The week that was....EIGHTEEN

What a manic week! I have hit the weekend totally exhausted.

It started like any other - Monday night dinner at the neighbours, always fantastic. Tuesday passed by rather uneventfully. Then my boss arrived from New Zealand on Wednesday, it seems to always be hectic when he is in town - especially at the moment as we stare down the barrel of a team restructure and a massive migration.

Wednesday night we had a farewell for one of our execs. It was a cruise around the harbour on a very glamorous motor yacht that is currently owned by the previous CEO of my company......

and yep, this really is a photo of the actual boat, which is for sale, so it could be yours for $6.75 million. 

Thursday evening I dined with my wonderfully wonderful BFF, Mrs M, who is heading off on her nine month around Australia adventure this weekend. I was in complete denial that it was happening until this week - you see for the past 20 odd years we have lived about 20 minutes max away from each other (give or take a year here or there for Hong Kong and Eurpoean adventures) - so it hit me like a tonne of bricks falling from a great height. Especially because they may not be returning to Sydney to live when the adventure is over......but never say never. 

And it doesn't really matter where we are in the world, we will always be there for each other, no matter what.

The weekend sun shone over Saturday and Sunday which was lovely. Saturday we had both sets of Mr & Mrs C's over and their gorgeous boys for a BBQ lunch - of course it was lovely. After a few grown-up beverages Hubby decided it was a good idea to run and jump over the pool fence into the pool - he survived unscathed....which is very lucky for him.

My list of ten

Move - I actually went for a walk  this week - not just incidental walking!

Meditate - Loving my train trip meditations.

Kind - Meditating and walking is being kind to myself.

Connect - Definitely connected this week.

Food - Currently I am addicted to https://iquitsugar.com/ and https://wholefoodsimply.com in an attempt to make some healthy snacks for everyone.

Flow - Still going with the flow.

Blog -  Still blogging my little heart out. Seriously I love it.

Budget - Sticking to it.

Fun - Lots of fun this week.

How was your week?

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The week that was...SEVENTEEN

I know I say this more often than not, but holy shit, time is flying! Even my eight year old said it to me this week - so it must be true!

This week was once again peppered with headaches that culminated into a migraine. Seriously life altering and something that really needs to be dealt with and flipping fast. But I have no clue at this stage where to start. I mean I have seen chiropractors, physios, osteopaths, headache specialists, GPs, naturopaths - I could go on. It is really an exhausting part of my life that contributes a lot to my depression as well.

School returned to Term 2 this week, so we are back into swimming, piano and singing lessons, which also means tight routines and serious meal planning. But the kids are smiling - most of the time so that is winning. I think.

Thursday night was once again, Futsal night, we came second, 11 to 2. We got 2 goals because they were late - the advantage of playing the earlier game of the night. I am seriously loving it though and feel I am getting better each week - at least I hope I am.

Friday night I went along with Ms Mc to a Fashion Revolution event at Bobbin & Ink in Petersham, but I blogged about that over on Minimise Waste, so if you want pop over there to check it out.

My list of ten

Move - I have actually been trying to walk around a lot more. 

Meditate - Meditating in an attempt to ease my headaches.

Kind - Been slack the last couple of weeks in being kind to myself. Unless of course being laid up in bed with migraines is being kind to myself?

Connect - Connected at The Fashion Revolution event.

Food - Definitely get back into the foody thing. Baking and cooking up lots of good stuff for the family.

Flow - Still going with the flow.

Blog -  Still blogging my little heart out. Seriously I love it.

Budget - Sticking to it.

Fun - Had fun at the Fashion Revolution event and Futsal.

How has your week been?

Got any news to share?

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The week that was....SIXTEEN

After hitting up the football on Good Friday, I was in bed for the next two days with a migraine - oh the joys. Which caused me to miss a night at the ballet with Hubby, cue devastation.

DAMN Headaches! I just wish there was a way to get rid of them. They hinder my life way too much.

A short week at work is always a winner though! Even though the side effect of having a migraine seems to always be more headaches in the days that follow. Seriously - WINNING, right!

The highlight of my week was kicking off my new blog - Minimise Waste. You should definitely check it out. The fam-bam and I have started on a journey to minimise our waste and declutter our lives, so far so good and so far everyone is on board.

The kids went to my parentals for a couple of nights this week, which was delightful - I am not going to lie. I do tend to walk around wondering what to do when they are not here and then I realise I can do whatever the hell I want to do!

