Merry Christmas for 2009

Just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas for 2009. This is the Nativity scene we have at home and the kids love to play with it. Its the Fisher Price little people brand and kid safe.

Hope your Christmas Day is a happy and healthy one.

Also remember Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Stay safe on the road.

What a week

Sorry have not kept up to date with the blog, but many excuses here for not doing so. Wish it was to say we have been busy planning and enjoying the period leading up to Christmas but that is not the case. More like Renee and Nige has been very busy looking after sick children. More Tahlia then Nathan, it is her 4th day that she is still not well. Nathan got off easy and had a morning where he was sick.

Tahlia has had 2 trips to emergency, first being on Monday late at night after being sick (throwing up) since Sunday noon and she was not drinking enough. Dr there said it was an ear infection and gave her some antibotics and she picked up there. Was good for most of Tuesday till afternoon where she went downhill again. Still was not good by Wed morning so Nige was back to ER, as she was not still keeping fluids down and wouldn't drink and had become very restless and moody, just wanted to be left alone. Dr's said the ear infection had cleared up and it was most likley the medication that was making her feel ill. She picked up a bit by the afternoon after a sleep and now slowly eating and slowly drinking, is still throwing small amounts up but think that is more because she was running around the house (ops chasing mummy).

So everything has taken a back seat, blogs, Christmas, but have managed to keep up with the housework (shame there) as the kids slept most of the day so they could not make a mess in the house.. just made more washing for Renee.

We are hoping Tahlia is a lot more her cheeky self tomorow, and that Nige and Renee do not get it and so we can enjoy Christmas day. Our plans are on hold for now and after today l do not think we will do much for Christmas.

Annoying as we were the same last year and missed out on seeing the family (Renee's side) and would love to see them this year, as we do not see them as often nowdays.

So there you go, if you were wondering where we had been hiding.

All l want for Christmas is for Tahlia to be TT

Yep! We are in training here. Toilet training that is. The challenge was to begin the day after Christmas but decided to start today. Was feeling very brave... and that was an hour or so ago... not so sure now...

Two accidents already (both wees and poos)..... So two to undies.... none to toilet.

Not even sure if the toilet will get any as she has yet to doo a wee in the toilet... At least she is over the fear of the toilet now the next step is to do something on the toilet.

photo a day

Miss T at her last day (for the year) at the ELC.

photo a day.

Out in the garden and in the veggie patch and we came across a caterpillar. Tahlia's new best friend which they named "superman".

photo a day

photo a day challenge

Day 10

A lovely surprise l recieved on Thursday. Just what l needed after a bad week.

best of 2009 The best place.

Day 11.

The best place.... another hard one.

I guess what does the meaning 'best place' mean to me? I think it would have to be somewhere out of the rat race of life. Somewhere that makes you take a breath and breathe in the fresh air and take a moment to relax and enjoy life.

A place where you can forget all your worries, fears and forget about your t0-do list, housework or whats for dinner.

A Sanctuary. ' a sacred place, a consecreted spot'.

A safe haven. 'a place of refuge'

A place a of refuge. ' a place of protection, safety or shelter'.

My Sanctuary would be my relationship with God. As a christian we believe God is our refuge and our safeplace. He is everywhere we go, whatever we may do. All we have to do is call on him.

I feel closest to my God when l am out in nature. Somewhere where l can admire God's handiwork. It can be a rainbow shining in the sky after a summer storm, a butterfly quietly fluttering by in the rat race of life, a beautiful waterflow cascading down a mountain or a lovely sunrise to begin another day.

It can be a favourite song playing on the radio, that just happens to play at the right time right when l needed to hear it, it can be a simple message from a friend saying they care or even hello.

i feel happy in my best place. I just need to go there more often.

My refuge, my strength, my God.

best of 2009... Best Album

Day 10.

I love my music but l rarely go out and by something new. Well not since having the kids. Just never any spare money. But the only album l just had to get this year was the Newboys " the way we roll".

