2014 Round Up

Summarising an entire year in one blog post, was never going to be an easy feat. However I'll do my best to round up the last 365 days in a few words...

If I had to choose one word to describe how I felt about 2014, it would definitely be exhausted. 

Making the transition from one grommet to two, was totally & utterly exhausting. The limited sleep, paired with the limited outside help, really pushed us to our mental, physical, and emotional limits this year. There were many, many points where I wanted to give up, walk out, throw in the towel. There were countless tears and endless frustration. And there was a lot more anger than I've ever been accustomed to. 

It was by far, the hardest phase in my entire 25 years.

But then there was this guy;

And I can't pinpoint whether it's his ginormous blue peepers, his silky soft skin, the way in which he nuzzles into my bosom, or the fact that as soon as he sees me enter the room he flaps his arms like a spastic bird with sheer excitement, but none of those terrible times matter anymore. Infact, I would do it tenfold if it meant I get this prize at the end of it all.

My heart is bursting just looking at that photo. Love, pride, infatuation, and joy instantly come to mind. 

And of course, there was his birth. Giving birth to Oscar at home was one of my resolutions for 2014, having the experience we longed for was hugely important to us. Achieving that, and reflecting on it now, I am elated beyond belief. In the years to come, I cannot wait to retell the tale of how Oscar came into the world to my children, and to their children. 

Lets not forget my other (equally as delightful) child;

The changes this girl has made over the past year make me want to laugh hysterically and sob like a baby all at once. We had to say sayonara to any trace of our baby, and aloha to a fully fledged little girl. A little girl with a whole heap of attitude might I add. Her infectious personality is utterly enthralling, and I literally fall more in love with her everyday. Within the year she went from waddle walking to sprinting, from a handful of words to an entire vocab (not all entirely appropriate words either), and as of the last 3 weeks, she went from nappies to undies. Yeow! It's all still a work in progress, and public outings nearly give me a nervous breakdown, but we are nearly there! 

Man I can babble on about those kids can't I? I'm definitely "that mum" who has no life outside of her children. But they're just so spectacular, who needs another life?! (Me! Me! Me!)

I'll move onto an adult now, my favourite adult to be exact;

The boyfriend, fiancé, partner in crime, and soon to be hubby. If it weren't for him, I would definitely have taken a trip to the asylum this year. It's been a testing time for us, a time that I figure could either make or break a couple, and thankfully, we made it. Looking back on the chaos from 2014, knowing we made it out alive together & smiling, confirms to me that we will survive anything. (Well, maybe not another child, but anything else.)

Another huge part of the year was regaining my health & fitness post Oscar. An impossible task I had assumed. Post Blake was just a mix of luck & genetics I had told myself. And when the weight didn't just 'drop' off this time around, I quickly realised that I'm probably going to have to work for it. So I did. 

(6 weeks postpartum vs 8 months postpartum)

And as of right now, I'm rather chuffed to report, I am by far the fittest I have ever been in my life. Thankfully, somewhere along the line, it stopped being about how I looked, and is now solely about how I feel. Which is fucking fantastic. Going to the gym is my ultimate happy place, the sweet sweet hour of sweat & endorphins keeps me sane, and I can't wait to keep pushing myself throughout 2015 to see just how fit I can get.

Besides working out, I also found an escape in music, books, movies, and writing. Oli is a hub of musical knowledge, and he is constantly educating me / blowing my mind (how he knows so much about music is beyond me). I found love in the Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys, and I cannot contain my excitement about seeing The Black Keys live in just a few short months! 

I managed to read a fair few books through bleary eyes too, & two of the best were "The Goldfinch" & "Memoirs of a Geisha", and my two favourite movies were "The Skeleton Twins" & "Gone Girl". 

Venting via this blog, has been such a wonderful thing for me too. Getting your emails, and messages about my writing makes me rather flattered and truly happy. So thankyou folks for sticking around!  

