Until we meet again….

Posted on May 28, 2013 by natalietrew

Tears are rolling…
Our hearts our broken…
Yesterday we lost a great lady…Gloria Holpen – my darling nana!

She was a loving wife to my grandad, mother to my mother and uncles and was ‘nana’ to 10 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She was a mother in law, a sister, an aunty and a true friend to anyone she met. She was loving, she was loyal…one of the greatest women I’ve been privileged to have in my life!

5 weeks ago nana was rushed to hospital when she fell ill with a stomach obstruction. We were told to prepare for the worst then, but through her pure strength and determination, nana recovered and was ready to be discharged when a spot became available in a nursing home. Then last thursday unexpectedly, nana took a turn for the worst and started vomitting…another stomach obstruction, this time worse, this time there was nothing the medical professionals could do. Sadly nana was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 5 years ago and now that she was in the late stages of this horrible debilitating disease, her bowel and gut system was paralysing and she was unable to eat or drink. We were told last weekend that nana only had a couple of days to live. She lasted 8 days.

We were shocked to say the least. We knew that she may be at risk of another obstruction, but months or years down the track…not weeks;( When the realisation came to knowledge that nana would need to be cared for in a nursing home, that was hard enough to stomach at first, but we accepted that and my mother worked so hard doing everything she had to do to find nana a nursing home placement and now instead of getting nana ready to move, we are busy planning her funeral. It just seems so wrong;(

In her final days, most of the family were able to spend time with nana, comforting her when she was in pain, holding her hand when she seemed scared and whispering in her ear how much we loved her and that she needed to be brave. This past week has been gut wrenching. Watching my grandad in his final days with his wife of over 60 years was nothing short of torture! Seeing how distraught my mum was at the thought of never seeing her mother again. We’ve cried an ocean of tears, but the most uplifting part of this week has been the realisation of how powerful family love can be.

The hospital staff were amazed at how long nana held on for. For an 80-year-old women to last 8 days without food or water showed how strong and courageous nana really was. And although nana had many loved ones waiting for her on the other side, she knew she was leaving so much behind! The closeness and love our family shares started way back when nana and grandad started their own family…nana has left this legacy behind and as a family we will keep this going.

How do you say goodbye to someone who has been there for every stage of your life?

As I close my eyes I remember so many precious moments with nana. Her gorgeous smile, her laugh, her beautiful blue eyes and how she always had the ability to put a smile on my face. I’ll treasure the safe and secure feeling I always had when in my nana’s presence and to say I won’t have that again is something I’m trying to come to terms with.

This week will be tough for everyone. Even though many tears are still to be shed, we are determined to make sure nana’s funeral is a celebration of her life and the amazing lady she was. When nana’s time on earth came to end on June 1st at 11.15am, heaven gained a special angel who will be there to watch over us every step of our ways. So for now nana it isn’t goodbye, rather until we meet again…..

I’ve Watched…..

Posted on May 25, 2013 by natalietrew

Throughout my life I’ve been blessed with being able to watch and learn from a wonderful women who I will always call my nana!

Over the years…
I’ve watched my nana love and care for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren as her natural instinct of mothering has always been impeccable.
I’ve watched her love and nurture grandad like the fantastic loyal wife she’s always been.
I’ve watched her give her opinion with a strong view as nana always liked a good debat.
I’ve watched her laugh so hard till she almost wet herself as nana always had a great sense of humour.
I’ve watched her cry at many different situations as she always held her emotions on her sleeve.
I’ve watched her grieve as we’ve lost love ones along the way.
I’ve watched her support us with everything we’ve ever been involved in from our sporting events to our academic achievements.
I’ve watched her play many games of bingo…some she won and some she walked away with the poops!
I’ve watched her make gollywogs, croquet blankets and baskets as nana loved her sewing creations.
I’ve watched her sing and dance at concerts as nana was a groover!
I’ve watched her work her magic in the kitchen whether it be on a roast or bangers and mash as nana was a great cook!
I’ve watched my nana embrace her natural beauty as she never pieced her ears, never coloured her hair and would only ever wear her signature pink lipstick…we tried so hard over the years to get her to shave her legs, so a tattoo was definitely out of the question lol!
I’ve watched her enjoy many cups of tea, coffee and slices of cake as that’s what nana loved to do.
I’ve watched her relish in the company of all of her family as family was her life!
I’ve watched her say goodbye to her family home of 50 years and move two doors up from me – this I will always cherish!
I’ve watched the thrill all her grand babies have brought to her over the years of their developments.
I’ve watched her at her absolute best and her absolute worst.

