Mother's Day dedication

Mother

Mum, mummy, mumma, ma, missus, old chook, old bird, maternal parent, mom, mommy, mam, mammy, maiter, oma.......................

Mother knows best

Mothers have eyes in the back or their heads

Mother in laws tongue

Mother f*****

Mummy's boy

Mother of all ........evil

Some Mothers do have 'em

Motherhood

Holy Mary Mother of God

Mother Earth

Birth Mother, Step Mother, Foster Mother, Adoptive Mother, Gandmother

Can you think of any others??

Yep, you got the idea. I'm thinking about mothers and the job they do. Big job really, in fact some say the most difficult job in the world. Unpaid even, bugger.

I agree, it is a big job, a great, big, important job. The more mothering I do the more I realise how important the role is.

When I first became a mother, blame lack of experience and maturity I soldiered on, returned to work, juggled thousand things just to prove myself. To whom I'm wondering now??

My one year old didn't care if the essay wasn't printed out on time for me receive my degree. Nor did she care if I had the correct clothes for my first teaching job and made every single meeting and deadline.

All she really wanted was her mum.

No regrets though. I loved both my family and my job. But I do remember heading to work, sick child at home, and having my boss send me back home to complete my FIRST JOB. Looking after my sick child. Thank goodness some employees understand the need for mothering.

I'm embarrassed now that I sometimes got the priorities a bit mixed up. Yeah I have loved every class of kids I've taught and always have strong loyalty to my colleagues but did I really think the educational system would fall to pieces if I took a day off work?

So then I had more children and now do the mothering full time. I still love the idea of teaching and love educational banter and the thousand coffees in one day consumed between the classroom and staff room. LOVE IT.

But.....................I am loving being a mum. I now appreciate the importance of unconditional love from a mum. My kids will appreciate this one day.

Jeepers, it's rewarding but what a job it is. It can be "mindnumbingly" boring if you don't mix it up. Maybe I'll mop BEFORE I sweep today!!!

So to all those mums, the kids that arrived to make them and the partners and family who support them. Have a fabulous Mother's Day!!

A sweater is what you put on when your mother is feeling cold!

(so true!!!)

xx

ANZAC thoughts.

As with every year, ANZAC day gets us thinking. Now that our children are getting older, they are thinking and asking questions too.

We don't attend a dawn service, but am seriously questioning why. Our babies aren't so baby anymore and we could certainly haul ourselves out of bed for such a worthy occasion. Maybe next year we should plan to complete this task and it may help answer the many questions from our kids.

We have a lot to be thankful for being New Zealander's and ANZAC day makes hubby and I even more respectful of our grand and great grandparents. Mark's grandad served as did many of his mates. It's very difficult subject to teach and help today's children understand. The hardship in particular.

Being young and travelling away from the home you have ever known. Leaving your loved ones, mum and dad, wife and children to fight for your country. Sounds heroic but I'm sure it didn't always feel that way. Many of the men were idle for much of their 'tour of duty', others injured and with a view of the war from an hospital window. Mark's grand-dad was a prisoner of war for some time, and when finally released and able to return home skeletal and half the man he was, in more ways than one I imagine. That's just it, it's extremely hard to imagine.

So, how does one manage to survive a war and return home to then survive a 'normal life' ?Especially, as I imagine you return from these world changing events as a very different person to the one you were before the war began.

Mark's grand-dad; George Lewis. An adorable man!

Being a mum and wife I do tend to focus on the women of war. I've always been a bit hopelessly in love with the romantic side of 'war-times'. The vintage fashions make we go a bit weak and the domestic kiwiana of the 30's - 50's is simply gorgeous and nostalgic.

I go on a bit myself about striving to be a domestic goddess. But these women knew the true meaning of it I think. Women of war would have had a mixed bag to deal with. Some may have felt liberated to be heading out to work, some guilty of working and raising children. Other's guilty that they were at home and not out working for the country and their 'boys'. Rationing and stretching out these supplies for their family.

The strain of not knowing if your loved one at war was going to return home and the loneliness of raising your family during this time. It seems there are some similarities across the generations here.

