2013 A year in review

Like everyone, I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by.

2013 was a busy year for us as a family. A year of indecision.

Thankfully we have finished  2013 organised & with a plan.

We almost gave up hope of ever building the dream home, we even listed our block For Sale with a real estate agent for 3 months. 

Thankfully it didn't sell in that time because after looking at an extraordinary amount of homes, nothing ticked all of the right boxes & we realised we loved our little plot of land, its location & the house we spent hours designing. Nothing else was going to fulfill that need.

We are so happy we have made that decision to build the dream house. We put in a veggie garden, installed a bird feeder & started organising to construct our house.

 So let the build begin!!!

Career wise it has been a big year but change is under way in that department as well.

I work for a modular building company as a sales consultant. The best part of my job, I get to help people design their dream home.

Unfortunately my husbands employer changed his roster which completely destroyed the fine tuned balancing act we had going to make the two jobs work with our kids. This has made it pretty much impossible for me to continue in my position, My employers really have worked hard to keep me & have tried flexible working hours but unfortunately its making everyone elses jobs harder. They will be looking for a replacement Trish in the new year, leaving me unemployed.

Never fear.....I have a plan!!!!

I am currently in the process of setting up my own little online homewares store, it should kick off in January sometime.

I am EXTREMELY excited about this but will of course be calling on you all for ideas & opinions.

I would love to find a few US wholesalers  & see if I can get some fabulous goodies imported that we just don't have here in Australia, as well as using local suppliers.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Feel free to come & like us on 

Facebook

for regular updates. Our website is almost ready to go as well!!!

Dream child No 4 had a great year. She turned 6, completed Year 1 being able to read at a year 3 level, lost teeth & grew nice new big kid teeth, She over came her biggest fear & joined in on a school performance.

Dream child No3 also had a good year. He was elected house captain & thoroughly enjoyed the job.

He played in the schools touch football & futsal(indoor soccer) teams & just had an all round great year.

he will have his last year in primary school in 2014 & is planning on working very hard to ensure he gets a place in a good high school for 2015. 

Dream child No 2 had an enormous year.

She completed a Certificate 3 Business admin traineeship. The company she worked for loved her so much they have offered her a second traineeship doing her certificate 4. She has jumped at that offer as she had planned on continuing with her studies in that area.

She got her drivers license & saved up for her first car. She turned 18. I had a Chanel handbag cake made for the occasion as she is handbag obsessed.

She also kicked a lot of personal goals which has bought her a lot of self confidence & happiness. Her strength & determination in this area brings me a tear of happiness & makes my heart skip a beat when I think of how far she has come.

Dream child No 1 has led the charge for her siblings. She has worked very hard in her job to put a roof over her head & pay for her studies. She works at Recollections & Early settler in Leichhardt, one of my all time favourite stores.

She has also completed her first year of studies in fashion design, gaining some distinction's & credits along the way.

Its safe to say I am a very proud mummy this year & I know they all have lots of personal goals to achieve next year.

We did a Roar & Snore at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I highly recommend everyone do this.

The best 'Glamping' you will ever experience!!!

We had a couple of weekends in Sydney exploring the sights of the city.

We did the Aquarium, the Zoo, Sydney Tower, the Rocks, Lunar Park & Sydney vivid.

I love Sydney!!

A couple of weekends in Lithgow in The Blue Mountains.

 & of course many fun times in our local area.

So that was 2013 for our little family.

Happy New Year everyone & thanks for following my little blog, especially when I got so slack with my posts for a while there.

CHEERS

Trish xxx

A special birthday & an ADHD update

 

I can't believe my most favourite little man on the planet has turned 10 years old today, reaching double digits is a milestone in any kids life wouldn't you say, no longer a little kid, but not yet a teenager...a tween!!!

 

 

Now for those of you that have followed my blog for a while know that this gorgeous little man has not come without challenges as he has ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or if you want to simplify it a little, cheeky, annoying, obnoxious,aggressive, demanding ,challenging & difficult in general,lucky we love him bucket loads, no seriously there are lots of good qualities in this little bombshell as well!!

If your interested in catching up on our ADHD story you can read this post

here it tells our story of where we were a year ago. I have just re read it myself & it made me cry, you really do forget how things were once you move past that time in your life.

