Week 9 - The 52 Project: Mother & Son vs Father & Daughter

This week was an pleasantly relaxing week……... and then the weekend hit.  It was an extremely hectic weekend with a family birthday, wedding and a Sunday night dinner with my sister thrown in for good measure.

I'm now relaxing at home almost ready to pack it in for the night.  I'm feeling equally satisfied,  exhausted and blessed that I live a life with such chaos and fun.

The girl:  their bond, their love, the affection and respect they show each other is so heart warming.  A father and daughter share such a special bond.  He protects her, he is her hero, he is her world.

Her soft sweetness is such a beautiful contrast to his stern mannerisms.  They are the perfect balance and their personalities compliment each other.  

He can be highly stressed and at times anxious.  He is the man of the house.  His responsibilities are so extensive and relentless.  When he arrives home from work his mind is consumed with the pressure of his obligations as an employee, a father, a husband, a son.

When she hears the door open she runs with such excitement, she jumps into his open arms and immediately I can see a small part of him relax.  A tiny component of his mind shuts down and lets go.  She is his happy place.

I'm so honoured and grateful that this beautiful photo of these two was featured tonight on UniteinMotherhood on Instagram.  Wow, to have my photos be recognised like this makes me extremely proud.

The boy: we decided to head down to the beach this morning for a stroll and a spot of shell collecting.  I felt we could both use the fresh air and change of scenery.  

His behaviour has been on the difficult side the last few days (possibly weeks) and it is exhausting maintaining a calm and positive approach to parenting when you are tired and run down.  I've had to dig deep to stop myself from over yelling or letting my emotions get out of control.  

So this morning gave me the opportunity to enjoy just strolling with him along the sand.  The soft breeze and the crashing of the waves is cleansing and refreshing.  It allows me to clear my mind, rid any of the negativity I have built up over issues or frustrations circulating my thoughts.

As we walk along the sand he looks up to me for guidance, reassurance, familiarity and acknowledgement.  He ever so proudly shows me his shell collection, he points out how he has managed to get his shorts wet as he runs in and out of the waves breaking in the sand. He waits for my response to his actions, he looks on in anticipation for my approval (or not).  When I laugh, smile and tell him how proud I am he beams.  His face lights up with pride.

I call him my cuddle monster, he wants to be held and carried all day long.  I negotiate with him and we walk along the sand hand in hand.  He constantly checks his other hand to ensure he hasn't somewhere along the way dropped his beloved shell.  His mind is consumed by innocence and purity.  If only I could have his thoughts for the day, what a simple and precious life we would live.

8/52 - The 52 Project: Siblings

I wish I was in on the joke these two seem to share together.  It reminds me growing up extremely close to my sister.  In fact, we still joke that we're twins born two years apart.  I remember my parents watching us with a smile on their face.  They rarely knew what we were laughing at, yet it made them smile.

This is how I feel as a parent.  Watching a bond grow between two little people joined together by the foundation of family.  My heart bursts with pride, love and joy.

Today was a simple day.  The common cold has been going through the family this week.  Striking us all down one by one.  So we kept today simple and easy yet full of happiness and laughs.

After a short visit to the beach to soak up some salt air we indulged and took the kids to a gorgeous little cafe nearby for some cake.  It was one of those perfect moments.  As a parent, you know they don't happen for long.  They may happen often but the duration of these "perfect" moments is minimal.

So when these moments occur I have really learnt to let go and soak them up.  Enjoy time with your children, feed them cake and listen to them laugh.  That was what today was all about.

"What day is it" ~ asked Pooh
"It's today" ~ squeaked Piglet
"My favourite day" ~ said Pooh

Don't wait for tomorrow to enjoy life - life for today!

When things seem too much.... ASK FOR HELP!

I think the term "Super Mum" although in so many cases is used as a compliment can unknowingly and unintentionally place unnecessary pressure on Mothers.

I find that if I do something which to me seems "normal" as a mother and a friend comments "that's awesome you're such a Super Mum" all of a sudden I feel like I then need to live up to this title.

