Age is just a number, plus a few new wrinkles

I turned 46 on the weekend. I don't feel 46. Well, now that I think about it,  there may be some days...like when I look in the mirror. A few extra lines, that grey streak in my hair (which I recently fixed with a trip to the hairdresser), not to mention the saggy skin starting to form around my jaw and neck region! What does one do about that?!

I actually had a really good day, some shopping by myself in the morning, a bit of gardening, a visit from a friend who arrived with a bag of lemons (yes!) and then out to dinner with Boggy and the kids. Getting a decent photo of the kids altogether proved a little hard. I don't what is so hard about "smile, look at the camera".

The clincher for my birthday was when I walked into the servo to pay for fuel. A nice (charming local) bloke I've known for years turned around to leave and he said to me "You look younger every time I see you!", which was about the best thing you could say to a 46 year old on her birthday. I put my hand on his arm and said, " Do you know what Bert? It's my birthday today and that's a wonderful thing to for you to say". I got a kiss on the cheek as well.

When I was at the supermarket earlier in the day, it took me twice as long with the conversations it created when I saw people, who without good old Facebook wouldn't have known it was my birthday. I bumped into a mate who I share a birthday with and it was hugs all around. He actually saw my car out the front and came in looking for me. How wonderful!

Looking back on my week, there has been some good things, I am always reminding myself to be grateful (most of the time I fail miserably).

Spur of the moment the girls and I hit Target for cheap white t-shirts to paint for footy colours day. Thank goodness they were happy with them. I was happy with them! It felt good to be creative in this way. I hadn't printed a t shirt since high school in art class ( a midnight oil t-shirt). I made a stencil from clear contact and went to work with fabric paint. I'll be doing some more tshirt printing for one of my tiny tots classes to wear for the gymnastics annual concert.

There's a tree flowering at the entrance gate at work and it smells divine! It's a great time of year, and that smell reminds me of sunny warm days.

The term is nearly over, two weeks left. I am so proud of myself getting through my first term coaching school groups, it's been a learning curve and I guess some experience up my sleeve.

Super happy too today, as when I get home from work (I have Kindergym and Tiny Tots), my September Bella Box should be waiting for me at the back door. Woop woop! 

Crows and Port shirts. Not to shabby.

Beautiful free lemons! 

Birthday lunch, roasted veg with lentils, spinach and feta. Yum, yum!

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Taking Stock - How is it even August?!

Making : I'd put it of as long as I could, but the nagging of my eldest girl Isabel got he better of me and I helped them make slime! We had no food colouring, so it looked a little 'Something about Mary', but the girls added glitter and it turned out well. 

Cooking : Dinner last night for my brother and sister in law. It was the AFL South Australian show down between the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide. We watched in disappointment as Port got flogged, but ate well! I made roasted veggie couscous and creamy bacon and broad bean pasta. My SIL Margi, bought along carrot salad to go with our barbecue meat. 

The weather was rough as guts, with a high of 8, and a 'feels like' temp of 2! Not the best barby weather. Boggy set the BBQ up in the shed with the fire box going. 

Roasted veggie cous cous is as easy as roasting cubes of eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum, onion and tomato. Throw some peeled garlic cloves, cumin, salt and olive oil over the top and bake at 200 for 20 minutes. Mix through some prepared cous cous, and mix in some finely chopped preserved lemon. Add lemon juice and zest if you don't have preserved lemon. I served it with feta cheese broken up over the top. Delish.

Drinking : Eight dollar cans of UDL at the pub over the weekend. My friend Elle and I went to the Raw Muscle male revue show at the Sporties (local pub). It was a fantastic ladies night out! 

Trawling: Online shopping sites. Is it just me, or does everyone else has a multitude of unchecked out shopping carts, in their 'Other bookmarks' folder?! It's like an online wishlist reminder!

Wanting: For rainbows to actually have a pot of gold at the end, and that rainbow to end on my front door step!

Looking: At online plant suppliers to cheaply fill the gaps in the garden where I have pulled out other stuff and gotten rid of ivy. I have a big space to fill that is shady and am thinking Hydrangeas or Camellias. Big beautiful plans! 

Deciding: What my lesson plans will entail for my upcoming Tiny Tots classes on Friday. I started teaching gymnastics to a class of six, 4/5 year old children this term. Challenging, as I have never done it before and I am still getting to know the kids. Challenging too, as the end of year concert is in early term 4 and I have to have them skill ready to perform. I am not putting too much pressure on, ten lessons isn't much time to reinforce a well seasoned four year old gymnast! 

Wishing: I don't usually enter, but I am hoping, like every time I see it come on, that the Sunrise Cash Cow would ring my dear old darling Dad. If anyone deserves that call he does! Hopefully he isn't on the dunny when they call!