The most important lesson I learnt throughout 2014 was that this parenting gig is absolutely nuts. It is chaotic, and frustrating, and exhausting, and utterly draining. And that's ok. Because that's what makes it so magnificent, the tears and the sweat and the sleep deprivation, and then their little hands holding yours, their eyes scanning a room to find yours, their sweet breath against your cheek, is what makes this rollarcoaster so fucking thrilling. Life was never meant to be easy after all. 

(Oh you three, you crazy crazy trio. You are far too good looking for your own good.)

So sayonara 2014, I'm happy to see the back of you to be honest! 2015 is shaping up to be a real pearler. The child free Bali getaway in 6 short weeks hasn't left the back of my mind for months now, just the thought of total freedom makes me quiver with excitement! You mean I can actually go to a restaurant & eat and drink as much as I like for as long as I like? I can lie on the beach and read a book? A real book not a Peppa Pig one? Eeeeeeeek!!

Then we have Oscars first birthday bash in March, the Black Keys in April, and the big bonanza that is our wedding in May. The rest of the year doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned as nothing will top the month that is May. I'm bursting, exploding with anticipation!! (Can you tell by my use of one hundred exclamation marks?)

Happy New Year to you all, here's hoping 2015 is your very best yet! Can't wait to see some of your faces throughout the year!

Gem

Thought of the day "I just cut myself shaving (rare event) and swear I bled black coffee- addict" 

Ho Ho Holy hell I need to lie down.

Merry Christmas everybody! 

Apologies for my complete ignorance as of late, but I was way too busy slaving away in the kitchen, stuffing my face with smoked ham, guzzling booze, and juggling children (not in that order, most of the time...) 

It came to my attention this festive season though, that Christmas is not as relaxing as it once was. Gone are the days of lazing around on the couch, picking at leftovers whilst admiring the haul of goodies the fat man dropped off. Gone are the sleep ins, the lazy beach days, the general slothing. Oh no no no, there's no such thing as a holiday when you're a parent. Suddenly my role as team leader meant I no longer sit on my ass whilst watching my Mum run around like a headless chook all day. Suddenly I am the headless chook. The headless chook with one baby chick ruffling my feathers, one on my nipple, and one cock expecting his belly full & washing done. (Complete coincidence that the male chicken is called a cock, I do however appreciate this, a lot). 

So the week was busy, we had extras here majority of the time, also cocks, and they just didn't have the same understanding as us hens do. There was a lot of mess, and mess makes me nervous, so therefore I also spent a lot of time cleaning. Christmas cleaning just doesn't have the same ring to it does it?

Despite the chaos, I did enjoy a couple of delicious bottles of champas;

Which helped to ease the stress. And the kids were spoilt rotten by a certain spunky Santa;

Oh, I nearly forgot, it was Santas birthday on the 23rd too;

His big day had all the right ingredients to be a fantastic one, until it turned out one of the ingredients was off and birthday boy caught a case of food poisoning... (Every fricken time right?)

So old Santa got slightly skinnier this week, but he's feeling much healthier today (thank goodness as I was well & truly over hearing the melodramatic man whinge)

To be honest, I was relieved when I arose this morning to find Oli getting ready for work. I thrive off routine, and after that tiring week with far too many indulgences, I was more than ready to go to the gym & eat some greens. Shit it was good to get sweaty. 

Oli will have a few more days off as we see in the new year, and I'll likely slip back into holiday mode again, however I think I'm going to at least try to keep some healthy balance over that period. Too much crap, and not enough exercise just does not go down well with this old mother hen. 

Well, I guess it's nearly about that time where we all bust out the old pen & pad for the resolutions eh?? Hmmmm, i'm not sure I'll actually have any resolutions this year, isn't life stressful enough without all that added pressure? I'm thinking if I just get to marry my incredibly handsome best friend, and watch my incredibly cute kids sprout, I'll be one incredibly lucky woman (I always go to write girl instead of woman, but I think girl would be pushing it these days, ugh how depressing). 

Anywho, I hope you all have a wonderfully magical & safe New Years! I'll catch you kids in 2015. 