For a long time now, I’ve watched my dear nana struggle like none of us would know how to. I’ve watched her cry in pain and I’ve watched how determined she was not to let the pain defeat her as she never winged and always had room for her beautiful smile. I’ve watched my devoted grandfather care for her and keep her comfortable at home for as long as he possibly could and this was accompanied by the dedication of my wonderful mother.

In her final days I watched my nana fight with the strength I’ve never seen from a single soul. I watched my family shed tears for the lady who has always been the glue that holds our family together. I watched my grandad’s heart break as he told her he loved her and we would be ok. I watched my nana hold onto dear life until she felt we were going to be ok because nana always put everyone else before herself.

Now that my dear nana is dancing in the meadows of heaven with other loved ones, I will forever live in peace knowing that she will be watching over us all. Our family has another angel now who has left behind a legacy that we will continue to uphold during our days.

I love you forever nana…you will always be my inspiration – today is not goodbye, rather until we meet again xoxoxoxo!

Why I am so blessed….

Posted on May 12, 2013 by natalietrew

33 years ago, when I was placed in my mother’s arms, my life was blessed….

I’ve been so lucky to have been born to the most beautiful, caring, selfless and patient mother that I know, love and admire. I’m so blessed to not only have a great mother but someone I can truly call my best friend. From a little girl, teenager, young women to a mother, my mum has always nurtured, supported and helped me wherever possible and I’m in ore of what she does for our family! Mum isn’t the only women who I’ve been blessed with, my nana is like a second mum to me and to have two great women to lead the way in life, I am forever grateful!

Mum and nana have taught me to be the mum I am today….
They’ve taught me to sacrifice, nurture, love and the like. They’ve taught me the true meaning of being a mother and have always been there for advice and encouragement. My children adore their great-grandmother, and ‘nanny’ – well let’s just say when the going gets tough, they cry out “I want my nanny!!!”

I’ve also been blessed with two wonderful sisters who as a little one they helped care and nurture me, but as adults we are now best friends and have been there every step of the way for each other in times of happiness and in sorrow. We love each other’s children like our own and long for our ladies nights together.

And my most recent blessing in life is meeting my wonderful husband who helped me create the biggest blessing in my life…my 3 angels! Becoming a mum to Bailey, Sienna and Mia has changed the way I think, they way I feel, the way I love. I didn’t think I could possibly love anyone as much as I love my three children and just thinking about that brings a tear to my eye and fills my heart with joy!

So on this Mother’s Day, I want to thank all the beautiful ladies in my life…my mum, my nanas, my sisters, aunties, cousins and friends! I hope you’ve been showered with the love we all deserve as there is no love quite like a Mother’s love:)!

So how did you spend the day? This was my day in highlight….

Mother’s Day for me started on Friday when Sienna’s prep class put on an afternoon tea music concert. It was just as beautiful as Bailey’s two years ago. Sienna was so adorable as she sang songs to me and served me afternoon tea:)

Then yesterday I was treated like a queen – breakfast in bed, I stayed in bed until 9am reading books with the kids and playing games on the iPad. We had a beautiful visit to our local playground and we’re caught in pouring rain on the way home…2 adults running with three kids on bikes must have looked pretty funny lol! The day was topped off by a beautiful dinner cooked by Kane…and he even did the dishes:)

Today has been spent doing the things I love the most…10km run, kisses and cuddles while opening my presents, watching Bailey and Kaleb play footy. We had a great visit with nana who looked a million dollars today and had such a sparkle in her eye as the flowers kept rolling in. As I type, my wonderful husband is preparing roast meat for dinner with my family and I’m cuddling a scared Mia (from the electric knife lol) and keeping an eye on a very sick
Sienna:(…but hey that’s what Mother’s do!

