So Tired

30/12/2014

Well it is just about the last day of 2014 and to be honest I will be glad when the year is over and I can get the next chapter of our lives started and the New Year under way.  I am going to be making lots of changes next year, as I have mentioned before I am going to change the way I dress, I am also going to be going back to work - a couple of days a week, and I am also going to be stepping up my game in the domestic goddess and fitness stakes.
Why am I wanting to make these changes now I hear you ask, well I think it is time that I take stock and evaluate what is not working and make the changes accordingly. We have also lost a couple of very good friend's this year to illness and I have come to realise that life is for living and doing what makes you feel good, so before I get carried away in the New Years glow I am making my resolutions and this year I am going to stick to them.

Today we did some more packing, and well as you can tell by the title we are very much over the whole packing thing and just worn out from this move.  The house is really starting to look just like that a house - it is not a home any more it is fast becoming a empty shell ready for new people to come in with laughter, tears and ready to be part of their memories.
I will shed a tear when we leave I know that we are going onto bigger things but I am leaving the only home the kids have lived in.

It was extremely hot and humid today, I think it got up to 35 centigrade, tomorrow is going to be soo much cooler thank goodness. Being that tomorrow is New Years Eve there are going to be a  heap of idiots on the road so if you are out and about please drive carefully, if you plan on having a couple of drinks please get a taxi or get somebody who hasn't been drinking to drive you home.

Final Stretch

29/12/2014

Good Afternoon my lovelies how are you?

Well we are on the final stretch, the house is now starting to echo, friends have been roped in to help with the move - the promise of a sausage sizzle and a cold beer at the end made the decision to help easier.  Because of the early start I will also provide coffee and possibly a bacon and egg toasted sandwich - we are leaving at 6am so that we miss peak hour traffic.

We took the kids to see the house today so that they can pick which room they want and so that we could somewhat get an idea of if we need to sell some furniture or not.  Luckily we don't it is all going to fit, we have a sort of plan of how it is all going to go but I am fairly sure that it will be moved around many times before I am happy with it!!
We measured the space that the fridge goes into and I have to report it is just not going to fit, so we are now up for a new fridge, microwave ( have been told it needs to be replaced).  The fridge well that is bugging me because well I like my fridge, it has served me faithfully for 8 years, never skipped a beat nothing has gone wrong with it.
For a while it looked like the dryer would have to go but we may have sorted that problem in that we could possibly put it on the washing machine ( I have a front loader).

So tomorrow we will be back into packing boxes, breaking down furniture ready to be put on the furniture trailer, we are trying to cut down on the food that we have to pack so we are making do with what is in the pantry it just means that I have to be creative.  Plates well they are a issue, being as I have packed most of them one of us is always eating off a plastic plate, we have limited drinking glasses, cups and bread plates - so if you come to my house in the next couple of weeks please bring a cup to drink out of and a plate to eat off!!!

I now just want to be up there and getting the kids sorted - Medical centres ( both kids have Asthma), Dentists, Vet for the pets, and all of that other stuff that is involved.  I need to get the book lists for the kids taken care of, new school shoes, bags.  It is going to be the first time that my kids are going to be able to pick which bag they want - they are very excited about that. Me hmm I kinda want the school that we are going to have a bag that the kids have to use, it will make life so much easier it also saves the my bag is better than yours because it is a designer brand.  While Oscar wouldn't care about that Carrissa will and that will lead to tears and tantrums.
I also want to be able to start getting my CV sorted, I can't apply for any jobs at the minute because I am not up there, the kids have not started school.

Well that is all for now, will chat to you tomorrow
Toodles Kylie xxxxxx

It is over with

27/12/2014


Hello my lovelies and how are you today?

Well the Christmas season is over, the Boxing Day sales/Cricket Test/Sydney to Hobart yacht race have started and now we are heading into thoughts of New Years celebrations then we are sling shooting into Australia Day.
As much as I love Christmas, by the time it rolled around I have to admit I was feeling somewhat tired and I have a sneaking suspicion come New Years it will be much the same.  I guess because we have had so much happening that the stress does get to you and it wears you out.

I am now in the headspace where  just want to be in the city and getting un-packed, the kids settled and finding my way around.  It is going to be weird that we have big malls so close and so much variety available to us.  Carrissa and I will be able to indulge in our passion Op Shopping.  Yes we love going to Op ( thrift stores) shopping, there are so many treasures to find, bargains to be had and it also has the added bonus of being environmentally friendly.

Ok I can see you asking how is it environmentally friendly, well the clothes are already made so they don't have to make the material, dye the material, sew the garment.  All we have to do is take it home put it in the washing machine with all of the other dirty laundry and we have the starts of a new wardrobe. I can't wait to see what I am going to find, first it will be vintage clothing - because well I would like to have a vintage look, but I also want to have a bit of a preppy look, can I mix the two??? If there are any fashion bloggers out there that happen to read this can you leave a comment or me please because well I need as much help as I can get, I have slipped into the comfy Mum look, oh don't get me wrong this look has served me well but it is now time to step it up a notch.

