Balance.

There has been quite a bit going on around here lately, but all at the right pace. It's been busy, but not frantic. I have had a lot to juggle, but I am not feeling stressed. There is a long list of jobs I need to tackle, but I am not overwhelmed. Things just feel balanced. That's just what I had been waiting for. It was pretty silly to think that it would all just happen without me taking some steps to make it happen.

My life was not in balance. I was in constant pain and I could barely move my head because of my constantly frozen neck. When the chiro or physio would ask if I had a head ache I would have to stop and think before realising that I did. It was so constant that it was my new normal. I used all of my private health insurance allocation for both chiropractic and physiotherapy mid year. They all told me it was stress and no amount of therapy ever seemed to help. But I just kept on pushing on anyway- for years!

Things have changed. I made time to do all of the things my family so desperately needed. Making it to an appointment for one of my boys is no longer a cause of high stress, major inconvenience to others and something that involves running, cursing in the traffic and skipped lunches/dinners. These days it is a pleasure. A bonus day with one of my boys to enjoy a leisurely morning together, a cheeky lunch out and an appointment where I can not only concentrate on what I will need to do, but I am also able to breathe. Kinda important that concentrating....and breathing. Now I can turn up at the follow-up appointment without apologies for not having met all of the goals set. Yay me!

I have earned my long service leave by working much harder and longer than I should have done over the years. I have been catching up on all of the things I sacrificed while I was working, and trying very hard to let go of the guilt and regret. The result is that my neck works now! I can look over my shoulder without pain, I don't have a headache and I often catch myself breathing! I seriously used to catch myself holding my breath in the past- isn't that counter productive?!

I really do have this strong urge to explain myself. Why am I entitled to indulge in all of this time? Why am I any more stressed than any other working woman with a family? But I'm not going to. I am happy with the choices I have made. I am grateful that I had options available to me. I am happy to have time to focus on my family. I am just going to savour that and continue to reach for more of what awakens my soul.

Snap shot!

This week I have been thinking of that episode of 'The Office' when Jim and Pam get married. The one where they take a snap shot of special moments.... without a camera. They just stop and notice the moment so that it is not forgotten. Do you know those precious moments that you realise are special and want to always remember, but you can't capture an image of it? Or maybe you don't want to. Pausing the moment to take the photo spoils it, or maybe it is just that you have realised that the moment has passed but you know it is one you will never forget. I had a moment like that today. In fact I had every intention of getting a photo, but we got caught up in the moment.

I actually have lots of them, as I am sure you do too. Those moments in time that seem to linger in your memories and dreams. They are significant but we don't always understand why. I have beautiful photos of Christmas day, but none of the time I tricked my sister and told her it was Christmas morning when in fact it was not even close to December. She bounded out of bed to rejoice in her spoils and them thumped me with fury. That memory sticks (with guilt) just as much as the memory of filling the blow-up boat with jelly fish in the bay at Nanna and Poppy's house, and the first time I saw my future husband, and my first day of school, and my little sister Kate waited at the front door calling my name with excitement, the ivy growing on the brick exterior of a church, and hot chocolate on a rainy afternoon after school. Some memories just seem to be a snap shot moment even without the photo. I do try to take a snap shot of the things I love in my day, even without the camera. Some stick, however random, and some will fade and be forgotten.
Today I have an image of a beautiful smile, a cup of peppermint tea and the memory of a moment with a kindred spirit- I know that is a snap shot that is going to stick.

P.S. Sorry about that fake Christmas Kylie xxxxx

Sunshine :)

Has anyone else noticed that Spring is working it's golden magic already?

Have you wondered if the smiles around you are a bit broader?

Have you realised that your house has started to shine from the inside again, now that doors and windows are open?

Have you found yourself laughing out loud more easily?

Has your desire for stodgy, comfort food started to wane?

Have you decided that you will go outside to eat your lunch today?

Have you sat and savoured the sunshine on your back?

I have!

Frightfully Frugal Fortnight.

Nothing forces you to appreciate the little things in life than a $0.00 bank balance. Who knew the joys that could be discovered and the humour that can be uncovered.

There was a bit of a mix-up with my first long service leave pay...there was none of it!! Posed a few concerns (alarm, swearing, panic, complete calamity). Turns out there was a mistake and it would be corrected with backpay...next fortnight! With savings invested in a new business it was going to mean a very tight fortnight.

Welcome to frugal boys :)

Ohh the clever creations one can serve up from the dregs in the back of the pantry. Thank goodness that Joe's birthday present had already been purchased and that Poppy had a winning ticket in the meat raffle at the club. The surprising thing is that it was kind of fun. I had to be creative, we made a joke of it all and it seems my children really enjoy plain food. Rice, steak with a bit of lettuce (slightly shrivelled) and tomato on the side was DELICIOUS! Plain rice?!?! Since I don't eat meat I wasn't quite so excited myself- I got the Mumbai Mushroom packet thing that came in a show bag....hmmmmmmm :/ That's why it was still in the back of the pantry. Another frugal favourite was corn fritters and hash browns with salsa- a few potatoes, tin of corn and dusty jar of salsa...YUM!!! And who would ever complain about homemade biscuits and cakes.

