Thirty something............

I have decided the joy of being thirty something is that you are finally starting to grow out of the 'egocentric' twenties and trying to find other things in your life of interest. It's only taken four years to accept the thirties, but better late than never!

So I have spent the 31 days of 2010 deciding what my thirties will bring me:

Writing is a certainty, loving it beyond expectations.

Music remains a love and now that my children are growing up at the speed of sound I want that in their lives as well.

Teaching, because I'm good at it and I love it.

Fitness. This was never a goal during my twenties. Honestly, I used to 'feel the burn' just unscrewing a really stubborn jam jar lid. Suddenly, with gorgeous responsibilities running about my feet I want to be healthy and fit.

Growing food. We don't grow a lot of food in our current living arrangements and I miss it. As we will be moving on from here at some point during the year edible gardens are a must for the rest of my thirties.

Flowers. I'm a girl, I love flowers. I don't wear or decorate with floral patterns but I love to grow them. At my last property I grew roses, irises and lavender. My favourite combination.

Garlic Aioli. Well, maybe not the entire six remaining years, but I have fallen in love with it this summer. Mmmwha!

But, I have decided that in addition to my family and 'thirties' hobbies, I want to add WINE.

Yes I consume it on a regular basis, but I'm talking about actually having a little knowledge about what I'm buying and drinking. Even being able to match it to food would be fab.

A conversation over Christmas with a family member made me think a little harder about wine. Our discussion, while drinking wine of course, highlighted 'wine memory'. She described her complete lack of memory for white wine, but in contrast could name easily which red she would prefer. I was amazed I feel exactly the same. Red is easy, white baffles me.

I have a really big sweet tooth, so Pinot Gris and Rieslings are a big yes, but only if I'm craving sweets. Oh but then there are rose, sparklings etc etc. I don't yet know the names of them all.

So it seems I"m going to spend the next six year plastered. Well, at the end of the week anyway. I restrain myself from Monday to Thursday. Please don't worry about my children. They will only be exposed to sensible social drinking as French families have done for years.

Maybe you should consider the decade you are representing. What will be your legacy, and what will you do for your mental, emotional and spiritual well-being? The wonderful thing is, surely it will have a positive spin off effect on our families.

There's still time!!!!

xx

Summer Novella

She lets her feet sink a little into the warmth of sand. The beach seems to stretch forever before her. The recently bought bikini top digging in a little, tied neatly at the nape of her neck. It is her first ever halter neck, an attempt to banish the insecurities of her twenties. She is a 'thirties' girl now. Time to allow her own skin be seen by the rest of the world. The bottom half remains unseen....thighs winter pale. Some things must remain for herself.

She sits with her book, children playing in the surf. She is proud of their summer born confidence as they leap across waves. Three children have left the stomach less flat then her twenty-something self. She gazes longingly at the 'foxlet' strutting the length of the bay.

Where do they order legs that start at the neck? She wants the catalogue.

She averts her gaze and stretches contented with her lot. The smallest makes sand castles beside her. She feels the sun warm her skin, sweat beading......................

The girl sits now in the cool breeze, margarita in hand, stretched on her own private deck. She curses the bikini and new found confidence. Skin sears, post baby belly stings from the sun. The mirror reveals the raw burnt skin beneath a sensible T-shirt. She is a thirties woman now cursing that new found confidence.

xx

Cover-seal................I will not be defeated!!!!!!!!!

Today the school office opened which meant we could buy our stationery packs and Molly's school uniform. Tuesday is the big day, which I'm sure I will find an emotional spare minute to blog about it.

Molly has gone beyond excitement. As soon the the front door was unlocked on our return home she was flying up the stairs, half undressed ready to try her new digs on!

And here is my number two baby in her first school uniform.........

There are two different coloured polo shirts as the mustard/gold is being gradually phased out.

The girls and I then continued on to drool over the stationery packs. We are all hopeless stationery addicts..... in obviously serious withdrawal from the holiday break. I wrestled with cover-seal for about an hour. All books now deliciously wrapped and in a neat pile ready for the big day. Note to self; add 'coversealing' to C.V as I have got very good at taming the beast and avoiding the dreaded air bubbles.

So as the day wore on and then to a close Phoebe had obviously felt a little left out of the excitement and attention. She did a fabulous display of bubble blowing in the bath this evening. All I have to do now is get her to sing "Yellow Submarine" at the same time :-) xx

Another lovely weekend.

Spotted a rainbow from our lounge window.

Well I haven't written for about three days, but that doesn't mean that nothing has happened. Far from it, we have been keeping ourselves very busy.

The girls have now learned the art of pizza making, including the dough. I have been meaning to encourage their participation in cooking (other than biscuits and muffins) for.........ever. I finally got around to it. They were very proud of their efforts and it was the first dinner in ages where everything on their plates was devoured. Maybe I should get them to cook their own every evening!!!

I finished another book. It was written by Jools Oliver. Jamie's wife, chef, naked...you know the one!!! "Minus nine to one- the diary of an honest mum". It was her account on pregnancy with her two girls, Poppy and Daisy. I enjoyed it even though I am totally and completely OVER the pregnancy part of having children! Her writing style is honest and light hearted. For anyone who is pregnant or thinking about it, a great read. Actually.............it made me think about my own..........maybe that could be my next writing venture.

