Busy at home

Although we live in a town of about 360 people, out in the bush (or maybe the outback, I'm not sure if we qualify for that one?), with little in the way of shops nearby, and few facilities of entertainment, life gets kinda busy!

Here's a few of the things that have been going on since our return from Melbourne almost three weeks ago:

Our new couch arrived!  It is SO comfortable - all three of us have fallen asleep on it at least once!

Unfortunately I forgot to arrange for it to be scotch guarded, so I had to spray it myself.  After three cans of spray, my right pointer finger was pretty much numb.  Surprisingly, it's still numb on the end!  I wonder if that will ever fix itself?

The Big Fella and my new mattress also arrived.  It's taken a little bit of getting used to, because it's a lot softer than our last one, but now we like it very much!

We've been to our closest major town and tried out their cinema for the first time.  There was a cinema running in the next town, but it wasn't very comfortable, and they didn't even do real popcorn!  They did microwave-in-a-bag popcorn!  So the experience really wasn't there.  But the cinema we tried out satisfies the experience, as well as providing the movie, so we'll probably be going back.

The Little Big Fella and I have been for a dental check.  It was his first one ever (I know, I'm a terrible mother! ;-)  ) and he thought it was pretty cool.

Apparently his teeth were lovely and clean (amazing given how he seems to brush them), and I was told off for not flossing.

The Little Big Fella was wearing a path into our grass with his little motorbike, so the Big Fella took the mower across the road and cut a track through the paddock.  The Little Big Fella loves it, but not so much if no one is watching him (I think we may have created a little show off!).

Every time the Little Big Fella came close to the house, the dogs jumped and yelped.  They love chasing the motorbike around!

You may not be able to see, but Daddy is watching from the comfort of our little balcony.

Hmmm, what else has been going on?

Ah yes!  We had a bit of a girl's night out last weekend.  A friend invited us all around and the Big Fella happened to be home so the Little Big Fella stayed home with him and I got to go out on my own!  Ah, the freedom!  We had a few drinks, lots of food and lots of good laughs.  And one of the girls lit a fire - a very impressive fire!  It had to be moved so that it wouldn't accidentally catch on the verandah.

A new cafe/bar/restaurant has opened in the next town and we went and checked it out one afternoon.  It had gone on the "definite" list as a location for a future evening out!  Hmmm, I need to line that up with our babysitter.

The Big Fella had a few things he wanted to do with our camper trailer so we set it up this week.  Of course, the Little Big Fella then wanted to sleep in it.  So he and I had a sleep-out when the Big Fella was on night shift.

It was freezing!!!!

And no, I don't mean Queenslander freezing, I mean generally freezing.  As in, single digits, I believe below 5 degrees.  I spent the whole night with my head inside my sleeping bag - and I never have my head inside my blankets (it's the one experience that makes me feel claustrophobic).

I've also decided that I don't like sleeping bags anymore.  It was warm enough, but I hate how hard it is to turn over.  The result of that particular night was that I didn't turn over much and woke up with sore hips.

But the Little Big Fella was happy, so that's the point, right?

This week was also my 34th birthday.  Now, I have to say that I have some awesome friends and family!

A friend made me a birthday cake (spewing that I didn't take a photo because it looked spectacular, and tasted brilliant!), another friend bought me a birthday cake, I got flowers and presents and hugs...

I got a card from my parents that reminded me of how loved I am.  And you know what?  That's what I loved about this particular birthday!  As an adult, it's not the cards or the cakes or the presents that makes a birthday special for me.  It's the love of friends and family, and the effort they put in to make sure I know I'm appreciated.

How can that not make my day great?

So, as well as all that has been the normal housework, kindy runs, food shopping, cooking, reading, watching a little TV, hanging out with my Fellas, playing at the park, and (just this week) getting back into an exercise routine.

You know, sometimes I wonder how I will ever fit my life in when I go back to work???

Home!

We had a 4am start.  And I'm such a morning person!!!  But that's what you gotta do to catch your 6am flight.