Another great Mother’s Day…one of my favourite days of the year:)

Time Machine….

Posted on May 2, 2013 by natalietrew

Is it just me or does anyone else wish they had a time machine that would take them back to a special memory or moment in time that was once lived?

This past week has got me thinking a lot about my past and all the wonderful memories that have been made. I’ve closed my eyes several times this week and imagined times when I was little, times with all of my loved ones, times when I was at school, times when I made netball teams, times at high school and even as recent as the time when I first became a mum. All these memories make me smile and have help shape the person I am today!

The most fondest of memories I’ve been playing over and over in my head recently are ones with my dear nana:) If you are a regular follower of my blog, you would know that my nana has been living with Parkinson’s Disease for the past 4 years and just of late has really deteriorated. The most recent mishap has caused nana to be hospitalised. Up until last week nana was living at home and being cared for by my grandad with the help of my wonderful mother, Blue Care nurses and staff and of course all of us would pitch in and help where it was needed. But regrettably the time has now come for nana to go into a nursing home….this breaks my heart even typing this;(

I’m 33 years of age and have had my nana for that whole time…but somehow it only feels like 5 minutes and I would do anything to go back in time and relive all the wonderful times we’ve shared together. My grandparents are more than just that…they have been second parents to us girls and I’ve been so lucky for the past 8 years having them live two doors down from us:) I already miss being able to pop in and say hello to nana, taping on her window after a run, beeping the horn when I drive past and just knowing that she is so close by…this is how I feel…I can’t even imagine how my poor granddad feels;( How do you move forward when your life as you’ve always known it is no longer? 60 plus years of marriage and living together to suddenly not having that anymore;(…it makes me sick every time I think about it. My heart breaks more and more each day for the beautiful couple who love each other dearly and have spent three-quarters of their life together.

How things can change in a short time. No less than a week ago nana was at home and in a good routine. We knew that the time was getting closer to nana needing full-time care by professionals, but that doesn’t soften the blow any. It’s taken this turn of events to kick the decision into overdrive and it’s really hit everyone hard. I only said to mum the other day…”how did we get to this point!” even though nana is 80 it just doesn’t seem right and we’re not ready…but will we really ever be?? I just can’t comprehend how such a vibrant intelligent women has been dealt such a cruel blow and instead of my grandparents enjoying the ‘retirement’ part of their lives where they should be enjoying cups of coffee out on lunch dates, grandad has to watch his wife fight hard everyday through pain and discomfort!

But I am so happy to say that nana had an endoscopy today and the reason why she was rushed to hospital has sorted itself out…what a legend this women is! A true inspiration to anyone who knows her. It was only a week ago that we didnt know what was going to happen to nana and the worst case scenario was devastating everyone. She still has a road ahead of her to be able to be discharged from hospital and then the beginning of a new chapter will begin…but as hard as it will be, as the strong family unit we are, we will all make sure the transition will be as good as can be for both nana and grandad!

It is certainly times like this I’d love a time machine to go back in time and relive all the great times I’ve shared with both nana and grandad…forever those times will be fond memories and the times spent with them both now will always be cherished!

This photo just oozes true love:)

All The Threes!

Posted on April 8, 2013 by natalietrew

Since the new year rolled over, we’ve celebrated Mia’s 2nd birthday, Bailey’s 7th, Kane’s, Dad’s and Easter and last Thursday on April 4th I celebrated my 33rd birthday! Like most years my birthday was on school holidays which I LOVE!! It was such a fantastic day, one of the best birthdays I’ve had, especially since becoming a mum!

I spent the day doing all the things I love to do best….
During the day I went down to Wynnum and had morning tea and fish and chips for lunch. Mum came with us as well as my two nephews. The kids had a ball kicking the footy around, playing on the playground and swimming! It was a bit windy but the sun was shining – it was glorious!

