Stuff to Do

Alternatively titled "Did my water just break???" So at 35 weeks and 5 days, I had to ask myself that question. I rang the hospital, and the midwives said to come in and get checked. I was home alone with the baby, as L had gone to visit his sister with the two older girls, and wasn't due back until the following day. I didn't ring him straight away, because I didn't know quite what was happening. Until I was making a sandwich for the baby, and it became abundantly clear that yes, my waters had broken. A lot. So, one friend came to stay with baby M, and one drove me to the hospital. I was admitted, and monitored, given steroid injections to mature the baby's lungs, antibiotics for an infection, and instructed to wait. With each shift change the plan would change a bit, but basically, I was there until our son was born. Whether he came early or not. So I spent 3 nights and 2 days waiting in hospital for labour to start, and had some pretty convincing contractio...

I love this photo. On several levels. First, I love the blurriness of it, because to me it looks like one of those dream sequences. Combined with the light of the setting sun, it emphasises to me the fleeting nature of this particular moment. It makes their curls look almost like halos. Second, I love that they just look happy, for no other reason than the huge pile of dirt they're sitting on. Finally, this is my children as they truly are. Not all primped and polished, with matching outfits and perfectly groomed hair. This is what happiness looks like for them - filthy, skinned knees, grubbby hands and faces, wild hair, and a smile. I wish I had even a part of their imagination, which looks at a pile of dirt and sees so much more. It's times like this moment when I think I might burst, from loving them so much. Dirt and all. XOXO, Sarah

I know I’ve been a bit sickly sweet/gushing over how amazing life is with three children, I’ve got loads of energy, I feel like a superhero, yada yada yada. Lest everyone (all 10 of you who read this blog) think that there’s something wrong with me for never having a crap kind of day, I thought I’d write this post – not to complain, but to maybe paint a more realistic picture of the other side of blissful motherhood. Today: I have been spewed on. I have nearly lost my voice from shouting. I have been ignored. I have lost my temper too many times to count (see above thing about shouting) I have picked up the same toys over and over and over again. I have shopped with three children – one strapped to my chest, two in the shopping trolley. Truth be told, this was the easiest part of the day – except for the part about staying in my budget. I have folded and put away so much laundry my head is spinning. I have cried out “God, please make it all stop” a few times. I have been impatient, irr...

So I set up those tabs, one for a page about my family, one about my cooking adventures, and one about my faith - not realising that they aren't regular pages which can be added to. So it looks like unless I'm an HTML genius, which I am NOT, I'll just have to make those pages an ongoing list of links to the main page, where you'll find posts on said topics. Confused? Good. Moving on then. The visit with our family was fab, naturally - it became an inpromptu Grand Final footy party, with all the requisite finger foods, noise, laughter, and chaos. Our girls aren't used to staying up so late, and it was indeed a very late night for them, from which they are still recovering (read: tired and cranky). I think we've cracked the mystery of why they won't go to bed at night. Truth be told, it wasn't that hard to figure out. They're ready to drop their daytime naps. C is a bit tougher to crack, as even when she's exhausted (like last night for example), s...

I don’t have much exciting news to report these days. Unless of course, your idea of entertainment is waking up and changing pooey nappies in the middle of the night, or investigating just where that pair of jeans could possibly be, or endless fixing of snacks and drinks which creates endless dirty dishes. It’s exciting to me, and I’m very, very, very happy (and tired!). But I could totally understand why it might not be exciting to others. C is at preschool today, and it’s just P, M, and me. Slowly working my way out from the one end of the house to the other, making clean spots among the mess, until I have no more mess. But very slowly. I thought I might try and take the two girls for a walk today, to get some cupcake supplies. Not that I need to be eating cupcakes, mind you – but I thought it would be something fun to do with the girls. M is sleeping, and I’m just having a rest from work. Morning tea break, I suppose you could call it. P just came to me and announced “I done poop...