Souths were back playing on Friday again this week - I have never been more angry over a game of football....nuff said.

My list of ten

Move - Attempted to move a lot yesterday - another migraine. 

Meditate - Didn't meditate enough  this week.

Kind - Still reading The Happiness Project and implementing some changes - watch this space.

Connect - Don't feel I connected enough again this week.

Food - Ho-hum on the food this week.

Flow - Still going with the flow.

Blog - Blogging my little heart out this week.

Budget - Sticking to it.

Fun - Eh, could have done with a lot more this week.

How was your week?

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The week that was....FOURTEEN & FIFTEEN

Another two weeks jammed into one post! Oh the indignity.

Have to admit though, not much to report for these two weeks. Life just plodded along, day after day and turned into two weeks.

School holidays commenced in NSW. I took my little miss to the office on Monday. She was so excited about it - I was thinking her expectations were a wee bit high, I mean I am never excited to go there. All in all she was great....much better behaved than at home. Her highlight was the hot chocolate machine.

So why stop there I thought....I took both my little miss and little mr to the office on Wednesday. Seriously, what the fuck was I thinking? Actually I know what I was thinking....Another guy from work was taking his three kids, his youngest also aged four, so I agreed to take my little man too. Never again. The End.

Admittedly, they weren't that bad. But the high stress level that you are in all day making sure they are quiet enough, tidy enough, respectful enough - not worth it.

Last weekend we had a family lunch for Dad's birthday. He will be seventy next year - my anxiety levels rise the older he gets. Morbid I know. I also know that he won't be around forever and that thought paralyses me with a fear I would never be able to explain.

Good Friday saw us busing it to the football - Bunnies vs Bulldogs. Seriously, how is awesome is live sport. I love it. For me there is no better way to vent frustration than screaming and yelling at grown men running around a football field. Seriously how shit is it when your team doesn't win though.

My list of ten

Move - Still moving and challenging friends on fitbit (who are currently whipping my butt). 

Meditate - Still meditating and loving it.

Kind - Still reading The Happiness Project and implementing some changes - watch this space.

Connect - Don't feel I connected enough.

Food - Don't feel I ate enough great food.

Flow - Definitely going with the flow a lot more - I think The Happiness Project is helping.

Blog - Ummm....Eh, one week but Tickety BOOM the next.

Budget - Sticking to it.

Fun - FOOTBALL!

How was your week...2 weeks?

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The week that was....THIRTEEN

Saturday 25 March to Sunday 2 April has been a massive, emotional, fun-packed week!!

Saturday 25 March was the wedding of the year - two of our closest friends got hitched...on our wedding anniversary! No better date to get married in my opinion.

G-Bear is Hubbys best man and has always had a special place in my heart. His quirks, craziness and massive heart make him a unique and wonderful human being. Now he is married to another exceptional and amazing human, the new Mrs C. Together they are two pieces of the same puzzle that just fit so seamlessly together. Seeing them get married was an absolute emotional pleasure, and yes I cried a flood of tears.

Sunday 26 March saw the lovely little Master W come in to the world. He is the new little bundle of snugglie goodness for our neighbours, Mr and Mrs W. You quickly forget how small and squishy newborn babes are - I could seriously hold this kid and kiss his head all day!

Monday to Thursday was work - bleh. There is no real need to bring down the mood of the week with talk of another restructure and another exec biting the dust. Seriously sometimes work feels like Survivor - the tribe has spoken and you are OUT! Basically lots of change is happening and along with that comes a lot of uncertainty...but like I said no point talking about it here this week.

Friday 31 March to Sunday 2 April I traveled to Avalon on the Northern Beaches with my positively fabulous group of dancing girlfriends. Quite honestly one of the bestest bunch of women on the planet, actually the whole universe! We went out to dinner, long lunched, did a puzzle (very therapeutic), drank margaritas, conversed without interruption and slept in!

The whole weekend was in honour of my BFF, Mrs M, as she prepares to embark on her Aussie adventure. You see, her and her family are off in a caravan around Australia for nine months. While they are away they will be scoping locations to call home....am I in complete denial that she will be away for nine months, yes I am. Am I also in complete denial that she may not be living in Sydney when their holiday is over, yes I am.

My list of ten

Move - Still moving. I even ran again at Futsal!

