a brief selection from the day.

10 Pin Bowling !!!

what do you do on a rainy saturday morning with a 2yo and a 5yo???

GO BOWLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So much fun - huge congrats to Lilli who won on 90 points, JD how came second on 76 points and poor mummy came last on 68 points.......and i was actually trying !!!!!

Miss Lilli turns 5 !!!

My little girl is 5!!!!!

MORE RENO's

Floor finish going on...

TA - DA ( yes there is more painting to do but we already had the floor sander booked :) )

RENOVATIONS !!!!

Farewell 1968 shagpile carpet........ i will miss you .

CAUTION - Lady with handtools !!!

Look - carpet, staples and carpet strips - GONE!!!!!

mmm look - the wallpaper is already dying to get off the wall

Glenn gives it a help along with the steam machine

Busy doing my homework wil Glenn patches the nail holes in the walls

Undercoat goes up !
GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Floor is sanded.... YAY