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5 Things I learnt travelling to Bali with kids

  The wonderful staff at  Hidden Garden Villas   I’m now into the full swing of being back home and Melbourne is putting on a show of its full force of the winter chill! I wouldn’t call myself a seasoned traveller as having kids young buried that travel bug, but I have visited my favourite place to go to, Bali, now many times. We usually travel just the two of us – beg the grandparents or my sister to watch the kids and get some r&r together, because, please, for the love of God you need it sometimes. And in my head, this trip was all organised. I’d booked everything months in advance. I had saved and saved every week for this trip, the Virgo in me had it all worked out, what things to bring with us, what we were going to get up to and see – I was prepared! I also anticipated daily massages, twice a day {its my thing}, like we always get when we go there. {I had 4 massages in total – 16 less then what I would have done kid free!} {they are between $4-$6 for an hours massage

Oh Bali, You have been amazing!

  So our first family trip is coming close to an end and tomorrow night we will be enroute back to Melbourne. The time has flown, and it always does when you are on holiday. The weeks when you work drag, the days coming up to your trip seem like they click over so slowly but the actual days when you are away, go by in an instant. I’m currently sitting on a day bed in our villa overlooking our pool. Jack is fast asleep having a nap (first nap in about a week!) while Steve is off with Molly getting some more ink. (Steve, not Molly!)Ethan’s having the rest of the afternoon, with his auntie, uncle and cousins at Waterbom Park. I’ve just ordered some Mie Goreng. I love Mie Goreng! This hasn’t been a full on trip full of day tours and running around like a headless chooks. We’ve given ourselves a bit of grace – 3 kids in tow and a toddler that is high maintenance! Yes, possibly like his mother! We’ve experienced awesome food, beautiful people. Re-uniting with friends again. Genuine co

One of the most proudest moments.

   See this guy here?     I made him. He is a part of my being. He has Autism. And he has challenges that the average you and I who do not – may not every fully understand. He didn’t say “mum” till he was nearly 4. He screamed for up to 8 hours a day, bashing his head against walls. He hated being touched. Hated his mother holding him. It was a survival relationship for him. I was the person that kept him warm, fed him and bathed him. I wasn’t his mother. He didn’t know what mother was. I was 20 years old. And my heart was breaking. In those early years, when things were always so desperate, always so isolating, always so unknown, it was impossible to see anything in the future. I couldn’t imagine Ethan talking, forming friendships, reading, being independent. Because when you are living it, day in, day out – it’s hard. Fucking hard. And foresight for me, was impossible. Fast forward 10 years or so. My guy, Ethan, this term at his special school was made school captain.

It could be worse. {insert feel sorry for myself emoji}

 The last fortnight has really knocked me for six. On top of a freezing start to the Melbourne winter here, I am just starting to feel human again from what I have self-diagnosed as a nasty virus. With the start of head cold symptoms to excruciating pain all over the upper half of my body that I have never experienced before in my life, with only getting an hours sleep at night for a week {if I was lucky!} because of the pain, to the point that if someone rocked up to my house with any drug of choice, I would have kissed their feet at the front door ! Just to stop the pain . I seriously would have. That’s how bad if felt. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt like that and the reason it rocked me about so much was the depression that hit me with it. Feeling useless and so unwell, sent me into a bit of an internal downward tunnel where I didn’t care whether I ate, bathed, communicated… nothing, and my usual optimistic self was non-existent.  Gone. Zip. Nudda. And it’s been a while sin

First day of winter. Total yay! {not}

 Yep.  We all have them.  Yesterday for me, was a complete fail day. Lot's of this blog is filled with my upbeat, go get em, glass half full type of thinking.  Yesterday was NOT one of those days.  Let me share with you my "mayhem" and "blunder" of the first day of winter: The morning of all mornings. We start with the desperate feeling of not wanting to crawl out of bed at 6am. 6am people!     To function, I need 3 of these beauties to get out of the house on time:     I scramble around while making Ethan's lunch for the day, Jacks bottle for when he wakes up while I'm downing the 2nd coffee...   After I make myself semi presentable so that I can leave the house without scaring children, I proceed to yell at the heater in the car like it's an actual person that will reply back, "why the hell are you not bloody warming up!!!?????" Ethan's face says it all:   If looks could kill... mmmm I'd be in trouble. 

Taking Stock June 2015

   It's been a little while since my last "Taking Stock" post, and I really love writing them as I find that having one word to respond to really hones in on what actually is really happening in your world.  So lovely people, the latest taking stock:   Making:  Lists of things to do for my upcoming trip to Bali (24 days and counting!)   Cooking:  Quite a bit actually, and slowly enjoying it. Huh? I know, amazing! Drinking:  Lot’s of COFFEE! Of course wine but I change to Red over winter.   Reading:  Lots of blogs at the moment. Saving a couple of good books to get into over the holiday.     Wanting:  A cigarette, a smoke, a dart, you get the drift?? Tomorrow will be two weeks since I had my last smoke. I’m on an electrical cigarette (which give me my dose of nicotine) but man – I would run up to you a sniff your face if you lit up in front of me right now! Looking:  Forward to skin needling next week. Say what? It’s basically a facial that generates production

The Crash of The Grief

    Be authentic.   Be. Authentic.   That is what every blogging forum, blogging Facebook group and most Blogging conferences say is one of the most important things to be when setting up a blog. The other is to find your niche. I’m not sure what my niche is, as I write about what is going on in my life. So I guess my niche is my life. In the last year, I have spent quite a bit of time building my blog, writing and putting my heart and soul out onto this Internet space and I have really loved the process. I have also been aware that the best way to be, is to be me on here, and with that comes honest, unedited posts (except spelling) with the occasional cursing and have the style of my writing the way that I talk, so If you met me in person – I would hope that the person that you were reading about, is the person that you would be chatting to over a coffee. Or wine. Preferably wine. There are dangers though when you do start a blog. The intent in the beginning is always to be e