Family Life

Hi friends! It’s time to link up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness and chat about what we’re currently loving, looking forward to, smelling, watching, and admiring. I hope you’re having an amazing day—thanks so much for stopping by! LOVING It’s no secret that I am not a morning person. I struggle so much to get out of my warm, cozy bed every morning when the alarm goes off, ugh! I play whack-a-mole with that snooze button like a champ! However, my youngest son Sam is doing his practical nursing placement in a city hospital. He has been assigned the early shift and needs to get up early to make it to the station on time for the early train. Did I say early? It means I hear his alarm go off first, so I get up to see him off. I don’t have to, but I like to, and once I’m up, it’s okay! This getting up early isn’t so bad after all. Ha! I’ve had so much more time to do extra things in the morning, and I enjoy the quietness and stillness of the early hours. I can definitely say I’m loving this extra time—a lot! It is certainly easier to get up early in the spring when the sun is shining. I’m not sure I would love it as much if we were in the middle of winter. But who knows, I might become a morning person after all……nah! LOOKING FORWARD TO It’s time for Cousin Connect this Saturday, and I’m excited to see my family! I’m so happy we’ve kept up this monthly tradition for the past two years. Sure, not everyone can always make it, and sometimes we have to change the date. But I’m incredibly grateful that we’ve kept this special connection going strong! SMELLING It has been warm here but incredibly windy and so dry! I wash my hands constantly at work because, you know, kids and germs are usually best friends. All this hand washing and dry weather is making my hands feel rough. So, I keep a tube of hand cream in the classroom and have been enjoying its scent each time I use it—which is multiple times a day at the moment. It has a deliciously sweet scent that makes me hungry, and it leaves my hands feeling soft without any residue. I can’t cope with a hand cream that leaves a residue… shudder! My lovely friend brought it back for me when she visited her family in San Francisco. The yummy smell really brings home what Autumn must be like over there. It’s no wonder Autumn is so popular over in the Northern Hemisphere if it smells like my hand cream! WATCHING I have been watching the days get longer and the sun linger a little later each evening. Perfect! ADMIRING I’ve been admiring the spring flowers blooming everywhere. The beautiful vibrant colours are such a treat after winter! That wraps up a few things I’ve been up to lately. Can you believe it’s September? The year is sure flying by, wow! Happy Wednesday 😀    

Hi friends, it’s time to link up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne and Sarah for this month’s edition of Share Our Lives. The topic for August is our least favourite activities. Yep, it’s the perfect chance to get a few things off my chest, have a bit of a vent, and then find my Zen. I’m looking forward to sharing what really makes me groan. Thanks so much for stopping by! My Least Favourite Activities Filling The Car With Petrol I don’t have to deal with this much anymore since I walk everywhere now, and I’m absolutely loving it! But lining up to fill up the car really had a knack for ruining a good day. I know, it sounds a bit dramatic, but honestly, it’s one of my least favourite activities! I don’t like dealing with the fiddly fuel cap, and I get really stressed if the petrol pump isn’t on the right side of where my car is parked. Another thing that gets to me about the whole petrol station experience is when people seem to take forever to get back to their cars. They pick out snacks, sort out their indecisive kids, take ages to pay, examine their receipts, adjust their sunglasses, check their lipstick, and chat on their phones—all while the line of cars keeps growing. Aaaargh! I know everyone’s busy, but it can feel like forever! Taxes It’s tax time over here, and I tackled this yesterday – phew, now that’s over I don’t have to think about it for another year! Yay! Setting Passwords Just take my identity already because I’m done setting and remembering passwords! Unclogging Drains Any hair in the drain, even if it’s my own, just makes me gag…ugh! I’ve just turned green. Going To The Doctors I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I really dislike and have a strong aversion to seeing the doctor. If I have a health concern, I stress myself out, convincing myself that when I finally walk into the doctor’s office, they’re going to tell me I have three months to live. So what do I do? I put it off, Google (big mistake), and lie awake fearing the worst. Then, I make that dreaded appointment. Going To The Dentist I’m not scared…….ok, I’m scared. Cleaning The Oven We’ve got a self-cleaning oven… Hallelujah! But I still have to take out the racks, scrub them, and tackle the glass, so it still makes the list of my least favourite activities. The first time I cleaned this oven, I couldn’t remember how to put the glass back, and it just wouldn’t click into place. I may have ended up sitting on the kitchen floor and crying. Putting Flat-Packed Furniture Together I was totally ok with this and