I also plan on getting the house very organised and have it really tidy all of the time, I find my day is so much better when I am not rushing in the morning and the kids can't find parts of their school uniform.  So I have set up a household binder, I actually did it a couple of years ago and well I haven't been following it like I used to so that will have to be taken out and followed everyday.  I find it much easier to work from a list of things that need to be done, I find that I achieve more and that the house seems to run smoothly.

 I am going to have a go at setting up a Home Command Centre, now I know that I am going to be in a Rented House and that to put hooks in the wall is not a good thing but there must be a way that I can do it without damaging walls and cupboards.  I need a place that everybody can see, where the kids can hang their school bags so that they are just not dumped on the floor so that I fall over them all of the time, I also need a place where I can have school notes that come in, a calendar so that we can keep track of what is going on.  I have been looking on -line at many pictures, blogs and there is one thing in common with all of these - they are all American, why are none done here in Australia?  So it has become my mission to get the Family Command Centre done, pictures up here so that I can say loudly and proudly Made in Australia but bought from IKEA.  Did I mention that where we are moving to is near IKEA,  I love that store, the sweetish meatballs, the coffee, the fact that they have this huge play centre as you walk in the doors.

Even Carrissa is getting excited at the thought of going to IKEA and she has even started prepping her list, yes my 9 year old daughter is prepping a list ready to go to IKEA and on the top of that list is a new bed, she seems to think the one she has is to "little girl" and well she wants one that is not so babyish.  She has been hinting at a double bed, intact yesterday she hinted at the joy she would have if she got a queen size bed - because in the single there is not enough room for her, ted-ted, and Ellen ( her Cabbage Patch Doll), now if I had only said that to mu Mum when I was her age I may just may have ended up with a King Single.
Now I don't have to worry about either of my children ever getting to the stage where they are taller than me, but eventually they are going to need new beds, so do I get them King Singles?


Ok that is all for now, I must get some sleep - its only 11:10 and well I have been up since 6:30am
Toodles Kylie XXXXXX

It's beginning to feel like Christmas

22/12/2014

Good Afternoon my Lovelies and how are you today???

Well the hot weather is finally here, and it is now feeling like Christmas.  Yes I know that is weird but for those of us in Western Australia a Christmas Day that is under 28 degrees centigrade is just not Christmas, I can't believe that it has rolled around as quickly as it has.  I guess because we have been busy doing other things the days have just slipped by, and before we new it Christmas is here.


I have done something to my camera ( not sure what or how I did it), but the photos of the products I was given haven't turned out well so I can't show you which is a disappointment because there was some really nice stuff and products that I think are worth getting.

So on the last day of school driving it pick up the kids I record something on my phone - it is just me goofing around so I am going to put that on this post.  So here is it is, now as I said this was on the last day, just as I was getting to the bus stop - before I saw somebody drive in a entrance that is clearly marked as a Exit with cars trying to get out and the driver off that car getting very annoyed because the cars that were trying to get out wouldn't move and let him in.

So I have just let my boss know that my last shift will be on New Years, to say that he was surprised is a bit of a understatement, he actually asked if it meant that we would be moving out of Mandurah, I had to tell him yes that we are leaving Mandurah.  I have enjoyed working for him and meeting all of the other drivers and working with them it has given me a better appreciation for taxi drivers and what they go through.

Well I must go as I have a bit of baking that needs to be done and well it is not going to do itself.
Chat to you tomorrow, Toodles Kylie XXXXXXX

Peace and Presents

21/12/2014

Good Morning my lovelies and how are you today??

The sun is out, there is a gentle breeze, the kids have gone with Darren and I am home alone, and I have to say it is joy but I am going to be wrapping presents so this is only going to be a quick post.

The moving date is getting closer very quickly, and I am now in that headspace where I just want to be gone, unpacking and getting sorted.  I have loved where we are living but now I am ready to go, it has taken a while but I am there ready to start the next chapter of our lives.
I will try and get a video done, we are going to fairly busy so don't panic if it isn't done or if I don't post.

Will do an update tonight, Toodles Kylie XXXXXX

Sorry

19/12/2014

Good Morning my lovelies and how are you???

As you can see by the title of this post I have a apology to make, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday and well last night I was so tired.  A great deal of packing, wall scrubbing,dusting and general cleaning got done.  I don't even think I made it to 9pm last night and I did want to watch Mrs Browns Boys Christmas Special.

So the packing in earnest has begun, and getting the house ready for the photographers, it seemed like weeks away when this all started and now it is upon us before we know what has happened.
Next week is Christmas, and well that means that we will get a day off from packing and thinking about the house and the move.  The kids have started having nightmares and the general theme is that they get left behind and that we are gone, so I often wake up to find a little person next to me or in extreme cases both of them and Darren has been kicked out and is sleeping in one of there beds.   I get why they are having the nightmares- they have never moved before and is very scary, and we are doing everything we can to reassure them and make the move less scary.
I remember one move that we did, I cried heaps.  I think the combination of leaving a really good friend, the cat running away ( I know now that the likelihood of the cat getting to far was very slim in that we moved to a semi-desert town and she would probably have been squished by a truck).  I think that is the only time that I was really sad over a move, when we left there and came back to the city I remember thinking "thank goodness we are going back to civilisation" - I was 14 and somewhat self- centered.

