Turning a negative into a positive

In the last couple of weeks life here has become crazy.  Hectic, busy, chaotic etc.

To regain balance and order I have made a few tough calls.

One being that for the next few weeks I will only be blogging on a Friday.  Things I Know will be here at 6am every Friday like always.

For ages now I have been so frustrated with the lack of time available to not only write for my own blog but to read and comment on others.  Last week is a prime example where I have not even finished reading the awesome linkers for I Must Confess let alone started on all the linkers to #tik.

I had a plan a few weeks ago which involved writing at the start of the week then be able to kick back and read for the rest of the week.  It did not work.

This little break sounds like a negative however I assure you I am looking at it very positively.  I will now be able to catch up on all the blog reading I have missed.  Which I am looking forward to doing.  Plus I will be able to do all the little bits on my own blog which have been bugging me for ages.  The first being a blog roll.

I will still be around on facey and instagram and hopefully be more connected than ever.  I may even throw in a couple of sneaky posts as there are a couple of things going on that I want to be a part of.  One example is Emma from Five Degrees Of Chaos who is hosting a breast feeding linky party which I am hoping to join in.

See you all on Fridays and then back on the 1st of September for even more blogging fun.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for #ibot, Ms Mystery Case for I Must Confess and One Mother Hen for #openslather

Things I Know #17- The internet

The topic at The Lounge this week is "What has the internet taught you?" '

The world is full of morons who delight in being keyboard warriors,  I have stayed away from anything remotely controversial this week for the fear of throwing my computer out of the window in complete frustration.

It has taught me that funny memes make me smile.

Good friends who live in different parts of the country or world are just a simple mouse click away.

Amazing people like Eddie Vedder can sum up what I am feeling and thinking in one song.

I am calling it a week a day early.  This has been one of the longest weeks I have had for a while.  It really feels like today should be Friday!!

Linking up with Tegan from Musings of the Misguided who is this weeks host of The Lounge.

An InLinkz Link-up

Wordless Wednesday- Randoms from my phone

The most beautiful sunset after a very long day.

Someone got his birthday pressie two weeks early because he was driving me nuts!!  Poor little guy was trying to pull himself up on things but we don't have anything he could use.

I dare someone to point out the areas of my house that need cleaning.  

Half a rainbow on Saturday  afternoon

Five goes later I got a decent picture of the new soccer jumper knitted by Nana

This is how to do soccer on a freezing windy Saturday morning.  Go to sleep bundled up in the pram.

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Always Hit Save

Seriously "Weird Al"is absolutely hilarious.  Em and Kylie this made me think of you guys!!





Today I am giving you a friendly warning,  ALWAYS HIT SAVE.  ALWAYS.

Sunday night all I had to do was add the link to Ms Mystery Case (next weeks host of I Must Confess with the topic of Greatest Fears) when I was interrupted by a baby who did not feel the need to go to sleep even though it was an hour past his bedtime.  I closed the lid on the lappy thinking I would be back to finish it once he went to sleep.  Another hour or so later and he finally went to bed.  So did I and never opened the computer again.

I wasn't that worried as I was getting up early so I knew I could finish it off and have it ready to go before 6am.

Yesterday I grabbed the lappy, opened it up, finished the post which was still open, hit publish and it would not comply.  I swore for a while, hit save then refreshed.  Well it only saved from where I was up too on Sunday night.  I swore again then finished it off.

Moral of the story- ALWAYS HIT SAVE.

Now I have imparted these words of wisdom please enjoy the new Weird Al song.  He has a whole new album but I could only share #wordcrimes, the others are on his website and there are some real corkers!!  I also added two songs of the week.  I am loving these songs!!

Linking up this cautionary tale with Essentially Jess for #ibot.

The liebster I promised will be for next week as I have a slight case of woman flu.