Grandma Lewis with two of her babies........and her cookbook!

The pressures of our current lifestyles raise a few of these same issues, just in a different context. Instead of domestic gods or goddesses however we are attempting to be superheroes. I'm not convinced it's doing us or our families much good. But our choices are sometimes limited, as for wartime, we need money for our families to survive so we do what we need to do. When I was donning my 'super-mum' outfit on a daily basis, working full time, running a classroom of busy kids and household of my own I thrived on it. So I thought. I loved the highs and 'good stress' that kept me going and succeeding. I must admit though, there were times when I just wanted off the treadmill. I wish it could just let up and I would be allowed to be one person instead of a million different personalities in a day.

But wartime brought about an important way of thinking for those left behind. A way of thinking that many writers and 'life coaches' are promoting. A life of more simpler means and a getting back to basics. It is remembering what is important to us as human beings and giving ourselves permission to slow down sometimes and enjoy life. When I'm trying to stretch our family budget or be more self sufficient I always think of our grandparents. I love reading mine and my husband's grandparent's cookbooks and tips from this time. The recipes are amazingly resourceful...............and they really work!!!

I think sometimes we have too many things to choose from. It often makes life more difficult, not easier as intended.

Anyway, the real point I wanted to highlight (and it's taken me this long to get to this paragraph lol ) is that our family has learnt a huge amount from our previous generation. ANZAC day and the entire weekend this year has simply reminded me to honour that learning and to make sure that I pass this knowledge on so that my children (and theirs) may learn from it too.

I may not make it dawn service, but I never miss a year with my ANZAC biscuits. We use the original recipe from Grandma's Edmonds cookbook (which is only just holding together at the spine). Delicious!

xx

Keeping ourselves busy.

Wow, it's been a while since I posted on here. I had such a blast over the holidays, my kids are cool.

I could have written throughout the last two weeks but I was having fun with girls, cooking and my library books that I didn't feel the need, for me at least.

I did collect some pics to keep you all up to date with our comings and goings.

Autumn has been mild here, and it is still very dry. Once again very unusual for this part of the New Zealand. We have had to fill the water tank ourselves frequently.

I've missed the Autumn cues that Canterbury provides. There aren't the same type of tree colours and changes around us. Canterbury does Autumn well.

Because of the mild and dry conditions we even visited the beach several times for a play when we were getting sick of the house or local playground during the school holidays.

But that has finished now and this is an eleven week term. A long one for the kids and the first lot of bugs are already doing the rounds so the Vit C tabs are out again and extra fruit in the lunch-boxes.

So here you go, a few pics from our holiday break at home.........

Watching 3D movies!

Learning to clean off cobwebs......lol

Duvet fun on the lounge floor.....

Cupcake creating.......

Bread-making.......

Slime making..........

I miss them now they are back in class, but when Phoebe pops off for her morning nap, it is nice to have my coffee in a bit of autumnal peace!!!

xx

Phoebe has been entertaining us for 18months now. In recent months even more so. The third child is born into such a different household. I am amazed at the dynamics and differences in the development between my first and third child. I'm sure it's not simply their personalities but their environment must play a huge part.

For all of you who love Phoebe and are missing out on hearing her learn to talk. Mark suggested I publish her current words with translations, which I thought was a kind of cool idea. Here are her latest. No need to feel left out anymore!!!!!