On Friday I had a really lovely day. In fact, so lovely it really wasn't long enough. I had recently got in touch with another schoolmate from Mahurangi College, Warkworth, from approx 20 years ago. I drove the girls up to her house snuggled in the Northland countryside to meet her family and have a good catch up. As a bonus, another old friend and his wife met us there and we had a great old reunion. My kids played happily with their kids and we ended up spending a very good chunk of the day there. As I said above, one day was really not enough, reluctantly, with still so much to be said and old stories to be enjoyed I finally left to get my kiddies fed and off to bed.

This shift to the North Island has made me realise how important some people in my life are to me, in fact most people. The environment is so beautiful and I love it, but when I get a day like I had on Friday with a group of great people I am surprised how much I need other people around me. I always thought I was a bit of a loner because I love my own company, but in my current situation my need for conversation and banter is becoming more apparent.

Thanks to both couples. I enjoyed your company and hope to see you all again soon, there are still a few memories to enjoy and bottles of wine to empty :-)

The last week of the school holidays begins tomorrow. Thus far I am proud of my achievements for 2010. I went to the movies last night to see "It's Complicated" starring Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep. Totally a 'laugh out loud' movie. A chick flick for sure, so of course I loved it. YES! I went without children, bliss. Just me and one of Mark's female work colleagues. I went to the local circle lounge cinema which meant I could have curly fries and a glass of wine, served to us during the first half of the movie....more bliss! You might smirk at my excitement over a night out. To put it into perspective for you. I have not been to a cinema, without a child for .............ummm................about 17 months. I saw "Sex in the City" with my bestest friend in Christchurch just before Phoebe was born. ( Well, ok, I was carrying an unborn child, but it still felt like an adult night out!! lol).

Mark and I have chilled for the rest of the weekend, sneaking out for the open home on our rental property (sigh) but the walks on the beach and chapters of books read were fantastic.

I'll leave you with some shots of the girls making their pizzas!

xx

Bahahahahahahahaaaaaa!

Good authors...taking my hat off to you.

I'm enjoying the last few weeks of the school holidays. We are really making the most of each day. I went to a friend's house today and let the kids have a good play with other children. Not unusual for most children's holidays, but when in a new place where you are still building relationships and finding friendships it was WONDERFUL!

My new friend also loves books, yay!! Another self confessed nerd like myself, another kindred spirit that is extremely happy to sneak off to bed early just to get in another chapter...so pleased to have met you my new friend and thanks for a nice catch up :-)

No family pics today, the girls have been busy, getting their school stuff ready and spending most days on the beach. Loads of fun enjoying the last days of freedom from the classroom.

But.......we are going on a road trip up north of Wellsford on Friday to see two school mates from twenty years ago. Can't wait!

Books, books, books!!!

Girls, ladies, women, cougers that like to read. DID YOU KNOW....................there are fabulous short story collections written by women, for women, about things that amuse women (aka men lol). No, they are on a variety of topics and they are COOL. Well.......as cool as a library book can be.

If you enjoy short stories, are often pushed for time or you're the type that with good intentions gets into bed and only makes it through two pages before your eyes are drooping then a short story collection is a brilliant idea.

The collection I found recently is called "Girls Night In" - all women writers and so far I love five out of the six I have read!

I am so pleased to have struck a couple of really good authors recently. It has certainly got me back into reading again and inspires me to write. I have always dreamed of writing a novel one day. Got a few preschool books and poems tucked away, but the novel just hasn't come to me yet. Well, plenty of life in me yet, I'll keep you posted on that one :-)

Anyway....

I have borrowed a book about becoming mother which I can't wait to start.........so I'm sneaking off now..................

xx

Splits and Novels

Part two of the video documentation of Phoebe's new moves is here. Being the third baby in our household she is doing everything so much faster than the others and completing tasks the other girls never even attempted at such a young age. Phoebe has some pretty special role models.

She adores Molly and all that Molly can do. Watch the vids to witness Phoebe doing the splits, a Molly trait copied.

Reading.......

I have finished reading my book. As I said in an earlier post this one is not my normal read.

It was a good read though. Harrowing, but compelling. Once again a story of someone's life to learn and be inspired from.

It's title; Criminal by Caspar Walsh. I read it because it is another story of someone overcoming adversity, a quality I admire in others. The author writes about his life as a child and teenager born into a world of drugs, abuse and crime. Ick, I know, but the boy after finding himself addicted to several class A drugs and a destructive lifestyle (by the age of approx 12!!!!), turns his life around as a 20 year old. He rehabilitates and in turn teaches Creative Writing in UK prisons.

The book is not for the faint hearted. There is plenty of unhealthy behaviour, abuse of children and adults, the dramatic and painful experience of drug use and it's withdrawal. BUT, if you can get through those bits it is rewarding. It treats you to a human survival story, and I enjoyed his eventual success.

I've now run out of purchased books, I'm off to the library today, and so pleased to be back into reading. It's too hot up here at night anyway for sleeping!!!

xx

Sunday drive

Our Sunday drive took us up to Leigh and pretty close to Goat Island. We had intended to park up and explore around Goat Island but there were huge crowds of people and cars. We got there about lunchtime and it really was too late. We plan to try again another weekend leaving earlier in the morning. So we can actually get in before the crowds and snorkel for a while!!

Instead we found a bay called Matheson Bay. Black sand and rugged rocky inlet. Gorgeous surroundings and a mild balmy day. The sky was a little gloomy which made the sea and sand look even more ominous. We ate our Calzonis and muffins for lunch...delicious.