Ok...so I had a day without a "stella moment"....
I may have to stop blogging now...thanks and see ya!
Actually NO.....I need to blog this.....maybe we are witnessing a miracle!
A whole day without a "stella moment"....that in its-self is amazing :)
The day started out normal.....
Get up, drink coffee, take the kids to their first day of school.....
Tears, tantrums, and hissy fits....(all from me :) as I miss my kids!)
But smiles and waves from them..... :/
Ok suck it up "stella"!
Then off to the market for fruit and veg.......by myself!
Ok....still normal!
Then home for a coffee! Mmmmm all is quiet!
Then a walk down the beach with the pooches! Still normal.....dogs behaved themselves, I enjoyed the fresh air and the ipod!
Still normal.....then some washing, cook dinner, make a phone call....still normal.
Pick up the kids, go to an appointment.....come home eat dinner, make lunches, clear up the dishes.....write the blog........
NORMAL........what the?
A whole day of "non stella moments"....you my peeps are witnessing a miraculous day....a whole day without embarassment, without cursing, without anger, without without without......
wow......
Ahhhh, we can all relax......
There's always tomorrow! This wont last long.....life is not life without a "stella moment"!
:)
I've been married nearly 20 years to the same man!
And I happen to like him more now than I did 20 years ago....but there is one thing missing.....
He is not a woman! (Sometimes he's a big princess) but not a woman!
"Ok" you say, so what!
Well there is something special about the blessing of girlfriends!
Girlfriends meet a need that no man does.
When you are feeling excited about things, a woman can know exactly how you are feeling about something.
Have a bad day with the kids? A girlfriend will know.
You can have a girlfriend pick up on "girlfriend telepathy" and she will know exactly when to come over with chocolate and hugs, and lift your spirits like no other person can!
That is what happened to me!
I have been down recently, and not said a word to anyone!
When all of a sudden, "womens intuition" hit one of my girlfriends.
She rocked up on my doorstep, armed with "special" chocolates, hugged me without a word, made coffee with me and just sat there. She was expectant about me opening up, but not pressuring me. Within minutes all was poured out "or spewed out" like an offering into her lap.
With snot on her shoulder and a wet lap (drool and tears) she still loved me unconditionally! Thats right, snot and all, and she still thinks I am wonderful.
Now don't get me wrong, husbands are great, and they have their place in this sort of thing, but it's the empathy of a woman who can allow you to be "hormonal" and not even say alot, but she knows exactly how you feel, as she too is a woman with the same feelings and issues.
When I cry with my husband (most men will do this), he will slightly shuffle as if he is being electrocuted by a shopping trolly, trying to console me with one hand on my arm, but not wanting to get "zapped"....all the while trying to fix my broken heart. Men sometimes give fixit answers that can "tick" off a woman when she is NOT in the mood to hear those things!
Its the nodding of a girlfriend, the right sounds they make "yes they are awful" "Oh I know they were in the wrong", or even, "they are really awful, even though they didn't actually do anything wrong". They empathise with you when you feel unreasonable. And sometimes women feel really unreasonable, and can't help it!
So here's to those special girlfriends who have a special gift of loving you unconditionally, lift your spirits when you need them, laugh and cry with you, speak truth into your life (done in love) and very much appreciated.
Can understand those "stella" moments you go through, because they too are having "stella" moments.
A big thank you to my "Girlfriends" :) xxxxx
Wow.....
Life is a rythm and it is constantly moving and changing.
I am one of those people that need time to make these adjustments along the way. I don't mind change, but I don't like it sneaking up on me, therefore I like to process new ideas and situations, before I delve headlong into them.
So with an operation under my belt and health being low, I have decided to put my 2 cherubs back into the school system.
Why did I pull them out in the first place?
Many reasons, all valid. And I must say, the kids and I have loved (almost) every minute of it. I have caught them up on work they were falling behind on. I have instilled in them the treasures that cannot be bought. I have had precious time that I would not have had with them otherwise!
I have recently realised, that I no longer have the energy or capacity to give it 100% effort. And so, I am sending them back.
They will be starting a new school next week. One I think we will all be happy with.
So for me, although they are 8 and 12, it feels like the first time they ever went to school, back when they were 5.
As a perfectionist, I am always processing the what if's.
What If I have made the wrong decision....
What If I they don't fit in......
What If I enjoy my time off immensely, and secretly love it! (Hmmm that rings true)
So this last week of Easter Holidays has been a mix of emotions.