Two thousand & fifteen. Wow.

Gemma 

Thought of the day "the chances of me making it to the countdown this year are slim to none" 

 

Life Updates (+ a brilliant summer salad)

Hey folks!! After a quick squiz through my last few posts this morn, I came to realise there were quite a few missing blanks to update you all on. 

A couple of weeks back I mentioned Oli took a FIFO job and we were about to embark on a challenging new path... Well (thankfully) that never eventuated. Turns out Oli is gold in a human form according to his current boss, so he convinced him to stay. Which clearly I had no objections to! I would have been a miserable, lonely, Grinch come Christmas had Oli left us, so thank fark those plans changed... 

Oscar has just hit 9 months, and our wee cadet is commando crawling around like a champ. Despite the bright toys literally EVERYWHERE (pearl harbour in toy version rather than deadly, fiery explosions) in sight, he chooses to wriggle his plump bum right over to the DVD player to chew on all the electrical cables. How do they know?? Seriously, how? Babies baffle me. 

Isn't he just edible? Despite his dashing good looks as a big boy, I'm actually in mourning for his babyhood at the moment. It's like some sneaky bastard has snatched my baby right out of my mits and replaced him with a 10kg tank who slaps, rips, pulls, and bites. Pretty soon he'll be a walking, talking tank too and then I'll really be in for some fun. There is no such thing as cuddling, cooing, co-sleeping or cooperating anymore, and I miss it. The fact that Oli and I have firmly decided two babies is us done & dusted, may be a contributing factor to my grief. No more pregnancies, no more births, no more babies. It is a hard pill to swallow, but we also know adding another child to the mix would be harder. When I see mothers with more than two children out and about, and they're sweating, and they're shouting, and they're miserable, I just think, god no. NO. Mostly, we just cannot imagine starting again from scratch. Children are wonderful, truly, they are. They're also demanding prison guards who keep you locked up at home for the next 10 years. And it may sound selfish (it probably is, meh) but we want some freedom. At some point, we want to go on holidays and leave the kids with the grandies, we want to have a bit of our own life back while we are still relatively young. That is unless we get locked up in an asylum first... In all seriousness, we've got our perfect pair, and they're pretty rad, we figure we will quit while we are ahead..

Meanwhile, 

This sassy, sunsmart señorita is struggling with this potty training business (more to the point, I am struggling). Unless I put her on the potty, and put Toy Story on, she just won't go on there. And even then, she only does a splash of wee but mostly holds it in to release into her nappy (which fills like a water balloon in record time), as soon as I put one back on. On the glass is half full side, she has great control! 

She knows what it is I want her to do, she just won't do it. Welcome to toddlerhood. A gun mum that I know just suggested trying bribery with chocolate, how I had not thought of that before is beyond me, so that is my next move. And if chocolate doesn't work, then I'm throwing in the wipes and resigning myself to changing a 15 year old girls nappies. 

Now for this summer salad;

This gem is so bloody easy to prepare, and so good as a side, or even as a main if you wanted to throw some chicken on there.. 

All it is, is; rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, Danish feta, blanched beans, and balsamic glaze (it has to be the glaze stuff as normal balsamic is too watery). Such an easy, tasty dish to add to any meal, (add pine nuts too for extra texture)

And in other news, somehow, there's only 7 sleeps until Santa squeezes through the sliding door! 

 

(As you can see, there's potty training going on in the background)

Our tree this year is bursting with gifts galore. Next to none have been put there by Oli or I, and next to none are actually for Oli or I, but our lovely families sure do spoil these kids. Blakes going to have an absolute field day ripping through these "pwismas pwesents" next week! We have our great pal Stirling joining us for the festive season this year too, and my brother and his gf Nicky will be popping in. On the agenda is a champagne breaky, a trip to the beach, ham, rum balls, and more ham. And maybe some sit ups to even it all up. (When I say maybe I mean not a chance)

Speaking of sit ups, here's a mini 9 month postpartum update;

I think I'm growing little tiny baby abs! The obliques are definitely showing their shape anyway, lower abs post two kids is proving to be much harder to tackle. 