Enjoying: A Pinot Grig(io) after my footy dinner party. 

Waiting: For my new phone to turn up. I am going to love, love the 13 megapixel camera. My camera/phone is so last century!

Wondering: Wondering when my kids will stop being sick. The first week of school holidays I had Isabel home from school for two days with a bug, and this week Summer has had a sore belly and an on and off temp. I need a break!

Loving: That Survivor is back on again. It fills the hole from Masterchef and gives me something to get excited about watching when the kids go to bed. I have not gotten on the Netflix bandwagon and can't see myself making the time for it either. Mainstream TV is floating my boat at the moment. I have always been daggy like that.

Listening: Well, intending to listen to Woogsworld podcast called The Hot Flush. I think I had my first hot flush on Saturday night before going out. My face and neck felt so hot and I found myself fanning my face in an attempt to cool down. The rest of my body was cold. Husband was worried I was sick and coming down with something. My cheeks still felt hot as I ordered tea, and thank goodness it had settles down before dinner arrived and the impending male review show! LOL.

Considering: Ordering menopause herbs and concoctions!

Buying: New undies. Is there any pleasure that is better? Besides new sheets of course. Now there's a debate.

Watching: Old reruns of the Kenny Everett show. Oh the memories of being a teenager in the eighties. It's still ridiculously funny. The teenage must watches or die a horribly devastatingly death of FOMO, was missing Kenny Everett, Countdown or The Goodies. Monkey Magic too for argument sake :)

Hoping: I have a carefree, stress free week. There seems to always be something lately that throws a spanner in the works. 

Marvelling: At my gorgeous little ray of sunshine, Summer. She came home from school telling me her friend(a boy) was doing Gangnam style dance at school. You know the wrist on wrist pony move. So she joined in doing the waving the wrist in the air and holding on the reigns move with him. Too bloody cute. I would have loved being a fly on the wall. She said no one was watching, and it resonates with me with the quote to dance as though no one is watching. A total five year old initiative. 

Cringing: At myself. I realised at the end of the day, as I reclined back on my couch, that I'd had my tracky daks on inside out all day! Total bogan move. It didn't look that obvious and I realise I I don't spend enough time on myself in regards to getting dressed in the morning. 

Needing: I am sure I say this way too much, but a holiday on my own.I have to plan a weekend away before we go away to the Goldie at the end of the month.

Questioning: Whether it was wise to buy a whole cask of Pinot Grigio. It was out for $11, surely too good to leave in the bargain trolley. 

Smelling:  An auntie Janet died a while ago and my uncle had her old perfumes and passed them on to my mum. She's been sharing the smelly love and I ended up going through it and picked out a few of still good old school Avon scents. Brings back memories. I also went through the five dollar bargain bin at the chemist and got some eau de parfum, so I am smelling fine.

Wearing: Comfy, warm clothes. I wish I had a pair of good ugg boots. I don't. So it's thick warm socks and slippers inside. It's super cold right now.

Knowing: I am more aware of the need to make the time I have during the week when the kids are at school, and my husband is at work, to do all the things I need to do to make my life easy and happy. I am learning to leave all the rest for whenever, like housework and the things that makes everyone else comfortable. The next important thing is making sure the kids are happy. I am not responsible for my hubby, he's on his own, and big and ugly enough to pitch an look after himself. 

Thinking: I need to keep up with making an extensive list of jobs at the start of the day to make sure I am on task for the week. The easy things are feeding the animals, a dog, a cat, the chooks, the canaries and the hook beaked birds in the aviary. The extra stuff is lesson planning for gymnastics and keeping my son on an even track with his appointments and life goals. I do realise I have a little more responsibilities than the average Joe, which is why it is so important to keep on top of things. 

Admiring: Teachers everywhere. I only have two classes a week for gymnastics, that I have to lesson plan for. I have total respect for teachers who lesson plan an entire year of classes, every day of term. 

Getting: An understanding of being a committee member and employee of a sporting club. Lots of extra work that goes unseen and unappreciated until you become a part of it. Get involved and help out if your your child is part of sporting organisation, if you can. 

Bookmarking: Unchecked out shopping carts, for you know, a rainy day. I can assure you that some of these shopping carts will remained unchecked out!

Opening: A can of whoop arse if my sons flatmate doesn't cough up some rent money this week! I am a ninja warrior bitch mofo, so look out sunshine! I am one of those people who gives a bit of slack and then all of a sudden whips like a rubber band to the ball sack. It worked last time anyway. #takenoprisoners #itstoowetfoyoshittobeoutonthestreet

Closing: My account with Booking.com. I can't cancel a booking who has not paid a deposit, can go suck my not existent balls.

Feeling: Good.

Dreaming: Of the warmer weather of the Gold Coast at the end of the month.