Meditate - Still meditating and loving it.

Kind - Still reading The Happiness Project and implementing some changes - watch this space.

Connect - Connected my arse off this week.

Food - Had some awesome food this week. The girls and I went for lunch at Clareville Kiosk on Saturday - AMAZING.

Flow - Definitely going with the flow a lot more - I think The Happiness Project is helping.

Blog - Tickety BOOM.

Budget - Eh, we have been wavering of late. But back on track this week.

Fun - Jam packed fun this week.

How has your week been?

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The weeks that were....ELEVEN & TWELVE

I can't even remember why I didn't blog last week. Digging in my memory, perhaps it was a bad headache on Sunday. I've had a couple this week.

But on the bright side, I have decided it's time to  be happy again.

Work is settling down after my boss and I started to implement the  changes we discussed. I have also kicked off a "make the whole team happy" discussion with the managers across our department. The negativity and miserableness just has to go!

All in all, some really positive things are happening.




I started playing Futsal with a group of mums from school. I had never played soccer before, or even run for that matter. Our first game was last week. We played what seemed to be a semi-professional team. As we were talking about what the hell the rules actually were in this game, in walked a group of younger women in matching shirts and official indoor soccer boots - I was sure they were representing some kind of Australian team. We didn't win our first game, but we had a lot of fun in the process of conceding 18 goals.

My little lady has been hard work lately and the straw broke the camels back this week when the meltdowns and anxieties hit a high, so we are heading back to her counselor which will be of benefit to everyone. It really is so very tough to see her trying to deal with her anxieties as I know exactly how she is feeling - it breaks me heart.

Last weekend I attended a Hens Party for the every lovely soon-to-be Mrs C. It was great to dress up, get up and go out. We went to the Tea Cosy in The Rocks for High Tea and then ventured to The Observer for drinks - no Strawberry Daiquiris though. Seriously! How hard is it to get a cocktail in this city!

My list of ten 

Move - Still moving. I even ran!

Meditate - Still meditating. Taking lots of deep breaths.

Kind - Still reading - I have finished The Girl in the Spider's Web. Loved it. Now I am onto The Happiness Project....really trying to inject some serious positivity and happiness in my life and the life of others.

Connect - Connected with some lovely women at the High Tea for Mrs C.

Food - Still loving food. This week I have been craving chips & gravy...I have however not indulged.

Flow - Getting back into my flow at lot more these past two weeks and thank goodness!

Blog - No tick and then tick.

Budget - Same, same really.

Fun - Futsal, definitely fun. And deciding to be happy again, definitely fun.

How have you been?

What are your tips for happy?

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The week that was....TEN

There was only one place to go after last week and that was UP!

Literally spent so many hours this week talking to my boss about how we could work together to make my life easier. I am very fortunate he is so supportive. We have already started to put some new work processes in place that will really help take the stress off.

Tuesday saw me heading to the new ICC at Darling Harbour to the Simon Sinek and Peter Docker's Start with Why Leadership Forum. Totally blown away. Simon Sinek is an amazing speaker, so engaging and motivating. You really buy what he is selling. It was definitely a very inspiring day.

I spent time with two of my favourite people this week; my BFF Mrs M and my brother B.

Mrs M and I headed to Camperdown Commons for dinner on Wednesday night - such a great place, lovely atmosphere, great food, awesome company. Spending time together is always the deep breath I need.

Brother B and I went to the Treehouse for lunch on Friday. It has been so long since it was just the two of us hanging out, shooting the breeze. It was so lovely to catch up with him and to hear about his life.

Hubby was away for the weekend at a Buck's weekend. They have definitely tamed since we got married - an exceptionally good thing. The kids and I have been making slime (yep, more slime), going out for coffee & cake, watching Souths play and having movie nights.

My list of ten 

Move - Moved a lot more this week, which is always a good thing.

Meditate - Meditating more too.
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Kind - Still loving the time I am spending reading. The Girl in the Spider's Web is so captivating I find it hard to put down to actually sleep. 

Connect - Connecting with my favourite people as I mentioned.

Food - I ate a bit this week but still had great wholesome foods - seriously check out Camperdown Commons if you can, it is great.

Flow - My flow is definitely a lot less clogged this week, which makes for a happier Sam and also teng

Blog - Tick.

Budget - Same, same really.

Fun - Definitely had fun this week with my favourite peeps and hanging out with my littlest monkeys.

