Polly Dolly

How much fun does this look?

I am defiantly a city girl and don't really enjoy camping. I like my daily shower and my electrical appliances.

My husband on the other hand is a country boy through and through. With three little boys I have no choice but to get used to camping.

My favorite part of camping is warm sunny afternoons laying on a blanket with a good book (or six) some maltesers and an icy cold can of fizzy.

A staple when camping is always insect repellent, lip balm, sunglasses, camera, thongs, loads of singlets (so I can work on my tan) and comfy shorts.

To play along or check out other people's camping essentials head here.

My Place & Yours

When we were house hunting my requirements were 4 bedrooms or a family room and a lounge room, air con, somewhere for the boys to play outside and a dishwasher.
Michael's were a shed and a house with 'character'. This is what he calls character. I call it ugly.
There was another house that had absolutely no 'character' was the same colour all the way through the house, nice backyard but no shed. As you can see Michael won the battle.

Our bathroom had shells spotted around, this adorable shower curtain (what you see in the mirror) that I haven't replaced yet. I'm not sure why. The Pièce de résistance is the mirror covered in these shells that looks like they have been there since the house was built in the 70's. Now don't get me wrong I love a beach theme that makes you breathe deeply and smile just a little but this room is just not doing it.

In case your wondering what I'm rambling on about head over to see Danielle at Hello Owl and check out this weeks theme for My Place & Yours.

My Place & Yours

I'm late. As usual. I always wanted to be that person you'd always get gifts from on time but I'm just not.

So I'm playing last weeks My Place and Yours because I took loads of photos and have been thinking about it all week but didn't get the chance to post it.

As always James wakes me up so he can watch cartoons. Thanks James.

First load of washing for the day.

james always the first person to hear Charlie and always the first to make him smile in the morning. Today is no different.

Nappy anyone?

Are you playing or tidying up? I think I already know the answer.

Bugger. Wrong time of day to go to the shops.

What do you mean its for toys? Isn't is for me to sit in?

meow meow get off the screen!

Dinner o'clock

I'm pretty sure that means he likes it.

Bath fun!

And once the day is almost done a blackish smelly exausted man wearing reflecftive clothing walks through the door.

No need for words...

Kreativ Blogger Meme

I'm a bit shocked and very smiley right now, this is my first blog award!

Its all thanks to the lovely Hayley over at Our Unique Journey who shares her special journey as a new mum to the gorgeous Cooper.

I never in my wildest dreams imagined when I started blogging I would get an award!

I am hooked just as everyone who blogs seems to get hooked. Its like your own little world where you can empty everything that's going on in your mind, heart and life into. I don't know how I got all of this stuff out of my system before blogging!

So this is how it works, you get nominated (yay!) you tell your readers seven random facts about yourself then nominate others. Easy enough hey?

So here are my seven random facts:

1. My sister and I have different Dads. This is why she has gorgeous curly blonde hair, white skin with cute freckles, and is a normal girl height. I have crazy not straight not curly dark hair that's going very grey (thanks Dad), am far too tall for a girl, and have olivey yellow skin.

We fought as kids like all sisters do, but now were grown up's were closer than ever. When the time comes to explain to Jack about him having different DNA than his little brothers I will most definatly be looking to my parents for advice.

2. My Mum was the youngest of five. She has four older brothers. My dad is the middle child he has two brothers. I will not be having five children to have a girl.

3. I was the first out of thirteen cousins to become a parent. I was the only one for almost two years. There is 1 month between my cousin Josh and I. There is 1 month between his son Hamish and my son James, creepy!

4.  I was 25 before I got my licence. Late I know, but my mum still doesn't drive and neither does my sister, (although she is learning) I'm pretty sure neither of my grandma's drove either. Knowing this history that makes me pretty impressed with myself.

5. I love Trashy TV. 

6. I cry at everything. I mean everything.

7. When I was pregnant with Charlie we talked about calling him Owen (my Dad's last name) or Taylor (my mums last name) .

So apart from Hayley some of my favorite blogs and bloggers are:

The lovely Danielle from Danimezza who introduced me to the world of blogging.

Her friend Danielle at Hello Owl who inspires me most days.

Melissa from Sugar Coat it, who makes me laugh and cry on a daily basis.

Belinda from The Happy Home who with every post makes my bank account a little smaller and my house a little prettier.

