Invest in Rest!

Today's (Friday's - another late upload) gratitude is all about rest! Ok, let’s be serious here... It's not just today's gratitude, it literally is the whole week that has just flown before my eye's gratitude. 

I have found myself in this not so unusual space where I get sick...very sick. We can thank my health issues for that. Every now and then my body has a temper tantrum, just to remind me my health issues are there. So, when I find myself in these situations, I am super grateful for my amazing fam bam that support and help me get through it. I am also super grateful for our amazing Au Pair.

Zac, our Au Pair and my daughters all pitch in to do my usual jobs around the house so I can invest in some rest. And yes, I am a sook when I am sick with the flu, let alone when the serious shit pops up and say's G'day! Pretty sure they put me to bed and close the door, so they don't have to listen to my whining.

So, while I am moaning and groaning, wallowing in my pain in bed, I feel so blessed that everyone around the house helps me out, so I'll get better quicker. As a result, today, I have started to come good - which is just in time for me to do a big drive to Fundaberg for my little loves to spend the weekend with their Dad.

I finally feel rested and no longer feel like I have been hit by a bus - I have upgraded to feeling like I have been hit by a Mini. My eyeballs feel like they are going to explode so most of this week I have been hanging for home time, so I can flop myself on my bed. The last few days at work has been a serious struggle, especially with mind numbing work like mapping out access roads, I even struggled with the couple of day trips to various towns - the plane rides were hell... Pretty sure the people beside me didn't appreciate the wallowing, falling asleep, snoring and drool.

One thing my issues have taught me is always listening to your body, looking out for those signs and being more self-aware. If I didn't do this, I wouldn't rest or stop until shit would completely hit the fan, resulting in hospital visit and being bed ridden for a week.

So, here’s to trashy jim jams, comfy bed, cuddles from little loves and a much-needed investment into some shut eye!

Live your life - full out!

What an amazing Saturday it has been.

And with that, today I am grateful for being a Cheer Mum... Yep, if you know me well, you would know that hair and makeup is not my forte. Therefore, I would epically fail at being a Dance or Cheer Mum... But hey, I have set myself a goal, and totally smashed it... I am seriously thinking of quitting property and law and getting into the hair and makeup biz... Alright, I confess, I still suck at putting makeup on myself.

Miss Mia had her second cheer competition for the year! And, her and her team has placed second in their division! PROUD! Both little loves have been committed to their love for Cheerleading, with Havanah attending every single recreational cheer class so she can do competitive cheer like her big sissy next year. And then there is Mia, she has been that obsessive kind of dedicated... Between Zac and I, we have trained almost every night in our gym with her. She sets herself countless goals and we get in there with her, work out with her and help her achieve them. She does smash them by the way...totally gets that from me.

I remember when she came home from Cheer the other week buzzing with excitement about their new routine for the comp. 'Mum we did the full out for our new routine and smashed it' this was obviously said in a high pitched overexcited little ladies voice. Oh and a full out for the non-cheer knowledgeable people reading this is the first time they perform their routine from start to finish in front of the other kids at their cheerleading school. I am totally getting the hang of this Cheer Mum shit! Even learning all the terminology - you wanna know just come see me... Ok, maybe wait till next year to ask me any questions.

Right, back to the point... So all her hard work over the last 12 months has paid off... Babycakes did so well.  I, of course, screamed out 'Go Mia' when it was all quiet before they were about to start... I am pretty sure she was really grateful she couldn't see me at the top of the grandstand waving my arms around like crazy cheering her on.

Proud is an understatement, and I am looking forward to the commitment and dedication next year... At the rate I am going with all this cheer training with the girls, I will be a pro! Thanks, Mia! Could I still be a pro, if I couldn't cheer accurately to save my life... Let's just go with a yes for now.

We Came. We Saw. We Loved.

I don't think there is a person in the world that doesn't want to see the world. 

We love to travel... There was a time where travel was local... to a beach an hour away from my little hometown just to camp. Not that I have a problem with camping, I love camping. But, that was the extent of our affordability to travel... This is no longer my life. And today, I am so grateful for that. 

