express yourself

Miss Ruby is 5 and has inherited her mothers feisty temper. As an adult I have learned to control my blow (most of the time) but young Ruby is struggling to manage her emotions and frustrations. Just 2 terms into school, she is tired and over stimulated when she comes home which at times ends with irrational & angry behaviour.

Yesterday afternoon was one of those moments. Sent outside to cool down and have some time out, she found a way to express herself with her newly acquired written skills. Pavement and a piece of chalk.

translated.....
"I do not like you Mum and you are the worst Mum I have. Goodbye"


After 10 minutes she came back inside and apologised for her outburst. At this stage I was unaware of her creative text.

Later in the evening after dinner Dean popped outside and found the message. Ruby started to giggle and realised the humour in what she had written. We all had a laugh and then she decided to make a couple of corrections.

Motherhood can be a tough gig...... but childhood can be tough too!

happy 40th darling

In the space of 4 months this year our family will be celebrating two 40th birthdays and the birth of our baby. Today we celebrated the first of those birthdays for Dean. Now I don't want to bang on and make this all soppy, but I do want to say that I am so fortunate to share my life with this super awesome man. We have been together since we were 19 and my love and respect for him has only grown over the years. When in our youth he hated the fact that he always looked younger than his age. We'd go out to bars and he'd get asked for ID. Today the tables have turned and it's me admiring him with envy. Not only does he look great for his age but he has a youthful outlook and physical energy of a man in his twenties. I'm relying on him to keep me young at heart too!!

While we plan to celebrate our birthdays together with a joint party in a few months (post pregnancy), today we surprised him and took our immediate families for a bus trip to the Barossa Valley for lunch & wine tasting.

With a 90 minute trip there and back we packed a few goodies to entertain both the big and small kids.

Our favourite wineries today were Kabminye & Saltram. Check them out if you are ever in the region.

The beautiful Barossa Valley landscape from inside Kabminye Wines. The kids had a wonderful time chasing butterflies & crickets!

Lunch at Kabminye Wine's Krondorf Road Cafe was awesome. No chips/fries or soft drinks on this menu! Specializing in traditional food from the early Barossa Settlers (Prussian, Wendish/Sorbian & English). The recipes from their countries of origin were adapted to incorporate local produce and the Mediterranean climate.

Poppy, the resident dog, hung around and received a lot of attention from our table

It was a long day for my boys, both big and small.

things are happening

5 weeks & 1 day to go..... not that anyone is counting!

Back a few weeks ago I had a set back when my pelvis "shat" itself. Doubled over and almost not able to walk the doc & physio told me I would probably be that way for the last 8 weeks of this pregnancy. Cripes!! How the hell was I going to get Ruby to school every day and Sachin to half days at Kindy 4 days a week??? Thankfully weekly massages, a pelvic brace and a belly support stocking have held this old body together long enough for whatever happened to my pelvis to temporarily recover. Phiew. Hopefully I'm not going to jinx myself here, as things are now back on track (body wise that is).

As I'm managing so well to neglect you my dear friends, I now resort to summarizing my last few weeks.

• baby has turned...head down... woohoo!
• spent 3 wonderful days going solo in Melbourne with my sister Lorrin, her partner Heather & my dear friend De... facials, op shopping, vintage furniture shopping, eating out, reading mags, reLAXing...

• crossed off #26 (paint the front fence) on the 40 before 40 list with a mini working bee (thanks family!)
• utterly challenged by a request to make a soft scalloped rusty spoon... several attempts later..

• organised my magazine collection and cleaned out the bathroom cabinets  (#22 & #23 on 40 before 40 list)

• finally stopped the denial and accepted that we have grown out of our car and will  not be able to fit 3 children with 3 car seats - purchased a people mover... I know I know.... never thought I'd be driving a bus!!
• scored the vintage Tessa swivel armchair I have been dreaming of for the nursery .... more pics to come of the nursery when it's finished

• getting into the new season of American Idol.... go James Durbin!