farm visit

Last weekend we were lucky enough to be invited to visit the farm of a couple who live just outside Mansfield overlooking Lake Eildon. This is a couple who are really 'living the dream'! They have three children who are now grown up and they are working towards retiring in the next few years. They have worked hard and travelled extensively during their lives so far. Now, their plan is to be able to live here permanently and run their little farm. And what an idyllic spot it is! We were really quite entranced by the beauty of the place and the wonderful enthusiasm and positive spirit that they were radiating.

We walked up to the top of the hill behind the house to better admire the views.

Apparently this spot overlooking the lake is the favourite for evening drinkies. Was wishing I could stay for that...

The very inviting swimming pool just adds to the bliss of this place..

The garden has received lots of love and attention already but there are many more plans yet to be put into action.



I was given permission to pick some lemons from the tree and went home with the a gorgeous selection of produce - lemons, limes, herbs...

I then spent the afternoon pottering around rearranging things to accommodate my bowls of fruit. Easily amused...probably should have been cleaning out some cupboards or mopping some floors...

Later I used some of the produce - firstly mixed herbs with lemon rind and butter to stuff under the skin of our roast chicken.

And then Jamie Oliver's Lemon Curdy Pudding - very popular with the family.

All in all it was a very uplifting day - not only to visit such a beautiful place but also to see two people so joyfully working towards living their dream.



milestones

Recently, some friends who live here on campus had a new baby girl. While they were still expecting we asked them if they would like to have our cot as the birth of their baby coincided pretty much with Teddy turning 2, and they said they would. Our cot was built by our brother-in-law and has been used for all three of our boys plus another friend's baby in between. It's beautiful quality and still looks as good as they day we got it. The friends with the new baby didn't need the cot straight away as they were using a bassinet. Then on Sunday they said how about we move the cot today before school goes back and while we have time. So that afternoon Teddy had his last sleep in his cot...

I was suddenly faced with saying goodbye to the cot and moving Teddy into his little toddler bed from Ikea, which had also been used by our other two boys, that night.  It was actually a great way to do it - not giving me too much time to think about it.

I was, of course, a little worried that once Teddy could get out of his bed, he wouldn't stay in it and go to sleep happily, as he had been in the cot. But even more so, I felt rather nostalgic about the fact that my last baby was moving from a cot into a bed, which was probably almost the only thing that still made him seem like a baby rather than a little boy. We made a big fuss of the fact that Teddy had a new bed and the two big boys were very excited about it. All this rubbed off on Teddy and he loved it. I had to sit with him for about 15 minutes until he felt comfortable and started to drop off to sleep and he has been fine ever since, even for daytime sleeps. So, even though it feels like the end of an era for me, I do feel excited that we are entering a new stage - where we have three little boys rather than two boys and a baby - and am trying to embrace the change, taking my lead from little Teddy! Being a person who just loves babies, my excitement at reaching a new milestone is always mixed with a little tinge of sadness. I remember feeling this way on Teddy's first birthday ...Do you feel this way too?

Teddy's 1st Birthday party at the Mansfield playground

Speaking of milestones, I felt like I had become a proper grown-up mummy when I did my first canteen duty at Sam's school the other day! It was a lot of fun actually, chatting with my friend Cassie while we chopped fruit and handing out food to cute kids.

I wanted to take a photo of the kids too but once the rush was on there was no stopping for that...

It's great to reflect on these little milestones often and remember to appreciate the significance of the simple 'stuff' that makes up our everyday lives.

beach

On a walk with a friend yesterday, we were discussing how your idea of a perfect holiday changes (and simplifies) once you have a couple or more children in the family. She and her husband have two children and after going to the Anglesea holiday park to see some friends during the holidays, they went home, packed up all their stuff and promptly went back there to stay the rest of the week. This is a couple who like to have very adventurous holidays, even with children, like cycling around Africa or Indonesia and they hadn't thought that a holiday park would be quite their cup of tea...but this time they appreciated the simplicity of a holiday where their children were fully entertained and so they were able to do things that they wanted to do too. The main theme of the conversation was that, on holidays, if your children are happy then you are too. We also talked about how you and your partner tend to negotiate taking turns looking after children so that the other can do something that they want to like a run, a bike ride, a haircut, shopping, sewing etc...Of course if you can manage a babysitter at some point, so you can go out for dinner or do something together, then that is extra special.

Our family spent the second half of the school holidays on the Mornington Peninsula near Sorrento. We have been coming here for some years now and for us it is a place that has something for everyone - a place where our children are happy and so are we.

There's the child-friendly, calm Bay beach....

The playground where you can always find other Mums, Dads and kids to chat and play with...

Cafes with yummy food that give Mum and Dad a break from cooking...