Over the last 2 years, my little family of 4 has been to the Philippines twice, we have visited Boracay Island, Puerto Princessa, Kawasan Falls (to mention a few), snorkelled, climbed mountains, explored little villages, canoed through underground rivers, relaxed and enjoyed. We explored the beauty of Singapore. We've been to Perth, relaxed on Rottnest Island and did what the girls love them most, exploring and visiting every Zoo everywhere we go. Zac and I trekked through Vietnam, ate, climbed mountains... again... visited Halong Bay, Da Nang, Marble Mountain and got lost in all the food and tailored clothing in Hoi An, just to mention a few.

I love that we are booked out next year with some amazing adventures for ourselves... Cairns and Townsville, Magnetic Island and everything in between on the Easter school holidays. Exploring waterfalls, snorkelling and of course climbing mountains... Are you seeing a trend here... The girls and Zac love mountain climbing... the girls have googled their names with Mt at the front because they want to climb a mountain named after them... There is Mt Mia, which is close to where we are (yep we are headed there the next free weekend we have). Mt Havanah, well that's in Sir Lanka and it's huge and I don't think we can climb it, but it can definitely be admired by one of those luxurious, glorious mountainside hotels... Yes, Banana wants to go... Pretty sure it's just for the luxurious hotel with her mountain views.

So, back to the travel... We have a wedding in Hawaii in July. And then, the adventure of a lifetime. France and Italy... We all cannot wait! I feel so blessed to have girls that love to travel and don't want fancy cars and big houses when they grow up... They want Brazil (to visit their old Au Pair), see the Greek Islands, go to Canada for Christmas (both are on the planning list as we speak... eeep!). They google islands, and countries to visit... Because life is all about the people in it and the memories you make with the people you love - so they tell me... So they have been listening to me all this time...

I would spend every last cent, to travel the world with my family and enjoy the experiences and memories we are creating together! Hang on a second... that's exactly what we are doing... except for the 'every last cent' part.... but that's a gratitude for another day!

Crazy little thing called Love!

To continue painting the picture of my story, today I am grateful for getting a second chance at this crazy little thing called love.

I remember when my ex and I broke up, I was so sure that I would remain single. Being single these days is a nightmare... You can't just go to the pub, get drunk, and have a convo. You gotta be on 20 different dating apps, be pretty good at photoshopping, talk online for ages and be willing to risk after all that texting before you meet, then when you finally meet you'll just be the next chick this guy is gonna "pork" until the next time he swipes right.  On top of that, I convinced myself - who on earth would want to date a single mum of two kids...

Well, there was one guy out there crazy and stupid enough to give it a good crack... It's one thing to be on a journey of self-discovery, especially when you are fighting your way through your bullshit emotions thinking you have failed...because you failed your marriage. It's another when you start believing in yourself, truly believing in yourself and then poof, this person is there in your life backing you, supporting you, encouraging you... believing in you.

So this crazy, stupid guy did exactly that. I was hesitant, I stalled, I pushed back, but I could never let him go... imagining him not around - just didn't feel right. I was such an asshole, I would only see him once a week and he wasn't allowed to come to my place any earlier than 7pm (on that one day), as the girl's bedtime was 7.30pm. It was just enough time for them to get to know him bit by bit. I wasn't about to be someone who had different men in and out of my life in front of my kids... It took months before I trusted him enough to even meet my girls... Let alone hang out with him all the time...

As all my pieces slowly started to come back together, he waited, he stayed... He didn't push back, he didn't hesitate and he didn't stall. He patiently rode the wave of my utter bullshit, because I was terrified of getting it wrong again... He made me feel beautiful, special, smart... to the point that I actually believed it, I believed deep within myself I was all those things... Holy Shit!! Is this what a real relationship is actually supposed to be like!

Don't get me wrong, he drives me absolutely batshit crazy! And not everything is roses, and that goes for everyone... No relationship is 100% perfect... and if you think yours is 100% perfect all... the... time...girlfriend you are in for a rude shock cause your battle is coming, or you are just totally in a space of denial.

I have seen him at his worst, he has seen me at mine... Believe me, sometimes I wonder how the fuck we are actually still together... But it was through those times where we oddly communicated more, we backed each other and were always there for each other. We don't fight often at all, but we debate all the time... And when we do fight, it's like in the movie 300 - when the vastly outnumbered Spartans attempt to hold off the invading Persian Army... But never, do we ever go to bed angry with each other or still fighting... Every battle ends in peace, is over and never to be had again!

Today, I am so grateful for such an amazing partner, amazing step Dad and literally my best friend!