3 Today

You’re Three today, “hip hip hooray”, you’re three today. 

But there’ll be no party, no presents, no cake, because you’re not here to celebrate.

I often find myself wondering who you would be, our little boy, now Mr Three. 

Would your favorite things be trains, or cars or trucks? Or puppies & ponies or even ducks?

Would you be loud & messy like your brothers or would you be very different & like no others?

When we see the white butterfly you often send our way, we’ll know you’re with us as we commemorate this day.

For our second son who was born in June, you came too early & left way too soon.

We’ll light your candle & release a balloon & send Birthday wishes to our boy on the moon. 

For a part of our family you’ll always be, from now until eternity.

Because our love for you is off the charts, Ryan James- your name & face, forever engraved upon our hearts.

Happy 3rd Birthday baby boy 🎈

xx

Cutting the apron strings

It’s been a big week for us around here as our eldest baby Peanut started preschool. 

  

I’ve been quite emotional about it these past few weeks leading up to this day, shedding a few tears at just the thought of my little boy out in the big wide world all on his own. I’ll admit I even cried whilst watching a certain Abc4kids show about a little bear starting school for the very first time. Damn that Justine Clarke & her emotion stirring melodies! 

It’s not that I’ve never been away from him for any period of time before. I have, many times. He regularly spends nights at both of my parents places (which he & I love) & I went back to work part time when he was a yr & a half old but my mum looked after him on those days at our home (thank goodness for hands on, involved grandparents-I do know how lucky I am!) 

Its just a very different thing leaving your child in the care of family members, who they know well & have one on one time with as opposed to with people you & they don’t know along with a whole bunch of other kids you don’t know in a foreign enviroment. It’s a big step for this mumma & all parents sending their precious babies off to daycare, preschool or school for the very first time. It’s hard!

At 4.5 yrs old most of you are prob thinking well it’s about bloody time!! And yes as he’ll be going to “big” school next year we thought it WAS about time to get him used to a routine, to start making some friends in our new area & to assist in his personal development on the whole.

So Wednesday was D day & besides the usual 29 requests to hurry up & get shoes on & go brush his teeth etc he surprised me with being pretty good & actually being ready on time. I made sure I was well prepared for the day with my waterproof mascara on & sunnies ready to go!

We walked to preschool, chatting about all the fun he was going to have & what kinds of things he might do throughout the day. As we got closer I felt my heart starting to race & had to fight back the tears, but I couldn’t cry yet & definitely not in front of him. 

As we walked into his room one of the carers came & said hello & took him straight off to play with some playdoh and another little girl already there. He went along happily without even a glance back which made me both happy & also a little sad. I went & sorted out the last of the paperwork in the office & the director asked if I was going to go back in. I said yes of course, I wanted to say a proper goodbye & make sure he was ok for me to leave & ensure him I’d be coming back. 

He was playing with some Lego & I sat & played for a few minutes before saying its time for me & your brother to go now, but we’ll come back in a little while to pick you up. He looked a little sad & was very quiet but gave me a big hug goodbye (which is a very rare occurrence these days) & that alone was enough to start the tears welling up, so I quickly gave him a big squeeze back & told him to be good, have lots of fun & I’d see him in the afternoon. As I backed away trying hard to not let those tears fall, I glanced back at him & in that moment, through watery eyes he looked so small. I managed to get out of the gate before a couple tears fell down my cheek, but upon remembering I had to walk back home, along the street, you know, where actual people could & would see me, I managed to contain it to just a few tears & not do the whole big ugly cry, I’d save that for at home. 

I treated myself to a chai latte at the local cafe to mark the occasion- I would have liked something a little stronger but figured at 9am that would probably be frowned upon!

Once home, the house was quiet, albeit briefly as I still had Pumpkin to keep me company & as I sat & finished my chai I thought of my little boy & hoped he was having fun, was making friends & wasn’t scared. I rang them at lunchtime just to get an update, being that it was the first time ever he’d been in an environment like that without me, although I think it was more to put my own mind at ease & apart from being told he’d had sand thrown in his eye, (accidentally cause you know, kids!) that he was having a great time & settling in well. I could relax & breathe a little easier after that.

Hubby & I both went & picked him up a little earlier than finishing time & we found him happily playing in the sandpit with lots of other kids. He said he’d had a good day, the teachers gave me a good run down of what they did & how he’d been. 