As I type this Stimpy is sitting on the back of the chair, she knows there is something going on.  I find it fascinating that they know when there is something out of the ordinary going on and they appear accordingly to give that little bit of reassurance.

I have taken photos of all of the AVON products that I was given and I have been using them, will do a review and will post it as soon as possible.
Some of them I gave to Carrissa straight away - I knew that they would just not work on me and I will be giving her thoughts on them.

Ok I must go as I have some cleaning to do - yes I am cleaning before the cleaners come in, there are just somethings they shouldn't have to clean and well if I can make there job just that bit easier.

Toodles Kylie XXXX

Sugar Soap

17/12/204

Good Morning my Lovelies how are you today??

Well today is the day that I decided that I was going to clean the marks off the walls, some of the marks well they will not budge.
Moving house as a kid was so much easier, I guess I never noticed how much work was involved when you have children. I promised myself that this would be our last move - I have a feeling that it isn't.
But you know what it is a good reason to go through and toss a heap of stuff, some of the stuff that went to the rubbish dump we hadn't used for quite a while, they were broken and couldn't be repaired.  I thought we were pretty good at tossing it if it is broken and can't be repaired or is we hadn't used it for over two years, now before anything gets said it was not able to be donated to a OP Shop ( they don't take electrical goods). But it seems that we didn't do so well on that front!!!

On Sunday we have the photographer coming to take photo's of the house, so all of the boxes have to be moved out to the shed so it doesn't look like a complete disaster zone.  I hope that there is somebody out there that wants to rent out our house, we have had so many great times in this house.

At scouts last night they said goodbye to the kids and to Darren, and well I started to cry.  The hard part about saying goodbye is that I didn't realise that while I have been indirectly involved I had made a impact and that I was told that they are going to really miss me.  I din't do a great deal and what I did do was behind the scene's not any work that I would consider to be overly important but it would seem that to others it was I guess we- and I mean all of us never really know how much we affect other peoples lives and make a difference until something happens.

Speaking of how things affect us what happened in Sydney yesterday is vey thought provoking, there are radicals in every religion and in every walk of life.  So to my Muslim brothers and Sisters ( I am not sure if any read my blog, and I am not a Muslim), I am sorry that somebody in your faith ( which is a gentle faith) has drawn un-wanted attention, I am sure that your hearts are breaking as you know that you are going to be condemned.
Now I normally stay away from discussions that involve religion/politics/sport because frankly somebody always gets offended it always ends up in a argument, but it is Christmas a time for forgiveness, random acts of kindness. So if you see a Muslim woman, or one with children don't be rude, don't be aggressive, wish them a Merry Christmas and offer to walk with them, talk to them.  The reason I ask this of you is because there is going to be a great deal of hatred towards what one man did, don't punish innocents for was done.  Ok there I have done it the first and last time I have entered the Religion argument, next week we will tackle sport!!!!!!

I have done all of the Christmas shopping, well all but 4 and as I said yesterday three of those are gift vouchers.  So I am going to be brave and gather the troops (  Carrissa and Oscar) and on Monday we are going to go and get Darren's presents, while we are there I will get Patterson a couple of big bones to give him on Christmas morning this year Stimpy will get a tin of tuna - will have to make sure that Patterson doesn't eat any!! Yes we do give the pets something for Christmas, they are part of the family.

Ok must away as there are marks on the wall calling my name
Toodles Kylie XXXXXX

3 weeks till move.

16/12/2014

Good Afternoon my Lovelies and how are you today?

Well I have done the Christmas shopping bar 4 presents - three of those are gift cards ( that is what they asked for) and I also have to get Darren's presents from the kids.

Well it is 3 weeks till we move and I have been packing for the most of this afternoon, and I am running out of places to store the full boxes.  I have a long road ahead before I get to the end of the packing, I can't believe how much stuff we had - and we threw out a heap of stuff.  Darren is packing up the shed on the weekend, and I will continue with the inside of the house.  I am only leaving 4 plates, cups, spoons etc out. Two sets of sheets,towels etc. there is no need to leave any more out.  The dodgy boxes I am packing soft stuff - to scared to pack anything else in it incase they break.

The list on the white board is getting very long, there seems to be something added every 5 minutes, and on top of the packing and cleaning I still have to wrap presents, and get stuff sorted for Christmas and the day to day stuff.  I am either going to have to stay up later or get up earlier to get everything done.

I got the letter today to confirm the kids in summer swimming lessons - it starts the week we move, so I will have to sort that out.

Ok I must go as I have more boxes to pack, will talk soon.

WE GOT A HOUSE

15/12/2014


Good Morning my lovelies how are you???

