social commentary Sunday . . . 'tackling the pressure of Christmas'

Seasons Greetings all,

Now I love a good festive activity & grateful exchange of love, stories, family time, however, I’m not religious – Christmas for me is about bringing a year to an end, reflecting, relaxing & raring to go for another year.  Depending on where we’re living & if my husband is home, we might do a fully-sparkling-real-Christmas tree with full decorations; be visiting family interstate; or have a quiet family lunch at home.  We keep the Christmas gifts to a minimum & focus on each child’s birthday as a special time to receive goodies (evenly paced throughout the year!!)  As a newly wed, I diligently hand wrote Christmas cards to everyone we knew, we had a new life in tropical Darwin to share; 2 years later we had a baby to blab about; another 2 years later ‘twins’ to show off; & another 2 years later . . . a fourth child to celebrate . . . that was 2004, the last year I sent cards. I don’t mind the Christmas newsletter email (no paper waste) but please don’t ask me to log onto a website to download your message.

 The pressure to spend – an ill disguised reserve-bank-interest-rate-cut-to-stimulate-the-retail-economy = the message “BLOW it on Christmas shopping” not “save it & pay off your mortgage sooner” as that would be sensible.  My children have never asked for the latest or greatest toy blazoned on the cover of those chain store catalogues.  I love that they have politely suggested they would like activities (books, board games, craft) & equally politely explained to me that clothes don’t count as gifts.  At least they know the difference between needs & wants!!

I don’t mind Christmas carols sung properly. . . sexy Christmas songs make my skin crawl & don’t get me started on sexy elves or a sexy Mrs Claus.  Advent calendars are a fun concept, we had them growing up with a chocolate per day. In Summer??  Molten chocolate welding a cardboard door you can’t open without a box cutter??  I like the new tact clever mums are using with “a family activity suggestion” behind each door, but I’d actually prefer my children to discover “a December chore to complete” . . . it’s bush fire hazard reduction time, school bags need to be emptied & swimming pools are full of Funnel Web Spiders!!    

 So everything is done & dusted, your husband is on leave, children on holidays, you literally have nothing to other than relax - in the cool change of the evening - with some television viewing, only it’s non rating season & it’s all rubbish. Australia has recently gained more channels on free-to-air television . . . unfortunately dedicated to extending home shopping/ sports/ repeats/ news.  Australia has very few Christmas themed movies, they’re ignored anyway, the choices are 1950’s American movie classics or 1990’s jovial ‘unfunny’ versions (complete with snow/ gift panic/ missing reindeer/ alcoholic Santa/ dysfunctional family “reuniting & saving Christmas”, yawn) . . . or be punished with A Christmas Carol, again.  Thank goodness gifts might include board games, books & the wonderful DVD series of your favourite shows!!

I do the Christmas shopping well in advance as I make better gift choices & the retail staff aren’t homicidal from listening to festive music.  The car parks become mine fields & just today at our local shops . . . a toddler was hanging around the top of the escalators, so I ushered him out of the way & tried to identify his mother – who came screaming over like I was a kidnapper.  Well yes, stranger danger but seriously, Mums – watch your children!!  We’ve witnessed a child fall to his death from the top of an escalator at a shopping centre, it happens!!  His mother was distracted. I have noticed - the shops are EMPTY - it’s no wonder gift cards are the hot item, you can’t go wrong & get great value in the sales.  Some argue it's thoughtless & 'just' cash, well, the thrill of Christmas gifts left me when i started earning my own money, mind you, my husband still surprises me, & it's not with a gift card!! 