I Must Confess- Things I Never Told My Parents

While Kirsty from My Home Truths has a little time off myself and four other bloggers are having a turn each in hosting Kirsty's awesome link up I Must Confess

Thanks to Mums Take Five for suggesting this weeks prompt- Things I never told my parents. after I put the call out on facebook for a topic!!

I must confess my parents do not know about this blog.  In fact a lot of people I know do not know about this blog.  I kind of like this.  I guess mainly because I like having something that is all mine and I don't want people who don't get it to be bringing me down,  Does that make sense to you like it does to me??!!

But I know you are all dying to know some juicy confessions so here goes

• I was a pretty good kid.  Sure I jigged school once to hang out at the youthy (youth centre).
• Then there was the times we got older friends to buy booze

 

But really all in all I was a fairly good kid.  Although I am so glad social media was not around back then!!





Lately there has been a lot of reminiscing going on.  Storytelling about the old days.  The stories that you had to be there".  Each storyteller tell their own version of each story.  Some stories now are quite over exaggerated.  Some sound so unbelievable but are true.  Some stories you only have to say one word and it is enough to send me into fits of laughter.

Next weeks host of I Must Confess is Ms Mystery Case with the confession topic of My Greatest Fears.

An InLinkz Link-up

Linking up with

for Open Slather

Things I Know #16- Groundhog Day

It has been a dream of mine to visit Punxsutawney and go to the Groundhog Day festival ever since I saw this movie many years ago (1993 for all the movie buffs!!).

While I wait to live the dream I am lucky enough to be living my very own version of Groundhog Day.  With each day the same and increasingly getting worse exactly like in the movie!!

Ok I may be over exaggerating a little but you get the picture!!

The Bad stuff for this week

I am about one stupid post on facebook away from losing it.

First the keyboard warriors who were out in force over the story about a lizard being found in a tin of baby formula.  For the record I have an opened tin of the batch and have disposed of it, the baby is now on cows milk, I now need a dairy farm to keep up with the milk usage.  At least I will pocket some cash by not buying a tin a week!!   Shame on s26 for not offering a refund and also not recalling the product straight away.  Even if the story is untrue would it not be better to be safe than sorry.

Then the old what age should you send your child to school debate was raging again.  Over it, move on, next topic.

Now apparently a vegemite sandwich is the devils food.  Too much salt or some clap trap.   Maybe a gazillion vegemite sandwiches in a row is bad but not 1 every couple of days.  Common sense people plain old common sense where has it disappeared too??

But in the good stuff

For every crap day with the kids there is always one cute story.  Take yesterday for example when we were driving home from school and the 3 year old sneezed and the baby said uh oh.  I cling to this cuteness and all the little things that make me smile.

The dogs stolen food tally this week is quite high as I obviously have not said shut the door enough this week.  3/4 loaf of raisin bread, a box of baby rice cakes and the funniest thing was 2 tins of baked beans.  Stupid dogs couldn't work out how to open the ring pull!!

I am hosting I Must Confess on Monday while Kirsty from My Home Truths has a break for a few weeks. The prompt for this week was thought up by some awesome people on facebook and it is
"Things I never told my parents".  Of course you can link up any confession you like.  The other suggestions were "I never told my husband....."and "things I think about  right before bed".  Feel free to use these or anything else you wish to confess to!!

Another week done and dusted.  Although Fridays are a little busier now with the signing up of Kimdy Kid to Joeys on a Friday night.  The things I do for my kids, delaying the cracking open of a fresh bottle of wine until close to 630pm.  I should well be in the running for moty with that effort!!  Seriously though I really think he is going to love it.

Enjoy your weekend guys and stop by on Monday with your confessionals!!

I am also linking up with

and

An InLinkz Link-up

Thankful Thursday- Words To Live By

May God bless and keep you always
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young

Copyright © 1973 by Ram's Horn Music; renewed 2001 by Ram’s Horn Music
Read more: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/forever-young#ixzz37iiihBN0

I couldn't come up with my own words to live by. I am eternally grateful for Bob Dylan who wrote these incredible lyrics. I have shared this song before but it is completely what I am about and sums up my life at this point in time.