For the first time in my entire life, I actually feel comfortable in a bikini. And it is the best feeling. I'm still doing the same old exercises, just a lot more running on the treadmill, and I feel as fit as a fiddle! The next couple of weeks however will be spent slothing, and my only exercise will be pacing the kitchen preparing food. Alas, post NY we will only be 5 months out from D Day so shit is going to get very real. The realest. 

So much to look forward to! 2015 would you just hurry your ass up already? Some of us wanna get hitched! 

Hope you're all winding down now, prepping those bellies for a week of indulgence. Let the eating & drinking begin!!

(Wow, that was some seriously sporadic writing, jumping to different topics left right & centre. Sorry about that folks, there's too much going on upstairs & not enough thumb stamina to type it all out appropriately)

Au Revoir!

Gemma 

Thought of the day "I am so fucking sick of hashtags, what is the point? Just say what you think? #rantover #spacesmakereadingmoreenjoyableanyway"

Movies Galore

If you haven't caught on by now, I'm a big fan of the flicks. Seriously though, what is better than pulling the blinds, cosying up on the couch, gorging on sweets because you have a totally valid reason to, and watching people pretend to be other people? Nothing, is the answer. Nothing is better.

We've watched four note worthy ones of late, so I thought I had better critique them for you all.. (I'll add movie critic to my list of potential career paths)

1) Nightcrawler 

Firstly, I'm going to admit that before watching this film, I didn't think very highly of Jake G (so much easier than spelling out that ridiculous surname) as an actor. Sure he did play the smooth, lady killer well in Love & Other Drugs, and him and Heath certainly stepped it up a notch in Brokeback, but I still didn't think he had that "oomph", you know? 

Until I watched Nightcrawler that is. Jake makes this entire film bone-chillingly brilliant. 

The story goes that Jake is a seedy, creepy, manipulative, sociopath who finds himself in his dream job as a news cameraman, capturing live crime on the streets of LA. The more horrific the better. Jake & his assistant (also brilliant) end up finding Rene Russo (also bloody brilliant) as the buyer for thier findings, and so the spiral of mania, manipulation & malice begins. 

There are moments when I think they could have thrown a bit more blood & guts in as it got a tad boring, however, I'm a gore lovin kinda gal, so you normal folk probably wouldn't be bored. All in all, it is more than worth a watch just to see Jake transform perfectly into his creepy character. I'm tipping him to win the Oscar for Best Actor next year, THATS how good he is.

2) Interstellar 

**Note; this review may not reflect truly on the film, as for some insane reason, Oli and I went to the 9:30 session and left the cinema at 12:15 as zombies. 

Matthew Matthew Matthew, where did this sneaky bugger come from? One minute he's rom com king, the next he is at the tippy top of the A list! 

Interstellar is a futuristic feature about Earth disintegrating environmentally at a rapid rate, and mankind needing to do something about it. Insert Matt & Anne Hathaway, brainiac astronomers who make it their mission to find life on other planets. But here's the spanner in the works, these two aren't just your average joe space explorers, they also cross dimensions, and essentially time travel. It's graphically beautiful, highly emotional, incredibly confusing, and far too complicated to write an accurate review on. I left feeling like a) I had no idea what happened, and b) I need to watch that again, at 5pm. Gripping & frustrating to sum it all up. 

3) Fury

Brad Pitt & Shia La Beouf are two of a team of four bad ass mother fucker US tankers on a mission to kill Nazis in Germany 1942. In 'inglorious basterds' style, there's many a graphic scene, with loads of blood and violence. But I just wasn't really into it. Without sounding like a girl, it was a really masculine film. Oli loved it, my Dad would love it. Guns galore, hard ass soldiers laying down the law, and many, many Nazis slaughtered. The highlight for me, was definitely the core character Norman who was thrown into the crew, unwillingly, and forced to kill men in cold blood. His blatant discomfort, and meek, kind nature were portrayed perfectly, and you couldn't help but feel incredibly sorry for him throughout the entire movie. 

