Thankful Thursday - Moments of Gratitude

Sunday was Mothers Day and I spent a lot of it with my gorgeous girlfriends in the city.  We take part in 'The Mothers Day Classic' each year and have vowed to continue our tradition.   

I love that my friends girls come along. They also vowed to continue the tradition. I can see the future, us weathered and old with the gorgeous girls in tow..... Lovely. 

We managed to raise around $500.00 and Im so proud of that.  (Thank you so much to anyone reading who contributed xx)  The vibe of the day is a happy, hopeful one.  I couldn't imagine my Mothers Day any different.

Lunch was enjoyed by all as we demolished burgers and beers and laughed so, so much.  It was one of the best Mothers Day's I have had.  I love that I can pop out in the morning and do my thing leaving the rest of the day for my family.  Its a good balance I think. 

So grateful to my beautiful friends for joining me each year. Im so blessed.

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My Top 5 - Week 5

I swear it only feels like yesterday when I last did my Top 5 round up. The weeks zoom by too fast!!!  How was your week? Did you get a look in at all?

I tried so hard this week.  It seemed as though I nursed sickies at home and at work.  And then I got sick so I gave in and spent a day on the couch.  It was much needed!!!  Its still lingering but not as bad as it was earlier so Im grateful for that.  

The washing machine debacle is over for now. My repair man offered me a pre-loved one, similar to the one we had for a small fee.  At this time Im happy to run with it as Im thinking a new dishwasher will be required and as we all know, money doesn't grow on trees!  Im very happy to hear the washing quietly swishing away. I can restore order in my laundry..... its the simple things.....

So, I had plans that didn't come to action this week, Im sad to report.  We experienced a week of freakishly summery weather and I hoped to spend my mornings walking Ollie in the pram but frankly, it was hard enough just getting out of bed so that went out the window!  One afternoon however, we took Rosie the Lab to the beach to cool down and it was superb!  One of those late balmy arvos where you just stand back and marvel at the beauty of it all. Simply Divine.

Ollie enjoyed a play date with his friend (me too) and again, we basked in the sunshine. He loves the outdoors so much, don't know how he is going to cope in winter.

Ollie in his Little Bird T-shirt. Gorgeous.

I found a beautiful spot in a nearby park and sat under the glorious autumn leaves as the filtered sun warmed my shoulders. Bliss.....

Mothers Day was chockablock FULL of activity. The boys woke eagerly and ready to celebrate! We all sat in bed and enjoyed the gift giving and as usual, the school made gifts were my favourite!  Its was full steam ahead from then on as I raced around to get ready for the Mothers Day Classic in the city.  I love arriving to see the sea of pink. Its so heartwarmimg and makes the effort all the more worthwhile.  My beautiful friends and I (and two special little girls) walked and talked our way around the track and followed it with an amazing lunch.  We laughed so much, it was a perfect finish to a lovely morning.

My soul sistas xxxxx

Burger, Fries and a Beer..... Perfect Mothers day Lunch!

The day went a little pear shaped from then on. My husband rang and told me that one of our boys had a fall and he suspected he may have broken his knee. I fled to him immediately.  We spent 4 hours at the hospital, confirmed no break via an X-Ray and went home so, so tired!

Now, its Sunday night, its pouring with rain, Im on my comfy couch and this is where I plan to stay for a while!

So, what will I do for me this week coming? Its going to be a wet one so Im thinking some coffee catch ups with friends, perhaps a little retail therapy, some book writing, my Friday night bath with a trashy mag and begin my winter knitting project!

Fingers crossed I get to tick them all off!  What do you have planned?  Make sure you do what YOU want to do and enjoy the week ahead!

Much love,

   

It is what it is..... Deal with it!

 Last night one of my boys sobbed and sobbed out of the blue for his Nan.  It came with no warning and just poured out of his shaking little body so fiercely.  It breaks my heart.  I held him, stroking his hair, reassuring him that everything is OK and that we all miss her but that she still loves him and is proud of him.  He asked the question 'why did she have to die?'.... I never know what to say to that one, I don't know myself.....  While I console him, I try not to let go of my own feelings of hurt, especially as Mothers Day looms, it amplifies my loss. I hate that they miss her so. Its nice that she was such a huge part of their lives but to see them so sad when they need her, its just not fair.  They were saying how different life would be if she was here. How they would go on outings with her and spend lots of time with her and have those special sleep overs that their friends have that they yearn so much for...... And they are right, she would have had it no other way but sadly, it didn't end up that way.  I HATE CANCER. Its something that I battle with and fear for in my own life and I HATE it ever so much!