 

If you choose to follow for a bit of fun, the “rules” are:

- Copy the award to your blog

- Insert a link to the person who nominated you

- Share seven things about yourself that you haven’t told us before.
- Nominate other bloggers for the award – share the love
- Link to their blogs.
- Tell the nominees about their award

Not a bad way to spend a long weekend.

Charlie is loving outside more and more everyday, and I love to watch him learn what things are. I love this face. Giving the plant the evil eye because it dared to touch his arm. Bad plant.

Hat? what hat? I won't wear it!

Loving his new tent and having his brothers in for a play.

James at three, rocking my glasses far better than I do.

Jack loving his new t-shirt, but giving me the ever so cool face.

Best big brother ever.

We had the best weekend ever, it even stretched til Tuesday. Jack was poorly (and is now on antibiotics) so had a few days off school, but that didn't stop us having a really nice quiet long weekend. 

I am so in love with my camera, I still haven't got it figured out (hence the blurry photos) but I'm figuring it out, and loving taking loads of silly photos. 

Polly Dolly

Well its only been about 6 weeks since I've managed to play along with Dani but I finally got here!

So this weeks theme is the maxi dress. I do already own a couple of maxi dresses but I'm defiantly buying at least one more this season. I love how casual or dressed up you can make them. I choose casual, this would be the sort of outfit I'd wear shopping or taking Jack to school and having a coffee/play date.

Cute sandals, a big bag (I'm so over carrying a nappy bag), tinted sunscreen, a bright lip gloss, big sunnies and some very cool very fake diamond earrings, a square bangle and of course a spritz of perfume and I'm ready to go for the day!

Head over to Danielle's to play along or check out some other maxi outfits.

Toilet Art

I bet you read the title of this post and thought twice about reading didn't you? I promise no mention of poop or anything gross, well not to gross anyway.

Now that Jack can read like a machine and James remembers what things say I thought this was a perfect addition to our toilet. Whether or not it will help its a different story, but I have to try something.

If I could get one that said 'Pee straight into the water not all over the room or I am going to have a break down. Love mum' then I would, but I guess until Charlie is Jack's age I'm stuck cleaning the floor/toilet/walls everyday.

I have to say I am very impressed with my efforts, I have no patience for fiddly things, (sewing, knitting, mosaic, you get the picture) and usually if its not happening quick enough I get very frustrated and do it much quicker than I should, and things don't work the way there meant to.

I had a slight drama with the Y but I fixed it and you can't even tell it used to be in two pieces!

It's not huge but it makes a very boring room just a little more interesting, I'm tempted to get a bird cage or flower arangement but I'm not sure how long we'll be here. Maybe one day when were settled and own our house.


If you'd like your own hygeine reminder or want to see some other very funky designs head to Stuck Up Kids

What if...

After a very fun, very happy weekend with my funny husband and my amazing strange children Michael and I had 'the talk'.

We've had the talk many times over in the last six years, the outcome changes every time. This weekend seemed more real for some reason. After a few beers on Saturday my darling hubby said 'Come on lets have another baby, we'll start trying next week' I knew he was only joking but he had been hinting and joking about it for a while so I knew it was on his mind.

So do we count our blessings enjoy each other and our gorgeous happy children or do we bite the bullet and bring another crazy one in to our crazy life?

While the boys climbed over us on Sunday Michael gave me the look and I knew what he was thinking then he said

'What if we adopt?' I was not prepared for that.

He knows being pregnant is not a great time for me and how much I actually hate it, I'm sure he hates seeing me pregnant as well.

I said 'What about being foster parents?' I always dreamed about having a huge house full of bunks and loads of kids.

Michael's response 'No way I'm falling in love with a kid just to have to give it back to its junkie mother'

We could be having the talk for years to come at this rate.

I love having three and its a crazy busy life we lead, I don't want to have a break down because I've pushed it too far and had a forth. But then I don't want to wake up at 50 with three grown up kids (Jack 29, James 27 Charlie 25) and regret not having another little person to make our happy fun weekends even funner (if funner is not a word I think it should be). 

So what do you think? How many (if any) children do you have? Will you stop at this number? How many is perfect for you? Am I insane to keep going?

 

(Image We heart it)

Charlie it's your Birthday, Happy Birthday Charlie!

Remember when Michael Jackson was on the Simpsons? And he sang Happy birthday to Lisa? I've had that version of Happy Birthday stuck in my head all week. It's official Charlie is one.