 

 

It was recommended by the psychologist that we get to a paediatrician & get our child onto a good dose of Ritalin,I wasn't keen to go down this path & thankfully we haven't had to. Through the help of our fantastic naturopath I can proudly say this little guy is now like a regular average "obnoxious" boy...as long as we keep him on the right diet...avoiding wheat, dairy & additives 102 & 211 where ever possible, we basically try to avoid processed foods. We continue to take the herbal supplements prescribed by the naturopath each month & after a 9month wait we finally got the call from the paediatricians office to schedule an appointment. I was able to say "Thanks but no thanks, we are doing just fine! "

 

 

We have moved him to a new school this year & I didn't feel it necessary to notify them of the ADHD as he was definitely a different kid. I didn't want him to be labelled as a problem child from day one, I wanted to see how he was judged by his current behavior.

 Well we got his half yearly report which by the way left me "gobsmacked", it was EXCELLENT!!! The first positive school report ever. I attended a parent/teacher interview & couldn't believe my ears, my eyes where filled with tears which I was furiously blinking away, I mean really, WHO crys at a routine interview with the teacher.Any way, at this point I decided to tell her our secret, she was amazed at how easy he is to get along with, but did say that it explains his boastfullness, he he he!!

 

 

So to finish this long but proud mummy post. I now have on my hands a beautiful, happy, loving boy with a wicked sense of humour, that I am proud to take any where I go & family life is so much nicer for all of us.

Now I'm not suggesting that this approach will be effective for all kids with ADHD but its definitely worth giving it a try, what harm can eating a really healthy diet do!!

 

Happy birthday my gorgeous boy, now lets go have some fun!!!

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx

 

 

 

 

 

Moody Ocean Blues

Have you visited 

Design Seeds

lately?

They always provide one with such gorgeous eye candy, matched up with the most devine colour palletes.

This one is definately my new favourite!!

What have you got planned for your weekend?

We have a soccer game for my 9yr old son, unfortunately they get beaten most weeks, but they haven't played this team before so fingers crossed they get a win & regain a little team confidence!!

Tonight we are off to celebrate my sisters 30th birthday, Im making the cake pops. Should be a tonne of fun, her parties usually are.

Dream child No1 is also coming home for the weekend, We haven't seen her for about 6 weeks so the whole family is eagerly awaiting her arrival, Im sure she loves the group hugs whilst she is still trying to get out of her car,, he he he!

have a lovely weekend everyone, I cant wait to here how you're going to spend it!

CHEERS 

Trish xxx



A working Class Girl

Hey Ya'll

Long time no post!!

I have been a little slack in the blogging arena over the past week or so, very little computer time at all really.

There are so many things going on in my life at the moment & its all rather positive stuff.

First up

I have literally fallen back into the work force. After almost 3 years as a stay at home domestic goddess/family slave, LOL, I have stumbled into the most perfect hairdressing job on the planet. In case you didn't know I have been a hairdresser for the past 24 years with a few brief breaks in between babies.

I am working one day a week at the moment & only doing school hours which means I don't need any after school care or long day care for my kids. In the new year once my little one goes to "big school" I will take on an extra couple of days, but still only school hours. I can't believe my luck.

 This story gets better though, the shopping centre that the salon is in, is located right next door to the school I will be sending my 2 little kids to next year...total convenience!!!!

Secondly

Dream child no2 has been successful in securing herself a hairdressing apprenticeship. She finishes her final exam on Friday for her school certificate & starts her hairdressing career on Saturday.

 No time like the present hey!!

 Once again there is a fantastic convenience factor to this story, its at the same salon I work at. We obtained the jobs independently of one another, I hadn't even started working there when she was selected for the position.

I have to say I am very very proud of her as she was the youngest applicant for the job & over 100 people applied for the position.

 She will be able to do my hair soon...YAY!!!!

Thirdly

My little one goes to big school next year & had her first kindergarten orientation this week. She went off without even an inkling of hesitation & was so happy when I picked her.I am wrapped to know she is going to settle in so easily.

I am transferring my son to the same school next year to start Yr 4 & he also had an orientation day this week.He had such a fantastic time & has already planned to join the drum classes, gymnastics squad & the gardening group. He made new friends in the first hour & we came home with phone numbers to organise play dates.

Its great to see your kids with big smiles even though you are changing their world in such a major way.I have to say, this new school really is lovely, with so many extra curricular activities to choose from, how could they not be happy.