would knock together anything from Ikea. Until the dreaded Hemnes bed, we got for Sam. It had the most confusing instructions with a gazillion screws. I have never felt so overwhelmed and may have cried over this too. In the end, I MacGyvered a few things together and hoped for the best. So far, it’s still standing, but none of us can figure out what the aluminium stick that keeps falling off is actually for. We just put it back and don’t talk about it. Cleaning The Cat Litter Two cats double the…… fun. You thought I was going to say poop didn’t you? Taking Off Or Putting On The Sandpit Cover At Work Sometimes, I wonder how many times I have done this least favourite activity over all the years I have been working at preschool…lots! It’s a two-person job because it’s heavy, especially if it’s been raining and it always feels kind of icky, so I wear plastic gloves when I have to touch it. Many times, we hear parents say how lucky we are because we get to play all day long and how they wish they had our fun, relaxing jobs. Hmm, that’s not always the case. But I guess it’s the same when I wish I could wear lovely clothes and stylish shoes and sit in a relaxing air-conditioned office. I’m sure office jobs are stressful too. Packing Away Christmas Decorations Not only is packing away Christmas decorations one of my least favourite activities, but it’s also a bit of a downer! I absolutely love Christmas, and, like a kid, I look forward to it all year. Once Father’s Day is over in September, out come the decorations in the shops, and I get so excited! But even though I love decorating for Christmas, come January 1st, I usually pack everything away. Because when it’s over, it’s over, and you have to rip it off like a band-aid. Oof, that sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it? Ironing I used to iron everything–even teatowels. Ha! I must have had rocks in my head. Now, I fold like a champ, and whenever something needs ironing, I pull out my steamer or my cheap Kmart iron and tiny Ikea ironing board. But the steamer usually wins because it’s quick and easy! I’m sure I’ve forgotten a whole bunch of other least favourite activities, but here are a few that come to mind and it sure feels great to share them. It’s almost like a therapy session! If you’d like to find out about a few other things that get me ruffled you can read all about my pet peeves and fashion pet peeves too. I hope you have an amazing week, and may your least favourite activities be few and far between!  

Hi friends it’s time to link up with Jennifer for the August edition of Currently. I am so happy you have stopped by! Today we are chatting about what we are currently loving, looking forward to, dreading, eating and buying. Let’s go! Loving January this year I spotted some colourful Bauhaus prints when I went to Mitchell Road Antique and Design Centre. I fell in love with them instantly! I was so tempted to get them, but I didn’t because I don’t usually go for such colourful choices. Normally, I go for neutrals or darker tones. I actually had some Jackson Pollock-inspired canvases up on the dining room wall for years. They were done in shades of brown with splashes of black and cream. I painted them when Sam was about four years old. He watched me splash paint around and looked a bit horrified. I remember him saying ” No mummy, you need to paint nicely!” He was too young to appreciate true art, hehe. Over the winter holidays, I decided to get creative and make my own prints instead of buying the ones from Mitchell Road Antiques. I’m surprised by how much I’m enjoying a bit of colour these days! The prints have brought a refreshing change to the dining room, and they were so easy and inexpensive to make. Looking Forward To I love having something to look forward to because it makes each day (especially those dreary winter days) feel brighter. Luckily for me, I have a few exciting things coming up. First on the list is our Cousin Connect get-together this Saturday. We’re hosting at our place this time, and the theme is finger food. Everyone will bring something we can eat with our hands, so we won’t have to worry about too much washing up. Then, I have a day off work on the 16th (yay!), and I’m taking Steve out for dinner that night to a surprise venue (double yay!). And, of course, I’m super excited for spring! Oh gosh, I am so looking forward to it and can’t wait for it to arrive! Dreading I’m not dreading anything, hooray! Eating Snacks at work! My friend, who works at our preschool on a casual basis, often comes in to cover for staff who are away. She always brings us snacks, which is a lovely treat! Just having her at work is a treat in itself because she’s so friendly, fun, and has such an infectious, upbeat vibe. We always know it’s going to be a great day when we see her car parked outside our preschool in the morning! Buying Other than groceries, I haven’t been buying anything. I’m trying to have a no-spend month because the more I save now, the more I can spend overseas next year. But then I found out Country Road is having its ‘Spend and Save’ sale until mid-August. Ooof, it’s going to be hard to resist! And that’s a wrap for this month’s Currently link-up! I’m looking forward to catching up with you all again on Friday. Happy Wednesday, wherever you are—day or night!    