Phoebe Dialect: Parent Translation

• dada: dad
• mama: mum
• mummmmy!!: anyone who can hear me I want it now
• baybeeee: baby
• lucys: our cat Lucy and all cats in the world
• dirdi: bird
• puppa: puppy or dog
• ooh ooh aah aah: monkeys ( and unfortunately tribal people on a recent documentary)
• wuf wuf/woh woh: dog
• mmmmm: cow
• baaaa: sheep
• tongue click: horse
• wack wack: duck
• aaaaaw: sorry or I don't want to go to bed
• DEE!!!: BOO!! or GO!!!!
• Hi ya: hello
• DIE!!!!!!!!!: goodbye to everyone who can hear or see me, especially when leaving shops
• bubba: bye bye
• schoozies: shoes
• weeeeee: swings
• playeeeee: playground
• buck: truck
• BRRMMMM: car
• up: jump
• lala: Aunty Karla
• nannananan: Nana
• bah: bath, shower, ocean/beach, lake, small puddle
• ssssssh: fish
• bum: bum
• that???: who's that???
• doo doo dara: Dora!!!
• shhaantaaa: Santa
• eeeeeeeeeeeeew!!: anything that goes buzz, looks like a bug or insect, OR my nappy is yuk, OR my sisters are being gross and I'm simply copying them, cause I am a COOL 18mth old.
• owwwwww: I have a sore or a teeny tiny mark on my finger
• numa numa numb: I'm hungry
• dough: NO!
• naaaahna: banana
• botta: bottle
• tickeee tickeee: tickling toes or tummies
• big raspberry noise: what you have put in front of me must be a vegetable and it is gross. I am about to throw it at your head, be warned!!!!

I'm thinking there are probably hundreds of others, we just don't understand them yet!!

xx

Cake!!

Well, Phoebe and Molly got their cakes on the blog so I thought I better pop Caitlin's on as well. This time around........(seeing as Caitlin is suddenly soooo mature now) the cake's focus has gone from taste and frosting being the most important and decoration being a kinda cool extra!

So I went for rich chocolate and discovered a recipe for really GOOD american style chocolate frosting. Oh yum! Not many frostings make you gasp like this one :-)

Some fun music trimming on top, as Caitlin has been learning the piano this year, and voila!!

A bit 'honky tonk' looking, but tasted great!

Caitlin has a friend over for two nights so we have made pizzas, eaten cake and followed all this with a dvd for the ten year olds and cups of tea for us oldies! A nice day for all.

Latest update on the house front. The rental we are currently in has had two offers on it this past fortnight. Looks like this one is going through. I started packing yesterday (cursing loudly under breath), but cross fingers we get a rental that is only four houses away. I'll keep you posted about that one.

Have a lovely Easter with your loved ones and friends. Do something new this weekend!!

xx

Faces of a decade....

On this day, 10 years ago, I had laboured for most of the night before and was snuggling up to my first baby girl. What an absolute trip!!!!

I remember being in shock, sleep deprived, sore and overwhelmed but so very much in love. I couldn't stop staring at her, in awe at finally meeting her. I had chatted to her often over the past nine months but it certainly was better face to face!!

I'll never forget Mark's face. Smitten is the word that comes to mind. I think maybe more in love with her than I. In fact as soon as she was born he had whisked her away to introduce her to the entire hospital and I hadn't even had

a decent cuddle yet!!!!!!!!!!!

I had intended to choose ten shots for her ten years, but struggled to narrow it down. Here are a few for you to enjoy.

Milk drunk.

Certified basket case!!

Fun to holiday with.

Curious.........and experimental.

She'll never support the Blues....

Damn cute!!!!

Cheeky.....

A sister to Molly.

A reliable source of Christmas cheer.

School girl.

Flower girl for Aunty Hayley and Uncle Ben.

Loving sister and cousin.

A doting sister to Phoebe.

A good friend.

Nature lover :-)

ps Uncle Luke's cell by the way!!!

A decade of parenting scares us a little. We hope we haven't caused to much damage :-)

To describe Caitlin in a nutshell: bubbly, happy, vivacious, loving , creative with boundless energy. Mark and I can't believe we made something so gorgeous for the world.

So we celebrated tonight as a family at the Takapuna 'Lonestar' The kids were so full they fell straight to sleep as they hit their pillows.

Can't be going out on the town without a bit of rock n' rolling!

Happy Birthday Caitlin!!!!!!

xx

Mozart eat ya heart out!

Here is Phoebe's 7 second composition on piano, in the key of G...............I think.

Not sure why, but those 7 seconds have been watched over and over in our household and tears of laughter shared. Gee she makes us giggle that girl!!

and the photo sequence of the child prodigy at work........

......and so she begins.....

Middle C is stuck again mum!!!

A little vocal accompaniment...

Even your tongue can add to the overall effect.

Ta da!!

xx