Just one long drag.

After trying, but not quite achieving, a little post every day challenge for the month of January I entered February feeling somewhat drained. And by somewhat drained I mean pretty darn exhausted. Though the ridiculous weather and my sudden desire to exercise may also play some part in the feeling of exhaustion that currently plagues my body.

Or perhaps the return to school and all that comes with it has been my downfall and it is that which has left me void of all energy for blogging?

More than likely a combination of both and about a thousand other things that have not quite gone to plan in recent times. But then when does anything really ever go to plan?

As the second week of school draws to a close it, the holidays already feel like a distant memory. The prospect of the Easter break is still too far away to really look forward to. And so the drag of life continues.

Only it shouldn't. Life shouldn't be a drag. It should be lived and enjoyed with each day being made the most of. Yet as I sit here right now, it feels anything but made the most of. Instead it all seems like just one long drag.

Sigh.

I don't want it to be a drag, really I don't but the mundane of it all this mothering sometimes is just too much to bear.

How do you not make doing the same thing day in and day out a drag?

Sure I can spice things up with a trip to the park here and an outing there but in between all of that there are still mountains of washing waiting ever so patiently to be washed, folded and put away. Just like the never ending cycle of dishes. Always needing to be done.

Double sigh.

I saw the above quote floating around the traps in the last week. Naturally I can't remember where and rather than spend all night looking for it I thought it easier to just whip one up myself. I need to embed this into my brain.

A reminder that I am actually making progress, regardless of how small it might be.

Joining in with Grace for some Friday blog flogging fun

Finding a partner {Sponsored}

Today's post is proudly brought to you by http://www.eharmony.com.au

Top tips for finding a partner 

who’ll love your children as much as you do

Finding a partner can be a tricky enough task at the best of times, but finding someone who is compatible with your kids can seem nearly impossible. Some people might make the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend whether through friends of through free dating sites online, but put them in a room with children and everything changes. With this in mind here’s a look at some of the different qualities that will help you to discover the ultimate ‘child- friendly’ partner. 

image supplied from here

Their job

There are really only a few jobs that are completely inappropriate for a potential love-interest (escorts are probably the only real no-no’s). Yet some professions bring with them a lifestyle and a culture that are less family-friendly than others. People who work extremely long hours or shift work can be difficult to coordinate around the schedule of raising a small child.

In terms of the best professions for a child-friendly partner, someone who feels comfortable and relaxed around children is always a good start. This could include schoolteachers or perhaps sports coaches. However at the end of the day the best partner to bring home to your children is the one who approaches their career with a sense of integrity. After all, excellent role models come in all shapes and sizes. 

Their interests

It’s rarely someone’s interests that make a man or woman unsuitable as a partner. Rather it’s their willingness to compromise when becoming a part of yours and your children’s lives. Dating somebody with children can mean a big change to their lifestyle and activities. It’s important that they’re open-minded and positive about these changes, and see them as an opportunity rather than a setback.

If they love to go out fishing, a child-friendly partner will understand that some weekends will now be spent at your daughter’s ballet recital. Likewise if your new love interest enjoys partying every Friday night, the right catch will understand that family life will bring a different style of socialising. 

Their willingness to join in with the events in your child’s life, and to possibly moderate their own, are the real tests of a good partner. 

image supplied from here

Their attitude  

Does your partner like children? It might seem like an obvious question, but it’s definitely one that needs to be asked. Dating a single parent can bring to the fore a range of questions about the future that are usually tackled much later in the relationship. If you met on a website like http://www.eharmony.com.au you might have already discussed this briefly before meeting in person, but it's a good idea to do this in person as well. How prepared and open your partner is for having children in their life is a big factor in their long-term suitability.

Writing dreams with coffee

Sitting there in front of the computer screen, her mind was blank.

source

Totally void of any and all thoughts or ideas. 