Hi friends! It’s time to link up with Jennifer for the July edition of Currently. Today we are chatting about what we are currently loving, looking forward to, savouring, celebrating, and remembering. LOVING I am loving going to bed early (well, at a decent time anyway). I never thought I would say that because I love staying up late. But I feel so good the next day after getting a proper night’s sleep. Luckily, I rarely have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. The only nights I struggle are some Sunday nights and always the nights before the beginning of the school term. LOOKING FORWARD TO I am very excited about the upcoming school holiday break! Term two was a ten-week term, and even though it’s always hard to get up out of a warm bed in winter, I managed through ten weeks. Term one, however, was an eleven-week term, and that last week—well, you get the picture! So, I’m really looking forward to not waking up to an early alarm and not having to stick to any schedule. It’s free time for the next two weeks, and I can’t wait! Apart from a few fun plans, such as catching up with friends and going away for a weekend, I am also keen to get some jobs done. One of these tasks is painting our small walk-in wardrobe. It really needs a good makeover and proper lighting! Then there’s the living room I never got around to painting white like the rest of the house. It’s been over a year since I painted the bedrooms, hallway, and dining room. After that, I stopped, packed up my brushes, and never went back. I think it’s time! Even though it’s work, I’m in the mood to finally tick these jobs off my list. Well, the wardrobe anyway, not so much the living room. SAVOURING Fresh herbs! I love adding fresh herbs to my cooking, and I have parsley growing in our front garden and the basil is doing okay too. I also bought a pot of coriander. I think it’s my 3,567th attempt to try and grow coriander! Every time I buy a pot at the supermarket, I make sure to follow all the instructions on the packaging on how to maintain it. I water it, put it near the window for some sun, and I even talk to it, but no luck—it just withers and dies. Oh my gosh, I just realised, maybe it’s my conversations! CELEBRATING My cousin messaged us in our family group chat and we are making plans to get together and celebrate Christmas in July on the 20th! REMEMBERING I’m still using my trusty notebook to jot down all the things I need to remember! So now I’m actually remembering things. Go me! And that’s a wrap for what’s currently happening in July! I hope you all have an amazing Wednesday!

Hi friends and happy Wednesday! I’m linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness for the June edition of Currently. We are looking at what we are currently loving, looking forward to, enjoying, seeing, and lounging around in. Thanks so much for stopping by! LOVING We got new letterboxes in our villa complex a couple of weeks ago, and I’m loving it! Letterboxes may not sound exciting, but for me, they sure are. The original letterboxes were lower to the ground (now hidden behind the silver number sign) and had become a home for snails. I was usually the one to grab the mail when I got home from work in the afternoon, and it was so gross! Ugh, I feel sick just thinking about it. The slimy snails would leave a trail everywhere, and on top of that, they also ate our letters. Since the mail was delivered in the morning, by the afternoon, bits of the letters had been eaten away. Now, our fancy new letterboxes not only look better, but they are also higher up and seem to be snail-proof. Checking the mail is no longer a horror story for me! Yay! LOOKING FORWARD TO I’m looking forward to this weekend because it’s a long weekend to celebrate the King’s Birthday. Happy birthday, King Charles! We don’t have any specific plans, but it will be nice to have a three-day weekend! ENJOYING I’ve been enjoying all the hot drinks after a long day at work! Some nights, I’ll have my usual Tetley extra-strong tea, while other nights, I’ll go for herbal tea from T2. SEEING Weird cloud formations in the sky! Yesterday afternoon, this cloud hung around for about three hours and you could see it all over Sydney. The kids were still talking about it today at preschool, and our classroom was in hysterics trying to pronounce the Latin name for this type of cloud – Altocumulus volutus. LOUNGING AROUND IN It’s cold over here so now I am lounging around in all things fleece! Fleecy tracksuit pants, hoodies and woolly Ugg slippers. And that’s a wrap! I can hardly believe it’s already June. Wow, we’re halfway through the year, and if time keeps flying by at this pace, Christmas will be here before we know it! I hope you have an amazing day and I’ll be back on Friday to share some favourites. See ya!