 Finally, the all-consuming-all-day-lunch . . . my Mummy is English & granted we spent every second Christmas in Europe, so hot turkey, ham, pork, 15 vegetables & a massive pudding seems suitable, so long as we’re running a marathon before dinner, it is freezing Winter outside.  I’ve only ever seen my mother swear & slam the oven door . . . you guessed it . . . on Christmas day.  It was a military operation for her, the dining table was set a week in advance & we’d all have a polishing/ cleaning/ folding/ primping job. We are a large family but the world’s biggest turkey which takes forever to cook . . . why can’t any host born after say 1960 just admit it’s a tough meat to master, swap it for two small turkeys or something they are used to perfecting, like chicken!! Do we really need ham & pork too??  Our family got so big (14 grandchildren) so as my parents got older, even though they had 4 capable married children (8 extra pairs of adults hands) they hired staff to serve us.  We had pork in a Weber BBQ; ham in the kitchen oven & turkey in a commercial oven installed in the old billiard room downstairs, for big catering events. Add to that 22+ people & the fact it’s 35C outside, all we wanted to do was swim!!  Our Christmas lunch commenced with champagne & seafood, however, we’d still be very happy with one meat & sacrifice a dozen vegetables for lunch, so we genuinely had room for pudding served with lashings of brandy butter.  As Mum relaxed with age, she’d let us swim before dessert & also let us help ourselves to cold cuts for dinner, she stopped martyring herself over every detail once she turned about 60.  Hallelujah.  That’s the spirit, friendly & happy. 

 When we build our homestead & have a farm, I imagine we’ll be staying home or hosting Christmas.  Apart from the fact we live 200km from our nearest relative, going away for Christmas is a huge task + horror on the roads.  We will have a traditional roast, perhaps we might raise our own reasonably-sized-turkey or tastey venison, served with seasonal vegetables from the garden & if the children have a specialty dessert or fantastic sauce they make, wonderful!!  Specialty contributions, not strict traditions!!  Just light & happy, with lots of swimming & genuine relaxation, unrushed & truly enjoying each other’s company.

I have never understood the pressure of having to attend lunch with one family & dinner with another, ON Christmas day.  Especially with alcohol flowing freely.  We have already said to our children – there are four of you, you’ll each have partners one day, with their family demands, spend Christmas with them if you wish & Boxing Day or another day in December with us – we are not scoring points on who is with us on the actual 25^th of December.  Just remove the pressure & stress off everyone, especially in a large network.  I bet our Christmases as parents of adult children & grandparents will be wonderful celebrations.  

Are you making changes on how to cope with crazy chaotic Christmas??  Love Posie

image credits

would you blog the same way, if you started blogging today

Greetings all, 

Would you blog the same way - if you started blogging sooner than when you launched your blog - TODAY - or later with all the knowledge & expectations you have acquired since wanting to create a blog.  I ask this as so much has changed since i hit 'publish' on my first blog post 6 years ago.  

I was living in Darwin, my 4th baby had commenced preschool, my business was humming along, i just launched a wholesale range of products & blogging was newish.  I posted 30 times over those first 3 years, little stories about my small business & family.  The blog was a neat tool for niche exposure, resulting in 50 stores around the world stocking my products, being featured in almost every glossy magazine published in Australia (Frankie issue 6 was my first) & loads of media interviews.  With four young children & a soldier husband, fledgling business, interstate moves & wars, i was too busy to blog frequently.

Things i did plan for where - protecting my children's identity - not using their real names, birth dates, schools or where they might be . . . nicknames, vague party timings, no logos  & past tense events.  I figured, my blog & business were my ventures, they didn't ask to be exposed or identified on line . . . & if my husband had his way, their faces wouldn't be photographed either.  I never joined in nasty debates, petitions, forums, band wagons or got fired up about anything published on line, just like in real life, people have their opinions, it's one sided, only here i had the power to delete the weirdos more easily.  I didn't wish to be dragged into other people's negativity, when in reality, they were total strangers!!  We were more cautious back then!!  