We survived our ordeal and even managed to host a party in the midst of our financial crisis.

It gave me lots to reflect on and most certainly made us all grateful for our good fortune, our family and our home (however freezing it is at the moment). It really is the little things that count and we are lucky.

Bugs and Beasties!

My baby boy turned 7! What a gorgeous 7 year old he is too. 

 We had a special family afternoon tea on the day of his birthday and then a little party for his small group of good mates at school. It is exciting to say that they were ALL very chatty and noisy- music to our ears. 

Our bug and beastie loving boy has had this theme before but loved it so much that he asked to do it all again. This time we didn't get the presenters in with their snakes and bugs, we wanted the focus to be on Joe enjoying the company of his friends. So we set about organising our own activities that would involve team challenges.  

They each had a little 'Field Journal' and pencil to start their challenges for the day.

With cones full of trail mix to get them going they all set off on challenge number 1!

I took photos of the plastic bugs we stock at 'It's a Date!' and printed off a grid for the boys to tick off as they found each bug. Their reward for completing the challenge was a bug catcher to take home. Joe buried all of the bugs in the sand trough and they all had to dig through it to find them all.

Challenge Number 2!

All of the boys wrote the number 1-7 in their books and then had to set out to find 7 posters hidden around the yard. Each poster had a number and a word- which spelled out a clue when they found all 7 posters.

The clue led them to this treasure box containing precious, lucky stones. 

Of course there was eating to be done too!!

The gorgeous bug printables included the Field Journals, bug juice labels, cupcake toppers (which I used as cake pop tags and gift bag tags.

 The source can be found here:

http://www.celebratemag.com/content.aspx?id=27157

 

This spectacular cake creation was made by my Mum. 

The bonus cup cakes she made were a perfect treat to take home in cake boxes at the end of the party.

All of the products used are available now from It's a Date! Please let me know if you see something in particular you like or if you'd like the whole kit!! 

The website is coming along and it won't be long before the grand opening takes place. I am more than just a little bit excited!

A Frosty Relationship.

I am not on friendly terms with my house in Winter. It offers no warmth or friendliness at all. In fact it is rather cool and grumpy. When we seek out it's embrace we are met with frosty disinterest. Rude isn't it!
It seems to conveniently grow itself a layer of dust over every surface, that reappears as soon as I so wipe it clean. It doesn't allow the sun in to cast that lovely warm glow over the cobwebby corners but rather blocks it out with it's icy disdain.

I long to meet my lovely friend again- my summer house. That's when we enjoy each others company. The house has a welcoming warmth, the light shines from within and visitors enjoy their stay. The dust and cobwebs are blown away with the breeze that flows through the open doors and windows. The house smiles again, and so do we.

Meanwhile I snuggle up beneath the rug and layers of clothing sipping hot tea in the weak, watery sunshine that is creeping in through a single window... while it lasts.

Embrace the quirky!

Quirkiness is a undervalued trait. It is funny and interesting. Sometimes it can wear thin in big doses, but overall it is a fabulous source of amusement.
Some households are more quirky than others, in fact some households just don't appreciate quirkiness at all! Hard to believe really.

Some people might have quirks in just one area- like numbers for instance. Perhaps they only like some numbers. Maybe they have a preference for even numbers and would rather avoid those 'odd' odd numbers. There is nothing 'ODD' about that is there? It's easy to cope with in real life situations. If someone is adjusting the volume on the TV, it's not too much trouble to make sure it is done in even increments- is it!? Of course buying a house with an odd number may cause a small degree of discomfort, but that minor detail can be overcome. Having 3 children rather than 2 or 4 (or 6 even) may pose some initial concerns, but then again the realities of having 3 children will surely address that issue.

Apparently music notes can have personalities too- in the mind of a creative, quirky type. Here's how it goes:
A- calm and nobody really hates him.
B- a jerk! He doesn't have a sharp and he knows it!
C- really cool and kind of a show-off.
D- really small and shy.
E- weak and needs someone to protect it.
F- really protective over E and wants G to stay away from E.
G- everyone thinks G is bad but he is good inside.

Then of course there is the obsessive type quirkies. For example, maybe they only like to watch BBC comedies from the 1970's- hey that was good TV!! Hilarious and so, so politically incorrect. What's not to love?

Maybe you know someone with a quirk or two. I say embrace the quirkiness!! Enjoy it in moderation and enjoy the good, long belly laughs that can come with it. Appreciate the clever and creative way of looking at the world. Perhaps ask the real estate agent before you view a house whether it is on the odd or even side of the street!!!