On the one hand, I am grieving them leaving me....I will miss them during the day. Being able to point out ideas and beauty to them.
On the other hand I am also very excited to be getting my "time" back again. Time to go to the Doctor's without 2 kids in tow, time to sit with a coffee and "think", time to go for a walk by myself without 2 kids and 2 dogs....
So we have been shopping for uniforms, books, pencils ect....and I have been so excited that they are going back, the school bags are packed 6 days before the event!
Bring it on.......Stellaaaaaaaaaa!
Monday started out like any other day. Breakfast, cleaning, washing.....
Lunch came and went, the house was sparkling, I had just finished wiping down the kitchen benches when I placed my "toaster cover" back on the toaster....
Yes....I did say toaster cover.....
*side note*
I have a toaster cover because I am like Monica on the show "friends". You know, the one who likes the things in her house, 'just so'. Everything in it's place. All my ducks in a row.
So yes I have a toaster cover....it makes my toaster look pretty, and neat and tidy and red to match the other red stuff in my house.....
So back to the story.
I placed the toaster cover over the toaster....by this time it was 1.30pm, so the toaster was cold. I put it on and walked out of the room.
Whilst in the bathroom combing my hair, about 8 minutes later, the smoke alarm started blaring from the kitchen.
Hmmmm, I thought. DD (Dear Daughter) #1 must be making toast for lunch....
*another side note*
Teenagers do not keep normal meal times. They usually eat 1-2 hours after everyone else! So we had eaten and cleared up from lunch, and then the whole cycle starts again....when a teenager decides they are hungry! :/
So I make my way out of my bedroom, (quite casually I might add). And yell from the bedroom...."Flap the T Towel infront of the smoke alarm"!
As you may or may not know, us "Waldecks" burn toast on a regular basis, and therefore have come up with a very technical way of turning off the smoke alarm....flapping the tea towel infront of it, will move the smoke away and stop it from blaring! (very technical).
So when there was no response from DD #1 and the smoke alarm was still blaring....I ran to see what all the commotion was.
Smoke, smoke, smoke, smoke and more smoke.....infact the whole house had filled up with smoke and it was coming from the direction from the toaster.
I tried to shove the toaster to one side, so I could reach over and turn off the toaster at the wall.
As soon as I moved the toaster, it caught alight, and was burning furiously.
Within 1 minute the top cupboards were starting to light up and the beloved Thermomix was in trouble....
*side note #3*
For those of you NOT familiar with the Thermomix....it is a $2000 machine that does everything in the kitchen....not something you want to go up in flames!
Should I say does everything in the kitchen, but not put out fires!
So in a panic I used the T towel to hit the fire (just like when the smoke alarm goes off), but instead I was fanning the flames bigger.
Ok, so I must admit, panic did set in then....until....my superhero flew into the kitchen and completely took over!
That's right people! For those of you who think teenagers are immature, not responsible, and can't do anything for themselves....let me tell you...it's just not true!
DD #1 wet 2 T towels, one for her and one for I, to cover our mouths with (by then the smoke was thick and toxic from the melting plastic.
Then she turned off the switch and doused the flames with jugs of water. All the while, giving instructions to the younger siblings to take themselves safely out the back, and take the cat with them.
5 jugs of water later, it was all over. All this happened within 2 minutes.
I think another 30 seconds and the fire would have been completely out of our control, as the cupboards were almost about to go up.
Thanks to the quick thinking action of a 17 year old, my kitchen, and maybe the house was saved from burning!
Oh Stella!
After mopping up and getting over the shock of it....and going through the "what if's"....I realised what a smart, sensible, responsible, child I have raised, and I am so blessed and thankful to have a daughter who makes me so very proud to say I am her mother!
All those sleepless nights, and explosions in nappies, and the times I rocked her for hours, and the training, and time I have put in! Has finally paid off, and I was shown the rewards of that today!
What happened you ask?
No, I am not an angry toast maker, nor is the toaster having revenge on our family....I think I must have pushed the handle down when I put the cover on it!
So the moral of the story?
Parenting is hard, but necessary! And the time you put in will come back and reward you some day.....
Toasters are dangerous items, and we will no longer be eating toast!
And toasters don't like it when you put a cover over them!
They are attention seeking appliances and need everybody to see them, so don't try covering them up!
Remember the song....
"Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man, do you know the muffin man, that lives down Drury Lane"?
Well, I can now say that....
I actually know the muffin man!
That's right.....
My lovely friend who I have known since primary school, has up and left me and is now living in a lovely country town 2 hours away!
The town is called "Toodyay" and I decided to pay her and DH (Dear Husband) a visit.
They have just taken over the bakery and I needed to know if it was the best bakery in Western Australia!
So I packed up the cherubs, packed my banana and coffee, picked out the DVD's for the trip, and off we went, very early in the day!
The trip, although 2 hours, was actually very pleasant....and seemed to go by fast, not even 1 toilet stop (which is a miracle when you have girls!)
Not even a "are we there yet"? was muttered from the back seat....!!!!
Toodyay is the most quaint little town I have seen! There was 1 long main street, lined with shops, and fares to eat, but beautiful. We started down one end, and looked through every shop along the main street!
I loved it as all the things that were being sold were not the sort of things you would see in the major shopping centres around Perth.
Next was the Bakery....would is stack up to it's reputation? Would the food be any good? Could it possibly beat the "Dunsborough Bakery?" Hmmm, we'll see.
So my first order of the day.....
1 coffee profiterole (of course) plus 1 coffee!! (ha ha)
Absolutely Divine....coffee profiteroles are to die for!
Kids had custard tarts and jam and cream donuts! Mmmmmmmm!
(fabulous)
But the real test was going to be the meat pies which we were having for our lunch. Many many flavours to choose from....
"crocodile", "emu", "cat", "dog"....you name it, they cooked it!
(ha ha gotcha....not really)
more like
"steak and kidney", "mushroom", "curry", that sort of thing!
So we grabbed our pies and headed back to their lovely country home.
It's 5 acres of property, that overlooks a dam and rolling hills.....my mouth gaped open most of the afternoon!
So a little mishap....daughter #3 walked into the glass door on the way outside to eat her pie, (obviously because Linda keeps her windows so clean!)
and down goes the pie right infront of the dog.....(mmmm said the dog!)
So no pie for Lauren! But her gracious friend shared half her pie! (Thanks Bethany)
The nicest part of he afternoon for me, was sitting in lounge chairs overlooking her rolling hills and dam, watching our kids climb trees, play in the mud, chase each other around, and generally have fun "being kids"!
You don't see that much these days, and it took both her and I back to our childhoods!
Unfortunately the afternoon had to come to an end, and we had to make a move! Packed with a bag of fresh bread rolls from the bakery, we headed home.....
What a wonderful way to spend a day, something a little different, something fun, and a great load of company!
(and yes it does beat the Dunsborough Bakery....!)
Next day I noticed, they had given us so much more than I was expecting.
Daughter #4 came to me and said "mum.....what's this on my neck"?
S.T.E.L.L.A...........
"Oh honey, that's just an elephant tick"!
WHAT THE?
:/
Ok.....so we're not in sunny spain.....we're in Australia, and in our little pocket of the world, the heavens have finally opened up and dropped some wet stuff!
YAY.....
I think we are the driest place in Australia.......
We are in Western Australia in the outskirts of Perth, and have been on water restrictions for a few years now! Most Aussies are ripping up their beloved lawns and replacing them with the "fake" stuff. Plus putting in low maintenance gardens. It seems to be the way of the future in our neck of the woods.
Our Indian Summer has dragged on as it seems to do each year. We usually have dry sunny days from September through to May. Then a few wet days here and there is classed as our winter!
We don't even have to swap our wardrobes over very much. Most of the year we are in shorts and t shirts or jeans and t shirts with a cardigan or jumper thrown on! That's it.....that's the extent of our "cold" frosty time of year!
I envy you in America, where you have 4 distinct seasons...and would love to play in the snow for a few months.....the nearest thing to snow in Western Australia is the local "snow cone" machine at McDonalds!
I purchased my DP (Dear Pooches) new rain coats for the winter.....Reason being our older dog LuLu (13 years) is getting on, and I want to make her as warm and comfortable as possible in her twilight years....so the coats arrived, and I tried them on....they look gorgeous....but NO RAIN....
So today when the heavens finally opened up...I quickly dressed the dogs and took them for a walk...as quick as I could before the rain stopped!! Ha Ha.
Thats how quick the rain is here, blink and you miss it!