Linking up with the lovely Sarah from Creating Contentment for #thankfulthursday and with the amazing guest host of The Lounge this week Emma from Five Degrees Of Chaos.

Wordless Wednesday- Freesias

What to do when you have no money in your wallet and there is a minimum eftpos spend at the fruit shop??  

Buy some divine Freesias of course!!

The smell coming from these is so good.  They remind me of when I was young.

Linking up with  My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Sleep is for the Weak

I listen to music all the time. I made sure to crank the tunes when I was pregnant and I am sure part of the kids love of rockin out is attributed to the fact they have been dancing around to loud music before they were born.

I listen to a lot of Bon Jovi (no really I do!!) and I made the mistake of cranking this particular song for my first 2 pregnancies. Big mistake as number 2 in particular took the lyrics and made them his mantra for the first 9 months of his life.  This mistake was not repeated the third time around!!

That was a rough few months with number two. Really rough. We were all so exhausted and I am not sure how we actually functioned but we did. We got through it and came out the other side with a whole new appreciation for sleep.

He was the worst sleeper out of the 3.

Now all 3 boys are pretty good in the sleep department. The baby has maybe 1 night a week where we are up and on the lounge as he refuses to sleep in our bed. The 3 year old for the last couple of weeks has taken to falling asleep on the lounge cuddling me after he has been sent to bed.

I have to admit I am soaking up these times. There is nothing lovelier than a sleeping child all snuggled into you. Or watching as they drift off after fighting sleep for ages. I love carrying a sleeping baby to bed and having little arms wrapped around my neck and a little head so heavy against mine.

I have been lucky also as all 3 will go to bed and go to sleep with no problems. Our bedtime routine is shower then bed. I don't do bedtime stories or anything like that, they have never looked for that kind of thing.  They don't and have never needed any help getting to sleep.  I have been blessed to be able to pop them in the cot and they just go off to sleep.  Until they get in a bed that is and then the gtftb dramas start!!  Which is why number 3 will remain in a cot until he is at least 18!!

All three have found a special comfort thing they take to bed with them.  Each one is very special.

Speedy and blankie

Since starting school for Kindy Kid and dropping the day sleep for the 3 year old we are in a good place as far as their sleep goes. On school nights they are in bed by 7pm. Something which I am very strict on in the school term. God knows previous to that they were still up partaying until past 9pm some nights.  I was really worried about how their late nights would affect them especially as they still get up early no matter what time they go to bed.  But they settled themselves into a routine.  Kindy Kid in particular pretty much begs to go to bed every night now which is a far cry from the start of the year!!

Occasionally we have an extra person in the bed but all in all once in bed they stay in bed.

I just love this song!!

There will be a day when a sleep in will not be a dream.  For now I go with the flow and inhale coffee.  One day I will open my eyes on a Sunday morning and it will be something crazy like 8am!!

I was awarded a liebster a couple of weeks ago and part of the rules are passing it on to five other bloggers so I will be on the look out in this weeks #ibot for some recipients!!

Don't forget to pop by on Friday and link up for Things I Know!!

Linking up with My Home Truths for I Must Confess where the prompt this week is sleep and Essentially Jess because it is Tuesday and I blog on Tuesdays #ibot (most of the time!!).

Laugh Linkup- Sons of Poetry

I laughed mega hard when I saw this on The Street the other morning.  True brilliance.  I love the parodies they come up with!!


Yes 2 hours of someone opening chocolate eggs!!







These 4 videos are a sample ofwhat happens when the kids play on their tablet and it is not in flight mode or the wifi is switched off.  Lesson learnt and tablet locked and only to be used when in flight mode!!

Linking up with

and

Things I Know #15- Sunday

Ah Sunday.  The one day of the week where we potentially (normally) have nothing on.  No plans, nowhere to be.  A day which can do whatever we want.  After being introduced to the wonderful world of Saturday sports plus a swimming lesson which has meant the weekend has been reduced to just one day, Sunday has become sacred.