Well as you can see by the title we got a house, so now I can start packing properly, I can also ring the school and start getting that sorted.
I am so relieved that we have a house it will mean one less thing that  have to worry about, we have also engaged a agent so that we can rent our house out. I have to stop thinking of it as our house because by the middle of January it is not going to be our house it will be a rental property, that is kinda sad only because we have put so much into this house and have so many memories here.

Ok I have a secret to share ( please don't tell anyone), this Miss 9, Master 8 and DH is getting way to hard I am going to share their names.  Miss 9 is Carrissa, Master 8 is Oscar, DH is Darren - wow I feel so much better.
I am going to have another go at doing a you tube video, I hope that I can get it right because I think that it will add so much more depth to this blog and well being that I can talk the leg off a steel table......hmmm maybe I shouldn't have shared that bit!!!!

Ok I am going to go as I have to get a bit more packing done, and well continue with house work - oddly enough it doesn't stop just because we are packing to move.
I started my Christmas shopping - I have one present, it is for both of the kids.

Update

12/12/2014

Just a quick update, I have changed my You Tube channel name to Welcome to Kylies life.

I am trying to work out how to link my blog and You Tube together, please be patient with me........ I am not overly tech savvy.

I have picked the kids up ( which is a really obvious statement being that I am typing this on my computer - which is at home) and they had a really great day, they said that some of their friends did get a bit sad but the fact that  we can have them over to play, before we go seems to have made things better.

Hey Guys I am really sorry but there was something wrong with the you tube post, I am not sure why but for some reason it didn't work.  I will try and do another one an get that uploaded.

21 November 2014

Good Morning to you all,  Hope you are well.

Ok so I have joined the 21st century, yes I have joined Twitter, Instagram and even have a youtube channel.
I have yet to put a video up, but I am working on it.  I have been on YouTube for a while but have been way to shy to post anything, as for tweeting and Instagram it is more of a case of when I remember to post a picture or tweet.

I am thinking for my first YouTube video that it might be a extension of the blog, maybe some reviews.
I am not overly tech savvy so it will take me a while to work out how to link it all up - but google knows everything so I will ask him/her.  How did we ever get along before google, the internet?? I am a child of the 80's and remember getting a telegram, a big book ( the things that has pages, can be very heavy and gets printed on paper with ink) in the school library, even getting a license to use the schools record players. Now don't get me wrong I don't wish to live in the past as it is just not possible being that as humans we can't help ourselves and have to invent things and we are curious we need to find out how things work and what we can do to make it go better or faster.

Ok now I said I was going to link my twitter, instagram and youtube all together so here goes - lets hope this works otherwise there will be a monumental meltdown on my behalf!!!!

Twitter is : @smartkylie

Instagram is : SMARTKYLIE123

YouTube is: smartkylie 123

Wow  I think I have done it, actually I haven't so I am going to have to figure out how to do it.

First youtube video.

12 December 2014

Good afternoon my lovelies and how are you today?

Well I have done it, I have done my first Youtube video.  I filmed it in the car on the way home from dropping the kids off from school.  So you will get to see me in real life and you will get to see every emotion that I am experiencing at the minute.

Today is the last day of school, and it was really hard giving the teachers ( Miss 9 and Master 8) there presents and saying good bye.  As I say in the video Master 8's teacher is ex-Navy so she understands what it is like to move with kids, and how hard it is especially when you have other things going on.  Now I am not comparing myself to a military family - they are in a class of their own and sometimes have to give the ultimate sacrifice.  If you are in a Military family you all deserve a medal for what you do.

As I have said before I am a police brat, we were moved every 18 months and as a kid it never really hit me how hard it was.  I don't have friends from my childhood because we were never in a place long enough to make them.  I now have a couple of close friends and I am finding it very hard to say good bye, I know that people move on and circumstances change and well I just need to remember that I can always phone them, email, Facebook and so forth.  I can get on the train and still come back to Mandurah for the day or they can meet me in the city.  Yes I am probably being dramatic in the eyes of those who have never experienced the constant moving but you know what these are my emotions.

The packing well that is coming along, in a way I am looking forward to the kids being on holidays because they can help me pack and clean.  They will get a couple of weeks of doing some work before they have fun, I am looking forward to getting up to the city and getting settled in, trying to find my way around ( thank goodness for GPS).

So today I had the district manager come and collect the money from the Avon order, and she had a bag of products with her that she gave me.  Now I didn't ask for these products, I didn't order them either I am not sure why I got them so I will try them out and let you know what I think of them.  While I never intended to do reviews it seems that I have started doing them and well I am ok with that.
If there is something that you want to see me test ( within reason - I am not jumping out of a perfectly good plane, or swimming with sharks, eating internal organ of any type, and playing with snakes, spiders, or any creepy crawly.) So now that we have the ground rules set let me know.  I am willing to test cars, houses,make-up, shoes,clothes,handbags and do some restaurant reviews - you may even get to see me on the golf coarse I am not any good but I have fun.

Ok that is all for now as I have to go get the kidletts - last day of school let the holiday fun begin.

Toodles Kylie XXXXXXXX

Is it time to catch my breath yet?