  I realised social media was an essential business tool 3 years ago, when i was established in the market scene in Canberra & meeting loads of other people who were blogging.  I changed my business direction from wholesale to direct sales.  It was less stressful & more profitable + very enjoyable, dealing directly with my customers.  Blogging regularly over the past 3 years has seen my tiny statistics grow to over 25K+ hits a month & i've added Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest to the mix over the past 12-18 months (with 3500 extra followers to my platforms) & just 2 months ago, i discovered Instagram.  I still don't really understand Twitter; Facebook is handy for friends who don't blog; i upload Pinterest in bulk & run as it's a time zapper; Instagram is my new love: point & shoot, easy & speedy, quirky & friendly.  All those hits & followers, i am very glad my popularity came slow & steady at a pace i could handle.  

If i blogged 10 years ago . . . my life would be very different, of course with a preschooler, one year old twins, a husband away at war, living in a 3 bedroom town house in Sydney & sewing my days away.  I had to beg American fabric companies to ship Amy Butler, Michael Miller & Alexander Henry fabrics to Australia.  My life was very quiet & i had to count my groceries as i shopped to ensure i had enough money to pay for them.  I babysat the little boys of two friends (full time) to make ends meet.  It was busy, however, i was truly in my element as motherhood came naturally to me.  Would you want to hear about breast feeding, mashing up food & seeing my toddlers in giant cloth nappies though??  

Then there would have been 9 months of me vomiting all day every day, unglowingly pregnant, helplessly dragging myself through each day caring for 5 children, sewing the few orders i could manage.  Imagine my posts??  Dreary!!  I never joined a mother's group as i couldn't stand the comparisons with same aged children, i doubt i would have read stay-at-home mummy blogs for the same reason.  In my spare time, i didn't want to read/ talk/ catch up with people living the same life as me, i wanted to dream of travel, fashion & design. 

 If i waited to start my blogging life now . . . i would be overwhelmed by the options - blogging is so popular + there are trolls, spammers & stalkers, eek.  Would i even start if i knew people who have never met me, think they know who i am & judge me, even dislike & argue with me, just from what i have written on a two dimensional blog??  The on-line-social-media-world seems more angry & nasty now, i do post social commentaries with my strong opinions on topics & they are well received, however, i find the light fluffy posts (on love, fashion, colours, animals, fabric) just as satisfying.  I can't worry about offending someone who has misinterpreted something i've written - i know i have a good heart - i'm not a trained or professional writer & this is not a mind-blowing-cerebral-blog.  I avoid sarcasm - it rarely works & i'm not out to enrage people or spark uprisings.  I try to keep it positive & interesting, current & colourful. 

 There is also money to be made with advertising & promotions, which direction would i desire??  Is my aim to share, build a community, catch up with old friends, network with fellow designers, or seek fame??  I'm closing down my business, hardly anyone i knew before i started blogging (school, uni, jobs) has a blog . . . i only have my lifestyle to post about with sporadic giveaways.  If i was starting off a blog now, with children aged almost 9 to 13+ . . . i'm a different kind of stay at home mother/ house wife . . . STILL at home??!!  The demographic is hard to pick, you can over think it, who might be reading - either go private or remain guarded.  You can always stop & delete if you don't like it, or block weirdoes.

Would i start a blog in the future . . . if i hadn't already started, yes, absolutely.  The blogging community i'm in is friendly & largely unhostile.  I really admire the bloggers who don't seek out any attention other than creating a diary of their world, they are the most delightful.  If anyone goes along for the ride, lovely.  I don't like drama or seek out the more emotional blogs,  I've had plenty of garbage slung my way, i don't bite, i just continue to plod along happily in my little world, dreaming of a farm & future with my husband, as our children slowly head off to university & their own lives, we'll still be young & have plenty of living to do too!!  You should build yourself up so that it is very difficult for others, particularly strangers on line, to ever mess with your happiness. 