If you're into action / war movies, you'll love this one, it ticks all the boxes. And if you are not, I'd watch it anyway just for Brad & Shia. Yarm!

Lastly, 4) This is Where I Leave You

This movie actually surprised me. I had read a few reviews first (never a good idea), so I went into it expecting a mediocre watch. Turns out, it was pretty hilarious! It's about four siblings, who don't particularly get along, bought back together over the death of their father. Jason Bateman plays the lead, and for once, he really impressed me. Despite him still playing the middle aged, down on his luck, boring businessman (isn't he always that character?), he had a brilliant sense of humour and some awesome one liners. Throw in Rose Byrne as his love interest, and I was hooked. That woman is mesmerising! The absolute stand out in this film though, was Adam Driver. I already loved him from 'Girls', but as his role as the womanising, immature, charismatic younger brother- he was incredible. I was laughing so bloody hard.  He is like this gigantic, long limbed dork, yet he oozes cool. I love it. 

Watch this movie, its 100% worth it. 

And that's a wrap folks!!

Have a lovely weekend!

Gem

Thought of the day "

A Constant State of Confusion

This wonderfully inspiring quote showed up right when I needed it to today. Literally, I had a brainstorm (you remember those from school with the central cloud and ideas shooting off it, so retro right?) scribbled down in front of me and I was contemplating all things 'career'. 

About a year ago, maybe more, I wrote a post about what it is I want to do with my life. At the time, I was my usual indecisive self, with ideas ranging from midwifery, to  dancing, and I think I even suggested a PE teacher (like hell!). Fast forward an entire year, and I'm still completely confused. It's possible I'm even more confused. And yet, that clock keeps ticking. 

Depending on who you are, you would probably agree that 25 isn't exactly old.

Unless you are 15 year old Gemma. I specifically recall myself saying "I'd probably rather die than reach 30". (I do retract this statement for future reference) 

Anyway, my point is, theoretically, I should still have a shitload of years ahead of me to figure out what it is I want to do.

So why am I worried? (You might ask)

Well, there are a number of reasons.

1) I'm still young, and relatively hip, so therefore I should use all this excess energy and coolness to build an empire whilst I've still got it right?

2) A year now feels like 3 months instead of 12, which is quite concerning

3) Zee children will flee from the nest in the blink of an eye and I'll have absolutely no purpose in life 

4) And finally, I feel as though if I don't pick something now, and stick to it, I'll forever flounce about dipping my feet in different career pools 

See my dilemma? 

For a while now I've been toying with the idea of writing a book. Fear, self doubt, and lack of time however, seemed to have been holding me back. I've started, and I've stopped, I've penned down more ideas than I could count, and I've dreamed of what kind of writer I could be. And then I realised I probably could have wrote a chunky novel in the time that I've spent writing out this blog week after week. All of those excuses I just listed are simply that, excuses. If I want to write a book, I will write a book. Just like anything in life, you make time to do what you love right? 

So that is my new mission for 2015. Write a book. Not necessarily a book that anyone else reads, just a book that I might enjoy reading, and my children might eventually enjoy reading. (When I say eventually I mean in twenty years, when swearing to them is as normal as it is to me)

This probably won't eventuate into any sort of career path, but I figure I've still got at least a solid year of stay-at-home-mumming ahead of me and it would be a great project to keep me sane.

I'll keep you updated with my progress and let you know my thoughts on the entire process, I'm rather excited about it!! 

Anywho, our great friend Jimmy, and Olis brother Jared were here last night and we were up late bantering (drinking wine), so I'm going to turn on peppa pig and pull the blankets over my head for the entire day (mother of the year)

Hope you are all doing swimmingly,

Gemma

Thought of the day "I wish maccas delivered"

Week in Food Pics

Rather than bombarding you with pictures of my darls, this week I actually took a truckload of food pics, so I thought I would share what's been going in my gob instead...