Mum got up to say goodbye, and dad drove us to the airport.  I hate goodbyes, but I hate short, early morning goodbyes even more because I always feel like that hug wasn't long enough and I wanted to say "I love you" just one more time.

Anyway, I'd checked in online the day before, but we needed to check our bags through.  They have an ATM-style check-in at Melbourne airport with a couple of airport staff there to help you out.

We got the lady's attention and started the process when the Little Big Fella started jumping up and down.  Yep!  You guessed it!  He had to pee!  Right now!!!!

Of course, you can't just leave your bags with anyone at the airport.  And of course the closest toilets weren't exactly close.  So here we are running through the airport, just after 5am, dragging our bags and trying not to drop anything.

Thankfully we made it!  Yay!

We went back and finished our bag check-in then went and found our gate.  We were flying home with a different carrier than we did on the way down, and on this flight we had a breakfast included.

The Little Big Fella decided to "drink" his orange juice with the tiny stirring teaspoon.  It took forever!!!  But he was happy so where's the problem?

We had an hour or so in Brisbane between our flights.  Guess what we did for most of it.  We went up and down the escalators.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

Up.

At least a dozen times.

But, again, the Little Big Fella was happy, and we weren't in anyone's way, so where's the problem?

Finally we were on our final leg home and I was anxious to get there.  I was tired, sick of being mummy 24/7, and ready to see my husband.

And when I saw him, I have to say he was looking fine!!!  He's been losing weight and working out, so when he turned up in his jeans and t-shirt, with his growing muscles showing, I did a double-take.  I know it was only 12 days, but he looked really good!

Okay, okay, I'll move on.

We went and had some lunch and did some food shopping then we were on our way home.

It doesn't matter how good a time you have when you're away, or how well you were looked after, or how comfy the bed was where you stayed, there is no place like home!

And even though there was lots of unpacking and cleaning up to do (the Big Fella had been away hunting for the past 5 days so all his camping gear and washing was added to what we had brought home), it was still home, the Little Big Fella was back in his normal space and routine, and I was ready to relax and recover from the great time we'd had catching up with family and friends and having all kinds of adventures.

Backyard Camping Photos

Well, you know, I've been a little slack.  I could say that I've been busy cleaning up the mess after having the painters here, but that would just be an excuse, so I won't ;-)

I thought I'd show you a couple of photos from our backyard camping expedition.

We were really lucky to have such good weather!  The big canopy out the front of the camper was excellent because we got plenty of air through :-)  You can see the Fellas in the background having a splash in our little pool.

Is there anything more fun than splashing around with your dad???

Well, maybe a glass of wine ;-)

We had a good time, especially the Little Big Fella.  Unfortunately we discovered that the mattress is a LOT harder than the Big Fella and I are used to so we were eager to get back into our own bed.  Definitely something that needs to be fixed before we use it again!!!

Backyard camping

Unfortunately this post is going to be photo-less.  Which is a pity because the photos that go with it are awesome!  But you're just going to have to wait (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah).

The company the Big Fella works for have decided that our house (we rent it from them) is due for painting inside, and a new kitchen, and new flooring.  Which is all very exciting!

But it turns out that it's also rather inconvenient!

This week the painters are here so we decided that we needed to test out our new camper trailer.  We'd forgotten how large it is, and it only just fits between the mango tree and the clothes line :-D

Really, it's pretty lucky we decided to camp out in our backyard though, because the smell in the house yesterday afternoon was appalling!!!  I had to be in there for about an hour last night, making the Little Big Fella's lunch for kindy today and doing the dishes, among other things.  By the time I was done I had a ripper of a headache!

When we picked up the Little Big Fella from kindy yesterday I told him he'd be sleeping in a different bed.  When we got home he ran upstairs into his room and freaked out because everything was in the middle of the room with sheets over it.  Then I directed him outside and he flipped out!!!

"Mum!  There's a tent in our yard!!!"

He was so excited to sleep "in the tent" that he wanted to go to bed straight after dinner.  I convinced him to have a shower and get into his pyjamas first then we put him into his bed.  I sat with him and we talked for about 15 minutes, then I went upstairs to do dishes etc and by the time I came back (about 15/20 minutes later) he was fast asleep.  It was only just dark.