How has your week been?

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The week that was...NINE

This week has been one of the hardest I've had for a while. A long while.

I slipped into a dark depression. Got totally overwhelmed. Realised I just wasn't coping.

Perhaps a good thing - the realising I wasn't coping part, not the depression part. Depression is never a good thing. But it finally hit me this week, I just can't do it all and I am not coping.

I just didn't want to admit to anyone, or even myself, that I just wasn't coping with my workload and parenting and everything else that comes along with living life. Something had to give before I had a full blown nervous breakdown.

Floods of tears were shed. Every ounce of energy and determination was used to even get out of bed. Cue an emergency appointment with my psychiatrist (have I mentioned how much I love her) and I am rebooting (her words).

We talked about all the things I could change in my life that would see me coping - I made a list, oh how I love a list. Currently the list is split into two; home and work. I see this being very organic and it will change as I work out what actually works and throw aside what doesn't.

I spoke at length about it to hubby, my family and my boss - all extremely understanding and supportive. I really am fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing people.

So, now is the time to reboot.

My list of ten 

Move - Rain and depression = very little steps this week. 

Meditate - Attempted unsuccessfully.
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Kind - How I love to read....finished The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty, it was excellent!

Connect - Had lunch to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of one of the ladies at work.

Food - I am still loving fig, bocconcini, proscuitto and green leaves with a little balsamic vinegar on top. I also snuck in a pork belly for lunch :)

Flow - My flow was totally clogged this week.

Blog - Tick.

Budget - Still plodding along...Dr's bills were not part of the budget though...eek.

Fun - I made Slime with my little lady and helped her create a YouTube channel to show people how to make slime. I admit, that was fun.

How are you coping?
Got any tips for me?

The week that was....EIGHT

Time. It really does get fly as you get older. I'm not too sure if it is my friend or my foe.

When I was younger my dad used to tell me not to wish the time away as it just got quicker and quicker and eventually I would want it to slow down. I thought he was crazy. Turns out he wasn't.

It is the eighth week of 2017 already. February is coming to end, therefore so is Summer. Autumn is quite literally around the corner again.

 Didn't Summer just start? I was so sure it had.

I seem to be getting to the state where time is going by so quickly my days are blending and I can't recall what actually happened this week, or was it last week, or perhaps it is on my To Do for next week?

Work this week seems to have calmed though....and that is a big THANK F**K. I mean we are far from cruising, but the stress levels have come down a smidgen. And we are working together to try to set things right again.

Wednesday are little misses piano lessons, and yeah OK I am totally bias because she is my kid, but she is gooood. I love to listen to her playing and see her little face light up. And it seems our little man is keen to start learning too. He is also talking about wanting to play the guitar, which at this stage would be bigger than him.

My list of ten 

Move - My steps have increased, though still not hitting the ever elusive 10k steps a day - nowhere near actually. Still really need to get my tail in gear. 

Meditate - Tick.

Kind - In an effort to get reading, because I love reading, I have two books on the go - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriaty and The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz. Also, saw my Chiropractor again on Friday. He is happy with my progress. If only I could kick these headaches and back and neck pains I would be happy too.

Connect - Had lunch with some ladies from work this week, such kind, funny, witty women. It helped a lot in lowering the stress levels at work.

Food - Salads have been my go-to this week for lunch. At the moment I am loving fig, bocconcini, proscuitto and green leaves with a little balsamic vinegar on top.

Flow - While my stress is high, I do think that I am yelling a lot less, flowing a lot more.

Blog - I might even blog a few times this week!

Budget - So far so good, except when the bank hit us with a fee to change from Interest only back to P&I on the mortgage...seriously! COME ON! Damn banks.

Fun - On Saturday I took Little Miss on her first sushi train experience. It had been ages since I had been. She loved it and so did I. I really love our little Mumma, Daughter dates, where it is just her and I and we can talk about anything and not be interrupted by other distractions.

How was your week?

What are your thoughts on time?

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The week that was...SIX and SEVEN

How did I miss a whole week?

I whizzed through and barely touched the sides! I would love to ask the question - "Where has the time gone?" but I feel I already know the answer.

It has been sucked into the vortex that is my highly stressful, soul sucking job - at least that is what it is like at the moment. It hasn't always been like that and here is hoping (with all my might) that it doesn't stay like that! I mean it can't, can it?

