School Holidays

I LOVE school holidays! I can sleep in, take my time with things, read my books and spend quality time with my kids. Tonight I am winding down after a huge day visiting Taronga Zoo. The last time we visited this zoo Maya was 1 and Connor was 3.

 Connor

 Maya

 Cute weren't they! The weather was beautiful and we had a blast with good friends. Gee, it really does get easier the older they get. They were so well behaved and had so much fun.

Spectacular day to take in the spectacular views.

The days have been quite busy. The kids have loved having friends over as well as popping out here and there.

Entertainment central!

 Boys clowning around in the pool.

We have enjoyed a couple of movies in the afternoons - when we need some down time after a busy day. I had bought a little while ago an old favourite - Sound Of Music and finally got around to showing it to Maya. I have created a monster! I think she has now watched it about 7 times!!! She loves it - just like I did when I was a little girl.

 Another blast from the past...a local milkshake bar. I took the kids the other day after Connor's first guitar lesson. They do REAL milkshakes. Big and cold and YUM. (He loved his guitar lesson too)

Holidays also give me a little time to enjoy the kitchen too. I am no chef...actually I'm fairly hopeless except for a few things I do OK, but I do like cooking (when it's not too hard and it turns out well!) Yesterday afternoon I picked up some prawns, googled a recipe and, with a glass of wine in hand, cooked a simple, yummy meal.

 

 More playdates ahead this week. More gardening too...and the long awaited front turfing is penciled in to happen Saturday...must order it tomorrow! Photos of that to come.

Off to soak my weary feet! What do you love doing with the kids in the holidays? Any 'ritual' outings or activities? I'd love to hear.

Cheers
Kylie

Why Do You Live Where You Do?

I've just been doing a little reflection over the last couple of days, so bare with me whilst I share. We obviously love where we live - or we wouldn't have rebuilt here. We'd lived right on this very land for 10 years before building this new home. Over the years I have come to love it more and more. Not that I grew up very far from here - just a suburb or 2 to the east, but it did take a little while for this suburb to feel like 'home'. 

When we got married, 11 years ago soon, we knew we wanted to stay close to family and friends, even though we both had quite a commute to work. This, I have found, is quite typical of people who live in 'The Shire'. So what is the appeal, apart from family? Well, we are very much in a quiet suburb, yet there is a large Westfields only a couple of minutes drive away. Another little shopping centre, a couple of minutes in another direction, has a lovely village feel which I have come to depend on and love -particularly since having a family. We are only a 10minute drive to the lovely Cronulla beaches and easy access to the Port Hacking waterways is at the end of the street where my children go to school. 

Where would you live if you didn't live where you do now? My answer to that question...somewhere on Qld's Sunshine Coast. Could I move my whole life there? Well, I think about it very often. Not sure. Have you/could you move interstate?

We ventured to the beach yesterday actually. Even though it was quite windy, it was a nice outing and as we live so close, you don't feel like you need to head out for 27 hours just to make the effort worthwhile.

This is the bay side of the beach rather than the surf side - nice to have the option. Much quieter over here and more restful for me as I don't have to watch the kids as closely. 

After the beach I went to the Domayne warehouse to pick up the sunlounge we'd purchased the day before...I love lazing on a sunlounge by the pool reading a good book. Below is the one we bought (just one for now). I did look at those really low ones - the ones without legs if you know what I mean, but even though the one I tried was really comfy, getting up and down is a nuisance.

  I wasted no time making myself comfortable!!

 Hmm, the second I moved the kids pounced!

I had a few extra kids here playing and swimming with mine today. It was one of our hottest days this Summer so the pool got a real workout...love it. I took the Christmas tree down and packed everything away for another year. I barely sat all day, so that combined with bootcamp this morning, means my legs and feet are aching tonight!

That's all to report tonight. I am getting a couple of hours to myself tomorrow - can't wait! Next week is super booked up with the kid's play dates - typical!

Cheers
Kylie

Pinch and a Punch for the First Day of the Year!

Howdy & Happy New Year to you all! What a lovely day for the first of 2012!