Both the kids love the song "the way we roll" and the first thing they ask when they get into the car is "can we listen to the newsboys mum".... Once on they are both bopping along and singing.

Don't you just love it when your kids share your taste of music. Beats having to listen to the Wiggles all the time. Now l love the wiggles but their songs are just so catchey and you end up with them stuck in your head all day or singing them.

So def the Newsboys is the best and the first song (the way we roll) has to be on loud (requested by the kids as that is when it sounds the best).

Photo a day. day 9

Day 9

I think the photo speaks for itself.

photo a day Day 8

Day 8

Graduation night at the ELC/kindy.

Our son is not graduating till next year but as they called them the undergraduates were involved in the evening singing up the front and also recieved a book and certificate from the teacher from completing 3 Year old Kindy.

Sorry not a very good photo, but lots of people there and you can just see Nathan to the far right (look for the red hair).

Can't wait to see him in his cap and gown next year.

photo a day. Day 7

Day 7

At the D.A.T.A Christmas party. Santa had just been and l heard someone singing on the microphone, looked up and saw my son singing away to Twinkle Twinkle little star. A proud parent moment.

best of 2009.... Moment of Peace

Day 8

Thats rather amusing. As a mother of 2 very active children there are very rare times where l have a moment of peace.

And if it is a moment of peace or me time it is not usually quiet (unless they are asleep), they are either squealing and yelling at each other, tearing around the house, playing cat and dog ( a game they love where they pretend they are dogs or cats), jumping on the beds (another favourite) or fighting. And if it is quiet that means they are usually asleep and my mind has gone into shut down so l have no strength or wisdom in order to do anything strutural.

So in my very rare moments of peace you can find me either

* sitting down with my wonderful husband watching a movie and l will be doing some x-stitch.

* in bed (esp on a cold rainy night) where it is warm with a good book.

* sometimes l can be shopping but that is not something l really enjoy. Wandering from shop to shop looking at things.... usually in and out in an hour.

* Or l can be online, chatting to someone, playing scrabble on facebook or shopping on ebay.

And funny as l get Thursday to myself and by the end of the day l keep wondering where the kids are and why the house is so strangely silent and shock horror even missing the kids.

Best of 2009 : workshop or conference.

hmmmm Don't think you could call it a conference or workshop really. But it was back in May where the ladies from church spent a weekend together on a camp. Call it luxery. No dishes, no cleaning up, no cooking, no having to deal with kids or hubby.. Bliss l hear you all say.

Was lovely just to spend it with the other ladies getting to know them, the late nights up talking, caring and sharing... and best of all no interuptions from kids, no snotty noses to wipe, no nappies to change, no butts to clean, no squabbling to listen to, no fights to break up.

Had an inspirational speaker who was more then happy to share with us, we laughed till we cried, we sang, we cried, we hugged, we ate, we watching old Shirley Temple movies, we relaxed, we read, we did games (board games), we stayed up late talking, we walked on the beach, we went into town for afternoon tea, we went swimming in the indoor heated pool, some did kick boxing (the brave), some went into the sauna.... and just not enough time.

We were spoilt ( so we should be) and had our meals cooked (beautiful meals) and always plenty for 2nds, beautiful morning, afternoon and supper snacks.

Only bad thing about the camp, it was not long enough and we need more of them.

photo a day challenge Day 6

Day 6

Heard on the grapevine that a steam train was down at our local station. So grabbed the camera and put the kids in the car to go and check it out. Had travelled here on a day trip from the city, and the passengers were having dinner here and then leaving to head back home. Was about 8:30pm when we got there and hung around to watch it leave about an hour later.

Some yummy recipes to share.

Thought would be a great idea to post up recipes l have been making or planning to make... I get a lot of comments and a lot of people ask where l got the recipe from. The answer usually on the WWW. So thought l would share some with you.