Hearing: Rain drops.

This is before she put on her footy boots. They were caked in mud from the week before!

Celebrating: My little Isabel fairy, getting her first improvement award at footy. Go my girl. Here I was dreaming of her winning medals for her gymnastics, and she's given it away to play footy. My son played footy for Tant for years. I thought my days of waiting at footy practise and weekend footy days were over. You never cease to amaze me my girl x 

Pretending: This parenting shiz isn't hard. It's bullshit hard. Just when you think you got it licked, it kicks you in the reals. Just when you don't need it to. Little fuckers. Also pretending that when I yell and carry on like a pork chop passers by can't hear it. I am such an optimist!

Embracing: My new role at the the Millicent Gymnastics Club. I am loving it. It's early days and I am an accredited coach, but it feels like I am faking it as I make it. I have loved the first term of Kindergym and am loving and acing it. Of course there is the new challenge of teaching four and five year old children gymnastic skills and I am nervous and stepping in unsure ground. I am sure my kids are going to yell "the ground is lava in 3,2,1" at any moment! I have nightmares about this shiz you know!

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Five and seven

Yes, I'm the mega flukist. All of my kids are born in the same week in November. 

My girls turned five and seven during last week, and my son turns 24 today. 

Isabel and Summer were born two years and two days apart. This means joint birthday parties every year, getting the celebrations done and dusted in one fell swoop.

I can't lay claim to any of these photos. Luckily I had good peops who womanned my camera while I was otherwise occupied for two hours of craziness. 

I did manage to sit down for moments to drink a glass of wine and to scoff some cheese and crackers. How I love cheese.

The cakes were easy this year. Summer was happy with a Shopkins cupcakes, all made from a packet mix.

The day before I had no idea what Isabel's cake was going to be. I baked a buttercake slab and cut out a number seven. Thankfully she was happy and even helped decorate with the sugar sprinkles and wafer flowers. 

All over and done with for another year. 

Sharing with Denyse

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The 140th annual Millicent show

Circus Elements, entertaining the families with his mean feats on the unicycle. Thankfully for this fella, he made the jump!

Isabel did well in the primary school aged indoor entries, winning three sashes, with several other firsts and seconds in cut flowers, photography and produce.

• Best Primary Produce for her eggs
• Best Primary cut Flowers for her purple flowers
• Best Cooking for her chocolate crackles

No sashes for me this year. But I was awarded a bottle of stinky organic fertiliser for receiving the most points in the produce section! 

I did recieve a few firsts and seconds in the other catagories I entered, photography and flowers. 

Summer got the most points in the kindy section too, and won a present for that.

All round we all had a fantastic show. Except for Brett, his wallet has been diagnosed with anorexia and it seems he has to work a bit harder to fill it up again!

Elaine's Oat Slice

This recipe comes from an extremely ratty cook book I own, The Beachport pony club family favourites. 

It's from the eighties I guess, and I picked it up in reasonable condition from a garage sale eons ago. It's been well used in that time and hasn't fared well. I still make recipes from it, like this oat slice. 

To be honest, its the first time I've made this particular slice. I usually make a chocolate slice from this book, everyone loves it. With the second week of school about to begin, I got my bake on because the cupboard was bare. It had all the ingredients for this one, so I went with it.

The recipe was supplied by Elaine Marshall. It's a good'un.

Oat Slice

120 grams butter
2 cups rolled oats
1 dessertspoon golden syrup
1 small cup coconut
1 small cup sugar

Melt butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and pour in the melted butter mix.

Stir well until combined.

Spoon mixture into a greased and lined slice tray, and smooth out.

Bake at 170 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Slice into squares when still warm.

I let it cool in the tin, then melted 100 grams of chocolate in the microwave. I then drizzled the melted chocolate over the top of the cut slice. 

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Time flies when you're having fun.....

Time does fly when you're having fun. Or life is so batshit cray cray that you are just peddling like crazy to stay above water. So much has been happening lately, I have dedicated a complete lined book to list and cross everything off as it comes, to stay on top of it all.

Mostly it's kept me on top of things although I forgot to make fairy bread for the kids joint birthday party over the weekend, but it didn't matter. There was shitloads of food. We are still eating left overs.

Better to have too much, than not enough. Last year we ran out of party pies, husband was mortified. This year he was mortified that there was about twenty kids in attendance. It was what most were referring to as a class party, which more or less it was.

As most of the kids from Izzys class were invited, mind you mostly the same kids that have been at parties all year, I decided to invite the whole lot. Why the fuck not?

My conscious got the better of me, and I thought that some of the kids in her class had more than likely not been to a party all year. I am all about inclusion and being non discriminative. All kids are precious and deserve to be included.