But then that was nothing new. It was like the screen, or the keyboard or maybe even the chair, something anyway, seemed to suck every sensible consciousness out of her being when she sat to write.

Letting out a deep sigh she got up and walked away. Maybe a coffee would help.

Maybe letting go of that crazy notion that there was indeed a writer within her just waiting to be unleashed would help. Though she had held onto that crazy notion for so long now that she doubted whether letting go of it was really possible. It felt like it was ingrained upon her soul. Her destiny if you will.

A destiny that she thought she had been heading towards for as long as she could remember. A childhood dream that had stayed with her as she grew into a woman. Niggling away at her as she tried to find her place in life doing other things.

For as much as she longed to do nothing but write words to be read by the masses reality told her the chances were slim. Very slim. After all there were thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of other people who held onto similar dreams. Some of whom actually managed to get words out when they say down to write.

Unlike her.

Thankfully somewhere along the line the Internet came into being. Just the answer that wanna be writers the world over had been waiting for. An outlet that allowed them to feel like they were writing for the masses. Provided of course they remain oblivious to things like stat counters and the like.

Sitting back down with her hot coffee her gaze returned to the blank screen. Which by now had gone to sleep so the blankness of it all was even more evident. Taking a sip from her cup she could feel the warm liquid travel down her throat. It's golden goodness filling her veins like some kind of inspirational  blood. Or at least that is what she hoped would happen.

She always lived in hope.

Joining Grace and the gang for

Wordless Wednesday - Walking in the bush

Refusing to believe that the last day of the school holidays were really here, Monday morning saw us pack up the car and head out bush for the day. I really do love that within a few short hours I can totally surround myself in the bush.

Here are a few pictures from our day at Litchfield National Park

 This is the smaller of the two falls at Wangi. I had my big lens on so the distance for getting the bigger of the two falls was no good.

Looks like a beautiful like a beautiful place for a swim. Sadly though there is no swimming here at the moment. One of the reasons is because of the crazy currents that are created by the falls. Mind you, you can't see the big waterfall to understand what I am really saying. Damn me and my lazy butt that refused to walk back to the car and get the right lens.

 This is the other reason that you can't go swimming. The excitement levels at seeing this little fella were sky high I can tell you. He was only a tiny tacker, couple of months old at most, so no real threat, unless of course mumma is nearby then it is a whole other story.

I actually went to take a photo of this guy when I spotted the little croc above. Interestingly enough no one was to fussed about looking at the spider once the croc was spotted.

I know that they are probably more weed than flower, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think they are pretty. There is also a little buggy thing playing hide and seek in this photo.

Quite possibly more flowering weeds and this time not as pretty but I like getting down and pretending I know how to adjust the settings to take such photos as what was in my minds eye when I saw this.

 If you look hard, like really, really hard there is a rock wallaby in here.

These guys are Florence Falls, I hope you appreciate the effort I went to with this one. It was not an easy walk with Miss Two on my hip or dragging her feet slowly behind me when I refused to carry her any further.

Joining in with Trish and the gang for Aussie Wordless Wednesday with possibly a few too many words

Tips to save money on your electricity bill.

With a recent thirty percent increase in my local electricity rates I have been looking at ways to save money on my power bill. Being the sharer that I am here are a few tips on how you can save money on your electricity charges.

Of course if I lived any where else in this fine country I would be able to go to a comparison website to compare electricity rates and see if there was another local electricity company that could offer me a better deal, but alas that luxury is not available when there is but one electricity company in town. 

Mind you even when there is a choice of provider there is nothing wrong with cutting back where you can. Here are a few simple tips I am planning to take up to save money on my future electricity bills.

Source

Unplug all appliances at the wall when not in use. 

You know that little red light you see at the bottom of your TV when it is not in use? You would be surprised at how much power all those little lights around your home can use. Sure not having the clock set on the DVD player might be an inconvenience at times but if it saves money throughout the year then it is well worth the inconvenience I say.