Our cousins live close enough to come and visit for the day - for our boys their cousin Ethan is their hero...

A really, really fabulous homewares store called White Nest...with paths all the way that are perfect for little boys to scooter on...

Banks of sand for flying off...

Holidays are a great chance for brothers to spend time together...

Baby Teddy on the same beach a year ago...we hope that coming here will become a tradition or ritual for our family...

And I haven't mentioned all the wineries and attractions that we didn't even get to these holidays...

So, a holiday where everyone's simple needs are met keeps everyone feeling simply happy! As we drove home to the mountains in the pouring rain - the weather turned on the day we left - we talked to our boys about just how lucky they are to have spent time in one beautiful environment and then be going home to another completely different, yet equally beautiful one. Not sure how much they appreciate it right now but sure they will one day - they certainly had fun anyway...















holiday

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't written a post for a couple of weeks now and that's because I took a little time out from my simple life for a little holiday, which by some standards, might also seem pretty simple, but was thoroughly enjoyable!

The first part of my holiday involved a weekend away with my girlfriends from our high school in Cairns Nth Qld(it happens to be 25 years since we left high school this year - that was our excuse)in Melbourne. Two of the girls flew down from Cairns, one from Brisbane and one from Sydney. This was the first time that we had all got together in 3 years and the first time ever that we had all gone away somewhere together. Since I had the youngest child and was able to get away for the least amount of time, the other girls all agreed to come to Melbourne which was close for me. I can't tell you just how wonderful our time together was. This was my first time away by myself since having had children and these are very special old friends. We explored places in Melbourne that even I had never been and we spent hours and hours just talking over long lunches and dinners with bottles of wine and then back at our hotel room in our pyjamas. Of course shopping was also on the agenda, and despite the fact that I had planned not to buy anything for myself I came home with this lovely flowered cup that I'm using as a vase, from a lovely shop that I had never visited before called Wilkins & Kent, 372 Little Bourke St, City. My friends in Mansfield had told me about this little gem - I thought that I had seen everything there was to see in the way of homewares stores but this one was definitely a bit special.

I'm also finding myself very drawn to this colour green and bought jeans AND a scarf in it...perhaps a little bit too much together...

Standout meals were had at Longrain and Maha - can highly recommend these places for both great food and great atmosphere!

I arrived home very happy to see my little family again but having had an absolutely wonderful time away with my friends. Of course all four boys had also had a fantastic time together and nobody needed me at all. It took a full day for the boys to stop asking their Dad, instead of me, for stuff they needed/wanted!

It was when I was on my way home on the bus to Mansfield that I heard on the radio how Jill Meagher had gone missing in the early hours of Saturday morning - so terribly sad to think that that had happened while we were having such a wonderful weekend. Of course the details of her death  became clearer over the following days and I know that many of you have also been very touched by the awful tragedy of such an end to a young woman's life.

After I returned from Melbourne we spent a day washing, packing, cleaning the house etc and then set off on a family road trip to Canberra. Son number one, Sam, came home from school one day last term and said that his teacher had told them all the great things you can see in Canberra and that it was only 5 hours drive from Mansfield and could we go there??? We thought that was actually a pretty good idea and set about finding some accommodation. We found a really good deal at Rydges Capital Hill in a family room and the hotel had a heated indoor pool. Sounded perfect! The hotel was actually getting a bit old and daggy but it really was a perfect arrangement. Our room had two separate rooms, two TVs, a kitchenette, a huge spa bath and of course, the heated pool (which was a huge hit). Sam said it was the best hotel he had ever stayed in. It was very close to everything including the Manuka and Kingston shops and restaurants. Canberra actually has a fantastic restaurant scene. We took the boys out every night and managed to eat some really nice food while also keeping them happy. There were families everywhere at the hotel so I guess many others had found the good deal on family rooms too.

We did something that I have wanted to do for many years - went to Floriade, the flower festival. I met with some opposition from all the boys in the family but it turned out to be a big hit when the ferris wheel, jumping castle and super slide were discovered!



Other attractions we visited, all of which were very much enjoyed by the boys, were Parliament House, the Questacon Science Museum, the National Mint and the National Dinosaur Museum. Unfortunately we had to skip the National Gallery this trip...

When we arrived home, the first thing to be done was to build a Dinosaur Museum!

Whoever would have thought that Canberra could be so much fun?!?

The best thing though is that we have really enjoyed spending time as a family and the three boys have spent a lot of time actually playing together, since they have had the opportunity to do so. The two biggest ones have rediscovered what great playmates they can be!

