I Hate Winter

We are all sick in this house.

It started with Jarryd a week ago when he developed a croupy cough. I increased his asthma puffers and thankfully it didn't develop into anything much. On Monday Nikki was home from school with a headache and cough. She felt better by Tuesday to go back to school but it developed into a cold and fever and she was off school again on Friday. Now I have a very stuffy nose and a cough which won't go away. But mummies can't get sick. We just have to soldier on. Now Ashleigh has started coughing tonight.

Now get this. We went to the football last Sunday night and Steve was screaming and yelling so much for his team that by Monday he had lost his voice. That was all that was wrong but being a sook, he went to the doctor on Tuesday and got 2 days off work!!!!

I had a very busy day today. Jarryd had soccer this morning and then myself and a friend of mine, Diana took our mums out to lunch which was lovely. We have done this a few times now and it is really nice to escape for a couple of hours and catch up with a good friend and our mums without the kids. Pity we went to a hotel where a couple of families were having kids parties so it was rather noisey.

Then when I got home, I did a job that I have been putting off for weeks. Cleaning up Jarryd's room. He is a hoarder like his father and he had so much crap that needing putting away or throwing out. I should have taken a before and after photo because it looks fantastic now.

Tomorrow I want to spend a couple of hours in our front yard. Slowly but surely I am making a dent in the weeds and overgrown plants. I'll take another photo. Then we are taking the kids to see Shrek 3. I have heard from a few people that it's not as good as 1 & 2, but the kids can't wait to see it.

So once again, another busy weekend. Oh for a weekend doing NOTHING!!!!!!

I hope everyone in blogland is having a great weekend.

Ashleigh's 9th Birthday

My baby turned 9 last Thursday. I can't believe where that time has gone. I was 8 months pregnant with her when we moved into this house so we have been here for 9 years now.

We had a family lunch for her on Saturday and then her school friend's slumber party on Saturday night.

It was such a busy few days leading up to it. I realize why it's so much easier to do a Macca's party because there was so much work and we spent so much money. I think I spent about $200 all up for both parties, which I think is too much but then I read a report in our Sunday mail this weekend about how some parents spend up to $2000 on their kids parties. How ridiculous!!

Then yesterday Ashleigh had another party to go to - her best friend Olivia who is in the pink standing next to Nikki (in the white top with the hood)

I was talking to Olivia's mum and she told me Olivia was also invited to another slumber party on the Friday night and the kids all slept outside in tents!!! I was in shock. Thank goodness Ashleigh didn't get invited. I would have been furious if she had slept in a tent on a freezing cold winter's night. How stupid are some people!!!!

After Ashleigh came home from her party, I took the girls to K-Mart because they had a 4 day special on where you buy one pair of footwear and get the 2nd pair for 70% off. Nikki got a very classy pair of brown boots with a heel and I got Ashleigh a pair for $9. How good is that. They would have been $30.

Then we went to the football to see Port play Essendon. We are all Port supporters and Steve goes for Essendon. Port won and Steve has lost his voice from yelling so much. It was a 4pm game and it was sooooo cold. The days have been around 12-13 degrees here in Adelaide and it got so cold because it was a twilight game. I had on about 4 layers and we took our blankies, beanies and scarves and I still was cold. Lucky we won. Yahoo!!!!

How cool are these little teacups we made. So simple and very popular. The kids helped me and we made them in no time.

The Bratz outfit Ashleigh is wearing was a present from us along with her nintendo ds. She was very spoilt.

It was Ashleigh's birthday on Thursday and she had a slumber party on Saturday night.

We had 5 girls plus my 3. Notice Jarryd was the only boy but there was no way he was going to miss out. Everyone behaved so well and it was a great night. We even managed to get some sleep - lol.

Frontyard Blitz

This is our very overgrown front yard that I mentioned that we are making over a couple of weeks ago. These are the before photos and I will put up progress photos as the makeover comes along. It will be a long and slow process because I don't intend to pay to get rid of garden waste. We have 2 garden waste bins that get emptied every fortnight to I fully intend to fill these bins every fortnight.

And as anyone knows who does weeding, it's hard work and very good exercise.