Saw this recipe in my menu planning group and my mouth was watering at the sight of it. http://http://www.exclusivelyfood.com.au/2006/07/chicken-crepe-recipe.html Will post up a pic and tell you about it after l have made it.... Won't though if it does not turn out.

photo a day challenge day 5

Day 5

Had a family fun day which our church held in the main town. It was all FREE. Yes Free pony rides, free rides, free animal farm, free activies.... It was a hit.

And my 2 had their first pony rides.... They had a ball.

Had to add the photo of my son as my daughter's ones did not turn out as well.

challenge Best night out....

Day 5 Best night out.

This is the one that stands out the most. Most likely because it was the best night out ever. With having kids, espically young children you do not get many chances to have a night kid free. And in any relationship espcially a marriage it is very important to spend time together with your husband/partner.

The best thing about this night out was my wonderful husband arranged it all for me. I think that means the most to any stay-at-home parent ( ok there are a few dads out there who stay at home and look after the children), that their partner (in my case husband) goes out of their way to organise a babysitter for the kids and then plans a night out for their loved one.

Funny as we have had this discussion at play group one morning and out of all the mums there, there was only 2 husbands who have done this. Of course mine was one of them. So with all the other mum's complaining that their husband never plans a night out, let alone a babysitter, l can say l am very glad l have a thoughtful and romantic husband.

So the evening came and my folks were to come over to our place and look after the kids, and even stay the night. Now i was sure in luck to have my folks over here. It was a first for the kids and also for my folks.... but l thought they would survive the night.... as we were here... but how wrong was l.... will explain later... l am getting there.

I knew we were heading to Gold Class movies which included a meal with the movie. So it was all about sitting back with a meal, glass of wine and just enjoying the peace and quiet (except for the movie), and watching a movie without kids interrupting us.

Afterwards seeing it was a lovely evening we headed down to the beach (about 1/2 hour away from the cinemas) and enjoyed a walk along the beach.

Then it got confusing.... Nige was rather sure we should go and see something else... I was happy to thinking we were off for a drive and maybe an ice-cream.

But he had me wondering where in the world we were heading, we kept getting closer to home. " i don't want to go home" i was thinking.... The further we went the more confused and puzzled l was getting and l knew Nige was loving this, as it is very hard to keep things from me as l am very good at guessing.

But where we ended up l would have never guessed it ever.... We had eneded up in a hotel.. Of course Nige told me we were there for dessert. I was thinking 11pm is a little late for dessert isn't it.

But no my sneaky and wonderful husband had organised a room for the night for us. And not just any room, but a room with a spa which also came with wine and chocolates.

What a sneaky bloke he is. He had even sneaked out during the day (his excuse was a trip to Bunnings) but in fact he really was heading to the hotel with our bags already packed. He had managed not only to pack my bags without me knowing but also some music, our CD player and even some clothes for the next day. How did l not even notice some things were missing. Oh and l can't forget to mention the amazing bunch of flowers too he left (see above pic).

And a thought quickly came to mind "how were ,mum and dad to cope with 2 kids on their own for a night"....

But don't worry those thoughts soon quickly passed and l planned to enjoy an evening with my husband and a 'do not disturb sign on the door.

Photo a day challenge Peace and quiet

Finally some peace and quiet from my DS. All day he has been talking non stop, arguing with myself or his sister, yelling at the neighbours as he peers over the fence (standing on the trailer), throwing things over the garden fence (to same neighbours), pee'ing in the garden, fighting with his sister, hitting his sister, and the list could go on and on....

Its these kind of photos after a hard challenging day that reminds us that we REALLY do love our children (when they are like this) and this is the time when they look like angels.... the rest of the time they are just cheeky monkeys (in my family anyhow).

Both have colds at the moment with runny noses and cough... but no that does not slow them down at all.

Phew l am worn out today, doesn't help that Nige is not home tonight (working).

