Arrrrghhhh!!

Moving cities....'nuf said! Ok, I'll elaborate..after 11 years in this beautiful city of bridges that I call home, we are uprooting ourselves and moving about 2 hours north. Scared? Yes. Sad? Yes. Not making progress with packing? Yes, yes and yes!! Packing with a 14month old is just plain impossible. 3 more days to get the last of the house sorted and packed away, ready for the tenants to take over. Again...arrrrrrgggghhh!!

Mucho excitement!!

We are moving next weekend, from Hamilton to Orewa. This makes me smile. Not because I am happy to be leaving my wonderous friends and support networks, but because I have always been a beach person, and in a way, I kinda feel like I'm going home. Weird, as the in laws will be living over our back fence, and definitely not Hastings (where I grew up). They say home is where the heart is, and this is definitely true for me, as my heart (the LOML) has been there from Sunday to Friday for the last couple of months at least. Anyway, I digress, the reason I am so excited.....the house we are going to has 5 bedrooms! Yes, that's right, 5!!!! Which means that the following will happen...1 bedroom for us, 1 bedroom for monkey, 1 bedroom for guest room, 1 bedroom for office, and dadadadaddadddddaaaaaahhhhh....1 bedroom for SEWING ROOM!!!!!!! Bliss...I don't think I'm ever going to want to leave!!

Sunday-itis

Way back when I was a working girl (as in working at work), I was very familiar with Sunday-itis. That looming feeling of trepidation for the coming week. I haven't really noticed it so much in the last year and a half, because every day seems to merge into another. But since LOML has been working away from home (in another city entirely), the Sunday-itis has returned. I get excited because its Friday and that means he is coming home to us, and then before you can blink it's Sunday again and it's back to solo parenting we go. Now, normally this isn't too much of a major - but add packing up a house, selling a house and keeping a very active nearly 14month old out of trouble....well....blood pressure rising, rising...


I know that this is all 'just for now', and I know that there are a LOT of people out there at the moment who are significantly a lot worse off than us...but man, it's hard. If I'm not an emotional, blubbering wreck for some of the day, I'm ready to stab someone's eyes out. I am a PND Mama, and I know that these aren't symptoms to be taken lightly, but these are also normal responses given my situation. Sigh.


It ain't easy growing up in world war 3, never knowing what love may be...ahhh PINK, how I heart you!! See, someone is always worse off than you.

Things that I'm loving..

Thanks once again must go to the wonderful paisleyjade, for providing the inspiration to this post - and making me reflect on what in my life!!


So things that I am loving....


1. Sewing!!! I had the really odd scenario this week of no LOML or child and really put my sewing machine through its paces - it was great!!


2. Marshmellow easter eggs!! It has to be the large Cadbury ones and they HAVE to have been in the freezer! Mmmm....


3. Hot bread! The aroma of a freshly cooked loaf and the opportunity to have a slice and a cuppa with the gorgeous ladies at Hauora (currently responsible for my state of mind!).


4. Having my LOML home for the weekend after a week of being separated - even though we are both too exhausted to do much, I love, love, love having him home!


5. My monkey - he is an absolute delight! I love watching him grow, develop and explore - just watching him makes me smile.

Still home alone...

Yes, that's right, LOML and darling child are still away...they come back tomorrow. But do you know what..that lost feeling has gone and I am having a ball!! I have my sewing machine out and I'm whipping up a storm! 3 pairs of pj pants made in less than 30 minutes! I have a fridge full of chocolatey goodness and the reassurance that unless I go on a midnight raid, that it will still be there in the morning. I also know that I will have a fantastic sleep - I didn't wake until 11am this morning, who does that with a child! If it sounds like I'm beaming, its cos I literally am!!

Wednesday in pictures

Ahhh, latte how I love you!!

Teddy bear's picnic - oh so many children!

Teddy bear's bouncing on the tent

Playing in the park with Mama!

The all important bottle - we love this one!

I'm feeling a little strange..

After a revolting night with my little monster, I woke up feeling not human, infact, I felt like monsters had invaded my stomach. At 1pm I put out the SOS to LOML to come home (he is working in Auckland) and look after monster child. The short story is that he did, but had to pack said child up and take him back with him as he had the journalists coming in the morning.

So here I sit, starting to feel a little better, with no LOML and no child. What does one DO with oneself? I keep roaming the house because I'm sure I'm hearing noises (curse the heavy footed neighbours who built their house far too close to ours). Maybe a bath, a long soak with a good book? Hmmm, so many options!

THANK goodness!!!

Ok, I have become absolutely fascinated with Made by Rae. She is devoting this month to all things little boy - and as a Mama to a little boy, this has served me with mucho inspiration!! Recently she made a fleece dressing gown for her wee boy, and I was in *swoon*!! Bless her kind heart, she even supplied the pattern reference.