Walking home he told us all about a story they’d read, but then proclaimed in typical toddler boy fashion that everything else was “stupid”. He looked very wiped out & I said to him after having such a big day we’d have an early dinner & early night so we could have a good rest & then get up & be ready to do it all again tomorrow (That would be the real test, if he was happy to go back again the next day) He just looked at us & said “oh I hope it’s school holidays soon cause I’m exhausted & need a break” this, after his very 1st day!!! Hubby & I just laughed. 

                              LOZZIE X

Did you send a little one off to school or care for the very first time this year? How did they go? Did you need ALL the tissues or ugly cry in front of anyone? Do you have any stories or memories from your first time at school when you were younger? 

I want to hear it all, comment here or over on Facebook or Instagram 

Fan Girl Friday #4

Hello Bright Ones, 

Hope you’re all well & have a had a wonderful week. What are you getting up to this weekend? Any exciting plans? A spot of Christmas shopping perhaps? 

If you read my last post, Gratitude & Gallstones you’ll see my week didn’t quite go according to plan & I’ve been resting up at home all week after my impromptu surgery but I’m hoping to get out on Sunday to the local Christmas markets & buy a few last minute gifts. 

If you also read my Flavor of the Month post earlier this week you’ll know I was highlighting all things Christmas & on Tuesday this week we had our very own Elf on the Shelf “Tinkerbell” as named by Mr 4,  come & join our family for the holiday season, so I thought for this fan girl Friday I’d keep it simple & highlight the Instagram hashtag 

#ELFONTHESHELF 

  Just some of the fun antics the elves can get up too.  

     Some of the MANY photos shared to the # on Instagram

So What is Elf on the Shelf?

It’s a family tradition where an elf sent by Santa comes to live with you & reports back to him your behavior during the lead up to Christmas. Your child must name your elf & then they can get to work. The elf is magic & will fly back to the North Pole each night while you sleep & take up a new hiding place or activity each day for you to discover when you wake. This is where the fun comes in & you are only limited by your imagination. The elf doll comes with a book that explains it all very well in a cute little rhyming story. On Christmas Eve they go back with Santa to live at the North Pole until they return to your home again the next year. 

 The hashtag is great to follow to get ideas & inspiration if you’re playing along at home with your own elf or it’s just fun to watch & see what elf antics others are getting up to & get into the holiday spirit.

 I know “Elf” can divide people as some see the doll itself as creepy & that you shouldn’t need a toy to help solve behavioral issues, blah blah blah….  But I’m totally on team FUN! It’s about creating memories & preserving that childhood magic & I’m not gunna lie, if a little toy elf makes the next 3 weeks of life here a little more peaceful then I don’t see that as a bad thing at all. You gotta do what you gotta do and besides who’s to say your Elf can’t help impart the messages you want to teach your children, like a little note telling them to be kind, to share a toy with a friend, bake cookies for a neighbor or reminding them to brush their teeth. 

Seeing the photos of all the other elves & their adventures brings a smile to my face & I’m loving watching Peanut search for Tinkerbell each morning to find out what she’s been up to. I’m looking forward to carrying on this tradition with my boys for many years to come.

Here’s some photos I shared to the #elfontheshelf hashtag of Tinkerbell’s arrival & the first two days she spent at our home. 

   
   

You can follow her daily adventures with us over on my Instagram account HERE

                     LOZZIE X

Do you have an elf visit your house at Christmas time? What’s the funniest or naughtiest thing your elf has done? If you have an elf, what’s their name? 

Tell me everything, here on the blog or Here or Here 

“Peanuts”- Cute Crap my Kids Say

  

  

My eldest son Peanut comes out with some of the cutest & funniest sayings & words ever (as do most kids) but as my memory isn’t as good as I’d like it be, I know I won’t remember all these little moments in years to come (heck I forget them 10 mins later if I don’t write them down) so I’m keeping a record here of some of the things the boys say that make me laugh, so that I can look back on them & share with them when they’re older some of these little nuggets & the words they mispronounced.

So here are some of the latest “Peanuts” from the mouth of Mr 4.

Lello – Yellow

Effalant- Elephant

Camamel- Caramel

Krizzbee- Frisbee

I hurt my thumb toe – big toe

When I’m a big daddy…

When I grow up & get my real webs (the kid really thinks he’s spiderman)

Upon telling him to eat his veggies & meat so he grows up big & strong “well I don’t want to grow up mummy because I’m having too much fun as a kid”

When calling him sweetheart or by his actual name “I’m not sweetheart, I’m Spiderman”

Reading a book about animals & I asked him what do you call a baby duck? “Ummmm, a waddler”

“Last night was like sleeping in a clam shell” he exclaimed when he came out to the lounge room one morning

After little brother destroyed the  train tracks he’d been making & I told him it was ok, he could rebuild it “I don’t want to build one more train track in my life!”