The afternoon was spent lazing around before we got ourselves ready to go out for dinner with the family. We ended up at Hotel HQ, the kids love the kid’s playroom there. Again it was a great night filled with beautiful food, yummy cake, lots of laughter and I was very spoilt by everyone…especially with a custom made frame with photos of My Party of 5 from my hubby and children:)

Love it…thanks babe!

I went to bed that night feeling happy and content! I was so overwhelmed with all the birthday messages I received either via Facebook, text and phone…I was definitely feeling the love!

And if my birthday wasn’t great enough, on Saturday night I organised a small party with my friends! Since turning 30 we’ve been through so much with my health, the kids and Kane’s job, this year I wanted a night out where we could get dressed up and celebrate a birthday where for the first time in a long time I haven’t been pregnant, breast feeding or recovering from surgery! We had a great night out at the Glen. 35 of our closest friends joined in the celebrations where we laughed a lot, chatted heaps and enjoyed a few drinks or three or four…lol! I really appreciated the effort people went to. I know how hard it is to get out and about these days, so it was great to see everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves. Once again my wonderful parents took care of our munchkins, but were able to pop in for a bit and my sister and brother in law stayed and drove us home:)!

And of course what’s a birthday without a cake…my latest edition!

To end what was a great few days of celebrations, I managed to get up to Garden City yesterday to spend my birthday money. I already what I wanted in mind and when I’m on a mission there is no stopping me! It took me exactly one hour to go from home and back with my money spent and everything bought that I wanted!

A new handbag and purse, pair of havaianas and the best of all a Tomas Sabo bracelet and charm:)…very lucky lady I am!

Thank you to everyone who made this year’s birthday extra special. I feel very blessed to have a wonderful husband, three amazing children, a loving family and a number of great friends! For now all the threes has been awesome, lets hope it continues!!!

EaSteR….

Posted on March 25, 2013 by natalietrew

Easter is normally one of my favourite times as it’s the only time of year we are guaranteed a 4 day long weekend! But, I don’t know about anyone else, I so wasn’t ready for Easter at all this year! I feel like I haven’t fully recovered from Christmas and with it being earlier than normal, it really crept up on us very quickly! The kids haven’t even gone on and on about it like they normally do weeks leading up to it!!! It’s been such a huge year so far and it’s going by so fast, nothing feels as enjoyable as years gone past, I’m hoping that changes as the year goes on!

But with all this said, I still tried really hard to make this Easter an exciting one that the kids will remember! Up until the day before Good Friday I hadn’t bought a thing!!! Thankfully I was able to complete most of my shopping at late night shopping just in time for
the extra long weekend! The kid’s and I had put our decorations up on the Wednesday and the excitement did start at 2.30 on Thursday which signalled 2 weeks school holidays!!!! 🙂

We spent Good Friday at the skate park, playground, swimming at mum and dad’s and finished the day off with the boy’s going to the footy and is girls having dinner at mum and dad’s:)

Easter Saturday was an extra special day as it was my daddy’s birthday! It’s hard to believe that it has already been a year since we celebrated dad’s 60th birthday with a fabulous party at my sister’s house. Now another year has past! It was a lovely day spent doing what dad loves to do the best…beers, horse racing and footy…with his loved ones around him:) I made the cake of course and we relished in each other’s company all day!

Easter Sunday started with its usual tradition of the kid’s Easter egg hunt. Usually we have to race off somewhere for breakfast, but this year we didn’t need to so it was so nice to potter all morning with the kids as we didn’t have to be anywhere until lunch time. On our way to my sister’s for lunch, we stopped in and saw nana and grandad. The rest of the day was spent eating, laughing and playing backyard sports with the kids! Another quiet but fun Easter:)

Now it’s Easter Monday and the realisation that nothing has been done for three days has hit lol! Washing is
coming out of my ears, the house is a sad sight and the Easter presents need to be sorted and put away…all I can say is thank god it’s school holidays!!! We finished up today spending the morning at Movie World and the afternoon having a much needed rest! So far I’ve put the Easter decorations away and sorted my washing! It’s been a fabulous Easter weekend filled with the things I love doing the most…family time, running, eating, laughing and giving gifts!

Happy Easter to My Party of 5 followers…I hope your Easter has been filled with all things you love!

