2014... Surprisingly Good

With only half an hour left of 2014 I am looking back to see what this year held for me.  Boy... What a shock!

It has almost been a YEAR since I blogged!!!  WHAT THE? How on Earth did that time lapse so fast?

Well... Here's how... My year in a nutshell!

• I discovered that being a mother means MY NEW YEAR really doesn't begin until February when the kids go back to school!

• My little girl began kindergarten! While my big boys were in Grades 2 & 3!

 

• I wondered why I was so tired in February and the answer was positive while I went into shock!

• My husband started a food vending business...

• ...and we bought a food van to start renovating! She's almost done!

• We welcomed pets into our home. And sadly lost some too.

• I turned 40 years old.
  
• My Daisybug needed glasses!

•    I TOUCHED KEITH URBAN!

 

• My son Mitchell got to play basketball with the WILDCATS!

• I lost a work colleague and two school friends this year. They all affected me deeply in very different ways. I learned a lot.  A dear friend lost her mother too. Again... I have and am learning so much through her loss.

• I had my baby at 34 weeks gestation. 6 weeks early. We named him Ethan Trevor and he is thriving now after a very tiny start to life. He is my heart's joy!

 

 

• My kids did great at the school sports carnival!

 

• My Ashie Splash had his tonsils out!

• My husband met Peppa Pig and her little brother George!

It's funny. I was thinking that besides the birth of my son Ethan and the birth of the business, 2014 was pretty empty and void of highlights. In fact I was mentally counting the losses and hardships it had brought. But it really wasn't all toil and trouble. There were so many lessons.  But there really was so much to celebrate too.

The year didn't turn out at all how I anticipated that it would. But it served me the most beautiful curve ball I could imagine and I am so grateful.

Now, I get to release 2014 and look into 2015 and dive in! I am so excited!!!

I hope that 2014 was kind to you and that no matter what, 2015 brings you incredible opportunities for joy.

February is the New January!

As the clean slate of 2014 lies there before me, I'm filled with eager anticipation of what I can achieve this year.  I'm filled to overflowing with zest to just get going and DO!  I want to make wonderful things happen this year!

But there is a problem..

3 problems actually...

They are called, my children.

Now don't get me wrong. I love them to pieces, and I wouldn't change having them for anything in this world.  Or the next.  They are my reason. (And sometimes my undoing... LOL)

I have reached the conclusion however, that summer school holidays and that urge to get the New Year off on the right foot, are incredibly and completely incompatible!

My urge to dive into MY year and follow MY aspirations, is regularly thwarted by, "I'm bored," "I'm hungry," "Mama! He won't leave me alone" and a myriad of minor child induced dramas.  Spilled milk, lost items, endless laundry piles, first aid incidents, cartoon reruns, toy strewn living areas and aaarrrrggghhhh!!!  I am frequently left feeling frustration and impatience instead of eager and excited.

On the flip side, while I'm struggling to find scraps of time to devote to MY year, or irritated that I can not, my children are vying for my attention or zoning out in front of the TV or xBox.  They are missing out on precious holiday time with their mother.

We are missing out on precious holiday time TOGETHER!

So, I have declared that February is the new January!

What point is there to waste time struggling to make MY New Year great, just because the calendar says it is time to start fresh!  Especially at the expense of making our school holidays less enjoyable!
Why can't February, when school returns, be the beginning of MY year?

When my babies go back to school I will blissfully submerge myself into my dreams and projects for 2014.  I will let my imagination fly and fill the blank canvas of this year.

But until then, I am focusing on children.  January needs to be about them.  I'm easing up on myself as a woman with her own interests  AND as a mother.  I'm giving myself permission to start MY year when it is most convenient for ME!  In so doing, I'm allowing myself space to enjoy my babies, work on ways that will set up our year together as a family and doing MY PRIMARY JOB of being a Mama.

In 13 days I will take my babies to school, I will get them settled for their year, and I will come home and dive into mine.  For now though, its all about fun, school preparation and loving time with one another.