“Mummy, you’re annoying me”. OR “Mummy you’re frustrating me.”  Whenever I ask him to do anything like pack away his toys, eat his dinner, get dressed, get ready for bed etc etc

On growing his hair long “I want it to be like Keith Urban” & when I said we really need to give you a haircut “no, I like my big hair”

Calling his brother “little mate” when he talks to him

                         LOZZIE X 

What are some of the funniest things your kids have said? Have you got the memory of an elephant or a goldfish? Did your parents keep a record of all the cute crap you said or did?  I wanna know it all, so leave me a comment or come join the discussion on Instagram & Facebook 

5 Things I took for Granted Before I had Kids

  

I LOVE my boys, I really do, but lately most days are a constant blur of mess & noise, tears & tantrums (sometimes mine) ok, mostly mine!

 Life is chaotic & crazy with kids, it’s full on & there’s not a lot of “down time.” Sure it’s fun & fulfilling too, they continue to amaze & surprise me & make me smile everyday (yes even through the tears) but sometimes I’ll find myself looking back on my life before kids & wish I’d appreciated some of the things I took for granted just a little bit more.

1) My time – being able to do what I wanted, whenever I wanted, without needing to work around little peoples feeding/sleeping schedules.  I use to be able to sit & read a good book for hours uninterrupted (I can’t remember the last time I even picked up a book lately) Organising to meet a friend for a coffee or dinner on the spur of the moment & then being able to enjoy that time together without watching the clock & having to rush off to get back home. Shopping for clothes, taking the time to browse and actually being able to TRY ON a bunch of different things in a change room as opposed to holding an item of clothing up to myself & thinking “yep that’ll do” as Peanuts running off & Pumpkin starts crying & squirming around in the pram. Even just the little luxuries like having a long shower (without having to decide, should I wash my hair or shave my legs today because I don’t have time to do both) or going to the bathroom without an audience & a billion (sometimes inappropriate) questions would be nice once in awhile.

2) Travelling light – leaving the house to go anywhere before kids was easy. I picked up my handbag with all my essentials (phone, keys, wallet & water) & walked out the door. These days you’d think I was going on a mini holiday with the amount of crap I carry around just to go out for a couple hours to the local shopping centre or park. 

3) Sleep – I always thought I was tired BEFORE. If anyone asked me how I was, my stock standard reply would be “good, but tired!” Oh man how I miss the days of 8-9 hours of uninterupted sleep & weekend sleep ins, when funnily, I thought that wasn’t enough. Ha! Surviving on 3-4 hrs of broken sleep a night these days I’d happily take that before kids “tired” feeling any day. I didn’t  know the meaning of the word TIRED until I had kids!

 4) Having proper, fully engaged & complete conversations – Being constantly interrupted (although at least he says “excuse me”- small parenting win, yay) or sidetracked by watching out for whatever mischief the boys are currently getting up to & yelling out random things, mid conversation “get off your brother” “put your pants back on” “stop that” & “don’t do that” are the norm these days if you talk to me. Im sorry. I’m lucky if I can finish a thought, string a sentence together, make any kind of sense, follow the conversation & not sound like I have Tourette’s. 

5) Peace & Quiet – I could sit & read a book, the paper, a magazine without having to re-read the same paragraph 5 times. I could watch tv or a movie without having to pause, rewind or turn up the volume multiple times. I could relax & listen to music or just zone out & think in complete & utter silence. It was bliss. Now I have the constant background noise of shrieks, squeals & screams, along with loud, LOUD banging or dropping & throwing of toys 24/7. Sometimes the noise is cute chatter & laughter, reading/telling stories or singing, (which is a bit cute!) but more often than not, it’s the kind that makes me want to go & put my head between 2 pillows to drown it out! Kids are LOUD & there is no volume control.

However, if you can’t beat em, join em! So I’m off to go bang on some pots and pans & join in the boys musical kitchen band. 

  
  
                         Lozzie x

Sometimes you don’t appreciate what you had til it’s gone. Are there things  in life you take or took for granted? Is there something you miss from your life, pre kids? I’d love to hear in the comments or come say hi over on Facebook  & Instagram 

 

Rainbow Party for our Rainbow Baby

    
  

Last weekend we celebrated Pumpkins 1st birthday here at home with our family (much to hubby’s protests that it was a silly day to have a party & that no one would come) YES it was the long weekend & YES it was grand final day, but we made it through this year (which has definitely been a tough one) & that alone was cause enough for a party & reason to celebrate, besides it being a special milestone birthday (although I do feel 1st birthdays are more for the parents anyway as I don’t know anyone who actually remembers their 1st birthday) & YES almost everyone came. 