New Years Eve started with my bootcamp workout. The surprise was that we were doing the infamous Wanda sandhills. Always makes you feel good afterwards, and although a little cloudy, it was a beautiful morning to witness at the beach.

Sun determined to sneak through.

 

Just a little sand'hill'

Jelly legs after a tough session! There were a few missing - saving themselves for a big NYE no doubt!

Back to the landscaping grindstone afterwards. Plus a couple of trips to Flower Power and Bunnings. The fronts next instalment looks like this...

 Will do a little more levelling tomorrow. I need to decide on the front corner and the garden on the other side in front of the wall. I also need to find the best price for more river pebbles. Then we will be pretty much ready for turfing! Plus we still haven't attached our house numbers to the front letterbox. All in good time.

So, what did everyone get up to for NYE? We had a bit of fun with friends over. Kids had a late night swim in the 'glowing' pool. The adults enjoyed concocting various cocktails to match all colours of the rainbow - which was quite timely considering the theme of the city's firework display!

The boys with their 'pink' cocktail! We enjoyed a beautiful surf n turf dinner thanks to my clever husband!

The kids had the music pumping all evening! They danced their little legs off!

Looks like it was aliens taking a dip!

We welcomed in the new year with a bacon and egg brekky with my in-laws and a cruise around the Port Hacking (our waterway) just after lunch. 

All set to go...love her!

 Kids and dad.

 The faster the better for Connor.

 Bit chilly at first but then it was lovely.

 Co-captain.

 Photos don't do it justice...the water was just beautiful.

 

I am hoping to go to the big (I know, they're all big) Ikea on Thursday for a look around. Besides that, inside decorating is on hold for a month or two. The list to do looks like this (in no particular order)
1. hall console table
2. bookshelves for reading 'nook' next to kitchen
3. cushions for living room lounge
4. more art for living room
5. art for my bedroom
6. decoration for the top of my dresser (to have a permanent fixture rather than flowers all the time)
7. planter for an indoor plant 
8. shelving for living area
9. floor mirror for next to indoor plant
10. outdoor sunlounger
11. outdoor beanbags
12. sofa ottoman for study

As you can see, I have plenty to keep the creative thoughts flowing well into 2012! Good! I'd hate to think I didn't have any projects to dream about.

I hope everyone enjoyed their NYE. I've thought alot about what I want 2012 to be...but that's a whole other post!

Cheers
Kylie

Labour of Love and Fishermans Friends

I can barely type my wrist is so sore. I am aching all over actually. It's a mix of bootcamp and garden labouring...with the emphasis on the word LABOUR. The ground is extremely compacted and full of building debris and ROCK!

We are getting there, tiny step by tiny step. The wasteland that is our front yard is slowing taking shape. I was looking at it today and realised that it is quite a big front yard - lucky me! Here are a couple of progress shots.

This is a before shot taken back in November.

You may not be able to tell, but it even took a lot of work to start evening out the bumps. 

I even put a few plants in today. cannot wait til I can put the turf down!

This is the other side (see what I mean, most people would probably only have one side to worry about). I think it's because we are a corner block.

I am hoping to get DH to put in another hour or 2 tomorrow, but he's pretty darn sore and tired too so will see. I'd like to just finish moving my pile of soil and maybe fit in a trip to Flower Power to purchase a few more plants (and pop them in their little garden beds).

We did indeed take our little buddies fishing yesterday. What a lovely couple of hours we had. DH took Connor fishing again this morning, this time out on the river in my dad's fishing boat. They love their special father / son time together. I love that they have this special 'thing' that is theirs to do together.

Pretty spot hey - my parents place. 

Little miss loves it too, but patience isn't her virtue.

Fishing buddies.

Was nice to just chill in the sun and the breeze.

And today, the boys boat trip.

He was still talking about his couple of catches at bedtime tonight.

And whilst they fished, Maya and I cafe'd. I dreamed of holiday destinations...incase I win lotto tomorrow night!! lol

Maya worked on a little find-a-word.

Can you believe that tomorrow is the last day of 2011!! Will blog more about that later!

Cheers
Kylie