Last night as I lay in bed, I was remembering when my mum was sick.  At the time I would catch myself just watching her and knowingly soaking in her manner, her movements, her voice.... Everything she was as I knew that the day would come that I wouldn't have that honour again. Ive locked these memories away and I draw on them often.  My boys were saying last night that their favourite thing about going to her house was that they would play in the backyard and she and I would sit at her outdoor setting and drink tea. This was one of the common moments that I had let go of. I smiled as they retold the memory and felt such warmth. That was what she and I loved most.  To sit amongst her garden with hot cups of tea and listen to the little voices of the boys as they played and laughed. Every now and then they would come up to Mum and sit on her lap for a cuddle and she would snuggle into their neck, pop them down and say 'Love You'.  They would reply, 'Love You...". Oh what I would give to have those simple moments back.

The perfect image of my mum. Apron, Novel, Cup of Tea.  Sitting in her garden. Her Happy Place.

(I so wish I could teleport back........)

Often mum and I would chat about her illness and the sadness of her not being around and she would continually remind me that 'Its is what it is, you just have to deal with it'.  Yes, she was right. There is no changing what has happened. I do deal with it, as do my boys but sometimes emotions win and we fall flat.  Sometimes what life hands us seems too cruel to deal with.  I think the way to deal with heartbreak is to have a good sob when necessary.  Theres no point in bottling it all up and I doubt I will ever stop having the odd sob about missing my mum.  I had great respect for the woman my mum was and I miss that presence in my life. Im positive I will miss it always.

Tomorrow is Mothers Day and as each year, I have mixed feelings.  Im looking forward to the joy from my kids as they shower me with love but Im also grateful that I will spend time with my best friends, who knew Mum well and walk to raise money for an important cause. This is how I deal with Mothers Day.  I focus on the positive aspects and celebrate them.

Tomorrow, if you are lucky enough to have your Mum in your life, give her the biggest squeeze and kiss and tell her just what she means to you. Don't be afraid of saying 'I Love You' and celebrate her presence and her special qualities.  Believe me, I wish I could...

Much love, 

My Top 5 - Its all about ME..... and YOU!!!!!!!!

What is My Top 5? I hear you say....  How can I join in? You ask... (well you probably aren't but I'll tell you anyway..)

My Top 5 is my attempt at encouraging YOU and me to take time out each and every week to do something (well, 5 things if you can manage it) for ourselves. A little bit of self-love. Refuel that tank so you can continue to give to others! You can do anything, just for you, that YOU enjoy.  As I am getting older and a little wiser, one thing I know to be true is that if you don't look after yourself, then you cant care for others properly and as a mum of 4, I go feral when I've not had any 'me' time. My husband and my boys run a mile when I am desperate for a break so now I make it a priority and spare them the horror! 

Each Monday, I blog about how I went and what I did and if you are a blogger, I hope you will do the same (let me know if you do) and Ill even offer you the chance to link up!  I also ask that you join the community of others who are already making My Top 5 a priority and highlight your moment on on Twitter or Instagram by linking with #sbtbmytop5 (oh and don't forget to alert me of your indulgence by adding @sixbythebay so I can applaud your efforts!) Feel free to message me on my Facebook Page also, I love hearing your happy stories!

So get planning. What 5 things will you do for YOU this week?  

You are worth it!  
Enjoy some self love and love the life you live!

Much love,

  

Thankful Thursday - Moments of Gratitude

From today on, the format of Thankful Thursday will differ.  I will be posting a 'moment' of gratitude that I captured during my week.  It will be simple and clear. You have the choice to do similar or continue to write about the moments you had in your past week.  Its up to you......

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My Moment of Gratitude...

Oh this sweet boy.....  