Appliances don't need lights. Neither do empty rooms

There is no need to have lights on if there is no one in the room. Even if you have the lowest wattage lights and all that jazz. If it's not in use, turn it off. Which I know is really just common sense but when you have kids common sense isn't always around. Children are our future and the sooner we drum these simple ways of life into them the better.

Fans cool people not rooms. 

Source

As a tropical living girl, all our rooms have fans. Only that doesn't mean that they need to be on if we are not in the room. I imagine that for those in cooler climates the same can be said about the heater. While on the topic of heaters, it is best if they are not placed in front of windows and all doors, windows and curtains are closed when the heater is in use. It makes it easier to trap the heat within and keep the cold out. Air conditioners also work best when rooms are closed up and draught stoppers should be on every door.

While we are blessed with air conditioners in the bedrooms we have decided that they are now just there for decoration. It won't be too long till the weather changes and things cool down any way, but till then we are just going to tough it out. At least that is the plan. If however that plan crumbles we will only turn it half hour before bed and have a timer turn it off after a few hours. Rather than have it set at arctic temperatures the thermostat will be locked in at 24 degrees. This means that the system will not have to work as hard and thereby not use as much power.

Wash full loads. In cold water.

Be it the dishwasher or the washing machine it doesn't matter. Using cold water saves electricity. Most dishwashers internal heating systems for heating the water, which is much more effective than getting it from the hot tap. And really it is just common sense to wait for full loads before putting either machine on.

As much as I love my great big top loader there is a part of me that is waiting for it to pass away. It is nearly seven years old so I am sure there are much more electricity friendly models out there as front loaders use less power I want to update. 

Harness the power of the sun.

Thankfully we already have solar hot water. And I love it. So much so that I am now looking into getting more solar panels to subsidise the electricity. My friend cleverly had almost their whole roof covered with solar panels which have cut her electricity bill by a third. A third I tell you. Amazing and definitely worth looking into.

Saving electricity is easier than you may think and is really all about making a few simple lifestyle changes. Ones that in the long run will not only save you some cash but also go towards helping the environment. For more tips on how to save on your power bill check out here and here

Joining in with the IBOT gang

I must confess I slacked off a bit

It's late and I am posting. Even though I know that at this time of night most people are sleeping rather than reading hot off the press blog posts. Sometimes things just can't be helped. The silver lining looker in me says that at least I am posting. Which is more than what can be said of the last few days.

One of the selfies I took when I was off having
fun rather than blogging 

I could blame school holidays or my sister visiting or Australia Day or a dear friend stuck in hospital or a thousand other things but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter.

A few days into the new year I realised that I had managed to write every day. I felt a bit pleased with myself and decided to see how long I could make it last. My goal was a month but the back of my mind was thinking big, maybe a year? After all anything is possible.

Apparently.

Sadly this calendar year will not see writing every day. Nor will the month of January for that matter. The last few days have been a flurry of activity that have seen blogging take a back seat.

Which is kinda how life is meant to be though so it is all good. While I may confess to a lot of things, there are not too many that get me down.

Having such a wonderful and supportive readership means that it is ok not to write every single day. Which is awesome and I love that. As a writer that doesn't write nearly as much as she should the whole posting every day was more about actually writing than anything else.

Like many I still struggle with the delicate balancing act while juggling the balls of life. For the most part though, I do feel like I get a little closer each day. Of course some days the gains and losses can be vast and one outweigh the other. That is just the way the cookie crumbles I guess.

After actually working hard on something last week I decided to forget about my nightly blogging.

Well I didn't forget, I chose.

I chose to spend the evenings chilling Mr Awesome as we reminisced about our first date...ten years ago. Though technically when I think about it our first first date was actually back as shy teenagers probably twenty years ago. The ten years is just from this time when we got it right. Though I know everything happens for a reason and all that so I don't begrudge the time we had of discovering ourselves but that is all for posts on another day.