I do love winter....warm snuggly nights infront of the telly watching your favourite show, with a warm drink! MMMMmmmmm....I can just imagine it now, (as I sit here in my singlet and shorts)
Also wet blustery days are great for craft, ironing, reading...all those things you don't do when it's sunny and warm outside. Too much to do when it's sunny.
Winter is our excuse to Hibernate just like a grizzly bear!
Ok, so for all those in "cold" England and America, we are topsy turvey to you, so disregard all I have just said, and enjoy your sunshine! I know you havn't seen it since last season!
As for us Aussies, bring on the winter I say....(if we can actually call it that!)
If you can say this fast 3 times, you don't need another glass of wine.
Stay snuggly sipping shots of stellas sensational seasonal shiraz!
Ha Ha....you're doing it aern't you? !!!
:)
Well...I survived....
Having 2 y o twins was challenging and lovely all at the same time!
Did I learn any lessons......YES!!!!!!
Did I have "stella moments" you bet!
But it was the most invaluable lesson I have learned in about 10 years!
I couldn't have paid a professional to give me the "lesson" that I learned for free!
What is the lesson you ask?
There are a few lessons here people, so stay with me.
Lesson #1
Twins are hard! - Double the energy, double the time,
Double the lifting, double the nappies, double the tiredness, double, double, double, did I mention double?
*Sidenote* These two little cherubs were literally little angels. They slept
for 12 hours every night, and 2 solid hours during the day. And they were beautifully behaved.....still tired tho!
Lesson #2
I have been living in the past...and they have cured me of it!
What do I mean? Well as you know I have 4 children of my own, and I have been grieving my babies growing up! My youngest baby is now 8, but I have been living my life like I still have babies around! Don't ask me why, I have just been in a "baby" rut for at least 3 or 4 years, thinking that my life is still hard!
BUT.....ITS NOT.....ITS SO EASY NOW!
HELLO.....STELAAAAA....WHERE HAVE I BEEN FOR 4 YEARS?
No longer are my kids hands on like the babies were! But I didn't even realise it.
My DG (Dear Girlfriend) said having her cherubs might cure me of my "cluckyness" and boy it did....(love your babies Cat!)
But I have found a new appreciation for my new "stage" in life.....my new
"Centre Stage"!
I didn't realise how much FREEDOM I actually have even though my kids still need me. But I can now come and go pretty much most of the time, and even start hobbies and interests, that I had let go over the years thinking I couldn't do them because I didn't have the "time" or the "energy"!!!
(Silly Silly Woman!)
I will now look at my life through my new "Rose Coloured Glasses" that I purchased from the shop!
You know, the glasses you can buy, when your life isn't looking so rosy anymore, you buy these "glasses" from the shop and when you look through them they make everything in your life look wonderful and rosey!!
Ha Ha....give me 2 pairs...
So thank you DG for letting me have your little cherubs, I loved every minute of it, they were gorgeous, and a blessing to have, in more ways than one!
Stella :)
Well, I am happy to announce.........
It's twins! At this stage of our life....
We really think we can do this.....after all it's only a blink of an eye and they are gone again!
The 4 girls are thrilled to have 2 new additions to our family. I on the other hand realise the amount of time and work that is going to be involved in all of this.
But having "twins" is such a blessing!
Ok, ok, I will put you all out of your shock! GASP GASP....
Yes I am having twins, no I am not pregnant.....
WHAT THE?
My girlfriend, who does have 6 children, is having some well earned R&R with her DH (Dear Husband). Something I think every married couple with children should do at every given opportunity.
So the opportunity arose, and our family volunteered to house these beautiful 2 year old twins......It's a girl x 2!!!
*Sidenote* Just what we need, more pink in our house!
And DH (Dear Husband) and I always joked that if we ever had more children, we bet we would have twins and more girls! Ha Ha
These two little cherubs are gorgeous! Beautifully behaved for toddlers, and an absolute pleasure to be around. Like two little beams of sunshine.
And our girls are in love with them. Having 2 babies around will bring lots of fun and laughter, (thank goodness they sleep well).....
Like I said before, it will be over in the blink of an eye.....but this time we will have is going to be precious!
As for the other 4 children, well I know my limit, and therefore 2 other wonderful families have taken these 4 cherubs under their wings for the week.
So everyone is in a win, win......the parents have some well earned precious time together, and the children all get a mini holiday with new families.