In a week of annoyances such as a broken washing machine and dishwasher, resulting in a back load of cleaning plus the dreaded Man Flu sweeping through like a hurricane and stopping with me, I was so grateful to stand quietly and watch my beautiful little man going about his business, in his own happy world.  He LOVES 'Polly', his dolly and pushes her around day after day. She gets loaded up with bits and pieces along the way and he sings to himself as they go on little adventures.

Sometimes she is dragged along and I thank god she's just a doll but he is so divine to watch as he potters about. These moments of Motherhood are the bomb!

So Thankful.

XXX

My Top 5 - A weekly roundup!

Another week over. Where does the time go?!  I cant quite wrap my head around the past week. Its been absolutely frantic. I feel as though my feet touched the ground on Monday morning and I began running...... right up till now!  I sit here, its Sunday night, Im in my jammies and Im fighting a losing battle with Man Flu. All week the males in my house have been dropping like flies and I have been taking good care of them and as luck would have it (??), Im next in line it seems. The big difference though is that Ill have to fend for myself! Sound familiar mums?????

More than ever, Im going to need 'me' time this coming week.  I hope it involves something exciting and rejuvenating but if I keep feeling the way I do, it may be spent on the couch. (Watching Sesame Street and reluctantly playing piles on with Ollie.....)

This past week however, I did have the chance to be selfish and take time out for me.  Amongst working, kids sports, Man Flu victims, organising a kids party, shopping, cleaning, wrestling my washing machine and toddler wrangling, this is what I did for ME!

I went for a 7km walk on the most beautiful, sunny morning. Thankfully, if I just keep giving Ollie snacks, he happily sits in the pram and takes it all in. I find walking so relaxing.

I indulged in a home facial and a LONG soak in the bath. I got all of my Body Shop products out and enjoyed a solid pampering. BLISS.....

I sat here and just listened to the peace and quiet.  Its so nice to sit in silence as usually my world is beyond noisy!

Im loving my cafe time before work. To just sit and read the paper and slowly drink my coffee is seriously a treat! No rushing, no fussing, just me and a good coffee!

On Friday, I headed into the city for a Bloggers Brunch! It was lovely to meet some fellow bloggers and talk to reps from varying companies.  I got to sample some lovely products and best of all, I was 'Mum Of The Year' when I came home with an Ice-Cream machine from the generous folk at Kambrook for the boys!

Today, I finished my week off having lunch with some gorgeous womenfolk!  I headed straight into St Kilda, detouring a few times thanks to Google Maps and venting my frustrations towards the navigating woman who kindly told me to do U-turns, right turns, left turns, travel back where I had come from, cross this road, then that road etc, etc, etc........ Yes, I was last to arrive and YES I was a little flustered but it was a lovely afternoon! 

So, now I plan to pop a couple of Panadol and head to bed. I have to be up at 5:30 for work in the morning and then it all starts again!  I do strongly think though that I get through my crazy weeks because I indulge myself in a little bit of fun.  Its never anything too huge but even the little moments matter.  I hope you are doing the same for yourself!

Don't forget to share your own Top 5 moments with me. I would love to see that you are making time for YOU as YOU are worth it!!!

Just link: #sbtbmytop5 on Twitter or Instagram.  Alternatively, feel free to send me a message highlighting your self indulgent plans!

Have an awesome week beautiful people......

Much love, 

Thankful Thursday - Divided time

Im so grateful that I can have these moments each week.

yes, he has an ouchy nose....

Now that I work 2-3 days a week, I can barely keep up with the household stuff, the school stuff, the after school stuff and the socialising stuff but Im so thankful that its only 2-3 days and not full-time hours! My head would spin! 

I love the routine we have now, Im really happy. Im grateful for the time that I have at work where I am doing an important job that has a lot of responsibility and I am respected for it.  Its nice to stretch my capabilities each shift and learn more as time passes.  I also love that I still have time to just be Ollie's mum and we can sit together on the couch and watch his favourite shows while the big boys are at school. (I don't sit for too long though as sadly, I end up drifting off to sleep!)  Im comfortable with my new work/home timetable. Its a nice balance and Im a better person for it.

Im excited for my future. There are so many choices and avenues I can take and now that I know we can handle the routine, its only going to get more exciting!

Life is so beautiful...... What are you THANKFUL for?

XXXX