Lastly

I'm in the middle of baking a mud cake for my fabulous dads birthday, chocolate mud cake, wheat & dairy free of course, but delicious beyond belief.

 Now as a good daughter I could never reveal his age, but like every girl I have to say he is definitely the "bestest" dad a girl could ever have. We do like to keep him on a pedestal and in my 40 years of life he has never fallen off it...not even once.

Happy birthday Dad xxx

  

Now enough raving about my currently happy world, what have you all been up to lately?

Has anyone started preparing for Xmas yet, its definitely creeping up fast!!

CHEERS

Trish xxx

News Update

So much to tell & its all good!!!



The local council have approved our development application to build our house

YAHOOOO!!!

Now we just need to sell a house to raise some cash...I am sending many positive sale thoughts into the universe, hopefully some good news on that front soon!

My little guy turned 9 last week. We had a great pool party as well as a few games of Laser Tag.

I completely forgot to take photos of the yummy treats & this was all that was left of the cake. This is a wheat free, dairy free butter cake with vienna cream frosting. It was a huge hit. I also made jelly cups with 4 different coloured layers & they looked fantastic. I wish I had taken a few pics, oh well!!!

 

We got into the spirit of Halloween, only after my kids guilted me into it.

These 3 terrors had a blast, my sons friend just had everyone in hysterics. Nobody expects to see a 9yr old boy in pink fairy wings & a tutu. He is a real hoot, this kid, our whole family just loves him to death, tutu & all!!!

I recently did a post about dream child No1 graduating from high school & her plans for the future. You can read about it here if you missed it & I am leaving you confused.

 

She went for a portfolio interview at Billie Blue Design College & has been accepted to study a Bachelor of design in branded fashion. She is still in the running for their scholarship, she now needs to submit a second lot of her work & wait for the final result.

Fingers & toes crossed she wins the scholarship!!!

She is really excited for this opportunity & has decided this will definitely be the path she follows.

 

I have still have more news but I think I will save that for another post, I don't want to bombard you with useless tidbits of my life.

 

Do you have those times where life just feels great?

 

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week :))

 

CHEERS

Trish xxx

 

 

I need some mummy advice...STAT!!!

As most of you know, but for those who don't, I have 4 children...3 girls & 1 boy.

My little boy will turn 9 yrs old in October  I do believe in many ways he is wise beyond his years.

He made a comment to me last night about something I was already troubled about & it has made me sad that he also notices my problem.

He said " Mum, you need to learn how to have FUN !"

Now there is a story behind this issue.

My little man has been a difficult child to manage from birth & I find I am always on guard, just waiting for what is to come next.

He can be downright, rude, cheeky, obnoxious, aggressive just an all round difficult person to deal with & when you get mad with him, he can be completely enraged & so insulted that he will turn the whole situation around & make you feel as though you have committed a crime against him.He will be completely taken over by anger & say awful things to you, just because you said  the word NO, but 5 minutes later he can be hugging you & calling you "the best mum in the world."

Earlier this year he was officially diagnosed with ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactive disorder). Now I know that a lot of people believe that this is an over used excuse for poor parenting, but I am here to tell you other wise. There is a huge difference between a kid being naughty & a kid with ADHD. When my little boy came along, I went from being that mum with those beautiful girls that always brought me compliments for their good behaviour & lovely manners to being "THAT MUM, with THAT KID". Life got to the point where if I had to go some where & I had no choice but take my son, I would have to assess what mood he was in first & 90% of the time I just didn't go & the job didn't get done.I just couldn't bare to be humiliated, again. I tend to live most of the time as a single parent due to the fact that my dream guy is generally at work & this make the situation  all the more challenging

BUT

There is an upside to this story.

 Whilst being assessed by the clinical psychologist he recommended a book for us to read

This book is my new bible. When I first began to read it I cried, it was like the author had been spying on us & even written down our conversations, word for word. After reading this, I knew with out a doubt, that he really did have ADHD

 My husband & I where very hesitant to go down the path of sedating him with drugs for the rest of his life, so we have opted to try out alternatives first & with great success.

We have been seeing at Naturopath & bio chemist for the past 4 months & I have to say that the transformation is astounding

He is following a wheat free, dairy free diet,  taking homeopathic drops & Chinese herbs specifically designed for him & its like we have a new boy. Don't get me wrong, we have ups & downs, but now its just like regular naughty stuff with regular kid reactions.

 His teacher now says he is a pleasure to have in the classroom..YAY!!