Spending the evenings chilling with Mr Awesome turned out to be a much better choice than the one that saw us going down the track on an adventure with our besties. Which will also need a post of it's own. Make sure you pop back next week to hear me confess as to why I am not a bike rider.

This week the confessional prompt over at My Home Truthss is your first post. My first post on this little old blog can be found here. It is just as random as the segue I just did there.

-fairy wishes and butterfly kisses

Things I Know Early In The Morning

Well kind of anyway. It possibly should have been called A whole bunch of random things I know but I kinda did that the other week and I didn't want to bore you all with the same title again. Plus I am sure by the time I actually finish writing this post it will actually be early in the morning.

How can I be so sure of this you ask? The fact that it is currently 11:58PM gives it away really.

But enough of the drivel because Friday is nearly upon us and we all know that Friday here at A Parenting Life is all about flogging your blogging and sharing what you know. Plus I am tired and more than ready for bed but I have made myself a little promise to blog everyday so here I am.

I know that the post I wrote yesterday (which was actually only about half hour ago from when I am writing this to maybe my little promise to myself might be better off it was to appear as if I have blogged every day) will probably not actually get read by as many people as I think it should.

I know that posting at nearly midnight is pretty pointless unless you plan on linking it up somewhere and promoting the hell out of it on social media the next day. Yet I still do it. Far to often.

I know that it is with mixed feelings we return to school on Tuesday. I do really love having the girls around, they are the loveliest of company but they do hold me back from doing somethings.

I know that going to the Wave Pool today was a brilliant idea. It was the perfect way to wind down the holidays. And celebrate a lovely friends birthday. And spend time with my beautiful sister.

How could hanging out here not be a brilliant idea?

I know that I am super thankful for a few little opportunities that have been thrown my way of late. If all goes to plan I should have enough funds to get my #DPCON13 ticket! Oh so excited.

I know that when I started this post it was just going to be short and sweet due to the stupidness of the time and the few little opportunities that I just mentioned.

I know that if I didn't have said little opportunity then this post would actually be about politics and how I feel terribly wronged by Julia. Wronged so much that I now don't know who I want to swear my political allegiance to at the next election. Never fear though I am pretty sure that post will still surface in the not too distant future. Which I just know you are waiting for with baited breath.

I know that I do love joining in with Grace, Miss Cinders and all the crews on a Friday

Friendship reflection

Source

Friendships are something that I spend a lot of time thinking about. Especially as I age. Friendships can be fickle if you don't make the right ones. However if you do manage to sow the right friendships seeds they can bring a life of love and happiness. As MultipleMum over at And then there were four points out we need the connection that friendship brings to help keep loneliness and isolation at bay.

For me friends are something that I have always felt like I struggled with. Even in primary school I can recall this awful feeling of just not fitting in. I wasn't overly different to everyone else, I just never felt like I had a secure circle anywhere. It was like people were always happy to spend time with till something better came along.

When I went to high school I purposely choose a school that I knew not many of the kids from my school would be at. I wanted a fresh start and a clean slate. I saw it as an opportunity to leave the struggles of the previous years behind me and create a whole new me. One that was cool and had a tight group of girls that would always have my back. The boys also thought I was a bit of alright and I would be the one that everyone would want to hang with.

Not surprisingly that is not exactly how things turned out.

Apparently being cool in the eyes of your peers as you are growing up is something you are born with. You have either got it or you don't. Much to my disappointment I realised quickly in my high school years that I was in the don't got it camp. It didn't take to long for me to realise that maybe I wasn't missing out on as much as what I thought.

Of course that is not to say I didn't manage to make some wonderful friends, because I did. And for most of the five years that I was in high school I was never overwhelmed with loneliness or isolation, but there certainly times when I questioned my place in amongst it all and there were many a time when I had the nobody likes me song going round in my head.