I was lulled into a false sense of security a couple of weeks back....there was a rainbow overhead, which meant less stress on me. And... then the clouds rolled in again, shut out the light, the rainbow faded to nothing and here we are again.

At the moment it is consuming me. And yes, yes I know that is my own decision to let it consume me. I could just leave it all at the door when I leave - trust me I have tried. But my damn conscience and high work ethic just won't let me do it.

So the past two weeks have seen me utter depleted by work and feeling like the worst wife, mother, friend that there is in whole wide world....hence the dark clouds of depression have rolled in and sheer exhaustion ensued.

But I can't say it has been all doom and gloom....I did take a day off to go to our little misses first swimming lesson and while she didn't swim in ANY races, it was a delight to be sitting with her in the sun for a day.

The weekly neighbour dinners now involve another family in the street, which is awesome, so Monday nights are always great - and I only have to cook every third Monday now :)

My list of ten

My steps have been minimal - to say the least. And as for Michelle Bridges, well I haven't even seen her and I am two weeks in! OMG! Really need to get my tail in gear. 

Always loving my meditation and mindfulness. 

I am still seeing my Chiropractor on a weekly basis - a good thing too, because with all the stress has come an extremely sore and seized up neck.

How are you going?

Being kind to yourself?

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The week that was...FIVE

What a week in Castle Stone!

Our little lady headed back to school this week as a Year 3 kid with the biggest smile on her face. This is a massive breakthrough for our little lady as the start of every other school year has been met with massive trepidation and anxiety. To say it was a super proud mumma would be an understatement.

She also headed back to her mini swimming squad sessions - I was freaking out and so was our little lady. Her first exposure to mini squads was a total disaster and led to screaming sessions and her little arms wrapped so tightly around me with utter refusal to get in the pool at all.

Queue a teacher and pool change  last term and we were making progress - she was actually in the pool even though she wasn't participating in the lesson.

Fast forward to this week and she was met with a new teacher (the teacher that made the progress last term isn't teaching anymore) and instant anxiety, she clung to me and said "I don't want to do it".

The teacher (who I am now totally in love with) said to her, "let's just give it 5 minutes, if you are stressed after that you can get out". She climbed in to the water and that was that....she swam the whole lesson and was amazing. She emerged from the water smiling and so proud of herself. Another totally proud mumma moment, this time I could even possibly have a tear.

This week also saw us at a new music school (the previous one has closed down) and therefore a new environment and new teacher, our little lady was a bit anxious about this as new places, situations and people are what make her most anxious. However, her teacher was beyond lovely and our little man and I got to sit in on her first lesson and she is actually really good. The teacher was very impressed as was I. And yet another proud mumma moment.

Our little man also headed back to swimming lessons. My parentals take him on a Friday. Reports were not good - he didn't want to get in the water. Once in the water he did not want to participate and was not giving the teacher anything at all. Apparently he wouldn't even look at her. Queue my anxiety and that of my parentals and discussions on how we can get him to engage in his swimming lessons.

After all that I am totally exhausted! And still trying to get my head around being back in to the routine of drop-offs, pick-ups, after school activities, dinners, lunches etc etc.

My list of ten

My steps were a bit up on last week but nothing to scream from the rooftops about. Michelle Bridges 12wbt kicks off next week for me - so I will definitely be moving! My goal is to increase my fitness enough to play summer soccer with a friend. 

Still loving my meditation and mindfulness. 

I headed back to my naturopath this week after five months. She is such a lovely, caring soul. I am back on Vitamin B's, Probiotics and a tonic in an attempt for more energy and better gut health. 

I definitely feel like I am going with the flow a lot more - the anger levels seem to be a lot lower than recent times. 

How was your week?

Got kids back at school? How do you cope with the routine?

{life} The week that was....FOUR

WoW, time really does fly. Here we are at the end of another week and kick-starting another one. 

Last week of the school holidays for us here in NSW. Our little miss is going into Year 3 - seriously you blink and these kids are another year older and nearly as tall as you.

This week has been pretty low-key actually. Work for the grown-ups, daycare for our little man and some vacation care and play dates for our little miss. And a public holiday thrown in for good measure. 

Work has dropped from high pressure, throttle at full to a little less pressure and a little less throttle - thank goodness. Still very thankful to be surrounded by such a supportive team.

