This week we are heading back to school and I’m HERE FOR IT. I've been back at work for a couple of weeks, and O back to daycare, but E has been on holidays - and after 6 weeks off, we are all ready for her to start Year 2! She had two days at Vacation Care last week (including a couple of fun excursions to a trampolining place and an indoor play centre), she spent two days with Daddy including swimming at a waterfall, and she spent one day with me - including a swim and play at my parents house. Yesterday we went with my parents to a botanic garden and bird world - and giant birds (Macaws and Cockatoos) sat on shoulders and heads for those who were keen (my parents and E), while O and I did our best to avoid this at all costs. I discovered that beautiful as these birds are, I much rather admiring them from a distance, rather than having those impressive claws and beaks directly ON me!


Altogether it was a nice final week to the summer break for her, and I think both kids have had a fun summer even if this year we didn't travel. Today is a public holiday (Australia Day), and we are tidying the house this morning (it is a bit of a disaster right now!) and then having friends over in the afternoon for a BBQ. And then tomorrow is BACK TO SCHOOL. E is in Year 2, and O is in kindy (final year of preschool before starting school next year). Both kids are continuing in their same school/daycare as the previous year, so it should be a nice smooth transition (O already had some practice days in the 4 year old Kindy room last week and did well). E's classroom is directly opposite her Year 1 classroom last year, so we won't even have trouble finding the room. E's stationary and new lunch cooler are all labeled with her name stickers (I left it a little close but they arrived on Thursday, two business days before the start of school - phew!), ready for her bag to be packed. Her school uniform is mostly continued from last year as it still fitted and is in good shape (I just bought one new t-shirt). So here we go!

In other news, goals/habits update: I have been doing well with my regular reading this year (already finished two long - 800 page - books!), getting back into work and my side business, and doing dailyish walks. I have NOT been doing strength training (I did three sessions and then dropped the ball). So this week I want to build that into my routine (even just 10 minutes to start to build the habit)! I also didn't plan consistently last week and felt reactive all week instead of proactive. Looking forward to doing my weekly and daily planning consistently this week. I think I'll map out a plan for a morning routine and track it in my planner for the next little while. The kids interrupt me a lot, BUT they are also old enough now that I can ask them to play elsewhere and give me a short time to myself in the morning, and I have to be better with building in those boundaries, for my own sanity (their favourite morning past time is to literally climb all over me, and then fight with each other while climbing all over me - not the serene start to the day I hope for!).


I hope everyone's week is starting off well. Do you like birds? Would you enjoy them landing on your head? How's everyone's goals and habits started off in January?
I think I'd prefer no birds on my head, but on the other hand I wouldn't be screaming in terror either. But I mean... how do you know they won't poop? Then you'd have bird poop in your hair, ew.
Anyway! My January got off to kind of a rocky start but I'm trying to get on track. My strength training really fell off in December, but lately I've been doing short strength workouts- 20 minutes is much better than nothing. Even 10 minutes would be a good way to get back into it.
Good luck with the start of school!
E is very brave, and so cute. Your summer schedule is throwing me off, but I guess that's what happens when you live on the opposite side of the world. I was ready for school to get back in session after the Christmas break. This is new for me, because I usually love break/hanging out with the kids. Coach had the flu on my birthday (Dec. 30th), and the two new-to-our family girls (ages 12.5 and just turned 14) aren't great at entertaining themselves yet. Their friends were all out of town over break, so having no friends to reach out to was a challenge. I've made a point to insist that Coach help me tackle a corner of the…
I’m fascinated to buy birds, but not sure I would be keen to have one land on my head? Our zoo has this bird show during the summer months and they will take volunteers from the audience to have these giant birds land on your arm. My kids have never been interested in volunteering nor have I!! But those birds are very beautiful!
I had all this new year energy in the first 10 days of the month and then I had surgery and just feel extremely mad about everything. Lol. But I did get tickets to a children’s theater show for the boys in February which is something on my 25 and 25 list. I’m also going to take…