My first year of uni saw me out of home and living with my bestie. It was great, it was one of the first times that I started to feel a real sense of belonging. I loved it. I had wonderful boyfriend, a fantastic flatmate and a job at the coolest shop in town.

Life was great.

We lived in an inner city flat and were stumbling distance from the nightlife that is being a uni student. We partied, we studied, we were footloose and fancy free and the world was our oyster. It really did feel like a dream come true kind of life.

Looking back now I can't even remember what it was that made her move out, but move out she did and we practically never spoke again. She left town and I never heard from her again. It was all before the Internet and things. In fact, back then we didn't even have *gasp* mobile phones.

Do you know how old I feel right now?

Of course now that there is the Internet we are Facebook friends but it has only been within the last eighteen months and it was with great trepidation that I sent the request through. We messaged each other a few times but nothing more than super short updates. Which is pretty much the extent of all my interaction with those I went to high school with.

Just after few short months after my twenty first birthday I dumped my high school boyfriend and decided to move onto bigger and better things. The next few years blurred together and I suddenly experienced a whirlwind of incredibly intense romantic relationships, which would eventually leave me a single mother to a wonderful little girl.

So not what the magic ball had said when I asked as a teenager. But I digress.

This post was originally meant to be about all the beautiful friends that I have been blessed with. Especially of late. The last twelve months have really shown to me that I do have a place in this crazy old world. I still may not know exactly where that place is but I know there most definitely is one. What I do know though is it is a place that I am thankful to share with some wonderful people, both in real life and on Internet, thanks to this lovely little old blog of mine.

With that in mind I just wanted to say.

To all who left such lovely comments on Tuesday's post I am thankful.
Thankful that you stopped by and more so that you took the time to comment and show you care.

To all the lovely people who call me their friend I thank you also, I know that sometimes I may be slightly (or a lot sometimes) self occupied and don't seem to care, but trust me, when you need it most, I'll be there.

Fairy wishes and butterfly kisses to one and all

Personal Planner Discount Code

Remember how the other week I had a Personal Planner to giveaway? Well that giveaway has closed and a winner drawn. Super congratulations to Tracey P who is probably busy designing her personal planner as I type.

While I wish I could say that I had another to giveaway I do have something nearly as good. The lovely people at Personal Planners asked me if I was interested in sharing this with you

Which of course I am!

Remember you design the planner you want. Including choosing the start date. I know, thinkers aren't they?

Why did you unlike me?

Well won't you look at that, Tuesday has suddenly rolled around again and here were are once more with the bloggy loving that is #IBOT.

What's that?

You are new here and you have never heard of #IBOT!
Well grab your beverage of choice, settle in and put your feet up and I will tell you all about the joys of #IBOT while I ease the troubles within that I have this fine day.

Hosted by the ever lovely EssentiallyJess, #IBOT stands for I Blog On Tuesday and withoutis one of the most popular linky's in the Australian blogosphere. It is an open topic meme with the only requisite really being that the post you link up is fresh off the publish button that Tuesday.

The greatest thing about it though is the comment love and sense of community. It is also a great way to discover some great posts. Doing the rounds of #IBOT posts each week really feels like spending time with friends. Warm, caring and obviously sharing kind of friends, united by the love of blogging. Bloggy buddies if you will.

Some of my bloggy buddies have even sent Facebook friend requests to me. Which was kind of lovely. It meant that when I logged into the blog's Facebook page the number of friends that liked me jumped up. Well, went up by one. Which of course is always a nice feeling. As superficial and silly as it may be there are times when I am all about the numbers. Well not all about the numbers, but I would be lying if I said they didn't matter.

Because they do.

And as lovely as it is to see that number go up it is twice as awful to see it go down. As I did just recently. My numbers are all fairly stagnant, which is fine, I am may not be gaining at vast knots but at least I am not losing either. So when I do lose someone I notice.