On Saturday we had friends over for morning tea....which ended up being a hang out for nearly the whole day. I love when that happens, the kids are having a great time, the adults are having a great time and the time just slips away without notice. 

My list of ten

My steps were almost non-existent this week, seriously I am really not sure what happened....oh apart from complete laziness on my part - any tips anyone has for getting up early would be greatly appreciated. 

Still being kinder to myself and chasing my Minbalup (happy place). This week I read a book....and actually finished it. I am currently working my way through James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series.

And this is my fourth week in a row blogging! and also reading my favourite blogs more, which I just love.

How was your week?

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What Australia Day means to me...

Firstly, I am so proud to be Australian and really believe I am very fortunate to live in this wonderful country surrounded by such great people. I am also proud to call myself Aboriginal. 

For me, Australia Day is a day for all Australians to come together and celebrate what it means to be Australian, no matter where you have come from or how you got here. A celebration that should applaud our diverse society.

It should also be a time to reflect on our history and contemplate how we can make Australia an even better place in the future. 

January 26, the current day we celebrate Australia Day also marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain. A day that many Aboriginal people call Invasion Day. 

Therefore, January 26 is a day of mourning for them as they remember the suffering caused by government policies of assimilation and separation, as well as the violence of the Frontier Wars, which raged from 1788 to 1928.

I have no idea how affected my own family was by these events as there are no family records dating earlier than the late 1800's, but I can only assume they were affected in some way. And to be honest, the thought of their suffering makes my heart ache (as suffering is oft to do). 

The debate rages, and will continue to do so, over January 26 being the date we celebrate Australia Day.

I do question, why not change the date, so all Australians can celebrate this wonderful country we live in, instead of some mourning the occasion. 

Unfortunately we can't change the history, January 26 will always be known as Invasion Day for Aboriginal people and be a day they mourn. But the future is an open book, we can write whatever we want....we can celebrate this great country with a snag, a beer and the Triple J Hottest 100 any day. 

What does Australia Day mean to you?

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{Life} The week that was...THREE

Here we are, another week. 

Sunday definitely had the "crap, it is work again tomorrow" feels. That sinking feeling you get at about 4.30pm in the afternoon when you realise your two days of freedom with your family and friends are falling through your fingers like sands through the hourglass (nope I don't watch Days of our Lives).

Monday night was at the neighbours and as per usual was great. They knocked up some lamb chops with salad - delish. 

Work this week is still sucking the big fat cherry. My work BFF is back on deck and thank goodness. I may not have survived the issues and dramas from this week without him...and the rest of my very supportive team, who make me laugh when I need it most. After asking if anyone could tell me a joke to lighten the mood, one of my team mates shared this with me (and I love Sloths) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oMbwWqceNw. 

The kids went to my parentals for a couple of nights of being totally spoilt rotten. I have to admit when they aren't around I actually miss them - little terrors! Hubby and I took the opportunity to go out to dinner and the movies (gold class, thanks Mark & Jules), to see Rogue One. Yep, we are massive Star Wars fans. 

My list of ten

Headaches plagued my week, so my steps were low. I totally blame work. But I did organise to meet a friend once a week at 5.30am to walk! Always easier with a buddy.

My chiropractor appointment will hopefully alleviate the headaches and get me back on track.

As part of being kinder to myself, I have started to chase my Minbalup (aboriginal word for "a happy place") and will blog about my journey in a hope to inspire others to do the same, so please head over the Minbalup section and let's talk about happy places. 

And this is my third week in a row blogging!

How was your week?

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{Life} The week that was...TWO

Back to work this week...boohoo!

I was hoping that when I returned it would all be "strawberry champagne all night" (thanks Bruno Mars for getting this song stuck in my head - check it out here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPIm_ZZ0yVw) but....it WASN'T.

There is still chaos, stress, too much to do, too little time, too many cooks and my work BFF isn't back until next week, so I have no-one to complain to about it - totes boo.

Monday night we slipped back into the rhythm of "Monday Night Dinner" with our awesome neighbours. It was at our place so I whipped up an easy peasy Thermie dinner. Easy for me to make that is, not so easy for Hubby to clean up as it uses every piece of Thermie apparatus.

Our littlest peep ticked over another year and is now four. Seriously I blinked and he is four. Gorgeous kid and he will always be my little man, no matter how old he gets.