From One Term to the Next!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by natalietrew

As I sit here in the peace and quiet of my home while Mia has a nap and the two bigger kids watch a movie, I start to wonder how term 2 of school is going to play out. With the school holidays coming to an end and what a great time we’ve had, I can’t help but pray that it starts differently to term 1.

As you know, my prep baby Sienna, suffered terrible separation anxiety at the beginning of the year, but with lots of perseverance from her wonderful teacher and myself, she overcome her emotions and settled so beautifully. The worst part was over within the first two weeks, but then it took another couple of weeks for her teacher to knock down this brick wall that Sienna had tightly built around herself hindering her confidence from shining. By the middle of the term Sienna finally relaxed. Relaxed enough to let her guard down to show her teacher what she is capable of. We saw a huge difference in her at home. She was finally coming home and talking about school and all the wonderful things she was learning…it was like music to my ears!

When we reached the last day of term, I thanked Sienna’s teacher for all the hard work she had put into my daughter and we discussed how far she had come. I felt such a sense of relief that term 1 was complete! Although it was only a short term of 9 weeks, we were all ready for a holiday and to celebrate that Sienna made it through her first term of school….and came out the other end a better student!!!

We’ve had a wonderful time this school holidays. Our Easter long weekend celebrations were fantastic and the kids had a ball celebrating my birthday with me! We’ve gone for bike rides, played at parks, swam, had lunch dates and play dates with friends. We’ve laughed together, chilled together, read books, sang songs, baked and had the odd disagreement here and there, but all in all it’s been a great couple of weeks! Mia has thoroughly enjoyed having the kids home. She plays so hard with them now or should I say bosses them around while playing with them lol, she will be lost for a while when they return to school next week and so will I! I LOVE school holidays. No rushing, no lunches, no ironing uniforms, no homework. Life is cool, calm and collective…it’s like the calm before the storm (of the next term lol)!

Sienna has been pretty good these holidays. She has continued to engross herself in her love of learning which is lovely to see. She’s asked several times when are we going back to school. At first we had to go through each day how many days until school went back. I didn’t think too much about it until the other day when I said 7 days and she replied “that is ages away” I said “yes” and her response as she skipped off was “yesssss!” I instantly thought “oh no!!!”

It’s getting to the point now where I need to start counting down the sleeps with her until school starts back. I need her to be emotionally ready again to tackle another term of school. I feel that Sienna wasted half a term of her learning in term 1 and I can’t wait to see what she will be capable of once she has a full term under her belt. I think I’m worrying for nothing and I believe she will be ok, but Sienna can be unpredictable! I return to work on Monday so for the first couple of days mum will be dropping her off. So far this year she hasn’t cried with mum, it’s only me she cries with. I’m hoping she doesn’t but am expecting her to hold it together Monday and Tuesday and lose it on Wednesday with me!! I just asked her if she is looking forward to going back to school and she said “yes, I just want to go everyday and not have so many holidays!!!” We may just be onto a winner…but like always I’m always ready for the unexpected!!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the school holidays and I wish you all a successful term 2! Ours starts with parent/teacher interview on the second day and Bailey starts the term with a new teacher! I shall be thinking of all the school mums on Monday as the rush of life begins again for another 10 weeks!!!

Some pointers to assist you in term 2:
*take the time now to check all bags, lunch boxes, clothes, shoes, uniforms etc to make sure nothing needs to be replaced.
*rename or relabel if they have worn or fallen off.
*term 2 is the start of the cool weather – buy at least one jumper before school goes back and keep it in your child’s school bag incase they need it!
*on the same note, start to organise their school winter wardrobe.
*term 2 is report card term so the kids will be facing lots of assessment – allow them plenty of chances to go to bed early at night, this will help them from being super cranky after school!
*finally term 2 for me is the term where I expect the kids to do more for themselves – I allow them term 1 to really settle back to school and from term 2 my expectations go up a notch and I really focus on independence,
independence, independence!!!