Generally I can never be too sure who I lose, as there are hundreds of possibilities, only this time I do. You know because they are friend and all, so that kind of narrow's it down.

The questions I put to you dear reader is,

should I

1. confront my supposed blogging buddy and ask them why, when they know only too well what the fickle land of Facebook likers is like, they unliked my page,
   
   or
    
2. should I take the more drastic measure of just cutting my losses and defriending them altogether and forgetting it ever happened

Anyway now that is out in the open let's get back to reading some awesome posts. Just click the button below

I must confess that lists scare me

There I said it.

I am not sure if I really like lists. I find them overwhelming and daunting. The unticked tasks that are invariably left seem to taunt me. A constant reminder for a failure to achieve.

Everywhere you turn these days there are people and their lists. Lists of what they'll do, what they've done, where they have been and gone and everything in between. I admire their bravery in being able to put it all out there like that.

Where for most, the highlight of a list is the ticking off it's accomplishments once completed, such achievements seem to regularly elude me. In fact rather than a to-do list it is a case of will never not in a life time get done.

Thanks to Deb over at Home Life Simplified though, I think there might be a solution. Today see's Deb launch the first of her Listmania lists. A weekly meme to share some good old list loving, with the first week reminding me lists don't have to be about things that need to be done.

Lists can be about anything (duh! However did I forget that?)

And this list is about me!

Currently I am:

 Reading: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson I only started reading this yesterday but so far I am really enjoying it. I received it thanks of the lovely Denyse quite a few weeks ago now. 

Listening to: Some documentary on mining and land claims. It is actually quite interesting, Mr Awesome is watching it, I am thinking of rushing through the rest this so I can join him.

 Laughing at: Myself for thinking I could just rush through the rest of this list. Perhaps my initial feelings regarding lists were correct. I just skimmed down some of the other things I need to come up with here and they are tough!

Swooning over: Mr Awesome Yes I know, but it is true. I don't get time to watch movies or read magazines so I have no idea who the hottest hot bod belongs to according to social media. Mr Awesome is all I need.

 Planning: Always. Rarely successfully though. I am not sure why but for some reason I take that whole best laid plans thing to the extreme. Regardless of my level of planning nothing ever goes to plan.

Eating lots of: Blueberries. Or at least I was yesterday when I bought two punnets of them because they were super cheap and then preceded to eat them while waiting for the rain to ease so I could walk home dry

 Feeling: Tired and sore. Sigh, but who isn't?

Discovering: Mr Awesome rubbing my neck feels like heaven

 Looking at: The inside of my eyelids enjoying said neck rub from Mr Awesome

Wearing: Clothes. Nothing exciting there. However if Mr Awesome is offering free massages I may soon be wearing nothing which of course would be exciting and how did this suddenly become so hot and heavy. All a bit much for Monday morning reading I am sure.

 Cooking: Delicious chocolate cherry muffins. Seriously delicious. I should take a photo of them before I eat them all and then maybe I could blog about it.

Wondering: If the whole massage thing could actually be a possibility?

 Trying out: My luck with the massage. You can't blame a a girl for trying. 

Sorry list lovers, that is the best I have for now. I did tell you they scare me a little. 

In the meantime check out the other list manics here

Oh and I must confess that I am a linky lover and this joins in with Kirsty and her confessions. 

I must also confess that I never intended this post to be all about my love of massages, but there you go.

Sunday Session - The Just Dance Edition

The other week when I heard that Cass was going to return Sunday Sessions to the web I was over joyed. It wasn't like I was a regular linker when Thea hosted but it was one that I did like to drop in on when the mood arose. Having said that though, I failed to get my act together enough to actually link up last week.

Never fear though I am here now and some may even say with bells on!

For Christmas, Santa kindly left the girls the latest copy of Just Dance. It is great because it is one that we can all play together and it gets everyone moving. It is with this game in mind I present to you this week's Sunday Session.