Last week we began working with a massage therapist using Kinesiology. He has only had an assessment so far & we are waiting on her report to see what direction we need to take in this department ,but our particular therapist has had some wonderful successes in this area, so here's hoping.

I don't know if anyone of you has a child with this disorder, but I do hope our story can help some one.

(I am capable of being fun, LOL!)

So back to my original problem, can anyone help me learn how to have fun with my now charming, happy & very quick witted little boy?

I do lots of activities to ensure he is entertained & stimulated, I have just lost my way when it comes to actually connect & laugh & play with him, its like I have built a bit of a wall to protect myself & I don't know how to break it down...AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!

I'm sure all of you wise owls with have some very insightful & creative suggestions :0)

CHEERS

Trish xx



Progress Update

I can imagine by now everyone is wondering just where we are up to on the "Dream House", well its still just that at this point, a dream!!!

For all of my lovely new followers, our dream house got put on hold as the quotes we got to build it ended up being A LOT over budget. After lots of thinking & planning we decided we couldn't abandon our house plans & have opted to sell our investment properties to fund the short fall.

We listed them with the real estate in late November ( bad time of the year to try & sell a house) but hopefully something positive will come our way soon, fingers crossed!!!

My dream guy has however been working adding a driveway from his shed up to street level,one slab at a time. He has done 3 segments over the holidays & has many more to go!

 Next will be some fences & planting a few trees, we feel we might as well get a few things done while we wait.

Dream child no3 is his right hand man on the job & he really does work hard

Daddy's little girl likes to think she helps, but thankfully is bored within 30 seconds & retires to something far more interesting, like....

feeding her face, he he he!!!!

this is all that's left to do

OUCH

another 40 metres until he reaches the top!!

Once a we off load a little real estate we will be able to rev this baby up & start digging a house site

so we can enjoy this view from our back verandah EVERY day

or perhaps we might sit on the front verandah & enjoy this one.

Oh it will be lovely to have choices!

So I need everyone to start thinking "handy house sales for Trish" & perhaps the real estate fairies will shine on me & end this frustration of living in limbo...ARGH!!!!

What sort of projects have you got going on at your place?

CHEERS

Trish xxx

Fun in the sun

Hey everyone

I thought I would show you a bit of my week!



This is me with my Mum & Dad

We celebrate Australia Day every year with the same group of people, plus a few extras. Its kind of a tradition we began 2 years ago, for all of us Lithgow people who moved to the Hunter Valley.

We have a lovely time swimming in my girlfriends pool for the day, with a BBQ  lunch & dinner.

My 3yr old is a bit of a dare devil & spent her day jumping from the pool wall !!

I am so thankful for swimming lessons, she can dog paddle ALL day. She swam from 11am till 10pm & was exhausted beyond belief!!!

This is my 15 year old daughter  & I think she will hate this photo for ever, I like to call it

 "BUSTED"

 I thought she was spending a few days staying at her friends house here, going to the beach in Newcastle, but it turns out she SNUCK on the train to sydney & spent her Australia Day at Coogee, with a completely different group of friends( after I had specifically said she wasn't allowed to go)

As you can imagine she is officiall GROUNDED from here to eternity!!!

Its a sickening feeling to think your child was in a completely different city than you thought,travelling on trains by herself. "I was fine mum" was her statement when I suggested something terrible could have happened  & we would have been looking in completely the wrong place for her. She isn't old enough to drive so has NO identification what so ever! 

Don't ya just love facebook & the fact that teenagers have to show the world how cool they are, I was a little suspicious when she wasn't keen to chat to me on her mobile or share any of her experinces for the 3 days, especially when my older daughter couldn't stop raving about all of the fun things going on at Nobby's beach in Newcastle.

We also had a visit in our garage from this fabulous creature...

& look, he was only to happy to pose  for a few pics!!!

we popped him in the garden, but I had to try a few shots with the macro setting on my new camera.

Today we are off to celebrate my handsome little nephews 3rd birthday, he is a little guy with a BIG personality, so it should be a fun day.

He is my brothers first child & over the years Glenn has given my children some rather annoying wonderful gifts, so I have purchased "H" a fabulously loud wiggles keyboard. He can play his own tunes or listen to the same 4 songs, over & over & over....

Ahhhh revenge is sweet!!!

He He He

What have you got planned for your weekend?

CHEERS

Trish xxx