Picture Post

We had the nicest, most relaxing weekend for ages. Steve belongs to a golf club that have an annual family weekend away every June long weekend and we always have the best time. There are about 20 people who stay in the Tanunda caravan park in the Barossa Valley and there are a few kids around the same age as our kids.

They guys go off and play golf on the Saturday and Sunday and the wives and kids entertain ourselves exploring the towns in the Barossa or visiting the local attractions and wineries.

This is the cabin we stayed in and it was lovely and in a gorgeous setting.

I really look forward to this weekend every year and it's so interesting to see how much the kids have grown in the 8 years we have been going. Ashleigh had her 1st birthday the first year we went.

Nikki, Ashleigh and Jarryd playing with Ashleigh's icecream set she bought.

Jarryd has been getting into lego lately and built this racing car with very little help. Not bad for a 6 year old!!

There were lots of animals to feed and pat and Jarryd really loved the donkey. He was one very friendly donkey.

The kids at fairytale cottage. We went there last year and enjoyed it so much the kids couldn't wait to go back. The best part is the bird and rabbit enclosure where they can hand feed the animals.

Because of a lack of time and because I haven't updated for soooooo long again, I hope you enjoy the photos of our family weekend away.

Long Time Between Updates (Again!!!!)

Went out for lunch with a blogger friend Tania yesterday and when I got home this is what the kids had done for me. How cute!! Nikki did the mermaid painting which I thought was pretty good.

Tania and I had a great chat over lunch about lots of things but mostly we talked about emotional eating and how we wished we knew the answer. I have put on a few kgs since easter and just can't find my motivation to get back on track again. I know I have been emotional eating and most of what I eat when I am stressed is chocolate!!!!

Why am I stressed????

Apart from the problems with my marriage, I have taken on way too much with the girls netball. I am dreading Mondays now because everything starts again for the week. Netball practice for Nikki's comp netball on Monday after school, then Ashleigh's school netball Tuesday afternoon, Nikki's comp netball Tuesday night, then Nikki's school netball Wednesday afternoon. It's just too much. Why have I taken it on I hear you asking??? Well I always said I would coach Nikki's competition netball for the winter season. Then when no-one out of 19 girls parents volunteered to help with the school netball, I said I would do it. For the sake of my girls or there would have been no school netball for the 3rd year running. Why is it that it is too hard for these kids parents to help out??? I know it happens everywhere and it really is disgraceful.

Ok off my soapbox now!!!

Onto the marriage topic. Steve and I had our first counselling session a couple of weeks ago and we both found it very helpful. We talked alot about how we both deal with the children and the stress they put on our relationship and how to make it better. We both got a lot out of it and are going back again at the end of June to focus more on us and our relationship. I have definitely seen an improvement in the way Steve interacts with the kids so that's gotta be a good thing.

Last week we had Steve's 15 year old niece Jessica and her friend Kurt stay with us. They live in the country 2 hours from Adelaide and they were over here for careers week. It sure was a full house but it was a great week and my kids loved having their cousin staying with us.

One thing Steve and I did get out of the counselling was to spend more time as a family so we have decided that once a month (unfortunately not more due to money limits) we will go out on a family outing. Today we went ten pin bowling. Not a cheap exercise - we spent $50 and I had a voucher out of the entertainment book. The kids had a ball and they all thanked us for such a great time. There was a catch though. They had to spend the morning with me in the front garden which we are making over. And they were fantastic about it. They all got out there and helped me cut back plants and do lots of weeding. We managed to fill two green waste bins. I will post before and after photos when it is all finished. We were going to get a bobcat in and pay someone to do this, but I have decided to take it on as a project over winter and hopefully by the time we go to Qld in October, we will have a gorgeous front yard. We have a lot of work ahead of us as it is very overgrown and has been very neglected. I guess because we spend so much time in the backyard with the pool in summer, it just hasn't been a priority to get the front yard looking good. Actually what I will do is post progress photos. I will take a photo tomorrow and then each week when we do some work, I will post more photos.

I must admit I haven't really felt like blogging the last couple of weeks. Not sure why because when I do post, I quite enjoy it. I think because I am so busy, when I do get on the computer, I prefer to read and comment on other people's blogs rather than posting on mine. I will make an effort to post at least once a week.