Day 4 Book

Ok so l missed day 2 and 3 and won't even go there and try and do them as l do not think l will even find time to catch up. So today's blog is about a book l have read this year that has touched me. Gosh another hard one.

If you know me l am a book worm BIG time so l read a lot of books. I make the time, l love to read. Nothing better then curling up in bed on a cold day under the doona and catch up on a book. I also love to go to bed early with a good book if there is nothing but rubbish on tv. We also do a lot of reading on holidays and our recent trip to the Prom, we spent a lot of time reading at our campsite while the kids played around us.

I can't say any book l read stood out to me, as they are all good. I like to read a lot of books romance set in the 1940s in the UK during the war. I really enjoy them.

Photo a day challenge Day 2.

Day 2

Bit of a story behind this magpie. I have be-friended her and her 2 babies. Well mostly her. I am even able to handfeed her scraps of meat and bread. Now if l go outside and she is there she will come right up to me looking for some food or just to say hello.

Was funny, did try and get a photo of her this morning. She was on the patio digging into the cats dry food (with her 2 babies) and the cat just sat there watching them in his basket. he was a few feet away from them and neither was bothered about the other. Wished l grabbed that on camera but the kids made too much noise and they flew away. (the maggies that is not the cat).

Was a bit worried about them the other day too. Drove down the st and noticed 2 squished magpies on the road. And had remembered seeing mum at our place in the morning without the babies. I thought they may have been hit my a car and it was sad.

But l got a surprise that afternoon as there they were in the backyard squawking away and mum was there singing.

Its been great to watch them, i too have a fear of maggies as l have often been swooped so this little family who has enjoyed our back yard has changed my view of these amazing birds. Watching the mother tend to her young is amazing, how she looks out for them and teaches them the ways of the world... as a magpie.

Photo a day Challenge Day 1.

Day 1. After a lateish dinner, we went for a walk as a family, down the Warby Trail at thought we would have a look at a new housing estate, where they had just dug the road out. Had the camera with me and was taking photos of the kids, when l turned aroudn and saw the sun setting. This is what the result was.

best09 Trip December 1

December 1. Trip what was your best trip?



Gosh, thats a hard one.... We had one big trip over June up to Merimbula for a week. But l think some of our 4x4 trips beat that. Nothing better then getting into a car heading off into the bush, waving goodbye to traffic jams, pollutions and crowds (as well as take away, supermarkets and convience oh and toilets and showers)...



The best trip we did was over the Australia Day weekend. Our Wonnangatta Valley trek. Headed off as it was rather warm, that was going to be a challenge stuck in a car for a 3-4 hours trip with 2 kids who wanted to know "where are nanny and poppy", "are we there yet", "is this where we will put our tents up for the night?", "is it time to set camp up yet?" and l could go on and on.

We spent the 4 days 4x4 around, up and down mountains, across rivers and having a ball and the poor car getting very dirty. But then thats what 4x4 is all about. Had all sorts of weather (no rain thankfully), but did get the one thunderstorm the first night, and talk about an lighting show. You never experience these kinds of lighting shows when in the "big smoke". It was amazing to watch and just went for hours and hours.

Wonnangatta Valley was amazing and is this little valley amongst all these mountains and just rich in history. I love history. It used to be a cattle station and the only way in was via foot or horse. Their is a grave site and the house still stands today (well rebuilt).

Was just amazing to get out for the 4 days and just be with the bush. The best thing about having a 4x4 is getting out where 2 wheel car's cant' and just enjoying the peace and quiet and of course the boys love their BIG toys and love to see what their cars can do.

We also did a lot of 4x4 around Mansfield and the High country at other times of the summer and Easter.

Prob not a good entry, and a lot harder then l thought. Trying to remember that far back is hard... or maybe its just the time of night and l am tired.... well we shall see what tomorow's entry's brings.

Till then.

The best of... December challenge.....

Found this challenge and thought this would be a fun challenge....

http://www.gwenbell.com/blog/2009/11/30/the-best-of-2009-challenge.html