The temp this week has been HOT, HOT, HOT - thank goodness for the pool and the kids loving the sprinkler under the trampoline. It wouldn't be summer in Australia though if the temperature wasn't topping out at over 40 degrees and we haven't even hit February yet, so hold onto your hats, t-shirts and sunblock for that.

We took the kids to their first Big Bash cricket game. Little Miss now tells me that she wants her team sport to be cricket and our little man is walking around with a cricket bat constantly.
It was the Sixers vs the Thunder, so a local derby. The women had a great game, they were drawn at the end of both innings and had to play a Super Over. The men weren't as exciting - the Sixers only scored 99.

My list of ten

Stumbled slightly with my walking this week (figuratively, not literally) and only got 34117 steps. Need 

to re-calibrate for next week.

Meditation and deep breathes have been really trying again to keep me grounded - it has been hard with work this week.

Still being kind to myself - headed back to the Chiropractor and he is already impressed with my posture progress. Heading back again next week and also booked in for an infrared sauna.

And this is my second week in a row blogging!

How was your week?

A very Turtle Birthday

So very hard to believe that my little man is ticking over 4 years old. Huh? How did this happen? What is going on? He is my baby, isn't he?

Apparently not anymore. Now he is my big boy.

(But to me he will always be my baby and there isn't much anyone can do about that)

This kid, seriously, he melts my heart. His big blue/green eyes with their dark black long lashes would be enough to melt any ones heart. He can be the sweetest of the sweet and turn on a five cent coin and scream in your face like a banshee when it's full moon. Typical kid. He loves his sister, Dad and I so fiercely and we love him back just as fierce.

This year we just celebrated with a family lunch. His request for lunch - pizza. His request for a cake, chocolate of course and made to look like Raphael, the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle, not the Italian painter.

The pizza bases were made from scratch by yours truly. The "normal" (is there really such a thing) pizza base was from "The Basic Cook Book" for my Thermie and the gluten-free pizza base was from Quirky Cooking, also for my Thermie.

The chocolate cake was from the lovely Chantelle over at Fat Mum Slim and once again for my Thermie. The cake decoration was by me - and let's just say thank god these turtles are mutant.

While I sweated away in the kitchen all day decorating the Rapha cake (still the Ninja Turtle, not the tennis player - much to my Mum's disappointment), making various pizza bases and concocting glamorous toppings, my little man was having a great time - which is always the main thing.

Got any birthdays in your house this week?

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{Life} The week that was...One

The week started with a BANG!

Well isn't that what you are supposed to say on the first day of a new year?

In my case, I wouldn't say BANG....I'd say exhausted. Tired, cranky kids are exhausting. The nagging, whinging and tantrums really wear you down. Late nights and sugar highs have so much to answer for! Also Hubby and I have been consumed with project "House Cleanup" in the week between Christmas and New Year, so the kids have been BORED.

But the whole week wasn't a complete tantrum write off - there were glimpses of smiles, peace and harmony.

We did we do?

We headed to the cinema to see Moana - gorgeous little flick. That Moana has some spunk. And Maui is voiced by Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), BIG fan....nuff said.

Summer down under in Australia wouldn't be complete without a trip to the cricket, so I hit the SCG with Hubby, Brother B, Dad and Sir A. Normally a day at the cricket is accompanied with heat exhaustion and severe sun burn but not this year, it was actually freezing and my lips turned blue....but I did see Renshaw get his first century - good on him.

Not to be put off by a little rain, we went to the Zoo and got totally and utterly wet. But there were smiles aplenty at the Chimpanzee enclosure as they raced around and made aggressive noises at one another (apparently introducing new chimps can be a long process). The kids favourites were basically all the animals we actually saw - my favourite, the Meerkats, were put off by the rain and stayed nice and dry in their burrow.

 


Friends popped in here and there to swim, BBQ, check out the new digs and just be together.

The weekend saw us having a family celebration for a certain someone who is turning four! But there is a whole other blog post for that.

My list of ten

Off to a cracking start on my "list of ten". I walked 44971 steps and am set to improve that next week. I also blogged this week - WINNING.

Meditation and deep breathes really tried to help me go with the flow but also highlighted the fact that I have a long looong way to go.

Kindness is becoming a prominent word in my vocab. I have started seeing Mark, the Chiropractor who said I have a dodgy posture, followed by "but you knew that, didn't you?". Yep I did. But we are on a schedule to change all that and get rid of this neck and back pain.