These are some of our favourite songs to dance to from the game


The girls were suitably impressed when I explained the story behind the song. It actually turned out to be quite a geography lesson as they then wanted to see it all on maps and what not!

Next up is


Mind you in searching for a clip for this one I came across the original, which the girls found pretty hilarious. (As did I)

Oh how times change hey?

Make sure you head on over to Cass Can Sew for more musical musings.

Oh and did I mention that I had a giveaway going at the moment?

Instagram Catch Up

Yes, I know it is my week not fortnight but you can't win all the time now can you? I didn't join in last week for a couple of reasons. The first of which was because I was all eager to jump on boards Mum Talks Autism's new linky called I Love Your Blog and the second was because, well, I just didn't have any photos.

Even combining the two weeks together and I can barely come up with enough to warrant sharing, but I am giving it a go nonetheless. If you are curious as to why I have suddenly drawn a blank of the Instagram sharing I am too.

The only thing I can put it down to is trying to hard. I have taken to try and take a photo, edit it, watermark it and then Instagram it. You know just in case the powers that be ever want to run of with one of my shots, I want to make sure everyone knows where it comes from.

Anyway, here's what I do have

A day of fun and laughter out on the water in our new inflatable kayak. Oh so much fun. It all left me feeling a little bit pleased with myself actually.

The artist within Miss Six shared this little gem. So colourful and bright. She likes everything to look like a rainbow. Which is funny because when she was in my tummy, Miss Eleven, who at the time was a Miss Nearlyfive use to ask if we could call the baby Rainbow Starshine. Since that was the name she would actually have preferred for herself, and why hadn't I given her such a cool name like Rainbow Starshine...

In a bid pass some time while I pined for the return of Miss Eleven, I sorted out her bead collection. It was one of those not really so useful things to do, but way better than housework. Plus once they were all sorted it made necklace making much more enjoyable. Which again was a preferred option over housework.

A butterfly (in my mind) that Miss Six thought was a dragonfly. Apparently presenting a child with food in the shape of an insect, makes you the best mum ever! Which is nice.

This was my favourite photo frame. Ever. It has my most precious photos. 

Well some of them. 

Down in the bottom left corner is Mr Awesome and I when were were but kids ourselves. 

Me all dressed in my Territory Debating Team uniform and him, his favourite long sleeve, wear all the time despite living in the tropics coz I am cool like that Stussy shirt at his father's 40th birthday parties. 

The night his father kindly introduced me into the art of cocktail making. 

I became a slippery nipple guru. And no it is not as dirty as it sounds. 

The big bear hug with my dad at my boyfriend of the time 21st up in the top right always makes me smile. It was such a turning point in my life. Which I may or may not one day blog about

  

Yep that's right I have a GIVEAWAY!!! And it is still open. Well providing that you are reading this before Wednesday the 23rd of Jan 2013 it is still open. 

After my fruit insect hit earlier on in the week Miss Six requested that I repeat my efforts. So this time I tried to make a dragonfly. "You know mum, just like you did last time" 

Only apparently this was more of a butterfly. Seriously.

This was inspired by the fatmumslim photo a day challenge. Not that I am partaking in said challenge because I totally suck at them but, a lot of the people I follow do and one day recently the prompt was two. Lazing around on my back patio I noticed these two. I had also just come across a new watermarking app that I was keen to try.

After an incident over at my neigbours I just had to get my fairy cards out and see what they had to say. As it turned out it was a lot. If you want to know what that entails though you will have to go here to read about it. I can see a lot more fairy posts in the not to distant future.

These beauties were a lot of hard work. Including a walk to the shops in the rain to get the eggs. Of course when we set out said rain was nothing more than a light drizzle and we barely got wet. By the time we were ready to head home though it was a whole different story. One that involved a torrential downpour. We sat it out till it passed, munching on cheap blueberries that were supposed to be on the plate but I gobbled them all before we go home.