On Thursday I got prepared for Charlie's birthday, made cupcakes and a big cake for the cake smash and wrapped presents. While I was getting the big boys dry and dressed after their bath I lost Charlie....

 and this is how I found him. He managed to pull his PJ pants off then the cake off the table and had a little cake smash of his own. I forgot how clever and funny toddlers can be.

His birthday was on Friday so Jack was off to school but before he went I attempted to take a few photos, I'm still getting used to my camera and I know James is very blurry but I love Charlie and Michael's faces in this pic.

Charlie was very quiet and a bit off all day so Michael helped me get a smiling photo out of him. He was in stitches with Daddy blowing raspberries.

Having boys not girls I never got to buy a birthday dress but I did get Charlie a birthday t-shirt and I love it. The front has a cowboy holding balloons and in the balloons it says I'm 1. The back I had to do something fun with. I don't know where this phrase came from but it suits my big birthday boy that's for sure.

We had a really busy day, (getting five people out of ther house before 8.30am is not easy) School drop off and parade, a quick trip to the shops for balloons and more wrapping paper, unwrapping the gifts, smashing the cake, lunch, nap, school pick up, more cake and blowing out the candles, it just went on and on! I was feeling a bit off like Charlie all day and I know better than trying to bake or decorate when your not in the mood. If there is no love it will never work, and it didn't. The cake didn't work, the cupcakes didn't work, I know he doesn't care but I did. I'll make up for it next year. Hopefully.

This was Charlie's face all day. He didn't really want to play with his toys, he wasn't interested in the balloons or the cake smash. Poor kid I took 300+ photos and most of them look like this.

Thankfully Michael was around to pull faces. I will figure out how to take photos on my new camera so they aren't all blurry.

I had a little play with picnik this morning and I'm pretty happy with it. I hope when he's a big kid he's happy with it too.

This is my favorite photo from all day. Two hands full of cake, really what else can you ask for on your birthday?

Fathers Day...

Fathers day, attempt 1.

Can you tell its raining? No wonder the little boys wouldn't look at me! For fathers day all Michael wanted to do was go for a pub lunch and a quick look at our local dam water levels, I know how exciting is that? I sometimes feel like I'm married to a grandpa.

Fathers day, attempt 2.

I don't know where James got the cheesy grin from but he looks like he's about to break his teeth.

Fathers day, attempt 3

Love Jack's face, he has a camera smile usually but I like the natural face way more than the cheesy face, just need to teach James.

My big boy and my baby. No doubt where Charlie got his looks from!

Oh Brother..

This morning I was in a bad mood (I'm talking epic bad mood) so to cheer myself up I took the boys shirts off layed out a white blanket and took some pictures of my two little boys, instantly made me smile, didn't lift the bad mood but there was still hot water running out of my water heater all over the front lawn so I forgave myself.

I did the same thing with Jack and James when James was 4 months old so Jack had just turned 2, same blanket as well. Funny to see Charlie and James doing the same thing they look so similar but as Charlie gets older he doesn't look like James which is weird.

Jack and James

Baby James

James and Baby Charlie

My baby Charlie.

In just over a week my baby turns 1 and its exciting to see him develop and show us his big cheeky personality. I'm sad that its an era over. I will never again be so pregnant I can barely move, I will never again get brand new newborn cuddles. But I'm ok with it. Having three boisterous boys is wonderful and although I was devastated when I found out we were having ANOTHER boy, I'm so glad he's here and wouldn't change him for the world.

My Place & Yours

So this weeks theme of My Place & Yours is: Why do live where you do?

My answer is pretty simple

This is my hubby and this is what he does 12 hours a day, no he's not a model (I know that's what you were thinking) he fits, fixes and maintains ridiculously large tyres.

We are lucky enough to live in the coal capital of Australia. It's ok your allowed to be jealous I would be too if we didn't live here.

When Michael told me he had a REALLY good job offer back in QLD the first thing I did was googled it. Bad idea.

I saw two massive coal mines and a tiny brown town. I almost cried.

But after about 6 months of being here I decided I actually really liked it! There are a few locals that have been here forever but there are a whole lot more people that have come here for work and have no family or friends so you make new friends and they become like family, which is pretty special.

My clothes line yesterday, nothing quite like the smell or feel of reflective clothing.

We wont stay here forever, although Jack has a great school and some great friends and I don't want to drag him away, but we'd like to live closer to some family and maybe even somewhere that doesn't have shops designed especially for miners!

Busy Busy Busy

(weheartit)

I'm working on my entry of My Place and Yours. So instead of an actual post I leave you with this very cool picture.

Will be back later for a proper post.