I adore blogging, my readers are my 'colleagues', reading posts are our daily chats at the water cooler & enrich my day.  I'm glad i started where & when i did.  I believe slow growth = small hiccups.  I hope the balance of my life - my love for my husband, our fun children, the chickens, eggs, farm dreams, fashion, decor, baking, cooking & all the other colourful facets of my days - are enjoyable to read, including my social commentaries, i'm over due to post one, some many topics buzzing in my head . . . to those who are starting a blog now, good luck, if you're honest & true about what you like, say & feel, blogging will come easily.  All i know is that i am comfortable with what i've posted so far & my photos now are wayyyy better than they were when i started 6 years ago, even 6 months ago!!  Love Posie

PS had so much fun tripping down memory lane to dig up these photos of my children, all posted on my blog 4-6 years ago!!

i'm grateful for . . . 'flower festivals & eye candy'

Greetings all,

Spring means one major event in Canberra . . . Floriade, the glorious flower festival.  It's free entry during the week days & i try to go once a week, on my own, with children, meeting a friend . . . it's just so relaxing.

It opened to today & the weather was Spring perfection.  It runs for weeks so the flowers have a chance to bloom & the 'art' changes.  It's magical, right on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin with all sorts of activities, demonstrations, sculptures & a wine bar.

 I love impasto art, i painted like this for the HSC & scored full marks!!

 During the weekdays, school choirs & bands play, you can bring a picnic or wander the flower displays, listening to the music.  Be careful to dodge the tourists with their cameras.

 Jamie Durie fans, here is some eye candy for you - he's designing the gardens around a new 'lifestyle experience' in Canberra.  He was really friendly & as celebrities do, position themselves for photo opportunities - assuming i was going to launch my children at him for a snap - alas no, i had to say "sorry, they just really need the toilet."  This stripper-turned-celebrity-gardening-entrepreneur was unflappable, kindly giving us directions to the nearest demountable toilet block "behind the pine trees" to which my husband said "the children can just go behind the pine trees. we'll say Jamie said it was Ok??"  Laughs were exchanged, i thanked him for being so informative about the amenities & we parted ways.  

 There was a short queue at the Petting Zoo & very friendly staff, with plenty of animals to cuddle.  The children thrilled the handlers naming all the different types of chicken breeds.

 Then we trotted back to the car & off to collect our high schooler from a Volleyball referring course, she qualified & everything.   

Notice the jackets??  Glorious sunshine & 8C at midday, welcome to Spring in Canberra!!

For more Gratefuls, visit Village Voices, love Posie

those flash-before-your-eyes weeks & it's only Wednesday

Greetings all,
I feel like a year has flown by in a moment, so busy!!  One thing i am really loving while recovering from hand surgery, is taking time with my children.  My eldest is helping with cooking (saucepans weigh SO much), my middle girl is very enthusiastic with washing (the boring part - folding, sorting & putting away), my 3rd girl is my heat pack warmer & cushion positioner, not to mention vacuumer, gardener & puppy feeder, then my boy, well at 8, unless he can drive his sisters to school, he's just here for cuddles & dimples.

Why has my week flown by??  Well i really miss my husband & i'm guilty of wishing time away until i see him next & already this week i've . . . 
met with my wonderful hand surgeon, he's so pleased with the results & recovery, concerned about my numb left thumb, but he'll check again in 2 months.  My eldest had a Moderation Day, where all the private high school children (it seems) have a day off school (year 12 had classes/ tests) & converge on every shopping centre in Canberra.  I know this as i took my sweet teen to the cinema in the south, then shopping in the city centre, with a grocery top up in the north.  Teenagers EVERYWHERE.  While we waited for the primary school bell, we indulged in ice chocolates, mmmm.

 Then a swimming carnival.  As swimmers, my children make great runners, but this young lady has started coming 4th in all her races now, great improvement.  She took her role of vice house captain seriously, leading cheer leading & entering all the races - for the house points!!

 My sequined child was exhausted & only swam one race, it was nice to hang out with her.

 As my boy is a child of 2004 vintage, this was his FIRST competitive swimming carnival & he swam his heart out.  Dressed in anchor shorts & boat shoes, he looked more yacht ready than swimmer, but he got a place in every race, with a 1st in breast stroke.  We might finally have a swimming ribbon to add to the athletics ones in the study nook.

