Made with love

Anyone who regularly follows my blog will know that I have a healthy obsession with online shopping. I could spend hours on end fossicking through the handmade delights on Etsy, and I have a favourites list a mile long. If only my bank balance matched my enthusiasm to support handmade! There are so many divinely talented women in our midsts. 
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You can imagine my excitement then, when I discovered some delightful new stores on the Australian version of Etsy; a site aptly named madeit. With my little girl growing so quickly, I'm on the hunt for some cute and quirky little headbands and clips to match her increasing tufts of beautiful dark hair. I couldn't go past these two sublimely talented artists: Minni Mittsie and Bliss Clips. 
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The dilemma was knowing when to stop shopping..... here's a little sneak peak of some of their most gorgeous items.

How nice to be even half as talented as these two lovely ladies.

This week I am grateful for... an understanding husband

Long before my life became a blur of broken sleep, two hourly feeds and endless hours spent trying to settle an insecure toddler in his own bed, I liked to keep a very clean and orderly house. Everything had a place, dishes were always washed and floors were swept and vacuumed every second day. I showered every morning, walked the dogs every day, cooked delicious meals every night, held pleasant conversation and never hid in the toilet so I could get 5 minute peace.

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I simply adore my life as a mum, but I'm no longer the domestic goddess nor the stepford wife I used to be. A tornado sweeps through my house each day, and I just don't have the energy to deal with the aftermath. I do my best to tackle the tower of dishes and baskets full of washing, but I prefer to sit and play with puzzles, create masterpieces with playdoh and indulge in two hour afternoon snoozes. 

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I'm so very grateful that my husband understands what I need to stay sane, and to continue loving every moment of being a mum. The housework will eventually get done, I won't always spend my day dressed in pyjamas, beans on toast won't be a permanent fixture on the dinner menu and my witty conversation skills will return.

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In the meantime, thank goodness for my Nespresso machine and a packet of chocolate biscuits, courtesy of my gorgeous husband xx

I am playing along with Maxabella Loves, come along and join in the fun! 

Growing up

The time has come. My little girl is growing up.
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It seems like only last week that she was a floppy, snuggly little baby. I could sit for hours as she slept in my arms, marvelling at how perfectly tiny she is. Now, she is giggling with delight as she bounces in her jolly jumper. She peers at me wide eyed with fascination as she tastes rice cereal and banana for the first time. My tiny little girl is no more.

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Tomorrow she will be six months of age. Where did the time go? 

Kissing cousins

In the lead up to our holiday in Melbourne, my sister Kate and I talked excitedly about the fun our two little cherubs would have playing together. Their last visit was a short two days, and they spent their time in a whirlwind of dancing, singing, playing chasey and sharing biscuits and sips of juice. They were truly adorable together and played without a single squabble nor a tear. We wondered what two weeks with each other would bring. 

We needn't have worried. Oscar and Amelie greeted one another like old friends. Their giggles of delight resonated throughout the house, and when we saw one, we knew the other wouldn't be far behind. They were inseparable, and like kindred spirits, they knew they were special to one another. There were a few more tears and tantrums this time, but ten times as much love was shared.

I think our babies' relationship is testament to the one we share as sisters. I hope that Oscar and Amelie grow up to be as close friends as we are.

The smell of fresh coffee

Good morning!

And what a lovely morning it is, waking up to the divine aroma of a coffee from my new Nespresso machine! You really can't beat the smell of freshly brewed coffee. And just as I'd hoped, my morning latte tastes just like it would from my local coffee shop.


As suspected, it almost makes those two hourly wake up calls bearable. Thank you my gorgeous hubby, I love you xx

I hope you're having a lovely morning too.

 

We're back online!

Apologies for the recent break in transmission, we have been in computer limbo for several weeks now. On Friday we finally received confirmation from the computer technician that our laptop had indeed loaded its last Facebook page, and made its last online purchase, so we excitedly prepared for a spot of computer shopping on the weekend.

We'd already decided our new love would be an iMac, so it was just a matter of making our way to the Apple Store in Perth.