Thanks to everyone who does comment here. I love hearing from other bloggers.

Have a fantastic week everyone.

A Very Busy Weekend

Nikki sang in the combined school choirs at the Port Power game yesterday. This picture is of Nikki, Ashleigh and Tamika, one of Nikki's friends. And the best part of the day...................

Port won. Again. They have had a great start to the season.

Jarryd played his first game of soccer on Saturday. He was so excited. He played goalie and saved 2 goals. His team won 3-0 so they were all very happy.

I'm going to have to get used to the Saturday morning sport again. Nikki played netball on Saturday morning last year and I hated getting up on the cold, wet mornings. Hopefully there won't be too many of them.

Happy Mother's Day

This is the sunset I saw the other night when I was driving home from work. Lucky I had the camera with me.

These are the beach huts at Mornington. What a colourful sight.

How cute is this photo of Lisa's daughter Charlotte??

This is my bestest friend Lee looking at all the in room information from the Stamford Plaza where we had a luxurious suite.

This is LisaB and her baby Charlotte and MissyP and her baby Imogen. They travelled a fair way to meet Kate and I for lunch. We all had a yummy lunch and then indulged in cake after. There was so much to choose from, it was a difficult decision. We did get a photo of the 4 of us taken by the waiter but I look disgusting so you're not seeing that one - lol. There's a good photo of myself and Kate on her blog. Thanks again for making the effort to meet up.

I hope all the mums in blogger land had a wonderful day and didn't have to lift a finger today. I was very spoilt. I had already bought myself a new non stick frypan that I desperately needed a couple of weeks ago so the kids all made cards and presents at school which were much nicer than any bought present. We had a lovely family lunch at my mums with my brother and his family and my sister and her 3 year old son, my grandma and my mother. It was a great day and we even got to have lunch outside in the sunshine because it was such a glorious day.

I wish blogger would upload photos where I want them. Sorry you'll just have to follow along because it's not doing what I want it to do.

A Very Naughty Blogger

I'm so sorry I haven't updated my blog. So much has been happening including a 4 day trip to Melbourne. I have photos to upload but I will do that on the weekend when I have more time.

I have taken on coaching Nikki's netball team and then I also got the job of looking after Ashleigh's school netball team because not one other mother or father put their hand up to help. So I have netball 3 nights a week now. Ashleigh's team is gorgeous. Out of 7 players, not one of them has ever played netball before so it is a real challenge - lol.

I had the most wonderful time in Melbourne. My best friend Lee lives in Melbourne and we managed to spend 3 full days together out of 4. Unfortunately she had to work on the Saturday, but it gave me the chance to have lunch with some of the Melbourne bloggers. Wonderful Kate picked me up and we had a really yummy meal at a cafe in Glen Waverley. It was so good to meet Kate and LisaB and see Penny again. Penny and I met each other a couple of years ago through another forum and we have kept in touch ever since. So a huge thanks to Kate, Lisa and Penny for going out of your way and catching up with me. It was a lovely afternoon.

I also managed to fit in going to the MCG to see my team Port Power beat Melbourne. I have never been to the MCG before and it was huge. I guess it looked even bigger because there were only 16,000 people there in a 100,000 seat stadium. It actually looked grey and drab but only because there were so many empty seats. Oh well, the sun was shining and it was a great day.

Lee and I treated ourselves to a night in the Stamford Plaza in the city. I booked it on lastminute.com as a mystery 5 star hotel room and only paid $145. The deal was I didn't know what we would get or where it would be until I booked and paid for it. But I thought you can't go too wrong with a 5 star hotel for $145. We ended up with a suite with a spa and it was very luxurious so we were very lucky.

Steve had the job of looking after the kids for the weekend. I was a bit worred after I got my first phone call from the kids on Friday night and Nikki burst into tears because she had already had a run in with Steve. But I couldn't let it spoil my weekend. I needed and deserved this break and I knew they would be ok. And they did survive the weekend.

I did get another bunch of flowers from Steve when I got home so that was a lovely thought. We are getting on ok at the moment. We have our first counselling session next week so I know that will be very interesting. I just hope Steve can open up and confide his true feelings.

I'll be back on the weekend to upload some photos.