Poof, my hands are aching, i really do need to allow 6 months for them to repair, no boxing classes for me!!  I normally assist at the carnival, stop watch in hand, but it was fun to relax & be a spectator, massage my numb thumb.  So happy to be pulling back on everything in my world other than my family, i love looking at their faces, they are growing so fast - how did i suddenly have a child in year 8??!!  When i hug & kiss her in the school carpark, she still says 'love you mummy' ok, under her breath, but yay.  Love Posie

wordless Wednesday . . . 'brotherly love'

Greetings all,
My 3rd girl is really missing Daddy.  Baby brother to the rescue.

Doing my best at this wordless gig at Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love, love Posie

social commentary Sunday . . . 'how far would you go for your children??'

400km!!
Greetings all,

Yes indeedy, that is how far i went for my children, within 24 hours of party deliveries, pick ups & taxiing them to the next party this weekend.

For local folk, the suburbs & villages of Gungahlin, Bywong, Bungendore, Jerrabomberra & Belconnen are the areas which define the ACT & our state border neighbour NSW, i went to them all, twice. I had done 130km by 9a.m. on Sunday alone.

While i was touring around the 'hood we want to buy in, i checked out some farms. I now know Real Estate speak for 'frontage onto road' does not actually mean there is a driveway to the property. I kind of thought access to a block of land would be included??  I'm learning fast.

I appreciate every party invitation magnetised to our fridge. Parties come with great effort & expense to put on, i'm forever grateful my children get invited to them. This weekend my high schooler went off to the countryside, then a movie & dinner in the city, back to the property for a late night spa (all girls, oh the stories i could tell/ flash backs i've been listening too, "truth or dare") then horse riding the next day. Glorious. My son went to an all girls sleepover too, he was in his element. Then 3 went to a Laser Tag party, which was fantastic, the dads were teaming up with the children too. There was one consistent winner, the federal policeman daddy.  My guys would love to see how their soldier daddy would go. 

I got to spend Saturday night with just these 2 girls, it was so fun, eating strawberries, dinner from their favourite restaurant, watching a movie & camping out in the lounge with the puppy at their feet (worked out well, there was quite the storm last night).
So this is more of a community announcement for those of you who live 'out of area' like us or a warning for high school . . . where children come from far & wide, so will the birthday invitations - you could be travelling a very long way for the party deliveries. Love Posie

i'm grateful for . . . 'allowed to be sad'

Greetings all,

I've been doing fluffy posts all week to cover up the huge hole in my heart.  This is not a sympathy seeking post, i just have to let my emotions out.  It's not dirty laundry, more a lesson in how lucky you are if you have your family close in your heart, healthy & home.

I’ve had possibly the saddest week of my life . . . farewelling my husband, that is always tough, but when my father rang to say my mother (suffering Alzheimer’s) woke up one morning this week & said she didn’t know who he was, I’m heart broken.  56 years of marriage, this is how their love story is going to end??  I’m shattered.  It's the moment i've been dreading.  Alzheimer's Disease can leave the patient with the blur of feeling like they should know the people around them, only they can't put it together, they feel stupid & often scared.

This year I have done many posts on things I’ve given up, paused or postponed, from the P&C to my website, small markets to working at Shop Handmade, all things I loved but I knew how this year was going to run (husband away & elderly parents) + high school is as full on & involved as expected, especially if your child has missed 2 weeks due to a virus & suddenly assignments for every subject are due to wrap up the term & vital school work is missing.  Pressure & stress, she likes to give her best. 

I like to have everything in order in my house so we can enjoy school holidays, not use that non-school-run-time-savings on sorting the cupboards.  Alas, I have a big double Handmade Market on next weekend, fabulous & that is where every spare moment is going next week, sewing!!  Oh throw in another teacher’s strike too & regional athletics carnival.  One more week of school, then we can all catch our breath . . . & visit my parents, the cupboards can wait. 