Tonight, I am very chuffed to announce I am now blogging in 27" widescreen!

I am loving everything about my new Mac, I only wish it hadn't taken us this long to give Windows the boot!

 

Some divine art candy

A few weeks ago I posted about winning some adorable wall prints by the incredibly talented Jessie Webster from Art Candy. I can't get enough of her beautiful work. Her designs are as sweet as sugar, and the colours and textures she uses are sublime. Jessie recently had a sale on all her prints and I couldn't resist buying two more wall sets. The photos above are of her original designs, which she also sells as prints in size 8" x 10".

We're off to Perth on the weekend and I can't wait to buy some beautiful frames to house my new artwork.

Running man

Week two of building the new 'me' and I'm feeling excited and energised. While my gorgeous hubby is at home feeding and bathing our babes, I have been attending body classes at our local gym. Each afternoon I excitedly anticipate the rush of a racing heart and the bitter sweet burning of muscles. I'd forgotten just how exhilarating an exercise program could be!

While my attempts at exercise previously lacked direction and structure, I'm now spoilt for choice.

Monday = Body Pump 

Tuesday = Body Step

Wednesday = boot camp with a personal trainer

Thursday = Body Attack

Friday = Body Step

As much as I'd love to attend all five classes (yes, I could be a little mad...) I've limited myself to three per week and jogging/ walking every other day. Oh how good it feels to dust off my runners and dig my gym clothes out of storage!

I hope you're having an energetic day too.

 

A health kick up the butt

When it comes to being overweight there's only so much complaining you can do before you need to get off your butt and do something about it. I've had my time, lazing on the couch eating peppermint chocolate and cheese twisties, whinging about my expanded rear end and flabby arms. I look back, and find it hard to understand how I got here. I used to be incredibly fit, healthy and very active. I would run along the beach in the morning and attend gym classes in the afternoon. I loved cooking fresh, healthy meals and wouldn't dream of filling my trolley with chocolate biscuits and salt and vinegar chips. I rarely ever drank Coke Zero, in fact I never even drank coffee.

So what happened?

My two beautiful little babies is what happened. And I certainly don't say that as if I blame them for being overweight. Nor would I take back a single second of our lives together. I would, however, take back some of the poor dietry decisions I made when I was pregnant, and the excuses I made for regaining an active lifestyle once my babes were born. At the same time I need to be sympathetic to why and how I got here. I was very sick with both my little ones, and survived on a diet of high energy, high calorie foods. Full cream milk was the only thing that stopped the persistant reflux. I was too tired to get out of bed let alone exercise while I was pregnant. And then there were the sugar and salt cravings...

When Oscar was born I attempted to regain an active lifestyle and lose the extra 10 kgs I was carrying. I did manage the odd gym class, and pounded the pavement when I could muster the energy. I tried to cut out all those high calorie foods and introduce more lean protein and vitamin rich salads. But something had changed. I couldn't just go to the gym when I wanted to, nor could I prepare and sit down to enjoy a healthy lunch. Regaining my old lifestyle wasn't as simple as I thought it would be. I started eating on the go and opting for coffee with friends instead of pulling on my gym shoes. This was the life of a new mum, and I was loving every minute of it.

Forward two years and the birth of Mathilda, and I'm facing a slightly steeper uphill battle with the bulge. Again I've tried to shift those extra kilos through diet and exercise, but its been pretty hit and miss. Two babies don't leave a lot of 'me' time, and my eating habits have transformed into a diet of coffee, muesli bars, tiny teddy biscuits and whatever lunch and dinner Oscar refuses to eat. I have the option of either accepting this is life for now and enjoying every minute, or making a concerted effort to change.

So here I am. At the crossroads of being happy with my weight or getting off my butt once and for all and doing something about it. I've decided the latter. With some much appreciated help from hubby I'm going to make more time for healthy eating and exercise, and in the process make a much happier, more confident 'me'. A 'me' that can spend more time laughing and less time complaining. A 'me' that is going to love slipping into her favourite pair of skinny jeans and holding her head high.

I look forward to introducing you to the new 'me' next time we meet.