Sunday markets haul in a box that nearly broke my back 

I wrote off Loving Earth chocolate WAY too early. If you haven't tried their caramel chocolate, you haven't lived. (I'm going back solely to get three blocks today)

Brunch porn (is that a thing?) ft; country grain, soft poachies, fresh pesto, spinach, coriander, avo/feta smash, jalapeño hummus 

Eggplant, tomato, capsicum cuzza 

Keeping it simple with zucchini noodles, feta, & pesto for lunch.

Summer.

Homemade slaw, garlic roast potatoes, buttered asparagus, and panko crumbed chicken = a taste bonanza in my mouth.

Corn cobs are back and I couldn't be more excited. Wednesdays dinner ft; sirloin, mushies, beans & golden corn cobs. 

Homemade platter ft; tom garlic basil bruschetta, salami, artichoke, my very first homemade salt/pep calamari rings (total hit), and mandatory Pinot.

And now I'm officially sick of the kitchen and ready to eat noodles & takeout all weekend...

A couple of other things going on are;

Meg arrived and stole our hearts 

Oscar is 15 years out from stealing a hundred girls' hearts also (how funny is his wee blurred out willy)

And I finally, FINALLY, found the perfect fitting bikini! From bloody Asos. Who would have thought? Their big bust range is rather impressive. (Although upon ordering it I totally thought it would be money straight down the gurgler, pleasant surprise)

And now somehow we have already arrived at Friday. I'm struggling to deal with the fact that in 3 weeks we'll be seeing in the New Year. Does getting old really mean life is in fast forward? If so, I would like to politely decline the ageing process please. While I'm at it I would like to decline bills, responsibilities, maturity and expectations. I've decided they're really not for me. 

I better scoot, I've got two sick babies on my hands, their noses are literally bubbling with snot. It would actually be kind of impressive if it weren't so gross.

Have a delightful weekend folks,

Gem 

Thought of the day " 

Muahahah, Christmas gags. 

The Tank is Empty

Is it time to clock off motherhood yet? 

The tank has been running on 'E' for quite some time, and I feel as though I've finally burnt out my engine. It's just all too bloody much. 

As much as I love my children, lately, I despise the endless tediousness of everyday life. The selfish streak in me hates being awoken against my will every single night, feeding others whilst my tummy grumbles, cleaning up after one whilst the other drools watermelon juice all over the floor. Etc etc..

Since Oscar has arrived, the workload has quite literally doubled, and the hours are long and relentless. My body is no longer my own, it is constantly being tugged at, drank from and jumped on. And my mind is so fucking bored. So bored. Day dreaming of a 9-5 job has become my ultimate escape. Imagine having adult conversation? Imagine reading, and writing, and achieving things every single day? Imagine only having to wipe my own bum all day?! Imagine actually finishing work and doing as you please? It sounds magical.

I get that this was the path we chose to go down for this period in our lives, and thousands of women are going through the exact same thing as I am, and probably not whining half as much (out loud). But I am just over it. Well and truly over it. 

Motherhood sure is a testing time, and even after so long I still can't figure out whether I'm passing with flying colours or failing miserably. Society would say Blake definitely watches far too much TV, and Oscar eats a lot of packaged food. I gave up trying to potty train Blake after a few days of tantrums, and I don't bath them everyday. I yell, and I scream occasionally. And I often feel like walking right out the door. Yet, I would say, my children are good kids. They're happy kids. They're fed, warm, and loved. 

(Society has some ridiculous standards doesn't it? I often delve deep into my wild imagination and dream of a world void of any society. Where every individual is free to explore their own ideas and values without any outside pressure. I can't even imagine what kind of mother I would be if I didn't already know what kind of mother I 'should' be? If you get my drift...)

Anyway, after such a long time of looking after other people, I guess all I want at the moment is to be looked after myself. That's it. Do you reckon Santa delivers TLC? I sure hope so. 