It's something I want to instill in my kids. To welcome and have tolerance for all types of people, no matter where they sit on the ladder of life. All preconceptions are left at the letter box, until proven otherwise. Geez it felt good.

It was as crazy as all hell. Kids all over the shop. The two hours went by so quickly, helped along by a game of pin the tail on the donkey, pin the tail on the mermaid, and an ingeniously timed game of limbo (surprisingly initiated by the husband), it all went amazingly well.

Brett set the shed up as a disco, with lights and all. We were all buggered at the end of the day, and the day after, but it was memorable for all of us. Lucky we had great friends who took fab photos and helped out with games. It was a lot of organisation and preparing, by me, which didn't go unnoticed by the hubby at the end of the day, which was nice.

I hardly stood still all day, except for lighting the candles and singing the birthday songs, then it was on like donkey kong, dishing up cake. You might as well have called me Jesus. Whipping cake out of my arse to the masses. It is written. One day, you mark this down as legend, in two thousand years, people will be talking about this party and my saintly, almost godly endeavours to entertain a class of boisterous kids with only my wits and an oven full of pastry goods.

Of course I kid, but by god did I turn cordial and party bags into wine that night!

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Go the f*%$ to bed, or I am going to get very cross

I wasn't the swearing parent. It's something I read on facebook (totally credible)... ahem.....in all fairness, the swearing and name calling was a bit over the top......

Um...yep. Mum's swearing again. I think she means it this time.

It really, really annoys me when people with no kids, pass judgement on the actions of those that do. Like they should be writing a book on the subject. I really hope their parenting experience is a good one. It's a shame they have to voice their opinion, on a subject they know nothing about, or understand. 

Secretly I hope they have three and they fight like cats and dogs, and are driven to tell them to shut the fuck up.

Kids know how to push all the right buttons, right when you're at your wits end. No only do they know how to push your buttons, but those of their siblings too, compounding the issue.

When you have taken in your last deep breath and one kid has just clobbered the other repeatedly, over the head, because she wanted the yellow texta, things can get out of hand. The relentless umpiring can wear you down and the 'f' words let rip. 

It would make Gordon Ramsay blush. Forget about, "That chicken is so fucking raw, it just got up and walked back to the fucking coup". It's, "These fucking children are driving me up the wall, my sanity just got up and walked our the fucking door".

So if swearing at your kids is against the law, I'm guilty. Lock me up and throw away the key.

In all truth, they do not always fight. It is bliss when they get along. It makes you forget they even fight at all. 

It would be ideal if they were best friends all the time. That situation would be ideal if it existed, and I'm sure it does, in the world of unicorn farts and dancing fairies.

In reality, bringing up kids is HARD, relentless work. Work you can be happy to have, if you can get it. Some don't, and some just don't want to. It's the way it happens.

I do believe it's important to talk about the fact that is not all rainbows and angels playing harps. It's not.

It's tears, frustration, brain piercing noise, and exhaustion. Not to forget the worry, spew, poo and wee. There's lots of that.

Best of all, there's cuddles, I love you's, kisses, hugs, laughter, silliness and proud mummy moments. 

Most of the time they just need cuddles, and to be listened to and loved. Some time there is swearing. Occassionally you get caught when that FFS in the parking lot is not really as 'under your breath' as you thought it was.

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A note about, and from, Jake.

My place in time #18
A handwritten note from someone I love


Saturday night we went out for tea at our local community club. Brett's brother was over from the Eyre Peninsula and we were catching up. We had a great night.

I wasn't a late night, but late enough. Especially as we had a late one the night before at an Indian potluck dinner. I left so full from that, all the food was delicious. I woke up full the next morning!

While we were out at the club, Jake dropped in and left a message for me. He had brought some of Mum's lasagna with him and left it with the note on the bench.

He's been living at Mum's for the last couple of weeks after a relationship breakup.  There was a lot more involved which I won't go into here.

It doesn't matter how old you kids get, you still worry, still hurt when they hurt. I am so glad to he is much better than the state he was in when he came back two weeks ago. Physically and mentally.

My boy has aspergers. He doesn't communicate his feelings very well. They get bottled up and usually come out as anger eventually, out of frustration or anxiety.

What I would like to add here is trust your intuition as a mother. If you suspect something is wrong, something isn't as it should be, you are probably right. Don't procrastinate, act on it. I have so much guilt where Jake is concerned. There are so many times I should have yelled louder, stood firmer and stuck up for him. I am so grateful that I still get huge hugs, and hear 'I love you Mum' come from his lips. 

I am taking him to pick up the rest of his stuff today. I am feeling nervous about it, for both of us, and I am praying it all goes smoothly. I am not looking forward to it, it is going to be hard, and awkward. But has to be done.

I will be most likely be requiring wine tomorrow afternoon at around wine-thirty or before!

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