I feel so much lighter in my heart and head with this excision in place.  The New Year pressure is lifted.

Start where you are and do what's right for you.  A calendar and social perception should not dictate how things should happen.  You're allowed to bend the rules and make them fit to you.

A Field Of Flowers Is Waiting

Can you imagine this field of flowers with 2 young boys and a little girl frolicking in it?

I can! And I'm going to make it happen, with the help of Coralie Plozza from Rainbow Farm Photography.

This field is part of Rainbow Farm and in September, when spring comes to Western Australia, the little yellow cake weed flowers come to life.  They create a gorgeous yellow carpet set against an enormous blue sky.

I am planning to take my kidlets, and possibly my wonky dog, to Rainbow Farm when the flowers bloom.  We will all run and roll in the them while Coralie captures gorgeous sunny photos of us having fun and being free!

I'm on the look out for cute little outfits for the children now which is half the fun of it!  ;-)

If you're near Busselton, Western Australia, this year, next or anytime in the future, I'm sure Coralie would love to have you come visit her field of flowers and snap pictures of you enjoying yourself!  I can't wait until I get to share our adventure once we are done! It has been too long since we last captured beautiful photos of our family.  Children grow so fast...

School Holidays Are Here!

I am not usually a huge fan of school holidays.

I recognise how important it is for children to just relax and spend their day being children, rather than little sponges for the education curriculum.  It is also critical for our dedicated and very much overworked teachers, to lay down their Super Human Powers and just be Humans for a while.  It is even awesome as a parent to just han out with the kids and not have to worry about "school tomorrow" routines!  And the sleep ins...Ohhh the sleep ins!

What I am NOT a fan of is this...

• "I'm bored!"
• "I have nothing to do!"
• "I'm hungry!" (Especially 2 minutes after eating something!)
• The relentless niggling of siblings over toys, space to move, what's on TV etc...
• Boredom escalating into misbehaviour.
• Boredom escalating into fights over nothing, or something not worth the stress!
• Boredom that results in whining and endless niggling at parents. (Particularly ME!)

Now I'm not going to say I'm not going to have one of THOSE school holiday breaks... I know I will ABSOLUTELY have moments of it.  BUT, WE NEED THIS HOLIDAY so much!  We've all been sick, we're all really tired and we've all had enough.

My intention is to give my family rest, recuperation, fun, to regroup, tweak a few routines, LOTS of sleep and to regenerate, so that we are ready to GO GO GO next term! I want this to be a holiday to recharge the batteries!

PLEASE NOTE:  As I'm writing this I'm having to remind one little angel that throwing toys in the house is not acceptable.  :-p

So, in order for my intentions to become my reality, a little smorgasbord of ideas...

• Crafting with paint, pencils etc
• Finish decorating the kid's rooms
• Movies, popcorn and blankets!
• Camping in the lounge room
• Picnic in the park
• Feed the ducks
• Playgrounds
• Revamping the outdoor play areas
• Sleep overs with cousins
• Going out for ice-cream
• Maybe the cinema and/or tenpin bowling
• Visit the library
• Snuggling in bed with a pile of good books
• King's Park
• Dance party!
• Plant something
• DIY workshop at the hardware store!
• Write letters and post them!
• Cook
• Have a day on a theme
• Bubbles
• Balloons
• Go on public transport
• Play with the bunnies!
• Playdough
• Visit the pool!
• Go for a walk!
• Work on some behaviours and earn rewards!
• AND ANYTHING ELSE FUN THAT COMES UP!

It's not going to cost a lot, I refuse to schedule it all in.  I just want to go with the flow and ENJOY the family time and RELAX.  I DO want to avoid the whining that I know will happen.  But I want to minimise it.  :-)  

We can but try!

This afternoon we have kicked off the school holidays with a playdate with school friends, a visit from cousins and home-made fast food!  So far, the kids have been having a good time.  Me... I'm tired... But tomorrow we can all SLEEP IN!