Here's hoping we have a better week this week eh? 

Gemma

Thought of the day "thank goodness for the gym Creche"

6 Month Countdown

In exactly 6 months time, this will be Oli and I. Minus the perms. (Or will we have perms? You'll have to wait & see!)

Despite being highly, highly unorganised, and squandering away my free time by blogging, daydreaming, reading, or staring into space, I still wish it were 6 weeks rather than 6 months. It's impossible to put into words how esctatic I am to become Olis wife. To become a Tabak, and finally share the same name as my children. 

As I sit here daydreaming, pushing aside all of the things I am yet to tick off the list, all I can see, clear as day, is Olis face as I walk towards him up that aisle. His goofy grin, and my overwhelming emotions, joining forces for life. Will we laugh? Will we cry? Will I break into a run? The anticipation is killing me!

Admittedly, for the past 7 months, majority of my wedding thoughts have been totally focused on how the bridal party will look, how the venue will look, and mostly how I will look. Given, it is a big part of the day, alas, the biggest part is marrying the man of my dreams, which was somehow overlooked. This hit me with force on Saturday when Oli stepped out of the changing room in his wedding outfit. I nearly fell over. 'I get to marry this gorgeous man? The one with the sparkling blue eyes, cute butt, and strong hands? The one with the hilarious sense of humour and the kindest soul?' No. Freaking. Way. 

Let's do this already!! (Ok maybe I do need a bit more time, but 6 months is going to feel like a lifetime)

I feel like we are on track anyway, the only major thing we need to organise now is our rings, the rest is just bits & pieces. Zee pièce de résistance (dress), is still underway, I haven't had a fitting in yonks, but one is scheduled in for next weekend. This fitting is a biggy as it is the first one with my actual dress, all the rest have been prototypes, so I am über excited to see how she looks! It's bittersweet doing this dress business alone, on the one hand I have only my opinion to trust, yet on the other hand, I have no one else's opinion on it. See the dilemma? I desperately wanted to bring Oli in to help me choose but apparently that's a big no no. At the end of the day, opinions can do more harm than good, and if no one else loves it, at least I will right? Right. 

One thing I am struggling with is a speech. Do you go for the comedic audience pleaser approach? Or the sentimental tear jerker? Do I really want to hear crickets at my dry jokes, or have Oli blubbering like a baby at my side? Tough one. 

The amount of decisions you make for one day is mind blowing! Well, the amount I make is anyway. Out of the 300,000 total, Oli makes around 3, and the remaining 299,997 are all on me. Which is fun..

Approximately 100,000 will be made in February when I shoot over to Bali for a week, which is a huge relief, international organising is a real pain in the ass.

And that's where we are at with it all! And here I am, procrastinating for another day. The circle of life continues....

In other news, 

Summer is here!! In all of it's glittering glory! Time to bust out the cocktail shaker & BBQ tongs & cork hats! 

Thank F I actually get to have a few drinks this year, instead of waddling around a hot, sweaty, hormonal mess. Sayonara pregnancy, see you never!

Both infants are snoozing, I'm going to try to tackle this speech business/ browse Pinterest for recipes 

Happy Monday folks, 

Gem

Thought of the day "

All I want for Christmas is new boobs.

I Smell Change

Change is a funny old thing isn't it? The anticipation & excitement, starkly contrasted by fear of the unknown, creates quite the concoction of nerves. Fortunately, and unfortunately, change is the only constant in life. I say fortunately because change means taking risks, exploring the unknown, and reaping loads of benefits. And simultaneously, I say unfortunately, because change doesn't come without sacrifice, hard work, and patience. 

Which is why Oli has taken a mining job. 

We always knew this time would come. The abundance of extra family time, and constant companionship, has been a luxury since we have been here in Perth. But ultimately, this is why we are here. To "strike while the iron is hot", so to speak. 