11 December 2014

Good afternoon my lovelies how are you today?

Well I had a whirlwind trip to the city today - to look at a house, I have a estate agent coming to the house this afternoon and there is packing boxes everywhere.  Lunch well I will probably get that in between cleaning up Miss 9's room, sweeping the floor and cleaning up the kitchen.  I still need to get a couple of boxes packed and dinner sorted out - I forgot to take meat out of the freezer.
I just went and took meat out, t- did you miss me?  It is 31 degrees here today so come 5:30 it will be defrosted and ready for the BBQ.

Sorry I wasn't around yesterday, but I was packing boxes and trying to keep the house looking somewhat presentable - and well that is harder than it sounds. I am going to pack another couple of boxes today, I figure if I try to get as much done as possible then when it gets closer to the actually move I am not going to be in a blind panic to get it done. So as you can see it is all go here, to get to the phone I have to climb over that pile of boxes - the kids think that it is great fun and have started making a game out of it.

The one good thing about being a Police-brat I know how to pack a box, how the truck gets packed and what you take in the car with you so when you get to the other end you can have a drink and something to eat.  Pets well they are not a problem because one will be in a cat carrier and the other will be in the back of my car, driving with the trailer on will be the big thing for me.

Well thats all for now, I need to inhale some lunch before the agent gets her.
Toodles Kylie XXXXXX

In Limbo and cold.

9/12/2014


Good Morning my lovelies and how are we today????

Today is well cold there is no other way to say it, what happened to summer??? We are 9 days in and haven't had any really hot days yet, they have been spring days with summer potential and it is only 25 degrees, almost jeans and jumper weather again.

 As you can see it is very cloudy and you might be able to tell but it is really windy as well.

The sun has just come out, the clouds seem to be getting bigger and darker wonder if we will get any rain out of it.  I hope we do get some rain but I hope we don't because we have the kids Christmas Pageant tonight.  I will take the camera so that I can get some photos and show you.  I have a feeling that it is going to be cold tonight and the kids are going to need there jumpers/jackets to keep warm.











A couple of days ago I made cob loaf dip, and well it went down very well, Master 8 refuses to eat it and I am not sure why. It has all of the things in it that he eats normally, he will eat the bred around the dip, and will eat the croutons but there is something about the dip that he doesn't like.  I will post the pictures of me making it, I was going to do a video of it but the camera kept turning off - kinda helps if you charge it up!!!!! It seems that DH has erased the SD card that the photos were on - not only am I not happy with him, but disappointed that he didn't tell me until now that he had done it.

The house hunt continues, I am now getting to the point I just want it to happen so that I can start packing, getting schools sorted, medical records sort etc:  I feel like I am living in limbo not being able to move forward and I can't go back.  Why is it when ever we ( DH and I ) decide to do something it always takes forever and yet when we don't want to commit and take it slow it always happens in a rush?

Well that is all for now
Toodles Kylie XXXXX

Changing for the better????

8 December 2014

You are probably wondering about the title of this post, and well if you indulge me for a minute I will explain.
It all started with watching White Christmas, the dresses, the petticoats, the hair, the make-up well I was hooked, the first time i daw this movie I was a child and the impact it made on me was somewhat WOW.  So now as a 38 year old woman I am finally going to start dressing like the ladies out of that movie I am talking, petticoats, seamed stockings,pin curls.
I am going to start slow and build up so that my family don't freak out and refuse to be seen in public with me, I think I will attract some looks and may get some strange comments but I can't conform to the standard anymore.....call me a rebel - isn't this something that you do in your teen years?

So I am in the process of withdrawing from Uni, and well that is a nightmare and a half.  I am not giving up on being a nurse and following my dream I am just choosing to put it on hold for a bit so that we can get settled in our new house, school and well I want to get a job.  I like talking to people and being able to earn some money so that I can buy stuff and not feel guilty or justify doing it - DH and I have set a amount for the fortnight and well once that is gone that is it.  I know some people are going to say that is archaic and that this is the 21st century, well this is what works for us so we are going to continue doing it.

This morning Miss 9 spat the dummy all because I didn't have bacon and eggs for breakfast - I think I  have made a rod for my own back, I started doing cooked breakfasts for the kids and well they were loving it. So the one day I don't do it oh heaven help me.
I am going to continue doing it because I like the feel great that the kids are going off to school with a full belly. I am enjoying baking, and being a domestic diva - I am not a domestic goddess because I am not quite crash hot with the housework but I am getting there.

Must away as I have some muffins to make, fruit smoothies and try and make the house look somewhat decent.
Toodles Kylie XXXXX

It has begun

7 December 2014

Good afternoon my lovelies and how are you today????

Well it has begun and I do hear you asking what has begun and if you give me a chance I will tell you.  "The getting ready to move throw out of all the collected junk" I figure if we get the clean out started then there will be less stuff to move and well if we haven't used it in the last 12 months we don't need it.  I will be working on the pile principal - Donate, Ditch and keep ( was trying to think of a word that means keep that started with D and couldn't find one, it would have been the three D's so now it is DD"s!!!!).