As seen above, we had fun getting out and about and also staying in.

Study has become my new middle name as I actually read some chapters in my PMI Project Management book.

How was your week?

Holiday Handyman (or woman!)

What is with the holidays that scream "YOU MUST BE HANDY!"?

Any extended period of time spent at home and the handyman pull is strong. It nags and nags until the guilt is unbearable. Until you are dragging your sorry arse out of bed or off the couch, applying expired sunscreen and searching for the hat you haven't worn since last holidays.

You are pulled to the backyard to hack at hedges, pull at weeds, push a lawnmower up hill, nail some panels, paint some pylons, re-oil the deck...etc, etc.

Sometimes it pulls you to the houses insides to hang pictures, paint doors, re-organise kids spaces to make more room for all the extra "stuff" they have accumulated because it is holidays.

I could go on...and on...and on. But I am sure you get the idea as I am sure this has happened to each and everyone one of you in the past.

Hubby and I have been afflicted these holidays - the fallout is that the house looks amazing. On the flip side, the kids weren't particularly happy about the situation - their screams were more like, "I AM BORED. HOW MUCH LONGER? ARE YOU FINISHED YET? I AM BORED".

But rest assured, it is all done and dusted now, no more screaming from the holidays or the kids - well not about the handyman affliction anyway....until next year that is.

Have you been a Holiday Handyman (or woman) these holidays?

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{Life} Ten things to tick off my list in 2017

1. Move EVERY day
   Gotta hit those 10,000 steps per day! and become a fit, healthy version of me!


2. Meditate regularly
   I love to meditate, it really improves my mental well being. 


3. Be Kinder - to myself
   I really need to learn to be kinder to myself. Kindness is such a wonderful trait. I love to show kindness to people - not so good at showing it to myself.
   
4. Eat more wholesome foods
   As part of getting back on track with healthy and fit Sam 2017, the family and I are going to be eating a lot less from packets and a lot more from the garden.


5. Go with the flow
   Chill out as much as I can and just go with the flow. My stress levels at the end of 2016 were way too high - change must happen. 


6. Blog every week
   I love to blog and didn't do enough of it last year - again, change must happen.


7. Connect with friends and families
   Pick up the phone more often to talk to friends and family. Make an effort to have a lunch a month with a friend.
   
8. Stick to the budget
   Now the renovation dust has settled - it is time to get serious about sticking to our budget.
   
9. Have more fun
   Organise outings with the kids, Hubby, family and friends, even just picnics in the park or bike rides. Go to the beach more - I love the beach.



10. Get my PMI-ACP certification
    In the work side of my life I am a project manager and am setting the goal this year to get my Agile certification.

Are you ticking anything off the list this year?

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{Life} The one where I gained a few kg's

It seems that my decadent #MonthofSam and our three months of living out of home, which was full of unhealthy eating and no exercise have left behind some unwanted kilograms - DAMN IT!

I started last year with the mindset to be a fitter, healthier version of myself and got off to a cracking start. I was meditating regularly (which I still do), exercising, eating healthily, seeing a naturopath - I am sure you get the idea.

But come mid year, what with winter in full swing and my SAD kicking in and the renovation ramping up, the fitter, heatlhier Sam seemed to be wavering.

Roll on September and our move out the of house to make way for demolition and builders and we were all of sudden eating a lot of takeaway food.

Then came November and the #MonthOfSam with all the food and drink - oh the joy!

All of that, mixed in with work stress, renovation stress, kid stress which resulted in chocolate and biscuit quick fixes.....and fitter, healthier me was nowhere to be seen - she had gone.

Now it is December and the realisation of these extra kilos has really started to sink in. Queue depression, body issues and extreme low self esteem - the triple threat! It seriously messes with your head. Mirrors are the enemy, exaggerating (and then some) your flaws and flab. Clothes you used to love, don't love you back anymore. You feel everywhere you go there are judgey eyes and side way glances teamed with whispers.

But enough of that - it is time to also queue a reset of the mindset - back to the fitter, healthier Sam.

So, what does that mean...well it means healthy eating, no more takeaways or fast food (for anyone in the family) and it means exercising, I have signed up for a round of 12wbt to get me right back on track and am striving to hit 10,000 steps per day.

Deep breath (and lots of them).

Have unwanted kg's snuck up on you? 

Have you had a reset of the mindset?

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