Luckily, Olis new roster will only be two weeks on, one week off. Which is a hell of a lot more appealing than four weeks on, one week off. Regardless, I am still shitting my pants. The workload will be overflowing for both of us. Oli will be doing twelve hour days & nights underground, for two weeks straight. And I will effectively be a single mother for two thirds of the year. Yikes. 

How this will go, we really don't know. But we figure you can only try. I'm going to look at the glass as half full, and say, shit yeah a one week holiday with Oli every couple of weeks- amazing! And more savings, can't complain about that can we? I also firmly believe in the old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder", and I think missing each other will allow us to appreciate one another more, and create a stronger bond between us. And knowing that we have the wedding to look forward to, is another huge positive. Good things on the horizon. 

One-womaning this madhouse on the other hand, will be..... Interesting. Anyone  keen on moving in? I'll pay you with gratitude, love, and wine. We'll need lots of wine.

In other news this week, Oli and I managed to escape for a sneaky date night to dinner & a movie (cheers to Uncle Jazza for manning the fort);

(Debuting this marvellous LBD, $30 from my local surf shop, such a bargain!)

It's safe to say we were definitely the best dressed at the cinema. I'll take any opportunity to look nice these days, poor Oli probably forgets there's an actual woman underneath the baggy tee's and sweaty gym gear. 

And you know how I said I need to start eating a bit better, well, I've been on a roll this week:

Up top we have a Thai beef salad ft; sirloin, carrot, cucumber, red cabbage, spinach, pickled ginger, garlic, lime, crispy noodles, crushed peanuts, sweet chilli, soy sauce, and rice noodles. 

The middle child is a poached chicken salad ft; poached chook, spinach, carrot, cucumber, red cabbage, chilli, hummus, and honey mustard dressing. 

And lastly we have falafel wraps. This one was posted by a friend on Facebook last week and I thought they looked delicious, so I gave them a go, and wow. Just wow. Absolutely delish! I've never made falafel before so I just bought a mix from the super, and they were divine. We are frequently making Turkish kebabs around here but always with chicken, so this was a refreshing change. 

I'm rather enjoying the freshness of a crisp salad this week, it must be the warm days and nights egging me on. 

On top of these goodies, I've thrown myself back into the gym at full speed. Reeeaaally digging running at the mo, so have often been doing 10km's flat on the treadmill. I'm finding it incredibly therapeutic and rewarding making it to the double digits. And also doing loads of circuits using just my body weight. Squats, push ups, planks etc... My bod feels painfully pleasant! 

So things are on track here, and here's hoping the motivation will extend further than this week!

That's about all I have to report, and it's Friday again, so enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

Gem

Thought of the day "

3 months until Abbey and I will be parked up right here!"

Week in Pics

Aloha!

The sizzling sun has zapped all of my energy, and left my lids feeling rather droopy on this Sunday eve. Rather than colourful sentences chocka block with adjectives and exclamation marks, all I can muster is a few pics from the week that was... 

Of all the Kim K mems, this one was the clear favourite for me. (What is it with this woman and her desperate attempts to stay in the spotlight by the way? Although she does rock a bangin' bod, I'll give her that)

I got a wee bit creative (bored) around here on Friday, so I painted B's drawers and was quite chuffed with how they turned out. Note; the brilliant artwork was a recent gift from a very talented gf, so funky!

Blake & Noah are cuter than cute. Like, next level cute. Shit your pants cute.

So is this guy.

Uncle Jazza stealing some snuggles on Saturday..

We finally made it to the new fancy pants library that was built just up the road last week, and it was delightful. We all hung out in the kiddies corner & read Margaret Mahy, and ssssshhhhh'd, and sniffed all the new things. 

LC can do no wrong. This woman is the epitome of style. That 'do!

His & Hers brunch this morn. (Baked beans uggghhhh yuck)

30 delicious degrees can mean only one thing, zee beach. (Ok two things, behind-the-knee-sweat.)

So fresh and so clean clean, and so friggen cute. 

And finally, probably the best picture I've ever taken. This one needs no description.

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend folks,

Gem

Thought of the day "Anyone looking to buy a toddler?"