I’m grateful I’m allowed to be sad, take it all in, compartmentalise what I can help with & make changes to, along with that I can’t do anything about, only wish for the best – like my darling Dad’s daily dealings with the cruel Alzheimer’s which is stealing my mother from him.  They have moved to live closer to my doctor brother & his incredibly dedicated wife, for 'supervision', a very sensible move.  I have my mental health, i can deal with this, absorb, slow & calm.  I throw myself into positive pursuits like sewing & the gym, i walk the dog a bit further each day, he knows all my worries.  Pets as therapy anyone??  I'm also very grateful i don't have to be anything other than a daughter, wife & mother, focus on family, that is my only goal to wrap up this emotional year.  More Gratefuls here with sweet Sonia from Lioness Lady.  Love Posie

i'm grateful for . . . 'an unexpected family week day together'

Greetings all,
Well with yesterday's post (chemical explosion in Canberra & school closures), it's no surprise we high tailed it to the countryside - to Poacher's Pantry, with the children & ate up a storm. 

 Seafood platter including locally caught salmon & trout from the lakes on the property.

 The meat platter with lamb, piggie, beef & possibly kangaroo, always a variety.

 Amazing bread selection with crackers to scoop up all the condiments & dip selection.  We also ordered fish & chips, smoked sausages & deep fried zucchini balls, as our children eat like horses!!

 As a surprise day off, it was just lovely to have a care free day at a restuarant, then all the way back into the city to the Lake to hang out with the swans, while handsome soldier & i chilled out on a rug.  My husband is all about building memories, which is gorgeous & heart breaking at the same time.

 Our children were climbing willow trees & all came back with head dresses of vines.  Naturally our middle girl was the self appointed queen of the forest people.

 This image totally sums up our 3rd born, she was truly born in the wrong era . . . who else looks this comfortable wearing a table cloth (it's a Country Road kaftan) & weaving vines.

  I swear his jeans were not this ripped when we left the house!!  I also promise to mend them tonight.

 Then again, there are so many explanations on how he rips his clothes!!

 The swans at Lake Burley Griffen are so tame, we usually find a party of 6 black swans.

SO there you have one very relaxed way to deal with a chemical explosion close to home which gives you an unexpected week day off with the family.  I have a million more photos from today, it was hard to narrow it down to a few.  We also went to a Home Improvement centre (how much work is it to design a house, every tile, every tap, every window) then a Seafood dealer, mmmm.  Making the most of soldier boy before he leaves us, again. 
For more Gratefuls, the gorgeous Brenda from Mira Narnie is hosting today.  She's all about family, married her teen love, just back from Italy & is an all round sweetheart.  Love Posie
PS the Riley book & pencil roll giveaway ends Sunday 18th, enter now!!

i'm grateful for . . . 'weekends with my children'

Greetings all,
A super dedication this weekend to our fabulous children who made me a mummy & my husband a daddy.  Handsome soldier might have missed a dozen wedding anniversaries, but he rarely skips a Father's Day, funny that!!  It's not easy being raised 'military', having a papa who they love (more than me, they tell me, i am judged, daily) living interstate & moving all the time, yet they flourish in every new town we plonk them down in. 

Our gorgeous first born daughter, she struggles in the role of daughter & not being the mother/ leader/ in charge.  Yet for the past fortnight she has been flat, lethargic & ticking every ailment box there is . . . suspected Glandular Fever.  I'm so grateful her blood tests came back negative, must have been one hell of a virus & she actually allowed herself to be the daughter, with me to mother her!!  I loved it!!

 I'll admit, i was worried, she never gets ill & after winning a bunch of academic prizes in her first semester of high school, she had clearly made her mark.  Glandular Fever is that awful, unknown recovery/ relapse nightmare many teens suffer, it's not welcome here.  So tomorrow we'll go for a run, slowly, to build up to the athletics carnival next week. 

