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The two weeks of school break for the kids went well overall - they had a great time. There was lots of family time with grandparents (two nights staying with Al's parents in the first week, seeing my parents every day in the second week), one day of vacation care, lots of fun outings to parks, playgrounds, the beach etc. And the most important part - lots of COUSIN time. My brother and 6 year old niece visited from Melbourne for a week and stayed with my parents, and we saw

It was a long weekend for me - I had Friday off from work, and it ended up being such a fun one. The kids and Al had school and work on Friday, so I took advantage and after dropping the kids at school, I headed out for a relaxation massage. It was a 60 minute massage with hot stones, aromatherapy oils, the works. So nice. My venue Then I went looking for a new outfit for the horse racing we were attending the next day. I had a dress I'd borrowed from my SIL, and it looked ni

I'm happy to report that this week is turning out to be more manageable and enjoyable than last week. Sometimes I need to remind myself that just because a week at work is crazy busy and perhaps a little frustrating, doesn't mean it will stay that way. Sometimes its just a week or two from settling down, but I can't quite see it until it happens. love spotting flowers like these even on a short walk During this time, there have been certain habits and strategies that have bee

Somehow it’s been two weeks since I last posted - I started a couple of blog posts during that time, but got distracted, got busy, and then didn't finish them. Oops. Any other bloggers struggle with this? The rest of May was a bit of a mixed bag. When I got home I was on a high, it was great to see the family, the weather was lovely, and work seemed manageable. Then O got sick, including fever and vomiting, work got stressful (a couple of unbloggable issues), the rain set in

I'm heading home from Adelaide today after the most amazing experience these past 5 days at my masterclass. Outside of special family events, this may have been the best week of my life. There were 14 of us in the Masterclass, led by Fiona McIntosh, a bestselling Australian author who writes bestsellers in crime AND historial fiction. It was such a friendly group, Fiona is SO knowledgabe (about writing and also commercial publishing), but also very funny, and we spent a lot o

Time for a review of my first Quintile of the year (I divide my year into 5 seasons - the four school terms, plus the summer). We've just finished the first term of school which ran end of January until early April, so time for a recap of how I did on my goals so far. A pretty local spot for reflecting on the year so far. Paint O's bedroom - complete! This took a whole weekend plus an extra evening or two during the following week. Its exhausting so can really only do one roo

We are one week into the two-week break from school for the kids, and I am happy to report its been going really well, even though Al and I are not off for most of this time. I had the Easter long weekend (Good Friday to Easter Monday) off, Al only worked Sunday out of those days, and I then I also took Friday 10th off, to have two long weekends in a row with the kids. In addition to our days off, we've had a mix of paid vacation care and extended family (grandparents, Aunty)

I didn't intend to go more than two weeks without blogging, but somehow life got in the way. Nothing dramatic, just busy. Here are a few updates: 1) This weekend just passed was the nicest weekend I've had in a while . Two weekends ago O was sick (fever and vomiting) and I didn't leave the house all weekend. I DID get a lot of housework and a bit of decluttering done (more on that later) but I was very tired (fighting off the virus myself perhaps?) and overall it was not a fu

How did the month go so fast? I need to remind myself that this February EVERY year, because I have a feeling that every year its like this, and every year I'm somehow surprised. Its the start of the school year, its gearing up at work after the slower summer, its only 28 days long! At work I had A LOT of meetings on the calendar . It seemed like every team, committee, and seminar organisers had picked February for their first event of the year (of course, because no one sch

This was a big week - O started school for the first time, and E started Grade 3. It was a short week because Monday was a public holiday, so school was Tuesday to Friday. First day at school together - E in big sister mode After being fairly excited for weeks about going to Big School , O declared on Tuesday morning when he woke up that he wasn’t QUITE big enough yet and would stay in kindy a bit while longer. We explained that wasn’t an option, and there were tears, and arg

Somehow its been two weeks since I last posted! These two weeks have been busy, chaotic, and fun. There's been juggling work and school holidays (so thankful to grandparents who have helped out 3 days per week!), there have been family birthdays with eating out and even a local waterway cruise for my mum's birthday which was really fun, there has been some entertaining - playdates and having our neighbours over for dinner. And I've been working on my writing too. E helped me

There has been some heavy news this week - both out in the world (the horrific news from Minneapolis, bushfires wreaking devastation in my home state of Victoria), and closer to home with a good friend having a really tough week. I'm reaching out to friends and family who are affected, and looking for ways to help, but I definitely felt a bit down about it all last night. BUT it was also a busy week back at work after 3 weeks off, with the kids still on summer holidays unti

I love setting goals. Over the last few weeks, I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about my intentions for 2026, and followed much of Sarah's method outlined in her new Best Laid Plans book! (The physical copy I pre-ordered has been delayed so I went ahead and bought the Kindle edition to get me started on the new year). What does 2026 look like for me and the family? Before creating my goals, I looked closely at 2026, and what to expect. A few features are: both kids a

Happy New Year! The blog is back! I've missed blogging the last few months, but its really only after a good break from work over these holidays that I feel refreshed and wanting to jump back in with posting again. I thought I'd post just a few highlights from the last few months (and a few lowlights to keep it real!). Highlights: O graduated from Kindy and is starting his first year of school next year (we call this Prep in QLD). He is so much more confident now in so many w

Has been very social! My brother, sister-in-law and niece had a few more days staying with my parents before they headed home, so we had...

After a busy Monday and Tuesday at work, I have taken the rest of the week off and it’s been great! E still has school holidays until...

Last time I posted I was about to head to Sydney for work and a game plan for how to make the next two weeks manageable. Well, lets just...

I'm so sad I haven't blogged for two whole weeks! But it was necessary as life just got a bit too much to handle temporarily. Everyone...

Things have been a bit too much for me lately - some good things, some stressful things, but just a lot! Work has been a lot (lots of out...

Well! It's been a couple of Fridays since I last posted. Between work, Easter break, in laws staying with us, and the life stuff - its...