Hello, friends, and welcome to Friday Favourites! I hope you all had a great week. If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you’re very excited to welcome back the weekend! This week has flown by so fast yet at the same time it’s felt never-ending because of the wet weather! It’s true what they say about rainy days — time seems to slow to a crawl, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re stuck inside with a crowd of energetic and enthusiastic preschoolers! But hey, at least we made it to Friday! Let’s look at some favourites from this week. Monday Night I almost didn’t make it to our monthly dinner with friends on Monday night. I got home from work later than usual and had to catch up on a few things. It was rainy, I was tired and almost in a bit of a funk. But my friend rang and convinced me to go and I’m so glad I did. Sometimes it’s good to push through even when it feels like everything is caving in on you! I didn’t feel very hungry, which is very unlike me! But when I tucked into my grilled chicken burger and fries. It almost felt as if my appetite woke up and suddenly I was starving. So weird! Does that ever happen to you? Let’s talk about the weather! Lately, I don’t know if I’m cold or hot and it’s not my hormones, it’s the weather. As I said before it has been raining non-stop but the temps have been hovering around 20ºC. So it almost feels humid during the day and at night it gets cooler. I wore my jacket to dinner on Monday night because there was a chill in the night air. I bought this jacket online a few years ago, and initially, I didn’t like it very much. It had so many hanging threads! However, I’m so glad that I didn’t return it because now it’s one of my favourites. I got used to the raw edge look, and I think the jacket’s style goes well with a lot of things I have in my wardrobe. Oregano Oregano is one of my favourite herbs and I read somewhere that it contains some pretty amazing health perks as well. I used to buy oregano from the supermarket but I have to say that it’s not as good as this one that comes on the stalks. It just has a much more robust flavour and it makes my Greek chicken taste better. Dried Fruit! Last Saturday I went to the farmer’s market and I bought some dried mango and dried paw paw. I thought that they would be great to add to my homemade granola. Well, I haven’t got around to making any granola yet but I have been enjoying them as a snack. They taste like lollies! Sometimes I combine it with almonds. It’s healthy, right? Well, as long as I don’t think about the sugar content! Website Issues-Again! Seeing this when I tried to access my website was NOT a favourite last Friday! But I’m grateful for a couple of kind blogger friends who reached out to let me know. It’s fixed now, but I’m still having issues with comments not coming through. Apologies if you’ve tried to comment and haven’t been able to. I always love and appreciate your comments, and I’m sad that I don’t know how to fix this! Aaaargh!!! I’ve had lots of laughs at work with some of my amazing work friends. They’re the best and they brighten my days-even the dreary wet days. But I can’t say that this week has been my favourite and to be honest I’m excited to say bye-bye to it! I thought I had finished all of my written assessment tasks. But I found out on Thursday afternoon that I was missing a whole entire one! I could have cried and if I still had my thyroid I probably would have! I’m more emotionally regulated on thyroxine these days – phew! Anyway, I stayed up late on Thursday night and finished it and I can’t wait for this part of my course to be over! Sam Is Arriving Tomorrow! I’m excited that Sam gets back from Japan tomorrow morning, and I can’t wait to pick him up from the airport! He’s been pretty good about sending me at least one message a day. I’ve slept better knowing he was fine and having a great time with his friends. I’ve also been in contact with his friend’s mum, and we’ve been regularly texting each other, piecing together the bits of information we had about what they were up to. I think we are coming to terms with the fact that this trip may be the beginning of more overseas travel for them. I’m happy that they are a great group of friends and that Sam is a good egg. He just grew up so fast! And that’s a wrap for now! Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Fingers crossed that next week will be sunnier in more ways than one! Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely mums out there. If you’re missing your mum, just like I am, I’m sending you big virtual hugs. Linking up with Andrea and Erika      