Surprisingly, the Little Big Fella slept until about 7 this morning!  The surprising part I guess was because he's been waking up around 5/5:30 the past few mornings, and I thought because he'd fallen asleep so early, and was sleeping outside where the sunlight was more obvious, he'd wake at sunrise.

This afternoon when we got back from kindy, the Fella's had a swim in our little blow-up pool.  I'm typing this while they're cooking on the gas ring/fire.  We've got the mozzie coils burning and the dogs are hanging around looking for a bite of something.

I've noticed that camping in the backyard, just like "normal" camping, is an awesome excuse to spend time with your family.  Talking with them, playing together, and not being distracted by technology (ironic, given what I'm doing right now, huh?).

Nothing quite like backyard camping :-)

Boxing day busy

Traditionally Boxing Day is movie day for us.  We go to the cinema and check out the latest blockbuster release.  But our local cinema doesn't have "The Hobbit" yet so we ditched that idea for this year.

We had a yummy breakfast - the Big Fella made garlic and lemon turkish bread toast, topped with melted bocconcini and triple-smoked ham, with an egg on top.  We followed that with a little fruit salad and greek yoghurt.

Then we got up and got going around the house and yard.  Seems like we weren't the only ones too - we saw a lot of trailers heading up the road to the tip today :-D

I cleared the yard of dog toys etc. then the Big Fella whipper snipped and mowed, while I harvested all of our mangoes.  Did you know that they spray sap when you pick them?  Maybe it's just me and my spastic mango-picking technique?  But we ended up with half a laundry basket full of them, now sitting downstairs and ripening up.  Mmmmmmm, mango!

I don't think I actually ate a mango until my family spent a few days in the Philippines, when I was 16.  I discovered that I actually love them!  Since we moved to Queensland I've eaten quite a few :-D  Turns out the Little Big Fella loves them too :-)

After all that lovely harvesting, I had the awesome job of sweeping up with a broom that I hate.  Seriously, it's time for a new straw broom!

Then we trimmed some bushes and watered the flower garden.

The next task was predominantly the Big Fella's, I have to be honest.  I don't think I did much, and probably made some things a bit trickier for him :-o  Yes, it was time to put up the Little Big Fella's trampoline!

It didn't take that long, and it wasn't that tricky, but I don't know that I could have done it on my own.

But the Little Big Fella loves it and has spent a good portion of the day bouncing around.  It's a good height off the ground for him too, so he can get on and off easily, without the need for a step.

Hmm, what else did we get up to?

Oh yeah!  We emptied all of our camping gear out of the back shed and put it in our camper trailer, discovering a couple of mice in our lantern along the way!  Looks like we'll be setting some traps over the next few days!!!!  I am not interested in having mice, or the snakes that come looking for mice, in my back shed!

Did I tell you we have two new little chicks?  They're about a week and a half old now - a black one and a white/yellow one.  We've called them "Salt" and "Pepper" - the black one is "Salt" and the white one is "Pepper".  Don't blame me!  That was the Little Big Fella's decision!!!  :-)

Anyway, I decided they needed some outside time so took them out and let them run around a little near me.  The dogs came over to check them out and Frankie wasn't even interested, but Choccie watched them constantly!  She was really good though, but I wouldn't let her with them unsupervised at this stage.

We ended up putting them in a cage so that they could wander around on the grass, but be protected from the dogs and bigger chooks and they loved it!  I think it'll be a daily thing, unless it's raining, until they're ready to join the rest of the flock when they're a bit bigger.

The Big Fella and I ended up talking to a guy next door who was setting up to paint the outside.  Turns out we're on the internal painting list for the new year!  Yay!!!  I wonder if we get any say on colours?  Probably not, but it's nice to dream :-)

As well as emptying the camping gear from the back shed, we also took out some of the gym equipment and set it up under the house.  The Big Fella has decided it's time to get back into shape, and I'm ready to get back into Fit Yummy Mummy, so we'll try to do our workouts together whenever we can, starting tomorrow afternoon.