I’ve been a little busy. My waters broke unexpectedly, starting a chain of events that ended in the birth of our third daughter, M. I was in hospital for a week, and was taken care of by many lovely midwives, nurses, and doctors. We came home on Wednesday, and I’ve been taken care of by my husband and his mum, which has allowed me to ease back into life. Friends have offered help in various ways, such as transporting C to and from preschool, advice, comfort, meals, PRAYER!!!, and just plain old company, which does wonders for this weary soul. My husband has been amazing in so many ways, but especially in his eagerness to help out with more domestic things. The fact that he is willing to do these things takes off that bit of pressure, and means that as and when I’m able to do it, I can – but don’t feel like I HAVE to. So I’m recuperating well, and so far don’t feel too overwhelmed. Just thankful to see my little? family completed, and enjoying each moment. Even the ones filled with poo,...

A truckload of laundry and mopping, with some baking (chocolate chip macaroons) thrown in for good measure. Showers are optional (and highly unlikely) at this point, which means that my hair is like a cross between Justin Bieber and Kristina Keneally (if either of those two were a stay at home mum with roots and gray hairs, that is). I’m trying to be optimistic about how today is going to go. This morning has not started smoothly though, and I gotta say – it’s putting a damper on things. C woke up at 6:30 with a massive sneeze, declaring “I need a tissue”. I sent her to get a tissue from the kitchen, and she went directly to her room (she was sleeping with us), opened the door, and woke up her sister. Once they’re both awake, there is no turning back, cupcake. You’re awake, like it or not. Next, it was whinging about the way I prepared her breakfast. She ate it without complaint, but whined and cried the whole time I was making it. I take that back, she did have a moment over the fact ...

8am - Guess what I learned yesterday? Doing a big shop with both girls is no longer an option for me. I was having all kinds of crazy Braxton-Hicks last night, blurry vision, unbelievably tired, mentally vague, and I just felt off all over (like I was 39 weeks pregnant, and not 26). Still do. Ugh. Apparently there IS a limitation to my superpowers. And today’s devotion? About asking for help? Yeah – message received, Lord. If only that had been yesterday’s devotional topic. Anyway, I’ve asked my good friend to pick C up and take her to preschool, and hopefully I’ll get a big fat nap in, and feel a bit better by this afternoon. At any rate, I’ve got to make her lunch for preschool, and put on some laundry on, because I’m out of clean clothes again. Sigh. I’ll continue this a bit later, and let you know how I’m progressing through the day. 1:20pm – After a nap, I actually feel worse. But life goes on, right? I’ve not done a lick of housework today, so things are at best, untidy. At worst...

P has decided that she'd like to lose the nappies. Or at least start the process. I can only assume that's what she is trying to tell me by taking them off all the time. Either that, or I've got a future flasher in the making. She's been telling me about pee and poo for ages - I was just going to wait until summer, when it's warm enough for her to be sans pants. But she's pushed us ahead of schedule. Which is okay. I just have to adjust my thinking a bit, and schedule a couple of weeks in the near future (maybe during next school holidays) to do an intensive burst (no pun intended) of potty training. It's kind of a sick joke that she's learned and is beginning to use the word "no" at the same time as potty training. The sleep thing. Finally, we've got P sorted out. Turns out, all she needed was a decent, consistent bedtime routine. She needs it much more than C ever did. C's reluctance over bedtime was all about daytime naps. If we with...

It's such a weird feeling, you know? To look around you, and see that nothing in your circumstances has changed. There are still crumbs on the floor, my kids still whine and argue, hang on. A couple of surprise sneezes derailed that train of thought. Note to self: you're out of clean pants, do some laundry tomorrow! Ah, that's better... Yes - circumstances have not changed one iota. And yet, I feel 180 degrees different today than I did a week ago. A week ago, I was crying at the thought of being here all day. A week ago, I wanted to run after my husband as he left for work, and beg him to stay home. Today, the house is still chaotic, the kids are still noisy, the laundry pile is bigger than ever, and I'm looking at a late night for the kids because we all had a nap. But none of it bothers me today, and has bothered me less and less all week. I feel more relaxed right now than I have in years. No amount of chocolate, no amount of sleep, no amount of carbohydrates could ...