Last night I received an email informing me of a sale at spotlight - so off I trekked and what do you know...they had run out of said pattern. Boo. I think if I was a 2 year old I would have been in full tantrum at this point! Any how, after spending the best part of the afternoon trying to track down this pattern, and nobody having it - I did a bit of research, and what do you know...you can buy patterns over the net and download and print them off! Ingenious!! So now I am equipped with fleece, pattern and all things necessary to have a day of creating tomorrow! I'm very excited about this prospect! Lets all cross our fingers that no potential buyers want to come through the house in the morning!!

Things I am thankful for...

As a Mama with PND, I find it all too easy to focus on the negative. So, when I saw a post on paisleyjade about this very subject, I thought what a fabulous motivator! Therefore, in the world of Mama j'adore, I am thankful for....

My loving, wonderful husband:

My fabulous, supportive family (both mine and hubby's)

Good friends, health and mucho happiness

Cooking, sewing, and a muriad of other crafty pursuits - and the time to get these things done (mostly)

Waking up to this smiling face every day:

Being so well supported by Hauora, that I'm almost back up to 100% functionality!

Profound poetry

A very dear friend of mine sent me this poem, when I was very much in need of it. In every aspect of my life it has resonated ever since...

You Learn

After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn...
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong

And you really do have worth...

And you learn and learn...

With every good-bye you learn.

Translation by Veronica A. Shoffstall

by Robert Burns.

Another busy day...

Well things are in lift off mode here. After a day of rushing here, there and everywhere I managed to squeeze in a quick half an hour of sewing and look what I produced

I downloaded this pattern off madebyrae.blogspot.com - absolutely a dream pattern to work with, I over estimated the size of monkey's waist though, so will need to spend some time with the quick unpick. Totally stoked with them, yay!

Just as I was sewing my last seam, the real estate agent called and asked if someone could come and look at my house. Obviously I had to say yes - but oh what a time - smack bang in the middle of dinner for the little man! To distract him from the strange people wandering around our house, we made our way to the spare room bed.

Dum dee doo...

I was bad. I ran out of my night time medication for my PND, and now I can't sleep. Botheration. Hopefully my hot milo will do its trick soon. Nothing like testing the waters to make you realise just how much I still need my meds.

Creating, creating

I have re-acquainted myself with sewing since I bought my own machine whilst I was pregnant with monkey. I was a mad keen sewer at intermediate and the early part of high school. But life got in the way, and it suddenly wasn't 'cool' anymore.

Anyway, I'm now a self-confessed sewing and fabric addict - I have many projects on the go and waiting in the wings. I'm hopeful that I will get some time on my machine tomorrow (having cancelled a previous appointment).

Here are some of my creations thus far

Time for a change

Do you ever have those days when you just want something different? Well today is one of those days for me - as evident on my newly transformed page. The banner picture is of my wee monkey - doing the things we do when someone decides sleep is far too boring, and over rated! Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles..makes up for the fact that Daddy is working in far distant places during the week.

Today was a quiet day at home for us, and monkey and I laughed and played, then he ate some dirt and chased some snails around the garden...ahhhh bliss!

Yes, I am still alive ;)

My word! It can't have been January the last time I posted! This has the potential of being quite a long post, so bear with me - so much has happened in the last month and a bit!

My nephew turned 2! Which means that we also had our 2 year anniversary (my darling nephew was born the day after we got married - good boy for letting Mummy and Daddy come to our wedding!). I got a bit nostalgic and realised just how much we had accomplished in the last 3 years. But most of all it made me realise just how lucky I am to have such a wonderful and supportive husband (awwww).

My husband got a job! He is working about 2 hours drive from our house, so I have been solo mumming it for the week and he comes and sees us in the weekend. He is working very long hours as him and his Dad work frantically trying to set up a preventative medicine business in Orewa.

Decisions have been made...we are selling our very comfortable wee house and leaving Hamilton to migrate north. So the house was listed on Monday and I had the priviledge of getting it ready for selling with a very helpful 1 year old in the mix (his favourite job is unloading the dishwasher - shame its only the cutlery and shame it doesn't go on the drawer but on the floor!).

Such a helpful young man! Does slow down the process considerably though! Thank goodness Mum was up to help my sister out with nephew #2 who arrived late February. Another gorgeous wee boy, makes me very, very clucky. So my beautiful Mum helped me get the house and the gardens ship shape, a very good thing as we had an early potential buyer come through in the weekend (before the agents and the photographer have even been through).

Hmm next? Oh yes, my beautiful wee boy had his first birthday! Which meant I had my first birthday party to organise. It wasn't a flash affair, my PND reared its ugly head during this time, but it was lovely and relaxed - which after all is all we really wanted.

There has been a lot of madness as of late, I'm surviving but often don't have the time nor the inclination to get my thoughts in order. Not that I think this post is particularly chronological, but they are my ramblings in as ordered fashion as I can muster at the moment.

This week is going to be yet another frantic one - the photographer comes tomorrow to take stunning pictures of our house (I was out gardening at 9pm lol). Agents are through on Tuesday, and I am ever hopeful that an offer will present itself, so we can be a family unit again.

Claire