Although my little angels need to be trained to sleep in.  Sunday starts at the same time as every other day usually!!  Which can suck as weekend tv is shocking!!

Sometimes we go out for breaky which is nice.  We have a great spot we go to where the food is great and does not cost the earth.  There is a park for the kids to ride their bikes and play.

Other times we have a big lunch or a really early dinner at home.  Then a yummy dessert afterwards.  I like cooking on a Sunday as there is no rush to eat like during the week.  I usually try to make a cake or slice on a Sunday.

I make sure work and school uniforms are ready for the week.  I sometimes escape and do a big grocery shop by myself.  Or sometimes we all walk down to the shops together.

I love the nothingness of Sundays.  I get a little cranky if there is something on on a Sunday (unless its dinner with friends at the club!!  Kids eat free winner!!)

Why the Sunday love??  Because this week I absolutely promise to link up with Mums Take Five for Sunday Brunch!!  Sorry Bel for forgetting and not getting around to it last week.


I am also linking up with Melting Moments for their

An InLinkz Link-up

Ideas, I have a few.

I have ideas.

I have loads of ideas.

I have ideas for the house, kids, blog etc.

I spend a good part of my waking hours coming up with ideas.

But I either don't have time to implement them or I forget what they are or I don't have the gazillion dollars needed for some of them either.

This may sound whiny but it isn't.  I know I should find a spare hour or two, or actually write stuff down and I will.

I know that just like reading there will be a time when I will be able to have more hours in the day to do more of what I want to.  For now there are 3 little people who monopolise the majority of my life and I would not have it any other way.

I had the idea at the start of the week to spend Monday and Tuesday nights writing posts with the idea being that I could then spend the rest of the week reading and commenting.  Epic fail sort of.  You see I had Tuesdays #ibot all ready to go first thing in he morning and thanks to sleeping in and not getting up when the HOTH left for work (which I usually do to get an hour of quiet time in) I was quite literally adding the link in to my finished post when the very cute baby leant over and pressed a heap of buttons and deleted about 3/4 of it.

I am sure this idea will work next week though, especially as I am going to spend a sneaky hour or two on Sunday blogging.

I had so many ideas for this post too but will save them for the next time ideas comes as a prompt!!  I love Sundays when the new prompt for The Lounge pops up.  Gets me thinking and coming up with ideas!!  Can I write ideas anymore in one post??!!

Linking up a post filled quite literally with ideas with Roboschmobo this weeks host of The Lounge and also with myself for Things I Know #tik

Wordless Wednesday/ Thankful Thursday- Jump in puddles

I finally got a new desk.  A bargain from Officeworks.  Not what I had imagined but a cheapie that will do until the kids are older and don't trash everything!!

Not sure about the drink more coffee!!

Photo bombed by a dinosaur picture

I brought these pictures from The Reject Shop a while ago and will put them up around  the house so we can all read them.  I love the positive words.

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday and Creating Contentment for #thankfulthursday.  

Labradors, a movie rant and some Jovi

What to do when a very cute 11 month old deletes the majority of the #ibot post that had been carefully written for publishing this morning??

Head to the tube of course!!

First up is a video which made me cry laughing over the weekend.  If you have a Labrador this will really make your day.  For such a smart breed of dog they can be so incredibly stupid!!

Next up is the trailer to the movie Gone Girl.  I only found out yesterday that this was being made into a movie and for the last 24 hours all I have seen is this trailer pop up everywhere.  Looks great, must finish reading the book!!  Also I believe the movie ending will be different to the book.  I am still yet to see a movie made from a book that has been any good.  My Sister's Keeper- worst movie ending ever, I am still pissed even after about 5 years that I stayed up late watching it on tv.  All the John Grisham movies have butchered the books.

Lastly I adore this Bon Jovi song, the lyrics are quite timely at the moment around here.