SUPER MUM, what does it take to be a Super Mum?

To live up to such a title surely we need some form of super power? So as far as I know these don't exist (would love someone to prove me otherwise) so maybe we need to stop using the term, even as a compliment.

Recently my husband was away for three nights.  Prior to him leaving I was completely relaxed.  I was not at all nervous about the thought of dealing with the kids, the house, work, daycare.  I've got it covered, or so I thought.

That was until night one went completely pear shaped and all of a sudden I found myself willing him home!

Once the kids were FINALLY in bed on night one I called my sister.  Basically in melt down mode as I was hungry and exhausted and those hunger mood swings where you turn from Mary Poppins to Hannibal Lecter had kicked in.

So I ate my dinner and chatted on the phone to her for almost an hour.  Complaining about why the night had been so difficult, what a difficult day I had ahead of me the next day.  Just the usual whinging and moaning.

Although all I did was talk by the end of the conversation I hung up feeling so much better.  What seemed like this overwhelming issue now suddenly didn't feel so bad after I said it all out loud.

Friday morning came and after a tough first night (around 6 wakes, multiple bed swaps and a kick to the face by Mr 2), I was knackered!  I wasn't too sure how I was meant to deal with the day ahead, however, I just went into auto pilot and started getting the kids ready for daycare.

We were almost ready for daycare drop off and I realised I had a text from my sister "I'm coming over tonight to cook you dinner and Joe will take care of the kids"!

I wanted to cry.  This gesture made my entire day seem that much less daunting.

Friday at 6pm I walked in the door after gymnastics lessons to a home cooked meal, two kids laughing and playing with their Uncle Joe Joe and I was able to just "be"! I felt like I had suddenly come up for air.

It is ok to ask for help.  It is ok to be Super Mum one day and wondering how you'll get through the next.

Although I'm lucky enough to not have to in fact "ask" (my sister and I claim we're twins born two years apart) and she just came to my aid, it IS OK TO ASK FOR HELP!

I find it difficult.  I find that asking for help is accepting defeat.  I find asking for help is saying "I can't do this on my own".  This sort of thought pattern, this notion of trying to be a Super Mum can really run a person down.

I promise to myself that next time I'm feeling overwhelmed I WILL ASK FOR HELP (or call my sister because let's face it she will definitely read between the lines)!

7/52: The 52 Project - Summer time

For the second week in a row it was Sunday and I hadn't taken any snaps for The 52 Project.

By Sunday my two little subjects were tired and irritable, after a long few days without their Dadda home.  It was 30 degree heat so we invited my family over for lunch and a swim.

The one thing that I love about these images is the joy.  The kids are playing with my sisters partner in the pool.  He is a relatively new member to our family, yet he feels like he's been a part of the family forever.  Both my babes adore him and have so much fun playing, and of course being thrown around.

6/52: The 52 Project - SPLASH!

This week I captured some bath time fun with confetti, bath crayons (courtesy of Aunty) and lots and lots of bubbles.

I kept the photos simple and fun and let my two babes tell the story!

Random Act of Kindness - Flowers!

What makes you smile?

I have teamed up with Jasmine from Sminkles to find out what makes people smile and help put a smile on the face of some perfect strangers.

Today I decided that it was flowers that made me smile and so I set out to deliver some beautiful flowers to some un-expecting shoppers.

Thank you to the ladies at Flowers for Everyone who agreed to deliver one of my beautiful gerberas to a worthy recipient.

I walked through the shopping centre wondering who I would give my gerbera to.  The first person I saw was a young pregnant mother holding her toddler.  Straight away I remembered the feeling of walking around the shops holding Miss S while J was in my belly.  I had a flash back of how difficult I found being pregnant and looking after a toddler.

I approached the lady and congratulated her on her pregnancy, I offered her my gerbera to help make her smile.  Her husband was with her and the two of them were grateful and I was able to witness a beautiful smile on each of their faces.

It's not every day that you deliver flowers to strangers, however, it definitely made my day!

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see" ~ Mark Twain