We are going to sell some stuff on Gumtree because well once we have a house then we can go and start working out where we are going to put furniture, what will fit and what isn't going to.  The furniture that we have been holding on to because it was given to us well if it doesn't fit it is going, we can't keep everything so some tough decisions have to be made.  I like to think I can make the tough decisions but in reality I fold like a letter going into a envelope.  The worst part of it is I notice that Miss 9 and Master 8 are starting to do the same thing and well that is the last thing  I want.

On Thursday I am going to brave the shopping madness and I am going to go and do my christmas shopping, I fear that I may get lost in the crowd of frenzied Mums trying to get it done before school breaks up for the year but I must be brave.
What I am going to get them, I have no idea - the kids change their minds on what they would like every week, and most of it depends on what toy add they have seen. I don't even know what I am getting DH this year - he says that he doesn't want anything but everybody needs something to open on Christmas morning.
We will be up early - the excitement will be to much for the kids and well they are too cute they scoff their breakfast and have their beds made in record time, now if they could only do that on school mornings it would be so much easier.  I always wondered why my Mum had that rule in place and now I understand - things get done when the thought of ripping open the paper on present that is sitting there waiting to be played with.

As much as I am looking forward to Christmas I'm not, it is such a build up to the event and then it is over so quickly, the leftovers from lunch that you have for dinner, then lunch and then cook so that it doesn't sit in the fridge looking at you for days, the presents you spent ages wrapping the paper is torn to shreds in a frenzy.  But for us here in Australia with Christmas Day over we slide into Boxing Day and the Boxing Day Cricket Test - we camp out in the Air-conditioning watching the test match (because there is nothing else on and because it is to hot to go to the beach because each year you forget to wear the double pluggers and you end up burning your feet while trying to do the beach towel dash) then we are ramping up for NEW YEAR'S Eve.  Now that is a different story, as any self respecting mother of children under the age of 10 knows there are the family fireworks at 9pm and then it home to bed, we try and convince ourselves that we are going to stay up and see the New Year in but sadly we are in bed by 10pm with sugar plums taking their final bows ready for a well deserved rest of 365 days before they have to start all over again.

Now for us here in Australia Christmas lunch isn't a hot meal, the meat may be done on the BBQ, plenty of salad, jelly slice, fruit mince pies, custard and maybe a Lions Christmas cake, there is always enough cooked that two families can walk away with enough to eat for the next three meals! Now there may be Champagne that flows or even cold beer and there will definitely be some fruit punch I might even do croissants for breakfast - they will be stuffed with chocolate ( its Christmas and well I never do it any other time) and quite possibly DH and I  will have a big cup of coffee because the above mentioned presents would have been ripped open by 6 am, last year Master 8 was up at 4am ready to open presents!!!
So what Christmas traditions do you have?

House Hunting

6 December 2014

Good Evening my lovelies how are you tonight?

Today the we went house hunting - well suburb hunting, we have it narrowed down to a location and a suburb.
After a while Miss 9 was getting really over it so we had to stop for morning tea - the kids did not myself or DH.  The areas were a great deal nicer than I had thought and so were the outsides of the primary schools, and most of the areas had big parks by so that we could take Patterson for a run and the kids could play, and they were not far from where DH worked which is even better.  We then stopped for lunch, well we had lunch at the beach which was 5 minutes away from where we were looking, had a wander around the little markets that were there after we had eaten.  I am feeling a great deal better about the whole process now, it's not just pictures on a screen and lines on a map now.

I have got myself a casual job ( yay), I am working tonight so we had to come home earlier than expected so that I could have a sleep - I think I got about 3 good hours in before I was woken up by the kids.  Not sure what time I am going to finish, but I suspect it will be in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Ok must go because well dinner is being dished up
Toodles Kylie XXXXXX

Confusion

5 December 2014

Good Morning my lovelies how are you today?

Here, well it is like Winter and it is supposed to be Summer.  It looks like it is going to rain, slightly cold, they say it is going to get warmer today but I am doubtful, the weather change has affected the kids with there allergies and Asthma.

Well the house hunt is continuing, trying to find one in a good area with a good school is really hard. I don't want to move to area and then find that the Primary School doesn't have a High School near it and the one that they have to go to isn't a very good one.  It seemed so much easier as a child when we were transferred from one place to the next, and the fact we had housing provided made it so much easier.  Starting to find this quite stressful, and I know it shouldn't be it should be exciting adventure.   I think it is down to the fact that I am wanting the kids to be in a good school and them to be happy, and once again it comes down to my own insecurities and upheaval in my childhood.

I have decided to take a better line with Miss 9, she has developed attitude and I think that if I am softer with her it will change.  She is stubborn like me so we just lock horns and neither willing to give in, so it is like clash of the titans in our house.  So it is up to me to change the environment and I think that will change her attitude and make life a great deal easier.