Linking up late and with another dodgy #ibot post with Essentially Jess

I Must Confess- What I am not reading

The prompt for last weeks I Must Confess was What are you reading??  In my case what am I not reading. What books do I have as lovely coffee table ornaments.

The only thing I have read by lately has been home readers.  By the truck load.  Kindy Kid brings home a new batch every Monday and I read them so I know what they are then he reads them to his brothers or by himself because he can read and doesn't need any help.  (I don't know where he gets his stubbornness from!!)

I am loving the fact he can read.  Such an awesome thing to see this year is his ability grow and grow.  It makes the reading of the most mundane books worth it!!  Except when he brought home 2 of the same book and insisted on reading them both as he didn't believe me that they were the same.  Then there was the Melting Ice book which tipped me over the edge one day with its boringness.

He loves to read and that is the biggest win!!

I only have myself to blame for my lack of reading.  I can't just pick up a book if I have a spare few minutes as I need to be sitting comfortably and in silence with zero distractions.  I need to be able to be completely lost in the book.

I have been reading the same book for at least 7 months  It is a great read however I have read the same chapter about 5 times as I pick it up and can't remember where I am up too.  I need to get it finished as apparently they are making a movie out of it which is coming out in October.

I also need to get this one finished as I have a new one on my to read list.  Returning by Francesca Writes Here or Francesca Suters!!

Francesca is an Australian blogger who has not long  published her first novel and she was kind enough to sign me a copy I had purchased.

The blurb on the back sounds absolutely intriguing and I cannot wait to read it.  Hopefully sooner rather than later.

I read one whole book while we were in Fiji which was a Tess Gerritsen.  I started reading another John Grisham but never got it finished while we were away.

I know one day I will be able to read like before the kids came along.  I can't wait to sit and devour a whole book in one sitting.  Nothing better than a cold rainy day and a book.  For now though I will keep reading all the kids books as getting the kids to not only read but enjoy it is my main priority for the next little while.

Linking up with

and

Things I Know #14- Killer playlist and a winner.

Thanks to everyone who played along with this little bit of fun/giveaway.  The judges had a tough decision to make and the winner by the smallest of margins is ...................... Char with "The Best Day Of My Life" Honourable mention to Robomum who made me explain why we are not Greek and do not dance like Zorba.  A conversation which lasted for about 2 hours.

There were some tense moments whilst judging was happening.  Including me freaking out when I realised just how old the Deee-Lite song is (1990 for those playing along at home!!)  There was nearly a punch up between the big 2 over Roar and Moves Like Jagger.  After a short break to regroup a decision was reached and I will never get the kids to judge anything ever again!!

Thanks again and enjoy this mega cool get down and get funky playlist!!

I Know I am not thankful but trying to be

#prettylittlepackage 

This week has sucked. Really really sucked.  Warning I am a crazy cat lady.

Shiraz has been missing for a week.  She bolted out the front door on Thursday night and has not been seen since.  We are all sad.  We hope she comes back.  We have searched all week for her.  Nothing.

We got Shiraz when Speedy was 11 days old.  She fitted in and enhanced the craziness of our house.  Witching hour is not the same without the cat adding her two cents.

I have been heartbroken all week but somehow the universe has given me reasons to smile.

• Receiving a lovely package from Where the styled things are as the person who was supposed to send me something in round one of #prettylittlepackage didn't.  I was not expecting it and it was very welcome.
• School holidays.  A mixed thankful!!
• Finally getting a chance to get the big boys hair cut.  They look so cute.
• Watching the baby on the verge of crawling.
• Getting more and more sounds and words out of the baby,  Uh Oh is this weeks new one.  
• Hearing as soon as he gets out of bed the dreams the 3 year old has had.  
• The perfect weather we have been having.
• Going to see Thomas The Tank Engine this Saturday at Trainworks.
• Catching up with good friends next week.

Linking up with Creating Contentment for #thankfulthursday and with myself for #tik and with Musings of the Misguided who is hosting The Lounge.