Things are Good

Firstly a huge thankyou to everyone who has left comments and sent emails to me this week. I have been an emotional mess and your comments have really helped me realise that I am not alone in whatever decision I make now or in the future.

Steve and I have worked our way through things for now. I have made an appointment for us to see a counsellor in about 3 weeks and he is totally agreeable to this which I know is the first step. When Steve got home from work Monday, he was carrying a huge bunch of flowers and he gave me a card which was amazing. The wording was so perfect and he had obviously put lots of thought into it. Inside he simply wrote: 'I am sorry for hurting you so badly. I am a fool' We both had a cry and he listened to every word I had to say without saying a word himself which was the total opposite of what had happened the previous day. To Steve's credit, he can apologise and admit when he is wrong and god knows I'm not perfect either so we have lots to work through. We need to get to the bottom of why he is feeling the way he feels. For example, when friends ask how he is going, his answer is always - "Married with children" and it's not in a good tone. So we are going to get to the bottom of why he is feeling like this all the time.

I had a great day today. It was my birthday. Yes I am an Anzac baby. My trip to Melbourne is my present but the kids all made cards and presents. I got popsicle stick picture frames and Nikki put a photo in hers of me and Steve on our wedding day which made me cry again. Good tears though. We went out to lunch with my side of the family. There were 13 of us all up. We went to Cafe Primo which is a chain of cafes here in Adelaide. The meals were all really nice and huge serves. Prices were good. They had a range of specials at $8.90 and then other meals from $10.90 - $13.90. But boy did they make up for it with the drink prices. Steve went to get the kids a soft drink each, a glass of wine for me and he had a beer and got charged $25!!!! Next time we'll all drink water - lol.

My sister took Nikki shopping on Monday and bought her a dress from Supre. You can see it in the photos which I took on our new digital camera. Yahoo, I can post photos again. She is 10 going on 18. I told her she needed boobs to wear that dress because she kept telling us she looked like Marilyn Monroe. Ashleigh took a photo of me that I didn't think is too bad so at last you get a photo of me as well instead of just the kids all the time.

So now it's only 9 sleeps until my trip to Melbourne. I am really looking forward to catching up with my bestest friend Lee. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we do we never stop talking. There will be so much to catch up on. Also Kate is organizing a lunch somewhere on Saturday 5th May for the Melbourne bloggers so hopefully I will get to meet a few of you. I will post where and when as soon as I know.

I'm still here

I'm really sorry it's been so long between posts. Truth is I just don't feel like posting. I am still battling with getting back on track after easter. I have put on a couple of kgs and it's doing my head in. I couldn't even face the scales this morning.

And to make matters worse my marriage is in real trouble. This might be a shock to some people who read my blog but it has been going on for a while. It has even got to the stage where I have spoken to my children about life living away from daddy and let me tell you it is heartbreaking.

I have lots of things to work through so I will be back with some answers very soon.

I don't think many people even read this anymore so maybe I am just talking to myself. Thanks to the wonderful people who do comment. You know who you are.

I'll be back soon.

Over for Another Year

Thank goodness easter is over. We have enough chocolate in our house to start a shop. It was Steve's birthday on easter sunday and he got double the chocolate. The picture of the kids and him, he had just woken up so that's his excuse for having his eyes shut - lol.

After I took the photo of Jarryd with his big chocolate frog, our digital camera died. The pictures are all fuzzy with lines through it so I had to resort to the old film camera. It makes me appreciate digital technology.

As you can see by the photos, the kids were very spoilt by the easter bunny. Jarryd woke up at

1.30am and sneaked out to find the easter bunny had been and Steve asleep in front of the TV. I think we eventually got up around 7am so I guess it could have been worse. We went to stay at Steve's parents who live in a beautiful coastal town 2 hours from Adelaide. It was the most wonderful, relaxing weekend and the weather was perfect. Unfortunately we didn't get over there until 5.30pm Saturday afternoon because Nikki had an ice skating party Saturday. I wish we could have stayed longer.

I must confess to eating quite a lot of chocolate but I decided I wasn't going to stress about it and I was going to have a week off of the scales. I jumped on the scales this morning to a 1.5 kg gain but I don't care. Easter is for enjoying and I enjoyed.