 Our middle daughter, she takes herself very seriously in the eyes of others, however, happily plays the goof ball when it suits her, like wearing crocheted headbands, you just have to laugh, on her terms.  She's in the Tournament of the Minds team for Literature & something, i should pay more attention as the taxi driver & costume maker.

 I watched the performances yesterday, she is playing Cameron Diaz & nailed the comedic actress genre.  I love providing a happy, nurturing home for my children, with homecooked meals & handmade goodness, i will watch & cheer them on at sport, any sport, i love it . . . but listening to children play musical instruments or perform in plays, i will admit, it's my downfall category in mother-of-the-year awards. 

 Oh our third girl is plain quirky, ethereal & bohemian.  We met up with her birthday boy cousin at the Canberra Wood Show (carpark) this morning to hand over gifts & balloons, after the Farmer's Market.  This is what she wore to the market & carpark, complete with gum boots.  I can see she'll be the one we'll be waiting on as a teen, what to wear, it's a farmer's market, i know, a Greek dancing ensemble from Country Road.

 She's also doing Tournament of the Minds, Maths & Engineering.  These events are hazardous - about 11p.m. the night before the dress rehearsal, she surprised me with a piece of brown fabric demanding i create a cape for a boy who i don't know (age, size, height) in the dark, & on whinging about this at school, ALL the mums had the same nightmare.

 Our darling only son, i'm trying to curb his role as 'only boy = victim' in the family to one of empowerment, this is challenging as he plays 'annoying little brother' so well, he's just so cheeky, yet irritating to a tween girl, or three.  His room is his haven, he is allowed a little television time at night after homework & reading . . . 

 & the Wii on weekends.  He's so athletic & academic, also prone to take himself too seriously, so this is a great 'mellow time out' for him.  Chatting to my yoga instructor about raising boys last night, she reminded me how they loathe nagging or being hassled, so i often let him be, let him find what he wants to do - read, run, climb, jump, Wii (all activities which can be done on the lounge) & give him space.  I'll save my nagging for his future wife!!  

So here's to our 4 fabulous little buddies, they are so good to me with beautiful, respectful behaviour most of the time, but i know they miss handsome soldier so much, i sometimes hear sobs from their rooms at night, it's heart breaking, i cry very easily & join them.  At least they don't bottle up their emotions, i hope they never internalise & let things manifest.  My psych degree comes in mighty handy, talk it through, only don't give me any "mother issues".  So much of mothering tweens & teens is just to be there, fully available, when they need you.  Daddy is on his way home to Canberra right now, they don't know it, they know he'll be here for dinner on father's day, but i'm just bursting that he's arriving in a few hours.  Got them again!! 

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful men who kept getting us pregnant & more 'Gratefuls' are over at The Beetle Shack today while Maxabella Loves has a little blogcation, basket weaving, learning Spanish & painting her toenails.  We miss you Maxi!!  Love Posie

things i'm loving 'relaxing with my husband'

Greetings all,

Oh, relaxation . . . as my our school holidays melt away, so do the dreamy moments with my husband.  We were very lucky to have 2 whole weeks with him, now it's back to reality - him in Brisbane soldiering, us in Canberra schooling.  I love this image, it's in my heart forever, handsome soldier resting his head on my lap at the park while the children play.

With a hot chocolate . . .  

 shared with the children . . . how BIG is my baby boy getting??  Notice the tear at the knee of his new jeans, argh??  Oh well, he's been having a ball running around.  He did ask if one of his sisters could crochet him a patch, from yesterday's crochet class - ha!!

 Then a round of milkshakes (this only happens when Daddy is around).

 How cute is this cafe, by a huge park + attached to a gift shop = perfection (with completely delightful service too!!)  More on this beautiful place shortly.

 Can you spy my 3rd girl climbing & my other 2 on the ariel see saw??

Thank you dreamy PaisleyJade with Things I'm Loving this week, i miss my husband & these carefree relaxing days already.  Love Posie