I'm still trying to decide if I'll do Tough Mudder in August, after being invited by a couple of friends who are putting together a team.  I think I might be talking myself out of it though.  The electricity thing really freaks me out!

We watched a little bit of the Boxing Day Test (cricket, for those not in the know) in between everything too!

When the gym equipment was set up we rearranged a few things under the house so hopefully it's a little more use-able.  It's so frustrating when you have such a great space but too many options and ideas for what to do with it!  (And too much stuff to squeeze into said space!)  I guess each time we try a new idea we get closer to what will actually work for us though!

The Fellas took a load of stuff to the tip this afternoon and found that our old washing machine and microwave that we put there the other day have been taken.  That makes me happy :-D  I like that our local tip has no regulation so people can take stuff that doesn't work properly and can't be sold, but other people can collect it and make it work for them (or bring it back I guess).

And we all went "bush bashing" for a little bit this arvo too!  The Big Fella bought a 4WD about a month ago that is pretty run down but works okay.  It has been dubbed "The Bush Basher" and the Fellas have had a couple of little jaunts about the tracks just up the road.  They both love it!  So today I got to join them.

I don't mind 4WDing, but I'm not a huge fan.  I mean, it's uncomfortable!  And it seems kind of pointless to me.  But, to those who enjoy it, it's just plain fun so I won't go bagging you out about it ;-)

We dropped around to a friend's place after that but they weren't home, so we came back home.  The Little Big Fella and I had a bit of a bounce on his trampoline - mostly with him laying down and me gently bouncing him around :-D  He loved it!  I'm guessing there'll be lots of requests to do that more over the next few days :-)

And now the Fellas are asleep (the Big Fella starts work at 3am), and I'm writing about our adventures for you!  We're hoping for lots of adventures in the coming year... hopefully I'll remember to take some photos of them for you :-o

Happy Boxing Day everyone!  I hope you've enjoyed it, whatever you've been up to!

Camping anyone?

When the Little Big Fella was about 6 months old, we decided to take a holiday.  As we hadn't really prepared for it, we decided to go the cheap option and camp our way up the coast (about 1600 kilometres).  We had a 6-person dome tent and a little bit of camping gear.

So, off we went!

It was, without a doubt, the worst holiday I have ever had!  The baby cried and needed feeding every couple of hours, and it turns out camping in a tent and the Big Fella just don't mix.  Something to do with uncomfortable beds and the inability to stand up.

We ended up staying in cabin vans after the first (disastrous) night and the baby suddenly discovered rolling.  He rolled off the couches and beds 4 times (you'd think I'd learn after the first or second time, right?) and cried his little heart out.

When we got up the coast the weather was wet and dreary and we just didn't enjoy ourselves.  Thankfully we did discover a place that we enjoyed on our last day before the long drive home.

Since that "holiday" we've looked at caravans, a huge range of tents, and a few camper trailers.  See, we like wood fires and camp-style cooking and being outdoors.  But it turns out we (as a family) need good beds and close bathroom facilities.

A couple of weeks ago the Big Fella came across a camper trailer on eBay.  It was fairly basic but also quite cheap.  We thought that we might be interested in buying a cheaper one then deciding if a) we'd use it much and b) what "extras" we might actually want and use.  He rang the guy up and had a chat with him and decided to place a bid.  Amazingly we won!  We are now the proud owners of a camper trailer!

A guy who works with the Big Fella agreed to pick the trailer up for us, as it was about nine hours drive away but kind of on his way "home".  And he dropped it off the other day.

So that afternoon we set it up in the back yard.  Ta da!

Surprisingly, the trailer came with no mattress.  I guess that's a good thing, but it means we can't use it until we get one.  (By the way, it takes a nearly full-sized King mattress!!!!)  And the annex walls are all held up with large velcro strips.  They were a little... tricky to put up properly.

But overall, we like it!  And it's in decent condition, so as soon as we get a couple of things together we'll be doing a trial run!  Then the plan is to take a trip about once a month next year, even if it's only a night or two close by.

Oh yeah!  I'm looking forward to this!!!!