I was really happy to arrive home to a clean and organised house last night, since I had spent the day before we left working on it - pathetic aren't I!! I was telling my husband what a difference it makes to our homecoming for me - are you the same?

rhythm

Do you find that your weeks have a particular rhythm that you come to rely on to know what you should be doing and when? I always know that if I can manage Saturday, Sunday and Monday fairly efficiently then come Tuesday everything slows down a bit and I can catch my breath again. As I've already said, weekends with three boys and no husband are pretty busy and then I work on Sunday nights when he comes home to take over from me. Before I leave on Sunday night I need to make sure everything is ready for Monday - uniforms and clothes washed, folded and put away, cooking ingredients purchased for a cooking class I take as well as food and snacks for when I look after my little charge, Melody, on Mondays. While all that activity is lots of fun, Tuesday, when the only place I have to be is at the Mansfield Providore for a regular weekly morning coffee with a friend, seems like a little gift.

Yesterday, being Monday, I had Melody and Ben's friend Mattie, as well as Ben and Teddy with me and we set off for a walk with a friend and her two little ones. While the kids' pace meant it was not exactly great exercise for us, it was certainly far enough to tire them out and make them very hungry. Fruit had to be handed out just to give them enough energy to get back up the hill to home again. Much fun was had just playing in this big muddy puddle and in the mail box - it's wonderful to watch children find pleasure in such simple things.

Tuesday - a chance to regroup. I'm feeling very satisfied with myself right now as I have several loads of washing on the line drying. Hanging out washing on a sunny day is one of my favourite household tasks. Like collecting the wood, it's a chance to be outside in the fresh air while still completing a job from the list that needs doing. The bush around my house needs only the slightest bit of a breeze to be able to hear the beautiful sound of wind in the leaves and that brilliant blue sky is just stunning. The boys are always so happy to be playing outside too if I am nearby hanging out washing.

With the washing on the line, house tidy, lunch eaten and cleaned up, Teddy in bed, I'm enjoying a cup of tea and writing this post. After this I'm going to www.dandi.com.au to order some fabric for cushions that I hope will inject that spring feeling into my lounge room that I'm wanting at the moment. That's before school pick-up, dinner and off to work again tonight. Feeling very happy with all this - little rewards we create for ourselves help us get things done faster and make everything worthwhile...

Do you do this too?

weekend activities

The weekend weather forecast was for rain, so I set about arranging a couple of 'play dates' for the boys to keep everyone entertained. On Saturday, son Number 1, Sam, had his friend Angus from school over for a play. When Sam invites a friend over, his two brothers also expect to be able to join in whatever activities are happening. So, to start with, all four boys spent some time playing with our toys in the lounge room. Luckily it was all very amicable, although I did hear Sam quietly comment, "you did come here to play with me you know Angus!" Luckily Angus was very adept at sharing his attention around.

Next, Angus was taken on a short expedition by our two big boys to catch tadpoles from the stream in the bush behind our house. Finally it was time to move on to bigger and better things - building a fire and lighting it using a stick rubbing method seen on Bear Grylls... Sam and Ben had been asking me for days to help them light a fire and I had been stalling by getting them to set up the rocks, collect the kindling and lay the fire. Today I couldn't think of any more reasons to stall and it seemed like a fairly safe day for it since it drizzled with rain all day. Now some of you may be gasping with horror at the fact that I was letting 5 and 7 year old boys 'play' with fire and to be honest, I was a little worried about what Angus' Mum was going to say about it. It actually seems to be quite a common pastime for families around here to light a fire and perhaps cook some marshmallows (I didn't have any) but mostly just enjoy sitting around and looking at it. When I first arrived I have to admit to thinking that it was a bit dangerous and probably not something I would allow my children to do! Of course, we're now a year and a half down the track and it suddenly feels like a very normal thing to do. Not surprisingly, the stick rubbing method was not at all successful, so bush mama here got out the firelighters and matches. Getting the fire going and building it up kept the three boys amused for at least 2 hours and it was also quite an educational experience for them - they learned how to gradually build up the size of the sticks and what types of wood and leaves burn well and not to get your hands too close to the flames. I supervised closely of course but not once did anyone do anything remotely silly or dangerous - this may change as they get older and more daring - but I hope I have given them a lesson in the respect and caution that we need to show for fire. Incidentally, Angus' Mum wasn't in the least bit worried about the fire - luckily!



On Sunday the rain was still around so we decided to ask a few neighbourhood friends over for morning tea and a play. Feeling slightly averse to (mess making) craft activities we decided to go for cupcake decorating instead. This was a big hit and really very easy to organise. The whole morning was really lovely and it meant that some down time afterwards while Teddy slept was quite justified!

Our previously mentioned Chinese friend, Lori, brought Chinese pancakes, which were also very popular. All the healthy morning tea had to be finished off before the cupcakes could be attacked.

Belonging to a close and caring community really enriches my children's lives and mine. We are very lucky.