Growing pains

My apologies if this post is peppered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. It may not even make a lot of sense, but I'll try my best. You see I'm tired. Oh so very tired. In fact I'm exhausted. For the past week Mathilda has been waking every hour, sometimes if she's kind she'll make it two. A quick feed and she's back to sleep, but that doesn't make my broken sleep any easier to deal with.

I need my sleep. Before babies, I would sleep 12 hours a night, and then on weekends sneak off at midday for a delicious three hour nap. As a teenager I'd sleep all day, sometimes not appearing until 3pm... or later. Without a sufficient number of hours sleep I get very cranky, emotional, irrational, clumsy, forgetful and I lack the saintly patience required for dealing with a very demanding 2 year old.

Previously Mathilda's frequent night wakings have precluded a growth spurt, and thankfully have only lasted a week or two. As Mathilda approaches six months I'm hoping that the introduction of solids will help to combat those late night cravings and allow us all a better night sleep. In the meantime I'm surviving on several cups of strong coffee and a quick snooze on the couch when Ossie has his afternoon nap.

Understanding my love, and now need, of a good coffee, my darling hubby is looking to accessorise our kitchen with one of these. Kudos to my sister Kate, who did a fabulous job of convincing him a good coffee machine is a necessity.

Oh how I would heart a Delonghi Nespresso machine!

I hope you're getting a good nights sleep, and if not let me promise you you're not alone!

Swimming lessons

Part and parcel of living in the country is missing out on the things that people in the city can take for granted. Even the simple things, like swimming lessons. Oscar simply adores the water, and we wholeheartedly encourage his enthusiasm and desire to be a fish. But with open dams situated so close to our home we're increasingly fearful of the fact he has no awareness of water safety. 

You can imagine our excitement then, when our local pool announced that for the first time it was offering baby and toddler swimming lessons. I had considered driving 1 1/2 hours so that Oscar could attend lessons, so I am incredibly grateful that a swimming program was developed locally. 

We've been to three lessons already and Oscar loves them! We're heading to the pool again tomorrow and already Oscar is full of excitement. Next year will be Mathilda's turn, so for now she sits on the sidelines with her Nan and watches her big brother splash, play and sing until his hearts content.

It's wonderful knowing that along with all that fun, my little fish is learning how to keep himself safe.

Pay it forward

I've finally decided what I shall be making for my gorgeous pay it forward participants. I still need to collect a few more things, and then I'll be getting started! Here's a sneak peek at the beautiful things I'll be getting crafty with, I can't wait!



If you haven't already emailed me your address please drop me a line when you get a chance.

xxxxx

Blogged on the go using Blogpress for iPhone

Rest in peace my dear little laptop

Rest in peace my dear little laptop and thank you for our four years of friendship. You've been my number one partner in crime when it came to maxing out my credit card or procrastinating with that enormous pile of washing. You've kept me company on lonely nights and entertained with your never-ending pages of Internet delight.

I'm sorry for the insensitive cursing as you entered your twilight years, I wish now I'd been a little more empathetic to your increasing dementia and inability to stay awake for hours at a time. You're happy now in the land of preloved laptops and I will remember you fondly.

Please don't take my childlike excitement as a sign we're not sad to have you leave us. Of course we are! After all, you are taking with you all our important documents and photos that we neglected to back up. We promise that the prospect of a shiny new Apple iMac makes us giddy only because we're still in shock after your untimely passing.

In loving memory of our time together xxxx

Blogged on the go using Blogpress for iPhone

Would you swim with the sharks?

 
It was a searing 39 degrees in the sun so a trip to the Melbourne Aquarium was the perfect way to end our fabulous holiday in the east. Oscar had such a fabulous day, he couldn't quite decide which part he loved most. For me, it was the Emporer Penguins, they are so beautiful. And the little chicks were so cheeky chasing one another across the slippery snow.

 

 

 

 

If you haven't already taken a trip to the Aquarium, I suggest you do, its such an enjoyable experience. Did you know that you can swim with the sharks in the huge 2.2 million litre dome aquarium? That's if your nerves can handle it!