Loving Fridays my child free day!

I love my kids more than life itself, however..........by the end of the week, it's time for a break! I am lucky enough that my wonderful mother in law collects all three kids from school on a Friday, which leaves me a full day to get "Stuff" done!

I love Fridays, as I know, this is my one day that I can catch up on the week and get organised for the week approaching.

I do the grocery shopping, exercise, work in the office, tidy up my desk, get on top of the household duties, work on finances, plan in advance and basically get organised. I also sneak in time to watch Oprah, chat on the phone, go for a quick pedicure and have a cuppa on the balcony in peace! A great way to start the weekend x

Family Values

A family tradition that has been passed on through the generations in my family is always sitting at the table to share a meal. As kids, Mum and Dad always insisted on sitting with the family in the evening with no tv on or in the background. When I met Scott, his family would more often than not eat dinner infront of the telly or have it on as part of the conversation. To be in his enviornment was a treat for me to sit and eat infront of the telly!

In this photo, we are on holidays with my family enjoying a home cooked meal of gnocchi - made the true Italian way!

As we have created our own family, we sit down with the kids every night at the dinner table to share our evening meal. Even when the kids were babies, we would always sit them at the table to include them in the tradition. Even when the kids would only sit still for five minutes, we would still enjoy the time at the table.

Lukas adores sitting at the table with the family. He loves eating, sharing, tasting and talking. All at the age of three. I love that this value is already instilled in his life.

Just this week, I was speaking with a mum of five who was serving me in a shop. I was asking what her secret was to ensure there is a special bond between the family as the kids grow. Her advice was they always had dinner together as a family around the table. She explained that now the kids are older, there are boyfriends, girlfriends and housemates all joining in on the tradition. You could see the pride in her eyes as she was telling me all the details. It made us both a little teary as we both understood the true meaning of the conversation.

Up to early?

Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed this morning at 6.30am to pound the pavement! The husband was gently encouraging me whilst I whinged the whole time I was tying up my shoes and putting on my beanie.

I decided to get up in the mornings to go for my run. It is a great way to start the day and then I know the task of exercise is done for the day. All great in theory! Why do I start these ideas in the middle of winter????????????

I plugged in my ipod, pumped up PINK and went off. To my surprise, it was busy out there at that time of the morning. The builders had already started hammering (with their bum cracks on display - cold!!), people were off to work, people were exercising and dogs were being walked.

I actually surprised myself and started to enjoy the early morning freshness and the sound of silence. I forgot about being so cold and feeling tired. I found a spring in my step and powered for 20 minutes.

Let's just hope I remember this wonderful moment for the inspiration I will need to get out of bed tomorrow!

The best give a Mum can give herself

I read an article recently about what the best gift a mum can give herself and the writer suggested 'Boundaries".....what an AHA moment.

With boundaries we can get in control of lives and step off the mouse wheel. As mum's we are constantly busy with every part of our children's lives, the husband's needs, the running of the house, keeping up with social engagements, nurturing friendships, exercising, cooking dinner, working a full time/part time job and trying to look our best everyday. At some point, we need to put on the breaks and STOP!

Boundaries are the answer. When I really think about it, we are in control of our busyness. We make the choices to fit it all in. I battle with boundaries all the time. However, I have created a sign to hang up on the fridge to remind me that Boundaries is the gift I give to myself every day!

Girls Weekend Away

Need I say more! We had a fab time away in Avalon with 8 amazing women who all have their own stories through life. Loved every minute! I returned a happier woman after shopping, eating, drinking bubbles, dancing, laughing and chatting till late hours of the night. A must for every woman, especially mothers. Time out is required to get through the next stage of life with patience and gratitude!

Rainy days - look out for the rainbow

The weather in Sydney has been unbelievable. Rainy days seem to be endless. Although, I do enjoy the excuse to stay indoors and eat yummy food.

I have had an interesting week with my own rainy days, however, have been lucky enough to start to see some rainbows.

Firstly, after all the emotional stress and concern for Hanna, we have seen a break through. She is an amazing kid that understands so much more than she should for her wise age of 7. This strength has pulled her through the challenge of anxiety. Hanna discussed her homework from her "Can Do Kids" session this week and I had to hold back my tears of pride. She beamed with confidence whilst explaining her achievements. A beautiful rainbow, the best of all.

Then, Scott and I had some challenges with growth of his business and finding the balance with family and work. I found it really hard to express myself, so decided to ignore him for a few days (PLUS, I was menstrual!)....lucky enough we know each other too well and gave each other space. The rainbow appeared last night when we sat down with a bottle of red wine, a delicious cheese platter and eyeballed each other with the truth. It's amazing what communication can do!

I also found myself at the end of a crap week with my health.....I stuck to the plan of looking after me and guess what, another rainbow. I am starting to feel back to normal with energy!

I am looking forward to a weekend of rainy days and just relaxing with friends and family x