Happy Easter

Hope you all have a Hoppy, Happy Easter!

Summertime

Summer time  .... and the living is easy.

We have just got back from our Christmas New Year break on the south coast.Lovely easy days of swimming, eating and playing.

We are now back in Perth but the boys are still making the most of their extended summer holidays.

Nothing promotes some out door fun like adding water.

Wordless Wednesday - Happy New Year

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and a joyful 2014!

This moment - Rotto

{this moment}

Joining in with Soul Mama: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember. 

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Collect the Moments

I was recently lucky enough to participate in Capturing Childhoods Collect the Moments photography coarse. I won a voucher for the coarse so I was a little under prepared for it, but despite some difficult family events in the middle of the coarse, I really enjoyed it.

The weekly class format introduces different topics over 6 weeks and sets assignments for you to complete each week. The Kats' provide additional information and prompts every few days as well as feedback on my photos, which kept me motivated. The coarse Flicker and Facebook groups gave me the opportunity to get in touch with other coarse participants, which I found really fun and motivating. I lagged behind in the later assignments but was still able to complete the assignments in my own time.

While I use a simple point and shoot camera rather that a DSLR, I still found the coarse useful. It has encouraged me to pick up my camera more and think about what I want to capture before I start snapping away. It hasn't made my kids sit still for any longer so I can try and get the perfect shot, but I'm still trying!

Go to Capture the Moments if you would like to find out more and once again thanks Kat and Kat I loved it.

Where has the year gone?

It has been months since I have posted and what a few months we have had. Aussie Dads' father has been unwell for sometime with his family (including Aussie Dad) caring for him at his home on the south coast. As a result Aussie Dad was away for weekends regularly throughout the first half of the year.

The boys Grandpa was in his mid 80's but had been in relatively good health until this year so it was very sad when he passed away at the end of May. Since then I seem to have had little time or motivation to blog much.

We have been staying close to home but planning some holidays for later in the year. The boys are as busy (and noisy) as ever but each growing and changing in their own unique way. I have been trying (and mostly failing during this winter weather) to keep up some type of exercise, but I have completed a couple of online courses which I have enjoyed. I hope to post about a couple of them shortly. Hope to see you in this space again soon.

PS these photos were taken a couple of weeks ago in Fremantle.

Bali Bali

Where has the year gone? It is May already and I haven't visited this space for a long time. There are various reasons - so much to do and so little time, hubby's parents have both been quite ill which has taken up a lot of his time over the past 6 months, and then I have just got out of the habit and I'm so far behind I don't know what to blog about now.

But enough excuses. We have just got back from a lovely family holiday to Bali so I will simply let you enjoy a few photos.

It was our first overseas holiday as a family so Bali was a relatively easy option. Only a few hours flying time, same time zone and easy family accommodation when we got there.

We didn't do too much sight seeing and we spent most of our holiday hanging out by the pool but it was very relaxing.

Apart from me getting an ear infection no one got sick ... which always makes a holiday much more enjoyable.

 I hope to be back with you again soon. Fingers crossed!

Wordless Wednesday - Rock climbing

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all mums out there! Hope you are having a lovely day.

 My mothers day started early this year. We all went out for breakfast on Saturday morning to beat the crowds on Sunday. A lovely meal at the Naked Fig in Swanbourne followed by a walk along the beach.

 This morning I had a lie-in (the best present ever) and then was presented with some lovely flowers ...

 ... and breakfast on the patio. 

The weather was gorgeous so we opted for a walk and play at the river. Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Belated weekending

Sorry for my absence - I have been trying to locate a camera cable which a certain three year old had taken off my desk and hidden! Eventually he showed me where it was so I have finally been able to download some photos from last weekend. It started with a quick trip to our local famers market to stock up on fruit and veg (and some sweet daffodils which Rascal couldn't resist).

Then I had to try these gorgeous French Breakfast Puffs which I saw recently at Salt and Chocolate.

 

 They were a delicious start to the weekend - though Rascal just seemed to like the cinnamon sugar on top!

The the boys helped Aussie Dad build a wall around a garden bed out the back (we may even get lawn back in here one day!).

And on Sunday there was a little bit  of Autumn crafting for my little boys. Hope you had a nice weekend and week!

Easter roundup

 We had a lovely Easter break and enjoyed some great family time.

It started with a spot of baking (Ginger bread bunnies) for the end of term canteen and then we headed to the south coast for a family holiday.

 The boys enjoyed some motor bike riding and playing (on their uncles bike) ...

 and of course there was lots of egg hunting on Easter Sunday.

On Monday we took all three boys on their first longer bush walk to Castle Rock in the Porongurup Ranges. 

Junior walked all the way, Rascal road on Aussie Dad's shoulders for some of it and then managed the climb to the top for the spectacular but rather dizzying lookout, while I carried Puggle who really wanted to get down and run the whole way!

A lovely week away and some great family time.

Weekending

The weeks are just flying by with Easter holidays rapidly approaching. My weekends just seem to disappear. The farmers market, kids activities, dinner out with girlfriends and then Sunday morning at the park with my boys, their bikes and a skateboard - loads of fun! Hope you had a lovely weekend.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Aussie Dad! xxxxx

Catching up?

 

It has been months since I have found time to write in this space. I don't really have any excuses other than life with three boys is VERY 'busy'. Puggle in particular is very active at the moment, which is lovely to watch but exhausting. We had a nice break over Christmas and I planned to get back into blogging in the New Year but time got away from me and it is March already - nearly our Autumn equinox here in the southern hemisphere (although you wouldn't believe it with the heat-way we have been having)!

 

So what have I been up to? Well nothing particular special. Just the usually working, parenting, cooking, cleaning, and, since Junior has started year 1, we seem to have spent an awful lot of time doing homework and after school activities!

 

Anyway, with all the focus on Junior and school of late I thought it was time that I dedicated a bit more time to Rascal and Puggle. We have started attending Toddler Gym once a week, (which they both love) and we have been attending a local playgroup each week. I have also been reading up on craft activities for the boys and I have subscribed to Productive Parenting and listened to a few Raising Playful Tots pod casts to provide a little inspiration.

The biggest problem I'm having at the moment is finding activities which all three boys can do together. Puggle still likes to put everything in his mouth so any activities with art supplies (even markers, crayons or chalk) needs to be very closely supervised or he will eat the supplies which really upsets Rascal - and once Rascal is upset things can degenerate very quickly. It makes life interesting and I just have to remember that it won't be too long and he will be beyond the "eating everything" stage and into the "I'm a 2 year old and I'm not going to eat anything" phase!