February Babies!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by natalietrew

OMG!!!! What a massive month February will be for the rest of my life! I’ve been quite quiet on the blog of late as I have just finished celebrating my daughter’s 2nd birthday last week and my son’s 7th birthday yesterday!! When I think back now, it surely wasn’t good planning on our behalf! And what is more ironic is that both Bailey and Mia, who are my eldest and youngest babies, were both suppose to be March babies but were born at 38 weeks…so February it is!

In the past two weeks I’ve baked 5 birthday cakes, 60 cupcakes, a batch of biscuits, pikelets, pancakes, wrapped several presents, decorated and sang happy birthday a number of times…and as much as I’m lying here quite exhausted today, I just love making my babies birthdays special!

I’ve had so much fun cake decorating this month:)

It all started with Mia’s birthday on Sunday the 17th. We were hoping to spend the day at the beach swimming and soaking up the beautiful sun rays, but it hasn’t stopped raining this month so we were forced to stay indoors! But that didn’t stop my precious little one from having a fabulous day! We had family come over for dinner and cake and Mia loved all the attention….

And that was just on her birthday!

Mia had a big 1st birthday party with lots of friends, so we decided to have a quiet low key ‘polka dot theme’ morning tea with a few little friends this year at her regular hang out – The Runcorn Pool!

Another year of celebrating my precious little angel’s birthday…I still can’t believe my youngest is 2 already;(

Next cab off the rank was Bailey! With his birthday on a Tuesday (which is footy training night) this year, we decided to have our family celebrations on Sunday night at his favorite Kuraby Hotel. He chose everything. The venue, cake, his meal…Mr organised – so not like his father lol! It was a great night and was more relaxed being on a weekend rather than a week day.

Bailey’s actual birthday was yesterday. It was one of the first birthdays that I haven’t been with one of my children on;( between school and work I saw him briefly in the morning and for a couple of hours once I got home. I hated it:( 7 years ago and every year since then we’d spent the day together. I felt like I’d lost a part of me yesterday. But once kids go to school that’s what happens I guess! Bay still had a great day though. I made cupcakes for him to take to school and he had his request of Hungry Jacks for dinner. He received such wonderful gifts that he loves and is very excited to have over $100 to go shopping with!

The note I left in Bay’s lunch box with money for an ice block;)

Bay had a party last year with his school friends so this year he has decided he just wants to have a sleep over with a few mates. So this Friday night we’ll have four 7 year olds under our roof and then they are heading to The Runcorn Pool the next morning…this is a daddy job as this mumma is stuffed lol!

To my February babies,
Your birthday will always be a day where I celebrate the best days of my life. I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. The moment you took your first breath, let out that first cry for milk and the instant bond we formed when our eyes found each other. As I close my eyes I can still feel your soft baby skin that I kissed (and still kiss) a billion times over and those first precious moments of cuddling we shared are times I’ll always cherish. I’m so blessed to be your mumma and love you more than words can express. It’s uncanny that the first time I became a mum was in February and the last time as well. You are both so alike with your fearful ways, bossy personality, funny sense of humour and your need to be cuddled and nurtured! I love how much you both adore each other and I know you will share this special bond for the rest of your lives. Happy birthday my February babies…am looking forward to another year of growth and development!
Love your mumma!

The Gift of Time….

Posted on January 29, 2013 by natalietrew

Well it’s happened…my second child has started prep! She was excited, happy, a little nervous and even shed a few tears but by the time I left, she was all smiles and focussed ready to start her new adventure in life!

I on the other hand felt sick in the tummy for days leading up to this event, but was quite calm all morning. There was no stress as everything was organised and we were WELL on time!! Yay to that:) lol! But that moment as I walked away, I felt like I was letting go of her precious little hand that I’d held so frequently for the past 4 and a half years! I was so happy that she was happy. A year ago her preschool teacher had to untangle her screaming little soul from around my legs, so to see her content made me feel at ease. But then I it dawned on me…I couldn’t believe my Sie Sie girl was actually a school student. My life that had been with my girls for the past two years would change…now it will be just me and I my Mimi! (at this point a few tears flowed)…

So many changes in one day! My eldest baby was so cool calm and collected…obviously grade 2 is when kids start to play it cool “I’ll be right mum!”…another bit of the apron string was snipped;( I had to ask Sienna to say good bye as she was all “I’m good mum” and the eldest grandchild of our family Sebby, started high school! No wonder I’ve walked around in a complete lost daze all day!