Nikki had her netball breakup last Tuesday and she came home with the best and fairest trophy for her team so she was thrilled. It was well deserved because it has been a horrible season with a lot of girls pulling out but Nikki stuck at it and it paid off.

I am having trouble finding enough daylight hours to walk now that daylight saving has finished. By the time I get home from work 3 nights a week and organize dinner, it is dark and I won't walk in the dark by myself. I have to make a huge effort to get back on track and walk at least 2 nights a week and both Saturday and Sunday. I haven't walked for nearly a week and already I am starting to feel like I have the 'can't be bothered' attitude.

School finishes here on Friday and then the kids are on holidays for 2 weeks. I can't have any time off so Steve is going to take a couple of carer days and I have a wonderful 22 year old next door neighbour who will help me out for a couple of days. And my wonderful mother will do the rest. She always takes the kids to the pictures a couple of times during the holidays so I'm sure the time will fly.

And then it will be May and I am off to Melbourne. I can't wait. Of course I love my husband and children more than anything in this world, but I love having time away with my friends. I think that is a mother and fathers right - to have time out. It's our reward - lol.

Busy weekend

This weekend has flown by. We were so busy. We had a very active weekend which was good.
It started Friday night when I caught up with a couple of friends I have made through a weight loss support group I belong to. We had dinner together and we all had great meals. I had the warm chicken salad which was yummo. Thanks for a great night Karen and Pauline.

I weighed Saturday morning and lost 700g so I was very happy with that. I also discovered that I am the lowest weight I have been in about 12 months so I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Nikki had a bowling party to go to in the afternoon so I took Ashleigh and Jarryd too and we went bowling as well. I can't believe I left my camera at home because Jarryd was priceless. They both did really well and I think mummy should have had the bumpers as well because I got beaten by both of them. Steve had to stay home and fix up his old motorbike so we can sell it. I put 3 months rego on it nearly 3 months ago and it's still sitting under the carport. So I had to crack the whip - lol.

We had to look after my nephew for my sister after bowling because she had to work so we all walked down to the beach playground. I'd forgotten how hard it is pushing a pram especially with a nearly 3 year old in it. The kids had a fantastic time with their cousin. I just wish I had half of their energy.

My mum has been in Canberra for a week and we had to pick her up from the airport at 7pm Saturday night so by the time we got home and had tea it was about 10pm. What a day!!

Then today, I was up early to go to the markets. I tell you I turned that alarm off 3 times and if I wasn't going with a friend I probably would have stayed in bed this morning. Then Tania picked me up at 10am and we went for a gorgeous walk along the beach front. It was a perfect day today and there were so many people out walking, it was a great feeling to be part of it. Thanks Tania. It's nice to have someone to walk with other than the kids. Don't get me wrong, I love walking with the kids but they are always stopping for something. It was great catching up with Tania and we managed to sit outside the beach kiosk drinking coffee and talking. The best part was no kids for a couple of hours - lol. Time for US.

We looked after my nephew again this afternoon so we decided to go to another beach playground (where I took the above photos) The kids exhausted me just watching them. They didn't stop. But guess what?? They are all tucked up now fast asleep.

And the best thing about the weekend???? My AFL team Port Power won and the Crows lost - lol.

I also want to mention that I am going to be in Melbourne the first weekend of May and some of the bloggers are talking about meeting up on Saturday 5th May to go 10 pin bowling and for lunch. I would love to meet up with anyone who is interested. Sounds like a good excuse for a Melbourne blogger get together. So let me know if you are interested. Some of the gabbers on Beckie's blog were talking about it the other night so it could be a fun day. Especially the bowling after my effort yesterday - lol.

We are going to Steve's parents in Stansbury next Saturday so the easter bunny will be coming to Stansbury for us this year. Then on Sunday - Easter day it is Steve's birthday so it will be great celebrating his birthday with his family this year.

I can't believe it is April already. Only 26 weeks and 5 days until we leave for Cairns - not that I'm counting.

New Photos

Isn't this an amazing Kite?? And not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day.

There were some amazing kites. The bigger ones were tied onto the cars because the wind was so strong.

Isn't this a gorgeous hibiscus. I got the plant for $2 at a closing down sale at our local nursery.