  

We decided to have the party here at home, because we could (hello backyard) after years of unit living & hosting parties in parks or halls & centers it was nice to be able to have it in our own space. We just wanted a low key family affair (although just family still means 14 kids & 23 adults when everyone can come! Hubby is one of SIX so his side of the family is a party in itself!) we decided on having an afternoon tea to work around Pumpkins naptime which worked out perfectly as he was able to be up for the whole party & wasn’t grizzly or too tired & it also meant less prep work for me etc not having to provide a big lunch for everyone, just cake & nibbles (I’m all about quick, easy & fuss free)

  

We went with a Rainbow theme (for obvious reasons) & I found this such an easy theme to work with as anything goes really, as long as it’s  colourful. 

I kept decorations simple but cheerful with a Happy Birthday flag banner, some balloons, pinwheels, streamers & some colourful paper lanterns, all of which I picked up at a local party shop for a few dollars each. 

Continuing the rainbow theme for the food was pretty easy too. I did some chopped up fruit (grapes, blueberries, strawberries & kiwi) served in cute little cupcake cases & a rainbow veggie platter of red & yellow capsicum, carrot & celery, complete with a “pot of gold” at the end (ie. french onion dip.) Coloured popcorn, m&ms, lollies & all the other usual party food, chips, pretzels & biscuits rounded out the rest of the table.

   
 

It was going to be a super hot day here so along with some juice pops for the kids, soft drinks & some alcoholic beverages, I made some fruit infused water, with sliced lemon, a few sprigs of mint & some blueberries & raspberries for a yummy refreshing drink. I also had some rainbow paddle pops because Rainbow & what kid doesn’t like ice cream on a hot day! 

My mum & Peanut made the cake the night before, just a simple butter cake packet mix made “rainbow” with some food coloring (just divide batter between a few bowls, add your colours, pour into pan & then swirl) Easy but effective

  
  

I then decorated the cake just before the party using Betty Crocker Vanilla  frosting with some blue food coloring added to be the sky (oh my gosh sooo much blue!! We all looked like we were extras in the movie Frozen with our blue lips & tongues after eating it, but it was worth it, the cake was yum!)  I made some clouds using marshmallows cut in half & a rainbow & rain with m&ms. Then I sprinkled 100s & 1000s around the edges of cake (boy was that hard & messy! Maybe don’t ice the whole cake first if you ever plan to do this!) & then I threw some star sprinkles on top & ta-da birthday cake complete. 

  

I bought a piñata from the party shop too, a no.1 in multicolors (you can get all sorts of shapes, styles & themes) & filled it with some wrapped lollies, lollipops, mixed fun size chocolates, some bouncy rubber balls, cute little erasers & a few other bits & bobs I found at Kmart. (Seriously how good is Kmart!)

  

It was so much fun watching all the kids taking their turn to give it a whack & then the mad dash as they all dived down to collect the colourful loot that spilled out of it. 

   
 

I did splurge a little bit on the party favors though (shhhh don’t tell hubby) by ordering the cutest little cookies, clouds & rainbows from Hello Naomi & they fit the theme perfectly. They were almost too cute to eat! 

  

Of course the day was not without it’s dramas beforehand. Besides being a stinking hot day it was WINDY & trying to set up the table & decorations was a nightmare. The tablecloth kept blowing over & knocking down the table decorations, water was spilt (multiple times) streamers blew all over the place & trying to get any nice pictures of it all was near impossible. I was stressed out & frustrated & ready to cancel the whole day. (Melodramatic much? Yes. Over reaction, absolutely!) but in the interest of keeping it honest & real that’s how the day went down, me losing my shit at the weather. Yes the weather, the uncontrollable! In the end we just took the tablecloth away & went with the messy streamers & windswept look.

So all in all, the day went well, the party was fun, we spent time with family & memories were made.  Which in the end is what it’s all about really isn’t it. Oh & cake! 

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                         Lozzie x

Do you like to go all out for parties or keep it simple? Do you have a favorite theme you’ve hosted? Do you remember your 1st birthday? 

I’d love to hear from you, Comment here on the blog, come say hi over on Instagram or join us over on Facebook