To over come this sense of loss, Mia and I went and did some very necessary retail therapy:) I must admit that always cheers me up lol! I saw a couple of other preppie mums while I was out and about, which was quite comforting:) My first venture with just me and Mimi…mmm is that girl going to keep me on my toes and make for a long three years before she goes to prep lol…lucky she’s cute:)

Then I returned home! While I was starting to feel good about everything, I walked past the kid’s bedroom and spotted Sienna’s teddy! I couldn’t resist and had to pick it up and smell it! It was lathered in my darling girl’s sent. I was desperate to find out how she was going. I imagined her drawing, singing, laughing and having a great time just as she should have been! How these years are rolling by so fast! All I can say is cherish each and everyday you are blessed on this earth with the ones we love!

Midday came around so fast, which means one thing…Mia’s nap time! This is where I kicked my own butt back into reality! There is nothing I can do with the changes that have occurred, all I can do is embrace each moment for what it is and relish in the excitement of my children! Do I wish they would stay newborns forever – yes! Do I want them to grow old – no! But I don’t have a choice so I told myself – suck it up princess and move on!!!!

But with each new change brings something great and for me personally I’ve been given the gift of time! Now that I have two children at school, for the first time in 4 and a half years, I will only have one child at home which means I’ll have two hours a day to myself while Mia has her nap! Once I realised that, all those emotions I was left feeling quickly did a 360 turn lol only kidding! So this is what I shall embrace (until Mia drops her day sleep anyway lol) from all of this! I have big plans this year. I am hoping to be as organised as I’ve ever been within myself as a person, as a mother and as a house wife! Today is not included as I walked around for a while wondering what the hell to do as it was just soooo quiet! I’m sure I’ll get use to it though, with tomorrow being MY day one! I will have more time now to spend one-on-one time with Mia, I’ll be able to scrapbook and craft more and maybe even organise cupboards and rooms better than I have them!!

Before I knew it I was back up at the school to pick the kids up. I couldn’t wait to hear all about Sienna’s first day and how Bailey settled into grade 2. If Sie Sie came out smiling I knew it must have been a good one and alas she did! It’s that first day. Once it’s over and hopefully a great one, there maybe some bumps along the way but generally it’s all smooth sailing from there!

This one day of every child’s life is so big…do we as parents make it bigger than it needs to be?? Maybe we do, maybe we don’t! All I know is it’s a major deal and the beginning of a very long journey that I think needs to be made a fuss of! I’ve done this twice now and today was no easier than when I did it two years ago with Bailey! All I know is, that in three years time when my littlest, my baby starts school, I will be given more than the gift of time and possibly will be found in the fetal position somewhere lol!

Highlights from first day back at school….

Land Down Under….

Posted on January 26, 2013 by natalietrew

Australia Day – what a great day of the year! It’s the one day where we stop and appreciate the country in which we reside. A country that is full of beautiful landscapes, a variety of weather patterns and of course hard working and down to earth people!! Our country Australia is the place we call home!

Burleigh, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia…my favourite place in Australia!

I love Australia! I’m so proud to call myself an Aussie and I always wear our country colours with absolute pride and dignity! We are so very fortunate to live in a country with government support, clean water and supplies at our finger tips. The opportunities are grand and we are blessed to be able to access great things such as our health and education systems! Like everything, our country is not perfect, but compared to the alternative and what other countries face, I think we are doing pretty good!

How do you celebrate Australia Day? Australia Day for us is all about family! Usually we leave early for a beach and have a big cooked breakfast with our family! But for the past couple of years the weather hasn’t been kind. Today we’ve spent the day at my sister’s house eating plenty of yummy food and drinking some nice cold beverages! The boys have been betting on the horses and us girls have been chatting, singing and dancing with the kids, watching the tennis and of course preparing the food and then cleaning it all up (with help from the men)!! It’s actually been really lovely and we’ve done lots of relaxing:)

Highlights from our day….