So there are going to be big changes for the family, I  am going to start with trying to be less stubborn and softer with the kids, I need to get fitter - it will help when I am working in aged care and on the wards at the hospital and studying.  The move - well that is a really big one, and we need to do more research to make sure it is in the right area.  It really helps talking to you about this stuff - I can talk to DH but when I talk to him about the fears he says that we will stay where we are.  I don't want him to fix the problem I want him to listen and give me a little pep talk and say it will be ok.

As I have said before it would be easier if we didn't have to pick a house and area, if they put us on a plane and sent us to our new place we had two weeks to get the lay of the land and get the kids enrolled in school and look at the house it would be easier.   So if there is anybody out there that just happens to be the boss of a company ( that reads this) and wants to employ my DH please let me know, not opposed to moving state, country.  With moving countries I do have a few conditions - Stable Government ( so no Military take-overs in the last 100 years), good health care, good education, would prefer to still be in the Commonwealth ( there is just something about the Queen that makes you feel secure) but it is not a necessity, We have to be able to have our pets with us - the kids would be happier about moving to another country if Patterson and Stimpy were with us.
Nice to have ( dreams really) - Wouldn't be opposed to having a White Christmas, Miss ( wants her own bathroom so a house that accommodate that would be great she did ask me on Tuesday if her new school they have to wear uniforms I think she would like to go to a school wear you don't have to wear a uniform.

Not much of a list really!!!

Ok I must go as I do have to get some house work done
Toodles Kylie xxxxxxx

Decisions part 2

4 December 2014

Ok I have walked Patterson, and have been doing some research and well I still have no idea.  Stimpy knows something is going on - she has come out of hiding and is smooching all over me.
You know I think it would be easier if we were told we had to move to another country, we flew over for two weeks to have a look at the house, school and get a feel for the area, flew home and started to pack up the house and the pets.

While the city is only 1 hour away in a way it feels like the end of the Earth, I know it is going to sound weird but this house is where I bought my children home from the hospital and watched them go off to their first day of school I have grown very attached to this house.
I knew this move was coming, and I expected it last year and when it din't happen I pushed to the back of my mind and now that it has happened I am a complete wreck which is silly.  The kids well I have sold the move to them and that was the easy part it is my fears that I now have to get over, the voice in my head is saying put on your big girl knickers and grow up it is just a house and your home is wherever your family is.
My Step-Dad was a Policeman so it is not like I am not used to moving, as a child I lived in 6 different towns, so you had the new kid thing happening all of the time.  I just remember how much it sucked and I think that is my worst fear especially for my kids - you get all of this attention cause you are new and then they don't want to know after that.

Ok I have had my cry and now it is time to get my big girl knickers on, it is time to look it this academically ( the facts, without bias, without emotion and with logic and research).  I will be blogging everyday - except when we move and don't have internet, will even try to link it to my Youtube channel ( haven't uploaded a video before) to chronicle the process and the move.

So now as I wade through mountains of research I will be thinking of this new adventure our family is going to be taking and together well we can do anything ( even as I am saying this my inner Kylie is laughing at me and offering a big box of tissues!!)

Decsisions

4 December 2014

Good morning my lovelies how are we today?????

It is 8:30am  and well I am wondering if it is to late to go back to bed and start the day again?
This morning I have had nothing but attitude from Miss 9, to the point where I am getting her to pick out a Military School that she wants to go to - we don't have them in Australia.  Now I wouldn't send her to one because A: there are none in Australia and B: I couldn't afford the tuition.  Since when did 9 year olds have attitude - I didn't get her attitude till I was 13 and then I had to wait till Mum was up in the back paddock before I could say anything.

I have been really busy this week, School Assemblies,Cheer a Volunteer morning Tea, sick child, lost bus passes - so that I have had to drive the kids to school and back, and there was something else and I can't remember what else.  Poor Patterson hasn't had a walk since Sunday and is looking at me like I am the worst person in the world.  So as soon as I have finished here I will be taking him for a walk, I need to get out in the fresh air, always feel better and relaxed after a walk.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  I haven't and I really need to because the kids will be on holiday's soon.  To make it even worse I have no idea what to get them, it gets harder as they get older.

We are considering moving to the city, it will mean big changes and I have to admit I am a little worried.  Now my fears are mainly how are the kids going to cope?  Are we making the right decision? What suburb do we pick, is it the right suburb?  Does it have a good school? I guess this what most families go through when they move and it is a big leap of faith. Hmm I think I need to do some research on which suburb we pick and surrounding suburbs and the schools.  If I can get that locked down and figured out then half the battle is won.

I am going to go and take Patterson a walk - need to clear my head.

Will chat later
Toodles Kylie XXXXX

December 2nd 2014

Good Morning my lovelies how are you today?

I have a sick child, Master 8 has sore Ears now you may think that is nothing but he is prone to ear infections and has grommets in so when he says things like that we kinda get a bit cautious. I have taken him to the Dr and there is no infection there, so we need to keep up the Panadol, and the fluids. He is hanging out on the lounge just watching TV at the minute, having a day of rest will do him the world of good.