So there you have it, my days in pics. Make sure you head over to the lovely Tina at TinaGraydotMe and see what all the other Instagram addicts have been up to.

This week's blog loving

As I was making way round my blog reading duties this week I was consciously trying to decide which  post was going to be the 'one' featured here today. Turned out that it has been a big week in the Australian blogosphere. Well at least in the parts of it that I frequent.

The ever awesome EssentiallyJess, host of the infamous IBOT link that sees Tuesday bloggers unite in a frenzy of comment sharing love, eloquently wrote about how sleeping at the end of the world showed her the benefits of stretching oneself sometimes. It certainly got me thinking about what areas I could, if not should, stretch myself in. Lord knows there are plenty of areas that I fail to push myself through so perhaps stretching will work better?

Motherhood itself is all about stretching. Zanni, over at Heart Mama had a post about connecting with the older child when younger siblings enter the scene.With such big age gaps between my girls, five years and then four years, I never felt too stretched in the early years of multiple children. Recently however it is a whole other story.

Recently mothering has become more challenging than ever before for me. I was never one to struggle to meet the demands of a newborn. Or buckle under the constant barrage of the toddler years. No, to me they were a breeze, one that I sailed through with ease and enjoyment. Give me a prepubescent preteen however and I am suddenly at my wits ends. Grace summed it up perfectly with her great post on resistance and acceptance.

Everything just seemed so simple when they were babies. They cried, I picked them up. From there I would check the nappy situation, followed by the offer of food, cuddles or playtime and failing all that it was bedtime. Simple. As a breastfeeder for over a total of seven years, shoving the baby on my breast, if you pardon the expression, was the answer to all my prayers on many occasion.

Thankfully, no one ever had the balls to come and question, comment or ask me to move somewhere more discreet, while I was in the throws of tending to my child's needs aka breastfeeding. When I say thankfully I say so not because I would have been left mortified from such comments but because I would have been forced to beat said person with my nappy bag. Mind you one of the best posts I have seen on the topic is over at Good Golly Miss Holly. Take that narrow minded morons.

But I digress, my most favourite post of the week is over at

The Heroes In Our Lives

A poignant post about who are the real heroes in the world today. 

Who should we be encouraging our impressionable children to look up to?

Honestly if you are only going to click through one link on here, make it that one. Though of course that means you would miss out on the opportunity to enter my awesome giveaway but hey that is your call.

Things I Know About School Holidays

I know that I really and truly love the school holidays. I am by no means one of those mum's that dreads the start of school holidays. Nor do I long for them to come to an end. In fact quiet the opposite.

I know one of the things I love most about the school holidays is that time almost ceases to exist. There is rarely a need to be anywhere at any particular time, particularly before 9 am in the morning.

I know that I do not miss the morning chaos that comes with the school term. Not at all. Not one single bit. Quite the opposite in fact. The peace and tranquility that resides over the morning during holiday time is pure and utter bliss.

I know that school holidays are all about having fun and getting outdoors so we can make the most of our time together. It means we get to do things like...

early morning kayak paddles

 climbing to the tallest tower

 frolic in rock pools

 hang out at public pools

have pancake picnic breakfasts

I know that the fact there is only one week left of the school holidays makes me a tad sad. Actually it makes me a lot sad.

I know that even though I am sad about the holidays ending there is also a lot of good that will come of it. Like being able to slot in a run without anyone complaining that they don't want to go.

I know that while it has nothing to do with the school holidays you should totally go and enter my giveaway for a Personal Planner. They are seriously all kinds of cool.

Giveaway entry page can be found HERE

I know that I am going to share all I know with all those who know to flog their blog WithSomeGrace. If you are after some great blogs to read, that is the place to start.

If you know stuff you should totally go over to Miss Cinders and share all the stuff that you know, it seriously is the best way to get Friday underway. Not only that it is a great way to interact with some great blogs that you may not have already known about.