Remember in previous blogs I mentioned how lucky I am to be able to do this once or twice a year? As my own mum moves in and becomes me so that my DH (Dear Husband) and I can re-connect and have some alone time together! Well that, I think has been the glue that has allowed us to still be happily married 20 years down the track.
It has been invaluable to have that time together and have fun! I firmly believe each and every parent need to do this as it re-connects a marriage and glue's it together.
A couple who play's together, stay's together!
Yes, it's hard, yes it's disruptive, yes it can save marriages! And if you ever have the opportunity to take and nurture someone elses children so the parents can re-connect, do it with all of your heart......and parents, if you have the opportunity to leave your children with someone who offers......DON'T THINK, JUST DO! (Obviously someone you know and trust!)
You only have to go away with DH once on your own, and you will want to keep doing it forever!
I am excited to see what "stella moments" unfold over the coming day's!
Keep your eye out for next week!
:) twins :) ha ha.
Yeah.....kid free, husband free, what to do what to do?
Ok, shopping list.....check!
Hmmmm
I know it's not rock n roll, but I do need to go food shopping on my kid free "day off"!
There could be a million other things I could and should be doing....but its shop and EAT verses don't eat!
We're in the middle of school holidays and even the cat's walking around looking for food....STELLAAAAAAA he is meowing!
Ok so life has not been very organised for me lately, things have fallen by the wayside, and what was once a very organised household is now a hit and miss with food, washing, cleaning, ironing (mr hiss) and any other function that I cannot seem to do at the moment.
I am in a very strange place! Someone who normally thrives on a very strict routine....eg
5 am Wake up
5.01am Coffee
5.05am Ironing
5.15am Coffee (again)
6.00am Washing
6.01am Coffee (absolutely necessary chore this one!)
You get my drift, I am normally organised.....
But this is now my new reality
5 am Sleep
6am Sleep
7am Sleep
8am Sleep
9am Crawl out of bed
9.01am Coffee
9.10am Coffee #2
9.15am Sit in chair and don't move till coffee #3
So you can see, my life ain't rock n roll at the moment.
I am hoping to improve my new routine a little, maybe tweak it a bit!
I am also hoping that by the time the kids go to school , I can get them out the door by 8am....(will have to squeeze that onto the timetable between coffees!)
So today, armed with my (food) shopping list, I am off to paint the town.....
"sort of red" with as much enthusiasm as I can!
Where's my coffee????? STELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.............
Ok.....so it's been a few weeks since my surgery!
I thought I would be jogging by now! NOT......
Recovery has been slower than I anticipated! In my head, I really thought I would be running, and skipping and leaping for joy! Ok, maybe not quite like that....but you get my drift!
Alot of things have happend to me in the last few weeks.
Gall bladder removed.......check.
Hair cut..........................check.
Sitting around.................check.
Mum cooking dinner.........check. (that has been the best!!! thanks mum)
All this sitting around has led me to alot of thinking time.
Time to sort things in my head.....
One thing I learned, well I didn't actually know how sick I have been. When you have been sick for a long period of time, your body and life creates a new kind of normal....so my normal has been slowing becoming less and less.
So now I am on the other side of sickness, my original normal can return, with a few changes thrown in......
One of them being...I am putting my two youngest back into school. A big decision but one I am very happy with, and they are very excited about going back! A new chapter for them and me......
What to do with all that time on my hands? Hmmmm, I'm sure I will fill the void!
I "stella" have lost her groove some time ago......if you've seen it, please phone me on........ha ha.
So my journey over the rest of the year, is finding my groove with a few new things thrown it.....a bucket list of sorts, but one that will create a new life....
Don't panic, I havn't been given 3 months to live, but in my mind, I feel like I have just woken up from a coma....my body has shut down to "just ticking over" for the last, 3 or 4 years and I have forgotten how to really live!
So this time is exciting.....a new chapter of health and living.
My new groove might be skiing in the snow!
Or mountain climbing in Japan.
Or drinking coffee in the SoHo district of New York (definately on my list!)
I had an epiphany when I walked into my house straight after hospital.
I didn't want to be the "old" stella (not old yellar!) anymore!
So each decision I build on from here, is going to be the product of a new "stella" with new ambitions, new ideas, and lots of fun inbetween....after all I am now "over that hill" and life is short....!
So if you've lost your groove and want to re-invent yourself, join me on "stella moments" and we'll discover a cure for "groovesbegone" (grooves-be-gone!)
(Terrible, terrible disease!)
:)
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