When drinking coffee it is a good idea to let it cool slightly and not drink it to seconds after you have poured the boiling water from the kettle - I have stripped the tastebuds off my tongue and burnt the back of my throat, I was having it with some of the fruit mince pies that I made last night and well they are much yummier than they look! Not sure what I am going to make today - I do know that I am doing Cob Loaf Dip for dinner because the kids and DH have scouts tonight so I need something that is easy, the majority of the household will eat ( Master 8 doesn't like it).

I put in a Avon order and I have to say I am a little disappointed, it arrived today and instead of the rep bringing it to me it was dropped at my door ( was at the DRS), and telling me that I had to pay by credit card.  What happened to the friendly Avon lady coming to the door bringing your products you giving her your cash - developing a relationship.  I will be not ordering any products from Avon again, am I wrong for wanting to get to know the rep?  the pretty pictures in all of the books show the rep talking with her client but my experience has left a great deal to be desired.  I am sure that the new way of doing things for a great many people works and they prefer it but as you can tell I don't, I am going to order from another party plan company and will tell you how I go and what I enjoyed.  Before I go any further I must let you know that I was a body shop rep and I was a Mary Kay consultant ( I am still a Mary Kay consultant, just not a active one).  I do plan on ordering from both of these companies but it will not be until the New Year - my consultancy with Mary Kay should have finished by then so I will be able to do it objectively and without bias.

                                               

 Icy pole holders- can never have to many of these, especially as it is starting to get hot her in OZ.

A four pocket wash bag, I own a few wash bags and I am forever loosing them, they get put down and then I can never find them.

Sock pegs, cause well I am so over putting two socks in the washing machine and only one coming out.  Where do they go its not like there is a hole in the back of my machine where they can escape and go off to a better life.

Drawer and wardrobe spray - cause well it smells nice and I have always wanted to buy it.

Lip balm - I bought this to put in my daughters stocking.  The nail sprinkles stuff well that came with the stuff because a item is on back order.  I hope I get it soon as, cause well it kinda is needed.  It is a bag organiser and well if you could see the inside of my handbag you would understand why I need it.

1st December 2014

Good Evening my lovelies how are we today?

You are probably wondering what the picture is, and yes that is my new toy.  For those who don't know it is the new Thermomix,( this is in no way sponsored/payed for by  Thermomix) now I am not new to Thermomix's as I had the older one and well I did love it but this was my Birthday and Christmas present all rolled into one.
I have been cooking up a storm in it, I have made risotto, fruit smoothies, short crust pastry, meatballs and tomato sauce, vegetable stock, pizza dough.

The next thing that I am going to try is a frozen mojito cheesecake, I am going to do it as individual portions because I think it will be easier to deal with and you don't have a huge cheesecake sitting in the fridge.
I made my first ever batch of fruit mince pies - lets hope they taste better than they look!!.  I have learnt that in order for them to look decent not to put a full cover on them, just a couple of strips of pastry will do.

I would have had this up earlier, but there was a problem with the computer - you would type and there would be nothing coming up on the page and that is so frustrating.  I tried three times before I got really frustrated and thought it best to stop.  DH comes home and does one thing to it and it works - how is it possible, why does that always happen???

The Christmas tree is put up and decorated, Miss 9 was doing it then got bored halfway through so I ended up finishing it off.  Oh well it could have been worse, she could have got bored halfway through putting the tree together and well we would have only had half a tree on Christmas morning.

I have often wondered what it is like to have a real tree, but here is Australia they are generally accompanied by big Huntsman spiders and well I could be pretty sure that the tree I pick will have a mother and her babies living in the tree.  I wouldn't even know where to get one from, do they have places in Australia where you can buy real live Christmas Tree's, and how would I keep it alive?  I remember having a live one once as a child - then it started dropping all of its needles and well Mum wasn't to impressed about having the needles all through the house so it has been fake trees ever since.  I do know that I will be getting a better tree in a couple of years - one that doesn't drop heaps of plastic needles, there is a christmas shop in the city and well that is the place to get them from and they are open all year round.

I was at the mall today and you can tell it is close to Christmas I had to park right up the end, and there was a line to even get into the parking bays!!  The mall was packed and people with trolley loads of stuff.  Every year I say that I am not going to leave the present shopping till last minute - I haven't even started yet and I need to get it done before the kids start their holidays so I guess I will be doing the late-night shopping dash.

I am supposed to be doing some house work ( it is 9:55 on Monday night) and well I have found it easier to talk to you all.  I figure if I get up early then I can get most of it done before I get the kids up and lunches made.
I am really looking forward to the end of school, the fact that I am not going to be making lunches every day, and I am not going to get the " I can't find any socks, where are my shoes, what can I take in for news, why can't we take Patterson in for news?".  For the first couple of days I plan on laying on the lounge doing nothing - might even watch a movie and just relax - yes I was dreaming and had nodded off whilst typing this, that will be the kids and then after the 2nd week I will be ready to send them back to school because they have done nothing but fight and antagonise each other.

Well that is all for this fine Summers night,
Toodles Kylie XXXXXX