Hi friends and welcome back, I hope you all had an amazing weekend and are feeling relaxed and ready for a new week! Thanks so much for being here today! Here is a recap of my fun but rainy weekend! We started the weekend with a nice sleep-in on Saturday morning. Followed by a quick trip to the farmers market. It was rainy and pretty miserable weather so we decided not to hang around and grab something to eat like we usually do. Instead, we bought a few things and then headed home. We bought nuts, honey, sourdough, apples, dried fruit and mandarins (they weren’t as great as I was hoping-it must not be a good mandarin season). We also got a delicious croissant we enjoyed at home with a nice cup of hot tea. It was May the 4th! So in the afternoon, I went to the movies with my cousin and her family to watch The empire Strikes Back. The seats in the cinema were so comfy! We even had pouffes, wow! After the movie, we had dumpling soup in a small Chinese restaurant. It was perfect on such a cold and rainy day. After lunch, it was time for the next Star Wars movie – Return Of the Jedi. It was fun watching some of the original movies on the big screen, I felt like a big kid! After that we hit Timezone and played a few arcade games. Sunday I caught up with some of my girl cousins for a sweet treat in Brighton. We went to a place called Dine and Dezerts. I had some waffles on a stick with chocolate sauce and strawberries-so good! My little cousin ordered this amazing milkshake and she finished it all with no problem! Then she sugar-crashed haha! It was a fun weekend full of my favourite things like Star Wars and family time. Couldn’t get much better than that! I hope yours was a good one too! Time has gotten away from me and I have to run and get ready for our monthly dinner catch-up with some friends. So it’s a short and sweet recap today. I look forward to being back here on Wednesday. See ya! Linking up with Holly and Sarah      

Hey everyone! Can you believe how quickly this week flew by? I’ve had such a refreshing break from work and it’s been so good to finally have the chance to relax a bit, catch up with friends and family, and just enjoy life without having to rush around. It’s been the best feeling and I’m soaking up every moment! Bliss! I’m excited to share a few favourites and as usual, I’m happy to be joining Andrea and Erika for today’s link-up. This week I had an unexpected adventure in the city with my makeup guru bestie. We started locally but when things didn’t pan out we ended up hopping on a train to the city and had such a fun day shopping. We’ve been friends for over 20 years and spending time with her is always a favourite! She sure knows how to shop and I love how she always keeps me laughing nonstop! Wow, look at her haul! A stop at the Chanel make-up counter is always a must! My friend bought some make-up while I sampled the perfumes. I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror and was instantly inspired to pull my face back with my fingers. Haha! Maybe face tape is not such a bad idea, but Chanel doesn’t sell that. I got a ‘Le Lift’ sample from Chanel and as always, anything that vaguely promises lift always grabs my attention! Next stop, Country Road- my favourite clothing shop where I bought a stripy top. We had lunch at Cupcakes on Pitt St. I have to admit that the name kind of threw me off. I’m a savoury girl and cupcakes for lunch didn’t sound so great. But I should have had more faith! They didn’t just offer cupcakes. It was a French-inspired cafe and they had the best chicken baguette I have ever tasted! Cupcake for dessert. We stopped off at Helen Kaminski where my friend bought a hat for her trip overseas and I had fun trying on a few hats. It’s been such a favourite to be able to catch up on some blogging and share a life update as well as a Cousin Connect recap. My lips have been feeling so dry lately. This favourite lip balm is helping a lot. American snacks and treats are a huge favourite! Steve found a petrol station where they stock some of these treats so he drove me there to buy some. Steve and I visited our local Ikea, and I’m always amazed at how quickly he can power walk through the store to get out, especially considering his dodgy knees. Haha! We had dinner. A little while ago I found my dream bedside table at Mitchell Rd Antiques. We sold the matching bedside tables that we had on Facebook marketplace. Then temporarily used an old Ikea Lack side table as a bedside table for Steve. He declared his love for this new look and didn’t want to bother buying a new bedside table. However, he needed something to store his bits and pieces. We found a storage container with a lid on our Ikea shopping trip and while it’s a little unconventional, we both think it suits just fine. Steve is such a minimalist and our kids always joke and tease him that he could have easily been a monk! Thursday I caught up with my lovely friend. We work together but we never have any time at work to barely say ‘Hi’ as we are so busy! It was so good to sit down and enjoy lunch and catch up. This morning Steve, Sam and I went out for brunch which was such a treat! We live under the same roof but work schedules keep us all feeling as if we hardly see each other. I had the huge breakfast tacos, Steve had the big breakfast and Sam chose the Barra burger (barra is short for barramundi). It was a great week with lots of favourite moments and next week I have a few outings planned that I am very excited about. I can’t wait but at the same time, I am also hoping that the days go by really slowly! That’s a wrap for this week’s favourites. Happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!